JP4568913B2 - Car fender apron protector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure, and more particularly to a structure of a fender apron protector in a front fender portion.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a fender apron protector that extends from the upper end of a fender panel to the vicinity of an apron is provided as a countermeasure against NV (noise / vibration) in a front fender portion in an automobile. Such a fender apron protector is configured to be elongated along the inside of the fender panel 2 (see FIG. 10) like the fender apron protector 1 whose right front fender portion is shown as an example in FIG.

  The fender apron protector 1 is made of a resin material, and as shown in FIG. 10, an edge (parting part) 2a bent inward from the upper end of the fender panel 2 in the region below the side edge of the hood hood 4 inside the fender panel 2. The cross section is formed in a substantially “U” shape so as to be sandwiched from above and below, and the vertical wall 3 extends downward from the lower end to the vicinity of the apron.

In the rear region 1 a of the fender apron protector 1 shown in FIG. 9, the vertical wall 3 is inclined downward and inward so that it falls to the inside of the vehicle when an impact load from above is applied. In the rear region 1a, a bracket (not shown) for fixing the fender panel 2 is arranged on the lower side of the fender panel 2, and when the vertical wall 3 falls outside, it interferes with the bracket. Because it ends up.
On the other hand, in the front region 1b of the fender apron protector 1, the vertical wall 3 is inclined downward and outward so as to fall outward when an impact load from above is applied.

  When an impact load by the object O is applied to the hood 4 from above, the vertical wall 3 falls down in the rear region 1a due to this load, and a dotted line in FIG. 11A in the front region 1b. As shown by, the hood hood 4 descends and pushes the fender apron protector 1 downward, and the vertical wall 3 falls to the outside.

Accordingly, when the hood hood 4 is further lowered, the fender apron protector 1 is also lowered and comes into contact with the apron 5. Therefore, the fender apron protector 1 moves downward until it comes into contact with the apron 5 due to the impact load from above, and the impact on the hood 4 is absorbed by this downward movement stroke, and pedestrian protection performance is obtained. .
JP 2005-313692 A

  Here, the vertical wall 3 needs to be destroyed when an impact load is applied to the bonnet hood 4 from above, but the entire vertical wall 3 having an inward and outward inclination depending on the region is integrally formed. In addition, since the vertical wall 3 in the boundary portion of these regions does not have an inclination, there is a certain degree of rigidity especially in this boundary and its peripheral portion, and is not easily destroyed. Therefore, the injury value when an impact load is applied to the hood 4 from above is increased.

  In the fender apron protector 1 having such a configuration, when an impact load is applied to the bonnet hood 4 by the object O from above, the hood hood 4 is further removed from the state shown by the dotted line in FIG. 11B, the fender apron protector 1 is also lowered, but the front end 3a of the vertical wall 3 hits the step 5a of the apron 5 in the front region 1b.

  For this reason, the fender apron protector 1 is not completely brought into contact with the surface of the apron 5, so that a so-called crushing residue A is generated, and the downward movement stroke of the fender apron protector 1 is inhibited. Thereby, when the fender apron protector 1 moves downward, the tension force of the tip 3a of the vertical wall 3 against the apron 5 becomes a reaction force against the impact load, and the impact load increases.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a head 7a of a fastening bolt 7 for fixing the fender panel 2 to a bracket 6 attached to the vehicle body protrudes from the upper surface of the edge 2a of the fender panel 2. ing. For this reason, when an impact load is applied from above and the fender apron protector 1 moves downward, a portion of the fender apron protector 1 located above the fender panel 2 is partially attached to the head 7 a of the bolt 7. It will abut. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 12, a so-called crush residue B is generated, and the downward movement stroke of the fender apron protector 1 is obstructed.

  Here, the fender apron protector 1 is provided for NV (noise / vibration) countermeasures in the engine and underbody, etc., but at the same time, in order to improve the pedestrian protection performance, it is preferable not to inhibit the stroke, For this purpose, it is effective to use a rubber material softer than the resin material. However, since rubber-based materials are expensive and the overall cost of the fender apron protector 1 is increased, the fender apron protector 1 made of such a rubber-based material should be mounted on a low-priced vehicle. Was difficult.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a fender apron for an automobile in which even a resin material can move downward without being crushed in response to an impact from above on the bonnet hood, and the injury value around the bonnet hood can be reduced. The purpose is to provide a protector.

In order to achieve the above object, an automobile fender apron protector of the present invention is installed inside a front fender and has a vertical wall extending from the upper surface of the edge bent inward at the upper end of the fender panel to the apron. The wall is slanted to the lower inside in the area where the bracket is located below the fender panel, to the outside outside in the area where the bracket is not located, and to the lower front side or rear side at the boundary of these areas. And it has the notch of the direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

Here , the notch refers to a notch (slit) or a notch groove (a portion that is extremely thin compared to other portions), and a portion that divides the vertical walls before and after the structure in terms of structure.

  The fender apron protector for a vehicle according to the present invention preferably has a bent portion whose tip is bent outward at a portion of the vertical wall that is inclined downward and outward.

  In the automobile fender apron protector according to the present invention, preferably, a sealing material is attached to the lower surface of the bent portion.

  The automobile fender apron protector according to the present invention preferably includes a slit around a region located above the fender panel edge and above the fender panel fixing bolt.

  According to the above configuration, since the fender apron protector is arranged inside the fender panel, the gap between the fender panel and the apron is blocked by the vertical wall, and the sound from the engine room and the foot suspension is blocked. Noise is suppressed.

  In addition, the vertical walls of each part including the boundary part between the area where the bracket is arranged and the area where the bracket is not arranged on the lower side of the fender panel are inclined, so that when an impact load is applied from above, The fender apron protector does not obstruct the stroke of the downward movement of the fender apron protector. Therefore, the injury value when an impact load is applied to the hood from above is reduced, and for example, pedestrian protection is more reliably achieved.

  Further, since the vertical wall is provided with a notch in the longitudinal direction, when an impact load is applied from above, the vertical wall is divided into portions at the notch portion, and the fender apron is collapsed at each divided portion. The protector moves downward smoothly.

  Here, the portion inclined to the lower outer side of the vertical wall has a bent portion whose tip is bent outward, so that the portion inclined to the lower outer side of the vertical wall is outward along the surface of the apron. When moved, the bent portion at the tip of the vertical wall rises from the apron surface, and even if there is a step on the apron surface, the step can be easily overcome by this lift.

  Therefore, as the fender apron protector moves downward, the front end of the vertical wall does not hit against the step on the apron surface, and the downward stroke of the fender apron protector is not hindered. Thereby, the injury value when an impact load is applied to the hood hood from above is reduced, and for example, pedestrian protection is more reliably achieved.

  When a sealing material is attached to the lower surface of the bent portion, in the state where the fender apron protector does not move downward, the vicinity of the tip of the vertical wall comes into contact with the apron surface through the sealing material, and the fender panel and the apron Since the gap is completely closed, the sound generated at the front fender is completely blocked.

  By providing a slit around the area above the fender panel fixing bolt and above the fender panel fixing bolt, an impact load is applied from above the fender apron protector, and the area in the slit is the fixing bolt. When the head is in contact with the head, the surrounding area is separated by the slit and the other areas can move downward, so that the stroke of the downward movement is ensured.

  Thus, according to the present invention, when an impact load is applied from above, each part of the vertical wall of the fender apron protector falls down in a predetermined direction, and the entire fender apron protector can smoothly move downward, and the downward movement thereof The stroke is not obstructed. Therefore, even when resin material is used, the fender apron that can move down without being crushed against the impact from above on the hood hood, and realizes cost reduction while ensuring both NV performance and pedestrian protection performance A protector can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an embodiment of an automobile fender apron protector according to the present invention, taking a right front fender portion as an example. The fender apron protector 10 is formed of a resin, and is disposed along the inside of the front fender portion of the automobile and is elongated so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the automobile. The fender apron protector 10 opposes the upper surface of the edge bent inward at the upper end of the fender panel 11 (see FIG. 2), and extends vertically to the vicinity of the apron over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. (Described later).

Here, the fender panel 11 is made of a steel plate or the like so as to define a side surface around the front tire house at the front part of the vehicle body, and as shown in FIG. The edge 11a bent in the shape is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the end edge 11 a is screwed with a fixing bolt 14 to a bracket 13 fixedly arranged on the apron 12 on the vehicle body side.
As shown in FIG. 2, the fender panel 11 has an upper end connected to a hood hood 15 that covers the engine room, and an edge 11 a of the fender panel 11 enters the lower side of the hood hood 15 as described above. Is bent in a substantially L shape.

The above configuration is the same as the conventional vehicle fender apron protector shown in FIG. 9, but the vehicle fender apron protector 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured differently from the conventional one in the following points. .
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the fender apron protector 10 has a vertical wall 16a on the lower inner side in the middle rear region 10a and the front end region 10b where the bracket 13 for attaching the fender panel 11 is disposed, as shown in FIG. Inclined and extended.

  Further, the vertical wall 16a is provided with a notch groove 20 along the longitudinal direction at an appropriate position in the middle of the inclination. In this portion, the vertical wall 16a is thinner than other portions and is easily deformed. Therefore, when an impact load is applied from above and the fender apron protector 10 moves downward, the vertical wall 16a falls inward as indicated by the arrow X with the notch groove 20 as a boundary, and does not interfere with the bracket 13.

  Further, in the middle front region 10c and the rear end region 10h shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the cross section is substantially “k” so that the fender apron protector 10 sandwiches the edge 11a of the fender panel 11 from above and below. In addition to being formed in a letter shape, the vertical wall 16b extends obliquely downward and outward. The vertical wall 16b is provided with a notch groove 20 along the longitudinal direction at an appropriate position in the middle of the inclination. In this portion, the vertical wall 16b is thinner than the other portions and is easily deformed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the vertical wall 16b is provided with an upward bent portion 16e bent outward, and a sealing material 18 is attached to the lower surface of the bent portion 16e. As a result, when an impact load from above is applied and the fender apron protector 10 moves downward, the vertical wall 16b falls outward with the notch groove 20 as a boundary, as indicated by an arrow Y in FIG.

  The sealing material 18 is preferably a soft sponge-like material such as Eptosea. Thereby, in a state where the fender apron protector 10 does not move downward, as shown in FIG. 2, the bent portion 16e at the tip of the vertical wall 16b comes into contact with the upper surface of the apron 12 through the sealing material 18, and the engine room and the foot. The sound from the surroundings can be effectively cut off.

  Since the sealing material 18 is not fixed to the upper surface of the apron 12 and is made of a soft material, when the bent portion 16e at the tip of the vertical wall 16b moves on the upper surface of the apron 12 by the downward movement of the fender apron protector 10, The sealing material 18 does not hinder the movement of the bent portion 16e.

On the other hand, in the boundary portion 10d between the middle rear region 10a and the middle front region 10c shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the vertical wall 16c is inclined and extended to the lower front side. Further, the vertical wall 16c is also provided with a notch groove 20 along the longitudinal direction at an appropriate position in the middle of the inclination. In this portion, the vertical wall 16c is thinner than the other portions. It is easy to deform.
Thereby, when an impact load from above is applied and the fender apron protector 10 moves downward, the vertical wall 16c falls to the front side as indicated by the arrow Z with the notch groove 20 as a boundary. And other vertical walls 16a and 16b do not interfere.

  On the other hand, at the boundary portion 10i between the middle rear region 10a and the rear end region 10h, and at the boundary portion 10e between the front end region 10b and the middle front region 10c, the vertical wall 16d having the notch groove 20 at an appropriate location is formed in the lower rear portion. Inclined sideways. Therefore, when an impact load from above is applied and the fender apron protector 10 moves downward, the vertical wall 16d falls to the rear side with the notch groove 20 as a boundary, and the bracket 13 and the other vertical wall 16a. , 16b.

  Further, the vertical walls 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are provided with notches 17 that are notches or cutout grooves in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vertical walls at least at the boundary portions thereof. As a result, the vertical walls 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d are respectively directed toward the inner side, the outer side, the front side, and the rear side when the vertical wall divided by the notches 17 is subjected to an impact load from above. Since it falls down, the fender apron protector 10 can be smoothly moved downward.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the fender apron protector 10 includes regions 10 f and 10 g located above the fixing bolts 14 of the fender panel 11 in a portion located above the end edge 11 a of the fender panel 11. Are each provided with a slit 19. Each of these slits 19 is interrupted at three locations, and the interrupted portions are formed thin as connecting portions 19a.

  The connecting portions 19a connect the regions 10f and 10g so as not to be separated from the fender apron protector 10, and when the fender apron protector 10 moves downward due to an impact load from above, the regions 10f and 10g are fixed bolts. After contact with the 14 heads 14a, the connecting portion 19a is broken or elastically deformed, so that the regions other than the regions 10f and 10g in the fender apron protector 10 can move further downward.

  The automobile fender apron protector 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above. Normally, the fender apron protector 10 extends downward from the upper surface of the edge 11a of the fender panel 11 to the vicinity of the apron 12, The vertical wall 16 closes the gap between the fender panel 11 and the apron 12, and the seal material 18 provided on the lower surface of the bent portion 16 e at the tip of the vertical wall 16 b comes into contact with the upper surface of the apron 12. Noise from the room and the area around the foot is suppressed.

  When an impact load is applied to the hood hood 15 from above by the object O, the hood hood 15 is moved downward by this load, and the fender apron protector 10 is also moved downward. Then, the vertical wall 16 of the fender apron protector 10, that is, the vertical walls 16 a, 16 b, 16 c, and 16 d also descends, comes into contact with the upper surface of the apron 12, and falls down in the inclined direction while sliding along the upper surface of the apron 12.

  That is, the vertical wall 16a falls inward as indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 3 and moves downward to the position indicated by the dotted line, and the vertical wall 16b falls outward as indicated by an arrow Y in FIG. Falls to the front side as indicated by the arrow Z in FIG. 4 and moves downward to the position indicated by the dotted line, and the vertical wall 16d falls to the rear side. Moreover, since the vertical wall 16a is mutually divided | segmented by the notch regarding the longitudinal direction, each divided | segmented part of the vertical wall 16a will fall down inward smoothly.

  In particular, as shown in FIG. 7A, the vertical wall 16b moves downward while the vertical wall 16b also falls outward as the fender apron protector 10 moves downward when an impact load is applied from above. At that time, the bent portion 16e at the tip of the vertical wall 16b is bent upward, so that when it moves outward along the surface of the apron 12, it floats from the surface of the apron 12. Therefore, even if there is a step 12a on the surface of the apron 12, the bent portion 16e can easily get over the step 12a due to the rising. Therefore, as the fender apron protector 10 moves downward, the tip of the vertical wall 16b does not hit the step 12a of the apron 12 and be stretched.

  As described above, each of the vertical walls 16a to 16d falls down in a predetermined direction without interfering with other vertical walls 16a to 16d, the apron 12, the bracket 13, and the like, so that the fender apron protector 10 The downward movement stroke is not obstructed.

  Further, when the fender apron protector 10 moves downward due to an impact load from above, the fender apron protector 10 further moves downward after the regions 10f and 10g abut against the head 14a of the fixing bolt 14. Then, the fender apron protector 10 can further move downward by breaking or elastically deforming the connecting portions 18a, 18b, and 18c. Therefore, the stroke of the downward movement of the fender apron protector 10 is not hindered by the head 14 a of the fixing bolt 14.

  In this way, the injury value when an impact load is applied to the bonnet hood from above is reduced, and for example, pedestrian protection is more reliably achieved.

  In the embodiment described above, the fender apron protector 10 corresponds to the bracket 13 for fixing the fender panel 11 to the apron 12, and the vertical wall 16a inclined obliquely inward in the middle rear region 10a and the front end region 10b. And a vertical wall 16b inclined obliquely outward in the middle front region 10c. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the vertical walls 16a and 16b are arbitrarily arranged according to the arrangement of the bracket 13. Obviously you get.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the fender apron protector moves downward without being crushed in response to an impact from above on the hood, and the damage value in the hood can be reduced. An automobile fender apron protector is provided.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an overall configuration of an automobile fender apron protector according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line in the mounting state to the front fender part of the fender apron protector of FIG. It is a BB sectional view in the state where the fender apron protector of Drawing 1 was attached to the front fender part. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of the mounting state to the front fender part of the fender apron protector of FIG. It is a partial enlarged plan view which shows the upper area | region of the front side of the fender panel fixing bolt of the fender apron protector of FIG. It is the elements on larger scale which show the upper area | region of the rear side of the fender panel fixing volt | bolt of the fender apron protector of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view sequentially showing a downward movement when an impact load is applied to the fender apron protector of FIG. 2 from above. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows a downward movement when an impact load is applied from the upper direction of the fender apron protector of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the whole structure of an example of the fender apron protector of the conventional motor vehicle. It is sectional drawing in the mounting state to the front fender part of the fender apron protector of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows a downward movement sequentially when an impact load is applied from upper direction with respect to the fender apron protector of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows a downward movement when an impact load is applied from the upper direction with respect to the upper area | region of the fender panel fixing bolt of the fender apron protector of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fender apron protector 11 Fender panel 11a Edge 12 Apron 12a Step 13 Bracket 14 Fixing bolt 14a Head 15 Bonnet food 16, 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d Vertical wall 17 Notch 18 Seal material 19 Slit

Claims (4)

A fender apron protector for a vehicle having a vertical wall installed on the inner side of the front fender and extending from the upper surface of the edge bent inward at the upper end of the fender panel to the apron,
The vertical wall is located below the fender panel in the area where the bracket is located, on the inside down, in the area where the bracket is not located, outside the bottom, and on the boundary between these areas, on the down front or back side, respectively. An automobile fender apron protector characterized by having a notch that is inclined and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction . A fender apron protector for a vehicle having a vertical wall installed on the inner side of the front fender and extending from the upper surface of the edge bent inward at the upper end of the fender panel to the apron,
The vertical wall is located below the fender panel in the area where the bracket is located, on the inside down, in the area where the bracket is not located, outside the bottom, and on the boundary between these areas, on the down front or back side, respectively. inclined, and, among the vertical wall, the portion that is inclined downwardly outwardly, you characterized as having a bent portion the tip is bent outward, fender apron protector of automobile. The fender apron protector for an automobile according to claim 2 , wherein a sealing material is attached to a lower surface of the bent portion. A fender apron protector for a vehicle having a vertical wall installed on the inner side of the front fender and extending from the upper surface of the edge bent inward at the upper end of the fender panel to the apron,
The vertical wall is located below the fender panel in the area where the bracket is located, on the inside down, in the area where the bracket is not located, outside the bottom, and on the boundary between these areas, on the down front or back side, respectively. Tilt,
It comprising the slit around the region located above the fender panel fixing bolt a upper side of the fender panel edges, fender apron protector of automobile.

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