Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To reduce hazardability to a collision body.SOLUTION: In a vehicle front structure S, an outer end of a bumper beam 14 and a lower beam 18 in a vehicle width direction is overlapped with a wheel 32 of a front wheel 30 in a front view. Position of the outer end of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 in the vehicle width direction corresponds to position of an attachment part 34A of a brake device 34 which is arranged at the inner side of a rim 32A of the wheel 32 of the front wheel 30 in the radial direction. The outer end of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 in the vehicle width direction which is displaced in the posterior side at the time of an off-set head-on collision of a vehicle V hits against the front wheel 30 so that reaction force can be applied to a collision body from the outer end of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 in the vehicle width direction, thereby being capable of reducing hazardability to the collision body (counter vehicle).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In the vehicle body front structure described in Patent Document 1 below, a bumper beam extends in the vehicle width direction at the front end of the vehicle, and the bumper beam is supported by a side frame on the vehicle rear side of the bumper beam. A lower beam extends in the vehicle width direction below the bumper beam, and the lower beam is supported by a subframe on the vehicle rear side of the lower beam. This allows, for example, a reaction force to be applied to a colliding body (other vehicle) from the bumper beam and the lower beam in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. This makes it possible to prevent the reaction force from acting locally on the other vehicle. This reduces the damage to the colliding body (other vehicle) in the event of a frontal collision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-54389 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-described vehicle body front structure has room for improvement in the following respects. Specifically, the vehicle width directional outer end of the bumper beam protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the side frame, and the vehicle width directional outer end of the lower beam protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the subframe. As a result, for example, in the event of an offset frontal collision of the vehicle, it may be impossible to effectively apply reaction force from the vehicle width directional outer portions of the bumper beam and the lower beam to the colliding body (other vehicle). This may result in a reduced effect of reducing the damage to the colliding body (other vehicle) in the event of a frontal collision.

[0005] In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can reduce the damage caused by a collision object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One or more embodiments of the present invention include a pair of side frames extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction on both sides of a front part of a vehicle in the vehicle width direction, a bumper beam extending in the vehicle width direction, connected to vehicle front-side ends of the pair of side frames, and having both longitudinal ends disposed outward of the side frames in the vehicle width direction, a pair of lower frames extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction on both sides of the front part of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and disposed below the side frames, a lower beam extending in the vehicle width direction below the bumper beam, connected to front ends of the pair of lower frames, and having both longitudinal ends disposed outward of the lower frames in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of wheels disposed outward of the side frames and the lower frames in the vehicle width direction, wherein the vehicle width direction outer end of the bumper beam and the vehicle width direction outer end of the lower beam are disposed on the vehicle front side of the wheels and overlap with the wheels as viewed from the front side of the vehicle, and the positions of the vehicle width direction outer end of the bumper beam and the vehicle width direction outer end of the lower beam are located inside the wheels in the vehicle width direction. The center portion of the wheel in the vehicle width direction The vehicle front structure is in the same position as the mounting portion of the brake device located at the front of the vehicle.

[0007] One or more embodiments of the present invention are a vehicle front structure in which the vehicle width central portion of the bumper beam is positioned further forward of the vehicle than the vehicle width central portion of the lower beam, and the vehicle width outer end portion of the bumper beam is positioned further rearward of the vehicle width outer end portion of the lower beam. One or more embodiments of the present invention are directed to a vehicle front structure in which the bending rigidity of the lower beam is lower than the bending rigidity of the bumper beam. One or more embodiments of the present invention are a vehicle front structure in which, during an offset frontal collision, at least one of the vehicle width outer portion of the bumper beam and the vehicle width outer portion of the lower beam comes into contact with the wheel rim of the wheel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the damage caused by a colliding object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view seen from diagonally forward left, schematically showing the front part of a vehicle to which a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view showing the front left portion of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 2) showing the bumper beam and the lower beam shown in FIG. 2 as seen from the left side. [Figure 4] 3 is a front view seen from the front side showing the positional relationship between the outer ends of the bumper beam and the lower beam shown in FIG. 2 in the vehicle width direction and the front wheels. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a bottom view seen from below showing the positional relationship between the outer ends of the bumper beam and the lower beam in the vehicle width direction and the front wheels shown in FIG. 2. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a vehicle (automobile) V to which a vehicle front structure S according to this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the front side of the vehicle V is indicated by an arrow FR, the upper side of the vehicle is indicated by an arrow UP, and the left side of the vehicle (one side in the vehicle width direction) when viewed from above the vehicle is indicated by an arrow LH. In addition, in the following description, when the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions are used, they refer to the up-down direction of the vehicle, the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction of the vehicle unless otherwise specified.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the vehicle front structure S is applied to the front of a vehicle V. The vehicle front structure S is configured to include a pair of side frames 10, a bumper beam 14, a pair of lower frames 16, and a lower beam 18.

[0012] The pair of side frames 10 are formed as hollow, generally rectangular pillars extending in the front-to-rear direction, and are arranged on both sides in the vehicle width direction (both left and right directions) of the front part of the vehicle V. The space between the pair of side frames 10 is configured as an engine compartment that houses a power unit P (see FIGS. 2 and 5) of the vehicle V. A crash box 12 is provided on the front side of the side frame 10. The crash box 12 is formed as a generally rectangular cylinder with its axial direction extending in the front-to-rear direction, and the rear end of the crash box 12 is joined to the front end of the side frame 10.

[0013] The bumper beam 14 extends in the vehicle width direction and forms a framework at the front end of the vehicle V. The bumper beam 14 is formed in a substantially B-shape in cross section as seen from the left side of the bumper beam 14. As a result, the bumper beam 14 has a closed cross-sectional structure with a pair of upper and lower rectangular closed cross sections (see FIG. 3). The bumper beam 14 is joined to the front ends of the crash boxes 12 with both ends of the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction protruding outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the side frames 10. As a result, the bumper beam 14 is indirectly connected to the side frames 10 via the crash boxes 12. Note that the crash boxes 12 may be omitted, and the front ends of the bumper beam 14 may be extended further forward than in this embodiment, so that the bumper beam 14 is directly connected to the side frames 10. Furthermore, the bumper beam 14 is curved in a substantially arc shape so that the center portion in the vehicle width direction is convex forward in plan view. That is, in a plan view, the bumper beam 14 is inclined in a curved shape toward the rear as it extends outward in the vehicle width direction.

[0014] The pair of lower frames 16 are formed in the shape of hollow, generally rectangular pillars extending in the front-rear direction, and are disposed below the side frames 10. That is, the lower frames 16 are disposed below the side frames 10 on both sides of the front part of the vehicle V in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] The lower beam 18 is disposed in front of the pair of lower frames 16 and below the bumper beam 14, and extends in the vehicle width direction. Like the bumper beam 14, the lower beam 18 forms a framework at the front end of the vehicle V. The lower beam 18 is joined to the front end of the lower frames 16 with both vehicle width direction ends of the lower beam 18 protruding outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the lower frames 16. The lower beam 18 has both vehicle width direction side portions with a rectangular closed cross-sectional structure, and a vehicle width direction central portion of the lower beam 18 with an open cross-sectional structure that is open toward the rear. The cross-sectional areas of both vehicle width direction side portions of the lower beam 18 are smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the bumper beam 14. That is, the bending rigidity of the lower beam 18 is set lower than the bending rigidity of the bumper beam 14.

[0016] The portion of the lower beam 18 that is outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower frames 16 is inclined rearward as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction in a plan view. The vehicle width outer end of the lower beam 18 and the vehicle width outer end of the bumper beam 14 are positioned in the same position in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle width central portion of the bumper beam 14 is located forward of the vehicle width central portion of the lower beam 18. That is, as described above, the vehicle width outer portion of the lower beam 18 is inclined rearward as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, so the vehicle width central portion of the bumper beam 14 is located forward of the entire lower beam 18. The vehicle width outer portion of the bumper beam 14 (the portion outward in the vehicle width direction from the side frames 10) is located rearward of the vehicle width outer portion of the lower beam 18. That is, the inclination angle of the bumper beam 14 with respect to the front-rear direction is set larger than the inclination angle of the vehicle width outer portion of the lower beam 18.

[0017] A radiator support 20 is provided between the pair of side frames 10 and the pair of lower frames 16. The radiator support 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape in a front view from the front side, and is configured as a support member that supports a radiator (not shown), which is a component of the vehicle V. Specifically, the radiator support 20 includes a pair of left and right side radiator supports 20A, an upper radiator support 20B that connects upper ends of the side radiator supports 20A, and a lower radiator support 20C that connects lower ends of the side radiator supports 20A. The side radiator supports 20A are joined to the side frames 10. The lower radiator support 20C is connected to the lower beam 18 by a pair of left and right brackets 22 (see FIG. 5).

[0018] Front wheels 30 are provided on the vehicle widthwise outer sides of the side frames 10 and the lower frames 16, respectively. The vehicle widthwise outer ends of the lower beam 18 and the bumper beam 14 are disposed in front of the front wheels 30. Specifically, in a front view from the front side, a portion (lower portion) of the vehicle widthwise outer end of the bumper beam 14 and the vehicle widthwise outer end of the lower beam 18 are disposed in positions overlapping with wheels 32 of the front wheels 30 (see FIG. 4). In addition, in the vehicle width direction, the positions of the vehicle widthwise outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 coincide with the position of a mounting portion 34A of a brake device 34 disposed radially inward of a rim 32A of the wheel 32 (see FIG. 5). Here, the brake device 34 is fastened and fixed to a housing 36 disposed radially inward of the wheel 32, and the mounting portion 34A of the brake device 34 refers to the surface of the brake device 34 that is mounted to the housing 36.

[0019] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0020] During an offset frontal collision of the vehicle V configured as described above, a colliding object collides with the vehicle widthwise outer portions of the front end of the vehicle V. As a result, a rearward collision load is input to the vehicle widthwise outer portions of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18, causing the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 to deform and displace rearward. In addition, the vehicle widthwise outer end of the bumper beam 14 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the side frames 10, and the vehicle widthwise outer end of the lower beam 18 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the lower frames 16. As a result, the vehicle widthwise outer portions of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 deform so that the vehicle widthwise outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 are displaced rearward and inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] Here, in a front view, the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 overlap with the front wheels 30 (wheels 32 thereof). Furthermore, in the vehicle width direction, the positions of the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 coincide with the position of the mounting portion 34A of the brake device 34 arranged radially inward of the rim 32A of the wheel 32 of the front wheel 30. Therefore, in the event of an offset frontal collision of the vehicle V, the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 displace rearward and hit the rim 32A of the wheel 32 of the front wheel 30, allowing a reaction force to act on the colliding body from the vehicle width direction outer parts of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18. This makes it possible to reduce the damage to the colliding body (other vehicle).

[0022] That is, the mounting portion 34A of the brake device 34 is generally disposed near the vehicle width center of the front wheel 30. Therefore, if the vehicle width outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 are disposed laterally inward of the mounting portion 34A of the brake device 34, the vehicle width outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 will be disposed on the vehicle width inner side of the front wheel 30 in a front view. As a result, the vehicle width outer parts of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18, which are displaced rearward and inward in the vehicle width direction during an offset frontal collision, may be displaced rearward on the vehicle width inner side of the front wheel 30. In this case, the vehicle width outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 do not hit the rim 32A of the wheel 32, and therefore it becomes impossible to effectively apply a reaction force from the vehicle width outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 to the colliding body. Therefore, the reaction force against the colliding body is mainly applied from the central portion of the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction (the portion more inward in the vehicle width direction than the side frame 10) and the central portion of the lower beam 18 in the vehicle width direction (the portion more inward in the vehicle width direction than the lower frame 16). As a result, the reaction force tends to act locally on the colliding body, which may reduce the effect of reducing the damage to the colliding body (other vehicle).

[0023] In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, the positions of the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 coincide with the position of the mounting portion 34A of the brake device 34. Therefore, in a front view, the vehicle width direction outer ends of the lower beam 18 and the bumper beam 14 can be disposed approximately in the vehicle width direction center of the front wheels 30. This allows the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18, which are displaced rearward and inward in the vehicle width direction, to effectively abut against the rims 32A of the wheels 32 of the front wheels 30 during an offset frontal collision. This prevents the front wheels 30 from displacing the vehicle width direction outer portions of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 rearward, allowing a reaction force to be effectively applied to the colliding body from the vehicle width direction outer portions of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18. As a result, in an offset frontal collision, the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 receive the impact body on their surfaces, and a reaction force against the impact body can be applied across the longitudinal direction of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18. Therefore, the damage to the impact body (other vehicle) can be reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, as described above, in the event of an offset frontal collision, the vehicle widthwise outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 come into contact with the rims 32A of the wheels 32 of the front wheels 30, thereby suppressing steering of the front wheels 30 in the event of an offset frontal collision.

[0025] Furthermore, the lower beam 18 extends in the vehicle width direction below the bumper beam 14. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle V collides with a pedestrian, the lower beam 18 can throw up the pedestrian's legs, causing the pedestrian to land on the hood at the front of the vehicle V. This allows the lower beam 18, which is intended to improve the collision performance of the vehicle V, to be used as a member that throws up the pedestrian's legs in the event of a collision with a pedestrian. Therefore, the collision performance of the vehicle V can be improved while also improving pedestrian protection performance.

[0026] Note that, from the viewpoint of bringing the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 into contact with the rims 32A of the wheels 32 of the front wheels 30 during an offset frontal collision, the vehicle width direction outer ends of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 may be set outward in the vehicle width direction from the mounting portions 34A of the brake devices 34. However, in this case, the vehicle width direction outer ends of the lower beam 18 and the bumper beam 14 are positioned outward in the vehicle width direction compared to the present embodiment, which may impair the degree of freedom in design, for example, at the corners of the front end of the vehicle V. In contrast, in the present embodiment, as described above, the positions of the vehicle width direction outer ends of the lower beam 18 and the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction coincide with the position of the mounting portions 34A of the brake devices 34. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle width direction outer ends of the lower beam 18 and the bumper beam 14 from being positioned excessively outward in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle V. Therefore, for example, the degree of freedom in designing the corners of the front end of the vehicle V can be increased.

[0027] In addition, the center of the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction is located forward of the center of the lower beam 18 in the vehicle width direction, and the outer end of the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction is located rearward of the outer end of the lower beam in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, in the event of an offset frontal collision, the impact body can be received by the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 in a more favorable surface area.

[0028] That is, in the vehicle V, the bending rigidity of the lower beam 18 is configured to be lower than the bending rigidity of the bumper beam 14. Therefore, in the event of an offset frontal collision, when a rearward collision load is input to the vehicle width direction outer portions of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18, the amount of deformation of the lower beam 18 becomes greater than the amount of deformation of the bumper beam 14. Therefore, in the event of an offset frontal collision, the lower beam 18 may be displaced more rearward with respect to the colliding object than the bumper beam 14, and the reaction force to the colliding object may act mainly from the bumper beam 14.

[0029] In this embodiment, as described above, the vehicle width directional central portion of the bumper beam 14 is disposed forward of the vehicle width directional central portion of the lower beam 18, and the vehicle width directional outer end portion of the bumper beam is disposed rearward of the vehicle width directional outer end portion of the lower beam. Therefore, in the initial stage of an offset frontal collision, the collision load is mainly input to the bumper beam 14, so that rearward displacement of the lower beam 18 at the initial stage of the collision can be suppressed. Then, when the colliding object penetrates further rearward and the bumper beam 14 deforms rearward, the collision load is input to the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18. At this time, because the vehicle width directional outer end portion of the lower beam 18 is disposed forward of the vehicle width directional outer end portion of the bumper beam 14, even if the deformation amount of the lower beam 18 is greater than the deformation amount of the bumper beam 14, the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 receive the colliding object and are displaced rearward. In this manner, in the present embodiment, in the event of an offset frontal collision, the timing at which the colliding object strikes the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18 is shifted in the vehicle width direction, so that the colliding object can be more effectively received over the entire surface of the bumper beam 14 and the lower beam 18. Therefore, the damage caused to the colliding object (other vehicle) can be effectively reduced.

[0030] In this embodiment, when viewed from the front, a portion of the outer end of the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction is positioned so as to overlap the front wheel 32, but depending on the type of vehicle, the entire outer end of the bumper beam 14 in the vehicle width direction may be positioned so as to overlap the wheel 32. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] S Vehicle front structure V vehicle 10 Side frame 14 Bumper beam 16 Lower frame 18 Lower beam 30 Front wheel (wheel) 34 Brake device 34A Mounting part

Claims

1. a pair of side frames extending in a front-to-rear direction of the vehicle on both sides in a vehicle width direction of a front portion of the vehicle; a bumper beam extending in a vehicle width direction, connected to vehicle front end portions of the pair of side frames, and having both longitudinal ends disposed outward in the vehicle width direction relative to the side frames; a pair of lower frames extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle on both sides in a vehicle width direction of a front portion of the vehicle and disposed below the side frames; a lower beam extending in a vehicle width direction below the bumper beam, connected to front ends of the pair of lower frames, and having both longitudinal ends disposed outward of the lower frames in the vehicle width direction; a pair of wheels arranged on outer sides of the side frames and the lower frame in a vehicle width direction; Equipped with an outer end portion of the bumper beam in a vehicle width direction and an outer end portion of the lower beam in a vehicle width direction are disposed on a vehicle front side of the wheel and overlap with the wheel as viewed from the front side of the vehicle; A vehicle front structure in which, in the vehicle width direction, the positions of the vehicle width outer ends of the bumper beam and the vehicle width outer ends of the lower beam coincide with the positions of the mounting portions of brake devices located inside the wheel and in the vehicle width central portion of the wheel.

2. 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle width central portion of the bumper beam is positioned further forward of the vehicle than the vehicle width central portion of the lower beam, and the vehicle width outer end portion of the bumper beam is positioned further rearward of the vehicle than the vehicle width outer end portion of the lower beam.

3. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the bending rigidity of the lower beam is lower than the bending rigidity of the bumper beam.

4. A vehicle front structure described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, during an offset frontal collision, at least one of the outer portion of the bumper beam in the vehicle width direction and the outer portion of the lower beam in the vehicle width direction comes into contact with the rim of the wheel of the wheel.

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