JP2010023663A - Vehicle body front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle body front structure capable of reinforcing a damper housing irrespective of a vehicle body layout. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicle body front structure has: a cowl box which is opened upwardly and comprises a dashboard upper 2 and a windshield lower 4; a dashboard upper side member 9 which is projected forwardly from front pillars 6 provided on right and left ends of the cowl box; and damper housings 10 respectively provided on the right and left sides of the dashboard upper side member. The vehicle body front structure further has a hood hinge stiffener 30 to which a hood hinge 50 is fitted. The hood hinge stiffener has horizontal ridge parts 30a-30e to be joined with the cowl box and the damper housing, and vertical ridge parts 30g, 30i to be joined with the dashboard upper side member. The section has an L-shape consisting of the horizontal ridge parts and the vertical ridge parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure, and more particularly to a reinforcing structure for a damper housing in an engine room.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a monocoque front engine vehicle that includes a damper housing that supports an upper end of a shock absorber of a suspension device. The damper housing is generally spanned between a front side frame provided at the bottom of the engine room and an upper member provided at the side of the engine room. In such a damper housing, the support rigidity of the damper is increased by increasing the plate thickness or the like. For this reason, the vehicle may be displaced toward the rear side at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle.

For the purpose of improving the strength of the damper housing, in the vehicle front structure according to Patent Document 1, the upper side of the damper housing, the upper side of the damper base to which the shock absorber of the suspension device is attached, and the lower side of the dashboard upper Are connected so as to overlap each other.
JP 2006-213291 A

  However, depending on the vehicle body layout, the distance between the dashboard upper and the damper base may increase in the front-rear direction, the vertical direction, or both. In such cases, connect the dashboard upper and the damper base. Therefore, there is a problem that the damper housing cannot be reinforced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vehicle body front structure having a damper housing reinforcement structure applicable to various vehicle body layouts.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present invention is a dashboard upper (3) that extends forward from the upper portion of a dashboard lower (3) that separates the engine room (100) and the vehicle compartment (101). 2) and a windshield lower (4) that supports the lower end of the windshield glass constitute a cowl box that opens upward and is covered with a cowl top, and is provided at each of the left and right ends of the cowl box. In a vehicle body front structure having a dashboard upper side member (9) projecting forward from the front pillar (6) and damper housings (10) respectively provided on the left and right sides of the dashboard upper side member, A hood hinge stiffener (30) to which a hood hinge (50) for opening and closing the hood is attached, The stiffener includes a lateral side portion (30a to 30e) joined to the cowl box and the damper housing, and a longitudinal side portion (30g / 30i) joined to the dashboard upper side member. It is characterized in that the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped by the side portion.

  According to this, the hood hinge stiffener can be used as a reinforcing member for the damper housing. Further, the hood hinge stiffener can be arranged closer to the engine side than the dashboard upper side member. Furthermore, the damper housing is supported by a stiffener with an L-shaped cross section whose horizontal side is connected to the cowl box and whose vertical side is connected to the dashboard upper side member, thus improving the strength and rigidity in the front-rear direction. In addition, it is possible to suppress the movement of the upper surface (damper base) of the damper housing that moves backward during a front collision or during traveling.

  According to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the hood hinge stiffener is connected to a lateral side portion between a connection portion between the cowl box and the connection portion between the damper housing and the dashboard upper side member. And a bracket (40) for connecting and reinforcing the hood hinge stiffener.

  According to this, even if the hood hinge stiffener is, for example, a member obtained by bending a plate material, the lateral side portion of the hood hinge stiffener is reinforced by the bracket, so that sufficient rigidity can be imparted to the damper housing. . Further, since the stiffener can be extended forward or downward, sufficient rigidity can be imparted even if the damper housing is separated forward or downward from the cowl box. As a result, the degree of deformation and displacement of the damper housing at the time of a vehicle collision is reduced, and it is possible to resist vibration applied from the suspension device during vehicle travel.

  According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the hood hinge stiffener has a reinforcing bead (31).

  According to this, the hood hinge stiffener is given rigidity by the reinforcing bead, and is difficult to be deformed. Further, the damper housing connected to the hood hinge stiffener is not easily deformed or displaced.

  A fourth invention is the invention according to any one of the first to third inventions, wherein the hood hinge stiffener is a cowl top mounting portion for supporting a cowl top disposed along a lower end portion of the windshield glass. (Cowl top mounting hole 29).

  According to this, since the hood hinge stiffener supports the cowl top, it is not necessary to separately provide a seat portion for supporting the cowl top, and the space can be used effectively.

  By configuring as described above, the rigidity of the damper housing can be increased regardless of the vehicle body layout.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle body front part structure of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body front part structure according to the embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the traveling direction of the automobile to which the present invention is applied is the forward direction, the direction opposite to the traveling direction is the backward direction, the right side when facing forward is the right side, the left side is the left, the vertical upper side is the upper side, and the vertical lower side is the lower side. explain.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body front structure 1 is a structure around an engine room 100 of an automobile having a monocoque structure. Each member constituting the vehicle body front structure 1 is connected by welding unless otherwise specified in the text. At the rear end of the engine room 100, a dashboard upper 2 and a dashboard lower 3 that partition the engine room 100 and the vehicle interior 101 are disposed. The dashboard lower 3 is a plate-like member and extends in the vehicle width direction and is erected in the vertical direction. The lower end portion of the dashboard lower 3 is bent rearward and connected to a floor panel (not shown).

  The dashboard upper 2 is connected to the upper end portion of the dashboard lower 3 and protrudes forward. A windshield lower 4 is connected to the upper side and rear end of the dashboard upper 2. The windshield lower 4 protrudes upward and then extends forward while inclining downward. The windshield lower 4 supports a lower end portion of a windshield glass (not shown) that closes the front side opening of the passenger compartment 101. The dashboard upper 2 and the windshield lower 4 constitute a cowl box that opens upward.

  A front pillar 5 extending in the vertical direction is connected to each of the left and right ends of the dashboard lower 3. A pair of left and right front side frames 6 extending to the front side and extending to the lower side and the rear side along the dashboard lower 3 are connected to the front side of the dashboard lower 3.

  Each of the front pillars 5 is connected to the front end of the side sill 7 at the lower end and is connected to the rear end of the front upper member 8 at the upper end. The side sill 7 extends rearward from the lower end portion of the front pillar 5 to form both side portions of the vehicle interior 101. The front upper member 8 extends forward while tilting downward from the upper end of the front pillar 5, and extends substantially vertically downward near the front end.

  A plate-like dashboard upper side member 9 is connected along the surface in the vicinity of the rear end portion of the front upper member 8 from the side portion facing the engine room 100 to the upper portion. The dashboard upper side member 9 functions as a reinforcing member for the front upper member 8. A fender for attaching a front fender (not shown) that forms a peripheral surface of the dashboard upper side member 9 and that stands on the upper side of the front upper member 8 and rises upward. A mounting bracket 53 is formed.

  A damper housing 10 is stretched between the front upper member 8 and the front side frame 6. The damper housing 10 includes a damper base 11 provided on the upper side, and a side wall 12 extending downward from the peripheral edge of the damper base 11. The damper housing 10 is connected to the front upper member 8 at a part of the peripheral edge of the damper base 11 and is connected to the front side frame 6 at a part of the lower end of the side wall. The damper base 11 is formed with a mounting hole 13 for coupling with a mounting block (not shown) provided at the upper end of the shock absorber of the front suspension device.

  Bulkhead side stays 14 projecting upward and downward are provided at the front end portions of the front side frames 6. The upper ends of the bulkhead side stays 14 are connected to each other by a bulkhead upper center frame 15 extending in the vehicle width direction, and the lower ends are connected to each other by a bulkhead lower center frame 16 extending in the vehicle width direction. Further, the front end portions of the front side frames 6 are connected to portions separated from the front end portions of the front upper member 8 by a predetermined distance via gussets 17. The lower end portion of the bulkhead side stay 14 is connected to the front end portion of the front upper member 8 by a gusset 17.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1 and shows an enlarged left side portion of the vehicle body front structure 1. In addition, since the right side part of the vehicle body front part structure 1 has the same configuration as the left side part, the description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the dashboard upper 2 in the present embodiment rises upward as it advances forward to form a wall portion 21. The wall portion 21 is formed across the width of the dashboard upper 2. At the upper end portion of the wall portion 21, a flange portion 23 that protrudes substantially horizontally toward the front is formed across the vehicle width direction. The dashboard upper 2 configured as described above is separated from the damper housing 10. The left and right ends of the dashboard upper 2 are connected to the dashboard upper side member 9. In other embodiments, the end of the dashboard upper 2 may not be connected to the dashboard upper side member 9.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of the vehicle body front structure according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the hood hinge stiffener 30 is connected to the dashboard upper 2, the windshield lower 4, the dashboard upper side member 9, and the damper base 11. The hood hinge stiffener 30 extends substantially along the front-rear direction, and is connected to the flange portion 4a formed at the lower edge of the windshield lower 4 at the flange portion 30a formed at one end and formed at the other end. The flange portion 30b is connected to the upper surface of the damper base 11.

  The hood hinge stiffener 30 is composed of a horizontal side portion extending in the front-rear direction and a vertical side portion rising from the peripheral portion of the horizontal side portion and extending in the front-rear direction, and the cross-sectional shape is an L-shape. Yes. The lateral side portion includes a flange portion 30a corresponding to the rear end portion, a rear wall portion 30c depending from the front end of the flange portion 30a, an intermediate portion 30d extending forward while being inclined downward from the lower end of the rear wall portion 30c, A front inclined portion 30e that extends forward from the front end of the intermediate portion 30d while being inclined further downward than the inclination of the intermediate portion 30d and is connected to the rear end of the flange portion 30b is provided. The hood hinge stiffener 30 is connected to the upper surface of the flange portion 23 of the dashboard upper 2 at the lower surface of the intermediate portion 30d.

  The vertical side portion includes a flange portion 30g erected substantially perpendicularly to the rear wall portion 30c via a bent portion 30f extending along the longitudinal direction of the hood hinge stiffener 30 at the left end portion of the rear wall portion 30c, and an intermediate portion 30d. And a flange portion 30i erected substantially perpendicularly to the intermediate portion 30d and the front inclined portion 30e via a bent portion 30h extending along the longitudinal direction of the hood hinge stiffener 30 at the left end portion of the front inclined portion 30e. It has. The hood hinge stiffener 30 is connected to the surface of the dashboard upper side member 9 facing the engine room 100 side at the flange portion 30g and the flange portion 30i.

  The connection between the hood hinge stiffener 30 and each member is performed by, for example, spot welding or the like, and the portions indicated by X in FIG. 2 are welded. In other embodiments, the hood hinge stiffener 30 and each member may be connected by bolt fastening.

  The hood hinge stiffener 30 includes a reinforcing bead 31 extending in the front-rear direction in the intermediate portion 30d and the front inclined portion 30e, and includes a recess 33 in the intermediate portion 30d. Further, the rear wall portion 30c of the hood hinge stiffener 30 includes a step portion 34 extending in the vertical direction and is formed in a stepped manner. The reinforcing bead 31, the recessed portion 33, the stepped portion 34, and the bent portions 30f and 30h improve the rigidity of the hood hinge stiffener 30 with respect to the compressive force in the front-rear direction.

  A bracket 40 for reinforcing the hood hinge stiffener 30 is provided on the lower surface of the intermediate portion 30 d of the hood hinge stiffener 30. FIG. 4 is a perspective view seen from the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 2, with the damper housing omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 40 is opposed to the plate-like rear plate 41 extending in the vehicle width direction and a predetermined distance from the rear plate 41 while standing with respect to the intermediate portion 30d. Formed on the upper end of the front plate 42, the side plate 43 connecting the left ends of the rear plate 41 and the front plate 42, the flange portion 44 formed on the upper end of the rear plate 41, and the front plate 42. The flange part 45 is provided. The bracket 40 is formed, for example, by press forming a single steel plate. Three-dimensional shapes such as protrusions and recesses may be formed on the surfaces of the rear plate 41, the front plate 42, and the side plates 43 of the bracket 40 in order to improve the rigidity of each plate.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow VV in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bracket 40 is connected to the lower surface of the intermediate portion 30 d of the hood hinge stiffener 30 at the flange portion 45, and faces the engine room (100) side of the dashboard upper side member 9 at the side plate 43. The flange portion 44 is connected to the lower surface of the flange portion 23 of the dashboard upper 2. The connection may be made by welding or bolt fastening. In another embodiment, the rear plate 41 and the wall portion 21 of the dashboard upper 2 may be connected.

  The hood hinge stiffener 30 is provided with a hood hinge attachment hole 27 for attaching the hood hinge 50. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the vehicle body front portion structure according to the embodiment, and shows a state in which the hood hinge 50 is attached to the hood hinge stiffener 30. The hood hinge 50 is connected to an engine hood (not shown) that covers the upper part of the engine room 100 of the vehicle so as to be openable and closable, and the hood is fastened to the hood hinge mounting hole 27 of the hood hinge stiffener 30 by bolts 28. A hinge stiffener connecting member 52 is provided, and the hood connecting member 51 and the hood hinge stiffener connecting member 52 are pivotably attached to each other.

  The hood hinge stiffener 30 is provided with a cowl top mounting hole 29 for mounting a cowl top (not shown). For example, the cowl top is fixed to the hood hinge stiffener by matching the mounting hole formed in the cowl top with the cowl top mounting hole 29 and inserting a clip through both holes. In other embodiments, the hood hinge stiffener 30 may be provided with a hood stay mounting hole for mounting a base end portion of the hood stay for supporting the hood in an open state.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a fender attachment bracket 55 for attaching a front fender is connected to the upper portion of the rear wall portion 30 c of the hood hinge stiffener 30.

  In the vehicle body front structure configured as described above, the damper housing 10 is connected to the dashboard upper 2, the windshield lower 4 and the dashboard upper side member 9 via the hood hinge stiffener 30 reinforced by the bracket 40. Stiffness is improved. Therefore, the deformation of the damper housing 10 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle is reduced, and the movement of the damper housing 10 to the rear of the vehicle is reduced. Further, by improving the rigidity of the damper housing 10, it is possible to improve the resistance against the load and vibration transmitted from the suspension device to the damper housing.

  Further, by providing the hood hinge stiffener 30 with the hood hinge attachment hole 27 and the cowl top attachment hole 29, it is not necessary to separately provide the hood hinge attachment part and the cowl top attachment part, and the space can be used effectively.

  Although the description of the specific embodiment is finished as above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely modified. For example, the shapes of the hood hinge stiffener and the bracket can be appropriately changed according to the degree of rigidity to be imparted to the damper housing and the size of the space that can be secured for attaching the hood hinge stiffener. In addition, the shape of the member can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle body front part structure which concerns on embodiment. It is the perspective view seen from the direction of arrow II of FIG. It is a top view which expands and shows the principal part of the vehicle body front part structure which concerns on embodiment. It is the perspective view seen from the direction of arrow IV of FIG. It is sectional drawing seen along the arrow VV of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle body front part structure which concerns on embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car body front part structure 2 Dashboard upper 4 Windshield lower 8 Front upper member 9 Dashboard upper side member 10 Damper housing 11 Damper base 30 Hood hinge stiffener 31 Reinforcement bead 27 Hood hinge mounting hole 29 Cowl top mounting hole 40 Bracket 50 Hood Hinge 100 Engine room 101 Car compartment

Claims (4)

A dashboard upper that extends forward from the upper part of the dashboard lower that separates the engine room and the vehicle compartment and a windshield lower that supports the lower end of the windshield glass are opened upwards and covered with a cowl top. A dashboard upper side member that protrudes forward from a front pillar provided at each of the left and right ends of the cowl box, and a damper housing that is provided on the left and right sides of the dashboard upper side member, respectively. In the vehicle body front part structure having
A hood hinge stiffener to which a hood hinge for opening and closing the hood is attached; the hood hinge stiffener; a lateral side portion joined to the cowl box and the damper housing; and a longitudinal side portion joined to the dashboard upper side member A vehicle body front structure characterized in that the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped by a horizontal side portion and a vertical side portion.   A bracket for connecting the hood hinge stiffener to a side portion between a connection portion of the hood hinge stiffener and the connection portion of the damper housing, and connecting to the dashboard upper side member to reinforce the hood hinge stiffener The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 1, wherein   The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hood hinge stiffener has a reinforcing bead on a lateral side.   The said hood hinge stiffener has the cowl top attaching part for supporting the cowl top arrange | positioned along the lower end part of the said windshield glass, The Claim in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vehicle body front structure described in 2.

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