Pre-crash bracket

Abstract

A pre-crash bracket according to the present invention is attached to a drive source of a vehicle or an auxiliary component thereof.　The pre-crash bracket has a body portion and an abutment portion provided at the leading end of the body portion. The abutment portion has a flat face wider than an end face of the body portion, and the edge thereof is rounded in the direction of the body portion. The abutment portion protrudes to the dash panel side relative to the rearmost faces of the drive source and the auxiliary component thereof. Therefore, even in the case of a front crash, the pre-crash bracket abuts on the dash panel to leave a gap between the drive source and the dash panel, and interference between the drive source and components disposed behind the drive source can be inhibited.

Description

Collision front contact bracket

[0001] The present invention relates to a collision front contact bracket, and more particularly to a collision front contact bracket that protects components during a collision.

[0002] When a vehicle undergoes a frontal collision, the engine is retracted to ensure a shock absorption stroke to protect the occupants. However, components arranged behind the engine may be sandwiched between the engine and the dash panel and damaged, and this component damage may become a problem.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses that by providing a brake booster in the vicinity of the connection portion between the dash panel and the front side member, when a frontal collision occurs, the dash panel is deformed and a space is created between the retracted engine and the dash panel, so that it is possible to suppress the interference of the above-mentioned engine with the brake booster.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-141229

[0005] However, in the above prior art, interference of the engine with components arranged behind the engine, such as fuel pipes, etc., is not considered, and there is room for consideration.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of such prior art, and the object thereof is to provide a collision front contact bracket that can suppress interference of a drive source with components arranged behind the drive source during a frontal collision.

[0007] As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventor has found that the above object can be achieved by providing a collision front contact bracket to the drive source, and has completed the present invention.

[0008] In other words, the collision prevention bracket of the present invention is a collision prevention bracket attached to the drive source or its auxiliary components of a vehicle. It has a main body and a stopper portion provided at the tip of the main body, wherein the stopper portion has a flat surface wider than the end face of the main body, its edge is rounded in the direction of the main body, and the stopper portion protrudes toward the dash panel side from the rearmost part of the drive source and its auxiliary components.

[0009] According to the present invention, since the drive source is provided with a collision-targeting bracket, even in the event of a frontal collision, the collision-targeting bracket will hit the dash panel, leaving a gap between the drive source and the dash panel, thereby suppressing interference between the drive source and components located behind it.

[0010] This is a perspective view showing an example of a collision targeting bracket of the present invention. The diagram illustrates the state of the collision targeting bracket attached to the housing of a vehicle's drive source or its auxiliary components.

[0011] The collision prevention bracket of the present invention will now be described in detail. The collision prevention bracket 1 of the present invention is a collision prevention bracket attached to the housing 4 of a vehicle's drive source or its auxiliary components.

[0012] In this invention, "drive source" refers to an engine or motor, and "auxiliary components" refer to components that have auxiliary functions necessary to operate the drive source, such as alternators, water pumps, oil pumps, turbochargers, etc.

[0013] The above-mentioned collision targeting bracket (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "bracket") has a main body portion 2 and a stopper portion 3 provided at the tip of the main body portion.

[0014] The main body 2 described above is formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate, and as shown in Figure 1, its main surface is oriented in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and it extends from the housing 4 towards the dash panel 5 (front-to-rear direction of the vehicle).

[0015] Furthermore, the tip of the main body portion 2 on the dashboard panel side is bent at approximately 90 degrees relative to the main body portion 2, and the abutment portion 3 is joined to the surface of the bent portion that continues from the main surface.

[0016] The abutment portion 3 has a flat surface 31 that is wider than the end face of the main body portion 2 facing the dash panel. This flat surface 31 is a plane that extends in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction, and the entire circumference of the edge of the flat surface 31, that is, both in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction, is rounded in the direction of the main body portion.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the bracket 1 is mounted in a position where the abutment portion 3 protrudes toward the dash panel side from the rearmost part of the drive source and its auxiliary components (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "drive source"), and the plane of the abutment portion is approximately parallel to the dash panel 5.

[0018] Therefore, when the drive source retracts towards the dash panel, the abutment portion 3 makes contact with the dash panel over a wide surface, distributing the stress. In addition, because the edge is rounded, even if the drive source retracts not directly backward but at an angle to the surface of the dash panel, there is no sharp edge and no corner contact, thus preventing the bracket 1 from piercing the dash panel 5.

[0019] Therefore, even if the drive source is pushed backward towards the dash panel due to a frontal collision, the abutment portion 3 of the bracket will hit the dash panel 5, limiting the backward movement of the drive source and ensuring a gap between the drive source 4 and the dash panel 5. This prevents the drive source 4 from interfering with components located behind it, such as fuel piping 6.

[0020] Furthermore, if the drive source 4 is not moving directly backward, and depending on the angle, the bracket 1 may interfere with the fuel pipe 6, the parts of the fuel pipe that may interfere can be formed with a metal pipe 61, and the parts that do not pose a risk of interference can be formed with a resin hose 62. This prevents the fuel pipe from rupturing, and the flexibility of the resin hose makes the pipe connection work easier.

[0021] Furthermore, while it is common practice to provide a protector on the component itself when protecting it, in this invention, a bracket is provided on the housing 4 of the drive source. This restricts the retraction of the drive source itself, so even if the component to be protected is a long component such as a fuel pipe, it is not necessary to cover the entire component with a protector, thus preventing the bracket for protecting the component from becoming too large.

[0022] In the above bracket, it is preferable that the thickness of the abutment portion 3 is thinner than the thickness of the main body portion 2. Here, the thickness of the abutment portion refers to the thickness in the vehicle's front-rear direction, and the thickness of the main body refers to the thickness in the vehicle's vertical direction.

[0023] The main body 2 requires a certain thickness to withstand stress caused by collisions, and if the abutment portion 3 is formed with the same thickness as the main body, it becomes unnecessarily thick, increasing the weight of the bracket, and the bending radius of the edge of the abutment portion 3 becomes larger, thus increasing layout constraints.

[0024] Because the thickness of the abutment portion 3 is thinner than the thickness of the main body, the degree of freedom in molding the abutment portion is increased, making it easier to lay it out so as not to interfere with other parts that are arranged alongside the bracket 1 in the vehicle width direction.

[0025] The main body portion preferably has a bead 24 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 2. Having a bead 24 in the main body portion allows for reinforcement near the point where it is fastened to the housing, where the impact from collisions is large, thereby improving the rigidity of the bracket and reducing the weight by making the thickness of the main body portion thinner. In addition, by making the bead 24 convex upward as shown in Figure 2 and providing it on the edge of the main body portion 2 of the bracket 1, a recess can be formed on the lower surface of the bracket 1, for example, to secure a gap (clearance) with piping routed below the bead 24, thereby improving layout flexibility.

[0026] The main body described above preferably extends straight from the point where it is fastened to the housing toward the dashboard panel. However, if it is necessary to avoid interference with other parts, it can be given a crank shape that is offset in the vehicle width direction midway along the extension from the point where it is fastened to the housing toward the dashboard panel, as shown in Figure 1.

[0027] If the part extends diagonally in the vehicle width direction from the point where it is fastened to the housing, the corner radius and the bending radius will interfere when bending the tip of the main body on the dashboard panel side, which can easily lead to manufacturing variations. This can cause wrinkles to form on the side of the main body in the vehicle width direction, potentially resulting in the part not performing as intended in resisting impacts from collisions.

[0028] As described above, by creating a crank shape that is offset in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to prevent the trim lines at both corners from twisting at the point where the tip of the main body on the dashboard panel side is bent.

[0029] The bracket has a fastening hole 21 in its main body and is fastened to the housing 4 of the drive source with a single bolt at one point. Near the fastening hole 21, there is an over-rotation stopper 22 for positioning and a loosening rotation stopper 23 to prevent loosening due to input during collision.

[0030] When the bracket 1 is bolted to the housing 4, as shown in Figure 1, the positioning over-rotation stopper 22 contacts the projection 41 of the housing to prevent the bracket from rotating too far to the right. At this time, the loosening rotation stopper 23 is set to have a gap with the projection 42 of the housing, and when the bracket 1 rotates to the left, it contacts the projection 41 of the housing to prevent the bracket from rotating to the left.

[0031] By having an over-rotation stopper 22 and a loosening rotation stopper 23, even if a force is applied that rotates the bracket 1 around the fastening part, such as when the main body 2 is crank-shaped or when it strikes the surface of the abutment part of the dash panel at an angle, the two rotation stoppers prevent the bracket from rotating and prevent the drive source from retracting.

[0032] Furthermore, by forming a gap between the loosening and rotation stopper 23 and the projection 42 of the housing, it is possible to prevent the bracket from becoming impossible to assemble due to product variations.

[0033] As described above, the collision targeting bracket of the present invention can suppress interference between the drive source and a component located behind the drive source.

[0034] 1. Impact point bracket 2. Main body 21. Fastening hole 22. Over-rotation stopper 23. Loosening rotation stopper 24. Bead 3. Buttock 31. Flat surface 4. Drive source housing 41. Housing protrusion (over-rotation stopper) 42. Housing protrusion (loosening rotation stopper) 5. Dash panel 6. Fuel piping 61. Metal pipe 62. Resin hose

Claims

1. A collision prevention bracket attached to the housing of a vehicle's drive source or its auxiliary components, comprising a main body and a stopper portion provided at the tip of the main body, wherein the stopper portion has a flat surface wider than the end face of the main body, its edge is rounded in the direction of the main body, and the stopper portion protrudes toward the dash panel side beyond the rearmost part of the drive source and its auxiliary components.

2. The collision stop bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the abutment portion is thinner than the thickness of the main body portion.

3. The collision target bracket according to claim 2, characterized in that the main body portion has a bead.

4. The collision targeting bracket according to claim 3, characterized in that the main body portion has a crank shape that is offset in the vehicle width direction.

5. The collision targeting bracket according to claim 4, characterized in that the main body is fastened at one point to the drive source or its auxiliary components and has a loosening and rotation prevention mechanism.

6. The collision target bracket according to claim 5, characterized in that it is installed with a gap formed between the above-mentioned loosening and rotation stopper and the above-mentioned drive source or its auxiliary component.

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