JP2005212734A - Front end structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently reduce damage to a pedestrian by relaxing impact even when a sufficient space for a heat exchanger to retreat is not ensured. <P>SOLUTION: The front end structure for the vehicle is constituted such that inclination parts 113, 114 are provided at a vehicle rear side in the heat exchanger 100, stoppers 211, 221 are provided on a heat exchanger support panel 200 so as to be opposed to the inclination parts 113, 114 and the fixed state of a lower part of the heat exchanger 100 is released when external force of predetermined value or more is applied to a front side of the vehicle. When an impact load is applied to the vehicle body front end from a front side of the vehicle, the inclination part 113 is abutted on the stopper 211, direction of the load is changed and the heat exchanger 100 is pushed down. Nextly, the inclination part 114 is abutted on the stopper 221, the direction of the load is changed and a load for pushing the lower end side of the heat exchanger to the front side of the vehicle is generated. Then, by the load, the fixed state of the heat exchanger 100 by the lower fixing part is released and the lower end side of the heat exchanger is moved to the front side of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle front end structure in which a heat exchanger is mounted at a vehicle front end.

  In line with the pedestrian protection legislation, vehicle manufacturers take as much space as possible between the hood (bonnet) and the body frame member, and when the pedestrian collides with the front end of the vehicle body, the hood easily deforms to reduce the impact. In general, however, there is a case where a sufficient gap cannot be secured due to a demand on the vehicle body design for maintaining the commercial value.

As means for solving these problems, a structure has been proposed in which a strong (high rigidity) heat exchanger is retracted in the event of a collision to alleviate the impact (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Japanese Patent No. 3085945 Utility Model Registration No. 2510532

  However, in the structure of recent vehicles, it is the mainstream to design the occupant space to the maximum and the engine room to the minimum, and there is little clearance between the engine room, especially the heat exchanger and the engine, and the heat exchanger moves backward. Sufficient space is not always ensured. Therefore, in this case, with the structures proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is easy to reduce the impact and sufficiently reduce the damage to the pedestrian. is not.

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to alleviate the impact and sufficiently reduce the damage to the pedestrian even when there is not enough space for the heat exchanger to move backward. .

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle front end structure in which the heat exchanger (100) disposed at the vehicle front end is assembled to the heat exchanger support panel (200), An upper inclined portion (113) that is formed at an upper end portion on the vehicle rear side in the exchanger (100) and is inclined from an upper front side of the vehicle toward a lower rear side of the vehicle, and a lower rear end portion on the vehicle rear side in the heat exchanger (100). Formed in the lower inclined portion (114) inclined from the lower front side of the vehicle toward the upper rear side of the vehicle, and the heat exchanger support panel (200), and disposed opposite the upper inclined portion (113). Provided in the upper stopper (211), the lower stopper (221) formed on the heat exchanger support panel (200) and opposed to the lower inclined portion (114), and the heat exchanger support panel (200). The upper fixing part for fixing the upper part of the heat exchanger (100) and the lower fixing part (223, 224, 280) provided on the heat exchanger support panel (200) for fixing the lower part of the heat exchanger (100) The lower fixing portions (223, 224, 280) are configured to be released from being fixed when an external force of a predetermined level or more is applied toward the front side of the vehicle.

  According to this, when an impact load is applied to the front end of the vehicle body from the front of the vehicle, the upper end of the heat exchanger moves to the rear of the vehicle, the upper inclined portion hits the upper stopper, the direction of the load is changed, and a load that pushes down the heat exchanger is applied. Occur. When the heat exchanger is pushed down, the lower inclined portion hits the lower stopper to change the direction of the load, and a load is generated that pushes the lower end side of the heat exchanger toward the front side of the vehicle. And the fixed state of the heat exchanger by a lower fixing part is canceled by the load which pushes a heat exchanger to the vehicle front side, and the heat exchanger lower end side moves to the vehicle front side.

  Therefore, even when there is not enough space for the heat exchanger to move backward, the heat exchanger moves and the deformation space of the vehicle body is secured, so when an impact load is applied to the front end of the vehicle body The hood and the like can be easily deformed to reduce the impact, and the damage to the pedestrian can be sufficiently reduced.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the upper stopper (211) is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle toward the lower rear side of the vehicle, and the lower stopper (221) is directed from the lower front side of the vehicle toward the upper rear side of the vehicle. It is characterized by being inclined.

  According to this, it is possible to smoothly convert the direction of the load acting on the heat exchanger when an impact load is applied to the front end portion of the vehicle body from the front of the vehicle.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each said means shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a vehicle front end structure according to an embodiment at a vehicle lateral center position, and FIG. 3 is a view of the heat exchanger support panel of FIG. 1 as viewed from the front of the vehicle, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a lower fixing portion provided on the heat exchanger support panel, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view with which it uses for operation | movement description.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a radiator 100 for cooling cooling water of an engine (internal combustion engine) (not shown) is disposed at the front end of the vehicle and below the hood 500, and the radiator 100 supports a heat exchanger. The panel 200 is assembled. The radiator 100 corresponds to the heat exchanger of the present invention.

  The radiator 100 is a down flow type, and includes a radiator core 110 composed of a plurality of tubes through which cooling water flows in the vertical direction, an upper tank 111 disposed on the radiator core 110 and communicating with the tubes, and the radiator core 110. The lower tank 112 is disposed in the lower portion and communicates with the tube.

  An upper inclined portion 113 that is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle toward the lower rear side of the vehicle is formed at the upper rear portion of the upper tank 111. The lower front end of the lower tank 112 has a front side of the vehicle. A lower inclined portion 114 that is inclined from the lower side to the upper side of the rear side of the vehicle is formed. The upper inclined portion 113 and the lower inclined portion 114 are formed in a range excluding both ends of the upper tank 111 and the lower tank 112 in the vehicle left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heat exchanger support panel 200 that holds the radiator 100 is integrally formed with a shroud 250 that supports the blower 300 and a resin. The heat exchanger support panel 200 includes an upper member 210 that is positioned on the upper side and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle, a lower member 220 that is positioned on the lower side and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and a left and right that extends in the vertical direction and connects the upper member 210 and the lower member 220. Side stay 230 and shroud 250. Further, the heat exchanger support panel 200 is provided with a hood lock 400 for fixing the hood 500.

  An upper reinforcing rib 211 for improving the strength is integrally formed at the connecting portion between the upper member 210 and the shroud 250, and a plurality of upper reinforcing ribs 211 are arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The upper reinforcing rib 211 is formed with an upper rib inclined portion 212 that is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle toward the lower rear side of the vehicle. The upper rib inclined portion 212 is disposed to face the upper inclined portion 113 of the upper tank 111 in the radiator 100. The clearance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the upper rib inclined portion 212 and the upper inclined portion 113 is set to be equal to or smaller than the maximum elastic deformation amount of the upper elastic support member 260 (see FIG. 2 and described later in detail). The upper reinforcing rib 211 corresponds to the upper stopper of the present invention.

  At the connecting portion between the lower member 220 and the shroud 250, lower reinforcing ribs 221 for improving strength are integrally formed, and a plurality of lower reinforcing ribs 221 are arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The lower reinforcing rib 221 is formed with a lower rib inclined portion 222 that is inclined from the lower front side of the vehicle toward the upper rear side of the vehicle. The lower rib inclined portion 222 is disposed to face the lower inclined portion 114 of the lower tank 112 in the radiator 100. The clearance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the lower rib inclined portion 222 and the lower inclined portion 114 is set to be equal to or less than the maximum elastic deformation amount of the lower elastic support member 270 (see FIG. 2 and described later in detail). The lower reinforcing rib 221 corresponds to the lower stopper of the present invention.

  Pins (not shown) projecting upward are provided at both ends of the upper tank 111 of the radiator 100 in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and upper elastic support members 260 made of an elastic material such as rubber are attached to the pins. . Then, by inserting the upper elastic support member 260 into a hole (not shown) formed in the upper member 210 of the heat exchanger support panel 200 (corresponding to the upper fixing portion of the present invention), the upper portion of the radiator 100 is placed in the heat exchanger. It is fixed to the support panel 200.

  Pins (not shown) projecting downward are provided at both ends of the lower tank 112 of the radiator 100 in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and lower elastic support members 270 made of an elastic material such as rubber are attached to the pins. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lower member 220 of the heat exchanger support panel 200 is formed with a U-notch-shaped radiator lower end fitting portion 223 opened to the front side of the vehicle and a locking hole 224. The clip 280 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is attached to the lower member 220 so as to close the opening of the radiator lower end fitting portion 223.

  The clip 280 is formed with a locking projection (not shown) that fits into the locking hole 224, and by adjusting the locking force between the locking hole 224 and the locking projection. When a predetermined external force is applied to the clip 280 toward the front side of the vehicle, the locked state (fixed state) between the locking hole 224 and the locking projection is released. .

  And the lower part of the radiator 100 is being fixed to the heat exchanger support panel 200 by inserting the lower elastic support member 270 in the radiator lower end fitting part 223. The radiator lower end fitting portion 223, the locking hole portion 224, and the clip 280 constitute the lower fixing portion of the present invention.

  Next, the operation of the front end portion structure of the vehicle configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

  When an impact load in the direction from the front to the rear of the vehicle is applied to the front end of the vehicle body, particularly the front end of the hood 500 due to a collision with a pedestrian, the impact is applied to the heat exchanger support panel 200 from the hood 500 via the hood lock 400. The load is transmitted, and a load is generated that displaces the radiator 100 rearward of the vehicle. Due to the load, the upper end side of the radiator 100 moves rearward of the vehicle, and the upper inclined portion 113 of the upper tank 111 collides with the upper rib inclined portion 212 of the heat exchanger support panel 200 (see FIG. 5A).

  When the upper inclined portion 113 hits the upper rib inclined portion 212, the direction of the load is changed, a load for pushing down the radiator 100 is generated, and the radiator 100 moves downward. As the radiator 100 moves downward, the lower inclined portion 114 of the lower tank 112 collides with the lower rib inclined portion 222 of the heat exchanger support panel 200 to change the direction of the load, and the lower end side of the radiator 100 is moved forward of the vehicle. A load that pushes to the side occurs.

  Here, when an external force of a predetermined level or more is applied to the clip 280 toward the front side of the vehicle, the locked state (fixed state) between the locking hole 224 and the locking projection is released. Therefore, the clip 280 is released by a load pushing the lower end side of the radiator 100 toward the front side of the vehicle, the lower elastic support member 270 is released from the radiator lower end fitting portion 223, and the lower end side of the radiator 100 starts moving toward the front side of the vehicle. (Refer to FIG. 5B.) Finally, the radiator 100 falls off so as to slide forward (see FIG. 5C).

  Therefore, even when a sufficient space for the radiator 100 to move backward is not secured, the radiator 100 is dropped and a deformation space of the vehicle body is secured. Therefore, when an impact load is applied to the front end portion of the vehicle body, the hood 500 Etc. can be easily deformed to reduce the impact, and damage to pedestrians can be sufficiently reduced.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the heat exchanger support panel 200 in which the shroud 250 is integrally molded with resin is used. However, they do not need to be integrally molded with resin, and the material is not limited to resin. That is, each part may be a separate body or a metal press product.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the radiator 100 was a downflow type | mold, it can operate | move similarly with a crossflow type | mold.

  Furthermore, the heat exchanger assembled to the heat exchanger support panel 200 is not limited to the radiator 100, and may be another heat exchanger such as an intercooler or an oil cooler.

1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a vehicle front end structure according to an embodiment of the present invention at a vehicle lateral center position. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a heat exchanger support part position. It is the figure of the state which looked at the heat exchanger support panel of FIG. 1 from the vehicle front. It is a disassembled perspective view of the lower fixing | fixed part provided in the heat exchanger support panel. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view with which it uses for operation | movement description.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Radiator (heat exchanger), 113 ... Upper inclination part, 114 ... Lower inclination part, 200 ... Heat exchanger support panel, 211 ... Upper reinforcement rib (upper stopper), 221 ... Lower reinforcement rib (lower stopper), 223 ... radiator lower end fitting part constituting the lower fixing part, 224 ... locking hole part constituting the lower fixing part, 280 ... clip constituting the lower fixing part.

Claims (2)

In the vehicle front end structure in which the heat exchanger (100) disposed at the vehicle front end is assembled to the heat exchanger support panel (200),
An upper inclined portion (113) that is formed at an upper end portion on the vehicle rear side in the heat exchanger (100) and is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle toward the lower rear side of the vehicle;
A lower inclined portion (114) formed at the lower end of the vehicle rear side in the heat exchanger (100) and inclined from the lower front side of the vehicle toward the upper rear side of the vehicle;
An upper stopper (211) formed on the heat exchanger support panel (200) and disposed opposite the upper inclined portion (113);
A lower stopper (221) formed on the heat exchanger support panel (200) and disposed opposite the lower inclined portion (114);
An upper fixing part provided on the heat exchanger support panel (200) and fixing an upper part of the heat exchanger (100);
A lower fixing part (223, 224, 280) that is provided on the heat exchanger support panel (200) and fixes a lower part of the heat exchanger (100);
The lower end fixing portion (223, 224, 280) is configured so that the fixed state is released when an external force of a predetermined level or more is applied toward the front side of the vehicle. . The upper stopper (211) is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle toward the lower rear side of the vehicle,
The vehicle front end structure according to claim 1, wherein the lower stopper (221) is inclined from the lower front side of the vehicle toward the upper rear side of the vehicle.

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