JP5734030B2 - Auto body front structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body front structure in which a rear portion of a wheel house upper member disposed in a front-rear direction above a wheel house of a front wheel is coupled to a front portion of a front pillar upper.

  The connecting part between the front end of the front pillar upper that extends forward and downward from the roof and the rear end of the wheel house upper member that extends forward and downward from there has a step in the vertical direction, and the connecting part is reinforced with a load transmission member At the same time, by reinforcing the front pillar upper with multiple reinforcements, the collision load input to the front end of the wheel house upper member during a frontal collision of the vehicle is efficiently transmitted from the wheel house upper member to the front pillar upper. This is known from Patent Document 1 below.

Japanese Patent No. 4120004

  By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional one, since the connecting portion between the front end of the front pillar upper and the rear end of the wheel house upper member has a step in the vertical direction, the load transmitting member is provided so that load transmission is not interrupted at that portion. There is a problem that the weight needs to be increased and the weight increases by the amount of the load transmitting member.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to efficiently transmit a load from a wheel house upper member to a front pillar upper while minimizing an increase in vehicle body weight.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention described in claim 1, an automobile in which a rear portion of a wheel house upper member disposed in a front-rear direction above a wheel house of a front wheel is coupled to a front portion of a front pillar upper. In the vehicle body front part structure, the wheel house upper member includes a first frame portion extending rearward and upward, and a second frame portion extending substantially horizontally rearward from the first joint portion at the front end of the first frame portion. The front pillar upper includes a pillar frame portion extending forward and downward from the roof, and a panel-like pillar panel portion extending downward from the pillar frame portion, and a rear end of the first frame portion is the pillar frame portion. It is connected in a straight line at a second junction to the front end, a rear end of said second frame portion is connected to the lower portion of the pillar panel, the Pila A window opening for forming a fixed triangular window is formed between the panel part and the pillar frame part, and the pillar panel part supports the second joint part in front of the window opening, and connected to the pillar frame portion behind the window opening, the upper end of the lower front pillar is connected to a rear lower portion of the pillar panel, in front of the window opening, said first frame portion, said second frame portion and the A vehicle body front structure is proposed in which a triangle is formed in a side view by a pillar panel portion.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the structure of claim 1, the first frame portion and the pillar frame portion are formed of the same member. Is proposed.

According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or claim 2, the third frame portion and the second frame portion extending forward and downward from the first joint portion are provided as 1 A vehicle body front structure is proposed, which is formed by bending a pipe material into a square shape.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or claim 2, the third frame portion and the first frame portion that extend forward and downward from the first joint portion are the same member. A vehicle body front structure characterized by comprising:

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the structure of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the damper housing that supports the upper end of the damper of the suspension device is connected to the second frame portion. A vehicle body front structure characterized by the above is proposed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the fifth aspect, the upper wall of the damper housing and the first frame portion are coupled by a coupling member. A partial structure is proposed.

In addition, the joint part a of the embodiment corresponds to the second joint part of the present invention, and the joint part b of the embodiment corresponds to the first joint part of the present invention.

According to the configuration of the first aspect, the wheel house upper member disposed in the front-rear direction above the wheel house of the front wheel includes the first frame portion extending rearward and upward, and the first joint portion at the front end of the first frame portion. The front pillar upper that includes a second frame portion extending substantially horizontally rearward and connected to the rear portion of the wheel house upper member includes a pillar frame portion that extends forward and downward from the roof, and a panel-like shape that extends downward from the pillar frame portion . And a pillar panel portion.

The rear end of the first frame part is linearly connected to the front end of the pillar frame part at the second joint , and the rear end of the second frame part is connected to the lower part of the pillar panel part. A window opening for forming a fixed triangular window is formed between the pillar panel part and the pillar panel part supporting the second joint part in front of the window opening and connected to the pillar frame part behind the window opening. The upper end of the front pillar lower is connected to the rear lower part of the pillar panel portion, and the front frame of the automobile is configured by a triangle formed by the first frame portion, the second frame portion and the pillar panel portion in front of the window opening. Sometimes, the axial collision load input to the wheel house upper member is directly transmitted from the first frame portion of the wheel house upper member to the pillar frame portion of the front pillar for dispersion. It becomes ability, not only can minimize the increase in vehicle weight by eliminating a second necessary to apply a special reinforcement to the connecting portion connecting the first frame portion and the pillar frame portion, the side surface in front of the window opening Since the triangle is configured in view, the collision load input from the first joint portion to the second frame portion can be transmitted to the pillar frame portion via the pillar panel portion.

  According to the configuration of claim 2, since the first frame portion and the pillar frame portion are formed of the same member, the number of parts, the number of assembly steps, and the weight can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the third frame portion and the second frame portion that extend forward and downward from the first joint portion are formed by bending one pipe material into a letter-shape, so that it is lightweight and inexpensive. A highly rigid wheel house upper member can be obtained using a simple pipe material.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the third frame portion and the first frame portion that extend forward and downward from the first joint portion are formed of the same member, the number of parts, the number of assembly steps, and the weight can be reduced. .

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the damper housing that supports the upper end of the damper of the suspension device is connected to the second frame portion of the wheel house upper member, the load input from the damper to the damper housing is applied to the second frame. By transmitting, the rigidity of the attachment point of a damper can be increased and steering stability can be improved.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the upper wall of the damper housing and the first frame portion are connected by the connecting member, the load input from the damper to the damper housing is transmitted to the first frame via the connecting member. The rigidity of the attachment point of the damper can be further increased.

The perspective view which shows the frame structure of the vehicle body front part of a motor vehicle. (First embodiment) FIG. (First embodiment) FIG. 3 is a three-direction arrow view of FIG. 1. (First embodiment) FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. (First embodiment) Explanatory drawing at the time of a frontal collision of an automobile. (First embodiment) The figure explaining the load transmission characteristic of a 1st, 2nd frame part. (First embodiment) The graph explaining the load transmission characteristic of a 1st, 2nd frame part. (First embodiment) The figure corresponding to the said FIG. (Second Embodiment)

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The front-rear direction, the left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and the up-down direction in the present specification are defined with reference to an occupant seated in the driver's seat.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right front side frames 11, 11 are arranged in the front-rear direction at the front part of the vehicle body, the front part extends in the horizontal direction, the rear part faces downward and is in the vehicle width direction. After bending in the direction, the lower surface of the floor panel (not shown) extends substantially in the horizontal direction. The pair of left and right wheel house upper members 12, 12 disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the left and right front side frames 11, 11 are disposed so as to incline from the rear upper side to the front lower side, and the pair of left and right front pillars at the rear part. A pair of left and right side sills 15 having lower ends of a pair of left and right front pillar lowers 14 and 14 that are connected to the front parts of the uppers 13 and 13 and that extend downward from the lower parts of the front pillar uppers 13 and 13. 15 is connected to the front end.

  The rear portions of the wheel house upper members 12, 12 and the front side frames 11, 11 are connected by damper housings 16, 16, and the front ends of the side sills 15, 15 and the front side frames 11, 11 are connected by outriggers 17, 17. . The left and right front pillar uppers 13 and 13 are connected by a dashboard upper 18 extending in the left-right direction, and the left and right damper housings 16 and 16 and the left and right front side frames 11 and 11 are connected by a dashboard lower 19 extending in the left-right direction. Connected. The front portions of the left and right front side frames 11 and 11 and the front ends of the wheel house upper members 12 and 12 are connected by a pair of left and right side frame gussets 20 and 20 extending in the left and right direction.

  A rectangular frame-shaped front bulkhead 21 disposed at the front of the vehicle body includes a bulkhead upper 22 that forms an upper side that extends in the left-right direction, a bulkhead lower 23 that forms a lower side that extends in the left-right direction, and a side that extends in the up-down direction. A pair of left and right bulkhead sides 24, 24 constituting the side is provided. By connecting the inner surfaces in the vehicle width direction of the front ends of the left and right front side frames 11, 11 to the outer surfaces in the vehicle width direction of the pair of left and right bulkhead sides 24, 24, the front bulk is connected to the front ends of the left and right front side frames 11, 11. The head 21 is supported.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the front pillar upper 13 is formed of a pillar frame portion 31 having a rectangular closed cross section that extends obliquely forward and downward from a front end of a roof side rail (not shown), and a lower surface of the pillar frame portion 31. A window-shaped opening 32 a for forming a fixed triangular window is formed between the pillar frame part 31 and the pillar panel part 32. The upper end of the front pillar lower 14 is connected to the rear lower surface of the pillar panel portion 32.

  The wheel house upper member 12 includes an upper frame portion 33 linearly connected to the front end connecting portion a of the pillar frame portion 31 of the front pillar upper 13 and extending forward and downward, and a joint portion b in the middle of the upper frame portion 33 in the front-rear direction. The second frame portion 34 is branched from the second frame portion 34 and extends substantially horizontally rearward. The third frame portion 33a and the second frame portion 34 on the front side of the joint portion b of the upper frame portion 33 are provided as one piece. The pipe member 35 having a rectangular cross section is bent into a square shape, and the first frame portion 33b on the rear side of the joint portion b of the upper frame portion 33 has two L-shaped cross section sheet metal press materials. 36 and 37 are spot-welded w1 to form a rectangular closed cross section.

  As a result, as shown by a thick chain line in FIG. 1, the first frame portion 33 b of the wheel house upper member 12, the second frame portion 34 of the wheel house upper member 12, and the front of the pillar panel portion 32 of the front pillar upper 13. The portion forms a triangular structure with high rigidity.

  As apparent from FIG. 2, the front portion of the outer panel 38 of the pillar panel portion 32 of the front pillar upper 13 is spot-welded w2 to the outer surface in the vehicle width direction of the first frame portion 33b of the wheel house upper member 12, and the second The outer surface of the frame portion 34 in the vehicle width direction is reinforced by spot welding w3.

  As apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the damper housing 16 includes a damper support portion 16a that supports the upper end of the damper 39 of the suspension device for the front wheels, and extends upward from the damper support portion 16a in the vehicle width direction. The wall 16b is spot welded w4 to the inner surface d of the second frame portion 34 in the vehicle width direction, and the upper wall 16b is MIG welded w5 to the ridge line e of the second frame portion 34 in the vicinity thereof. Further, the plate-like connecting member 40 is spot-welded w6 so as to connect the upper wall 16b of the damper housing 16 and the inner surface g in the vehicle width direction of the first frame portion 33b, and is connected to the ridge line h of the first frame portion 33b in the vicinity thereof. The member 40 is subjected to MIG welding w7.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the frontal collision of the vehicle, the front ends of the front side frames 11 and 11 to which the collision load is input are lower than the center of gravity position CG of the vehicle body. Dive to the front in the second half of the collision. As a result, the moving direction of the front part of the vehicle body changes from the horizontal forward direction to the front downward direction, and the direction of the collision load input to the front ends of the front side frames 11 and 11 changes from the rear direction to the rear upward direction.

  Although the total collision load continues to increase after the dive starts, the direction of the collision load changes obliquely upward from the horizontal direction, so that the third frame portion 33a of the wheel house upper member 12 is changed as shown in FIG. The collision load distributed to the second frame part 34 extending in the horizontal direction from the joint part b at the rear end gradually decreases, and the collision load distributed to the first frame part 33b extending rearward and upward from the joint part b increases rapidly. In the end, it becomes substantially equal to the total collision load.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the change over time of the collision load input to the wheel house upper member 12, and the total collision load input to the wheel house upper member 12 gradually increases with the lapse of time. Until the collision load is input in the horizontal direction, the collision load input to the second frame portion 34 increases, whereas the collision load input to the first frame portion 33b hardly increases. However, since the input direction of the collision load changes obliquely upward after the dive starts, the collision load input to the second frame portion 34 starts to decrease and finally becomes almost zero, but is input to the first frame portion 33b. The collision load to be increased rapidly and finally becomes almost equal to the total collision load. As a result, the peak value of the collision load input to the first frame part 33b reaches about twice the peak value of the collision load input to the second frame part 34.

  Thus, a large collision load is input to the first frame portion 33b of the wheel house upper member 12 during a frontal collision of the automobile, but the front end of the pillar frame portion 31 of the front pillar upper 13 is placed at the rear end of the first frame portion 33b. However, the collision load can be transmitted as an axial force from the first frame portion 33b to the pillar frame portion 31 and absorbed (FIG. 6 (A)). (See arrow A in B)). Since the first frame portion 33b of the wheel house upper member 12, the second frame portion 34, and the front portion of the pillar panel portion 32 of the front pillar upper 13 form a rigid triangle, the wheel house upper member The collision load transmitted from the 12 third frame portion 33 a to the second frame portion 34 via the joint portion b is transmitted to the pillar frame portion 31 of the front pillar upper 13 via the pillar panel portion 32 of the front pillar upper 13. (See arrow B in FIG. 6B).

  Incidentally, in FIG. 4, a load in the vehicle width direction and a load in the vertical direction are input from the damper 39 to the damper support portion 16 a of the damper housing 16 to which the upper end of the damper 39 that supports the load from the front wheel is connected. These loads are transmitted to the second frame portion 34 via the upper wall 16b of the damper housing 16, and are transmitted from the upper wall 16b of the damper housing 16 to the first frame portion 33b via the connecting member 40.

  At this time, the upper wall 16b of the damper housing 16 is connected to the upper surface c of the second frame portion 34 and the ridge line e of the inner surface d in the vehicle width direction, and the connecting member 40 is connected to the lower surface f of the first frame portion 33b and the inner surface in the vehicle width direction. Since the load in the vehicle width direction is efficiently transmitted to the upper surface c and the lower surface f through the paths indicated by arrows C and D, the load in the vertical direction is indicated by the paths indicated by arrows E and F. Thus, it is efficiently transmitted to the vehicle width direction inner surfaces d and g. Thereby, the rigidity of the damper housing 16 is increased, the inclination of the damper 39 is prevented, and the steering stability is improved.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the upper wall 16 b of the damper housing 16 is bent and coupled to the inner surface d in the vehicle width direction of the second frame portion 34. Although the outer end is bent and joined to the inner surface g of the first frame portion 33b in the vehicle width direction, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the upper wall 16b of the damper housing 16 is bent. Without being bent, the outer end of the connecting member 40 in the vehicle width direction is connected to the lower surface f of the first frame portion 33b. Also according to the second embodiment, it is possible to achieve the same effect as that of the first embodiment.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment, the pillar frame portion 31 of the front pillar upper 13 and the first frame portion 33b of the wheel house upper member 12 are configured as separate members and coupled by the connecting portion a. You may form integrally with a member.

  Further, in the embodiment, the third frame portion 33a and the first frame portion 33b of the upper frame portion 33 are configured as separate members and coupled by the connection portion b. good.

12 Wheel house upper member 13 Front pillar upper
14 Front pillar lower 16 Damper housing 16b Upper wall 31 Pillar frame part 32 Pillar panel part
32a Window opening 33a Third frame portion 33b First frame portion 34 Second frame portion 35 Pipe material 39 Damper 40 Connecting member
a joint (second joint)
b Joint part (first joint part)

Claims (6)

In the vehicle body front structure for connecting the rear part of the wheel house upper member (12) disposed in the front-rear direction above the front wheel house to the front part of the front pillar upper (13),
The wheel house upper member (12) includes a first frame portion (33b) extending rearward and upward, and a second frame extending substantially horizontally rearward from the first joint portion (b) at the front end of the first frame portion (33b). The front pillar upper (13) includes a pillar frame portion (31) that extends forward and downward from the roof, and a panel-like pillar panel portion that extends downward from the pillar frame portion (31). 32)
The rear end of the first frame portion (33b) is linearly connected to the front end of the pillar frame portion (31) at the second joint portion (a ), and the rear end of the second frame portion (34). Is connected to the lower part of the pillar panel (32),
A window opening (32a) for forming a fixed triangular window is formed between the pillar panel portion (32) and the pillar frame portion (31).
The pillar panel part (32) supports the second joint part (a) in front of the window opening (32a) and is connected to the pillar frame part (31) behind the window opening (32a). The upper end of the front pillar lower (14) is connected to the rear lower part of the pillar panel (32),
In front of the window opening (32a), motor vehicle, characterized in that the first frame portion (33b), the second triangular frame portion (34) and the pillar panel by (32) in side view is configured Car body front structure.   The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, wherein the first frame portion (33b) and the pillar frame portion (31) are formed of the same member. The third frame portion (33a) and the second frame portion (34) extending forward and downward from the first joint portion (b) are configured by bending one pipe member (35) into a letter-shape. The vehicle body front structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle body front structure is a vehicle body structure. The third frame part (33a) and the first frame part (33b) extending forward and downward from the first joint part (b) are formed of the same member. Vehicle body front structure as described.   The damper housing (16) for supporting the upper end of the damper (39) of the suspension device is connected to the second frame portion (34), according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Auto body front structure.   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 5, wherein the upper wall (16b) of the damper housing (16) and the first frame part (33b) are connected by a connecting member (40).

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