JP7202542B2 - vehicle side structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle side structure.

In a conventional vehicle side structure, a center pillar having a center pillar inner panel is provided along the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a center pillar trim, which is an interior member, is attached to the inner side of the center pillar (inner side of the vehicle). ing. A seat belt retractor for winding a seat belt is arranged between the center pillar trim and the center pillar inner panel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The center pillar trim in such a conventional vehicle side structure is provided so as to cover the center pillar and the seat belt retractor arranged inside the vehicle from the center pillar. A thick plate portion having a thickness greater than that of other regions is formed at a predetermined location of the center pillar trim. are placed overlapping each other.

JP 2016-37269 A

However, in the above-described conventional vehicle side structure, a space is merely provided between the center pillar and the center pillar trim. There is room for improvement in terms of preventing local collision of the seat belt retractor with the center pillar trim when it occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its object is to prevent the seat belt retractor from being displaced toward the inside of the vehicle as the center pillar panel enters the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision. The retractor comes into contact with the vertical wall of the shock absorbing member, and the impact load applied to the vertical wall toward the inside of the vehicle breaks the weak portion of the connecting portion, displacing the vertical wall so as to fill the space, thereby absorbing the impact load. To provide a vehicle side structure capable of preventing cracking of a center pillar trim without locally applying a large load to a design surface.

In order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention has a center pillar provided along the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a seat belt retractor is provided on the vehicle inner side of the center pillar panel of the center pillar, In a vehicle side structure in which a center pillar trim that covers the center pillar panel and the seat belt retractor is provided on the inner side of the vehicle of the center pillar panel and the seat belt retractor, between the seat belt retractor and the center pillar trim is provided with an impact absorbing member that at least partially overlaps with the gas generator of the seat belt retractor in a vehicle side view, the impact absorbing member comprising an upright wall portion having a surface facing the gas generator; a connecting portion extending from an end portion of the standing wall portion and connecting the standing wall portion and the vehicle outer side surface of the center pillar trim; the connecting portion having a weakened portion; A space is formed between the center pillar trim and the outer surface of the vehicle.

As described above, the vehicle side structure according to the present invention has a center pillar provided along the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a seat belt retractor is provided inside the center pillar panel of the center pillar. A center pillar trim that covers the center pillar panel and the seat belt retractor is provided on the vehicle inner side of the pillar panel and the seat belt retractor. a shock absorbing member positioned at least partially overlapping the gas generator of the seat belt retractor; a connecting portion for connecting the vertical wall portion and the vehicle outer side surface of the center pillar trim, the connecting portion having a weakened portion, and the connecting portion allows the vertical wall portion and the vehicle outer side of the center pillar trim to be separated from each other; A space is formed between the surfaces.
Therefore, in the vehicle side structure of the present invention, when the center pillar panel enters the inside of the vehicle and the seat belt retractor is displaced toward the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision, the seat belt retractor first comes into contact with the standing wall portion of the impact absorbing member. However, the impact load applied to the vertical wall portion toward the inside of the vehicle breaks the fragile portion of the connecting portion, and the vertical wall portion is displaced so as to fill the space. The impact load can be transmitted to the center pillar trim in a state in which the seat belt and the center pillar trim are in contact with each other, and cracking of the center pillar trim can be prevented without causing a large local load due to the seat belt retractor.
In addition, in the vehicle side structure of the present invention, by integrally molding the impact absorbing member with resin, it is possible to obtain a structure that absorbs the impact load in the event of a vehicle side collision with only the resin member, thus reducing the weight of the vehicle side. It is possible to reduce the number of parts and reduce the number of parts.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the lower side of the center pillar to which the vehicle side structure according to the embodiment of the invention is applied, viewed from the inside of the vehicle; FIG. 2 is a side view of the seat belt retractor and the center pillar inner panel seen from the inside of the vehicle with the center pillar trim removed in the center pillar of FIG. 1 ; (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the Z portion of (a). FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a side view of the center pillar trim of the center pillar of FIG. 1 as seen from the outside of the vehicle; FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the center pillar trim of FIG. 5 as viewed in the direction of arrow X;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments.
In the drawings, the direction of arrow Fr indicates the front of the vehicle, the direction of arrow I indicates the inside of the vehicle, and the direction of arrow O indicates the outside of the vehicle.

1 to 6 show a vehicle side structure according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vehicle side structure of the present embodiment includes left and right center pillars (B pillars) that are positioned in the middle in the vehicle front-rear direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle and are provided along the vehicle vertical direction. 1, and a seat belt retractor 2 for winding a seat belt webbing 21 for the front seat occupant is provided at the lower portion of the center pillar panel 11 of the center pillar 1 on the inner side of the vehicle. Furthermore, a center pillar trim 3 that covers the center pillar panel 11 and the seat belt retractor 2 is provided inside the vehicle of the center pillar panel 11 and the seat belt retractor 2 . Moreover, the center pillar trim 3 is arranged with a predetermined spacing in the vehicle width direction from the center pillar panel 11 and the seat belt retractor 2 and extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle to a predetermined height position of the center pillar 1 .

In the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the surface of the seat belt retractor 2 facing the center pillar trim 3 side has a longitudinal shape projecting toward the inside of the vehicle, as shown in FIGS. A gas generator 22 is provided as a protrusion, and this gas generator 22 extends from the lower portion 2a of the seat belt retractor 2 toward the vehicle top. That is, the gas generator 22 is a longitudinal component having a predetermined length, and is attached to the rear end portion 2b of the seatbelt retractor 2 positioned on the vehicle rear side so that the vehicle vertical direction is the longitudinal direction. ing. However, these are merely embodiments, and the gas generator 22 may be attached to the front end portion of the seat belt retractor 2 located on the front side of the vehicle.
Such a gas generator 22 operates a pretensioner device that removes slack in the seat belt webbing 21 and instantly winds up the attached seat belt webbing 21 when subjected to a strong impact. It is provided to pull in the seat belt webbing 21 by the force of gas generated in the seat belt.

Further, in the vehicle side structure of the present embodiment, the seat belt retractor 2 and the center pillar trim 3 are positioned between the seat belt retractor 2 and the center pillar trim 3 in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIGS. A shock absorbing member 4 is provided which lies at least partially overlapping the gas generator 22 of the retractor 2 . The shock absorbing member 4 has a rectangular surface facing the gas generator 22, and has an upright wall portion 41 that is inclined downward toward the outside of the vehicle. 3 to connect the upright wall portion 41 and the vehicle outer side surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3, and the tip portion of the connecting portion 42 is attached to the vehicle outer side surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3. It is The surface of the vertical wall portion 41 facing the gas generator 22 is formed with a lower extension portion 41A that extends downward in the vehicle compared to the other surfaces. 22 more efficiently, and the effect of preventing cracking of the center pillar trim 3 is obtained.
5 and 6, the shock absorbing member 4 of the present embodiment extends from the front and rear side portions of the standing wall portion 41 toward the surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3 on the outer side of the vehicle, and the tip portion 43a extends toward the vehicle outer side surface 3a. A side wall portion 43 is provided on the vehicle outer side surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3, and the side wall portion 43 secures mounting rigidity of the shock absorbing member 4 in a normal state (when the vehicle does not have a side collision). Even if the side wall portion 43 is provided on the shock absorbing member 4, the boundary portion between the standing wall portion 41 and the side wall portion 43 is deformed or broken by the impact load in the event of a vehicle side collision, so the effect of the shock absorbing member 4 is reduced. Nothing to stop it.

Moreover, the connecting portion 42 of the impact absorbing member 4 of this embodiment has a fragile portion 42a as shown in FIG. 3(b). The fragile portion 42a is formed thinner than the other portions of the connecting portion 42 (or may be provided with lightening holes or the like), and is set to have lower rigidity than the other portions of the connecting portion 42. It is easy to break against the impact load to the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision. A space S is formed between the vertical wall portion 41 and the surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3 on the vehicle outer side by the connection portion 42. It is located at a distance corresponding to the size of the space S from the outer surface 3a.
As a result, when an impact load to the inside of the vehicle is applied from the seat belt retractor 2 to the standing wall portion 41 in the event of a vehicle side collision, the standing wall portion 41 can displace the area of the space S toward the center pillar trim 3 toward the vehicle inside. As a result, the fragile portion 42a of the connecting portion 42 is bent.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the connecting portion 42 of the present embodiment is divided into a thick portion 42b located on the side of the standing wall portion 41 and a fragile portion 42a located on the side of the center pillar trim 3. ing. Therefore, the impact absorbing member 4 is connected to the thin fragile portion 42a after the upper end 41a of the standing wall portion 41 forms the thick portion 42b once, and the fragile portion 42a contacts the surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3 on the vehicle outer side. Concatenated.
With this structure, the boundary portion between the thick portion 42b and the fragile portion 42a serves as a bending point, and the connecting portion 42 is surely broken on the side of the center pillar trim 3, so that the vertical wall portion 41 and the surface 3a of the center pillar trim 3 on the vehicle outer side are separated. The contact is further promoted, and the structure is such that the absorption performance of the impact load applied at the time of a vehicle side collision is enhanced. In addition, the fragile portion 42a has the effect of preventing the occurrence of sink marks during molding of the standing wall portion 41, and has the effect of improving the molding stability of the shock absorbing member 4 and sufficiently exhibiting the performance of the shock absorbing member 4. are doing.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vehicle side structure of the present embodiment has a side sill 5 that is provided along the vehicle front-rear direction and forms a lower portion of the vehicle body side. has a substantially hat-shaped cross-section with an opening directed toward the inside of the vehicle, and has an upper end portion 5a and a lower end portion 5b. A lower portion 12a of a center pillar inner panel 12 extending upward of the vehicle is joined to at least an upper end portion 5a of the side sill 5 on the inner side of the vehicle. center of rotation.
The center pillar inner panel 12 extends obliquely upward toward the inside of the vehicle from the lower portion 12a, and has a substantially crank-shaped cross section extending upward of the vehicle at the inside position of the vehicle. In addition, the seat belt retractor 2 has a lower portion 2a that fastens a fastening bolt 6 or the like to an upper end portion 12b of the center pillar inner panel 12 between the center pillar inner panel 12 on the vehicle inner side and the center pillar panel 11 on the vehicle outer side in the vehicle width direction. is fixed using Therefore, the upper end portion 12b of the center pillar inner panel 12 is provided with a bolt hole 12c into which the shaft portion of the fastening bolt 6 is inserted. By providing the center pillar inner panel 12 in such a positional relationship, it is configured to prevent the center pillar trim 3 from being subjected to a local load.
As already described, the gas generator 22 extends from the lower portion 2a of the seat belt retractor 2 toward the upper side of the vehicle. The standing wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4 is arranged so that the lower end 41b of the standing wall portion 41 is located on the outer side of the vehicle toward the lower side of the vehicle.
With this structure, in the event of a vehicle side collision, the upper portion 2c of the seat belt retractor 2 including the gas generator 22 moves toward the inside of the vehicle. , the seat belt retractor 2 is configured to contact the standing wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4 reliably and early.

Moreover, in the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. , extends so as to be located outside the vehicle from the upper end portion 12b of the center pillar inner panel 12 when viewed from the front of the vehicle. This positional relationship allows the seat belt retractor 2 to more reliably contact the vertical wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4 against the displacement of the upper portion 2c of the seat belt retractor 2 toward the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision. The shock absorbing member 4 is constructed so as to effectively absorb the shock load from the seat belt retractor 2 .

Thus, in the vehicle side structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, the center pillar 1 is provided along the vehicle vertical direction, and the seat belt retractor 2 is provided on the vehicle inner side of the center pillar panel 11 of the center pillar 1. is provided, and a center pillar trim 3 that covers the center pillar panel 11 and the seat belt retractor 2 is provided on the vehicle inner side of the center pillar panel 11 and the seat belt retractor 2 . A shock absorbing member 4 is provided between the seat belt retractor 2 and the center pillar trim 3 so as to at least partially overlap the gas generator 22 of the seat belt retractor 2 in a vehicle side view. The impact absorbing member 4 includes an upright wall portion 41 having a surface facing the gas generator 22 and a connecting portion 42 extending from an end portion of the upright wall portion 41 and connecting the upright wall portion 41 and the vehicle outer side surface 3 a of the center pillar trim 3 . In addition, the connecting portion 42 has a weakened portion 42a. A space S is formed by the connecting portion 42 between the vertical wall portion 41 and the surface 3 a of the center pillar trim 3 on the vehicle outer side.
Therefore, in the vehicle side structure of this embodiment, the center pillar panel 11 enters the inside of the vehicle due to the impact load at the time of the vehicle side collision, and the seat belt retractor 2 is displaced toward the inside of the vehicle by being pressed by the center pillar panel 11. In this case, the seat belt retractor 2 first contacts the vertical wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4, and the seat belt retractor 2 applies an impact load to the vertical wall portion 41 toward the inside of the vehicle. The vertical wall portion 41 is displaced so as to fill the space portion S. As shown in FIG. Therefore, according to the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, when the vertical wall portion 41 is displaced so as to fill the space S and when the fragile portion 42a is broken, the impact load applied from the seat belt retractor 2 to the inside of the vehicle is reduced. Since it becomes possible to absorb it, cracking of the center pillar trim 2 can be prevented. Moreover, according to the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the impact load from the seat belt retractor 2 is transmitted to the center pillar trim 3 in a state where the vertical wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4 and the center pillar trim 3 are in contact with each other. As a result, the center pillar trim 2 is not subjected to a localized heavy load due to the seat belt retractor 2, and cracking of the center pillar trim 2 can be prevented more effectively.
In addition, in the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, by integrally molding the impact absorbing member 4 with resin, it is possible to obtain a structure that absorbs the impact load at the time of a vehicle side collision using only the resin member. , and the number of parts can be reduced.

Further, in the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the connecting portion 42 of the impact absorbing member 4 is divided into a thick portion 42b located on the side of the standing wall portion 41 and a fragile portion 42a located on the side of the center pillar trim 3. Therefore, when an impact load is applied from the seat belt retractor 2 to the vertical wall portion 41 toward the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision, the boundary portion between the thick portion 42b and the fragile portion 42a serves as a bending point. Therefore, according to the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the connection portion 42 is reliably broken on the side of the center pillar trim 3 in the event of a vehicle side collision. In addition, it is possible to improve the absorption performance of the impact load applied at the time of a vehicle side collision. Moreover, in the impact absorbing member 4 of the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the fragile portion 42a has the effect of preventing the generation of sink marks during molding of the vertical wall portion 41, so that the molding stability of the vertical wall portion 41 is improved. Therefore, the quality of the impact absorbing member 4 can be ensured, and the impact absorbing performance of the impact absorbing member 4 can be fully exhibited.

Furthermore, in the vehicle side structure of the present embodiment, the side sill 5 is provided along the vehicle front-rear direction and forms the lower portion of the vehicle body side. A center pillar inner panel 12 is joined, and the lower portion 2a of the seat belt retractor 2 is fixed to the upper end portion 12b of the center pillar inner panel 12. As shown in FIG. The gas generator 22 extends from the lower portion 2a of the seat belt retractor 2 toward the upper side of the vehicle. Further, the standing wall portion 41 is arranged so that the lower end 41b (or the upper end 41a) of the standing wall portion 41 is located on the outer side of the vehicle toward the lower side of the vehicle (or the upper side of the vehicle).
Therefore, in the vehicle side structure of the present embodiment, the fixing portion D between the side sill 5 and the center pillar inner panel 12 is centered so that the upper portion 2c of the seat belt retractor 2 including the gas generator 22 approaches the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision. , the seatbelt retractor 2 comes into contact with the vertical wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4 reliably and early, so that the impact load from the seatbelt retractor 2 applied in the event of a vehicle side collision can be quickly dissipated. can be absorbed, and the crack prevention effect of the center pillar trim 3 can be further promoted.

In addition, in the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the lower end 41b of the standing wall portion 41 extends so as to be positioned below the vehicle below the upper portion 2c of the seat belt retractor 2, and the center pillar inner panel 12 when viewed from the front of the vehicle. It extends so as to be positioned outside the vehicle from the upper end portion 12b of the . Therefore, according to the vehicle side portion structure of the present embodiment, the vertical wall portion 41 of the impact absorbing member 4 can be brought closer to the seat belt retractor 2, so that the upper portion 2c of the seat belt retractor 2 is positioned inside the vehicle in the event of a vehicle side collision. When the seat belt retractor 2 is displaced toward the center pillar trim 3, the contact of the seat belt retractor 2 with the vertical wall portion 41 can be promoted, the load absorbing effect of the impact absorbing member 4 is enhanced, and the center pillar trim 3 is prevented from cracking. can.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, the vertical wall portion 41 in the above-described embodiment is arranged so that the lower end 41b of the vertical wall portion 41 is inclined toward the outer side of the vehicle toward the vehicle lower side. It may be inclined so as to be located on the outside. In this case, the upper end 41a of the standing wall portion 41 extends so as to be positioned above the vehicle above the upper portion 2c of the seat belt retractor 2, and further outside the vehicle than the upper end 12b of the center pillar inner panel 12 when viewed from the front of the vehicle. Extends to position. As a result, the same effects as those of the vehicle side structure of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 center pillar 2 seat belt retractor 2a lower portion 2c upper portion 3 center pillar trim 3a vehicle outer surface 4 impact absorbing member 5 side sill 5a upper end portion 5b lower end portion 6 fastening bolt 11 center pillar panel 12 center pillar inner panel 12a lower portion 12b upper end portion 12c bolt hole 21 seat belt webbing 22 gas generator 41 standing wall portion 41a upper end 41b lower end 42 connecting portion 42a fragile portion 42b thick portion S space portion

Claims (5)

A center pillar is provided along the vertical direction of the vehicle, a seat belt retractor is provided on the inner side of the center pillar panel of the center pillar, and the center pillar panel and the seat belt retractor are provided on the inner side of the vehicle. In a vehicle side structure provided with a center pillar panel and a center pillar trim that covers the seat belt retractor,
Between the seat belt retractor and the center pillar trim, there is provided an impact absorbing member that at least partially overlaps with the gas generator of the seat belt retractor in a vehicle side view,
The shock absorbing member includes an upright wall portion having a surface facing the gas generator, and a connecting portion extending from an end portion of the upright wall portion and connecting the upright wall portion and the vehicle outer side surface of the center pillar trim, The connecting part has a weak part,
The vehicle side structure, wherein a space is formed between the vertical wall portion and the surface of the center pillar trim on the outside of the vehicle by the connecting portion. 2. The vehicle side structure according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is divided into a thick portion located on the side of the standing wall portion and the fragile portion located on the side of the center pillar trim. . A center pillar inner panel extending upward of the vehicle is joined to at least an upper end portion of the side sill which is provided along the vehicle front-rear direction and forms a lower portion of the vehicle body side portion, and the center pillar inner panel The lower part of the seat belt retractor is fixed to the upper end of the
The gas generator extends upward from the lower portion of the seat belt retractor,
2. The vehicle side portion according to claim 1, wherein the standing wall portion is arranged so that a lower end or an upper end of the standing wall portion is located on the outer side of the vehicle toward the lower side of the vehicle or the upper side of the vehicle. structure. The lower end of the standing wall portion extends to be positioned below the vehicle from the upper portion of the seat belt retractor, and extends to be positioned further to the outside of the vehicle than the upper end of the center pillar inner panel when viewed from the front of the vehicle. 4. The vehicle side structure according to claim 3, wherein: The upper end of the standing wall portion extends to be positioned higher than the upper portion of the seat belt retractor and to the outer side of the vehicle than the upper end of the center pillar inner panel when viewed from the front of the vehicle. 4. The vehicle side structure according to claim 3, wherein:

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