JP3788189B2 - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the structure of the front portion of a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a vehicle, an upper part of a front fender is fixed to an upper part of a pair of left and right wheel apron disposed in front of a passenger compartment so as to be at a predetermined height position. By fixing at the predetermined height position, the height of the upper part of the front fender (more specifically, the inner edge part in the vehicle width direction) and the bonnet (side edge part) disposed between the front fenders is increased. Matched.
[0003]
By the way, when it is assumed that an obstacle is dropped across the bonnet and the front fender, the vehicle width of the front fender (the vehicle width of the front fender) It has been proposed that the inner end of the direction is easily displaced downward. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-180350, the vertical wall portion extending downward from the inner side edge in the vehicle width direction of the front fender is bent and set in a “<” shape so as to receive a downward load exceeding a predetermined value. In such a case, the vertical wall portion is easily crushed and deformed. And it has also been proposed that the front fender is more easily displaced downward in the front part of the vehicle body than in the rear part of the vehicle body by making the degree of bending of the dogleg shape different in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
[0004]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-180350 discloses a vertical wall portion extending downward from the upper portion of the front fender and fixing the vertical wall portion to the wheel apron upper portion. As an overhang shape in which the inner end edge portion is considerably larger than the vertical wall portion and extends inward in the vehicle width direction, the overhang portion easily deforms downward when receiving a downward load exceeding a predetermined value. Something like this has been proposed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in any of the above-mentioned publications, there is room for improvement in that the upper portion of the front fender is firmly supported at a predetermined height position. In particular, in the upper part of the front fender, the support of the inner end edge in the vehicle width direction (boundary edge with the bonnet), which is a parting line in appearance with the bonnet, is weak, and improvement is desired in this respect.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to firmly support the boundary edge with the bonnet in the upper part of the front fender in a predetermined height position, while moving downward from the obstacle. An object of the present invention is to provide a structure of a front portion of a vehicle in which an upper portion of a front fender can be easily displaced downward when a load is applied.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the following solution is adopted in the present invention. That is, as described in claim 1 in the claims,
In the structure of the front part of the vehicle where the upper part of the front fender is fixed to the upper part of the wheel apron so as to be at a predetermined height position
The upper part of the front fender is fixed to the upper part of the wheel apron via a support member having a hollow cross-sectional structure when viewed from the front and rear direction of the vehicle body,
Said support member includes a first vertical wall portion extending in the vertical direction while facing the wall in the vehicle width direction, the first being located at an interval in the vehicle width direction inner side than the first vertical wall portion a, a second vertical wall portion extending in the vertical direction in a state where the wall surface to the wall surface of the vertical wall portion is opposite the upper end of the second vertical wall portion in the boundary edge nearest against the bonnet of the front fender Is located
When the strength of the second vertical wall portion is set to be weaker than the strength of the first vertical wall portion, and the upper portion of the front fender receives a downward load of a predetermined level or more, the second vertical wall portion is folded. Bent and the upper part of the front fender is displaced downward,
It is like that. A preferred mode based on the above solution is as described in claim 2 and the following claims.
[0007]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the boundary edge with respect to the bonnet can be firmly supported by the support member having the hollow cross-sectional structure using the upper portion of the front fender, particularly the second vertical wall portion. Further, when a predetermined downward load or more is applied to the upper portion of the front fender, the upper portion of the front fender can be reliably displaced downward by bending the second vertical wall portion.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the upper portion of the front fender can be supported by the first and second vertical wall portions over a considerably long range in the vehicle width direction via the upper wall portion. The effect corresponding to claim 1 can be further exhibited.
[0008]
According to the invention described in claim 3, the downward load on the upper portion of the front fender is more reliably obtained by causing the downward load to act more effectively as a force for bending the second vertical wall portion. Preferred above.
According to the invention described in claim 4, a specific structure of the second vertical wall portion with reduced strength is provided. In particular, the vehicle body longitudinal direction peripheral portion of the plurality of openings functions like a vertical rib against the vertical load, but the formation of this opening is only preferable in terms of weight reduction. In addition, since the inside of the support member having the hollow cross-sectional structure can be accessed from the inner side in the vehicle width direction through the opening, it is preferable for fixing the support member to the upper part of the wheel apron.
[0009]
According to the invention described in claim 5, the upper end portion of the front fender is moved in cooperation with the second vertical wall portion so that the position of the upper end portion of the first vertical wall portion is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction as much as possible. This is preferable for supporting a range as long as possible in the vehicle width direction. Further, when a downward load greater than a predetermined value is received, a downward bending force acts on the first vertical wall portion, so that the first vertical wall portion resists a predetermined downward load. Therefore, it is preferable to prevent the operation from being forced out. Furthermore, it is also preferable to secure a sufficient amount of downward displacement of the front fender upper portion by making the upper end height position of the second vertical wall portion sufficiently lower than the height position of the boundary edge portion with respect to the bonnet of the front fender. It will be a thing.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a specific structure of the support member having a hollow structure is provided, and a specific fixing method of the support member to the upper part of the wheel apron is provided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a front portion of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, 1 is a bonnet (lid member at the front of a vehicle body) that is opened and closed in the vertical direction, and 2 is a pair of left and right front fenders. It is. Details of the mounting portion of the front fender 2 are shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, 3 is a wheel apron. As is well known, the wheel apron 3 constitutes the left and right side walls of an engine room (which may be a trunk room when the engine is arranged at the rear of the vehicle compartment) that is configured in front of the vehicle compartment. The upper part 3a of the wheel apron 3 has a closed cross-sectional structure extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body in the embodiment.
[0011]
The upper part of the front fender 2 is fixed to the upper part 3 a of the wheel apron 3 via the support member 10. The support member 10 includes a pair of left and right vertical wall portions 11 and 12 extending in the vertical direction and spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and an upper wall connecting the upper end portions of the vertical wall portions 11 and 12 to each other. It has a hollow cross-sectional structure when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, having a portion 13 and a bottom wall portion 14 that connects the lower end portions of the vertical wall portions 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 3, such a support member 10 extends long over substantially the entire length of the upper portion of the front fender 2 in the front-rear direction, and such a support member 10 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin.
[0012]
The upper wall portion 13 of the support member 10 is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction from the boundary edge portion (inner side edge portion in the vehicle width direction) 2a, which is a parting line on the appearance of the bonnet 1 in the upper portion of the front fender 2. The upper part of the front fender 2 extends over a considerably long range. Such an upper wall portion 13 (the upper surface shape thereof) is formed so as to be in close contact with the upper portion (the inner surface shape) of the front fender 2 and is fixed to the upper portion of the front fender 2 with, for example, an adhesive. Moreover, the bottom wall part 14 is being fixed to the wheel apron upper part 3a with the fixing tool 15 using a volt | bolt and a nut.
[0013]
Of the two vertical wall portions 11 and 12, the first vertical wall portion 11 located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is connected to the outer end portion in the vehicle width direction of the upper wall portion 13. It is slightly tilted toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. By this inclination setting, the upper end portion of the first vertical wall portion 11 is positioned on the outer side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the outer end portion in the vehicle width direction of the wheel apron upper portion 3a and more than the boundary edge portion 2a of the front fender. It is considered a very low position. The first vertical wall portion 11 is set to have a large thickness and a high strength. When the wall thickness of the upper wall portion 13 is reduced as compared with the first vertical wall portion 11 set to have a large strength in this way, when a downward load of a predetermined level or more is applied to the upper wall portion 13, The upper wall portion 13 is set to be bent downward from the boundary portion with the first vertical wall portion 11.
[0014]
The upper end of the second vertical wall portion 12 located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction from the first vertical wall portion 11 is positioned in the immediate vicinity of the boundary edge 2 a of the front fender 2. The second vertical wall portion 12 is also inclined so as to gradually go inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes downward. The thickness of the second vertical wall portion 12 is reduced (compared to the first vertical wall portion 11) and the strength thereof is set weak. In addition to this, a plurality of openings 16 are formed in the second vertical wall portion 12 having a thin plate shape at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. By forming the opening 16, the strength of the second vertical wall portion 12 among the vertical wall portions 11 and 12 and the upper wall portion 13 is the weakest, and then the strength of the upper wall portion 13 is weakened. The peripheral edge in the front-rear direction of the opening 16 is configured as a kind of vertical rib 17 that connects the upper wall portion 13 and the bottom wall portion 14, and the vertical rib 17 is a substantial support function in the second vertical wall portion 12. Fulfill. The support member 10 can be accessed from the inner side in the vehicle width direction through the opening 16, and the fixing member 15 is attached and removed through the opening 16.
[0015]
Now, when a downward load more than a predetermined amount is applied to the upper portion of the front fender 2 from the obstacle S, the second vertical wall portion 12 is bent from the middle portion as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The upper part of 2 is displaced downward. In addition, it is further facilitated that the upper wall portion 13 is bent downward from the boundary portion of the first vertical wall portion 11 and the upper portion of the front fender 2 is displaced downward. As the upper part of the front fender 2 is displaced downward, the impact on the obstacle S is mitigated.
[0016]
The boundary edge 2a of the front fender 2 is supported by the weak second vertical wall 12, but the support member 10 including the second vertical wall 12 has a hollow cross-sectional structure as a whole. In other words, since it has a box shape, it is difficult to be easily crushed and deformed. That is, in the normal state, the boundary edge 2a of the front fender 2 is properly positioned at a predetermined height position corresponding to the height position of the side edge of the bonnet 1 (the boundary edge 2a is firmly fixed). Secure support).
[0017]
Although the embodiment has been described above, the front fender 2 is not limited to a metal plate but can be formed of a synthetic resin. Similarly, the bonnet 1 (bonnet body, reinforcement 22) is not limited to a metal plate, and can be formed of a synthetic resin. Furthermore, the support member 10 is not limited to a synthetic resin, and can be formed of a metal plate. The bending strength of the upper wall portion 13 may be set smaller than the bending strength of the second vertical wall portion 12. The object of the present invention is not limited to what is explicitly stated, but also implicitly includes providing what is substantially preferred or expressed as an advantage.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front portion of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.
2 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line X2-X2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a front fender to which a support member is attached as viewed from the inner side in the vehicle width direction.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: Bonnet 2: Front fender 2a: Inner edge (boundary edge) in the vehicle width direction
3: Wheel apron 3a: Upper part of wheel apron 10: Support member 11: First vertical wall part 12: Second vertical wall part 13: Horizontal wall part 14: Bottom wall part 15: Fixing tool 16: Opening part 17: Vertical rib S :Obstacle

Claims (6)

In the structure of the front part of the vehicle in which the upper part of the front fender is fixed to the upper part of the wheel apron so as to be at a predetermined height position,
The upper part of the front fender is fixed to the upper part of the wheel apron via a support member having a hollow cross-sectional structure when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle body,
Said support member includes a first vertical wall portion extending in the vertical direction while facing the wall in the vehicle width direction, the first being located at an interval in the vehicle width direction inner side than the first vertical wall portion a, a second vertical wall portion extending in the vertical direction in a state where the wall surface to the wall surface of the vertical wall portion is opposite the upper end of the second vertical wall portion in the boundary edge nearest against the bonnet of the front fender Is located
When the strength of the second vertical wall portion is set to be weaker than the strength of the first vertical wall portion, and the upper portion of the front fender receives a downward load of a predetermined level or more, the second vertical wall portion is folded. Bent and the upper part of the front fender is displaced downward,
The structure of the vehicle front part characterized by this. In claim 1,
The support member has an upper wall portion set so as to be along the upper inner surface of the front fender while connecting the upper ends of the first vertical wall portion and the second vertical wall portion to each other.
When the upper part of the front fender receives a downward load of a predetermined value or more, the second vertical wall part is bent and the upper wall part is downward from the boundary part with the first vertical wall part. Bend,
The structure of the vehicle front part characterized by this.   3. The vehicle front portion according to claim 1, wherein the second vertical wall portion is inclined so as to gradually go inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper side toward the lower side. Construction. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The second vertical wall portion is formed in a plate shape in which a plurality of openings are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
The structure of the vehicle front part characterized by this. In claim 1,
The first vertical wall portion is inclined so as to gradually go inward in the vehicle width direction as it goes downward from above.
The structure of the vehicle front part characterized by this. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
The support member has a bottom wall portion connecting lower end portions of the first vertical wall portion and the second vertical wall portion;
The bottom wall is fixed to the top of the wheel apron by a fixture,
The structure of the vehicle front part characterized by this.

Images