Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure capable of reliably protecting a sensor despite a displacement of a headlight occurring at a time of a collision.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure includes a headlight 2 disposed separately from a light support member 4 that is a body member of a vehicle front part 1, and a sensor 8 located at a position on the light support member 4, which is opposed to the headlight 2, via a bracket 7. Herein, a protector 9 is mounted on the light support member 4 via the bracket 7 between the headlight 2 and the sensor 8 so that the protector can shield the sensor 8, and is disposed apart from the sensor 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure having sensors around headlights. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various sensors, such as an airbag sensor that determines a threshold value for activating an airbag device, are attached to the front of a vehicle. Such sensors provided in the front of the vehicle may be disposed near the headlights. In this case, a structure is known in which measures are taken in the vehicle body, headlights, etc. to prevent the headlights from interfering with the sensors even if the headlights are displaced during a collision (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the vehicle body front structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, a rotation shaft is provided on the outer side of a headlamp (corresponding to a headlamp or headlight) in the vehicle width direction, and an airbag sensor is provided near the inner side of the headlamp in the vehicle width direction. The airbag sensor is disposed within a rotation trajectory of the inner end in the vehicle width direction when the headlamp rotates relatively rearward around the rotation shaft. A lamp stopper is provided at the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the headlamp, and an interference portion is provided at the front end of a front side member located on the vehicle body rear side of the lamp stopper. The interference portion is disposed within a rotation trajectory of the lamp stopper in the relative rotation around the rotation shaft of the headlamp. In such a vehicle body front structure, the lamp stopper abuts against the interference portion in the event of a frontal collision to limit the relative rotation of the headlamp, thereby preventing interference between the headlamp and the airbag sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4525655 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional structure as described above, for example, if an obstacle collides with the position of the rotation axis of the headlamp, the headlamp will not rotate but will move in parallel, so the lamp stopper will not abut on the interference part. In this case, the headlamp will come into contact with the airbag sensor, and the sensor will not be protected, so there is a possibility that the airbag device will not operate properly. In other words, the conventional structure protects the sensor against the displacement of the headlamp in a frontal collision, but there is a demand for protecting the sensor against the displacement of the headlight (headlamp) due to collisions not only from the front of the vehicle but also from the side, etc., and there is room for improvement.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can reliably protect a sensor against displacement of a headlight during a collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technology, the present invention provides a headlight disposed at a distance from a vehicle body member at the front of a vehicle, and a vehicle seat provided at a position facing the headlight on the vehicle body member. and located rearward of the front of the headlight. The sensors and 、 a protector provided on the vehicle body member between the headlight and the sensor so as to cover the sensor, and disposed at intervals from the headlight and the sensor; and a vehicle front structure comprising: a bracket provided on the vehicle body member; the sensor is fixed to the bracket at a position facing the headlight, and is provided on the vehicle body member via the bracket; the protector is fixed to the bracket so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction between the headlight and the sensor and cover the sensor, and is provided on the vehicle body member via the bracket; the protector and the bracket are joined to each other at a front joint located further forward than the sensor, and are disposed at a position where the front joint overlaps with the sensor as viewed from the front of the vehicle, and are formed into shapes that move away from each other from the front joint toward the rear of the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the vehicle front structure of the present invention, the protector is positioned at a distance between the headlight and the sensor so as to cover the sensor, so that even if the headlight is displaced during a collision, the headlight can abut against the protector, thereby reliably protecting the sensor. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a front part of a vehicle to which a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from the front side of the vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion A in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 1 with the headlights removed, as viewed obliquely from above on the right side of the vehicle. [Figure 4] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of part A in FIG. 1 with a headlight and a protector removed, as viewed obliquely from above on the right side of the vehicle. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sensor and its surroundings seen from above the vehicle with the headlights removed. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sensor periphery viewed from below the vehicle with the headlights removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 7 show a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the arrow F direction indicates the front of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow U direction indicates the upper side of the vehicle in the vehicle vertical direction, and the arrow O direction indicates the outside of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. In addition, the "left and right" in the description of the embodiment correspond to the left and right when looking forward from inside the vehicle cabin.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, headlights 2 are arranged on both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction at a front portion 1 of a vehicle to which a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The headlights 2 are attached to a light support brace 3 and a fender panel (not shown).

[0012] The light support brace 3 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle, with the front bumper member 5 fixed to its lower end, the hood lock member upper 6a fixed to its upper end, and the hood lock member lower 6b fixed to its middle portion. The front bumper member 5, the hood lock member upper 6a, and the hood lock member lower 6b each extend in the vehicle width direction and are bridged between the left and right light support braces 3.

[0013] A light support member 4, which serves as a vehicle body member, is fixed to the middle part in the vehicle up-down direction of the light support brace 3. This light support member 4 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction from the fixed part with the light support brace 3, and its tip part is formed in a shape that is bent toward the rear of the vehicle (approximately L-shaped in a plan view).

[0014] 2 to 7 show the structure around the headlight 2 arranged on the right side of the vehicle (part A in FIG. 1). Note that the structure around the headlight 2 arranged on the left side of the vehicle is the same as that on the right side of the vehicle, so the description thereof will be omitted below.

[0015] The headlight 2 in this embodiment has a main body 2a and a mounting member 2b, and the main body 2a is attached via the mounting member 2b to an upper portion of the side portion located on the vehicle front side of the light support brace 3 and to two locations, top and bottom, on the inner portion in the vehicle width direction of a fender panel (not shown). The main body 2a of the headlight 2 is disposed with a gap between it and the vehicle front side portion of the upper surface portion 4a of the light support member 4. A sensor 8 and a protector 9 are provided via a bracket 7 on the vehicle front side portion of the upper surface portion 4a of the light support member 4 (see Figs. 2 to 4).

[0016] The sensor 8 is, for example, an airbag sensor that determines a threshold value for activating an airbag device (not shown). As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 (a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 2), the sensor 8 is provided at a position facing the main body 2a of the headlight 2 on the bracket 7. A harness 11 is connected to the sensor 8 via a coupler 10 (see Fig. 4).

[0017] 4 and 6, the bracket 7 has a fixing portion 7a that is joined and fixed to the upper surface portion 4a of the light support member 4 at a portion located midway in the vehicle front-rear direction and outside the center in the vehicle width direction. A sensor installation portion 7b is formed continuously with the inner end portion in the vehicle width direction of the fixing portion 7a. The sensor installation portion 7b has a flat portion located closer to the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle) than the fixing portion 7a, and a sensor 8 is fastened onto the flat portion with a bolt.

[0018] In addition, a rear joint portion 7c is provided continuously at the rear end of the fixing portion 7a of the bracket 7 in the vehicle front-rear direction. The rear joint portion 7c also has a flat portion at a position closer to the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle) than the fixing portion 7a, similar to the sensor installation portion 7b. In this embodiment, the flat portions of the sensor installation portion 7b and the rear joint portion 7c are formed continuously at the same height, and as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5, a gap is provided between the upper surface portion 4a of the light support member 4 and the flat portions of the sensor installation portion 7b and the rear joint portion 7c. An opening 4b is formed in the upper surface portion 4a of the light support member 4 at a position corresponding to the sensor 8 fixed to the bracket 7 (see FIGS. 5 and 7).

[0019] Furthermore, a front joint 7d is provided continuously with the front end portions of the fixing portion 7a and the sensor installation portion 7b of the bracket 7 in the vehicle front-rear direction. The front joint 7d has a flat portion located closer to the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle) than the flat portion of the sensor installation portion 7b. A protector 9 is joined to each flat portion of the front joint 7d and the rear joint 7c and fastened with bolts. Note that the rear joint 7c of the bracket 7 is provided with a claw hole 7e for preventing the protector 9 from rotating together when fastening the protector 9 with the bolt.

[0020] 3, 5 and 6, the protector 9 is provided on the bracket 7 between the headlight 2 and the sensor 8 so as to cover the sensor 8, and is fixed to the upper surface portion 4a of the light support member 4 via the bracket 7. The protector 9 is disposed with a gap therebetween from the sensor 8. In other words, the sensor 8 is housed by being sandwiched between the bracket 7 and the protector 9.

[0021] The protector 9 of this embodiment extends in the vehicle front-rear direction between the headlight 2 and the sensor 8, with a front joint 9a formed at the front end and a rear joint 9b formed at the rear end. The front joint 9a of the protector 9 is joined to the front joint 7d of the bracket 7 and fastened with a bolt, and is disposed at a position overlapping the sensor 8 when viewed from the front of the vehicle. The front joint 9a of the protector 9 has a divergent shape in which the length (width) in the vehicle width direction increases toward the rear of the vehicle (see Figs. 3 and 6). By forming the protector 9 in such a divergent shape, the yield of the protector 9 is improved.

[0022] The protector 9 has a rising portion 9c rising from the rear end of the front joint portion 9a toward the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle), and at least one bead 9d is formed on this rising portion 9c. The bead 9d extends in a direction intersecting the rising portion 9c extending in the vehicle width direction, and in this embodiment, two beads 9d extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided on the rising portion 9c (see Figures 5 and 6). A front inclined portion 9e is provided continuously at the tip (upper end) of the rising portion 9c. The front inclined portion 9e is inclined so as to approach the headlight 2 as it moves toward the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the bracket 7 and the protector 9 are formed in a shape that moves away from each other as it moves from the front joint portion toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0023] Furthermore, a flat portion 9f is provided continuously with the rear end of the front inclined portion 9e of the protector 9. This flat portion 9f extends rearward of the vehicle and is located near the center of the protector 9 in the vehicle front-rear direction. The sensor 8 fixed to the bracket 7 and the coupler 10 attached to the sensor 8 are disposed at an interval on the vehicle lower side of the flat portion 9f of the protector 9 (see Figs. 3 to 5). That is, in this embodiment, the sensor 8 and the coupler 10 are covered by the protector 9.

[0024] In addition, the protector 9 has a bent portion 9g that bends in a direction away from the headlight 2 as it approaches the rear of the vehicle in an area closer to the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle) than the sensor 8 and rearward from the center of the sensor 8 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a rear inclined portion 9h that is inclined from the bent portion 9g toward the rear joint portion 9b is formed (see FIG. 5). The length (width) of the rear inclined portion 9h in the vehicle width direction is narrower than that of the flat portion 9f (see FIGS. 3 and 6). The rear inclined portion 9h is continuous with the rear joint portion 9b described above at the rear end. The rear joint portion 9b of the protector 9 is joined to the rear joint portion 7c of the bracket 7 and fastened with a bolt. The rear joint portion 9b of the protector 9 has a claw 9i formed thereon to engage with the claw hole 7e of the bracket 7.

[0025] Next, the operation of the vehicle front structure according to this embodiment will be described in detail. In the vehicle front 1 to which the above-described structure is applied, the protector 9 is disposed at a distance between the headlight 2 and the sensor 8 so as to cover the sensor 8 (and the coupler 10), so that even if the headlight 2 is displaced during a collision, the headlight 2 abuts against the protector 9, thereby reliably protecting the sensor 8. This makes it possible to properly operate an airbag device or the like, thereby protecting the occupants.

[0026] In the vehicle front structure of this embodiment, the sensor 8 and protector 9 are provided on the light support member 4 (vehicle body member) via the bracket 7, the bracket 7 and protector 9 are joined to each other further forward of the sensor 8, and the front joint is disposed at a position overlapping the sensor 8 when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and the bracket 7 and protector 9 are formed in a shape in which they move away from each other from the front joint toward the rear of the vehicle. This makes it possible to effectively protect the sensor 8 even when a collision load is input to the bracket 7 and protector 9 during a frontal collision.

[0027] More specifically, in recent years, due to the miniaturization of engine rooms and the like that can be disposed in the vehicle front part 1, sensors 8 such as airbag devices may be provided at the front end of the vehicle. In this case, the collision load L during a frontal collision may be directly input to the front joints 7d, 9a of the bracket 7 and the protector 9, as shown by the outlined arrow in Fig. 5. At this time, the component of the collision load L input to the front joint 7d of the bracket 7 is transferred to the fixing part 7a and the sensor installation part 7b and released to the light support member 4 side (lower side of the vehicle), and the component input to the front joint 9a of the protector 9 is transferred to the rising part 9c and the front inclined part 9e in this order and released to the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle).

[0028] That is, the vehicle front structure of this embodiment can disperse and release the collision load L in the vertical direction of the vehicle during a frontal collision by using the bracket 7 and the protector 9, so that the sensor 8, which is located at a position overlapping the front joints 7d, 9a when viewed from the front of the vehicle, can be effectively protected. In addition, since the front joints 7d, 9a have high rigidity due to the bracket 7 and the protector 9 being joined to each other, the collision load L is easily transmitted to the sensor 8 via the front joint 7d of the bracket 7 and the sensor installation part 7b, and the responsiveness of the sensor 8 can be improved. Even when peripheral parts such as the headlight 2 are displaced due to a frontal collision, the peripheral parts come into contact with the protector 9, so that the sensor 8 is protected.

[0029] Furthermore, in the vehicle front structure of this embodiment, the bracket 7 and the protector 9 are joined to each other at rear joints 7c, 9b located on the vehicle rear side of the sensor 8, and the protector 9 has a bent portion 9g that bends in a direction away from the headlight 2 as it moves toward the vehicle rear, in an area closer to the headlight 2 than the sensor 8 and rearward of the center of the sensor 8 in the vehicle front-rear direction. As a result, when the protector 9 is deformed by the collision load L in the above-mentioned frontal collision, the bent portion 9g bends toward the headlight 2 side (upper side of the vehicle). In particular, in this embodiment, the length (width) in the vehicle width direction of the rear inclined portion 9h is narrower than the flat portion 9f, and the bent portion 9g has a fragile structure, so that the protector 9 is sure to bend at the bent portion 9g when it receives the collision load L. Therefore, even if the protector 9 is deformed by the collision load L, a space is created between the sensor 8 and the protector 9, so that the protector 9 can prevent the deformed protector 9 from contacting the sensor 8 while avoiding contact between the sensor 8 and the headlight 2.

[0030] In addition, in the vehicle front structure of this embodiment, the bead 9d is formed in the rising portion 9c of the protector 9, thereby increasing the strength of the rising portion 9c. This makes it possible to reduce bending deformation of the rising portion 9c when the above-mentioned collision load L is input to the protector 9, so that the protector 9 can be reliably prevented from contacting the sensor 8.

[0031] Furthermore, in the vehicle front structure of this embodiment, an opening 4b is formed in the upper surface 4a of the light support member 4 at a position corresponding to the sensor 8 fixed to the bracket 7. This makes it possible to prevent the sensor 8 from coming into direct contact with the light support member 4 (vehicle body member) via the bracket 7 when the headlight 2 displaced by a collision abuts against the protector 9 and a load is input around the sensor 8. In other words, since the light support member 4 has the opening 4b, the opening 4b ensures a clearance for the sensor 8 when the headlight 2 abuts against the protector 9. This makes it possible to protect the sensor 8 more reliably.

[0032] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the sensor 8 and the protector 9 are provided on the light support member 4 via the bracket 7 has been shown, but the sensor 8 and the protector 9 may be provided directly on the upper surface 4a of the light support member 4.

[0033] In addition, in the previously described embodiment, an example was shown in which the sensor 8 and protector 9 were attached to the upper surface 4a of the light support member 4 via the bracket 7, but it is also possible to obtain the same effect as in the previously described embodiment by attaching the sensor 8 and protector 9 (via the bracket 7) to the side portion located on the outer side of the light support brace 3 in the vehicle width direction, in other words, by configuring the headlight 2 and sensor 8 to be aligned in the vehicle width direction.

[0034] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the width of the rear inclined portion 9h of the protector 9 is made narrower than the width of the flat portion 9f to give the bent portion 9g a fragile structure, but it is also possible to give the bent portion 9g a fragile structure by, for example, making the rear inclined portion 9h thinner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1…Front of vehicle 2. Headlight 2a…Main body part 3…Light support brace 4. Light support member 4a…Top part 7…Bracket 7a…Fixed part 7b…Sensor installation section 7c...Back joint 7d...Anterior joint 8…Sensor 9…Protector 9a...Anterior joint 9b...Back joint 9c…Rising part 9d…Bead 9e…Front slope part 9f…Flat area 9g…Bending part 9h…Rear side slope part 10…Coupler

Claims

1. a headlight disposed in spaced relation to a body member at a front portion of the vehicle; a sensor provided in a position facing the headlight of the vehicle body member and located rearward of a front surface of the headlight; a protector provided on the vehicle body member between the headlight and the sensor so as to cover the sensor, and disposed at a distance from each of the headlight and the sensor, A bracket is provided on the vehicle body member, the sensor is fixed to the bracket at a position facing the headlight, and is provided to the vehicle body member via the bracket, the protector is fixed to the bracket so as to extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle between the headlight and the sensor and cover the sensor, and is provided to the vehicle body member via the bracket, A vehicle front structure in which the protector and the bracket are joined to each other at a front joint located further forward of the sensor, the front joint is positioned so as to overlap the sensor when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and the protector and the bracket are formed in a shape that moves away from each other as the vehicle moves from the front joint toward the rear of the vehicle.

2. the protector and the bracket are joined to each other at a rear joint portion located rearward of the vehicle relative to the sensor, 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the protector has a bent portion in an area closer to the headlight than the sensor and rearward of the center of the sensor in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, the bent portion bending in a direction away from the headlight as it extends toward the rear of the vehicle.

3. 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the protector has a bead at a rising portion rising from the front joint portion toward the headlight side, the bead extending in a direction intersecting the rising portion.

4. 4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body member has an opening at a position corresponding to the sensor.

Images