Body structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure, which includes: a rear floor panel, a spare tire is placed at a predetermined position on the rear floor panel; electrical components fixed to the rear floor panel; and a cover member fixed to the rear floor panel and covering the electrical components, wherein the cover member includes an inclined surface, the inclined surface is inclined relative to the rear floor panel so as to collide with the spare tire pushed out from the predetermined position, the load resistance of the rear floor panel is lower than the load resistance of the cover member, a space for pushing the electrical components into is provided below the electrical components, and the rear floor panel is interposed between the space and the electrical components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle body structure. Background Art

[0002] There is a structure in which a rear floor panel capable of mounting a spare tire is provided at the rear portion of a vehicle body, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-017123 (Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention

[0003] Electrical components such as electrical connectors may be installed near the spare tire. In this case, a rear collision of the vehicle body may cause the spare tire to be pushed out of its installation position to the front side of the vehicle body and collide with the electrical components, thereby damaging the electrical components.

[0004] To prevent damage to electrical components, one approach, for example, is to cover them with a protector to protect them from the spare tire. However, ensuring the protector is strong enough to withstand the load from the spare tire requires meeting various stringent design requirements, such as material and plate thickness, which increases the cost of the protector.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost vehicle body structure that can suppress damage to electrical components caused by collision with a spare tire.

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle body structure is provided, which includes: a rear floor panel, a spare tire is placed at a predetermined position on the rear floor panel; electrical components fixed to the rear floor panel; and a cover member fixed to the rear floor panel and covering the electrical components; wherein the cover member includes an inclined surface, which is inclined relative to the rear floor panel so as to collide with the spare tire pushed out from the predetermined position, wherein the load resistance of the rear floor panel is lower than the load resistance of the cover member, and wherein a space for pushing the electrical components into is provided below the electrical components, and the rear floor panel is interposed between the space and the electrical components.

[0007] In the above vehicle body structure, the cover member and the rear floor may have a sheet metal structure, and a plate thickness of the cover member may be thicker than a plate thickness of the rear floor.

[0008] In the above vehicle body structure, the tensile strength of the cover member may be greater than the tensile strength of the rear floor.

[0009] In the above vehicle body structure, the electrical component may be located below the wheel of the spare tire.

[0010] In the above vehicle body structure, the inclined surface may be provided with a first rib along an inclined direction of the inclined surface.

[0011] In the above vehicle body structure, the cover member may include a support portion that supports the inclined surface relative to the rear floor, and the support portion may be provided with a second rib along a supporting direction.

[0012] In the above-mentioned vehicle body structure, the vehicle body structure may include a pair of plate-like brackets mounted on the rear floor, the cover member may cover one end portion of the electrical component and may be fixed to the rear floor via the pair of brackets, and in a front view of the rear floor, the pair of brackets may sandwich the other end portion of the electrical component exposed from the cover member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the structure of the rear portion of the vehicle body when viewed from above;

[0014] Figure 2 is a plan view showing the protector;

[0015] Figure 3 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the structure of the rear part of the vehicle body taken along line AA;

[0016] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the rear part of the vehicle body, showing the state when the spare tire is pushed forward;

[0017] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the rear portion of the vehicle body, showing a state in which the electrical connector is pushed into the push-in space; and

[0018] Figure 6 It is a top view of the electrical components, protectors and brackets. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] (Structure of the rear part of the vehicle body)

[0020] Figure 1 The figure shows the structure 9 of the rear part of the vehicle body in a top view. Figure 1 In the figure, the front, rear, left side and right side of the vehicle body are represented by "front", "rear", "left" and "right" respectively.

[0021] Structure 9 at the rear of the vehicle body is an example of a vehicle body structure. Structure 9 includes a cross member 92 disposed between a passenger compartment 90 and a luggage compartment 91, a rear floor panel 93 serving as the floor of the luggage compartment 91, an electrical connector 2, and a protector 1 covering the electrical connector 2. Rear floor panel 93 is a sheet metal structure and is a plate-like member formed from iron or the like. Rear floor panel 93 is provided with a rear floor pan 930, on which a spare tire (see dashed line) 8 is placed. Rear floor pan 930 is a recessed portion that is recessed downward relative to the rest of rear floor panel 93.

[0022] The spare tire 8 includes a wheel 80 and a tire 81. The center of the spare tire 8 is secured to a fixture 95 via a fixed axle. This fixture 95 is positioned approximately in the center of the rear floor pan 930 in a front view. The spare tire 8 is positioned within the width of the rear floor pan 930 in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. A portion of the front side of the tire 81 protrudes from the rear floor pan 930. The spare tire 8 is positioned at the fixture 95 at an angle relative to the direction in which the rear floor pan 930 extends.

[0023] A rear panel 94 is provided behind the rear floor panel 93. The rear panel 94 is a plate-shaped exterior panel extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body.

[0024] The electrical connector 2 is an example of an electrical component. It is fixed to the rear floor panel 93 below the wheel 80. It electrically connects two cables 70 and 71. The electrical connector 2 has a generally cylindrical shape and is fixed to the rear floor panel 930 with its longitudinal direction aligned with the front-to-back direction of the vehicle. As an example, one cable 70 is routed so as to extend from the electrical connector 2 toward the front of the vehicle, while the other cable 71 is routed so as to extend from the electrical connector 2 toward the rear of the vehicle and then curve toward the right side of the vehicle.

[0025] The protector 1 is an example of a cover member. The protector 1 covers a portion of the electrical connector 2 on the rear side of the vehicle body. For example, the protector 1 covers the electrical connector 2 from the top and both sides. The detailed shape of the protector 1 will be described later.

[0026] The protector 1 is fixed to the rear bottom plate 93 via a pair of plate-like brackets 30 and 31. The brackets 30 and 31 are attached to the rear bottom plate 93 at the left and right sides of the protector 1 in a front view of the rear bottom plate 93.

[0027] For example, when the vehicle body is hit from behind by another vehicle body, a force F directed forward from the rear acts on the spare tire 8. As a result, the spare tire 8 is pushed forward from the installation position in the rear floor pan 930. This causes the inner peripheral surface of the wheel 80 and the lower end of the tire 81 to contact the protector 1.

[0028] In this case, to ensure the strength of protector 1 is sufficient to withstand the load received from spare tire 8, strict design requirements, such as material and plate thickness, must be met, increasing the cost of protector 1. Consequently, as described below, the load resistance of rear floor panel 93 is lower than that of protector 1. As a result, a portion of the load applied to protector 1 from spare tire 8 is distributed to rear floor pan 930, causing rear floor panel 93 to sag. Electrical connector 2 is thus pushed downward, thereby being protected.

[0029] (Configuration of protector)

[0030] Figure 2 1 is a plan view showing the protector 1 . Figure 2 The protector 1 is shown in a front view from the rear of the vehicle body, a side view from the left side of the vehicle body, and a top view from above the vehicle body. The figures of the respective shapes show the front-to-back direction, the up-down direction, and the left-to-right direction of the vehicle body.

[0031] The protector 1 has a sheet metal structure and is formed by sheet metal working of an iron plate, for example. The protector 1 has a substantially U-shape in a front view so as to cover the electric connector 2 from above the rear floor pan 930 .

[0032] The protector 1 includes a top plate 10, an inclined plate 11, side plates 12 to 15, and fixing plates 16 and 17. The fixing plates 16 and 17 extend substantially parallel to the rear floor pan 930 and are fixed to the rear floor pan 930 via brackets 30 and 31, respectively.

[0033] Fixing plates 16 and 17 have through-holes 160 and 170 extending vertically therethrough, respectively. Through-holes 160 and 170 are provided, for example, at the ends of fixing plates 16 and 17 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Fasteners, such as bolts, are inserted through through-holes 160 and 170 and through-holes in brackets 30 and 31, respectively. As a result, fixing plates 16 and 17 are secured to rear floor pan 930 via brackets 30 and 31, respectively.

[0034] Side panels 12 and 14 are erected to extend from the ends of fixed panels 16 and 17, respectively, to the ends of top panel 10. Side panels 12 and 14 support top panel 10 in the vertical direction relative to fixed panels 16 and 17, respectively. Side panels 12 and 14 are not perpendicular to either fixed panels 16 and 17 or top panel 10, but are inclined such that the gap between them in the left-right direction increases from top panel 10 toward fixed panels 16 and 17 in a roughly truncated herringbone shape.

[0035] The side panels 13 and 15 are one example of a supporting portion. The side panels 13 and 15 are erected so as to extend from the ends of the fixed panels 16 and 17 to the ends of the inclined panel 11, respectively. Here, the inclined panel 11 is arranged to extend forward from the top panel 10. The side panels 13 and 15 support the inclined panel 11 in the vertical direction relative to the fixed panels 16 and 17, respectively. The side panels 13 and 15 are not perpendicular to the fixed panels 16 and 17, respectively, but are inclined so that the distance therebetween increases from the inclined panel 11 toward the fixed panels 16 and 17 in a roughly truncated herringbone shape. In addition, the side panels 13 and 15 are arranged so that the distance therebetween decreases toward the front from the side panels 12 and 14 supporting the top panel 10.

[0036] The tilting plate 11 includes an inclined surface S, which is inclined relative to the rear floor pan 930 to facilitate collision with the spare tire 8, which has been pushed out of its predetermined position. For example, the inclined surface S is tilted rearward to face the inner circumference of the wheel 80. Here, the angle α of the inclined surface S relative to the surface of the rear floor pan 930 is, for example, 22.8 degrees. The inclined surface S is the outer surface of the protector 1 and faces upward toward the vehicle body, the direction in which the spare tire 8 would be pushed out in the event of a rear-end collision.

[0037] The rear end portion of the electrical connector 2 is disposed in a space 19 surrounded by the side panels 12 to 15, the top panel 10, and the inclined panel 11. The side panels 12 to 15 cover the rear end portion of the electrical connector 2 from the left and right directions. The rear end portion of the electrical connector 2 is an example of one end portion of an electrical component.

[0038] Top plate 10 and inclined plate 11 cover the rear end of electrical connector 2 from above and behind. Protector 1 can thus protect electrical connector 2 from the impact of spare tire 8 being pushed forward. In this example, since protector 1 covers only the rear end of electrical connector 2, the length of protector 1 can be shortened compared to a case where the entire electrical connector 2 is covered, and the cost of protector 1 can be reduced. Note that protector 1 is not limited to this and can cover the entire electrical connector 2, including its front end.

[0039] When a collision occurs from the rear of the vehicle (such as a rear-end collision), the spare tire 8 may be detached from the fixing device 95 and pushed forward to collide with the inclined surface S of the protector 1. In this case, the protector 1 distributes a portion of the load applied to the inclined surface S from the collided spare tire 8 to the rear floor pan 930.

[0040] Protector 1 has a plurality of ribs 100, 110, 130, and 150 to increase strength in preparation for a collision with spare tire 8. Ribs 100 are arranged across side panels 12 and 14 and top panel 10. Ribs 100 extend in the left-right direction of top panel 10 and in the direction in which top panel 10 is supported (the supporting direction) of side panels 12 and 14. Consequently, deformation of side panels 12 and 14 and top panel 10 caused by a collision with spare tire 8 is reduced.

[0041] The rib 110 is an example of a first rib. The rib 110 is provided in the inclined plate 11 along the inclined direction of the inclined surface S. Thus, deformation of the inclined surface S caused by collision with the spare tire 8 is reduced. The rib 110 extends to the top plate 10 and is connected to the rib 100.

[0042] The ribs 130 and 150 are examples of second ribs. The ribs 130 and 150 extend in the direction in which the inclined plate 11 is supported (support direction) in the side panels 13 and 15. Therefore, deformation of the side panels 13 and 15 caused by collision with the spare tire 8 is reduced.

[0043] (Behavior of the spare tire during a collision)

[0044] Next, the behavior when the spare tire 8 is pushed out to the front side of the vehicle body and collides with the protector 1 will be described.

[0045] Figure 3 It is the structure of the rear part of the vehicle body 9 along Figure 1 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. For convenience, a cross-section of the spare tire 8 is schematically shown. The spare tire 8 is fixed to a fixing device 95 of the rear floor pan 930 via a fixing shaft 96 connected to the substantially central portion of the wheel 80 in a top view.

[0046] The electrical connector 2 is located below the wheel 80. By arranging the electrical connector 2 in this manner, the electrical connector 2 can be accommodated even in a narrow storage space such as the luggage compartment 91.

[0047] The electrical connector 2 has a front connector 20 and a rear connector 21. The front connector 20 includes a terminal electrically connected to the cable 70, and the rear connector 21 includes a terminal electrically connected to the cable 71. Figure 3 , the cables 70 and 71 are not shown. The front connector 20 and the rear connector 21 are connected to each other. Therefore, the cables 70 and 71 are electrically connected to each other.

[0048] The rear connector 21 is provided with a lever 22 for releasing the connection between the front connector 20 and the rear connector 21. The lever 22 is provided so as to cross the upper portion from both sides of the rear connector 21.

[0049] The protector 1 covers the rear connector 21 from above the rear floor pan 930. The top plate 10 is positioned above the lever 22. Therefore, the connection between the front connector 20 and the rear connector 21 is prevented from being released due to the collision of the spare tire 8 with the lever 22.

[0050] The inclined plate 11 obliquely covers the rear end of the rear connector 21 from above. The height of the inclined surface S from the rear floor pan 930 decreases from the front toward the rear. The inclined surface S faces the rear inner circumferential surface 80a of the wheel 80 and the back surface 80b of the wheel 80. Therefore, when the spare tire 8 is detached from the fixing device 95 and moves forward, the rear inner circumferential surface 80a of the wheel 80 contacts the inclined surface S.

[0051] The load resistance of the rear bottom plate 93 is lower than that of the protector 1. Therefore, the rear bottom plate 93 is more fragile than the protector 1. That is, the rear bottom plate 93 is more easily deformed than the protector 1 when a load is applied.

[0052] For example, by making the plate thickness Db of the protector 1 larger than the plate thickness Da of the rear bottom plate 93, a difference between the load resistance of the protector 1 and the load resistance of the rear bottom plate 93 can be easily provided. In this case, for example, the plate thickness Db of the protector 1 can be set to 2 (mm), and the plate thickness Da of the rear bottom plate 93 can be set to 0.65 (mm).

[0053] In addition to or instead of the difference between the plate thicknesses Da and Db, the tensile strength of the protector 1 may be greater than the tensile strength of the rear bottom plate 93. In this case, assuming that the protector 1 and the rear bottom plate 93 are made of iron, for example, the tensile strength of the protector 1 can be set to 440 (MPa), while the tensile strength of the rear bottom plate 93 can be set to 270 (MPa).

[0054] Various devices E are mounted beneath the rear floor panel 93. However, a space K (hereinafter referred to as the insertion space K) is provided beneath the electrical connector 2, into which the electrical connector 2 is pushed. The rear floor pan 930 is interposed between the electrical connector 2 and the insertion space K. When the spare tire 8 collides with the protector 1, the rear floor pan 930, to which the electrical connector 2 is secured, sags downward due to the load of the spare tire 8. As a result, the electrical connector 2, along with the protector 1 and rear floor pan 930, is pushed into the insertion space K. Therefore, the insertion space K has approximately the same volume as the protector 1 and the electrical connector 2.

[0055] For example, when the vehicle body is hit from behind by another vehicle body, a force F directed from the rear to the front acts on the spare tire 8. As a result, the spare tire 8 is pushed forward from the placement position in the rear floor pan 930.

[0056] Figure 4 FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the structure 9 at the rear of the vehicle body, showing the state when the spare tire 8 is pushed forward. Figure 4 In, with Figure 3 The same components are assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0057] As shown by reference numeral P, the inclined surface S of the protector 1 contacts the inner peripheral surface 80a of the wheel 80. In this structure, the protector 1 receives a forward load from the spare tire 8 on the inclined surface S.

[0058] However, because the inclined surface S is inclined relative to the rear floor pan 930, a portion of the load of the spare tire 8 is distributed to the rear floor pan 930. As a result, the rear floor pan 930 is subjected to a downward distributed load Fz. Consequently, the rear floor pan 930 below the electrical connector 2 deforms, and the electrical connector 2 is pushed into the insertion space K. When the spare tire 8 is mounted approximately parallel to the rear floor pan 930, the angle α between the inclined surface S and the rear floor pan 930 is preferably set to 45 degrees or less to ensure that a sufficient distributed load Fz is applied to the rear floor pan 930, but this is not limited to this.

[0059] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the structure 9 at the rear of the vehicle body, showing a state in which the electrical connector 2 is pushed into the push-in space K. Figure 5 In, with Figure 3 The same components are assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] The rear floor pan 930 below the electrical connector 2 is deformed by the distributed load Fz received from the protector 1 and is recessed into the insertion space K. Since the load resistance of the protector 1 is higher than that of the rear floor pan 930, the deformation of the protector 1 is smaller than that of the rear floor pan 930 when colliding with the spare tire 8, and the protector 1 is pushed into the insertion space K together with the rear floor pan 930 while covering the electrical connector 2.

[0061] The electrical connector 2 is secured to the rear floor pan 930 along with the protector 1. Therefore, since the electrical connector 2 is also pushed into the insertion space K, collision with the spare tire 8 can be avoided, minimizing damage. The insertion space K is preferably higher than the height of the protector 1, but is not limited thereto and can be any height as long as the electrical connector 2 can avoid collision with the spare tire 8.

[0062] The protector 1 is fixed to the rear floor pan 930 via a pair of plate-like brackets 30 and 31. When the protector 1 covers only the rear end portion of the electrical connector 2 as in this example, the left and right sides of the front end portion of the electrical connector 2 exposed from the protector 1 are clamped by the brackets 30 and 31, so that the clamped portion can be fully pushed into the insertion space K.

[0063] Figure 6 FIG is a top view of the electrical connector 2, the protector 1, and the brackets 30 and 31. Figure 6 In, with Figure 1 and Figure 2 The same components are assigned the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0064] For example, the brackets 30 and 31 have a generally rectangular flat plate shape. Fastening holes 300 and 310 are provided at the corners of the long sides of the brackets 30 and 31, respectively. The brackets 30 and 31 are attached to the rear floor pan 930 by fastening fastening members, such as bolts, to the fastening holes 300 and 310.

[0065] Furthermore, a portion of the front sides of the brackets 30 and 31 overlap with the fixing plates 16 and 17 of the protector 1, respectively. The fixing plates 16 and 17 are fixed to the rear floor pan 930 via the brackets 30 and 31, respectively. Therefore, the load applied from the spare tire 8 to the inclined surface S of the protector 1 is applied to the brackets 30 and 31 as a distributed load Fz.

[0066] Brackets 30 and 31 are provided to extend in the front-to-back direction on both sides of electrical connector 2 and protector 1. Because protector 1 is shorter than the length of electrical connector 2 in the vehicle's front-to-back direction, the front end W of electrical connector 2 protrudes from protector 1. Here, in a front view of rear floor pan 930, the pair of brackets 30 and 31 sandwich the front end W of electrical connector 2 from both sides.

[0067] Therefore, the brackets 30 and 31 can deform the rear floor pan 930 by applying a distributed load Fz to the rear floor pan 930 on both the left and right sides of the front end W of the electrical connector 2. Therefore, the front end W of the electrical connector 2 can be pushed more fully into the insertion space K than in a case where the brackets 30 and 31 are not provided.

[0068] As described above, in the structure 9 at the rear of the vehicle body, the protector 1 includes an inclined surface S, which is inclined relative to the rear floor pan 930 so as to collide with the spare tire 8 pushed out from a predetermined position in the rear floor pan 930. The load resistance of the rear floor pan 930 is lower than the load resistance of the protector 1, and a push-in space K is provided below the electrical connector 2, and the rear floor pan 930 is interposed between the electrical connector 2 and the push-in space K.

[0069] Therefore, the protector 1 can distribute the load applied to the inclined surface S from the spare tire 8 to the rear floor pan 930, and can deform the rear floor pan 930 having a low load resistance by dispersing the load Fz, thereby pushing the rear floor pan 930 downward into the insertion space K. Therefore, since the electrical connector 2 is pushed into the insertion space K together with the rear floor pan 930 below the electrical connector 2, damage to the electrical connector 2 due to the spare tire 8 is suppressed.

[0070] Furthermore, in the above-described structure 9, since the load resistance of the rear floor pan 930 can be set lower than that of the protector 1, the strength required for the protector 1 can be reduced. Consequently, for example, design conditions such as the material and plate thickness of the protector 1 can be relaxed, and the cost of the protector 1 can be reduced.

[0071] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, but may be varied or modified within the scope of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle body structure comprising: a rear floor panel, wherein the spare tire is placed at a predetermined position on the rear floor panel; electrical components fixed to the rear base plate; and a cover member fixed to the rear base plate and covering the electrical components; wherein the cover member includes an inclined surface, the inclined surface being inclined relative to the rear floor so as to collide with the spare tire pushed out from the predetermined position; wherein the load resistance of the rear floor is lower than that of the cover member, and A space for pushing the electrical components into is provided below the electrical components, and the rear base plate is interposed between the space and the electrical components.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, in, The cover member and the rear floor have sheet metal structures, and The cover member has a plate thickness thicker than that of the rear floor panel.

3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The tensile strength of the cover member is greater than the tensile strength of the rear floor.

4. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The electrical components are located below the wheel of the spare tire.

5. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The inclined surface is provided with a first rib along an inclined direction of the inclined surface.

6. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 or 2, in, The cover member includes a support portion that supports the inclined surface relative to the rear floor, and Wherein, the supporting portion is provided with a second rib along the supporting direction.

7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pair of plate-like brackets mounted to the rear floor, in, The cover member covers one end portion of the electric component and is fixed to the rear chassis via the pair of plate-like brackets, and The pair of plate-shaped brackets sandwich the other end portion of the electrical component exposed from the cover member in a front view of the rear floor.

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