JP2007099136A - Front structure of vehicle body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front structure for a vehicle body capable of reducing a moving quantity of an engine rearward at the time of a collision of a vehicle at a front surface. <P>SOLUTION: In this front structure for a vehicle, the engine 4 is installed between front side members 1 and 1 on the right and the left of an engine room at a front part of a vehicle, and a suspension member 3 is installed below and rearward of the engine 4 to be stretched in the vehicle width direction between both the front side members 1 and 1. The suspension member 3 has a vertical surface 31 at a front end. At the lower and rear end of the engine 4, a vertical-surfaced abutment surface 56 is formed at a position facing the vertical surface 31 at the front end of the suspension member 3 to closely face it so as to prevent the rearward movement of the engine 4 as it is abutted with the vertical surface 31 at the front end of the suspension member 3 when the engine 4 is pushed rearward at the time of the collision of the vehicle at the front surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle body that suppresses rearward movement of an engine in the event of a frontal collision of a vehicle.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front and rear front side members 1, 1 are provided on the left and right sides of the engine room at the front of the vehicle body such as a front wheel drive vehicle. The middle part kicks up so that the front part on the engine room side is higher than the rear part on the vehicle compartment side. A front cross member 2 and a front suspension member 3 are installed on both side members 1 and 1 between the front ends and the lower surface of the intermediate portion. Reference numeral 20 in FIG. 5 denotes a lower cross member, which is installed between the lower ends of the mounting plate 11 projecting downward from the front ends of the left and right side members 1 and 1.

  The suspension member 3 is disposed in a horizontal position below the kick-up portions 10 and 10 of the side members 1 and 1, and the rear portions of both left and right ends are coupled to the lower surfaces of the rear portions of the side members 1 and 1, respectively. The front portions are coupled to the lower ends of the coupling portions 12 projecting downward from the lower surfaces of the front portions of the side members 1 and 1, respectively.

  In the engine room, an engine 4 is installed at a position surrounded by the left and right side members 1, 1, the front cross member 2 and the suspension member 3. The engine 4 is of a horizontal type having a transmission part 41 beside the engine main body 40. The left and right sides of the engine 4 are coupled to the left and right side members 1, 1 via engine mount members 42, 42, respectively. Yes. In the engine 4, the front end of the lower surface of the engine is supported via an engine mount member 43 on an auxiliary member 21 that extends between the lower cross member 20 and the suspension member 3 in the front-rear direction.

  By the way, when the engine main body 40 is pushed rearward by the action of a collision load (white arrow) F at the time of frontal collision of the vehicle, particularly at the time of offset collision, the lower rear end of the engine main body 40 comes into contact with the front surface of the suspension member 3. . In this case, the oil filter portion 5 provided at the lower rear end of the engine body portion 40 first comes into contact with the suspension member 3, but the oil filter portion 5 has a cylindrical shape in the vehicle width direction and has a round outer periphery. Since the center position of the portion 5 is higher than the front surface of the suspension member 3, the oil filter portion 5 easily rides on the suspension member 3 with the lower half of the outer peripheral surface of the oil filter portion 5 being in contact with the front surface of the suspension member 3 ( Black arrow F1). If the oil filter unit 5 rides on the suspension member 3, the amount of movement of the engine 4 to the rear becomes large, and there is a possibility that the vehicle compartment is compressed.

Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of rearward movement of the engine at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, in Patent Document 1 below, a stopper protruding upward is provided on the upper surface of the suspension member, and the engine is brought into contact with the stopper to move backward. It has been proposed to reduce the amount of movement. However, on the suspension member, suspension components that support the front wheels, a drive shaft, and the like are disposed, so that it is difficult to secure a space for providing the stopper, and the shape of the suspension member is complicated. It was.
JP 2004-249796 A

  Accordingly, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention can effectively use the space in the engine room without interfering with the components around the suspension, and can reduce the amount of rearward movement of the engine at the time of a vehicle front collision. An object of the present invention is to provide a front structure.

  In the present invention, an engine is installed between left and right front side members that are installed on both left and right sides of an engine room at the front of a vehicle and extend in the front-rear direction. In the front structure of the vehicle body in which the suspension member extending in the width direction is installed, a vertical surface is formed at the front end of the suspension member, and the lower rear end of the engine is positioned at a position facing the front end vertical surface. A contact surface that forms a vertical surface in close proximity to the front end vertical surface and abuts the front front vertical surface when the engine is pushed rearward in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle to prevent the engine from moving backward. (Claim 1). A vertical surface is formed at the front end of the front suspension member and an abutment surface is provided at the lower rear end of the engine, so that the space behind the lower part of the engine can be used effectively so as not to interfere with the components around the suspension. In the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the contact surface of the engine comes into contact with the vertical surface of the front end of the suspension member, and the suspension member receives the rearward movement of the engine, so that the amount of rearward movement of the engine can be reduced.

  An oil filter portion is provided at the lower rear end of the engine, and a rib that protrudes from the outer periphery of the oil filter portion to expand the outer peripheral shape of the oil filter portion is provided. The outer peripheral rear surface of the oil filter portion and the rear edge of the rib And constitutes the abutment surface (claim 2). By providing ribs on the outer periphery of the oil filter portion provided at the lower rear end of the engine, a contact surface can be suitably configured.

  In the engine, an engine body portion and a transmission portion are connected in the vehicle width direction, and a front end vertical surface of the suspension member and the contact surface are provided on the engine body portion side. In the engine body portion and the transmission portion, the engine body portion presses the passenger compartment at the time of a frontal collision, so that the overall rearward movement amount of the engine can be reduced by providing a contact surface on the engine body portion.

  According to the front structure of the vehicle body of the present invention, a vertical surface is provided at the front end of the suspension member, and a contact surface having a vertical surface is provided at the lower rear end of the engine facing the suspension member. The space can be used effectively to prevent the components around the suspension from interfering with each other, and the amount of rearward movement of the engine can be reduced during a vehicle front collision.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a front part of a vehicle body such as a front wheel drive vehicle will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a pair of left and right front side members 1, 1 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are provided on the left and right sides of the engine room at the front of the vehicle body. The rear portions of the side members 1 and 1 extend to the lower surface of the floor of the passenger compartment (not shown), and the middle of the front of the member on the engine compartment side and the rear of the member on the passenger compartment side is compared to the rear of the member. The member is kicked up from the rear of the member to the front of the member so that the height of the front of the member is increased.

  A front cross member 2 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided between the front ends of the left and right side members 1 and 1. A lower cross member 20 extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed at a lower position of the front cross member 2, and the lower cross member 20 is a pair of left and right members that protrude downward from the front end side surfaces of the side members 1, 1. It is installed between the lower ends of the mounting plate 11.

  Front suspension members 3 are installed on the left and right side members 1, 1 in the vehicle width direction between the lower surfaces of the kick-up portions 10, 10. The suspension member 3 is a vehicle body skeleton member having a closed cross-sectional structure, and has a substantially symmetrical structure in which the front and rear dimensions at the left and right ends are larger than the front and rear dimensions at the center in the vehicle width direction. The suspension member 3 is connected to the left and right side members 1 and 1 at a plurality of positions on the left and right ends. The rear portions of the left and right ends of the suspension member 3 are coupled to the lower surfaces of the rear portions of the side members 1 and 1 through insulators having vibration-proof performance, and the front portions of the left and right ends are respectively connected to the side members 1 and 1. It is couple | bonded via the insulator with the lower end of the coupling part 12 which protrudes below from the lower surface of the member front part. As a result, the suspension member 3 takes a substantially horizontal posture in the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction.

  The front end edge of the suspension member 3 protrudes forward on both left and right sides with respect to the center in the vehicle width direction, and a front end vertical surface 31 that forms a substantially vertical surface is formed at the left and right end side positions of the front end edge of the suspension member 3. It is.

  In the engine room, a horizontal engine 4 is installed between the left and right side members 1 and 1 at the front and rear intermediate positions of the front cross member 2 and the suspension member 3. The engine 4 has an engine body 40 disposed on the right side of the vehicle body (lower side in FIG. 4), and a transmission section 41 is disposed on the left side of the engine body 40. The engine 4 is coupled to the left and right side members 1 and 1 via engine mount members 42 and 42 at both left and right ends, respectively. In addition, the engine 4 has an engine lower member front end supported by an auxiliary member 21 which is installed between the lower cross member 20 and the suspension member 3 in the front-rear direction via an engine mount member 43. The lower part of the engine 4 is provided at substantially the same height as the suspension member 3 or slightly higher.

  An oil filter portion 5 is provided at the lower rear end of the engine main body 40 at a position near the right side member 1 and projects rearward from the lower rear end. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the oil filter portion 5 includes a filter mounting portion 5a made of a metal casting product and a filter cartridge 5b that is detachably attached to the filter mounting portion 5a.

  The filter mounting portion 5a is a circular container body that opens toward the center in the vehicle width direction. The filter cartridge 5b is assembled to the opening, and the whole is cylindrical in the vehicle width direction. A thick plate-like fixing plate portion 51 is formed integrally with the filter mounting portion 5a so as to stand up obliquely upward from the upper half of the outer periphery of the filter mounting portion 5a for fixing to the engine body 40. A plurality of bolt through holes 511 are formed on the outer periphery of the fixed plate portion 51.

  On the outer surface of the filter mounting portion 5a and the fixed plate portion 51, two convex ribs 53 and 54 are formed that constitute passages 52a and 52b for circulating engine oil between the filter body 5a and the engine main body 40. Both convex ribs 53 and 54 are formed in parallel over the entire length in the longitudinal direction on the outer surfaces of the filter mounting portion 5a and the fixed plate portion 51, and are formed so as to bulge out from the outer surface in a substantially bowl shape. It is. These convex ribs 53 and 54 serve as reinforcing ribs that reinforce the filter mounting portion 5 a and the fixing plate portion 51. In addition, the filter mounting portion 5a is formed with partition walls 57 and 57 that divide the interior into a plurality of rooms. By providing the convex ribs 53 and 54 and the partition walls 57 and 57, the filter mounting portion 5a. The cross-sectional area is increased to increase the rigidity.

  The oil filter unit 5 has the fixing plate unit 51 overlapped with the rear end of the lower right side surface of the engine main body 40 and fastened with a plurality of bolt members from the bolt through holes 511, and the filter mounting unit 5 a is connected to the engine main unit 40. It is fixed so that it protrudes backward from the right corner of the lower rear end. The center of the filter mounting portion 5a is substantially the same height or slightly higher than the upper edge of the front end vertical surface 31 of the suspension member 3.

  The oil filter portion 5 is integrally formed with a thick vertical rib 55 protruding downward from the lower half of the outer periphery of the filter mounting portion 5a. The vertical rib 55 is formed in a substantially square shape in side view, and is formed so as to expand the outer peripheral shape of the filter mounting portion 5a downward. The rear surface of the vertical rib 55 is a substantially vertical vertical surface, and is closely opposed to the front end vertical surface 31 of the suspension member 3 at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and the front end vertical surface 31 is moved when the engine 4 moves rearward. A contact surface 56 that contacts with. The vertical rib 55 is formed such that the lower edge of the abutment surface 56 is substantially the same height as or slightly lower than the lower edge of the front end vertical surface 31, and the lower surface of the vertical rib 55 slightly rises forward. The angle between the contact surface 56 and the lower surface is slightly acute.

  According to the present embodiment, the front cross member 2 and the lower cross member 20 are deformed at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, particularly at the time of an offset collision, and the engine main body 40 side is pushed backward by the action of the collision load (white arrow) F. As a result, the oil filter portion 5 fixed to the lower rear end of the engine body 40 comes into contact with the suspension member 3. In this case, the vertical abutment surface 56 of the vertical rib 55 provided on the oil filter portion 5 abuts against the front end vertical surface 31 of the suspension member 3, so that the oil filter portion 5 rides on the suspension member 3 as in the prior art. Therefore, the rearward movement of the engine 4 is received by the highly rigid suspension member 3, and the amount of rearward movement of the engine 4 can be reduced.

  In this case, the oil filter portion 5 is a metal casting, and a plurality of convex ribs 53 and 54 provided from the filter attachment portion 5a to the fixed plate portion 51, and partition walls 52a and 52b provided inside the filter attachment portion 5a. As a result, the cross-sectional area of the oil filter portion 5 is increased to enhance the rigidity, so that it has sufficient durability against the impact of contact with the suspension member 3, and the engine 4 moves rearward without being destroyed. prevent.

  Further, only the vertical front end vertical surface 31 is formed on the suspension member 3, and the vertical rib 55 is provided on the oil filter portion 5 of the engine 4 so as to face the suspension member 3. Therefore, there is no need for a member such as a stopper that protrudes on the suspension member 3 as in the prior art, and it does not obstruct the components of the suspension and the drive shaft disposed on the suspension member 3, and the space in the engine room. Can be used effectively and the structure can be simplified.

  In the horizontal engine 4, the front and rear length of the transmission part 41 is smaller than the front and rear length of the engine body part 40, and if the rearward movement of the engine body part 40 side is restricted in the event of a vehicle collision, the transmission part 41 presses the vehicle compartment. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a contact surface on the transmission unit 41 side. In the present embodiment, the vertical abutment surface 56 is formed on the oil filter portion 5, but this is not a limitation, and in an engine, the oil filter portion is not necessarily provided at the rear end position of the engine lower portion. In this case, a contact surface may be formed at the rear end of an oil pan or the like below the engine that faces the front end of the suspension member.

It is a principal part side view which shows the front vehicle body structure of this invention. It is a perspective view of the oil filter part used for the front body structure of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is a principal part top view of the front vehicle body structure of the vehicle to which this invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part showing a conventional front vehicle body structure corresponding to FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front side member 3 Suspension member 31 Front end vertical surface 4 Engine 40 Engine main-body part 41 Transmission part 5 Oil filter part 55 Vertical rib (rib)
56 Contact surface

Claims (3)

An engine is installed between the left and right front side members that are installed on the left and right sides of the engine room at the front of the vehicle and extend in the front-rear direction. The lower surface of the engine is bridged between the lower surfaces of the front side members in the vehicle width direction. In the front structure of the vehicle body where the suspension members are installed,
A vertical surface is formed at the front end of the suspension member,
The lower rear end of the engine has a vertical surface shape close to and opposed to the front end vertical surface at a position facing the front end vertical surface, and when the engine is pushed rearward at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, etc. A front structure of a vehicle body provided with an abutting surface that abuts against a vertical surface of a front end and prevents a rearward movement of the engine.   An oil filter portion is provided at the lower rear end of the engine, and a rib that protrudes from the outer periphery of the oil filter portion to expand the outer peripheral shape of the oil filter portion is provided. The outer peripheral rear surface of the oil filter portion and the rear edge of the rib The front part structure of the vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the abutment surface is constituted by the   3. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein an engine body portion and a transmission portion of the engine are connected in the vehicle width direction, and a front end vertical surface of the suspension member and the contact surface are provided on the engine body portion side. Front structure.

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