US20010002762A1 - Front pillar for a vehicle - Google Patents
Front pillar for a vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010002762A1 US20010002762A1 US09/728,118 US72811800A US2001002762A1 US 20010002762 A1 US20010002762 A1 US 20010002762A1 US 72811800 A US72811800 A US 72811800A US 2001002762 A1 US2001002762 A1 US 2001002762A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- face
- front pillar
- outer panel
- valley groove
- inner panel
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
- B62D25/04—Door pillars ; windshield pillars
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a front pillar for a vehicle which is preferably prevented from interfering with a front door while being deformed so as to absorb an impact applied thereto.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the related art front pillar shown in this publication.
- a front pillar 200 includes a pillar main body 203 formed into a tube-like body by joining a pillar inner 201 with a pillar outer 202 and a substantially U-shaped impact absorbing panel 204 acting to absorb an impact which is attached to the front face of the pillar main body 203 with an opening side thereof being oriented toward the pillar main body 203 .
- reference numeral 206 denotes a resin garnish; 207 : a windshield; 208 : a sealant; 211 : a window sash; 212 , 213 : weather strips; and 214 : a window glass of a front door.
- FIG. 8 is a functional diagram for explaining the function of the related art front pillar.
- the present invention was made to cope with this, and an object thereof is to provide a front pillar for a vehicle which is prevented from interfering with a front door while being deformed to thereby effectively absorb and relax an impact.
- a front pillar for a vehicle which is formed into a tube by joining an inner panel to an outer panel from a passenger compartment side, the outer panel being constituted by a front face which is substantially parallel with a windshield, an external side face which is formed by bending the front face in such a manner as to be substantially parallel with a window glass of a front door and a rear face which is formed by bending the external side face toward the passenger compartment.
- the outer panel is made thinner than the inner panel, and wherein the rear face facing the front door is bent so as to form a valley groove which is hollowed toward the interior of the tube, so that when a large magnitude of external force is applied to the front face in a rearward direction, the outer panel is allowed to be deformed more largely than the inner panel to thereby collapse the valley groove, whereby the rearward travel of the rear face can be reduced.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of an automotive vehicle where a front pillar according to the invention is provided;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a functional diagram for explaining the function of the front pillar according to the invention.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a second embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a third embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a related art front pillar.
- FIG. 8 is a functional diagram for explaining the function of the related art front pillar.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of an automotive vehicle where front pillars according to the invention are provided.
- An automotive vehicle 10 includes front pillars 13 , 14 which constitute side bodies 11 , 12 , respectively.
- Reference numeral 16 denotes a front door; 17 : a window glass of the front door 16 ; 18 : a windshield; 21 : a roof panel; 22 : an engine hood; and 23 : a front fender.
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, of a front pillar according to a first embodiment of the invention.
- the front pillar 13 includes a pillar frame 31 which constitutes a frame for the front pillar 13 , a reinforcement member 32 attached to the pillar frame 31 , a thicker inner panel 33 attached to the reinforcement member 32 , a thinner outer panel 34 which is joined to the inner panel 33 to form a tube, an impact absorbing member 35 attached to a front face 34 a of the outer panel 34 , a cover member 36 attached to a distal end portion of the impact absorbing member 35 and a pillar garnish 37 adapted to cover a passenger compartment side of the inner panel 33 .
- the pillar frame 31 , reinforcement member 32 , inner panel 33 and outer panel 34 constitute a pillar main body 38 .
- reference numeral 42 denotes a window sash for the front door 16 ; 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 : weather strips; 47 : a sealant; 48 : a snap; and 49 : a molding.
- the reinforcement member 32 is a steel sheet member for reinforcing the inner panel 33 .
- the inner panel is a steel bending member having a sufficient rigidity, and flange portions 33 a, 33 b are formed at ends thereof. It is assumed that the thickness of the inner panel 33 is A.
- the outer panel 34 is a bending member of steel, in which the front face 34 a which is substantially parallel with the windshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with the window glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 34 b.
- the external side face 34 b is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form a rear face 34 c.
- the thickness of the outer panel 34 is made thinner to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, a valley groove 34 d is formed by bending the rear face 34 c at a sharp angle (an angle of .) toward the interior of the tube.
- the rear face 34 c is caused to face the window sash 42 of the front door 16 , and flange portions 34 e, 34 f are formed at end portions of the outer panel 34 so as to be welded to the flange portions 33 a, 33 b of the inner panel 33 . If it is now assumed that the thickness of the outer panel 34 is B, B ⁇ A.
- the impact absorbing member 35 is an extruded member of resin, which is easily deformed by an impact from the front of the vehicle to thereby absorb the impact.
- the front pillar 14 shown in FIG. 1 is symmetrical with the front pillar 13 but is similar in construction to the front pillar 13 except that they are reversed transversely.
- the front pillar 14 also functions identically with the front pillar 13 , and therefore, a description of the front pillar 14 will be omitted here.
- FIGS. 3A to 3 C are explanatory diagrams for explaining the function of the front pillar according to the invention.
- FIG. 3A when an object C collides against the front pillar 13 from the front of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3B, an impact force first acts on the impact absorbing member 35 , which is then easily deformed to thereby partially relax the impact.
- the outer panel 34 is deformed mainly at the valley groove 34 d by virtue of the impact force acting on the pillar main body 38 from the impact absorbing member 35 , or the external force acing on the front face 34 a of the outer panel 34 in the rearward direction.
- the valley groove 34 d in the outer panel 34 is collapsed as indicated by an arrow ⁇ circle over (1) ⁇ , and in conjunction with this, the front face 34 a and the external side face 34 b start to be deformed in such a manner that the faces swing in a direction indicated by an arrow ⁇ circle over (2) ⁇ about a joined portion where the flange portion 33 a and the flange portion 34 e are joined together.
- the present invention provides the front pillar 13 which is formed into a tube by joining the inner panel 33 to the outer panel 34 from the passenger compartment R side, the outer panel 34 being constituted by the front face 34 a which is substantially parallel with the windshield 18 , the external side face 34 b which is formed by bending the front face 34 a in such a manner as to be substantially parallel with the window glass 17 of the front door 16 and the rear face 34 c which is formed by bending the external side face 34 b toward the passenger compartment R.
- the outer panel 34 is made thinner than the inner panel 33 , and the rear face 34 c facing the front door 16 is bent so as to form the valley groove 34 d which is hollowed toward the interior of the tube, so that when a large magnitude of external force is applied to the front face 34 a in a rearward direction, the outer panel 34 is allowed to be deformed more largely than the inner panel 33 to thereby collapse the valley groove 34 d, whereby the rearward travel of the rear face 34 c can be reduced.
- the rear faces 34 c of the outer panels 34 of the front pillars 13 , 14 can be prevented from interfering with the front doors 16 , and therefore, since there is no risk of the deformation of the front pillar 13 being interrupted, the impact applied to the front pillar 13 can be effectively absorbed and relaxed.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a second embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals are given to like constituent components to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.
- a front pillar 50 includes a pillar frame 31 , a reinforcement member 32 , an inner panel 33 , a thinner outer panel 51 adapted to form a tube when joined to the inner panel 33 , a cover member 52 for covering a front face 51 a of the outer panel 51 and an end portion of a windshield 18 and a pillar garnish 37 .
- reference numeral 54 denotes a molding
- reference numeral 55 denoting a weather strip.
- the outer panel 51 is a bending member of steel, in which the front face 51 a which is substantially parallel with the windshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with the window glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 51 b.
- the external side face 51 b is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form a rear face 51 c.
- the thickness of the outer panel 51 is made thinner than to the inner panel 33 to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, a valley groove 51 d is formed by bending the rear face 51 c at a sharp angle toward the interior of the tube.
- Flange portions 51 e , 51 f are formed at end portions of the outer panel 51 so as to be welded to the flange portions 33 a, 33 b of the inner panel 33 .
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a third embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals are given to like constituent components to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.
- a front pillar 60 includes a pillar frame 31 , a reinforcement member 32 , an inner panel 33 , a thinner outer panel 61 adapted to form a tube when joined to the inner panel 33 , a cover member 62 for covering a front face 61 a of the outer panel 61 and an end portion of a windshield 18 , a pillar garnish 63 , a weather strip 64 attached to the rear face 61 b of the outer panel 61 , and a weather strip 66 attached to a rear joined portion 65 where the inner panel 33 and the outer panel 61 are joined together, with the rear face 61 b being caused to face a window glass 67 of a sash-less type window or a window without a sash of a front door (not shown).
- reference numeral 68 denotes a molding.
- the outer panel 61 is a bending member of steel, in which the front face 61 a which is substantially parallel with the windshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with the window glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 61 c.
- the external side face 61 c is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form a rear face 61 b, where a flat portion 61 d is provided.
- the thickness of the outer panel 61 is made thinner than the inner panel 33 to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, a first valley groove 61 e and a second valley groove 61 f are formed at sides of the flat portion 61 d, which first valley groove 61 e and second valley groove 61 f are bent at a sharp angle toward the interior of the tube.
- Flange portions 61 g, 61 h are formed at end portions of the outer panel 61 so as to be welded to the flange portions 33 a, 33 b of the inner panel 33 .
- the outer panel 61 when a large external force acts on the front face 61 a of the outer panel 61 in a rearward direction, the outer panel 61 can be allowed to be deformed more largely than the inner panel 33 by forming the two valley grooves, which are the first valley groove 61 e and the second valley groove 61 f, in the rear face 61 b, whereby the outer panel 61 is allowed to enter into the passenger compartment R side of the window glass 67 of the front door, thereby making it possible to more positively prevent the front pillar 60 from interfering with the window glass 67 .
- the deformation of the front pillar 60 is not prevented, the impact applied to the front pillar 60 can effectively be absorbed and relaxed.
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals are given to like constituent components to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.
- a front pillar 70 includes a pillar frame 31 , a reinforcement member 32 , an inner panel 33 , a thinner outer panel 71 adapted to form a tube when joined to the inner panel 33 , a cover member 72 for covering a front face 71 a, an external side face 71 b and a part of a rear face 71 c of the outer panel 71 and an end portion of a windshield 18 , and a pillar garnish 73 , with the rear face 71 c being caused to face a window sash portion 74 a of a fully framed-type of a front door 74 .
- reference numeral 76 denotes a molding
- 77 , 78 weather strips
- 79 a window glass of the front door 74 .
- the outer panel 71 is a bending member of steel, in which the front face 71 a which is substantially parallel with the windshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with the window glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 71 b. The external side face 71 b is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form a rear face 71 c.
- the thickness of the outer panel 71 is made thinner than the inner panel 33 to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, a first valley groove 71 d and a second valley groove 71 e are formed successively in the rear face 71 c, which first valley groove 71 d and second valley groove 71 e are bent at a sharp angle toward the interior of the tube.
- Flange portions 71 f, 71 g are formed at end portions of the outer panel 71 so as to be welded to the flange portions 33 a, 33 b of the inner panel 33 .
- the outer panel 71 can be allowed to be deformed more largely in a bellows-like fashion than the inner panel 33 by forming the two valley grooves, which are the first valley groove 71 d and the second valley groove 71 e, successively in the rear face 71 c, whereby the outer panel 71 is allowed to enter into the passenger compartment R side of the front door 74 , thereby making it possible to more positively prevent the front pillar 70 from interfering with the front door 74 .
- front face, external side face and rear face are formed on the outer panel of the front pillar in the present invention
- the present invention is not limited to the construction, but a construction may be adopted in which the front face and the external side face are formed as a single flat or curved face, which is then bent toward the passenger compartment side to form a rear face, where a valley groove or grooves may be formed.
- the valley groove is a V-shaped groove formed by two straight lines
- the present invention is not limited to the construction, but the groove may be formed as a groove having a cross section constituted by two curved lines (for example, a groove having a U-shaped cross section) or a groove having a cross section constituted by a straight line and a curved line.
- the outer panel is made thinner than the inner panel, and the rear face of the outer panel which faces the front door is bent so as to form therein the valley groove or grooves in such a manner as to be hollowed toward the interior of the tube, whereby when a large magnitude of external force acts on the front pillar in the rearward direction, the outer panel is allowed to be deformed more largely than the inner panel to thereby collapse the valley groove or grooves, so that the rearward travel of the rear face can be reduced.
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a front pillar for a vehicle which is preferably prevented from interfering with a front door while being deformed so as to absorb an impact applied thereto.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- There is known a front pillar for a vehicle which is designed to be deformed when an object collides thereagainst to thereby absorb an impact generated by the collision. For example, there is described such a front pillar for a vehicle in JP-A-9-39833.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the related art front pillar shown in this publication. A
front pillar 200 includes a pillarmain body 203 formed into a tube-like body by joining a pillar inner 201 with a pillar outer 202 and a substantially U-shapedimpact absorbing panel 204 acting to absorb an impact which is attached to the front face of the pillarmain body 203 with an opening side thereof being oriented toward the pillarmain body 203. - Here,
reference numeral 206 denotes a resin garnish; 207: a windshield; 208: a sealant; 211: a window sash; 212, 213: weather strips; and 214: a window glass of a front door. - Referring to FIG. 8, the function of the
front pillar 200 will be described. FIG. 8 is a functional diagram for explaining the function of the related art front pillar. - When an object collides against the
front pillar 200 from the front of a vehicle, an external force is applied to theimpact absorbing panel 204 via theresin garnish 206, whereby theimpact absorbing panel 204 is deformed. - This relaxes an impact force that is to be transmitted to the pillar
main body 203, but, for example, in the event that theimpact absorbing panel 204 interferes with thewindow sash 211 while being deformed, theimpact absorbing panel 204 is prevented from being deformed further. - As a result of this, it is conceived that the impact force applied to the
impact absorbing panel 204 is not fully absorbed, whereby the impact is transmitted to the pillarmain body 203 and thewindow sash 211. - Additionally, with a door having no window sash or a so-called “sash-less” window, the deformation of the
impact absorbing panel 204 is prevented similarly by a window glass (which corresponds to the window glass 214), and therefore it is predicted that the impact is transmitted to the window glass of the door. - The present invention was made to cope with this, and an object thereof is to provide a front pillar for a vehicle which is prevented from interfering with a front door while being deformed to thereby effectively absorb and relax an impact.
- With a view to attaining the object, according to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a front pillar for a vehicle which is formed into a tube by joining an inner panel to an outer panel from a passenger compartment side, the outer panel being constituted by a front face which is substantially parallel with a windshield, an external side face which is formed by bending the front face in such a manner as to be substantially parallel with a window glass of a front door and a rear face which is formed by bending the external side face toward the passenger compartment. The outer panel is made thinner than the inner panel, and wherein the rear face facing the front door is bent so as to form a valley groove which is hollowed toward the interior of the tube, so that when a large magnitude of external force is applied to the front face in a rearward direction, the outer panel is allowed to be deformed more largely than the inner panel to thereby collapse the valley groove, whereby the rearward travel of the rear face can be reduced.
- When a large magnitude of external force acts in the rearward direction on the front face of the outer panel, which is made thinner than the inner panel and in which the rear face thereof facing the front door is bent so as to form therein the valley groove which is hollowed toward the interior of the tube, the rearward travel of the rear face is reduced by causing the outer panel to be deformed more largely than the inner panel to thereby collapse the valley groove.
- As a result of this, the interference of the rear face of the outer panel of the front pillar with the front door can be prevented, whereby the deformation of the front pillar is not disturbed, thereby making it possible to effectively absorb the impact applied to the front pillar.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of an automotive vehicle where a front pillar according to the invention is provided;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 3 is a functional diagram for explaining the function of the front pillar according to the invention;
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a second embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a third embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a fourth embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a related art front pillar; and
- FIG. 8 is a functional diagram for explaining the function of the related art front pillar.
- Referring to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the invention will be described below.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of an automotive vehicle where front pillars according to the invention are provided. An
automotive vehicle 10 includesfront pillars side bodies Reference numeral 16 denotes a front door; 17: a window glass of thefront door 16; 18: a windshield; 21: a roof panel; 22: an engine hood; and 23: a front fender. - FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, of a front pillar according to a first embodiment of the invention.
- The
front pillar 13 includes apillar frame 31 which constitutes a frame for thefront pillar 13, areinforcement member 32 attached to thepillar frame 31, a thickerinner panel 33 attached to thereinforcement member 32, a thinnerouter panel 34 which is joined to theinner panel 33 to form a tube, animpact absorbing member 35 attached to afront face 34 a of theouter panel 34, acover member 36 attached to a distal end portion of theimpact absorbing member 35 and apillar garnish 37 adapted to cover a passenger compartment side of theinner panel 33. - The
pillar frame 31,reinforcement member 32,inner panel 33 andouter panel 34 constitute a pillarmain body 38. - Here,
reference numeral 42 denotes a window sash for thefront door 16; 43, 44, 45, 46: weather strips; 47: a sealant; 48: a snap; and 49: a molding. - The
reinforcement member 32 is a steel sheet member for reinforcing theinner panel 33. The inner panel is a steel bending member having a sufficient rigidity, andflange portions inner panel 33 is A. - The
outer panel 34 is a bending member of steel, in which thefront face 34 a which is substantially parallel with thewindshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with thewindow glass 17 to thereby form anexternal side face 34 b. Theexternal side face 34 b is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form arear face 34 c. The thickness of theouter panel 34 is made thinner to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, avalley groove 34 d is formed by bending therear face 34 c at a sharp angle (an angle of .) toward the interior of the tube. Therear face 34 c is caused to face thewindow sash 42 of thefront door 16, andflange portions outer panel 34 so as to be welded to theflange portions inner panel 33. If it is now assumed that the thickness of theouter panel 34 is B, B<A. - The
impact absorbing member 35 is an extruded member of resin, which is easily deformed by an impact from the front of the vehicle to thereby absorb the impact. - The
front pillar 14 shown in FIG. 1 is symmetrical with thefront pillar 13 but is similar in construction to thefront pillar 13 except that they are reversed transversely. Thefront pillar 14 also functions identically with thefront pillar 13, and therefore, a description of thefront pillar 14 will be omitted here. - Next, the function of the
front pillar 13 described above will be described below. - FIGS. 3A to3C are explanatory diagrams for explaining the function of the front pillar according to the invention.
- In FIG. 3A, when an object C collides against the
front pillar 13 from the front of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3B, an impact force first acts on theimpact absorbing member 35, which is then easily deformed to thereby partially relax the impact. - Next, the
outer panel 34 is deformed mainly at thevalley groove 34 d by virtue of the impact force acting on the pillarmain body 38 from theimpact absorbing member 35, or the external force acing on thefront face 34 a of theouter panel 34 in the rearward direction. - In other words, since the
inner panel 33 is not substantially deformed due to its high rigidity, thevalley groove 34 d in theouter panel 34 is collapsed as indicated by an arrow {circle over (1)}, and in conjunction with this, thefront face 34 a and theexternal side face 34 b start to be deformed in such a manner that the faces swing in a direction indicated by an arrow {circle over (2)} about a joined portion where theflange portion 33 a and theflange portion 34 e are joined together. - In FIG. 3C, as the outer panel continues to be deformed progressively, following the deformation mode described above, the
external side face 34 b of theouter panel 34 enters into the passenger compartment R side of thewindow sash 42 of thefront door 16 and therefore there is no risk of theexternal side face 34 b interfering with thewindow sash 42. In other words, the interference of thefront pillar 13 with thefront door 16 can be prevented. - Consequently, the impact can effectively be relaxed by the
front pillar 13. - Thus, as described with respect to FIGS.2 to 3C, the present invention provides the
front pillar 13 which is formed into a tube by joining theinner panel 33 to theouter panel 34 from the passenger compartment R side, theouter panel 34 being constituted by thefront face 34 a which is substantially parallel with thewindshield 18, theexternal side face 34 b which is formed by bending thefront face 34 a in such a manner as to be substantially parallel with thewindow glass 17 of thefront door 16 and therear face 34 c which is formed by bending theexternal side face 34 b toward the passenger compartment R. Theouter panel 34 is made thinner than theinner panel 33, and therear face 34 c facing thefront door 16 is bent so as to form thevalley groove 34 d which is hollowed toward the interior of the tube, so that when a large magnitude of external force is applied to thefront face 34 a in a rearward direction, theouter panel 34 is allowed to be deformed more largely than theinner panel 33 to thereby collapse thevalley groove 34 d, whereby the rearward travel of therear face 34 c can be reduced. - According to the above construction, the rear faces34 c of the
outer panels 34 of thefront pillars front doors 16, and therefore, since there is no risk of the deformation of thefront pillar 13 being interrupted, the impact applied to thefront pillar 13 can be effectively absorbed and relaxed. - FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a second embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals are given to like constituent components to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.
- A
front pillar 50 includes apillar frame 31, areinforcement member 32, aninner panel 33, a thinnerouter panel 51 adapted to form a tube when joined to theinner panel 33, acover member 52 for covering afront face 51 a of theouter panel 51 and an end portion of awindshield 18 and apillar garnish 37. Note thatreference numeral 54 denotes a molding,reference numeral 55 denoting a weather strip. - The
outer panel 51 is a bending member of steel, in which thefront face 51 a which is substantially parallel with thewindshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with thewindow glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 51 b. The external side face 51 b is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form arear face 51 c. The thickness of theouter panel 51 is made thinner than to theinner panel 33 to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, avalley groove 51 d is formed by bending therear face 51 c at a sharp angle toward the interior of the tube.Flange portions outer panel 51 so as to be welded to theflange portions inner panel 33. - FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a third embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals are given to like constituent components to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.
- A
front pillar 60 includes apillar frame 31, areinforcement member 32, aninner panel 33, a thinnerouter panel 61 adapted to form a tube when joined to theinner panel 33, acover member 62 for covering afront face 61 a of theouter panel 61 and an end portion of awindshield 18, apillar garnish 63, aweather strip 64 attached to therear face 61 b of theouter panel 61, and aweather strip 66 attached to a rear joinedportion 65 where theinner panel 33 and theouter panel 61 are joined together, with therear face 61 b being caused to face awindow glass 67 of a sash-less type window or a window without a sash of a front door (not shown). Note thatreference numeral 68 denotes a molding. - The
outer panel 61 is a bending member of steel, in which thefront face 61 a which is substantially parallel with thewindshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with thewindow glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 61 c. The external side face 61 c is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form arear face 61 b, where aflat portion 61 d is provided. The thickness of theouter panel 61 is made thinner than theinner panel 33 to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, afirst valley groove 61 e and asecond valley groove 61 f are formed at sides of theflat portion 61 d, whichfirst valley groove 61 e andsecond valley groove 61 f are bent at a sharp angle toward the interior of the tube.Flange portions outer panel 61 so as to be welded to theflange portions inner panel 33. - As is described above, when a large external force acts on the
front face 61 a of theouter panel 61 in a rearward direction, theouter panel 61 can be allowed to be deformed more largely than theinner panel 33 by forming the two valley grooves, which are thefirst valley groove 61 e and thesecond valley groove 61 f, in therear face 61 b, whereby theouter panel 61 is allowed to enter into the passenger compartment R side of thewindow glass 67 of the front door, thereby making it possible to more positively prevent thefront pillar 60 from interfering with thewindow glass 67. Thus, since the deformation of thefront pillar 60 is not prevented, the impact applied to thefront pillar 60 can effectively be absorbed and relaxed. - FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a front pillar according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals are given to like constituent components to those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and the description thereof will be omitted.
- A
front pillar 70 includes apillar frame 31, areinforcement member 32, aninner panel 33, a thinnerouter panel 71 adapted to form a tube when joined to theinner panel 33, acover member 72 for covering afront face 71 a, an external side face 71 b and a part of arear face 71 c of theouter panel 71 and an end portion of awindshield 18, and apillar garnish 73, with therear face 71 c being caused to face awindow sash portion 74 a of a fully framed-type of afront door 74. Note thatreference numeral 76 denotes a molding; 77, 78: weather strips; and 79: a window glass of thefront door 74. - The
outer panel 71 is a bending member of steel, in which thefront face 71 a which is substantially parallel with thewindshield 18 is bent so as to be substantially parallel with thewindow glass 17 to thereby form an external side face 71 b. The external side face 71 b is then bent toward a passenger compartment R side to thereby form arear face 71 c. The thickness of theouter panel 71 is made thinner than theinner panel 33 to reduce the rigidity thereof, and to promote deformation by an external force, afirst valley groove 71 d and asecond valley groove 71 e are formed successively in therear face 71 c, whichfirst valley groove 71 d andsecond valley groove 71 e are bent at a sharp angle toward the interior of the tube.Flange portions outer panel 71 so as to be welded to theflange portions inner panel 33. - As is described above, as with the
front pillar 60 shown in FIG. 5, theouter panel 71 can be allowed to be deformed more largely in a bellows-like fashion than theinner panel 33 by forming the two valley grooves, which are thefirst valley groove 71 d and thesecond valley groove 71 e, successively in therear face 71 c, whereby theouter panel 71 is allowed to enter into the passenger compartment R side of thefront door 74, thereby making it possible to more positively prevent thefront pillar 70 from interfering with thefront door 74. - Note that while the front face, external side face and rear face are formed on the outer panel of the front pillar in the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the construction, but a construction may be adopted in which the front face and the external side face are formed as a single flat or curved face, which is then bent toward the passenger compartment side to form a rear face, where a valley groove or grooves may be formed.
- In addition, in the present invention, while the valley groove is a V-shaped groove formed by two straight lines is applied, the present invention is not limited to the construction, but the groove may be formed as a groove having a cross section constituted by two curved lines (for example, a groove having a U-shaped cross section) or a groove having a cross section constituted by a straight line and a curved line.
- According to the above constructions, the invention is advantageous as below.
- With the front pillar for the vehicle according to the aspect of the invention, the outer panel is made thinner than the inner panel, and the rear face of the outer panel which faces the front door is bent so as to form therein the valley groove or grooves in such a manner as to be hollowed toward the interior of the tube, whereby when a large magnitude of external force acts on the front pillar in the rearward direction, the outer panel is allowed to be deformed more largely than the inner panel to thereby collapse the valley groove or grooves, so that the rearward travel of the rear face can be reduced. This prevents the rear face of the outer panel of the front pillar from interfering with the front door, and therefore nothing interrupts the deformation of the front pillar, thereby making it possible to effectively absorb and relax the impact applied to the front pillar.
Claims (10)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP11-345532 | 1999-12-03 | ||
JP34553299A JP4294818B2 (en) | 1999-12-03 | 1999-12-03 | Car front pillar |
JPP.HEI.11-345532 | 1999-12-03 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20010002762A1 true US20010002762A1 (en) | 2001-06-07 |
US6340203B2 US6340203B2 (en) | 2002-01-22 |
Family
ID=18377233
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/728,118 Expired - Fee Related US6340203B2 (en) | 1999-12-03 | 2000-12-04 | Front pillar for a vehicle |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6340203B2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4294818B2 (en) |
DE (1) | DE10059690B4 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040176772A1 (en) * | 2003-03-06 | 2004-09-09 | Rafail Zubok | Instrumentation and methods for use in implanting a cervical disc replacement device |
FR2883225A1 (en) * | 2005-03-21 | 2006-09-22 | Renault Sas | Panoramic glazing frame for vehicle, is based on single-piece, triangular hollow tubular component forming column, used with adhesive and clip-in sealing strip |
CN102092355A (en) * | 2009-12-11 | 2011-06-15 | 通用汽车环球科技运作有限责任公司 | Structural body pillar for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle having a structural body pillar |
US20160039359A1 (en) * | 2014-08-07 | 2016-02-11 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Front pillar exterior garnish for a vehicle body |
Families Citing this family (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2002240664A (en) * | 2001-02-14 | 2002-08-28 | Aisin Keikinzoku Co Ltd | Impact energy absorbing structure |
KR20020086087A (en) * | 2001-05-11 | 2002-11-18 | 현대자동차주식회사 | front pillar structure of vehicle |
DE10149988B4 (en) * | 2001-10-11 | 2005-07-21 | Daimlerchrysler Ag | Body pillar for a motor vehicle |
JP3938000B2 (en) * | 2002-10-17 | 2007-06-27 | マツダ株式会社 | Shock absorbing structure for vehicle side door |
US20070046073A1 (en) * | 2005-08-23 | 2007-03-01 | Ludwig Adam M | Headliner with improved attachment structure |
DE602005013524D1 (en) * | 2005-09-08 | 2009-05-07 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Hydroformed motor vehicle pillar |
US7731272B2 (en) * | 2007-12-26 | 2010-06-08 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. | A-pillar force transfer structure |
US8398157B2 (en) * | 2010-08-26 | 2013-03-19 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Pillar reduction by outer panel cut |
KR20140057699A (en) * | 2012-10-26 | 2014-05-14 | 현대자동차주식회사 | A front pillar of vehicle |
US9365166B2 (en) | 2013-03-12 | 2016-06-14 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Vehicle pillar construction and method |
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US5163730A (en) * | 1991-09-03 | 1992-11-17 | General Motors Corporation | Energy absorbing molding attachment bracket |
JP3052766B2 (en) * | 1994-02-22 | 2000-06-19 | トヨタ自動車株式会社 | Impact energy absorption structure by car interior materials |
JPH07315247A (en) * | 1994-05-24 | 1995-12-05 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Structural member for vehicle |
GB2293798B (en) * | 1994-10-07 | 1998-03-04 | Toyota Motor Co Ltd | Occupant protecting structures of vehicle body upper portions |
JP3000898B2 (en) * | 1995-07-12 | 2000-01-17 | トヨタ自動車株式会社 | Impact energy absorbing structure of automobile |
JPH0939833A (en) * | 1995-07-26 | 1997-02-10 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Front pillar of automobile |
US5720510A (en) * | 1996-03-28 | 1998-02-24 | Ford Global Technologies, Inc. | Energy absorbing vehicle pillar structure |
CA2202226C (en) * | 1996-04-10 | 2000-01-04 | Yoshinori Noritake | Impact energy absorbing structure of vehicle upper portion of automobile |
US5868458A (en) * | 1996-04-26 | 1999-02-09 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Interior material for automotive vehicle |
US5803532A (en) * | 1996-12-17 | 1998-09-08 | General Motors Corporation | Energy absorbing molding assembly |
JPH10278840A (en) * | 1997-04-11 | 1998-10-20 | Suzuki Motor Corp | Car body structure |
-
1999
- 1999-12-03 JP JP34553299A patent/JP4294818B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2000
- 2000-12-01 DE DE10059690A patent/DE10059690B4/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2000-12-04 US US09/728,118 patent/US6340203B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040176772A1 (en) * | 2003-03-06 | 2004-09-09 | Rafail Zubok | Instrumentation and methods for use in implanting a cervical disc replacement device |
FR2883225A1 (en) * | 2005-03-21 | 2006-09-22 | Renault Sas | Panoramic glazing frame for vehicle, is based on single-piece, triangular hollow tubular component forming column, used with adhesive and clip-in sealing strip |
CN102092355A (en) * | 2009-12-11 | 2011-06-15 | 通用汽车环球科技运作有限责任公司 | Structural body pillar for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle having a structural body pillar |
US20110140481A1 (en) * | 2009-12-11 | 2011-06-16 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Structural body pillar for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle having a structural body pillar |
US9156431B2 (en) | 2009-12-11 | 2015-10-13 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Structural body pillar for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle having a structural body pillar |
US20160039359A1 (en) * | 2014-08-07 | 2016-02-11 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Front pillar exterior garnish for a vehicle body |
US9481320B2 (en) * | 2014-08-07 | 2016-11-01 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Front pillar exterior garnish for a vehicle body |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE10059690B4 (en) | 2004-08-05 |
JP2001163253A (en) | 2001-06-19 |
DE10059690A1 (en) | 2001-06-28 |
JP4294818B2 (en) | 2009-07-15 |
US6340203B2 (en) | 2002-01-22 |
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