Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure capable of reducing a vertical dimension required for arranging a heat exchanger in a motor room, and avoiding contact between the heat exchanger and a motor in head-on collision of a vehicle.SOLUTION: In a vehicle front structure in which a heat exchanger 30 is arranged in front of a motor 20 in a motor room 10, the heat exchanger 30 is arranged in a posture of being raised rearward, a support frame 50 supporting the heat exchanger 30 is bent to be convex upward at a front bent portion 56 and to be convex downward, respectively, at a rear bent portion 57 at the time of frontal collision, and the heat exchanger 30 approaches a vertical posture from a posture of being raised rearward in a side view when the support frame 50 is bent.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure in which a heat exchanger is arranged in a motor compartment. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and other electrically powered vehicles equipped with a motor as a power source for running are becoming widespread (for example, Patent Document 1). In an electrically powered vehicle, a motor and a heat exchanger for cooling various devices such as the motor are arranged in a motor room at the front of the vehicle. In the electrically powered vehicle of Patent Document 1, the heat exchanger is supported in a vertical position in side view in front of the motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-193651 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the heat exchanger is disposed in a vertical position, so a large vertical dimension is required for disposing the heat exchanger in the motor room, making it difficult to reduce the vertical dimension of the motor room or to create space for disposing other devices above the heat exchanger in the motor room. Here, it is possible to mount the heat exchanger at an angle when viewed from the side, but in this case, the rear end of the heat exchanger comes close to the motor, which may cause the heat exchanger to come into contact with the motor in the event of a frontal collision.Since the heat exchanger is made of a conductor, it needs to be designed so that it does not come into contact with the motor in the event of a collision.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a vehicle front structure that can reduce the vertical dimensions required for placing a heat exchanger in the motor compartment and can avoid contact between the heat exchanger and the motor in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present invention, In a vehicle front structure, a heat exchanger is disposed in front of a motor inside a motor compartment, a pair of left and right support frames extending in a front-rear direction and supporting left and right ends of the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger is disposed in a rearwardly upwardly extending position in a side view, and has a front supported portion and a rear supported portion formed at left and right ends and supported by the support frame, the support frame includes a front support and a rear support that support the front supported portion and the rear supported portion of the heat exchanger, the support frame has a front bent portion that bends in an upward convex mode and a rear bent portion that bends in a downward convex mode when a compressive load in the front-rear direction acts on the support frame, The front support is disposed forward of the front bent portion, the rear support is configured such that, when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion of the support frame are bent, the rear supported portion is detached from the rear support, The heat exchanger is provided with a vehicle front structure in which, when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion of the support frame are bent, the heat exchanger approaches a vertical posture from the rear-raised posture in a side view.

[0007] According to this vehicle front structure, the heat exchanger is disposed at an angle in a side view, so that the vertical dimension required for disposing the heat exchanger in the motor room can be reduced, thereby making it possible to reduce the vertical dimension of the motor room and to create space for disposing other devices above the heat exchanger in the motor room. In addition, when a compressive load acts on each support frame in the front-rear direction during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the front bent portion bends upward in a convex manner and the rear bent portion bends downward in a convex manner, so that each support frame absorbs the energy of the collision. At this time, the rear supported portion of the heat exchanger is released from the rear support body of the support frame, so that the rear end side of the heat exchanger becomes movable relative to the support frame. In addition, since the front bent portion of the support frame rises, the rear end side of the section in front of the front bent portion of each support frame rises, and accordingly, the rear end side of the heat exchanger also rises. As a result, the heat exchanger approaches a vertical posture from the initial rear-up posture in a side view, and a distance in the front-rear direction between the heat exchanger and the motor is secured during a frontal collision, so that contact between them can be avoided.

[0008] In the vehicle front structure, it is preferable that the rear support body is disposed between the front folded portion and the rear folded portion.

[0009] In addition, in the above vehicle front structure, the front support allows rotation of the front supported portion of the heat exchanger about an axis in the left-right direction when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion are bent, It is preferable that the rear support body allows the rear supported portion of the heat exchanger to move upward when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion are bent.

[0010] In the above vehicle front structure, it is preferable that the front bent portion and the rear bent portion each include a weak portion formed in the support frame.

[0011] In addition, the vehicle front structure preferably further comprises a part that is disposed between the heat exchanger and the motor and is made of a non-conductive material. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the vehicle front structure of the present invention, the vertical dimensions required for arranging a heat exchanger in a motor compartment can be reduced, and contact between the heat exchanger and the motor can be avoided in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle front structure showing one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a schematic side view showing the movement of the subframe and the heat exchanger during a frontal collision. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a vehicle front structure showing a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a vehicle front structure showing a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Figures 1 to 5 show one embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle front structure, Figure 2 is a front view of a heat exchanger, Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the front support, Figure 4 is a rear cross-sectional view of the rear support, and Figure 5 is a schematic side view showing the movement of the subframe and heat exchanger during a frontal collision.

[0015] This automobile vehicle is an electric vehicle, and as shown in FIG. 1, a drive motor 20 is disposed in a motor room 10 at the front of the vehicle. A heat exchanger 30 for cooling the motor 20 is disposed in front of the motor 20 in the motor room 10. The heat exchanger 30 is disposed in a rearwardly upward position in a side view. The automobile vehicle has a pair of left and right side frames 40 that extend in the front-rear direction and form the framework of the vehicle, and a pair of left and right subframes 50 that extend in the front-rear direction and to which a suspension, auxiliary equipment, etc. are attached. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 30 is supported by each of the subframes 50, and each of the subframes 50 functions as a support frame for the heat exchanger.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2, the heat exchanger 30 is formed in a horizontally long rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and exchanges heat between air and coolant. For the sake of explanation, the details of the heat exchanger 30, such as the pipes through which the coolant flows and the fins connected to the pipes, are omitted in each drawing. The heat exchanger 30 has a front supported portion 31 and a rear supported portion 32 at the left and right ends, respectively. The front supported portions 31 and the rear supported portions 32 are supported by the front supports 51 and the rear supports 52 of the subframes 50.

[0017] Each front supported portion 31 extends outwardly from the front left and right end portions. In this embodiment, each front supported portion 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its axis in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3 , each front supported portion 31 is received in a receiving hole 53 of a front support 51 of each subframe 50. This allows each front supported portion 31 to rotate relative to the front support 51 with the axis in the left-right direction as its axis.

[0018] In this embodiment, each rear supported portion 32 has an outer extending portion 33 extending in the left-right outward direction from the left and right rear end portions, and a rear extending portion 34 extending rearward from the outer end of the outer extending portion 33. The outer extending portion 33 and the rear extending portion 34 are formed to have a circular cross section. As shown in FIG 4, the rear extending portion 34 of each rear supported portion 32 is received in a receiving groove 54 of a rear support 52 of each subframe 50.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the subframe 50 has a front bent portion 56 that bends in an upwardly convex mode and a rear bent portion 57 that bends in a downwardly convex mode when a compressive load in the front-rear direction acts on the subframe 50. The subframe 50 has, from the front end to the rear, a horizontal first horizontal section 50a, a rearwardly downwardly inclined section 50b, and a horizontal second horizontal section 50c, in this order. In this embodiment, the boundary between the first horizontal section 50a and the inclined section 50b forms the front bent portion 56, and the boundary between the inclined section 50b and the second horizontal section 50c forms the rear bent portion 57. In addition, the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57 have a first groove portion 56a and a second groove portion 57a, respectively, as weak portions that promote bending. The first groove 56a is formed on the lower surface of the subframe 50 main body so as to extend in the left-right direction, and the second groove 57a is formed on the upper surface of the subframe 50 main body so as to extend in the left-right direction.

[0020] The front support 51 of the subframe 50 is disposed at a front support position PF forward of the front bent portion 56. In this embodiment, the front support 51 is fixed to the upper surface of the main body of the subframe 50. As described above, the front support 51 has a receiving hole 53 that receives the front supported portion 31, and allows the front supported portion 31 of the heat exchanger 30 to rotate about an axis in the left-right direction when the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57 are bent.

[0021] The rear support 52 of the subframe 50 is disposed at the rear support position PR between the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57. In this embodiment, the rear support 52 is fixed to the upper surface of the main body of the subframe 50 and extends upward from the subframe 50. As described above, the rear support 52 has a receiving groove 54 on its upper surface for receiving the rear supported portion 32, and allows the rear supported portion 32 of the heat exchanger 30 to move upward when the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57 are bent. That is, the rear support 52 is configured such that the rear supported portion 32 is released from the rear support 52 when the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57 of the subframe 50 are bent. In this embodiment, a pressing member 55 is provided at the upper portion in the receiving groove 54, and normally, the rear supported portion 32 is not released from the rear support 52. The pressing member 55 may be omitted as appropriate.

[0022] In the vehicle front structure configured as described above, the heat exchanger 30 is disposed at an angle in a side view, so that the vertical dimension required for disposing the heat exchanger 30 in the motor room 20 can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the vertical dimension of the motor room 20 and to create space for disposing other devices above the heat exchanger 30 in the motor room 20. This increases the freedom in vehicle design and improves the marketability of the vehicle.

[0023] In addition, when a compressive load acts on each subframe 50 in the front-rear direction during a front-to-rear collision of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 5, the front bent portion 56 bends upwardly in a convex manner, and the rear bent portion 57 bends downwardly in a convex manner, so that each subframe 50 absorbs the energy of the collision. At this time, the rear supported portion 31 of the heat exchanger 30 is released from the rear support body 52 of the subframe 50, so that the rear end side of the heat exchanger 30 becomes movable relative to the subframe 50. In addition, since the front bent portion 56 of the subframe 50 rises, the rear end side of the first horizontal section 50a of each subframe 50 rises, and accordingly, the rear end side of the heat exchanger 30 also rises. As a result, the heat exchanger 30 approaches a vertical posture from the initial rear-up posture in a side view, and the distance between the heat exchanger 30 and the motor 20 in the front-to-rear direction during a front-to-rear collision is secured, so that contact between them can be avoided.

[0024] In addition, in this embodiment, since the rear support 52 is disposed between the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57, it is relatively easy to set the rear support 52 to a mode in which it moves downward when each subframe 50 is bent. By setting the rear end support 52 to a mode in which it moves downward during a frontal collision, the rear supported portion 32 of the heat exchanger 30 received in the receiving groove 54 can be reliably moved upward and separated from the rear end support 52. In this manner, with the rear supported portion 32 separated from the rear support 52, the front support 51 allows the front supported portion 31 to rotate about an axis in the left-right direction, so that the heat exchanger 30 is freely rotatable about the front supported portion 31 as an axis, and the posture of the heat exchanger 30 can be smoothly changed during a frontal collision.

[0025] In this embodiment, the front bending portion 56 and the rear bending portion 57 have the first groove portion 56a and the second groove portion 57a, respectively, as weakened portions, so that the subframes 50 can be reliably bent at the front bending portion 56 and the rear bending portion 57 during a frontal collision. This stabilizes the deformation and posture change of the subframes 50 and the heat exchanger 30 during a frontal collision.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the space between the heat exchanger 30 and the motor 20 is shown, but as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, for example, by arranging a part made of a non-conductive material between the heat exchanger 30 and the motor 20, the motor 20 can be protected from the heat exchanger 30 during a frontal collision, and the change in the attitude of the heat exchanger 30 can be made more stable. Fig. 6 shows an example in which a part of a storage section 60 arranged above the heat exchanger 30 is formed to protrude between the heat exchanger 30 and the motor 20. Fig. 7 shows an example in which a reservoir tank 70 for the cooling water circulating through the motor 20 and the heat exchanger 30 is arranged between the heat exchanger 30 and the motor 20.

[0027] In the above embodiment, an example has been shown in which only the motor 20 is arranged in the motor room 10 as a drive source for the vehicle, but the vehicle may be a hybrid vehicle in which an engine is arranged in addition to the motor 20.

[0028] In the above embodiment, the cylindrical front supported portion 31 of the heat exchanger 30 is received in the receiving hole 53 of the front support 51 of the subframe 50. However, for example, a bolt may be provided that screws into the front support 51 and protrudes toward the heat exchanger 30, and a receiving hole for the bolt may be formed in the heat exchanger 30. In this case, the receiving hole of the heat exchanger 30 serves as the front supported portion, and in this case as well, the front supported portion can rotate about an axis in the left-right direction relative to the front support. It is preferable that the front supported portion 31 of the heat exchanger 30 is rotatably supported by the front support 51 of the subframe 50. However, as long as the deformation of the subframe 50, etc. during a frontal collision sufficiently realizes a change in the posture of the heat exchanger 30, a configuration that is not rotatable may be used. In addition, as for the rear support body 52, the detailed structure can be modified as desired so long as the rear supported portion 32 is configured to detach from the rear support body 52 when the front bending portion 56 and the rear bending portion 57 of the subframe 50 are bent.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the heat exchanger 30 is supported by the subframe 50, but a support frame for the heat exchanger may be provided separately from the subframe 50. In addition, the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57 of the subframe 50 have the first groove portion 56a and the second groove portion 57a, but the fragile portions may be formed of beads, elongated holes, or the like. Furthermore, if the front bent portion 56 and the rear bent portion 57 located at the boundary between the horizontal section and the inclined section are able to bend reliably during a frontal collision without providing the fragile portions, the fragile portions may be omitted.

[0030] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the invention according to the claims is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10 Motor Room 20 Motor 30 heat exchanger 31 Front supported part 32 Rear supported part 33 Outer extension 34 Rear extension 40 Side frame 50 Subframe 50a First horizontal section 50b Inclined section 50c 2nd Level Section 51 Front support 52 Rear support 53 Receptor hole 54 Receptor groove 55 Holding member 60 Storage area 70 Reservoir Tank PF front support position PR rear support position

Claims

1. In a vehicle front structure, a heat exchanger is disposed in front of a motor inside a motor compartment, a pair of left and right support frames extending in a front-rear direction and supporting left and right ends of the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger is disposed in a rearwardly upwardly extending position in a side view, and has a front supported portion and a rear supported portion formed at left and right ends and supported by the support frame, the support frame includes a front support and a rear support that support the front supported portion and the rear supported portion of the heat exchanger, the support frame has a front bent portion that bends in an upward convex mode and a rear bent portion that bends in a downward convex mode when a compressive load in the front-rear direction acts on the support frame, The front support is disposed forward of the front bent portion, the rear support is configured such that, when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion of the support frame are bent, the rear supported portion is detached from the rear support, The heat exchanger in this vehicle front structure approaches a vertical posture from the rearwardly raised posture in a side view when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion of the support frame are bent.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the rear support is disposed between the front bent portion and the rear bent portion.

3. the front support allows rotation of the front supported portion of the heat exchanger about an axis in the left-right direction when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion are bent, The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 , wherein the rear support body allows the rear supported portion of the heat exchanger to move upward when the front bent portion and the rear bent portion are bent.

4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3 , wherein the front bent portion and the rear bent portion each include a weakened portion formed in the support frame.

5. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a part disposed between the heat exchanger and the motor, the part being made of a non-conductive material.

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