Belt anchor fastening structure

Abstract

To provide a fastening structure of a belt anchor that can suppress displacement of the belt anchor more effectively.SOLUTION: A fastening structure of a belt anchor 22 comprises: the belt anchor 22 which is provided at one end of a buckle 16 of a seat belt; a floor panel 24; an anchor bracket 44 which is joined to the floor panel 24; and a tank bracket 50 to which a fuel tank 70 is fastened and which is joined to the floor panel 24, wherein the belt anchor 22 is fastened together with the floor panel 24, the anchor bracket 44, and the tank bracket 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a fastening structure of a belt anchor provided on a seat belt buckle.

Background Art

[0002] A vehicle seat belt device includes a belt-shaped belt body and a buckle fixed to a floor panel. A tongue plate that can be connected to the buckle is attached to the belt body. By connecting this tongue plate to the buckle, the upper body of the occupant is restrained by the belt body. Also, a belt anchor is fixed to the buckle. And the belt anchor is screwed and fastened to the floor panel. Such a seat belt device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of a conventional seat belt device, the strength of the panel material around the fastening portion of the belt anchor was not sufficient. Therefore, when a strong tensile force was applied to the seat belt, the panel material around the fastening portion of the belt anchor was deformed and the belt anchor was displaced.

[0005] Therefore, this specification discloses a fastening structure of a belt anchor that can more effectively suppress the displacement of the belt anchor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The belt anchor fastening structure disclosed herein comprises a belt anchor provided at one end of a seat belt buckle, a floor panel, an anchor bracket joined to the floor panel, and a tank bracket to which a fuel tank is fastened and which is joined to the floor panel, characterized in that the belt anchor is fastened together with the floor panel, the anchor bracket, and the tank bracket.

[0007] In this case, the floor panel, the anchor bracket, and the tank bracket are stacked on top of each other in this order, and the tank bracket may have a bead adjacent to the fastening portion with the belt anchor and extending in the front-rear direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the tank bracket comprises a substantially box-shaped main bracket protruding downward from the floor panel and a support bracket, the support bracket having a skirt portion superimposed on the circumferential surface of the main bracket and joined to the main bracket, and a flange portion extending in a direction parallel to the floor panel and superimposed on the anchor bracket and the floor panel, a part of the flange portion being separated from the floor panel and forming a space between it and the floor panel.

[0009] Furthermore, the tank bracket comprises a cross member extending in the vehicle width direction and forming a closed space called a cross space between itself and the floor panel, and a bulk positioned within the cross space and spanning between the front wall and the rear wall of the cross member, wherein the tank bracket is joined to the cross member, and the bulk may be adjacent to the tank bracket in the front-rear direction.

[0010] Furthermore, the tank bracket is located in front of the cross member, and the front end position of the anchor bracket is approximately the same as the front end position of the tank bracket, and the fastening portion with the belt anchor is support The distance to the rear end of the bracket may be approximately the same as the distance from the fastening portion to the front end of the tank bracket. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the belt anchor fastening structure disclosed herein, the rigidity around the fastening portion is improved, thereby effectively suppressing the displacement of the belt anchor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the area around the belt anchor of a seat belt system. [Figure 2] Bottom view of the area around the fastening part. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the area around the fastening point, seen from the underside of the vehicle. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of the fastening structure of the comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The fastening structure of the belt anchor 22 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the area around the belt anchor 22 of the seat belt device 10. In each figure, Fr, Up, and Rh indicate the front, up, and right side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0014] The seat belt device 10 shown in Figure 1 is a three-point seat belt device attached to the rear seat 84 of a vehicle. The seat belt device 10 is broadly divided into a belt body 12 and a buckle 16. The belt body 12 is a belt-shaped member that restrains the upper body of the occupant. One end of the belt body 12 is set in a retractor (not shown). The belt body 12 is connected to the buckle 16 via a tongue plate 14.

[0015] The buckle 16 is a component fixed to the vehicle body and connected to the tongue plate 14. The buckle 16 has a buckle body 18, a connecting band 20, and a belt anchor 22. The buckle body 18 is the part that connects to the tongue plate 14. An insertion opening for the tongue plate 14 is formed on the upper end surface of the buckle body 18. The connecting band 20 extends from the lower end of the buckle body 18, and the belt anchor 22 is fixed to the end of this connecting band 20. The belt anchor 22 is a metal plate for fixing the buckle 16 to the vehicle body. The belt anchor 22 is placed on top of the floor panel 24 and fastened to the floor panel 24 by fastening bolts 80. Hereinafter, the part to which this belt anchor 22 is fastened will be referred to as the "fastening part 23".

[0016] In this scenario, if the vehicle comes to a sudden stop or decelerates while the occupant is fastened with a seatbelt, the occupant will attempt to move forward relative to the vehicle. This causes the belt body 12 to be strongly pulled forward. This pulling of the belt body 12 exerts a large upward force on the fastening portion 23 of the belt anchor 22. This force causes deformation around the fastening portion 23, displacing the belt anchor 22. If the displacement of the belt anchor 22 changes the position in which the occupant is restrained by the belt body 12, there is a risk that the occupant may no longer be properly restrained. Therefore, in this example, the belt anchor 22 is fastened together with the floor panel 24, the anchor bracket 44, and the tank bracket 50. This will be explained in detail below.

[0017] Figure 2 is a bottom view of the area around the fastening portion 23, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the area around the fastening portion 23 as seen from the underside of the vehicle. Furthermore, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 1, a fuel tank 70 is located below the fastening portion 23, but this fuel tank 70 is not shown in Figures 2 to 4.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a cross member 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the floor panel 24. The cross member 30 is a skeletal member extending in the vehicle width direction. In this example, the cross member 30 has a substantially hat-shaped cross section that opens upward. That is, the cross member 30 has front and rear walls 32, 34, a bottom wall 36, and front and rear flanges 38, 40. The front and rear flanges 38, 40 are joined to the floor panel 24. Thereby, a closed space 42 (see FIG. 4) extending in the vehicle width direction is formed between the cross member 30 and the floor panel 24. Hereinafter, this closed space will be referred to as the "cross space 42".

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, a bulkhead 43 spanning the front wall 32 and the rear wall 34 is arranged in the cross space 42. The bulkhead 43 is a metallic sheet metal part. The position of the bulkhead 43 in the vehicle width direction is substantially the same as the position of a tank bracket 50 described later in the vehicle width direction. The front end of the bulkhead 43 is joined to the front wall 32 of the cross member 30, and the rear end of the bulkhead 43 is joined to the rear wall 34 of the cross member 30. By providing such a bulkhead 43, deformation of the cross member 30 is effectively suppressed.

[0020] A tank bracket 50 is arranged on the front side of the cross member 30. The tank bracket 50 is a bracket to which a fuel tank 70 is fastened. This tank bracket 50 is roughly divided into a main bracket 51 and a support bracket 60.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main bracket 51 is a substantially box-shaped member protruding downward from the floor panel 24. Such a main bracket 51 has a bottom wall 52 and a peripheral wall 54. A part of the bottom wall 52 is joined to the bottom wall 36 of the cross member 30. Also, a part of the peripheral wall 54 is bent along the front wall 32 of the cross member 30 and joined to the front wall 32.

[0022] The support bracket 60 is a bracket that connects the main bracket 51 and the floor panel 24. This support bracket 60 is broadly divided into a skirt portion 62 and a flange portion 64. The skirt portion 62 is superimposed on the peripheral wall 54 of the main bracket 51 and is coupled to the peripheral wall 54. The flange portion 64 extends in a direction substantially parallel to the floor panel 24 and is joined to the floor panel 24. Here, as is clear from Figures 3 and 4, the flange portion 64 is separated from the floor panel 24 from the front end of the main bracket 51 around the fastening portion 23, and a space 67 is formed between the flange portion 64 and the floor panel 24. The formation of this space 67 alleviates stress concentration at the connection portion 66 from the skirt portion 62 to the flange portion 64 (see Figures 3 and 4), and effectively suppresses deformation of the support bracket 60.

[0023] Furthermore, as is clear from Figures 2 to 4, the flange portion 64 extends to a position where it sufficiently overlaps with the fastening portion 23. More precisely, as shown in Figure 4, the distance L1 from the fastening portion 23 to the front end of the flange portion 64 is support bracket 60 This is approximately the same as the distance L2 to the rear end. Also, as shown in Figure 3, multiple beads 68 are formed in the vicinity of the fastening portion 23 of the flange portion 64. This configuration suppresses deformation of the panel material around the fastening portion 23.

[0024] An anchor bracket 44 is further provided around the fastening portion 23. The anchor bracket 44 is a reinforcing panel material for reinforcing the area around the fastening portion 23. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the anchor bracket 44 is a panel material that is positioned between the floor panel 24 and the support bracket 60 and joined to the floor panel 24. The front end position of the anchor bracket 44 is approximately the same as the front end position of the support bracket 60.

[0025] As is clear from Figures 2 to 4, and as mentioned above, the flange portion 64 of the support bracket 60 extends to a position where it completely overlaps with the fastening portion 23. As a result, at the fastening portion 23, the belt anchor 22, the floor panel 24, the anchor bracket 44, and the support bracket 60 overlap in this order. In this example, fastening holes are formed in these four metal plates 22, 24, 44, and 60, and the four metal plates 22, 24, 44, and 60 are fastened together with fastening bolts 80. To facilitate this fastening, weld nuts 82 (see Figure 4) that screw into the fastening bolts 80 are welded around the fastening holes in the flange portion 64. In other words, according to this example, the four metal plates 22, 24, 44, and 60 are stacked and fastened together around the fastening portion 23 of the belt anchor 22. As a result, the strength around the fastening portion 23 can be improved, and deformation around the fastening portion 23 can be effectively suppressed.

[0026] Next, the effects of this fastening structure will be explained in comparison with the comparative example. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening structure of the comparative example. In the comparative example, the support bracket 60* is small and does not reach the fastening portion 23. Therefore, in the comparative example, the only metal plates stacked at the fastening portion 23 are the belt anchor 22, the floor panel 24, and the anchor bracket 44*. In this case, the rigidity around the fastening portion 23 is poor, making deformation around the fastening portion 23 and, consequently, displacement of the belt anchor 22 more likely.

[0027] Furthermore, in the comparative example, the front end of the anchor bracket 44* is located near the fastening portion 23, and consequently, near the front end of the belt anchor 22. In this case, stress is concentrated at point P near the front end of the anchor bracket 44* on the floor panel 24, making deformation of the floor panel 24 likely.

[0028] Furthermore, in the case of the comparative example support bracket 60*, most of the flange portion 64* is in close proximity to the floor panel 24. In other words, in the case of the comparative example support bracket 60*, no space 67 is formed between the flange portion 64* and the floor panel 24. As a result, the rigidity of the support bracket 60* itself is poor, and deformation of the support bracket 60* and the floor panel 24 to which the support bracket 60* is joined is likely to occur. And when the floor panel 24 deforms, the belt anchor 22 is more likely to be displaced.

[0029] On the other hand, the support bracket 60 disclosed herein completely wraps around the fastening portion 23, as described above. As a result, the four metal plates 22, 24, 44, and 60 are stacked at the fastening portion 23. This effectively suppresses deformation around the fastening portion 23. In this example, both the support bracket 60 and the anchor bracket 44 extend to a position sufficiently far from the fastening portion 23. This configuration makes it difficult for stress to concentrate around the fastening portion 23, effectively suppressing deformation of the floor panel 24 and, consequently, displacement of the belt anchor 22.

[0030] Furthermore, as described above, a bead 68 is formed around the fastening portion 23 of the flange portion 64. Also, a part of the flange portion 64 is separated from the floor panel 24, and a space 67 is formed between the flange portion 64 and the floor panel 24. This configuration increases the rigidity of the flange portion 64, effectively suppressing deformation of the flange portion 64 and, consequently, displacement of the belt anchor 22.

[0031] Furthermore, in this example, a bulkhead 43 is provided adjacent to the tank bracket 50 to reinforce the cross member 30. This configuration effectively suppresses deformation of the cross member 30, and consequently, the tank bracket 50. As a result, the displacement of the belt anchor 22 can also be effectively suppressed.

[0032] As is clear from the explanation above, in this example, only the shapes of the anchor bracket 44 and the support bracket 60 are changed compared to the comparative example. In other words, in this example, no special parts are added to suppress the displacement of the belt anchor 22. As a result, the displacement of the belt anchor 22 is effectively suppressed while the increase in the number of parts is kept to a minimum. In addition, both the anchor bracket 44 and the support bracket 60, whose shapes are changed, are small parts. In other words, the configuration of large parts such as the floor panel 24 and the cross member 30 remains unchanged. Therefore, the impact on the overall vehicle can be kept to a minimum. Furthermore, in this example, the shape of the main bracket 51 has not been significantly changed. Therefore, the mounting capability of the fuel tank 70 can be maintained as in the conventional example.

[0033] It should be noted that the configurations described so far are all examples, and other configurations may be changed as long as the configuration described in claim 1 is achieved. For example, the shape and size of the support bracket 60 may be changed as appropriate, as long as it overlaps with the fastening portion 23. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10 Seat belt device, 12 Belt body, 14 Tongue plate, 16 Buckle, 18 Buckle body, 20 Connecting band, 22 Belt anchor, 23 Fastening part, 24 Floor panel, 30 Cross member, 42 Cross space, 43 Bulk, 44, 44* Anchor bracket, 50 Tank bracket, 51 Main bracket, 52 Bottom wall, 54 Peripheral wall, 60, 60* Support bracket, 62 Skirt section, 64, 64* Flange section, 66 Connecting section, 68 Bead, 70 Fuel tank, 80 Fastening bolt, 82 Weld nut, 84 Rear seat.

Claims

1. A belt anchor is attached to one end of the seat belt buckle, Floor panel and An anchor bracket joined to the floor panel, A fuel tank is fastened to a tank bracket that is joined to the floor panel, The belt anchor is fastened together with the floor panel, the anchor bracket, and the tank bracket. The floor panel, the anchor bracket, and the tank bracket are stacked on top of each other in this order from top to bottom. The tank bracket has a bead adjacent to the fastening portion with the belt anchor and extending in the front-rear direction. A belt anchor fastening structure characterized by the following features.

2. A belt anchor is attached to one end of the seat belt buckle, Floor panel and An anchor bracket joined to the floor panel, A fuel tank is fastened to a tank bracket that is joined to the floor panel, The belt anchor is fastened together with the floor panel, the anchor bracket, and the tank bracket. The aforementioned tank bracket is A roughly box-shaped main bracket protruding downward from the floor panel, Support bracket and The support bracket is equipped with, A skirt portion is superimposed on the circumferential surface of the main bracket and joined to the main bracket, A flange portion extending in a direction parallel to the floor panel and overlapping the anchor bracket and the floor panel, The flange portion is separated from the floor panel and forms a space between it and the floor panel. A belt anchor fastening structure characterized by the following features.

3. The fastening structure for a belt anchor according to claim 1, further, A cross member extending in the vehicle width direction and forming a closed space called a cross space between itself and the floor panel, A bulk is arranged within the aforementioned cross space and is stretched between the front wall and the rear wall of the cross member, Equipped with, The tank bracket is joined to the cross member, The bulkhead is adjacent to the tank bracket in the front-rear direction, A belt anchor fastening structure characterized by the following features.

4. The fastening structure for a belt anchor according to claim 2, further, A cross member extending in the vehicle width direction and forming a closed space called a cross space between itself and the floor panel, A bulk is arranged within the aforementioned cross space and is stretched between the front wall and the rear wall of the cross member, Equipped with, The tank bracket is joined to the cross member, The bulkhead is adjacent to the tank bracket in the front-rear direction, A belt anchor fastening structure characterized by the following features.

5. A fastening structure for a belt anchor according to claim 4, The tank bracket is located on the front side of the cross member, The front end position of the anchor bracket is approximately the same as the front end position of the tank bracket. The distance from the fastening portion with the belt anchor to the rear end of the support bracket is approximately the same as the distance from the fastening portion to the front end of the tank bracket. A belt anchor fastening structure characterized by the following features.

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