Vehicle body structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873460-B2
Application number	US-201615045595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 18, 2015
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle body structure includes a left tunnel frame extending along a floor tunnel to a dash lower panel, a left dash frame extending upward from a front end of the left tunnel frame to a dash upper panel, and a dash cross member extending in a vehicle-body width direction and across the left dash frame. The left dash frame is provided on a vehicle-cabin-side surface of the dash lower panel. The dash cross member is provided on an engine-room-side surface of the dash lower panel. The dash cross member bridges a left front pillar and a right front pillar.

First claim

We claim:

1. A vehicle body structure comprising:
a dash lower panel provided between a left front pillar and a right front pillar;
a dash upper panel provided at an upper end of the dash lower panel, wherein the dash lower panel partitions a vehicle cabin from an engine room in a vehicle-body front-back direction; and
a floor panel provided on a vehicle cabin side of the dash lower panel, the vehicle body structure further comprising:
a tunnel frame extending along a floor tunnel included in the floor panel to the dash lower panel;
a dash frame extending upward from a front end of the tunnel frame to the dash upper panel along a vehicle-cabin-side surface of the dash lower panel;
a dash cross member extending in a vehicle-body width direction to intersect the dash frame, the dash cross member being provided on an engine-room-side surface of the dash lower panel, the dash cross member bridging the left front pillar and the right front pillar;
a front side frame provided in the engine room and extending in the vehicle-body front-back direction, the front side frame being connected to the dash cross member; and
a bulkhead connected to the front side frame and provided in a space defined inside the dash cross member in cross-sectional view of the dash cross member.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the dash frame includes a pair of dash frames that are provided on left and right sides, respectively, at an interval in the vehicle-body width direction, and
wherein the dash frames diverge in the vehicle-body width direction from the front end of the tunnel frame toward the dash upper panel.

3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pedal bracket provided on the vehicle cabin side of the dash lower panel and supporting a pedal,
wherein the dash cross member includes a center cross portion disposed at an intermediate portion in the vehicle-body width direction, the center cross portion being raised with respect to other portions of the dash cross member and overlapping a lower part of the pedal bracket with the dash lower panel interposed between the center cross portion and the lower part of the pedal bracket.

4. A vehicle comprising the vehicle body structure according to claim 1 .

5. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a side sill extending in the vehicle-body front-back direction along an outer side of the floor panel;
a floor frame provided on an inner side of the side sill in the vehicle-body width direction and extending in the vehicle-body front-back direction along the floor panel; and
a tunnel side frame provided between the floor frame and the tunnel frame and extending in the vehicle-body front-back direction along the floor panel,
wherein a load that is applied to the vehicle body structure in case of an accident with front collision is transmitted to the side sill, the floor frame, the tunnel side frame, and the tunnel frame.

6. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5 ,
wherein the side sill includes a left side sill and a right side sill,
wherein the floor frame includes a left floor frame and a right floor frame,
wherein the tunnel side frame includes a left tunnel side frame and a right tunnel side frame,
wherein the left and right front pillars are each provided at a front end of a corresponding one of the left and right side sills, and
wherein the vehicle body structure further includes
an inclined member extending from each of the front pillars to a corresponding one of the floor frames while inclining toward the inner side in the vehicle-body width direction and toward a vehicle-body rear direction; and
a lateral member extending from the inclined member to a corresponding one of the tunnel side frames toward the inner side in the vehicle-body width direction.

7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 , wherein the front side frame includes an inner side wall and an outer side wall,
wherein the bulkhead includes a bulkhead inner side wall aligned with the inner side wall of the front side frame in the vehicle-body front-back direction, and a bulkhead outer side wall aligned with the outer side wall of the front side frame in the vehicle-body front-back direction.

8. The vehicle body structure according to claim 7 , wherein the bulkhead includes a connecting wall connecting rear ends of the bulkhead inner side wall and the bulkhead outer side wall and extending substantially parallel to the dash lower panel.

9. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 ,
wherein the dash lower panel includes
a vertical panel portion hanging down from the dash upper panel to a front end of the floor tunnel;
an inclined panel portion extending from a lower end of the vertical panel portion to the floor panel while inclining down toward a vehicle-body rear direction; and
a bent part defined at a point where the inclined panel portion and the vertical panel portion meet, and
wherein the vehicle body structure further includes a reinforcing member provided to the dash lower panel in such a manner as to cover the bent part from the vehicle cabin side and to provide a cross-sectionally closed space in combination with the dash lower panel.

10. The vehicle body structure according to claim 9 ,
wherein the reinforcing member extends in the vehicle-body width direction.

11. The vehicle body structure according to claim 9 ,
wherein the dash lower panel includes a wheel arch portion that bulges toward the vehicle cabin in such a manner as to avoid a wheel, and
a tire-load-bearing portion provided to the wheel arch portion and integrated with the reinforcing member.

12. The vehicle body structure according to claim 11 ,
wherein the tire-load-bearing portion includes a bead that bulges toward the engine room, and
wherein the wheel arch portion includes a concave part that is recessed toward the engine room and in which the bead is contained.

13. The vehicle body structure according to claim 11 ,
wherein an upper part of the tire-load-bearing portion overlaps the dash cross member with the wheel arch portion interposed between the tire-load-bearing portion and the dash cross member.

14. A vehicle body structure comprising:
a dash lower panel provided between a left front pillar and a right front pillar;
a dash upper panel provided at an upper end of the dash lower panel, wherein the dash lower panel partitions a vehicle cabin from an engine room in a vehicle-body front-back direction; and
a floor panel provided on a vehicle cabin side of the dash lower panel, the vehicle body structure further comprising:
a tunnel frame extending along a floor tunnel included in the floor panel to the dash lower panel;
a dash frame extending upward from a front end of the tunnel frame to the dash upper panel along a vehicle-cabin-side surface of the dash lower panel;
a dash cross member extending in a vehicle-body width direction to intersect the dash frame, the dash cross member being provided on an engine-room-side surface of the dash lower panel, the dash cross member bridging the left front pillar and the right front pillar,
wherein the dash lower panel includes
a vertical panel portion hanging down from the dash upper panel to a front end of the floor tunnel;
an inclined panel portion extending from a lower end of the vertical panel portion to the floor panel while inclining down toward a vehicle-body rear direction; and
a bent part defined at a point where the inclined panel portion and the vertical panel portion meet, and
wherein the vehicle body structure further includes a re

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tatsuwaki Masaaki
• Ellison Patrick

Classifications

• B62D25/2036

  the subunits being side panels, sills or pillars (B62D21/157 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D25/2045

  the subunits being fire walls · CPC title

• B62D25/14 Primary

  Dashboards as superstructure sub-units (other dashboard aspects B60K) · CPC title