Vehicle-body front structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9399489-B2
Application number	US-201414325770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2014
Priority date	Jul 9, 2013
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle-body front structure includes: a front side member which has a closed section by joining an inner panel placed on a vehicle-width inner side to an outer panel placed on a vehicle-width outer side, the front side member being placed in a vehicle-body front portion along a vehicle-body front-rear direction and being provided with an energy absorption portion that is provided on a vehicle-body front side of the front side member; and a reinforcing member provided on an inner-panel side in an offset manner toward the vehicle-width inner side from a vehicle-width outer end of a rear end of the energy absorption portion in a plane view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle-body front structure comprising:
a front side member which has a closed section by joining an inner panel placed on a vehicle-width inner side to an outer panel placed on a vehicle-width outer side, the front side member being placed in a vehicle-body front portion along a vehicle-body front-rear direction and being provided with an energy absorption portion that is provided on a vehicle-body front side of the front side member; and
a reinforcing member provided on an inner-panel side in an offset manner toward the vehicle-width inner side from a vehicle-width outer end of a rear end of the energy absorption portion in a plane view,
wherein:
a rear end of the reinforcing member is placed on the vehicle-body front side relative to a support portion and on a vehicle-body rear side relative to a vehicle-body front-side end of a power unit in a plane view; and
a rear end of the energy absorption portion is placed at a same position as a front end of the reinforcing member in a plane view; and
the support portion is provided on the inner panel of the front side member which supports the power unit placed on the vehicle-width inner side of the front side member in a plane view.

2. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
a part of the front side member which is placed on the vehicle-body front side relative to the rear end of the reinforcing member has a strength higher than a part of the front side member which is placed on a vehicle-body rear side relative to the rear end of the reinforcing member.

3. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
a length of the front side member in a vehicle width direction is increased in a plane view as the front side member goes toward the vehicle-body front side from the rear end of the reinforcing member.

4. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 3 , wherein:
a vehicle-width outer end of the rear end of the energy absorption portion is placed at the same position as a vehicle-width outer end of a front end of the outer panel in a plane view.

5. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
the inner panel is formed to have a “U” shaped section, and the reinforcing member is placed along an inner surface of the inner panel.

6. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 5 , wherein:
the reinforcing member is formed with the vehicle-body front-rear direction being taken as a longitudinal direction, and has a rectangular casing shape having an opening on its vehicle-width outer side.

7. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 6 , wherein:
the reinforcing member includes a side wall having an outer surface joined to an inner surface of an inner wall of the inner panel; and
a recessed groove serving as a bead portion is formed in a central part of the side wall in a vehicle-body up-down direction so that the recessed groove is recessed outwardly in a vehicle width direction in a rectangular shape and extends in the vehicle-body front-rear direction.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iwama Toshiki
• Kaneko Hayato
• Mizuo Hiroshi

Classifications

• B62D25/082 Primary

  Engine compartments · CPC title

• B62D21/152

  Front or rear frames · CPC title

• B60R19/34

  destroyed upon impact, e.g. one-shot type · CPC title

• B60R19/26

  comprising yieldable mounting means ({B60R19/38 takes precedence;} springs, shock absorbers, or means for damping vibrations per se F16F) · CPC title