Instrument panel cross-member and vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle component design and manufacturing. Disclosed are an instrument panel cross-member and a vehicle. The instrument panel cross-member comprises a first hollow beam, a second hollow beam, and a transition connecting plate fixedly connected between the first and second hollow beams; an end portion on one side of the second hollow beam is inserted into and fixed within the first hollow beam, at least a portion of the transition connecting plate covers the outer wall of the second hollow beam and is fixedly connected thereto, and a portion of the transition connecting plate is inserted into the inner wall of the first hollow beam and is fixedly connected thereto. The instrument panel cross-member of the present invention achieves both lightweight design and rigidity requirements, and has low manufacturing costs.

Description

Instrument panel tube beam and vehicle

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on March 25, 2024, with application number 202410347416.4 and titled “A Dashboard Tube Beam and Vehicle,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle parts, and in particular to an instrument panel tube beam and a vehicle. Background Art

[0004] The instrument panel beam is installed in the front area of ​​the cabin. Its primary function is to support multiple components in the vehicle's front area, including the instrument panel, steering column, wiring harness, various electrical appliances, displays, and airbags. The instrument panel beam assembly also enhances vehicle body strength and provides occupant protection, such as preventing intrusion after a collision.

[0005] Currently, the instrument panel beam is typically connected directly to the vehicle body via two locating pins and multiple bolts. This beam bears the load of the instrument panel assembly, significantly impacting vehicle safety. Of course, to ensure the various instruments and components it supports function properly under high-speed driving and vibration conditions, the beam must possess sufficient rigidity. To mitigate the impact of external forces on the driver and front passenger seats in the event of an accident, the beam also requires good energy absorption. Furthermore, the beam must meet lightweight requirements.

[0006] Therefore, how to provide an automobile instrument panel tube beam that can better meet the design lightweight and rigidity requirements and reduce costs has become a technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To this end, the present invention proposes an instrument panel tube beam that meets both lightweight design and rigidity requirements and has low cost, as well as a vehicle having the instrument panel tube beam.

[0008] In view of the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] A dashboard tubular beam comprises: a first hollow beam, a second hollow beam, and a transition connecting plate fixedly connected therebetween; wherein, an end region of one side of the second hollow beam is inserted into and fixed in the first hollow beam, at least a portion of the transition connecting plate covers the outer wall of the second hollow beam and is fixedly connected thereto, and a portion of the transition connecting plate is inserted into and fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first hollow beam.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, the transition connecting plate is fixedly connected to the first hollow beam along the circumferential direction, and the transition connecting plate is fixedly connected to the second hollow beam along the length direction thereof.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam are aluminum extruded profiles, and the transition connecting plate is welded to the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam respectively.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam are polygonal tubes respectively, the transition connecting plate and the first hollow beam have at least two welding areas, and the transition connecting plate and the second hollow beam have at least two welding areas.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the transition connecting plate is a bent plate, and the transition connecting plate includes at least two connecting support plates, the outer side surfaces of the connecting support plates cooperate with the inner wall of the first hollow beam, and the inner side surfaces of the connecting support plates cooperate with the outer wall of the second hollow beam.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the outer side surface of the transition connecting plate matches the shape of the inner wall of the first hollow beam to achieve surface contact, and the inner side surface of the transition connecting plate has at least three positioning protrusions for abutting the outer wall of the second hollow beam, and the positioning protrusions extend along the length direction thereof.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the transition connecting plate is an L-shaped bent plate, which is welded to the second hollow beam along its length direction. After the L-shaped bent plate is connected to the second hollow beam, an outer side surface matching the inner wall of the first hollow beam is formed, and the L-shaped bent plate is welded to the end face of the first hollow beam along the circumferential direction.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present invention, the length of the transition connecting plate outside the first hollow beam is 3-4 times the length of the transition connecting plate inside the first hollow beam; the length of the transition connecting plate is 3%-5% of the total length of the instrument panel tube beam.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present invention, the present invention further includes mounting brackets fixedly connected to the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam, respectively, and the mounting brackets are grid profiles.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the mounting bracket is welded to the end face sides of the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam respectively; or, the mounting bracket is connected to the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam respectively through fasteners; or, the mounting bracket is respectively sleeved on the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam and welded to them.

[0019] The present invention also provides a vehicle, which includes a vehicle body support and the instrument panel tube beam, wherein the instrument panel tube beam is fixedly connected to the vehicle body support.

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention has the following technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0021] The instrument panel tube beam provided by the present invention is formed by connecting two hollow beams with a transition connecting plate. Compared with the existing solid support beams with an integrated structure, the overall weight is lighter. At the same time, the above-mentioned transition connection method can enable the two hollow beams to be processed and formed using a relatively low-cost molding process. For example, the two hollow beams can be hollow profiles formed using an extrusion process. In addition, part of the transition connecting plate is inserted into the first hollow beam with a larger diameter, and part of the transition connecting plate is located outside the first hollow beam. In the event of a side impact on the instrument panel tube beam, the side impact energy is transferred along the first hollow beam / second hollow beam via the transition connecting plate located outside the first hollow beam to the second hollow beam / first hollow beam. This allows the instrument panel tube beam to better transmit the side impact energy, avoid excessive deformation of the instrument panel tube beam in the middle area during a side impact, and meet the stiffness requirements of the instrument panel tube beam. The above-mentioned instrument panel tube beam has a low production cost and meets the lightweight and stiffness requirements of the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will help to understand the objects and advantages of the present invention.

[0023] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of an instrument panel tube beam of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part A in Figure 1;

[0025] FIG3 is an enlarged view of portion A in FIG1 from another angle;

[0026] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of an instrument panel tube beam of the present invention;

[0027] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of the BB portion in FIG4 ;

[0028] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a first structure of a mounting bracket in an instrument panel tube beam according to the present invention;

[0029] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a second structure of a mounting bracket in an instrument panel tube beam according to the present invention;

[0030] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a third structure of a mounting bracket in an instrument panel tube beam according to the present invention;

[0031] FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing stress and strain of an instrument panel tube beam with three different mounting brackets according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure numbers: 10 - first hollow beam; 20 - second hollow beam; 30 - transition connecting plate; 31 - connecting support plate; 30a - positioning protrusion; 40 - mounting bracket; 40a - connecting hole. Specific embodiments

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they may refer to direct connections, indirect connections through an intermediary, or internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0036] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0037] Figures 1 to 5 show a specific embodiment of the instrument panel tube beam provided by the present invention. The instrument panel tube beam is installed on the body bracket at the front side of the vehicle and is used to support multiple functional components such as the instrument panel, steering column, wiring harness, display and airbag.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the instrument panel tube beam includes a first hollow beam 10, a second hollow beam 20, and a transition connecting plate 30 located between the two and fixedly connecting the two. The first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 are beam bodies with a hollow structure inside. Generally, the first hollow beam 10 has more functional components installed on its side and is heavier. Therefore, the stiffness requirement on the first hollow beam 10 side is higher than that on the second hollow beam 20 side. Therefore, the cross-sectional dimension of the first hollow beam 10 is larger than that of the second hollow beam 20, that is, the cross-sectional area of ​​the inner side of the first hollow beam 10 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the outer side of the second hollow beam 20, and the second hollow beam 20 can be inserted into the inner side of the first hollow beam 10; at least a portion of the area of ​​the transition connecting plate 30 is larger than that of the second hollow beam 20. The transition connecting plate 30 covers and is fixedly connected to the end area of ​​the outer wall of the second hollow beam 20, that is, the entire area of ​​the transition connecting plate 30 covers and is fixedly connected to the end area of ​​the outer wall of the second hollow beam 20, or a partial area of ​​the transition connecting plate 30 (for example, 80% of the area along the length direction of the transition connecting plate 30) covers and is fixedly connected to the end area of ​​the outer wall of the second hollow beam 20; a partial area of ​​the transition connecting plate 30 is inserted into the inner wall of the first hollow beam 10, that is, a partial area of ​​the transition connecting plate 30 is located on the outside of the first hollow beam 10 and is fixedly connected to the first hollow beam 10.

[0039] The aforementioned instrument panel tube beam is formed by connecting two hollow beams of different sizes. Compared to existing solid support beams with a one-piece structure, its overall weight is lighter. Furthermore, the aforementioned transition plate 30 is used to achieve the transition connection between the two hollow beams, allowing the two hollow beams to be separately formed using a relatively low-cost molding process. For example, the two hollow beams can be formed using aluminum extrusion profiles. Furthermore, a portion of the transition plate 30 is located outside the first hollow beam 10, which has a larger diameter. In the event of a side impact on the instrument panel tube beam, the impact energy is transferred along the first / second hollow beam via the transition plate located outside the first hollow beam to the second / first hollow beam. This allows the instrument panel tube beam to better transmit the impact energy, preventing excessive deformation in the central region of the instrument panel tube beam during a side impact, and thus meeting the instrument panel tube beam's stiffness requirements. This demonstrates that the aforementioned instrument panel tube beam is relatively low-cost and meets the vehicle's lightweight and stiffness requirements.

[0040] To further optimize the stiffness of the instrument panel tube beam under lateral loads, as shown in Figure 2, the transition plate 30 is fixedly connected to the first hollow beam 10 along the circumference. For example, the two are welded along the circumference of the tube wall of the first hollow beam 10, meaning that the first weld h1 between the two extends along the circumference. The transition plate 30 is also fixedly connected to the second hollow beam 20 along its length. For example, the two are welded along the length of the second hollow beam 20, and the second weld h2 between the transition plate 30 and the second hollow beam 20 extends along the length. This provides a higher connection strength in the middle portion. When the instrument panel tube beam is impacted from the side, the maximum deformation of the instrument panel tube beam occurs on the side of the second hollow beam 20 away from the first hollow beam 10, preventing excessive deformation in the middle portion closer to the first hollow beam 10, which could cause damage to functional components on the first hollow beam 10, particularly the steering column.

[0041] Specifically, in one optional embodiment, the second hollow beam 20 is inserted into the first hollow beam 10 by a length between 10 mm and 20 mm, and the two are circumferentially welded. That is, as shown in FIG3 , a third weld h3 between the outer wall of the second hollow beam 20 and the end face of the first hollow beam 10 extends circumferentially.

[0042] Specifically, the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 are extruded aluminum profiles. Aluminum extrusion requires simple molds, a short processing cycle, and low costs. Furthermore, aluminum extrusion profiles can absorb impact energy, maintain strength and flexibility under load, and rebound from impact. The transition plate 30 is also made of aluminum to ensure a good connection with the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20.

[0043] Specifically, in an optional embodiment, the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 are respectively polygonal tubes, such as rectangular tubes, square tubes or special-shaped pentagonal tubes as shown in Figure 5, and the transition connecting plate 30 and the first hollow beam 10 have at least two welding areas, and the transition connecting plate 30 and the second hollow beam 20 have at least two welding areas; by setting multiple welding areas, a reliable connection between the transition connecting plate 30 and the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 is achieved, thereby further improving the stiffness of the entire instrument panel tube beam.

[0044] Specifically, in one optional embodiment, the transition connecting plate 30 is a bent plate, such as an L-shaped bent plate including two connecting support plates 31, or a U-shaped bent plate including three connecting support plates 31. The outer side surfaces of the connecting support plates 31 mate with the inner wall of the first hollow beam 10, and the inner side surfaces of the connecting support plates 31 mate with the outer wall of the second hollow beam 20. After the transition connecting plate 30 is connected to the second hollow beam 20, an outer side surface matches the inner wall of the first hollow beam 10. The transition connecting plate 30 is inserted into the first hollow beam 10 and mates with its inner wall.

[0045] Specifically, the outer surface of the transition plate 30 matches the shape of the inner wall of the first hollow beam 10 to achieve surface contact. The inner surface of the transition plate 30 has at least three positioning protrusions 30a extending along its length for abutting the outer wall of the second hollow beam 20. The at least three-point positioning structure between the transition plate 30 and the second hollow beam 20 enhances the stability of the connection between the transition plate 30 and the second hollow beam 20. More specifically, two of the positioning protrusions 30a are located at the end regions of the transition plate 30 along the bend direction and extend along the length of the transition plate 30 into long strip-shaped protrusions. Another positioning protrusion 30a or multiple positioning protrusions 30a are located in the middle region, such as at the bend, further enhancing connection stability. Furthermore, the positioning protrusions 30a at the end regions achieve line contact with the second hollow beam 20, facilitating the welded connection between the transition plate 30 and the second hollow beam 20.

[0046] As shown in Figure 5 , the transition plate 30 is an L-shaped bent plate with four positioning protrusions 30a that mate with the second hollow beam 20. Two of the positioning protrusions 30a are located at the end regions of the bending direction, while the other two are located near the bending region of the L-shaped bent plate. After being welded to the second hollow beam 20 along its length, the L-shaped bent plate forms an outer surface that mates with the inner wall of the first hollow beam 10. The L-shaped bent plate is then welded to the first hollow beam 10 along its circumference, forming welds extending in four directions, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 .

[0047] Specifically, the length of the transition plate 30 outside the first hollow beam 10 is 3-4 times its length inside the first hollow beam 10, ensuring side impact crumple and vehicle modal performance. The transition plate 30 is 3-5% of the total length of the instrument panel tube beam, ensuring no failure in side impacts and no breakage in minor side collisions.

[0048] The instrument panel tube beam also includes a mounting bracket 40 fixedly connected to the free ends of the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20, respectively. The mounting bracket 40 is provided with at least one connection hole 40a for removably attaching the instrument panel tube beam to the vehicle body bracket. The structural strength of the mounting bracket 40 also affects the overall structural performance of the instrument panel tube beam. The mounting bracket 40 is a grid profile, which is lightweight and has high structural strength. Using a grid profile for the mounting bracket 40 ensures that the instrument panel tube beam is securely fixed to the vehicle body bracket, while also improving energy transfer.

[0049] The structure of the mounting bracket 40 is not unique; as shown in Figure 6, a first structural form of the mounting bracket 40 is shown, wherein the mounting brackets 40 located on both sides of the instrument panel tube beam are welded to the end face sides of the free ends of the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 respectively.

[0050] Figure 7 shows a second structural form of the mounting bracket 40, wherein the mounting brackets 40 located on both sides of the instrument panel tube beam are respectively connected to the free ends of the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 through fasteners; more specifically, the mounting bracket 40 includes a mounting bracket 40 body and two connecting parts arranged parallel to each other extending along one side of the mounting bracket 40 body, the ends of the first hollow beam 10 / second hollow beam 20 are inserted between the connecting parts, and the connection is achieved by bolt fasteners 50 passing through the connecting parts and the hollow beams.

[0051] Figure 8 shows a third structural form of the mounting bracket 40, in which the mounting bracket 40 is respectively sleeved onto the free ends of the first hollow beam 10 and the second hollow beam 20 and welded thereto. More specifically, the mounting bracket 40 is formed with a sleeve hole that matches the outer surface shape of the first hollow beam 10 / second hollow beam 20. The ends of the first hollow beam 10 / second hollow beam 20 are inserted into the sleeve hole of the mounting bracket 40 and welded to the mounting bracket 40 along the circumference of the sleeve hole. This sleeve structure of the mounting bracket 40 increases the mating area with the first hollow beam 10 / second hollow beam 20, and the welded connection between the two achieves excellent connection reliability. It can better transmit energy and is more suitable for vehicles with body connection points far from the center of the main beam.

[0052] Figure 9 shows test curves of instrument panel tube beams with the three aforementioned mounting bracket 40 structures subjected to side impacts at the connection between the mounting bracket 40 and the vehicle body bracket. The horizontal axis represents the travel of the instrument panel tube beam under the side impact force, while the vertical axis represents the impact force applied to the instrument panel tube beam. Since impact energy = impact force × object travel, Figure 9 shows that instrument panel tube beams with mounting bracket 40 structures shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8 can all withstand impact forces exceeding 34 kN with travels less than 50 mm, meeting basic vehicle performance requirements. Furthermore, within a travel of 70 mm, the instrument panel tube beam with mounting bracket 40 structure shown in Figure 8 exhibits the highest impact energy resistance, meaning the best energy absorption.

[0053] The present invention also provides an embodiment of a vehicle using the above-mentioned instrument panel tube beam, which includes a body bracket, and the instrument panel tube beam is detachably connected to the body bracket. The instrument panel tube beam adopts the structure described above and will not be repeated here. By adopting the structure of the above-mentioned instrument panel tube beam, the production cost of the instrument panel tube beam can be reduced while meeting the requirements of lightweight and rigidity.

[0054] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clarity of explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that other variations or modifications based on the above descriptions are possible. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all implementation methods here. Obvious variations or modifications arising therefrom remain within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An instrument panel tube beam, comprising: A first hollow beam, a second hollow beam and a transition connecting plate fixedly connected therebetween; wherein, an end area of ​​one side of the second hollow beam is inserted into and fixed in the first hollow beam, at least a portion of the transition connecting plate covers the outer wall of the second hollow beam and is fixedly connected thereto, and a portion of the transition connecting plate is inserted into and fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first hollow beam.

2. The instrument panel tube beam according to claim 1, wherein: The transition connecting plate is fixedly connected to the first hollow beam along the circumferential direction, and the transition connecting plate is fixedly connected to the second hollow beam along the length direction thereof.

3. The instrument panel tube beam according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first hollow beam and the second hollow beam are polygonal tubes respectively. The transition connecting plate and the first hollow beam have at least two welding areas, and the transition connecting plate and the second hollow beam have at least two welding areas.

4. The instrument panel tube beam according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The transition connecting plate is a bent plate and includes at least two connecting support plates. The outer side surface of the connecting support plate cooperates with the inner wall of the first hollow beam, and the inner side surface of the connecting support plate cooperates with the outer wall of the second hollow beam.

5. The instrument panel tube beam according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The outer side surface of the transition connecting plate matches the shape of the inner wall of the first hollow beam to achieve surface contact. The inner side surface of the transition connecting plate has at least three positioning protrusions for abutting the outer wall of the second hollow beam, and the positioning protrusions extend along the length direction thereof.

6. The instrument panel tube beam according to claim 5, wherein: The transition connecting plate is an L-shaped bent plate, which is welded to the second hollow beam along its length direction. After the L-shaped bent plate is connected to the second hollow beam, an outer side surface matching the inner wall of the first hollow beam is formed, and the L-shaped bent plate is welded to the end face of the first hollow beam along the circumferential direction.

7. The instrument panel tube beam according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The length of the transition connecting plate outside the first hollow beam is 3-4 times the length of the transition connecting plate inside the first hollow beam; the length of the transition connecting plate is 3%-5% of the total length of the instrument panel tube beam.

8. The instrument panel tube beam according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: It also includes mounting brackets fixedly connected to the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam respectively, and the mounting brackets are grid profiles.

9. The instrument panel tube beam according to claim 8, wherein: The mounting bracket is respectively welded to the end face sides of the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam; or, the mounting bracket is respectively connected to the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam through fasteners; or, the mounting bracket is respectively sleeved on the free ends of the first hollow beam and the second hollow beam and welded thereto.

10. A vehicle comprising: A vehicle body bracket and the instrument panel tube beam according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the instrument panel tube beam is fixedly connected to the vehicle body bracket.

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