Lower side member structure for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a rocker structure for a vehicle. The rocker structure for a vehicle includes: a rocker connected to a floor of the vehicle and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and a rear wheel cover connected to the rear end of the rocker. The rocker includes an outer rocker facing the outside of the vehicle, an inner rocker facing the inside of the vehicle, and a reinforcement member arranged between the outer rocker and the inner rocker. The reinforcement member extends from the front of the vehicle to the rear wheel cover, and the cross section of the reinforcement member does not change along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcement member.

Description

[0001] CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0087798 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on July 15, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a rocker structure for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a rocker structure capable of uniformly distributing load to reduce deformation such as torsion in the event of a side collision of the vehicle. Background Art

[0004] The vehicle includes a pair of rocker beams disposed on the left and right sides of the floor panel, respectively. The pair of rocker beams may protect the passenger compartment from a side collision, a frontal collision, etc. of the vehicle. A central pillar may be connected to a central portion of each rocker beam, and a rear end of each rocker beam may be connected to a rear wheel housing through a reinforcing member.

[0005] In a conventional rocker structure, in order to match the rear end of the rocker with the reinforcement member, their respective shapes may change drastically, and their materials and thicknesses may differ, resulting in reduced connection rigidity between the rocker, rear floor, and reinforcement member. In the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the rear end of the rocker and the reinforcement member may plastically deform. The load in the initial stage of the collision may not be evenly transferred to the rear floor, so the rocker may be excessively twisted, resulting in excessive deformation of the center pillar.

[0006] The above information described in this Background Art section is provided to help understanding the background of the inventive concept and may include any technical concepts that are not considered as prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a rocker structure for a vehicle, which can increase the rigidity of the rocker to reduce deformation caused by an impact load such as a torsional load and is used to distribute the impact load when a side collision of the vehicle occurs.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a side rail structure for a vehicle may include: a side rail connected to a floor of the vehicle and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and a rear wheel housing connected to the rear end of the side rail. The side rail may include an outer side rail facing the outside of the vehicle, an inner side rail facing the inside of the vehicle, and a reinforcement member disposed between the outer side rail and the inner side rail. The reinforcement member may extend from the front of the vehicle to the rear wheel housing, and the cross section of the reinforcement member may be unchanged along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcement member.

[0009] The rocker structure for a vehicle may further include an inner side rear reinforcement member coupled to a rear end of the inner rocker, and the reinforcement may be coupled to the inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member.

[0010] The inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member may be coupled to an edge of the floor panel.

[0011] The rocker structure may further include a floor longitudinal beam coupled to an inner side surface of the inner side rear reinforcement member, and the floor longitudinal beam may be disposed below the floor.

[0012] The rear wheel arch may have a wheel arch extension, to which the rear end of the lower side beam is coupled, and the wheel arch extension may be provided with a connecting member having a shape matching that of the rear end of the reinforcement, and to which the rear end of the reinforcement may be coupled.

[0013] The rocker structure may further include an insert reinforcement member inserted into a rear end of the reinforcement.

[0014] The insert reinforcement member may be bonded to the connection member by a structural adhesive.

[0015] The reinforcement may have a top flange coupled to the inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member and a rear flange located rearward of the top flange, and the rear flange may be spaced apart from the connection member.

[0016] The rocker structure may further include an outer side rear reinforcement member coupled to a rear portion of the reinforcement member. The outer side rear reinforcement member may protrude from the reinforcement member toward the outside of the vehicle, and the outer side rear reinforcement member may be connected to a rear portion of the outer rocker and the wheel house extension.

[0017] The reinforcement may have a bottom flange coupled to the inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member, and the outer side rear reinforcement member may have a bottom flange coupled to a bottom flange of the reinforcement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a rocker structure for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a lower side rail structure for a vehicle is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 Shown along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line AA of ; and

[0022] Figure 4 Shows from Figure 2 A view of the inserted reinforcing member and the reinforcing member viewed in the direction indicated by arrow B.

[0023] Description of Reference Numerals

[0024] 5: Bottom plate

[0025] 10: Lower beam structure

[0026] 20: Lower beam

[0027] 21: Outer lower beam

[0028] 22: Inner lower beam

[0029] 23: Internal side and rear reinforcement

[0030] 24: Reinforcement

[0031] 27: Floor longitudinal beam

[0032] 30: Rear wheel cover

[0033] 31: Wheel arch extension

[0034] 35: Connecting components

[0035] 37: Insert reinforcement

[0036] 38: External side rear reinforcement member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms used herein generally include motor vehicles, such as passenger automobiles including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, ships including various boats, marine vessels, aircraft, etc., and include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from non-petroleum energy sources). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

[0038] The term used herein is only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular form "one", "one" and "said" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly states otherwise. It will also be understood that when the term "comprising" and / or "including" is used in this specification, it is indicated that there are the features, numerical values, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but it is not excluded that there are or add one or more other features, numerical values, steps, operations, elements, components and / or their groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more related enumerated items. Throughout the specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the term "comprising" and variations such as "comprising" or "containing" should be understood to imply that the elements are included but do not exclude any other elements. In addition, the terms "unit", "-device", "-part" and "module" described in the specification represent the unit for performing at least one function and operation, and can be implemented by hardware or software and a combination thereof.

[0039] In addition, the control logic of the present invention may be embodied as a permanent computer readable medium on a computer readable medium, including executable program instructions executed by a processor, a controller, etc. Examples of computer readable media include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, compact disk (CD)-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash drive, smart card, and optical data storage device. The computer readable medium may also be distributed in a network-connected computer system so that the computer readable medium is stored and executed in a distributed manner, such as by a telematics server or a controller area network (CAN).

[0040] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used throughout to represent the same or equivalent elements. In addition, detailed descriptions of known techniques related to the present invention will be excluded to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the main points of the present invention.

[0041] Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a) and (b) can be used to describe the elements in the exemplary form of the present invention. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, and the intrinsic characteristics, order or sequence of the corresponding elements, etc. are not limited by these terms. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical or scientific terms) have the same meaning as those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as the contextual meaning in the relevant field, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning, unless clearly defined as having such a meaning in this application.

[0042] Reference Figures 1 to 3A rocker structure 10 for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a rocker 20 connected to a floor panel 5 of the vehicle and a rear wheel cover 30 connected to a rear end of the rocker 20 .

[0043] The vehicle may include a pair of rocker beams 20 (each rocker beam 20 is identical) disposed on both edges of the floor panel 5, and each rocker beam 20 may extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Figure 1 As shown, a left lower rail may be connected to a left edge of the floor panel 5, and a right lower rail (not shown) may be connected to a right edge of the floor panel 5. The floor panel 5 may include a central floor panel and a rear floor panel connected to a rear end of the central floor panel.

[0044] Reference Figures 1 to 3 The rocker 20 may include an outer rocker 21 facing the outside of the vehicle and an inner rocker 22 facing the inside of the vehicle. The outer rocker 21 and the inner rocker 22 may extend along the edge of the floor 5, and the inner rocker 22 may be shorter than the outer rocker 21.

[0045] A reinforcement 24 may be provided between the outer rocker 21 and the inner rocker 22, and may be coupled to the outer rocker 21 and / or the inner rocker 22. The reinforcement 24 may extend in the longitudinal direction of the outer rocker 21 and in the longitudinal direction of the inner rocker 22, and the cross-section of the reinforcement 24 may remain the same or similar (i.e., unchanged) along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcement 24. The length of the reinforcement 24 may be less than or equal to the length of the outer rocker 21.

[0046] Reference Figure 2 , the inner rocker 22 may have a top flange 22a and a bottom flange 22b. The top flange 22a may be formed at the top of the inner rocker 22, and the bottom flange 22b may be formed at the bottom of the inner rocker 22. The inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be coupled to the rear end of the inner rocker 22 by welding, using fasteners, etc., and the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may extend from the inner rocker 22 toward the rear of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The inner rocker 22 and the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be continuous along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be arranged to face the interior of the vehicle together with the inner rocker 22. The rear end of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be coupled to the rear wheel housing 30 by welding, using fasteners, etc. The inner side rear reinforcement member 23 and the inner rocker 22 may be continuously connected to the rear wheel housing 30 along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0047] The inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may have a top flange 23a and a bottom flange 23b. The top flange 23a may be formed at the top of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23, and the bottom flange 23b may be formed at the bottom of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23. The sum of the length of the inner rocker 22 and the length of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be the same as or similar to the length of the outer rocker 21, so the outer rocker 21 may completely cover the inner rocker 22 and the inner side rear reinforcement member 23.

[0048] Reference Figure 3 , the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be coupled to the side edge of the floor panel 5 by welding, using fasteners, etc. Specifically, the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 may be coupled to the side edge of the rear floor panel of the floor panel 5. In addition, the inner rocker 22 may be coupled to the side edge of the floor panel 5 by welding, using fasteners, etc. Specifically, the inner rocker 22 may be coupled to the side edge of the center floor panel of the floor panel 5.

[0049] The floor longitudinal beam 27 may be bonded to the inner side surface of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 by welding, using fasteners, etc., and the floor longitudinal beam 27 may be disposed below the floor panel 5 .

[0050] The reinforcement 24 may be coupled to the inner rocker 22 and the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 by welding, using fasteners, etc., and the reinforcement 24 may be disposed outward from the inner rocker 22 and the inner side rear reinforcement member 23. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The rear portion 24 c of the reinforcement 24 may be disposed between the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 and the rear portion of the outer rocker 21 .

[0051] According to an exemplary embodiment, the length of the reinforcement member 24 may be the same as or similar to the length of the outer rocker 21 .

[0052] According to an exemplary embodiment, the reinforcement 24 may extend from the front end of the outer rocker or the front pillar (not shown) to the wheel house extension 31 of the rear wheel house 30. Therefore, the rear portion 24c of the reinforcement 24 may be directly coupled to the rear wheel house 30.

[0053] According to an exemplary embodiment, the reinforcement 24 and the outer rocker 21 may have the same length as the side edge of the floor panel 5 .

[0054] Reference Figure 2, the reinforcement 24 may have a top flange 24a and a bottom flange 24b. The top flange 24a may be formed at the top of the reinforcement 24, and the bottom flange 24b may be formed at the bottom of the reinforcement 24. The top flange 24a of the reinforcement 24 may be coupled to the top flange 22a of the inner rocker 22 and the top flange 23a of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 by welding, using fasteners, etc. The bottom flange 24b of the reinforcement 24 may be coupled to the bottom flange 22b of the inner rocker 22 and the bottom flange 23b of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 by welding, using fasteners, etc.

[0055] The rear portion 24c of the reinforcement member 24 may have a rear flange 24d, and the rear flange 24d may be located rearward of the top flange 24a. Figure 3 , the rear flange 24d may be spaced apart from the connecting member 35 and the wheel house extension 31. That is, the rear flange 24d may not be coupled to the connecting member 35 and the wheel house extension 31. When the rear portion 24c of the reinforcement 24 pivots due to a torsional load acting in the event of a vehicle side collision (see Figure 3 In the direction indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 1 ), the rear flange 24d can contact the connecting member 35 and the wheel cover extension 31 and be blocked (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 3 The reinforcing member 6a of the center pillar can be bonded to the reinforcing member 24.

[0056] The rear wheel housing 30 may have a wheel housing extension 31 to which the rear end of the rocker 20 is directly coupled. The wheel housing extension 31 may be formed at the lower end of the front portion of the rear wheel housing 30. The wheel housing extension 31 may have a connection member 35, and the connection member 35 and the wheel housing extension 31 may be coupled by welding, using fasteners, etc. The connection member 35 may be made of a material having high rigidity, which is the same as or higher than the rigidity of the material of the rear wheel housing 30. The connection member 35 may have a shape that matches the shapes of the rear ends of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 and the reinforcement 24, so the rear ends of the inner side rear reinforcement member 23 and the reinforcement 24 may be coupled to the connection member 35 by welding, using fasteners, etc.

[0057] Reference Figures 1 to 3 , the reinforcement 24 may have a cavity open to the interior of the vehicle, and the insert reinforcement member 37 may be inserted and coupled to the rear end of the reinforcement 24. Figure 4, the insert reinforcement member 37 may have a shape that matches the cavity of the reinforcement 24, so that the insert reinforcement member 37 may be tightly bonded to the inner surface of the reinforcement 24. The insert reinforcement member 37 may have a plurality of openings 37a at its corners, respectively. The insert reinforcement member 37 may be bonded to the connecting member 35 of the wheel house extension 31 using a structural adhesive. When the insert reinforcement member 37 is bonded to the rear end of the reinforcement 24, the rigidity of the reinforcement 24 may be increased, and thus the torsional rigidity of the rocker 20 may be improved. Therefore, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the deformation of the rocker 20 and the center pillar may be significantly reduced.

[0058] The outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may be coupled to the rear portion 24c of the reinforcement 24, and the outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may protrude from the rear portion 24c of the reinforcement 24 toward the outside of the vehicle. The outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may have a bottom flange 38b. The bottom flange 38b of the outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may be coupled to the bottom flange 24b of the reinforcement 24 by welding, using fasteners, etc., and a portion of the outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may contact and support the rear portion 24c of the reinforcement 24. The outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may be connected to the lower end portion of the rear portion of the outer rocker 21, and the outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may be connected to the wheel house extension 31 of the rear wheel house 30. Since the outer side rear reinforcement member 38 is connected to the rear of the outer rocker 21, the rear of the reinforcement 24, and the wheel house extension 31 of the rear wheel house 30, the load applied to the rear of the outer rocker 21 can be transmitted to the reinforcement 24, the wheel house extension 31, and the inserted reinforcement member 37 through the outer side rear reinforcement member 38, and the torsional rigidity of the outer rocker 21 can be improved.

[0059] For example, the outer side rear reinforcement member 38 may be made of a material having high rigidity which is the same as or higher than the rigidity of the material of the outer rocker 21 .

[0060] In the configuration of the above-mentioned lower side beam structure, the reinforcement 24, the inner lower side beam 22, and the floor longitudinal beam 27 can be used to maintain the rigidity of the vehicle body and transmit the impact load. The outer side rear reinforcement member 38, the inner side rear reinforcement member 23, the wheel house extension 31, and the insertion reinforcement member 37 can be connecting members for connecting between adjacent parts of the vehicle body and used as a path for load transmission. The connecting member 35 and the outer lower side beam 21 can be the main members of the rear structure supporting the wheel house and the vehicle body.

[0061] When an impact load generated in the event of a side collision of the vehicle is applied to the rear portion of the outer rocker 21 of the rocker 20, the impact load applied to the outer rocker 21 can be transmitted to the reinforcement 24, the wheel house extension 31, and the insert reinforcement 37 through the outer side rear reinforcement member 38. The impact load can pass through the wheel house extension 31 and be transmitted to the inner side rear reinforcement member 23, and then be transmitted to the floor longitudinal member 27 and the floor 5. That is, after the impact load is uniformly distributed from the rear portion of the rocker 20 through the reinforcement 24, the wheel house extension 31, the insert reinforcement member 37, and the inner side rear reinforcement member 23, it can be transmitted to the floor longitudinal member 27 and the floor 5, so that the living space can be increased by 14% or more compared with the prior art.

[0062] As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, by increasing the torsional rigidity of the rocker, deformation caused by an impact load such as a torsional load may be significantly reduced, and the impact load in the event of a side collision of a vehicle may be uniformly distributed.

[0063] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcement can extend from the front of the vehicle to the rear wheel housing, and the rear portion of the reinforcement can be directly coupled to the rear wheel housing, thereby improving the torsional rigidity of the rocker. In the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the deformation of the rear portion of the rocker can be significantly reduced, thereby suppressing the torsion of the rocker, and the impact load can be evenly distributed.

[0064] Although the present invention is described above with reference to the exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto but may be variously modified and changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lower side beam structure for a vehicle, the lower side beam structure comprising: a rocker connected to a floor panel of the vehicle and extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a rear wheel housing connected to the rear end of the rocker; The rocker comprises an outer rocker facing the outside of the vehicle, an inner rocker facing the inside of the vehicle, an inner side rear reinforcement member coupled to the rear end of the inner rocker, and a reinforcement member disposed between the outer rocker and the inner rocker. The reinforcement extends from the front of the vehicle to the rear wheel arch, The cross section of the reinforcement member is constant along the longitudinal direction of the reinforcement member, The rear wheel housing has a wheel housing extension, and the rear end of the rocker is coupled to the wheel housing extension. The wheel house extension is provided with a connecting member having a shape matching the shape of the rear end of the reinforcement, The rear end of the reinforcement is coupled to the connecting member, The reinforcement has a top flange joined to the inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member and a rear flange located rearward of the top flange, The rear flange is spaced apart from the connecting member.

2. The lower side rail structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, in, The reinforcement is coupled to the inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement.

3. The lower side rail structure for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein: The inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member are coupled to an edge of the floor panel.

4. The rocker structure for a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a floor longitudinal beam bonded to an inner side surface of the inner side rear reinforcement member, in, The bottom plate longitudinal beam is arranged below the bottom plate. 5 . The rocker structure for a vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising an insert reinforcement member inserted into a rear end of the reinforcement.

6. The lower side rail structure for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The insert reinforcement member is bonded to the connection member by a structural adhesive.

7. The rocker structure for a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising an outer side rear reinforcement member coupled to a rear portion of the reinforcement member, in, The outer side rear reinforcement member protrudes from the reinforcement toward the outside of the vehicle, The outer side rear reinforcement member is connected to a rear portion of the outer rocker and the wheel house extension.

8. The lower side rail structure for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein: The reinforcement has a bottom flange bonded to the inner rocker and the inner side rear reinforcement member, The outer side rear reinforcement member has a bottom flange joined to a bottom flange of the reinforcement.

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