JP2010111169A - Front structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a front structure of a vehicle capable of enhancing strength against a load applied from the inside of a front pillar in the vehicle width direction. <P>SOLUTION: The front structure 10 of the vehicle is equipped with a first reinforcing member 30 to couple a front suspension tower 16 with a cowl 18, a second reinforcing member 40 installed in the front pillar 20 along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body and having upper and lower reinforcing plates 44, 46 to couple the inner wall 24 and outer wall 22 of the front pillar 20, a third reinforcing member 50 which is arranged aslant relative to the fore-and-aft direction and the vehicle width direction and whose one end 56 is coupled with the first reinforcing member 30 and the other end 58 is coupled with the second reinforcing member 40, and a fourth reinforcing member 60 installed along the vehicle width direction of the front pillar 20 between the upper 44 and lower reinforcing plates 46 of the second reinforcing member 40 around the coupled part C where the other end 58 of the third reinforcing member 50 is coupled and having reinforcing plates 64 and 66 to couple the inner wall 24 and outer wall 22 of the front pillar 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a front body structure of a vehicle such as an automobile.

A configuration in which a reinforcing member is disposed obliquely between the dash panel and the front pillar in order to suppress movement of the dash panel into the passenger compartment (deformation of the passenger compartment) at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle has been known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this case, a load is input to the front pillar from the inner side in the vehicle width direction.
JP 2003-165464 A

  However, the front pillar described in Patent Document 1 has not been described for reinforcing against a load input from the inside in the vehicle width direction. That is, in the front pillar, there is still room for improvement in improving the strength against the load input from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle body front part structure that can improve the strength against a load input from the inner side of the front pillar in the vehicle width direction.

  In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle body front structure according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a first reinforcing member for connecting the front suspension tower and the cowl, and a vehicle body longitudinal direction inside the front pillar. And a second reinforcing member having a pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates that connect the inner wall and the outer wall of the front pillar, and is disposed obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and the vehicle width direction, and one end thereof is A third reinforcing member connected to one reinforcing member via the cowl and having the other end connected to the second reinforcing member via the front pillar and the other end of the third reinforcing member are connected. A fourth reinforcing member having a reinforcing plate that is provided along the vehicle width direction of the front pillar between the pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates of the second reinforcing member in the vicinity of the connecting portion and connects the inner wall and the outer wall of the front pillar; With It is characterized in that.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the load at the time of the frontal collision is transmitted from the first reinforcing member to the inner side (inner wall side) of the front pillar via the third reinforcing member. Here, a second reinforcing member having a pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates for connecting the inner wall and the outer wall of the front pillar is provided inside the front pillar, and further, the front pillar is interposed between the pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates. A fourth reinforcing member having a reinforcing plate for connecting the inner wall and the outer wall is provided.

  Therefore, the load input from the vehicle width direction inner side to the front pillar can be efficiently received by the fourth reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member reinforced by the fourth reinforcing member (deformation is suppressed). it can. In other words, this can improve the strength against the load input from the inside in the vehicle width direction of the front pillar.

  The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 2 is the vehicle body front part structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing plates of the fourth reinforcing member are provided in a pair facing the vehicle body longitudinal direction. It is a feature.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the reinforcing plates of the fourth reinforcing member are provided as a pair opposed to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, the load input from the vehicle width direction inner side to the front pillar, The pair of reinforcing plates can be received efficiently.

  The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 3 is the vehicle body front part structure according to claim 2, wherein the connecting portion is disposed between a pair of reinforcing plates of the fourth reinforcing member. It is said.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connecting portion to which the other end of the third reinforcing member is connected is disposed between the pair of reinforcing plates of the fourth reinforcing member. The load input from the inner side in the width direction can be efficiently received by the pair of reinforcing plates.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle body front part structure that can improve the strength against a load input from the inside of the front pillar in the vehicle width direction.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a vehicle body front structure 10 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic plan view showing the vehicle body front structure 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a partially exploded schematic perspective view.

  Note that an arrow FR appropriately shown in each drawing indicates a vehicle body front direction, an arrow UP indicates a vehicle body upward direction, and an arrow IN indicates a vehicle width direction inner side. Since the vehicle body front structure 10 according to the present embodiment is symmetrical, only the vehicle body front structure 10 on the right side is shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, in a vehicle 12 such as an automobile, a pair of left and right apron upper members 14 are arranged along the vehicle longitudinal direction (so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction) on the vehicle body front side. A pair of left and right front suspension towers 16 are disposed adjacent to each other on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

  A cowl 18 is disposed along the vehicle width direction (so as to extend in the vehicle width direction) on the vehicle body rear side of each front suspension tower 16. The cowl 18 has a substantially “U” -shaped cross-section with the opening facing the upper side of the vehicle body, and the both ends of the cowl 18 in the vehicle width direction close the substantially “U” -shaped cross section. A cowl side panel 18B is provided.

  The cowl side panel 18B is disposed adjacent to the front side of the vehicle body of the front pillar 20 described later, and is disposed adjacent to the rear side of the vehicle body of the apron upper member 14. That is, the apron upper member 14, the cowl side panel 18B, and the front pillar 20 are configured to be connected to each other. A vertical wall portion of the cowl 18 on the vehicle body rear side is a cowl top panel 18A, and an upper portion of a dash panel (not shown) is connected.

  A pair of left and right front pillars 20 extending substantially in the vehicle body vertical direction are disposed on both sides of the vehicle 12 in the vehicle width direction. Each of the front pillars 20 includes a pillar outer panel 22 (cycle outer) as an outer wall arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction (outside of the passenger compartment) and a pillar inner panel 24 as an inner wall arranged on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (inner side of the vehicle interior). And.

  The pillar outer panel 22 is formed in a substantially hat shape with the inner side in the vehicle width direction being opened, and the pillar inner panel 24 is formed in a substantially hat shape with the outer side in the vehicle width direction being opened. And the pillar outer panel 22 and the pillar inner panel 24 form the closed cross-section structure by joining flange part 22A, 24A currently formed in each peripheral part.

  Further, the front surface as a first reinforcing member in which the outer surface of the front suspension tower 16 and the inner surface of the cowl top panel 18A of the cowl 18 have a substantially “U” -shaped cross-section with the opening facing the lower side of the vehicle body. They are connected by a reinforcement 30. That is, flange portions 32A are formed at both ends of the top wall portion 32 of the front reinforcement 30 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and flanges are provided at both ends of the side wall portion 34 of the front reinforcement 30 facing the vehicle width direction. Each part 34A is formed.

  Then, the flange portions 32A, 34A on the front side of the vehicle body are joined (connected) to the outer surface of the front suspension tower 16 by joining means such as spot welding, and the flange portions 32A, 34A on the rear side of the vehicle body are the cowl top panel of the cowl 18. The inner surface of 18A is joined (connected) by joining means 38 (see FIG. 4) such as bolts and nuts.

  In addition, a main reinforcement as a second reinforcing member having a substantially hat-shaped cross section with an opening facing outward in the vehicle width direction is disposed inside the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 at substantially the same height as the front reinforcement 30. The bulkhead 40 is arranged along the vehicle longitudinal direction (so as to extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction).

  That is, the length of the main bulkhead 40 in the longitudinal direction (vehicle body longitudinal direction) is substantially the same as the length in the vehicle body longitudinal direction inside the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 forming the closed cross-sectional structure. The connecting plate 42 includes a pair of reinforcing plates 44 and 46 that are integrally extended from both ends of the connecting plate 42 in the vehicle body vertical direction toward the outside in the vehicle width direction.

  The length in the vehicle width direction of the pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates 44 and 46 is substantially the same as the length in the vehicle width direction inside the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20. A boundary portion (continuous portion) between the connecting plate 42 and the reinforcing plates 44 and 46 forms a ridge line 48 with high strength efficiency in the main bulkhead 40.

  Further, flange portions 44A and 46A that are bent in the vehicle body vertical direction are formed at the outer ends in the vehicle width direction of the reinforcing plates 44 and 46, respectively, and these flange portions 44A and 46A are formed on the pillar outer panel 22. The inner surface is joined (connected) by joining means such as spot welding, and the connecting plate 42 is joined (connected) to the inner surface of the pillar inner panel 24 by the joining means.

  Further, between the front reinforcement 30 and the main bulkhead 40 (the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20), a side reinforcement 50 as a third reinforcing member having a substantially hat-shaped cross section substantially opens the opening. It is arranged facing outward in the width direction (with the top wall portion 52 facing substantially inward in the vehicle width direction).

  That is, the side reinforcement 50 is disposed obliquely with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction in plan view, and the vehicle body front side end portion (hereinafter referred to as “front end portion”) 56 is connected to the cowl 18. It is bent toward the top wall 52 along the outer surface of the cowl top panel 18A, and its vehicle body rear side end (hereinafter referred to as “rear end”) 58 also extends along the outer surface of the pillar inner panel 24 of the front pillar 20. Are bent toward the top wall 52.

  The side reinforcements 50 of the side reinforcements 50 are integrally formed with flanges 54A that extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. The flanges 54A are formed integrally with the cowl top panel 18A of the cowl 18. The outer surface side and the outer surface side of the pillar inner panel 24 in the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 are joined (connected) by joining means 38 and 55 (see FIG. 4) such as bolts and nuts, respectively. .

  That is, the front end portion 56, which is one end portion of the side reinforcement 50, is connected to the vehicle body rear side end portion 36 of the front reinforcement 30 via the cowl top panel 18 </ b> A of the cowl 18 by the joining means 38. The other end of the rear end 58 is connected to the main bulkhead 40 (connecting plate 42) provided in the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 by the joining means 55 via the pillar inner panel 24. Yes. And the site | part in which the joining means 55 is arrange | positioned is made into the connection part C (refer FIG. 4).

  Further, in the main bulkhead 40, that is, between the pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates 44 and 46 and in the vicinity of the connecting portion C where the joining means 55 is disposed, a cross-sectional hat with the opening directed inward in the vehicle width direction The sub-bulk head 60 as the fourth reinforcing member is disposed along the vehicle width direction (so as to extend in the vehicle width direction).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the sub-bulk head 60 is connected to a connecting plate 62 whose length in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is substantially the same as the distance between the pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates 44 and 46 of the main bulkhead 40. The plate 62 includes a pair of reinforcing plates 64 and 66 that extend integrally from both ends in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the plate 62 toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.

  That is, the pair of reinforcing plates 64 and 66 are arranged to face each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the length in the vehicle width direction is the vehicle width inside the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 forming the closed cross-sectional structure. It is almost the same length as the direction. The length of the connecting plate 62 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body may be substantially the same as or slightly shorter than the length of the rear end portion 58 of the side reinforcement 50 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

  That is, the rear end portion 58 of the side reinforcement 50 is joined to the connecting plate 42 of the main bulkhead 40 between the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 of the subbulk head 60 by the joining means 55 via the pillar inner panel 24 ( Connected). That is, the connecting portion C is arranged between the pair of reinforcing plates 64 and 66. Therefore, the length of the connecting plate 62 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body only needs to be long enough to allow the connecting portion C (joining means 55) to be disposed between the reinforcing plates 64 and 66.

  Further, flange portions 64A and 66A that are bent in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are formed at the inner ends in the vehicle width direction of the reinforcing plates 64 and 66, respectively, and these flange portions 64A and 66A are formed in the main bulkhead 40. Are joined (connected) to the inner surface of the connecting plate 42 by a joining means such as spot welding.

  Further, flange portions 64B and 66B that are bent in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are formed at both ends of the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and these flange portions 64B and 66B are formed on the main bulkhead 40. The reinforcing plates 44 and 46 are joined (connected) to the inner surfaces by joining means such as spot welding.

  A through hole 62 </ b> A for reducing the weight is formed in a substantially central portion of the connecting plate 62. The shape of the through-hole 62A is not limited to the illustrated circular shape, and may be formed in, for example, a rectangular shape. The connecting plate 62 is connected to the pillar outer panel 22. In other words, the “connection” referred to here includes a structure capable of transmitting a load, and includes a case where the load is simply in contact.

  In addition, a plurality of concave bead portions 70 are provided at predetermined intervals on each ridge line 68 that is a boundary portion (continuous connection portion) between the connecting plate 62 and the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 (two in the illustrated example). Is formed. With this bead portion 70, the strength of the ridgeline 68 in the subbulk head 60, that is, the bending strength of the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 with respect to the connecting plate 62 can be improved.

  Further, an instrument panel reinforcement (hereinafter referred to as “instrument reinforcement”) 26 is provided in the vehicle width direction between the pillar inner panels 24 of the left and right front pillars 20 on the rear side of the vehicle body from the rear end portion 58 of the side reinforcement 50. It is built in. That is, a cylindrical mounting portion 28 is provided on the outer surface of each pillar inner panel 24, and both end portions in the vehicle width direction of the instrument panel reinforcement 26 are respectively inserted into the mounting portions 28.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle body front structure 10 configured as described above will be described. When the vehicle 12 collides front, a load (collision load) is input to the front pillar 20 from the apron upper member 14 or the cowl side panel 18B. At this time, the main bulkhead 40 is disposed inside the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20, and the belt line portion 20A is reinforced. That is, the main bulkhead 40 is formed with a ridge line 48 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

  Therefore, the load input from the apron upper member 14 and the cowl side panel 18B can be efficiently received by the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 (the ridge line 48 of the main bulkhead 40). Therefore, it is possible to suppress deformation of the passenger compartment due to the front suspension tower 16 and the cowl 18 (the cowl top panel 18A) moving backward (moving toward the rear side of the vehicle body) during a frontal collision.

  Further, a load is also input from the apron upper member 14 to the front suspension tower 16 at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle 12. At this time, a front reinforcement 30 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is installed between the front suspension tower 16 and the cowl top panel 18A of the cowl 18. Further, the cowl top panel 18A of the cowl 18 and the belt of the front pillar 20 are provided. Between the pillar inner panel 24 in the line portion 20A, a side reinforcement 50 extending obliquely with respect to the vehicle body longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction is installed.

  Therefore, the load is transmitted from the front suspension tower 16 to the side reinforcement 50 via the front reinforcement 30, and from the side reinforcement 50 to the belt line portion 20 </ b> A of the front pillar 20 in the vehicle width direction (pillar inner panel 24. Side). Here, the main bulkhead 40 is disposed inside the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 to which the side reinforcement 50 is joined (connected).

  The sub bulkhead 60 is disposed in the main bulkhead 40, that is, between the pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates 44 and 46 and in the vicinity of the connection portion C where the rear end portion 58 of the side reinforcement 50 is connected. Has been. That is, the rear end portion 58 of the side reinforcement 50 is connected to the main bulkhead 40 (connection plate 42) between the pair of reinforcing plates 64 and 66 of the subbulk head 60 by the joining means 55 via the pillar inner panel 24. It is joined (connected).

  Therefore, the load transmitted to the side reinforcement 50 and input to the belt line portion 20A of the front pillar 20 from the inner side in the vehicle width direction is the sub bulk head 60 (in the main bulk head 40 provided in the belt line portion 20A. It is received efficiently by the reinforcing plates 64 and 66). In addition, since the deformation of the ridge line 48 due to the load from the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the main bulkhead 40 is suppressed, the load can be received by the main bulkhead 40 as well.

  Further, since the deformation of the ridge line 48 of the main bulkhead 40 is suppressed, the load input to the front pillar 20 from the apron upper member 14 or the cowl side panel 18B as described above can be more efficiently performed by the main bulkhead 40. It becomes possible to catch it. That is, when such a sub-bulk head 60 is provided in the main bulk head 40, the rigidity of the front pillar 20 can be increased (particularly, the strength against a load input from the inside in the vehicle width direction can be improved).

  Therefore, during the frontal collision, the subbulk head 60 is provided inside the main bulkhead 40 to deform the vehicle compartment due to the front suspension tower 16 and the cowl 18 (the cowl top panel 18A) moving backward (moving toward the rear of the vehicle body). It can suppress more reliably compared with the structure which is not performed. In addition, this makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the main bulkhead 40, which has the advantage of reducing the overall weight of the vehicle 12.

  Further, by providing such a sub-bulk head 60 in the main bulk head 40, the front pillar 20 is deformed inward in the vehicle width direction by a load (collision load) input from the vehicle width direction outer side at the time of a side collision. The deformation of the chamber can also be more reliably suppressed as compared with the configuration in which the sub-bulk head 60 is not provided inside the main bulk head 40.

  Further, the sub-bulk head 60 is disposed near the attachment portion 28 for attaching the instrument panel reinforcement 26 between the pillar inner panels 24. Therefore, the load at the time of a side collision can be transmitted from the subbulk head 60 to the instrument panel reinforcement 26 at an early stage. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the deformation of the passenger compartment at the time of a side collision. That is, the vehicle body front structure 10 according to the present embodiment is a structure that is effective for securing a space in the vehicle compartment at the time of a frontal collision and a side collision of the vehicle 12.

  The shape of the subbulk head 60 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the bead portion 70, a plurality of concave and linear bead portions 72 are provided on the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 (four in the illustration) at predetermined intervals in the vehicle body vertical direction. 8 (equally spaced), for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of (continuously) a plurality of beads (in the figure) are formed such that the bead portion 72 straddles the connecting plate 62 and the reinforcing plates 64 and 66. The number may be four) and may be formed at regular intervals (equal intervals) in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, a substantially rectangular concave bead portion 74 having a predetermined size may be formed in each of the substantially central portions of the reinforcing plates 64 and 66, for example, in FIG. As shown in the figure, a plurality of convex and linear bead portions 76 (not shown) are provided on the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 (four in the figure) at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction of the vehicle body (at equal intervals). It is good also as a structure to form. Although not shown, the bead portions 72 and 74 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be formed in a convex shape.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which provides either the bead parts 72, 74, 76, without providing the bead part 70, and it is good also as a structure provided combining the bead parts 72, 74, 76 suitably. In any case, at least the bead portions 70, 72, 74, 76 formed on the reinforcing plates 64, 66 of the subbulk head 60 have a shape that can improve the bending strength of the reinforcing plates 64, 66 with respect to the connecting plate 62. The strength of the reinforcing plates 64 and 66 can be improved by providing the bead portions 70, 72, 74, and 76 as shown.

  The vehicle body front structure 10 according to the present embodiment has been described in detail based on the example shown in the drawings. However, the vehicle body front structure 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated example. The design can be changed as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape of each flange portion 44A, 46A of the main bulkhead 40 may be appropriately changed according to the shape inside the front pillar 20, and each flange portion 64A, 64B, 66A, 66B of the subbulk head 60 may be changed. The shape may be appropriately changed according to the shape.

Schematic perspective view showing a vehicle body front structure according to the present embodiment Schematic side view showing a vehicle body front structure according to the present embodiment Schematic plan view showing a vehicle body front structure according to the present embodiment Partially enlarged schematic plan view showing a vehicle body front structure according to the present embodiment Partially exploded schematic perspective view showing a vehicle body front structure according to the present embodiment Schematic perspective view of the fourth reinforcing member constituting the vehicle body front structure Schematic perspective view of another fourth reinforcing member constituting the vehicle body front structure Schematic perspective view of another fourth reinforcing member constituting the vehicle body front structure Schematic perspective view of another fourth reinforcing member constituting the vehicle body front structure Schematic perspective view of another fourth reinforcing member constituting the vehicle body front structure

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle body front part structure 12 Vehicle 14 Apron upper member 16 Front suspension tower 18 Cowl 18A Cowl top panel 18B Cowl side panel 20 Front pillar 20A Belt line part 22 Pillar outer panel (outer wall)
24 Pillar inner panel (inner wall)
26 Instrument panel reinforcement 30 Front reinforcement (first reinforcing member)
40 Main bulkhead (second reinforcing member)
42 connecting plate 44 reinforcing plate 46 reinforcing plate 50 side reinforcement (third reinforcing member)
56 Front end (one end)
58 Rear end (other end)
60 Subbulk head (fourth reinforcing member)
62 connecting plate 64 reinforcing plate 66 reinforcing plate 70 to 76 bead portion C connecting portion

Claims (3)

A first reinforcing member that connects between the front suspension tower and the cowl;
A second reinforcing member provided along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body inside the front pillar and having a pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates that connect the inner wall and the outer wall of the front pillar;
It is disposed obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and the vehicle width direction, one end is connected to the first reinforcing member via the cowl, and the other end is connected to the second reinforcing member via the front pillar. A third reinforcing member;
An inner wall and an outer wall of the front pillar, which are provided along a vehicle width direction of the front pillar between a pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates of the second reinforcing member in the vicinity of a connecting portion to which the other end of the third reinforcing member is connected. A fourth reinforcing member having a reinforcing plate for connecting
A vehicle body front structure characterized by comprising:   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing plates of the fourth reinforcing member are provided as a pair facing the vehicle longitudinal direction.   The vehicle body front part structure according to claim 2, wherein the connecting portion is disposed between a pair of reinforcing plates of the fourth reinforcing member.

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