Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To suppress functional damage of a detection device at the time of light collision.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure comprises a bumper reinforcement, a bracket, and a detection device. The bumper reinforcement extends in a vehicle width direction at a front part of a vehicle. The bracket is attached to an edge part of the front part of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. The detection device is attached to the bracket to detect an object at a diagonally forward direction of the vehicle. An inner side edge of the detection device in the vehicle width direction is positioned at an inner side in the vehicle width direction relative to an outer side edge of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems that take into consideration vulnerable traffic participants have been gaining momentum. Toward this goal, the applicants are focusing on further improving traffic safety and convenience through research and development of driver assistance technologies.

[0003] Among vehicle front structures equipped with a detection device such as radar used in driving assistance technology, there is one configured as follows: The vehicle front structure includes a lamp, a bumper reinforcement, a detection device, and a bracket. The bumper reinforcement extends in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle. The detection device is provided at an end of the front of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and monitors the diagonally forward direction of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-91303 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Laws and regulations in various countries and regions require that detection devices not suffer functional damage even in minor vehicle collisions. Such functional damage may include, for example, failure of the detection device itself or a deviation in the angle of the detection device that makes it impossible to use the detection device normally.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to suppress functional damage to a detection device in the event of a minor collision of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present inventors have found that the above object can be achieved if the inner end of the detection device in the vehicle width direction is positioned more inward in the vehicle width direction than the outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction, and have arrived at the present invention. The present invention is a vehicle front structure as described below in (1) to (3).

[0008] (1) a bumper reinforcement extending in a vehicle width direction at a front end of a vehicle; a bracket attached to an end portion in a vehicle width direction at a front portion of the vehicle; a detection device attached to the bracket and configured to detect an object diagonally in front of the vehicle; A vehicle front structure comprising: An inner end of the detection device in the vehicle width direction is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than an outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction. Vehicle front structure.

[0009] According to this configuration, the inner end of the detection device in the vehicle width direction is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than the outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction, so that the detection device is more likely to be protected by the bumper reinforcement in the event of a minor collision, thereby suppressing functional damage to the detection device in the event of a minor vehicle collision.

[0010] (2) A vehicle front structure as described in (1), wherein, when viewed from the front of the vehicle, the detection device is provided at a position spaced upward from the outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction.

[0011] With this configuration, even if a force is applied to the bumper reinforcement due to a minor collision, the force is applied below the detection device because the detection device is spaced above the bumper reinforcement. Therefore, there is no risk of the detection device being pinched between the bumper reinforcement and a member behind the detection device. This makes it possible to more firmly prevent functional damage to the detection device during a minor vehicle collision.

[0012] (3) The vehicle front structure described in (2) above, wherein the bracket is attached to a portion of the front of the vehicle that is located above the detection device.

[0013] With this configuration, the detection device is supported by the bracket at a portion located above the detection device, which makes it easier to absorb the force applied from the bumper reinforcement to a portion below the detection device during a minor collision, thereby more firmly suppressing functional damage to the detection device during a minor vehicle collision.

[0014] (4) A vehicle front structure as described in (1) or (2), wherein, when viewed from above, the detection device is provided at a position spaced rearward from the vehicle widthwise end of the bumper reinforcement.

[0015] With this configuration, the detection device is more likely to be protected by the bumper reinforcement than when a part of the detection device overlaps with the bumper reinforcement when viewed from above, which makes it possible to more reliably prevent functional damage to the detection device in the event of a minor vehicle collision. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, the configuration (1) can suppress functional damage to the detection device in the event of a minor vehicle collision. Furthermore, the configurations (2) to (4) that refer to the configuration (1) can provide additional effects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the front of the vehicle as seen from the left. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front of the vehicle as seen from the front left. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the front part of the vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the front of the vehicle as seen from above. [Figure 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket and the detector as viewed from diagonally below and rear to the right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the present invention.

[0019] [First embodiment] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle front structure 70 is a structure of the front of the vehicle 100. Hereinafter, as shown in Fig. 2, the front side of the vehicle 100 will be referred to as the "front Fr" and the rear side of the vehicle 100 will be referred to as the "rear Rr." Also, the inside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 100 will be referred to as the "inner side in the vehicle width direction wI," and the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 100 will be referred to as the "outer side in the vehicle width direction wO."

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle front structure 70 includes a lamp 20, a bracket 30, a detection device 40, and a bumper reinforcement 50. The lamp 20 includes a right headlight (not shown) and a left headlight 20L. Note that although Figs. 1 to 6 only show the left portion of the vehicle front structure 70, the right portion is similar with the left portion reversed left and right.

[0021] 1, the lamp 20 includes a light source 25, a housing 23, and an outer lens 27. The housing 23 has an open front side and houses the light source 25 inside. The outer lens 27 is a transparent body that covers the housing 23 from the front side.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4, the bumper reinforcement 50 extends in the vehicle width directions wI and wO at the front end of the vehicle front structure 70. The bumper reinforcement 50 is made of metal and does not transmit radio waves. One detector 40 is provided at each end of the front of the vehicle 100 in the vehicle width directions wI and wO. Therefore, the detectors 40 include a right detector (not shown) and a left detector 40L.

[0023] Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the diagonally forward direction Fr between the front Fr and the vehicle widthwise outer side wO will be referred to as the "Y-direction," and the opposite direction will be referred to as the "Y+ direction." The Y-direction and Y+ direction will be collectively referred to as the "Y direction." Below, the direction perpendicular to the Y direction in the horizontal plane will be referred to as the "X direction." The direction in the X direction closer to the vehicle widthwise inner side wI will be referred to as the "X-direction," and the opposite direction will be referred to as the "X+ direction."

[0024] As shown in Fig. 5, the detection device 40 has a plate-like shape extending in the vertical and X directions, and the end face on the Y-direction side forms the detection surface 40s. Therefore, the direction perpendicular to the surface of the detection surface 40s is the Y direction. The detection device 40 is a radar device that irradiates radio waves from the detection surface 40s in the Y-direction and detects the reflected waves by the detection surface 40s. In this way, the detection device 40 shown in Fig. 4 detects objects on the Y-direction side. A cover (not shown), made of resin or the like that allows radio waves to pass through, is attached to the Y-direction side of the detection device 40.

[0025] 6, the bracket 30 has a horizontal portion 33 and a vertical portion 36. The horizontal portion 33 is plate-shaped and extends in the Y and X directions. The horizontal portion 33 is attached to a portion of the front of the vehicle 100 that is located above the detection device 40 with screws Sc or the like. More specifically, in this embodiment, the horizontal portion 33 of the bracket 30 is attached to the underside of the housing 23 of the lamp 20.

[0026] The vertical portion 36 is a plate-like member extending in the X direction and the up-down direction, and protrudes downward from the Y-direction end of the horizontal portion 33. The detector 40 is attached to the Y-direction surface of the vertical portion 36 with screws Sc or the like, as shown in Fig. 5. As a result, the detector 40 is supported via the bracket 30 at a portion of the front of the vehicle 100 that is positioned above the detector 40, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, when viewed from the front Fr, each detection device 40 is provided at a position spaced above the end of the bumper reinforcement 50 on the outer side wO in the vehicle width direction.

[0028] 4, when viewed from above, the detection device 40 is provided inside the minor collision line cL, that is, at a position that enters the Y+ direction side. When viewed from above, the minor collision line cL is a line that forms an angle of 30 degrees with respect to the vehicle width directions wO, wI and that is tangent to the front surface of the bumper reinforcement 50. More specifically, when viewed from above, the detection device 40 is provided at a position that is spaced rearward Rr from the end of the bumper reinforcement 50 on the outer side wO in the vehicle width direction.

[0029] An end 40i of the detection device 40 on the inner side wI in the vehicle width direction is located more inward in the vehicle width direction wI than an end 50o of the bumper reinforcement 50 on the outer side wO in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, an end 40si of the detection surface 40s on the inner side wI in the vehicle width direction is also located more inward in the vehicle width direction wI than an end 50o of the bumper reinforcement 50 on the outer side wO in the vehicle width direction.

[0030] The configuration and effects of this embodiment are summarized below.

[0031] 4, the end 40i of the detection device 40 on the inner side wI in the vehicle width direction is located closer to the inner side wI in the vehicle width direction than the end 50o of the bumper reinforcement 50 on the outer side wO in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, even in the event of a minor collision LC, the detection device 40 is more likely to be protected by the bumper reinforcement 50. This makes it possible to suppress functional damage to the detection device 40 in the event of a minor collision LC of the vehicle 100.

[0032] 1, the detection device 40 is spaced above the bumper reinforcement 50. Therefore, even if a force F is applied to the bumper reinforcement 50 due to a minor collision LC, the force F is applied so as to penetrate below the detection device 40. Therefore, there is no risk of the detection device 40 being pinched between the bumper reinforcement 50 and a member located behind the detection device 40. Therefore, it is possible to more firmly suppress functional damage to the detection device 40 when a minor collision LC occurs.

[0033] Furthermore, in a test that simulates an actual minor collision LC, specifically, for example, a pendulum test in which an impact is applied to the bumper reinforcement 50, the detection device 40 is less likely to suffer functional damage, as described above, and is more likely to pass the test.

[0034] Furthermore, since the detection device 40 is spaced above the bumper reinforcement 50, the radio waves emitted from the detection surface 40s and the reflected waves returning to the detection surface 40s are less likely to be blocked by the bumper reinforcement, making it possible to detect objects over a wide angle.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, the bracket 30 supports the detection device 40 at a portion located above the detection device 40. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 1, the detection device 40 is more likely to withstand the effect of the force F applied from the bumper reinforcement 50 to a portion below the detection device 40 during a minor collision. Therefore, it is possible to more firmly suppress functional damage to the detection device 40 when a minor collision LC occurs.

[0036] 4, when viewed from above, the detection device 40 is spaced rearward from the bumper reinforcement 50. Therefore, compared to when a part of the detection device 40 overlaps the bumper reinforcement 50 when viewed from above, the detection device 40 is more likely to be protected by the bumper reinforcement 50. Therefore, functional damage to the detection device 40 in the event of a minor collision LC can be more firmly suppressed.

[0037] [Other embodiments] The embodiment described above can be modified as follows, for example.

[0038] In the plan view shown in Fig. 4, if it does not pose a significant problem even if the front end of the detection device 40 overlaps the bumper reinforcement 50, then it is acceptable for them to overlap. If it does not pose a significant problem even if the bracket 30 shown in Fig. 6 is attached to a portion of the vehicle 100 that is positioned on the Y+ direction side or the X direction side, rather than to a portion that is positioned above the detection device 40, then it may be attached to those portions.

[0039] 3, if the lower end of the detection device 40 overlaps with the bumper reinforcement 50, this overlap is acceptable as long as it does not pose a significant problem. The detection device 40 may be a sonar device. That is, the detection device 40 may irradiate sound waves in the Y-direction from the detection surface 40s and detect the reflected waves by the detection surface 40s. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 30 Bracket 40 Detection Device 40i Inside edge of the detection device in the vehicle width direction 50 Bumper reinforcement 50o Outer edge of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction 70 Vehicle front structure 100 vehicles Fr wI Inside of the vehicle width wO Outside of vehicle width After Rr

Claims

1. a bumper reinforcement extending in a vehicle width direction at a front end of the vehicle; a bracket attached to an end portion in a vehicle width direction at a front portion of the vehicle; a detection device attached to the bracket; The detection device includes a detection surface that detects an object diagonally in front of the vehicle. A vehicle front structure, an inner end of the detection surface of the detection device in the vehicle width direction is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than an outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction; an outer end of the detection surface of the detection device in the vehicle width direction is located more outer in the vehicle width direction than an outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction; When viewed from above, the detection device is provided at a position spaced rearward from the end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction. Vehicle front structure.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the detection device is provided at a position spaced above an outer end of the bumper reinforcement in a vehicle width direction when viewed from the front side of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 , wherein the bracket is attached to a portion of the front of the vehicle that is positioned above the detection device.

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