JP3174102B2 - Car front 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 structure of an automobile in which a bumper member is mounted on a nose panel while being spaced upward from the nose panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in the so-called sports car world, the overall vehicle height has been kept low, the nose portion defining the front end of the vehicle body has been set at a low position, the bonnet line has been lowered, and the aerodynamic characteristics have been improved. There is a request. As one mode for lowering such a bonnet line, for example, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 62-197483, a recess for introducing an air flow is formed in at least a front portion of the upper surface of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. In addition, there is known a technique of providing a straightening plate in the width direction of the vehicle body at a front position in the recess.

[0003]

However, even if the engine is mounted as a mid-ship type or the front engine and accessories are made compact to reduce the bonnet line, FIG. As shown, a line e connecting a cowl point and c defined by the intersection of the bonnet a and the windshield b and a bumper position d predetermined at a predetermined required height position.
However, it was the lower limit, and it was impossible to set the bonnet line lower than this. In FIG. 12,
g indicates a nose panel in which the front bumper h is stored, i indicates an engine, and j indicates a front wheel. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to lower a bonnet line in a state where a mounting position of a front bumper is satisfied at a predetermined required height position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a front structure of a vehicle which can be set and can improve aerodynamic characteristics.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, according to the front structure of an automobile according to the present invention, the vehicle is arranged continuously with the hood and inclined.
A nose panel having an inclined upper surface;
The ends are connected, and the middle part is separated from the inclined surface of the nose panel.
The front end of the nose panel
Bumper located forward of the front end of the
A front structure of an automobile, comprising:
Both ends of the damper member are attached to the front side frame.
Cover the bumper frame and the bumper frame
Formed from a jacket material having a spoiler function,
The nose panel has a substantially horizontal radiator in the nose panel.
The radiator, the nose panel
Air taken in from the opening formed below
It is characterized by being entered . Also continuous with the hood
A nose panel having an inclined top surface arranged in
Both ends are connected to the nose panel, and the middle part is the nose
It extends in the vehicle width direction at a distance from the inclined surface of the panel, and
So that the end is located forward of the front end of the nose panel
Front structure of a vehicle having a bumper member disposed in
And the bumper member has a spoiler function.
And the nose panel has a rubber
A radiator is disposed in a substantially horizontal state, and is attached to the radiator.
From the opening formed under the nose panel.
The introduced air is introduced and the bumper
An opening is formed on the upper surface of the nose panel facing the lower surface of the material.
And the nose panel has an engine suction
A suction device is provided, and the suction device is connected to the nose.
It is characterized in that it is connected to an opening on the upper surface of the panel .

In the vehicle front structure according to the present invention, an opening is formed on a lower surface of the nose panel below the radiator, and a rear edge of the opening is formed through the opening. And a deflecting member for forcibly introducing the traveling wind into the radiator. Further, in the front structure of the vehicle according to the present invention, the bumper member is joined to the nose panel at both ends thereof, and is separated from an upper surface of the nose panel at a center portion.

In the vehicle front structure according to the present invention, the bumper member is formed hollow inside.
On the lower surface facing the upper surface of the nose panel, at least one of an opening of an intake passage connected to an air cleaner and an opening of a fresh air duct connected to an air conditioner is opened. Features. Further, in the vehicle front structure according to the present invention, the nose panel and the bumper member are characterized in that their outer surfaces are defined by the same outer cover material.

[0007]

As described above, since the front structure of the automobile according to the present invention is constructed, the bumper member is independently positioned at a predetermined required height position while being separated upward from the inclined upper surface of the nose panel. By holding, the predetermined required height position is satisfied, and the inclination of the nose panel can be freely set, so that the nose portion can be set low and the aerodynamic characteristics can be improved.

[0008]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front structure of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 1, a front structure 10 of a vehicle according to an embodiment includes a nose panel 12 extending along a vehicle width direction to define a front end of a vehicle body, and a rear end of the nose panel 12. A bonnet 14 integrally extending rearward from the center of the edge;
, And a pair of left and right finder panels 16 and 18 integrally extending rearward from both sides of the rear end edge of the nose panel 12, respectively. still,
The rear end edge of the bonnet 14 extends so as to form a curve that smoothly changes along the vehicle width direction, and the front window glass 20 extends rearward from this. That is, the cowl point is defined by the line at which the front window glass 20 and the bonnet 14 intersect.

A tire house 24 for accommodating a pair of left and right front wheels 22 is formed outside each of the front panel panels 16 and 18, respectively. A pair of right and left headlamps 2 is provided at the left and right front ends of the bonnet 14.
6, 28 are attached respectively. On the other hand, the upper surface near the center line from the nose panel 12 through the bonnet 14 to the windshield 20 has a single inclined surface that is inclined at a small acute angle with respect to the road surface, as shown by a dashed line A in FIG. It is set to configure.

That is, in this embodiment, the tip of the nose panel 12 is set at a position lower than the bumper height set at the predetermined required height position, and the nose panel 12 does not function as a bumper. Has been made. By setting the tip of the nose panel 12 lower than this, regardless of the bumper height set at the predetermined required height position, the nose of the front structure 10 can be reduced, The bonnet line can be kept low, the aerodynamic resistance can be reduced, and the aerodynamic characteristics can be improved.

As described above, in this embodiment, the nose panel 12 is formed without a bumper function, and as shown in FIG. The bumper member 30 is disposed in an independent state. This bumper member 30
Is formed so as to have a front end surface that extends in a state substantially vertically aligned with the extension curve at the front end of the nose panel 12, and at both ends of the nose panel 12 through joints 32 and 34, respectively. And are integrally joined.
That is, in this embodiment, the nose panel 12, the bumper member 30, and the left and right joints 32, 34 are covered with the same outer cover material OP, in other words, the same outer cover material OP. The outer surfaces are formed in a defined state. When the front structure 10 is viewed from the front, the upper surface of the nose panel 12, the lower surface of the bumper member 30,
The space surrounded by the right side surface of the left joint portion 32 and the left side surface of the right joint portion 34 defines a front opening 36 through which the traveling wind blows.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, both sides of the vehicle body are arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body so that the cross-sectional shape of each end where the nose panel 12 and the bumper member 30 are connected via the connection portions 32 and 34 is shown. The front ends of the front side frames 38 extending along the respective ends are terminated in the nose panel 12, and the upper surfaces of the front ends of the front side frames 38 are respectively arranged along the bumper brackets 40 in the vehicle width direction. Both ends of the extending bumper frame 42 are fixed to each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer cover material 36 is attached at both ends thereof to a shroud 44 attached with the front ends of both front side frames 38 connected to each other via mounting brackets 46. . Here, the mounting height of the bumper frame 42 in the bumper member 30 disposed above the nose panel 12 is set at a predetermined required height position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 which shows the cross-sectional shape of the nose panel 12 and the bumper member 30 along the central axis, the bumper member 30 is independently separated upward from the upper surface of the nose panel 12 by a predetermined distance. It is arranged. That is, an opening 36 through which the traveling wind blows is defined between the nose panel 12 and the bumper member 30.
Here, as is apparent from FIG. 4, the cross-sectional shape of the bumper member 30 has a so-called wing structure in which the upper length along the vehicle longitudinal direction is set shorter than the lower length. By forming the wing structure, the bumper member 30 has a so-called spoiler function.

That is, as shown in FIG.
In a state where the vehicle equipped with 0 is traveling forward, the traveling wind is blown relatively to the vehicle from the front. And, as shown by the white arrow,
A wind K1 hitting the front of the vehicle body and blowing through the upper side of the bumper member 30, a wind K2 blowing between the bumper member 30 and the nose panel 12, that is, a wind K2 blowing through the front opening 36, and a wind K3 blowing below the nose panel 12 You will be separated. Here, according to the well-known wing theory, a downward force DF is generated from the short side of the wind blow-through length to the long side, as indicated by a black arrow, and as a result, the bumper member 30 functioning as a spoiler is disengaged. The front structure 10 of the vehicle body integrally provided receives a force that is entirely pressed against the road surface, so that the contact force between the front wheels 22 increases, and running stability increases. As described above, by imparting the spoiler function to the bumper member 30 independently disposed above the nose panel 12, the traveling performance based on the improvement of the traveling stability of the vehicle is improved.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A radiator 48 is disposed in a lower part of the inside 2 in a state of lying substantially horizontally, and an electric fan 50 is connected to an upper side of the radiator 48. And behind this electric fan 50,
The engine 52 is mounted at a position facing upward from an opening formed by opening the bonnet 14. In order to introduce the wind K3 that blows through the lower surface of the nose panel 12 into the radiator 48, a lower opening 5 is formed in the lower surface of the nose panel 12.
In this embodiment, the rear side edge of the lower opening 54 is provided with a deflecting plate in order to forcibly introduce the traveling wind K3 through the lower opening 54 into the radiator 48. Reference numeral 56 is attached as a baffle plate. By attaching the deflecting plate 56 in this way, even if the radiator 48 is disposed in a state of lying substantially horizontally as described above, sufficient cooling air is introduced into the radiator 48 during traveling. Becomes

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 again, inside the bumper member 30 disposed independently above the nose panel 12, the bumper member 30 is disposed so as to penetrate the same along the vehicle width direction. In the state of being separated before and after the bumper frame 42 thus formed, a foam 58a made of a synthetic resin for absorbing shocks,
58b are stored. Here, these foams 58
a, 58b, and as described above, in order to integrally define the respective outer jackets of the nose panel 12 and the bumper member 30 from the outer jacket material OP, there is a need in the molding technology. Therefore, the opening 60 is formed on substantially the entire lower surface of the bumper member 30. And
The opening 60 is entirely covered by a lid 62 detachably attached to the lower surface of the bumper member 30.

As described above, the foam 5 is contained in the bumper member 30.
By forming an opening 60 for accommodating the openings 8a and 58b on the lower surface thereof, the lid 62 covering the opening 60 can be hidden from the eyes of a person observing the appearance of the automobile, and the appearance of the appearance can be improved. Can be improved.
Further, as is apparent from FIG.
The front edge of the bonnet 14 opposed thereto is located immediately below the rear edge of the bumper member 30.
Each is set to terminate. Therefore, when the front structure 10 is viewed from the front as shown in FIG. 1, the respective ends are not observed, and the nose panel 12 and the bonnet 14 are formed as an integral body. Thus, the appearance can be further improved.

Thus, the front structure 10 of this embodiment is
In the above, the bumper member 30 is mounted in a state of being floated above the nose panel 12 in a state of being independent of the nose panel 12, so that the predetermined required height position is satisfied and the bonnet line is defined as the bumper mounting position. Irrespective of this, it can be kept low, the aerodynamic characteristics can be improved, and the appearance can be improved. In addition, by providing the bumper member 30 independently disposed above the nose panel 12 with a spoiler function, the lifting of the front part of the vehicle body during traveling is suppressed,
The driving stability is improved.

FIG. 6 shows the mounting state of the engine 52 and other components in the engine room in this embodiment.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. That is, as shown in FIG.
An engine 52 is mounted in a substantially central portion in the engine room so as to straddle both front frames 38. Various accessories are attached to the engine 52. In this embodiment, when the engine 52 is viewed from the front, the accessories are attached to the engine 52 in a state where the accessories 52 are divided right and left. Has been attached. In other words,
These accessories are not attached to the upper surface of the engine 52 but are attached in a state where they are detached therefrom.

On the other hand, a surge tank 64 constituting an intake system is disposed above the engine 52. In front of the surge tank 64, both front side frames 38 are connected to each other as shown in FIG. Do lateral frame 6
6 with the air cleaner 68 projecting forward.
Are arranged. The air cleaner 68 and the surge tank 64 are connected to each other via an intake pipe 70, and an air flow meter 72 for measuring the amount of intake air is provided on the upstream side of the intake pipe 70. Also,
On the downstream side, throttle valves 74 for regulating the amount of intake air are interposed.

As shown in FIG. 6, a first suction duct 76 for high speed and high load is connected to the front surface of the air cleaner 68 in a state where it is located at the center. A second suction duct 78 for low speed and low load is connected to the side of the suction duct 76. The first suction duct 76 extends straight forward of the vehicle body and communicates with a first opening 80 for taking in fresh air, which is formed substantially at the center of the upper surface of the nose panel 12. As is apparent from FIG. 7, the first opening 80 is set so as to be located immediately below and directly behind the bumper member 30, so that the first opening 80 is hidden by the bumper member 30 so as to be difficult to see. . On the other hand, the second suction duct 78 is temporarily shifted to the side, and the nose panel 12
Communicates with a second opening 82 formed on the side of the upper surface for taking in fresh air.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, a switching mechanism 84 for selectively using the first and second intake ducts 76 and 78 as intake passages is provided in the above-described air cleaner 68. I have. As shown in the figure, the switching mechanism 84 selects a drive motor 86 that can be driven in reverse rotation as a drive source, and selects the connection holes 76a and 78a of the first and second suction ducts 76 and 78 by the drive motor 86. Shutter member 88 that closes off, and the drive motor 8
In a low-speed / low-load state, the shutter member 88 closes the connection hole 76a of the first suction duct 76, and in a high-speed / high-load state, the shutter member 88 closes the second suction duct 78. And a control device for controlling the drive so as to close the connection hole 78a.

As described above, the engine 52 in the engine room
Etc., that is, by arranging the auxiliary equipment in a state where it is distributed to the left and right of the engine 52,
The upper part of the engine 52 is a space through which the intake passage passes.
In detail, it can be used as an arrangement space for the surge tank 64, and the layout is improved. In addition, an air cleaner 68 requiring a large installation space can be disposed in a vacant space in front of the lateral frame 66 and in front of the radiator 48,
Similarly, the layout is improved.

In such a mounting structure, the structure for taking in fresh air is divided into two types, one for low speed / low load and the other for high speed / high load, and the intake state is made variable according to each. Thus, the intake efficiency can be improved. Here, since the first suction duct 76 for high speed and high load is connected straight to the first opening 80 for taking in fresh air, the layout efficiency near the suspension tower in the suspension device is improved. Can be done.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the foam bodies 58a and 58b are described as being disposed entirely in the bumper member 32 along the vehicle width direction, but the present invention has such a configuration. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 as a first modification. Hereinafter, various modifications of the present invention will be described below. The same components as those of the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

That is, in the first modified example, the foam 38b is not provided on the rear side of the bumper frame 42, but is left as a space. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, a third opening 90 is formed in a portion of the lid member 62 forming the lower surface of the bumper member 30 slightly to the right from the center, and as shown in FIG. A fourth opening 92 is formed at a position slightly leftward from the center of.
Then, as shown in FIG. 9, a second suction duct 78 having a front end communicating with the third opening 90 and a rear end connected to the air cleaner 68 extends to the right side of the center of the space. It is arranged in the state where it was done. That is, in the first modification, the third opening 90 functions as a low-speed / low-load intake hole. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
A fresh air duct 94 having a leading end communicated with 2 and a trailing end connected to an air conditioner (not shown) is provided. That is, in the first modified example, the fourth opening 92 functions as a fresh air intake hole for an air conditioner. As described above, in the first modification, the lower surface of the bumper member 30 that is hardly visible in appearance is defined without forming the openings such as the intake hole and the fresh air intake hole in the nose panel 12 and the bonnet 14. By forming the cover member 62, the appearance can be improved.

In one embodiment described above, the third
Although the fourth openings 90 and 92 have been described as being formed in the lid member 62 that defines the lower surface of the bumper member 30, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, FIG. The second modification may be configured as shown. That is, in the second modification, the nose panel 12 located immediately below the bumper member 30 includes:
First and second openings 80, 8 as in the above-described embodiment.
2 and a fourth opening 9 for an air conditioner.
2 is formed on the cover member 62 of the bumper member 30. Note that FIG. 11 does not show the second opening 82 for convenience of the drawing. As described above, in the second modified example, a portion on the nose panel 12 that is hardly visible by being hidden by the bumper member 30 in appearance, or the bumper member 30
By forming openings such as an intake hole and a fresh air intake hole on the lower surface of the device, the appearance can be improved.

[0028]

As described above in detail, according to the front structure of the vehicle according to the present invention, the condition for setting the mounting position of the front bumper to the predetermined required height position can be satisfied, and the bonnet line is set low. As well as improving aerodynamic characteristics, and arranged in a substantially horizontal state
The front structure of the vehicle which can reliably introduce air into the radiator provided is provided. Plus nose
Air is supplied to the intake system of the engine installed in the panel.
To provide a vehicle front structure that can reliably introduce
Becomes

[0029]

[0030]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of an embodiment of a front part structure of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the front structure shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the front structure shown in FIG. 2 in a state cut along a line BB.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the front structure shown in FIG. 2 in a state cut along the line CC.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a divided state of the traveling wind when the traveling wind blows to the front structure shown in FIG. 1 and an arrangement state of devices in the nose panel.

FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing an arrangement state of engines and the like in an engine room.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view schematically showing a state of arrangement in the engine room shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a switching mechanism in the air cleaner.

9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a first modified example of the front structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the bumper member is cut at a position on the right side from the center.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a first modification of the front structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the bumper member is cut at a position on the left side from the center.

11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a second modified example of the front structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in a state where the bumper member is cut at a position on the left side from the center.

FIG. 12 is a side view schematically showing a front structure of an automobile for explaining a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 front structure, 12 nose panel, 14 bonnet, 16; 18 wing panel, 20 front window glass, 22 front wheel, 24 tire house, 26; 28 headlamp, 30 bumper member, 32; 34 joint, 36 front opening 38 front side frame, 40 bumper bracket, 42 bumper frame, 44 shroud, 46 mounting bracket, 48 radiator, 50 electric fan, 52 engine, 54 lower opening, 56 deflection plate, 58a; 58b foam, 60 opening, 62 lid Body, 64 surge tank, 66 lateral frame, 68 air cleaner, 70 air inlet pipe, 72 air flow meter, 74 throttle valve, 76 suction duct for high speed / high load, 76a opening, 78 low speed / low load Intake duct, 78a opening, 80 first opening, 82 second opening, 84 switching mechanism, 86 driving motor, 88 a shutter member, 90 third opening, 92 a fourth opening, which is 94 Furetsushi Yoo air duct.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-62-221978 (JP, A) JP-A-62-110181 (JP, A) JP-A-60-92992 (JP, A) Jpn. 127072 (JP, U) Fully open sho 59-9953 (JP, U) Fully open sho 62-197483 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 37/02 B62D 25 / 08 B60R 19/48

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sloping and continuous arrangement with a bonnet
A nose panel having an upper surface, and both ends of the nose panel
Is connected, and the middle part is separated from the slope of the nose panel.
To extend in the vehicle width direction, and the front end has the nose panel
Bumper located forward of the front end of the
And a front side frame of the bumper member at both ends.
The attached bumper frame and the bumper frame
Formed from a jacket material with a spoiler function to cover the surface
The radiator is substantially horizontal inside the nose panel.
The radiator, the nose panel
Air taken in from the opening formed below
The front structure of a car characterized by being inserted . 2. An inclined arrangement which is arranged continuously with the bonnet.
A nose panel having an upper surface, and both ends of the nose panel
Is connected, and the middle part is separated from the slope of the nose panel.
To extend in the vehicle width direction, and the front end has the nose panel
Bumper located forward of the front end of the
And a bumper member formed into a shape having a spoiler function.
The radiator is substantially horizontal inside the nose panel.
The radiator, the nose panel
Air taken in from the opening formed below
And the nose panel facing the lower surface of the bumper member.
An opening is provided on the upper surface, and an intake device for the engine is arranged in the nose panel.
And the suction device is provided on an upper surface of the nose panel.
The front structure of a car, characterized in that it is connected to the opening of the vehicle. 3. An opening is formed at a lower surface of the nose panel below the radiator, and a rear end edge of the opening is forcibly introducing running wind to the radiator through the opening. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a deflecting member for causing the vehicle to rotate. 4. The bumper member has a hollow inside, and a lower surface of the nose panel facing an upper surface of the nose panel is connected to an opening of an intake passage connected to an air cleaner and an air conditioner. front structure of an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one opening of fretting Shiyu air duct, characterized in that it is opened. 5. The nose panel and a bumper member,
3. The front structure of an automobile according to claim 1, wherein each outer surface is defined by the same outer cover material.