vehicle body front structure

专利摘要:
VEHICLE FRONT BODYWORK STRUCTURE. The present invention relates to a structure (10) for the front of the vehicle body which is provided with: impact absorbing portions (31) forming the front portions of the front side frames (11); and beam support elements (22) provided on the inner walls (43) of the impact absorbing portions (31). The impact absorbing portions (31) being compressively deformable and being configured so that the inner walls (43) are stronger than the outer walls (51). The beam support elements (22) are formed to be able to face a beam of the front bumper (18). The cross section of the front bumper beam (18) is formed to become longer from the left end portion (18a) towards the center of the vehicle in the width direction thereof.
公开号:BR112013018530B1
申请号:R112013018530-9
申请日:2011-12-15
公开日:2021-07-06
发明作者:Masashige Iseki；Manabu Ishizono；Takeshi Yoshimoto；Takumi Tsuyuzaki
申请人:Honda Motor Co., Ltd.；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

Technical Field
[001] The present invention relates to a structure for a front part of the vehicle body, i.e., the front structure of a vehicle body, in which left and right front side frames are provided at a predetermined distance from each other at a vehicle width direction and in which a front bumper beam is attached and extends between the respective front end portions of the left and right front side frames. Background of the Technique
[002] Among the various known types of front vehicle body structures is one in which left and right impact absorbing boxes protrude from the respective distal end portions of the left and right front side frames and in which a beam of the The front bumper is secured and extends between the respective distal end portions of the left and right shock absorbing boxes, and such type of vehicle body front frame is described, for example, in Patent Literature 1. In the frame front of the vehicle body described in Patent Literature 1, a generally L-shaped load-bearing element is connected to a distal end portion of each of the impact absorbing boxes and a corresponding one of the opposite end portions of the front bumper beam.
[003] Each of the load-bearing elements, which has a convex corner portion being molded into a generally L-shape, is connected at one of its end portions to the distal end portion of the impact-absorbing box and at its other end portion to the portion of the front bumper beam near one end of the front bumper beams. In such conditions, the corner portion of the load-bearing element protrudes into an engine room.
[004] In the vehicle body front structure described in Patent Literature 1, when a load has acted on a front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body, the load will act on the front end portions of the impact absorbing boxes for compressively deforming (crushing or dropping) impact absorbing boxes. Simultaneously, the load will act on the other end portion of the load-bearing elements such that the corner portions of the load-bearing elements are moved or shifted into the engine room. Such deformation of the load-bearing elements and impact-absorbing housings can absorb the load that has acted on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body.
[005] However, in the front structure of the vehicle body described in Patent Literature 1, the load-bearing elements are provided with their corner portions which project into the engine room, as noted above. Furthermore, when a load has acted on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body, the load will act on the other end portions of the load-bearing elements in such a way that the corner portions of the load-bearing elements are moved into the engine room.
[006] In order to accommodate the load-bearing elements (particularly their corner portions), it is necessary to save a larger space for accommodation within the engine room. Thereby, a front end portion of the vehicle body has to be extremely spaced forward from the front end of a power unit (e.g., unit having an engine and a transmission integrated thereto) disposed within the engine room. . Therefore, a front-rear length from the front end of the power unit to the front bumper beam increases, which undesirably prevents the vehicle front body from reducing the size. Prior Art Literature
[007] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Opened to Public Inspection No. 2006-231965 Invention Summary Technical problem
[008] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body front structure, which can absorb a load that has acted on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body and which allows for the reduction of the vehicle's front body size. Solution to Problem
[009] According to the present invention, a vehicle body front structure is provided that includes: left and right front side frames that extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body; and a front bumper beam that extends between the left and right front side frames, the front bumper beam being deformable towards the rear of the vehicle body by a load acting on it from that portion. front of the vehicle body, which comprises: right and left impact-absorbing sections constituting front sections of the left and right front side frames, respectively, and compressively deformable by a load acting on it from the front of the body of the vehicle, each of the impact-absorbing sections having an inner sidewall located closer to a middle portion, in a vehicle width direction, of the impact-absorbing section and an outer sidewall located outside the vehicle width direction of the inner sidewall, the inner sidewall having a greater strength than the outer sidewall; and beam support elements each disposed on the inner side wall of a corresponding wall of the impact absorbing sections in a confronting relationship with the front bumper beam, the front bumper beam having located opposite end portions on the front, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, of the corresponding portions of the beam support elements, the opposite end portions being mounted on the outer side walls of the right and left impact-absorbing sections, the para beam -front shock having a sectional shape that increases in size from the end portions towards the middle part in the width direction of the vehicle.
[0010] Preferably, as recited in claim 2, each of the impact absorbing sections includes an upper flange that protrudes outwardly in the vehicle width direction from an upper end portion of the outer sidewall; a lower flange projecting downwardly from a middle portion, in the vehicle width direction, of a lower section of the impact absorbing section; and a plurality of beads disposed on a peripheral wall of the impact absorbing section and extending in a peripheral direction of the peripheral wall. With the plurality of edges, the edges formed on the inner side wall are arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body alternately with other edges such that the edges on the inner side wall are in less quantity than the others edges.
[0011] Preferably, as recited in claim 3, the flanges formed on the inner side wall include: at least one flange divided into upper and lower triangular flange sections that are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in a direction to up and down; and a flangeless section provided between the upper and lower triangular flanged sections, the upper triangular flanged section being molded into a generally triangular shape that tapers gradually from a recessed portion of an upper ridge line, where the sidewall inner and an upper section of the impact absorbing section meet, towards an intermediate vertical part of the inner sidewall, the lower triangular rim section being molded into a generally triangular shape which tapers gradually from a recessed portion of a lower ridge line, where the inner sidewall and the lower section meet, towards the intermediate vertical part of the inner sidewall.
[0012] Preferably, as recited in claim 4, the vehicle body front structure which further comprises a front bulkhead supported on the inner side wall of each of the impact absorbing sections, and where a component related to cooling is arranged over the front bulkhead.
[0013] Preferably, as recited in claim 5, the front bulkhead has extension sections provided to intersect the inner side walls of the corresponding walls of the impact absorbing sections. Each of the extension sections has: a U-shaped portion molded into a generally U-shaped sectional shape that projects away from the inner sidewall; a front flange portion that projects from the front end of the U-portion towards the front of the vehicle body; and a rear flange portion which projects from the rear end of the U-portion towards the rear of the vehicle body, and the front and rear flange portions are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction. of the vehicle body and mounted on the inner sidewall, and the U-shaped portion is located at a given distance from the inner sidewall.
[0014] Preferably, as recited in claim 6, each of the beam support elements is provided in a confronting relationship with the front bumper beam and spaced from the front bumper beam, towards the rear from the vehicle body, for a predetermined distance without contact with the front bumper beam.
[0015] Preferably, as recited in claim 7, the beam support element includes: a mounting section mounted on and along the inner sidewall; a facing section formed in a facing relationship with the front bumper beam; and a reinforcement section formed over an intersection section between the assembly section and the facing section, the assembly section and the facing section being formed to define together a generally L-shaped section.
[0016] Preferably, as recited in claim 8, each of the impact absorbing sections has a wall thickness less than a load transmission section, extending towards the rear of the vehicle body of a part corresponding to the left and right front side frames.
[0017] Preferably, as recited in claim 9, the impact absorbing section includes a reinforcing shield disposed over a front end portion thereof to reinforce the load transmission section. Advantageous Effects of the Invention
[0018] In the invention recited in claim 1 of the present patent application, when a load has been placed on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body, the front bumper beam may be deformed at the rear , that is, towards the rear of the vehicle body, to thereby absorb a part of the load placed. Thereby, the front bumper beam which has been deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body can be supported by the beam support element.
[0019] The front bumper beam has a sectional shape that increases in size from the end portions towards the middle part in the vehicle width direction (i.e., middle part of the vehicle body width) . Namely, in the front bumper beam, the cross-sectional shape of a part of the front bumper beam that positionally corresponds to the inner sidewall is larger than the cross-sectional shape of a part of the front bumper beam. that corresponds positionally to the outer sidewall. Thereby, a load transmitted from the front bumper beam to the inner side wall would become greater than a load transmitted from the front bumper beam to the outer side wall. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the front section of each of the front side frames is constituted by the impact absorbing section, and the inner side wall is constructed to have greater strength than the outer side wall. With the inner sidewall constructed to have greater strength than the outer sidewall in this way, the impact absorbing section can be prevented from flexibly deforming towards the middle part in the width direction of the vehicle (middle part of vehicle body width) by a load that has been applied or placed from the front bumper beam in the impact absorption section. Thus, the impact absorbing section can be efficiently compressively deformed (deformed) towards the rear of the vehicle body, and thus the placed load can be effectively absorbed by the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section.
[0020] Furthermore, because the beam support element is arranged along the inner side wall of the front impact absorbing section or in abutting relationship with the beam of the front bumper. Because the beam support element is disposed along the inner side wall of the impact absorbing section and the front bumper beam thereby, there is no need to project the beam support element towards a Machine room. In this way, the front bumper beam can be placed closer to the engine room. Furthermore, with the beam support element provided in a confronting relationship with the front bumper beam, the front bumper beam can be prevented from deforming at the rear beyond the beam support element.
[0021] Because there is no need to project the beam support element towards the engine room and because the front bumper beam can be prevented from deforming at the rear beyond the beam As noted above, the front bumper beam can be arranged closer to the engine room. In this way, a front-rear length from the front end of the power unit (ie unit having an engine and a transmission integrally incorporated in it) from the engine room to the front bumper beam can be reduced, the which can thereby achieve a significant reduction in size of the vehicle body front structure.
[0022] Furthermore, in the invention recited in claim 2 of the present patent application, with the plurality of edges, the edges formed on the inner side wall are arranged, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, alternately with the other edges, such that the edges on the inner sidewall are in less quantity than the other edges. Because the ridges on the inner sidewall are in less quantity than the other ridges in this way, the inner sidewall can be immediately constructed to have greater strength than the outer sidewall. Thus, when a load has acted on the impact absorbing section in the direction towards the rear of the vehicle body, the impact absorbing section can be effectively compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body, and in this way, the placed load which has acted on the impact absorbing section can be effectively absorbed by the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section.
[0023] In addition, in the invention recited in claim 3 of the present patent application, the ridges on the inner sidewall include at least one ledge divided into the upper and lower sections of the triangular ridge and in the ridgeless section provided between the upper and lower sections. bottoms with a triangular edge. By providing the rimless section provided between the upper and lower triangular rim sections, the present invention can ensure sufficient strength of the inner sidewall. Thus, when a load has acted on the impact absorbing section in the direction towards the rear of the vehicle body, the impact absorbing section can be effectively compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body, and in this way, the placed load which has acted on the impact absorbing section can be effectively absorbed by the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section.
[0024] In addition, in the invention recited in claim 4 of this patent application, the front bulkhead is supported on the inner side wall of each of the impact absorption sections, the component related to cooling is disposed on the front bulkhead and the front bumper beam is mounted over the front end portion of each of the shock absorbing sections. Thus, when a load has acted on the impact absorbing section from the front of the vehicle body, the impact absorbing section will be compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body, such that the component related to cooling can be moved towards the rear of the vehicle body together with the front bulkhead. Thus, the present invention can prevent the front bumper beam from interfering with the cooling related component and damaging the cooling related component.
[0025] In the front structure of a prior art vehicle body, the front bumper beam is mounted on the front side frames through the impact absorbing boxes, and the front bulkhead is supported on the front side frames through elements fragile. Thus, in the prior art vehicle body front structure, it is difficult to securely support the front side frames through the front bumper beam and the front bulkhead. Therefore, adjustments must be made to preserve a sufficient amount of strength of the front side frames (ie, sufficient rigidity for the vehicle body front frame).
[0026] Thus, in the invention recited in claim 4 of this patent application, the front section of each of the front side frames is constituted by the impact absorption section. The front bumper beam is mounted directly on the front end portion of each of the shock absorbing sections, and the front bulkhead is supported directly on the inner side wall of each of the shock absorbing sections. With the front bumper beam and the front bulkhead mounted directly to each of the front side frames in this way, the present invention can ensure the strength of the front side frames (and hence sufficient rigidity for the vehicle body front frame).
[0027] Furthermore, in the invention recited in claim 5 of the present patent application, the front bulkhead has the extension sections. Each of the extension sections has the front and rear flange portions spaced from each other by the predetermined distance and is mounted on the inner sidewall, and the U-shaped portion located the given distance from the inner sidewall. With the front flange portion being displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body, the U-shaped portion is displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body such that the cooling-related component can be highly displaced towards the part. The rear of the vehicle body together with the U-shaped portion. Thus, the present invention can even more reliably prevent the front bumper beam from interfering with the cooling-related component and damaging the cooling-related component.
[0028] Furthermore, in the invention recited in claim 6 of the present patent application, each of the beam support elements is provided in a confronting relationship with the front bumper beam and spaced from the bumper beam front and towards the rear of the vehicle body, for a predetermined distance without contact with the front bumper beam. Such arrangements can provide a large amount of deformation at the rear of the front bumper beam. Thereby, the front bumper beam can be highly deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by a load, which has been placed on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body, to thereby , efficiently absorb the load placed.
[0029] With the beam support element disposed out of contact (non-contact) with the front bumper beam, the present invention can prevent the generation of vibrating sound between the confronting section and the front bumper beam , and it can also prevent water droplets from depositing in a region between the facing section and the front bumper beam, thereby minimizing the generation of rust.
[0030] Furthermore, in the invention recited in claim 7 of the present patent application, the assembling section and the confronting section are formed to define together a generally L-shaped section, and the reinforcement section is formed over the section of intersection between the assembly section and the confrontation section. With the reinforcement section formed on the intersection section between the mounting section and the facing section, the deformation of the beam support element can be suppressed when the front bumper beam has deformed due to a load placed on it. from the front of the vehicle body. Because the deformation of the beam support element can be suppressed as noted above, the present invention can prevent the front bumper beam from being deformed at the rear beyond the beam support element. Therefore, when a load has been placed on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body, the placed load can be efficiently transmitted to the impact absorbing section by means of the beam support element. As a result, the load that has been placed on the front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body can be effectively absorbed by the impact absorption section.
[0031] Furthermore, in the invention recited in claim 8 of the present patent application, each of the impact absorbing sections has a wall thickness smaller than the load transmission section of the front side frame so that the section strength impact absorption can be reduced. In this way, the impact absorbing section can be efficiently compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by the placed load which acted from the front bumper beam on the impact absorbing section in direction towards of the vehicle body, and thus the placed load which acted on the impact absorbing section can be effectively absorbed by the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section.
[0032] Furthermore, in the invention recited in claim 9 of the present patent application, the impact absorbing section includes a reinforcing shield disposed on a front end portion of a rear section thereof, which extends from the section of impact absorption towards the rear of the vehicle body to reinforce the load transmission section, such that the front end portion can have an increase in strength. In this way, when a load has acted from the front bumper beam on the impact absorbing section towards the vehicle body, a reactive force acting towards the front of the vehicle body can be generated in a manner reliable from the rear section. In this way, the impact absorbing section can be efficiently compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by the placed load which acted from the front bumper beam on the impact absorbing section towards the body of the vehicle, and in this way, the placed load that has acted on the impact absorbing section can be effectively absorbed. Brief Description of Drawings
[0033] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a vehicle body front structure of the present invention;
[0034] Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a region encircled at 2 in Figure 1;
[0035] Figure 3 is a perspective view, taken from the rear of the vehicle body, of the front frame region of the vehicle body shown in Figure 2;
[0036] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle body front frame region shown in Figure 2;
[0037] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of an impact absorbing section shown in Figure 4;
[0038] Figure 6 is a view taken along line 6 - 6 of Figure 4;
[0039] Figure 7 is a view taken along line 7 - 7 of Figure 4;
[0040] Figure 8 is a view taken along line 8 - 8 of Figure 4;
[0041] Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle body front frame region shown in Figure 3;
[0042] Figure 10 is a sectional view of the vehicle body front frame region shown in Figure 3;
[0043] Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 11 - 11 of Figure 2;
[0044] Figure 12 is a perspective view of a front bulkhead shown in Figure 1;
[0045] Figure 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 13 - 13 of Figure 12;
[0046] Figure 14 is an example view where a load was placed on a front bumper beam from the front of the vehicle body in mode; and
[0047] Figure 15 is a view showing an example where a placed load is absorbed by the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section, shown in figure 14. Description of Modalities
[0048] With reference to the attached drawings, the description will be given below on the preferred embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, an embodiment of a vehicle body front frame 10 of the present invention includes: a pair of left and right front side frames 11 that extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body; a lower frame 12 mounted on the left and right front side frames 11 is formed below; a left connecting element 14 which interconnects the left end portion 12a of the lower frame 12 and a front bulkhead 13; and a right-hand connecting element 14 which interconnects the right end portion 12b of the lower frame 12 and the front bulkhead 13.
[0049] The lower frame 12 is fixed from below to the left and right front side frames 11 by means of a plurality of screws 16. A power unit (e.g. a unit having a motor and a transmission integrated therein) is mounted on the lower frame 12.
[0050] The vehicle body front frame 10 further includes: a front bumper beam 18 secured and extending between the left and right front side frames 11; a safety plate 21 disposed in front of the front bumper beam 18 (i.e. disposed in front of the front bumper beam 18 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body); left and right beam support elements 22 disposed facing each other or in abutting relationship with the front bumper beam 18 (only the left beam support element 22 is shown in figure 2). Safety plate 21 is a deformation plate provided to protect a pedestrian when he has hit the pedestrian during the vehicle travel.
[0051] The vehicle body front structure 10 further includes: a front bulkhead 13 disposed behind the front bumper beam 18 (i.e., disposed at the rear of the front bumper beam 18 in the front-rear direction of the body of the vehicle); a cooling element 24 disposed on the front shield 13; a leg deflection plate 26 protruding from a further described lower member 128 of the front bulkhead 13. The leg deflection plate 26 is a plate provided to prevent a pedestrian's legs from entering a front section of the vehicle. towards the rear of the vehicle.
[0052] In the following, the main components of the front structure of vehicle body 10 are described in detail. The left and right front side frames 11 are frame elements, spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a width direction of the vehicle and which extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The left side and front frame 11 includes an impact absorbing section 31 constituting a front section of the left side and front frame 11, and a load transmission section 32 extending from a rear end portion 31a (see also Figure 2) from the impact absorption section 31 towards the rear of the vehicle body.
[0053] As shown in figures 2 and 3, the impact absorbing section 31 constitutes a front section of the left side and front frame 11. The impact absorbing section 31 has a wall thickness T1 greater than a wall thickness T2 of the load transmission section 32, and it has a bead unit 34 (a plurality of beads) for it to compressively deform (either compressed or deformed) by a load that has acted on it from the front of the vehicle body.
[0054] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the impact absorbing section 31 includes an element with flexed plate to the inner side 36 of the wall thickness T1 disposed closer to the intermediate part of the vehicle body width, and element with flexed plate to the outer side 37 of the wall thickness T1 arranged laterally outwards, in the vehicle width direction of the element with flexed plate to the inner side 36.
[0055] The inwardly flexed plate element 36 has: an upper section 41 that extends substantially horizontally; an outwardly projecting top section 42 which projects laterally outwardly in the width direction from an outer end portion of the top section 41; an inner sidewall 43 flexed downwardly from an inner end portion of the top section 41; a lower inner side section 44 flexed outwardly from a lower end portion of the inner side wall 43; and a downwardly flexed section 45 from an outer end portion of the lower section 44.
[0056] The outwardly flexed plate element 37 has: an outer sidewall 51 spaced outwardly from the inner sidewall 43 parallel thereto; a flexed upper section 52 outwardly from an upper end portion of the outer side wall 51; a lower and outer side section 53 flexed inwardly from a lower end portion of the outer side wall 51; and a downwardly flexed section 54 from an inner end portion of the lower section 53.
[0057] As shown in Figures 6 through 8, the outwardly projecting top section 42 and the flexed top section 52 are spot welded together to form a top flange 56. The top flange 56 projects laterally outward in the direction of vehicle width from the upper end portion of the outer sidewall 51 and the outer end portion of the upper section 41.
[0058] In addition, the down flexed section 45 and the down flexed section 54 are spot welded so that a substantially flat lower section 57 is formed with the lower inner side section 44 and the lower and outer side section 53. Furthermore, with the downwardly flexed section 45 and the downwardly flexed section 54 being spot welded, a lower flange 58 is formed which projects downwardly from a middle portion in the vehicle width direction. lower section 57 of the impact absorption section 31.
[0059] With the outwardly protruding top section 42 and the flexed top section 52 spliced together and with the down flexed section 45 and the down flexed section 54 spliced together as noted above, the absorption section The impact point 31 is integrally formed by the inner side flexed plate element 36 and the outer side flexed plate element 37.
[0060] Thereby, the impact absorbing section 31 is molded into a generally rectangular closed sectional shape with the upper section 41, the inner side wall 43, the lower section 57 and the outer side wall 51. impact 31 has the upper flange 56 projecting laterally outwardly in the width direction of the vehicle from the upper end portion of the outer side wall 51 and the outer end portion of the upper section 41, and the lower flange 58 projecting to low from the middle part in the vehicle width direction of the lower section 57. A peripheral wall 33 of the impact absorbing section 31 is defined with the upper section 41, the inner side wall 43, the lower section 57, the wall outer side 51, upper flange 56 and lower flange 58.
[0061] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the rim unit 34 is formed on the peripheral wall 33 of the impact absorbing section 31 so that it can extend in the width direction of the vehicle. More specifically, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, the upper and lower concave ridge lines 33a and 33b are formed on the peripheral wall 33 of the impact absorbing section 31. The upper concave ridge line 33a is formed on the portion of the impact absorbing section 31 where the inner sidewall 43 and the upper section 41 meet or intersect, and the lower concave ridge line 33b is formed over the portion of the impact absorbing section 31 where the sidewall inner 43 and lower section 57 intersect.
[0062] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, the bead unit 34 includes a group of inner side wall beads 62 formed on the inner side wall 43 (ledges 62 formed on the inner side wall 43), and another group of beads 63 (other edges 63). The group of inner sidewall beads 62 includes an inner front bead (breaking bead) 65 and an inner rear bead 66. The other group of beads 63 includes a plurality of upper beads 71, a plurality of inner lower beads 72, a outer front ledge 73 and a plurality of outer rear ledges 74.
[0063] The plurality of upper rims 71 includes the upper most front rim 71 and other rims 71 formed over the upper section 41 and the outwardly projecting upper section 42 and which extends continuously in the vehicle width direction. The upper most front edge 71 is spaced at the rear (in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body) from the front end 36a of the flexed-inboard element 36 by a distance L1. The other upper rim 71 are spaced apart from the rear most front upper rim 71 by a predetermined distance L2.
[0064] The plurality of inner lower ridges 72 include the innermost inner lower ridge 72 and other inner lower ridges 72 formed on the lower inner side section 44 and the downwardly bent section 45 and extending continuously in the width direction of the vehicle. The frontmost inner bottom edge 72 is spaced from the front end 36a of the flexed plate member to the inner side 36 by distance L1. The other inner lower lip 72 are spaced at the rear from the most front inner lower lip 72 by the predetermined distance L2. Namely, as viewed in plan, the plurality of inner lower lips 72 is formed in a corresponding positional relationship (or overlapping relationship) to the plurality of upper lips 71.
[0065] The outer front edge 73 is formed over the flexed upper section 52, the outer side wall 51, the lower and outer side section 53 and the downwardly flexed section 54 to extend continuously in the vehicle width direction. The outer front edge 73 is spaced at the rear of the front end 37a of the outwardly flexed plate element 37 by distance L1.
[0066] The front end 37a of the element with flexed plate to the outside 37 and the front end 36a of the element with flexed plate to the inside 36 are located flush with each other. Thereby, the outer front edge 73 is located spaced at the rear of the front end 36a of the inwardly flexed plate member 36 by the distance L1, similarly to the uppermost front edge 71 and the lower innermost edge 72.
[0067] Of the outer front edge 73, the portion 73a formed over the flexed upper section 52 is fitted to the portion 71a of the upper most front edge 71 formed over the outwardly projecting upper section 42, and the portion 73b formed over the section downwardly flexed 54 is fitted to portion 72a of the innermost frontmost lip 72 formed over the downwardly flexed section 45.
[0068] The plurality of outer rear edges 74 is formed on the outer side wall 51 and their edges are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction by the predetermined distance L2.
[0069] Namely, in the other group of edges 63, the upper most front edge 71, the lower most front inner edge 72 and the outer front edge 73 are spaced at the rear of the front end 36a of the element with flexed plate to the side internal 36 by distance L1. Sometimes, the top most front lip 71, the bottom inner most front lip 72, and the front outside lip 73 will be referred to hereinafter only as the "front most lip" 71, 72 and 73".
[0070] Furthermore, in the other group of lips 63, the other upper lips 71, the other lower inner lips 72 and the outer rear lip 74 are spaced at the rear of the most front lips 71, 72 and 73 by the predetermined distance L2.
[0071] The edges of the inner side wall (inner front edge 65 and inner rear edge 66) 62 are arranged alternately with the edges of the other group of edges 63 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body; namely, the ridges on the inner side wall 43 are in less quantity than the other ridges 63. More specifically, the inner front ledge 65 is provided between the upper most front ledge 71 and the second upper ledge 71, and the ledge inner rear 66 is provided between the second upper lip 71 and the third upper lip 71.
[0072] Because the inner front edge 65 and the inner rear edge 66 are arranged alternately with the edges of the other group of edges 63 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body as noted above, the group of wall edges Inner side 62 has fewer beads than the other bead group 63. Because the inner side wall bead group 62 has fewer beads than the other bead group 63, it is then possible to easily define the intensity of the side wall inner 43 greater than the intensity of the outer sidewall 51. The reason why the intensity of the inner sidewall 43 is set greater than the intensity of the outer sidewall 51 will be detailed later.
[0073] On the inner side wall 43, the inner front edge 65 of the inner side wall edge group 62 is located at the front of the inner rear edge 66 and between the upper most front edge 71 and the second (i.e., intermediate ) upper rim 71. This inner front rim 65 includes upper and lower triangular rim sections 76 and 77 spaced from each other in an up and down direction by a predetermined interval H, and a non-flange section 78 provided between the upper sections and lower triangular rim 76 and 77.
[0074] The upper triangular rim section 76 is molded into a generally triangular shape that tapers gradually from a recessed portion of the upper concave ridge line 33a of the impact absorbing section 31 towards the intermediate vertical part of the sidewall internal 43. Similarly, the lower triangular rim section 77 is molded into a generally triangular shape that tapers gradually from a recessed portion of the lower concave ridge line 33b of the impact absorbing section 31 towards the vertical portion. middle of the inner sidewall 43.
[0075] With the upper and lower triangular-beaded sections 76 and 77 molded in a generally triangular shape, the upper and lower triangular-beaded sections 76 and 77 next to the non-ridged section 78 may be small. Thus, the flangeless section 78 can be relatively large in size such that the resistance in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body of the inner front flange 65 (and hence the inner side wall 43) can be created greater than the strength of the outer sidewall 51.
[0076] A front joining section 43a is disposed on the inner side wall 43 in front of the inner front rim 65. The front joining section 43a is where a front flange, which will be described later, 132 of the front bulkhead 13 can be connected. A rear joining section 43b is disposed on the inner sidewall 43 behind the inner front rim 65. The rear joining section 43b is where a rear flange 133 of the front bulkhead 13, which will be described later, can be connected.
The inner rear edge 66 of the inner side wall flange group 62 is formed on the inner side wall 43 behind the rear joint section 43b. More specifically, the inner rear lip 66 extends vertically between the second (i.e., intermediate) upper lip 71 and the third (i.e., rearmost) upper lip 71.
[0078] Because the flangeless section 78 is disposed over the inner front flange 65, the strength, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, of the inner sidewall 43 can be created greater than the strength of the sidewall external 51. The reason why the strength, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, of the inner sidewall 43 should be created greater than the strength of the outer sidewall 51 will be explained in detail later.
[0079] The beam support element 22 is disposed on a front end portion 43c of the inner side wall 43 of the impact absorbing section 31. The beam support element 22 includes: a mounting section 81 disposed over and at the along the inner sidewall 43; an abutting section 82 formed integrally with a front end portion 81a of the mounting section 81; and a plurality of gusset sections 84 formed over an intersection section 83 between the mounting section 81 and the confronting section 82. This beam support element 22 has a generally L-shaped section defined with the mounting section 81 and the confrontation section 82.
[0080] The mounting section 81 is disposed over the front end portion 43c to extend perpendicularly to the front-rear length of the inner side wall 43. The confronting section 82 projects from the front end portion 81a of the inner side wall. mount 81 laterally towards the middle part of the mount section 81 to be able to face the front bumper beam 18.
[0081] In such conditions, the confronting section 82 is located generally flush with a mounting bracket 86 described later (and the front end portion 43c of the inner sidewall 43) (see Figure 10). Furthermore, the confronting section 82 is located out of contact with the front bumper beam 18, i.e. spaced at the rear of the front bumper beam 18 by a predetermined distance S without contact with the front bumper beam. front shock 18 (see figure 10).
[0082] The intersecting section 83 is a concave corner section formed by the mounting section 81 and the facing section 82 that intersect perpendicularly. The plurality of gusset sections 84 are disposed over the intersection section 83 at predetermined intervals.
[0083] The plurality of gusset sections 84 are disposed vertically at predetermined intervals along the intersecting concave section 83 and each reveals rearwardly towards the intersecting concave section 83. The provision of the plurality of gusset sections 84 over the intersecting concave section 83 can prevent the facing section 82 from deforming towards the rear of the vehicle body when a load has acted on (has been placed on) the facing section 82 from the front of the vehicle body.
[0084] Namely, with the plurality of reinforcement sections 84 disposed on the intersection concave section 83, the beam support element 22 can be maintained in the generally L-shaped section even when a load has acted on (has been placed over) the facing section 82 from the front of the vehicle body. Thus, when the front bumper beam 18 deforms at the rear in response to the load being placed on it from the front of the vehicle body, the beam support member 22 can maintain the bumper beam. front shock 18 generally flush with mounting bracket 86 (and front end portion 43c of inner sidewall 43). With the front bumper beam 18 being held generally level with the mounting bracket 86 in this way, the present embodiment can prevent the inner sidewall 43 from falling towards the mid-width portion of the vehicle body due to the actuated load. over the front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body.
[0085] By preventing the inner side wall 43 from falling in the manner mentioned above, the present embodiment can transmit the load, which has been placed from the front of the vehicle body, at the rear towards the front end portion 31b of the section of impact absorption 31 (in the longitudinal direction of the impact absorption section 31). Thereby, the impact absorbing section 31 can be compressively pressed even more effectively in the longitudinal direction thereof by the load that has been placed from the front of the vehicle body. Therefore, the present modality can displace the component related to cooling 24 (see Figure 10) together with the front bulkhead 13 and thus can even more effectively prevent the front bumper beam 18 from interfering with and damaging the component related to cooling 24.
[0086] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, when the front bumper beam 18 has deformed due to the load placed from the front of the vehicle body, the deformation of the beam support element 22 can be suppressed by the plurality of reinforcing sections 84. Thus, the present embodiment can prevent the front bumper beam 18 from being deformed at the rear beyond the beam support member 22. Therefore, when the load has been placed on the beam of the front bumper 18 from the front of the vehicle body, the placed load can be efficiently transmitted to the impact absorbing section 31 by means of the beam support element 22. As a result, the load that has been placed on the Front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body can be effectively absorbed by the impact absorbing section 31.
[0087] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the mounting section 81 of the beam support element 22 is disposed over and along the inner side wall 43 of the impact absorbing section 31, and the confronting section 82 is provided for extends from the front end portion 81a of the mounting section 81 in facing or opposite relationship to the front bumper beam 18.
[0088] Namely, because the beam support element 22 is disposed along the inner side wall 43 of the impact absorbing section 31 and the front bumper beam 18, there is no need to design the element. of beam support 22 towards the engine room 89 where the power unit (eg unit having the engine and transmission integrated thereto) is mounted. Thereby, the front bumper beam 18 can be arranged closer to the engine room 89.
[0089] In addition, with the facing section 82 provided in facing or opposite relationship to the front bumper beam 18, the front bumper beam 18 can be prevented from deforming at the rear beyond the front bumper support element. beam 22.
[0090] Because there is no need to project the beam support element 22 towards the engine room 89 and the front bumper beam 18 can be prevented from deforming at the rear beyond the beam 22, a front-rear length L3 from the front end of the engine room power unit 89 to the front bumper beam 18 can be reduced, which can thereby achieve a significant reduction in the size of the front frame of vehicle body 10.
[0091] In addition, the mounting bracket 86 and a bracing bracket 87 are disposed on the front end portion 31b of the impact absorbing section 31. As shown in Figure 4, the mounting bracket 86 is modeled with an opening it is generally U-shaped towards the middle of the vehicle body width and has an upwardly projecting section 86a, a downwardly projecting section 86b and a laterally outwardly projecting section 86c.
[0092] The upwardly projecting section 86a is mounted on the upper section 41 in the front end portion 31b of the impact absorbing section 31, and the downwardly projecting section 86b is mounted on the lower section 57 in the portion. of the front end 31b of the impact absorbing section 31. In addition, the laterally outwardly projecting section 86c is mounted on the outer side wall 51 in the front end portion 31b of the impact absorbing section 31. projecting upwards 86a, the downwardly projecting section 86b and the outwardly projecting section 86c have a mounting hole 91 formed therein.
[0093] Reinforcement bracket 87 is mounted on top section 41 behind upward projecting section 86a. Strengthening bracket 87 has a mounting hole 92 formed coaxially with mounting hole 91 of the upwardly projecting section 86a. A nut 93 is secured to the rear surface of the bracing bracket 87, and the nut 93 is located coaxially with the mounting hole 91 of the upwardly projecting section 86a and the mounting hole 92 of the bracing bracket 87.
[0094] Similarly, a nut 93 is welded to the rear surface of the downwardly projecting section 86b and the outwardly projecting section 86c. Nut 93 of down-projecting section 86b is located coaxially with mounting hole 91 of down-projecting section 86b. Similarly, nut 93 of outwardly projecting section 86c is located coaxially with mounting hole 91 of outwardly projecting section 86c.
[0095] As shown in figures 3 and 4, the load transmission section 32 is a part of the left side and front frame 11 located adjacent to the impact absorbing section 31 (see also figure 1), and the transmission section load 32 extends substantially horizontally from the rear end portion 31a of the impact absorbing section 31 towards the rear of the vehicle body. More specifically, the load transmission section 32 has a wall thickness T2 greater than the wall thickness T1 of the impact absorbing section 31 and has a reinforcing shield 96 over its front end portion 32a, of such that the load transmission section 32 has increased strength (particularly at the front end portion 32a).
[0096] Because the load transmission section 32 has increased resistance as noted above, a reactive force acting towards the front of the vehicle body can be generated from the load transmission section 32 with more ease when a load has acted from the front bumper beam 18 towards the rear of the vehicle body. Therefore, the impact absorbing section 31 can be efficiently compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by the placed load transmitted at the rear from the front bumper beam 18 to the impact absorbing section 31, and in this way, the placed load can be effectively absorbed by the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section 31.
[0097] Furthermore, because the wall thickness T1 of the impact absorbing section 31 is smaller than the wall thickness T2 of the load transmission section 32, the impact absorbing section 31 has a reduced strength. Thereby, the impact absorbing section 31 can be efficiently compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by the placed load transmitted at the rear from the front bumper beam 18 to the impact absorbing section 31 Such compressive deformation can even more effectively absorb the load that has been transmitted to the impact absorbing section 31.
[0098] It is conceivable that, after the compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section 31, the impact absorbing section 31 is cut from the load transmission section 32 and then a new impact absorbing section 31 is mounted on. the front end portion 32a of the load transmission section 32. It is preferable to maintain a sufficient amount of strength of the front end portion 32a of the load transmission section 32 when the impact absorbing section 31 is cut from the load transmission section. load 32 and the new impact absorbing section 31 is mounted on the front end portion 32a of the load transmitting section 32.
[0099] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the front end portion 32a of the load transmission section 32 is reinforced with the reinforcing shield 96, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. Thereby, when the impact absorbing section compressively The deformation 31 is cut and removed from the load transmission section 32, the deformation of the load transmission section 32 can be prevented. As such, the present embodiment allows the compressively deformed impact absorbing section 31 to be reliably replaced by the new impact absorbing section 31 and thus can reduce the repair cost.
[00100] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the load transmission section 32 is modeled in a generally rectangular closed sectional shape with an upper section 101, an inner side wall 102, a lower section 103 and a side wall In addition, in the load transmission section 32, an upper flange 106 protrudes from an upper end portion of the outer side wall 104 and an outer end portion of the upper section 101, and a lower flange 107 is projects downwardly from an intermediate region, in the vehicle width direction of the lower section 103. The reinforcing screen 96 is accommodated in an inner space 108 of the closed section defined with the upper section 101, the inner side wall 102, a lower section 103 and outer side wall 104.
[00101] The reinforcing shield 96 is an element for reinforcing the load transmission section 32 being disposed on the front end portion 32a of the load transmission section 32. This reinforcing shield 96 has: a wall section 111 formed in a generally rectangular shape; an upper flexed section 112 flexed from an upper end portion of the wall section 111 towards the rear of the vehicle body; a flexed lower section 113 from a lower end portion of the wall section 111 towards the rear of the vehicle body; a flexed outer section 114 from a left side edge portion of the wall section 111 towards the rear of the vehicle body; and a flexed lower section 115 flexed from a right side edge portion of the wall section 111 towards the rear of the vehicle body.
[00102] The reinforcing screen 96 is disposed in the space 108 defined in the front end portion 32a of the load transmission section 32, with the flexed upper section 112 connected to the upper section 101 and the flexed lower section 113 connected to the lower section 103 In addition, the flexed outer section 114 is connected to the outer side wall 104, and the flexed lower section 115 is connected to the inner side wall 102. As mentioned above, the reinforcing screen 96 is fixedly mounted in the defined space 198. at the front end portion 32a.
[00103] As shown in Figure 1, the right side and front frame 11 is an element constructed and arranged in symmetrical relationship from left to right on the left side and front frame 11, and thus, various elements of the right side and front frame 11 they are represented by the same reference numerals as the elements of the left side and front frame 11 and therefore will not be described in detail here to avoid unnecessary duplication.
[00104] The front section of each of the left and right front side frames 11 is constituted by the impact absorbing section 31. The front bumper beam 18 is secured and extends between the respective front end portions 31b of the frames left and right front sides 11.
[00105] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the front beam 18 is disposed in front of the beam support element 22, and is fixed at its left end portions 18a to the mounting bracket 86 and the bracing bracket 87 by means of of screws 94 and nuts 93.
[00106] As noted above, the mounting bracket 86 is mounted on the top section 41, the bottom section 57 and the outer side wall 51 in the front end portion 31b of the impact absorbing section 31. Namely, the front beam 18 is mounted at its left end portion 18a to the upper section 41, the lower section 57 and the outer side wall 51 of the impact absorbing section 31 by means of screws 94 and nuts 93 through the mounting bracket 86 and the mounting bracket. reinforcement 87.
[00107] As shown in Figure 11, the front bumper beam 18 includes the base 121 having a generally rectangular shape as viewed in the front choice; a flexed upper section 122 from an upper base end portion 121 towards the rear of the vehicle body; a flexed lower section 123 from a lower base end portion 121 towards the rear of the vehicle body; and upper and lower protrusion sections 124 that extend from the base 121 toward the front of the vehicle body.
[00108] The base 121 is located in front of and in abutting relationship with the confronting section 82 of the beam support member 22, and the flexed upper section 122 is disposed over the confronting section 82 while the flexed lower section 123 is disposed below the confronting section 82. Namely, the confronting section 82 of the beam support element 22 is spaced at the rear from the base 121 of the beam of the front bumper 18 by the predetermined distance S without contact with the base 121 of the front bumper beam 18.
[00109] Thus, such arrangements can provide an optimal margin of deformation at the rear of the front bumper beam 18, as shown in figure 10, when a load has been placed on the front bumper beam 18 from the part front of the vehicle body. In this way, the front bumper beam 18 can be highly deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by the load, which has been placed on the front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body, for this way to efficiently absorb the placed load.
[00110] With the confronting section 82 of the beam support element 22 disposed out of contact with the beam of the front bumper 18, the present arrangement can avoid the generation of the vibrating sound between the confronting section 82 and the beam of the front bumper 18, and it can also prevent water droplets from settling in a region between the facing section 82 and the front bumper beam 18, thereby minimizing the generation of rust.
[00111] The front bumper beam 18 has a thickness dimension W1 in a portion 18b of the left end portion 18a which positionally corresponds to the outer side wall 51 and has a thickness dimension W2 in a portion 18c of the end portion left 18a which positionally corresponds to the inner sidewall 43. The thickness dimension W1 in the part 18b is less than the thickness dimension W2 in the part 18c, i.e., W1 < W2.
[00112] The portion 18c of the left end portion 18a of the front bumper beam 18 has a larger sectional area than the portion 18b of the left end portion 18a. In other words, the front bumper beam 18 has a sectional shape (sectional area) which rises from the left end portion 18a towards its middle part on the vehicle in the width direction.
[00113] When a load has been placed on the front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body, the front bumper beam 18 can be deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body to absorb this mode a part of the load placed. The front bumper beam 18 which has been thereby deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body can be supported by the facing section 82 of the beam support element 22. By virtue of the base 121 of the bumper beam 18 is supported by the facing section 82 thus, it can be prevented from deforming towards the rear of the vehicle body beyond the facing section 82. of impact absorption 31 (flexed mode deformation) towards the middle part of the vehicle body width.
[00114] The front bumper beam 18 has a sectional shape which increases in size or area from the left end portion 18a towards its middle part in the vehicle width direction. Namely, the sectional shape of the part 18c which positionally corresponds to the inner sidewall 43 is greater in size or area than the sectional shape of the part 18b which positionally corresponds to the outer sidewall 51. Thereby, a load transmitted from of the front bumper beam 18 to the inner side wall 43 would become greater than a load transmitted from the front bumper beam 18 to the outer side wall 51.
[00115] Thus, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the inner side wall bead group 62 has fewer beads than the other bead group 63 (Figure 5) (i.e. the beads 62 on the wall Inner side 43 are in less amount than the other lips 63) and have a non-flange section 78 over the inner front edge 65 of the inner side wall 43 so that the inner side wall 43 has greater strength than the outer side wall 51. Thereby, the impact absorbing section 31 can be prevented from falling (if flexibly deforming) towards the middle part of the vehicle body width.
[00116] In this way, the impact absorbing section 31 can be compressively deformed in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction of the vehicle body) by a load that acted from the front of the vehicle body in a generally intermediate part, in the vehicle width direction of the front bumper beam 18. Such compressive deformation of the impact absorbing section 31 can effectively absorb the load that has acted on the impact absorbing section 31. impact absorption 31 is compressively deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body, the cooling related component 24 (figure 10) can be displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body together with the front bulkhead 13. Thus, it is possible to prevent the front bumper beam 18 from interfering with the cooling related component 24 and damaging the cooling related component 24.
[00117] Similar to the left end portion 18a of the front bumper beam 18 as shown in figure 1, the right end portion 18d of the front bumper beam 18 is mounted on the impact absorbing section 31 of the right side and front frame 11. More specifically, the right end portion 18d of the front bumper beam 18 is mounted over the front end portion 31a of the impact absorbing section 31 (upper section 41, the section bottom 57 and outer side wall 51) via screws 94, nuts 93, mounting bracket 86, etc.
[00118] In this way, the front bumper beam 18 is secured and extends between the front end portions 31b of the left and right impact absorption section 31. When a load has acted on (has been placed on) the Front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body in such conditions, the bumper beam 18 is deformed towards the rear of the vehicle.
[00119] When the bumper beam 18 is deformed towards the rear of the vehicle, as shown in figure 10, the base 121 of the bumper beam 18 is abutted to the left and right beam support elements 22 ( the facing section 82 of the left beam support member 22 is not shown in figure 10). With the base 121 of the bumper beam 18 abutting the left and right beam support elements 22 thereby, the front bumper beam 18 can be prevented from deforming at the rear in addition to the left and right support beam elements. beam 22.
[00120] Therefore, the present modality can make it difficult to drop the impact absorbing section 31 (the right impact absorbing section 31 is shown in figure 1) (flexed mode deformation) towards the middle part of the vehicle body width. In addition, the inner side wall 43 of each of the right and left impact-absorbing sections 31 has greater strength than the outer side wall 51 so that the impact-absorbing sections 31 can be reliably prevented from fall (if flexibly deform) toward the mid-width part of the vehicle body.
[00121] In the prior art vehicle body front structure, the impact absorbing boxes (corresponding to the impact absorbing sections) protrude from the distal end portions of the front side frames towards the front of the vehicle, and the front bumper beam is mounted on the distal end portions of the shock absorbing boxes. In this way, the front section of the vehicle body would protrude forward, such that the front-rear length from the front end of the power unit, mounted in the engine room, to the front end of the vehicle body would decrease.
[00122] Thus, in the present modality, as shown in figure 10, the front section of each of the left and right front side frames 11 is constituted by the impact absorption section 31, and the front bumper beam 18 is mounted directly on the respective front end portions 31b of the impact absorbing sections 31 (ie on the front end portions of the front side frames 11). More specifically, the front bumper beam 18 is mounted on the front end portions 31b of the impact absorbing sections 31 through the mounting brackets 86 and the bracing brackets 87.
[00123] With the front bumper beam 18 mounted directly to the front end portions of the front side frames 11 as noted above, the front-rear length L3 from the front end of the power unit, mounted in engine room 89 , even the front end of the vehicle body can be reduced, which can achieve a significant reduction in the size of the vehicle body front structure 10.
[00124] In addition, as shown in figures 12 and 13, the front bulkhead 13 is provided between the right and left shock absorbing sections 31. The front bulkhead 13 is supported by the shock absorbing section 31 of the side and front frame left 11 and the impact absorbing section 31 of the right side and front frame 11 (see also figure 1). More specifically, the front bulkhead 13 is supported by the inner side wall 43 of the left impact absorbing section 31 and the inner side wall 43 of the right impact absorbing section 31.
[00125] The front bulkhead 13 has: a left leg section 126 provided to intersect the inner sidewall 43 of the left impact absorbing section 31; a straight extension section 126 provided to intersect the inner sidewall 43 of the straight impact absorbing section 31; an upper member 127 secured and extending between the upper ends of the left and right extension sections 126; and a lower member 128 secured and extending between the lower ends of the left and right extension sections 126.
[00126] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the left-hand extension section 126 has: a U-shaped portion 131 molded into a generally U-shaped sectional shape that projects away from the inner sidewall 43; a front flange portion 132 projecting from the front end of the U-shaped portion 131 towards the front of the vehicle body; and a rear flange portion 133 which projects from the rear end of the U-shaped portion 131 towards the rear of the vehicle body.
[00127] The U-shaped portion 131 mentioned above has: the partition wall 131a spaced from the inner side wall 43 by a predetermined distance; a front wall 131b flexed (projecting) inwardly from the front end of a partition wall 131a toward the inner side wall 43; and a rear wall 131c flexed (projecting) inwardly from the rear end of a partition wall 131a toward the inner side wall 43. The U-shaped portion 131 is molded in a generally U-sectional shape with a partition wall 131a , a front wall 131b and a rear wall 131c.
[00128] The front flange portion 132 is mounted on the front joining section 43a of the inner side wall 43, and the front joining section 43a is disposed on the inner side wall 43 in front of the inner front rim 65. rear flange 133 is mounted on rear joining section 43b of inner side wall 43, and rear joining section 43b is disposed on inner side wall 43 behind inner front rim 65.
[00129] The front flange portion 132 mounted on the front joining section 43a and the rear flange portion 133 mounted on the rear joining section 43b are spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body . In such conditions, the U-shaped portion 131 is located at a given distance from the inner sidewall 43.
[00130] The inner side wall 43 has the inner front flange 65 provided thereon, between the front joining section 43a and the rear joining section 43b (see also figure 9). The inner front rim 65 is a compressible section that is compressively deformable by a load placed from the front of the vehicle, as noted above.
[00131] As noted above, the front bulkhead 13 has extension sections 126, over which the front and rear flange portions 132 and 133 are mounted on the inner side wall 43 at a predetermined distance from each other, and the portion at U 131 is located at given distance from the inner side wall 43. In addition, the inner front edge 65 is disposed on the inner side wall 43 between the front joining section 43a and the rear joining section 43b, and that front edge internal 65 is compressively deformable by a load placed from the front of the vehicle body.
[00132] When the inner front rim 65 is compressively deformed by a load placed from the front of the vehicle, the front flange portion 132 can be displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body (i.e., towards the portion of rear flange 133). With the front flange portion 132 being displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body, the U-shaped portion 131 is displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body so that the cooling related component 24 can be highly displaced towards the the rear of the vehicle body together with the U-shaped portion 131. Thus, the present embodiment can even more reliably prevent the front bumper beam 18 from interfering with and damaging the cooling-related component 24.
[00133] As shown in figures 12 and 13, the cooling related component 24 is disposed on the front bulkhead 13. The cooling related component 24 includes a radiator 135 mounted on the front bulkhead 13, and a housing 136 provided behind the radiator 135.
[00134] The radiator 135 is mounted on its upper end portion 135a on the upper member 127 through left and right upper support axes 141 and mounted on its lower end portion 135b on the lower member 218 through left and right support axes bottom 142. Radiator 135 is a heat exchanger that cools the engine's cooling water, and housing 136 is a cover provided behind radiator 135 and which accommodates an electric fan therein.
[00135] In the front structure of a prior art vehicle body, the front bumper beam is mounted on the front side frames through the impact absorption boxes, and the front bulkhead is supported on the front side frames through elements fragile. Thus, provisions must be created to maintain a sufficient amount of strength of the front side frames (ie, sufficient rigidity of the vehicle's front body section).
[00136] Therefore, in the present embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figure 10, the front section of each of the front side frames 11 is constituted by the impact absorbing section 31, and the front bumper beam 18 is mounted directly at the front end portions 31b of the impact absorbing sections 31 (i.e. at the front end portions of the front side frames 11). More specifically, the front bumper beam 18 is mounted on the front end portions 31b of the impact absorbing sections 31 through the mounting brackets 86 and the bracing brackets 87. In addition, the front bulkhead 13 is supported directly on the inner sidewall 43 of each of the impact absorbing sections 31.
[00137] With the front bumper beam 18 and the front bulkhead 13 mounted directly to each of the impact absorbing sections 31 of the front side frames 11, the present arrangement can ensure a sufficient amount of strength for the front side frames 11 (namely, sufficient rigidity of the vehicle's front body section).
[00138] According to the present embodiment of the vehicle body front structure 10, as described above, the front section of each of the front side frames 11 is constituted by the impact absorbing section 31 which is compressively deformable (breakable) by a load applied from the front of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the front bulkhead 13 is supported directly on the inner sidewall 43 of each of the impact absorbing sections 31, and the cooling related component 24 is mounted on the front bulkhead 13 and thereby supported on the absorption sections of impact 31. In addition, the front bumper beam 18 is mounted on the front end portions 31b of the impact absorbing sections 31 through the mounting brackets 86 and the bracing brackets 87.
[00139] Thus, when a load has acted from the front of the vehicle body onto the front bumper beam 18, the load will be transmitted to each of the impact absorption sections 31 such that the section impact absorber 31 can be compressively deformed by the placed load. With such compressive deformation of the impact absorbing sections 31, the cooling related component 24 can be moved towards the rear of the vehicle body together with the front bulkheads 13. In this way, it is possible to prevent the front bumper beam 18 from interfering with and damaging the component related to cooling 24.
[00140] With reference to figures 14 and 15, a mode is described in which a load that has acted on (has been placed on) the front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body is absorbed in the present vehicle body front structure mode. In order to facilitate the understanding of the behavior of this modality, only the components on the left side of the front structure of the vehicle body will be described below, the description of the components on the right side being omitted.
[00141] As shown in figure 14(a), a load F1 acts on (is placed on) an intermediate portion close to the width portion of the front bumper beam 18 from the front of the vehicle body. The facing section 82 of the beam support member 22 is spaced at the rear from the front bumper beam 18 by the predetermined distance S without contact with the front bumper beam 18. The front bumper beam 18 is deformed by the placed load F1 towards the rear of the vehicle body as indicated by arrow A.
[00142] With the front bumper beam 18 being deformed at the rear by the predetermined distance S (Figure 14(a)) as shown in figure 14(b), the base 121 of the bumper beam 18 is placed in contact with the confronting section 22 of the beam support element 22. After the base 121 of the bumper beam 18 touches the confronting section 82 of the beam support element 22, the bumper beam 18 is deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body in position P indicated by an imaginary line.
[00143] With the confronting section 82 located out of contact with the front bumper beam 18 being spaced at the rear from the base 121 by the predetermined distance S (figure 14(a)) as noted above, the present modality can ensure an optimal deformation margin at the rear of the front bumper beam 18. In this way, the front bumper beam 18 can be highly deformed towards the rear of the vehicle body by the load F1 that has been placed on the beam of the front bumper 18 from the front of the vehicle body, to thereby efficiently absorb the placed load F1.
[00144] With the facing section 82 provided in facing or opposite relationship to the front bumper beam 18, the front bumper beam 18 can be prevented from deforming at the rear beyond the beam support element 22. Thereby, the present embodiment can make it difficult to drop (flexedly deform) the impact absorbing section 31 towards the intermediate part of the vehicle body width. Furthermore, because the strength of the inner side wall 43 is greater than the strength of the outer side wall 51, the impact absorbing sections 31 can be reliably prevented from falling (flexibly deforming) towards to the middle part of the vehicle body width.
[00145] Furthermore, in the left end portion 18a, the sectional shape of the portion 18c that positionally corresponds to the inner sidewall 43 is larger in area than the sectional shape of the portion 18b that positionally corresponds to the outer sidewall 51. Thus, when the load was transmitted to the impact absorbing sections 31 with the front bumper beam 18 touching the facing section 82, the load F3 transmitted to the inner sidewall 43 would become greater than the load F2 transmitted to the outer side wall 51.
[00146] Thus, in the present embodiment, the set of ledges of the inner side wall 62 has fewer ledges than the other set of ledges 63 (i.e., the ledges 62 on the inner side wall 43 are in less quantity than the others edges 63) so that the inner side wall 43 has a greater strength than the outer side wall 51. In this way, the impact absorbing section 31 can be prevented from falling (deforming flexibly) towards the middle part of the vehicle body width.
[00147] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 15, the impact absorbing section 31 can be compressively deformed at the rear efficiently in the longitudinal direction thereof as indicated by arrow B. Such compressive deformation of the absorption section impact absorber 31 can effectively absorb the loads F2 and F3 that have acted on the impact absorbing section 31 (figure 14(b)).
[00148] When the impact absorbing section 31 is compressively deformed as noted above, the extension section 126 (and consequently, the front bulkhead 13) is displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body as indicated by arrow C, at In response to this, the cooling related component 24 can be moved towards the rear of the vehicle body together with the front bulkheads 13 as indicated by arrow C. In this way, it is possible to prevent the front bumper beam 18 from interfering and damage the cooling-related component 24.
[00149] In addition, as shown in figure 14(a), the front and rear flange portions 132 and 133 are mounted on the inner sidewall 43 at a predetermined distance from each other, and the U-shaped portion 131 of the flange section. extension 126 is located at given distance from the inner side wall 43. In addition, the inner front edge 65 is disposed on the inner side wall 43 between the front and rear flange portions 132 and 133, and this inner front edge 65 is compressively deformable by a load placed from the front of the vehicle body.
[00150] In addition, because the inner front rim 65 is compressively deformed by the load F1 placed from the front of the vehicle body, the front flange portion 132 can be more efficiently displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body (ie, towards the rear flange portion 133) as indicated by arrow C in figure 15 so that the U-shaped portion 131 can be displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body as indicated by arrow C.
[00151] With the U-shaped portion 131 being displaced towards the rear of the vehicle body, the cooling-related component 24 can be further displaced along with the U-shaped portion 131 towards the rear of the vehicle body as indicated by arrow C. In this way, it is possible to more reliably prevent the front bumper beam 18 from interfering with and damaging the cooling-related component 24.
[00152] The vehicle body front structure of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the embodiment described above and can be modified in various ways. For example, although the embodiment has been described above in relation to the housing where the cooling-related component 24 is the radiator 135, the present invention is not so limited, and any other component, such as a condenser, can be employed as the component related to cooling 24. As is well known, the condenser is a heat exchanger for cooling a cooling medium, which is used in a freezing cycle of an air conditioner, with outside air.
[00153] Furthermore, although the modality has been described above in relation to the casing where the upper and lower triangular rim sections 76 and 77 are molded in a generally triangular shape to increase strength in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. inner front edge 65, the present invention is not so limited. For example, the upper and lower triangular rim sections 76 and 77 can be molded into any other suitable shape, such as a rectangular shape, to adjust the strength of the inner front rim 65 as needed.
[00154] In addition, the shapes and constructions of the left and right front side frames 11, the front bumper beam 18, beam support element 22, impact absorption element 31, the load transmission section 32, the peripheral wall 33, flange unit 34, inner side wall 43, outer side wall 51, top flange 56, bottom flange 58, inner side wall flange group 62, other flange group 63, top sections and lower triangular flange 76 and 77, flangeless section 78, mounting section 81, facing section 82, bracing section 84, bracing bulkhead 96, etc. They are not limited to the above and can be modified as needed. Industrial Applicability
[00155] The basic principles of the present invention are well suited for application to vehicle front body structures, in which left and right front side frames are provided and a front bumper beam is secured and extends between the side frames left and right fronts. Reference Listing 10 vehicle body front frame, 11 left and right front side frames. 13 front bulkhead, 18 front bumper beam, 18th left end portion of front bumper beam (end portion), 18d right end portion of front bumper beam (end portion), 22 element beam support, 24 cooling related component, 31 impact absorbing section, 31a rear end portion of impact absorbing section, 31b front end portion of impact absorbing section, 33 peripheral wall, 33a, 33b row ridge top and bottom, 34 flange unit (plurality of flanges), 43 inner side wall, 43c front end portion of inner side wall, 51 outer side wall, 56 top flange, 58 bottom flange, 62 wall flange group inner side (edges formed on inner side wall 43), 63 other edge group (other edges), 65 inner edge (compressible section), 76, 77 upper and lower edge sections triangular, 78 non-flange section, 81 mounting section, 82 facing section, 83 intersecting section, 84 bracing section, 96 bracing bulkhead, 126 extension section, 131 U-shaped, 132, 133 front and rear portions of flange, T1 impact absorption section wall thickness, T2 load transmission section wall thickness, F1 load

权利要求:
Claims (9)
[0001]
1. Front vehicle body structure which includes: left and right front side frames (11) that extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body; and a front bumper beam (18) extending between the left and right front side frames (11), the front bumper beam (18) being deformable towards a rear part of the vehicle body by a load that acted on it from a front part of the vehicle body, the vehicle body front structure characterized by the fact that it comprises: right and left impact absorbing sections (31) constituting the front sections of the side frames left and right fronts (11), respectively, and which are compressively deformable by a load acting thereon from the front of the vehicle body, each of the impact absorbing sections (31) having an inner sidewall (43 ) located closer to a middle part, in a vehicle width direction, of the impact absorbing section (31) and an outer side wall located outside, in the vehicle width direction, of the side wall l inner (43), the inner side wall (43) having a greater strength than the outer side wall; and beam support elements (22) each disposed on the inner sidewall (43) of a corresponding one of the impact absorbing sections (31) in a confronting relationship with the front bumper beam (18), the beam of the front bumper (18) having opposite end portions located at the front, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body of the corresponding beam support elements (22), the opposite end portions being mounted on the outer side walls of the right and left impact-absorbing sections (31), the front bumper beam (18) having a sectional shape that increases in size from the end portions towards the middle part in the vehicle width direction .
[0002]
2. Vehicle body front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the impact absorbing sections (31) includes: an upper flange (56) that projects outwardly in the width direction of the vehicle from an upper end portion of the outer sidewall; a lower flange (58) projecting downwardly from a middle portion, in the vehicle width direction, of a lower section of the impact absorbing section (31); and a plurality of beads (34) disposed on a peripheral wall (33) of the impact absorbing section (31) and extending in a peripheral direction of the peripheral wall (33) in which, of the plurality of beads (34) , edges formed on the inner side wall (43) are arranged, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, alternately with other edges so that the edges on the inner side wall (43) are in less quantity than the other edges .
[0003]
3. Front structure of a vehicle body, according to claim 2, characterized in that the edges formed on the inner side wall (43) include: at least one edge divided into upper and lower triangular edge sections that are spaced apart each other by a predetermined distance in an up and down direction; and a flangeless section (78) provided between the upper and lower triangular flange sections, the upper triangular flange section being molded into a generally triangular shape that tapers gradually from a recessed portion of an upper ridge line (33a ), where the inner sidewall (43) and an upper section of the impact absorbing section (31) meet, towards an intermediate vertical portion of the inner sidewall (43), the lower triangular rim section being molded into a generally triangular shape that tapers gradually from a recessed portion of a lower ridge line, where the inner sidewall (43) and the lower section meet, towards the intermediate vertical portion of the inner sidewall (43).
[0004]
4. Front structure of a vehicle body, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it further comprises a front bulkhead supported on the inner side wall (43) of each of the impact absorption sections (31 ), and where a component related to cooling is disposed on the front bulkhead.
[0005]
5. Vehicle body front structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the front bulkhead has extension sections provided to intersect the inner side walls (43) of the corresponding walls of the impact absorbing sections (31) , and wherein each of the extension sections has: a U-shaped portion molded into a generally U-shaped sectional shape that projects away from the inner sidewall (43); a front flange portion that projects from a front end of the U-portion towards a front part of the vehicle body; and a rear flange portion which projects from a rear end of the U-portion towards a rear part of the vehicle body, and in which the front and rear flange portions are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the front-rear steering of the vehicle body and mounted on the inner side wall (43) and the U-shaped portion is located at a given distance from the inner side wall (43).
[0006]
6. Front structure of a vehicle body, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each of the beam support elements (22) is provided in a confronting relationship with the beam of the front bumper (18) and spaced from the front bumper beam (18), towards the rear of the vehicle body, by a predetermined distance without contact with the front bumper beam (18).
[0007]
7. Front vehicle body structure according to claim 6, characterized in that the beam support element includes: a mounting section (81) mounted on and along the inner sidewall (43); an abutting section (82) formed in abutting relationship with the front bumper beam (18); and a reinforcement section formed on an intersection section between the assembling section (81) and the confronting section (82), the assembly section (81) and the confronting section (82) being formed to define together a section. usually L-shaped.
[0008]
8. Front structure of a vehicle body, according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each of the impact absorbing sections (31) has a smaller wall thickness than a load transmission section (32) which extends towards the rear of the vehicle body from one of the corresponding left and right front side frames (11).
[0009]
9. Front structure of a vehicle body, according to claim 8, characterized in that the impact absorbing section (31) includes a reinforcing shield (96) disposed over a front end portion thereof to reinforce the load transmission section (32).

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同族专利:

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CN103347773B|2016-01-06|

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WO2012101923A1|2012-08-02|

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BR112013018530A2|2016-10-18|

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JPWO2012101923A1|2014-06-30|

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法律状态:
2018-12-18| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|

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2019-12-03| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: procedure suspended [chapter 6.21 patent gazette]|

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2021-05-11| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|

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2021-07-06| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 15/12/2011, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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JP2011-014149|2011-01-26|

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JP2011-014020|2011-01-26|

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JP2011014020|2011-01-26|

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JP2011014149|2011-01-26|

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PCT/JP2011/079003|WO2012101923A1|2011-01-26|2011-12-15|Structure for front of vehicle body|

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