JP2022143523A - Vehicle body front structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce the length of a vehicle body front part in a fore-and-aft direction as long as the vehicle body front part can bear an SOT crash induced load.SOLUTION: In a vehicle body front structure 10, a frame 11 includes a projection 11d that triangularly juts out on an outer side in a distal vehicle width direction in a plan view, and an upper member 12 that is disposed on a vehicle width outer side of the frame 11 and extends in a vehicle body fore-and-aft direction. A front end part 12a that tilts downward on a front side in the upper member 12 is bent in the vehicle width inner direction up to the vicinity of the frame 11. A V-shaped space whose plan view is shaped like a letter V is formed by the flank of the bent front end part 12a and the flank of the projection 11d which juts out in a trumpet-like shape on the outer side in the front end of the frame 11. A joint member 17 attached to each of the front end part 12a and projection 11d is disposed in the V-shaped space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure capable of supporting an SOT (Small Overlap) collision load on the outside of front end portions of front side frames on both sides of the vehicle body, and capable of shortening the length of the front portion of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction.

Positioned on the outside of the front side frame (also called frame) in the vehicle width direction, the tip of the lower member bent inward in the vehicle width direction faces the brace on the outside in the vehicle width direction at the tip of the frame in the vehicle width direction. The plate surfaces are connected at side joints (Patent Document 1). This side joint has a joint strength capable of supporting the SOT collision load.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,308,940

In the structure of Patent Literature 1 described above, the side joints need to have a large length so that the side joints have a joint strength capable of supporting the SOT collision load. Therefore, the length of the front portion of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction becomes long. For this reason, the total length of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction is also increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front structure capable of supporting an SOT collision load and reducing the length of the vehicle front in the front-rear direction.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body front structure having front side frames extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, wherein the front side frames protrude outward in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle body. and further comprising an upper member disposed on the vehicle width outer side of the front side frame and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the front end of the upper member sloping downward to the vicinity of the front side frame. A V-shaped space that is V-shaped in a plan view is formed between the bent front end portion and the projecting portion of the front side frame, and the V-shaped space is formed. , and a joint member provided between the front end portion and the projecting portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a vehicle body front structure capable of supporting the SOT collision load and reducing the length of the vehicle body front in the longitudinal direction.

1 is a side view of the vehicle body front structure of an automobile according to the present embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure viewed from the oblique front side of the vehicle body indicated by an arrow II shown in FIG. 1 toward the front side of the vehicle body; 3 is a perspective view showing the structure when the connecting plate 16 shown in FIG. 2 is removed; FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view along IV-IV in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the VV cross section of FIG. 1 viewed from above; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing three folding points of the front side frame; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the front side frame and upper member on the left side of the vehicle body; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the upper member as viewed from the rear side (lower side); FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the rear surface of the front side frame, the joining member of the upper member, and the like, viewed obliquely from the lower side indicated by the arrow X in FIG. 9 ; 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 10; FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the front end of the upper member, the cross-sectional view of the projection including the back plate of the front side frame, and the connecting plate, as seen from the rear side of the vehicle body; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration in which the front end portion of the upper member and the protruding portion of the front side frame are sandwiched between upper and lower joint members and a second joint member; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a bulkhead extending rearward along the outer wall while being spaced from the outer wall within the front side frame;

<Configuration of Embodiment>
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-14. In the description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. In each drawing, the arrows "front and back" indicate the front-rear direction of the automobile (not shown), "left and right" indicate the width direction of the automobile, and "up and down" indicate the vertical up-down direction.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the vehicle body front structure of an automobile according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure viewed from the oblique front side of the vehicle body indicated by arrow II shown in FIG. 1 toward the front side of the vehicle body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure when the connecting plate 16 shown in FIG. 2 is removed. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the VV cross section of FIG. 1 viewed from above.

The vehicle body front structure 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes front side frames 11 (frames 11) extending linearly on both sides of the vehicle body, and the frames 11 on both sides extending outward in the vehicle width direction (also referred to as outside). and an upper member 12. The upper member 12 is curved in an arch shape from above the tire (not shown) to the front portion of the vehicle body, and as shown in FIG. there is

The frame 11 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a hat cross-sectional portion 11c having vertically extending flanges 11a and 11b on the rear side of the front end of the frame 11 and having a general hat cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the frame 11 has, on the front side of the hat cross-section portion 11c, a first U-cross section having a substantially U-shaped cross-section, which has a protruding portion 11d having both ends of a concave shape expanding toward the outside. A portion 11e is provided. The first U-shaped section 11e does not have flanges 11a and 11b unlike the hat section 11c.

In addition, the frame 11 has a separate rectangular plate-shaped upper and lower cross-section enlarging portion 13 on the lower side of the outer wall of the first U-shaped cross-sectional portion 11e so that the cross-sectional shape of the first U-shaped cross-sectional portion 11e in the up-down direction is enlarged. and a second U-shaped cross-sectional portion 14 formed by overlapping the .

Further, the frame 11 includes a back plate 15 that closes the opening formed by the first U-shaped section 11e and the second U-shaped section 14, and the back plate 15 closes the opening so that the hollow frame extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. It has a shape. Further, the front end of the second U-shaped section 14 of the frame 11 and the front end of the upper member 12 are connected by a connection plate 16, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the enlarged vertical cross-sectional portion 13 has a shape (trumpet shape) in which the vertical height gradually increases from the rear side of the vehicle body of the frame 11 toward the front end thereof. Due to this trumpet shape, the load input (arrow Y1) is smoothly transmitted through the trumpet shape to the hat section 11c on the rear side of the frame 11 at the time of a passing collision with the other vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 5, the enlarged vertical cross-sectional portion 13 has a trumpet shape that gradually opens outward from the rear side of the vehicle body of the frame 11 toward the front end thereof. Due to this trumpet shape, when an opponent vehicle collides with the upper member 12 in an SOT, the load input in the oblique direction due to the SOT collision is smoothly transmitted through the trumpet shape, and the bending points 11g, 11h, and 11i (Fig. 6) on the rear side of the frame 11 ) intensively.

As shown in the top plan view of the frame 11 in FIG. 6, the hat section 11c of the frame 11 has at least three bending points 11g, 11h, and 11i in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Each of the bending points 11g, 11h, and 11i is a V-shaped valley portion, and the frame 11 is bent in a zigzag shape as indicated by the dashed line 11Z when the vehicle collides with the other vehicle in the direction indicated by the arrow Y2. . More specifically, at the time of the collision, the bending point 11g of the hat cross section 11c bends to the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction indicated by the arrow Yg, and the bending point 11h bends to the inside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction as indicated by the arrow Yh. , zigzag like the frame 11Z.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the frame 11 and the upper member 12 on the left side of the vehicle body. The upper member 12 outside the frame 11 in the vehicle width direction has a front end portion 12a that curves downward from the rear side of the vehicle body in an arch shape and is bent inward in the vehicle width direction indicated by an arrow Y3.

On the front end side of the frame 11, a side surface 11d1 of the projecting portion 11d formed by a vertical back plate 15 (FIG. 3) that closes the opening of the projecting portion 11d projecting outward in a trumpet shape, and a side surface 12a1 of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12. A V-shaped space is formed at . A joint member 17 is installed under the projecting portion 11d and the front end portion 12a so as to block the V-shaped space from below.

The joint member 17 is installed on the upper member 12 and the back plate 15 (side surface 11d1 of the protruding portion 11d) as shown in FIG. It is fixed with a nut.

As shown in FIG. 9, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8, the joint member 17 is provided on the lower surface side of the front end portion of the upper member 12, and the front end portion of the joint member 17 is bent forward to form a forward bending flange 17a. Prepare.

The front side of the forward bending flange 17a, which is the front side of the vehicle body, abuts on the connecting plate 16, and a nut 18 constituting a bumper beam fastening portion is fixed to the back side (rear side) of the forward bending flange 17a. A through hole is formed in the connecting plate 16 at a position overlapping the screw hole of the nut 18 , and a bolt for fixing a bumper beam (not shown) is inserted through the through hole and screwed into the nut 18 .

FIG. 10 shows a configuration in which the rear surfaces of the joint member 17, the upper member 12, and the like are obliquely viewed from below as indicated by an arrow X. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, the upper member 12 has a shape in which an inner member 12c having an L-shaped cross section facing inward in the vehicle width direction and an outer member 12d having an L-shaped cross section facing outward are combined in a square hollow shape. . The joint member 17 is a V-shaped panel and is joined to the inner member 12c of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12, as indicated by the dashed line L5 in a side view from the right side. Further, the joining member 17 has a side bent flange 17b bent to the side of the vehicle body.

As shown in FIG. 11, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI of FIG. 10, the joining member 17 forms the lower surface (lower wall) of the inner member 12c as at least one wall surface of the upper member 12. As shown in FIG. More specifically, the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12 has a horizontal portion extending horizontally at its tip, and the lower surface (lower wall) of the horizontal portion is constituted by a joint member 17. As shown in FIG. That is, the joint member 17 is bridged between the outer member 12d and the inner member 12c of the upper member 12 shown in FIG. 10 (FIG. 11) to form one wall surface as the inner member 12c.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12, the vehicle width direction cut surface of the projecting portion 11d including the back plate 15 of the frame 11, and the connecting plate 16 as viewed from the rear side of the vehicle body.

As shown in FIG. 12, the joint member 17 includes a first joint member 17d that joins the lower side of the back plate 15, which is the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11, and the lower side of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12. As shown in FIG. Further, the joint member 17 includes a second joint member 17e that joins the upper side of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11 and the upper side of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second joining member 17e joins the upper wall 11j of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11, the outer wall 11k of the projecting portion 11d formed by the back plate 15, and the inner wall 12c of the upper member 12. there is As shown in FIG. 12, the second joint member 17e constitutes an outer portion of the upper wall 11j by being joined to the upper wall 11j of the projecting portion 11d. A back plate 15 is joined to this outer portion.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the frame 11 includes a bulkhead 19 that vertically stands and extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to divide the interior into left and right sides in the vehicle width direction. The second joint member 17 e has a structure in which the upper end side of the bulkhead 19 is also coupled.

As shown in FIG. 3, the frame 11 has the outer wall 11k described above and an inner wall 11m facing inward in the width direction of the vehicle. The bulkhead 19 extends rearward along the outer wall 11k while being separated from the outer wall 11k within the frame 11, and as shown in FIG. It is The rear end portion 19b is joined so that this end is located at the break point 11n of the frame 11 indicated by the dashed line.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the protruding portion 11d of the frame 11 increases in vertical height from the rear side to the front side as indicated by double-headed arrows H1 and H2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end 19a of the bulkhead 19 is joined to the lower end of the outer wall 11k of the frame 11. As shown in FIG. As a result of this connection, the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11 on the front side of the vehicle body has a large cross-sectional shape extending vertically.

<Effects of Embodiment>
Next, the characteristic configuration and effects of the vehicle body front structure of the present embodiment described above will be described. The vehicle body front structure 10 has front side frames 11 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction inside upper members 12 on both sides of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction.

(1) The frame 11 has a projecting portion 11d that expands outward in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle body. A front end portion 12a inclined downward to the front side in 12 is bent toward the inside of the vehicle width to the vicinity of the frame 11, and the bent front end portion 12a and a protrusion projecting outward in a trumpet shape on the front end side of the frame 11 are formed. 11d, a V-shaped space is formed which is substantially V-shaped in plan view. The V-shaped space is provided with a joint member 17 that is installed between the front end portion 12a and the protruding portion 11d.

According to this configuration, the side surface 12a1 of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12 and the side surface 11d1 of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11 form a V-shape that widens from the front side of the vehicle body toward the rear side. can be distributed to the frame 11 and the upper member 12 as indicated by arrows Y4 and Y5 in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the frame 11 and the upper member 12 to reduce the weight.

Further, since the joint member 17 is bridged between the side surface 12a1 of the upper member 12 and the side surface 11d1 of the frame 11 and joined together, they can be joined firmly. Therefore, the length L3 of the joining member 17 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body can be made shorter than the length L4 from the rear end of the joining member 17 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body to the front end of the vehicle body. That is, it is possible to support the SOT collision load while achieving weight reduction by shortening the length of the front portion of the vehicle body in the longitudinal direction.

(2) The joint member 17 is configured to form at least one wall surface (see FIG. 11) of the upper member 12 .

According to this configuration, in addition to the effect of (1) above, the weight of the upper member 12 can be reduced.

(3) The joining member 17 has a front bent flange 17a with a front end portion bent forward of the vehicle body. The forward bending flange 17 a has a bumper beam fastening portion (nut 18 ) that overlaps a connecting plate 16 that connects the front ends of both the frame 11 and the upper member 12 .

According to this configuration, the load at the time of SOT collision can be distributed to the frame 11 and the upper member 12 at the bumper beam fastening portion as indicated by arrows Y4 and Y5 in FIG.

(4) The joint member 17 is a V-shaped panel when viewed from the side, and the outside of the vehicle width is joined to the lower surface of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12, and the side bending is formed by bending the inside of the vehicle width in the vertical direction. A flange 17b is provided, and the side bending flange 17b is coupled to the outer surface of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11. As shown in FIG.

According to this configuration, the load input from the bumper beam fastening portion using the nut 18 shown in FIG. and the outer surface of the projecting portion 11d (back plate 15) of the frame 11 via the side bending flange 17b. Therefore, the large load of the SOT collision can be applied to the outer surface of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11, so that the frame 11 can be bent to absorb the collision energy.

(5) The joint member 17 includes a first joint member 17d that joins the lower side of the projecting portion 11d (back plate 15) of the frame 11 and the lower side of the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12, and the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11. and the upper side of the front end portion 12 a of the upper member 12 .

According to this configuration, the front end portion 12a of the upper member 12 and the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11 are sandwiched and joined together by both the first joint member 17d and the second joint member 17e. Therefore, since the coupling strength between the two is increased, even in a structure in which the upper member 12 is inclined upward as indicated by the inclined line L8 with respect to the horizontal frame 11 indicated by the horizontal line L7 in side view in FIG. can be easily dispersed in a V-shape as indicated by a horizontal line L7 and an inclined line L8.

(6) The second joint member 17e is configured by joining the upper wall 11j of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11, the outer wall 11k of the projecting portion 11d formed by the back plate 15, and the inner wall 12c of the upper member 12. .

According to this configuration, the second joint member 17e bears part of the upper wall 11j of the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11, so that the weight of the frame 11 can be reduced.

(7) The second joint member 17e is configured to be joined to the upper end side of the bulkhead 19 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to divide the inside of the frame 11 into left and right sides in the vehicle width direction.

According to this configuration, the strength and rigidity of the front end of the frame 11 and the projecting portion 11d are improved by the bulkhead 19, so that the load is transmitted to the rear bending points 11g, 11h, and 11i while suppressing deformation due to the SOT collision load. can.

(8) The bulkhead 19 extends rearward along the outer wall 11k of the frame 11 while being separated from the outer wall 11k of the frame 11, and the extended rear end portion 19b extends toward the inner wall of the frame 11. 11m.

According to this configuration, the SOT collision load (arrow Y1 shown in FIG. 1) input to the projecting portion 11d of the frame 11 is transferred to the inner and outer walls 11m and 11k at the rear bending point 11n by the bulkhead 19 and the outer wall 11k. Load can be transmitted. Therefore, the frame 11 can be easily bent in an inward convex shape or the like to absorb the impact energy.

(9) The lower end portion 19a of the bulkhead 19 is connected to the lower end portion of the outer wall 11k of the frame 11 .

According to this configuration, the protruding portion 11d of the frame 11 has a large cross-sectional shape extending vertically, so that the input amount of the SOT collision (arrow Y1) can be increased.

(10) The protruding portion 11d of the frame 11 has a shape in which the vertical height gradually increases toward the front of the vehicle body.

According to this configuration, the load input is efficiently transmitted to the protruding portion 11d at the time of a passing collision with the opponent vehicle, so that it is possible to prevent the passing of the opponent vehicle having a different vertical height from the own vehicle. Also, the weight of the frame 11 can be reduced.

Although the vehicle body structure according to the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

10 Body Front Structure 11 Front Side Frame 11Z Zigzag Front Side Frame 11a, 11b Flange 11c Hat Section 11d Projection 11d1 Side 11e First U-shaped Section 11g, 11h, 11i, 11n Bending Point 11j Top Wall 11k Outer Wall 11m inner wall 12 upper member 12a front end portion 12a1 side surface 12c inner wall 13 enlarged upper and lower section portion 14 second U-shaped section portion 15 back plate 17 joint member 17a forward bending flange 17b side bending flange 17d first joint member 17e second joint member 19 Bulkhead 19a Lower end 19b Rear end

Claims (10)

In a vehicle body front structure having a front side frame extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body,
The front side frame has a projecting portion that expands outward in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle body,
further comprising an upper member disposed outside the vehicle width of the front side frame and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body;
a front end portion of the upper member that slopes down toward the front side is bent toward the vehicle width inward direction to the vicinity of the front side frame;
A V-shaped space is formed between the bent front end portion and the protruding portion of the front side frame, and is V-shaped in a plan view,
A vehicle body front structure, comprising: a joint member installed in the V-shaped space between the front end portion and the projecting portion. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein the joining member forms at least one wall surface of the upper member. The joint member has a forward bending flange with a front end portion bent forward of the vehicle body,
The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein the forward bending flange has a bumper beam fastening portion that overlaps a connecting plate that connects front ends of both the front side frame and the upper member. The joining member is a V-shaped panel when viewed from the side, and has a side bending flange that is attached to the lower surface of the front end portion of the upper member on the outside of the vehicle width and bent vertically on the inside of the vehicle width, 4. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 3, wherein a side bending flange is coupled to the outer surface of the protrusion of the front side frame. The joint members include a first joint member that joins the lower side of the protrusion of the front side frame and the lower side of the front end of the upper member, the upper side of the protrusion of the front side frame, and the upper member. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second joint member that joins the upper side of the front end portion. The second joint member includes an upper wall of the protrusion of the front side frame, an outer wall of the protrusion formed by a back plate that closes an opening of the protrusion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and an inner side of the upper member in the vehicle width direction. 6. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 5, wherein the inner wall of the . 6. The second joint member according to claim 5, wherein the second joint member joins the upper end side of a bulkhead extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body so as to divide the inside of the front side frame into left and right sides in the vehicle width direction. body front structure. The bulkhead extends rearward along the outer wall of the front side frame while being spaced apart from the outer wall of the front side frame, and the extended rear end portion is the inner wall of the front side frame. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 7, characterized in that it is coupled to the 8. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 7, wherein the lower end of the bulkhead is joined to the lower end of the outer wall of the front side frame. 2. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein the projecting portion of the front side frame has a shape whose vertical height gradually increases toward the front of the vehicle body.

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