Mazda Motor Corporation

Tetsuo Nagata

Makoto Aizawa

Ryosuke Kawafune

Yuta Mishima

Toshio Sakamoto

Toshiaki Wakabayashi

Yasuyuki Emi

Kazuma Kondo

Hiroyuki Nishi

A vehicle front structure that absorbs a shock load applied to immediately under a front grille by using a structure at a position higher than a bumper beam as a support. The vehicle front structure includes a shock absorbing member at an interior of a bumper face below a front grille. The shock absorbing member includes a load receiving portion that receives a load, an abutting portion abutting against a structure above a bumper beam during receding of the shock absorbing member, an upper-side connecting portion connecting the load receiving portion and the abutting portion, a locking portion deformed while being locked to the bumper beam during receding of the shock absorbing member, and a lower-side connecting portion connecting the load receiving and locking portions. A bending facilitating portion extending in the vehicle width direction is formed on the side of a rear portion of the upper-side connecting portion.

Vehicle front structure

A vehicle front structure that reduces a shock load applied to immediately under a front grille by using a bumper beam as a support. A vehicle front structure includes a shock absorbing member at an interior of a bumper face on the side near an upper portion thereof which absorbs a load from the diagonally upper front side. The shock absorbing member is at the interior of the bumper face below a front grille, and includes a load receiving portion that receives a load, a locking portion locked to an upper end edge of a bumper beam located behind and below the load receiving portion, at the time of receding of the shock absorbing member, and a connecting portion connecting the load receiving portion and the locking portion. A deformation facilitating portion with respect to a load from the upper front side is thus configured at the connecting portion.

An increased amount of absorption of a load from the diagonally upper front side is achieved even in, for example, a vehicle having a high vehicle height. A first shock absorbing member is provided inside a bumper face upper to absorb a load from the diagonally upper front side, a second shock absorbing member is mounted on a front face portion of a bumper beam, and a third shock absorbing member is disposed below the first shock absorbing member and between a bumper face and the bumper beam to absorb a load from the diagonally upper front side. The rigidity of the first and third shock absorbing members in the up-down direction is higher than rigidity of the second shock absorbing member in the front-rear direction.

An impact absorption member is provided behind a bumper face, a lower stiffener is provided below this member and projects forward to sweep a leg portion of an object hitting against a front potion of a vehicle, and headlamp units are provided at both side portions of the bumper face. A lamp housing of the headlamp unit is supported at a vehicle-body member located in back of the lamp housing, a load absorption portion provided on the inside of and rearward from an edge of the bumper face to absorb an impact load is provided integrally at the lamp housing, and a load transmission portion to transmit the impact load inputted to the bumper face to the load absorption portion is provided at the bumper face.

Growing community of inventors

Aki-gun, Japan

Tetsuo Nagata