Front vehicle-body structure of vehicle

• US 10,214,242 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Maruyama, Kenji, Yamauchi, Kazuki, Matsuoka, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Pape, Joseph D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ivey, Dana D
• Application Number:
  US15/592,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20180029643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 29619309
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/11 with resilient means for suspension , e.g. of wheels or engine; sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/088 Details of structures as upper supports for springs or dampers

Abstract

A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprises a front frame which extends in a longitudinal direction, an apron reinforcement which is positioned above and on an outward side, in a vehicle width direction, of the front frame and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a suspension housing which is provided to be laid between the front frame and the apron reinforcement and accommodating a suspension therein, wherein the suspension housing includes a narrow-width portion which has the narrowest width in the longitudinal direction in an upper view, and a suspension tower portion where a damper member of the suspension is attached is formed at a portion of the suspension housing which includes the narrow-width portion.

Claims

1. A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising:

a front frame extending in a longitudinal direction;

an apron reinforcement positioned above and on an outward side, in a vehicle width direction, of the front frame and extending in the longitudinal direction; and

a suspension housing provided to be laid between the front frame and the apron reinforcement and accommodating a suspension therein,

wherein said suspension housing comprises a housing upper wall portion which extends in the vehicle width direction and in the longitudinal direction, a housing front wall portion and a housing rear wall portion which extend downward respectively from a front end portion and a rear end portion of said housing upper wall portion, and a housing inward-vertical wall portion which extends downward from an inward end portion, in the vehicle width direction, of said housing upper wall portion and is connected respectively to said housing front wall portion and said housing rear wall portion,

said housing upper wall portion includes a narrow-width portion, an inward upper wall portion which is positioned on an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of said narrow-width portion, and an outward upper wall portion which is positioned on an outward side, in the vehicle width direction, of said narrow-width portion, a width, in the longitudinal direction, of each of the narrow-width portion, the inward upper wall portion, and outward upper wall portion being configured such that the width of the narrow-width portion is the narrowest of the three portions, the width of the inward upper wall portion decreases gradually toward the narrow-width portion, and the width of the outward upper wall portion decreases gradually toward the narrow-width portion, and

a suspension tower portion where a damper member of the suspension is attached is positioned at a portion of said housing upper wall portion of said suspension housing which includes at least said narrow-width portion such that said suspension tower portion protrudes upward.

2. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said suspension housing further includes an upper-arm attachment portion where an upper arm of the suspension is vertically rotatably attached, and the suspension housing is configured such that a width, in the longitudinal direction, thereof gradually decreases from said upper-arm attachment portion toward said narrow-width portion so as to match a shape of the upper arm.

3. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein a protrusion portion which protrudes upward is formed at said suspension housing on an opposite side, in the vehicle width direction, to said upper-arm attachment portion relatively to said suspension tower portion, the protrusion portion being configured to avoid interference thereof with a tip portion of the upper arm which has rotated upward.

4. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein an apron frame which extends in the longitudinal direction is provided at an outward-end portion, in the vehicle width direction, of said suspension housing between said apron reinforcement and the suspension housing, the suspension housing further includes a vehicle-width-direction wall portion which protrudes toward the suspension and extends in a vertical direction and in the vehicle width direction in a vehicle front view, said vehicle-width-direction wall portion is composed of a pair of front-and-rear portions which are positioned on at least one side or both sides of a forward side and a reward side of said suspension tower portion, and said pair of front-and-rear vehicle-width-direction wall portions are interconnected in the longitudinal direction by a longitudinal-direction wall portion around the suspension tower portion.

5. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein an apron frame which extends in the longitudinal direction is provided at an outward-end portion, in the vehicle width direction, of said suspension housing between said apron reinforcement and the suspension housing, the suspension housing further includes a vehicle-width-direction wall portion which protrudes toward the suspension and extends in a vertical direction and in the vehicle width direction in a vehicle front view, said vehicle-width-direction wall portion is composed of a pair of front-and-rear portions which are positioned on at least one side or both sides of a forward side and a reward side of said suspension tower portion, and said pair of front-and-rear vehicle-width-direction wall portions are interconnected in the longitudinal direction by a longitudinal-direction wall portion around the suspension tower portion.

6. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 3, wherein an apron frame which extends in the longitudinal direction is provided at an outward-end portion, in the vehicle width direction, of said suspension housing between said apron reinforcement and the suspension housing, the suspension housing further includes a vehicle-width-direction wall portion which protrudes toward the suspension and extends in a vertical direction and in the vehicle width direction in a vehicle front view, said vehicle-width-direction wall portion is composed of a pair of front-and-rear portions which are positioned on at least one side or both sides of a forward side and a reward side of said suspension tower portion, and said pair of front-and-rear vehicle-width-direction wall portions are interconnected in the longitudinal direction by a longitudinal-direction wall portion around the suspension tower portion.

7. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 4, wherein one of said pair of front-and-rear vehicle-width-direction wall portions which is located at a position opposite to said suspension tower portion in the longitudinal direction includes a pair of right-and-left inclination portions on both sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the suspension tower portion, the pair of right-and-left inclination portions being configured to be inclined, in the longitudinal direction, toward the suspension tower portion relatively to the vehicle width direction, and said longitudinal-direction wall portion is composed of a pair of portions which are formed at both sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the suspension tower portion so as to be provided substantially perpendicularly to said pair of right-and-left inclination portions.

8. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 5, wherein one of said pair of front-and-rear vehicle-width-direction wall portions which is located at a position opposite to said suspension tower portion in the longitudinal direction includes a pair of right-and-left inclination portions on both sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the suspension tower portion, the pair of right-and-left inclination portions being configured to be inclined, in the longitudinal direction, toward the suspension tower portion relatively to the vehicle width direction, and said longitudinal-direction wall portion is composed of a pair of portions which are formed at both sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the suspension tower portion so as to be provided substantially perpendicularly to said pair of right-and-left inclination portions.

9. The front vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 6, wherein one of said pair of front-and-rear vehicle-width-direction wall portions which is located at a position opposite to said suspension tower portion in the longitudinal direction includes a pair of right-and-left inclination portions on both sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the suspension tower portion, the pair of right-and-left inclination portions being configured to be inclined, in the longitudinal direction, toward the suspension tower portion relatively to the vehicle width direction, and said longitudinal-direction wall portion is composed of a pair of portions which are formed at both sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the suspension tower portion so as to be provided substantially perpendicularly to said pair of right-and-left inclination portions.