Vehicle front structure

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle front structure. The vehicle front structure is provided with: a fender flange which is a part of a front fender panel and which protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper end edge of the design surface of the front fender panel; a lamp unit disposed on a lower side of the vehicle than the fender flange; and a bracket that connects the fender flange and the vehicle lamp unit to each other. The bracket has a curved portion that extends in a direction toward one side in the width direction of the vehicle as the bracket tends to the upper side of the vehicle, and then turns back in a direction opposite to the width direction of the vehicle as the bracket tends to the upper side of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present specification relates to a front structure of a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Among vehicles, there is a vehicle having a hood and front fender panels disposed on the left and right sides of the hood. In addition, in general, a fender flange extends from the upper edge of the design surface of the front fender panel. When the hood is closed, the fender flange is covered and hidden by the hood.

[0003] In the case of the above-mentioned vehicle, when the vehicle collides with an obstacle outside the vehicle, a part of the obstacle (hereinafter referred to as a "protected object") may collide with the upper surface of the front part of the vehicle. The regulations of various countries stipulate that the area in the front part of the vehicle where the collision with the protected object is expected to occur has sufficient impact absorption. The regulations of various countries are, for example, "Automobiles: Safety Standards for Road Transport Vehicles" formulated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan. Hereinafter, the area where the collision is expected to occur is referred to as the "protected area". In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-91425, a suggestion is made that, in order to improve the impact absorption in the front part of the vehicle, a bracket in the shape of a hat is arranged between the radiator support and the fender flange. Summary of the invention

[0004] However, in the past, some parts were sometimes combined with the fender flange. Some of these parts lack impact absorption. For example, in the past, the headlight pillars that stand up from the upper surface of the light unit were sometimes directly combined with the fender flange. The light unit is a component assembled with the headlight. Such a light unit is not easy to deform and cannot fully absorb impact. If the light pillar, which is the joint between the light unit and the fender flange, is located within the protection area, the protected object will not be fully protected in the event of a collision. Therefore, in the past, the configuration of the light unit was adjusted in such a way that the light pillars were located outside the protection area when viewed from above. However, in this case, the degree of freedom in the configuration of the light unit and even the degree of freedom in the appearance design will be reduced.

[0005] Therefore, this specification discloses a vehicle front structure that can further increase the degree of freedom in appearance design.

[0006] The vehicle front structure disclosed in this specification is characterized by comprising:

[0007] a fender flange which is a part of the front fender panel and extends inward in the vehicle width direction from an upper edge of the design surface of the front fender panel;

[0008] an object component disposed on a lower side of the vehicle than the fender flange;

[0009] a bracket for connecting the fender flange and the target component,

[0010] The bracket has a bent portion that extends in a direction toward one side in the vehicle width direction as it goes toward the vehicle upper side and then bends back in a direction toward an opposite side in the vehicle width direction as it goes toward the vehicle upper side.

[0011] By connecting the target component to the fender flange via a bracket, the position of the target component is not restricted by the fender flange. In addition, by setting the bracket to a shape that is folded back along the width direction of the vehicle, the deformation of the bracket can be used to absorb the impact when the protected object collides. Therefore, there will be no problem even if the target component is arranged in the protection area. As a result, according to the above structure, the target component can be freely arranged. Therefore, the degree of freedom of appearance design can be improved.

[0012] In this case, the connection portion of the target component connected to the bracket may be located inside a protection area previously defined by laws and regulations as a range in which a collision with the protection object is expected to occur, in a plan view.

[0013] In the past, in order to protect the protected object, the joint portion was arranged outside the protection area. On the other hand, when a bracket folded back in the vehicle width direction is used, the bracket can be used to absorb the impact. Therefore, as described above, the joint portion can be arranged inside the protection area.

[0014] Furthermore, the target component may be a vehicle lamp unit in which a headlamp is assembled.

[0015] The connecting portion is a lamp support column rising from the upper surface of the lamp unit.

[0016] The bracket extends from the light pillar in a direction toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle, and then folds back in a direction toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle.

[0017] By adopting the above-mentioned structure, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the headlight can be increased, and therefore, the degree of freedom in the exterior design of the vehicle can be further increased.

[0018] In this case, the bracket may include an upper flange which is provided at an upper end of the bracket and is elongated in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0019] The upper flange is welded to the fender flange at a plurality of welding points arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction in a state of vertically overlapping the fender flange near the front end of the fender flange.

[0020] The bracket is coupled to the vehicle lamp support column.

[0021] By adopting the above-described structure, the bracket also functions as a reinforcing member for reinforcing the front end periphery of the fender flange, and thereby, deformation of the front end periphery of the fender flange and even the front end periphery of the front fender panel can be suppressed.

[0022] Furthermore, the lamp support may be located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction relative to the upper flange.

[0023] A vertical distance from the bent portion to a connection point between the bent portion and the lamp pillar is at least twice a vertical distance from the bent portion to the upper flange.

[0024] With the above-described structure, a certain amount of space can be secured outside the light pillar in the vehicle width direction, and other components can be arranged in the space.

[0025] According to the vehicle front structure disclosed in this specification, the degree of freedom in appearance design can be increased. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like symbols represent like elements, and in which:

[0027] Figure 1 A perspective view of the front of the vehicle.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic top view of the front part of the vehicle.

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 2 II-II sectional view.

[0030] Figure 4 A perspective view of the bracket.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view showing how the bracket deforms when a collision occurs with the protected object. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Hereinafter, the vehicle front structure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front of the vehicle 10. In addition, Figure 2is a schematic top view of the front of the vehicle 10 . Figure 3 for Figure 2 II-II sectional view. In each of the drawings, Fr, Up, and Rh represent the front, top, and right side of the vehicle 10, respectively. Figure 2 In FIG. 1 , the engine hood 14 is omitted. Figure 2 In FIG. 1 , the front fender panel 12 is hatched in gray. Furthermore, the lamp unit 30 is hatched in cross-hatching.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a hood 14, a front fender panel 12, and a headlight 16 are arranged at the front of the vehicle 10. The hood 14 is a panel member constituting the upper surface of the front of the vehicle. The hood 14 is opened and closed by swinging around a rotation axis set near its rear end. In addition, the lower side of the hood 14 becomes a power unit chamber 11 in which a power source or a heat exchanger (not shown) is arranged.

[0034] Front fender panels 12 are arranged at the left and right sides of the hood 14. The front fender panel 12 is a panel member constituting the side of the front part of the vehicle. The upper part of the front fender panel 12 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the upper end of the design surface of the front fender panel 12 is smoothly connected to the design surface of the hood 14. Hereinafter, the boundary between the design surface of the front fender panel 12 and the design surface of the hood 14 is referred to as a "parting line 18".

[0035] The front fender panel 12 has a fender flange 20. Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the fender flange 20 is a portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the upper edge of the exterior design surface of the front fender panel 12 (i.e., near the parting line 18). The fender flange 20 is located on the lower side compared to the exterior design surface of the front fender panel 12. Therefore, when the engine hood 14 is closed, the fender flange 20 is covered and hidden by the engine hood 14. In addition, the parting line 18 is bent forward and downward near the front end. The fender flange 20 is divided into a plurality of parts near the front end (at the Figure 2 In the example, there are three) small pieces 20a.

[0036] The headlight 16 is disposed at the front end of the vehicle 10. The headlight 16 is assembled in a lamp unit 30. The lamp unit 30 is disposed inside the power unit chamber 11, that is, on the lower side of the vehicle compared to the fender flange 20. A lamp support 32 stands upright from the upper surface of the lamp unit 30. The lamp support 32 is a portion for connecting the lamp unit 30 with other components. Figure 4As shown in FIG. 1 , the lamp support 32 is substantially L-shaped, rising from the upper surface of the lamp unit 30 toward the upper side of the vehicle and then extending toward the rear of the vehicle. In this example, the lamp support 32 is coupled to a bracket 40 described later. The lamp unit 30 corresponds to a "target component" coupled to the bracket 40. Furthermore, the lamp support 32 corresponds to a "joining portion" of the lamp unit 30 that is coupled to the bracket 40.

[0037] The bracket 40 is a member for connecting the fender flange 20 and the lamp support 32. Figure 3 , Figure 4 The bracket 40 will be described below. Figure 4 40 is a three-dimensional diagram of the bracket 40. Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown, the bracket 40 is roughly divided into an upper flange 42, a lower flange 44, and a connecting portion 46. The upper flange 42 is an upper end portion of the bracket 40. The upper flange 42 is welded to the fender flange 20 in a state of overlapping with the lower side of the fender flange 20. Figure 2 The cross mark in the figure indicates the welding point between the upper flange 42 and the fender flange 20. Figure 2 As is clear from the figure, in this example, the upper flange 42 is welded at a plurality of (five in the example of the figure) welding points arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0038] The lower flange 44 is the lower end portion of the bracket 40 and is a plate-shaped portion that expands in the horizontal direction. The lamp support 32 is coupled to the lower flange 44. A coupling hole 54a for coupling the lamp support 32 is formed in the lower flange 44. In addition, the lower flange 44 is also coupled to the connecting plate 36 (see Figure 2 as well as Figure 4 ) and the radiator support member 34 (refer to Figure 2 The radiator support 34 is a rigid component that supports the radiator (not shown) in the power unit chamber 11. The lower flange 44 is also formed with a coupling hole 54b for coupling the coupling plate 36.

[0039] The connecting portion 46 is a portion for connecting the upper flange 42 and the lower flange 44. Figure 3 As shown, the connecting portion 46 includes a lower inclined portion 50 extending from the lower flange 44, and an upper inclined portion 52 extending from the upper flange 42. The lower inclined portion 50 extends from the lower flange 44 in a direction toward the upper side of the vehicle as it tends to the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the upper inclined portion 52 extends from the upper flange 42 in a direction toward the lower side of the vehicle as it tends to the outer side in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the connecting portion 46 has a bent portion 48 that extends to one side in the vehicle width direction and then folds back to the opposite side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, as shown from Figure 3 As is clear from the figure, the vertical distance Da from the curved portion 48 to the joint of the curved portion 48 and the lamp support 32 is more than twice the vertical distance Db from the curved portion 48 to the upper flange 42 (Da ≥ 2×Db). In addition, in this example, the lower flange 44 is located on the inner side of the upper flange 42 in the vehicle width direction.

[0040] The reason for providing the bracket 40 of the above shape is explained. In the past, the lamp support 32 was often directly connected to the fender flange 20 without the bracket 40. In this case, the position of the lamp unit 30 is restricted by the fender flange 20 and even the position of the parting line 18. As a result, the degree of freedom in the exterior design of the vehicle 10 is low.

[0041] In addition, when the vehicle 10 collides with an obstacle outside the vehicle, a portion of the obstacle (hereinafter referred to as the "protected object") sometimes collides with the upper surface of the front of the vehicle. At this time, in order to suppress the impact on the protected object, standards are stipulated in the laws and regulations of various countries. Specifically, it is stipulated in the regulations that the area in the front of the vehicle 10 where the collision with the protected object is predicted to occur (hereinafter referred to as the "protected area 60") has sufficient impact absorption. The scope of the protection area 60 is stipulated by the laws and regulations of various countries. For example, in the case of Japan, the standard for the protection area 60 is stipulated in Article 18 "Technical Standards for Pedestrian Head Protection" of the "Automobile: Safety Standards for Road Transport Vehicles" formulated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In addition, the same standards are also stipulated in the United Nations UN-R127 / 02, etc.

[0042] When the lamp support 32 is directly coupled to the fender flange 20, the lamp support 32 needs to be arranged outside the protection area 60 in order to ensure sufficient impact absorption. That is, if the lamp support 32 is located in the protection area 60, the collision load will be applied to the lamp unit 30 through the lamp support 32. Since the lamp unit 30 is a rigid body that is not easily deformed, in this case, the lamp unit 30 cannot absorb the impact, and the reaction force from the lamp unit 30 acts on the protected object. As a result, the protected object is subjected to a large impact. In order to avoid such a problem, the positions of the headlamp 16 and the parting line 18 are conventionally adjusted so that the lamp support 32 is located outside the protection area 60. In other words, when the lamp support 32 is directly coupled to the fender flange 20, in order to ensure impact absorption, the degree of freedom of the appearance design of the vehicle 10 is greatly reduced.

[0043] On the other hand, in this example, as described above, the bracket 40 is interposed between the lamp stay 32 and the fender flange 20. Thus, the position of the lamp stay 32 and even the lamp unit 30 can be freely set to a certain extent.

[0044] In addition, the bracket 40 has a bent portion 48 that is folded back in the vehicle width direction. By setting the above structure, when a downward collision load is applied to the bracket 40 during a frontal collision, the bracket 40 will be bent back as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the bracket 40 is easily folded at the bent portion 48. The impact can be absorbed by the deformation of the bracket 40. In addition, the reaction force acting on the protected object can be reduced.

[0045] Furthermore, in this example, since the bracket 40 is used, the light unit 30 can be easily separated from the engine hood 14. As a result, even if the protected object collides from the upper side of the engine hood 14, the protected object will not hit the light unit 30. Therefore, no reaction force is applied from the light unit 30 to the protected object, thereby reducing the impact applied to the protected object. In addition, according to the regulations described above, the collision stroke of the protected object during a head-on collision and even the maximum entry position of the protected object can be predicted. In this example, the light pillar 32 is arranged on the lower side compared to the maximum entry position of the protected object. In addition, Figure 5 The two-dot chain line in denoted the substantially spherical protection target 62 which has entered to the maximum entry position.

[0046] As described above, by using the bracket 40 folded back in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to reduce the impact applied to the protected object and increase the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the lamp unit 30. Figure 2 In the figure, the two-dot chain line L1 indicates the boundary of the protection area 60. The inner side of the line L1 is the protection area 60. In this example, the lamp support 32, that is, the connection part between the lamp unit 30 and the bracket 40 is located inside the protection area 60 in a plan view.

[0047] In addition, as described above, the upper flange 42 of the bracket 40 is long and narrow in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Moreover, the upper flange 42 of the bracket 40 is welded to the fender flange 20 at a plurality of welding points arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. By adopting the above structure, the bracket 40 also functions as a reinforcing member for reinforcing the front end periphery of the fender flange 20. That is, the front end periphery of the fender flange 20 is divided into a plurality of small pieces 20a, so that it is easy to deform. In order to suppress the deformation of the front end periphery of the fender flange 20 and even the front end periphery of the front fender panel 12, the fender flange 20 is connected to the radiator support 34 via the bracket 40. At this time, the joint portion of the fender flange 20 and the bracket 40, that is, the upper flange 42, has a certain length in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the front end periphery of the fender flange 20 can be reinforced more stably.

[0048] In addition, if Figure 3 As shown, the vertical distance Da from the curved portion 48 to the lamp support 32 is set to be at least twice the vertical distance Db from the curved portion 48 to the upper flange 42. As a result, a large space S can be ensured outside the lower inclined portion 50 in the vehicle width direction. In addition, various components can be arranged in the space S.

[0049] In addition, the structures described so far are all examples, and as long as they have the structure described in technical solution 1, they can also be appropriately changed. For example, the bent portion 48 of the bracket 40 described above protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction. However, depending on the configuration of the surrounding components, the bent portion 48 of the bracket 40 can also be made to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the bracket 40 described above has only one bent portion 48. However, the bracket 40 described above can also have more bent portions 48. That is, the bracket 40 can also be accordion-shaped and folded back multiple times in the vehicle width direction. In addition, in the description so far, the bracket 40 is combined with the headlight unit 30. However, the bracket 40 can also be arranged at the lower side of the vehicle compared to the fender flange 20, and can also be combined with other components as long as it is a component used to connect with the fender flange 20.

Claims

1. A vehicle front structure, comprising: a fender flange which is a part of the front fender panel and extends inward in the vehicle width direction from an upper edge of the design surface of the front fender panel; an object component disposed on a lower side of the vehicle than the fender flange; a bracket for connecting the fender flange and the target component, The bracket has a bent portion that extends in a direction toward one side in the vehicle width direction as it goes toward the vehicle upper side and then bends back in a direction toward an opposite side in the vehicle width direction as it goes toward the vehicle upper side.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein: The connection portion of the target component connected to the bracket is located inside a protection area that is previously defined by laws and regulations as a range where a collision with the protected object is expected to occur, in a plan view.

3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein: The target component is a vehicle lamp unit in which a headlamp is assembled, The connecting portion is a lamp support column rising from the upper surface of the lamp unit. The bracket extends from the light pillar in a direction toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle, and then folds back in a direction toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3, wherein: The bracket includes an upper flange which is provided at an upper end of the bracket and is elongated in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, The upper flange is welded to the fender flange at a plurality of welding points arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction in a state of vertically overlapping the fender flange near the front end of the fender flange. The bracket is coupled to the vehicle lamp support column.

5. The vehicle front structure according to claim 4, wherein: The lamp support is located on the inner side of the upper flange in the vehicle width direction. A vertical distance from the bent portion to a connection point between the bent portion and the lamp pillar is at least twice a vertical distance from the bent portion to the upper flange.

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