JP2021142815A - Vehicle front part structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front part structure which receives a load caused during a light collision while achieving pedestrian protection.SOLUTION: A vehicle front part structure includes: a bumper beam 3 disposed rearward of a bumper fascia 2 forming a vehicle front surface and extending in a vehicle width direction; an absorption member 4 which is disposed along a front surface of the bumper beam 3 and absorbs a load from the vehicle front; and a receiving member 10 which is attached to a lower part of the bumper beam 3, extends to an area located forward of and below the bumper beam 3, and receives entry of an obstacle from the vehicle front.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure in consideration of a light collision with a bumper facer and pedestrian protection.

Conventionally, a vehicle front structure for efficiently absorbing a load applied from the front of the vehicle (hereinafter, simply referred to as "load") has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The higher the load absorption efficiency, the less damage is given to the pedestrian who collides with the vehicle. When a pedestrian collides with a vehicle, the damage received by the pedestrian is likely to be greater than the damage received by the vehicle, so it is important to efficiently absorb the load on the vehicle side from the viewpoint of pedestrian protection. Is.

Japanese Patent No. 5169966

In addition, if the collision load can be received in front of the vehicle by using the bumper beam, which is a structure, in the event of a light collision with an object on the front of the vehicle, the vehicle will continue to run without being brought to a sales company or repair company. Even if the repair is done by a repair company or the like, the repair cost can be kept low. However, pedestrian protection cannot be sufficiently achieved only by arranging the bumper beam in front of the vehicle so that the load at the time of a light collision can be received more in front of the vehicle.

The vehicle front structure of this case was devised in view of such problems, and one of the purposes is to receive the load at the time of a light collision while protecting pedestrians. Not limited to this purpose, it is also an action and effect derived by each configuration shown in the embodiment for carrying out the invention described later, and it is also for another purpose of this case to exert an action and effect that cannot be obtained by the conventional technique. be.

(1) The vehicle front structure disclosed here is arranged behind the bumper facer forming the front surface of the vehicle, and is arranged along the front surface of the bumper beam extending in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle. It includes an absorbing member that absorbs a load from the front, and a receiving member that is attached to the lower part of the bumper beam and extends forward and downward from the bumper beam to receive an obstacle from the front of the vehicle.

(2) The receiving member has an upper surface portion whose rear end is joined to the lower surface of the bumper beam and a front surface portion which is vertically provided below the front edge portion of the upper surface portion. It is preferable that the bumper beam is located in front of the front surface of the bumper beam and rearward of the front surface of the absorbing member.

(3) The vehicle front structure includes a bottom surface portion having a lower surface flush with the lower surface of the bumper beam, and a rear surface portion fixed to the front surface of the bumper beam and located behind the bottom surface portion. It is preferable to provide a mounting bracket. In this case, it is preferable that the receiving member is joined to the bottom surface portion of the mounting bracket on the front side of the top surface portion from the rear end portion.

(4) It is preferable that a flange portion extending toward the rear of the vehicle is formed at the lower end portion of the bumper facer, and the lower edge portion of the front surface portion is located at least at a height above the flange portion.
(5) The receiving member includes a central receiving member arranged at the center of the bumper beam in the vehicle width direction and ends of the left and right ends of the bumper beam arranged at intervals from the center receiving member. It is preferable that the part receiving member and the member are included.

According to the disclosed vehicle front structure, it is possible to receive the load at the time of a light collision while protecting the pedestrian by the absorbing member and the receiving member.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the vehicle to which the vehicle front structure which concerns on embodiment is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the bumper facer of the vehicle shown in FIG. It is a typical vertical cross-sectional view (corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 2) in which the main part of the vehicle front structure shown in FIG. 1 is cut in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. It is a perspective view which looked at the main part of the vehicle front structure which concerns on embodiment from diagonally left front upper side. It is a schematic diagram explaining the action when a pedestrian comes into contact with the front surface of the vehicle of the structure shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the operation when it is assumed that the other vehicle lightly collided with the front surface of the vehicle having the structure shown in FIG.

The vehicle front structure as an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are merely examples, and there is no intention of excluding the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the following embodiments. Each configuration of the present embodiment can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. In addition, it can be selected as needed, or can be combined as appropriate.

In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle is defined as the front of the vehicle (simply referred to as "forward"), the reverse direction is defined as the rear of the vehicle (simply referred to as "rear"), and the left and right are determined with reference to the front. Further, the front-rear direction of the vehicle is simply referred to as "front-rear direction". In addition, the vertical direction is determined with the direction of gravity as downward and the opposite as upward. The vertical direction does not have to completely coincide with the vertical direction, and may be slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction. Similarly, the anteroposterior direction does not have to exactly coincide with the horizontal direction.

[1. composition]
As shown through FIG. 1, the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment includes a bumper beam 3 arranged behind the bumper facer 2, an absorbing member 4 arranged along the front surface of the bumper beam 3. A receiving member 10 (see FIG. 3) attached to the lower part of the bumper beam 3 is provided.

The bumper facer 2 is a panel member that forms the front surface of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the bumper facer 2 of the present embodiment is composed of two parts, an upper bumper 2A and a lower bumper 2B. A license bracket 2C to which a license plate (not shown) is attached is integrally molded on the lower bumper 2B. As shown in FIG. 3, the license bracket 2C has a C-shape having a vertical cross-sectional shape that opens rearward along the front-rear direction. That is, the license bracket 2C has a front surface portion to which the license plate is attached, and a flange portion 2d formed by bending rearward from each of the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the front surface portion. The license bracket 2C is a part of the bumper facer 2, and the flange portion 2d is a portion extending toward the rear of the vehicle at the lower end portion of the bumper facer 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bumper beam 3 is a structural member extended in the vehicle width direction. The bumper beam 3 of the present embodiment is provided as a horizontal member for connecting the crash boxes 6 fixed to the front ends of the pair of left and right side members 5. The configuration of the bumper beam 3 is not particularly limited, and it may be composed of one member, or may be provided with ribs or uneven surfaces. In FIG. 4, members other than the bumper beam 3, the receiving member 10, and the mounting bracket 20 described later are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the absorbing member 4 is a member (EA core) for absorbing a load (collision energy) from the front of the vehicle 1, and is fixed to the front surface of the bumper beam 3. The absorbing member 4 is formed to have a vehicle width dimension equivalent to, for example, the vehicle width dimension of the bumper beam 3. Further, the absorbing member 4 is arranged at a position (immediately after the bumper facer 2) where a slight gap is formed between the front surface 4a thereof and the rear surface of the bumper facer 2. In the present embodiment, the front surface 4a of the absorbing member 4 is located inside the C-shape of the license bracket 2C (a place where it vertically overlaps at least one of the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the license bracket 2C).

Like the absorbing member 4, the crash box 6 is a member for absorbing a load (collision energy) from the front of the vehicle 1, and is fixed to the rear surface of the bumper beam 3. The crash box 6 mainly has a function of absorbing a load by deforming when the vehicle 1 collides with a structure such as another vehicle or a building, and the absorbing member 4 deforms when the vehicle 1 collides lightly. Has the function of absorbing the load. The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is an off-road vehicle having a large ground clearance, and a lower bar (not shown) is arranged inside (rearward) the lower end portion of the bumper facer 2.

The receiving member 10 is a member that extends forward and downward from the bumper beam 3 and receives the entry of an obstacle (object) from the front of the vehicle. That is, the receiving member 10 is provided with a surface that receives at least an object from the front. The receiving member 10 of the present embodiment has an upper surface portion 11 joined to the lower surface 3b of the bumper beam 3 and a front surface portion 12 vertically provided below the leading edge portion of the upper surface portion 11. The receiving member 10 of the present embodiment is formed by bending a single flat plate member so that the vertical cross-sectional shape along the front-rear direction is substantially L-shaped. As shown in FIG. 4, flanges may be formed at both ends of the receiving member 10 in the vehicle width direction. Further, an uneven surface or rib may be provided in order to increase the rigidity.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear end portion of the upper surface portion 11 of the receiving member 10 is fixed to the bumper beam 3 with a fastener such as a bolt. The upper surface portion 11 extends along the lower surface 3b of the bumper beam 3 in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction. Further, the front surface portion 12 of the receiving member 10 is located in front of the front surface of the bumper beam 3 and is located behind the front surface 4a of the absorbing member 4. In the receiving member 10 of the present embodiment, the front surface portion 12 is located below the central portion in the front-rear direction of the absorbing member 4. Since the front surface portion 12 has a function of receiving the entry of an object from the front of the vehicle, the front surface portion 12 extends in the vertical direction and the vehicle width direction. Further, at least the lower edge portion of the front surface portion 12 is located at a height higher than the flange portion 2d located at the lower end of the bumper facer 2 (license bracket 2C).

In the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, a mounting bracket 20 for stably holding the posture of the receiving member 10 with respect to the bumper beam 3 is provided. The mounting bracket 20 has a bottom surface portion 21 having a lower surface flush with the lower surface 3b of the bumper beam 3, and a rear surface portion 22 fixed to the front surface of the bumper beam 3 and located behind the bottom surface portion 21. The mounting bracket 20 of the present embodiment is formed by bending a single flat plate member so that the vertical cross-sectional shape along the front-rear direction is substantially L-shaped.

The rear surface portion 22 of the mounting bracket 20 is fixed to the bumper beam 3 with a fastener such as a bolt. Further, the receiving member 10 is joined to the bottom surface portion 21 of the mounting bracket 20 on the front side of the rear end portion (that is, the fixing portion with the bumper beam 3) of the upper surface portion 11. The receiving member 10 and the mounting bracket 20 are joined by welding, for example. In the present embodiment, the leading edge of the bottom surface portion 21 of the mounting bracket 20 is located behind the front surface portion 12 of the receiving member 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, three receiving members 10 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction. That is, the receiving member 10 includes a central receiving member 10C arranged at the center of the bumper beam 3 in the vehicle width direction, a left receiving member 10L (end receiving member) arranged at the left end of the bumper beam 3, and a bumper beam. The right receiving member 10R (end receiving member) arranged at the right end portion of No. 3 is included.

The central receiving member 10C has the longest vehicle width dimension among the three receiving members 10C, 10L, and 10R. The left edge of the central receiving member 10C is located at the same vehicle width direction as the left edge of the license bracket 2C, or is located to the left of this. Similarly, the right edge of the central receiving member 10C is located at or to the right of the right edge of the license bracket 2C in the vehicle width direction. That is, the vehicle width dimension of the central receiving member 10C is set to be equal to or larger than the vehicle width direction of the license bracket 2C.

The left receiving member 10L and the right receiving member 10R are provided so as to be symmetrical with each other. The front and rear dimensions of the three receiving members 10C, 10L, and 10R are all substantially the same, and the vertical dimensions are also the same. However, when the left and right ends of the bumper beam 3 are slightly curved rearward, for example, the front-rear dimensions of the left and right receiving members 10L and 10R should be slightly longer than the front-rear dimensions of the central receiving member 10C. Therefore, the front and rear positions of the front surface portions 12 of the three receiving members 10C, 10L, and 10R may be the same.

[2. Action, effect]
Next, using FIGS. 5 and 6, when the vehicle 1 having the above-mentioned vehicle front structure and a pedestrian (obstacle) come into contact with each other, and when the vehicle 1 and another vehicle (obstacle) are light. The operation in the case of a collision will be described. Note that FIG. 5 shows a state after the collision object 30 imitating a pedestrian's leg and the bumper facer 2 come into contact with each other. Further, in FIG. 6, the state after the collision object 40 imitating the bumper of the opponent vehicle lightly collides with the bumper facer 2 is shown by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the collision object 30 collides with the bumper facer 2 from the front, it hits the bumper facer 2 (for example, the license bracket 2C), and the absorbing member 4 located behind the bumper facer 2 is deformed to absorb the collision load. do. In a collision with a pedestrian, since the collision load is relatively small, the load can be absorbed by the deformation of the bumper facer 2 and the absorbing member 4, and the receiving member 10 often does not exert its function.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the collision object 40 illustrated here has a convex portion 41 that imitates the lower part of the bumper of the opponent vehicle. When the collision object 40 enters the bumper facer 2 from the front, the convex portion 41 hits the lower part of the bumper facer 2 (for example, the license bracket 2C) as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in the figure. At this time, even if the absorbing member 4 is located at a height that does not come into contact with the convex portion 41, the convex portion 41 hits the front surface portion 12 of the receiving member 10, and the receiving member 10 suppresses the entry of the collision object 40.

(1) As described above, according to the vehicle front structure described above, the load input from the front at the height position of the bumper beam 3 can be absorbed by the absorbing member 4, so that, for example, a pedestrian collides with the front surface of the vehicle. The pedestrian protection performance can be improved. On the other hand, an obstacle (for example, the rear bumper of the preceding vehicle) that has entered from the front below the height position of the bumper beam 3 is received by the receiving member 10, so that the amount of approach can be suppressed. That is, according to the vehicle front structure described above, it is possible to receive the load at the time of a light collision while protecting pedestrians.

As a result, it is possible to reduce repair costs after a light collision and avoid malfunctions of headlamps and the like. In addition, it will be possible to deal with countries that have established bumper regulations in the event of such a light collision. When an object enters the height position of the bumper beam 3 from the front, the absorbing member 4 can absorb the load and the bumper beam 3 can receive the object.

In a conventional vehicle, a license bracket separate from the bumper facer is attached to the front surface of the bumper facer, but the bumper facer 2 described above is integrally molded with the license bracket 2C. Therefore, the number of plate materials at the position of the license bracket can be reduced by one as compared with the conventional configuration. As a result, the rigidity of the bumper facer 2 becomes lower than that of the conventional configuration, so that the absorbing member 4 is easily deformed by the load input from the front. That is, the remaining crushed portion of the license bracket 2C can be reduced, and the load absorbing performance can be enhanced, so that the pedestrian protection performance can be further enhanced.

Further, since the license bracket 2C of the present embodiment is formed in a C-shaped cross section, it is possible to eliminate the uncrushed residue of the license bracket 2C, and the absorbing member 4 is more easily deformed by the load input from the front. .. Therefore, the load absorption performance can be further enhanced, and the pedestrian protection performance can be further enhanced.

Further, in the vehicle front structure of the present embodiment, since the absorbing member 4 is arranged so that the front surface 4a of the absorbing member 4 is located inside the license bracket 2C having a C-shaped cross section, the load is input from the front. The absorbing member 4 is more easily deformed when it is pressed. As a result, the load absorption performance can be further enhanced, and the pedestrian protection performance can be further enhanced.

(2) The above-mentioned receiving member 10 has an L-shape having an upper surface portion 11 and a front surface portion 12, and the front surface portion 12 is located in front of the front surface of the bumper beam 3 and rearward of the front surface of the absorbing member 4. Since it is located, it is possible to receive obstacles entering from the front, avoid interference with devices and members existing below the receiving member 10, and it is possible to reduce the weight with a simple configuration.

(3) According to the vehicle front structure described above, since the posture of the receiving member 10 can be stably held by the mounting bracket 20, the front surface portion 12 of the receiving member 10 is projected forward from the front surface of the bumper beam 3. Can be placed. As a result, it is possible to catch an object approaching from the front at an early stage, and the amount of approach can be further suppressed.

(4) According to the vehicle front structure described above, since the front portion 12 of the receiving member 10 is located at a height above the flange portion 2d at the lower end of the bumper facer 2, the bumper facer 2 is rearward. Even if the bumper facer 2 is pushed into the vehicle, interference between the bumper facer 2 and the receiving member 10 can be avoided. As a result, the load absorption performance can be enhanced more appropriately, and the pedestrian protection performance can be further enhanced.

(5) According to the vehicle front structure described above, the receiving member 10 is not provided over the entire vehicle width direction, but is partially (that is, the central receiving member 10C and the left and right receiving members 10L and 10R). Since it is arranged, it is possible to achieve both pedestrian protection and load receiving in the event of a light collision while reducing the weight.

[3. others]
The above-mentioned vehicle front structure is an example, and is not limited to the above-mentioned one. For example, the receiving member 10 may not include the three receiving members 10C, 10L, and 10R, and may extend over the entire vehicle width direction. Further, the mounting bracket 20 is not essential and can be omitted. At least, the receiving member 10 may be fixed to the lower part of the bumper beam 3. The method of fixing the receiving member 10, the absorbing member 4, and the bumper beam 3 is not limited to the above-mentioned method (fixing with fasteners or welding).

The receiving member 10 does not have to be plate-shaped, and its shape does not have to be the L-shape described above. The receiving member 10 may have at least a surface for receiving an obstacle entering from the front, and may have a portion other than the upper surface portion 11 and the front surface portion 12, for example, the upper surface portion 11. Alternatively, a portion for fixing to the bumper beam 3 may be provided.

The configuration of the bumper facer 2 described above is also an example. For example, the upper bumper 2A and the lower bumper 2B may be integrated into a bumper facer, or the license bracket may be provided separately from the bumper facer. Further, even when the license bracket 2C is integrally molded with the bumper facer 2, the shape of the license bracket 2C does not have to be C-shaped in cross section. The positional relationship between the bumper facer 2 and the absorbing member 4 can also be set as appropriate.

1 Vehicle 2 Bumper Facer 2A Upper Bumper 2B Lower Bumper 2C License Bracket 2d Flange 3 Bumper Beam 3b Bottom 4 Absorption Member 4a Front 5 Side Member 6 Crash Box 10 Receiving Member 10C Central Receiving Member 10L Left Receiving Member (End Receiving Member)
10R Right receiving member (end receiving member)
11 Top surface 12 Front surface 20 Mounting bracket 21 Bottom surface 22 Rear surface 30 Collision target (obstacle) imitating legs
40 Collision target (obstacle) imitating the opponent vehicle
41 Convex part

Claims (5)

A bumper beam that is placed behind the bumper facer that forms the front of the vehicle and extends in the width direction of the vehicle,
An absorbing member arranged along the front surface of the bumper beam and absorbing a load from the front of the vehicle,
A vehicle front structure, which is attached to the lower part of the bumper beam, extends forward and downward from the bumper beam, and includes a receiving member for receiving an obstacle from the front of the vehicle. The receiving member has an upper surface portion whose rear end portion is joined to the lower surface portion of the bumper beam, and a front surface portion vertically provided below the leading edge portion of the upper surface portion.
The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the front surface portion is located in front of the front surface of the bumper beam and rearward of the front surface of the absorption member. A mounting bracket having a bottom surface portion having a lower surface flush with the lower surface portion of the bumper beam and a rear surface portion fixed to the front surface of the bumper beam and located behind the bottom surface portion is provided.
The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein the receiving member is joined to the bottom surface portion of the mounting bracket on the front side of the top surface portion from the rear end portion. A flange portion extending toward the rear of the vehicle is formed at the lower end portion of the bumper facer.
The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the lower edge portion of the front surface portion is located at a height above the flange portion. The receiving member includes a central receiving member arranged at the center of the bumper beam in the vehicle width direction, and end receiving members arranged at the left and right ends of the bumper beam at intervals from the central receiving member. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle front structure comprises.

Images