VEHICLE BODY REAR STRUCTURE

Abstract

Vehicle body rear structure, where: the vehicle body rear structure comprises a rear door opening (11) provided on a vehicle body side part, a side sill (2) provided below the vehicle body side part and extending from front to rear in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a side member (3) provided inwardly from the side sill (2) in a vehicle width direction and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a rear pillar member (4) provided on a rear side of the rear door opening (11) in the vehicle longitudinal direction and arranged such that the rear pillar member (4) protrudes from the side member (3), and a rear suspension bracket (5), to which a rear suspension is to be attached, is provided on a lower part of the side sill (2) and the longitudinal member (3), characterized in that a wheel house peripheral element (7) is provided on a front side of the rear pillar element (4) in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the wheel house peripheral element (7) extending forward from the rear pillar element (4) with a downward inclination in the vehicle longitudinal direction, an upper part (7a) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) is connected to the rear pillar member (4) and a lower part (7b) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) is connected to the side sill (2) and the side member (3) and is arranged such that the lower part (7b) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) overlaps with the rear suspension bracket (5) when the lower part (7b) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) is viewed from a top side of the vehicle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle body rear structure. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART

[0002] In a conventional vehicle body rear structure, a rear pillar (C-pillar) in a vehicle body rear part does not have such a structure that a skeleton is considered as in a center pillar (B-pillar) in a center part of the vehicle body, and instead has a structure that has a gap between a side body outer panel and a wheel house outer panel (or rear fender) (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). CITATION LISTPATENT LITERATURE

[0003] [Patent Literature 1] JP 2018-052372 A and documents DE 10 2016 109 609 A1, DE 10 2008 057 352 A1, WO 2013 / 061514 A1, JP 2007001374 A, DE 102015009 155 A1, DE 10 2010 054 466 A1, US 7,364,225 B2, EP 1 878 640 A1, JP 2013-095358 A, and JP 2008284936 A and the post-published document EP 3 623 264 A2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] Consequently, the conventional vehicle body rear structure has a structure in which the rear pillar does not function as a skeleton, and has a structure in which there is no skeleton in a vertical direction of the vehicle between a center pillar and a rear pillar (D-pillar and reinforcement in a butt mounting portion, depending on the model), and there is no support that supports the floor pan. Accordingly, there has been a problem of being unable to effectively reduce load and vibration in the vertical direction of the vehicle applied to a trailing arm mounting portion and a coil spring support portion. Furthermore, when rigidity in the vertical direction of a point to which load and vibration are input is low, there has been a problem of causing aggravation of road noise.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle body rear structure in which a side member receives a load applied to a rear suspension bracket toward the top of the vehicle and a wheel house peripheral member supports the side member from above, and which can thereby transfer the load transmitted to the wheel house peripheral member toward the top of the vehicle for distribution and reduce local load concentration on the side member and the rear wheel house. MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS

[0006] In order to solve the problems of the conventional technology, the present invention provides a vehicle body rear structure characterized in that: the vehicle body rear structure has a rear door opening provided on a vehicle body side member, a side sill provided below the vehicle body side member and extending from front to rear in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a side member provided inwardly from the side sill in a vehicle width direction and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a rear pillar member provided on a rear side of the rear door opening in the vehicle longitudinal direction and arranged such that the rear pillar member protrudes from the side member, and a rear suspension bracket to which a rear suspension is to be attached,provided on a lower part of the side sill and the side member, wherein a wheel house perimeter member is provided on a vehicle longitudinal direction front side of the rear pillar member, wherein the wheel house perimeter member extends forward from the rear pillar member with a downward inclination in the vehicle longitudinal direction, an upper part of the wheel house perimeter member is connected to the rear pillar member, and also a lower part of the wheel house perimeter member is connected to the side sill and the side member and is arranged to overlap with the rear suspension tab when viewed from a top side of the vehicle. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] As described above, the vehicle body rear structure according to the present invention has a structure including: the rear door opening provided on the vehicle body side member, the side sill provided below the vehicle body side member and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the side member provided inwardly from the side sill in a vehicle width direction and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the rear pillar member provided on the vehicle rear side of the rear door opening and arranged to protrude from the side member, and the rear suspension bracket to which the rear suspension is to be attached, which is provided on the lower part of the side sill and the side member.wherein the wheel arch perimeter member is provided in the vehicle front of the underside of the rear pillar member, the upper part of the wheel arch perimeter member is connected to the underside of the rear pillar member, and also the lower part of the wheel arch perimeter member is connected to the side sill and the side member and is arranged to overlap with the rear suspension tab when viewed from the top of the vehicle.

[0008] Accordingly, the vehicle body rear structure of the present invention is configured such that the side member receives the load applied to the rear suspension bracket toward a top of the vehicle, and the wheel house peripheral member supports the side member from above and also transmits the load transmitted to the wheel house peripheral member toward the top of the vehicle for distribution, and accordingly can effectively reduce local load concentration on the side member and the rear wheel house. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle body rear portion of a vehicle to which a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, when viewed obliquely from above at the front side of the inside of the vehicle. Fig. 2 shows a side view of the vehicle body rear part in Fig. 1 when viewed from inside the vehicle. Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the wheel house peripheral member and its surrounding portion in the vehicle body rear part in Fig. 1 when viewed obliquely from above at the front of the inside of the vehicle. Fig. 4 shows a plan view of a rear suspension bracket and its surrounding portion in the vehicle body rear structure of the present invention when viewed from below the vehicle. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a spring seat and its surrounding portion in the vehicle body rear structure of the present invention when viewed obliquely from above at the front of the inside of the vehicle. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

[0010] Fig. 1 to 5 illustrate a vehicle body rear structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figures, the direction of arrow Fr indicates a vehicle front, the direction of arrow I indicates an inner side in a vehicle width direction, and the direction of arrow U indicates a vehicle top.

[0011] The vehicle body rear structure of the embodiment of the present invention includes: a rear door opening 11 provided in a vehicle body side member (side body) 1, a side sill 2 provided below the vehicle body side member 1 and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, a side member 3 provided so as to be adjacent to the side sill 2 inward in the vehicle width direction and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a rear pillar member 4 provided on the vehicle rear side of the rear door opening 11, arranged so as to protrude from the side member 3 and extend along the vertical direction of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. In addition, a rear suspension bracket 5, to which a rear suspension not shown is to be attached, is provided in the lower part of the side sill 2 and the side member 3.

[0012] As in Fig. As shown in Fig. 1, the side sill 2 is provided at a side part in the vehicle width direction of a main floor panel 6A and a rear floor panel 6B arranged front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction from front to rear. Furthermore, the side member 3 includes a front side member 31 and a rear side member 32 provided at positions in the front and rear of the vehicle; and the rear pillar member 4 and the rear suspension bracket 5 are provided on one side of the rear side member 32 of the side member 3. Furthermore, the side sill 2 and the side member 3 are connected to each other while interposing the main floor panel 6A and the rear floor panel 6B.

[0013] As in Fig. 1 to 3, in the present embodiment, a wheel house peripheral member 7 is provided at the vehicle front of the lower side of the rear pillar member 4, and the wheel house peripheral member 7 has such a cross-sectional shape that a portion except the upper and lower parts can be overlapped with and connected to the vehicle body side member 1. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the wheel house peripheral member 7 is inclined downwardly, extending forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rear pillar member 4. The rear pillar member 4 and the wheel house peripheral member 7 form an inverted "λ" shape or a "Λ" shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle.Furthermore, the upper part 7a of the wheel house perimeter member 7 is connected to the lower side of the rear pillar member 4, and the lower part 7b of the wheel house perimeter member 7 is connected to the side sill 2 and the side member 3, and is arranged to overlap with the rear suspension bracket 5 when viewed from the top of the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle body rear structure is configured such that the wheel house perimeter member 7 receives a load toward a top of the vehicle input from the rear suspension bracket 5, and the wheel house perimeter member 7 also supports the side member 3 from above to transmit the load transmitted to the wheel house perimeter member 7 to the top of the vehicle for distribution.

[0014] In addition, the rear suspension bracket 5 of the present embodiment is connected to the side sill 2 and the side member 3, and is not directly connected to the wheel house peripheral member 7, but is configured to transmit the load through the rear side member 32 and the like.

[0015] In addition, as in Fig. 1 to 5, the rear pillar member 4 of the present embodiment extends from the rear side member 32 of the side member 3 to the roof rack 81 of the vehicle body upper part 8 and has a structure taking the skeleton structure into consideration. To this end, the rear pillar member 4 includes an upper rear pillar member 41 and a lower rear pillar member 42; and the lower end portion of the upper rear pillar member 41 and the upper end portion of the lower rear pillar member 42 are connected to each other and are configured to be an integrated structure extending continuously. The upper part 41a of the upper rear pillar member 41 has a shape that can overlap with the wall surface of the roof rack 81 of the vehicle body upper part 8 and is connected to the wall surface of the roof rack 81.The lower part 42a of the lower rear pillar member 42 has a shape that can overlap with the wall surface of the rear side member 32, and is connected to the rear side member 32 while spanning the inner flange and the outer flange of the rear side member 32 and sandwiching the rear floor panel 6B. Moreover, the lower part 42a of the lower rear pillar member 42 is arranged to overlap with the spring seat 9 disposed on the lower surface 32a of the rear side member 32 when viewed from the top of the vehicle. The spring seat 9 is formed to be a disk shape that supports a spring used for a rear suspension (not shown).

[0016] Thereby, a load applied to the spring seat 9 is first received by a lower side of the rear side member 32, is transmitted via the rear side member 32 to the lower rear pillar member 42, is distributed to the surrounding beams and panels, and is finally distributed, via the upper rear pillar member 41, also to a wide area of ​​the vehicle body rear portion including the roof rack 81. Similarly, a load applied by the wheel house perimeter member 7 is also distributed over a wide area of ​​the vehicle body rear portion.

[0017] In the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment, a rear wheel house 12 for accommodating a rear tire and a rear suspension, which are not shown, is provided on the vehicle front side of the lower rear pillar member 42, as shown in Fig. 1 to 5, and the rear wheel house 12 is constructed of an outer wheel house panel 12A disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and an inner wheel house panel 12B disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The outer wheel house panel 12A and the inner wheel house panel 12B are formed to be an arc shape due to flanges (not shown) of ridge lines of the upper parts thereof being connected to each other. Furthermore, the wheel house peripheral member 7 has a curved shape extending obliquely rearward to the upper side along the outer peripheral surface of the upper part of the inner wheel house panel 12B, and the upper part 7a of the wheel house peripheral member 7 and the lower rear pillar member 42 are connected to each other in a state of being in contact with the rear wheel house 12.As a result, a closed cross section of the wheel house peripheral member 7 is formed in the side of the inner wheel house panel 12B.

[0018] This makes it possible to utilize the rigidity of the flange connecting portion of the outer wheel house panel 12A and the inner wheel house panel 12B constituting the wheel house 12 and the rigidity of the curved surface of the rear wheel house 12, and the wheel house peripheral member 7 is configured to be capable of ensuring the rigidity.

[0019] In addition, the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment has a cylindrical portion S in the vertical direction (vertical direction of the vehicle) formed from three surfaces of the rear end portion 2a of the side sill 2 which is inclined when viewed from the top of the vehicle, the side part 32b of the rear side member 32 and the front part 12Ba of the inner wheel house panel 12B, as shown in Fig. 4, and the rear end portion 2a of the side sill 2 is inclined toward the vehicle rear, toward the outer side of the vehicle, when viewed from the top of the vehicle. Specifically, because in the upper side of the rear suspension bracket 5, the side sill 2 and the rear side member 32 are separated from each other to form a cavity, and also the rear end portion 2a of the side sill 2 and the side part 32b of the rear side member 32 are connected to the front part 12Ba of the wheel house inner panel 12B in the vehicle rear of the cavity; and accordingly, a cylindrical structure formed by the surfaces of the three members is obtained in the upper side of the rear suspension bracket 5.

[0020] The wall surface extending in the vertical direction of the cylindrical portion S has rigidity for transmitting the load toward the vertical direction of the vehicle and accordingly can effectively transmit the load even if the rear suspension bracket 5 and the rear side member 32 are not directly connected to each other, and the load acting on the rear side member 32 and the rear wheel house 12 is reduced.

[0021] Furthermore, in the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment, as shown in Fig.3 to 5, a first reinforcing plate 33 is provided on the rear side member 32, which is arranged adjacent to the rear suspension bracket 5 and the cylindrical portion S; and the left and right side parts and the lower part of the first reinforcing plate 33 except the upper part are bent at a substantially right angle and are connected to the left and right side wall surfaces and the lower wall surface of the rear side member 32. The first reinforcing plate 33 reduces the distortion of the rear side member 32 caused by the load from the rear suspension bracket 5 and serves as a reinforcing portion that distributes the load toward the upper side of the vehicle, and has an effect of indirectly suppressing the cylindrical portion S from bending and the load from escaping.

[0022] In addition, a pair of front and rear second reinforcing plates 34 are provided in the inner part and in the outer part of the lower rear pillar member 42 while being spaced apart, on the rear side member 32 arranged in the lower side of the lower part 42a of the lower rear pillar member 42, and the left and right side parts and the lower part of the second reinforcing plates 34 except for the upper part are bent at a substantially right angle and are respectively connected to the left and right side wall surfaces and the lower wall surface of the rear side member 32.These second reinforcing plates 34 effectively transmit the load input to the rear side member 32 to the lower rear pillar member 42 and directly transmit the spring load of the spring seat 9 to the lower rear pillar member 42 and have an effect of reducing the load on the rear side member 32.

[0023] Accordingly, the vehicle body rear structure according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the rear door opening 11 provided in the vehicle body side member 1, the side sill 2 provided below the vehicle body side member 1 and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the side member 3 provided inward from the side sill 2 in a vehicle width direction and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the rear pillar member 4 provided on the vehicle rear side of the rear door opening 11 and arranged to protrude from the side member 3, wherein the rear suspension bracket 5 to which the rear suspension is to be attached is provided at the lower part of the side sill 2 and the side member 3.In addition, the wheel house perimeter member 7 is provided in the vehicle front of the lower surface of the rear pillar member 4. Moreover, the upper part 7a of the wheel house perimeter member 7 is connected to the lower surface of the rear pillar member 4, and the lower part 7b of the wheel house perimeter member 7 is connected to the side sill 2 and the side member 3, and is arranged to overlap with the rear suspension bracket 5 when viewed from the top of the vehicle.

[0024] Accordingly, the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment is configured such that the side member 3 receives the load applied to the rear suspension bracket 5 toward the top of the vehicle, and the wheel house peripheral member 7 supports the side member 3 from above, and accordingly can ensure the rigidity in the vertical direction of the vehicle at the vehicle body rear part and also can effectively reduce the local load concentration on the side member 3 and the rear wheel house 12.Moreover, according to the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment, the load is transmitted from the rear suspension bracket 5 to the wheel house periphery member 7, is transmitted to the top of the vehicle via the rear pillar member 4, and can also be transmitted to the vehicle longitudinal direction from front to rear via the side sill 2 and the side member, and accordingly, the load applied to the rear suspension can be distributed throughout the vehicle body rear part.

[0025] Furthermore, in the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment, the rear pillar member 4 includes an upper rear pillar member 41 and a lower rear pillar member 42. The upper part 41a of the upper rear pillar member 41 is connected to a roof rail 81 of the vehicle body upper part 8, and a lower part 42a of the lower rear pillar member 42 is arranged to overlap with a spring seat 9 provided on an upper surface of the side member 3 when viewed from the top of the vehicle.

[0026] Accordingly, the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment is configured such that the lower part of the rear side member 32 receives the load applied to the spring seat 9, and the load is transmitted to the lower rear pillar member 42, the upper rear pillar member 41, the wheel house peripheral member 7, and the like via the rear side member 32 having high rigidity, and can accordingly distribute the load to the side sill 2, the rear floor panel 6b, and the like in the surrounding portion, and can distribute the load over a wide range of the vehicle body rear part including the roof rack 81.

[0027] Furthermore, in the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment, a rear wheel house 12 is provided on the vehicle front side of the lower rear pillar member 42, and the rear wheel house 12 is constructed of an outer wheel house panel 12A and an inner wheel house panel 12B. Furthermore, the wheel house peripheral member 7 has a curved shape extending obliquely rearward toward the upper side along an outer peripheral surface of the upper part of the inner wheel house panel 12B, and the upper part 7a of the wheel house peripheral member 7 and the lower rear pillar member 42 are connected in a state of being in contact with the rear wheel house 12.

[0028] Accordingly, in the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment, the outer wheel house panel 12A and the inner wheel house panel 12B constituting the wheel house 12 are connected to each other by flanges of ridge lines of upper parts thereof, and a closed cross section of the wheel house peripheral member 7 is formed on one side of the inner wheel house panel 12B; accordingly, it becomes possible to utilize the rigidity of the curved surface of the rear wheel house 12, and it is possible to ensure the rigidity of the wheel house peripheral member 7 and also effectively distribute the load that has been transmitted to the wheel house peripheral member 7 to the beams and panels of the surrounding components.

[0029] Furthermore, the vehicle body rear structure of the present embodiment has a cylindrical portion S in the vertical direction formed by three surfaces of the rear end portion 2a of the side sill 2, the side part 32b of the rear side member 32 (side part of the side member 3), and the front part 12Ba (front part of the rear wheel house 12) of the wheel house inner panel 12B; accordingly, the wall surface of the cylindrical portion S ultimately has rigidity and can effectively transmit the load in the vertical direction of the vehicle even when the rear suspension bracket 5 and the rear side member 32 are not directly connected to each other, and can effectively transmit the load from the rear suspension bracket 5 to the rear side member 32 and the like, and can reduce the load acting on the rear side member 32 and the rear wheel house 12.

[0030] In the above, the already described embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes may be made based on the technical concept of the present invention.

[0031] For example, in the embodiment already described, the rear pillar member 4 has the structure in which the upper rear pillar member 41 and the lower rear pillar member 42 are divided into two upper and lower parts, but may have a structure in which the rear pillar member 4 is formed of one member. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle body side panel 2 side skirts 2a rear end section 3 longitudinal members 4 rear pillar element 5 rear suspension bracket 6A Main floor panel 6B rear floor panel 7 Wheel arch perimeter element 7a upper part 7b lower part 8 Vehicle body upper section 9 Spring seat 11 rear door opening 12 rear wheel arch 12A outer wheel arch panel 12B inner wheel arch panel 12Ba front part 31 front longitudinal member 32 rear longitudinal member 32a lower surface 32b side part 41 upper rear pillar element 41a upper part 42 lower rear pillar element 42a lower part S cylindrical section

Claims

[1] Vehicle body rear structure, where: the vehicle body rear structure comprises a rear door opening (11) provided on a vehicle body side part, a side sill (2) provided below the vehicle body side part and extending from front to rear in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a side member (3) provided inwardly from the side sill (2) in a vehicle width direction and extending from front to rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a rear pillar member (4) provided on a rear side of the rear door opening (11) in the vehicle longitudinal direction and arranged such that the rear pillar member (4) protrudes from the side member (3), and a rear suspension bracket (5), to which a rear suspension is to be attached, is provided on a lower part of the side sill (2) and the longitudinal member (3), characterized by , that a wheel house peripheral element (7) is provided on a front side of the rear pillar element (4) in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the wheel house peripheral element (7) extending forward from the rear pillar element (4) with a downward inclination in the vehicle longitudinal direction, an upper part (7a) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) is connected to the rear pillar member (4) and a lower part (7b) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) is connected to the side sill (2) and the side member (3) and is arranged such that the lower part (7b) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) overlaps with the rear suspension bracket (5) when the lower part (7b) of the wheel house peripheral member (7) is viewed from a top side of the vehicle. [2] The vehicle body rear structure according to claim 1, wherein the rear pillar member (4) includes an upper rear pillar member (41) and a lower rear pillar member (42), an upper part (41a) of the upper rear pillar member (41) is connected to a roof rail (81) of a vehicle body upper part (8), a lower part of the upper rear pillar member (41) is connected to an upper part of the lower rear pillar member (42), and a lower part (42a) of the lower rear pillar member (42) is arranged such that the lower part (42a) of the lower rear pillar member (42) overlaps with a spring seat (9) provided on an upper surface of the side member (3) when the lower part (42a) of the lower rear pillar member (42) is viewed from the top of the vehicle. [3] The vehicle body rear structure according to claim 2, wherein a rear wheel house (12) is provided at a vehicle longitudinal direction front side of the lower rear pillar member (42), the rear wheel house (12) is constructed of an outer wheel house panel (12A) and an inner wheel house panel (12B), the wheel house peripheral member (7) has a shape extending obliquely rearward to the upper side along an outer peripheral surface of an upper part of the inner wheel house panel (12B), and the wheel house peripheral member (7) and the lower rear pillar member (42) are connected.

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