JPH04154487A - Front body structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the support strength of an upper shroud for a weight member in a front body structure provided with a suspension tower and the upper shroud extending in the direction of the width of the vehicle by providing a reinforcing member which connects the suspension tower and the upper shroud to each other. CONSTITUTION:A body frame structure located around an engine room 1 comprises a suspension tower 5 erected in a position of a wheel apron 4 distant from a dash panel by predetermined size and also a shroud panel 6 disposed near the front end portion of each of right and left front side frames 3. In this case, a reinforcing brace 9 serving as a reinforcing member is erected between the suspension tower 5 and an upper shroud 7. The rear end portion of the reinforcing brace 9 is bifurcated and each of the bifurcated ends is fixed to the side face of the suspension tower 5 by means of bolts and also the front end portion of the reinforcing brace 9 is fixed to the upper face of the outside end of the center horizontal portion 7a of the upper shroud 7 by means of bolts. The rigidity of the upper shroud 7 is thereby enhanced to prevent the shroud from falling down, especially in the backward direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a front body structure of a vehicle, and particularly to a structure around a shroud upper disposed at a front end of a vehicle body.

(Prior Art) Various vehicle body structures have been known in the past that aim to improve the rigidity of the engine room located at the front of the vehicle cabin. There is something like the one shown in Japanese Patent No. 63-12479. This bulletin states that the suspension towers, which are erected on both sides of the engine compartment, and the dash panel that separates the engine compartment from the passenger compartment will be connected with a reinforcing member to improve the rigidity of the rear part of the engine compartment. What has been done is disclosed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the structure of the front part of the engine room is generally such that front side frames a extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are disposed on both left and right sides of the lower part of the vehicle body.
A shroud 7 funnel b is disposed at the front end portion of this front side frame a. A round door 7/<C extending in the vehicle width direction is installed between the upper ends of this round door channel b. The front end of an apron reinforcement e disposed at the upper end of a wheel apron d forming a side wall of the engine room is joined to the outer end of the shroud door solenoid C.

Furthermore, the beam shown in FIG. 5 is equipped with a tractor-pull lamp, and the vicinity of both left and right ends of the shroud upper C are positioned downward to ensure a space for accommodating the lamp.

Further, an L-shaped lamp support bracket f is installed between the front side frame a and the apron reinforcement e, and this lamp support bracket f
A lamp (not shown) is rotatably supported by a hinge on the horizontal part of the lamp. Further, a first cross member g is installed between the front end portions of the front side frames a, and a radiator (not shown) is provided between the first cross member g and the shroud upper C. Further, h in FIG. 5 is a bonnet that opens and closes the engine room.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, such a conventional vehicle body structure has the following problems.

First, the radiator, as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 2,
Since the shroud upper C is disposed between the shroud upper C and the first cross member g, the distance between the shroud upper C and the first cross member g is If the height of the radiator is too short, the height of the radiator is restricted, and sufficient cooling performance cannot be obtained from the radiator. In addition, the shroud upper C that supports the upper end of the radiator has low rigidity because both left and right ends are only connected to the apron reinforcement e, and when supporting a heavy member such as a radiator,
There was a problem with its support strength.

In particular, in the case of a bent shroud upper C as shown in FIG. 5, there is a risk that the central portion of the shroud upper may collapse rearward.

In addition, when a retractable lamp is in use, the wind pressure acting on the lamp acts to tilt the lamp support bracket f backward.As mentioned above, the lamp support bracket f is L-shaped, and Since the lamp support bracket f is only connected and supported to the vehicle body side, it is difficult to say that the rigidity of the lamp support bracket f is sufficiently ensured.If the lamp support bracket f falls backward due to the wind pressure, There was a problem with the lamp's optical axis being unstable.

Further, in order to prevent the bonnet h from bending upward and entering the vehicle interior in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, a bending bead as a notch is formed in advance on the back surface of the bonnet h. However, in order to ensure that the bending build always bends due to the frontal collision load of the vehicle, it was necessary to fully consider the position and shape of the bending build.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and
The objective is to obtain a vehicle body structure that can solve the various problems mentioned above.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a reinforcing member for the shroud upper, and uses this reinforcing member to secure the mounting position of each member. Specifically, the invention described in claim (1) includes suspension towers erected on both left and right sides in a space on the front side of the vehicle, and a shroud upper disposed at the upper part of the front end of the space and extending in the vehicle width direction. It is assumed that the front body structure of a vehicle is equipped with

Further, a reinforcing member is provided to connect each of the suspension towers and the shroud upper.

The invention described in claim (2) is configured such that the upper part of the radiator is supported by the reinforcing member.

The invention described in claim (3) is configured such that a lamp support member that supports a headlamp is connected to the reinforcing member.

The invention described in claim (4) is configured such that the reinforcing member is formed with a bending starting point portion that becomes the starting point of upward bending in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle.

(Function) With the above configuration, the present invention provides the following effects.

In the invention described in claim (1), since the reinforcing member connecting the suspension tower and the shroud upper is provided, the shroud upper is connected to the highly rigid suspension tower by the reinforcing member. , its rigidity is improved, and its supporting strength when supporting a heavy member is improved.

In the invention described in claim (2), since the upper part of the radiator is supported by the reinforcing member, the degree of freedom in positioning the upper part of the radiator is increased, and the height dimension of the radiator can be set large. , improves the cooling performance of engine coolant.

In the invention described in claim (3), since the lamp support member that supports the headlamp is connected to the reinforcing member,
The lamp support bracket does not fall backwards due to wind pressure acting on the headlamp, and the stability of the headlamp's optical axis is ensured.

In the invention described in claim (4), since the bending starting point is formed in the reinforcing member, in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the reinforcing member bends upward starting from the bending starting point, and thereby, The reinforcing member pushes up the bonnet located above the reinforcing member. This allows the bonnet to bend smoothly.

(First Embodiment) Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle body frame structure around an engine compartment 1 of a vehicle according to this example.

A dash panel 2 is provided at the rear end of the engine room 1 to separate the engine room 1 from a vehicle interior (not shown), and a closed cross section extending in the front and rear directions on both left and right sides of the vehicle is provided on the lower side of the dash panel 2. Front side frames 3, 3 consisting of a structure are provided. A lower end portion of a full wheel apron 4 forming a side wall of the engine compartment 1 is connected to the outer end of the front side frame 3. A suspension tower 5 (hereinafter referred to as a suspension tower) for supporting a suspension (not shown) is erected at a position on the wheel apron 4 at a predetermined distance from the dash panel 2.

On the other hand, a shroud panel 6.6 constituting a part of the front wall of the engine room 1 is disposed near the front end of each of the front side frames 3.3. An opening 6a is formed in this shroud panel 6 at a position corresponding to the front end of the front side frame 3, and the front end of the front side frame 3 is inserted through this opening 6a. Further, a shroud upper 7 extending in the vehicle width direction is installed between the upper end portions of the shroud panels 6. At the outer end of this shroud upper 7,
The front end of an apron reinforcement 4a disposed at the upper end of the wheel apron 4 to reinforce the wheel apron 4 is joined. In addition, the vehicle beam of this embodiment is equipped with a tractor pull lamp, and for this purpose, the shroud upper 7 is moved so that the vicinity of both left and right ends of the shroud upper 7 are positioned downward to ensure a space for accommodating the lamp. It is formed by bending. In other words, this shroud upper 7 includes a central horizontal portion 7a formed at the center portion in the vehicle width direction, inclined portions 7b, 7b that are inclined downwardly toward the outside in the vehicle width direction on both sides of the central horizontal portion 7a, and Further outside the inclined portion 7b, the apron reinforcement 4
It is formed by outer horizontal portions 7c, 7c extending toward the front end of a.

Further, a first cross member 8 is installed between the front side frames 3.3 slightly rearward of the shroud panel 6.6, and this first cross member 8 allows the front side frame 3 to be connected to a portion near the front end thereof. Ensures rigidity. Further, a center stay 13 extending in the vertical direction is installed between the first gross member 8 and the central horizontal portion 7a of the shroud upper 7. Further, a locking mechanism 14 (FIG. 2) for locking a bonnet (not shown) is attached to the center stay 13.

As a feature of this example, a reinforcing place 9 serving as a reinforcing member in the present invention is installed between the suspension tower 5 and the shroud upper 7.

This reinforcing place 9 is a member formed in a hat shape with an upwardly convex portion excluding the front end and rear end,
It is formed in a shape that tapers toward the front. The rear end portion of the reinforcing place 9 is bifurcated into two parts, each of which is bolted to the upper surface of the suspension tower 5.

On the other hand, the front end portion of the reinforcing place 9 is similarly bolted to the upper surface of the outer end of the central horizontal portion 7a of the shroud upper 7. In this way, the shroud upper 7
is connected to the highly rigid suspension tower 5 by a reinforcing place 9. With such a configuration, the rigidity of the shroud upper 7 is improved, and in particular, it is prevented from falling backward.

Another feature of this embodiment is that a radiator support bracket 9a is provided at a predetermined distance rearward from the front end of the reinforcing place 9, extending toward the center in the vehicle width direction. Both upper ends of the radiator 10 are bolted to the radiator support bracket 9a. Further, the radiator 10 is supported at its lower end or on the upper surface of the first cross member 8. Therefore, compared to the conventional structure shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 2, in which the upper end of the radiator 10 is attached to the shroud upper 7, the degree of freedom in the upper end position of the radiator 10 is increased, and the By appropriately setting the molding position of the support bracket 9a, the height of the radiator 10 can be set large, and the cooling capacity of the engine cooling water can be improved.

As described above, according to the configuration of this example, the shroud upper 7
Furthermore, since the degree of freedom in mounting the radiator 10 is increased, the height of the radiator 10 can be set large, and the cooling performance can be improved.

(Second example) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Furthermore, in this example, only the differences from the first example described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3, also in this example, a reinforcing place 9 is installed between the upper surface of the suspension tower 5 and the upper surface of the central horizontal portion 7a of the shroud upper 7. Furthermore, a locking mechanism 14 for locking the bonnet 12 (FIG. 4) is attached to a portion corresponding to the attachment position of the reinforcing place 9 on the front surface of the shroud upper 7. In other words, the locking mechanism 14 is arranged in a particularly rigid part of the shroud upper 7 to improve the holding performance of the bonnet 12.

One of the features of this example is that the lamp support bracket 1 rotatably supports the retractable lamp.
It is in 1. This lamp support bracket 11 has a horizontal portion 1
1a and a vertical part 11b, the outer end of the horizontal part 11a is bolted to the upper surface of the apron reinforcement 4a, and the inner end thereof is attached to a bracket 9b protruding from the outer end of the reinforcement place 9. It is bolted.

Further, the upper end of the vertical portion 11b is connected to the lower end of the horizontal portion 11a, and the lower end thereof is joined to the upper surface of the front side frame 3.

With this configuration, each end of the T-shaped lamp support bracket 11 is supported on the vehicle body side, and its support strength is improved, and when the retractable lamp is used, the lamp is protected from wind pressure. The lamp support bracket 11 will not fall backwards even if the lamp is exposed to an object, and the stability of the optical axis will be ensured.

Another feature of this example is that the reinforcing place 9 is provided with a bending bead 9c as a bending starting point. In other words, the substantially central portion of the reinforcing place 9 in the longitudinal direction is slightly bent upward, and in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the actual front load causes this bent bead 9C.
Starting at the reinforcement place 9, it is bent upward. In addition, as shown in Fig. 4, the bonnet 1
2 is also formed with a similar bending bead 12a, and both of these perform a predetermined bending operation (see the imaginary line in FIG. 4) when the vehicle is moving. In addition, reinforcement place 9
The bending beads 9c and 12a of the bonnet 12 are located at substantially the same position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, so that the bending action of the reinforcing place 9 allows the bending action of the bonnet 12 to be performed smoothly.

As described above, according to the configuration of this example, the support strength of the retractable lamp is improved, so that the optical axis of the lamp can be stabilized, and a predetermined deformation operation can be performed when the vehicle is moving.

Although the vehicle of this example was equipped with the engine room 1 at the front of the cabin, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a vehicle where the front of the cabin is a trunk room.

Further, the mounting positions of the front and rear ends of the reinforcing place are not limited to the positions in this example.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects are exhibited.

In the invention described in claim (1), since the suspension tower and the shroud upper are connected by the reinforcing member, the shroud upper is connected to the suspension tough with high rigidity by the reinforcing member. The upper can improve its supporting strength when supporting a heavy member.

In the invention described in claim (2), since the upper part of the radiator is supported by the reinforcing member, the degree of freedom in mounting the radiator is increased, and by setting the position, the radiator can be mounted. The height dimension can be set large, and the cooling performance of the engine coolant can be improved.

In the invention described in claim (3), since the lamp support member that supports the headlamp is connected to the reinforcing member, there is no possibility that the lamp support bracket will fall backward due to wind pressure acting on the headlamp. This ensures the stability of the headlamp's optical axis.

In the invention set forth in claim (4), the reinforcing member is formed with a bending starting point that becomes the starting point of bending when the vehicle front crashes, so that the bending action of the reinforcing member at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle causes The bonnet folding operation is performed smoothly.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body frame around the engine room, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view around the engine room. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram equivalent to Figure 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional example. 1... Engine room (front space) 5... Suspension tower 7... Shroud upper 9... Reinforcement place (reinforcement member) 9b... Bracket 9c... Bending starting point (lamp support member) (Broken bead) 10...Radiator 1 Engine room (front space) 5...Suspension engine tower 7, Shroud upper 9, Reinforcement place (reinforcement member) 9b...Bracket (Lamp support member) 9C, Bend Starting point (bent bead) 10...Radiator diagram

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) In a front body structure of a vehicle, comprising suspension towers erected on both left and right sides of a space on the front side of the vehicle body, and a shroud upper disposed at the upper front end of the space and extending in the vehicle width direction. A front body structure for a vehicle, characterized in that a reinforcing member is provided for connecting each of the suspension towers and a shroud upper. (2) The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim (1), wherein the reinforcing member supports an upper part of the radiator. (3) The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim (1), wherein a lamp support member for supporting a headlamp is connected to the reinforcing member. (4) The front part of a vehicle according to claim (1), wherein the reinforcing member is formed with a bending starting point that becomes a starting point of upward bending in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. Vehicle structure.