# US 2021/0276620 A1 · Vehicle body

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- Number: US 2021/0276620 A1
- Document ID: US20210276620A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/189,283
- Filed: 2021-03-02
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2020-03-03
- Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Ryo KITA; Hideyuki YAMAGUCHI; Momoka FUJII; Takayuki Fukami
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210276620A1

## CPC

- B62D 21/152: {Front or rear frames}
- B60R 19/38: adjustably or movably mounted, e.g. horizontally displaceable for securing a space between parked vehicles {(adjustably mounted for compensating manufacturing tolerances B60R19/24, B60R19/26)}
- B62D 25/085: {Front-end modules}
- B60R 19/24: Arrangements for mounting bumpers on vehicles
- B60R 19/34: destroyed upon impact, e.g. one-shot type
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A vehicle body for contributing to weight reduction of a structure of a front part while preventing a front bumper beam from falling off is provided. A vehicle body includes: pairs of left and right support bodies, being disposed on the left and the right with an accommodation space of a power unit interposed therebetween, extending in a vehicle body forward-rearward direction, and having joint surfaces displaced rearward as the joint surfaces going outward in a vehicle width direction while facing the front; a front bumper beam, extending in a vehicle body lateral direction across the front of the accommodation space and being joined to the joint surfaces at both ends thereof; and engagement members, extending forward from inner sides of the joint surfaces in the vehicle width direction and engaging with the front bumper beam in the forward-rearward direction at least at a time of a collision.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle body (11) comprising:
pairs of left and right support bodies (12, 13, 16, 21, and 22) that are disposed on the left and the right with an accommodation space of a power unit interposed therebetween, extend in a vehicle body forward-rearward direction, and have joint surfaces (24) displaced rearward as the joint surfaces (24) go outward in a vehicle width direction while facing the front;
a front bumper beam (19) that extends in a vehicle body lateral direction across the front of the accommodation space and is joined to the joint surfaces (24) at both ends thereof; and
engagement members (25) that extend forward from inner sides of the joint surfaces (24) in the vehicle width direction and engage with the front bumper beam (19) in the forward-rearward direction at least at a time of a collision.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein
the engagement member (25) includes a ring-shaped body (27), and
the ring-shaped body (27) is fixed to the support body and surrounds the front bumper beam (19) around a gravity center line (GL) extending in an axial direction of the front bumper beam (19).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vehicle body according to claim 2, wherein the engagement member (25) includes:
a bracket (26) which extends forward from the support body and faces a rear surface of the front bumper beam (19) at a front end thereof; and
a crooked member (28) which is fixed to the front end of the bracket (26) in an attachable/detachable manner and forms the ring-shaped body (27) by surrounding the front bumper beam (19) in cooperation with the front end of the bracket (26).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein the support bodies include:
upper members (13) which are disposed on the left and the right with the accommodation space interposed therebetween and extend in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction while being curved in a manner of protruding upward;
front side frames (12) which extend in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction side by side with the upper members (13);
coupling plates (16) which couple front ends (13a) of the upper members (13) and front ends (12a) of the front side frames (12) to each other; and
attachment members (22) which are fixed to the front bumper beam (19), overlap the coupling plates (16), and are joined to the upper members (13) and the front side frames (12),
wherein the bracket (26) has a fixing plate (38) which is interposed between the coupling plate (16) and the attachment member (22) overlapping the coupling plate (16).

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein the bracket (26) has:
a vertical plate (29) which is held in a vertical posture by the side of the support body and extends in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction;
upper and lower side legs (31) which extend in a horizontal direction respectively from an upper edge and a lower edge of the vertical plate (29) at a front end of the vertical plate (29) and are joined to the crooked member (28); and
bent flanges (32) which are subjected to bending forming from the upper edge and the lower edge of the vertical plate (29) toward the front end from a rear end of the vertical plate (29) and continue to the respective corresponding side legs (31),
wherein edges of the side legs (31) draw curves which continue from edges of the bent flanges (32).

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein the front bumper beam (19) has:
a central area (19a) which linearly extends to the left and the right from a center in a lateral direction; and
inclined areas (19b) which are displaced rearward from both ends of the central area (19a) as the inclined areas (19b) go outward to the left and the right and are received by the joint surfaces (24),
wherein the crooked member (28) has a plate region (28a) which expands parallel to the inclined area (19b) and faces the inclined area (19b).

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein
at least one of the bracket (26) and the crooked member (28) is a press-formed product of a steel plate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, further comprising:
a plurality of fastening tools (33) that is set at a plurality of places in parallel to the gravity center line (GL) of the front bumper beam (19) for each of the brackets (26) and fastens the crooked member (28) to the bracket (26).

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein the support bodies include:
upper members (13) which are disposed on the left and the right with the accommodation space interposed therebetween and extend in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction while being curved in a manner of protruding upward;
front side frames (12) which extend in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction side by side with the upper members (13); and
bumper beam extensions (21) which are fixed to front ends (13a) of the upper members (13) and front ends (12a) of the front side frames (12), extend forward beyond the upper members (13) and the front side frames (12), and form the joint surfaces (24),
wherein the bracket (26) has:
a vertical plate (29) which is maintained in a vertical posture by the side of the bumper beam extension (21) and extends in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction; and
a fixing plate (38) which continues from a rear end of the vertical plate (29), has a larger height than the vertical plate (29) in a vertical direction, and is fixed to a front end of the front side frame (12).

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The vehicle body according to claim 9, further comprising:
a first fastening tool (37a) that fixes the fixing plate (38) to the front side frame (12); and
a second fastening tool (37b) that is disposed in a manner of being offset from the first fastening tool (37a) in a lateral direction below the first fastening tool (37a) and fixes the fixing plate (38) to the front side frame (12).

### Claim 11 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein the support bodies include:
upper members (13) which are disposed on the left and the right with the accommodation space interposed therebetween and extend in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction while being curved in a manner of protruding upward;
front side frames (12) which extend in the vehicle body forward-rearward direction side by side with the upper members (13); and
bumper beam extensions (21) which are fixed to front ends of the upper members (13) and front ends of the front side frames (12), extend forward beyond the upper members (13) and the front side frames (12), and form the joint surfaces (24),
wherein the bracket (26) has:
a fixing plate (38) which is joined to a front end (12a) of the front side frame (12);
a vertical plate (29) which is subjected to bending forming from an inner end of the fixing plate (38) in the vehicle width direction with a gap therebetween and faces a side surface of the bumper beam extension (21); and
a joint area (42) which continues from the vertical plate (29), is connected to the fixing plate (38), projects toward the bumper beam extension (21), and is fixed to the side surface of the bumper beam extension (21).

### Claim 12 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein
the bracket (26) is formed of a steel plate having a lower tensile strength than the crooked member (28) and a smaller plate thickness than the crooked member.

### Claim 13 (depends on 3)

The vehicle body according to claim 3, wherein
the crooked member (28) is fixed to a front wall of the front bumper beam (19).