Vehicle front structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9725121-B2
Application number	US-201615163248-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2016
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle front structure is provided that can absorb collision energy with respect to not only a load from above but also a lateral load. A vehicle front structure includes a cowl side panel, a front hood, a fender panel forming a seam with the front hood, a fender upper cover disposed extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a bracket connecting the cowl side panel and the fender upper cover to each other and serving to dispose the fender upper cover at a predetermined position. The fender upper cover has an attachment wall to which the bracket is fixed and an inclined wall extending upward from an end of the attachment wall on an outward side with respect to a vehicle width direction while being inclined inward with respect to the vehicle width direction, and covering the seam from inside a vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle front structure comprising:
a cowl side panel constituting a side portion of an engine compartment;
a front hood covering the engine compartment from above;
a fender panel constituting a side surface of the vehicle on an outward side of the cowl side panel with respect to a vehicle width direction and forming a seam with the front hood;
a fender upper cover disposed extending in a vehicle front-rear direction; and
a bracket connecting the cowl side panel and the fender upper cover to each other and serving to dispose the fender upper cover at a predetermined position on the outward side of the cowl side panel with respect to the vehicle width direction and higher than the cowl side panel,
wherein the fender upper cover has:
an attachment wall which is substantially parallel to the front hood and to which the bracket is fixed; and
an inclined wall extending upward from an end of the attachment wall on the outward side with respect to the vehicle width direction while being inclined inward with respect to the vehicle width direction, and covering the seam from inside the vehicle.

2. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the fender upper cover further has a vertical wall extending downward from an end of the attachment wall on an inward side with respect to the vehicle width direction, and
at least a lower end of the vertical wall is inclined in such a manner that when following the lower end downward, it is tilted outward in the vehicle width direction.

3. The vehicle front structure according to claim 1 , wherein the fender upper cover has a weakened portion at a boundary between the attachment wall and the inclined wall, the weakened portion having lower rigidity than its surroundings.

4. The vehicle front structure according to claim 2 , wherein the fender upper cover has a weakened portion at a boundary between the attachment wall and the inclined wall, the weakened portion having lower rigidity than its surroundings.

Assignees

• Suzuki Motor Corp

Inventors

• Kaba Hiroto

Classifications

• B62D25/082 Primary

  Engine compartments · CPC title

• B62D25/081

  Cowls (ventilating openings situated directly in front of the vehicle front window B60H1/28) · CPC title

• B62D25/105

  for motor cars · CPC title

• B60R2021/343

  using deformable body panel, bodywork or components · CPC title

• B60R21/34

  Protecting non-occupants of a vehicle, e.g. pedestrians {(B60R19/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title