Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle

Abstract

Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle, comprising: a pair of left and right rear longitudinal members (5); a cross member (6) connecting the rear longitudinal members (5) to each other; a fuel tank (7) arranged in front of the cross member (6); a component attached to the vehicle body arranged behind the cross member (6); and reinforcing members (9) arranged on the pair of left and right rear longitudinal members (5) such that they include a front end and a rear end of a main body section of the component attached to the vehicle body, the front ends of the reinforcing members (9) being arranged behind a rear end section of a connecting part of the rear longitudinal members (5) and the cross member (6).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle, which can protect a fuel tank and a component attached to the vehicle body, such as a storage battery for driving, from an excessive impact exerted on a rear section of the vehicle body. [State of the art]

[0002] As disclosed in patent literature 1, a conventional technique is known in a vehicle comprising: a pair of rear longitudinal members extending in a forward-backward direction of the vehicle; a rear cross member connecting the pair of rear longitudinal members in a vehicle width direction; and a fuel tank arranged in a front section of the rear cross member, in which a section of low rigidity, such as a notch, is provided behind the fuel tank, wherein the section of low rigidity is bent in the event of a collision of the rear surface towards the top of the vehicle in order to prevent the direct application of the impact load to the fuel tank.

[0003] Document US 2014 / 0 008 137 A1 concerns a vehicle rear structure for hybrid or electric vehicles.

[0004] Document DE 102 57 266 A1 concerns a supporting structure for the front of a motor vehicle. [List of publications][Patent literature] [Patent Literature 1] JP 4534772 B2 [Patent Literature 2] Japanese Patent Application JP 2012-081877 A [Patent Literature 3] Japanese patent application JP 2005-170076 A [Patent Literature 4] Japanese patent application JP 2013-032117 A [Summary of the invention][Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a hybrid vehicle or similar, a storage battery for driving purposes may be mounted behind the fuel tank. If the rear section of the vehicle body is crushed by an impact, the storage battery may come into contact with the fuel tank, potentially damaging both the fuel tank and the storage battery.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to create a rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle that prevents damage to a fuel tank and the like by providing a relative strength difference in the middle of the rear longitudinal members forming a rear section of the vehicle body and generating a deformation of the rear longitudinal members in a direction that avoids the fuel tank when an impact load is applied to a rear section of the vehicle body from a part of the rear longitudinal members with lower strength. [Means to solve the problem]

[0007] To solve the problem, the present invention provides: a pair of left and right rear longitudinal members; a cross member connecting the rear longitudinal members; a fuel tank arranged in front of the cross member; a component attached to the vehicle body and arranged behind the cross member; and reinforcing members arranged on the pair of left and right rear longitudinal members in such a way that they include a front end and a rear end of a main body section of the component attached to the vehicle body, wherein the front ends of the reinforcing members are arranged behind a rear end section of a connecting part of the rear longitudinal members and the cross member.

[0008] The reinforcement beams are arranged within the rear longitudinal members and the reinforcement beam includes: a clamp on one side of the front section to support a suspension component; and a reinforcement on one side of the rear section, arranged along an inner wall of the rear longitudinal member.

[0009] A rear end section of the clamp and a front end section of the reinforcement are connected to each other.

[0010] A front section of the reinforcement beam contains a second cross member for connecting the rear longitudinal beams together, and a rear section of the reinforcement beam contains a reinforcement along an inner wall of the rear longitudinal beam.

[0011] The rear longitudinal beams run behind the rear ends of the reinforcement beams. [Advantageous effects of the invention]

[0012] The advantageous effects of the invention are as follows.

[0013] The front ends of the reinforcement beams are positioned behind the rear end of the connecting section between the rear longitudinal members and the crossmember. This prevents the fuel tank and any vehicle-mounted components from being linearly compressed by the vehicle body, which could damage them. The reinforcement beam incorporates a clamp that supports the suspension component at the front end of the reinforcement, thereby improving the rigidity of this section. Furthermore, the rear end of the clamp and the front end of the reinforcement are connected, further enhancing rigidity.Furthermore, the front section of the reinforcement beam incorporates the second cross member for connecting the rear longitudinal beams, with the rear section of the reinforcement beam containing the reinforcement along the inner wall of the rear longitudinal beam. This can improve rigidity. Additionally, the rear longitudinal beams extend behind the rear ends of the reinforcement beams, allowing the impact to be absorbed by first deforming the rear end sections of the rear longitudinal beams without requiring the reinforcement beams to be deployed. [Brief description of the drawings] Fig. Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a rear section of a vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, in which a rear section of a plate element of a rear floor plate element has been removed. Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view from a slightly oblique top, showing a storage battery for driving, which is mounted on the rear floor panel element. Fig. 1 is built in, shows, Fig. 2(b) is a side view of Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(c) is a perspective view from the obliquely lower side. Fig. 2(b). Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along a line AA from Fig. 2(a). Fig. Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing a reinforcement beam. Fig. Figure 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view that describes the deformation against an impact of a rear part of a vehicle body. Fig. Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram showing rear longitudinal members in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a modified example of the present invention. [Mode of embodiment of the invention]

[0014] In the following, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The Fig. 1, Fig. 2 to Fig. Figure 3 shows a rear section of the vehicle body structure of a hybrid motor vehicle, wherein a rear section of a plate element of a rear floor plate element is shown. Fig. 1 is away. Fig. 2(a), (b) and (c) show the rear section of a body structure containing the rear floor panel element, wherein (a) shows a view from a top oblique angle, (b) shows a view from a side face and (c) shows a view from a bottom oblique angle. Fig. Figure 3 shows the mounting positions of a fuel tank and a storage battery for driving, which are attached to the front and rear above a cross member of a vehicle body.

[0016] A rear section 1 of the vehicle body of the hybrid motor vehicle is provided with a rear floor panel element 2 at a rear end and a main floor panel element at a front end. The rear floor panel element 2 comprises: a front section 3 of the floor panel element, which is arranged on a plane above the main floor panel element to form one side of the lower surface of a rear seat; and a rear section 4 of the floor panel element, which forms a rear section of a rear seat or a so-called trunk floor panel element section.

[0017] On the left and right sides of a lower surface of the rear floor panel element 2, a pair of rear longitudinal beams 5 with a substantially U-shaped cross-section are provided in a forward-to-reverse direction of the vehicle body. The rear longitudinal beams 5 are mounted such that the cross-section of a steel plate is formed into a so-called substantially inverted hat cross-section, with flange sections on both sides of the inverted hat cross-section being connected to the lower surface of the rear floor panel element 2 to form a closed cross-section.

[0018] Furthermore, the front section 3 of the floor panel element of the rear floor panel element 2 is formed by providing an inclined section such that a rear section is on a higher plane than a front end section, wherein a belt-shaped cross member element 6, arranged in a vehicle width direction, connects the front end sections of the significantly higher section to each other for reinforcement. The cross member element 6 is connected by welding in the vehicle width direction of the rear section 4 of the floor panel element to parts of the connecting sections 3a and 4a of the front section 3 of the floor panel element and the rear section 4 of the floor panel element of the rear floor panel element 2, wherein a closed cross section C is formed between the rear cross member 6 and the rear section 4 of the floor panel element.

[0019] A fuel tank 7 is arranged in a compartment 3b on the front side of the crossmember element 6, on one side of the lower surface of the front section 3 of the floor panel element. An inlet pipe 7a of the fuel tank 7 is arranged on the rear side of the vehicle body and is located on the underside of the rear crossmember 6. A main body section 8 of a storage battery for driving is arranged on the rear side of the rear crossmember 6 and on one side of the upper surface of the rear section 4 of the floor panel element 2.On one side of the upper surface of the rear section 4 of the floor plate element, a recessed section 4b is formed, in the recessed section 4b the main body section 8 of the storage battery for driving is arranged and at a position behind the fuel tank 7 above a front section 4c of the vertical wall surface of the rear section 4 of the floor plate element an installation part of the main body section 8 of the storage battery for driving is provided.

[0020] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, within the rear longitudinal member 5, behind the rear end of a connecting part of the rear cross member 6, a front end of a reinforcement member 9 is arranged. The reinforcement member 9 has a length that, in the forward-backward direction of the vehicle body, is substantially the same as a length L of the storage battery for driving 8 and includes: a reinforcement 10 with a substantially U-shaped cross-section; and a clamp 11, which is arranged at or connected to a front end section of the reinforcement 10. The clamp 11 is attached at a position corresponding to the rear suspension section 12, behind the rear cross member 6 within the rear longitudinal member 5. An upper surface 11a and a vertical forward-backward wall surface 11b form a π-shape in the cross-section of the clamp 11 in the forward-backward direction of the vehicle body.At a lower end section of the forward-backward vertical wall surface 11b, flange sections 11b1 and 11b2, extending in the forward-backward direction, are provided along a lower surface 5a of the rear longitudinal member. At both side sections of the forward-backward vertical wall surface 11b, in the vehicle width direction, flange sections 11b3 and 11b4, extending along an inner-inner wall surface 5b of the rear longitudinal member 5, are provided. At an upper end of the upper surface 11a of the clamp, in the vehicle width direction, an upwardly bent flange section 11a1 is formed.The clamp 11 is connected via flange section 11b2 on the rear of the vehicle body to a lower inner surface 10a of a front end section of the reinforcement 10 and is connected via flange sections 11b4 on the rear of the vehicle body to an inner wall surface 10b of the front end section of the reinforcement 10. Furthermore, the clamp 11 is connected via flange section 11b1 on the front of the vehicle body to the lower surface 5a of the rear longitudinal member 5 and via flange section 11b3 on the front of the vehicle body to the inner inner wall surface 5b of the rear longitudinal member 5. The clamp 11 is connected via flange section 11a1 of the upper surface 11a of the clamp to the inner inner wall surface 5b of the rear longitudinal member 5. Furthermore, the flange section 11a1 of the clamp 11 is connected on the top side to the inner wall surface 5b of the rear longitudinal member 5.

[0021] In the rear longitudinal member 5, between the front end section of the reinforcement member 9 and the connecting section of the cross member element 6, as shown in Fig. Figure 1 shows a low-strength section without a reinforcing section or a so-called fracture-prone section F, wherein the rear longitudinal beam 5 can be easily bent upwards by the fracture-prone section F. In this way, the reinforcing beam 9 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the rear longitudinal beam 5 on the rear side of the crossbeam 6, and a relative strength difference is provided between the connecting part of the crossbeam 6 and the arrangement part of the reinforcing beam 9 in order to create the fracture-prone section F for reinforcing the rear longitudinal beam 5.

[0022] The effects of the configuration's design are described below.

[0023] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the rear longitudinal member 5 is bent upwards around the fracture-prone section F in the direction of arrow Y in the drawing when an excessive impact is exerted on the rear section of the vehicle body from behind while driving in the direction of arrow X in the drawing, since the fracture-prone section F is formed between the front end section of the reinforcement member 9 and the connecting section of the cross member element 6, with the rear longitudinal member 5 being bent forwards in a mountain shape, i.e. in a shape that is a reverse turn of an L-shape.

[0024] Along with the bending of the rear longitudinal member 5, the rear floor panel element 2 is also bent, causing the main body section 8 of the storage battery to move towards the front while tilting in the direction of arrow Z in the drawing to approach the fuel tank 7. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, it can be seen that the rear floor panel element 2 is bent at the rear of the connecting section of the rear crossmember 6 and approaches the fuel tank 7. The deformation absorbs the impact, and the action of the crossmember element 6 and the reinforcement 10, which strengthens the rear longitudinal member 5, prevents deformation of the rear longitudinal member 5 in an area containing the fuel tank 7 and the main body section 8 of the drive battery. In this way, the fuel tank 7 is protected by the side space section 3b of the lower surface of the front section 3 of the floor panel element within the rear floor panel element 2, thus preventing the main body section 8 of the drive battery from coming into contact with the fuel tank 7 through the front section 4c of the vertical wall surface.Since the reinforcement beam 9 is designed such that its length in the forward-backward direction of the vehicle body is essentially the same as the length L of the main body section 8 of the storage battery for driving, the rear end of the reinforcement 10 lies within the area of ​​the main body section 8 of the storage battery for driving, and the rear longitudinal beam 5 behind the reinforcement 10 can be deformed. This allows energy to be absorbed efficiently while ensuring sufficient space and protecting the main body section 8 of the storage battery for driving. Furthermore, the rear floor panel element 2 can be bent and approach the inlet pipe 7a of the fuel tank 7 when the rear longitudinal beam 5 is bent in a mountainous shape. However, the rear cross member 6 is located on the rear floor panel element 2 above the inlet pipe 7a, thus ensuring rigidity.Furthermore, the arrangement of the fracture-sensitive section F of the rear longitudinal member 5 behind the rear cross member 6 can prevent deformation of the rear floor plate element 2 in the vicinity of the inlet pipe 7a.

[0025] Fig. Figure 6 is a modified example of the reinforcement beam 9, where in this case the clamp 11 can be pre-connected to, for example, the side of the lower surface of the rear floor panel element 2 without being connected to the front end section of the reinforcement 10, and only the reinforcement 10 needs to be attached to and used on the rear longitudinal beam 5. This can reduce the workload of the rear longitudinal beam 5. Furthermore, the thickness of the reinforcement 10 can be increased to eliminate the clamp 11, so that the reinforcement beam 9 consists solely of the reinforcement 10. [Industrial applicability]

[0026] It is noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and that the present invention can also be applied, for example, if another component is attached to the vehicle body instead of the main body section 8 of the storage battery for driving.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to the rear section of the vehicle body with a different structure, provided that the rear crossmember 6 is provided in the position of the rear section of the fuel tank 7, both end sections of the crossmember element 6 are joined to the rear longitudinal member 5 on both sides for reinforcement, and the reinforcement member is attached to the rear longitudinal member 5 at a distance provided by the joined part. As shown in Fig.As shown in Figure 7, a second crossbeam 16 can also be joined behind the rear crossbeam 6 to the rear longitudinal beam 5 in order to connect the second crossbeam 16 to the position of the front end of the reinforcement 10 and thereby reinforce the front end section of the reinforcement beam 9. In this case, the front section of the reinforcement beam 9 contains the second crossbeam 16, which connects the rear longitudinal beams 5, and the rear section contains the reinforcement 10 along the inner walls of the rear longitudinal beams 5. Furthermore, in this case, the rigidity of the front section can also be further improved by attaching the clamp 11 to connect the second crossbeam 16 to the position of the clamp 11 section of the front section.Furthermore, the present invention can obviously be carried out by suitably modifying the present invention without changing the technical scope of protection of the present invention. [List of reference symbols] 1 rear section of the vehicle body 2 rear floor plate element 3 front section of the base plate element 3b lower surface of the side space section 4 rear section of the base plate element 4b recessed section 5 rear longitudinal member 6 rear crossmember (crossmember) 7 Fuel tank 8 Main body section of the storage battery for driving 9 reinforcement beams 10 Reinforcement 11 bracket 12 rear suspension mounting section 16 second crossbeam F fracture-prone section (low-strength section)

Claims

[1] Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle, comprising: a pair of left and right rear longitudinal members (5); a cross member (6) connecting the rear longitudinal members (5) to each other; a fuel tank (7) arranged in front of the cross member (6); a vehicle body component arranged behind the cross member (6); and reinforcing members (9) arranged on the pair of left and right rear longitudinal members (5) in such a way that they include a front end and a rear end of a main body section of the vehicle body component, the front ends of the reinforcing members (9) being arranged behind a rear end section of a connecting part of the rear longitudinal members (5) and the cross member (6). [2] Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement members (9) are arranged within the rear longitudinal members (5) and the reinforcement member comprises: a clamp (11) on a side of the front section for supporting a suspension component; and a reinforcement (10) on a side of the rear section, arranged along an inner wall of the rear longitudinal member (5). [3] Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a rear end section of the clamp (11) and a front end section of the reinforcement (10) are connected to each other. [4] Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a front section of the reinforcement beam (9) comprises a second cross member (16) for connecting the rear longitudinal members (5) together and a rear section of the reinforcement beam (9) comprises a reinforcement along an inner wall of the rear longitudinal member (5). [5] Rear section of the vehicle body structure of a motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rear longitudinal members (5) extend behind rear ends of the reinforcement members (9).

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