Vehicle front structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure which suppresses the amount of intrusion of a sensor unit provided protruding on the front of a vehicle body into a cab at the time of a frontal collision. A cab (16) is provided at the front end of the vehicle, and the sensor unit (32) is provided at a position on the front of the vehicle body at the same height as a cab floor (22) of the cab (16). A floor cross member (54) is provided extending along the left-right direction of the vehicle on the cab floor (22) between the sensor unit (32) and an accelerator pedal (56). Both ends of the floor cross member (54) are joined to left and right front side members (34) extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle on the left and right at the front of the vehicle. The sensor unit (32) intruding into the cab (16) at the time of a frontal collision abuts against the floor cross member (54), so the amount of intrusion into the cab (16) is suppressed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a vehicle front structure, and particularly to a collision-resistant structure of a vehicle structure in which a cab is provided at a front end portion. BACKGROUND

[0002] A vehicle (10) in which a sensor unit (30) for automatic driving is provided at the front of a vehicle body is shown in Patent Document 1 described below. In particular, in paragraph 0076, a case in which the sensor unit (30) is provided at the front of the vehicle (10) is described. Note that the reference sign in parentheses above is a reference sign used in Patent Document 1 described below and is not associated with the reference signs used in the description of the embodiments of the present application.

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT DOCUMENT

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-19413 SUMMARY

[0006] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0007] In a vehicle in which a cab is provided at a front end portion, the amount of intrusion of a sensor unit provided at the front of a vehicle body into the cab is suppressed at the time of a frontal collision.

[0008] MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0009] The vehicle front structure according to the present application includes a cab provided at a front end portion of a vehicle, a sensor unit provided at the front of a vehicle body at the same height as a floor of the cab, for acquiring a situation outside the vehicle, and a floor cross beam extending in a vehicle transverse direction on the floor between the sensor unit and an accelerator pedal, both ends of which are coupled to left and right front side members extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction in the front portion of the vehicle.

[0010] By using the floor cross beam to receive the sensor unit that intrudes into the cab at the time of a collision, the amount of intrusion of the sensor unit is suppressed.

[0011] Further, in the vehicle front structure described above, the floor cross beam can be provided so as to cross an inspection hole provided in the floor. Even in the case where the floor is provided with an inspection hole, the floor cross beam can be disposed.

[0012] Moreover, the floor cross member provided so as to cross the access hole can have a central portion integrated with a door of the access hole and two side end portions integrated with the floor. By closing the door, the two side end portions are arranged and coupled to both ends of the central portion of the floor cross member, thereby forming the floor cross member coupled to the front side members on the left and right. By providing the floor cross member in a split structure, even if the floor cross member is provided so as to cross the access hole, the opening of the access hole is not narrowed.

[0013] Effects of Invention

[0014] In a head-on collision, the amount of entry of a sensor unit provided on the front of the vehicle body into the cab can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a side view schematically showing the general structure of the vehicle of the present embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the front of the vehicle of the present embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 is a side view schematically showing the structure of the cab.

[0018] Figure 4 is a bottom view showing the frame structure of the front portion of the vehicle body in a state viewed from below.

[0019] Figure 5 is a plan view showing the general structure of the cab floor.

[0020] Figure 6 is a plan view showing the structure of the cab floor. Figure 5 is a perspective sectional view at the A-A line shown.

[0021] Figure 7 is a plan view showing the state in which the door of the access hole is detached from the state shown in Figure 5

[0022] Figure 8 is a perspective sectional view showing the state in which the door of the access hole is detached from the state shown in Figure 6

[0023] Figure 9 is a plan view showing the door of the access hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] ​​An embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless specifically stated otherwise, statements of relative position and orientation such as front, rear, left, right, up, and down indicate relative positions and orientations with respect to the vehicle. In the drawings, the direction of arrow FR is the front direction, the direction of arrow UP is the up direction, and the direction of arrow LH is the left direction.

[0025] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a main part of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 has a configuration in which a vehicle body 14 is mounted on a ladder frame 12. The vehicle 10 is a so-called flathead type vehicle in which a cab 16 and a prime mover room 18 below the cab 16 are arranged at the front end portion thereof. In the prime mover room 18, a prime mover such as an electric motor (not shown) that drives the vehicle is housed. A passenger compartment 20 in which passengers ride is arranged rearward of the cab 16. A cab floor 22 of the cab 16 is at a position higher than a passenger compartment floor 24 of the passenger compartment 20.

[0026] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the front face of the vehicle 10. Front lamps 28 are arranged left and right below a windshield 26, and a vehicle exterior display 30 is arranged therebetween. The vehicle exterior display 30 provides information related to the state of the vehicle 10 to the outside of the vehicle (pedestrians, oncoming vehicles, etc.). For example, a display that urges a pedestrian who is about to cross the road to cross is performed, and a destination display is performed if it is a fixed route bus. In addition, if it is a vehicle that can be automatically driven, a display of whether it is in automatic driving or manual driving is performed.

[0027] In the front face of the vehicle 10, for example, below the vehicle exterior display 30, a sensor unit 32 for acquiring the state of the outside of the vehicle is also arranged. The state of the outside of the vehicle acquired by the sensor unit 32 is utilized as information for driving support or automatic driving. The sensor unit 32 can include a laser radar (LiDAR: Light detection and Ranging) that measures the distance between the vehicle and an object in the vicinity of the vehicle.

[0028] Figure 3 is a side view schematically showing the outline configuration of the cab 16. In addition, Figure 4is a bottom view (omitting the floor panel 36 and the hatch 52 of the access hole described later) showing the skeletal structure of the front portion of the vehicle body 14 in a state viewed from below the vehicle 10. The vehicle body 14 mounted on the ladder frame 12 includes front side members, front longitudinal beams 34, extending in the front-rear direction in the left and right portions of the front portion of the vehicle body 14 as skeletal members. The front longitudinal beams 34 support the floor panel 36 of the cab floor 22 at the front portions, and the rear portions are inclined downward toward the rear, and are joined at the rear ends to the central longitudinal beams 38 that support the passenger compartment floor 24. The skeletal structure includes passenger compartment cross members 40 extending in the left and right direction along the front edge of the passenger compartment floor 24, which cross and are joined to the central longitudinal beams 38. A plurality of pillars 42 arranged in the extending direction of the passenger compartment cross members 40 are provided upright on the passenger compartment cross members 40. A partition wall separating the cab 16 and the passenger compartment 20 can be formed by installing a partition panel on the pillars 42. The skeletal structure further includes cab cross members 44 extending in the left and right direction along the rear edge of the cab floor 22, which cross and are joined to the front longitudinal beams 34. The pillars 42 and the cab cross members 44 support a seat pedestal 46 on which a driver's seat 48 is placed and fixed.

[0029] An access hole 50 for accessing the prime mover compartment 18 is provided in the floor panel 36 of the cab floor 22, and the access hole 50 is normally closed by a hatch 52. The hatch 52 becomes a part of the cab floor 22 when covering the access hole 50. A floor cross member 54 extending in the left and right direction and having the left and right end portions joined to the front longitudinal beams 34 is provided on the cab floor 22. A pedal bracket 58 supporting an accelerator pedal 56 is fixed to the floor cross member 54. The floor cross member 54 is located forward of the accelerator pedal 56, and the driver's foot operating the accelerator pedal 56 is located rearward of the floor cross member 54. In addition, the aforementioned sensor unit 32 is disposed at the same height as the cab floor 22, and the floor cross member 54 is located rearward of the sensor unit 32.

[0030] Figure 5 、 6 is a view showing the structure of the cab floor 22 and its surroundings, Figure 5 is a plan view, Figure 6 is Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A shown in FIG. 8. In addition, Figure 7 、 8 is a view showing a state in which the hatch 52 of the access hole 50 is removed, corresponding to Figure 5 、 6 Furthermore, Figure 9 is a view showing the hatch 52 removed from the access hole 50.

[0031] The front longitudinal beam 34 is composed of a raised portion 36a formed by the floor panel 36 rising upwards into a top hat shape, and a lower member 60 with a top hat shape located below the raised portion 36a. The raised portion 36a and the lower member 60 extend along the longitudinal direction on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 14. The top hat-shaped brim of the lower member 60 is welded to the top surface of the raised portion 36a, forming a front longitudinal beam 34 with a closed cross section. The two ends of the floor crossbeam 54 are joined to the sides of the left and right raised portions 36a by welding or other methods. The floor crossbeam 54 extends transversely through the access hole 50 in the left and right direction.

[0032] The floor beam 54 consists of three parts: a central portion 62 along its length and two end portions 64 on both sides. The central portion 62 and the two end portions 64 each have a top hat-shaped cross-section, with the top hat openings facing downwards. The end portions 64 are joined to the side of the raised portion 36a of the floor panel as described above, and are also joined to the general surface of the floor panel 36 by welding or other methods. Thus, the top hat-shaped end portions 64 and the floor panel 36 form a closed cross-section structure. The end portions 64 extend inwards from the front longitudinal beam 34 in the vehicle width direction to near the edge of the access hole 50. The central portion 62 of the floor beam 54 is located between the two end portions 64, and is joined to the end portions 64 at both ends by fasteners such as bolts and nuts. Most of the central portion 62 is located above the access hole 50. By joining the central portion 62 and the two end portions 64 on both sides of the central portion 62, the three parts are integrated to form the floor beam 54, with its two ends joined to the left and right front longitudinal beams 34 respectively. If the central part 62 is removed from the end 64, the portion of the floor beam 54 covering the inspection hole 50 is removed; if the gate 52 is removed, the entire inspection hole 50 is opened.

[0033] like Figure 9 As shown, the central portion 62 of the floor beam 54 can be integrated with the gate 52 of the inspection hole. The central portion 62 is combined and integrated with the gate 52 by means of welding or other methods. A closed section structure is formed by combining the central portion 62 with its top-hat-shaped cross-section and the plate surface of the gate 52. By integrating the central portion 62 of the floor beam and the gate 52, the central portion 62 of the floor beam can be disassembled together with the gate 52, saving labor compared to disassembling them separately.

[0034] In the event of a frontal collision with vehicle 10, the sensor unit 32, protruding forward from the front of the vehicle body, enters the passenger compartment 16. As the sensor unit 32 enters the passenger compartment 16 and moves further backward, it abuts against the floor beam 54 located behind it, thereby suppressing further backward movement of the sensor unit 32. Furthermore, even when the sensor unit 32 is not protruding forward, the backward movement of the sensor unit 32 accompanying the frontal crumple of the vehicle body can be suppressed using the floor beam 54.

[0035] Reference numerals

[0036] 10 vehicle, 16 cab, 20 passenger compartment, 22 cab floor, 32 sensor unit, 34 front longitudinal beam, 36 floor panel, 48 driver's seat, 50 access hole, 52 access hole shutter, 54 floor cross beam, 56 accelerator pedal, 58 pedal bracket, 60 lower side member of front longitudinal beam, 62 central portion of floor cross beam, 64 end portion of floor cross beam.

Claims

1. A vehicle front structure, comprising: a cab provided at a front end of a vehicle; a sensor unit provided at a position on a front surface of a vehicle body at the same height as a floor of the cab, for acquiring a condition outside the vehicle; and a floor cross beam having both ends coupled to left and right front side frames respectively extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction at left and right portions of a front portion of the vehicle body, and extending in a vehicle lateral direction on the floor between the sensor unit and an accelerator pedal, the floor cross beam being provided so as to cross an access hole provided in the floor, an amount of intrusion of the sensor unit into the cab at the time of a collision is suppressed by receiving the sensor unit by the floor cross beam, the floor cross beam has a central portion integrated with a door of the access hole and both end portions integrated with the floor, the central portion is arranged and coupled between the both end portions by closing the door, the central portion of the floor cross beam is integrated with the door of the access hole, and the central portion of the floor cross beam is removed together when the door is removed, thereby saving work effort compared to separate removal. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

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