Front Vehicle Body Reinforcing Structure for Small Overlap Collision
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing front vehicle body structures are inadequate in preventing excessive damage and ensuring passenger safety during frontal small overlap collisions, as they fail to effectively disperse collision loads and protect the vehicle's outer portions.
Innovation Solution
A reinforcing structure comprising multiple members, including a front side member, wheel housing panel, dash panel, front pillar, cowl cross member, and additional reinforcing members, which form a closed cross-section and are strategically coupled to disperse collision loads and prevent rotational behavior during a collision, using materials like steel or aluminum extrusions with slanted surfaces to enhance rigidity and wheel deviation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcement members are added to strengthen the front vehicle body outer portion, then collision resistance is improved, but vehicle weight and manufacturing cost increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement structure is divided into multiple segments: a first reinforcement member extending from the front side member toward the front pillar, and a second reinforcement member extending from the front side member toward the wheel housing panel. This segmentation allows targeted reinforcement at critical collision zones without uniformly strengthening the entire vehicle body, thereby improving collision resistance while controlling weight increase.
Solution Approach 2:
Reinforcement members are strategically positioned at specific locations where collision forces are most concentrated during small overlap collisions. The first reinforcement member connects to the front pillar area, while the second reinforcement member connects to the wheel housing panel area, providing localized strength enhancement precisely where needed rather than throughout the entire structure.
2Strength
If reinforcement members are added to strengthen the front vehicle body outer portion, then collision resistance is improved, but manufacturing cost increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement members are integrated with existing vehicle body components such as the front side member, front pillar, and wheel housing panel. By merging the reinforcement function with structural components that already exist in the vehicle design, the patent avoids the need for separate, additional reinforcement parts, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while still achieving improved collision resistance.
3Strength
If the front side member is reinforced, then structural strength is improved, but rotational behavior during collision cannot be suppressed
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second reinforcement members are configured with asymmetric orientations relative to the front side member. The first reinforcement member extends toward the front pillar at a specific angle, while the second reinforcement member extends toward the wheel housing panel at a different angle. This asymmetric arrangement creates a balanced reinforcement pattern that resists rotational forces by distributing collision loads across different directional vectors, thereby suppressing rotational behavior during collision.
4Reliability
If existing reinforcement structures are added, then some protection is provided, but passenger safety during small overlap collision remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement members extend in multiple spatial dimensions from the front side member - one toward the front pillar (longitudinal dimension) and another toward the wheel housing panel (lateral dimension). This multi-dimensional reinforcement configuration creates a three-dimensional load distribution network that more effectively protects the passenger compartment from collision forces compared to single-direction reinforcement, thereby improving passenger safety without excessive complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A front vehicle body reinforcing structure is provided. The structure includes a front side member that extends in the length direction and is disposed at both left and right sides in the width direction and a wheel housing panel that houses a wheel, disposed external to the front side member in the width direction and coupled with the front side member. A dash panel extends in the width and height directions, and compartmentalizing an engine and occupant compartment. A front pillar extends in the length and height directions and is coupled with the wheel housing panel and the dash panel. Additionally, a cowl cross member extends in the width direction and includes both end portions coupled to the front pillar and the wheel housing panel. A first reinforcing member extends in the length and height directions and is coupled to the wheel housing panel and the front pillar vehicle.