Vehicle body front part structure

Abstract

A vehicle body front structure 1 includes: a front pillar 11; a fender panel 21 disposed a gap G away from the front pillar 11; a first panel 31 that, with the fender panel 21, defines a space S communicating with the gap G; an insert member 41 disposed along the gap G in the space S; and a bracket 51 that is attached to the first panel 31 and that supports the insert member 41 from below.

Description

Front body structure

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle front structure having a space formed between a vehicle body longitudinal frame member, a front pillar, etc., and the upper rear of a front fender, and an insert member made of an elastic material is disposed in the space. In this vehicle front structure, the space is closed by the insert member, and wind noise generated around the upper rear of the front fender due to wind while the vehicle is moving is suppressed.

[0003] Patent No. 3633144

[0004] However, the insert part in Patent Document 1 has a complex shape to prevent it from falling off while driving and to facilitate positioning. This can increase the cost of manufacturing the insert part. There is a demand for a simpler structure in the front of the vehicle body to suppress wind noise while the vehicle is driving.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle body front structure that can suppress the generation of wind noise while the vehicle is running with a simple configuration.

[0006] A front body structure according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a front pillar, a fender panel arranged with a gap between it and the front pillar, a first panel defining a space between the fender panel and the first panel that communicates with the gap, an insert member arranged within the space along the gap, and a bracket attached to the first panel that supports the insert member from below.

[0007] According to the above vehicle body front structure, the generation of wind noise while the vehicle is running can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of air around a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body front structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure of the vehicle body front structure according to an embodiment when a fender panel is removed. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the vehicle body front structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a bracket structure.

[0009] Hereinafter, a vehicle front body structure 1 mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, FW indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, UP indicates the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and LH indicates the left side in the width direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, components having the same functions as those already described will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again. Below, the left-side vehicle front body structure 1 will be described. The right-side vehicle front body structure 1 is similar to the left-side vehicle front body structure 1, and therefore its description will be omitted.

[0010] The vehicle front body structure 1 includes a front pillar 11, a fender panel 21, a first panel 31, an insert member 41, and a bracket 51 (see FIGS. 2 to 4). The fender panel 21 is disposed on the side of the front of the vehicle 2, with a gap G between it and the front pillar 11 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). A space S communicating with the gap G is formed between the fender panel 21 and the first panel 31 (see FIG. 4). An insert member 41 supported by a bracket 51 is disposed within the space S (see FIG. 4). In the embodiment, the first panel 31 is, for example, a hood ridge panel covering the side of the engine compartment. In the following description, the first panel 31 will be referred to as the hood ridge panel 31.

[0011] The front pillar 11 is a vehicle frame structure disposed along the side of the front window panel 3. The front pillar 11 extends upward while sloping rearward from the lower end of the side of the front window panel 3 (see FIG. 1). The base end of the front pillar 11 is connected to a front pillar lower 12 disposed below the front pillar 11 (see FIG. 3). The front pillar lower 12 is a vehicle frame structure extending in the vertical direction. The front pillar 11 is sometimes referred to as an A-pillar, etc.

[0012] The fender panel 21 is an outer panel of the vehicle body and is disposed on the outer side of the lower portion of the front pillar 11 in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 2). More specifically, the gap G is formed between an outer edge 11A of the lower portion of the front pillar 11 in the vehicle width direction and an inner edge 21A of the upper portion of the fender panel 21 in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 2). The gap G extends substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the edge 11A of the front pillar 11 and the edge 21A of the fender panel 21. The edge 21A of the fender panel 21 may be formed by an upper end wall 21B formed by folding a portion of the tip of the fender panel 21 downward. In this embodiment, the gap G is defined between the edge 11A of the front pillar 11 and the upper end wall 21B of the fender panel 21 (see FIG. 4). The shape of edge 21A of fender panel 21 is not limited to the above, and a portion of the leading edge of fender panel 21 may be folded back toward inner surface 21C of fender panel 21 or toward outer surface 31A of hood ridge panel 31. Furthermore, the leading edge of fender panel 21 does not have to be folded back.

[0013] The hood ridge panel 31 is a vehicle frame structure extending in the front-rear direction at the front of the vehicle 2 and covers the sides of the engine compartment. The rear of the hood ridge panel 31 is connected to the front pillar lower section 12 and covers the vehicle widthwise outer side of the front pillar lower section 12 (see FIG. 3). The fender panel 21 is attached to the vehicle widthwise outer side of the hood ridge panel 31. The fender panel 21 is spaced apart from the hood ridge panel 31 on the vehicle widthwise outer side and covers the hood ridge panel 31 from the vehicle widthwise outer side (see FIG. 4). Therefore, a space S is formed between the hood ridge panel 31 and the fender panel 21. The space S is also formed below the gap G and communicates with the gap G (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the space S communicates with the outside of the vehicle via the gap G. That is, a space S that communicates with the gap G is defined between the fender panel 21 and the hood ridge panel 31 (see FIG. 4). A hood ridge reinforcement 32 that reinforces the hood ridge panel 31 may be attached to the outside of the hood ridge panel 31 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the fender panel 21 may be spaced apart from the hood ridge panel 31 and the hood ridge reinforcement 32 on the outside in the vehicle width direction and attached to cover the hood ridge panel 31 and the hood ridge reinforcement 32 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0014] The vehicle body front structure 1 according to the embodiment aims to suppress wind noise generated when the vehicle is traveling. Here, wind noise is defined as noise generated outside and inside the vehicle cabin of a moving vehicle 2 due to pressure fluctuations caused by the vehicle body shape. When a moving vehicle 2 is traveling, a portion of the traveling wind flowing rearward along the outer surface of the vehicle body bends from the front window panel 3 near the front pillar 11 and turns around to the side window (see FIG. 1 ). At this time, the traveling wind bends sharply near the base end of the front pillar 11, increasing the wind speed near the base end and reducing the pressure near the base end. This also reduces the pressure near the gap G located near the base end. Therefore, air in the space S is sucked through the gap G to the outside of the vehicle where the pressure is reduced. When this occurs, wind noise may be generated when the air in the space S passes through the narrow gap G and is sucked outside the vehicle. In the embodiment, an insert member 41 is disposed in the space S, and by occupying a certain volume within the space S with the insert member 41, the amount of air that may be present in the space S can be reduced. Furthermore, by disposing the insert member 41 in the space S, it can become a resistance to the passage of air within the space S when it is sucked out to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, the amount and speed of air sucked out from the space S to the outside of the vehicle can be reduced, and wind noise can be suppressed.

[0015] The bracket 51 is attached to the rear portion of the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31, on the upper side near the base end of the front pillar 11 (see FIG. 3). The bracket 51 has a plate-like shape and may include a first plate 52 and a second plate 53. In this embodiment, the first plate 52 forms the lower portion of the bracket 51. The first plate 52 abuts against the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31 and is attached to the hood ridge panel 31 with two watertight rivets R (see FIGS. 3 to 5). Note that the method of attaching the bracket 51 to the hood ridge panel 31 is not limited to the above, and may be attached by, for example, bolts, welding, or the like.

[0016] In this embodiment, the second plate 53 extends and bends upward from the first plate 52, forming the upper portion of the bracket 51 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). More specifically, the bracket 51 extends and bends upward from the upper end of the first plate 52 while gradually moving away from the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31. That is, the portion of the bracket 51 above the first plate 52 may extend away from the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31 and toward the space S. The second plate 53 may be formed to be wider than the first plate 52 along the gap G that extends substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0017] An insert member 41 is attached to one side surface 53A of the second plate 53. Here, the one side surface 53A is a surface of the second plate 53 that can support the insert member 41 from below when the bracket 51 is attached to the hood ridge panel 31. In other words, the one side surface 53A is the surface on which the insert member 41 is located closest to the upper gap G when the bracket 51 is attached to the hood ridge panel 31 with the insert member 41 disposed on the surface of the second plate 53 (see FIG. 4 ).

[0018] The second plate 53 may be formed so as to bend upward and extend from the first plate 52 and be curved in the thickness direction. The bracket 51 according to the embodiment has a convex portion 53B formed therein that protrudes in the thickness direction of the second plate 53 (see FIG. 5 ). Note that the shape of the second plate 53 that is curved in the thickness direction is not limited to the convex portion 53B, and a concave portion that is recessed in the thickness direction of the second plate 53 may be formed. The shape of the bracket 51 is not limited to the above. For example, the second plate 53 may be formed so as to be bent and extend substantially perpendicular to the first plate 52 and have an L-shaped cross section, or may be bent and extend from the first plate 52 in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0019] The insert member 41 may be made of a foam filler that foams and hardens when heated. In the embodiment, the insert member 41 has a sheet-like shape before foaming and is attached to one side surface 53A of the second plate 53 with tape or the like. In the embodiment, the bracket 51 to which the pre-foamed insert member 41 is attached is attached to the hood ridge panel 31, and then the fender panel 21 is attached. Then, while the pre-foamed insert member 41 is held on one side surface 53A of the second plate 53, a drying process for electrodeposition coating is performed. In the drying process, for example, drying is performed in an electrodeposition furnace under baking conditions of approximately 200°C. During the drying process, the foam filler constituting the insert member 41 is heated and foamed, and then hardened. This results in the foamed and volume-expanded insert member 41. Note that the pre-foamed insert member 41 is not limited to a sheet-like shape and may be in another form, such as a paste. The drying process for electrodeposition coating is also referred to as a baking process.

[0020] The foamed and volumetrically expanded insert member 41 may be in contact with the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31 and the inner surface 21C of the fender panel 21. In this case, when a load is applied to the outer surface of the fender panel 21, the insert members 41 abutting against the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31 and the inner surface 21C of the fender panel 21, respectively, support the fender panel 21 from the inside, thereby suppressing deformation of the fender panel 21. Note that a foam filler that has been foamed and volumetrically expanded in advance may be used as the insert member 41 and attached to the second plate 53, after which the fender panel 21 is attached. In this case, when drying is performed under high-temperature baking conditions in the drying step of the electrodeposition coating, it is necessary to use a foam filler that is resistant to damage even in a high-temperature environment.

[0021] (1) The vehicle front body structure 1 according to the embodiment includes a front pillar 11, a fender panel 21 disposed between the front pillar 11 and the fender panel 21 with a gap G therebetween, a hood ridge panel 31 as a first panel defining a space S between the fender panel 21 and the first panel, the space S being in communication with the gap G, an insert member 41 disposed within the space S along the gap G, and a bracket 51 attached to the hood ridge panel 31 and supporting the insert member 41 from below. With this configuration, the insert member 41 occupies a certain volume within the space S, thereby reducing the amount of air that may be present within the space S. Furthermore, disposing the insert member 41 within the space S can provide resistance to the passage of air within the space S when it is drawn to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, the amount and speed of air within the space S drawn to the outside of the vehicle through the gap G are reduced, thereby suppressing wind noise with a simple configuration. Furthermore, even if the insert member 41 were to fall off the bracket 51, the insert member 41 would be received from below by the bracket 51 because the insert member 41 is supported from below by the bracket 51. Therefore, even if the insert member 41 were to fall off the bracket 51, it is possible to prevent the insert member 41 from falling into the space S below the bracket 51 and losing the effect of suppressing wind noise.

[0022] (2) According to an embodiment, the insert member 41 may abut against the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31 and the inner surface 21C of the fender panel 21. By arranging the insert member 41 as described above, when a load is applied to the outer surface of the fender panel 21, the insert member 41 supports the fender panel 21 from the inside between the outer surface 31A of the hood ridge panel 31 and the inner surface 21C of the fender panel 21, thereby suppressing deformation of the fender panel 21. This improves the rigidity of the fender panel 21 against load application.

[0023] (3) Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the bracket 51 includes a first plate 52 attached to the hood ridge panel 31 and a second plate 53 supporting the insert member 41 from below. The second plate 53 bends and extends from the first plate 52 and is curved in the thickness direction. This configuration improves the rigidity of the bracket 51. As a result, the weight of the bracket 51 can be reduced.

[0024] (4) Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the insert member 41 is a foam filler that foams and hardens during the drying process of electrodeposition coating while held by the bracket 51. Therefore, during electrodeposition coating after the fender panel 21 is attached, the foam filler that makes up the insert member 41 can be heated and foamed during the drying process, and then hardened. Therefore, after the fender panel 21 is attached, the foamed and expanded insert member 41 can be formed and positioned in the space S.

[0025] The above-described embodiments are merely examples described to facilitate understanding of the invention. The technical scope of the invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above-described embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, alternative technologies, etc. that can be easily derived therefrom.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the hood ridge panel 31 is used as the first panel, and the bracket 51 is attached to the hood ridge panel 31. The first panel is not limited to the hood ridge panel 31, and may be any member disposed in the space S, such as the front pillar lower 12 or the hood ridge reinforcement 32.

[0027] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle body front structure 11 front pillar 21 fender panel 21C inner surface 31 hood ridge panel (first panel) 31A outer surface 41 insert member 51 bracket 52 first plate 53 second plate G gap S space

Claims

1. A vehicle front structure comprising a front pillar, a fender panel disposed with a gap between the front pillar, a first panel defining a space communicating with the gap between the fender panel, an insert member disposed along the gap in the space, and a bracket attached to the first panel and supporting the insert member from below.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the insert member is in contact with the outer surface of the first panel and the inner surface of the fender panel.

3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bracket has a first plate attached to the first panel and a second plate supporting the insert member from below, and the second plate extends bent from the first plate and is curved in the thickness direction.

4. The vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the insert member is a foam filling body that foams and cures by a drying process in electrocoating while being held by the bracket.

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