JP6718578B2 - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Description

According to the present invention, the left and right side members that support the left and right front wheels from the inside in the vehicle width direction, the left and right rocker rails that extend in the vehicle front-rear direction at the left and right end positions of the passenger compartment floor, and the tip positions of the left and right side members are arranged. Front structure of a vehicle having a front bumper reinforcement.

Patent Literature 1 describes a technique relating to a front structure of a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle front structure described in Patent Document 1 includes left and right side members 102 that support the left and right front wheels 100 from the inside in the vehicle width direction via a suspension member (not shown) and a lower arm 101. I have it. Reinforcement 104 of the front bumper is provided at the tip positions of the left and right side members 102 so as to extend in the vehicle width direction via a crash box 103. Further, a connecting member 105 is obliquely provided between the tip position of the side member 102 and the end portion 104t of the reinforcement 104. Further, left and right rocker rails 107 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided at the left and right ends of the floor of the passenger compartment R. The rocker rail 107 is arranged further inside than the inner end in the width direction of the front wheel 100 in the vehicle width direction.

In recent years, a small lap collision test that reproduces a situation of a frontal collision accident when a vehicle collides with an obstacle (collision object G) such as a standing tree or an electric pole has been performed. In the small lap collision test, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the colliding object G collides with the end portion 104t of the reinforcement 104, the crash box 103 is crushed and the connecting member 105 is bent so as to fall outward in the vehicle width direction. .. As a result, the end 104t of the reinforcement 104 is displaced outward in the vehicle width direction.

Then, when the small lap collision progresses and the side member 102 starts buckling deformation as shown in FIG. 10, the end portion 104t of the reinforcement 104 comes into contact with the front outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 100. When the front wheel 100 is pushed rearward by the end 104t of the reinforcement 104 and the colliding object G, the front wheel 100 inclines outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. When the front wheel 100 moves backward in this state, the widthwise inner end 100x of the rear outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 100 comes into contact with the front end of the rocker rail 107. Therefore, the rear portion of the front wheel 100 is less likely to enter the inside of the rocker rail 107 in the vehicle width direction.

JP2012-166744A

However, as shown in FIG. 11, in a vehicle in which the rocker rails 107 are provided at substantially the same positions as the front wheels 100 in the vehicle width direction, when the front wheels 100 move backward while inclining outward with respect to the traveling direction, the front wheels 100 The rear part may enter the inside of the rocker rail 107 in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the rear portion of the front wheel 100 presses the floor portion of the vehicle compartment R inside the rocker rail 107, so that the floor portion is greatly deformed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the front wheels from entering the inside of the rocker rail in the vehicle width direction at the time of a minute lap collision, so that the vehicle interior It is to suppress the deformation of the front part.

The problems described above are solved by the inventions of the claims. According to the invention of claim 1, the left and right front wheels are respectively supported from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the left and right side members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle front-rear direction at the left and right end positions of the passenger compartment floor are provided. It is provided so as to extend and extend in the vehicle width direction at the tip ends of the left and right side members and rocker rails that are arranged behind the left and right front wheels, and the left and right ends are arranged in front of the left and right front wheels. A front structure of a vehicle including a front bumper reinforce, wherein a tip end of an end of the reinforce moved rearward abuts a front outer peripheral surface of the front wheel during a minute lap collision to move the front wheel in a traveling direction. On the other hand , the front wheel is configured to be inclined inward in the vehicle width direction , the front wheel is supported by the side member via a suspension member and a lower arm, and a joint portion that connects the front wheel and the lower arm is provided. The front end outer peripheral surface of the front wheel located at the same position or on the vehicle width direction inner side of the joint portion is configured to abut the tip of the end portion of the reinforcement . Here, the minute lap collision refers to a state in which the vehicle collides with an obstacle (collision object) such as a standing tree or an electric pole about 1/4 from the end of the front portion of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, at the time of a small lap collision, the tip of the end portion of the reinforce that has moved rearward abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the front wheel, and the front wheel is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction. That is, when the front wheels are inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction, the rear portions of the front wheels are moved outward in the vehicle width direction. When the front wheel moves backward due to the collision, the rear outer peripheral surface of the front wheel moved outward in the vehicle width direction comes into contact with the front portion of the rocker rail. Further, when the small lap collision progresses and the colliding object comes into contact with the front outer peripheral surface of the front wheel, the colliding object presses the widthwise outer side of the front outer peripheral surface of the front wheel which is inclined inward. As a result, the front wheel horizontally rotates about the contact portion with the rocker rail so as to incline outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction. As a result, the front wheels are pushed outside the wheel house. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the rear portion of the front wheel does not enter the inside of the rocker rail in the vehicle width direction and is pushed in, and the deformation of the front portion of the vehicle compartment can be suppressed.
The front end outer peripheral surface of the front wheel located at the same position as the joint connecting the front wheel and the lower arm, or on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the joint is configured so that the tip of the end of the reinforcement comes into contact with the front outer peripheral surface. There is. Therefore, the front end of the end portion of the reinforcement contacts the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the front wheel, so that the front wheel is more likely to be inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the tip of the end portion of the reinforce is configured to contact the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the front wheel, which is located inside the center of gravity of the front wheel in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the front end of the end portion of the reinforcement contacts the outer peripheral surface of the front portion of the front wheel, so that the front wheel easily tilts inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction.

According to the invention of claim 3, a crash box is provided between the left and right side members and the reinforcement of the front bumper, and at the time of a minute lap collision, the end portion of the reinforcement is located before the crash of the crash box. It is configured to bend inward in the width direction.

According to the invention of claim 4 , the central portion of the front wheel in the width direction is arranged at a position on the front extension line of the rocker rail.

According to the present invention, the rear portion of the front wheel does not enter the inside of the rocker rail in the vehicle width direction at the time of a minute lap collision, so that the deformation of the front portion of the vehicle compartment can be suppressed.

1 is a plan view showing a front structure of a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the relationship between a left front wheel and a lower arm. It is a top view showing the motion of the left front wheel at the time of a small lap collision. It is a top view showing the motion of the left front wheel at the time of a small lap collision. It is a top view showing the motion of the left front wheel at the time of a small lap collision. It is a top view showing the motion of the left front wheel at the time of a small lap collision. It is a top view showing the motion of the left front wheel at the time of a small lap collision. It is a top view showing the front part structure of the conventional vehicle. It is a top view at the time of a minute lap collision in the conventional vehicle front structure. It is a top view at the time of a minute lap collision in the conventional vehicle front structure. It is a top view at the time of a minute lap collision in the conventional vehicle front structure.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, a front structure of a vehicle such as a passenger car according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. Here, the front, rear, left and right in the figure correspond to the front, rear, left and right of the passenger car (vehicle).

<Regarding the front structure of the vehicle 10>
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is provided with a pair of side members 14 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on both left and right sides of the engine room 12. Crash boxes 16 are substantially coaxially attached to the front ends of the left and right side members 14, respectively. The crash box 16 is configured so as to be able to absorb a collision load by being crushed between the reinforcement 22 of the front bumper and the side member 14 when a frontal collision of the vehicle 10 occurs. The rear surface of the reinforce 22 of the front bumper (not shown) is connected to the left and right crash boxes 16 at left and right end portion offset positions 22x (connection portions 22x).

<About suspension members 30>
As shown in FIG. 1, a suspension member 30 is suspended and supported by the left and right side members 14 at the rear of the engine room 12 of the vehicle 10. The suspension member 30 is configured to support an engine and a mission (not shown) and also to support the left and right front wheels 37 via the left and right lower arms 33. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left and right lower arms 33 are connected to the left and right end positions of the suspension member 30 in a vertically rotatable state by two connecting mechanisms 33c at the front and rear. A spindle member 35 that rotatably supports the front wheel 37 is connected to a tip end portion 33f of a portion of the lower arm 33 that projects outward in the vehicle width direction by a ball joint 34. That is, the ball joint 34 corresponds to the joint section in the present invention.

<About the passenger compartment 40>
As shown in FIG. 1, on the rear side of the suspension member 30, a dash panel 41 that is a vertical wall that partitions the engine compartment 12 and the vehicle compartment 40 is formed so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. Rocker rails 43 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided on both left and right sides of the floor of the vehicle interior 40. The rocker rail 43 is arranged at substantially the same position as the front wheel 37 in the vehicle width direction, that is, the central portion C in the width direction of the front wheel 37 is arranged at a position on the extension line of the rocker rail. Here, the center portion C of the front wheel 37 is arranged on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the virtual center of gravity line J passing on the center of gravity of the front wheel 37. Further, the ball joint 34 that connects the lower arm 33 and the spindle member 35 is arranged further inside than the central portion C of the front wheel 37 in the vehicle width direction.

<About the front bumper reinforcement 22>
The reinforcement 22 of the front bumper is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy and is formed into a rectangular tube shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the center portion in the vehicle width direction is curved so that it is convex toward both ends. ing. That is, the left and right end portions 22w of the reinforcement 22 are gently inclined rearward so as to be positioned on the rear side as they approach the end surface. Then, as described above, the connecting portions 22x formed at the left and right end portions of the rear surface of the reinforcement 22 are connected to the tips of the left and right crash boxes 16.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front surface of the reinforcement 22 of the front bumper is a vehicle width direction outer side position of the left connecting portion 22x, and a predetermined size position from the left end surface of the reinforcement 22 is a collision object during a small lap collision. It is a collision receiving portion 22u with which G collides. Therefore, at the time of a small lap collision, a bending moment is applied to the left connection portion 22x of the reinforcement 22 and the left end portion 22w of the reinforcement 22 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction around the left connection portion 22x. Further, at the time of a small lap collision, the crash box 16 is crushed, whereby the left end portion 22w of the reinforce 22 retracts, and as shown in FIG. Come into contact. Here, the position where the tip of the left end portion 22w of the reinforce 22 abuts on the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 is set at substantially the same position as the ball joint 34 in the width direction of the front wheel 37.

<About the function of the front structure of the vehicle 10>
Next, the function of the front structure of the vehicle 10 at the time of a small lap collision will be described. In the first stage of the small overlap collision, the collision object G contacts the collision receiving portion 22u of the reinforcement 22 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIGS. 1 and 3. As a result, a bending moment is applied to the left connecting portion 22x of the reinforcement 22, and the left end portion 22w of the reinforce 22 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction centering on the left connecting portion 22x. In the second stage of the small lap collision, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the crash box 16 is crushed, whereby the left end portion 22w of the reinforce 22 retracts, and as shown in FIG. 3, the left end portion 22w of the reinforce 22 moves. The front end contacts the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 (almost the same position in the width direction as the ball joint 34).

Then, the collision object G presses the left end 22w of the reinforce 22 backward, so that the left end 22w of the reinforce 22 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction, as shown in FIG. Presses the front outer peripheral surface of the front wheel 37 rearward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the front wheel 37 moves backward in a state of being inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction. That is, when the front wheel 37 is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction, the rear portion of the front wheel 37 moves outward in the vehicle width direction. Then, as the front wheel 37 moves backward, the rear outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 comes into contact with the front portion of the rocker rail 43.

In the third stage of the small lap collision, the colliding object G further moves rearward, and as shown in FIG. 5, the colliding object G contacts the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 inclined inward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the colliding object G presses the widthwise outer side of the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the front wheel 37 is pressed by the colliding object G, and the contact portion T with the rocker rail 43 is inclined so as to incline outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction. Rotate horizontally to the center. As a result, a tensile force is generated in the left-right direction with respect to the ball joint 34 that connects the front wheel 37 and the lower arm, and the ball joint 34 breaks. Then, the front wheels 37 are pushed outside the wheel house H. As a result, the deformation of the front portion of the vehicle interior 40 can be suppressed.

<Advantages of front structure of vehicle 10>
According to the front structure of the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment, the tip of the end 22w of the front bumper (reinforce 22) that moves rearward abuts the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 during a minute lap collision, 37 is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction. That is, since the front wheels 37 are inclined inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction, the rear portions of the front wheels 37 move outward in the vehicle width direction. When the front wheel 37 moves backward due to the collision, the rear outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 that has moved outward in the vehicle width direction contacts the front portion 43f of the rocker rail 43. Further, when a small lap collision progresses and the colliding object G comes into contact with the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37, the colliding object G inclines inward in the vehicle width direction. Press the outside of the direction. As a result, the front wheel 37 horizontally rotates about the contact portion with the rocker rail 43 so as to be inclined outward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction. As a result, the front wheels 37 are pushed outside the wheel house H. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the rear portion of the front wheel 37 does not enter the inner side of the rocker rail 43 in the vehicle width direction and is pushed in, and the deformation of the front portion of the vehicle interior 40 can be suppressed.

Further, the tip end of the end portion 22w of the reinforcement 22 is brought into contact with the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 which is located at substantially the same position in the vehicle width direction as the ball joint 34 (joint portion) that connects the front wheel 37 and the lower arm 33. It is configured. For this reason, the front end of the end portion 22w of the reinforcement 22 contacts the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37, so that the front wheel 37 is likely to incline inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction.

<Example of change>
Here, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the position where the tip of the left end portion 22w of the reinforcement 22 contacts the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 is set to be substantially the same position as the ball joint 34 in the width direction of the front wheel 37. However, it is preferable to bring the tip of the left end portion 22w of the reinforcement 22 into contact with the front outer peripheral surface 37r of the front wheel 37 located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction with respect to the ball joint 34. As a result, the front wheels 37 can be efficiently tilted inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the traveling direction.

10... Vehicle 14... Side member 16... Crash box 22... Reinforce 22w... End 22x... Connection part 30... Suspension member 33... Lower arm 34... Ball joint (joint part)
37... Front wheel 37r... Front outer peripheral surface 40... Vehicle compartment 43... Rocker rail

Claims (4)

The left and right front wheels are configured to be supported from the inside in the vehicle width direction, respectively, and the left and right side members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and the vehicle front-rear direction at the left and right end positions of the vehicle compartment floor are provided. A rocker rail arranged at the rear side and a front bumper reinforcement provided at the front end positions of the left and right side members so as to extend in the vehicle width direction, and the left and right end portions thereof are arranged in front of the left and right front wheels. A front structure of the vehicle,
At the time of a small overlap crash, the tip end of the reinforcement that has moved backward comes into contact with the front outer circumference of the front wheel is configured to be tilted inward in the vehicle width direction to the traveling direction of the front wheel ,
The front wheel is supported by the side member via a suspension member and a lower arm,
The front end outer peripheral surface of the front wheel located at the same position as the joint portion connecting the front wheel and the lower arm, or inside the joint portion in the vehicle width direction, is configured such that the tip of the end portion of the reinforce abuts. front structure of that vehicle. The front structure of the vehicle according to claim 1,
The front part structure of the vehicle configured such that the tip of the end part of the reinforcement is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the front part of the front wheel located inside the center of gravity of the front wheel in the vehicle width direction. A front structure of the vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
A crash box is provided between the left and right side members and the reinforcement of the front bumper,
The front structure of the vehicle configured such that, at the time of the small lap collision, the end portion of the reinforcement is bent inward in the vehicle width direction before the crash box is crushed. The front structure of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A front portion structure of a vehicle in which a center portion of the front wheel in the width direction is arranged at a position on a front extension line of the rocker rail .

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