JP3031642B2 - Car front body structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a front body structure of a motor vehicle, and more particularly to an improved structure for reinforcing a mounting portion for mounting an engine mount bracket to a wheel house portion, and reinforcing a recess formed in an intermediate portion of a front frame. It relates to one provided with a reinforcing structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a front body structure of an automobile includes a wheel house, a suspension tower joined to the wheel house, and a front frame joined to a lower end of the wheel house and extending in the front-rear direction. One of a plurality of engine mount brackets for supporting a power plant including an engine and a transmission is provided on a wheel house or a front frame near the wheel house. For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-520
Japanese Patent Publication No. 81 describes a front body structure in which an engine mount bracket is attached to the front frame. When the engine mount bracket is mounted on the wheel house, a reinforcing plate is usually joined to the mounting part to reinforce the mounting part of the wheel house where the bracket is to be mounted, and the lower end of the reinforcing plate is joined to the front frame. The upper part of the reinforcing plate is connected to the suspension tower if necessary.

[0003]

At the time of a frontal collision (head-on collision) of an automobile, a collision load acting on the power plant acts on the wheel house portion from the engine mount bracket, but the strength of the reinforcing structure of the mounting portion is excessive. In this case, the load is transmitted from the engine mount bracket to the front pillar and the cowl portion via the suspension tower and the wheel apron reinforcement, and there is a problem that the glass mountability for holding the windshield is reduced. On the other hand, if the strength of the reinforcing structure of the mounting portion is insufficient, the rearward movement amount of the power plant at the time of a frontal collision increases, and the influence on the cowl portion and the dash panel increases. Is reduced. On the other hand, in the case of a front wheel drive type vehicle, since the power plant is arranged horizontally, one of the left and right front frames of the engine room easily interferes with the power plant, but in such a case, In order to avoid the interference, a concave portion which is recessed outward in the vehicle width may be formed in a lower portion of the middle portion of the front frame. In this case, if the reinforcing structure for compensating the strength reduction due to the concave portion is not appropriate,
When a frontal collision load is applied, the front frame is deformed so as to be bent upward at the position of the concave portion, so that the influence on the front pillar and the cowl portion is increased, and the glass mountability is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to improve a reinforcing structure for reinforcing a mounting portion of a wheel house for mounting an engine mount bracket, a front body structure of an automobile, and a reinforcing structure for appropriately reinforcing a recess formed in a front frame. The object of the present invention is to provide a front body structure of an automobile provided with the above.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a front body structure of an automobile, which is mounted on a wheel house, a suspension tower joined to the wheel house, and a wheel house in front of the suspension tower. In the front body structure of an automobile equipped with a mounted engine mount bracket, a reinforcing plate is provided at a mounting portion of a wheel house portion for mounting the engine mount bracket, and a reinforcing plate is mounted on a suspension tower of the mounting portion of the wheel house portion. A connection reinforcing plate for connection, wherein a connecting reinforcing plate having a thickness smaller than that of the reinforcing plate is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body front structure comprising:
The front body structure according to claim 1, further comprising a front frame joined to a lower end of the wheel house portion and extending in a front-rear direction, wherein the reinforcing plate is joined to the front frame, and the connecting reinforcing plate is not joined to the front frame. It is characterized by the following.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body front structure comprising:
2. The front body structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a front frame joined to a lower end of the wheel house portion and extending in a front-rear direction. It is characterized in that a concave portion which is recessed outward in the width direction is formed, and a reinforcing plate for compensation for compensating for a reduction in strength due to the concave portion is provided on the front frame.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle body front structure comprising:
The front body structure according to claim 3, wherein the engine mount bracket is provided on one of a right side and a left side of an engine room, and the recess is provided on the other side.

[0009]

In the vehicle body structure according to the first aspect of the present invention, the suspension tower is joined to the wheel house, and the engine mount bracket is attached to a portion of the wheel house in front of the suspension tower. A reinforcing plate is provided on the mounting part of the wheel house part to be mounted, and a connecting reinforcing plate for connecting the reinforcing plate to the suspension tower and having a thickness smaller than the reinforcing plate is provided on the mounting part of the wheel house part. Because of the provision, the mounting portion to which the engine mount bracket is mounted is reinforced by the reinforcing plate and the connecting reinforcing plate. Since the reinforcing plate is connected to the suspension tower by the connecting reinforcing plate, the resistance to a head-on collision load is increased, the rearward movement of the power plant at the time of a head-on collision is suppressed, and the glass mountability and safety are improved. Since the connection reinforcing plate is thinner than the reinforcing plate, the connection strength between the mounting part and the suspension tower does not become excessive, and the connection strength can be set to an appropriate level, so it is transmitted backward from the engine mount bracket via the suspension tower. Since the head-on collision load can be suppressed, glass mountability and safety are improved.

In the vehicle body front structure according to the second aspect, basically the same operation as in the first aspect is obtained. In addition, since the reinforcing plate is joined to the front frame that extends to the front and back, which is joined to the lower end of the wheel house, the reinforcing strength of the reinforcing plate can be strengthened, and since the connecting reinforcing plate is not joined to the front frame, the connection is made. The plastic deformation and energy absorption at the time of a frontal collision can be promoted by suppressing the reinforcing strength of the reinforcing plate for use.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, basically the same operation as in the first aspect can be obtained. In addition, at the front-rear halfway of the front frame that is joined to the lower end of the wheel house and extends in the front-rear direction, a recess is formed that is recessed outward in the vehicle width direction in order to avoid interference with the power plant. The front frame is provided with a reinforcing plate for compensating for the reduction in strength due to the recess, so that interference between the front frame and the power plant can be avoided, and the formation of the recess reduces the rigidity and strength of the front frame. This can be reinforced by the compensation reinforcing plate.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, basically, the same operation as in the third aspect is obtained. In addition, the engine mount bracket is disposed on one of the right side and the left side of the engine room, and the recess is disposed on the other side, so that one end of the power plant is supported by the engine mount bracket, and the other end of the power plant is disposed. The side can be arranged close to the recess, so that restrictions on the arrangement of the power plant are reduced.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained as described in the above section. According to the front body structure of the vehicle according to the first aspect, a reinforcing plate is provided at a mounting portion of the wheel house portion to which the engine mount bracket is mounted, and a connecting reinforcing plate for connecting the reinforcing plate to the suspension tower is provided. By providing a thin connection reinforcing plate, the mounting part can be reinforced with the reinforcing plate and the connecting reinforcing plate, and the resistance to head-on load is increased to suppress rearward movement of the power plant during head-on collision. Glass mountability and safety can be improved. In addition, the connection reinforcement plate is made thinner than the reinforcement plate, so that the connection strength between the mounting part and the suspension tower can be set to an appropriate strength that does not become excessive,
The frontal load transmitted from the engine mount bracket to the rear via the suspension tower can be suppressed to improve glass mountability and safety.

According to the front body structure of the vehicle according to the second aspect, basically the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained. In addition, by joining the reinforcing plate to the front frame that is joined to the lower end of the wheel house and extends in the front-rear direction, the reinforcing strength of the reinforcing plate can be strengthened, and the connecting reinforcing plate is not joined to the front frame. In addition, it is possible to suppress the reinforcing strength of the connection reinforcing plate and promote plastic deformation and energy absorption at the time of a frontal collision.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, basically the same effects as in the first aspect can be obtained. In addition, a recess is formed in the front frame halfway in the front-rear direction to avoid interference with the power plant, and a reinforcing plate for compensating for a reduction in strength due to the recess is provided on the front frame. Interference between the frame and the power plant can be avoided, and the reduced rigidity and strength due to the formation of the concave portion can be reinforced by the compensation reinforcing plate.

According to the front body structure of the vehicle according to the fourth aspect, basically the same effects as those of the third aspect can be obtained. In addition, since the engine mount bracket is provided on one of the right and left sides of the engine room and the recess is provided on the other side, one end of the power plant is supported by the engine mount bracket, and the other end of the power plant is provided in the recess. The power plants can be arranged close to each other, and restrictions on the layout of the power plant can be relaxed.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a front vehicle body structure of a front wheel drive type automobile. In the following description, the front, rear, left and right of the automobile will be described as front, rear, left and right. As shown in FIG. 1, in this vehicle, a power plant 5 including an engine 3 and an automatic transmission 4 is provided in a central portion of an engine room 2 formed in a front body 1 in a left-right direction with respect to a crankshaft direction. Engine 3
Of the automatic transmission 4 is supported by an engine mount bracket 20 provided on the left wheel house 7. The right end of the automatic transmission 4 is supported by an engine mount bracket 11 provided on the right wheel house 7. In addition, the power plant 5 is supported by a subframe for mounting the power plant 5 and the suspension device at one or two other locations. The front vehicle body structure 1 of the vehicle includes a wheel apron 6, a wheel house portion 7 which forms a part of the wheel apron 6, and a wheel apron 6, substantially similar to the front vehicle body of a normal vehicle. , A front frame 9 joined to the lower end of the wheel apron 6, a suspension tower 10 provided in the wheel house 7, and the like.

First, a description will be given of an engine mount bracket 11 for supporting the right end of the engine 3 and a structure for reinforcing the mounting portion of the wheel house 7 on which the engine mount bracket 11 is mounted. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, an engine mount bracket 11 is fixed to a portion of the right wheel house portion 7 in front of the suspension tower 10, and a mounting portion for mounting the engine mount bracket 11 is reinforced. A reinforcing plate 12 is joined to the inner side of the mounting portion of the wheel house 7, and a connecting reinforcing plate 13 for connecting the reinforcing plate 12 to the suspension tower 10 is provided as a reinforcing structure. Are joined to the inner surface side of the. The thickness of the wheel house 7 is, for example, 0.7 mm, the thickness of the reinforcing plate 12 is, for example, 1.0 mm, and the thickness of the connecting reinforcing plate 13 is, for example, 0.8 mm, which is smaller than the thickness of the reinforcing plate 12. It is.
The engine mount bracket 11 includes an upper wall 11a.
And a pair of vertical wall portions 11b on both front and rear sides thereof, and an upper wall portion 11
a, a bracket body integrally formed with a flange portion 11c at an outer end of a, a flange portion 11d at a lower end of the vertical wall portion 11b, and a flange portion 11e at an outer end of the vertical wall portion 11b, and a bracket substrate joined to the lower end thereof 11f, the flange portion 11c is coupled to the mounting portion of the wheel house portion 7 and the reinforcing plate 12 on the lower surface thereof by a pair of bolts, and a pair of front and rear flange portions 11d and the bracket substrate 11f are connected to the front frame 9. The upper wall 9a is connected to the upper wall 9a by bolts, and the flange 11e is in contact with the mounting portion. The end of the bracket 14 at the right end of the engine 3 is connected to the engine mount bracket 11 via a rubber bush 15.

Regarding the reinforcing plate 12, the reinforcing plate 12
Is used to reinforce the mounting portion and strengthen the coupling strength between the mounting portion and the front frame 9. The reinforcing plate 12 is formed to have a size that covers the entire area of the mounting portion, and is provided at a plurality of locations on the inner surface of the mounting portion. The lower end is welded to the front frame 9 (see FIG. 5), and the rear end is located at a predetermined distance from the suspension tower 10. Regarding the connection reinforcing plate 13, the connection reinforcing plate 13 connects the reinforcing plate 12 and the suspension tower 10 with an appropriate strength, and has a mounting portion and a mounting portion from the power plant 5 via the engine mount bracket 11 at the time of a frontal collision. This is to absorb the collision energy by plastically deforming the frontal load acting on the reinforcing plate 12 while appropriately transmitting the collision load to the suspension tower 10. Therefore, the connecting reinforcing plate 13 is thinner than the reinforcing plate 12. The connection reinforcing plate 13 is disposed between the upper portion of the reinforcing plate 12 and the suspension tower 10 on the inner surface side of the wheel house portion 7 and is joined by welding at a plurality of places. It is joined to the upper surface of the flange 10a of the suspension tower 10 and its front end is welded to the upper rear end of the reinforcing plate 12 (see FIG. 6). The lower end of the connection reinforcement plate 13 is located from the front frame 9 at a predetermined distance upward, connecting the reinforcing plate 13 is not joined to the front frame 9. That is, the reinforcing plate for connection 1
When the reinforcing plate 3 is formed to have the same thickness as the reinforcing plate 12, the reinforcing strength becomes excessive, and the wheel house 7, the reinforcing plate 12, the connecting reinforcing plate 13, the suspension tower 10, and the wheel apron reinforcement 8 are separated from the engine mount bracket 11. The transmission of the collision load transmitted to the front pillar and the cowl portion via the front pillar is undesirably increased. Further, when the connecting reinforcing plate 13 is joined to the front frame 9, the rigidity thereof is increased, and it is difficult to plastically deform due to a collision load, which is not preferable.

Next, an engine mount bracket 20 for supporting the automatic transmission 4, a concave portion 22 formed in the left front frame 9 for preventing interference with the left end of the automatic transmission 4, and strength by the concave portion 22. A compensating reinforcement structure for compensating for the decrease will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the front frame 9 includes a vertical wall-shaped outer wall member 9 a.
And the inner wall member 9b having a groove-shaped cross section, are basically formed in a vertically long rectangular closed cross section. At a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the front frame 9, a concave portion 22 for avoiding interference with the automatic transmission 4 is formed in the lower portion inside the front frame 9 so as to be recessed outward. By the way, when the center portion of the span of the front frame 9 is deformed upward due to a frontal collision load, the effect appears on the front pillars and the cowl portion, which is not preferable in terms of glass mountability for holding the windshield on the vehicle body. Frame 9
Also, in the front frame 9 on the left side, a central reinforcing plate 23 is joined to the inner surface of the corresponding inner wall member 9b in order to reinforce the central portion of the span. On the other hand, in the front frame 9 on the left side, a compensating reinforcing plate 24 is joined inside the central reinforcing plate 23 in order to compensate for a reduction in strength due to the concave portion 22. This reinforcing plate 2 for compensation
Numeral 4 is provided so as to extend over the concave portion 22 and both front and rear portions thereof and the upper end thereof is positioned at the middle height position of the front frame 9, and a central portion of the span of the front frame 9 is deformed downward when a frontal collision load is applied. In some cases, it is configured not to deform upward. The reinforcing member 21 for mounting the engine mount bracket 20 includes:
The reinforcing member 21 is joined to the upper surface of the inner wall member 9b of the front frame 9 and the wheel house portion 7 by joining a flange portion of an outer peripheral portion with a hat-shaped cross section. The engine mount bracket 20
Is fixed to the reinforcing member 21 and the front frame 9 via a plurality of bolts, and the distal end of the bracket 25 on the automatic transmission 4 side is supported by the engine mount bracket 20 via the rubber bush 26.

Hereinafter, the operation of the front body structure of the automobile will be described. Regarding the structure on the right side of the front body structure,
The reinforcing plate 12 is provided on the mounting portion of the wheel house 7 where the engine mount bracket 11 is mounted, and the reinforcing plate 12 is mounted on the mounting portion of the wheel house 7.
0, the connecting reinforcing plate 13 having a smaller thickness than the reinforcing plate 12 is provided.
1 is reinforced by the reinforcing plate 12 and the connecting reinforcing plate 13. Since the reinforcing plate 12 is connected to the suspension tower 10 by the connecting reinforcing plate 13, the strength against a frontal collision load is increased, the rearward movement of the power plant 5 at the time of a frontal collision is suppressed, and the glass mountability and safety are improved. . Since the connection reinforcing plate 13 is thinner than the reinforcing plate 12, the connection strength between the mounting portion and the suspension tower 10 does not become excessively large, and the connection strength can be set to an appropriate level. The frontal load transmitted to the rear through the vehicle can be suppressed, so that glass mountability and safety can be improved. In addition, since the reinforcing plate 12 is joined to the front frame 9, the reinforcing strength of the reinforcing plate 12 can be enhanced, and the connecting reinforcing plate 13 is not joined to the front frame 9.
The reinforcing strength of the connection reinforcing plate 13 can be suppressed to promote plastic deformation and energy absorption at the time of a frontal collision.

With respect to the structure on the left side of the front body structure of the automobile, a center reinforcing plate 23 is provided at the center of the span of the front frame 9, so that the upward movement of the center of the span of the front frame 9 at the time of a frontal collision is restricted. As a result, the influence on the front pillar and the cowl part can be suppressed to enhance safety. A recess 22 is formed at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the front frame 9 in order to avoid interference with the power plant 5, and a compensating reinforcing plate for compensating a reduction in strength due to the recess 22 is formed. Since the front frame 9 is provided, the interference between the front frame 9 and the power plant 5 can be avoided, and the rigidity and strength of the front frame 9 are reduced by the formation of the concave portion 22 to compensate for the reinforcing plate. 24 for reinforcement.
The engine mount bracket 11 may have various structures, and the reinforcing plate 12 and the connecting reinforcing plate 13 may be joined not only to the inside of the wheel house 7 but also to the outside. Each of these may be constituted by a plurality of members. The concave portion 22 formed in the front frame 9 is not limited to the automatic transmission 4 of the power plant 5 and may be a concave portion for avoiding interference with a manual transmission or an engine body. The present invention is not limited to the examples, and can be similarly applied to other well-known various structures. Further, the central reinforcing member 23 and the compensating reinforcing plate 24 are attached to the inner wall member 9 b of the front frame 9.
May be provided on the outer surface side (engine room 2 side) instead of the inner surface side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a front body structure of an automobile.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a right side portion of the front vehicle body structure.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a right side portion of the front body structure.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a right side portion of the front body structure.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the left front frame as viewed from the outside.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front body structure 7 Wheel house part 9 Front frame 10 Suspension tower 11 Engine mount bracket 12 Reinforcement plate 13 Reinforcement plate for connection 22 Recess 24 Reinforcement plate for compensation

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yoshie Watanabe 3-1 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside Mazda Co., Ltd. (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 25/08 B60K 5/12

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A front body structure of an automobile comprising a wheel house, a suspension tower joined to the wheel house, and an engine mount bracket attached to a portion of the wheel house in front of the suspension tower. A reinforcing plate is provided at a mounting portion of the wheel house portion for mounting the engine mount bracket, and a connecting reinforcing plate for connecting the reinforcing plate to the suspension tower at the mounting portion of the wheel house portion, the reinforcing plate having a thickness smaller than the reinforcing plate. A front body structure of an automobile, comprising a reinforcing plate for connection. 2. A front frame joined to a lower end of the wheel house portion and extending in a front-rear direction, the reinforcing plate is joined to the front frame, and the connecting reinforcing plate is not joined to the front frame. Claim 1
The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1. 3. A front frame which is joined to a lower end of the wheel house portion and extends in the front-rear direction. The front frame is provided at an intermediate portion in the front-rear direction in the vehicle width direction outward in order to avoid interference with a power plant. 2. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a recessed recess is formed, and a compensation reinforcing plate for compensating for a reduction in strength due to the recess is provided on the front frame. 4. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein the engine mount bracket is provided on one of a right side and a left side of an engine room, and the recess is provided on the other side.