Mazda Motor Corporation

Mazda Motor Company

Hiromasa Honji

Masanobu Fukushima

Sakayu Terada

Hiroto Kido

Yosuke Sawada

Hidenori Matsuoka

Ippei Kuroda

Akira Sone

Keizo Kawasaki

Hiroaki Takeshita

Akiyoshi Masuda

Hiroyuki Okamoto

Hiroyuki Takahashi

Atsushi Kawamoto

Fumihiro Kurohara

Masayoshi Takahashi

Seigo Suzuki

Shohei Yoshida

Takahiro Otani

Manabu Hashimoto

Kosuke Mukaigawa

Masanoba Fukushima

Ryuichi Kusama

Masaki Ueno

Michinari Watanabe

Koshi Takahashi

Kota Okano

Ryota Hanate

Ichiro Tanabe

A front suspension device comprises a suspension arm, one end of which has a front-wheel support portion to support a front wheel of a vehicle and the other end of which is positioned on an inward side, in a vehicle width direction, of the front-wheel support portion and has a vehicle-body attachment portion to be attached to a vehicle-body member of the vehicle and a damper supported at a damper support portion which is provided at a portion of the suspension arm which is positioned in the vicinity of the front-wheel support portion at a lower portion thereof and connected to the vehicle-body member at an upper portion thereof. The damper support portion of the suspension arm has a breakage ease portion to cause breakage of the suspension arm.

Front suspension device

A subframe structure includes a pair of left and right front-rear frames each mounted with a lower arm; and a transverse member connecting front portions of the front-rear frames. The front-rear frames each includes a rear horizontal portion formed substantially horizontally, an inclined portion extending frontward and upward from a front end of the rear horizontal portion, and a front horizontal portion extending horizontally frontward from a front end of the inclined portion. The transverse member is jointed at left and right ends thereof to the front horizontal portions respectively corresponding to the left and right ends, a rear end of the front horizontal portion is disposed to be positioned frontward of a front end of an engine, and the front-rear frames are deformed into a Z shape in vehicle side view in an event of a front-end collision and thereby energy of the front-end collision is absorbed.

Subframe structure

The strength of an instrument panel member () at a portion thereof between a steering shaft support part () and a linking part () on the side near a steering shaft () is set lower than the strength of the instrument panel member () at a portion thereof between the steering shaft support part () and a linking part () on the far side from the steering shaft (), with respect to a load input through the linking part () on the side near the steering shaft () in the vehicle body front-rear direction. The above configuration makes it possible to suppress movement of a steering wheel inward in the vehicle width direction to thereby securely restrain a vehicle occupant by an airbag at the time of a vehicle frontal collision.

Vehicle-occupant protection structure and vehicle-occupant protection method

A battery is arranged at a specified position which is located on an outside of a front side frame in a vehicle width direction and between a front wheel and a crush can in a vehicle longitudinal direction. Accordingly, the battery can be positioned properly at a front portion of a vehicle so that the battery may not receive any improper thermal influence from an engine or a motor and not hurt the function of impact absorption in a vehicle frontal collision.

Battery arrangement structure of vehicle

A gusset member which is provided in back of a front wheel and connects a dash panel and a hinge pillar is provided. A first reinforcing member which is connected to the gusset member to reinforce a lower portion of the hinge pillar is provided. Accordingly, a cabin deformation of a vehicle side portion as a whole can be properly restrained, thereby ensuring a sufficient space of a vehicle compartment.

Lower vehicle-body structure of vehicle

Part of a front side frame is configured to be deformed so as to bend outwardly, in a vehicle width direction, by a collision load in a vehicle frontal collision. A sub frame provided at a lower portion of a front vehicle body is joined to the front side frame via a reinforcement. A front portion of the reinforcement is located at a position which corresponds to a bending portion of the front side frame which is to be deformed so as to bend outwardly, in the vehicle width direction, by the collision load in the vehicle frontal collision. Accordingly, the bending of the front side frame at its bending portion when the collision load acts in the vehicle frontal collision can be promoted, so that the collision load against passengers can be decreased securely.

Front vehicle-body structure of vehicle

A positioning pin and a bolt hole positioned near this pin are provided at a plate-shaped rear-portion attachment face portion of a suspension cross member. A positioning hole having the positioning pin inserted thereinto and a bolt hole positioned near this positioning hole are provided at a tunnel frame on the side of a vehicle. The rear-portion attachment face portion and the tunnel frame are fastened by a bolt inserting into the bolt holes together with a nut. Accordingly, the support rigidity of the suspension cross member during the normal vehicle traveling can be secured and the smooth retreat of the power unit to restrain the collision load from having bad influence on passengers in the vehicle frontal collision can be achieved.

Lower structure of automotive vehicle

A front side frame includes a bend portion which is operative to bend outward when an impact load acts on the front side frame from ahead. The bend portion is provided in a specified location such that the bend portion in a bending state substantially contacts a damper of the suspension from a vehicle front side. Accordingly, a rear end of the front side frame can be prevented properly from moving back when the impact load acts on the front side frame from ahead.

Front body structure of automotive vehicle

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Hiroshima, Japan

Hiromasa Honji