Front vehicle body reinforcement structure

Abstract

A front vehicle body reinforcement structure, comprising: Front side parts (10) which are shaped to extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which are arranged in a width direction on a left and on a right side respectively, and of which each has a front end section (14) which is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a front side, and Front fender wheel arch elements (30), each of which is provided with a front end section (34) which is shaped to fit together in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with the front end section (14) of a respective front side section (10) in order to be coupled to the front end section (14) of the respective front side section (10), and which are shaped to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, characterized in that the front end section (14) of the respective front side section (10) is arranged in a vehicle vertical direction above the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30).

Description

Background of the invention; Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a front vehicle body reinforcement structure, which increases the structural stiffness of a vehicle's front body by forming a front end section of a (front) fender-wheel arch element, which forms the front vehicle body of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction, such that in the longitudinal direction the front end section of the fender-wheel arch element extends to a front end section of a front side panel, by allowing / enabling the front end section of the front fender-wheel arch element to be coupled to the front end section of the front side panel, such that a plurality of surfaces of the front end section(s) of the fender-wheel arch element and the front side panel are coupled to each other, and by allowing / enabling a front end section of a subframe (e.g.a wheel / engine carrier) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle directly attached to the front end section of the fender wheel arch element. Description of the related technology

[0002] In general, the front body of a vehicle (e.g., a motor vehicle) is a structure positioned longitudinally at the front of the vehicle, forming an engine compartment (e.g., an internal combustion engine compartment), and includes a front module (or front-end module) that forms the front of the engine compartment, to which a cooling module, headlights, and the like are attached; front fender / wheel arch elements that form both a left and a right section of the engine compartment and provide a space in which a suspension system and wheels are installed; an instrument panel (e.g., a bulkhead) that is positioned at the rear of the engine compartment and separates a passenger compartment (e.g., a passenger cell) from the engine compartment; and the like.

[0003] Furthermore, front side panels, shaped to extend along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, are arranged on both the left and right sides at a lower section of the engine compartment to increase the structural rigidity of the front of the vehicle body, and a subframe is arranged at a lower section of the front side panels to accommodate (or have attached to) and support the suspension system and the like, as well as an engine (e.g., an internal combustion engine) and a transmission, which are installed in the engine compartment.

[0004] The front fender wheel arch element has one end which is arranged and connected to an upper section of the front side panel at a predetermined position in a longitudinal direction, and has the other end connected to a front pillar (e.g. an A-pillar).

[0005] A bumper support, shaped to extend in a width direction of the vehicle, is attached to / on a front end section of the front side panel to improve the vehicle's ability to cope with a collision.

[0006] In a case where the vehicle, equipped with the front body featuring the aforementioned structure, experiences a frontal collision with an obstacle or other vehicles while in motion, the bumper support initially absorbs impact energy. While (or rather, although) it is deformed by absorbing the impact, the impact energy is also transferred through the bumper support to the front side panel. The front side panel also absorbs impact energy while deforming, and the impact energy not absorbed by the front side panel is distributed to and absorbed by other parts of the vehicle body, such as the front fender wheel arch element, the A-pillar, and the like, which are connected to the front side panel.

[0007] However, in the related technology, the front vehicle body has a connecting structure in which the front end section of the front fender wheel arch element is simply placed and connected to an upper section at a longitudinally predetermined position of the front side panel, and therefore the connection between the front side panel and the front fender wheel arch element is weak.

[0008] For this reason, problems arise insofar as impact energy transferred to the front side panel cannot be adequately distributed to the front fender wheel arch element and other parts in the vehicle body, and (therefore) the front side panel absorbs mainly and solely the impact energy, so that the front side panel is excessively deformed and damaged.

[0009] Furthermore, a rear end section of the front side panel is connected to the instrument panel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which separates the engine compartment and the passenger compartment, and consequently there are problems in that excessive impact energy is transferred through the front side panel to the instrument panel and the instrument panel is thereby excessively deformed in the direction of the passenger compartment by receiving the impact energy, which threatens the safety of a vehicle occupant in the passenger compartment.

[0010] The information disclosed in this section “Background of the Invention” is provided solely for a better understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be construed as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information constitutes the prior art already known to the person skilled in the art.

[0011] A front vehicle body reinforcement structure with the features according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from US 2007 / 0 176 443 A1, EP 2 617 628 A1, US 2012 / 0 086 225 A1 and US 2009 / 0 140 546 A1.

[0012] Further front vehicle body reinforcement structures are known, for example, from KR 10 2010 058 165 A, US 2007 / 0 252 412 A1 and DE 198 31 608 A1. Explanation of the invention

[0013] The object of the present invention is to provide a front-end vehicle body reinforcement structure that strengthens the connection between a front fender wheel arch element and a front side panel, improves the vehicle's ability to distribute impact energy, and enhances its ability to withstand a frontal collision, thereby providing greater / better protection to a vehicle occupant at the time of a frontal collision. Furthermore, it is possible to connect a subframe (e.g., an engine mount and / or chassis suspension structure) and a fender wheel arch (or...to allow / enable a front fender wheel arch element to be directly connected to each other, and furthermore, it is possible to allow / enable an external load introduced by a subframe when the vehicle is in motion to be effectively distributed to numerous sections in a vehicle body through the front fender wheel arch element, thereby improving the vehicle's driving comfort.

[0014] The present invention solves this problem with a front vehicle body reinforcement structure having the features according to claim 1. Further embodiments of the structure are described in the dependent claims. That is to say, a vehicle body reinforcement structure is provided comprising: front side panels (orFront side panels, which are shaped to extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which are arranged in a width direction on a left side and on a right side (of the vehicle) respectively, and of which each has a front end section positioned at a front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and front fender wheel arch elements, of which each is provided with a front end section shaped to fit in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with the front end section of a respective front side panel, in order to be coupled to the front end section of the respective front side panel, and which front fender wheel arch elements are shaped to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0015] The front end section of each front side panel is positioned vertically above (e.g., over) the front end section of the corresponding front fender / wheel arch element. The cross-sectional area (or region) of the front end section of each front side panel is smaller than the cross-sectional area (or region) of the front end section of the corresponding front fender / wheel arch element.

[0016] The front body reinforcement structure may further comprise a subframe that accommodates and supports a suspension system (e.g., a wheel and / or engine mounting system) and has a front end section positioned at the front of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction. The front end section of the corresponding front fender / wheel arch element has an enlarged section (or extended section) that is enlarged / extended downwards in the vertical direction of the vehicle to be directly attached to the front end section of the subframe. The front end section and the enlarged section of the corresponding front fender / wheel arch element may be shaped to have a cross-section that has a rectangular box shape.

[0017] The front end section of the front fender wheel arch element can be provided with an enlarged / extended flange or flanges to be coupled to the front end section of the respective front side panel in a state in which the front end section of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element is in surface contact with (e.g.) at least three surfaces of the front end section of the respective front side panel.

[0018] The front end section of the respective front side panel can be shaped in a rectangular box shape, which in the vehicle height direction is provided with an upper surface and a lower surface and in the vehicle width direction with an outer surface and an inner surface, and the flange or flanges of the front end section of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element can be coupled to the outer surface, the inner surface and the upper surface of the front end section of the respective front side panel.

[0019] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure may further include an instrument panel (or partition) which separates an engine compartment from a passenger compartment (e.g. a passenger cell), wherein one or each of the front side panels has an enlarged / extended section which is positioned in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a rear / back side (of it) and is enlarged outwards in the width direction of the vehicle in order to be coupled to the instrument panel.

[0020] One or each of the front fender wheel arch elements may further have a rear end section shaped to be positioned at a rear / back side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and coupled to a front pillar (e.g., an A-pillar). The rear end section of one or each of the front fender wheel arch elements may be shaped to be positioned above (e.g., over) the front end section of one or each of the front fender wheel arch elements in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0021] According to the front vehicle body reinforcement structure of the present invention, the front end section of the front fender wheel arch element is shaped in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to extend to the front end section of the front side panel, and the front end section of the front fender wheel arch element is securely coupled to the front end section of the front side panel, so that at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, impact energy is simultaneously distributed and transferred to the front side panel and the front fender wheel arch element, and the performance for absorbing and distributing impact energy caused by a collision of the vehicle is improved, thereby providing safer protection for a vehicle occupant (or occupants) and effectively reducing excessive damage to the vehicle body.

[0022] Furthermore, since the front end section of the subframe can be directly attached to the front side section of the front fender wheel arch element in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the front fender wheel arch element experiences an external impact (e.g., a wheel impact) and external load(s) which are transmitted successively from the wheels through the suspension system and the subframe to the vehicle body when the vehicle is in motion, and effectively transmits and distributes the external impact and external load(s) to other parts of the vehicle body through the front side section and the like, thereby improving the vehicle's ride comfort, driving stability, and the like.

[0023] Furthermore, the front end section of the underframe can be attached directly to the front end section of the front fender wheel arch element without a separate intermediate mounting bracket or the like, thereby reducing the number of components and vehicle weight.

[0024] The devices of the present invention have other advantages, which will become clear from the accompanying drawings included herein and the following detailed description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention, or which are explained in more detail therein. Brief description of the drawings Fig. Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a side view of an exemplary front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1 along line III - III. Detailed description

[0025] Referring to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 can comprise a front body reinforcement structure for a vehicle according to the present invention, comprising front side parts 10 which are shaped to extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front side parts 10 can be arranged on a left and a right side respectively in a width direction of the vehicle.

[0026] The front-side part 10 is shaped to have a cross-section that is approximately a hollow rectangular box shape, but it can (also) be shaped to have a polygonal cross-section instead of the rectangular one. The cross-section that has the rectangular box shape can be shaped to extend along a longitudinal direction of the front-side part 10.

[0027] The front side panel 10 can have an enlarged section 12, which is shaped to be enlarged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at a rear in the width direction. The enlarged section 12 can be coupled to an instrument panel (e.g., an instrument panel) 20, which separates an engine compartment from a passenger compartment (e.g., a passenger cell).

[0028] The front side section 10 can have a front end section 14, which is positioned at a front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front end section 14 of the front side section 10 can have a cross-section that has a rectangular box shape and an open section / opening section.

[0029] A fastening retaining part 16 for attaching an impact absorption device (“crash box”) can be attached to the front end section 14 of the front side part 10.

[0030] A front fender wheel arch element 30 can be arranged outside the front side panel 10 in a vehicle width direction. The front fender wheel arch element 30 is positioned to be higher than the front side panel 10 in a vehicle height direction and can have a rear end section 32, which is positioned at the rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a front end section 34, which is positioned at the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0031] The rear end section 32 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can be integrally coupled to a front pillar 40 on which a front door of a vehicle is rotatably mounted.

[0032] The front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can be positioned lower in the vehicle's vertical direction than the rear end section 32 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 and can be shaped to be positioned at the front in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can be shaped to align with the front end section 14 of the front side panel 10 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0033] The mounting bracket 16 for attaching the impact absorption device can also be attached to the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30.

[0034] Accordingly, at the time of the vehicle collision, impact energy is simultaneously transferred to the front end section 14 of the front side part 10 and to the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 through a bumper support (not shown) and the impact absorption device (not shown), thereby improving the impact energy distribution performance and an impact energy absorption effect.

[0035] The front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can be shaped to have a cross-section having a quadrilateral box shape and an open section / opening section. The front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can be shaped to have a wider / larger surface than the front end section 14 of the front side panel 10.

[0036] Referring to the Fig.1 to 3, the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can have an enlarged / extended section 341, which extends downwards in the vehicle's vertical direction from the front end section 14 of the front side panel 10. The enlarged section 341 can form part of the front end section 34.

[0037] A front end section 52 of a subframe 50 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which mainly serves to accommodate and support a suspension system and the like, can be attached directly to the enlarged section 341.

[0038] Accordingly, the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 experiences an external impact and external load(s) which are transmitted successively from the wheels through the suspension system and the subframe 50 to the vehicle body when the vehicle is in motion, and effectively transmits and distributes the external impact and external load to other parts in the vehicle body through the front side section 10 and the like, thereby improving the vehicle's driving comfort, driving stability and the like.

[0039] Furthermore, the front end section 52 of the subframe 50 can be attached directly to the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 without a separate intermediate mounting bracket or the like, thereby reducing the number of components and vehicle weight.

[0040] The front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 can be integrally (e.g. by material bonding) coupled to the front end section 14 of the front side part 10.

[0041] Enlarged / Extended flanges 342 can be provided on the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 to be coupled to the front end section 14 of the front side panel 10.

[0042] The enlarged flanges 342 can be shaped to be coupled to at least three surfaces of the front end section 14 of the front side part 10. That is, the enlarged flange 342 can be shaped to be coupled to the front end section 14 of the front side part 10 in a state in which the enlarged flange 342 is in surface contact with an upper surface 141 of the front end section 14 of the front side part 10 in the vehicle's vertical direction and with an outer surface 142 and an inner surface 143 thereof in the vehicle's width direction.

[0043] The front end section 14 of the front side part 10 can be integrally coupled to the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 by at least three enlarged flanges 342 in a state in which the front end section 14 of the front side part 10 is positioned in the vehicle's vertical direction above the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30.

[0044] As described above, since the front end section 34 of the front fender wheel arch element 30 is coupled to the front end section 14 of the front side panel 10 by at least three enlarged flanges 342, the stiffness of the connection between the front fender wheel arch element 30 and the front side panel 10 is improved, and consequently, at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, impact energy is simultaneously and effectively distributed to the front fender wheel arch element 30 and to the front side panel 10, thus adequately coping with the impact energy.

[0045] To facilitate explanation and to precisely define the attached claims, the terms "front" or "rear", "left" or "right" and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of these features shown in the drawings.

Claims

[1] A front vehicle body reinforcement structure comprising: Front side parts (10) which are shaped to extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which are arranged in a width direction on a left and on a right side respectively, and of which each has a front end section (14) which is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on a front side, and Front fender wheel arch elements (30), each of which is provided with a front end section (34) which is shaped to fit in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with the front end section (14) of a respective front side panel (10) in order to be coupled to the front end section (14) of the respective front side panel (10), and which are shaped to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, characterized by , that the front end section (14) of the respective front side section (10) is arranged in a vehicle vertical direction above the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30). [2] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to claim 1, wherein: a cross-sectional area of ​​the front end section (14) of the respective front side section (10) is smaller than a cross-sectional area of ​​the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30). [3] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising: a substructure (50) which attaches and supports a suspension system and which has a front end section (52) that is positioned at the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30) has an enlarged section (341) which is enlarged downwards in the vehicle vertical direction in order to be attached directly to the front end section (52) of the underframe (50). [4] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to claim 3, wherein: the front end section (34) and the enlarged section (341) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30) are shaped to have a cross-section that has a square box shape. [5] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30) is provided with an enlarged flange or flanges to be coupled to the front end section (14) of the respective front side part (10) in a state in which the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30) is in surface contact with at least three surfaces of the front end section (14) of the respective front side part (10). [6] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: the front end section (14) of the respective front side section (10) is formed in a rectangular box shape, which is provided in the vehicle height direction with an upper surface (141) and a lower surface and in the vehicle width direction with an outer surface (142) and an inner surface (143), and the flange or flanges of the front end section (34) of the corresponding front fender wheel arch element (30) are each coupled to the outer surface (142), the inner surface (143) and the upper surface (141) of the front end section (10) of the respective front side part (10). [7] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: an instrument panel (20) which separates an engine compartment and a passenger compartment from each other, wherein one or each of the front side parts (10) has an enlarged section (12) which is positioned on a rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is enlarged outwards in the width direction of the vehicle in order to be coupled to the instrument carrier (20). [8] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: one or each of the front fender wheel arch elements (30) further comprises a rear end section (32) which is shaped to be positioned on a rear side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and which is coupled to a front pillar (40). [9] The front vehicle body reinforcement structure according to claim 8, wherein: the rear end section (32) of the one or each front fender wheel arch element (30) is formed to be positioned in the vehicle's vertical direction above the front end section (34) of the one or each front fender wheel arch element (30).

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