JP2004352101A - Front underrun protector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front underrun protector improved in load withstanding performance without increasing weight and costs. <P>SOLUTION: The front underrun protector includes an FUP main body 2 provided in the front lower part of a vehicle and extended in the vehicle width direction, and stays 4 connecting the middle part in the longitudinal direction of the FUP main body 2 and the vehicle frame 3 of the vehicle. It further includes reinforcing rods 10 connecting the vicinities of the end parts of the FUP main body 2 and the vehicle frame 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a front underrun protector provided at a lower front part of a vehicle so as to prevent one vehicle from sneaking under the other vehicle during a collision between the vehicles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The front underrun protector is provided at the lower front of heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks, and when a collision occurs with a medium- or light-duty vehicle such as a passenger car (back-end collision, head-on collision, etc.), these medium- or light-duty vehicles are mounted on the heavy-duty vehicle. This is to prevent them from getting underneath and avoid a major accident. In other words, the front underrun protector can be said to be a device for preventing the vehicle from sneaking in at the time of a collision (see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 9, the front underrun protector is provided at a lower front part of the vehicle, and is disposed on the vehicle body frame 3 of the vehicle. And a stay 4 for connection. The FUP main body 2 is formed of a tubular body having a substantially rectangular cross section, and has a shape in which both ends in the longitudinal direction are bent rearward of the vehicle due to restrictions on the vehicle layout. The stays 4 are provided on both sides of the vehicle body frame 3, respectively, and connect the vehicle body frame 3 to two intermediate portions in the longitudinal direction of the FUP main body 2. In FIG. 9, only one of the stays 4 is shown. The FUP main body 2 is disposed at a position retracted rearward in the vehicle traveling direction from the front end of the vehicle bumper (not shown) and the body frame 3.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-T-2001-515432 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the front underrun protector needs a certain rigidity in order to support the load at the time of collision. Therefore, as shown in the figure, as one form of simulation at the time of a vehicle collision, a predetermined load (50% of the vehicle weight or the like) is placed at a position inside a predetermined distance from the outermost side of the vehicle (position outside the stay 4). A test for adding F is performed. In Europe and the like, it is known that the test is performed under this load condition.
[0006]
Therefore, in order to improve the load bearing performance of the FUP main body 2, it is conceivable to increase the thickness of the FUP main body 2 or to form the FUP main body 2 with a material having higher strength. In this case, the weight of the FUP main body 2 increases. And the production cost increases.
[0007]
Further, when a load F is applied to the FUP main body 2, a moment (torsion force) acts on the stay 4, so that the stay 4 also needs relatively large rigidity. However, a stabilizer bracket 5 for connecting a stabilizer (not shown) to the body frame 3 and a tractor body (cab) can be tilted to the body frame 3 at a position where the body frame 3 and the stay 4 are mounted. Since various parts such as the tilt bracket 6 for connection are mounted, the mounting portion between the stay 4 and the vehicle body frame 3 cannot be made too large.
[0008]
Therefore, in order to increase the rigidity of the stay 4, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the stay 4 or to form the stay 4 with a material having higher strength, which leads to an increase in weight and cost.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention, which has been made in view of the above circumstances, is to provide a front underrun protector capable of improving load-bearing performance without significantly increasing weight and manufacturing cost.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a FUP main body provided at a lower front part of a vehicle and extending in a vehicle width direction, and a stay connecting an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the FUP main body and a vehicle body frame of the vehicle. And a reinforcing rod for connecting the vicinity of the end of the FUP main body to the vehicle body frame.
[0011]
Here, the FUP body is disposed at a position retracted rearward in the vehicle traveling direction from the front end of the vehicle body frame, and the reinforcing rod extends linearly rearward from the vehicle body frame in the vehicle traveling direction. You may do it.
[0012]
Further, one end of the reinforcing rod may be attached to the vehicle body frame via the stay or a bracket attached to the vehicle body frame.
[0013]
Further, the present invention also provides a front and under side provided at a lower front part of a vehicle and including a FUP main body extending in a vehicle width direction, and a stay connecting a longitudinally intermediate portion of the FUP main body and a vehicle body frame of the vehicle. A run protector having a reinforcing rod for connecting the stay and the body frame.
[0014]
Here, one end of the reinforcing rod may be attached to the vehicle body frame via a bracket attached to the vehicle body frame.
[0015]
The present invention further provides a FUP main body provided at a lower front portion of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a plurality of FUP main bodies provided at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the FUP main body, and the FUP main body and the vehicle body frame of the vehicle. A front underrun protector comprising a connecting stay and a reinforcing rod connecting the plurality of stays.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front underrun protector according to the present embodiment. Note that the basic configuration of the front underrun protector according to the present embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 9, and thus the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.
[0018]
The feature of the front underrun protector of this embodiment is that the FUP body 2 or the stay 4 is connected to the vehicle body frame 3 by a reinforcing rod, thereby improving the strength of the FUP body 2 and the stay 4 and, consequently, the front underrun protector. The point is that the load-bearing performance of the entire protector has been improved. In this embodiment, each reinforcing rod is made of a pipe material having a round cross section and extending linearly, and is attached to the FUP main body 2, the vehicle body frame 3, the stay 4, or the like by bolts.
[0019]
Hereinafter, the mounting position of each reinforcing rod and its effect will be described.
[0020]
First, one end of the reinforcing rod 10 is attached to a side surface of the stabilizer bracket 5 attached to the vehicle body frame 3, and the other end is attached to a rear surface near the end of the FUP main body 2 (a surface on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction). Can be In addition, the phrase “near the end of the FUP main body” used in this specification means a region from a mounting position of the FUP main body 2 to the stay 4 to an outer end in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a mounting portion A between the reinforcing rod 10 and the FUP main body 2. As shown in the figure, a flat flange 10 a is formed at the end of the reinforcing rod 10, and the flange 10 a is fastened to the FUP main body 2 by bolts B. The reinforcing rods 10 are respectively provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the FUP main body 2.
[0021]
By the reinforcing rod 10, the strength of the FUP main body 2 and the stay 4 is improved. That is, when a load F (see FIG. 1) is applied to a position outside the stay 4 in the FUP body 2, the load F can be received by the reinforcing rod 10, so that the load F is applied to the FUP body 2 and the stay 4. Load can be distributed and reduced. As a result, the load bearing performance of the FUP body 2 and the stay 4 is improved.
[0022]
Here, from the viewpoint of improving the strength of the stay 4, the reinforcing rod 10 is preferably attached to a position as close to the outer end of the FUP main body 2 as possible. This is because the distance from the stay 4 becomes longer toward the outer end of the FUP main body 2, so that the moment acting on the stay 4 when a load is applied increases, which is disadvantageous in strength. That is, by providing the reinforcing rod 10 at a position closer to the outer end of the FUP main body 2, the load bearing performance of the stay 4 can be effectively improved.
[0023]
Note that one end (the body frame 3 side) of the reinforcing rod 10 may be directly attached to the body frame 3 or may be attached to the tilt bracket 6.
[0024]
Next, one end of the reinforcing rod 12 is attached to the lower surface of the side member 3a of the vehicle body frame 3, and the other end is attached to the stay 4 farther from the side member 3a. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a mounting portion between the reinforcing rod 12 and the stay 4. As shown in the figure, a flat flange 12a is formed at the end of the reinforcing rod 12, and the flange 12a is fastened to a lower surface of the stay 4 on the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction by a bolt B.
[0025]
The strength of the stay 4 is improved by the reinforcing rod 12. That is, when a load F is applied to a position outside the stay 4 in the FUP main body 2, a moment acting on the stay 4 is received by the reinforcing rod 12 and the side member 3a (the body frame 3) attached thereto. Therefore, the load on the stay 4 can be dispersed and reduced. As a result, the load bearing performance of the stay 4 is improved.
[0026]
As described above, according to the front underrun protector of the present embodiment, the FUP body 2 or the stay 4 is connected to the vehicle body frame 3 by the reinforcing rods 10 and 12, so that the FUP body 2 and the stay 4 The strength can be improved without increasing the thickness or forming with a high-strength material. Therefore, the load bearing performance of the entire front underrun protector can be improved without significantly increasing the weight and cost. In particular, since the reinforcing rods 10 and 12 extend linearly, there is no portion where stress is extremely concentrated, and the load can be evenly received. Therefore, the load-carrying performance of the front underrun protector can be effectively improved.
[0027]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
[0028]
First, the reinforcing rod 15 of the front underrun protector shown in FIG. 4 connects the two stays 4 and 4 attached at an interval in the longitudinal direction of the FUP main body 2. That is, one end of the reinforcing rod 15 is attached to the lower surface of one of the stays 4 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the other end is attached to the lower portion of the other stay 4 on the inner surface in the vehicle width direction.
[0029]
The reinforcing rod 15 improves the strength of the stay 4. That is, when the load F is applied to a position outside the stay 4 in the FUP main body 2, the load can be received by the two stays 4 and the reinforcing rods 15, so that the load applied to each of the stays 4 is dispersed and reduced. it can. As a result, the load bearing performance of the stay 4 is improved. That is, the strength of the two stays 4 can be improved by one reinforcing rod 15.
[0030]
One end of the reinforcing rod 16 is attached near the front end of the side member 3 a of the vehicle body frame 3, and the other end is attached to the rear surface near the end of the FUP main body 2. The reinforcing rod 16 linearly extends from the side member 3a toward the rear of the vehicle in the vehicle traveling direction (the right side in the drawing) toward the FUP main body 2 side. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of a mounting portion C between the reinforcing rod 16 and the side member 3a. As shown in the figure, a flat flange 16a is formed at the end of the reinforcing rod 16, and the flange 16a is fastened to the lower surface of the side member 3a by a bolt B. The structure of the mounting portion D (see FIG. 4) between the reinforcing rod 16 and the FUP main body 2 is the same as that shown in FIG. The reinforcing rods 16 are respectively provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the FUP main body 2.
[0031]
The strength of the FUP main body 2 and the stay 4 is improved by the reinforcing rod 16. That is, when a load F is applied to a position outside the stay 4 in the FUP body 2, the load F can be received by the reinforcing rod 16, so that the load applied to the FUP body 2 and the stay 4 can be dispersed and reduced. it can. As a result, the load bearing performance of the FUP body 2 and the stay 4 is improved.
[0032]
Further, since the reinforcing rod 16 is attached to the FUP main body 2 so as to extend from the side member 3a (the body frame 3) to the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction, the load applied to the FUP main body 2 is reduced by a tensile stress that is advantageous in strength. Will receive it. Therefore, the load bearing performance can be more effectively improved. In this way, by arranging the mounting position of the reinforcing rod 16 and the vehicle body frame 3 ahead of the FUP main body 2, the strength can be efficiently improved.
[0033]
Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
[0034]
The reinforcing rod 17 of the front underrun protector shown in FIG. 6 connects the cross member 3b of the vehicle body frame 3 and the vicinity of the end of the FUP main body 2. In this example, the cross member 3b of the body frame 3 extends outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the side member 3a, and one end of the reinforcing rod 17 is attached near the outer end of the overhang portion 18. The other end of the reinforcing rod 17 is attached to a rear surface near an end of the FUP main body 2. Further, the reinforcing rod 17 linearly extends from the cross member 3b to the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a mounting portion E between the reinforcing rod 17 and the cross member 3b. As shown in the figure, a flat flange 17a is formed at the end of the reinforcing rod 17, and the flange 17a is fastened to the lower surface of the overhang portion 18 of the cross member 3b by a bolt B. The structure of the mounting portion G between the reinforcing rod 17 and the FUP main body 2 is the same as that shown in FIG. The reinforcing rods 17 are respectively provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the FUP main body 2.
[0035]
This reinforcing rod 17 can also improve the strength of the FUP main body 2 and the stay 4 for the same reason as the reinforcing rod 16 of FIG. Further, since the reinforcing rod 17 extends from the cross member 3b (the body frame 3) to the rear side in the vehicle traveling direction and is attached to the FUP main body 2, for the same reason as the reinforcing rod 16, the load bearing performance is effectively improved. Can be improved.
[0036]
4 and 6, the load bearing performance of the front underrun protector can be improved without significantly increasing the weight and cost.
[0037]
Here, each of the reinforcing rods described above is effective alone. However, it is of course possible to use a plurality of reinforcing rods in combination, and there is no restriction on the combination pattern. By providing a plurality of reinforcing rods having different mounting positions, a synergistic improvement in strength can be expected.
[0038]
The present invention may have various other modifications.
[0039]
For example, the stay 4 may be connected to the stabilizer bracket 5 or the tilt bracket 6 by a reinforcing rod to improve the strength of the stay 4.
[0040]
Further, the cross-sectional shape of each reinforcing rod is not limited to a circle, and various shapes such as a square and an ellipse can be applied.
[0041]
Further, each reinforcing rod is not limited to a pipe material (cylindrical body), and as shown in FIG. 8, the reinforcing rod may be formed of a plate material having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Although FIG. 8 shows an example in which the reinforcing rod 17 shown in FIG. 6 is replaced with a plate-shaped one, it is needless to say that all the above-described reinforcing rods can be replaced with a plate-shaped one.
[0042]
Further, the cross-sectional shape of the FUP main body 2 is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be a circle or the like.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the front underrun protector of the present invention, an excellent effect that the load bearing performance can be improved without significantly increasing the weight and the cost is exhibited.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front underrun protector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a mounting portion between a reinforcing rod and a FUP main body.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a mounting portion between a reinforcing rod and a stay.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front underrun protector according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a mounting portion between a reinforcing rod and a side member of a vehicle body frame.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a front underrun protector according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a mounting portion between a reinforcing rod and a cross member of a vehicle body frame.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing a plate-like reinforcing rod.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional front underrun protector.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 FUP body 3 Body frame 4 Stay 10 Reinforcement rod 12 Reinforcement rod 15 Reinforcement rod 16 Reinforcement rod 17 Reinforcement rod

Claims (6)

A front underrun protector comprising: a FUP main body provided in a lower front part of a vehicle and extending in a vehicle width direction; and a stay connecting an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the FUP main body and a body frame of the vehicle. And a reinforcing rod for connecting the vicinity of the end of the FUP body to the vehicle body frame. The said FUP main body is arrange | positioned at the position which retracted to the vehicle forward direction rear side rather than the front end part of the said vehicle body frame, The said reinforcement rod extends linearly to the vehicle forward direction rear side from the said vehicle body frame to the said vehicle. 1. The front underrun protector according to 1. 3. The front underrun protector according to claim 1, wherein one end of the reinforcing rod is attached to the body frame via a bracket attached to the stay or the body frame. A front underrun protector comprising: a FUP main body provided in a lower front part of a vehicle and extending in a vehicle width direction; and a stay connecting an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction of the FUP main body and a body frame of the vehicle. And a reinforcing rod for connecting the stay and the vehicle body frame to each other. The front underrun protector according to claim 4, wherein one end of the reinforcing rod is attached to the body frame via a bracket attached to the body frame. An FUP main body provided at a lower front part of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a stay provided at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the FUP main body and connecting the FUP main body to a vehicle body frame of the vehicle. A front underrun protector, comprising: a reinforcing rod that connects the plurality of stays to each other.

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