JP7455243B1 - Automobile front end structure - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to efficiently guide air to a cooling unit while preventing damage to the cooling unit in a front end structure of an automobile. [Solution] A front bumper 2 having an intake port 2a, a bumper beam 10 disposed behind the front bumper 2, a cooling unit 11 disposed behind the bumper beam 10, and an intake port of the front bumper 2 in the cooling unit 11. In the front end structure 1 of an automobile, the air guide section 15 includes an air guide upper 16 forming an upper part and an air guide lower 17 forming a lower part. The air guide upper 16 is made of a rigid resin material and is fixed to the vehicle body to hold the cooling unit 11 to the vehicle body, and the air guide lower 17 is made of a resin material that has lower rigidity than the air guide upper 16 and can absorb shock. It has a duct portion 17a that extends forward and connects to the intake port 2a of the front bumper 2. [Selection diagram] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a front end structure of an automobile, and more particularly to an air guide structure for guiding air to a cooling unit of the automobile.

Conventionally, for example, as in Patent Document 1, a radiator is arranged in a power source room of a vehicle, and a duct is arranged in front of the radiator and behind a front bumper cover, and faces the front side of the radiator. The vehicle has a vertical wall, and is provided with a duct on the rear side of the vertical wall that forms a path for guiding the wind introduced from the front grille opening to the radiator, and a cooling fan disposed on the rear side of the radiator. The front end structure is known.

JP2022-81237A

In the front end structure of the automobile disclosed in Patent Document 1, by using an integrated resin duct, the weight is reduced compared to a structure made of metal parts, but there are no countermeasures against impact during a collision. The problem is that it is not enough and the radiator is easily damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and its purpose is to efficiently guide air to the cooling unit while preventing damage to the cooling unit.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the air guide is composed of an air guide upper having high rigidity and an air guide lower having lower rigidity and capable of absorbing shock.

Specifically, in the first invention,
a front bumper having an air intake;
a bumper beam located behind the front bumper;
a cooling unit located behind the bumper beam;
Targeting a front end structure of an automobile, the cooling unit includes an air guide portion that guides air from the intake port of the front bumper,
The air guide section is
An air guide upper that constitutes the upper part,
Equipped with an air guide lower that constitutes the lower part,
The air guide upper is made of a rigid resin material and is fixed to the vehicle body to hold the cooling unit to the vehicle body,
The air guide lower is
It is made of a resin material that has lower rigidity than the air guide upper and can absorb shock.
It has a duct portion that extends forward and connects to the intake port of the front bumper.

According to the above configuration, the cooling unit can be firmly held by the highly rigid air guide upper. In addition, since the lower side of the cooling unit is supported by wrapping it with a relatively soft air guide lower that can absorb shock, it is possible to prevent damage to the cooling unit due to the air guide lower itself being crushed. It is possible to guide air to the cooling unit while preventing air leakage while increasing the sound insulation effect.

In the second invention, in the first invention,
The duct portion extends so as to protrude from the rear of the bumper beam to the front of the bumper beam, and has a front end connected to an intake port of the front bumper.

According to the above configuration, the duct portion of the air guide lower that protrudes ahead of the bumper beam is actively crushed before the bumper beam, and collision energy is absorbed.

In the third invention, in the first or second invention,
The air guide lower has a guide wall that extends upward between the bumper beam and the cooling unit and guides air taken in from the intake port of the front bumper upward.

According to the above configuration, in the case of a collision where the bumper beam moves backward, the provision of the guide wall that can absorb shock in front of the cooling unit prevents the bumper beam from directly contacting the cooling unit during the collision, and the cooling unit The acting shocks are effectively reduced by the guide walls. Bumper beams usually have an uneven shape, but by covering the bumper beam with a flat guide wall, air can flow upward along the guide wall while preventing turbulence. be guided.

In a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions,
The air guide lower is made of foamed resin.

According to the above configuration, the air guide lower can effectively exhibit the shock absorption function, weight saving function, sound insulation function, heat retention and heat insulation function during cold start, etc.

In a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions,
A shutter grille unit that opens and closes the duct part from behind the duct part is fitted so that a frame part of the shutter grille unit overlaps a wall part constituting the duct part when viewed from the rear.

According to the above configuration, since the shutter grille unit is supported by the wall that constitutes the duct part that can absorb shock, the duct part is actively crushed in a light collision, and the weakened impact is transmitted to the shutter grille unit. By transmitting the force to the frame portion, which is a rigid member, damage to the shutter grille unit itself can be effectively avoided.

In a sixth invention, in any one of the first to fifth inventions,
The air guide upper has a front extending portion extending forward, and a lower extending portion extending downward from a front end of the front extending portion and forming a front wall of the bumper beam.

According to the above configuration, since the front wall of the bumper beam, which is usually made of metal, is made of the air guide upper made of resin, the weight can be reduced compared to the case where the front wall of the bumper beam is made of metal.

In the seventh invention, in the sixth invention,
A connecting portion between the forward extending portion and the downward extending portion is provided with a fragile portion that is more easily broken than the surrounding area.

According to the above configuration, in the event of a heavy collision that is stronger than a light collision in which the bumper beam retreats, the fragile portion actively ruptures, causing damage to the cooling unit support portion of the air guide upper rearward of the front extension portion. is reduced.

In the eighth invention, in the seventh invention,
A fastening portion of a latch for holding the bonnet hood is integrally provided above the fragile portion of the air guide upper.

According to the above configuration, there is no need for a latch bracket for fastening the latch as in the past, and the number of parts is reduced and the weight is also reduced. Furthermore, since the latch breaks away from the bumper beam at the fragile portion during a collision, it becomes difficult for the collision load to be transmitted to the latch and the bonnet hood that it supports.

As described above, according to the front end structure of an automobile of the present invention, air can be efficiently guided to the cooling unit while preventing damage to the cooling unit.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing main parts of a front end structure of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1 of the front end structure of an automobile. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1 of the front end structure of an automobile. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1 of the front end structure of an automobile. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1 of the front end structure of an automobile. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the front end structure of the automobile seen from the front. It is a perspective view which expands and shows an air guide upper. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a crushable area in the event of a light collision. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a crushable region at the time of a collision in which the bumper retreats.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

1 to 6 show a front end structure 1 for an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention. This front end structure 1 is made of, for example, a resin molded product and has an intake port 2a at the lower center in the vehicle width direction. , and a front bumper 2. Behind the front bumper 2, for example, a metal bumper beam 10 serving as a rigid member is arranged so as to extend in the vehicle width direction.

The front bumper 2 is fixed to, for example, a sub-lower member 4 on the lower side of the vehicle body and an upper member 5 on the upper side of the vehicle body. The upper member 5 is provided with an opening through which the striker 6a of the bonnet hood 6 is inserted, and the striker 6a of the bonnet hood 6 is detachably attached via a latch 7 attached to the upper air guide 16.

The lower side of the front end structure 1 is covered with an undercover 9 fixed to the sub lower member 4 and the lower member 8, for example.

A cooling unit 11 is arranged behind the bumper beam 10, which is a rigid member. The cooling unit 11 includes a cooling unit frame 12 made of, for example, resin, a rectangular plate-shaped radiator condenser 13 built into the cooling unit frame 12, and an exhaust fan 14 that exhausts air from the radiator condenser 13. ing.

The front end structure 1 of an automobile includes a cooling unit 11 with an air guide section 15 that guides air from an intake port 2a of a front bumper 2. The air guide section 15 includes an upper air guide 16 that constitutes an upper portion thereof, and a lower air guide 17 that constitutes a lower portion thereof.

The air guide upper 16 is made of a rigid resin material, is fixed to the vehicle body (upper member 5, etc.), and has the role of holding the cooling unit 11 to the vehicle body. The air guide upper 16 is made of, for example, an injection molded glass fiber reinforced plastic product based on polypropylene, which is lighter than metal and has excellent impact resistance. The material of the air guide upper 16 is not limited to this, and may be made of a relatively rigid resin material such as other fiber-reinforced resin.

The lower air guide 17 has lower rigidity than the upper air guide 16 and is made of a resin material capable of absorbing shock. For example, the air guide lower 17 is a molded product made of polypropylene foam resin. The air guide lower 17 may be made of a molded product made of a foamed resin other than polypropylene, or may be made of a non-foamed soft resin molded product such as an olefin thermoplastic elastomer or a styrene thermoplastic elastomer. The air guide lower 17 has a duct portion 17a that extends forward and connects to the intake port 2a of the front bumper 2.

As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the front side of the duct portion 17a has a cylindrical shape with a rectangular frame shape, and extends so as to protrude from the rear of the bumper beam 10 to the front of the bumper beam 10, and its front end is connected to the front bumper 2. It is connected to the intake port 2a. For example, the front bumper 2 and the duct part 17a are fitted and connected in a sealed manner, so that the air taken in from the intake port 2a is sent into the duct part 17a without leaking to the outside. .

The air guide lower 17 has a guide wall 17b that extends upward between the bumper beam 10 and the cooling unit 11 and guides the air taken in from the intake port 2a of the front bumper 2 upward. The guide wall 17b has a flat plate shape that extends substantially vertically upward. In particular, the back side (cooling unit 11 side) of the guide wall 17b is flat, so that the air taken in flows easily without generating turbulence.

Furthermore, a shutter grille unit 19 is fitted from the rear of the horizontally extending duct part 17a having a rectangular frame shape (square tube shape) in cross section to open and close the duct part 17a. As shown in a partial cross section in FIG. 2, the shutter grille unit 19 has a plurality of fins 19b swingably attached to a frame portion 19a made of resin, for example, and these fins 19b are swingably mounted by an electric actuator or the like. By moving, the duct portion 17a can be opened and closed. This frame portion 19a is fitted so as to overlap a rectangular frame-shaped wall portion constituting the duct portion 17a when viewed from the rear. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the cross section of the air taken in from the intake port 2a is maximized, and the air is allowed to flow toward the cooling unit 11 without being obstructed by the frame 19a. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, the lateral upper side of the cooling unit frame 12 that covers the radiator condenser 13 in the cooling unit 11 is located at the cooling unit mounting portion 16h of the air guide upper 16, which has relatively high rigidity. It is tightly fixed in a hermetically sealed manner with bolts etc.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper and lower sides of the cooling unit frame 12 are in contact with the air guide upper 16 via the air guide lower 17 in a sealed manner.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower side of the cooling unit frame 12 is in sealing contact with the air guide lower 17.

With this configuration, the cooling unit 11 is firmly fixed in airtight contact with the upper air guide 16 and the lower air guide 17, and the air taken in from the intake port 2a can be connected to the radiator without leaking. It is designed to be guided by a capacitor 13.

On the other hand, as shown enlarged in FIGS. 2 and 7, the air guide upper 16 integrally formed of reinforced fiber resin includes an upper air guide upper main body 16a extending in the vehicle width direction, and an air guide upper main body 16a extending from the upper air guide upper main body 16a It has a front extending portion 16b that extends horizontally forward, and a lower extending portion 16c that extends substantially vertically downward from the front end of the front extending portion 16b and constitutes the front wall of the bumper beam 10.

A stepped portion 16d is formed at the connecting portion between the front extending portion 16b and the downward extending portion 16c, and a plurality of (here, three) slit openings 16e are provided at intervals in the stepped portion 16d. This forms a fragile portion 16f that is more likely to break than the surrounding area.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, above the weakened portion 16f of the air guide upper 16, a latch fastening boss 16g, which serves as a fastening portion for fastening the latch 7 that holds the bonnet hood 6, bulges forward. It is integrated like this.

In this way, in this embodiment, the cooling unit 11 can be firmly held by the highly rigid air guide upper 16, and the lower side of the cooling unit 11 is supported so as to be wrapped by the relatively soft air guide lower 17 that can absorb shock. Therefore, while preventing damage to the cooling unit 11 by crushing the air guide lower 17 itself, the air guide lower 17 can be brought into close contact with the cooling unit 11 to improve the sound insulation effect and heat retention during cold starting. The air can be guided to the cooling unit 11 while preventing the air from leaking.

Furthermore, since the front wall of the bumper beam 10, which is usually made of metal, is made up of the downwardly extending portion 16c of the air guide upper 16 made of resin, weight reduction is achieved.

In addition, since the latch fastening boss 16g for fastening the latch 7 is integrally provided on the air guide upper 16, the latch 7 bracket for fastening the latch 7, which is conventional, is not required, reducing the number of parts and reducing weight. It will be planned.

Furthermore, by constructing the air guide lower 17 with a molded product made of foamed resin, it can effectively exhibit its shock absorption function, weight reduction function, sound insulation function, heat retention function during cold start, etc.

Next, the state of deformation of the front end structure 1 during a light collision and a heavy collision with a larger impact will be described using FIGS. 8 and 9.

In the event of a light collision as shown in FIG. 8, the portion surrounded by the crushable area A is mainly damaged. In this embodiment, the duct portion 17a of the air guide lower 17 that protrudes beyond the bumper beam 10 is actively crushed to absorb collision energy.

In this way, by collapsing the air guide lower 17 itself, damage to the cooling unit 11 can be prevented, and from the perspective of protecting pedestrians in the event of a collision with a pedestrian, damage to the lower limbs of the pedestrian can be alleviated. Ru.

Since the shutter grille unit 19 is supported by the rectangular frame-shaped wall that constitutes the duct portion 17a capable of absorbing shock, the duct portion 17a is actively crushed in a light collision, and the shutter grille unit 19 itself damage can be avoided.

On the other hand, in the event of a collision in which the bumper beam moves backward as shown in FIG. 9, the bumper beam 10 moves backward, and the portion surrounded by the crushable region B is mainly damaged.

In this case, the fragile portion 16f actively breaks, thereby reducing damage to the support portion of the cooling unit 11 of the air guide upper 16.

Moreover, since the downwardly extending portion 16c forming the front wall of the bumper beam 10 is cut preferentially at the weakened portion 16f during a collision, the collision load is less likely to be transmitted to the latch 7 and the bonnet hood 6 supported by the latch 7.

Furthermore, in this collision, the presence of the relatively soft guide wall 17b made of a molded product made of foamed resin prevents the retreating bumper beam 10 from coming into direct contact with the cooling unit 11. is effectively reduced by the guide wall 17b.

As described above, according to the automobile front end structure 1 of the present invention, air can be efficiently guided to the cooling unit 11 while preventing damage to the cooling unit 11.

Note that the above embodiments are essentially preferable examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or uses.

1 Front end structure
2 Front bumper
2a Inlet port
4 Subroar member
5 Upper member
6 Bonnet hood
6a Striker
7 Latch
8 Lower member
9 Undercover
10 Bumper beam
11 Cooling unit
12 Cooling unit frame
13 Radiator capacitor
14 Exhaust fan
15 Air guide section
16 Air guide upper
16a Air guide upper body
16b Front extension part
16c Downward extension part
16d Step part
16e slit opening
16f Weak part
16g Latch fastening boss (fastening part)
16h Cooling unit mounting part
17 Air guide lower
17a Duct part
17b Guide wall
19 Shutter grill unit
19a Frame
19b fin

Claims (8)

a front bumper (2) having an intake port (2a);
a bumper beam (10) located behind the front bumper (2);
a cooling unit (11) located behind the bumper beam (10);
An automobile front end structure (1) comprising the cooling unit (11) and an air guide part (15) that guides air from the intake port (2a) of the front bumper (2),
The air guide section (15) is
an air guide upper (16) constituting the upper part;
An air guide lower (17) constituting the lower part,
The air guide upper (16) is made of a rigid resin material and is fixed to the vehicle body to hold the cooling unit (11) to the vehicle body,
The air guide lower (17) is
It is made of a resin material that has lower rigidity than the air guide upper (16) and can absorb shock,
It has a duct portion (17a) that extends forward and connects to the intake port (2a) of the front bumper (2),
The cooling unit (11) is fixed in sealing contact with the upper air guide (16) and the lower air guide (17).
An automobile front end structure (1) characterized by: The duct portion (17a) extends from the rear of the bumper beam (10) to the front of the bumper beam (10), and has a front end connected to the intake port (2a) of the front bumper (2). The front end structure (1) of a motor vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air guide lower (17) extends upward between the bumper beam (10) and the cooling unit (11) and guides air taken in from the intake port (2a) of the front bumper (2) upward. The front end structure (1) of a motor vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a guide wall (17b) that provides a guide wall (17b). The automobile front end structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air guide lower (17) is made of foamed resin. The shutter grille unit (19) opens and closes the duct part (17a) from the rear of the duct part (17a), and the frame part of the shutter grille unit (19) constitutes the duct part (17a) when viewed from the rear. The front end structure (1) of a motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the front end structure (1) is fitted so as to overlap a wall portion of the vehicle. The air guide upper (16) includes a front extending portion (16b) that extends forward, and a downward extending portion that extends downward from the front end of the front extending portion (16b) and forms the front wall of the bumper beam (10). Front end structure (1) for a motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a portion (16c). 7. A weak portion (16f) that is more easily broken than a surrounding portion is provided at a connecting portion between the front extending portion (16b) and the downward extending portion (16c). front end structure of a car (1). 7. A fastening portion of a latch (7) for holding the bonnet hood (6) is integrally provided above the fragile portion (16f) of the air guide upper (16). The front end structure of the automobile described in (1).