Vehicle-body front structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567009-B2
Application number	US-201414473859-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2014
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle-body front structure includes a tower portion comprising a pole portion which extends substantially vertically and a tower top portion which is positioned at an upper portion of the pole portion and projects from the pole portion longitudinally along a front side frame, constituting attachment portions of an upper arm of a front-wheel suspension. A stabilizer-support pedestal for supporting a stabilizer is provided to be connected to the pole portion and the tower top portion. Thus, the pole portion of the sub frame can be properly reinforced by using the stabilizer-support pedestal, so that the rigidity of the upper portion of the pole portion can be properly increased.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle-body front structure, comprising:
a pair of right-and-left front side frames extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction at respective right and left sides of an engine room, projecting forward from a vehicle-compartment portion;
a sub frame provided at a bottom portion of the engine room, the sub frame comprising a body portion which is comprised of right-and-left side portions and a front side portion and a pair of right-and-left tower portions, the right-and-left side portions constituting right-and-left attachment portions of right-and-left lower arms of a front-wheel suspension, the front side portion interconnecting the right-and-left side portions in a vehicle width direction, the pair of tower portions of the sub frame being provided to stand substantially vertically at right and left sides of the body portion and fastened to respective lower face portions of the pair of front side frames at respective upper end portions thereof; and
a stabilizer provided forward of the pair of tower portions,
wherein each of said tower portions comprises a pole portion extending substantially vertically and a tower top portion positioned at an upper portion of each pole portion and projecting from-each pole portion longitudinally along respective each of said pair of front side frames, constituting an attachment portion of an upper arm of the front-wheel suspension, and
a pedestal for supporting said stabilizer is provided to be directly connected to both of said each pole portion and said each tower top portion.

2. The vehicle-body front structure of claim 1 , wherein said each tower top portion of each tower portion of the sub frame comprises a front member which has an L shape in a side view, a rear member which is positioned substantially symmetrically relative to the front member, a center member which has a U shape in a plan view which opens outward, in a vehicle width direction, and an upper member which constitutes an upper wall and an inward side wall, in the vehicle width direction, of each tower top portion,
said each upper member of each tower top portion has an upper wall portion positioned at an upper end of each tower top portion and a side wall portion extending downward from an inward side of each upper wall portion, and made of a sheet of panel, and
said stabilizer-support pedestal is provided to be directly connected to three of said pole portion, the side wall portion of the upper member of said tower top portion, and the front member of said tower top portion.

3. A vehicle-body front structure, comprising:
a pair of right-and-left front side fames extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction at right and left sides of an engine room, projecting forward from a vehicle-compartment portion;
a sub frame provided at a bottom portion of the engine room, the sub frame comprising a body portion which is comprised of right-and-left side portions and a front side portion and a pair of right-and-left tower portions, the right-and-left side portions constituting right-and-left attachment portions of right-and-left lower arms of a front-wheel suspension, the front side portion interconnecting the right-and-left side portions in a vehicle width direction, the pair of tower portions of the sub frame being provided to stand substantially vertically at right and left sides of the body portion and fastened to respective lower face portions of the pair of front side frames at respective upper end portions thereof; and
a stabilizer provided forward of the pair tower portions,
wherein each of said tower portions comprises a pole portion which extends substantially vertically and a tower top portion which is positioned at an upper portion of the pole portion and projects from the pole portion longitudinally along said front side frame, constituting an attachment portion of an upper arm of the front-wheel suspension,
a pedestal for supporting said stabilizer is provided to be connected to said pole portion and said tower top portion,
there are provided a pair of right-and-left extension members which are configured to be joined to respective middle portions, in a height direction, of said pair of tower portions of the sub frame at respective rear end portions thereof and to project forward at a level below said pair of front side frames so as to deform and absorb an impact at a vehicle frontal collision, in cooperation with the pair of front side frames, and
said stabilizer-support pedestal is arranged above the extension member and an pedestal face of the stabilizer-support pedestal is configured to face obliquely upward.

4. The vehicle-body front structure of claim 3 , wherein said each tower top portion of each tower portion of the sub frame comprises a front member which has an L shape in a side view, a rear member which is positioned substantially symmetrically relative to the front member, a center member which has a U shape in a plan view which opens outward, in a vehicle width direction, and an upper member which constitutes an upper wall and an inward side wall, in the vehicle width direction, of each tower top portion, and
said each upper member of each tower top portion has an upper wall portion positioned at an upper end of each tower top portion and a side wall portion extending downward from an inward side of each upper wall portion, and made of a sheet of panel.

5. A vehicle-body front structure, comprising:
a pair of right-and-left front side fames extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction at right and left sides of an engine room, projecting forward from a vehicle-compartment portion;
a sub frame provided at a bottom portion of the engine room, the sub frame comprising a body portion which is comprised of right-and-left side portions and a front side portion and a pair of right-and-left tower portions, the right-and-left side portions constituting right-and-left attachment portions of right-and-left lower arms of a front-wheel suspension, the front side portion interconnecting the right-and-left side portions in a vehicle width direction, the pair of tower portions of the sub frame being provided to stand substantially vertically at right and left sides of the body portion and fastened to respective lower face portions of the pair of front side frames at respective upper end portions thereof; and
a stabilizer provided forward of the pair tower portions, wherein
each of said tower portions comprises a pole portion which extends substantially vertically and a tower top portion which is positioned at an upper portion of the pole portion and projects from the pole portion longitudinally along said front side frame, constituting an attachment portion of an upper arm of the front-wheel suspension,
there is provided a pedestal for supporting said stabilizer, which comprises a pedestal face portion supporting the stabilizer, an outside pedestal portion extending rearward from an outward end of the pedestal face portion, and an inside pedestal portion extending rearward from an inward end of the pedestal face portion such that the pedestal for supporting the stabilizer is configured to have substantially a U-shaped cross section, and
at least one of the outside pedestal portion and the inside pedestal portion of said pedestal for supporting the stabilizer is directly connected to both of said pole portion and said tower top portion of the tower portion.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Asano Norio
• Yoshida Shohei
• Andou Fumitaka

Classifications

• B60G3/20

  all arms being rigid · CPC title

• B60G2204/143

  on the vehicle body or chassis · CPC title

• B62D25/082 Primary

  Engine compartments · CPC title

• B60G7/02

  Attaching arms to sprung part of vehicle {(B60G7/006 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60G2200/144

  with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram · CPC title