Vehicle-body front structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9561824-B2
Application number	US-201314894471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	May 27, 2013
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle-body front structure that is able to secure collision performance for a collision with a small overlap amount of a collision object with respect to a bumper frame portion is obtained. A vehicle-body front structure includes: paired frame members elongated in a vehicle front-rear direction and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction; a bumper frame portion elongated in the vehicle width direction and provided over front ends of the paired frame members in the vehicle front-rear direction; and a load transmission member. The load transmission member is placed on an inner side in the vehicle width direction relative to at least one of the frame members so as to be opposed to a load receiving portion placed between the paired frame members from at least one of a front side in the vehicle front-rear direction and an outer side in the vehicle width direction within a range where the load transmission member overlaps with the frame member in a vehicle up-down direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle-body front structure comprising:
paired frame members elongated in a vehicle front-rear direction and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction, the paired frame members being configured such that a load receiving portion mounted in an engine compartment is placed between the paired frame members;
a bumper frame portion elongated in the vehicle width direction and provided over front ends of the paired frame members in the vehicle front-rear direction; and
a load transmission member placed on an inner side in the vehicle width direction relative to at least one of the frame members so as to be opposed to the load receiving portion from at least one of a front side of the load receiving portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and an outer side of the load receiving portion in the vehicle width direction, the load transmission member opposing the load receiving portion within a range in a vehicle up-down direction where the load transmission member overlaps with the frame member, wherein
the load transmission member is supported by at least one of the at least one of the frame members and the load receiving portion via a support member; and
the load transmission member is configured to include an inner spacer placed between the frame member and the load receiving portion in the vehicle width direction; and
the inner spacer is not restricted by the frame member.

2. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the load transmission member is configured to include paired projecting portions projecting inwardly in the vehicle width direction from the paired frame members, respectively, so as to be opposed to the load receiving portion placed between the paired frame members from a front side of the load receiving portion in the vehicle front-rear direction.

3. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 2 , wherein
each of the paired projecting portions includes:
a rear wall opposed to the load receiving portion; and
an inclined wall which is inclined in the vehicle front-rear direction and which connects an outer part of the rear wall in the vehicle width direction to an inner wall of the frame member which is an inner part of the frame member in the vehicle width direction.

4. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
the bumper frame portion includes paired overhanging portions that overhang on both sides in the vehicle width direction relative to the frame members; and
the bumper frame portion further includes an outer spacer placed between a rear face of the overhanging portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and an outer surface of the frame member in the vehicle width direction.

5. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein
a portion having a lowered strength with respect to a flexural load is formed at a position in an outer portion of the frame member in the vehicle width direction that corresponds to a mounting position of the load transmission member.

6. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the load transmission member has a higher strength than the frame member.

7. A vehicle-body front structure comprising:
paired frame members elongated in a vehicle front-rear direction and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction, the paired frame members being configured such that a load receiving portion mounted in an engine compartment is placed between the paired frame members;
a bumper frame portion elongated in the vehicle width direction and provided over front ends of the paired frame members in the vehicle front-rear direction; and
a load transmission member placed on an inner side in the vehicle width direction relative to at least one of the frame members so as to be opposed to the load receiving portion from at least one of a front side of the load receiving portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and an outer side of the load receiving portion in the vehicle width direction, the load transmission member opposing the load receiving portion within a range in a vehicle up-down direction where the load transmission member overlaps with the frame member, wherein
the bumper frame portion includes paired overhanging portions that overhang on both sides in the vehicle width direction relative to the frame members; and
the bumper frame portion further includes an outer spacer placed between a rear face of the overhanging portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and an outer surface of the frame member in the vehicle width direction.

8. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 7 , wherein
a portion having a lowered strength with respect to a flexural load is formed at a position in an outer portion of the frame member in the vehicle width direction that corresponds to a mounting position of the load transmission member.

9. The vehicle-body front structure according to claim 7 , wherein the load transmission member has a higher strength that the frame member.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tamaoki Akihiro
• Sakakibara Kosuke
• Omi Masanobu
• Kuriyama Tomoyuki
• Kawashima Wataru
• Tanaka Motoyuki
• Kitaura Nobuaki

Classifications

• B60R19/34

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

• B62D25/082

  Engine compartments · CPC title

• B62D21/152 Primary

  Front or rear frames · CPC title

• B62D21/03

  transverse members providing body support · CPC title

• B62D21/02

  comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members · CPC title