JPH1129069A - Vehicle front end module structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve radiator replacing workability and maintainability while maintaining rigidity of a radiator support upper member. SOLUTION: Two rows of vertical wall parts 10a, 10b are formed in the cross direction of a vehicle along the upper edge of a panel body 10. A radiator support upper member 13 made of metal is provided with a rear wall part 13a partially or totally inserted in a groove part 10c formed between two rows of vertical wall parts 10a, 10b, an upper face part 13b protruded toward the front of the vehicle from the rear wall part 13a, and a front wall part 13c bent downward of the vehicle from the upper face part 13b and fastened to a side wall part at both end parts.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle front-end module structure having a front-end panel for holding at least a radiator of a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle front-end module structure of this type, a structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-219350 is known.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 6, the radiator support includes a front end panel 53 attached to a front side member of the vehicle and holding a radiator 51 and a fan 52 of the vehicle. An opening 54a into which the radiator 51 can be inserted and assembled into the upper member 54, and can be pulled out and removed.
And a structure in which the radiator 51 is fixed in a state in which a portion of the radiator 51 above the cooling unit projects above the opening. According to this, since the upper part of the radiator 51 protrudes from the opening 54a of the radiator support upper member 54, the radiator 51 can be inserted and assembled, pulled out and removed from the opening 54a, so that radiator replacement workability and maintainability can be improved. Is improved.

[0004]

However, in the prior art described above, the radiator support upper member is provided with an opening in order to improve the workability and maintainability of the radiator, so that the rigidity of the radiator support upper member is increased. Is reduced.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its technical object to improve radiator replacement workability and maintainability while maintaining the rigidity of the radiator support upper member. It is.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, which is made to solve the above-described technical problem, a panel body and a vehicle body formed along the upper edge of the panel body in a vehicle width direction. A vertical wall portion in a row, a side wall portion continuously formed along left and right edges of the panel main body, and a lower wall portion continuously formed along a lower edge of the panel main body; A resin-made front end panel for holding a radiator and a fan arranged to face the radiator; and a groove formed between the two rows of vertical wall portions and arranged along an upper edge of the panel body. Or, a rear wall portion in which all are inserted, an upper surface portion protruding toward the vehicle front from the rear wall portion, and a front wall portion bent from the upper surface portion toward the vehicle downward and both ends fastened to the side wall portion. Radiator support upper member with A vehicle front-end module structure with.

According to the above invention, the upper edge of the panel body of the resin-made front end panel extends along the vehicle width direction.
A row of vertical wall portions is formed, and a rear wall portion of a metal radiator support upper member is inserted into a groove formed between the two rows of vertical wall portions. The radiator support upper member includes a rear wall inserted into the groove, an upper surface protruding from the rear wall toward the vehicle front, and a front wall bent downward from the upper surface toward the vehicle. The front wall is fastened to the side wall of the front end panel. Therefore, if the fastening between the front wall portion of the radiator support upper member and the side wall portion of the front end panel is released, the radiator support upper member can be pulled out from above the vehicle and easily removed from the front end panel. After removing the member, the radiator can be taken out from the upper part. Since the radiator support upper member can be easily removed in this manner, the radiator can be easily removed and assembled, and the radiator replacement workability and maintainability are improved. Furthermore, the radiator support upper member is made of metal,
In addition, since there is no opening, rigidity can be sufficiently maintained.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problem, it is preferable that the two rows of vertical wall portions are two rows of projections composed of a plurality of projections. According to this, the two rows of vertical wall portions are formed as two rows of projection rows. Therefore, even when the fitting dimension between the radiator support upper member and the vertical wall portion is slightly out of order, the radiator support upper member is formed of two rows. When the projections are inserted into the grooves between the rows of projections, the projections can be easily inserted by deformation.

Still more preferably, as in the invention of claim 3, the two projection rows are formed in a staggered arrangement. According to this, since the two rows of projections are formed in a staggered arrangement, the projections are more easily deformed and inserted when the radiator support upper member is inserted, and the fixing force of the radiator support upper member is reduced. It is enough to be kept.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a front end module structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a front end panel 1 made of a resin material
A radiator 2 for cooling the cooling water of the vehicle engine,
Condenser 4 for cooling air conditioner refrigerant, radiator 2
And a pair of left and right front lamps 7 (not shown) for holding the fan 3 and a pair of left and right headlamps (not shown) facing the condenser 4. Installed. Also,
The front end panel 1 is also fixed to a pair of left and right front fender reinforcements 9 of the vehicle at both ends in the vehicle width direction.

The front end panel 1 mainly includes a panel-shaped panel body 10 having a rectangular shape. A side wall portion 11 and a lower wall portion 12 that extend in the vehicle front-rear direction and are continuous with each other are integrally formed on both side edges in the vehicle width direction and a vehicle lower edge of the plate-shaped panel main body 10. A radiator support upper member 13 made of metal is arranged at an upper edge of the panel body 10 in the vehicle width direction. The rigidity of the panel body 10 is secured by the side wall portion 11, the lower wall portion 12, and the radiator support upper member 13. The panel body 10 has a circular opening 14 having a flange 14a protruding rearward from the vehicle at the periphery.
Are formed. The radiator 2 and the condenser 4
On the surface of the panel body 10 (the front surface of the vehicle), the front end panel 1 is disposed so as to cover the opening 14 in a space surrounded by the side wall 11, the lower wall 12, and the radiator support upper member 13 protruding forward of the vehicle. It is stored and held. The capacitor 4 is fastened and fixed to the panel body 10 by bolts or the like. The fan 3 is rotatably supported by a support portion 14b housed in an opening 14 closed by the radiator 2 and integrally extending from a flange 14a.

Outwardly projecting ribs 18 are integrally formed on the outer side surfaces of both side walls 11 on both side edges of the panel body 10. The rib 18 is thick in the vertical direction of the vehicle and has a width extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. It has a U-shaped cross section. The rib 18 is continuous from the radiator support upper member 13 such that the upper surface thereof is flush with the upper surface of the radiator support upper member 13, and is fastened and fixed to the front fender reinforcement 9 of the vehicle by a bolt or the like at the tip. ing.

A rib 18 and a rib 19 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction of the vehicle are integrally formed on the outer side surfaces of the side walls 11 on both side edges of the panel body 10. The rib 19 has a U-shaped cross section or a closed cross section having a thickness in the vehicle vertical direction and a width extending in the vehicle front and rear direction. Further, the rib 19 projects forward of the vehicle from the rib 18 and has a shape in which the width gradually becomes smaller toward the front end as a whole.

The rear edge of the lower wall of the rib 18 and the rear wall of the rib 19 are integrally connected by a wall 20 continuous from the flange 11. The headlamp is housed in a space surrounded by the lower wall of the rib 18, the upper surface of the rib 19, the flange 11, and the wall 20, and is fastened and fixed to the wall 20 by bolts or the like. Reference numeral 21 denotes a hood lock mechanism for locking a striker of the hood, 22 denotes a center stay, 32 denotes a bumper beam receiving an impact load from the front of the vehicle, 33 denotes a radiator grill for introducing outside air, and 34 denotes a bumper.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the front end panel, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a substantially central portion of the front end panel. As is clear from FIG. 3, the upper edge of the panel main body 10 has two vertical wall portions 10a and 10b in the vehicle width direction.
Are integrally formed. These vertical wall portions 10a, 10b
As is clear from FIG. 4, a plurality of protrusions 35 are formed in a row of protrusions formed in the vehicle width direction. And
The protrusions provided on each of the vertical wall portions 10a and 10b are:
As shown in FIG. 5, the projections are arranged in a staggered arrangement when viewed from above.

On the other hand, radiator support upper member 13
As is clear from FIG. 3, the rear wall 13a and the rear wall 1
Upper surface portion 13b, upper surface portion 13 protruding forward from the vehicle 3a
and a front wall 13c bent downward from the vehicle b. The rear wall 13a is inserted into a groove 10c formed between the two vertical walls 10a and 10b. The upper surface 13b following the rear wall 13a protrudes forward of the vehicle from the rear wall 13a so as to cover the radiator 2 and the upper part of the condenser 4. Front wall portion 13 continued from upper surface portion 13b
c is formed by bending downward in the vehicle. Since the radiator support upper member 13 is formed as described above, as is clear from FIG.
It has a substantially U shape that opens downward from the vehicle.

The illustrated lower end 2a of the radiator 2 is
The upper end 2b in the figure is inserted into the hole 13d of the radiator support upper member 13, whereby the radiator 2 is fixed. Similarly, the illustrated lower end 4a of the capacitor 4 is inserted into the hole 12b of the lower wall portion 12, and the illustrated upper end 4b is inserted into the hole 37a of the bracket 37 attached to the radiator support upper member 13, whereby the capacitor 4 is fixed. ing.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, a hood lock mechanism 21 for locking a hood striker (not shown) is mounted substantially at the center of the front portion 13c of the radiator support upper member 13.
Both ends of c are fastened and fixed to the front end panel 1 by fastening means 36 such as screws on the side wall portion 11.

In this embodiment, since the structure is as described above, when the radiator 2 is removed or maintained, the fastening means 36 is removed to release the fastening between the radiator support upper member 13 and the front end panel 1. Then, the radiator support upper member 13 is pulled up. Since the rear wall portion 13a of the radiator support upper member 13 is only inserted into the groove portion 10c, the rear wall portion 13a can be easily pulled up from the groove portion 10c, whereby the radiator support upper member 13 can be removed. . At this time, since the upper end 2b of the radiator 2 inserted into the hole 13d of the radiator support upper member 13 is separated from the hole 13d, the upper portion of the radiator 2 is in a free state. Therefore, after the radiator support upper member 13 is removed, the lower end 2 a of the radiator 2 is
a, the radiator is easily pulled up from the top to easily hold the hole 12a.
The lower end 2a of the radiator 2 is detached from and can be taken out. When assembling the radiator 2, the radiator 2 is set on the front end panel from above and the lower end 2a is inserted into the hole 12a of the lower wall portion 12. Thereafter, the radiator support upper member is arranged on the upper edge of the panel body, and the upper end 2b of the radiator 2 is
d. Then, the rear wall portion 13a is
Into the groove 10c formed on the upper edge of the front wall 13
This is completed by fastening c to the side wall 11 by fastening means 36 such as a screw.

In this embodiment, as described above, since the radiator support upper member 13 can be easily removed, the radiator 2 can be easily removed and assembled, and the radiator replacement workability and maintainability can be improved. It will improve. Further, the radiator support upper member is made of metal and has no opening for taking out the radiator, so that sufficient rigidity can be maintained.

Further, since the two vertical wall portions formed on the upper edge of the panel main body are formed as two rows of projections, even if the fitting dimension between the radiator support upper member and the vertical wall portion is slightly out of order. When the radiator support upper member is inserted into the groove between the two rows of projections, the projections can be easily inserted by deformation. Therefore, assembling workability when assembling the radiator support upper member is improved.

Further, since the two rows of projections are formed in a staggered arrangement, the projections are more easily deformed and inserted when the radiator support upper member is inserted. At the same time, the fixing force of the radiator support upper member can be sufficiently maintained.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the radiator can be easily detached and assembled, and the radiator replacement workability and maintainability can be improved.
Since the radiator support upper member is made of metal and has no opening, the rigidity can be sufficiently maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle front end module structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a front end panel of a vehicle front end module structure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a substantially central longitudinal sectional view of a front end panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a vertical wall portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a vertical wall portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a vehicle front-end module structure according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Front end panel 2 ... Radiator 3 ... Fan 10 ... Panel body, 10a ... Vertical wall part, 10b.
..Vertical wall portion, 10c groove portion 11 ... side wall portion 12 ... lower wall portion, 12a ... hole 13 ... radiator support upper member, 13a.
..Rear wall portion, 13b ... top surface portion, 13c ... front wall portion, 13d ... hole

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Katsumi Yoshida 2-3-3 Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref. Aisin Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A panel body, two rows of vertical wall portions formed in the vehicle width direction along an upper edge of the panel body, and a side wall portion formed continuously along left and right edges of the panel body. A lower wall portion continuously formed along a lower edge of the panel body, a resin front end panel for holding a radiator of a vehicle and a fan arranged to face the radiator, and A rear wall portion arranged along the upper edge and partially or entirely inserted into a groove formed between the two rows of vertical wall portions, and an upper surface portion protruding forward from the rear wall portion toward the vehicle And a metal radiator support upper member comprising: a front wall portion bent from the upper surface portion toward a vehicle downward direction and both end portions are fastened to the side wall portion; 2. The vehicle front end module structure according to claim 1, wherein the two rows of vertical wall portions are two rows of projections formed by a plurality of projections. 3. The vehicle front-end module structure according to claim 2, wherein the two rows of protrusions are formed in a staggered arrangement.