JP2018187957A - Pedestrian protection structure at vehicle front part - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent cost increase even if an existing vehicle front structure for pedestrian protection is diverted, and display normally a foot sweeping function for pedestrian.SOLUTION: A second lower absorber 9 formed in each end 121, 121 of a radiator support lower 12 of an existing radiator support 1 in a vehicle width direction by generally plate-shape is bolt-fastened through two bolt through hole 12a and 12b drilled substantially along a longitudinal direction of a vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedestrian protection structure at the front of a vehicle, and more particularly to a structure of a lower absorber provided inside a lower part of a front bumper cover.

  Conventionally, a front bumper of an automobile such as a passenger car has been provided with an upper absorber and a lower absorber that absorb and reduce the impact energy at the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian. In this case, the pedestrian is functioned as a so-called foot cradle for placing the pedestrian on the hood.

  The front part of the automobile in which a pair of left and right foot-fitting plates is provided at positions corresponding to the lower portions of the left and right bent parts of the front bumper as left and right ends of the bulkhead lower A vehicle body structure is disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In addition, as a mechanism that functions as such a foot wiper, a vehicle front structure having a lower absorber that is installed over the substantially entire length in the vehicle width direction at the lower back side of the front bumper is disclosed (for example, Patent Documents). 2).

JP 2006-327438 A JP2015-112952A

  However, in the front body structure of an automobile described in the background art, at the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian, the impact energy is transmitted to a bulkhead lower fixed to the rear side of the foot plate, Is provided with a pleated energy absorber that extends in the vehicle width direction in order to prevent deformation of the car body due to deformation at the time of a light collision, so that the energy absorber is bent at the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian. In some cases, the tip of the foot wiper plate fluttered. As described above, the front end of the foot wiper plate flutters at the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian, so that there is a difficulty in that the function of flipping up the leg of the pedestrian cannot be exhibited normally.

  Further, in the vehicle front structure described in the background art, the lower absorber is fixed to the lower cross member over the substantially entire length in the vehicle width direction at the lower back side of the front bumper, so that the tip of the lower absorber flutters. There is no, but it becomes a big member. In this case, the vehicle front structure for protecting an existing pedestrian in which the lower absorber is fixed to the front cross member (lower cross member) fixed to the lower member of the radiator support (radiator support lower) via the front side member. Then, in order to fix the lower absorber over almost the entire length in the vehicle width direction, it was necessary to raise a new press die in order to widen the front cross member in the vehicle width direction, which was a factor in increasing costs. .

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and even if the existing vehicle front structure for protecting a pedestrian is diverted, an increase in cost can be prevented. An object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian protection structure in the front part of a vehicle that can normally exhibit the function of raising the leg.

The pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle which is the first aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a radiator support, a front bumper reinforcement, and an upper absorber.
The radiator support is disposed in the front portion of the vehicle and is formed in a substantially rectangular frame. In this specification, “arrangement” means provision at each position.
The front bumper reinforcement is disposed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction on the front side of the radiator support on the rear side of the front bumper cover provided at the front end of the vehicle. In the present specification, “extending” means extending.
The upper absorber is fixed to the vehicle front side of the front bumper reinforcement and extends in the vehicle width direction.

This pedestrian protection structure at the front of the vehicle further includes a pair of left and right front side members, a front cross member, a first lower absorber, and a pair of left and right second lower absorbers.
The pair of left and right front side members are connected to lower portions of the pair of left and right radiator support sides that extend in the vehicle vertical direction of the radiator support, and are disposed toward the front side of the vehicle along the vehicle longitudinal direction. .
The front cross member is connected to the front end of the pair of left and right front side members on the front side of the vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction.
The first lower absorber is fixed to the vehicle front side of the front cross member and extends in the vehicle width direction.
The second lower absorber is formed in a substantially plate shape, extends in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support, and substantially extends in the vehicle width direction of each end of the radiator support lower disposed in the vehicle lower direction. Bolts are fastened through a plurality of bolt through holes drilled along the direction. In this specification, “drilling” means making a hole.

  According to the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front portion according to the first aspect as described above, the existing vehicle front structure for protecting pedestrians including the radiator support, the front bumper reinforcement, and the upper absorber is diverted. However, since the second lower absorber is bolted to each end of the radiator support lower in the vehicle width direction, the cost can be prevented, and the second lower absorber formed in a substantially plate shape is Since multiple bolt fastening points for the radiator support lower are arranged along the vehicle longitudinal direction, the load transfer mode of the collision load due to the frontal collision with the pedestrian is shifted from the vehicle longitudinal direction to the vehicle width direction. Therefore, it is possible to transmit the collision load to the radiator support lower without bending the second lower absorber.Therefore, it is possible to prevent the tip of the second lower absorber from flapping, so that the function of flipping up the leg of the pedestrian can be exhibited normally.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the pedestrian protection structure in the front portion of the vehicle according to the first aspect, each end portion in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower is a fastening portion for fastening the second lower absorber with a bolt. And a projecting portion projecting to have a side surface facing the bolt fastening side surface of the second lower absorber is formed, and a gap is formed between these side surfaces. Is formed, the bolt through hole located at the foremost side in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed in a drill hole for bolt penetration, and the other bolt through holes are substantially in the vehicle width direction in the longitudinal direction. It is formed in a long hole. In this specification, “continuous installation” means that they are provided in a continuous state. Further, in this specification, “projecting” means providing in a protruding state.

  According to the pedestrian protection structure in the front portion of the vehicle which is the second aspect as described above, a gap is formed on the mutually opposing side surfaces of the radiator support lower and the second lower absorber to prevent abnormal noise. When a collision load due to a frontal collision with a pedestrian is transmitted to the second lower absorber, the second lower absorber rotates around the bolt fastening portion located at the foremost side in the vehicle front-rear direction. Therefore, a direct load transmission path can be formed by applying the second lower absorber to the radiator support lower. Therefore, the collision load can be reliably transmitted to the radiator support lower without bending the second lower absorber.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front portion according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the second lower absorber has a front portion in the vehicle front-rear direction fixed to the bottom portion of the bumper cover. It is what.

  According to the pedestrian protection structure in the front portion of the vehicle that is the third aspect as described above, the second lower absorber can be reliably prevented from flapping in the vehicle vertical direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the pedestrian protection structure in the front portion of the vehicle which is the second aspect or the third aspect, the second lower absorber is made of a plastic resin material. According to the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front portion according to the fourth aspect as described above, the reaction force by the second lower absorber against the pedestrian's legs can be prevented from becoming stronger than necessary. It is possible to have a function to lift up.

  According to the pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an increase in cost even if the existing vehicle front part structure for protecting pedestrians is diverted. The function can be exhibited normally.

It is a figure which shows preferable embodiment in the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front part of this invention, and is the perspective view which looked at the positional relationship of each member from the vehicle diagonal right front outer side. It is a perspective view which shows the positional relationship of the 1st lower absorber which is a component of the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front part of this invention, and a pair of left and right 2nd lower absorbers. It is explanatory drawing of the top view which shows the state by which the 2nd lower absorber which is a component of the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front part of this invention is being fixed to the edge part of a radiator support lower, and the bottom part of a front bumper cover. is there. It is a figure which shows the connection state of the edge part of a radiator support lower, and a 2nd lower absorber, (A) is a perspective view of a bottom view, (B) is schematic AA sectional drawing of (A), (C) is (A) is a schematic BB cross-sectional view, (D) is a schematic CC cross-sectional view of (A). The parting line used as the both ends of the maximum width | variety of the front hood used when setting the position of the vehicle width direction outer side end of the front bumper reinforcement which is a component of the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front part of this invention is demonstrated. It is a top view which shows the front part of the vehicle for doing.

  Hereinafter, the form example for implementing the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front part of this invention is demonstrated. In each figure used in the embodiment for carrying out the present invention, the direction is indicated by an arrow. This indicates the direction seen from the occupant seated in the driver's seat, and each arrow indicates that each part is attached to the vehicle. The directionality when it is incorporated is shown. Arrow UP indicates the vehicle upward direction, arrow FR indicates the vehicle forward direction, arrow RR indicates the vehicle rearward direction, arrow LH indicates the vehicle left direction, arrow RH indicates the vehicle right direction, and arrow OUT indicates the vehicle width outward direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle includes a radiator support 1, a front bumper reinforcement 2, and an upper absorber 3.

  The radiator support 1 is disposed in an engine room at the front portion of the vehicle, and a radiator (not shown) for cooling the engine is attached to the radiator support 1. The radiator support 1 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame, extends in the vehicle width direction and is disposed in a state of being separated in the vehicle vertical direction, and a pair of upper and lower radiator support uppers 11 and radiator support lowers 12, and a pair of upper and lower A pair of left and right radiator support sides 13 and 13 connecting the end portions 121 and 121 in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support upper 11 and the radiator support lower 12 in the vehicle vertical direction, and a pair of upper and lower radiator support upper 11 and radiator support lowers. The radiator support vertical pillar 14 connects the substantially center positions in the vehicle width direction.

  The front bumper reinforcement 2 is disposed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction on the front side of the radiator support 1 on the rear side of the front bumper cover 4 (see FIG. 4) provided at the front end of the vehicle. ing. This front bumper reinforcement 2 is a pair of left and right radiators disposed at the middle of the pair of left and right radiator support sides 13 and 13 of the radiator support 1 in the vehicle vertical direction toward the front side of the vehicle along the vehicle longitudinal direction. The first crash boxes 5A and 5A are connected to each other.

  The upper absorber 3 is fixed to the vehicle front side of the front bumper reinforcement 2. Therefore, the upper absorber 3 extends in the vehicle width direction. Such an upper absorber 3 is made of a foamed resin material, that is, urethane foam or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedestrian protection structure at the front of the vehicle according to the present invention includes a pair of left and right front side members 6, 6, a front cross member 7, a first lower absorber 8, and left and right A pair of second lower absorbers 9 and 9 is provided.

  The pair of left and right front side members 6 and 6 are connected to lower portions of the pair of left and right radiator support sides 13 and 13 of the radiator support 1 and are disposed toward the front side of the vehicle along the vehicle front-rear direction. The front cross member 7 includes a pair of left and right second crash boxes 5B, 5B disposed toward the front of the vehicle along the vehicle front-rear direction at the front end of the pair of left and right front side members 6, 6. And extend in the vehicle width direction. The first lower absorber 8 is fixed to the vehicle front side of the front cross member 7 and extends in the vehicle width direction. The first lower absorber 8 is made of a foamed resin material, that is, urethane foam or the like.

  The second lower absorbers 9, 9 are formed in a substantially plate shape, and are formed with two bolt through holes 12 a formed substantially along the vehicle front-rear direction at each end in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower 12. The bolt is fastened through 12b. The second lower absorber 9 is made of a plastic resin material.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each end 121, 121 in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower 12 is formed with a mounting portion 12 c for fastening the second lower absorber 9, 9 with a bolt. Yes. Further, each end 121, 121 in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower 12 has a side surface 12d that is connected to the mounting portion 12c and faces the side surface 9a on the bolt fastening side of the second lower absorbers 9, 9. A projecting portion 12e is formed so as to project.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, the second lower absorber 9 is provided between the side surface 9a on the bolt fastening side and the side surface 12d of the projecting portion 12e. A gap is formed. The reason why a gap is provided between the side surfaces 9a and 12d is that when the side surfaces 9a and 12d are in contact with each other, noise may be generated while the vehicle is traveling.

  When a gap is provided between the side surfaces 9a and 12d, the bolt through hole 12a located at the foremost side in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed as a drill hole for bolt penetration (see FIG. 4B). .) The other bolt through holes 12b are formed as long holes whose longitudinal direction is substantially the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 4D).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the front portion of the second lower absorber 9 in the vehicle front-rear direction is fixed to the bottom of the front bumper cover 4 by fixing means such as bolt fastening. Since the pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle according to the present invention is basically symmetrical with respect to the center in the vehicle width direction, FIG. Only the lower absorber 9 is illustrated and the second lower absorber 9 disposed in the vehicle right direction is described. However, the same applies to the second lower absorber 9 disposed in the vehicle left direction.

  The action and effect at the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian of a vehicle having a vehicle front portion to which the pedestrian protection structure of the vehicle front portion of the present invention configured as described above is applied will be described.

  First, even if the existing vehicle front structure for protecting a pedestrian including the radiator support 1, the front bumper reinforcement 2 and the upper absorber 3 is diverted, each end of the radiator support lower 12 in the vehicle width direction is used. Since the second lower absorbers 9 and 9 are bolted to each other, it is possible to prevent an increase in cost.

  Secondly, the second lower absorber 9 formed in a substantially plate shape is provided with two bolt fastening points for the radiator support lower 12 along the vehicle front-rear direction, so a frontal collision with a pedestrian It is possible to shift the load transmission mode of the collision load from the vehicle longitudinal direction to the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, since the collision load can be transmitted to the radiator support lower 12 without bending the second lower absorber 9, flapping of the tip of the second lower absorber 9 can be prevented. It becomes possible to make the foot payment function work normally.

  The number of bolts that fasten the second lower absorber 9 to the radiator support lower 12 is not limited to two, and the load transmission mode of a collision load caused by a frontal collision with a pedestrian is shifted from the vehicle longitudinal direction to the vehicle width direction. If it is possible, three or more.

  Also, “substantially along the vehicle longitudinal direction” does not have to be completely along the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the load transmission mode of the collision load due to the frontal collision with the pedestrian is changed from the vehicle longitudinal direction to the vehicle width direction. If it can be made to shift to, it means that the vehicle width direction may be slightly shifted from that direction.

  Further, the reason why the second lower absorber 9 is formed in a substantially plate shape is that the second lower absorber 9 is connected to each end of the radiator support lower 12 in the vehicle width direction. That is, unlike the upper absorber 3 and the first lower absorber 8, it is not intended to absorb and reduce the impact energy at the time of a frontal collision with a pedestrian. This is because it is the main purpose.

  Further, in order to prevent abnormal noise, when a gap is formed in the mutually opposing side surfaces of the radiator support lower 12 and the second lower absorber 9, the bolt through hole 12a positioned at the foremost side in the vehicle front-rear direction. However, when the other bolt through hole 12b is formed in a long hole whose longitudinal direction is substantially the vehicle width direction, the following operations and effects are obtained. be able to.

  When a collision load due to a frontal collision with a pedestrian is transmitted to the second lower absorber 9, the second lower lower is centered on the bolt fastening portion (bolt through hole 12a) positioned at the foremost side in the vehicle front-rear direction. The absorber 9 can be rotated (see FIG. 4B). That is, the other bolt through hole 12b is formed in a long hole whose longitudinal direction is substantially the vehicle width direction, so that the bolt that penetrates the bolt through hole 12b can move in the long hole ( (See FIG. 4D.) From this, it is possible to form a direct load transmission path LTP (see FIGS. 2 and 3) by applying the second lower absorber 9 to the end 121 of the radiator support lower 12. Therefore, the collision load can be reliably transmitted to the radiator support lower 12 without bending the second lower absorber 9.

  The number of bolts for fastening the second lower absorber 9 to the radiator support lower 12 is not limited to two, and the bolt fastening portion (bolt through hole 12a) located at the foremost side in the vehicle longitudinal direction is the center of rotation. If the two lower absorbers 9 can be rotated, three or more may be sufficient.

  Further, by fixing the second lower absorber 9 to the bottom portion of the front bumper cover 4 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, it is possible to reliably prevent the second lower absorber 9 from flapping in the vehicle vertical direction.

  In addition, since the second lower absorber 9 is made of a plastic resin material, the reaction force of the second lower absorber 9 against the legs of the pedestrian can be prevented from becoming unnecessarily strong. A flip-up function can be provided. If the second lower absorber 9 is made of a metal having rigidity higher than that of the plastic resin material, the reaction force becomes stronger than necessary. However, if the reaction force can be tuned by the shape, the metal can also be used.

  In such a pedestrian leg protection performance test for a frontal collision with a pedestrian, a leg impactor formed by simulating the pedestrian's leg is used. This pedestrian leg protection performance test is a pedestrian leg protection performance test based on the JCAP (Independent Administrative Institution Automobile Accident Countermeasures Organization) and GTR rules (the globally unified technical rules based on global agreement rules for vehicles, etc.). The leg impactor is fired at 40 km / h toward the bumper of the test vehicle by the impact device, and the impact value of the knee of the leg impactor at the impact point is measured.

  In this pedestrian leg protection performance test, when the pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle of the present invention is used, the jumping function for the leg impactor can be normally exhibited, so the angle change of the leg impactor Can be minimized. Accordingly, the leg impactor can be flipped up without flapping, so that a stable flip-up function can be exhibited.

  Moreover, the pedestrian protection structure in the vehicle front part of this invention which brings about the effect | action at the time of front collision with such a pedestrian is suitable for the vehicle provided with the pop-up hood apparatus. When the control unit determines that the collision body is a pedestrian, the pop-up hood device is intended to protect the pedestrian by lifting the front hood.

  Therefore, from the viewpoint of pedestrian protection, the detection range in the vehicle width direction of the pedestrian collision detection sensor provided in the front bumper reinforcement is shown in FIG. The maximum width W2 between the apron upper members is set. This is to prevent a pedestrian from directly hitting a high-strength member such as an apron upper member disposed in the engine room. The reason why the maximum width W2 between the pair of apron upper members is used as a reference is that the apron upper member may be covered depending on the design of the front hood FF.

  In the vehicle C equipped with such a pop-up hood device, the detection range in the vehicle width direction of the pedestrian collision detection sensor is set to the maximum width W1 of the front hood FF and the maximum width W2 between the pair of apron upper members in plan view. Therefore, since the length in the vehicle width direction of the front bumper reinforcement is longer than the length in the vehicle width direction between the pair of left and right side members of the radiator support, the pedestrian protection structure at the front of the vehicle according to the present invention Is suitable for a vehicle equipped with a pop-up hood device.

  Although the present invention has been described with the specific embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and is known so far as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved. It goes without saying that any configuration can be adopted.

1 …… Radiator support 11 …… Radiator support upper 12 …… Radiator support lower 12a, 12b …… Bolt through hole 12c …… Mounting portion 12d …… Side surface 12e …… Projecting portion 13,13 …… A pair of left and right radiator supports Side 2 …… Front bumper reinforcement 3 …… Upper absorber 4 …… Front bumper cover 5A, 5A …… A pair of left and right first crash boxes 5B, 5B …… A pair of left and right second crash boxes 6, 6… ... Pair of left and right front side members 7 ... Front cross member 8 ... First lower absorber 9, 9 ... Pair of left and right second lower absorber 9a ... Side

Claims (4)

A radiator support disposed in a front portion of the vehicle and formed in a substantially rectangular frame;
A front bumper reinforcement arranged to extend in the vehicle width direction on the front side of the radiator support on the vehicle rear side of the front bumper cover provided at the front end of the vehicle;
In the pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle, which is fixed to the vehicle front side of the front bumper reinforcement and has an upper absorber extending in the vehicle width direction,
A pair of left and right front side members connected to lower portions of a pair of left and right radiator support sides extending in the vehicle vertical direction of the radiator support, and disposed toward the front side of the vehicle along the vehicle longitudinal direction;
A front cross member connected to the front end of the pair of left and right front side members and extending in the vehicle width direction;
A first lower absorber fixed to the vehicle front side of the front cross member and extending in the vehicle width direction;
Formed substantially along the vehicle longitudinal direction at each end in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower formed in a substantially plate shape, extending in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support and arranged in the vehicle lower direction A pedestrian protection structure in the front part of a vehicle, comprising a pair of left and right second lower absorbers bolted through a plurality of bolt through holes. Each end portion in the vehicle width direction of the radiator support lower is formed with a mounting portion for fastening the second lower absorber to the bolt, and is connected to the mounting portion and connected to the second lower absorber. In the case where a projecting portion projecting so as to have a side surface facing the side surface on the bolt fastening side is formed, and a gap is formed between these side surfaces,
The bolt through hole located at the foremost side in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed in a drill hole for bolt penetration, and the other bolt through hole is formed in a long hole whose longitudinal direction is substantially the vehicle width direction. The pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle according to claim 1.   The pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second lower absorber has a front part in a vehicle front-rear direction fixed to a bottom part of the front bumper cover.   The pedestrian protection structure in the front part of the vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second lower absorber is made of a plastic resin material.

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