Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a front structure of a vehicle which can enhance assembly rigidity of an exterior member and also can reduce collision load applying on a pedestrian.SOLUTION: A front structure of a vehicle comprises: a bumper cover 20 which includes a cover part 21 constituting a front face of a vehicle and an extension part 22 provided on the rear side of the cover part 21 and extending in a cross direction L; a support member 30 which is provided on a radiator support 10 and supports the extension part 22; and an upper cushioning member 40 which is provided between the cover part 21 and the support member 30. The support member 30 includes: a guide part 36 which guides movement of the extension part 22 in the cross direction L by covering part of the extension part 22 in the cross direction L; and a regulation wall 37 which is configured so as to restrict movement of the extension part 22 to a rearward direction by abutting to a rear end 24 of the extension part 22 and also to deform to allow the extension part 22 to move to a rearward direction when collision load applies on the rearward direction via the extension part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] An example of a vehicle front structure is the bumper cover connection structure of a vehicle described in Patent Document 1. The bumper cover connection structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a bumper cover that constitutes a front bumper, a receiving member, and an upper cushioning material. The bumper cover has a connecting member that protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle. The receiving member is provided on the vehicle body side and has a tubular portion through which the connecting member is inserted. The upper cushioning material is disposed between the bumper cover and the receiving member.

[0003] In this bumper cover connecting structure, when a collision load is applied to the bumper cover in the rearward direction of the vehicle, the movement of the connecting member in the rearward direction of the vehicle is guided by the cylindrical portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-146754 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the case of the bumper cover connection structure of the vehicle described in Patent Document 1, a gap is provided between the bumper cover and the upper cushioning material. Therefore, for example, when a user pushes the bumper cover with their hand during a car wash, the bumper cover may move toward the rear of the vehicle by the amount of the gap. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of ensuring the assembly rigidity of the bumper cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A front structure of a vehicle for solving the above problem comprises an exterior member having a cover portion constituting a front surface of the vehicle when the fore-aft direction of the vehicle is defined as the fore-aft direction, and an extension portion provided on the rear side of the cover portion and extending in the fore-aft direction, a support member provided on the vehicle body side and supporting the extension portion, and a buffer member provided between the cover portion and the support member, wherein the support member has a guide portion that covers a portion of the extension portion in the fore-aft direction to guide movement of the extension portion in the fore-aft direction, and a restricting wall that is configured to restrict rearward movement of the extension portion by abutting against the rear end of the extension portion and to deform itself when a rearward collision load acts via the extension portion to allow rearward movement of the extension portion.

[0007] According to this configuration, the rearward movement of the exterior member is restricted by the restricting wall. Therefore, even if a user pushes the exterior member with his / her hand, the rearward movement of the exterior member can be restricted. Therefore, the assembly rigidity of the exterior member can be increased.

[0008] In addition, when a rearward collision load acts on the restricting wall through the extension, the restricting wall deforms, allowing the extension to move rearward, thereby preventing an increase in the collision load and reducing the collision load acting on the pedestrian.

[0009] In the front structure of the above-mentioned vehicle, when the up-down direction when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane is defined as the up-down direction, it is preferable that the support member has a support surface that supports the extension portion from below, and the regulating wall protrudes upward from the support surface and is configured to bend below the extension portion when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion.

[0010] According to this configuration, when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion, the restricting wall bends downward from the extension portion, thereby allowing the extension portion to move rearward, thereby preventing the restricting wall from breaking.

[0011] In the above vehicle front structure, it is preferable that the support member has a receiving portion that is located below the support surface and receives the restricting wall when the restricting wall is bent. If the restricting wall bends downward from the extension, it may interfere with the extension moving rearward, which may increase the collision load acting on the pedestrian.

[0012] In this regard, according to the above-mentioned configuration, when the restricting wall bends, the restricting wall is accommodated in the accommodation portion located below the support surface. Therefore, the restricting wall bent below the extending portion is less likely to interfere with the extending portion moving rearward. Therefore, the collision load acting on the pedestrian can be reduced.

[0013] In the above-mentioned vehicle front structure, it is preferable that the support member has an upper wall including the support surface, and a storage space constituting the storage section is provided below the upper wall, and the upper wall is provided with a pair of slits located on both sides of the regulating wall in the vehicle width direction and penetrating the upper wall in the vertical direction, the pair of slits extending rearward of the regulating wall, and the regulating wall is hollow and opens to both sides and the bottom in the vehicle width direction.

[0014] According to this configuration, an accommodation space is provided below the upper wall including the support surface. A pair of slits is also provided in the upper wall. Furthermore, the restricting wall is hollow and opens to both sides in the vehicle width direction and to the lower side. Therefore, when a rearward collision load acts on the restricting wall via the extension portion, the portion of the restricting wall and the upper wall that is connected to the rear side of the restricting wall (hereinafter, the connecting portion) bends and sinks into the accommodation space.

[0015] Here, the shorter the length of the portion of the slit behind the restriction wall in the front-to-rear direction, the greater the collision load required to deform the connecting portion, i.e., the initial load, and therefore the initial load acting on the pedestrian can be easily set by setting the length of the portion of the slit in the front-to-rear direction. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the assembly rigidity of the exterior member and reduce the collision load acting on a pedestrian. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a front structure for a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of FIG. [Diagram 5] 5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams showing the operation of this embodiment, and are enlarged perspective views showing a portion around the regulating wall as viewed obliquely from behind. [Figure 6] 6(a) and 6(b) are cross-sectional views showing the operation of this embodiment, corresponding to FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a first modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a second modified example. [Figure 9] 9(a) and 9(b) are cross-sectional views showing a third modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a vehicle front structure will be described with reference to Figs. In the following description, the fore-aft direction of the vehicle is referred to as the fore-aft direction L, the vehicle width direction is referred to as the vehicle width direction W, and the up-down direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane is referred to as the up-down direction Z.

[0019] In addition, the front and rear sides in the front-rear direction L will be referred to simply as the "front side" and the "rear side", respectively, and the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction Z will be referred to simply as the "upper side" and the "lower side", respectively.

[0020] <Basic structure of the front of the vehicle> As shown in Fig. 1, a pair of front side members 11 extending in the front-rear direction L are provided at the front of the vehicle. The pair of front side members 11 are provided in the vehicle width direction W with a gap between them.

[0021] A radiator support 10 is provided between a pair of front side members 11 in the vehicle width direction W. The radiator support 10 has a frame shape penetrating in the front-rear direction L, and is located above the front side members 11. A radiator (not shown) is supported by the inner circumferential surface of the radiator support 10.

[0022] A crash box 13 is connected to the front end of each front side member 11. The bumper reinforcement 12 is connected to the front ends of the pair of crash boxes 13. The bumper reinforcement 12 extends in the vehicle width direction W. A lower cushioning member 14 is provided on the front surface of the bumper reinforcement 12. The lower cushioning member 14 extends along the bumper reinforcement 12 in the vehicle width direction W.

[0023] <Bumper Cover 20> As shown in FIG. 1, a bumper cover 20 is provided in front of the radiator support 10.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bumper cover 20 has a cover portion 21 extending in the up-down direction Z and the vehicle width direction W, and a plurality of extension portions 22 provided on the rear side of the cover portion 21. The cover portion 21 constitutes the front surface of the vehicle. A sloping portion 21a is provided at the lower end of the cover portion 21, which is sloping so as to be positioned rearward as it goes downward. In this embodiment, four extension portions 22 are provided at intervals from each other in the vehicle width direction W.

[0025] The extension portion 22 extends in the front-rear direction L. The extension portion 22 protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the cover portion 21. The length of the extension portion 22 in the up-down direction Z becomes smaller toward the rear. The length of the extension portion 22 in the vehicle width direction W becomes smaller toward the rear.

[0026] The bumper cover 20 is made of a hard resin material. <Support member 30> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support member 30 has a main body portion 31, a guide portion 36, and a restriction wall 37.

[0027] (Main body 31) 1 and 2, the main body 31 has a box shape. The main body 31 has a rear wall 32 facing the front surface of the radiator support 10, an upper wall 33 extending forward from an upper end of the rear wall 32, a front wall 34 extending downward from the front end of the upper wall 33, and a lower wall 35 connecting the lower ends of the front wall 34 and the rear wall 32 to each other.

[0028] The main body 31 has connecting portions (both not shown) that are connected to the radiator support 10 by bolts. As shown in FIG. 3, a support surface 33a which is the upper surface of the upper wall 33 supports the lower surface 22a of the extension portion 22 from below.

[0029] (Information section 36) 1 to 4, the guide portion 36 is a gate-shaped portion protruding upward from the upper wall 33. The guide portion 36 penetrates in the front-rear direction L. A plurality of the guide portions 36 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction W in correspondence with the plurality of extending portions 22. In this embodiment, four guide portions 36 are provided.

[0030] The extending portion 22 is inserted into the guide portion 36. The guide portion 36 covers a part of the extending portion 22 in the front-rear direction L. The length of the internal space of the guide portion 36 in the vehicle width direction W is smaller than the length of the front end portion 23 of the extension portion 22 in the vehicle width direction W. The length of the internal space of the guide portion 36 in the up-down direction Z is smaller than the length of the front end portion 23 of the extension portion 22 in the up-down direction Z.

[0031] (Regulatory Wall 37) As shown in FIG. 3, the restricting wall 37 restricts the rearward movement of the extension portion 22 by abutting against the rear end 24 of the extension portion 22, and is configured to deform itself when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion 22, thereby allowing the extension portion 22 to move rearward.

[0032] In detail, the regulating wall 37 protrudes upward from the support surface 33a of the upper wall 33 behind the guide portion 36, and is configured to bend downward from the extension portion 22 when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion 22.

[0033] The restricting wall 37 is hollow and opens on both sides in the vehicle width direction W and on the lower side. The restricting wall 37 has a front side portion 37a and a rear side portion 37b. The front side portion 37a is inclined so as to be positioned higher toward the rear. The rear side portion 37b is connected to the upper end of the front side portion 37a and is inclined so as to be positioned lower toward the rear. That is, the restricting wall 37 has a mountain shape in a side view.

[0034] A plurality of restricting walls 37 are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction W in correspondence with the plurality of extending portions 22. In this embodiment, four restricting walls 37 are provided. An accommodation space 30A is provided below the upper wall 33. The accommodation space 30A constitutes an accommodation portion that accommodates the restriction wall 37 when the restriction wall 37 is bent.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the upper wall 33 is provided with a pair of slits 39 that are located on both sides of the restricting wall 37 in the vehicle width direction W and penetrate the upper wall 33 in the up-down direction Z. The slits 39 extend in the front-rear direction L and extend rearward beyond the restricting wall 37. The slits 39 communicate with the accommodation space 30A. The upper wall 33 has a rear-side connecting portion 38 that connects to the rear side of the restricting wall 37.

[0036] The support member 30 is made of a hard resin material. <Upper cushioning member 40> 1 and 2, an upper cushioning member 40 is provided between the cover portion 21 and the support member 30 in the front-rear direction L. The upper cushioning member 40 has a plurality of cell assemblies 41 and a connecting member 42. In this embodiment, seven cell assemblies 41 are provided. The cell assemblies 41 are disposed at intervals from one another in the vehicle width direction W.

[0037] The connecting members 42 connect the cell assemblies 41 adjacent to each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the cell assembly 41 has a plurality of buffer cells 41a arranged side by side in the front-rear direction L.

[0038] 2, the buffer cell 41a has a hexagonal shape in a plan view. A connecting piece 41c is provided at the lower end of the buffer cell 41a to connect the buffer cells 41a adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction L. The cell assembly 41 is fixed to the support member 30 by a bolt (not shown).

[0039] The upper cushioning member 40 is made of a hard resin material. The bumper cover 20 corresponds to an exterior member according to the present invention. The upper cushioning member 40 corresponds to a cushioning member according to the present invention.

[0040] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. 3 and 5(a), the rearward movement of the bumper cover 20 is restricted by the restricting wall 37. Therefore, even if a user pushes the bumper cover 20 with his / her hand, the rearward movement of the bumper cover 20 can be restricted (above, action 1).

[0041] As shown in Figures 5(b) and 6(a), when a rearward collision load acts on the bumper cover 20, the collision load acts on the restricting wall 37 via the extending portion 22. At this time, the restricting wall 37 is pressed rearward by the extending portion 22. As a result, the restricting wall 37 and the rear connecting portion 38 bend and sink into the accommodation space 30A, allowing the extending portion 22 to move rearward (the above is action 2).

[0042] 6(a) and 6(b), when the extension portion 22 moves rearward, the cover portion 21 compresses the upper cushioning member 40 in the front-rear direction L, causing the upper cushioning member 40 to collapse in the front-rear direction L. At this time, the load applied when the bumper cover 20 is collapsing becomes almost equal to the load applied when the cover portion 21 and the upper cushioning member 40 are collapsed.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the extension portion 22 moves rearward until the front end portion 23 of the extension portion 22 comes into contact with the guide portion 36. Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0044] (1) An upper cushioning member 40 is provided at the front of the vehicle. The support member 30 has a restricting wall 37 that restricts rearward movement of the extension portion 22 by contacting the rear end 24 of the extension portion 22 and that is configured to deform when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion 22, thereby allowing the extension portion 22 to move rearward.

[0045] According to this configuration, since the above-mentioned action 1 is achieved, it is possible to increase the mounting rigidity of the bumper cover 20. Furthermore, since the above-mentioned action 2 is achieved, it is possible to suppress an increase in the collision load. Therefore, it is possible to increase the mounting rigidity of the bumper cover 20 and reduce the collision load acting on the pedestrian.

[0046] (2) The restricting wall 37 protrudes upward from the support surface 33a and is configured to bend downward from the extending portion 22 when a rearward collision load acts on the extending portion 22.

[0047] According to this configuration, when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion 22, the restriction wall 37 bends downward from the extension portion 22. This allows the extension portion 22 to move rearward. Therefore, the restriction wall 37 can be prevented from breaking.

[0048] (3) The support member 30 is located below the support surface 33a and has an accommodation space 30A that accommodates the restriction wall 37 when the restriction wall 37 is bent. The restricting wall 37 may bend downward from the extending portion 22, and may interfere with the extending portion 22 moving rearward. In this case, the collision load acting on the pedestrian may increase.

[0049] In this regard, according to the above-mentioned configuration, when the restricting wall 37 bends, the restricting wall 37 is accommodated in the accommodation space 30A located below the support surface 33a. Therefore, the restricting wall 37 bent downward from the extending portion 22 is less likely to interfere with the extending portion 22 moving rearward. Therefore, the collision load acting on the pedestrian can be reduced.

[0050] (4) The upper wall 33 is provided with a pair of slits 39 that are located on both sides of the restricting wall 37 in the vehicle width direction W and penetrate the upper wall 33 in the up-down direction Z. The pair of slits 39 extend rearward beyond the restricting wall 37. The restricting wall 37 is hollow and opens to both sides and a lower side in the vehicle width direction W.

[0051] According to this configuration, an accommodation space 30A is provided below the upper wall 33 including the support surface 33a. A pair of slits 39 are provided in the upper wall 33. The restricting wall 37 is hollow and opens to both sides in the vehicle width direction W and to the lower side. Therefore, when a rearward collision load acts on the restricting wall 37 via the extending portion 22, the restricting wall 37 and the rear connecting portion 38 of the upper wall 33 connected to the rear side of the restricting wall 37 will bend and sink into the accommodation space 30A.

[0052] Here, the shorter the length in the front-rear direction L of the portion of the slit 39 rearward of the restricting wall 37, the greater the collision load, i.e., the initial load, required to deform the rear connecting portion 38. For this reason, by setting the length in the front-rear direction L of the above portion of the slit 39, the initial load acting on the pedestrian can be easily set.

[0053] <Modification> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

[0054] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear end surface 24 a of the extension portion 22 may be an inclined surface that is in line with the front portion 37 a of the restriction wall 37 . The restricting wall 37 is not limited to a mountain shape in side view, but may be rectangular.

[0055] 8, a portion 31b of the upper surface of the upper wall 33, which is located rearward of the guide portion 36, may be positioned below the support surface 33a, so that a storage portion 30B for storing the downwardly bent restricting wall 37 may be provided above the portion 31b. In this case, the slit 39 may be omitted.

[0056] For example, as shown in Figs. 9(a) and 9(b), if the extension portion 22 can pass over the bent restriction wall 37, the accommodation portion can be omitted. In the above embodiment and modified example, the restricting wall 37 is configured to bend downward from the extending portion 22 when a rearward collision load acts through the extending portion 22, but the restricting wall 37 may be configured to break. Even in this case, the extending portion 22 is permitted to move rearward.

[0057] The exterior member according to the present invention is not limited to the bumper cover 20, but may be embodied as a front grille. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10…Radiator support 11...Front side member 12…Bumper reinforcement 13. Crash Box 14…Lower cushioning member 20...Bumper cover (exterior part) 21…Cover part 21a...Slope part 22...Extension part 22a…Bottom surface 23...Front end 24…Rear end 24a...Rear end surface 30...Support member 30A…Accommodation space (accommodation section) 30B…Storage section 31…Main body 32…Back wall 33…Upper wall 33a…support surface 34...Front wall 35…Lower wall 36…Information Department 37...Regulatory barriers 37a…Front side 37b…Rear side 38…Rear connecting section (connecting section) 39…Slit 40...Upper cushioning member (cushioning member) 41...Cell assembly 41a…Buffer cell 41c...Connection piece 42...Connecting member

Claims

1. When the front-rear direction of a vehicle is defined as the front-rear direction and the up-down direction when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane is defined as the up-down direction, An exterior member having a cover portion that constitutes a front surface of the vehicle and an extension portion that is provided on a rear side of the cover portion and extends in a front-rear direction; A support member provided on a vehicle body side and having a support surface that supports the extension portion from below; a buffer member provided between the cover portion and the support member, the support member has a guide portion that covers a portion of the extension portion in the front-rear direction to guide movement of the extension portion in the front-rear direction, and a restriction wall that restricts rearward movement of the extension portion by abutting against a rear end of the extension portion and is configured to deform itself to allow rearward movement of the extension portion when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion, The extension portion is inserted from the front into a space formed by the support surface and the guide portion. The front structure of the vehicle.

2. The regulating wall protrudes upward from the support surface and is configured to bend downward from the extension portion when a rearward collision load acts through the extension portion. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 .

3. The support member is located below the support surface and has a housing portion that houses the restricting wall when the restricting wall is bent. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 .

4. The support member has an upper wall including the support surface, An accommodation space constituting the accommodation portion is provided below the upper wall, The upper wall is provided with a pair of slits that are located on both sides of the restricting wall in the vehicle width direction and penetrate the upper wall in the up-down direction, The pair of slits extend rearward beyond the restriction wall, The regulating wall is hollow and opens to both sides and a lower side in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle front structure according to claim 3.

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