JPH0626956B2 - Leg protection device for vehicle occupants - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a leg portion of a vehicle occupant, which protects the leg portion of a vehicle occupant by absorbing the impact received by the leg portion of the vehicle occupant during a vehicle collision. Regarding protection device.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a leg protection device for a vehicle occupant, for example, a device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 57-32043 is known.

As shown in FIG. 10, this conventional leg protection device for a vehicle occupant is provided below the instrument panel 1 in front of the driver's seat with a plastic shock to the leg 2 of the vehicle occupant during a vehicle collision. An impact absorbing plate 3 that absorbs by deformation is provided.
The shock absorbing plate 3 has a facing plate portion 5 facing the steering column 4 forming a part of the steering device from below. The facing plate portion 5 is used for the leg portion 2 in the event of a vehicle collision.
A stroke of plastic deformation based on the collision of the knee portion 2a with the facing plate portion 5 is ensured, and an excessive load is applied to the knee portion 2a based on the collision with the steering column 4 due to the plastic deformation during the vehicle collision. No. 11 to prevent
As shown in the figure, it is configured to bulge toward the driver's seat side, the distance between the facing plate portion 5 and the steering column 4 is set, and the surface of the facing plate portion 5 facing the steering column 4 is set. The side is a recess 6 due to the bulging of the facing plate portion 5.

However, the distance between the facing plate portion 5 and the steering column 4 facing each other is restricted from the viewpoint of securing a space for getting on and off the driver as a vehicle occupant, and the facing plate portion 5 is unnecessarily large in the driver's seat. It cannot be configured to bulge toward the side. Therefore, in the prior art, in order to prevent an excessive load from being applied to the knee portion 2a due to the collision with the steering column 4 due to the plastic deformation of the facing plate portion 5 in the case of a vehicle collision, the impact absorbing plate 3 is prevented. Energy absorbing member 7
Is adopted in the recess 6. The impact energy absorbing member 7 is, for example, a bundle of cylindrical bodies 8 as shown in FIG. 12 or a bundle of hexagonal cylinders 9 as shown in FIG. Used. In FIG. 10, 10 is a steering wheel, 11 is a clamp bracket, and 12 is a steering mount member.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Incidentally, collisions of the vehicle 13 include a left diagonal collision as shown in FIG. 14 and a right diagonal collision as shown in FIG. In the case of the provided vehicle 13, there is a fact that the rearward displacement amount of the steering device is large at the time of the left oblique collision, and the rearward displacement amount of the steering device is small at the right oblique collision. this is,
This is because the steering device is located near the collision point in the case of a left diagonal collision, and the steering device is located in a position far from the collision point in the right diagonal collision. On the other hand, a vehicle with a steering device on the right side
In the case of 13, the rearward displacement amount of the steering device is large at the right diagonal collision, and the rearward displacement amount of the steering device is small at the left diagonal collision.

In the case of the vehicle 13 having the steering device on the left side, the leg 2 of the driver as the vehicle occupant faces the right leg 2b of the collision absorbing plate 3 in the case of a left diagonal collision. A force is applied in the direction toward the plate portion 5 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 11), but the amount of movement of the leg portion 2b in the direction toward the opposing plate portion 5 is small, and in the case of an oblique right collision, it collides with the left leg portion 2c. Absorption plate 3
There is a fact that a force in the direction toward the facing plate portion 5 (direction of arrow B in FIG. 11) is applied, and the movement amount of the left leg portion 2c is larger than the movement amount of the right leg portion 2b. This is because, in the case of a vehicle 13 in which the driver is required to wear a seat belt (not shown) and a steering device is provided on the left side, for example, a passive seat belt is from the left shoulder to the right lower waist. When the driver is running around,
It is restrained by the passive seat belt during driving, and the right leg 2b has its waist fixed, so the amount of forward movement of the leg 2b is fixed regardless of a left diagonal collision or a right diagonal collision. Although it is small, the leg portion 2c on the left side is not restrained by the seed belt, and in the case of a left oblique collision, a force in the direction toward the vehicle exterior side acts on the leg portion 2c, so that the force toward the facing plate 5 is decreased. Although the amount of movement is small, in the case of a diagonally right collision, the force in the direction toward the inside of the vehicle causes the leg 2c to
This is because the amount of movement in the direction toward the facing plate 5 becomes large because

On the other hand, in the case of the vehicle 13 in which the steering device is provided on the right side, the passive seat belt is stretched from the right shoulder to the left waist area near the waist and the left leg portion 2c.
Since the left leg 2c has a small amount of forward movement regardless of the left diagonal collision or the right diagonal collision, the right leg 2c faces the facing plate 5 in the left diagonal collision. The amount of movement in the direction is large.

Generally, the improvement of the safety of the vehicle 13 is achieved by suppressing the rearward displacement amount of the steering device and the forward displacement amount of the human body in the event of a vehicle collision, and the steering device itself absorbs the collision. Although the structure is adopted, when the rearward displacement amount of the steering device is large considering that the rearward displacement amount of the steering device and the frontward displacement amount of the driver's leg are different depending on the left diagonal collision and the right diagonal collision. In the case of an oblique collision corresponding to the case where the amount of movement of the driver's legs is small (when the steering column is used as a reference, the portion of the facing plate portion 5 inside the vehicle is largely deformed by the steering device). In the case of an oblique collision that may result in the possibility that the legs will not move to the rear displacement position of the steering device, and In the case of an oblique collision corresponding to the case where the amount of displacement is small and the amount of movement of the driver's legs is large (the portion of the facing plate portion 5 outside the vehicle with respect to the steering column is the leg portion). It is desirable to configure the shock absorbing plate 3 so as to absorb the shock received by the leg portion as much as possible in the case of an oblique collision in which the leg portion may be largely deformed.

However, the conventional leg protection device for a vehicle occupant does not pay sufficient attention to a left diagonal collision and a diagonal collision, and the impact energy absorbing member 7 is used to absorb the impact received by the leg 2 as much as possible. If the shock absorbing plate 3 is made to have a possible structure, it is difficult to tune the shock absorbing plate 3, and the collision energy absorbing member 7 itself is expensive. is there.

(Object of the Invention) Therefore, an object of the present invention is to efficiently and inexpensively manufacture by paying attention to the difference in the rearward displacement amount of the steering device and the forward displacement amount of the leg portion at the time of the left diagonal collision and the diagonal oblique collision. It is an object of the present invention to provide a leg protection device for a vehicle occupant that can do the above.

(Means for Solving Problems) A feature of the leg protection device for a vehicle seat occupant according to the present invention is that the leg portion of the vehicle seat occupant receives a shock when extending in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction. The shock absorbing plate, which absorbs by plastic deformation, opposes the steering column of the shock absorbing plate by a closed section forming section that extends in the vehicle width direction and bulges toward the driver's seat to form a closed section. A shock absorbing swelling plate is formed to absorb the shock received by the knees of the legs, and an opening is formed in the closed cross-section forming member on the vehicle outer side based on the position where the steering column is located. Then, the rigidity of the portion on the vehicle outer side of the shock absorbing bulging plate portion is made smaller than the rigidity of the portion on the vehicle inner side by piercing the opening.

(Operation) According to this, since the rigidity of the portion of the shock absorbing bulging plate portion on the vehicle outer side relative to the portion where the steering column is located is reduced, the steering device is provided on the left side. In the case of a vehicle, the knee of the left leg (in the case of a vehicle with a steering device on the right, the knee of the right leg) moves largely toward the facing plate during a vehicle collision. Even if a collision occurs, the portion is satisfactorily crushed and plastically deformed, an excessive load is suppressed from being applied to the leg portion, and the leg portion is protected.

Further, the rigidity of the portion of the shock absorbing swelling plate portion that is on the inside of the vehicle with respect to the portion where the steering column is located is higher than the rigidity of the portion that is located on the outside of the vehicle,
In the case of a vehicle equipped with a steering column device on the left side, a left diagonal collision (steering on the right side, the right side leg is received by a highly rigid closed cross-section inside the vehicle until it reaches the rear displacement position of the steering device) be able to.

(Example) Hereinafter, a case where an example of the leg protection device for a vehicle occupant according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle having a steering device on the left side will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 2, 14 is an instrument panel in front of the driver's seat, 15 is a steering mount member, 16 is a steering member, and 17 is a clump bracket, which is a steering column 18 that constitutes a part of the steering device.
Is fastened to the steering mount member 15 by the clump bracket 17, and 19 is its mounting bolt. Here, the steering device is of a tilt type in which the tilting angle can be adjusted according to the driver, and has a structure that absorbs impact energy based on the collision with the human body during a vehicle collision. As shown in FIG. 3, below the instrument panel 14, a lower knee protector 20 is provided on the left side of the instrument panel 14 to protect the driver's legs in the event of a vehicle collision, and on the right side thereof is an assistant in the event of a vehicle collision. Lower knee protector 21 is provided to protect the legs of the passengers.

The lower knee protectors 20 and 21 are fixed to the instrument panel 14 and the vehicle side by means not shown. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower knee protector 20 includes a shock absorbing plate 22 that extends in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction to absorb the shock received by the leg portion 2 of the vehicle occupant during a vehicle collision by plastic deformation. The shock absorbing plate 22 is covered with a covering pad 23.

Here, the shock absorbing plate 22, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, has a substrate 24 whose upper end is attached to the lower portion of the instrument panel by means not shown.
The bulging plate 25 joined to the substrate 24 and the reinforcing plate 26 joined to the bulging plate 25 are formed. As shown in FIG. 5, the board 24 is formed with a notch 27 for avoiding the clamp portion of the steering device, and the back surface side thereof has a closed cross-section forming member extending in the vehicle width direction and a closed cross-section extending in the vertical direction. And a forming member is provided, and in FIG.
Reference numeral 28 indicates a closed cross-section forming member extending in the vehicle width direction. The base plate 24 is formed with a joining flange 29 for joining the bulging plate 25 to the peripheral wall of the cutout. The joining flange 29 is configured to project toward the driver's seat side.

The bulging plate 25 has a joining flange 30 extending along the periphery of the bulging plate 25 along the direction in which the joining flange 29 of the substrate 24 extends, a bulging curved portion 31 that bulges while curving toward the driver's seat side, and a notch 27. And a notch 32 corresponding to the notch 32 are formed, and the bulging plate 25 has a joint flange portion to which the notch peripheral wall is joined with the reinforcing plate 26, and the joint flange portion extends in the vertical direction. , 33 and a joint flange 34 extending in the vehicle width direction.

The reinforcing plate 26 includes a notch 35 corresponding to the notch 32, joint flanges 36 and 36 joined to the joint flanges 33 and 33, and a joint flange 37 joined to the joint flange 34 extending in the vehicle width direction.
And a bulging curved portion 38 joined to the bulging curved portion 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bulging plate 25 and the reinforcing plate 26 form a facing plate portion 39 facing the steering column 18 from below. The knee plate 2a of the leg 2 is extended by the facing plate portion 39 in the vehicle width direction and is bulged toward the driver's seat side.
In order to form a shock absorbing bulging plate portion 40 that absorbs the shock received by the vehicle, the reinforcing plate 26 has a crescent-shaped bulging portion 41 that extends in the vehicle width direction and bulges toward the driver's seat side. It is formed as shown in FIGS. 6 to 6, and its crescent-shaped bulging portion 41 cooperates with the bulging plate 25 to serve as a closed cross-section forming member that forms a closed cross-section.

In the crescent-shaped bulge 41, an opening 42 is provided at a portion on the vehicle outer side (a portion on the left side) with respect to the portion where the steering column 18 is located, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. It is bored as shown in. Due to the opening 42 formed in the shock absorbing bulging plate portion 40, the rigidity of the portion outside the vehicle with respect to the portion where the steering column 18 is located is a closed cross-section portion 43.
The rigidity is set to be smaller than the rigidity of the inside portion of the vehicle having (see FIG. 2). The impact absorbing bulging plate portion 40 has a high rigidity inside the vehicle when the steering device has a large leftward displacement and a small amount of forward movement of the driver's leg 2c in a left diagonal collision. Despite the rearward displacement, it plays a role of reliably suppressing the forward movement of the right knee, and the rearward displacement amount of the steering device is small. The small outside portion of the vehicle is plastically deformed in response to the collision of the knee portion 2a, and plays a role of preventing an excessive load from being applied to the knee portion 2a due to the contact of the facing plate portion 39 with the steering column 18. 2, the two-dot chain line 44 shows the rearward displacement state of the steering device, and the two-dot chain line 45 shows the frontward displacement state of the leg portion 2.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the reinforcing plate 26 is provided with a bending flange 46 that is bent toward the steering column 18 side while extending in the vertical direction in a portion that is on the indoor side thereof. As shown in FIG. 6, a bending flange 47 is formed which extends in the vehicle width direction and is bent toward the steering column 18. The bending flanges 46 and 47 cooperate with the closed cross-section portion 43 in the case of a left oblique collision in which the rearward displacement of the steering device is large by further increasing the rigidity of the portion of the shock absorbing bulging plate portion 40 that is the inside of the vehicle. It works to suppress the rearward displacement of the steering column 18.

As shown in FIG. 9, the covering pad 23 is configured to substantially cover the front of the shock absorbing plate 22, and includes a bulging plate 25 and a reinforcing plate 26.
The portions corresponding to the bulging curved portions 31, 38 are curved portions 48 so that even if the leg portions 2 are hit when the driver gets on and off the vehicle, there is no problem.

The back surface of the facing plate portion 39 is covered with the coating pad 23, and the portion on the back surface side that covers the facing plate portion 39 is formed with a protrusion 49 extending toward the clamp bracket 17. The protrusion 49 plays a role of preventing a problem that the inside of the steering device can be seen through the notches 27 to 35. 2 and 3, reference numeral 50 is a steering column cover, 51 in FIG. 9 is a fuse box, and 52 is a fuse lid.

In the above embodiments, the vehicle 13 provided with the steering device on the left side has been described.However, in the case of the vehicle 13 provided with the steering device on the right side, the opening 42 of the crescent-shaped bulge 41 is located on the right side. Will be formed.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the leg protection device for a vehicle occupant according to the present invention extends in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction and receives the impact received by the leg of the vehicle occupant during a vehicle collision. By a closed cross-section forming member that extends in the vehicle width direction and bulges toward the driver's seat side to form a closed cross-section, in the facing plate portion that faces the steering column of the shock absorbing plate that absorbs by plastic deformation A shock absorbing swelling plate is formed to absorb the shock received by the knees of the legs, and an opening is formed in the closed cross-section forming member on the vehicle outer side based on the position where the steering column is located. Of the swelling plate for shock absorption, the rigidity of the portion on the vehicle outer side is made smaller than the rigidity of the portion on the vehicle inner side by piercing the opening, and therefore, in the case of a left diagonal collision or a right diagonal collision. Rearward displacement of steering device and front of leg By paying attention to the difference in the amount of displacement, it is possible to easily tune the collision energy absorption and to inexpensively manufacture the leg protection device for the vehicle occupant.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the essential structure of a leg protection device for a vehicle occupant according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is the present invention. A view of the lower knee protector attached to an instrument panel and the instrument panel is viewed, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main configuration of the shock absorbing plate shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is shown in FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the shock absorbing plate, FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the reinforcing plate having the crescent-shaped bulge portion shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 has the crescent-shaped bulge portion shown in FIG. Partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the reinforcing plate is joined to the bulging plate that forms a closed cross-section portion in cooperation with the reinforcing plate, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a shape of a covering pad for covering the shock absorbing plate according to the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a conventional leg protection device for a vehicle occupant. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the main parts, and Fig. 11 is XI of Fig. 10.
-A cross-sectional view taken along line XI, Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 are perspective views showing the shape of the impact energy absorbing member used in the conventional leg protection device for a vehicle seat riding. Fig. 14 and Fig. 15 are oblique vehicle collisions. It is an explanatory view showing a state. 2 ... Legs, 2a ... Knees, 14 ... Instrument panel, 18 ... Steering column, 21 ... Lower knee protector, 22 ... Shock absorber plate, 24 ... Substrate, 25 ... Swelling plate , 26 ...... Reinforcement plate, 39 ...... Counter plate part, 40 ...... Impact absorbing bulging plate part, 42 ...... Opening part, 43 ...... Closed cross section part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A shock having a facing plate part facing a steering column and extending in a vehicle width direction and a vertical direction to absorb a shock received by a leg of a vehicle occupant during a vehicle collision by plastic deformation. In a leg protection device for a vehicle occupant that protects the legs by providing an absorption plate below the instrument panel in front of the driver's seat, the opposing plate portion extends in the vehicle width direction while driving. A shock absorbing swelling plate portion that absorbs a shock received by the knee of the leg is formed by a closed cross section forming member that bulges toward the seat side to form a closed cross section, and the closed cross section forming member is a steering column. An opening is formed in a portion on the outer side of the vehicle with respect to the portion where is located, and the impact absorbing bulging plate portion is a portion where the rigidity of the portion on the outer side of the vehicle due to the opening of the opening is on the inner side of the vehicle. Is less than the stiffness of A leg protection device for vehicle occupants.