Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To suppress concentration of stress on a bracket joint part at a front part of a front hood.SOLUTION: A vehicle front part structure comprises a hood inner panel constituting a front hood, a hood lock striker 30 and a striker bracket 20. The hood lock striker 30 has a front-side stationary part 34 and a rear-side stationary part 35. The hood inner panel and the striker bracket 20 are jointed to each other with a bracket connection part 21 in front of the front-side stationary part 34. The bracket connection part 21 includes a front-side connection portion row 22 constituted of a plurality of front-side connection portions 22a and a rear-side connection portion row 23 constituted of a plurality of rear-side connection portions 23a. The front-side connection portions 22a are arranged to be shifted in a vehicle width direction with respect to the rear-side connection portions 23a. A distance between both side ends of the bracket connection part 21 is set to be longer than a length in the vehicle width direction of the front-side stationary part 34.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] There is known a vehicle equipped with a front hood at the front of the vehicle, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The front hood is a member that opens and closes the top of a power compartment in which a power unit such as an engine or a motor is located, and is rotatably attached to the vehicle body via a hood hinge.

[0003] A front hood typically includes a hood outer panel and a hood inner panel, the outer peripheries of which are joined together. A hemming is provided at the front of the front hood. The hemming is configured by folding the front portion of the hood outer panel inward, sandwiching the front portion of the hood inner panel between the folded-over portions, and joining the hood inner panel and the hood outer panel with adhesive or the like. Providing this hemming increases the rigidity of the front portion of the front hood.

[0004] A striker is attached to the front of the front hood via a bracket. A hood latch that engages and disengages with the striker is provided on the front of the vehicle body opposite the striker. Engagement of the striker with the hood latch holds the front hood in a closed position that closes the power compartment. The bracket has a bracket joint that is joined to the hood inner panel by, for example, spot welding.

[0005] On the other hand, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, a portion (deformation guide portion) that is easily deformed when subjected to an impact load from above the vehicle is provided in the front part of the front hood, in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, between the hemming portion and the bracket joint portion, for the purpose of protecting pedestrians. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6623743 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the structure of the above example, a deformation guide portion is provided in the area between the hemming portion at the front of the front hood and the bracket joint that joins the bracket to which the hood lock striker is attached to the front hood, reducing the rigidity of that area. In such a case, for example, when closing the front hood, stress may be concentrated at the bracket joint. The bracket joint is typically formed by spot welding, so-called spot welding points. If stress concentration at the spot welding points causes deformation around the bracket for attaching the hood lock striker, it may be impossible to stably open and close the front hood. Therefore, the structure of the above example leaves room for improvement.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle front structure that can suppress stress concentration at a bracket joint located at the front of the front hood. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle front structure of the present invention comprises a hood outer panel arranged at the front of the vehicle, a hood inner panel arranged on the vehicle inside of the hood outer panel, a hood lock striker provided at the front of the hood inner panel, and a striker bracket provided at the front of the hood inner panel and to which the hood lock striker is joined, wherein the hood lock striker has an engagement portion engageable with a hood latch provided at the front of the vehicle body, a front fixing portion provided in front of the engagement portion and fixed to the striker bracket, and a rear fixing portion provided at the rear of the engagement portion and fixed to the striker bracket. In the vehicle front structure, the hood inner panel and the striker bracket are joined by a bracket joint that is positioned further forward of the front fixing portion, and the bracket joint includes a front joint row consisting of a plurality of front joints that are spaced apart along the vehicle width direction, and a rear joint row that is positioned rearward of the front joint row and consists of a plurality of rear joints that are spaced apart along the vehicle width direction, and each of the front joints is positioned offset in the vehicle width direction relative to each of the rear joints, and the distance between both side ends of the bracket joint in the vehicle width direction is set longer than the vehicle width length of the front fixing portion and the vehicle width length of the rear fixing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, stress concentration at a bracket joint provided at the front portion of a front hood can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a vehicle having a vehicle front structure according to the present invention, as viewed obliquely from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the front hood of FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a plan view of the front hood of FIG. 1 as seen from above the vehicle. [Figure 4]3 is a perspective view of the hood inner panel of the front hood of FIG. 2 as viewed from inside the vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the hood outer panel of FIG. 2 is omitted. [Figure 6] 4 is an enlarged bottom view of the striker bracket, the hood lock striker, and their surroundings as viewed from below in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the striker bracket, the hood lock striker, and the like shown in FIG. 6, as viewed from below the vehicle. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A1 in FIG. 3. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A2 in FIG. 3. [Figure 10] 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a seal member is attached to the front portion of the hood inner panel of FIG. 8. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle front structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 10). In the drawings, the direction of the arrow Fr indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In the description of the embodiment, the "front portion (front end) and the rear portion (rear end)" correspond to the front and rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In addition, the arrows R and L indicate the right and left sides when an occupant looks ahead of the vehicle.

[0013] The vehicle front structure of this embodiment includes a front hood 1, a hood latch 64 provided at the front of the vehicle body, and a hood hinge 50.

[0014] First, the front hood 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the front hood 1 is a member that opens and closes an opening at the top of a power compartment (not shown) in which a power unit such as an engine or a motor is disposed, and is a plate-like member extending in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle. The front hood 1 is rotatably attached to a body structure located behind the power compartment via a hood hinge 50. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the front hood 1 has a hood outer panel 3, a hood inner panel 10, a hood lock striker 30, a striker bracket 20, a hood reinforcement 40, a cushion rubber 17, and a seal member 18. Each member will be described below.

[0015] 1 to 4, the hood outer panel 3 is a panel that forms the vehicle outer side of the front hood 1, and its outer surface is a design surface. Furthermore, the vehicle width direction outer portion of the hood outer panel 3 extends along the vehicle front-rear direction when the front hood 1 is closed, and the outer peripheral portion is disposed adjacent to the upper portion of a side body outer panel (not shown) that is disposed on the side of the front part of the vehicle body.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the hood inner panel 10 is disposed on the vehicle inner side of the hood outer panel 3 with a gap therebetween, and the outer periphery of the hood outer panel 3 and the outer periphery of the hood inner panel 10 are joined to each other. As shown in FIGS. 4 , 5 , 8 , and 9 , the hood inner panel 10 has a front flat surface portion 11, a central vertical wall portion 12, an outer flat surface portion 13, and an inner vertical wall portion 14. The front flat surface portion 11 is a portion that includes a plane extending from the front of the hood inner panel 10 toward the rear. A slit-shaped through hole 11a extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the middle portion of the front flat surface portion 11 in the vehicle width direction. Front portions 31 and rear portions 32 of engagement portions 31, 32, and 33 (described later) of the hood lock striker 30 are disposed to pass through the through hole 11a. A striker bracket 20 is attached to the outer side of the front flat surface portion 11 (the upper surface side when the front hood 1 is closed) so as to close the through-hole 11a.

[0017] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the central vertical wall portion 12 is a vertical wall portion extending from the rear of the front flat portion 11 toward the hood outer panel 3. The central vertical wall portion 12 extends at an angle rearward as it approaches the hood outer panel 3. The central vertical wall portion 12 and the front flat portion 11 form a corner with an obtuse angle α1. Furthermore, the central vertical wall portion 12 and the hood outer panel 3 form a corner with an acute angle α2.

[0018] As shown in Figure 4, the outer flat surface 13 is a plane that extends rearward from the outer portion of the front flat surface 11 in the vehicle width direction, and in this example, is inclined so as to approach the hood outer panel 3 as it extends rearward. A front portion of the hinge arm 51 of the hood hinge 50 is joined to the outer flat surface 13. The inner vertical wall portion 14 is a wall that extends at an incline from the inner end of the outer flat surface 13 in the vehicle width direction toward the hood outer panel 3 as it extends inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0019] Next, the joining of the front portions of the hood outer panel 3 and the hood inner panel 10 will be described. As shown in Fig. 8, a hemming portion 2 is provided in the front portion of the front hood 1. The hemming portion 2 is formed by folding the front portion of the hood outer panel 3 toward the inside of the vehicle. The hood inner panel 10 is clamped in this folded portion and joined with an adhesive, thereby joining the front portions of the hood outer panel 3 and the hood inner panel 10. Providing the hemming portion 2 ensures the rigidity of the front portion of the front hood 1.

[0020] Next, the hood lock striker 30 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the hood lock striker 30 has engagement portions 31, 32, and 33 that can engage with a hood latch 64 provided at the front of the vehicle body, a front fixing portion 34, and a rear fixing portion 35. The engagement portions 31, 32, and 33 are configured with a front portion 31, a rear portion 32, and a fixing portion 33, and form a U-shape as a whole. That is, the opening of the U-shape is located at the top when the front hood 1 is closed, and is located on the side closer to the hood outer panel. The front portion 31 is a portion that extends linearly and inclined toward the front of the vehicle as it extends upward when the front hood 1 is closed. The rear portion 32 is a portion that is located rearward of the front portion 31 and extends in a substantially vertical direction when the front hood 1 is closed. The fixing portion 33 is a portion that connects the lower end of the front portion 31 and the lower end of the rear portion 32, and extends linearly while inclining upward toward the rear of the vehicle when the front hood 1 is closed. In this example, the front portion 31 and the fixing portion 33 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the front fixing portion 34 of the hood lock striker 30 is provided in front of the engaging portions 31, 32, and 33 (front portion 31) and is fixed to the striker bracket 20. When the front hood 1 is closed, the front fixing portion 34 extends linearly from the upper end of the front portion 31 in one direction in the vehicle width direction. In this example, the front fixing portion 34 extends to the right from the front portion 31. The rear fixing portion 35 is provided behind the engaging portions 31, 32, and 33 (rear portion 32) and is fixed to the striker bracket 20. When the front hood 1 is closed, the rear fixing portion 35 extends linearly from the upper end of the rear portion 32 in the other direction in the vehicle width direction. In this example, the rear fixing portion 35 extends to the left from the rear portion 32. In this embodiment, the front fixing portion 34 and the rear fixing portion 35 are joined to the striker bracket 20 by arc welding.

[0022] Next, the striker bracket 20 will be described. The striker bracket 20 is a plate-shaped member joined to the upper surface of the hood inner panel 10. In this example, the striker bracket 20 is provided in a middle portion in the vehicle width direction at the front of the hood inner panel 10, as shown in FIG. 3, and is arranged so as to cover the through-hole 11a from the upper surface side, as shown in FIG. 8. The striker bracket 20 has a bracket joint 21 that is joined to the upper surface of the hood inner panel 10 by spot welding. The bracket joint 21 is made up of a plurality of welding points (spot welding points) that are spot welded. The bracket joint 21 will be described in detail below.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 6 , the bracket joint 21 includes a front joint row 22 and a rear joint row 23. The front joint row 22 is made up of a plurality of front joints 22a spaced apart from one another in the vehicle width direction. The front joints 22a are spot joints. In this example, the front joint row 22 includes three front joints 22a spaced apart from one another in the vehicle width direction. The rear joint row 23 is located rearward of the front joint row 22 and includes a plurality of rear joints 23a spaced apart from one another in the vehicle width direction. The rear joints 23a are spot joints, like the front joints 22a, and include two rear joints 23a spaced apart from one another in the vehicle width direction. The arrangement direction of the front joint row 22 and the arrangement direction of the rear joint row 23 are parallel to each other.

[0024] In addition, the front joints 22a of this embodiment are arranged offset in the vehicle width direction relative to the rear joints 23a. For example, the plurality of front joints 22a and the plurality of rear joints 23a may be arranged in a staggered pattern. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, three front joints 22a and two rear joints 23a are arranged in a staggered or W-shape. By arranging a plurality of joints (spot joints) in this manner, stress concentration can be suppressed.

[0025] In this embodiment, the distance between both side ends of the bracket joint portion 21 in the vehicle width direction is set to be longer than the vehicle width length of the front fixing portion 34 and the vehicle width length of the rear fixing portion 35. In this example, the vehicle width direction distance between the leftmost front joint portion 22a and the rightmost front joint portion 22a is set to be longer than the vehicle width direction distance of the front fixing portion 34. Here, the vehicle width direction distance of the front fixing portion 34, etc. is the length of the portion to be arc-welded.

[0026] The above-described configuration allows the bracket joint 21 to be positioned in the vehicle longitudinal direction near the hemming portion 2, which has increased rigidity due to the three-layer joint. This improves the rigidity and strength of the bracket joint 21 and its surrounding structure. Furthermore, by arranging the spot welding points constituting the bracket joint 21 in a staggered or W-shaped configuration, offset in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction, as described above, it is possible to disperse stress around the joint (spot welding point) that acts when the front hood 1 is closed. Furthermore, because the vehicle width length of the bracket joint 21 is set longer than the vehicle width length of the fixing portion 33 for fixing the hood lock striker 30, stress around the spot welding point is more easily dispersed. Furthermore, by arranging the spot welding point near the front fixing portion 34 to be arc-welded, local surface deformation acting on the arc-welded portion of the striker bracket 20 can be suppressed, thereby reducing stress in the arc-welded portion.

[0027] 8 and 9, in this embodiment, when the hood latch 64 is engaged with the front hood 1, that is, when the front hood 1 is closed, the fixing portion 33 that constitutes the engaging portions 31, 32, 33 extends obliquely downward toward the front of the vehicle, and as described above, the fixing portion 33 is perpendicular to the front portion 31. The rear portion 32 and the fixing portion 33 form a corner with an obtuse angle α3, and the front fixing portion 34 is positioned higher on the vehicle than the rear fixing portion 35.

[0028] The front hood 1 of this embodiment has a closed cross-sectional structure made up of a hood outer panel 3 and a hood inner panel 10. A hood reinforcement 40 is disposed inside the closed cross-sectional structure, as shown in Fig. 9. The configuration of the hood reinforcement 40 will be described below.

[0029] 5, 6, and 9, the hood reinforcement 40 has front walls 41a, 41b that protrude from the outer surface of the hood inner panel 10 toward the inner surface of the hood outer panel 3, rear walls 43a, 43b that are arranged rearwardly and spaced apart from the front walls 41a, 41b and protrude from the hood inner panel 10 toward the hood outer panel 3, and a protruding surface portion 45 that connects the front walls 41a, 41b and the rear walls 43a, 43b while maintaining a gap on the inner surface of the hood inner panel 10. The front walls 41a, 41b and the protruding surface portion 45 form a front corner with an obtuse angle α4, and the rear walls 43a, 43b and the protruding surface portion 45 form a rear corner with an obtuse angle α5. The front walls 41a, 41b and the rear walls 43a, 43b are arranged spaced apart from the striker bracket 20, straddling the striker bracket 20.

[0030] The front walls 41a, 41b of the hood reinforcement 40 of this embodiment are composed of a right front wall 41a and a left front wall 41b, which are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction. The right front wall 41a and the left front wall 41b are provided at the right and left ends, respectively, of the front portion of the hood reinforcement 40 in the vehicle width direction. The right front wall 41a is spaced apart forward from the striker bracket 20 and to the right of the right end of the striker bracket 20, and a lower part of the right front wall 41a is joined to the outer surface of the front flat surface 11 of the hood inner panel 10 by spot welding or the like. The left front wall 41b is spaced apart forward from the striker bracket 20 and to the left of the left end of the striker bracket 20, and a lower part of the left front wall 41b is joined to the outer surface of the front flat surface 11 of the hood inner panel 10 by spot welding or the like.

[0031] Furthermore, the rear walls 43a, 43b of the hood reinforcement 40 of this embodiment are composed of a right rear wall 43a and a left rear wall 43b, which are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction. The right rear wall 43a and the left rear wall 43b are provided at the right and left ends, respectively, of the rear portion of the hood reinforcement 40 in the vehicle width direction. The right rear wall 43a is spaced apart rearward from the striker bracket 20 and to the right of the right end of the striker bracket 20, and a lower portion of the right rear wall 43a is joined to the outer surface of the central vertical wall portion 12 of the hood inner panel 10 by spot welding or the like. The left rear wall 43b is spaced apart rearward from the striker bracket 20 and to the left of the left end of the striker bracket 20, and a lower portion of the left rear wall 43b is joined to the outer surface of the central vertical wall portion 12 of the hood inner panel 10 by spot welding or the like.

[0032] The protruding surface portion 45 is a surface portion that is disposed at a distance from the outer surface of the front flat surface portion 11 of the hood inner panel 10, and is joined to the inner surface of the hood outer panel 3 with an adhesive or the like. A plurality of through holes is formed in the protruding surface portion 45, thereby reducing its weight while maintaining a certain level of strength. In a plan view, the hood reinforcement 40 is disposed overlapping the hood lock striker 30. In this example, the front end of the protruding surface portion 45 is disposed so as to correspond to the front end of the front fixing portion 34 of the hood lock striker 30, and the rear end of the protruding surface portion 45 is disposed so as to correspond to the rear fixing portion 35.

[0033] Next, the configuration of the hood hinge 50 will be described. The hood hinge 50 is provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction at the rear of the front hood 1. The hood hinge 50 has a hinge arm 51 and a pivot shaft 52 extending in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the hood hinge 50 is pivotally attached to a bracket 55 provided on a body structure located at the rear of the power compartment. The hinge arm 51 is attached to the bracket 55 via the pivot shaft 52. When the front hood 1 is closed, the hinge arm 51 extends downward from the pivot shaft 52 toward the vehicle, and extends upward at an angle from the lower end toward the front of the vehicle. The front part of the obliquely extending portion is joined to the underside of the hood inner panel 10.

[0034] Next, the cushion rubbers 17 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9 , the cushion rubbers 17 are provided on both sides of the inner surface of the hood inner panel 10 in the vehicle width direction, and the fixing portions 33 of the hood lock striker 30 and the cushion rubbers 17 are arranged so as to overlap when viewed in the vehicle width direction. In this example, the cushion rubbers 17 are attached to both sides of the front flat surface portion 11 of the hood inner panel 10 in the vehicle width direction. The cushion rubbers 17 are formed in a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, two cushion rubbers 17 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction. The striker bracket 20 is arranged between the two cushion rubbers 17 in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the two cushion rubbers 17 are arranged between the front portions 31 and rear portions 32 of the engagement portions 31, 32, and 33 in the vehicle front-rear direction. That is, when viewed in the vehicle width direction, the cushion rubbers 17 are arranged between the front portions 31 and rear portions 32, and in this example, are arranged inside the U-shaped engagement portions 31, 32, and 33. More specifically, the fixing portion 33 and the cushion rubber 17 are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

[0035] 9, the pivot shaft 52 of the hood hinge 50 is disposed on an imaginary extension line of the fixed portion 33. That is, the fixed portion 33 is configured such that an imaginary extension line L extending toward the rear of the vehicle along the longitudinal direction of the fixed portion 33 overlaps with the pivot shaft 52 when viewed in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fixed portion 33 and the front portion 31 are perpendicular to each other as described above, and the longitudinal direction of the cushion rubber 17 is disposed parallel to the inclination direction of the front portion 31. The inclination direction of the fixed portion 33 (the direction in which the imaginary extension line L extends) also extends substantially parallel to the direction of the outer flat portion 13 of the hood inner panel 10.

[0036] With the above configuration, it is possible to distribute the load acting on the hood lock striker 30 when the front hood 1 is closed to the left and right of the striker bracket 20. As a result, it is possible to distribute the stress acting on the striker bracket 20. In addition, because the longitudinal axes of the front portion 31 of the hood lock striker 30 and the cushion rubber 17 are oriented in the vector direction when the front hood 1 is closed, the structure is strong against the vector (load) in the closing direction.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the cushion rubber 17 is disposed in a region extending in the vehicle width direction between the front and rear ends of the engagement portions 31, 32, 33 of the hood lock striker 30. In other words, the hood lock striker 30 and the cushion rubber 17 are disposed in a vehicle width direction region whose vehicle front-rear direction length corresponds to the vehicle front-rear direction length of the engagement portions 31, 32, 33. This results in a structure that makes it difficult to suppress deformation in the vehicle up-down direction of the front hood 1, which is located between the vehicle width direction region and the hood hinge 50 in the vehicle front-rear direction. As a result, when an impact load acts on the front hood 1 from above the vehicle, the front hood 1 can deform, thereby ensuring pedestrian protection performance.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the front fixing portion 34 extends in one direction in the vehicle width direction from the front of the engaging portions 31, 32, 33, and the rear fixing portion 35 extends in the other direction in the vehicle width direction from the rear of the engaging portions 31, 32, 33, and the striker bracket 20 is configured to be recessed upward at the position 38 where the front fixing portion 34 and the rear fixing portion 35 are fixed. That is, the striker bracket 20 has a front groove 24 that is recessed upward and extends in the vehicle width direction at the position where the front fixing portion 34 is arc-welded. Similarly, a rear groove 25 that is recessed upward and extends in the vehicle width direction is also formed at the position where the rear fixing portion 35 is welded ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ).

[0039] With the above configuration, the front fixing portion 34 and the rear fixing portion 35 extend away from the engagement portions 31, 32, and 33 in opposite directions, which more effectively distributes stress acting on the spot impact points of the striker bracket 20. Furthermore, the rigidity around the front fixing portion 34 and the rear fixing portion 35 of the striker bracket 20 can be improved.

[0040] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 , one of the front joints 22a and two of the rear joints 23a are arranged to form an equilateral triangle T, and the front fixing portion 34 is arranged to overlap the equilateral triangle T in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the second-right front joint 22a of the four front joints 22a and the two-right rear joints 23a of the three rear joints 23a are arranged to form vertices of an equilateral triangle. Furthermore, the equilateral triangle T is arranged on the vehicle front side of the front fixing portion 34 and is aligned with the front fixing portion 34 in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the length of the side of the equilateral triangle T formed by the two rear joints 23a is set to be approximately equal to the length of the portion 38 to which the front fixing portion 34 is arc-welded. This facilitates dispersing stress generated at the spot welding points around the hood lock striker 30 in the striker bracket 20.

[0041] In this embodiment, a seal member 18 is attached to the front portion of the hood inner panel 10, and a portion of the striker bracket 20 is disposed so as to overlap the seal member 18. The seal member 18 is attached to the front end of the inner surface (the inner surface of the front flat surface 11) of the hood inner panel 10 with an adhesive or the like, and extends along the outer periphery of the hood inner panel 10. The seal member 18 is formed, for example, from a resin material. In this example, as shown in FIG. 10 , the seal member 18 is attached to the front portion of the front flat surface 11 of the hood inner panel 10 with clips 19 or the like. By arranging the seal member 18 in this manner, a portion of the impact load acting when the front hood 1 is closed can be absorbed by the seal member 18, thereby reducing stress acting on the spot impact points that form the bracket joints 21 of the striker bracket 20.

[0042] Furthermore, in the front hood 1 of this embodiment, the hemming portion 2 and the bracket joint portion 21 are disposed close to each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, an impact buffering portion intended to protect pedestrians, which is easily deformed when subjected to an impact load from above the vehicle, is not provided on the front hood 1 located between the hemming portion 2 and the bracket joint portion 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, a deformation inducing portion 66b that is easily deformed is provided on the vehicle body structure located below the front hood 1.

[0043] The following describes the vehicle body structure located below the front portion of the front hood 1. The vehicle body structure includes a hood lock member (not shown), a front side brace 62, a hood latch bracket 63, a radiator member 65 (FIG. 4), and a hood latch balancer 66.

[0044] The hood lock member is a highly rigid member that is disposed on the vehicle lower side in front of the hood inner panel 10 and extends in the vehicle width direction. It is made of a metal material. As shown in FIG. 1, the front side braces 62 are disposed as a pair on both sides of the hood lock member in the vehicle width direction and extend in the vehicle vertical direction. The front side braces 62 are highly rigid members that are made of a metal material. The hood lock member and the front side braces 62 form the framework of the front part of the vehicle body. The upper part of the front side member and the side part of the hood lock member are joined. In addition, a front side member (not shown) that forms the vehicle body framework is joined to the middle part of the front side brace 62 in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0045] 1, the hood latch bracket 63 is a member disposed on the vehicle lower side of the front part of the hood inner panel 10, extending downward from the vehicle width direction intermediate part of the hood lock member, and has a hood latch 64 attached thereto. The upper part of the hood latch bracket 63 is joined to the vehicle width direction intermediate part of the hood lock member.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1 , the hood latch balancer 66 is a member joined to the lower part of the hood latch bracket 63. The hood latch balancer 66 has a main body 66a that is offset forward relative to the hood latch bracket 63 and extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and a deformation inducing portion 66b that is provided between the main body 66a and the hood latch bracket 63. The deformation inducing portion 66b is a portion that slopes forward relative to the lower part of the hood latch bracket 63 as it extends downward relative to the vehicle. In this example, the hood latch bracket 63 and the main body 66a are members that extend in the vehicle vertical direction and have high rigidity in the vehicle vertical direction. In contrast, because the deformation inducing portion 66b is inclined as described above, its rigidity in the vehicle vertical direction is set lower than that of the hood latch bracket 63 and the main body 66a.

[0047] The description of the present embodiment is merely an example for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the invention described in the claims. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0048] In this embodiment, the bracket joints 21 are configured in two rows, a front joint row 22 and a rear joint row 23, but this is not limited to this. For example, three or more joint rows may be provided. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple front joints 22a that make up the front joint row 22 are overlapping when viewed in the vehicle width direction, i.e., the multiple front joints 22a are aligned in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, but this is not limited to this. The multiple front joints 22a may be slightly misaligned in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction. Preferably, the multiple front joints 22a are arranged so that they partially overlap when viewed in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the rear joints 23a are similar to the front joints 22a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Front hood 2 Hemming section 3 Hood outer panel 10 Hood inner panel 11 Front plane part 11a Through hole 12 Central vertical wall section 13 Outer plane part 14 Inner vertical wall 17 Cushion Rubber 18 Sealing material 19 clips 20 Striker bracket 21 Bracket joint 22 Anterior joint row 22a Anterior joint 23 Posterior joint row 23a Posterior joint 24 Anterior groove 25 Posterior groove 30 Hood Lock Striker 31 Front section 32 Posterior part 33 Fixed part 34 Front fixing part 35 Rear fixed part 40 Food Reinforcement 41a Right front wall 41b Left front wall 43a Right rear wall 43b Left rear wall 45 Projecting surface part 50 Hood Hinge 51 Hinge arm 52 Rotating shaft 55 Bracket 62 Front side brace 63 Hood latch bracket 64 Hood Latch 65 Radiator member 66 Hood latch balancer 66a Main body 66b Deformation induction section

Claims

1. The hood lock striker includes a hood outer panel disposed at a front portion of a vehicle, a hood inner panel disposed on the vehicle inner side of the hood outer panel, a hood lock striker provided at a front portion of the hood inner panel, and a striker bracket provided at the front portion of the hood inner panel and to which the hood lock striker is joined, The hood lock striker includes an engagement portion engageable with a hood latch provided at the front of the vehicle body, a front fixing portion provided in front of the engagement portion and fixed to the striker bracket, and a rear fixing portion provided at the rear of the engagement portion and fixed to the striker bracket. A vehicle front structure having: the hood inner panel and the striker bracket are joined by a bracket joint portion that is disposed further forward of the vehicle than the front fixing portion, the bracket joint portion includes a front joint portion row consisting of a plurality of front joint portions arranged at intervals from one another along the vehicle width direction, and a rear joint portion row arranged rearward of the front joint portion row and consisting of a plurality of rear joint portions arranged at intervals from one another along the vehicle width direction, The front joint portions are disposed so as to be shifted in the vehicle width direction relative to the rear joint portions, A vehicle front structure, characterized in that the distance between both vehicle width direction ends of the bracket joint is set longer than the vehicle width direction length of the front fixing portion and the vehicle width direction length of the rear fixing portion.

2. a rear portion of the hood inner panel is rotatably attached to the vehicle body via a hood hinge having a rotation shaft extending in the vehicle width direction; the engaging portion has a front portion extending in the up-down direction, a rear portion disposed behind the front portion with a gap therebetween, and a fixing portion extending to connect a lower end of the front portion with a lower end of the rear portion, Two cushion rubbers are attached to the hood inner panel and spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction, the striker bracket is disposed between the two cushion rubbers in the vehicle width direction, the cushion rubber is disposed between the front portion and the rear portion of the engagement portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, the rotation axis is disposed on a virtual extension line of the fixed portion, The fixing portion and the front portion are perpendicular to each other, 2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal direction of the cushion rubber is arranged parallel to the direction in which the front portion extends.

3. the front fixing portion extends from a front portion of the engagement portion in one direction in the vehicle width direction, and the rear fixing portion extends from a rear portion of the engagement portion in the other direction in the vehicle width direction, 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the striker bracket is configured to be recessed upward at positions where the front fixing portion and the rear fixing portion are fixed.

4. one of the plurality of front joint portions and two of the rear joint portions are arranged to form an equilateral triangle, 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the front fixing portion is disposed so as to overlap the equilateral triangle in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

5. A seal member is attached to the front portion of the hood inner panel, 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the striker bracket is disposed so as to overlap the seal member.

6. 3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of front joints and the plurality of rear joints are arranged in a staggered pattern.

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