JPH03208780A - Structure and assembly method for front body of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a crimp of a bumper stay at the time of head-on collision of a vehicle to secure the buffering property of a front side frame by fastening a bumper stay and a tip expansion part of the front side frame from the lower. CONSTITUTION:A nose unit, at least, having a shroud panel 21 is connected to the front of a car body having a bilateral pair of front side frames 13 which forms the closed section structure. In the described structure, an expansion part 13a is formed in the tip of the front side frame 13, and this tip expansion part 13a is inserted into a notch of the shroud panel 21. On the other hand, the bumper stay 31 is formed so as to cover the lower part of the tip expansion part 13a, namely, so that the tip expansion part 13a is inserted into the inside of the bumper stay 31. A lower wall 31a of the bumper stay 31 and a lower face 13b of the tip expansion part 13a are fastened from the lower with bolts 33 and nuts 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a front body structure of an automobile and a method for assembling the same.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, on an automobile assembly line (main line), parts attached to the front of the car body, such as bumpers, radiator grilles, headlamps, and radiators, are attached to the car body.
The current situation is that the assembly lines have been individually assembled at separate stations, which increases the number of stations and therefore increases the length and complexity of the assembly line. Also,
In a mixed flow line that assembles a plurality of types of automobiles, a worker must judge whether or not to install each of the above-mentioned parts depending on the type of car, which poses a problem in terms of workability in particular.

Therefore, it may be possible to simplify the work on the assembly line and reduce the number of stations by unitizing some of the above-mentioned attachment parts. In this case, since the entire unit is assembled separately, it is advantageous in terms of mounting accuracy of each mounting part within the unit.

Therefore, from such a point of view, for example, JP-A-63-10
As described in Publication No. 3771, it is known that various mounting parts such as a radiator, headlamp, bumper, and radiator grille are assembled into a unit, and this unit is assembled to the front part of the vehicle body. ing.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, in such a structure, the positional relationship between the bumper stay that supports the bumper and the front side frame is vertically shifted, so in the event of a frontal collision, etc., the input to the bumper is The load is not transmitted to the front side frame, which has excellent strength, and causes the front side frame to bend.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a front body structure of an automobile that can ensure workability through good assembly without impairing the shock absorption ability of the front side frame in the event of a frontal collision. The purpose is to provide an assembly method.

(Means for Solving the Problem) The invention of claim (1) provides a vehicle body in which a nose unit having at least a shroud panel is coupled to a front part of a vehicle body having left and right front side frames forming a closed cross-section structure. The front side frame has a tip extension that penetrates the shroud panel when the nose unit is attached to the front of the vehicle body, and a lower part of the tip extension supports the bumper. The lower wall of the bumper stay and the lower surface of the front end extension of the front side frame are fastened from below.

In the invention of claim (2), the rear end of the bumper stay is coupled to the shroud panel.

In the invention according to claim (3), the nose unit has a cross member having a closed cross-section structure that extends in the left-right direction and supports a heavy member such as a radiator.

In the invention of claim (4), a cross member extending in the left-right direction is installed between the left and right front side frames of the vehicle body, and the nose unit is configured to attach to a heavy member such as a radiator by a bracket that protrudes from the bumper stay and extends toward the center of the vehicle body. The invention of claim (5) is a method for assembling a nose unit having at least a shroud panel to a vehicle body having left and right front side frames constituting a closed cross-sectional structure, the front side frames comprising: With the nose unit attached to the front part of the vehicle body, form a tip extension that passes through the shroud panel, and attach the nose unit to the vehicle body so that the tip extension of the front side frame passes through the shroud panel of the nose unit. A bumper stay with a cross-sectional shape that supports the bumper is attached to the main body and covers the lower part of the front end extension of the front side frame, and the bumper stay has a cross-sectional opening shape that supports the bumper, and the lower wall of the bumper stay and the front end extension of the front side frame are connected to each other. The structure is such that the lower surface part is fastened from below.

(Function) According to the invention of claim (1), the load input to the bumper is transmitted to the front side frame via the bumper stay because the bumper stay is fastened to the end extension of the front side frame. be done. At this time, since the strength of the bumper stay is increased by the front end extension of the front side frame, bending does not occur in the bumper stay.

According to the invention of claim (2), the bumper stay is coupled to the shroud panel, and the bumper is unitized in the nose unit.

According to the invention of claim (3), a heavy member such as a radiator is supported by a cross member having a closed cross-section structure on the nose unit side, so that support rigidity is ensured.

According to the invention of claim (4), the accuracy of the front part of the vehicle body to which the nose unit is assembled is ensured by the cross member having a closed cross-section structure, and heavy members such as a heavy radiator are secured to the front side frame. It is supported via a bracket by a bumper stay whose rigidity is increased by the tip extension.

According to the invention of claim (5), the bumper stay with an opening-shaped cross section that supports the bumper is disposed so as to cover the lower part of the end extension of the front side frame that passes through the shroud panel that constitutes the nose unit, The lower wall portion of the bumper stay and the lower surface portion of the front end extension portion of the front side frame are fastened from below.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1 showing the front part of an automobile, numeral 1 is an automobile, and a nose unit 3 is assembled to the front part of a main body 2 of the automobile. Front fenders 4.4 are provided on the outside of both sides of the vehicle body 2, and a bonnet 5 is provided on the upper front side.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the vehicle body 2 has a front side frame 13.13 located below a wheel apron 12.12 that constitutes the left and right side walls of the engine compartment 11.
are joined to the wheel apron reinforcement 14.14 on the upper side of the wheel apron 12.12.
are joined to form a closed cross-sectional structure that extends vertically in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

In addition, in the front side frame 13.13,
Bracket 15.15 for fastening and fixing the shroud panel 21.21 to the front side frame 13.13
is installed (see Figure 5).

As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, the nose unit 3 is joined to a shroud upper 22 extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle at the upper end of a shroud panel 21, 21. The shroud upper 22 includes a vertical wall portion 22A extending in the vertical direction, an earthen wall portion 22B extending rearward from the upper edge of the earthen wall portion 22A, and a rear wall portion 22C extending downward from the rear edge of the earthen wall portion 22B. A pair of vertical members 23, 23 are suspended from the center portion of the upper wall portion 22B in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. Note that the vertical members 23, 23 are connected to the shroud panel 21. ．． It may be formed integrally with 21 and constituted by a part of the shroud panel.

At the lower ends of the vertical members 2B, 23, a cross member 26 having a closed cross-section structure is constructed by joining an upper member 26A and a lower member 26B. The cross member 26 has support brackets 27 and 27 protruding from the rear side that support the lower parts of the condenser 24A and the radiator 24B, and support brackets 28 and 28 which support the lower part of the intercooler 51, which will be described later, protrude from the front side.

The capacitor 24A and the radiator 24B are integrally connected by a member not shown, and their lower ends are supported by support brackets 27 and 27 via rubber mount members 29A and 209B, and their upper ends are supported by a mounting bracket. 30. 30 to the upper wall portion 22B of the shroud upper 22 with bolts (not shown).

Further, as shown in detail in FIGS. 5 and 6, a rear end portion of a bumper stay 31 having an opening-shaped cross section and supporting a bumper 41 is coupled to the shroud panel 21.

The bumper stay 31 includes a lower wall portion 31a extending substantially horizontally and having nuts 32, 32 welded to the upper surface thereof, and a lower wall portion 31a.
Flange portions 31b, 31 extend vertically upward from both side edges of a and are welded to the bumper reinforcement 42 at the tips.
c: 31d, 31e, shroud panel 2 at the rear end
The side wall portions 31h and 31i have flange portions 31f and 31'g welded to the side wall portions 31h and 31i. Further, an end of the lower panel 26B of the cross member 26 is welded to the lower surface of the lower wall 31a of the bumper stay 31, and an end of the upper panel 26A is welded to the outer surface of the side wall 31i.

On the other hand, the tip of the front side frame 13 is extended by 1 to form a tip extension 13a.
3a passes through the shroud panel 21 through the notch 21a. In the installed state, the bumper stay 31 covers the lower part of the tip extension 13a of the front side frame 13, that is, the bumper stay 31 extends over the tip extension 13a of the front side frame 13.
3a is configured to be inserted into the bumper stay 31, and the bolts 33. Above nut 3
It has been concluded by applying Article 2.32.

Both ends of the bumper 41 have bolts 45, 45 erected from the bumper 41 and mounting holes 41 of the bumper 41.
It is also connected and fixed to a mounting portion 4a of a front fender 4 of the vehicle body 2 via a bolt (not shown) applied through a.

In addition, the mounting portions 22a, 22a at both ends of the earth wall portion 22B of the shroud upper 22 are attached to the front fender 4 in the attached state.
is superimposed on the upper side of the mounting portion 4b, and is fastened and fixed to the mounting portion 4b with two bolts (not shown).

51 is the intercooler, and the upper part is the mounting bracket 5
2. Vertical wall portion 22A of shroud upper 22 via 52
It is designed to be fastened with bolts 53 and 53.

Reference numeral 54 denotes a radiator grill located in the front center of the automobile, and the left and right mounting portions 54 a, 54 a are attached to the mounting holes in the vertical wall portion 22A of the shroud upper 22, and the central mounting portion 5
4b are adapted to be fitted and fixed into mounting holes of one vertical member 56 of the bonnet locking means 55, respectively. The bonnet locking means 55 is fastened to the vertical wall portion 22A of the shroud upper 22 by bolts 57.57.

Reference numerals 61A and 61B represent left and right lamp units, and the upper end mounting portions 51a and 61a of each unit are attached to the vertical wall portion 22A of the shroud upper 22 by bolts 62 and 62, and the lower end attachment portion 61b is attached to the shroud panel 2 by bolts 63.
(The bolts 62 and 63 and the lower end mounting portion 61b are shown only for the lamp unit 61A.)
. 64.65 are harnesses for connecting the electrical system, the former 64 is fastened to the cross member 26 via fittings 66.66 and bolts 67.67, and the latter 65 is fastened to the cross member 26 via fittings 68.68. Earthen wall portion 22 of shroud upper 22
It is fitted and fixed into the mounting hole B. Reference numeral 71.71 denotes a buffer member when the bonnet 5 is closed, and is fitted and fixed to the earthen wall portion 22B of the shroud upper 22.

Therefore, in assembling the front body of the automobile, the shroud panel 2 is attached to the front side frame 13 with the nose unit 3 attached to the front of the body 2.
1, the nose unit 3 is positioned and attached to the vehicle body 2 so that the front side frame 13 has a front end extension 13a passing through the shroud panel 21 of the nose unit 3, and the front A bumper stay 31 with an opening-shaped cross section that supports the bumper 41 is disposed so as to cover the lower part of the tip extension portion 13a of the side frame 13.
This is done by fastening the lower surface part of the distal end extension part 13a of No. 3 from below.

With the above structure, in order to assemble the front body of an automobile, the separately assembled nose unit 3 is first positioned and attached to the front of the body 2. In this state, the tip extension portion 13a of the front side frame 13 passes through the shroud panel 21.21 of the nose unit 3, so the lower wall portion 31a of the bumper stay 31 that supports the bumper 41 is attached to the tip of the front side frame 13. It is arranged so as to cover the lower part of the extension part 13a.

Then, the shroud panel 21 is fastened to the front side frame 13 (bracket 15) with bolts and nuts, and the lower wall portion 31a of the bumper stay 31 and the lower surface portion 13b of the front side frame 13 are connected from below with the bolts 33. 33, and bumper stay 3
1 and a front side frame 13 are assembled so that there is no displacement in the vertical direction and they are substantially coaxial.

5 Tip extension part 1 of such front side frame 13
3a and the bumper stay 31, the load input from the bumper 41 in the event of a frontal collision is transferred to the bumper 41.
is transmitted to the front side frame 13 via the bumper stay 31, and is effectively absorbed and alleviated by the front side frame 13.

In addition, bumper stay 31 and front side frame 1
The bumper stay 3
1, the bending phenomenon does not occur in the bumper stay 31 in the event of a frontal collision, and the load input from the bumper 41 is transferred to the front side frame 13.
will be reliably communicated. Therefore, frontal collision performance is not impaired.

In addition, since the rear end of the bumper stay 31 is connected to the shroud panel 21, the bumper 41 is supported by the shroud panel 21 via the bumper stay 31, and the bumper 31 can be made into a unit. It is advantageous6 in terms of workability.

Since the heavy radiator 24A, condenser 24B, and intercooler 51 are supported by the highly rigid cross member 26 of the nose unit 3, their support rigidity can be ensured, and they can also be integrated into a unit.

In the above embodiment, a cross member is provided for the nose unit, but as shown by the chain line in FIG.
By connecting the left and right front side frames 13.13 by a, the rigidity of the front part of the vehicle body 2 is ensured, and the positioning accuracy with respect to the vehicle body 2 when inserting the nose unit 3 is increased.

In that case, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the radiator 2.4B etc. may be supported via a support bracket 93 that protrudes from the bumper stay 92 that supports the bumper 91 and extends toward the center of the vehicle body. For example, the support rigidity of the radiator 24B, which is a heavy member, is not impaired.

Further, a bracket 96 that supports the intercooler 51 is attached to the bumper reinforcement 95 of the bumper 791. 97 is a shroud panel, and 98 is a shroud upper. In that case, a bracket 93A is also provided protruding from the bumper lens forcement 95 for the radiator 24B, etc., and the lower end of the radiator 24B, etc. is supported by the two brackets 93.93A to further increase the support rigidity. It can also be done.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the invention of claim (1), the lower wall portion of the bumper stay that supports the bumper and the lower surface portion of the front end extension portion of the front side frame are fastened from below.
The strength of the bumper stay has been increased, so even if a large load is applied to the bumper during a frontal collision, the bumper stay will not bend, and the load from the bumper stay will be reliably transmitted to the front side frame, improving frontal collision performance. is ensured.

According to the invention of claim (2), since the rear eight ends of the bumper stay are connected to the shroud panel, the bumper can be included in the nose unit, and the bumper can be made into a unit.

According to the invention of claim (3), since the heavy member such as the radiator is supported by the cross member having a closed cross-section structure, the supporting rigidity of the heavy member such as the radiator is ensured, and the heavy member is attached to the nose unit. It can be included in a unit to form a unit.

According to the invention of claim (4), since the left and right front side frames are connected by the cross member having a closed cross-sectional structure, the rigidity of the vehicle body is increased and positioning accuracy when inserting the nozzle unit is ensured.

Further, since the heavy member such as the radiator is supported by the bumper stay via the bracket, the supporting rigidity of the unitized weight member such as the radiator is not impaired.

According to the invention of claim (5), the bumper stay having an opening-shaped cross section that supports the bumper is arranged so as to cover the lower part of the end extension of the front side frame that passes through the shroud panel that constitutes the nose unit. Since the lower wall of the bumper stay and the lower surface of the front end extension of the front side frame are connected from below, the load input to the bumper in the event of a frontal collision is transmitted to the front side frame. can be assembled easily and easily.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front of an automobile, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front of the vehicle body, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a nose unit, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front of the automobile. Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the nose unit, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the final assembly.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the bumper stay. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view thereof. ■・・・Car 2・・・Car body 3・・・Nose unit 13・・・Front side frame 13a...
... Tip extension part 13b ... Bottom surface part 0 21.97 ... Shroud panel 24B ...
...Radiator 2B, 26a...Cross member 31.92...
...Bumper stay 31a...Lower wall portion 41.91...Bumper 93...Support bracket 1 Kim!゛(1 TOTO 8 K, b \ 1 1 1 TO KU °( Sc °(TO 8 system,

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A structure in which a nose unit having at least a shroud panel is connected to the front part of a vehicle body having left and right front side frames constituting a closed cross-section structure, wherein the nose unit is connected to the front side frame and the vehicle body. When attached to the front of the main body, a tip extension is formed that passes through the shroud panel, and the lower part of the tip extension is covered with a bumper stay with a cross-section of ■ shape that supports the bumper. A front body structure of an automobile, characterized in that a wall portion and a lower surface portion of a front end extension portion of a front side frame are fastened from below. (2) The front body structure of an automobile according to claim (1), wherein the bumper stay has a rear end portion coupled to the shroud panel. (3) The front body structure of an automobile according to claim (1), wherein the nose unit has a cross member having a closed cross-section structure that extends in the left-right direction and supports a heavy member such as a radiator. (4) A claim in which a cross member extending in the left-right direction is installed between the left and right front side frames of the vehicle body, and the nose unit supports heavy components such as a radiator with a bracket that protrudes from the bumper stay and extends toward the center of the vehicle body. The front body structure of the automobile according to item (1). (5) A method for assembling a nose unit having at least a shroud panel to a vehicle body having left and right front side frames constituting a closed cross-sectional structure, the nose unit being attached to the front side frames at the front of the vehicle body. The nose unit is attached to the vehicle body so that the front side frame's tip extension passes through the shroud panel of the nose unit, and the front side frame is attached to the vehicle body. A bumper stay with a cross-sectional shape that supports the bumper is arranged so as to cover the lower part of the tip extension, and the lower wall of the bumper stay and the lower surface of the tip extension of the front side frame are fastened from below. A method for assembling the front body of an automobile, characterized by: