초록 ▼

The modular front end forms the front portion of a motor vehicle. The modular front end includes a bulkhead defining a plurality of integrally formed attachment mounts. A drive train assembly carrying at least an engine of the motor vehicle is attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. A cra

The modular front end forms the front portion of a motor vehicle. The modular front end includes a bulkhead defining a plurality of integrally formed attachment mounts. A drive train assembly carrying at least an engine of the motor vehicle is attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. A crash energy absorption assembly is attached to the attachment mounts on the bulkhead and generally extends around the drive train assembly. An apron assembly is attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts and is generally positioned above the drive train assembly and crash energy absorption assembly.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A modular front end for a motor vehicle, comprising:a structural bulkhead comprising a plurality of attachment mounts;a drive train assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts;a crash energy absorption assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attac

1. A modular front end for a motor vehicle, comprising:a structural bulkhead comprising a plurality of attachment mounts;a drive train assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts;a crash energy absorption assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts; andan apron assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 2. The modular front end of claim 1, wherein the apron assembly is at least partially supported in the vertical direction by the crash energy absorption assembly. 3. The modular front end for a motor vehicle, comprising:unitary cast bulkhead comprising a plurality of integrally formed attachment mount;a drive train assembly attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts;a crash energy absorption assembly attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts; andan apron assembly attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 4. The modular front end of claim 1, further comprising at least one structural member of the motor vehicle attached to the bulkhead. 5. The modular front end of claim 1, wherein the bulkhead comprises a first side for facing an engine compartment of the motor vehicle and a second side for facing a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, and further comprising at least one electrical component of the motor vehicle attached to the first side of the bulkhead. 6. The modular front end of claim 1, the drive train assembly comprising:a drive train support comprising a pair of elongated support members attached to the bulkhead and a cross member interconnecting the support members; anda power train assembly attached to the support members such that the power train assembly is cantilevered from the support members and bulkhead forward of the cross member. 7. The modular front end of claim 6, wherein the support members and cross member are made of aluminum alloy. 8. The modular front end of claim 6, the power train assembly comprising an engine and transmission of the motor vehicle cantilevered from the support members and bulkhead forward of the cross member. 9. The modular front end of claim 6, wherein the support members each comprise a top end and a bottom end, and the cross member connects the top ends of the support members, and further comprising a steering gear of the motor vehicle attached to the bottom ends of the support members and interconnecting the bottom ends of the support members. 10. The modular front end of claim 9, further comprising a brake and suspension assembly for each front wheel of the motor vehicle, the brake and suspension assemblies attached to the support members, respectively. 11. The modular front end of claim 1, the crash energy absorption assembly comprising:an elongated bumper beam;a pair of brackets attached to the bumper beam; anda pair of tubes each having a first end and a second end, the first ends of the tubes supported by the brackets, and the second ends attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 12. The modular front end of claim 11, wherein the bumper beam, brackets, and tubes are made of aluminum alloy. 13. The modular front end of claim 11, wherein the bumper beam defines a substantially open cross section at least partially filled with polymeric foam. 14. The modular front end of claim 11, wherein the bumper beam defines a substantially Σ-shaped cross section, the substantially Σ-shaped cross section comprising a rear wall connected to substantially parallel top and bottom walls. 15. The modular front end of claim 3, the crash energy absorption assembly comprising:an elongated bumper beam;a pair of taper and flare brackets attached to the bumper beam; anda pair of tubes each having a first end and a second end, the first ends of the tubes supported by the brackets, and the second ends attached to the bulkhead at the attachments mounts. 16. The modular front end of claim 11, wherein the tubes are at least partially filled with polymeric foam. 17. The modular front end of claim 3, the apron assembly comprising:a substantially C-shaped, unitary apron member having a depending front portion, the apron member defining at least one integrally formed accessory attachment mount; anda substantially C-shaped apron rail attached to a top end of the apron member and having ends thereof attached to the bulkhead. 18. The modular front end of claim 17, the apron assembly further comprising at least one engine accessory of the motor vehicle attached to the apron member at the at least one accessory attachment mount. 19. The modular front end of claim 17, wherein the apron member is formed of molded plastic material and the apron rail is made of aluminum alloy. 20. The modular front end of claim 17, wherein the at least one engine accessory is selected from the group consisting of a radiator and cooling fan assembly, an air conditioning condenser, a transmission oil cooler, and a battery. 21. A motor vehicle, comprising:a vehicle body; anda modular front end connected to the vehicle body, the modular front end comprising:a structural bulkhead comprising a plurality of attachment mounts;a drive train assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts;a crash energy absorption assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts; andan apron assembly attached to and supported by the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 22. The motor vehicle of claim 21, wherein the apron assembly is at least partially supported in the vertical direction by the crash energy absorption assembly. 23. A motor vehicle, comprising:a vehicle body; anda modular front end connected to the vehicle body, the modular front end comprising:a unitary cast bulkhead comprising a plurality of integrally formed attachment mounts;a drive train assembly attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts;a crash energy absorption assembly attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts; andan apron assembly attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 24. The motor vehicle of claim 21, further comprising at least one structural member of the motor vehicle attached to the bulkhead. 25. The motor vehicle of claim 21, wherein the bulkhead comprises a first side for facing an engine compartment of the motor vehicle and a second side for facing a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, and further comprising at least one electrical component of the motor vehicle attached to the first side of the bulkhead. 26. The motor vehicle of claim 21, the drive train assembly comprising:a drive train support comprising a pair of elongated support members attached to the bulkhead and a cross member interconnecting the support members; anda power train assembly attached to the support members such that the power train assembly is cantilevered from the support members and bulkhead forward of the cross member. 27. The motor vehicle of claim 26, wherein the support members and cross member are made of aluminum alloy. 28. The motor vehicle of claim 26, the power train assembly comprising an engine and transmission of the motor vehicle cantilevered from the support members and bulkhead forward of the cross member. 29. The motor vehicle of claim 26, wherein the support members each comprise a top end and a bottom end, and the cross member connects the top ends of the support members, and further comprising a steering gear of the motor vehicle attached to the bottom ends of the support members and interconnecting the bottom ends of the support members. 30. The motor vehicle of claim 29, further comprising a brake and suspension assembly for each front wheel of the motor vehicle, the brake and suspension assemblies attached to the support members, respectively. 31. The motor vehicle of claim 21, the crash energy absorption assembly comprising:an elongated bumper beam;a pair of brackets attached to the bumper beam; anda pair of tubes each having a first end and a second end, the first ends o f the tubes supported by the brackets, and the second ends attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 32. The motor vehicle of claim 31, wherein the bumper beam, brackets, and tubes are made of aluminum alloy. 33. The motor vehicle of claim 31, wherein the bumper beam defines a substantially open cross section at least partially filled with polymeric foam. 34. The motor vehicle of claim 31, wherein the bumper beam defines a substantially Σ-shaped cross section, the substantially Σ-shaped cross section comprising a rear wall connected to substantially parallel top and bottom walls. 35. The motor vehicle of claim 23, the crash energy absorption assembly comprising:an elongated bumper beam;a pair of taper and flare brackets attached to the bumper beam; anda pair of tubes each having a first end and a second end, the first ends of the tubes supported by the brackets, and the second ends attached to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 36. The motor vehicle of claim 31, wherein the tubes are at least partially filled with polymeric foam. 37. The motor vehicle of claim 23, the apron assembly comprising:a substantially C-shaped, unitary apron member having a depending front portion, the apron member defining at least one integrally formed accessory attachment mount; anda substantially C-shaped apron rail attached to a top end of the apron member and having ends thereof attached to the bulkhead. 38. The motor vehicle of claim 37, the apron assembly further comprising at least one engine accessory of the motor vehicle attached to the apron member at the at least one accessory attachment mount. 39. The motor vehicle of claim 37, wherein the apron member is formed of molded plastic material and the apron rail is made of aluminum alloy. 40. The motor vehicle of claim 37, wherein the at least one engine accessory is selected from the group consisting of a radiator and cooling fan assembly, an air conditioning condenser, a transmission oil cooler, and a battery. 41. A method of assembling a modular front end for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:providing a structural bulkhead comprising a plurality of attachment mounts;attaching a drive train assembly to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts the drive train assembly supported by the bulkhead;attaching a crash energy absorption assembly to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts the crash energy absorption assembly supported by the bulkhead; andattaching an apron assembly to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts the apron assembly supported by the bulkhead. 42. The method of assembling a modular front end of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:casting a unitary bulkhead, comprising a plurality of attachment mounts formed integrally with the unitary bulkhead;attaching a crash energy absorption assembly to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts; andattaching an apron assembly to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the bulkhead is cast from aluminum alloy. 44. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of attaching at least one structural member of the motor vehicle to the bulkhead. 45. The method of claim 41, wherein the bulkhead comprises a first side for facing an engine compartment of the motor vehicle and a second side for facing a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, the method further comprising the step of attaching at least one electrical component of the motor vehicle to the first side of the bulkhead. 46. The method of claim 41, wherein the bulkhead comprises a first side for facing an engine compartment of the motor vehicle and a second side for facing a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, and wherein the drive train assembly, crash energy absorption assembly, and apron assembly are attached mechanically to attachment mounts located on the first side of the bulkhead. 47. The method of claim 41, wherein the drive train assembly comprises a drive train support and an power train assembly, th e power train assembly comprising an engine and transmission of the motor vehicle attached to the drive train support, the step of attaching the drive train assembly to the bulkhead comprising attaching the drive train support to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts such that the power train assembly is cantilevered from the drive train support and bulkhead. 48. The method of claim 47, wherein the power train support comprises a pair of support members each having a top end and a bottom end and a cross member connecting the top ends of the support members, the method further comprising the step of attaching a steering gear of the motor vehicle to the bottom ends of the support members to interconnect the support members. 49. The method of claim 48, the drive train assembly further comprising a brake and suspension assembly for each front wheel of the motor vehicle, the method further comprising the step of attaching the brake and suspension assemblies to the support members, respectively. 50. The method of claim 41, wherein the crash energy absorption assembly comprises an elongated bumper beam, a pair of brackets attached to the bumper beam, and a pair of tubes each having a first end and a second end, the first ends of the tubes supported by the brackets, the step of attaching the crash energy absorption assembly to the bulkhead comprising attaching the second ends of the tubes to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 51. The method of claim 41, wherein the apron assembly is at least partially supported in a vertical direction by the crash energy absorption assembly. 52. The method of claim 41, wherein the apron assembly comprises an apron member, the method further comprising the step of attaching at least one engine accessory of the motor vehicle to the apron member. 53. The method of claim 52, wherein the at least one engine accessory is selected from the group consisting of a radiator and cooling fan assembly, an air conditioning condenser, a transmission oil cooler, and a battery. 54. The method of claim 42, wherein the apron assembly comprises a substantially C-shaped apron member and a substantially C-shaped apron rail, the method further comprising the step of attaching the apron rail to a top end of the apron member. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein the ends of the apron rail are configured for connection to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts, the step of attaching the apron assembly to the bulkhead comprising attaching the ends of the apron rail to the bulkhead at the attachment mounts. 56. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of attaching a fender of the motor vehicle to the apron rail. 57. The method of claim 54, the apron member having a depending front portion, the method further comprising the step of attaching headlights of the motor vehicle to the front portion. 58. The method of claim 41, wherein the bulkhead is provided attached to the body of a motor vehicle.