JP3531491B2 - Car body front structure - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some automobiles include, for example, JP-A-9-28.
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 6354, by restraining the strut tower bars connected between the tops of the strut towers disposed on the left and right sides of the front part of the vehicle body, the inward deformation of the strut tower due to the suspension input is suppressed. It is known to do so.

[0003]

The strut tower bar can increase the inward leaning rigidity of the left and right strut towers, but at the time of a frontal collision of a vehicle, a collision input is directed rearward to the front side member on which the strut towers are erected. When actuated, the strut tower bar does not contribute much as a drag member that suppresses the deformation of these front side members outward in the vehicle width direction, and the front side members ideally collapse and deform in the axial direction. Requires a structural change of the front side member itself, especially in the case where the front overhang amount is small and the distance between the front end and the strut tower is restricted to be small, such as in small cars, the outside of the front side member in the vehicle width direction. There is a strong demand for a deformation suppressing structure.

In such a small vehicle, a collision load may be applied to the upper portion of the front part of the vehicle body during a frontal collision. In this case, however, the collision load can be input and transmitted to the front side member in the axial direction. It will be difficult.

Therefore, the present invention can suppress the deformation of the front side member in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision without changing the structure of the front side member to smoothly crush and deform the front side member in the axial direction. Provided is a vehicle body front structure capable of axially inputting and transmitting a collision load to a front side member even when a collision load is applied to an upper portion of a front portion.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first cross member extending between front end portions of front side members having a closed cross section structure extending in the front-rear direction on both sides of a front portion of a vehicle body. At the rear, the upper cross member is joined across the upper front side parts of the left and right strut towers joined and erected to these front side members, and the left and right front side members are offset at a position rearward of the upper cross member. It is characterized in that the lower cross member is joined across the members, and the support stay is joined obliquely across the upper cross member and the lower cross member.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, as the front side member according to claim 1, a hollow extruded material extruded into a hollow shape from a lightweight metal material is used.

According to the invention of claim 3, claims 1 and 2 are provided.
The lower cross member described in (1) is characterized in that cutouts are provided on the lower surface sides of both end portions thereof, and the cutouts are engaged and joined together over the upper wall and the side wall of the front side member.

In the invention of claim 4, claims 1 to 3
The support stay described in (1) is arranged in the vehicle center.

In the invention of claim 5, claims 1 to 3 are provided.
A plurality of the support stays described in (1) are arranged in the vehicle width direction.

According to the invention of claim 6, claims 1 to 5 are provided.
The charging support for inserting / removing the charging coupler is arranged so as to extend across the upper cross member and the support stay described in 1 above and substantially parallel to the support stay.

According to the invention of claim 7, claims 1 to 6 are provided.
The support stay described in (1) is equipped with mounting flanges for connecting the upper cross member and the lower cross member at its front and rear ends, and at least the mounting flange at the rear end is connected to the upper wall of the lower cross member. There is.

According to the invention of claim 8, claims 1 to 7 are provided.
The upper cross member described in 1 above is directly joined to the strut tower.

According to the invention of claim 9, claims 1 to 8 are provided.
The drive accessory component having a rigid structure is connected and arranged so as to straddle the lower cross member and the upper cross member and / or the front side member.

In the invention of claim 10, claims 1 to 1
The support stay described in 9 is characterized in that a collision detection sensor is provided.

[0016]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first cross member is connected across the front end portions of the left and right front side members, but at the rear of the first cross member in the case of a frontal collision of the vehicle. The left and right front side members tend to deform outward in the vehicle width direction, and this tendency becomes particularly noticeable in the case of an offset collision in which the collision input acts on one side of the front part of the vehicle body. The lower cross member is connected across the side members, and further, the lower cross member is connected to the upper cross member connected across the upper front side parts of the left and right strut towers via a support stay, The left and right front side members are connected using these left and right strut towers, which have high rigidity, as the connecting bases. Deformation in the vehicle width direction outer side of the cement side members may of course, it is possible to reliably suppress the deformation in the vehicle width direction inner side.

As a result, the front side member can be smoothly deformed and deformed in the axial direction, the collision energy absorption characteristics can be improved, and the deformation of the front part of the vehicle body can be suppressed to the vicinity of the strut tower. A passenger compartment space can be secured.

Further, the lower cross member is offset rearward of the upper cross member, and the support stays are obliquely connected between the upper cross member and the lower cross member. When a collision load is applied to the upper portion, the support stay functions as a bulging member, and input can be transmitted from the upper cross member to the lower cross member and axially transmitted to the front side member. It is possible to reliably suppress the crush deformation of the front part up to the vicinity of the strut tower and secure a vehicle compartment space.

Therefore, the present invention can be particularly effective when applied to a vehicle, such as a small vehicle, in which the front overhang amount is small and the distance between the front end and the strut tower is limited.

Further, as described above, since the upper cross member is connected so as to straddle between the upper front side portions of the left and right strut towers, it can function as a strut tower bar and enhance the inclining rigidity of the strut tower. Also,
The upper cross member, the lower cross member, and the support stay connect the left and right front side members and the upper parts of the left and right strut towers in a cross beam shape, so that the torsional rigidity of the front portion of the vehicle body can be increased. .

According to the invention of claim 2, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the present invention, the front side member is formed of a hollow integrally extruded material made of a lightweight metal material, and the hollow extruded material has a crushing property of being crushed and deformed into a bellows shape by an axial load. Therefore, the collision energy absorption effect can be further enhanced by effectively utilizing the original crushing property of the hollow extruded material.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 1 and 2, the lower cross member has notches on the lower surface side of its both end portions as the upper wall and the side wall of the front side member. It is possible to receive the collision load input from the support stay via the lower cross member as a shear load advantageous in terms of strength at the joint portion, and transmit the input collision force to the front side member. Therefore, the load transfer characteristic to the front side member can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 4, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 3 to 3, since the support stay is disposed in the vehicle center portion, when a collision load is locally applied to the vehicle center portion such as a pole collision, the upper cross member and the lower cross member. It is possible to favorably transfer the load between the members.

According to the invention of claim 5, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 3 to 3, since a plurality of support stays are arranged in the vehicle width direction, the load transfer characteristics between the upper cross member and the lower cross member can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 6, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 5 to 5, in the case of an electric vehicle, a charging support for inserting and removing a charging coupler is provided in the vehicle body to charge the on-vehicle battery. Since it is connected in parallel with the support stay over the support stay, the input at the time of inserting the charging coupler can act on the support stay in the arrangement direction thereof, so that the support rigidity of the charging support is high. It is possible to improve the mounting stability without using a special reinforcing structure for mounting the charging support.

According to the invention of claim 7, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 6 to 6, since the mounting flange of the rear end of the support stay is connected to the upper wall of the lower cross member, the collision load input from the support stay to the lower cross member is strong at the connecting portion. Since it can be received as a mechanically advantageous shear load and can be input and transmitted to the lower cross member, the load transmission characteristic to the lower cross member can be improved.

According to the invention described in claim 8, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 7 to 7, since the upper cross member is directly coupled to the strut tower, the load transfer characteristics between the upper cross member and the strut tower can be improved.

According to the invention described in claim 9, claim 1
In addition to the effects of the inventions of 8 to 8, the drive auxiliary component having a rigid body structure is effectively used as a reinforcing member for connecting the lower cross member and the upper cross member or the lower cross member and the front side member. The strength of the connection between the member, the upper cross member, and the front side member can be increased, and the effect of suppressing deformation of the front side member in the vehicle width direction at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle can be further enhanced.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first to ninth aspects of the invention, the vehicle body can be provided by disposing the upper cross member, the lower cross member and the support stay during a frontal collision of the vehicle. Considering that the crush deformation of the front part can be suppressed to the vicinity of the strut tower,
Since the collision detection sensor is arranged on the support stay that projects to the rear of the upper cross member, it is possible to avoid damage to the collision detection sensor at the time of the frontal collision and to reliably perform the sensor function.

[0030]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by taking an electric vehicle as an example.

In an electric vehicle, a battery for driving a motor occupies a considerable weight and a mounting space. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the battery is hermetically housed in a dedicated rigid battery frame BF. The battery frames B and F are mounted below the floor 2 of the vehicle body 1.

As shown in this example, in a small vehicle having almost no front overhang from the front wheels F and W of the vehicle body 1, the drive motor is provided in the motor room M below the rear floor in order to protect the drive motor during a frontal collision of the vehicle.・ A rear motor / rear drive system is used, which is mounted on the R to drive the rear wheels R and W.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a vehicle body front structure in such a small vehicle. Front side members 4 having a closed cross-section structure as front-rear direction skeleton members are arranged on both front parts of the vehicle body. I am doing it.

The front side member 4 has its rear end portion joined from the front surface to the lower surface of the dash lower panel 3 and joined together, and the side portion is joined along the lower end portion of the hood ridge panel 5. A first cross member 6 having a closed cross-section structure, which is a vehicle-width direction frame member, is connected between the front end portions of 4 via a gusset 7.

The hood ridge panel 5 is provided with a strut tower 8 rising from the vicinity of the upper portion of the front side member 4 at a portion close to the dash lower panel 3, and the upper edge portion of the hood ridge panel 5 is a hood ridge upper. It is reinforced by 9.

On the upper part of the hood ridge panel 5, a shelf 5a is formed adjacent to the front side of the top of the strut tower 8, and an upper cross member having a closed cross-section structure straddling between the left and right shelves 5a, 5a. 10 are arranged in the vehicle width direction, and are offset slightly rearward of the upper cross member 10 so as to be substantially in the vicinity of the central axis of the strut tower 8.
A lower cross member 11 having a closed cross-sectional structure is connected and arranged in the vehicle width direction across the space.

The upper cross member 10 and the lower cross member 11 also function as a radiator mount member for mounting and supporting a radiator (not shown), and the upper cross member 10 and the lower cross member 11 are slanted at the vehicle center. The support stay 12 is arranged so as to extend over the above.

The front side member 4 is made of a lightweight metal material such as aluminum and is integrally extruded into a hollow shape. In the present embodiment, the first cross member 6, the upper cross member 10 and the lower cross member 11 are also made of the same material and are hollow. Is integrally extruded.

The upper cross member 10 is bolt-nut coupled to the shelf 5a through the notch 10a on the upper surface side of the end portion thereof, while the lower cross member 11 is on the lower surface side of the end portion of the front side member 4a. The notch 11a is formed in a shape that engages with the upper wall and the inner side wall, and the notch 11a is engaged and joined from the upper wall to the side wall.

The support stay 12 has mounting flanges 13 and 14 at the front and rear ends thereof, and the mounting flange 1 at the front end.
3 on the rear wall of the upper cross member 10 and bolts
In addition to being nut-coupled, the mounting flange 14 at the rear end is superposed on the upper wall of the lower cross member 11 to be bolt-nut coupled.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 15 indicates a suspension mount bracket which is connected and arranged below the front side member 4.

According to the structure of the above embodiment, the first cross member 6 is connected across the front end portions of the left and right front side members 4 and 4. Normally, the first cross member 6 is joined at the frontal collision of the vehicle. At the rear of 6, the left and right front side members 4, 4 tend to deform outward in the vehicle width direction, and this tendency becomes remarkable especially in an offset collision in which a collision input acts on one side of the front part of the vehicle body.
A lower cross member 11 is connected to the rear of the first cross member 6 so as to straddle between the left and right front side members 4, 4, and the lower cross member 11 is straddled between the upper front side parts of the left and right strut towers 8, 8. Are connected to the upper cross member 10 connected through a support stay 12, and the left and right front side members 4 and 4 are connected using the left and right strut towers 8 and 8 having high rigidity as connection bases. It is possible to surely suppress the deformation of the side members 4, 4 outward in the vehicle width direction as well as the deformation inward of the vehicle width direction.

As a result, the front side members 4 and 4 can be smoothly crushed and deformed in the axial direction. In particular, if the front side members 4 and 4 are hollow integrally extruded products made of aluminum as in the present embodiment. , It is possible to make full use of the characteristic of crushing and deforming in a bellows shape in the axial direction, and it is possible to improve the collision energy absorption characteristic,
The crush deformation of the front part of the vehicle body can be suppressed to the vicinity of the strut towers 8 and 8 to secure a vehicle compartment space.

Further, the lower cross member 11 is offset behind the upper cross member 10, and the support stay 12 is obliquely connected to the upper cross member 10 and the lower cross member 11. At the time of a frontal collision in which a collision load acts on the upper portion of the vehicle body front portion, the support stay 12 functions as a projecting member and the upper cross member 10 to the lower cross member 11
Since the input can be transmitted to the front side members 4 and 4 in the axial direction, the collapse deformation of the front portion of the vehicle body can be surely suppressed to the vicinity of the strut towers 8 and 8 to secure the vehicle compartment space. be able to.

Therefore, particularly when applied to a vehicle in which the front overhang amount is small and the distance between the front end and the strut towers 8, 8 is restricted to be small as in the present embodiment, a remarkable effect can be exhibited. .

Further, as described above, the upper cross member 1
Since 0 is connected across the upper front side parts of the left and right strut towers 8, 8, it can function as a strut tower bar to enhance the inward falling rigidity of the strut towers 8, 8 and the upper cross. Since the member 10, the lower cross member 11, and the support stay 12 connect the left and right front side members 4 and 4 and the upper parts of the left and right strut towers 8 and 8 in a cross beam shape, the front portion of the vehicle body is twisted. The rigidity can be increased.

Here, the lower cross member 11 is joined by engaging the lower surface notches 11a at both ends thereof over the upper and side walls of the front side members 4, 4.
Also, the support stay 12 is the mounting flange 1 at the rear end.
4 is connected to the upper wall of the lower cross member 11, and in each case, the collision load from the front is received as a shear load that is advantageous in terms of strength at the connecting portion, so that the load transfer characteristics can be improved. it can.

Further, since the support stay 12 is arranged in the vehicle center portion, when a collision load is locally applied to the vehicle center portion such as a pole collision, the upper cross member 10 and the lower cross member 11 are separated from each other. The load transmission between the two can be performed well.

In the above embodiment, one support stay 12 is provided in the vehicle center portion, but if a plurality of support stays 12 are provided in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG.
The load transfer characteristic between the upper cross member 10 and the lower cross member 11 can be further improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the radiator core lower support member 17 is joined to the upper cross member 10 at substantially the same front-back position of the upper cross member 10 so as to straddle between the left and right front side members 4 and 4. A radiator (not shown) may be mounted and supported substantially vertically with and, in this case, the radiator core lower support member 17
The effect of suppressing the deformation of the front side members 4 and 4 in the vehicle width direction can be enhanced by the attachment.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In an electric vehicle, a box-shaped charging support 20 for inserting and removing the charging coupler 19 is provided in the vehicle body 1 for charging the vehicle-mounted battery. In this embodiment, the charging support 20 is charged. Even in the front portion of the vehicle body where it is easy to move, it is connected substantially parallel to the support stay 12 via the brackets 21 and 22 across the upper cross member 10 and the support stay 12.

Therefore, according to the structure of this embodiment, the input at the time of inserting the charging coupler 19 into the charging support 20 can be made to act on the support stay 12 in the arrangement direction thereof, so that the supporting rigidity of the charging support 20 can be improved. It is possible to increase the mounting stability without adopting a special reinforcing structure for mounting the charging support.

Further, in this embodiment, in the case of a frontal collision of the vehicle, as described above, by disposing the upper cross member 10, the lower loss member 11 and the support stay 12, the collapse deformation of the front portion of the vehicle body is caused by the strut towers 8, 8. In consideration of the fact that the collision detection sensor 23 can be suppressed to the vicinity, the collision detection sensor 23 is arranged on the support stay 12 that projects to the rear of the upper cross member 10. Therefore, the collision detection sensor 23 is prevented from being damaged during a frontal collision of the vehicle. The sensor function can be reliably exhibited by avoiding it.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The lower cross member 11 described above is provided on one side of the front part of the vehicle body.
The power converter 24 having a rigid structure protected by the housing is straddled over the upper cross member 10, the one front side member 4, and the brackets 25, 26, 2.
7, an ABS actuator 28, which is also protected by a housing, is connected to the other side portion across the lower cross member 11 and the other front side member 4 via a bracket 29.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, the drive auxiliary components such as the power converter 24, the ABS actuator 28 and the like having the rigid structure are used as the lower cross member 11, the upper cross member 10 and the front side member 4, or the lower cross member 11. Since it is effectively used as a coupling reinforcing member with the front side member 4, the coupling strength between the lower cross member 11 and the upper cross member 10 and the front side member 4 can be increased, and the front side at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle. The effect of suppressing deformation of the members 4, 4 in the vehicle width direction can be further enhanced.

In the above embodiment, the upper cross member 10 is connected to the ledge 5a of the hood ridge panel 5, but if the upper cross member 10 is directly connected to the strut tower 8, the upper cross member 10 and the upper cross member 10 are connected. It is possible to enhance the load transfer characteristic with the strut tower 8.

In the above embodiment, a small electric vehicle with a small front overhang has been described as an example, but it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied not only to a vehicle with a large front overhang and an electric vehicle but also to an engine-driven vehicle.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of an automobile targeted by the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view on arrow A in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 car body 4 Front side members 6 First Cross Member 8 strut tower 10 Upper cross member 11 Lower Cross Member 11a Notch 12 Support stay 13,14 Mounting flange 19 Charging coupler 20 Charging support 23 Collision detection sensor 24, 28 Drive accessory parts

Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 25/08

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A front cross member, which extends in the front-rear direction on both sides of a front part of a vehicle body, has a closed cross-section structure. The upper cross member is joined across the upper front side portions of the left and right strut towers, and the lower cross member is joined across the left and right front side members at a position offset rearward of the upper cross member, and A vehicle body front structure characterized in that a support stay is joined to the upper cross member and the lower cross member in a slanted manner. 2. The front body structure according to claim 1, wherein the front side member is a hollow extruded material extruded into a hollow shape using a lightweight metal material. 3. The lower cross member is provided with cutouts on the lower surface sides of both ends thereof, and the cutouts are engaged with and joined to the upper wall and the side wall of the front side member. Item 1. A vehicle body front structure according to items 1 and 2. 4. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein the support stay is arranged in a vehicle center portion. 5. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of support stays are arranged in the vehicle width direction. 6. The charging support for inserting / removing a charging coupler is arranged so as to extend across the upper cross member and the support stay and substantially parallel to the support stay. The front structure of the vehicle body described. 7. The support stay is provided with mounting flanges at its front and rear ends for connecting to the upper cross member and the lower cross member, and at least the mounting flange at the rear end is connected to the upper wall of the lower cross member. The vehicle body front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The vehicle body front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upper cross member is directly joined to the strut tower. 9. The drive accessory component having a rigid structure is arranged so as to be connected across the lower cross member and the upper cross member and / or the front side member, as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8. Front structure of the car body. 10. A vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein a collision detection sensor is provided on the support stay.