Vehicle front body structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a front body structure for a vehicle that employs an open-section side stay while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs and weight, and reducing NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) for occupants caused by vertical vibrations during vehicle operation. [Solution] The vehicle is provided with a side stay 14 that connects the front end of the front side frame to the front end of the apron reinforcement. The vehicle is also provided with a reinforcing member 17 connected to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a of the side stay 14. The reinforcing member 17 is joined to the lower part 14b of the side stay 14, which is below the bent portion 14a. The reinforcing member 17 has a main body portion 171 that straddles the ridge of the side stay 14, extends diagonally to each of the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a, and straddles the ridge 143 of the side stay 14, and a second edge joining portion 172 that is joined to the second edge 142b of the second inner wall surface 142.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a front body structure of a vehicle, and particularly to a body structure including side stays with an open cross-sectional structure.

Background Art

[0002] In front of the passenger compartment in a vehicle, a front side frame and an apron reinforcement are provided so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The front side frame is arranged on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the suspension housing and is arranged below the suspension housing. The apron reinforcement is arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the suspension housing and is arranged above the suspension housing.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a body structure including a lower member (side stay) that connects the front end portion of the front side frame and the front end portion of the apron reinforcement. The side stay of Patent Document 1 has an inverted L shape when viewed from the front in the vehicle front direction and has a hollow closed cross-sectional structure.

[0004] As described above, by connecting the front end portion of the front side frame and the front end portion of the apron reinforcement with a side stay, the collision energy during a frontal collision is dispersed to the front side frame and the apron reinforcement via the side stay.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] During vehicle operation, vertical vibration energy is input from the suspension housing to the side stays via the apron reinforcement, depending on the unevenness of the road surface. When vibration energy is input to the side stays in this way, it can be transmitted to the passenger compartment via the front side frame, potentially leading to a deterioration of NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness).

[0007] In the structure described in Patent Document 1, a closed-section side stay is employed. However, from the perspective of vehicle layout, manufacturing costs, and weight, an open-section side stay may also be used. In such cases, a phenomenon occurs where the cross-section repeatedly opens and closes, which is a particular concern as it worsens the NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) transmitted to the occupants in the vehicle cabin.

[0008] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provides a front body structure for a vehicle that employs an open-section side stay while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs and weight, and reducing NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) for occupants caused by vertical vibration energy input during vehicle operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A vehicle front body structure according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a pair of left and right suspension housings provided at the front of the vehicle; a pair of left and right front side frames provided to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to pass inward in the vehicle width direction from each of the left and right suspension housings in a plan view; a pair of left and right apron reinforcements provided to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to pass outward in the vehicle width direction from each of the left and right suspension housings in a plan view; a pair of left and right side stays connecting the first front ends, which are the front ends of the left and right pair of front side frames, and the second front ends, which are the front ends of the left and right pair of apron reinforcements, each having an open cross-sectional structure; and a reinforcing member joined to each of the left and right pair of side stays.

[0010] In this embodiment, the front side frame is positioned below the suspension housing, and the apron reinforcement is positioned above the suspension housing. The first front end is positioned further forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle than the second front end, and further inward in the vehicle width direction than the second front end. Each of the left and right side stays has a lower portion extending upward from a point connected to the first front end, and an upper portion that bends from the upper end of the lower portion and extends diagonally upward to a point connected to the second front end, towards the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and outward in the vehicle width direction. The side stay is configured to include a first wall and a second wall that are continuous on either side of a ridge, forming a substantially L-shape in a cross-section that intersects the direction in which the side stay extends.

[0011] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reinforcing member is joined to the lower part of the side stay, straddling the ridge line, and to the first inner wall surface of the first wall and the second inner wall surface of the second wall, which face inward in the substantially L-shape.

[0012] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above embodiment, since the side stays have an open cross-section structure, when vibration energy is input vertically from the suspension housing to the side stays via the apron reinforcement during driving, the opening phenomenon is likely to occur. However, the occurrence of this opening phenomenon is suppressed by a reinforcing member that straddles the ridge and is joined to the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface. In other words, even if the side stays try to open due to the input of vibration energy, the opening is suppressed by the reinforcing member.

[0013] Furthermore, in the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above embodiment, instead of covering the open-section side stays to create a closed-section structure, reinforcing members are used that are joined to the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface. This allows for increased manufacturing costs and weight compared to the case where covers are used. In addition, layout constraints around the side stays can be reduced compared to the case where covers are used.

[0014] Therefore, the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above embodiment can reduce NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) for occupants caused by vertical vibration energy input to the side stays during vehicle operation.

[0015] In the above, "approximately L-shaped" means not only when the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface intersect at a 90° angle along the ridge, but also when they intersect at an angle less than 90° or at an angle greater than 90° but less than 180°. Furthermore, the ridge may have rounded corners or a taper.

[0016] Furthermore, in the above, "the inside of the roughly L-shape" refers to the side of the two main surfaces of the first wall and the two main surfaces of the second wall where the angle between them is less than 180°.

[0017] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above embodiment, the reinforcing member may be configured to have a main body portion that extends diagonally with respect to each of the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface and is provided so as to straddle the ridge line, and a second edge joining portion that is provided on the extension of the direction in which the main body portion extends and is joined to the second edge which is the edge of the second inner wall surface.

[0018] The front body structure of the vehicle according to the above embodiment has a second edge joint where a reinforcing member is joined to the second edge of the second inner wall surface. That is, in the above front body structure of the vehicle, in a substantially L-shaped cross-section, the reinforcing member is joined to the second edge of the second inner wall surface that is furthest from the ridge. Therefore, in the above front body structure of the vehicle, vibration energy input in the vertical direction can be effectively suppressed, preventing the mouth-opening phenomenon from occurring.

[0019] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above embodiment, the reinforcing member may further have a configuration in which a first upper joint portion extends upward from the main body portion and is joined to the first inner wall surface, and a first lower joint portion extends downward from the main body portion and is joined to the first inner wall surface.

[0020] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above aspect, since the reinforcing member is joined to the first inner wall surface at the first upper joining portion above the main body portion and the first lower joining portion below, it is possible to suppress the first wall from vibrating so as to bend in the front view and side view due to the input of vibration energy. That is, by joining the reinforcing member at at least two positions spaced apart from each other in the direction in which the side stay extends with respect to the first inner wall surface, the bending vibration as described above can be suppressed.

[0021] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above aspect, the reinforcing member may further have a second upper joining portion that extends upward from the main body portion and is joined to a position closer to the ridge line than the second edge on the second inner wall surface.

[0022] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above aspect, since the reinforcing member is joined to the second inner wall surface at the second upper joining portion in addition to the second edge joining portion as described above, not only the opening but also the phenomenon of the opening trying to close due to the input vibration energy can be suppressed.

[0023] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above aspect, assuming a state where the reinforcing member is not joined to the side stay, when vertical vibration energy of a predetermined frequency is input to the side stay, in the vertical direction, when the portion where the first wall and the second wall open the most is defined as the maximum opening portion, the reinforcing member may be joined to the maximum opening portion in the vertical direction.

[0024] In the front body structure of the vehicle according to the above aspect, since the reinforcing member is joined to the maximum portion in the side stay, deformation (deformation due to torsional force) of the side stay caused by the input vibration energy can be suppressed with high efficiency.

[0025] Note that the above maximum portion varies depending on the size and shape of the side stay and its peripheral members, but can be derived by repeating simulations and experiments.

Advantages of the Invention

[0026] The front body structure of the vehicle according to each of the above aspects adopts a side stay with an open cross-sectional structure, suppresses an increase in manufacturing cost and weight, and can reduce NVH for passengers caused by vertical vibration energy input during vehicle travel.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] It is a plan view showing a part of the front body structure of the vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a view showing a side stay, where (a) is a side view seen from the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and (b) is a front view seen from the front of the vehicle. [Figure 3] It is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section taken along line III-III in FIG. 2(a). [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing a reinforcing member (left reinforcing member) joined to the left side stay. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view showing a reinforcing member (right reinforcing member) joined to the right side stay. [Figure 6] It is a view for explaining the joining position of the reinforcing member to the side stay, and is a side view showing the location where the amplitude of the mouth opening is the largest in the side stay to which the reinforcing member is not joined. [Figure 7] It is a graph showing the vibration damping effect when a vibration of 315 Hz is input to each side stay of the comparative example and Examples 1 to 4. [Figure 8] It is a side view showing a part of the front body structure of the vehicle according to the comparative example. [Figure 9] (a) is a side view showing a part of the front body structure of the vehicle according to Example 1, and (b) is a side view showing a part of the front body structure of the vehicle according to Example 3.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are illustrative examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments except for its essential configuration.

[0029] Furthermore, in the diagrams used in the following explanation, "FR" indicates the front of the vehicle, "RR" indicates the rear of the vehicle, "LH" indicates the left side of the vehicle, "RH" indicates the right side of the vehicle, "UP" indicates the top of the vehicle, and "LO" indicates the bottom of the vehicle. In all directions, the occupants are used as the reference point.

[0030] 1. Overview of the front body structure of Vehicle 1 The outline of the front body structure of vehicle 1 according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 1. Although Figure 1 only shows a portion of the right side of the front body structure of vehicle 1, the left side has a similar structure in a symmetrical relationship.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the front of the vehicle 1 includes a front side frame 11 and an apron reinforcement 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a suspension housing 13 to which suspension members (not shown) are attached, and a side stay 14 extending in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1). The front of the vehicle 1 also includes a crash can 15 located in front of the front side frame 11, and a bumper reinforcement 16 fixed to the front of the crash can 15 and extending in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0032] The front side frame 11 is positioned inward in the vehicle width direction from the suspension housing 13 and passes below the suspension housing 13. The apron reinforcement 12 is positioned outward in the vehicle width direction from the suspension housing 13 and passes above the suspension housing 13. The reference point for upper and lower in the above is the upper end surface of the suspension housing 13.

[0033] The front end (first front end) 11a of the front side frame 11 is positioned further forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 than the front end (second front end) 12a of the apron reinforcement 12, and is also positioned further inward in the vehicle width direction than the front end 12a.

[0034] The side stay 14 has its lower end connected to the front end 11a of the front side frame 11, and its upper end connected to the front end 12a of the apron reinforcement 12. The side stay 14 has an open cross-section structure.

[0035] 2. Configuration of side stay 14 The configuration of the side stay 14 will be explained using Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2(a) is a side view of the right side stay 14 viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction, and Figure 2(b) is a front view of the right side stay 14 viewed from the front of the vehicle 1.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2(a), the side stay 14 has a lower part 14b that extends upward from the point where it is connected to the front end 11a of the front side frame 11 (see Figure 1), and an upper part 14c that extends diagonally from the upper end (bent part 14a) of the lower part 14b, bending upward and connecting to the front end 12a of the apron reinforcement 12 (see Figure 1), which is located rearward. That is, if we assume imaginary lines L1 and L2 at the centers of the lower part 14b and the upper part 14c, the imaginary lines L1 and L2 intersect at the bent part 14a.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2(b), the upper part 14c of the side stay 14, above the bent portion 14a, is provided to extend diagonally upward to a point where it connects to the front end portion 12a (see Figure 1) of the apron reinforcement 12, which is located on the outside in the vehicle width direction. In a front view, if we assume imaginary lines L3 and L4 at the centers of the lower part 14b and the upper part 14c, respectively, the imaginary lines L3 and L4 also intersect at the bent portion 14a.

[0038] As described above, the side stay 14 has an open cross-sectional structure. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the side stay 14 has a substantially L-shape in a cross-section that intersects the direction in which the side stay 14 extends. That is, the side stay 14 has a cross-sectional structure in which a first wall 141 extending in the vehicle width direction and a second wall 142 extending in the front-rear direction are connected by a ridge line 143.

[0039] In Figure 3, the first wall 141 and the second wall 142 are shown in a configuration where their directions of extension are approximately perpendicular, but the angle between the first wall 141 and the second wall 142 is not limited to this. For example, they may be configured to intersect at an angle of less than 90°, or at an angle greater than 90° but less than 180°.

[0040] Furthermore, although the side stay 14 in this embodiment is substantially L-shaped throughout its entire length, the angle between the first wall 141 and the second wall 142 may be configured to vary in each region along the length.

[0041] In the side stay 14, the inner main surface of the two main surfaces of the first wall 141 is the first inner wall surface 141a, and the inner main surface of the two main surfaces of the second wall 142 is the second inner wall surface 142a. Here, the inner main surface refers to the main surface that is on the inside of the approximately L-shaped cross-section. Specifically, the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a are the main surfaces that form an angle of less than 180° with respect to each other.

[0042] In this embodiment, a side stay 14 with a roughly L-shaped cross-section is used, but the shape of the cross-section of the side stay 14 does not necessarily have to be roughly L-shaped. For example, it may be roughly U-shaped or roughly W-shaped.

[0043] 3. Configuration of the reinforcing member 17 The front of vehicle 1 further includes reinforcing members 17 joined to the left and right side stays 14. The configuration of the reinforcing members 17 joined to the left and right side stays 14 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows the left side stay 14L and the reinforcing member (left reinforcing member) 17L joined to the side stay 14L. Figure 5 shows the right side stay 14R and the reinforcing member (right reinforcing member) 17R joined to the side stay 14R.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, the left reinforcing member 17L straddles the ridge line 143 of the left side stay 14L and is joined to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a. The left reinforcing member 17L has a roughly U-shaped cross-section and includes a main body portion 171 that extends from the first inner wall surface 141a toward the second inner wall surface 142a, and joining portions 172 to 175 that are joined to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a.

[0045] The four joints 172-175 of the left reinforcing member 17L consist of a first upper joint 173 and a first lower joint 174, which are joints with the first inner wall surface 141a, and a second edge joint 172 and a second upper joint 175, which are joints with the second inner wall surface 142a.

[0046] The first upper joint 173 is provided at the tip of the portion that extends upward from near the end of the main body 171 on the side of the first inner wall surface 141a. The first lower joint 174 is provided at the tip of the portion that extends downward from near the end of the main body 171 on the side of the first inner wall surface 141a. The first upper joint 173 and the first lower joint 174 are spaced apart vertically with the main body 171 in between.

[0047] The second edge joint 172 is provided at the tip of a portion that extends from the end of the main body 171 on the side of the second inner wall surface 142a, extending in line with that end. The second edge joint 172 is joined to the edge (second edge) 142b of the second inner wall surface 142a that is spaced apart from the ridge line 143.

[0048] The second upper joint portion 175 is provided at the tip of the portion that extends upward from near the end of the main body portion 171 on the side of the second inner wall surface 142a.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figure 5, the right reinforcing member 17R straddles the ridge line 143 of the right side stay 14R and is joined to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a. The right reinforcing member 17R has a roughly U-shaped cross-section and includes a main body portion 171 that extends from the first inner wall surface 141a toward the second inner wall surface 142a, and joining portions 173 to 176 that are joined to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a.

[0050] The first upper joint 173, like the left reinforcing member 17L, is provided at the tip of the portion that extends upward from near the end of the main body 171 on the side of the first inner wall surface 141a. The first lower joint 174, like the left reinforcing member 17L, is also provided at the tip of the portion that extends downward from near the end of the main body 171 on the side of the first inner wall surface 141a. In the right reinforcing member 17R as well, the first upper joint 173 and the first lower joint 174 are spaced apart vertically with the main body 171 in between.

[0051] The second upper joint 175 is provided at the tip of the portion extending upward from near the end of the main body 171 on the side of the second inner wall surface 142a, similar to the left reinforcing member 17L. The second lower joint 176 is provided at the tip of the portion extending downward from near the end of the main body 171 on the side of the second inner wall surface 142a. The second upper joint 175 and the second lower joint 176 are spaced apart vertically with the main body 171 in between.

[0052] In this embodiment, the right reinforcing member 17R does not have a joint corresponding to the second end edge joint 172 of the left reinforcing member 17L. However, it is also possible to adopt the same configuration for the right reinforcing member 17R as for the left reinforcing member 17L.

[0053] 4. Joining position of the reinforcing member 17 to the side stay 14 The connection position of the reinforcing member 17 to the side stay 14 will be explained using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the side stay 14 and its surroundings, assuming that the reinforcing member 17 is not connected.

[0054] For the side stay 14 to which the reinforcing member 17 shown in Figure 6 is not attached, vibration energy at a predetermined frequency (e.g., 315 Hz) is input in the vertical direction from the side of the apron reinforcement 12. In this case, the first wall 141 and the second wall 142 of the side stay 14 open widest at the portion below the bent portion 14a (the middle portion of the lower part 14b) (arrow A).

[0055] In this embodiment, the reinforcing member 17 is joined to the point of maximum opening Pos, where the mouth opens as wide as described above.

[0056] 5. Confirmation The reduction of vibration when a 315Hz vibration is input to the side stay 14 was confirmed using comparative examples and examples 1 to 4. This will be explained using Figures 7 to 9.

[0057] First, let me explain the configuration of the sample used for verification.

[0058] Comparative Example As shown in Figure 8, in the comparative example, the bent portion 14a of the side stay 14 and the lid 917 that closes the opening are joined to it above and below. As a result, the area around the bent portion 14a of the side stay 14 has a closed cross-sectional structure due to the joining of the lid 917.

[0059] Example 1 As shown in Figure 9(a), in Embodiment 1, a reinforcing member 17 having the same structure as the right reinforcing member 17R described above was joined directly below the bent portion 14a of the side stay 14. That is, in Embodiment 1, the reinforcing member 17 was joined to the side stay 14 at a position above the maximum opening point Pos.

[0060] Example 2 In Example 2, the reinforcing member 17 was joined to the side stay 14 in the same configuration as shown in Figure 5.

[0061] Example 3 As shown in Figure 9(b), in Embodiment 3, the reinforcing member 27 is joined to the point of maximum opening Pos of the side stay 14. The reinforcing member 27 further has a second lower joining portion 176 to the reinforcing member 17L shown in Figure 4. That is, the reinforcing member 27 in Embodiment 3 is joined to the side stay 14 at five points.

[0062] Example 4 In Example 4, the reinforcing member 17 was joined to the side stay 14 in the same configuration as shown in Figure 4.

[0063] As shown in Figure 7, the improvement in vibration is best in the order of Example 4, Comparative Example, Example 2, Example 3, and Example 1.

[0064] In the comparative example, the vicinity of the bent portion 14a of the side stay 14 is closed with a cover 917 to create a closed cross-sectional structure, resulting in a significant increase in manufacturing cost and weight compared to Examples 1-4. Furthermore, the placement of the cover 917 imposes significant layout constraints, making it difficult to arrange other components.

[0065] Example 4 showed a greater improvement than the comparative example, which had a closed cross-section structure achieved by joining the lid 917. Furthermore, Example 2, which had the same configuration as shown in Figure 5 but with the reinforcing member 17 joined to the side stay 14, also showed a comparable improvement to the comparative example.

[0066] Furthermore, improvements were observed in both Example 1 and Example 3 compared to the case where the side stay 14 was used alone.

[0067] 6. Effects In this embodiment, the front body structure of the vehicle 1 employs side stays 14 with an open cross-section structure. Therefore, when vertical vibration energy is input to the side stays 14 from the suspension housing 13 via the apron reinforcement 12 during driving, the side stays are prone to opening up. However, the reinforcing member 17, which straddles the ridge line 143 and is joined to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a, suppresses the occurrence of this opening up phenomenon. In other words, even if the side stays 14 attempt to open up with a roughly L-shaped cross-section due to the input of vibration energy, the reinforcing member 17 suppresses this opening up.

[0068] Furthermore, in the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, instead of covering the open-section side stay 14 with a cover 917 to create a closed-section structure as shown in Figure 8, a simple reinforcing member 17 is adopted that is joined to the first inner wall surface 141a and the second inner wall surface 142a. This allows for increased manufacturing costs and weight compared to the case where a cover 917 is used. In addition, a greater degree of freedom in layout around the side stay 14 can be ensured compared to the case where a cover 917 is used.

[0069] Therefore, the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment can reduce NVH for occupants caused by vertical vibration energy input to the side stays 14 when the vehicle is in motion.

[0070] Furthermore, the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment has a second edge joint 172 to which the reinforcing member 17 is joined to the second edge 142b of the second inner wall surface 142a. That is, in the front body structure of the vehicle 1, the reinforcing member 17 is joined to the second edge 142b that is furthest from the ridge line 143 of the second inner wall surface 142a in a substantially L-shaped cross-section. Therefore, the front body structure of the vehicle 1 can effectively suppress the occurrence of the mouth-opening phenomenon caused by vibration energy input in the vertical direction.

[0071] Furthermore, in the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, the reinforcing member 17 is joined to the first inner wall surface 141a at a first upper joint 173 above the main body 171 and a first lower joint 174 below it. This suppresses vibrations that cause the first wall 141 to bend in a front view and a side view due to the input of vibration energy. In other words, by joining the reinforcing member 17 to the first inner wall surface 141a at at least two spaced apart locations in the direction in which the side stay 14 extends, the bending vibrations described above can be suppressed.

[0072] Furthermore, in the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, the reinforcing member 17 is joined to the second inner wall surface 142a at the second upper joint 175 in addition to the second edge joint 172, so that not only opening up due to input vibration energy, but also the phenomenon of the opening trying to close can be suppressed.

[0073] Furthermore, in the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, a reinforcing member 17 is joined to the point of maximum opening Pos in the side stay 14, so that deformation of the side stay 14 caused by input vibration energy (deformation due to torsional force) can be suppressed with high efficiency.

[0074] As described above, the front body structure of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment employs an open-section side stay 14 while suppressing increases in manufacturing costs and weight, and reducing NVH for occupants caused by vertical vibration energy input during vehicle operation.

[0075] [Differentiation] In the above embodiment, the left reinforcing member 17L has a second edge joint portion 172, and the left reinforcing member 17L is also joined to the second edge 142b of the second inner wall surface 142a. However, in the present invention, it is not essential that the reinforcing member 17 has a second edge joint portion 172. That is, the reinforcing member only needs to be joined to the first inner wall surface and the second inner wall surface.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the left reinforcing member 17L joined to the left side stay 14L and the right reinforcing member 17R joined to the right side stay 14R have different shapes. However, in the present invention, reinforcing members of the same shape may be joined to the left and right side stays.

[0077] Furthermore, although the above embodiment employs a side stay 14 with a substantially L-shaped cross-section, the present invention is not limited to this cross-sectional shape of the side stay. For example, it is also possible to employ a side stay having a U-shaped or W-shaped cross-section. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 1 vehicle 11 Front side frame 11a Front end (first front end) 12 Apron Reinforcement 12a Front end (second front end) 13 Suspension Housing 14 Side Stays 14a Bend part 14b Lower part 17,27 Reinforcement members 141 1st wall 141a First inner wall surface 142 Second wall 142a Second inner wall surface 143 Ridge

Claims

1. A pair of left and right suspension housings located at the front of the vehicle, A pair of left and right front side frames are provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and pass inward in the vehicle width direction from each of the left and right suspension housings in a plan view, A pair of left and right apron reinforcements are provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle that, in a plan view, pass outside in the vehicle width direction of each of the left and right suspension housings, A pair of left and right side stays, each having an open cross-sectional structure, connect the first front end, which is the front end of each of the left and right front side frames, and the second front end, which is the front end of each of the left and right apron reinforcements, A reinforcing member joined to each of the pair of left and right side stays, Equipped with, The front side frame is positioned below the suspension housing, and the apron reinforcement is positioned above the suspension housing. The first front end is positioned further forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle than the second front end, and is positioned further inward in the vehicle width direction than the second front end. Each of the pair of left and right side stays has a lower portion extending upward from the point connected to the first front end, and an upper portion that bends from the upper end of the lower portion and extends diagonally upward to the point connected to the second front end, towards the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and outward in the vehicle width direction, and is composed of a first wall and a second wall that are continuous on either side of a ridge so as to form a substantially L-shape in a cross-section that intersects the direction in which the side stay extends. The reinforcing member is joined to the lower part of the side stay, straddling the ridge line, and to the first inner wall surface of the first wall and the second inner wall surface of the second wall, which face inward in the substantially L-shape. The front body structure of the vehicle.

2. The reinforcing member has a main body portion that extends diagonally with respect to each of the first and second inner wall surfaces and is provided so as to straddle the ridge line, and a second edge joint portion that is provided on the extension of the direction in which the main body portion extends and is joined to the second edge which is the edge of the second inner wall surface. The front body structure of the vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The reinforcing member further comprises a first upper joint portion extending upward from the main body and joined to the first inner wall surface, and a first lower joint portion extending downward from the main body and joined to the first inner wall surface. The front body structure of the vehicle according to claim 2.

4. The reinforcing member further has a second upper joint portion that extends upward from the main body portion and is joined to a location on the second inner wall surface that is closer to the ridge line than the second end edge. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 2 or claim 3.

5. Assuming that the reinforcing member is not joined to the side stay, and that vertical vibration energy of a predetermined frequency is input to the side stay, the point where the first wall and the second wall open the widest in the vertical direction is defined as the point of maximum opening. The reinforcing member is joined to the point of maximum opening in the vertical direction. The front body structure of the vehicle according to claim 1.

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