JP2002052997A - Bumper structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bumper structure of a vehicle capable of avoiding breakage of a skirt air dam caused by interference with a tow rope and improving steering stability and travelling stability by enlarging the skirt air dam. SOLUTION: The bumper structure of the vehicle on which a tow hook 9 is arranged by decentering it to either of left and right from a center of the car width direction on a bottom part of a car body front part is presummed. The skirt air dam 7 projected downward and extending in the car width direction is provided on a rear part lower part of a bumper part 4. A slit 8 cut out so as to extend in the car width direction is provided on a side end part on the arranging side of the tow hook 9 of a connecting part of the bumper part 4 and the skirt air dam 7. It is constituted so that the side end part of the skirt air dam 7 easily bends in the longitudinal direction at the time when the tow rope 10 and the side end part of the skirt air dam 7 below the slit 8 interfere with each other at the time of towing the vehicle by connecting the tow rope 10 to the tow hook 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle bumper structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the steering stability and running stability of an automobile, there is a means of constructing a bumper structure having a skirt air dam projecting downward and extending in the vehicle width direction at the lower end of the bumper. . Such a skirt air dam reduces the amount of air flowing into the lower part of the vehicle body, thereby reducing the air resistance, preventing the load acting on the wheels from lowering, and improving the steering stability and running stability of the vehicle.

[0003] In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 6-78112,
The lower edge flange of the bumper body and the upper edge flange of the air dam skirt (skirt air dam) are integrally connected via a thin hinge and overlapped up and down, and the lower edge flange and the upper edge flange are formed in a plurality of U-shapes. When the impact is applied to the skirt body of the air dam skirt (skirt air dam) from the front side of the bumper, the air dam skirt supports the thin hinge at the appropriate number of places in the vehicle width direction with the clip of According to this configuration, the air dam skirt (skirt air dam) can be integrally formed so as to be changeable in attitude with respect to the bumper main body, so that the number of manufacturing steps is reduced. Costly as well as laborious assembly work. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the damage by reducing the impact due to interference with the road surface of the air dam skirt (skirt air dam), it has been described as.

[0004]

Generally, a skirt air dam is desired to be as large as possible because its area and performance are proportional. However, normally, a tow hook is provided at the bottom of the front of the vehicle body to avoid interference between the tow rope and the skirt air dam when the vehicle is towed by connecting the tow rope and damage to the skirt air dam due to the interference The size of the skirt air dam in the vehicle width direction is limited,
There is a problem that a large skirt air dam cannot be provided.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to prevent damage to a skirt air dam caused by interference with a tow rope and to increase the size of the skirt air dam. An object of the present invention is to provide a bumper structure of a vehicle that can improve steering stability and running stability by performing the above.

[0006]

According to the present invention, a skirt air dam is provided at a lower rear portion of a bumper portion so as to protrude downward and extend in a vehicle width direction, and a vehicle is provided at an end of a connection portion between the bumper portion and the skirt air dam. When a vehicle is towed by connecting a tow rope to a tow hook and a tow hook is connected to the tow rope and the end of the skirt air dam below the slit, the slit at the end of the skirt air dam is provided. The portion is easily bent in the front-rear direction.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle bumper structure in which a towing hook is disposed at the bottom of a front portion of a vehicle body so as to be deviated leftward or rightward from a center in the vehicle width direction. A skirt air dam protruding downward and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a slit cut out at a side end of the connection portion between the bumper portion and the skirt air dam on the side where the traction hook is provided so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. Is established,
When the vehicle is towed by connecting a tow rope to the tow hook, when the tow rope interferes with the skirt air dam side end below the slit, the skirt air dam side end is easily bent in the front-rear direction. It is characterized by comprising.

[0008] According to the above configuration, when the towing rope is connected to the towing hook and the vehicle is towed, even if the towing rope and the end of the skirt air dam interfere with each other, the slit is provided so that the skirt air dam side is provided. Since the end portion is easily bent in the front-rear direction, no excessive external force acts on the skirt air dam, and damage to the skirt air dam due to the interference is avoided.

Further, since the skirt air dam is prevented from being damaged due to the interference with the tow rope, the skirt air dam can be made larger in the vehicle width direction. As compared with the case where the size is limited, the airflow flowing into the lower part of the vehicle body can be further reduced, thereby further reducing the air resistance and preventing the load acting on the wheels from decreasing, and driving the vehicle. The stability and running stability are significantly improved.

Here, the skirt air dam may be formed separately from the bumper portion and integrated with the bumper portion by post-processing. However, it is preferable that the skirt air dam is formed integrally with the bumper portion. According to such a configuration, since a step of integrating the skirt air dam and the bumper portion is not required, compared with a case where the skirt air dam and the bumper portion are separately formed and integrated by post-processing. In addition, the productivity is improved and the cost is reduced.

Since the vehicle is towed using the tow hook in an emergency such as a vehicle failure, the length of the slit from the front end of the towed vehicle to the rear end of the towed vehicle is legally required. When a tow rope is connected to a tow hook so as to be set to the maximum allowable length, and the vehicle is towed to make a turn with a minimum turning radius on the side where no slit is provided (for example, turning left or right at a right angle), It is sufficient if the rope and the skirt are provided at the portion where they interfere with each other. Regarding the length from the front end of the towed vehicle to the rear end of the towed vehicle, Article 59, Paragraph 2 of the Road Traffic Law states that "A driver of a motor vehicle must Do not tow more than one vehicle when towing with a small special vehicle, or more than two vehicles when towing with another vehicle, and also behind a vehicle that is towed from the front end of the towing vehicle. If the length to the end (the rear end of the second vehicle if there are two vehicles to be towed) exceeds 25 meters, do not tow. "

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the vehicle is towed by connecting a tow rope to the tow hook, even if the tow rope interferes with the skirt air dam side end, the slit is provided so that the skirt air dam side end is easily bent in the front-rear direction. As a result, no excessive external force acts on the skirt air dam, and damage to the skirt air dam caused by the interference can be avoided.

Further, the size of the skirt air dam can be increased in the vehicle width direction, and the air flow flowing into the lower part of the vehicle body can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where the size of the skirt air dam in the vehicle width direction is limited. The driving stability and the running stability of the vehicle can be significantly improved.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle body front portion of an automobile provided with a bumper structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an AA cross section in FIG. FIG. 3 shows a view B in FIG.

In this vehicle front mask, headlamps 2 and 2 are provided immediately below both sides in the vehicle width direction at the front end of the hood 1.
However, a grill 3 is provided so as to be sandwiched between the two headlamps 2. A bumper section 4 is attached below the head lamps 2 and 2 and the grill 3 so as to cover the lower portion of the front mask.

The bumper section 4 serves as a bumper body as a strength member formed of a flexible material such as a polypropylene resin composition.
2 and a bumper upper portion 4a having a substantially U-shaped cross-section and projecting forward from the lower ends of the grill 3 and the bumper upper portion 4a
U-shaped bumper lower part 4b protruding forward below
These are continuous on both sides of the vehicle body and form an opening 4c substantially at the center of the front surface of the bumper. A license plate 5 is attached to the center of the front surface of the bumper upper part 4a, and fog lamps 6 and 6 are provided on both sides of the opening 4c. A skirt air dam 7 that projects downward and extends in the vehicle width direction is provided at an end extending rearward of the lower portion 4b of the bumper.

The skirt air dam 7 is integrally formed with the bumper portion 4 and is made of the same flexible material as the skin of the bumper portion 4 such as a polypropylene resin composition. In addition, slits 8 are cut out so as to extend in the vehicle width direction at both ends of a boundary portion (connection portion) between the bumper portion 4 and the skirt air dam 7. And, behind the left side of the skirt air dam 7 (right side in front view of the vehicle)
A tow hook 9 fixed to a frame (not shown) at the bottom of the vehicle body is provided to protrude downward.

Next, a case where the vehicle is towed will be described.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom surface of a front portion of a vehicle body of an automobile.
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the main part.

An engaging member 10a provided at one end of the tow rope 10 is engaged with the tow hook 9, and the other end of the tow rope 10 is connected to a towing vehicle to perform towing. At this time, the tow rope 10 interferes with the skirt air dam 7 when the vehicle is straightly towed or turns to the left, or when the vehicle is towed slowly to the right. Nothing. On the other hand, when the vehicle is towed so that the tow rope 10 turns left to the extent that it touches the outermost end of the skirt air dam 7 or when the vehicle is towed so as to turn left at an angle more than that, The tow rope 10 and the end of the skirt air dam 7 will interfere with each other. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the tow rope 10 presses the front surface of the skirt air dam 7 side end, but since the slit 8 is provided in the corresponding portion, The side end is easily bent backward.

According to the vehicle bumper structure having the above structure,
When the towing rope 9 is connected to the towing hook 9 to tow the vehicle, even if the towing rope 10 interferes with the end of the skirt air dam 7, the end of the skirt air dam 7 is rearward because of the slit 8. The skirt air dam 7 is easily bent, and an excessive external force does not act on the skirt air dam 7, thereby preventing the skirt air dam 7 from being damaged due to the interference.

Further, since the skirt air dam 7 is prevented from being damaged due to the interference with the tow rope 10, the skirt air dam 7 can be made larger in the vehicle width direction. Compared to the case where the width dimension is restricted, the airflow flowing below the vehicle body can be further reduced, thereby further reducing the air resistance and preventing the load acting on the wheels from decreasing, The steering stability and running stability of the vehicle are significantly improved.

Further, since the skirt air dam 7 is formed integrally with the bumper portion 4, the skirt air dam 7 and the bumper portion 4 are produced separately from each other in comparison with a case where the skirt air dam 7 and the bumper portion 4 are formed separately and integrated by post-processing. The property is good and the cost is low.

When the bumper is formed by a bumper reinforcement and a bumper skin, a skirt air dam is formed on the bumper skin.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle body front portion of an automobile provided with a bumper structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an arrow B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a vehicle body front portion of an automobile provided with a bumper structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bonnet 2 Headlamp 3 Grill 4 Bumper main body 4a Bumper upper part 4b Bumper lower part 4c Opening 5 Number plate 6 Fog light 7 Skirt air dam 8 Slit 9 Tow hook 10 Tow rope 10a Locking member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A bumper structure for a vehicle in which a tow hook is disposed at the bottom of a front portion of a vehicle body at a position deviated leftward or rightward from a center in a vehicle width direction. A skirt air dam extending in the vehicle direction, and a slit cut out so as to extend in the vehicle width direction is provided at a side end of the connecting portion between the bumper portion and the skirt air dam on the side where the traction hook is provided; When the vehicle is towed by connecting a tow rope to the tow rope and the skirt air dam side end below the slit interferes, the skirt air dam side end is easily bent in the front-rear direction. A bumper structure for a vehicle. 2. The vehicle bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein the skirt air dam is formed integrally with the bumper portion.