JP5419264B2 - Front and lower structure of the vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a front lower structure of a vehicle provided with a torque rod for connecting a travel drive unit to a suspension member that suspends wheels.

  Conventionally, there is a front lower part structure of a vehicle shown in Patent Document 1 below. According to this publication, the front lower part structure of the vehicle includes a suspension member having a closed cross-section structure that is supported by the vehicle body and suspends the wheel, and a driving for driving that is disposed in front of the suspension member and supported by the vehicle body. The front end of the unit extends in the front-rear direction and is connected to the drive unit. The rear end passes through an opening formed in the front plate of the suspension member and is inserted into the suspension member and is attached to the suspension member. And a torque rod to be connected.

  The support strength of the drive unit to the vehicle body via the suspension member is improved by the torque rod. As described above, the rear end portion of the torque rod is inserted into the suspension member through the opening formed in the front plate of the suspension member. Accordingly, the combination of the suspension member and the torque rod is more compact in the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body than when the rear end portion of the torque rod is simply disposed outside the suspension member and connected. Is done.

JP 2007-253642 A

  By the way, when the vehicle travels, an external force that is a large impact force may be repeatedly applied to the suspension member from the wheels that roll on the traveling road surface. In this case, the suspension member may be repeatedly elastically twisted as a whole due to the external force directed from the torque rod supporting the drive unit toward the suspension member and the external force directed from the wheel toward the suspension member.

  Here, as described above, an opening is formed in the front plate of the suspension member, and the strength and rigidity of the front plate tend to decrease particularly. For this reason, when the suspension member is twisted as a whole as described above, the twist of the front plate becomes relatively large, and stress concentration tends to occur at each corner of the opening edge of the opening. As a result, there is a possibility that the front plate of the suspension member is likely to be damaged, such as the cracks are likely to occur at each corner.

  Therefore, in order to avoid the inconvenience, in the conventional technique, the suspension member and the bulkhead and the reinforcing body for connecting the lower surface plates to each other are provided, so that the strength and rigidity of the front plate (strength etc. ). However, each of the external forces that cause torsion of the suspension member is large. For this reason, if the bulkhead and the reinforcing body are provided to such an extent that the front plate is not twisted, the structure of the suspension member becomes complicated, and the formation of the suspension member becomes complicated. Occurs.

  Further, in order to avoid the inconvenience, it may be possible to perform burring over the entire periphery of the opening edge of the opening or to form a reinforcing bead in order to improve the strength of the front plate. . However, even in this case, the same problem as described above may occur.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a torque rod for connecting a travel drive unit to a suspension member for suspending a wheel. When the rear end is inserted into the suspension member through the opening formed in the front plate of the suspension member, the external force from the torque rod toward the suspension member and the external force from the wheel toward the suspension member Even if the suspension member is repeatedly elastically twisted as a whole, the front plate of the suspension member in which the opening is formed is not easily damaged, and the front plate can be prevented from being damaged. Is to be achieved.

The invention of claim 1 includes a suspension member 14 having a closed cross-sectional structure supported by the vehicle body 2 and suspending the wheel 17, and a driving unit 21 for traveling that is disposed in front of the suspension member 14 and supported by the vehicle body 2. The front end 33 extends in the front-rear direction and is connected to the drive unit 21, and the rear end 35 is inserted into the suspension member 14 through the opening 31 formed in the front plate 25 of the suspension member 14. A torque rod 37 coupled to the suspension member 14, and the suspension member 14 bends backward from the upper edge of the front plate 25, and then extends to the rear, after bent forwardly from the lower edge of the front plate 25, the lower front of a vehicle equipped with an outward flange 28 which extends forward In the structure,
Bending portions 41 are formed in the front plate 25 in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 in the vicinity of each opening edge of the opening 31, respectively, and each bending portion 41 extends over substantially the entire vertical direction of the front plate 25 , and The front lower part structure of the vehicle is characterized in that the lower and upper edge portions of the front plate 25 are formed so as to extend to the respective bent portions .

  In addition, in this section, the reference numerals and drawing numbers appended to the above terms are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the “Example” section and the contents of the drawings described later.

  The effects of the present invention are as follows.

The invention according to claim 1 is a suspension member having a closed cross section structure that is supported by a vehicle body and suspends a wheel, a traveling drive unit that is disposed in front of the suspension member and supported by the vehicle body, and extends in the front-rear direction. The front end portion is connected to the drive unit, and the rear end portion is inserted into the suspension member through the opening formed in the front plate of the suspension member, and is provided with a torque rod connected to the suspension member. After the suspension member is bent rearward from the upper edge of the front plate, the upper surface plate extends rearward, and the front is bent forward from the lower edge of the front plate. In the lower front structure of the vehicle with an outward flange extending to
In the width direction of the vehicle body, bent portions are formed on the front plate in the vicinity of the opening edges of the openings, respectively, and each bent portion extends over substantially the entire vertical direction of the front plate, and on the front plate, The lower edge is formed so as to extend until reaching each of the bent portions of the wrinkles .

  Here, when the vehicle is running, the suspension member is repeatedly elastically twisted as a whole due to the external force from the torque rod supporting the drive unit toward the suspension member and the external force from the wheel toward the suspension member. Sometimes.

  In the above case, each bent portion becomes a portion where stress is likely to concentrate when the suspension member is twisted. Therefore, each bent portion is smoothly and elastically adjusted according to the twist of the suspension member. Further bending or bending so as to expand, and the bending is repeated, it is possible to suppress the twist from reaching the opening edge of the opening formed in the front plate. In addition, as described above, each bent portion is formed so as to extend over substantially the entire vertical direction of the front plate, and therefore, it is more reliably suppressed that the twist reaches the opening edge of the opening.

  Therefore, even if the suspension member is twisted as a whole, the opening edge of the opening is more reliably held in a predetermined shape, and stress concentration occurs at each corner of the opening edge. Is prevented. As a result, although the opening is formed in the front plate of the suspension member, the front plate is prevented from being easily damaged.

  Further, since the prevention of the breakage of the front plate described above is achieved by forming a bent portion on the front plate, it is possible to avoid the installation of a separate reinforcing material, and the breakage of the front plate is simple. Achieved in configuration.

It is the II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the front lower part of a vehicle. It is a top view of the front lower part of a vehicle. It is the IV-IV arrow directional cross-sectional enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4.

  In the front lower part structure of the vehicle according to the present invention, a torque rod for connecting a driving unit to a suspension member for suspending a wheel is provided, and a rear end portion of the torque rod is formed on a front plate of the suspension member. Even if the suspension member is repeatedly elastically twisted as a whole due to the external force from the torque rod toward the suspension member and the external force from the wheel toward the suspension member when inserted into the suspension member through the opening. In order to realize the object of preventing the front plate of the suspension member in which the opening is formed from being easily damaged and preventing the front plate from being damaged with a simple configuration, The form for carrying out the present invention is as follows.

That is, the front lower structure of the vehicle includes a suspension member having a closed cross-section structure that is supported by the vehicle body and suspends the wheels, a traveling drive unit that is disposed in front of the suspension member and is supported by the vehicle body, and a front-rear direction. A torque rod that extends and has a front end connected to the drive unit, a rear end passing through an opening formed in the front plate of the suspension member, inserted into the suspension member, and connected to the suspension member; Is provided. In addition, after the suspension member is bent rearward from the upper edge of the front plate, the upper surface plate extending rearward and the front plate is bent forward from the lower edge of the front plate, And an outward flange extending forward. In the width direction of the vehicle body, bent portions are formed on the front plate in the vicinity of the opening edges of the openings, respectively, and each bent portion extends over substantially the entire vertical direction of the front plate, and on the front plate, The lower edge is formed so as to extend until reaching each of the bent portions of the wrinkles .

  In order to explain the present invention in more detail, an embodiment thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a vehicle exemplified by an automobile, and an arrow Fr indicates the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The left and right described below refer to the width direction of the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1.

  The vehicle body 2 includes a vehicle body frame 3 that constitutes the skeleton member, and a vehicle body body 4 that is supported on the vehicle body frame 3 and that has a vehicle interior. The vehicle body frame 3 is fixed to a pair of left and right side members 7 and 7 that constitute the left and right side portions of the vehicle body frame 3 and extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2, and the front end portions of the side members 7. A pair of left and right brackets 8 and 8 projecting downward from the respective front end portions, and a radiator support 9 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and supported by the projecting end portions of the left and right brackets 8 and 8, respectively. A radiator 10 is supported on the radiator support 9.

  A front suspension member 14 is provided between the left and right side members 7 and 7 and is supported by being fastened to the side members 7 by fasteners 13. A lower arm 16 is pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the suspension member 14 by front and rear pivot supports 15, 15 so as to be swingable up and down. A front wheel 17 is supported by the lower arm 16 and a shock absorber (not shown). The suspension member 14 is suspended.

  A traveling drive unit 21 disposed in front of the suspension member 14 and supported by the elastic mounts 20 is provided on the left and right side members 7 and 7, respectively. The main body of the drive unit 21 is an engine.

  The suspension member 14 is made of sheet metal and has a closed section structure (box shape) as a whole, and has sufficient strength and rigidity to suspend the wheels 17. Specifically, the suspension member 14 includes upper and lower plates 23 and 24 that face each other in the vertical direction and are formed by pressing.

  The upper plate 23 has a hat shape in a side sectional view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 4) and extends substantially horizontally before and facing the rear plates 25 and 26 before facing each other in the front-rear direction. , 26 integrally connected with the upper end plate 27, and front and rear outward flanges 28, 28 formed integrally with the lower end edges of the front and rear plates 25, 26, respectively. Yes. Each of the outward flanges 28 and 28 and the outer edge portion of the lower plate 24 are joined by spot welding S to form the suspension member 14.

  A rectangular opening 31 is formed in the center portion 30 of the front plate 25 of the suspension member 14 in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 when the vehicle body 2 is viewed from the front (FIG. 1). Specifically, the opening 31 has a rectangular shape that is long in the width direction of the vehicle body 2.

  The front end 33 extending in the front-rear direction is connected to the rear end of the drive unit 21 by a lateral front pivot shaft 34, and the rear end 35 is inserted into the suspension member 14 through the opening 31. A torque rod 37 is provided on the suspension member 14 and connected to the lower plates 23 and 24 by a longitudinal rear pivot shaft 36. The front and rear end portions 33 and 35 of the torque rod 37 are each provided with an elastic body 38. The front and rear end portions 33 and 35 are connected to the drive unit 21 and the suspension member 14 by the front and rear pivot shafts 34 and 36 via the elastic bodies 38.

  The torque rod 37 improves the support strength of the drive unit 21 to the vehicle body frame 3 of the vehicle body 2. Further, as described above, the rear end portion 35 of the torque rod 37 passes through the opening 31 formed in the front plate 25 of the suspension member 14 and is inserted into the suspension member 14. As a result, as compared with the case where the rear end portion 35 of the torque rod 37 is simply disposed outside the suspension member 14 and connected, the combined bodies 14 and 37 of the suspension member 14 and the torque rod 37 are formed in the vertical direction and the vehicle body. It is made more compact in the longitudinal direction of 2. Further, the vibration generated in the drive unit 21 and transmitted to the suspension member 14 via the torque rod 37 is absorbed by the elastic bodies 38.

  In the above configuration, the bent portions 41 are formed in the front plate 25 in the vicinity of the outside of each opening edge of the opening 31 in the width direction of the vehicle body 2, and these bent portions 41, 41 sandwich the opening 31 from the left and right. Yes. Each of these bent portions 41 is formed to extend linearly over substantially the entire front plate 25 in the vertical direction. Specifically, each of the bent portions 41 has a bead shape of a semicircular arc in a plan sectional view (FIG. 5) that bulges forward and outward from the general portion 25 a of the front plate 25.

  Here, the opening 31 is formed in the rectangular surrounding portion 25b of the front plate 25 surrounded by the upper and lower edges of the front plate 25 of the suspension member 14 and the bent portions 41. The strength at 25b tends to decrease.

  Further, when the vehicle 1 travels, the suspension member 14 is caused by an external force that is directed from the torque rod 37 that supports the drive unit 21 toward the suspension member 14 and an external force that is an impact force directed from the wheel 17 toward the suspension member 14. May repeatedly elastically twist as a whole.

  In the above case, since each of the bent portions 41 and 41 is a portion where stress is relatively easily concentrated when the suspension member 14 is twisted, each of the bent portions 41 corresponds to the twist of the suspension member 14. Each of the bent portions is smoothly and elastically bent or bent so as to expand, and the bending is repeated, whereby the twist is suppressed from reaching the inside of the surrounding portion 25b of the front plate 25. That is, the twist is suppressed from reaching the opening edge of the opening 31 formed in the front plate 25. In addition, as described above, each bent portion 41 is formed so as to extend over substantially the entire vertical direction of the front plate 25, so that the twist reaches the opening edge of the opening 31 more reliably. Is done.

  Therefore, even if the suspension member 14 is twisted as a whole, the opening edge portion of the opening 31 is prevented from being deformed from its original rectangular shape into a parallelogram shape as indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. Therefore, stress concentration is prevented from occurring at each corner of the opening edge. As a result, although the opening 31 is formed in the front plate 25 of the suspension member 14, the front plate 25 is prevented from being easily damaged.

  Moreover, since the prevention of the damage of the front plate 25 described above is achieved by forming the bent portion 41 on the front plate 25, it is possible to avoid the installation of a reinforcing material, and the damage to the front plate 25 is prevented. Prevention is achieved with a simple configuration.

  As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5, the entire surrounding portion 25b of the front plate 25 bulges forward from the general portion 25a of the front plate 25, and left and right side portions of the surrounding portion 25b. May be the bent portions 41.

  Although the above is based on the illustrated example, the suspension member 14 may be integrally formed as a whole by aluminum casting. In addition, the suspension member 14 may be upside down with respect to that of the above embodiment in a side cross-sectional view, or may be horizontally oriented, but in any case, on the front plate in which the opening 31 is formed, The left and right bent portions 41 and 41 may be formed so as to sandwich the opening 31 from the left and right.

  Further, the lower plate 24 of the suspension member 14 may have an inverted hat shape in a side sectional view. In this case, an opening continuous with the opening 31 is formed on the front plate of the lower plate 24 and the left and right bent portions 41 are formed. , 41 may be formed so that the left and right bent portions are continuous. The bent portions 41 may be bent toward the inside of the suspension member 14. The opening 31 may be circular or elliptical when viewed from the front.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car body 14 Suspension member 17 Wheel 21 Drive unit 23 Upper plate 24 Lower plate 25 Front plate 25a General part 25b Go part
27 top plate
28 outward flange 31 opening 33 front end 35 rear end 37 torque rod 41 bent portion

Claims (1)

A suspension member having a closed cross-section structure that is supported by the vehicle body and suspends the wheels, a driving unit that is disposed in front of the suspension member and supported by the vehicle body, and that extends in the front-rear direction and has a front end portion that is the drive unit. And a rear end portion of the suspension member is inserted into the suspension member through the opening formed in the front plate of the suspension member, and a torque rod is connected to the suspension member. A top plate extending rearward from the upper end edge of the front plate, and an outward flange extending frontward after bending forward from the lower end edge of the front plate In the front lower structure of the vehicle with
In the width direction of the vehicle body, bent portions are formed on the front plate in the vicinity of the opening edges of the openings, respectively, and each bent portion extends over substantially the entire vertical direction of the front plate, and on the front plate, A front lower part structure of a vehicle, wherein a lower end edge portion is formed to extend to reach each of the bent portions of the waving .

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