Side pedal system of off-road SUV and vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses a side step system and vehicle for an off-road SUV, including a vehicle body door ring body, a side step mounting bracket, a side step body, a side step frame, a side step decorative panel, and a side step connecting bracket. The side step frame is fixed to the vehicle body door ring body via the side step mounting bracket. The side step body is fixedly installed at the upper end of the side step frame. The side step connecting bracket is located at both ends of the side step frame for fixed connection with the side step body. The side step decorative panel is snap-fitted to the side step body and is located in the gap between the side step body and the vehicle body door ring body. This off-road SUV side step system has a reasonable structural design, fully considering the strength of the mounting points and the side step system itself, while also considering the impact of the side step system on the overall vehicle passability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive body structure design technology, specifically to a side step system and vehicle for an off-road SUV. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of technology and the improvement of people's living standards, passenger cars, as a means of daily transportation, have gradually become common in families and an indispensable tool in people's daily lives. Among passenger cars, the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) boasts advantages such as spaciousness, strong off-road capability, and good visibility, making it a popular choice for off-road enthusiasts. However, the ground clearance of SUVs is generally between 25cm and 30cm, which is 5cm to 10cm higher than that of ordinary passenger cars. This higher ground clearance makes getting in and out of the vehicle very inconvenient for drivers and passengers. Therefore, SUV manufacturers incorporate side step systems into the vehicle's structure to address this issue.

[0003] For side step systems that facilitate driver and passenger entry and exit, OEMs currently primarily offer aftermarket installations through an ecosystem development model. Therefore, OEMs pay less attention to the structure of the side step system, relying more on suppliers to assess the strength of the side step itself, while failing to assess the installation and layout of the side step structure within the vehicle body. Furthermore, aftermarket side step systems can negatively impact vehicle passability due to insufficient ground clearance. These added side step systems are frequently used components and are closely related to passenger safety. Insufficient height of the side step system and inadequate vehicle body support can affect the vehicle's lifespan and maintenance costs. In severe cases, it can even endanger passenger lives.

[0004] Based on the above-mentioned problems, this invention proposes a side step structure for off-road SUVs to solve the problems arising from the later installation of side step systems on vehicles. This off-road SUV side step system includes a vehicle body door ring body, a side step mounting bracket reinforcement plate, a side step body, a side step frame, a side step decorative panel, a side step connecting bracket, and a mounting bracket for fixing the side step frame to the vehicle body door ring body. The entire side step system (single side) includes five side step mounting brackets. One side of the side step mounting bracket is connected to the inner and outer door ring bodies of the vehicle body via bolts, and the other side is connected to the side step frame via bolts. Simultaneously, side step mounting bracket reinforcement plates are arranged on both the inner and outer door ring body sides of the vehicle body, and these reinforcement plates are welded to the door ring body. Side step connecting brackets are arranged at the front and rear ends of the side step body for connecting the side step body and the side step frame, ensuring the structural strength at both ends of the side step system. A side step decorative panel is designed on the side of the side step body, primarily ensuring the feasibility of the side step body manufacturing process and the aesthetics of the side step system. The side step system, comprised of the aforementioned components, ensures installation strength through the placement of mounting brackets and reinforcing plates at key locations. Simultaneously, the side step frame is made of aluminum alloy, guaranteeing strength while reducing weight, thus improving safety. This invention's off-road SUV side step system allows for precise structural design before vehicle delivery, ensuring vehicle versatility while maintaining structural strength and preventing problems caused by later customer modifications. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a side step system for an off-road SUV.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a side step system for an off-road SUV, comprising a car body door ring body, a side step mounting bracket, a side step body, a side step frame, a side step decorative panel, and a side step connecting bracket;

[0007] The side step frame is fixed to the door ring body via the side step mounting bracket. The side step body is fixedly installed on the upper end of the side step frame. The side step connecting bracket is located at both ends of the side step frame and is used to fix it to the side step body.

[0008] The side step trim panel is snapped together with the side step body, and the side step trim panel is located in the gap between the side step body and the door ring body.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: five side pedal mounting brackets are provided, one end of the side pedal mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the side pedal frame by bolts, and the other end is fixedly connected to the body door ring by bolts.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: the body door ring body includes an inner body door ring body and an outer body door ring body, and each side pedal mounting bracket is provided with two mounting positions, which correspond to the connection of the inner body door ring body and the outer body door ring body respectively.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: a side pedal mounting reinforcement plate is provided near the connection between the inner door ring body and the outer door ring body and the side pedal mounting bracket. The side pedal mounting reinforcement plate has a hole in the middle for bolt insertion and connection, and a flange structure is provided on the periphery of the side pedal mounting plate.

[0012] For aftermarket side step systems, the system is typically connected to the vehicle body via a single mounting bracket. This connection is insufficient to guarantee the load-bearing capacity of one or even two passengers simultaneously boarding the vehicle using the side step system. The present invention addresses this by defining ten reinforcing mounting plates at the mounting points on both the inner and outer door ring sides of the vehicle body. These plates are then welded to the inner and outer door ring bodies, ensuring the required installation strength.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: the part of the side step mounting bracket near the body door ring is provided with a downwardly recessed arc structure to avoid the height of the body door sill, so that the side step mounting bracket can be connected to the body inner door ring body and the body outer door ring body at the same time. When the side step bracket is bolted, the nut of the bolt is located above the side step mounting bracket, and the bolt body passes downward through the side step mounting bracket, the body door ring body and the side step mounting reinforcement plate.

[0014] At both ends, side pedal connecting brackets are used for connection, ensuring the shape requirements and aesthetics of the side pedal body. Meanwhile, decorative side pedal panels are defined on the sides of the side pedal body to ensure the feasibility of the side pedal body manufacturing process and the overall aesthetics of the side pedal system.

[0015] Specifically, the inner door ring body and the outer door ring body of the vehicle body are part of the vehicle body and are both made of ultra-high strength steel to ensure their strength performance. Five side step system mounting holes are defined on the inner door ring body of the vehicle body, and one side step mounting reinforcement plate is defined for each mounting hole. The side step mounting reinforcement plate is connected to the inner door ring of the vehicle body through welding points. At the same time, five side step system mounting holes are also defined on the outer door ring of the vehicle body, and one side step mounting reinforcement plate is defined for each mounting hole. The side step mounting reinforcement plate is connected to the inner door ring of the vehicle body through welding points. The design of the side step system mounting points on the vehicle body side increases the mounting strength of the side step system and improves the fixing stability by adding side step system mounting reinforcement plates at the mounting points of the door ring body.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: There are five side step mounting brackets arranged along the direction from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle. The side step mounting brackets at both ends are L-shaped structures, which are used to increase the side support area of the side step mounting brackets and are beneficial to the overall load-bearing capacity of the side step system.

[0017] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: The side step skeleton is designed with a "square" cross-section.

[0018] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: The main body of the side step connecting bracket is a platform surface structure, which is used to increase the support area between the side step body and the side step skeleton. Support ribs are arranged at intervals in the middle of the platform surface structure to meet the requirements of improving the support performance and reducing weight.

[0019] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention: The pedal body and the side step connecting bracket are both plastic parts, and their material is PP + EPDM-T20.

[0020] A vehicle includes a side step system of an off-road SUV adopting the above-mentioned one.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the side step system of an off-road SUV of the present invention has a reasonable structural design, fully considers the strength of the mounting points and the side step system itself, and at the same time the influence of the side step system on the vehicle's cross-country performance. These user usage problems are well avoided in the early stage of design, providing a good user experience for users.

[0022] The side step system is installed on the vehicle before the vehicle leaves the factory of the automobile manufacturer and belongs to a subsystem of the vehicle. It can avoid quality problems in the later use process caused by factors such as uneven quality of the side step system during the later installation by customers, and the problem that the overall ground clearance of the vehicle becomes smaller after installation, which in turn affects the cross-country performance of the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the side step system and vehicle of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the side step system and vehicle of the present invention. Figure 1 ;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the side pedal system of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of installing a reinforcing plate on the side pedal;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the mounting bracket I for the side pedal;

[0028] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the side pedal mounting bracket II;

[0029] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the mounting bracket III for the side pedal;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the side pedal frame;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the side pedal connecting bracket I;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the side pedal connecting bracket II;

[0033] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the side pedal body;

[0034] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the side pedal trim panel. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Example

[0037] This embodiment provides a side step system for an off-road SUV, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown (only one side of the side step mounting structure is shown in the figure), the side step system and vehicle of this embodiment include an inner door ring body 1, an outer door ring body 2, a side step body 3, a side step decorative panel 4, a side step mounting bracket I5, a side step mounting bracket II6, a side step mounting reinforcement plate 7, a side step mounting bracket III8, a side step connecting bracket I9, a side step frame 10, bolts 11 connecting the side step frame 10 and the side step mounting bracket, bolts 12 connecting the side step frame and the side step body, a side step connecting bracket II13, bolts 14 connecting the side step mounting bracket I5 and the door ring body, bolts 15 connecting the side step mounting bracket II6 and the door ring body, bolts 16 connecting the side step mounting bracket III8 and the door ring body, and a connecting buckle 17 between the side step decorative panel 4 and the outer door ring body 2.

[0038] The side pedal system includes a side pedal body 3, a side pedal decorative panel 4, a side pedal mounting bracket I 5, a side pedal mounting bracket II 6, a side pedal mounting bracket III 8, a side pedal connecting bracket I 9, a side pedal frame 10, bolts 11 connecting the side pedal frame and the side pedal connecting bracket, bolts 12 connecting the side pedal frame and the side pedal body, and a side pedal connecting bracket II 13.

[0039] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the side step system is connected to the inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2 via side step mounting bracket I5, three side step mounting brackets II6 and III8. Simultaneously, the side step decorative panel in the side step system is connected to the outer door ring body 2 via nine connecting clips 17.

[0040] The inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2 are connected to the side step mounting bracket I 5 by two bolts 14. At the same time, there is a side step mounting reinforcement plate 7 near the bolt connection holes of the inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2, which can effectively improve the strength of the mounting point.

[0041] The inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2 are connected to the side step mounting bracket II 6 by two bolts 15. At the same time, there is a defined side step mounting reinforcement plate 7 near the bolt connection holes of the inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2, which can effectively improve the strength of the mounting point.

[0042] The inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2 are connected to the side step mounting bracket Ⅲ8 by two bolts 16. At the same time, there is a side step mounting reinforcement plate 7 near the bolt connection holes of the inner door ring body 1 and the outer door ring body 2, which can effectively improve the strength of the mounting point.

[0043] The side step system and the vehicle have a total of 10 side step mounting reinforcement plates 7 defined on one side of the vehicle body door ring.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the side step mounting reinforcement plate 7 has a flange 71 on its side, which increases the strength of the reinforcement plate itself and prevents large deformation or even cracking when bearing the load of the side step system, thus affecting the safety and stability of the side step system. Bolt holes 72 are also defined for connecting the side step mounting bracket to the vehicle door ring.

[0045] The side step mounting bracket I 5 is made of high-strength steel (HC340 / 590DP), ensuring excellent rigidity and strength. Its L-shaped design effectively increases the load-bearing area of ​​the side step. The side of the side step mounting bracket I 5 features a flange 52, further enhancing its strength. The connection point between the side step mounting bracket I 5 and the door ring side uses an arc design, effectively avoiding interference with the door sill. This ensures the connection between the side step mounting bracket I 5 and the inner and outer door ring bodies 1 and 2, increasing the installation area of ​​the side step system.

[0046] The side step mounting bracket II6 is made of high-strength steel HC340 / 590DP, ensuring excellent rigidity and strength. It features a similar arc-shaped design at the connection point with the vehicle door ring, and the bracket itself has a defined flange 63 to increase its strength.

[0047] The side step system has three side step mounting brackets II6 arranged between side step mounting bracket I 5 and side step mounting bracket III 8, effectively covering all load-bearing surfaces of the side step system. The number of side step mounting brackets II6 is not limited to this embodiment. For off-road SUVs with longer bodies, a greater number of side step mounting brackets II6 can be arranged.

[0048] The side pedal mounting bracket Ⅲ8 is made of high-strength steel HC340 / 590DP, ensuring excellent rigidity and strength. It adopts the same structural design as the side pedal mounting bracket Ⅰ5, except for the different L-shaped orientation, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0049] The side step mounting brackets I 5, II 6, and III 8 are connected to the inner door ring body 1 of the vehicle body by bolts passing through bolt holes 51, 62, and 82, respectively. They are also connected to the outer door ring body 2 of the vehicle body by bolts passing through bolt holes 55, 61, and 81. Simultaneously, they are connected to the side step frame 10 by bolts passing through bolt holes 53, 54, 64, 65, and 84, 85.

[0050] The side pedal mounting brackets I 5, II 6, and III 8 are connected to the side pedal frame 10 via two rows of bolts, effectively ensuring the Y-direction load-bearing area of ​​the side pedal system. This avoids excessive local load due to an insufficient load-bearing area, which could lead to deformation of the side pedal system.

[0051] The side step frame 10 adopts a structure design with multiple "U"-shaped cross sections, which can ensure the bending resistance of the side step frame 10, thereby ensuring the safety and stability of the entire side step system. At the same time, the side step frame 10 is made of aluminum alloy, which can effectively reduce the weight of the side step system, thereby reducing the load on the mounting points on the vehicle door ring body. The lower surface of the side step frame 10 is effectively connected to the side step mounting bracket I5, side step mounting bracket II6, and side step mounting bracket III8 through the aforementioned two rows of 10 bolts.

[0052] The upper surface of the side pedal frame 10 is defined with a through hole 101 for connecting the side pedal body 3 and the lower surface of the side pedal frame 10.

[0053] The side pedal frame 10 is connected to the side pedal body 3 at both ends via side pedal connecting bracket I 9 and side pedal connecting bracket II 13, respectively. This increases the overlapping area between the side pedal body 3 and the side pedal frame 10, thereby increasing the load-bearing area of ​​the side pedal body 3. This avoids the risk of deformation or even breakage of the side pedal body 3 when bearing weight at both ends.

[0054] The side pedal connecting bracket I9 is ​​a plastic part made of PP+EPDM T20, which has high strength and rigidity. It is manufactured using injection molding, allowing for various shapes. The side pedal connecting bracket I9 is ​​connected to the side pedal body 3 via bolts through bolt holes 91 and 94. The side pedal connecting bracket I9 is ​​also connected to the side pedal frame 10 via bolts through bolt holes 92 and 93.

[0055] The side pedal connecting bracket II13, like the side pedal connecting bracket I9, is also a plastic part. It is connected to the side pedal body 3 using bolts through bolt holes 131 and 133. The side pedal connecting bracket II13 is also connected to the side pedal frame 10 using bolts through bolt holes 132 and 134.

[0056] The side step body 3 is made of plastic, specifically PP+EPDM T20, which has high strength and rigidity. Furthermore, the load-bearing surface of the side step body 3 is designed with an anti-slip surface 33 to prevent passengers from slipping and falling on smooth plastic surfaces when getting on and off the vehicle.

[0057] The side of the side step body 3 has a snap-fit ​​hole 32 for connecting with the side step trim panel 4. It also has a through hole 31 on its side, allowing the side step trim panel 4 to pass through the through hole 31 and connect with the vehicle door ring body.

[0058] The side step trim panel 4 is made of plastic, specifically PP+EPDM T20, which has high strength and rigidity. It features clips 41 on its inner side that engage with the clip openings 32 of the side step body 3 for secure connection. Nine clips 17 are also defined on its inner side, passing through through holes 31 on the side of the side step body 3 to connect with the vehicle's outer door ring body 2. This dual connection with both the door ring and the side step body ensures the stability of the side step trim panel 4 during installation.

[0059] The off-road SUV side step system and vehicle described in this embodiment have been verified through CAE simulation analysis. The strength of the mounting point and the deformation of the side step system in this embodiment can meet the design and performance target requirements. Subsequent real vehicle verification also proved that the strength of the side step system in this embodiment can meet its design and performance requirements.

[0060] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A side step system for an off-road SUV, characterized in that, It includes a car body door ring body, a side step mounting bracket, a side step body, a side step skeleton, a side step decorative panel, and a side step connection bracket; The side step skeleton is fixed to the car body door ring body through the side step mounting bracket. The side step body is fixedly installed at the upper end of the side step skeleton. The side step connection brackets are located at both ends of the side step skeleton and are used for fixedly connecting with the side step body; The side step decorative panel is snap-connected to the side step body, and the side step decorative panel is located at the gap between the side step body and the car body door ring body; The car body door ring body includes an inner car body door ring body and an outer car body door ring body. Two mounting positions are provided on each side step mounting bracket, corresponding to the connections of the inner car body door ring body and the outer car body door ring body respectively; Side step mounting reinforcement plates are configured near the connection points of the inner car body door ring body and the outer car body door ring body with the side step mounting bracket. The middle of the side step mounting reinforcement plate is provided with a hole for a bolt to be inserted and connected, and a flanging structure is provided on the periphery of the side step mounting plate; The part of the side step mounting bracket close to the car body door ring body is provided with a downward concave arc structure for avoiding the height of the car body sill, so that the side step mounting bracket can be connected to both the inner car body door ring body and the outer car body door ring body at the same time. When the side step bracket is bolt-connected, the nut of the bolt is located above the side step mounting bracket, and the shank of the bolt passes through the side step mounting bracket, the car body door ring body, and the side step mounting reinforcement plate downward at one time.

2. The side step system for an off-road SUV according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are five side step mounting brackets. One end of the side step mounting bracket is fixedly connected to the side step skeleton by bolts, and the other end is fixedly connected to the car body door ring body by bolts.

3. The side step system for an off-road SUV according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are 5 side step mounting brackets arranged in the direction from the front of the vehicle to the rear. The side step mounting brackets at both ends are of L-shaped structure, which is used to increase the side support area of the side step mounting bracket and is beneficial to the overall load-bearing capacity of the side step system.

4. The side step system for an off-road SUV according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side step skeleton is designed with a "mouth" - shaped cross-section.

5. A side step system for an off-road SUV according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main body of the side step connection bracket is a platform surface structure, which is used to increase the support area between the side step body and the side step skeleton. Intervals of support ribs are provided in the middle of the platform surface structure to meet the requirements of improving the support performance and weight reduction.

6. A side step system for an off-road SUV according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the pedal body and the side step connection bracket are plastic parts, and their material is PP + EPDM - T20.

7. A vehicle, characterized in that, It includes a side step system for an off-road SUV adopting any one of claims 1 - 6.

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