Vehicle front structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle front structure where impact force is surely transferred to a front side frame at the time of SOL collision.SOLUTION: A vehicle front structure 100 comprises: a front side frame 10; a bumper reinforcement 20; and a fastening plate 30 which is sandwiched and fastened between a front end 12 of the front side frame 10 and a fastening part 22 of the bumper reinforcement 20. The bumper reinforcement 20 and the fastening plate 30 are extended to the outside in a vehicle width direction relative to the front side frame 10, a tip 38 of the fastening plate 30 is fastened to an outer end 24 of the bumper reinforcement 20, and a SOL brace 40 extending in vehicle oblique rear side from the fastening plate 30 to the outside surface of the front side frame 10 in the vehicle width direction is attached to the vehicle rear side surface of the fastening plate 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure, particularly an attachment structure of a SOL brace.

Background Art

[0002] A SOL brace that transmits an impact load during a small overlap collision (hereinafter referred to as a SOL collision) to a front side frame is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The SOL brace hits the side surface of the front side frame during a SOL collision and transmits the impact force to the side surface of the front side frame, and suppresses deformation in front of the passenger compartment by causing the vehicle to shift laterally.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in a SOL collision, the barrier enters the side end portion outside the vehicle width direction of the front side frame of the bumper ring force. For this reason, the side end portion of the bumper ring force may be sheared in the vehicle longitudinal direction by the barrier and the front end portion of the front side frame and break. When breakage occurs, the side end portion of the bumper ring force moves rearward of the vehicle together with the barrier. In the vehicle front structure of the prior art, since the SOL brace is attached to the side end portion, the SOL brace may move rearward of the vehicle together with the side end portion during a SOL collision. Therefore, in the vehicle front structure of the prior art, it may be impossible to transmit the impact force to the side surface of the front side frame during a SOL collision, and it may be difficult to suppress deformation in front of the passenger compartment.

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure aims to reliably transmit impact force to the front side frame during a SOL collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle front structure of this disclosure comprises: a front side frame positioned on the front side of the vehicle and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a bumper reinforcement fastened to the front end of the front side frame and extending in the vehicle width direction; and a fastening plate sandwiched between the front end of the front side frame and the fastening portion of the bumper reinforcement, and fastened between the front end of the front side frame and the fastening portion of the bumper reinforcement, wherein the bumper reinforcement and the fastening plate extend outward in the vehicle width direction from the front side frame, the tip of the fastening plate is fastened to the outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction, and a SOL brace is attached to the rear surface of the fastening plate, extending diagonally rearward from the fastening plate toward the outer surface of the front side frame in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the outer portion of the fastening plate that extends outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the front side frame is bent in a convex, mountain-like shape towards the rear of the vehicle, creating a gap between it and the rear surface of the bumper reinforcement. Its defining characteristic is its presence.

[0007] The SOL brace is attached to a fastening plate rather than directly to the bumper reinforcement, so that even if the bumper reinforcement breaks during a SOL collision, its relative position to the front side frame is maintained. This allows the impact load to be transferred from the barrier to the side of the front side frame, which can cause the vehicle to shift laterally during a SOL collision and suppress deformation of the front of the passenger compartment. Furthermore, this allows the bumper reinforcement force to be compressed into the gap between the vehicle's front surface of the fastening plate and the barrier during SOL (Solar Orbital), absorbing the impact force and thus increasing the amount of impact energy absorbed.

[0010] In the vehicle front structure of this disclosure, the SOL brace may be welded to the rear surface of the fastening plate that is outward in the vehicle width direction from the ridge line that protrudes to the rear of the vehicle.

[0011] In this way, since the SOL brace is welded to the rear surface of the fastening plate, there are no members protruding from the front of the fastening plate. This allows the bumper reinforcement force to ensure sufficient space between the front surface of the fastening plate and the barrier during a SOL collision, thus absorbing more impact force. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] This disclosure enables reliable transmission of impact force to the front side frame during a SOL collision. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view showing the front vehicle structure of the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the front structure of the vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing the deformation of various parts in the initial stages of a collision when a vehicle equipped with the vehicle front structure of the embodiment is subjected to a SOL collision. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the deformation of various parts in the later stages of a collision when a vehicle equipped with the vehicle front structure of the embodiment is subjected to a SOL collision. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The vehicle front structure 100 of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FR, UP, and RH shown in each figure indicate the front, upper, and right sides, respectively, of the vehicle 200 equipped with the vehicle front structure 100. The opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear, lower, and left sides. Hereafter, when simply using the directions of front / rear, left / right, and up / down, unless otherwise specified, these refer to the front / rear, left / right, and up / down directions of the vehicle 200.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle front structure 100 includes a front side frame 10, a bumper reinforcement 20, a fastening plate 30, and a SOL brace 40. In the following description, the vehicle front structure 100 on the left side of the vehicle 200 will be described, but the vehicle front structure on the right side of the vehicle 200 (not shown) is symmetrical to the vehicle front structure 100 on the left side, so its description will be omitted.

[0016] The front side frame 10 is a skeletal member located on the front left side of the vehicle 200 and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front side frame 10 includes a main body 11 and a front end plate 13. The main body 11 is a longitudinal member with a rectangular closed cross-section extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. An opening 15 is provided on the outer surface of the main body 11 in the vehicle width direction. A bulk 16 is installed inside the opening 15. The bulk 16 is a reinforcing member that receives impact loads from the rear 42 of the SOL brace 40, which will be described later, during a SOL collision.

[0017] The front end plate 13 is a plate member attached to the front end 12 of the main body 11, and is composed of a flat plate 13A and an upper flange 13B. The flat plate 13A is a plate member with an outer dimension larger than the cross-section of the main body 11, and extends outwards to the left, right, and bottom of the main body 11, forming vertical flange portions 13C that extend to the left, right, and bottom. The upper flange 13B is a plate member that extends from the upper end of the flat plate 13A toward the front of the vehicle. Multiple bolt holes 14A are provided in the lower part of the vertical flange portion 13C, and multiple bolt holes 14B are provided in the upper flange 13B.

[0018] The bumper link force 20 is a skeletal member that is fastened to the front end plate 13 of the front side frame 10 and extends in the vehicle width direction. The bumper link force 20 has a square closed cross-section and connects the front end plates 13 of the left and right front side frames 10 in the vehicle width direction. The bumper link force 20 includes a central portion 21 at the center in the vehicle width direction, a fastening portion 22 to which the front end plate 13 of the front side frame 10 is fastened, and a side end portion 23 that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the fastening portion 22. The outer end in the vehicle width direction of the side end portion 23 is the outer end 24. Bolt holes 25A and 25B are provided on the rear surface 22A and the upper surface 22B of the fastening portion 22, respectively. Further, a bolt hole 26B is provided on the upper surface 24B of the outer end 24, and a bolt hole 26A is provided on the rear surface 24A of the outer end 24.

[0019] The fastening plate 30 is a plate member that is sandwiched between the front end plate 13 of the front side frame 10 and the fastening portion 22 of the bumper link force 20 and is fastened to the front end plate 13 of the front side frame 10 and the fastening portion 22 of the bumper link force 20.

[0020] The fastening plate 30 includes a base portion 31 and a folded plate portion 32. The base portion 31 is a plate member that is sandwiched between the front end plate 13 and the rear surface 22A of the fastening portion 22. An upper flange 34, which is a plate member extending toward the front of the vehicle, is provided at the upper end of the base portion 31. A plurality of bolt holes 35B are provided in the upper flange 34. Further, a plurality of bolt holes 35A are provided at the lower portion of the base portion 31.

[0021] The folded plate portion 32 is an outer portion that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the base portion 31. The folded plate portion 32 is bent in a mountain shape along a ridge line 33 so as to protrude toward the rear of the vehicle. The tip at the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the folded plate portion 32 is the tip portion 38. An upper flange 36, which is a plate member extending toward the front of the vehicle, is provided at the upper end of the folded plate portion 32. The upper flange 36 is connected to the upper flange 34 of the base portion 31. A bolt hole 37B is provided at the tip at the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the upper flange 36. Further, a bolt hole 37A is provided at the lower portion of the tip portion 38.

[0022] The SOL brace 40 is attached by welding to the rear surface of the vehicle on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the ridge line 33 of the fastening plate 30 in the front part 41. Therefore, there are no protrusions such as bolts in front of the folded plate portion 32 of the fastening plate 30. The SOL brace 40 is a tapered square closed cross-sectional member whose cross-section becomes narrower toward the rear part 42.

[0023] Next, the assembly of the front side frame 10, the bumper lining force 20, and the fastening plate 30 will be described. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the upper flange 34 of the fastening plate 30 is overlapped on the upper surface 22B of the fastening portion 22 of the bumper lining force 20. Also, the upper flange 36 of the fastening plate 30 is overlapped on the upper surface 24B of the outer end 24. Further, the base portion 31 of the fastening plate 30 is overlapped on the rear surface 22A of the fastening portion 22, and the tip portion 38 of the fastening plate 30 is overlapped on the rear surface 24A of the outer end 24. Then, the upper flange 13B of the front end plate 13 of the front side frame 10 is overlapped on the upper flange 34 of the fastening plate 30, and the flat plate 13A of the front end plate 13 is overlapped on the rear surface of the vehicle of the base portion 31 of the fastening plate 30.

[0024] The bolt hole 14B provided in the upper flange 13B of the front end plate 13, the bolt hole 35B provided in the upper flange 34 of the fastening plate 30, and the bolt hole 25B provided in the upper surface 22B of the fastening portion 22 overlap to form a through hole. Similarly, the bolt hole 14A provided in the vertical flange portion 13C of the front end plate 13, the bolt hole 35A provided in the lower part of the base portion 31, and the bolt hole 25A provided in the rear surface 22A of the fastening portion 22 overlap to form a through hole. Also, the bolt hole 37B provided in the upper flange 36 of the fastening plate 30 overlaps with the bolt hole 26B provided in the upper surface 24B of the outer end 24 to form a through hole. Further, the bolt hole 37A provided in the tip portion 38 of the fastening plate 30 overlaps with the bolt hole 26A provided in the rear surface 24A of the outer end 24 to form a through hole.

[0025] Then, as shown in Figure 2, bolts 51 are passed through bolt holes 14B, 35B, and 25B to fasten the upper flanges 13B and 34 to the upper surface 22B of the fastening portion 22. Similarly, bolts 52 are passed through bolt holes 37B and 26B to fasten the upper flange 36 to the upper surface 24B of the outer end 24. Also, bolts 54 are passed through bolt holes 25A, 35A, and 14A and nuts 53 are tightened from the rear of the vehicle. This fastens the flat plate 13A and the base portion 31 to the rear surface 22A of the fastening portion 22. Also, bolts 55 are passed through bolt holes 26A and 37A and nuts 56 are tightened from the rear of the vehicle. This fastens the tip portion 38 of the fastening plate 30 to the outer end 24. In this way, the fastening plate 30 is sandwiched between the front end 12 of the front side frame 10 and the fastening portion 22 of the bumper reinforcement 20 and fastened to the front end 12 and the fastening portion 22. Furthermore, the tip 38 of the fastening plate 30 is fastened to the outer end 24 of the bumper reinforcement 20.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, when the fastening plate 30 is sandwiched and fastened between the front side frame 10 and the bumper reinforcement 20, the bumper reinforcement 20 and the fastening plate 30 extend outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the front side frame 10. A gap S is present between the folded portion 32 of the fastening plate 30 and the rear surface 23A of the side end 23. The rear portion 42 of the SOL brace 40 extends diagonally backward from the vehicle towards the outer surface in the vehicle width direction of the front side frame 10 from the fastening plate 30.

[0027] Next, the deformation of each part of a vehicle 200 equipped with a vehicle front structure 100 during a SOL collision will be explained with reference to Figures 2 to 4. As shown in Figure 2, in a SOL collision, the barrier 90 enters the side end 23 that is further outward in the vehicle width direction than the front side frame 10 of the bumper reinforcement 20.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, there is a gap S between the folded plate portion 32 of the fastening plate 30 and the rear surface 23A of the side end portion 23. Therefore, when the barrier 90 collides with the front of the side end portion 23 of the bumper reinforcement 20, as shown in Figure 3, the side end portion 23 is crushed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in the gap S between the front surface of the fastening plate 30 and the barrier 90. This crushing of the bumper reinforcement 20 absorbs the impact force.

[0029] Furthermore, the side end portion 23 is subjected to shear force in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle by the barrier 90 and the front end portion 12 of the front side frame 10. As a result, the side end portion 23 breaks into a portion 23C adjacent to the fastening portion 22 and a portion 23D including the outer end portion 24. At this time, the fastening plate 30 bends at the folded portion 32 toward the rear of the vehicle but does not break. Since the SOL brace 40 is welded and fixed to the fastening plate 30, even if the side end portion 23 of the bumper reinforcement force 20 breaks, the rear portion 42 maintains a state in which it extends diagonally toward the rear of the vehicle from the fastening plate 30 toward the outer surface in the vehicle width direction of the front side frame 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, when the barrier 90 enters further, the rear portion 42 of the SOL brace 40 enters the opening 15 of the front side frame 10 and contacts the bulk 16 located inside. This applies a force from the SOL brace 40 to the front side frame 10 that directs the vehicle 200 to the right. As a result, the vehicle 200 shifts laterally to the right, and the barrier 90 passes the left side of the vehicle 200. This prevents the barrier 90 from entering the passenger compartment and deforming the front of the passenger compartment.

[0031] Thus, in the vehicle front structure 100, since the SOL brace 40 is attached to the fastening plate 30, even if the bumper reinforce force 20 breaks during a SOL collision, the fastening plate 30 maintains the relative position with respect to the front side frame 10. This allows the collision load to be transmitted from the barrier 90 to the side of the front side frame 10. Furthermore, during a SOL collision, the vehicle 200 can be shifted laterally, suppressing deformation in the front of the passenger compartment.

[0032] Furthermore, in the front vehicle structure 100, the bumper reinforce force 20 is compressed in the gap S between the front surface of the fastening plate 30 and the barrier 90 during a SOL collision, absorbing the impact force and thus increasing the amount of impact energy absorbed. Moreover, since the SOL brace 40 is welded to the rear surface of the fastening plate 30, there are no members protruding from the front of the fastening plate 30, and a sufficient gap S between the front surface of the fastening plate 30 and the barrier 90 can be secured. As a result, the amount to which the bumper reinforce force 20 is compressed between the front surface of the fastening plate 30 and the barrier 90 during a SOL collision increases, allowing for greater absorption of impact force.

[0033] In the above description, the fastening plate 30 is assumed to consist of a base portion 31 and a V-shaped convex folded plate portion 32, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may consist of a base portion 31 and a flat plate-shaped end portion extending from the base portion 31 toward the outer end 24 of the bumper reinforcement 20. In this case, the width of the gap S becomes narrower, so the amount of impact force absorbed is less than that of the vehicle front structure 100 described earlier, but similar to the vehicle front structure 100, it becomes possible to transmit the collision load from the barrier 90 to the side of the front side frame 10 in the event of a SOL collision, and deformation of the front of the passenger compartment can be suppressed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10 Front side frame, 11 Main body, 12 Front end, 13 Front end plate, 13A Flat plate, 13B, 34, 36 Upper flange, 13C Vertical flange section, 14A, 14B, 25A, 25B, 26A, 26B, 35A, 35B, 37A, 37B Bolt holes, 15 Opening, 16 Bulk, 20 Bumper reinforcement, 21 Center section, 22 Fastening section, 22A, 23A, 24A Rear surface, 22B, 24B Top surface, 23 Side end, 23C, 23D Section, 24 Outer end, 31 Base section, 32 Folded plate section, 33 Ridge, 38 Tip section, 40 SOL brace, 41 Front section, 42 Rear section, 51, 52, 54, 55 Bolts, 53, 56 Nuts, 90 Barrier, 100 front vehicle structure, 200 vehicle, S gap.

Claims

1. A front side frame positioned on the front side of the vehicle, extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, A bumper reinforcement force is fastened to the front end of the front side frame and extends in the vehicle width direction, A vehicle front structure comprising a fastening plate sandwiched between the front end of the front side frame and the fastening portion of the bumper reinforcement, and fastened between the front end of the front side frame and the fastening portion of the bumper reinforcement, The bumper reinforcement and the fastening plate extend outward in the vehicle width direction from the front side frame, and the tip of the fastening plate is fastened to the outer end of the bumper reinforcement in the vehicle width direction. A SOL brace is attached to the rear surface of the fastening plate, extending diagonally towards the rear of the vehicle from the fastening plate toward the outer surface in the vehicle width direction of the front side frame, and the outer portion of the fastening plate that extends outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the front side frame is bent in a convex, mountain-like shape toward the rear of the vehicle, creating a gap between it and the rear surface of the bumper reinforcement. A vehicle front structure characterized by the following.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, The SOL brace is welded to the rear surface of the fastening plate, which is on the vehicle width side and outward from the convex ridge on the rear side of the vehicle. A vehicle front structure characterized by the following.

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