JP7363616B2 - Vehicle bumper cover connection structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle bumper cover connection structure for connecting a bumper cover of a bumper including a bumper cover and a cushioning material to a vehicle body.

A related vehicle bumper cover connection structure is described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 9, the technology of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the upper end center portion of a bumper cover 100 of a front bumper (number omitted) is connected to a center brace 106 of a vehicle body 105. As shown in FIG. 10, an engagement plate portion 102 is provided at the center of the upper end of the bumper cover 100 so as to protrude rearward, and a rectangular engagement hole 102k is formed in the center of the engagement plate portion 102. has been done. Further, the center brace 106 of the vehicle body 105 is provided with a shelf-shaped center stay 108, and a receiving hole 108h into which the engagement plate portion 102 of the bumper cover 100 is inserted from the front is formed in the center stay 108. There is.

The ceiling plate portion forming the receiving hole 108h of the center stay 108 has a claw portion 109 extending downward that elastically engages with the engaging hole 102k of the engaging plate portion 102 of the bumper cover 100 inserted into the receiving hole 108h. It is protrudingly molded. Therefore, when the engagement plate part 102 of the bumper cover 100 is inserted into the receiving hole 108h of the center stay 108 of the vehicle body 105, the claw part 109 of the center stay 108 elastically engages with the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate part 102 during the insertion process. becomes engaged with. Then, when the claw portion 109 of the center stay 108 and the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate portion 102 are engaged, the center stay 108 and the engagement plate portion 102 are held immovably in the front-rear direction, and the bumper cover 100 is It is connected to the vehicle body 105. Note that the front bumper includes a cushioning material (not shown) inside the bumper cover 100.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-34768

In the bumper cover connection structure described above, the claw portion 109 of the center stay 108 and the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate portion 102 are engaged with each other in a state in which they cannot move relative to each other in the front-back direction. Therefore, for example, when a collision load is applied to the front bumper during a frontal collision of the vehicle, when the bumper cover 100 and the cushioning material are crushed, the claw portion 109 of the center stay 108 and the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate portion 102 The engaging part breaks.

As a result, the initial load when the front bumper collapses is the load when the bumper cover 100 and the cushioning material collapse, and the fracture at the engagement portion between the claw portion 109 of the center stay 108 and the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate portion 102. It is expressed as the sum of the load required for That is, the initial load when the front bumper collapses increases by the load required to break the engagement portion between the claw portion 109 of the center stay 108 and the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate portion 102. Furthermore, the initial load when the front bumper collapses varies depending on the fracture state of the engagement portion between the claw portion 109 and the engagement hole 102k. Therefore, even if the shock absorption performance of the bumper cover 100 and the shock absorbing material is improved, the engagement portion between the claw portion 109 of the center stay 108 and the engagement hole 102k of the engagement plate portion 102 has a negative impact on the shock absorption performance of the front bumper. will be given.

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 bumper cover connection structure from adversely affecting the load absorption performance of the bumper.

The above problems are solved by each invention. A first invention is a bumper cover connection structure for a vehicle that connects the bumper cover of a bumper including a bumper cover and a cushioning material to a vehicle body, the structure being integrally molded with the bumper cover, and a back side of the bumper cover. and a receiving member provided on the vehicle body to which the connecting member is connected, and the cushioning material is located at a different position from the connecting member and the receiving member. The connecting member of the bumper cover and the receiving member of the vehicle body are movable relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as not to create resistance when the cushioning material is crushed by a collision load. connected.

According to the present invention, the connecting member of the bumper cover and the receiving member of the vehicle body are connected to each other so as to be movable relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, when a collision load is applied to the bumper and the bumper cover moves toward the vehicle body, the connecting portion between the connecting member and the receiving member provides almost no resistance to the movement of the bumper cover. That is, the initial load when the bumper collapses is approximately equal to the load when the bumper cover and the cushioning material collapse, and the connecting portion between the connecting member and the receiving member has almost no effect on the initial load when the bumper collapses. do not have. Therefore, the connecting portion between the connecting member and the receiving member does not adversely affect the load absorbing performance of the bumper.

According to the second invention, the connecting member is formed in the shape of a protrusion that projects rearward from the back surface of the bumper cover, and the receiving member provided on the vehicle body is formed in a cylindrical shape into which the connecting member is inserted. The connecting member is restrained from the top, bottom, left and right. In this way, the receiving member of the vehicle body is formed into a cylindrical shape and restrains the connecting member of the bumper cover from above and below, so that the weight of the bumper cover can be received at the connecting part between the connecting member and the receiving member. .

According to the third invention, a claw portion is formed at the tip of the connecting member to prevent it from coming off from the cylindrical receiving member.

According to the fourth invention, a plurality of sets of connecting members and receiving members are provided at equal intervals in the vehicle width direction.

According to the fifth invention, the connecting member and the receiving member are provided at a higher position than the cushioning material. This makes it difficult for the bumper cover to add weight to the cushioning material, making it difficult for the cushioning material to deform in the vertical direction.

According to the present invention, the bumper cover connection structure does not adversely affect the load absorption performance of the bumper.

1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a front portion of a vehicle including a bumper cover connection structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the bumper cover connection structure. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the bumper cover connection structure seen from the upper left front. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bumper cover connection structure viewed from the upper left rear side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the receiving member constituting the bumper cover connection structure, viewed from the upper left front. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the operation of the bumper cover connection structure. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the operation of the bumper cover connection structure. It is a graph schematically representing the relationship between the load applied to the bumper and the collapse stroke. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the front part of a vehicle equipped with a conventional bumper cover connection structure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional bumper cover connection structure.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, a bumper cover connection structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 8. The bumper cover connection structure according to this embodiment is a structure for connecting the bumper cover 21 of the front bumper 20 to the body of the vehicle 10. Here, the front, rear, left, right, and top and bottom directions shown in the drawings correspond to the front, rear, left, and right, and top and bottom of the vehicle 10 provided with the bumper cover connection structure according to the present embodiment.

<Overview of the front structure of the vehicle>
As shown in FIG. 1, at the front of the vehicle 10 (vehicle body), a frame-shaped radiator support 15 that supports a radiator (not shown) is vertically provided at the front end of the engine room E. . Further, in the front portion of the vehicle body, a pair of left and right front side members 14 are provided on both left and right sides of the engine room E so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle below the radiator support 15. A bumper reinforcement 36 of a front bumper 20 is connected to the tips (front ends) of the pair of left and right front side members 14 via left and right crash boxes 16 .

<About the configuration overview of the front bumper 20>
The front bumper 20 includes a bumper cover 21, as shown in FIG. The bumper cover 21 is a member that constitutes the external design of the front bumper 20, and a bumper grille 23 that functions as an air intake and is a decorative member is attached to the center position of the bumper cover 21 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the front bumper 20 includes an upper cushioning material 30 and a lower cushioning material 35 inside the bumper cover 21 to absorb collision loads. Further, the front bumper 20 includes a bumper cover connection mechanism 40 that connects the bumper cover 21 to the lower side of the radiator support 15 above the upper cushioning material 30, and the lower end of the bumper cover 21 is connected to the lower end of the bumper cover 21 at the position of the lower cushioning material 35. The above-mentioned bumper reinforcement 36 is provided. The bumper reinforcement 36 is a beam-like member extending in the vehicle width direction, and is formed into a rectangular tube shape from, for example, an aluminum alloy.

<About the upper cushioning material 30>
The upper cushioning material 30 is a member that, together with the lower cushioning material 35, absorbs the impact when the vehicle 10 collides with the front. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper cushioning material 30 is composed of a plurality of cell aggregates 30w. The plurality of cell aggregates 30w are provided between the bumper cover 21 and the radiator support 15 with a constant gap in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cell assembly 30w is composed of four shock absorbing cells 31 stacked in the direction in which the collision load F is applied (front-back direction). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shock absorbing cell 31 includes a hexagonal cylinder 310 that is erected so that its axis faces in the vertical direction, and a lower opening side of the hexagonal cylinder 310 as shown in FIG. A chevron-shaped lid-like plate portion 318 is provided.

<About the outline of the bumper cover connection mechanism 40>
As shown in FIG. 1, the bumper cover connecting mechanism 40 is a mechanism that connects the bumper cover 21 to the lower side of the radiator support 15 while supporting the weight of the bumper cover 21. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bumper cover connection mechanism 40 includes a shelf-like protrusion 25 that protrudes from the back side of the bumper cover 21, and a plurality of coupling members 250 that protrude rearward at the position of the shelf-like protrusion 25. It is equipped with The bumper cover connection mechanism 40 also includes a receiving member 43 that is fixed to the radiator support 15 and configured to be connectable to the connection member 250. The shelf-shaped protruding portion 25 of the bumper cover coupling mechanism 40 is formed to protrude rearward by a substantially constant dimension at a predetermined height position of the bumper cover 21 and to extend in the vehicle width direction.

<About the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover connecting mechanism 40>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover connecting mechanism 40 is a strip-like projection with a rectangular cross section that projects rearward from the rear end position of the shelf-like projection 25, and extends in the vehicle width direction. A plurality of them (four in FIGS. 3 and 4) are provided at equal intervals. As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting member 250 is formed so that its width and thickness gradually become smaller on the distal end side (rear end side). Further, as shown in FIG. 2, on the lower surface of the distal end of the connecting member 250, there is a claw that prevents the connecting member 250 from coming off from the cylindrical portion 440 (described later) when the receiving member 43 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 440 (described later). A portion 253 is formed. Both the connecting member 250 and the shelf-shaped protrusion 25 are made of resin, and are integrally molded with the bumper cover 21.

<Regarding the receiving member 43 of the bumper cover connection mechanism 40>
As described above, the receiving member 43 of the bumper cover connecting mechanism 40 is a member fixed to the lower side of the radiator support 15, and as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. It is composed of Further, the receiving member 43 is configured to be able to support the upper cushioning material 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the receiving member 43 includes a receiving member main body 430 fixed to the front surface 15z of the lower side of the radiator support 15, and a cylindrical part 440 provided on the upper surface of the receiving member main body 430. has been done.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the receiving member main body 430 is formed in the shape of a rectangular box with long left and right sides, and the rear vertical wall 432 (see FIG. 4) of the receiving member main body 430 is a radiator. It is bolted to the front surface 15z of the lower side of the support 15 (see FIG. 5). Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of left and right support shaped portions 433 are formed at the right center portion and left center portion of the upper surface of the receiving member main body portion 430 so as to protrude rearward. The rear wall portions of the pair of left and right support shaped portions 433 are bolted to the upper flange 15f of the lower side portion of the radiator support 15.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the front surface 435 of the receiving member body 430 is formed flat so that the rear end wall 31b of the cell assembly 30w forming the upper cushioning material 30 can make surface contact. It is composed of The rear end wall 31b of the cell assembly 30w is bolted to the front surface 435 of the receiving member body 430. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rear end wall 31b of the cell assembly 30w is provided with a bracket portion 31s formed in an inverted L shape, and a flat plate protruding to the rear of the bracket portion 31s. 31e is bolted to the upper surface of the receiving member main body portion 430.

<About the cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43>
A cylindrical portion 440 to which the connecting members 250 of the bumper cover 21 are connected is formed on the upper surface of the receiving member main body portion 430 at a position corresponding to each connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 . As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the cylindrical portion 440 is formed into a cylindrical shape with a rectangular cross section into which the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 is inserted. The cylindrical portion 440 includes a front cylindrical portion 442 that restrains the connecting member 250 from both sides in the width direction (horizontal direction), a constriction portion 444 that gradually reduces the opening height on the rear side of the front cylindrical portion 442, and It includes a guide section 446 that restrains the connecting member 250 from the top, bottom, left and right on the rear side of the constriction section 444.

The front cylindrical portion 442 of the cylindrical portion 440 is a rectangular cylindrical body, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the opening width dimension is set to a value approximately equal to the maximum width dimension of the connecting member 250. Further, the opening height dimension of the front cylindrical portion 442 is set to a value sufficiently larger than the thickness dimension (height dimension) of the connecting member 250. The constricted portion 444 of the cylindrical portion 440 is a portion that guides the tip of the connecting member 250 inserted into the front cylindrical portion 442 to the guide portion 446. The aperture part 444 is set to have the same opening width as the front cylindrical part 442, and as shown in FIG. 2, the opening height is gradually reduced by tilting the top plate lower at the rear side. It is configured so that it can be used. Here, the opening height dimension at the rear end position of the aperture part 444 is set to a value slightly larger than the thickness dimension (height dimension) of the connecting member 250.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide portion 446 of the cylindrical portion 440 guides the bumper cover 21 and the connecting member 250 when the bumper cover 21 and the connecting member 250 move rearward in response to the collision load F during a frontal collision of the vehicle. This is the part that guides you. The opening width and height of the guide portion 446 of the cylindrical portion 440 are set to be equal to the opening width and height of the aperture portion 444 at the rear end position. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, a notch is formed in the top plate portion of the guide portion 446, and an edge portion 446e is formed at the front end position of the notch.

Further, on the upper surface of the receiving member main body part 430 that constitutes the floor surface of the cylindrical part 440, as shown in FIG. It is formed to extend. The rear end of the protrusion 448 is formed into an edge shape on which the claw part 253 of the connecting member 250 is hung, and the front part of the protrusion 448 has a gentle edge so as not to prevent the insertion of the connecting member 250 into the cylindrical part 440. A slope is provided. The receiving member 43 is made of resin, and the receiving member main body portion 430 and the cylindrical portion 440 are integrally molded.

<About assembling the bumper cover connection mechanism 40, etc.>
When connecting the bumper cover 21 to the vehicle body (the lower side of the radiator support 15), as shown in FIG. It's stopped. Further, the rear wall portions of the left and right support shaped portions 433 of the receiving member main body portion 430 are bolted to the upper flange 15f of the lower side portion of the radiator support 15. Furthermore, the rear end wall 31b of each cell assembly 30w of the upper cushioning material 30 is bolted to the front surface 435 of the receiving member body 430 of the receiving member 43, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Further, a flat plate 31e of a bracket portion 31s provided on the rear end wall 31b of the cell assembly 30w is bolted to the upper surface of the receiving member main body portion 430.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 440. At this time, since the opening of the front cylindrical portion 442 of the cylindrical portion 440 is formed wide in the vertical direction, it becomes easy to insert the tip of the connecting member 250 into the cylindrical portion 440. Further, the function of the constricted portion 444 of the cylindrical portion 440 allows the tip end of the connecting member 250 to be smoothly guided to the guide portion 446.

Then, the leading end of each connecting member 250 is guided to the guide part 446 of each cylindrical part 440, and as shown in FIG. (edge) from behind using the elastic force of the resin. As a result, each connecting member 250 is prevented from coming off from each cylindrical portion 440, and the bumper cover 21 is connected to the lower side portion of the radiator support 15. In this state, the cell assembly 30w of the upper cushioning material 30 is held between the shelf-like protrusion 25 of the bumper cover 21 and the front surface 435 of the receiving member 43 from the front and back directions below the connecting member 250. Ru. The weight of the bumper cover 21 is then received by the radiator support 15 through the action of the bumper cover connection mechanism 40 (connection member 250, receiving member 43).

<About the function of the bumper cover connection mechanism 40>
When a collision load F is applied to the front bumper 20 during a frontal vehicle collision, the bumper cover 21 deforms and moves rearward, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. As a result, each cell assembly 30w of the upper cushioning material 30 is crushed between the bumper cover 21 and the receiving member 43 (radiator support 15), and the collision load F is absorbed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, each connecting member 250 provided on the bumper cover 21 is pushed into each cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43. At this time, the guide portion 446 of the cylindrical portion 440 guides the connecting member 250 to move rearward in response to the collision load F, so that the backward movement of the connecting member 250 is not hindered. Further, the claw portion 253 of the connecting member 250 does not hinder the backward movement of the connecting member 250. That is, the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 and the cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43 do not act as resistance when the bumper cover 21 of the front bumper 20 and the upper cushioning material 30 (cell aggregate 30w) are crushed.

Here, if the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 and the cylindrical part 440 of the receiving member 43 are engaged in a state where they cannot move relative to each other in the front and rear direction (see prior art), a collision will occur with the front bumper 20. When the load F is applied, the engagement portion between the connecting member 250 and the cylindrical portion 440 is broken, and the bumper cover 21 and the upper cushioning material 30 (cell assembly 30w) are crushed. In this case, the initial load when the front bumper 20 is crushed is the load when the bumper cover 21 and the upper cushioning material 30 are crushed, and the load necessary for the engagement part between the connecting member 250 and the cylindrical part 440 to break. (See the dotted line in Figure 8). Note that the initial load when the front bumper 20 collapses changes depending on the fracture state of the engagement portion between the connecting member 250 and the cylindrical portion 440.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 and the cylindrical part 440 of the receiving member 43 are connected to the bumper cover 21 of the front bumper 20 and the upper cushioning material 30 (cell assembly 30w). Does not provide resistance when crushed. Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 8, the initial load when the front bumper 20 collapses can be made almost equal to the load when the bumper cover 21 and the upper cushioning material 30 (cell assembly 30w) collapse, and the initial load Peaks can be suppressed. That is, the connecting portion between the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 and the cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43 does not adversely affect the load absorption performance of the front bumper 20.

In addition, since the connecting member 250 of the bumper cover 21 is guided in the rearward direction by the action of the guide part 446 in the cylindrical part 440 of the receiving member 43, even when the collision load F is applied from an oblique direction, the bumper cover 21 is moved in the rearward direction. Move to. For this reason, the way the upper cushioning material 30 collapses is almost constant.

<Correspondence between terms used in this embodiment and terms in the present invention>
The upper cushioning material 30 corresponds to the cushioning material of the present invention, and the radiator support 15 corresponds to the vehicle body of the present invention. Further, the shelf-like protruding portion 25 corresponds to the back surface and back side of the bumper cover of the present invention. Further, the cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43 corresponds to the receiving member of the present invention. Further, the front bumper 20 corresponds to the bumper of the present invention.

<About the advantages of the bumper cover connection structure according to this embodiment>
According to the bumper cover coupling mechanism 40 (bumper cover coupling structure) according to the present embodiment, the coupling member 250 of the bumper cover 21 and the cylindrical portion 440 (receiving member) of the receiving member 43 of the radiator support 15 (vehicle body) are as follows. They are connected to each other so that they can move relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, when a collision load F is applied to the front bumper 20 (bumper) and the bumper cover 21 moves in the direction of the radiator support 15 (rearward direction), the connecting portion between the connecting member 250 and the receiving member 43 is attached to the bumper cover 21. There is almost no resistance to movement. That is, the initial load when the front bumper 20 is crushed is approximately equal to the load when the bumper cover 21 and the upper cushioning material 30 are crushed, and the connecting portion between the connecting member 250 and the receiving member 43 (cylindrical portion 440) is the front bumper. 20 has almost no effect on the initial load when it collapses. Therefore, the connecting portion between the connecting member 250 and the receiving member 43 (cylindrical portion 440) does not adversely affect the load absorbing performance of the front bumper 20. Further, due to the function of the bumper cover connection mechanism 40, the weight of the bumper cover 21 can be supported by the radiator support 15.

<Example of change>
Here, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43 is composed of the front cylindrical portion 442, the constricted portion 444, and the guide portion 446. However, it is also possible to configure the cylindrical portion 440 of the receiving member 43 only from the guide portion 446. Moreover, in this embodiment, an example was shown in which the upper cushioning material 30 is composed of a cell assembly 30w including a plurality of shock absorbing cells 31. However, it is also possible for the upper cushioning material 30 to be composed of, for example, a block of elastic foam. Further, in this embodiment, the front bumper 20 is illustrated, but it is also possible to apply the present invention to a rear bumper.

15...Radiator support (vehicle body)
20...Front bumper (bumper)
21... Bumper cover 23... Bumper grill (bumper cover)
25...Shelf-like protrusion (back side of bumper cover)
30... Upper cushioning material (buffering material)
40...Bumper cover connection mechanism 43...Receiving member 440...Cylindrical part (receiving member)
250...Connecting member 253...Claw part

Claims (5)

A bumper cover connection structure for a vehicle that connects the bumper cover of a bumper including a bumper cover and a cushioning material to a vehicle body,
a connecting member integrally molded with the bumper cover and provided on the back side of the bumper cover;
a receiving member provided on the vehicle body and to which the connecting member is connected;
It has
The cushioning material is provided at a different position from the connecting member and the receiving member,
The connecting member of the bumper cover and the receiving member of the vehicle body are connected to each other so that they can move relative to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so that the cushioning material does not become a resistance when crushed by a collision load. Bumper cover connection structure. The vehicle bumper cover connection structure according to claim 1,
The connecting member is formed in the shape of a protrusion that protrudes rearward from the back surface of the bumper cover,
In the vehicle bumper cover connection structure, the receiving member provided on the vehicle body is formed into a cylindrical shape into which the connecting member is inserted, and restrains the connecting member from the top, bottom, left and right. The vehicle bumper cover connection structure according to claim 2,
A bumper cover connection structure for a vehicle, wherein a claw portion is formed at the tip of the connection member to prevent it from coming off from a cylindrical receiving member. A bumper cover connection structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the vehicle bumper cover connection structure, the connection member and the receiving member are provided in plural sets at equal intervals in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle bumper cover connection structure according to claim 1 ,
In the vehicle bumper cover connection structure, the connection member and the receiving member are provided at a higher position than the cushioning material.

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