JP5955704B2 - Front end structure of the vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a front end structure of a vehicle provided with a bracket that protrudes rearward from the front panel side of a vehicle body that forms the front surface of a passenger compartment and that supports a brake booster at the protruding portion.

  Conventionally, the front end structure of the vehicle is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. According to this publication, the front end structure of the vehicle has a front panel of the vehicle body that forms the front surface of the passenger compartment, and extends in the width direction of the vehicle body along the front panel. A cross member supported by a skeleton member of the vehicle body and one side portion of the front end portion of the passenger compartment, and attached to the front panel side so as to protrude rearward from the front panel side. And a bracket for supporting the brake booster. In this case, the driver of the passenger compartment is usually located near the rear of the brake booster.

  The cross member is formed by joining the front and rear panels so as to have a middle shape, and each cross section in the longitudinal direction has a hollow closed cross-sectional structure. A crushing gap is formed between the cross member and the bracket.

  While the vehicle is running, the vehicle collides with a certain object in front of it (front collision), and the midway portion in the longitudinal direction of the cross member is displaced toward the rear by receiving an impact force from the front. And In this case, the middle part of the cross member enters the gap while being displaced rearward, and in the middle part of the cross member, the front panel moves rearward with respect to the rear panel. The inner space is deformed to contract.

  For this reason, it is prevented that the middle part of the cross member pushes the bracket toward the rear by the deformation of the middle part of the cross member at the time of the front collision. Therefore, the brake booster supported by the bracket is also prevented from moving toward the driver located near the rear thereof. As a result, the brake booster is prevented from colliding with the driver at the time of a front collision, and the driver is protected.

JP 2000-135987 A

  By the way, according to the prior art, in order to protect the driver at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the cross member is made into a hollow closed cross-sectional structure in advance, and the crash member is interposed between the cross member and the bracket. A gap is formed.

  However, if the cross member has a hollow closed cross-section structure as described above, or if the gap is provided, the cross member and the gap have a large occupied space. Therefore, the formation of the vehicle body becomes complicated, the mass increases, the productivity of the vehicle body decreases, and the production cost may increase.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to make it possible to more reliably protect the driver at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, and even in such a case. It is to prevent the front part of the vehicle body from becoming large and maintain the productivity of the vehicle body satisfactorily.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the front panel 12 of the vehicle body 2 forming the front surface of the passenger compartment 10 and the width direction of the vehicle body 2 extend along the front panel 12, and the respective end portions in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 respectively. A cross member 34 supported by the skeleton member and one side portion of the front end portion of the vehicle compartment 10 are attached to the front panel 12 side so as to protrude rearward from the front panel 12 side, and the protrusion In the front end structure of the vehicle provided with a bracket 41 that supports the brake booster 48 in the part,
In the front view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 4), the bracket 41 mounting portion on the front panel 12 side is brought close to the side portion of the cross member 34, and the longitudinal halfway portion of the cross member 34 extends from the front thereof. When the impact force F is applied to displace rearward, the side part of the cross member 34 is bent and deformed so as to rotate around the end of the cross member 34 toward the rear outer side of the vehicle body 2. It is the structure of the front end part of the vehicle characterized by the above.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the vehicle front end structure according to claim 1, wherein the side portion of the cross member 34 is inclined so as to extend forward as it goes inward of the vehicle body 2. is there.

  In addition, in this section, the reference numerals and drawing numbers appended to the above terms are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the “Example” section and the contents of the drawings described later.

  The effects of the present invention are as follows.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the front panel of the vehicle body that forms the front surface of the passenger compartment, and the vehicle body extends in the width direction of the vehicle body along the front panel, and each end in the longitudinal direction is supported by the skeleton member of the vehicle body. A cross member and a bracket that is disposed on one side of the front end portion of the passenger compartment and that is attached to the front panel side so as to protrude rearward from the front panel side and that supports the brake booster on the protruding portion. In the front end structure of the vehicle provided,
In the front view of the vehicle body, the bracket mounting portion on the front panel side is brought close to the side portion of the cross member, and the midway portion in the longitudinal direction of the cross member is given an impact force from the front and directed rearward. The side portion of the cross member is bent and deformed so as to rotate toward the rear outer side of the vehicle body around the end of the cross member.

  For this reason, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the brake booster is also rotated toward the rear outer side of the vehicle body together with the bracket as the side portion of the cross member is rotated. Therefore, even if the driver located near the rear of the brake booster and the brake booster approach each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body due to the front collision, the brake booster is prevented from colliding with the driver. Thus, driver protection is more reliably achieved.

  In addition, the protection of the driver at the time of the front collision described above is that the bracket and the brake booster are deflected toward the outer side of the vehicle body by the rotation of the side portion of the cross member at the time of the front collision. Therefore, since the protection of the driver is achieved while suppressing the space in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, it is possible to prevent the front portion of the vehicle body from becoming large. Therefore, it is prevented that the formation of the vehicle body becomes complicated and the mass increases, and the productivity of the vehicle body is prevented from decreasing, and this productivity is maintained well.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the side portion of the cross member is inclined so as to extend forward as it goes inward of the vehicle body.

  For this reason, when the side portion of the cross member rotates toward the rear outer side at the time of a front collision, at the beginning of the rotation, the side portion of the cross member is inclined obliquely forward as described above. Therefore, the rotation of the cross member toward the rear outer side of the side member can be more reliably obtained, and the rotation amount (rotation angle) of the rotation can be increased. Therefore, at the time of a front collision, the bracket and the brake booster together with the side portion of the cross member can be rotated more greatly toward the outside of the vehicle body. As a result, the brake booster can be greatly deflected toward the outside of the vehicle body with respect to the driver, and thus the protection of the driver is more reliably achieved.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged detail view of FIG. 2. It is a simplified side view of a vehicle body front part. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of what is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a partial front view of what is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of what is shown in FIG. 2.

  The vehicle front end structure according to the present invention enables more reliable protection of the driver at the time of a vehicle front collision, and prevents the front part of the vehicle body from becoming large even in such a case. In order to realize the object of maintaining good productivity of the vehicle body, the form for carrying out the present invention is as follows.

  That is, the front end structure of the vehicle extends in the width direction of the vehicle body along the front panel of the vehicle body that forms the front surface of the passenger compartment, and each longitudinal end portion thereof is supported by the skeleton member of the vehicle body. And a bracket that is disposed on one side portion of the front end portion of the vehicle compartment and that is attached to the front panel side so as to protrude rearward from the front panel side and supports the brake booster on the protruding portion. With.

  In the front view of the vehicle body, the bracket mounting portion on the front panel side is brought close to the side portion of the cross member. When the midway portion of the cross member in the longitudinal direction is displaced toward the rear by applying an impact force from the front, the side portion of the cross member is directed toward the rear outer side of the vehicle body around the end of the cross member. Bent and deformed to rotate.

  In order to explain the present invention in more detail, an embodiment thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle exemplified by a cab-over truck automobile, and an arrow Fr indicates the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The left and right described below refer to the width direction of the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 toward the front.

  The vehicle body 2 constitutes a lower end side thereof and extends long in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2, and constitutes a vehicle body frame 3 that is a skeleton member of the vehicle body 2 and a front upper side of the vehicle body 2, and the vehicle body frame 3 A cab 4 supported at the front of the vehicle body, a loading platform 5 constituting the rear upper side of the vehicle body 2 and supported at the rear side of the vehicle body frame 3, and the vehicle body 2 supported by the vehicle body frame 3 on the road surface. Before supporting on top, it has rear wheels 7,7.

  The interior of the cab 4 is a cabin 10 as a cab, and the cab 4 forms a lower surface of the cabin 10 and is supported on the front portion of the vehicle body frame 3; A front panel 12 extending upward from a front edge of the floor panel 11 so as to form a lower front surface of the vehicle compartment 10 and an upper edge of the front panel 12 forming an upper front surface of the vehicle compartment 10 upward. A front window 13 is provided.

  The driver's cab 4 includes a side wall 14 that forms a side surface of the passenger compartment 10, a door opening 15 that is formed in the side wall 14 and communicates the inside and outside of the passenger compartment 10, and a front opening edge of the door opening 15. A side door 17 pivotally supported by a hinge 16 and closing the door opening 15 from the outside of the vehicle body 2 so as to be openable and closable, and a bumper 18 provided so as to cover the lower portion of the front panel 12 from the front thereof are provided. .

  The floor panel 11, the front panel 12, and the side wall 14 are each made of sheet metal, and the bumper 18 is made of resin. The door 17 has an impact beam 21 made of a sheet metal that extends long in the front-rear direction on the lower side. The impact beam 21 is provided over substantially the entire inside of the door opening 15 in the front-rear direction.

  The front opening edge of the door opening 15 is called a front pillar 23. The front pillar 23 constitutes a skeleton member of the vehicle body 2 and is firmly coupled to the vehicle body frame 3.

  On one side (right side) of the passenger compartment 10, a steering handle 24 protrudes from the upper side of the front panel 12 toward the rear upper side, and a seat on which a driver 25 sits behind the handle 24. 26 is provided. The seat 26 is supported on the floor panel 11. An axis 27 of the handle 24 extends rearward and upward, and the handle 24 is gripped by the driver 25 and can be steered.

  A ventilation air duct 29 for the vehicle compartment 10 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 along the front panel 12 is provided at the front end of the vehicle compartment 10 in the vicinity of the rear of the upper portion of the front panel 12. The air duct 29 is made of sheet metal and has front and rear duct panels 30 and 31 that face each other in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2, and the panels 30 and 31 are joined to each other so as to have a middle shape. Each portion of the air duct 29 in the longitudinal direction has a hollow closed cross-sectional structure. Each end portion of the air duct 29 in the longitudinal direction is supported by a midway portion in the vertical direction of each front pillar 23.

  The front panel 12 extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 along the front panel 12 between the middle part of the front panel 12 and the upper edge of the bumper 18 in the vicinity of the front of the middle part in the vertical direction of the front panel 12. A cross member 34 is provided. The cross member 34 is made of sheet metal, and the cross section of each part in the longitudinal direction has a hat shape in which the internal space opens rearward to ensure a predetermined rigidity. Each end of the cross member 34 in the longitudinal direction is supported by an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of each front pillar 23 via a crash body 35 made of sheet metal.

  A bulkhead 36 made of sheet metal is provided in the middle of the front pillar 23 in the longitudinal direction. On each side of the vehicle body 2, the end of the cross member 34, the crash body 35, the bulkhead 36 provided in the front pillar 23, and the impact beam 21 in the door 17 are arranged in this order on the rear side of the vehicle body 2. Are lined up.

  Another cross member 39 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 along the front panel 12 is provided at the front end of the vehicle compartment 10 in the vicinity of the rear of the middle part in the vertical direction of the front panel 12. The other cross member 39 is made of sheet metal, and the cross section of each part in the longitudinal direction has a hat shape in which the internal space opens forward, and a predetermined rigidity is ensured. The other cross member 39 is integrally formed at the lower edge of the front duct panel 30 of the air duct 29.

  The cross member 34 and the other cross member 39 face each other in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 with the floor panel 11 in between, and these 34, 39, 11 are firmly connected to each other by upper and lower spot welds S1, S2. The

  A bracket 41 is provided which is disposed on one side (right side) of the front end portion of the vehicle compartment 10 and is attached to the front panel 12 side so as to protrude rearward from the front panel 12 side toward the interior of the vehicle compartment 10. . The bracket 41 is made of sheet metal and constitutes an upper portion thereof. The bracket main body 41a is fastened to the rear duct panel 31 of the air duct 29 by a fastener 42, and the bracket main body 41a is integrally formed from the lower end portion toward the front lower side. Right and left leg portions 41b and 41c. The rear surface of the bracket body 41 a extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2, and the lower ends of the leg portions 41 b and 41 c are fastened to the front panel 12 by other fasteners 44 through the seat plate 43. The seat plate 43 may not be provided, but the seat plate 43 may be included in the bracket 41 as a component of the bracket 41.

  A brake pedal 47 is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 46 at a lower portion of the bracket 41 so that the driver 25 can step on the bracket 41. Also, a brake booster 48 for supplying pressure oil for brake operation to a brake device (not shown) is supported on the rear surface of the bracket body 41a of the bracket 41 so as to promote an operating force to the brake pedal 47. The brake booster 48 includes a booster body 52 that is fastened to the rear surface of the bracket body 41 a of the bracket 41 by a fastener 51, and a hydraulic cylinder 53 that protrudes rearward from the booster body 52. The booster body 52 has a disc shape, and the booster body 52 and the hydraulic cylinder 53 are located on the same axis 54. The axis 54 is orthogonal to the rear surface of the bracket body 41a, extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2, and slightly extends in the rearward and upward inclination direction.

  In the above case, the bracket 41, the brake booster 48, and the shaft center 54 are disposed so that the outer side of the vehicle body 2 is biased toward the outer side (right side side) of the shaft center 27 of the handle 24 as a whole. Further, the hydraulic cylinder 53 of the brake booster 48 is directed from the bracket 41 and the booster body 52 side toward the right lower limb of the outer side (right side) of the vehicle body 2 of the driver 25 seated on the seat 26. It protrudes. In this case, the right lower leg of the driver 25 is located in the vicinity of the rear of the hydraulic cylinder 53 of the brake booster 48.

  In a plan view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 3), the cross member 34 is bent with a large radius so as to form a convex arc shape toward the front of the vehicle body 2. For this reason, the side part of the cross member 34 is inclined so as to extend forward as it goes inward of the vehicle body 2. The left leg 41b, which is the inner side of the vehicle body 2, of the left and right leg portions 41b, 41c of the bracket 41 is formed longer than the right leg portion 41c.

  In a front view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 4), the attachment portion of the lower end portion of the bracket 41 toward the front panel 12 is disposed close to the side portion of the cross member 34. Specifically, the lower end portions of the leg portions 41b and 41c of the bracket 41 attached to the front panel 12 by fastening are arranged near the lower side of the side portions of the cross member 34. Further, the upper end portion of the seat plate 43 is overlapped with the front panel 12, the lower end edge portion of the cross member 34, and the lower end edge portion of the other cross member 39 by the lower spot welding S2, and is integrally coupled.

  When the vehicle 1 collides with a certain object 58 in front of the vehicle 1 while traveling (front collision), the cross member 34 is displaced rearward by being given an impact force F from the front. In this case, the impact force F is supported by the crash body 35, the front pillar 23, the bulkhead 36, and the impact beam 21 of the door 17. Of these, the crash body 35 is immediately affected by the impact force F. The impact force F is relaxed by plastic deformation. On the other hand, the front pillar 23, the bulkhead 36, and the impact beam 21 of the door 17 firmly support the impact force F, so that the front pillar 23 and the door 17 are prevented from being greatly deformed by the impact force F. Is done.

  Further, since the cross member 34 has a circular arc shape protruding forward in a plan view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 3), when the cross member 34 is given the impact force F from the front, the cross member 34 A compressive stress is generated in the longitudinal direction of the member 34 to firmly oppose the impact force F. However, when the impact force F causes the longitudinal halfway portion of the cross member 34 to be largely displaced rearward and the compressive stress generated in the cross member 34 is converted into tensile stress, the side portion of the cross member 34 is Is bent and deformed so as to smoothly rotate R around the end of the cross member 34 toward the rear outer side of the vehicle body 2.

  Therefore, as indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 3, when the vehicle 1 collides forward, the brake booster 48 together with the bracket 41 is moved rearwardly outward of the vehicle body 2 along with the rotation R of the side portion of the cross member 34 described above. Turn R toward. Therefore, even if the lower limbs of the driver 25 and the brake booster 48 located near the rear of the brake booster 48 approach each other in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 due to the front collision, the brake booster 48 is The collision with the lower limbs of the 25 is prevented, and the protection of the driver 25 is more reliably achieved.

  Here, the air duct 29 is for smoothly flowing air through its internal space and has a large cross-sectional area and is not a strength member. Has been thinned. For this reason, the rigidity of each part of the air duct 29 is low. Therefore, the rear duct panel 31 of the air duct 29 coupled to the cross member 34 via the bracket 41 is large when the side member of the cross member 34 is bent and deformed to rotate R during the front collision. The cross member 34 is bent and deformed rearward with bending deformation of the side portion of the cross member 34 without resistance. That is, the rotation R of the side portion of the cross member 34 at the time of a front collision is prevented from being disturbed by the air duct 29 in strength, and a smooth rotation R is ensured at the side portion of the cross member 34. Is done.

  The vehicle 1 is a light truck and has a structure in which the distance from the front panel 12 to the driver 25 is short. As described above, the side portion of the cross member 34 is caused by the impact force F at the time of the front collision. Since the bracket 41 and the brake booster 48 are turned R together with the bracket 41 and the brake booster 48 to prevent a collision with the driver 25, the driver 25 can be protected more reliably. It is.

  Further, the driver 25 is protected during the front collision as described above. The bracket 41 and the brake booster 48 are moved to the outside of the vehicle body 2 with respect to the driver 25 by the rotation R of the side portion of the cross member 34 during the front collision. Since the driver 25 is protected while keeping the space in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 small, the front portion of the vehicle body 2 is prevented from becoming large. The Therefore, it is prevented that the formation of the vehicle body 2 is complicated and the mass is increased and the productivity of the vehicle body 2 is not lowered, and this productivity is maintained well.

  Further, as described above, the side portion of the cross member 34 is inclined so as to extend forward as it goes inward of the vehicle body 2.

  For this reason, when the side portion of the cross member 34 is rotated R toward the rear outer side at the time of a front collision, at the beginning of the rotation R, the side portion of the cross member 34 is inclined forward as described above. Therefore, the rotation R of the side portion of the cross member 34 toward the rear outer side is more reliably obtained, and the rotation amount (rotation angle) of the rotation R is Can be bigger. Therefore, at the time of the front collision, the bracket 41 and the brake booster 48 together with the side portion of the cross member 34 can be rotated R more toward the outside of the vehicle body 2. As a result, the brake booster 48 can be greatly deviated toward the outside of the vehicle body 2 with respect to the driver 25, and thus the protection of the driver 25 is more reliably achieved.

  Although the illustrated frontal collision of the vehicle 1 shows a case where a portion biased to one side of the vehicle body 2 collides with the object 58, the central portion in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 collides with the object 58. Even in this case, the same effects as those described above can be obtained.

  Further, although not shown, the cross member 34 and the bracket 41 may be fastened together so that the front panel 12 is sandwiched. In this case, the bracket to the front panel 12 side in the front view of the vehicle body 2 is also possible. The attachment portion 41 is brought close to the side portion of the cross member 34 as being overlapped. Further, the other cross member 39 may not be provided. Further, the cross member 34 may be disposed at the front end portion of the passenger compartment 10 near the rear of the front panel 12, and in this case, the bracket 41 may be directly attached to the cross member 34, that is, the cross member. The bracket 41 may be attached to the front panel 12 via 34.

  Further, the cross member 34 may have a mountain shape that protrudes forward in a plan view of the vehicle body 2. Further, the cross member 34 may extend linearly in the width direction of the vehicle body 2, and in this case, the left and right leg portions 41b and 41c of the bracket 41 can have the same length. .

  In addition, a single fastener 42 for fastening the bracket body 41a of the bracket 41 to the duct panel 31 of the other cross member 39 may be provided at the center in the left-right width direction of the bracket body 41a. In this way, the rotation R of the side portion of the cross member 34 at the time of the front collision is more reliably prevented from being obstructed by the air duct 29 via the bracket 41.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car body 3 Car body frame 4 Driver's cab 10 Car interior 11 Floor panel 12 Front panel 13 Front window 14 Side wall 15 Door opening 16 Hinge 17 Door 18 Bumper 21 Impact beam 23 Front pillar 24 Handle 25 Driver 26 Seat 27 Axle 29 Air duct 30 Duct panel 31 Duct panel 34 Cross member 41 Bracket 41a Bracket main body 41b Leg 41c Leg 48 Brake booster 51 Fastener 52 Booster main body 53 Hydraulic cylinder 54 Shaft 58 Object F Impact force R Rotation S Spot welding

Claims (2)

A front panel of a vehicle body that forms the front of the vehicle compartment, a cross member that extends in the width direction of the vehicle body along the front panel, and whose longitudinal ends are respectively supported by the skeleton members of the vehicle body, and the vehicle compartment A front end structure of a vehicle, which is disposed on one side of the front end of the vehicle and includes a bracket attached to the front panel so as to protrude rearward from the front panel and supporting a brake booster on the protrusion In
In the front view of the vehicle body, the bracket mounting portion on the front panel side is brought close to the side portion of the cross member, and the midway portion in the longitudinal direction of the cross member is given an impact force from the front and directed rearward. A front end portion structure of a vehicle, wherein the side portion of the cross member is bent and deformed so as to rotate toward the rear outer side of the vehicle body around the end portion of the cross member.   The vehicle front end structure according to claim 1, wherein the side portion of the cross member is inclined so as to extend forward as it goes inward of the vehicle body.

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