JP7027791B2 - Vehicle front structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

Headlamps are installed on the front of vehicles such as automobiles. Headlamps are supported by lamp support members. The lamp support member is arranged, for example, above the headlamp. In such a case, when the pedestrian's head collides with the front hood, the pedestrian's head interferes with the lamp support member through the front hood.

Therefore, instead of the lamp support member arranged on the upper side of the headlamp, a structure is conceivable in which a lamp support brace extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle inside the vehicle width direction of the headlamp is adopted. That is, in this structure, the mounting portion to which the inner end portion of the headlamp in the vehicle width direction is mounted may be set to the lamp support brace.

However, in this structure, the headlamp is supported only by the lamp support brace, and the radiator may also be supported, so that high rigidity is required. As a result, the lamp support brace must be thickened or reinforced with other parts, which increases the weight and the number of parts.

Patent Document 1 includes a pair of left and right side members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a pair of left and right front pillars, an apron member, a radiator support, and a coupling member as a vehicle body front structure provided with headlamps. The structure is described. The apron member is connected to the longitudinal half of each front pillar and projects forward from this midway. The radiator support is coupled to the front end of the side member and projects upward from this front end.

One end of the coupling member is coupled to the protruding end of the apron member, and the other end is coupled to the side of the radiator support. The headlamp is located above the coupling member. The headlamp is then supported via a support on the apron member and the upper part of the radiator support. That is, the radiator support is a vertical member that supports the headlamp.

In Patent Document 1, the front portion of the vehicle body is reinforced by a connecting member that connects the radiator support and the apron member through the lower part of the headlamp. Therefore, in the vehicle body front structure of Patent Document 1, even if the pedestrian's head collides with the front hood, it is less likely to interfere with the connecting member located below the headlamp. Further, since the radiator support is connected to the highly rigid fender apron via the connecting member, sufficient rigidity can be ensured.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-55513

However, in Patent Document 1, the radiator support and the apron member are linearly connected by a connecting member, thereby merely increasing the rigidity of the radiator support, that is, the vertical member to which the headlamp is attached. That is, Patent Document 1 only shows that the shape of the coupling member is linear, and there is room for improvement in increasing the rigidity of the vertical member to which the headlamp is attached.

In view of such problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle front structure capable of improving the pedestrian head protection performance while ensuring the rigidity of the vertical member to which the headlamp is attached.

In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the vehicle front structure according to the present invention is a vehicle front structure including headlamps, in which the vehicle front structure further extends from the front end of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. A vertical member joined to the front end of the side member and extending upward to the vehicle, a fender apron extending outward in the vehicle width direction of the side member in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a curved reinforcing member connecting the vertical member and the fender apron. The vertical member comprises a reinforcing member having one end extending in the vehicle width direction and attached to the vertical member and the other end extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and attached to the fender apron, the vertical member having a mounting portion to which the headlamp is attached. The reinforcing member is characterized in that it is arranged below the headlamp.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle front structure capable of improving the pedestrian head protection performance while ensuring the rigidity of the vertical member to which the headlamp is attached.

It is a figure which shows the vehicle front structure which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which omits each member from the vehicle front structure of FIG. It is a perspective view which looked down on the reinforcing member of FIG. 2 from the right side of the vehicle slightly behind. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the headlamp to the vehicle front structure of FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which looked at the vehicle front structure of FIG. 4 from another direction.

A typical configuration of the vehicle front structure according to the embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle front structure including headlamps, in which the vehicle front structure further includes side members extending from the front end of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle and sides. A vertical member that is joined to the front end of the member and extends upward to the vehicle, a fender apron that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the outside of the side member in the vehicle width direction, and a curved reinforcing member that connects the vertical member and the fender apron. The vertical member comprises a reinforcing member having one end extending in the direction and attached to the vertical member and the other end extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and attached to the fender apron. , It is characterized in that it is arranged below the headlamp.

According to the above configuration, the reinforcing member is curved so as to pass under the headlamp and connect the vertical member and the fender apron. By passing the reinforcing member under the headlamp, the distance from the front hood to the reinforcing member can be secured. Therefore, even if the pedestrian's head collides with the front hood, it does not interfere with the reinforcing member, so that the pedestrian's head protection performance can be improved.

Further, the vertical member is required to have high rigidity because the headlamp is mounted at the mounting portion. However, the vertical member is connected to the highly rigid fender apron via the reinforcing member, and as a result, sufficient rigidity can be secured. Therefore, even when the vertical member supports not only the headlamp but also a radiator or the like, it is not necessary to increase the plate thickness of the vertical member or reinforce it with other parts. Here, the radiator supported by the vertical member may vibrate back and forth in the vehicle during normal traveling. In this case, in the vertical member, one end of the reinforcing member extending in the vehicle width direction and attached to the vertical member receives a load due to the vibration of the radiator, so that the movement of the radiator can be suppressed.

The vehicle front structure described above further includes a dash side panel that is mounted on the outside of the dash panel that separates the power unit room and the vehicle interior in the vehicle width direction, supports the dash panel, and is located on the rear side of the vehicle from the fender apron. It has a first bracket that extends from the dash side panel to the front of the vehicle and to the upper side of the vehicle, and a second bracket that is attached to the tip of the first bracket to support the headlamp cantilever. The second bracket is in the vehicle width direction of the headlamp. It is preferable that there is a space behind the headlamp that is located within the range and is cantilevered by the second bracket and that separates the headlamp from the fender apron.

In this way, since there is a space behind and below the headlamp, when the headlamp receives an impact from the front side of the vehicle, the headlamp is located on the rear side of the vehicle and on the lower side of the vehicle starting from the portion cantilevered by the second bracket. Move towards. By moving the headlamps in this way, it becomes easier to absorb the impact from the front side of the vehicle, and the occupant protection performance can be improved.

The vehicle front structure described above further comprises a horizontal member extending in the vehicle width direction from the vertical member to the opposite side surface of the vehicle, the mounting portion of the vertical member being located at or near the upper end of the vertical member and laterally. The member may be connected to the vertical member between the attachment portion and the portion where one end of the reinforcing member is attached among the vertical members.

As a result, when the horizontal member receives a load from the front hood downward to the vehicle, this load is transmitted from the horizontal member to the reinforcing member via the vertical member. Here, the horizontal member is arranged below the position of the mounting portion of the vertical member and above the position where one end of the reinforcing member is mounted. Therefore, in the vertical member, the distance between the place where the horizontal member is connected and the place where one end of the reinforcing member is attached is smaller than the distance between the position of the mounting portion and the place where one end of the reinforcing member is attached. Therefore, the load transmitted from the horizontal member to the vertical member is quickly transmitted from the portion of the vertical member to which the horizontal member is connected to the portion to which one end of the reinforcing member is attached. That is, according to the above configuration, the load received from the front hood downward to the vehicle can be quickly distributed to the fender apron via the horizontal member, the vertical member, and the reinforcing member. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the horizontal member, the vertical member, and the reinforcing member itself by increasing the plate thickness.

The reinforcing member is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section including an upper wall and a side wall, and the vehicle front structure further includes a third bracket interposed between the other end of the reinforcing member and the fender apron. The third bracket may have a first piece parallel to the upper wall or side wall of the other end of the reinforcing member and a second piece parallel to the surface of the fender apron. As a result, even if the other end of the reinforcing member and the fender apron do not have a common surface direction, the first piece of the third bracket is joined to the upper wall or the side wall of the other end of the reinforcing member, and the second piece is joined. Pieces can be joined to the surface of the fender apron. Therefore, when the other end of the reinforcing member and the fender apron are attached, the dimensional error of the other end of the reinforcing member and the fender apron can be adjusted by interposing the third bracket, and strict dimensional control becomes unnecessary. ..

In the above vertical member, one end of the reinforcing member is inside in the vehicle width direction together with the front side wall and the rear side wall which connect the front side wall and the rear side wall which are in contact with one end of the reinforcing member from the front side and the rear side of the vehicle, respectively. It is preferable to have a connecting wall surrounding the wall. In this way, the vertical member is reliably reinforced by the reinforcing member by surrounding one end of the reinforcing member extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the outside in the vehicle width direction with the front side wall, the rear side wall, and the connecting wall. .. Therefore, even when the radiator supported by the vertical member vibrates back and forth during normal traveling, the vertical member can suppress the movement of the radiator by receiving the load due to the vibration of the radiator together with the reinforcing member.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the examples are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and are not limited to the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to omit duplicate explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown. do.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle front structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a state in which the vicinity of the right side surface of the vehicle in the vehicle front structure 100 is viewed from diagonally forward. Hereinafter, the structure near the right side surface of the vehicle front structure 100 will be described, but the structure located near the left side surface also has the same configuration and function. The arrows X and Y shown in each figure indicate the front of the vehicle and the outside in the width direction of the vehicle, respectively.

The vehicle front structure 100 includes a headlamp 102. As shown in the figure, the headlamp 102 is arranged so as to be adjacent to the front hood 104, the front fender 106, and the front bumper 108 when viewed from the outside of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing each member omitted from the vehicle front structure 100 of FIG. In the figure, by omitting the headlamp 102, the front hood 104, the front fender 106, and the front bumper 108, the inside of the region A of FIG. 1, which is the main part of the vehicle front structure 100, is illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle body skeleton of the vehicle front structure 100 is formed by joining a plurality of vehicle body structural members. However, the skeleton of the vehicle front structure 100 described in detail below is merely an example for facilitating understanding, and is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle front structure 100 includes a side member 110, a vertical member 112, and a horizontal member 114. The side member 110 extends from the front end of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. The vertical member 112 is joined to, for example, the front end of the side member 110 and extends above the vehicle. The horizontal member 114 is joined to the vertical member 112 and extends in the vehicle width direction toward the opposite side surface of the vehicle.

Further, the vehicle front structure 100 includes a fender apron 116, a dash panel 118, a dash side panel 120, a first bracket 122, and a second bracket 124. The fender apron 116 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction on the outside of the side member 110 in the vehicle width direction. The dash panel 118 separates the power unit room 126 from the vehicle interior (not shown). The dash side panel 120 is attached to the outside of the dash panel 118 in the vehicle width direction, supports the dash panel 118, and is further located on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the fender apron 116.

The first bracket 122 extends from the dash side panel 120 to the front side of the vehicle and the upper side of the vehicle (see FIG. 5B). The second bracket 124 is attached to the tip of the first bracket 122 and cantilevers support the upper portion 128 (see FIG. 5) of the headlamp 102.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the reinforcing member 130 of FIG. 2 looking down from the right side of the vehicle slightly behind the reinforcing member 130. The vehicle front structure 100 further comprises a reinforcing member 130. As shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing member 130 is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section including an upper wall 132 and a side wall 134, and is curved so as to connect the vertical member 112 and the fender apron 116.

One end 136 of the reinforcing member 130 extends from the outside in the vehicle width direction toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and is attached to the vertical member 112. The vertical member 112 has a front side wall 138, a rear side wall 140 and a connecting wall 142. The front side wall 138 and the rear side wall 140 are in contact with one end 136 of the reinforcing member 130 from the front side of the vehicle and the rear side of the vehicle, respectively. The connecting wall 142 connects the front side wall 138 and the rear side wall 140, and surrounds one end 136 of the reinforcing member 130 together with the front side wall 138 and the rear side wall 140 from the inside in the vehicle width direction. In this way, the vertical member 112 is reliably reinforced by the reinforcing member 130 by surrounding one end 136 of the reinforcing member 130 with the front side wall 138, the rear side wall 140, and the connecting wall 142.

The other end 144 of the reinforcing member 130 extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 3, and is attached to the fender apron 116 via the third bracket 146. The third bracket 146 has a first piece 148 and a second piece 150. The first piece 148 has a shape parallel to the upper wall 132 or the side wall 134 of the other end 144 of the reinforcing member 130. The second piece 150 has a shape parallel to the surface of the fender apron 116.

Therefore, even if the other end 144 of the reinforcing member 130 and the fender apron 116 do not have a common surface direction, the first piece 148 of the third bracket 146 can be used as the upper wall 132 of the other end 144 of the reinforcing member 130. Alternatively, it can be joined to the side wall 134. Further, the second piece 150 of the third bracket 146 can be joined to the surface of the fender apron 116.

In this way, when the other end 144 of the reinforcing member 130 and the fender apron 116 are attached, the dimensional error of the other end 144 of the reinforcing member 130 and the fender apron 116 can be adjusted by interposing the third bracket 146. Strict dimensional control is not required.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the headlamp 102 is attached to the vehicle front structure 100 of FIG. In the figure, the front fender 106 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical member 112 has a mounting portion 154 to which the inner end portion 152 in the vehicle width direction of the headlamp 102 is mounted. Further, the mounting portion 154 of the vertical member 112 is located near the upper end 156 of the vertical member 112, that is, below the upper end 156. The mounting portion 154 is not limited to this, and may be provided so as to be located at the upper end 156 of the vertical member 112.

Further, in the vertical member 112, one end 136 of the reinforcing member 130 is attached at the attachment portion 158, and the horizontal member 114 is connected at the attachment portion 160. As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting portion 160 of the horizontal member 114 is located between the mounting portion 154 of the vertical member 112 and the mounting portion 158 of the reinforcing member 130. Therefore, in the vertical member 112, the distance between the mounting portion 160 to which the horizontal member 114 is connected and the mounting portion 158 of the reinforcing member 130 is smaller than the distance between the position of the mounting portion 154 and the mounting portion 158. ..

Further, the reinforcing member 130 is arranged below the headlamp 102 as shown in FIG. Further, the reinforcing member 130 passes below the headlamp 102, one end 136 is attached to the vertical member 112, and the other end 144 is attached to the fender apron 116 via the third bracket 146. In this way, the reinforcing member 130 connects the vertical member 112 and the fender apron 116.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the vehicle front structure 100 of FIG. 4 is viewed from another direction. 5 (a) is a view taken along the line B of FIG. 4. 5 (b) is a view taken along the line C of FIG. 5 (a). However, FIG. 5B shows the front hood 104.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the second bracket 124 is located within the vehicle width direction of the headlamp 102 and supports the upper portion 128 of the headlamp 102. Further, in the vehicle front structure 100, as shown in FIG. 5B, there is a space 162 behind and below the headlamp 102 that is cantilevered and supported by the second bracket 124. Space 162 separates the headlamp 102 from the fender apron 116.

Here, in the vehicle front structure 100, when a pedestrian collides with the front bumper 104, the head lamp 102 receives an impact from the front of the vehicle, and further, the pedestrian's head collides with the front hood 104 to cause the front hood 104. It may be impacted downward on the vehicle. Hereinafter, the behavior of the vehicle front structure 100 in such a case will be described.

In the vehicle front structure 100, the reinforcing member 130 passes under the headlamp 102 and is curved so as to connect the vertical member 112 and the fender apron 116. By passing the reinforcing member 130 below the headlamp 102, a sufficient distance from the front hood 104 to the reinforcing member 130 can be secured as shown in FIG. 5 (b). Therefore, according to the vehicle front structure 100, even if the pedestrian's head collides with the front hood 104, it does not interfere with the reinforcing member 130, so that the pedestrian's head protection performance can be improved.

Further, when the head of a pedestrian collides with the front hood 104, the lateral member 114 receives a load from the front hood 104 downward to the vehicle. This load is transmitted from the horizontal member 114 to the reinforcing member 130 via the vertical member 112. In the vertical member 112, as shown in FIG. 4, the distance between the mounting portion 160 of the horizontal member 114 and the mounting portion 158 of the reinforcing member 130 is smaller than the distance between the position of the mounting portion 154 and the mounting portion 158. Therefore, the load transmitted from the horizontal member 114 to the vertical member 112 is quickly transmitted from the mounting portion 160 of the vertical member 112 to the mounting portion 158 of the reinforcing member 130.

Therefore, in the vehicle front structure 100, the load received from the front hood 104 downward to the vehicle can be quickly distributed to the highly rigid fender apron 116 via the horizontal member 114, the vertical member 112, and the reinforcing member 130. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the vertical member 112, the horizontal member 114, and the reinforcing member 130 by making the plate thicker than necessary or reinforcing the reinforcing member 130 with other parts.

In particular, the vertical member 112 is required to have high rigidity because the headlamp 102 is mounted by the mounting portion 154. However, since the vertical member 112 is connected to the fender apron 116 having high rigidity via the reinforcing member 130, sufficient rigidity can be ensured as a result. Therefore, even when the vertical member 112 supports not only the headlamp 102 but also a radiator (not shown), it is not necessary to increase the plate thickness of the vertical member 112 or reinforce it with other parts.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the vertical member 112 surrounds one end 136 of the reinforcing member 130 extending in the vehicle width direction by the front side wall 138, the rear side wall 140, and the connecting wall 142. Therefore, the vertical member 112 is reinforced by the reinforcing member 130. Therefore, even when the radiator supported by the vertical member 112 vibrates back and forth during normal traveling, the vertical member 112 can suppress the movement of the radiator by receiving the load due to the vibration of the radiator together with the reinforcing member 130. ..

Further, in the vehicle front structure 100, as shown in FIG. 5B, there is a space 162 behind and below the headlamp 102. Therefore, when the headlamp 102 receives an impact from the front side of the vehicle, the headlamp 102 moves toward the rear side of the vehicle and the lower side of the vehicle starting from the upper portion 128 cantilevered by the second bracket 124. Therefore, in the vehicle front structure 100, such movement of the headlamp 102 makes it easy to absorb the impact from the vehicle front side, and the occupant protection performance can be improved.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modifications or modifications within the scope of the claims, which naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

The present invention can be used for the vehicle front structure.

100 ... Vehicle front structure, 102 ... Headlamp, 104 ... Front hood, 106 ... Front fender, 108 ... Front bumper, 110 ... Side member, 112 ... Vertical member, 114 ... Horizontal member, 116 ... Fender apron, 118 ... Dash Panel, 120 ... Dash side panel, 122 ... 1st bracket, 124 ... 2nd bracket, 126 ... Power unit room, 128 ... Top of headlamp, 130 ... Reinforcing member, 132 ... Reinforcing member upper wall, 134 ... Reinforcing member Side wall, 136 ... One end of the reinforcing member, 138 ... Front side wall of the vertical member, 140 ... Rear side wall of the vertical member, 142 ... Connecting wall of the vertical member, 144 ... The other end of the reinforcing member, 146 ... Third bracket, 148 ... 3 First piece of bracket, 150 ... Second piece of third bracket, 152 ... Inner end of headlamp in vehicle width direction, 154 ... Vertical member mounting part, 156 ... Upper end of vertical member, 158, 160 ... Vertical member Mounting location, 162 ... Space

Claims (4)

In a vehicle front structure with headlamps, the vehicle front structure is further described.
Side members extending from the front end of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle,
A vertical member joined to the front end of the side member and extending above the vehicle,
A fender apron extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the outside of the side member in the vehicle width direction,
A curved reinforcing member connecting the vertical member and the fender apron, the reinforcing member having one end extending in the vehicle width direction and attached to the vertical member and the other end extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and attached to the fender apron. And with
The vertical member has a mounting portion to which the headlamp is mounted.
The reinforcing member is arranged below the headlamp, and the reinforcing member is arranged below the headlamp .
The vehicle front structure is further
A dash side panel that is attached to the outside of the dash panel that separates the power unit room and the vehicle interior in the vehicle width direction, supports the dash panel, and is located on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the fender apron.
The first bracket extending from the dash side panel to the front side of the vehicle and the upper side of the vehicle,
A second bracket attached to the tip of the first bracket and cantileverly supporting the headlamp is provided.
The second bracket is located within the range of the headlamp in the vehicle width direction.
A vehicle front structure characterized in that a space for separating the headlamp from the fender apron exists behind and below the headlamp that is cantilevered and supported by the second bracket . The vehicle front structure further comprises a lateral member extending in the vehicle width direction from the vertical member to the opposite side surface of the vehicle.
The mounting portion of the vertical member is located at or near the upper end of the vertical member.
The vehicle front according to claim 1 , wherein the horizontal member is connected to the vertical member between the mounting portion and a portion where one end of the reinforcing member is mounted among the vertical members. Part structure. The reinforcing member is a member having a substantially L-shaped cross section including an upper wall and a side wall.
The vehicle front structure further comprises a third bracket interposed between the other end of the reinforcing member and the fender apron.
Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the third bracket has a first piece parallel to the upper wall or side wall at the other end of the reinforcing member and a second piece parallel to the surface of the fender apron. The vehicle front structure described in. The vertical member is
The front side wall and the rear side wall, which are in contact with one end of the reinforcing member from the front side of the vehicle and the rear side of the vehicle, respectively.
6 . Vehicle front structure.

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