FR3095796A1 - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a wing support comprising a lower support and an upper support having a lower rigidity than that of the lower support so as to ensure the protection of pedestrians, and to improve the positioning accuracy and the ease of assembly. of the wing support. A vehicle front structure comprises a wing support 5 attached to a vehicle body part 4 of a vehicle front, and a wing panel 3 attached to the wing support 5, the wing support 5 comprises a lower bracket 6 fixed at a lower part thereof to the vehicle body part 4, and an upper bracket 7 fixed at an upper part thereof to the wing panel is fixed, and the upper support 7 is configured to have a lower rigidity than that of the lower support 6, and a lower part 71 of the upper support 7 is fixed on a high surface 63 of the lower support 6.Fig. 3

Description

VEHICLE FRONT STRUCTURE

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure

There exists a conventional vehicle front structure in which a fender bracket is fixed to a vehicle body part (cowl side member) of a vehicle front and a fender panel is attached to the fender bracket (see, for example, JP 2014-189261 A) . The fender bracket in the vehicle front structure includes a bracket main body having a top edge portion, a front vertical edge portion, a rear vertical edge portion, and bent portions formed at intermediate portions of the front vertical edge portion and the rear vertical edge portion , is configured to facilitate control of shock absorbing characteristics by fixing a rear flange at a lower end portion of the rear vertical edge portion to an upper wall surface of the vehicle body part, and fixing a front flange of the lower end portion of the front vertical edge portion to the front wall surface of the vehicle body part.

However, in the conventional vehicle front structure described above, in order to fix the fender bracket to the vehicle body part, it is necessary to fix the rear flange of the rear vertical edge portion to the upper wall surface of the vehicle body part and fix the front flange of the front vertical edge portion to the front wall surface of the vehicle body part, and thus, there is a problem that the position of the fender bracket cannot be adjusted by moving in all directions, that is, in a vehicle front -rear direction, a vehicle width direction, and vehicle vertical direction relative to the vehicle body part. Therefore, in the conventional vehicle front structure, it is difficult to improve the positional accuracy and assembling workability of the fender bracket, and there is room for improvement in pedestrian protection and in break line formation of the fender panel.

In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front structure capable of securing pedestrian protection, improving positional accuracy and assembling workability of a fender bracket, and improving appearance quality by forming a break line on a fender panel , by configuring the fender bracket to include a lower bracket and an upper bracket having a lower rigidity than the lower bracket to allow positional adjustment in all directions including a vehicle front-rear direction, a vehicle width direction, and a vehicle vertical direction.

Summary

In order to solve the problems of the related art, the present invention provides a vehicle front structure including a fender bracket fixed to a vehicle body part of a vehicle front, and a fender panel attached to the fender bracket, in which the fender bracket includes a lower bracket fixed at a lower portion thereof to the vehicle body part and an upper bracket fixed at an upper portion thereof to fender panel, the lower bracket includes a front-rear extending surface extending in a vehicle vertical direction and a vehicle front-rear direction and facing a vehicle width direction, a widthwise extending surface extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and facing the vehicle front-rear direction, and a top surface extending continuously from an upper end of the front-rear extending surface and an upper end of the widthwise extending surface in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction respectively, and the upper bracket is conf igured to have a lower rigidity than the lower bracket, and a lower portion of the upper bracket is fixed to the top surface of the lower bracket.

As described above, the vehicle front structure according to the present invention has a structure including the fender bracket fixed to the vehicle body part of the vehicle front, and the fender panel attached to the fender bracket, the fender bracket includes a lower bracket fixed at a lower portion thereof to the vehicle body part and an upper bracket fixed at an upper portion thereof to the fender panel, the lower bracket includes a front-rear extending surface extending in a vehicle vertical direction and a vehicle front-rear direction and facing the vehicle width direction, a widthwise extending surface extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and facing the vehicle front-rear direction, and a top surface extending continuously from an upper end of the front-rear extending surface and an upper end of the widthwise extending surface in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction respectively, and the upper bracket is configured ed to have a lower rigidity than the lower bracket, and a lower portion of the upper bracket is fixed to the top surface of the lower bracket.

In other words, in the vehicle front structure of the present invention, since the fender bracket includes the lower bracket and the upper bracket having a lower rigidity than the lower bracket, and the fender bracket is configured so as to be adjustable in position in all directions such as the vehicle vertical direction, the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction relative to the vehicle body part, the upper bracket is disposed within a clearance required for the pedestrian protection and the lower bracket is disposed out of the clearance required for the pedestrian protection, thereby securing the protection of the pedestrians with respect to the vehicle front. Moreover, in the vehicle front structure of the present invention, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy and assembling workability of the fender bracket, so that a break line of the fender panel can be formed, and the appearance quality of the vehicle front can be improved.

The following features, can be optionally implemented, separately or in combination one with the others:
- the upper bracket is formed into a plate shape having a surface including an intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction facing the vehicle width direction, and includes a first vertical wall portion extending upward of the vehicle from the lower fixing portion, a first inclined wall portion extending upward of the vehicle from an upper end of the first vertical wall portion toward a vehicle inner side, and a second vertical wall portion extending upward of the vehicle from the upper end of the first inclined wall portion;
- the second vertical wall portion is formed in an inclined surface shape;
- the upper bracket includes a head lamp fixing portion at a front portion on a vehicle front side, and a fragile portion disposed to extend across the first inclined wall portion and the second vertical wall portion below the head lamp fixing portion;
- the lower portion includes a front lower fixing portion and a rear lower fixing portion, and the front lower fixing portion and the rear lower fixing portion are fixed to planes at different heights;
- a joining strength of the front lower fixing portion is set to be higher than a joining strength of the rear lower fixing portion;
- the front lower fixing portion and the rear lower fixing portion are formed to have surfaces parallel to each other in side view of the vehicle, while part of the vehicle body part overlapping with the fender bracket is formed into an inclined shape in which a vehicle rear side is higher than the vehicle front side;
- a hood cushion stay is fixed to an upper portion of the upper bracket in the intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction, which is an upper portion of the center portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, and openings are provided at front and rear portions of the upper bracket in the intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction with the hood cushion stay interposed therebetween;
- the lower fixing portion of the upper bracket is provided at a position overlapping with the front-rear extending surface in the vehicle width direction in plan view of the vehicle, and is provided at a position overlapping with the widthwise extending surface in the vehicle front -rear direction.

Other features, details and advantages will be shown in the following detailed description and on the figures, on which:

Fig. 1

is a perspective view of a left side of a vehicle front having a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed obliquely from above in front of a vehicle body ..

Fig. 2

is a side view of a fender bracket and a periphery thereof to the structure according to the embodiment of the invention is applied as viewed from a vehicle inner side.

Fig. 3

is a perspective view of the fender bracket in Figure 2 and the periphery thereof as viewed obliquely from above the front side of the vehicle body.

Fig. 4

is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 2 ..

Fig. 5

is a side view of a head lamp fixed to a fender bracket to the structure according to the embodiment of the present invention and a vehicle body part to which the fender bracket is fixed as viewed from the vehicle inner side.

Fig. 6

is an enlarged perspective view of the fender bracket in Figure 5 and the head lamp as viewed obliquely from above the vehicle inner side.

Fig. 7

is a cross-sectional view of a hood cushion stay applied to the structure according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the vehicle front ..

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 to Figure 7 illustrate a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, it should be noted that a direction of an arrow Fr indicates the vehicle front, a direction of an arrow I indicates a vehicle inner side, and a direction of an arrow U indicates an upper side of the vehicle. A direction of an arrow X indicates a vehicle width direction, and a direction of an arrow Y indicates a vehicle front-rear direction.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicle front 1 of the structure according to the embodiment of the present invention includes: a hood panel (a hood outer panel 2a and a hood inner panel 2b) 2 which is disposed on an upper part of the vehicle front 1 and constitutes a front opening-and-closing type front hood covering an upper portion of an engine compartment (or motor compartment) 10; fender panels 3 of front fender disposed on both left and right outer sides of the hood panel 2 in the vehicle width direction; vehicle body parts (for example, dash side front panels) 4 disposed on both left and right sides inside the engine compartment (or the motor compartment) 10; and fender brackets 5 fixed to the vehicle body parts 4, and the fender panels 3 are attached to the fender brackets 5.

Therefore, mounting pieces 31 bent into an L-shape are formed on the vehicle inner side of the fender panels 3, and the mounting pieces 31 extend horizontally toward the vehicle inner side at positions substantially corresponding to the fender brackets 5 and are fixedly fastened to the fender brackets 5 by a bolts 32 or the like. Furthermore, the vehicle body part 4 extends along the vehicle front-rear direction, and includes an upper surface 4a, a side surface 4b on the vehicle inner side, and a front surface 4c on the vehicle front side.

The fender bracket 5 in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment includes a lower bracket 6 made of a sheet metal fixed at a lower portion thereof to the vehicle body part 4 and an upper bracket 7 made of a sheet metal to an upper portion of which the fender panel 3 is fixed, and has a two-tier structure in which the upper bracket 7 is disposed over the upper portion of the lower bracket 6 as illustrated in Figure 2 to Figure 7. The upper bracket 7 is disposed in a clearance R required for pedestrian protection set to have a dimension apart from the hood outer panel 2a of the hood panel 2 by a predetermined distance downward (inside the engine compartment 10) of the vehicle, while the lower bracket 6 is disposed outside the clearance R required for pedestrian protection, and the upper bracket 7 is configured to have a lower rigidity than the lower bracket 6.

As illustrated in Figure 2 to Figure 7, the lower bracket 6 of the present embodiment includes a front-rear extending surface 61 extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle front-rear direction and facing the vehicle width direction, a widthwise extending surface 62 extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and facing the vehicle front-rear direction, and a top surface 63 extending continuously from an upper end of the front-rear extending surface 61 and an upper end of the widthwise extending surface 62 in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction, respectively. The lower bracket 6 is provided in an upright position from an upper portion of the vehicle body part 4 by extending a lower portion 61a of the front-rear extending surface 61 downward of the vehicle and joining with the side surface 4b of the vehicle body part 4 in an overlapped manner, and then bending a lower portion 62a of the widthwise extending surface 62 toward the vehicle front side and joining with the upper surface 4a of the vehicle body part 4 in an overlapped manner, and joining the joining piece 64 extending toward the vehicle rear from a rear portion of the top surface 63 with the upper surface 4a of the vehicle body part 4 in an overlapped manner. It should be noted that the front-rear extending surfaces 61 may be formed at least on the vehicle inner side, and the widthwise extending surface 62 may be formed at least on the vehicle front side.

On the other hand, the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment has a substantially crank-shaped cross section as a whole, and the lower portion 71 of the upper bracket 7 extends toward the vehicle inner side substantially in parallel to the top surface 63 of the lower bracket 6, and is fixed to positions at the vehicle front and rear of the top surface 63. A lower fixing portion 71a of the upper bracket 7 on the vehicle front side is provided at a position overlapping with the front-rear extending surface 61 in the vehicle width direction in plan view of the vehicle, and at a position overlapping with the widthwise extending surface 62 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

The fender bracket 5 including the lower bracket 6 and the upper bracket 7 in such a shape and positional relationship is configured to be capable of achieving pedestrian protection and adjusting the position in all directions such as the vehicle vertical direction, the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body part 4.

As illustrated in Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 6 and Figure 7, the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment is formed into a plate shape in which an intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction has a surface facing the vehicle width direction. That is, the upper bracket 7 includes a first vertical wall portion 72 extending upward of the vehicle from the lower portion 71 including the lower fixing portions 71a and 71b, a first inclined wall portion 73 extending upward of the vehicle from an upper end of the first vertical wall portion 72 toward the vehicle inner side, and a second vertical wall portion 74 extending upward of the vehicle from an upper end of the first inclined wall portion 73, and is formed into an overhung shape. Moreover, the upper bracket 7 includes an upper portion 75 extending horizontally toward the vehicle outer side from an upper end of the second vertical wall portion 74, and the fender panel 3 is fixed to the upper bracket 7 by placing the mounting piece 31 of the fender panel 3 on the upper portion 75 and tightening the bolt 32 or the like.

Accordingly, when an impact load is applied to the fender bracket 5 from above the vehicle, the first vertical wall portion 72 and the first inclined wall portion 73 of the upper bracket 7 become starting points of bending, so that the upper bracket 7 is deformed so as to be folded to absorb the impact load, and thereby the pedestrian protection is achieved.

Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 4, the second vertical wall portion 74 of the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment is formed into an inclined surface shape inclined so that the upper portion is positioned at the vehicle outer side, and an angle of inclination θ of the inclined surface is set to, for example, 10 degrees to 12 degrees. As described above, the reason why the second vertical wall portion 74 is inclined is that the rigidity of the upper bracket 7 is lowered by applying an angle of inclination θ to the second vertical wall portion 74, so that the pedestrian protection is achieved. It should be noted that if the angle of inclination θ of the second vertical wall portion 74 is too small, the rigidity of the upper bracket 7 cannot be sufficiently reduced, and when the angle of inclination θ of the second vertical wall portion 74 is too large, the rigidity of the upper bracket 7 is excessively decreased.

Furthermore, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the upper portion 75 of the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment includes a head lamp fixing portion 75a at the front portion on the vehicle front side, and the outer rear portion of the head lamp 8 mounted on the vehicle front side is fixed to the head lamp fixing portion 75a via the mounting piece 31 of the fender panel 3 by means of the stay portion 81 and the fastening bolt (which may be a fastener such as a screw) 82 and the like. In other words, the upper bracket 7 is used for fixing the outer rear portion of the head lamp 8. Therefore, the stay portion 81 of the head lamp 8 extends upward of the vehicle from the upper surface of the outer rear portion of the head lamp 8, and extends toward the vehicle rear while having a length and a width which can overlap with a front portion of the mounting piece 31 of the fender panel 3.

As illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6, a fragile portion 76 disposed so as to extend across the first inclined wall portion 73 and the second vertical wall portion 74 is provided below the head lamp fixing portion 75a along the vehicle vertical direction . The fragile portion 76 may be formed by providing an opening or by making the thickness of the portion concerned thinner than the thickness of other portions. By providing the fragile portion 76 in such a position, the rigidity of the upper bracket 7 is lower than that of the lower bracket 6, and at the time of load input from above the vehicle, the upper bracket 7 is easily deformed, so that the input load can be effectively absorbed.

On the other hand, as illustrated in Figure 2 and Figure 5, the lower fixing portion of the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment includes a front lower fixing portion 71a and a rear lower fixing portion 71b, and the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b are fixed to planes at a different height. Therefore, the top surface 63 of the lower bracket 6 is formed such that the position of a front plane portion 63a is lower than that of a rear plane portion 63b, a rear inclined surface 63c inclined upward toward the rear is formed between the front plane portion 63a and the rear plane portion 63b, and the front plane portion 63a, the inclined surface 63c, and the rear plane portion 63b are sequentially arranged in this order from the vehicle front toward the vehicle rear. That is, the front plane portion 63a and the rear plane portion 63b are partitioning surfaces with the inclined surface 63c interposed therebetween, and a joining surface is not present on the same plane. Moreover, the lower portion 71 of the upper bracket 7 are not joined entirely to the top surface 63 of the lower bracket 6.

Accordingly, the head lamp 8, which is a weight component, is fixed to the head lamp fixing portion 75a on the vehicle front side of the upper portion 75 of the upper bracket 7, and even if the load in the direction in which the upper portion 75 falls toward the vehicle front is applied to the head lamp fixing portion 75a, since the front plane portion 63a and the rear plane portion 63b are not formed in a plane having the same height, the load can be resisted so that the upper bracket 7 can be prevented from being peeled easily off the lower bracket 6, which provides a structure against peeling.

In the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment, the joining strength of the front lower fixing portion 71a is set to be higher than the joining strength of the rear lower fixing portion 71b. For example, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 3, the number of weld points W of the front lower fixing portion 71a is three, and the number of weld points W of the rear lower fixing portion 71b is two, so that the front lower fixing portion 71a has a greater number of weld points W than the rear lower fixing portion 71b, and thus, has a higher joining strength with respect to the lower bracket 6. The surface area of the front lower fixing portion 71a is larger than the surface area of the rear lower fixing portion 71 b. That is, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, the stability of the vehicle front 1 is stabilized by increasing the joining strength of the front lower fixing portion 71a which is subjected to a heavy load.

Furthermore, in the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment, the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b are formed in a shape having surfaces parallel to each other in side view of the vehicle as illustrated in Figure 2 and Figure 5 In the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment, the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b are formed on horizontal surfaces having different height but may be formed on inclined surfaces having the same angle. Therefore, the upper bracket 7 is capable of adjusting the position in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction by moving the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b on the lower bracket 6, installing and fixing the same at predetermined positions.

On the other hand, the upper surface 4a, which is a portion of the vehicle body part 4 overlapping with the lower bracket 6 of the fender bracket 5 is formed into an inclined surface shape in which the vehicle rear side is higher than the vehicle front side. Therefore, the lower bracket 6 is configured to be adjusted in position in the vehicle vertical direction and installed and fixed at a predetermined position by moving the front-rear extending surface 61, the widthwise extending surface 62 and the joining piece 64 of the top surface 63 along the inclined surface (upper surface 4a) of the vehicle body part 4.

As illustrated in Figure 3 and Figure 5 to Figure 7, a hood cushion stay 9 is fixed to the second vertical wall portion 74 in an intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction of the upper bracket 7 of the present embodiment, which is an upper portion of the center portion in the vehicle front-rear direction. The hood cushion stay 9 is an inverted L-shaped part which is fixed to a lower surface of the hood inner panel 2b constituting the hood panel 2 and receives a hood cushion 21 having a function such as shock relaxation when closing the hood panel 2, and has a fixing piece 91 fixed to the second vertical wall portion 74 and a contact piece 92 abutting on the hood cushion 21. On the other hand, openings 76, 77 are provided at front and rear portions of the intermediate portion of the upper bracket 7 in the vehicle vertical direction with the hood cushion stay 9 interposed therebetween. The front opening 76 is provided on the vehicle front side of the hood cushion stay 9 and is configured as a fragile portion described above. Furthermore, the rear opening 77 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the hood cushion stay 9, is configured as an additional fragile portion, and is formed so that the opening area thereof is smaller than that of the front opening 76 to avoid increase in vulnerability thereof.

Accordingly, the upper portion of the second vertical wall portion 74 of the upper bracket 7, which fixes the hood cushion stay 9, is configured to satisfy such a condition that a certain degree of rigidity is required so as not to be deformed by a load applied from above (pushing by the hand or pressing a load or the like) in a normal condition, but deformation is required for a load from a pedestrian at the time of a collision. That is, in a case in which a load applied to the hood panel 2 is applied to the upper bracket 7 via the hood cushion stay 9 at the time of load input to the hood panel 2 is applied from above the vehicle, the upper bracket 7 is easily deformed.

In this manner the vehicle front structure according to the embodiment of the present invention has a structure including the fender bracket 5 fixed to the vehicle body part 4 of the vehicle front 1, and the fender panel 3 is attached to the fender bracket 5. The fender bracket 5 includes a lower bracket 6 fixed at a lower portion thereof to the vehicle body part 4, and an upper bracket 7 fixed at an upper portion thereof to a fender panel 3. The lower bracket 6 includes a front-rear extending surface 61 extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle front-rear direction and facing the vehicle width direction, a widthwise extending surface 62 extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and facing the vehicle front-rear direction, and a top surface 63 extending continuously from an upper end of the front-rear extending surface 61 and an upper end of the widthwise extending surface 62 in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear d irection, respectively. Moreover, the upper bracket 7 is configured to have a lower rigidity than the lower bracket 6. Furthermore, a lower portion of the upper bracket 7 is fixed to a top surface 63 of the lower bracket 6.

Therefore, in the vehicle front structure of the present invention, since the fender bracket 5 includes the lower bracket 6 and the upper bracket 7 having a lower rigidity than the lower bracket 6, the upper bracket 7 and the lower bracket 6 are fixed in an overlapped manner at a prescribed position to form the two-tier structure, and the fender bracket 5 is configured to be adjustable in position in all directions such as the vehicle vertical direction, the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the vehicle body part 4, the upper bracket 7 is disposed within the clearance R required for pedestrian protection, and the lower bracket 6 is disposed outside the clearance R required for pedestrian protection, so that the pedestrian colliding with the hood panel 2 of the vehicle front 1 can be protected. Moreover, in the vehicle front structure of the present invention, it is possible to move both of the lower bracket 6 and the upper bracket 7 which constitute the fender bracket 5 directly and to improve the positional accuracy and assembling workability of the fender bracket 5, so that a break line of the fender panel 3 can easily be formed, and the appearance quality of the vehicle front 1 can be improved.

In the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, the upper bracket 7 is formed into a plate shape having a surface including an intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction facing the vehicle width direction, and includes a first vertical wall portion 72 extending upward of the vehicle from the lower portion 71 including the lower fixing portions 71a and 71b, a first inclined wall portion 73 extending upward of the vehicle from an upper end of the first vertical wall portion 72 toward the vehicle inner side, and a second vertical wall portion 74 extending upward of the vehicle from an upper end of the first inclined wall portion 73. Therefore, according to the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, when an impact load is applied to the fender bracket 5 from above the vehicle, the first vertical wall portion 72 and the first inclined wall portion 73 of the upper bracket 7 become the starting point of the bending, and thus, the upper bracket 7 is reliably d eformed to absorb the impact load, and the pedestrian protection can be promoted.

Furthermore, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, since the second vertical wall portion is formed in an inclined surface shape, it is possible to reduce the rigidity of the upper bracket 7, and to deform the upper bracket 7 reliably and quickly at the time of load input to the vehicle front 1 of the vehicle.

In the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, the upper bracket 7 includes the head lamp fixing portion 75a at the front portion on the vehicle front side, and the fragile portion 76 disposed so as to extend across the first inclined wall portion 73 and the second vertical wall portion 74 is provided at a position downward of the head lamp fixing portion 75a, so that the rigidity of the upper bracket 7 can reliably be made lower than that of the lower bracket 6. Therefore, according to the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, when the load is input to the vehicle front portion 1 from above the vehicle, the upper bracket 7 is reliably deformed, and a load absorption effect of the upper bracket 7 can be enhanced.

On the other hand, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, since the lower fixing portion includes a front lower fixing portion 71a and a rear lower fixing portion 71b, and the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b are fixed to planes at different heights (the front plane portion 63a and the rear plane portion 63b of the top surface 63), even with the structure in which the head lamp 8, which is a weight component, is fixed to the head lamp fixing portion 75a on the vehicle front side of the upper portion 75 of the upper bracket 7, and a load in the direction in which the upper portion 75 falls toward the vehicle front is applied to the head lamp fixing portion 75a, it is possible to resist the load in a direction of falling toward the vehicle front, and in comparison with the case in which the joining surfaces are provided on the same plane, the upper bracket 7 may be prevented from being peeled off the lower bracket 6 easily, and the l oad absorbing performance of the upper bracket 7 can be sufficiently demonstrated.

Furthermore, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, since the joining strength of the front lower fixing portion 71a is set to be greater than the joining strength of the rear lower fixing portion 71b, the front lower fixing portion 71a, which tends to be subjected to a heavy load or the like, can be firmly joined to the lower bracket 6, so that the vehicle front portion 1 can be stabilized.

Furthermore, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, since the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b are formed in a shape having surfaces parallel to each other when viewed from the side of the vehicle, while a portion of the vehicle body part 4 which overlaps with the fender bracket 5 is formed into an inclined surface shape in which the vehicle rear side is higher than the vehicle front side, the front lower fixing portion 71a and the rear lower fixing portion 71b of the upper bracket 7 can be joined with the positions in the vehicle front-rear direction and in the vehicle width direction adjusted by moving on the lower bracket 6, the position in the vehicle vertical direction adjusted by moving the front-rear extending surface 61, the widthwise extending surface 62 and the joining piece 64 of top surface 63 of the lower bracket 6 along the inclined surface of the vehicle body part 4. Therefore, according to the vehicle front structur e of the present embodiment, the positional accuracy and the assembling workability of the fender bracket 5 can be further improved.

In the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, the hood cushion stay 9 is fixed to an upper portion of the upper bracket 7 in the intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction, which is an upper portion of the center portion in the vehicle front- rear direction, and openings 76, 77 are provided at front and rear portions of the upper bracket 7 in the intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction with the hood cushion stay 9 interposed therebetween. Therefore, according to the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, the upper portion of the second vertical wall portion 74 of the upper bracket 7 to which the hood cushion stay 9 is fixed can secure enough rigidity to prevent deformation of the upper bracket 7 due to a load applied from above (pushing by hand or pressing a load, or the like) in a normal condition. In contrast, at the time of load input from above the vehicle and when the load applied to the hood panel 2 is applied to the upper bracket 7 through the hood cushion stay 9, the upper bracket 7 can easily be deformed.

Furthermore, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, since the lower fixing portion 71a of the upper bracket 7 is provided at a position overlapping with the front-rear extending surfaces 61 in the vehicle width direction and overlapping with the widthwise extending surface 62 in the vehicle front-rear direction in plan view of the vehicle, it is possible to cope with a case in which a space for the lower bracket 6 is not sufficiently secured with respect to the upper bracket 7 due to the convenience of layout in the engine compartment (or the motor compartment) 10. In addition, when a flange is formed at the front end portion from the front end of the front lower fixing portion 71a to the upper portion 75 of the upper bracket 7, the rigidity of the component is secured. Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 3 and Figure 6, when the front lower fixing portion 71a of the upper bracket 7 is provided with a portion protruding from the top surface 63 of the lower bracket 6, and a hole H is provided in this part, a harness or the like may be fixed by attaching a clip or the like to the hole H. Moreover, it is also possible to provide two holes H, and use one hole as a hole for positioning or as a hole for supporting a jig ( work tool, tool).

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described thus far, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various alterations or modifications may be made based on the technical concept of the present invention.

For example, the lower bracket 6 according to the embodiment described above includes the front-rear extending surfaces 61 formed on the vehicle inner side and the widthwise extending surface 62 formed on the vehicle front side, the front-rear extending surfaces 61 may be formed on the vehicle outer side and the widthwise extending surface 62 may be formed on the vehicle rear side, for example, for increasing rigidity.

1 vehicle front

2 hood panel

3 fender panel

4 vehicle body part

4a upper surface

4b side surface on the vehicle inner side

5 fender bracket

6 lower bracket

7 upper bracket

8 head lamp

9 hood cushion stay

31 fender panel mounting piece

32 bolt

61 front-rear extending surfaces

61a lower portion

62 widthwise extending surface

62a lower portion

63 top surface

63a flat front portion

63b rear plane portion

64 joining piece

71 lower portion of upper bracket

71a front lower fixing portion

71b rear lower fixing portion

72 first vertical wall portion of upper bracket

73 first inclined wall portion of upper bracket

74 second vertical wall portion of upper bracket

75 upper portion of upper bracket

75a head lamp fixing portion

76 fragile portion (front opening)

77 rear opening

81 head lamp stay portion

82 fastening bolt

W weld point

Claims (9)

A vehicle front structure including a fender bracket (5) fixed to a vehicle body part (4) of a vehicle front, and a fender panel (3) attached to the fender bracket (5), characterized in that:
- the fender bracket (5) includes a lower bracket (6) fixed at a lower portion thereof to the vehicle body part (4) and an upper bracket (7) fixed at an upper portion thereof to the fender panel (3),
- the lower bracket (6) includes a front-rear extending surface (61) extending in a vehicle vertical direction and a vehicle front-rear direction and facing the vehicle width direction, a widthwise extending surface (62) extending in the vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle width direction and facing the vehicle front-rear direction, and a top surface (63) extending continuously from an upper end of the front-rear extending surface (61) and an upper end of the widthwise extending surface (62) in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction respectively, and
- the upper bracket (7) is configured to have a lower rigidity than the lower bracket (6), and a lower portion (71) of the upper bracket (7) is fixed to the top surface (63) of the lower bracket ( 6). The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the upper bracket (7) is formed into a plate shape having a surface including an intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction facing the vehicle width direction, and includes a first vertical wall portion (72) extending upward of the vehicle from the lower fixing portion, a first inclined wall portion (73) extending upward of the vehicle from an upper end of the first vertical wall portion (72) toward a vehicle inner side, and a second vertical wall portion ( 74) extending upward of the vehicle from the upper end of the first inclined wall portion (73). The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein the second vertical wall portion (74) is formed in an inclined surface shape. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the upper bracket (7) includes a head lamp fixing portion (75a) at a front portion on a vehicle front side, and a fragile portion (76) disposed to extend across the first inclined wall portion (73) and the second vertical wall portion (74) below the head lamp fixing portion .. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower portion (71) includes a front lower fixing portion (71a) and a rear lower fixing portion (71b), and the front lower fixing portion (71a) and the rear lower fixing portion (71b) are fixed to planes at different heights. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a joining strength of the front lower fixing portion (71a) is set to be higher than a joining strength of the rear lower fixing portion (71b). The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the front lower fixing portion (71a) and the rear lower fixing portion (71b) are formed to have surfaces parallel to each other in side view of the vehicle, while part of the vehicle body part overlapping with the fender bracket (5) is formed into an inclined shape in which a vehicle rear side is higher than the vehicle front side. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a hood cushion stay (9) is fixed to an upper portion of the upper bracket (7) in the intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction, which is an upper portion of the center portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, and openings (76, 77) are provided at front and rear portions of the upper bracket (7) in the intermediate portion in the vehicle vertical direction with the hood cushion stay (9) interposed therebetween. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lower fixing portion (71) of the upper bracket (7) is provided at a position overlapping with the front-rear extending surface (41) in the vehicle width direction in plan view of the vehicle, and is provided at a position overlapping with the widthwise extending surface (62) in the vehicle front-rear direction.