JP6380991B2 - Vehicle radiator support - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a radiator support for a vehicle that supports a radiator in an engine room.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 discloses a technique related to a radiator support for a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 10, the radiator support 100 of Patent Document 1 is formed in a square frame shape from a substantially U-shaped support lower 101 and a support upper 102. A square radiator 104 and an air conditioner capacitor 105 are mounted on the radiator support 100 in a state where they are overlapped in the front-rear direction. Here, both ends of the support upper 102 are connected to a rear body wall (not shown). Moreover, the support lower 101 of the radiator support 100 is comprised by shape | molding a square cylindrical member in a substantially U shape, as shown in FIG.

JP 2004-338668 A

  The support lower 101 of the radiator support 100 is generally formed of a rectangular tube-shaped member, and the cross-sectional size is also set to an equal value as a whole. That is, the support lower 101 is manufactured by a rectangular tube-shaped member having the same cross-sectional size in a portion that requires a high strength and a portion that may have a relatively low strength. For this reason, it is thought that the radiator support 100 can be reduced in weight by manufacturing the support lower 101 of the radiator support 100 according to the required strength.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the weight while securing the strength of the radiator support.

  The above-described problems are solved by the inventions of the claims. The invention of claim 1 is a radiator support for a vehicle that supports a radiator in an engine room, and includes upper and lower horizontal beam portions that support the radiator from above and below, and left and right vertical column portions that support the upper and lower horizontal beam portions. The left and right end portions of the upper horizontal beam portion are connected to the rear body skeleton via left and right support members, respectively, and the left and right vertical column portions are arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The vertical column portion fixed to the side member is formed in a rectangular tube shape, and is fixed to the upper horizontal beam portion or the support member. The upper part of the column part is shaped like a triangular cylinder.

  In general, when a load is applied to the radiator support from the vehicle width direction (left-right direction), a load in a direction of falling with respect to the side member is applied to the lower portion of the vertical column portion of the radiator support. Further, the horizontal beam portion or the support member on the upper side of the radiator support is displaced in the direction of horizontal rotation around the body side connecting portion by the load. For this reason, a torsional load is applied to the upper portion of the vertical column portion of the radiator support via the upper horizontal beam portion or the support member. According to the present invention, since the lower part of the vertical column part fixed to the side member is formed in a rectangular tube shape, it is possible to ensure the strength against the falling load applied to the lower part of the vertical column part. In addition, since the upper part of the vertical column part is formed in a triangular cylinder shape that is resistant to twisting, it is possible to ensure the strength against the torsional load applied to the upper part of the vertical column part. Furthermore, since the lower part of the vertical column part is formed in a square cylinder shape and the upper part is formed in a triangular cylinder shape, the weight can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which the vertical column part is entirely formed in a square cylinder shape.

  According to invention of Claim 2, the cross-sectional shape of the vertical column part above a side member changes gradually from a square cylinder shape to a triangular cylinder shape. According to the invention of claim 3, the cross-sectional shape of the vertical column portion becomes a triangular cylindrical shape by changing so that the length dimension of one side in the rectangular cylindrical portion gradually decreases. For this reason, intensity | strength changes gradually in the up-down direction of a vertical column part, and a weak part does not arise in the middle.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the vertical column portion includes a vertically long first panel and a vertically long second panel, and the first panel has a flat cross-sectional shape formed in a substantially L shape, and has a width. A flange portion extending in the vertical direction is formed at both end edges in the direction, and the second panel has a substantially flat L-shaped lower cross-sectional shape and a flat upper cross-sectional shape formed in a flat plate shape in the width direction. A flange portion extending in the vertical direction is formed at both end edges, and the vertical column portion is configured by joining the flange portion of the first panel and the flange portion of the second panel to each other. For this reason, it becomes possible to relatively easily manufacture the vertical column portion in which the lower portion is formed in a square tube shape and the upper portion is formed in a triangular tube shape.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the headlamp mounting brackets are respectively provided on the side surfaces of the left and right vertical column portions, and the vertical column portions below the headlamp mounting brackets are formed in a rectangular tube shape. The vertical column portion above the headlamp mounting bracket is shaped like a triangular cylinder. For this reason, the weight of the headlamp can be received by the rectangular cylindrical portion of the vertical column portion.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the upper part of the vertical column part is formed in an open cross-sectional shape above the part formed in a triangular cylinder shape, and the open cross-sectional part of the vertical column part is on the upper side. Connected to the cross beam.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight while securing the strength of the radiator support.

It is a perspective view of a passenger car provided with a radiator support concerning Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the said radiator support, a side member, etc. It is a perspective view (III arrow enlarged view of FIG. 2) of the vertical column part of a radiator support. It is the perspective view (IV-IV arrow line view of FIG. 2) which looked at the said vertical column part from the vehicle width direction inner side. It is the perspective view (VV arrow view of FIG. 2) which looked at the said vertical column part from the vehicle width direction outer side. It is a plane sectional view (VI-VI arrow sectional view of Drawing 3) of the vertical column part. It is a plane sectional view (VII-VII arrow sectional view of Drawing 3) of the vertical column part. It is a plane sectional view (VIII-VIII arrow sectional view of Drawing 3) of the vertical column part. It is a model top view showing a motion of an upper side beam part and a support member when a load is added to a radiator support from the left-right direction. It is a perspective view showing the conventional radiator support.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, a radiator support for a vehicle according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. The radiator support 20 according to the present embodiment is a member that supports a radiator (not shown) in the engine room ER of the passenger car C. Here, the front, rear, left, and right, and the top and bottom shown in the figure correspond to the front, back, left, right, and top and bottom of the passenger car C.

<About the outline of the front structure of the passenger car C>
Before describing the radiator support 20, the front structure of the passenger car C will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 1, the passenger car C (hereinafter, vehicle C) is provided with an engine room ER on the front side of the passenger compartment R. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an apron panel 11 e and a suspension tower 11 t constituting the wheel house 11 are provided on the left and right inner side surfaces of the engine room ER. The apron panel 11e, the suspension tower 11t, and the like are covered with the front fender panel 12 from the outside of the vehicle. An upper opening (not shown) of the engine room ER is formed between the left and right front fender panels 12, and the upper opening is configured to be opened and closed by the engine hood 10. On the upper side of the front bumper 15 of the vehicle C, left and right headlamp units 18 are provided in a state surrounded by the engine hood 10 and the front fender panel 12.

<About the radiator support 20>
As shown in FIG. 2, a radiator support 20 that supports a radiator (not shown) is provided at a center position in the vehicle width direction at the front portion of the engine room ER of the vehicle C. The radiator support 20 is formed in a rectangular frame shape by left and right vertical column portions 23 and upper and lower horizontal beam portions 25 and 26, and the radiator is attached to the inside of the rectangular frame portion. Further, the upper and lower horizontal beam portions 25 and 26 of the radiator support 20 are connected to each other at the central portion by a central vertical column portion 27. A hood lock (not shown) to which the striker of the engine hood 10 is engaged is provided at a connection position between the central vertical column portion 27 and the upper horizontal beam portion 25.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the radiator support 20 is fixed to the left and right side members 13 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction at positions near the lower portions of the left and right vertical column portions 23. Thereby, the radiator support 20 is supported by the left and right side members 13 via the left and right vertical column portions 23. In addition, the radiator support 20 has both the left and right sides of the upper horizontal beam portion 25 connected to the left and right diagonal support members 28, and the end portions 28 c of the left and right diagonal support members 28 are respectively connected to the inner reinforcements of the front fender panel 12 ( (Not shown). For this reason, when a load is applied to the radiator support 20 from the vehicle width direction (left-right direction), as shown in FIG. 9, the upper side beam portion 25 rotates horizontally around the end portion 28 c of the diagonal support member 28. Displace in the direction. For this reason, a torsional load is applied to the upper portion of the vertical column portion connected to the upper horizontal beam portion 25 from the upper horizontal beam portion 25. That is, the reinforcement inside the front fender panel 12 corresponds to the body skeleton in the present invention. Further, when a load is applied to the radiator support 20 from the vehicle width direction, a load is applied to the lower portion of the vertical column portion 23 in a direction in which the side member 13 is tilted.

<About the vertical column portion 23 of the radiator support 20>
The left and right vertical column portions 23 of the radiator support 20 are formed symmetrically. For this reason, the left vertical column portion 23 will be described as a representative, and the description of the right vertical column portion 23 will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical column portion 23 includes an upper vertical column portion 23 u provided on the upper side of the side member 13 and a lower vertical column portion 23 d provided on the lower side of the side member 13. ing. The lower vertical column portion 23d is a short prismatic vertical column, and supports the end portion of the lower horizontal beam portion 26 at the lower end position of the lower vertical column portion 23d. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, the upper vertical column portion 23 u (hereinafter referred to as the vertical column portion 23) has an inner panel 231 disposed on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction and an outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction. The outer panel 233 is arranged.

<About the inner panel 231>
The inner panel 231 is a vertically long panel, and as shown in a perspective view of FIG. 4 and a sectional view of FIG. 6 and the like, a front plate portion 231z disposed on the front surface side, a side plate portion 231s disposed on the side surface side, and The flat cross-sectional shape is formed in a substantially L shape by the narrow rear plate portion 231b disposed on the rear surface side. Then, the front flange portion 231f is formed by bending the edge of the front plate portion 231z of the inner panel 231 forward at a substantially constant width by about 90 °. Further, the rear flange portion 231x is formed by bending the edge of the narrow rear plate portion 231b of the inner panel 231 backward by about 90 °.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the front flange portion 231 f and the rear flange portion 231 x of the inner panel 231 are formed from the upper surface position of the side member 13 to the lower side of the upper lateral beam portion 25. For this reason, the front flange portion 231f and the rear flange portion 231x are not provided at the upper end portion of the inner panel 231 connected to the upper transverse beam portion 25, and the width dimension of the front plate portion 231z is a narrow rear plate portion. It has decreased to the same value as the width dimension of 231b. That is, the upper end portion of the inner panel 231 has a substantially U-shaped flat cross section as shown in FIG.

<About the outer panel 233>
The outer panel 233 is a vertically long panel and constitutes the vertical column portion 23 together with the inner panel 231 described above. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 5 and the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer panel 233 includes a panel main body portion 233m, a front flange portion 233f formed at the front edge of the panel main body portion 233m, and a panel. The rear flange portion 233x is formed at the rear edge of the main body portion 233m. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the panel body 233 m of the outer panel 233 is formed in a mountain shape having a substantially L-shaped cross section at the bottom. Further, the panel main body 233m has an L-shaped peak gradually lower above the center position in the height direction, and at the top, as shown in FIG.

  The front flange portion 233f and the rear flange portion 233x of the outer panel 233 are joined to the front flange portion 231f and the rear flange portion 231x of the inner panel 231 by spot welding or the like, as shown in FIGS. It is configured to be. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a head lamp mounting bracket 30 that supports the head lamp unit 18 from below is fixed to the panel main body 233m of the outer panel 233 by welding or the like. The headlamp mounting bracket 30 is fixed at a position where the L-shaped peak gradually lowers above the center position in the height direction of the panel body 233 m of the outer panel 233. That is, the panel main body portion 233m of the outer panel 233 changes from a mountain shape having a substantially L shape to a flat plate shape with the head lamp mounting bracket 30 as a boundary.

<Assembly of the vertical column 23>
When assembling the vertical column portion 23, the front flange portion 233f and the rear flange portion 233x of the outer panel 233 are connected to the front flange portion 231f and the rear flange of the inner panel 231 as shown in FIGS. It aligns with the part 231x, and it mutually joins by spot welding etc. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower portion of the vertical column portion 23 is formed into a rectangular tube shape by the front plate portion 231 z and the side plate portion 231 s of the inner panel 231 and the substantially L-shaped panel main body portion 233 m of the outer panel 233. It is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper portion of the vertical column portion 23 is formed in a triangular cylindrical shape by the front plate portion 231 z and the side plate portion 231 s of the inner panel 231 and the flat panel main body portion 233 m of the outer panel 233. The

  Here, the panel main body portion 233m of the outer panel 233 has an L-shaped peak gradually lower above the central position in the height direction and becomes flat at the upper portion. It gradually changes from a cylindrical shape to a triangular cylindrical shape. Moreover, since the front side flange part 231f and the rear side flange part 231x are not provided in the upper end part of the inner side panel 231, the outer side panel 233 is not joined. That is, the upper end portion of the vertical column portion 23 is formed only from the inner panel 231 and has an open cross-sectional shape with a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape. Thus, the inner panel 231 corresponds to the first panel of the present invention, and the outer panel 233 corresponds to the second panel of the present invention.

<About the installation of the vertical column 23>
As shown in FIG. 4, the lower portion of the vertical column portion 23 is fixed to the side member 13 using a flange portion 13 x in which the front plate portion 231 z and the side plate portion 231 s of the inner panel 231 are attached to the front surface of the side member 13. Is done. Further, the panel body 233m of the outer panel 233 constituting the vertical column portion 23 is fixed to the upper surface of the side member 13 by a mounting bracket 13z as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the upper end portion of the vertical column portion 23 is fixed to the upper cross beam portion 25 where the front side of the front plate portion 231 z of the inner panel 231 and the upper side of the narrow rear plate portion 231 b are fixed. Will come to be. Thus, since the lower part of the vertical column part 23 fixed to the side member 13 is formed in a square cylinder shape, the strength against the falling load at the lower part of the vertical column part 23 can be ensured. Moreover, since the upper part of the vertical column part 23 is formed in the triangular cylinder shape strong against a twist, the intensity | strength with respect to the twist load of the vertical column part 23 is securable. That is, the strength against the torsional load applied to the vertical column portion 23 from the diagonal support member 28 and the upper horizontal beam portion 25 can be secured.

<Advantages of the radiator support 20 of the vehicle according to the present embodiment>
According to the radiator support 20 of the vehicle according to the present embodiment, since the lower part of the vertical column part 23 fixed to the side member 13 is formed in a rectangular tube shape, the strength against the falling load applied to the lower part of the vertical column part 23 is increased. It can be secured. Further, since the upper portion of the vertical column portion 23 is formed in a triangular cylinder shape that is resistant to twisting, it is possible to ensure the strength against the torsional load applied to the upper portion of the vertical column portion 23. Thus, since the lower part of the vertical column part 23 is formed in a square cylinder shape and the upper part is formed in a triangular cylinder shape, the weight can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the vertical column part 23 is entirely formed in a square cylinder shape. . In addition, since the cross-sectional shape of the vertical column portion 23 gradually changes from a rectangular tube shape to a triangular tube shape, the strength gradually changes in the vertical direction of the vertical column portion 23, and no fragile portion is generated.

  Moreover, since the vertical column part 23 is comprised from the inner side panel 231 (1st panel) and the outer side panel 233 (2nd panel), the lower column part is formed in the square cylinder shape and the upper part is formed in the triangular cylinder shape. 23 can be manufactured relatively easily. Further, the vertical column portion 23 is formed in a square cylinder shape below the head lamp mounting bracket 30, and the upper side from the head lamp mounting bracket 30 is formed in a triangular cylinder shape. For this reason, the weight of the headlamp can be received by the rectangular cylindrical portion of the vertical column portion 23 having a high collapse strength.

<Example of change>
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The change in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention is possible. For example, in this embodiment, the upper end part of the vertical column part 23 was formed in the open cross-sectional shape only by the inner side panel 231, and the example connected to the upper horizontal beam part 25 was shown. However, the upper end portion of the vertical column portion 23 may be formed in a triangular tube shape from the inner panel 231 and the outer panel 233 and connected to the upper horizontal beam portion 25. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the shape of the panel body 233m of the outer panel 233 is changed from a mountain shape to a flat plate shape so that the vertical column portion 23 is formed into a rectangular tube shape at the lower portion and a triangular tube shape at the upper portion. It was. However, the vertical column portion 23 may be composed of a triangular cylindrical upper piece and a rectangular cylindrical lower piece, and a triangular cylindrical upper piece and a rectangular cylindrical lower piece may be combined. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the end portion of the upper horizontal beam portion 25 is connected to the rear body skeleton via the diagonal support member 28. However, a configuration in which the upper cross beam portion 25 and the oblique support member 28 are manufactured as one part and the end portion of the upper cross beam portion 25 is connected to the rear body skeleton is also possible. Furthermore, although the example which connects the upper part of the vertical column part 23 to the upper horizontal beam part 25 was shown, the structure which connects the upper part of the vertical column part 23 to the diagonal support member 28 is also possible.

13... Side member 20... Radiator support 23... Vertical column portion 25... Upper horizontal beam portion 26. .... Headlamp mounting bracket 231 ... Inside panel (first panel)
233 ... Outer panel (second panel)
ER ... Engine room

Claims (6)

A radiator support for a vehicle that supports the radiator in the engine room,
The upper and lower horizontal beam portions that support the radiator from the upper and lower directions, and the left and right vertical column portions that support the upper and lower horizontal beam portions,
The left and right ends of the upper horizontal beam part are respectively connected to the rear body skeleton via left and right support members, or directly,
The left and right vertical column portions are respectively supported by left and right side members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction,
The lower part of the vertical column part fixed to the side member is formed in a square cylinder shape, and the upper part of the vertical column part fixed to the upper horizontal beam part or the support member is formed in a triangular cylinder shape. Vehicle radiator support. A radiator support for a vehicle according to claim 1,
A radiator support for a vehicle in which a cross-sectional shape of the vertical column portion above the side member gradually changes from a rectangular tube shape to a triangular tube shape. A radiator support for a vehicle according to claim 2,
A radiator support for a vehicle in which the cross-sectional shape of the vertical column portion changes to a triangular cylindrical shape by changing so that the length of one side of the rectangular cylindrical portion gradually decreases. A radiator support for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The vertical column portion includes a vertically long first panel and a vertically long second panel,
The first panel has a flat cross-sectional shape that is substantially L-shaped, and flange portions that extend in the vertical direction are formed at both end edges in the width direction.
The second panel has a substantially flat L-shaped lower cross-sectional shape and a flat upper cross-sectional shape formed in a flat plate shape, and flange portions extending in the vertical direction are formed at both end edges in the width direction.
A radiator support for a vehicle in which the vertical column portion is configured by joining a flange portion of the first panel and a flange portion of the second panel to each other. A radiator support for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
Headlamp mounting brackets are provided on the side surfaces of the left and right vertical columns respectively.
A radiator support for a vehicle, wherein a vertical column portion below the head lamp mounting bracket is formed in a square tube shape, and a vertical column portion above the head lamp mounting bracket is formed in a triangular tube shape. A radiator support for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The upper part of the vertical column part is formed in an open sectional shape on the upper side of the part formed in a triangular cylinder shape,
A radiator support for a vehicle in which an open cross-sectional portion of the vertical column portion is connected to an upper horizontal beam portion.

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