Vehicle under structure

Abstract

A vehicle lower structure is provided with: a pair of side members; a seat cross member of which both ends in the vehicle width direction are coupled to the pair of side members, respectively; a seat frame mounted on the seat cross member via an outer mounting point and an inner mounting point located further inward in the vehicle width direction than the outer mounting point; and a lateral bulkhead which is mounted on the seat cross member in the vicinity of the inner mounting point with respect to the outer mounting point, and which locally reinforces the seat cross member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a vehicle underbody structure having a pair of side members and a seat transverse member with a fixed seat frame. Background Technology

[0002] Typically, a vehicle has two seats arranged along its width, serving as a driver's seat and a front passenger seat. The seat frames are mounted on a skeleton member called a seat transverse member. The seat transverse member is a skeleton member extending along the vehicle's width, with its ends fastened to skeleton members called side members. Typically, the two seat transverse members are spaced apart in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

[0003] The left and right ends of the front side of the seat frame are mounted on the front seat transverse members, and the left and right ends of the rear side of the seat frame are mounted on the rear seat transverse members. Therefore, the four corners of the seat frame are typically mounted on the seat transverse members via four mounting points. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Previously, the rigidity of these four mounting points varied considerably. Specifically, the rigidity of the mounting point located on the outer side of the vehicle width direction was much higher than that of the mounting point located on the inner side. As a result, when a load was applied to the vehicle, the periphery of the mounting point on the inner side of the vehicle width direction was more prone to deformation than that of the outer side. This, in turn, led to changes in seat posture, thus compromising occupant comfort.

[0005] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-081626 discloses a structure in which a reinforcing member called a partition is disposed at the end of the transverse member in the vehicle width direction. According to this technology, the impact force during a side collision is effectively absorbed by the partition and the central transverse member. However, when using the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-081626, the rigidity at the end of the transverse member in the vehicle width direction differs significantly from the rigidity at the center in the vehicle width direction. Due to this difference in rigidity, the central part of the transverse member changes more significantly compared to the ends during vehicle movement. Furthermore, this makes it easier for the posture of the seat mounted on the transverse member to change.

[0006] Therefore, a vehicle underbody structure that can more effectively prevent changes in seat posture is disclosed.

[0007] The vehicle substructure disclosed in this specification is characterized by comprising: a pair of side members; a seat transverse member, the two ends of which are respectively connected to the pair of side members in the vehicle width direction; a seat frame mounted on the seat transverse member via an outer mounting point and an inner mounting point located in the vehicle width direction relative to the outer mounting point; and a transverse partition mounted on the seat transverse member near the inner mounting point relative to the outer mounting point, thereby locally reinforcing the seat transverse member.

[0008] By adopting this structure, the rigidity around the inner mounting point is increased, and the difference in rigidity between the inner and outer mounting points is reduced. As a result, the tilting of the seat in the lateral direction can be effectively suppressed.

[0009] Furthermore, the vehicle substructure disclosed in this specification may also be configured to include a battery pack disposed below the seat transverse member, the battery pack comprising: a battery housing having an upper housing and a lower housing; a battery module housed within the battery housing; a resin plate filled between the upper surface of the battery module and the upper housing, and bonded to both the battery module and the upper housing, the seat transverse member being fixed to the upper housing.

[0010] By incorporating a resin plate inside the battery casing, the surface rigidity of the upper casing, which functions as the floor of the passenger compartment, is improved. Furthermore, this increases the overall rigidity of the seat's lateral components, thereby suppressing the seat's tendency to tilt in the lateral direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the vehicle substructure disclosed in this specification may also be configured to have a front seat transverse member and a rear seat transverse member located behind the front seat transverse member, wherein the front seat transverse member and the rear seat transverse member respectively have the outer mounting point, the inner mounting point and the transverse partition, and the rigidity of the transverse partition of the rear seat transverse member is higher than the rigidity of the transverse partition of the front seat transverse member.

[0012] By designing the structure in this way, the difference in rigidity between the front mounting point and the rear mounting point is reduced, thereby further suppressing the movement of the seat.

[0013] Furthermore, in the aforementioned vehicle lower structure, the seat transverse member may also be configured such that it has an upper flange that engages with the upper surface of the side member and a transverse flange that engages with the inner side surface of the side member in the vehicle width direction, wherein the bonding force between the transverse flange and the side member is less than the bonding force between the upper flange and the side member.

[0014] By reducing the bonding force of the transverse flange, the stiffness of the outer mounting point under vertical loads is reduced, thereby decreasing the difference in stiffness between the outer and inner mounting points. As a result, the tilting of the seat in the lateral direction is suppressed.

[0015] According to the structure disclosed in this specification, since it is possible to suppress the deviation of rigidity on the transverse member of the seat, it is possible to more effectively prevent changes in the posture of the seat frame and even the seat mounted on the transverse member of the seat. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like symbols denote like elements, and wherein: Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the main elements of the lower part of the vehicle.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view 2-2 in the figure.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 2 BB cross-sectional view.

[0019] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the movement of a seat with a transverse partition; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the movement of a seat without a lateral partition.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional view of the area surrounding the junction of the lateral and side components of the seat. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following description of the vehicle's lower structure is based on the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the main elements of the lower part of the vehicle. In addition, Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view 2-2 in the middle, Figure 3 for Figure 2 A BB sectional view. The vehicle has two seats arranged in the width direction of the vehicle. Figure 1The diagram only shows the seat frame 26 that supports each seat. The vehicle frame is positioned below the seat frame 26. Specifically, the vehicle has a pair of side members 10 and multiple transverse members 12, 14, and 20. The side members 10 are elongated skeletal components in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front ends of each pair of side members 10 are connected by the front transverse member 12. Furthermore, the rear ends of each pair of side members 10 are connected by the rear transverse member 14. The side members 10, front transverse members 12, and rear transverse members 14 are all hollow components with a generally rectangular cross-section. The side members 10, front transverse members 12, and rear transverse members 14 can be formed, for example, by extrusion molding or by joining multiple panel components. The area surrounded by the side members 10, front transverse members 12, and rear transverse members 14 is the floor surface area 15, which functions as the floor surface of the passenger compartment.

[0022] A front seat lateral member 20F and a rear seat lateral member 20R are provided between the front lateral member 12 and the rear lateral member 14. Hereinafter, without distinguishing between the front seat lateral member 20F and the rear seat lateral member 20R, they will be referred to as "seat lateral member 20". The front seat lateral member 20F and the rear seat lateral member 20R are arranged at intervals in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The two ends of the front seat lateral member 20F in the vehicle width direction are joined to a pair of side members 10. The two ends of the rear seat lateral member 20R in the vehicle width direction are also joined to a pair of side members 10. Both seat lateral members 20 are also hollow components with a generally rectangular cross-section, formed, for example, by extrusion molding or by joining multiple panel materials.

[0023] A seat frame 26 is mounted on the seat transverse member 20. The seat frame 26 is generally divided into a main body 27 that supports the seat cushion and seat back, and seat rails 28 that hold the main body 27 in a slidable manner. A seat frame 26 has a pair of seat rails 28 that are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. The front end of each seat rail 28 is mounted on the front seat transverse member 20F, and the rear end of each seat rail 28 is mounted on the rear seat transverse member 20R.

[0024] Hereinafter, the portion of the seat rail 28 that is mounted on the seat transverse member 20 will be referred to as "mounting point 30". Furthermore, when viewed from a seat frame 26, the mounting point 30 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction will be referred to as "outer mounting point 30o", and the mounting point 30 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction will be referred to as "inner mounting point 30i". Therefore, a seat frame 26 is mounted on the seat transverse member 20 via four mounting points 30. These four mounting points 30 are the front inner mounting point 30i, the front outer mounting point 30o, the rear inner mounting point 30i, and the rear outer mounting point 30o. Here, the method of mounting the seat rail 28 to the seat transverse member 20 is not particularly limited. For example, the seat rail 28 can be mounted on the seat transverse member 20 via bolts or other fasteners, or it can be mounted on the seat transverse member 20 by welding.

[0025] Battery pack 36 is located on the underside of frames 10, 12, 14, and 20. Battery pack 36 stores the electricity required for the vehicle's operation. Figure 2 As shown, the battery pack 36 includes a battery module 46, a battery housing 38, and a resin plate 48. The battery module 46 is a component modularized from multiple individual cells. Each individual cell is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion secondary battery. The battery module 46 is constructed by connecting multiple individual cells in series or parallel. A battery pack 36 may have one or more battery modules 46. In the illustrated example, multiple battery modules 46 are arranged in four columns along the width of the vehicle inside the battery housing 38.

[0026] The battery housing 38 is a container for housing multiple battery modules 46. The battery housing 38 is generally divided into a lower housing 44 and an upper housing 40. The lower housing 44 is a generally box-shaped structure with an upward opening. The battery modules 46 are disposed within the interior space of the lower housing 44. The upper housing 40 is a cover component that covers the upper opening of the lower housing 44 from above. Flanges 40F and 44F, extending horizontally outward, are formed at the periphery of the lower housing 44 and the periphery of the upper housing 40, respectively. The flange 40F of the upper housing 40 overlaps the flange 44F of the lower housing 44 and is bonded to the flange 44F of the lower housing 44. The overlapping flanges 40F and 44F are fastened to the bottom surfaces of the side member 10, the front transverse member 12, and the rear transverse member 14 by bolts or other fastening components.

[0027] Here, the shape of the battery pack 36 is substantially the same as the shape of the floor surface area 15 surrounded by a pair of side members 10, a front transverse member 12, and a rear transverse member 14. Therefore, when the battery pack 36 is fastened to the side members 10 and the transverse members 12, 14, the floor surface area 15 is covered by the battery pack 36. Furthermore, in this example, the upper housing 40 of the battery pack 36 is used as the floor panel of the vehicle compartment.

[0028] A resin plate 48 is also disposed between the battery module 46 and the upper housing 40. The resin plate 48 is a plate component made of resin. The resin plate 48 is bonded to both the upper surface of the battery module 46 and the bottom surface of the upper housing 40. The resin plate 48 is provided to ensure the rigidity of the upper housing 40 while protecting the battery module 46. That is, in this example, as described above, the upper housing 40 is used as a floor panel. Therefore, various loads will act on the upper surface of the upper housing 40. When such loads are transmitted to the battery module 46, they can cause the battery module 46 to deteriorate or break. Therefore, the resin plate 48 is disposed between the battery module 46 and the upper housing 40 to improve the surface rigidity of the upper housing 40.

[0029] A liner 50 is joined to the upper surface of the upper housing 40 at a position corresponding to the seat transverse member 20. The liner 50 is located between the seat transverse member 20 and the upper housing 40 and serves to connect the two together. Specifically, the liner 50 is a panel component that engages with the upper housing 40 only at its ends and has a central portion that bulges upwards compared to its ends. The seat transverse member 20 is fixed to the upper housing 40 by screwing or welding the bottom surface of the liner 50 to it. Alternatively, the seat transverse member 20 may be directly fixed to the upper housing 40 without the liner 50.

[0030] Here, by Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is understood that a transverse partition 52 is disposed inside the seat transverse member 20. The transverse partition 52 is a component that locally strengthens the seat transverse member 20. In this example, the transverse partition 52 has a top surface that engages with the upper wall of the seat transverse member 20, and a pair of legs extending downward from both ends of the top surface in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The lower ends of the legs engage with the lower wall of the seat transverse member 20. Figure 2 As shown, the transverse partition 52 is positioned closer to the inner mounting point 30i than to the outer mounting point 30o. (Refer to...) Figure 4 , Figure 5 The reason for setting up the horizontal partition 52 will be explained.

[0031] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram illustrating the movement of the seat without the transverse partition 52. When the vehicle is in motion, vibrations caused by road surface irregularities are transmitted to the side member 10, causing it to vibrate vertically. Without the transverse partition 52, the periphery of the inner mounting point 30i deforms significantly more than the periphery of the outer mounting point 30o. This is because the periphery of the inner mounting point 30i has lower rigidity than the periphery of the outer mounting point 30o. Specifically, the outer mounting point 30o is closer to the contact point with the side member 10 than the inner mounting point 30i, thus the periphery of the outer mounting point 30o is strengthened by the side member 10. Therefore, without the transverse partition 52, there is a significant difference in rigidity between the periphery of the inner mounting point 30i and the periphery of the outer mounting point 30o. As a result, when the side member 10 vibrates, the periphery of the inner mounting point 30i in the seat transverse member 20 deforms more significantly than the periphery of the outer mounting point 30o.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown by the solid line, when the difference in deformation between the inner mounting point 30i and the outer mounting point 30o is large, the seat frame 26 mounted on the seat transverse member 20, and even the occupant sitting on the seat, will sway in the lateral direction. As a result, the occupant's comfort will be significantly compromised.

[0033] On the other hand, in this example, as described above, a transverse partition 52 is provided around the inner mounting point 30i to make the rigidity of the inner mounting point 30i approximately the same as that of the outer mounting point 30o. Therefore, when vibration is input to the side member 10, the deformation around the inner mounting point 30i and the deformation around the outer mounting point 30o can be made approximately the same. Furthermore, thus, as... Figure 4 As shown by the solid line, it can effectively suppress the swaying of the seat frame 26 and even the occupant in the lateral direction. As a result, occupant comfort can be maintained to a high degree.

[0034] Furthermore, the rear seat transverse member 20R typically experiences a larger load compared to the front seat transverse member 20F. This is because the load from the occupant's hips is more easily transferred to the rear seat transverse member 20R. Therefore, without the transverse partition 52, the periphery of the inner mounting point 30i of the rear seat transverse member 20R is more prone to deformation than the periphery of the inner mounting point 30i of the front seat transverse member 20F. To suppress this difference in deformation, the rigidity of the transverse partition 52 mounted on the rear seat transverse member 20R can be made higher than that of the transverse partition 52 mounted on the front seat transverse member 20F. For example, the thickness or width of the rear transverse partition 52 can be greater than that of the front transverse partition 52. Alternatively, more transverse partitions 52 can be arranged on the rear seat transverse member 20R than on the front seat transverse member 20F. For example, a lateral partition 52 can be provided only directly below the inner mounting point 30i on the front seat lateral member 20F, while lateral partitions 52 can be provided on both sides of the rear seat lateral member 20R in the vehicle width direction, separated by the inner mounting point 30i. In short, by using the lateral partitions 52 to suppress the rigidity deviation at the four mounting points 30, the tilting of the seat frame 26 and even the occupant's posture can be suppressed, thereby improving occupant comfort.

[0035] Furthermore, in this example, the battery pack 36 is disposed on the underside of the seat transverse member 20, and the seat transverse member 20 is fixed to the upper housing 40. Additionally, a resin plate 48 is disposed between the upper housing 40 and the single battery module 46, thereby increasing the surface rigidity of the upper housing 40. Thus, the rigidity of the seat transverse member 20 is strengthened by the upper housing 40 and the resin plate 48. And thus, localized deformation of the seat transverse member 20 can be effectively suppressed. As a result, the swaying of the seat frame 26 and even the tilting of the occupant's posture can be more effectively suppressed.

[0036] Furthermore, in the description up to this point, the rigidity around the inner mounting point 30i has been improved by using the transverse partition 52. However, in addition to this structure, the rigidity deviation can also be suppressed by reducing the rigidity around the outer mounting point 30o. For example, in order to reduce the rigidity around the outer mounting point 30o, the bonding force between the seat transverse member 20 and the side member 10 can also be reduced. Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the area surrounding the junction of the transverse member 20 and the side member 10 of the seat. Figure 6 The cross mark in the diagram indicates a welding point. For example... Figure 6As shown, the seat transverse member 20 has an upper flange 54 that overlaps and engages with the upper surface of the side member 10, and a transverse flange 56 that overlaps and engages with the inner side of the side member 10 in the vehicle width direction. Typically, the upper flange 54 is susceptible to loads in the front-rear direction, while the transverse flange 56 is susceptible to loads in the vertical direction.

[0037] exist Figure 6 In the example, the bonding force between the transverse flange 56 and the side member 10 is set to be less than the bonding force between the upper flange 54 and the side member 10. Specifically, the number of welding points between the transverse flange 56 and the side member 10 (two in the illustrated example) is set to be less than the number of welding points between the upper flange 54 and the side member 10 (four in the illustrated example). As a result, the bonding force between the seat transverse member 20 and the side member 10 is reduced, making it easier for the seat transverse member 20 to move in the vertical direction. In other words, the rigidity of the end of the seat transverse member 20, i.e., the periphery of the outer mounting point 30, is reduced. Furthermore, as a result, deviations in rigidity in the seat transverse member 20 are suppressed, thereby effectively suppressing local deformation of the seat transverse member 20 and even tilting of the occupant's posture.

[0038] As described above, four mounting points 30 are provided on a seat frame 26. Furthermore, by suppressing the rigidity deviation of each of these four mounting points 30, localized deformation of the seat transverse member 20 and even tilting of the occupant's posture when seated can be effectively suppressed. This improves occupant comfort. Additionally, the structures described above are merely examples; other structures can be appropriately modified as long as the technical solution is available. For example, in the above description, the upper housing 40 of the battery pack 36 is used as a floor panel. However, a panel material that functions as a floor panel can be provided separately from the battery pack 36. In this case, the panel material functioning as a floor panel is joined to the side member 10, the front transverse member 12, and the rear transverse member 14. Furthermore, the seat transverse member 20 is not fixed to the upper housing 40 but to the floor panel. Moreover, the vehicle can also be a structure without a battery pack 36. Therefore, the vehicle can also be an engine-powered car that does not have an electric motor but is driven by an engine. Furthermore, the shape and number of transverse partitions 52 can be appropriately changed as long as they are positioned closer to the inner mounting point 30i than the outer mounting point 30o. Moreover, as long as the transverse partitions 52 are components that locally reinforce the seat transverse member 20, they are not limited to being installed inside the seat transverse member 20, but can also be installed on the outside.

Claims

1. A vehicle substructure, characterized in that, have: A pair of side members; The seat transverse member has its two ends in the vehicle width direction respectively connected to the pair of side members; The seat frame is mounted on the seat transverse member via an outer mounting point and an inner mounting point located on the inner side of the vehicle width direction compared to the outer mounting point; A transverse partition is mounted on the seat transverse member near the inner mounting point compared to the outer mounting point, and locally reinforces the seat transverse member.

2. The vehicle substructure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also has a battery pack configured below the lateral member of the seat. The battery pack includes: The battery casing has an upper casing and a lower casing; The battery module is housed within the battery casing; A resin plate is filled between the upper surface of the battery module and the upper housing, and is bonded to both the battery module and the upper housing. The seat transverse component is fixed to the upper housing.

3. The vehicle substructure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It has a front seat lateral member and a rear seat lateral member located rearward compared to the front seat lateral member. The front seat lateral member and the rear seat lateral member respectively have the outer mounting point, the inner mounting point, and the lateral partition. The rigidity of the lateral partition of the rear seat lateral member is higher than that of the lateral partition of the front seat lateral member.

4. The vehicle substructure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The seat lateral member has an upper flange that engages with the upper surface of the side member, and a lateral flange that engages with the inner side surface of the side member in the vehicle width direction. The bonding force between the transverse flange and the side member is less than the bonding force between the upper flange and the side member.

Images