Vehicle front structure for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9623712-B2
Application number	US-201415024450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 27, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle front structure for a vehicle includes: a suspension member integrally assembled to a vehicle body; a first arm member that connects the suspension member to a wheel assembly; and a second arm member that connects the suspension member to the first arm member. The vehicle front structure includes a projection portion placed between a connection portion for the first arm member and a connection portion for the second arm member in a side rail constituting the suspension member and configured to abut with the second arm member deformed due to an input along with a collision caused in a front portion of the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle front structure for a vehicle comprising:
a vehicle-body side member integrally assembled to a vehicle body of the vehicle;
a first arm member connected to the vehicle-body side member, the first arm member supporting a wheel assembly of the vehicle;
a second arm member connected to the vehicle-body side member, the second arm member supporting the wheel assembly of the vehicle;
a front-side connection portion that is either one of a connection portion connecting the first arm member to the vehicle-body side member and a connection portion connecting the second arm member to the vehicle-body side member;
a rear-side connection portion that is the other one of the connection portion for the first arm member and the connection portion for the second arm member, the rear-side connection portion being placed on a rear side in a vehicle front-rear direction relative to the front-side connection portion; and
an abutment member being placed on a rear side, in the vehicle front-rear direction, relative to the front-side connection portion, the abutment member is placed on a front side, in the vehicle front-rear direction, relative to the rear-side connection portion, wherein when the abutment member abuts with the vehicle-body side member and at least that one of the first arm member and the second arm member which is deformed or moved backward in the vehicle front-rear direction due to an input from the wheel assembly along with a collision caused in a front portion of the vehicle, the abutment member detaches the front-side connection portion.

2. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
when at least one of the first arm member and the second arm member is deformed or moved backward in the vehicle front-rear direction due to the input from the wheel assembly along with the collision caused in the front portion of the vehicle, the abutment member abuts with at least that one of the first arm member and the second arm member which is not detached from the vehicle-body side member;
an outward input to the first arm member and the second arm member is larger than a removal load, the removal load detaching the first arm member or the second arm member from the vehicle-body side member at the front-side connection portion, the outward input being caused outwardly in a vehicle width direction due to the input from the wheel assembly; and the abutment member increases the outward input.

3. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:
before the wheel assembly abuts with a vehicle body portion placed behind the wheel assembly in the vehicle front-rear direction, the abutment member increases the outward input, the outward input becomes larger than the removal load; and
the abutment member causes the first arm member or the second arm member to be detached from the vehicle-body side member at the front-side connection portion.

4. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:
when the abutment member increases the outward input and the outward input becomes larger than the removal load and the first arm member or the second arm member is detached from the vehicle-body side member at the front-side connection portion due to the outward input, the abutment member distances the wheel assembly outwardly in the vehicle width direction at least around the rear-side connection portion and the abutment member displaces the wheel assembly toward the rear side in the vehicle front-rear direction.

5. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according claim 2 , wherein:
the removal load is a load to detach the first arm member or the second arm member from a fixing member, the fixing member integrally fixed to the vehicle-body side member, the fixing member constituting the front-side connection portion, the first arm member integrally adhered to the fixing member, the second arm member integrally adhered to the fixing member.

6. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein:
the fixing member is a bush having a central axis along the vehicle front-rear direction, the bush allowing the first arm member or the second arm member to be displaced in a rotating manner in a vehicle up-down direction around the central axis; and
the removal load is a load to detach the first arm member or the second arm member from the bush, the bush integrally fixed to the vehicle-body side member, the first arm member integrally adhered to the bush, the second arm member integrally adhered to the bush.

7. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:
when an input from the wheel assembly along with the collision caused in the front portion of the vehicle is assumed F, a rigidity of the front-side connection portion with respect to the input F is assumed K1, a rigidity of the rear-side connection portion with respect to the input F is assumed K2, a rigidity of the abutment member with respect to the input F is assumed K3, a distance between the front-side connection portion and the rear-side connection portion is assumed L, a distance from a point of load to a point of effort to which an input along with a collision is transmitted is W, and a distance between the front-side connection portion and the abutment member is assumed L′, an outward input f1 is represented by a following formula:
f 1=( K 1×( L×K 2+ L′×K 3)× W×F )/(( L−L ′) 2 × K 2× K 3+ L′ 2 × K 1× K 3+ L 2 × K 1× K 2)).

8. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the abutment member is provided in a position where at least one of the first arm member and the second arm member is deformed inwardly in a vehicle width direction along with the collision.

9. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:
the position where at least one of the first arm member and the second arm member is deformed inwardly in the vehicle width direction is a position where a resistance against the deformation is smaller than that in the other parts.

10. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second arm member is connected to the vehicle-body side member and also connected to the first arm member.

11. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the abutment member is a projection portion formed integrally with at least one of the first arm member, the second arm member, and the vehicle-body side member.

12. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the abutment member is placed between the vehicle-body side member and at least one of the first arm member and the second arm member, the abutment member being integrally assembled to the vehicle-body side member; and
the abutment member is sandwiched between the vehicle-body side member and the at least one of the first arm member and the second arm member.

13. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein:
the vehicle-body side member and at least one of the first arm member and the second arm member abut with the abutment member at the same height in a vehicle up-down direction.

14. The vehicle front structure for the vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle-body side member is a front side member constituting the vehicle body or a suspension member integrally adhered to the front side member, the suspension member supporting a suspension including the first arm member and the second arm member.

15. A vehicle front structure for a vehicle com

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sakaguchi Shinichi

Classifications

• B60G7/001 Primary

  Suspension arms, e.g. constructional features (B60G7/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G2206/016

  allowing controlled deformation during collision · CPC title

• B60G2204/143

  on the vehicle body or chassis · CPC title

• B60G7/02

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

• B60G2204/41

  Elastic mounts, e.g. bushings · CPC title