Dash Panel Fragile Portion for Impact Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicles with an organ type accelerator pedal, the force causing toes to approach shins during a collision can transmit impact loads to the lower limbs, leading to potential injury, and existing solutions either increase weight or fail to effectively absorb these forces due to the pedal's integration with the dash panel.
Innovation Solution
A front vehicle-body structure with a dash panel featuring a fragile portion between the rear and front sections, allowing the panel to pivot and absorb impact loads, thereby reducing the force transmitted to the lower limbs without increasing weight by using a lateral bead as a fragile element and reinforcement members to enhance rigidity differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the dash panel thickness is increased to reduce rearward displacement during impact, then the impact load on lower limbs is reduced, but weight and cost significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dash panel is segmented into multiple regions with different thicknesses: a first region (pedal mounting area) with greater thickness and a second region (other areas) with smaller thickness. This segmentation allows the panel to provide enhanced impact resistance where needed while reducing overall weight and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The dash panel employs local quality by varying the thickness distribution across different regions. The first region has increased thickness to reduce rearward displacement and absorb impact loads, while the second region maintains smaller thickness to minimize weight. This localized optimization resolves the contradiction between impact protection and weight reduction.
2Device complexity
If the accelerator pedal is integrated with the dash panel, then the pedal structure is simplified, but the impact load is transmitted to the lower limbs during collision
Solution Approach 1:
The pedal support structure is segmented into the dash panel and a separate pedal assembly. The dash panel includes a pedal mounting portion with increased thickness that provides impact resistance, while the pedal assembly can move independently. This segmentation allows the simplified integrated structure to maintain impact absorption capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The dash panel employs composite construction with regions of different thicknesses, effectively creating a composite structure that combines rigid impact-resistant areas with more flexible regions. This composite approach allows the integrated pedal structure to absorb impact loads without transmitting excessive force to the lower limbs.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a mechanism with footboard and support member is added to absorb impact load, then the impact load on lower limbs is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex footboard and support member mechanism is extracted and replaced with a simplified thickness-variation structure in the dash panel. The impact absorption function is achieved through the structural design of the dash panel itself rather than through separate mechanical components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining impact protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical system of footboard and support member is substituted with a structural solution based on thickness variation in the dash panel. The impact absorption is achieved through the panel's inherent structural properties rather than through a separate mechanical mechanism, simplifying the overall device.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The structure effectively reduces impact loads on the lower limbs by allowing the dash panel to bend at the fragile portion, preventing the accelerator pedal from displacing rearward and minimizing weight increase, while maintaining rigidity and reducing deformation.
Implementation Method 1
a fragile portion extending in a vehicle width direction along a boundary between the panel rear portion and the panel front portion and being fragile compared to the panel rear portion and the panel front portion
Data Source
AI summary
A front vehicle-body structure is provided that is lightweight and reduces an impact load transmitted to lower limbs of an occupant. Embodiments include a transmission disposed in a vehicle front portion, a dash lower panel dividing an inside from an outside of a vehicle cabin in a vehicle rear of the transmission, and an organ type accelerator pedal disposed on a vehicle-width-direction inner side of the dash lower panel opposed to the transmission. The dash lower panel includes a panel rear portion in which the accelerator pedal is arranged, a panel front portion extending from the panel rear portion to a vehicle front upper side, and a fragile portion extending in a vehicle width direction along a boundary between the panel rear portion and the panel front portion, which is fragile compared to the panel rear portion and the panel front portion.