Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure that minimizes a crash induced load which is inputted to a pedestrian at a time of a collision between a vehicle and the pedestrian, and makes it possible to simplify assembling work for a vehicle body.SOLUTION: A vehicle 10 includes an apron upper member 16 forming part of a vehicle body skeleton of a vehicle body front part 14, a front fender panel 18 forming part of a design surface outside in a vehicle width direction and upward of the vehicle body front part 14 of the vehicle, and an impact absorption member 22 that is disposed on a back 18C of the front fender panel 18, attached only to the front fender panel 18, interposed between the front fender panel 18 and apron upper member 16, and deformed to be able to absorb a crash induced load coming from the front fender panel 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses an invention relating to a resin vehicle component. In this invention, an inner plate member is arranged in the front of the vehicle, and when a moving vehicle collides with a pedestrian, this inner plate member deforms due to the collision load from the pedestrian side, thereby absorbing the collision load and reducing the impact received by the pedestrian. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-271701 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, the inner plate member is connected to the fender and the wheel apron reinforcement. Therefore, in the prior art, it is necessary to position the inner plate member on both the fender and the wheel apron reinforcement when assembling the vehicle body, which is thought to complicate the vehicle body assembly work.

[0005] In consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention has an object to provide a vehicle front structure that can simplify vehicle body assembly work while reducing the collision load input to a pedestrian in the event of a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle front structure of the first aspect has a structural member that forms part of the vehicle frame at the front of the vehicle body, an outer panel that forms part of the design surface of the front of the vehicle body on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and on the upper side of the vehicle, and an impact absorbing section that is arranged on the back surface of the outer panel and attached only to the outer panel, is located between the outer panel and the structural member, and can absorb collision loads from the outer panel side by deforming.

[0007] In the vehicle front structure according to the first aspect, a part of the vehicle body frame at the vehicle front is formed by the structural member, and a part of the design surface at the vehicle front on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and on the vehicle upper side is formed by the outer panel.

[0008] When a moving vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the pedestrian's head may collide with the design surface on the upper side of the vehicle and on the outer side in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle body. If there is nothing on the vehicle side to absorb the collision energy on the pedestrian side, the pedestrian may receive a reaction force from the structural member via the outer panel.

[0009] In this embodiment, the impact absorbing portion is disposed between the outer panel and the structural member, so that the impact load input to the outer panel from the pedestrian side is absorbed by deformation of the impact absorbing portion.

[0010] In addition, in this aspect, the impact absorbing portion is positioned against the back surface of the outer panel and is attached only to the outer panel, making it easier to position the impact absorbing portion compared to a configuration in which the impact absorbing portion is attached to the outer panel and a structural member.

[0011] The vehicle front structure of the second aspect is the vehicle front structure of the first aspect, wherein the impact absorbing portion comprises an impact absorbing member which constitutes the vehicle upper side portion of the impact absorbing member and includes a load supporting piece portion fixed to the outer panel, and a bulge portion which is integral with the load supporting piece portion on the vehicle lower side of the load supporting piece portion, which bulges out convexly on the opposite side of the outer panel and has a portion which overlaps with the structural member when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction.

[0012] According to the vehicle front structure of the second aspect, the shock absorbing part includes a shock absorbing member including a load support piece and a bulge. The load support piece constitutes a portion of the shock absorbing member on the upper side of the vehicle and is fixed to the outer panel.

[0013] Therefore, when a moving vehicle collides with a pedestrian, the collision load from the pedestrian is first input to the load support piece in the impact absorbing member. Also, the vicinity of the load support piece in the outer panel tends to remain in that position when the collision load from the pedestrian is input due to the increased inertia caused by the attachment of the impact absorbing member. As a result, in this embodiment, the collision load from the pedestrian is received by the load support piece, and part of the collision load is absorbed by the deformation of the load support piece.

[0014] The bulge is integrally formed with the load support piece on the vehicle lower side of the load support piece and bulges outward toward the opposite side of the outer panel. Also, a part of the bulge overlaps with the structural member when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction.

[0015] Therefore, when the bulging portion is displaced toward the lower side of the vehicle due to a collision load from the pedestrian side, the bulging portion is supported from the lower side of the vehicle by the structural member. As a result, in this aspect, the collision load from the pedestrian side is received by the bulging portion, and the deformation of the bulging portion absorbs a part of the collision load.

[0016] The vehicle front structure of the third aspect is the vehicle front structure of the second aspect, wherein the impact absorbing portion further comprises a connecting member, which connects the inner side in the vehicle width direction and the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the part of the bulge portion on the outer panel side.

[0017] According to the vehicle front structure of the third aspect, the impact absorbing portion includes a connecting member that connects the inner side and the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the outer panel side of the bulging portion. Therefore, in this aspect, when the bulging portion receives a collision load from the pedestrian side, the cross-sectional shape of the bulging portion is prevented from expanding in the vehicle width direction, which contributes to improving the absorption efficiency of the collision load in the input direction of the collision load from the pedestrian side of the bulging portion.

[0018] The vehicle front structure of the fourth aspect is the vehicle front structure of the second or third aspect, wherein the bulge portion extends from the outer peripheral edge of the load supporting piece portion in the vehicle width direction toward the lower side of the vehicle and includes a vertical wall portion that overlaps with the structural member when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0019] According to the vehicle front structure of the fourth aspect, the bulge portion is configured to include a vertical wall portion that extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the load support piece portion in the vehicle width direction and overlaps with the structural member when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0020] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the bulging portion is displaced toward the vehicle lower side due to a collision load from the pedestrian side, the vertical wall portion comes into contact with the structural member, and the vertical wall portion is compressed in the input direction of the collision load and bends, thereby absorbing a part of the collision load transmitted to the pedestrian. In addition, the vertical wall portion is bent and deformed by a bending moment generated around the contact point between the vertical wall portion and the structural member, which is generated by receiving the collision load, and this also absorbs a part of the collision load transmitted to the pedestrian.

[0021] The vehicle front structure of the fifth aspect is the vehicle front structure of the fourth aspect, wherein the bulge portion further comprises a lower wall portion extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the vehicle lower side peripheral edge of the vertical wall portion, and an extending wall portion extending upward in the vehicle direction from the vehicle width direction outer peripheral edge of the lower wall portion, and the connecting member connects the vehicle upper side portion of the vertical wall portion and the vehicle upper side portion of the extending wall portion.

[0022] According to the vehicle front structure of the fifth aspect, the bulging portion includes a lower wall portion extending outward in the vehicle width direction from a peripheral portion on the vehicle lower side of the vertical wall portion, and an extending wall portion extending from the peripheral portion on the vehicle width direction outer side of the lower wall portion to the vehicle upper side. The vehicle upper side portion of the vertical wall portion and the vehicle upper side portion of the extending wall portion are connected by a connecting member. Therefore, in this aspect, when the vertical wall portion is subjected to the collision load and is bent and deformed, the connecting member limits the relative displacement between the vertical wall portion and the extending wall portion, which can contribute to improving the efficiency of absorbing the collision load by the deformation of the vertical wall portion.

[0023] The vehicle front structure of the sixth aspect is a vehicle front structure of any one of the third aspect, the fourth aspect which references the third aspect, and the fifth aspect, in which the connecting member includes an upper mounting piece portion which constitutes the vehicle upper side portion of the connecting member and is joined to the outer panel with an adhesive, and a lower mounting piece portion which constitutes the vehicle lower side portion of the connecting member and is joined to the outer panel with an adhesive.

[0024] According to the vehicle front structure of the sixth aspect, the connecting member includes an upper mounting piece that configures the upper side of the vehicle and a lower mounting piece that configures the lower side of the vehicle, and these are joined to the outer panel with an adhesive. Therefore, in this aspect, the attachment of the connecting member can be prevented from affecting the design of the vehicle, compared to a configuration in which the connecting member is joined to the outer panel by welding.

[0025] The vehicle front structure of the seventh aspect is a vehicle front structure of any one of the fourth aspect, the fifth aspect, the fourth aspect, or the sixth aspect which references the fifth aspect, wherein a first corner portion which is convex towards the bulge portion is provided on the upper outer side of the vehicle in the structural member, and a second corner portion which is convex towards the outer panel side, is continuous with the vertical wall portion, and overlaps with the first corner portion when viewed from the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0026] According to the vehicle front structure of the seventh aspect, a first corner portion is provided on the vehicle upper outer side of the structural member, the first corner portion being convex toward the bulge portion. Meanwhile, a second corner portion is provided on the vehicle lower side of the bulge portion, the second corner portion being convex toward the outer panel side and overlapping with the first corner portion when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0027] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the bulge is displaced toward the bottom of the vehicle due to a collision load from the pedestrian side, the first corner of the structural member and the second corner of the bulge come into contact, and the collision load is effectively transmitted from the bulge side to the structural member side.

[0028] The vehicle front structure of the eighth aspect is a vehicle front structure of any one of the second to seventh aspects, wherein the load support piece portion is curved so as to be convex toward at least one of the inner side in the vehicle width direction and the lower side of the vehicle.

[0029] According to the vehicle front structure of the eighth aspect, the load support piece of the impact absorbing member is curved so as to be convex toward at least one of the inside in the vehicle width direction and the lower side of the vehicle. Therefore, by arranging the outer panel along the load support piece, it is possible to suppress the outer panel from bulging outward in the vehicle width direction or toward the upper side of the vehicle, and it is possible to ensure freedom of design in the front of the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0030] As described above, the vehicle front structure of the present invention has the excellent effect of reducing the collision load input to a pedestrian in the event of a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian, while simplifying the assembly work of the vehicle body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view seen from the front side of the vehicle (a cross-sectional view showing a state cut along line 1-1 in FIG. 2) that shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a vehicle front to which the vehicle front structure relating to the first embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view that illustrates a schematic configuration of a vehicle front portion to which a vehicle front structure relating to a first embodiment is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows the deformation process of the vehicle body when a pedestrian collides with the front part of a vehicle to which the vehicle front structure relating to the first embodiment is applied, and is a cross-sectional view showing, in sequence as (A), (B), and (C), the deformation state of the vehicle body over time after a collision load is input from the pedestrian, starting immediately after the collision load is input. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing a relationship between the deformation amount of the vehicle body and the acceleration acting on the dummy when a pedestrian collides with the front part of the vehicle to which the vehicle front structure relating to the first embodiment is applied. [Diagram 5] 13 is a perspective view that illustrates a configuration of a main part of a vehicle front to which a vehicle front structure relating to a second embodiment is applied. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view seen from the front side of the vehicle (a cross-sectional view showing a state cut along line 6-6 in FIG. 5) that shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a vehicle front to which a vehicle front structure relating to a second embodiment is applied. [Figure 7] 11 is a cross-sectional view seen from the front side of the vehicle, showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a vehicle front to which a vehicle front structure relating to a third embodiment is applied. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] First Embodiment A first embodiment of a vehicle front structure according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Note that an arrow FR shown appropriately in each figure indicates the front side of the vehicle, an arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, and an arrow OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0033] First, a schematic configuration of a "vehicle body front portion 14" constituting a vehicle front portion of a "vehicle body 12" of a "vehicle 10" to which the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the vehicle body front portion 14 is basically configured symmetrically, and therefore, the following description will focus on the configuration of the left portion of the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body front portion 14.

[0034] The front body 14 is composed of a pair of left and right steel front side members (not shown) that form the skeleton of the body 12, and steel "apron upper members 16" that serve as structural members attached to each of these front side members.

[0035] The front side member extends in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction as a whole and has a closed cross-sectional structure that forms a closed cross-section like a rectangular frame when viewed in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction. This front side member includes a front portion that forms the front part of the vehicle and extends linearly in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and a kick portion that is provided on the rear side of the front portion and is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle to the lower rear side of the vehicle.

[0036] On the other hand, the apron upper member 16, together with the front side members, constitutes a part of the vehicle body frame, and is disposed on the upper side of the front portion of the front side member and on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The apron upper member 16 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the front portion of the front side member, and is joined to the front side member and the front pillar 17 at joints formed by welding or the like.

[0037] More specifically, the apron upper member 16 includes an upper wall portion 16A constituting the upper portion of the vehicle, an outer wall portion 16B constituting the outer portion in the vehicle width direction, and an inner wall portion 16C constituting the inner portion in the vehicle width direction, and is U-shaped and open to the lower side of the vehicle when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. In the following, the portion of the apron upper member 16 that is bent to be convex toward the upper side of the vehicle and the outer side in the vehicle width direction, which is the boundary portion between the upper wall portion 16A and the outer wall portion 16B, will be referred to as a "first corner portion 16D."

[0038] Further, on the outer side of the apron upper member 16 in the vehicle width direction, a steel "front fender panel 18" is arranged as an outer panel that constitutes part of the design surface of the front portion 14 of the vehicle body on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0039] This front fender panel 18 is positioned at a distance from the apron upper member 16, and is composed of an upper component 18A that constitutes the upper portion of the front fender panel 18 above the vehicle, and a lower component 18B that constitutes the lower portion of the front fender panel 18 below the vehicle.

[0040] The upper constituent portion 18A is a portion of the front fender panel 18 that is located on the vehicle upper side of the apron upper member 16 and overlaps with the apron upper member 16 when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction. The upper constituent portion 18A is curved so as to be convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and toward the vehicle lower side, except for the end portion on the vehicle upper side when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0041] On the other hand, the lower constituent portion 18B is a portion of the front fender panel 18 located outside the apron upper member 16 in the vehicle width direction, and includes a wheel arch 20. The lower constituent portion 18B is curved so as to be convex outward in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. The front fender panel 18 is attached to the front side member and the front pillar 17 with a mounting member such as a clip (not shown).

[0042] Here, this embodiment is characterized in that a steel "shock absorbing member 22" is disposed as a shock absorbing portion on the "rear surface 18C" of the front fender panel 18. The configuration of the shock absorbing member 22 will be described in detail below.

[0043] The impact absorbing member 22 is disposed between the apron upper member 16 and the front fender panel 18, and is composed of an "upper mounting piece portion 22A" as a load supporting piece portion, a "bulge portion 22B", and a lower mounting piece portion 22C.

[0044] The upper mounting piece 22A constitutes the vehicle upper portion of the impact absorbing member 22, and is disposed along the upper constituent portion 18A of the front fender panel 18. That is, the upper mounting piece 22A is curved so as to be convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and toward the vehicle lower side, except for the end portion on the vehicle upper side when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. The end portion on the vehicle upper side of the upper mounting piece 22A is joined to the end portion on the vehicle upper side of the upper constituent portion 18A at a joint (not shown) by welding, rivets, or the like.

[0045] The bulge portion 22B is composed of a "vertical wall portion 22B1" that constitutes its portion on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, a lower wall portion 22B2 that constitutes its portion on the lower side of the vehicle, and an extending wall portion 22B3 that constitutes its portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0046] The vertical wall portion 22B1 extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper mounting piece portion 22A in the vehicle width direction and overlaps with the apron upper member 16 when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0047] The lower wall portion 22B2 extends from the peripheral portion of the vertical wall portion 22B1 on the vehicle lower side toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, and the boundary portion with the vertical wall portion 22B1 is bent toward the front fender panel 18, more specifically, toward the upper side of the vehicle and toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. In the following, this bent portion of the lower wall portion 22B2 will be referred to as the "second corner portion 22D." The second corner portion 22D overlaps with the first corner portion 16D that is bent toward the bulging portion 22B side of the apron upper member 16 when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0048] The extending wall portion 22B3 extends outward in the vehicle width direction and upward from the outer peripheral edge of the lower wall portion 22B2 in the vehicle width direction. The bulging portion 22B configured as described above bulges outward in the vehicle width direction toward the opposite side of the front fender panel 18 when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction, and partially overlaps with the apron upper member 16 when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0049] Meanwhile, the lower mounting piece 22C extends outward in the vehicle width direction and downward from the outer peripheral edge of the extending wall portion 22B3 of the bulging portion 22B in the vehicle width direction, and is disposed along the lower constituent portion 18B of the front fender panel 18. The lower mounting piece 22C is joined to the lower constituent portion 18B at a joint (not shown) formed by welding, rivets, adhesive, or the like. The impact absorbing member 22 configured as described above is attached only to the front fender panel 18.

[0050] (Actions and Effects of the Present Embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0051] 1, in this embodiment, a part of the vehicle body framework at the vehicle body front portion 14 is formed by the apron upper member 16. Also, a part of the design surface at the vehicle width direction outer side and vehicle upper side at the vehicle body front portion 14 is formed by the front fender panel 18.

[0052] Incidentally, when a traveling vehicle 10 collides with a pedestrian, it is considered that the head 24A and the like of the pedestrian 24 will collide with a design surface on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and on the upper side of the vehicle at the front body 14, as shown in Fig. 3. At this time, if there is nothing on the vehicle 10 side to absorb the collision energy on the side of the pedestrian 24, it is considered that the pedestrian 24 will receive a reaction force from the apron upper member 16 via the front fender panel 18.

[0053] In this embodiment, the impact absorbing member 22 is disposed between the front fender panel 18 and the apron upper member 16. Therefore, the collision load input to the front fender panel 18 from the pedestrian 24 side is absorbed by the impact absorbing member 22 being deformed.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the impact absorbing member 22 is positioned against the back surface 18C of the front fender panel 18 and is attached only to the front fender panel 18, making it easier to position the impact absorbing member 22 compared to a configuration in which the impact absorbing member 22 is attached to the front fender panel 18 and the apron upper member 16.

[0055] In this embodiment, the impact absorbing member 22 includes an upper mounting piece portion 22A and a bulging portion 22B. The upper mounting piece portion 22A constitutes the upper portion of the impact absorbing member 22 and is attached to the front fender panel 18.

[0056] Therefore, when a collision occurs between a traveling vehicle 10 and a pedestrian 24, the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side is first input to the upper mounting piece portion 22A in the impact absorbing member 22, as shown in Fig. 3(A). Also, the vicinity of the upper mounting piece portion 22A in the front fender panel 18 tends to remain in that position when the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side is input due to an increase in inertia caused by the attachment of the impact absorbing member 22. As a result, in this embodiment, the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side is received by the upper mounting piece portion 22A, and the upper mounting piece portion 22A is deformed to absorb a part of the collision load.

[0057] On the other hand, the bulging portion 22B is provided integrally with the upper mounting piece portion 22A on the vehicle lower side of the upper mounting piece portion 22A, and bulges outward in a convex manner toward the opposite side of the front fender panel 18. In addition, a portion of the bulging portion 22B overlaps with the apron upper member 16 when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0058] Therefore, when the bulging portion 22B is displaced toward the lower side of the vehicle due to the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side, the bulging portion 22B is supported from the lower side of the vehicle by the apron upper member 16. As a result, in this embodiment, the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side is received by the bulging portion 22B, and the bulging portion 22B deforms to absorb a part of the collision load.

[0059] More specifically, in this embodiment, the bulge portion 22B is configured to include a vertical wall portion 22B1, which extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper mounting piece portion 22A in the vehicle width direction and overlaps with the apron upper member 16 when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction.

[0060] For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(B), when the bulging portion 22B is displaced toward the vehicle lower side due to the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side, the vertical wall portion 22B1 abuts against the apron upper member 16. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the vertical wall portion 22B1 is compressed in the input direction of the collision load and bent, thereby absorbing a part of the collision load transmitted to the pedestrian 24. In addition, the vertical wall portion 22B1 is bent and deformed by a bending moment generated around the abutment point between the vertical wall portion 22B1 and the apron upper member 16, which is generated by receiving the collision load, and this also absorbs a part of the collision load transmitted to the pedestrian 24. Note that a deformation starting point portion that is the starting point of bending deformation may be set in the vertical wall portion 22B1, and when the vertical wall portion 22B1 abuts against the apron upper member 16, the vertical wall portion 22B1 is bent and deformed from the deformation starting point portion.

[0061] 1, in this embodiment, a first corner 16D that is convex toward the bulging portion 22B is provided in a portion of the apron upper member 16 on the upper outer side of the vehicle. Meanwhile, a second corner 22D that is continuous with the vertical wall portion 22B1 is provided in a portion of the bulging portion 22B on the lower side of the vehicle, and this second corner 22D is convex toward the front fender panel 18 and overlaps with the first corner 16D when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction.

[0062] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the bulge portion 22B is displaced toward the lower side of the vehicle due to a collision load from the pedestrian 24 side, as also shown in Figure 3 (B), the first corner portion 16D of the apron upper member 16 and the second corner portion 22D of the bulge portion 22B abut against each other, and this collision load is effectively transmitted from the bulge portion 22B side to the apron upper member 16 side.

[0063] In this embodiment, the upper mounting piece portion 22A of the impact absorbing member 22 is curved so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and toward the lower side of the vehicle. Therefore, by arranging the front fender panel 18 along the upper mounting piece portion 22A, the front fender panel 18 is prevented from bulging outward in the vehicle width direction or toward the upper side of the vehicle, and the vehicle front portion 14 can be designed with freedom of design.

[0064] Next, the impact that the pedestrian 24 receives when the vehicle 10 collides with the pedestrian 24 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

[0065] FIG. 4 shows the acceleration (m / s 2 ) detected by an acceleration sensor installed in the head of the dummy when the dummy simulating a human body collides with the location of the shock absorbing member 22 in the vehicle 10. 2 ) and the amount of displacement of the dummy's head toward the bottom of the vehicle, i.e., the stroke (mm), and an example of an image of a graph G2 showing the relationship between the acceleration and the stroke when the dummy collides with a vehicle not equipped with the impact absorbing member 22 is shown.

[0066] Region A of graph G1 is an image of the acceleration and stroke at the initial stage of the collision shown in FIG. 3(A). Although the stroke increases in region A, the increase in acceleration slows down once it reaches value A1.

[0067] Area B of graph G1 is an image of the acceleration and stroke in the middle of the collision shown in Figures 3(B) and 3(C). In area B, the stroke increases in the same way as in area A, and the increase in acceleration slows down when it reaches value A2, which is greater than value A1.

[0068] In region B, the stroke increases to value S1, but the increase slows down, and the acceleration also becomes 0 (m / s 2 In other words, in the later stage of the collision shown in area C of graph G1, there is almost no change in the acceleration and stroke values.

[0069] On the other hand, region A of graph G2 is an image of the acceleration and stroke at the beginning of a collision corresponding to FIG. 3(A). Although the stroke increases in region A, the increase in acceleration slows down when it reaches value B1, which is smaller than value A1.

[0070] Area B of graph G2 is an image of the acceleration and stroke during the middle of the collision. In area B, the stroke increases in the same way as in area A, and the acceleration also increases at a constant rate to value B2, which is larger than value B1 and smaller than value A1.

[0071] Area C of graph G2 is an image of the acceleration and stroke in the later stages of the collision, where the stroke increases beyond value S1 and the acceleration also jumps up to a value greater than value A2. This means that although some of the kinetic energy held by the dummy's head was absorbed by the deformation of the front fender panel 18, most of it was not absorbed and the dummy's head received a reaction force from the apron upper member 16 via the front fender panel 18.

[0072] In this way, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 10 collides with the pedestrian 24, it is possible to complete absorption of the collision load input to the pedestrian 24 at a stage when the stroke is relatively small, compared to a vehicle body not equipped with the impact absorbing member 22.

[0073] As described above, the vehicle front structure of this embodiment can simplify the assembly work of the vehicle body 12 while reducing the collision load input to the pedestrian 24 in the event of a collision between the vehicle 10 and the pedestrian 24.

[0074] <Second embodiment> A vehicle front structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numbers and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0075] This embodiment is characterized in that an "impact absorbing portion 80" is disposed on the rear surface 18C of the front fender panel 18 instead of the impact absorbing member 22. The configuration of the impact absorbing portion 80 will be described in detail below.

[0076] The impact absorbing section 80 is configured to include a steel "impact absorbing member 82" that constitutes the portion on the lower side of the vehicle, and a steel "connecting member 84" that constitutes the portion on the upper side of the vehicle.

[0077] In detail, the impact absorbing member 82 includes an "upper mounting piece portion 82A" as a load supporting piece portion, a "bulge portion 82B", and a lower mounting piece portion 82C, and is configured such that its cross-sectional shape when viewed from the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is hat-shaped with the upper side open to the vehicle.

[0078] The upper mounting piece portion 82A constitutes the portion of the impact absorbing member 82 on the upper side of the vehicle, and is disposed along the connecting member 84.

[0079] The bulging portion 82B includes a "vertical wall portion 82B1", a lower wall portion 82B2, and an "extending wall portion 82B3", and has a configuration similar to that of the bulging portion 22B. In addition, the lower wall portion 82B2 is provided with a "second corner portion 82D" similar to the second corner portion 22D.

[0080] The lower mounting piece portion 82C extends outward in the vehicle width direction and downward toward the vehicle from the outer peripheral edge portion of the extending wall portion 82B3 of the bulging portion 22B in the vehicle width direction.

[0081] On the other hand, the connecting member 84 is configured to include a connecting piece portion 84A that constitutes the main portion thereof, an "upper mounting piece portion 84B," and a "lower mounting piece portion 84C."

[0082] The connecting piece portion 84A extends along the boundary between the upper component 18A and the lower component 18B on the back surface 18C of the front fender panel 18, and is curved so as to convex outward in the vehicle width direction and upward toward the vehicle when viewed from the vehicle fore-and-aft direction.

[0083] Additionally, the upper mounting piece 82A and the lower mounting piece 82C of the impact absorbing member 82 are abutted against the connecting piece 84A from below the vehicle and are joined at joints (not shown) by welding, rivets, etc. In other words, the connecting piece 84A connects the vehicle upper side portion of the vertical wall portion 82B1 in the bulging portion 82B of the impact absorbing member 82 to the vehicle upper side portion of the extending wall portion 82B3, and the connecting piece 84A connects the vehicle width direction inner side and vehicle width direction outer side of the portion of the bulging portion 82B on the front fender panel 18 side.

[0084] The upper mounting piece portion 84B extends inward in the vehicle width direction and upward from the vehicle upper peripheral edge of the vehicle rear side portion of the connecting piece portion 84A, and is disposed along the upper component portion 18A of the front fender panel 18. In other words, the upper mounting piece portion 84B can be considered to constitute the vehicle upper side portion of the connecting member 84.

[0085] On the other hand, the lower mounting piece portion 84C extends outward in the vehicle width direction and toward the vehicle lower side from the peripheral edge portion on the vehicle lower side of the vehicle rear side portion of the connecting piece portion 84A, and is disposed along the lower component portion 18B of the front fender panel 18. In other words, the lower mounting piece portion 84C can be considered to constitute the vehicle lower side portion of the connecting member 84.

[0086] Also, an "adhesive 86" is applied to portions of the upper surface of the connecting piece 84A that overlap with the upper mounting piece 82A and the lower mounting piece 82C when viewed from the vehicle vertical direction, and to the upper surfaces of the upper mounting piece 84B and the lower mounting piece 84C. In this embodiment, the impact absorbing part 80 is joined to the rear surface 18C of the front fender panel 18 by the adhesive 86.

[0087] (Actions and Effects of the Present Embodiment) Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0088] In this embodiment, a shock absorbing member 82 including a bulging portion 82B having a similar configuration to the bulging portion 22B is provided, and basically the same actions and effects as those of the first embodiment described above are achieved.

[0089] In this embodiment, the impact absorbing portion 80 is provided with a connecting member 84, which connects the inner side and the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the portion of the bulging portion 82B on the front fender panel 18 side.

[0090] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the bulge portion 82B receives a collision load from the pedestrian 24 side, the cross-sectional shape of the bulge portion 82B is prevented from expanding in the vehicle width direction, which contributes to improving the efficiency of absorbing the collision load in the input direction of the collision load from the pedestrian 24 side of the bulge portion 82B.

[0091] More specifically, in this embodiment, the bulging portion 82B includes a lower wall portion 82B2 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the peripheral portion of the vertical wall portion 82B1 on the vehicle lower side, and an extending wall portion 82B3 extending outward in the vehicle width direction from the peripheral portion of the lower wall portion 82B2 on the vehicle width direction outer side. A connecting member 84 connects a portion of the vertical wall portion 82B1 on the vehicle upper side to a portion of the extending wall portion 82B3 on the vehicle upper side.

[0092] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the vertical wall portion 82B1 is bent and deformed due to the collision load, the connecting member 84 limits the relative displacement between the vertical wall portion 82B1 and the extending wall portion 82B3, thereby contributing to improving the efficiency of absorbing the collision load by the deformation of the vertical wall portion 82B1.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connecting member 84 is configured to include an upper mounting piece 84B that configures the upper side of the vehicle and a lower mounting piece 84C that configures the lower side of the vehicle, and these are joined to the front fender panel 18 with adhesive 86. For this reason, in this embodiment, the attachment of the connecting member 84 can be prevented from affecting the design aspect of the vehicle 10, compared to a configuration in which the connecting member 84 is joined to the front fender panel 18 by welding.

[0094] <Third embodiment> Hereinafter, a vehicle front structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0095] This embodiment is characterized in that the shock absorbing member 22 and a steel connecting member 90 attached to the shock absorbing member 22 constitute a shock absorbing section 92 .

[0096] In detail, in this embodiment, in the impact absorbing member 22, a seat portion 94 is provided at the boundary between the upper mounting piece portion 22A and the bulge portion 22B and at the boundary between the lower mounting piece portion 22C and the bulge portion 22B, the seat portion 94 being recessed toward the apron upper member 16 and extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0097] On the other hand, the connecting member 90 has the same shape as the connecting piece portion 84A of the connecting member 84, is suspended between the seat portions 94, and is joined to the seat portions 94 from the upper side of the vehicle at a joint portion (not shown) by welding, rivets, or the like in a state of being in contact with the seat portions 94 from the upper side of the vehicle. In other words, the connecting member 90 connects the vehicle upper side portion of the vertical wall portion 22B1 of the bulging portion 22B to the vehicle upper side portion of the extending wall portion 22B3, and the connecting member 90 connects the vehicle width direction inner side and the vehicle width direction outer side of the portion of the bulging portion 82B on the front fender panel 18 side. The connecting member 90 may be divided into a plurality of members in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0098] In this embodiment, a shock absorbing section 92 including a shock absorbing member 22 and a connecting member 90 is provided, and basically the same actions and effects as those of the second embodiment described above are achieved.

[0099] Moreover, in this embodiment, the connecting member can be made smaller than in the second embodiment described above, which contributes to reducing the weight of the impact absorbing portion.

[0100] <Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment> (1) In the above-described embodiment, the impact absorbing member 22 is disposed between the apron upper member 16 and the front fender panel 18. However, depending on the specifications of the vehicle 10, the impact absorbing member 22 may be disposed between another structural member and the front fender panel 18. For example, the impact absorbing member 22 may be disposed between the front side member and the front fender panel 18.

[0101] (2) In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the impact absorbing member is joined to the front fender panel 18 at two locations spaced apart in the vertical direction of the vehicle. However, depending on the specifications of the vehicle 10, the impact absorbing member may be configured to be joined to the front fender panel 18 only on the upper side of the vehicle.

[0102] (3) Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the upper mounting piece portion 22A of the impact absorbing member 22 is curved so as to convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and toward the vehicle lower side when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction, but the shape of the upper mounting piece portion 22A is not limited to this. In other words, a configuration in which the upper mounting piece portion 22A is curved so as to convex toward at least one of the inside in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle lower side may be adopted depending on the shape of the front fender panel 18, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 10 Vehicles 12 Body 14 Front of vehicle 16 Apron upper member (structural member) 16D 1st corner 18 Front fender panel (outer panel) 18C Back 22 Shock absorbing material (shock absorbing part) 22A Upper mounting piece (load support piece) 22B Bulge 22B1 Vertical wall section 22D Second corner 80 Shock absorbing part 82 Shock absorbing materials 82A Upper mounting piece 82B Bulge 82B1 Vertical wall section 82D Second corner 84 Connecting member 84B Upper mounting piece 84C Lower mounting piece 86 Adhesive 90 Connecting member 92 Shock absorbing part

Claims

1. A structural member constituting a part of a vehicle body frame in a front part of the vehicle body; an outer panel constituting a part of a design surface on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and on the upper side of the vehicle at the front portion of the vehicle body; an impact absorbing section that is disposed on a rear surface of the outer panel and attached only to the outer panel, is positioned between the outer panel and the structural member, and is capable of absorbing a collision load from the outer panel side by deforming; A vehicle front structure having the above structure.

2. The shock absorbing portion includes a shock absorbing member, The impact absorbing member includes a load supporting piece portion that constitutes a portion of the impact absorbing member on an upper side of the vehicle and is fixed to the outer panel; a bulging portion that is integral with the load supporting piece on the vehicle lower side thereof, that bulges outward toward the opposite side of the outer panel, and that partially overlaps with the structural member when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction; The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 .

3. The shock absorbing portion further includes a connecting member, The connecting member connects an inner side and an outer side in the vehicle width direction of a portion of the bulging portion on the outer panel side. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 .

4. The bulge portion extends downward from a peripheral portion of the load support piece portion on an outer side in the vehicle width direction and includes a vertical wall portion that overlaps with the structural member when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 .

5. The bulging portion further includes a lower wall portion extending outward in the vehicle width direction from a peripheral edge portion on a vehicle lower side of the vertical wall portion, and an extending wall portion extending outward in the vehicle width direction from a peripheral edge portion on the vehicle width direction outer side of the lower wall portion, The connecting member connects a portion of the vertical wall portion on the vehicle upper side and a portion of the extending wall portion on the vehicle upper side. The vehicle front structure according to claim 4.

6. The connecting member includes an upper mounting piece portion that constitutes a vehicle upper side portion of the connecting member and is joined to the outer panel with an adhesive, and a lower mounting piece portion that constitutes a vehicle lower side portion of the connecting member and is joined to the outer panel with an adhesive. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3.

7. a first corner portion that is convex toward the bulging portion is provided on an upper outer portion of the structural member, a second corner portion is provided on a vehicle lower side of the bulging portion, the second corner portion is convex toward the outer panel side, and the second corner portion is overlapped with the first corner portion when viewed from the vehicle up-down direction; The vehicle front structure according to claim 4.

8. The load support piece is curved so as to be convex toward at least one of the vehicle width direction inner side and the vehicle lower side. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 2 to 7.

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