VEHICLE BODY FLOOR STRUCTURE

Abstract

The creation of a vehicle body floor structure which has the advantage that a remaining floor tunnel section is used as a reinforcement structure in conjunction with a floor cross element, while at the same time making a battery storage space available. A vehicle body floor structure comprises a floor panel that terminates at a rear end in the center of the vehicle interior, and a floor cross member with one end extending in the vehicle width direction, which is connected to a vehicle body frame member. The rear end of the floor tunnel consists of a tunnel back section. This tunnel back wall includes a tunnel rear wall extending between a front edge section connected to an upper wall and a side wall of the floor tunnel, and a side edge section and a rear edge section connected to the floor panel. To allow the floor cross member to intersect the tunnel back section and extend in the vehicle width direction, a cutout extends from the front wall of a front section of the upper wall of the floor cross member, and an upper support is provided that covers the cutout from above and is connected to the upper wall of the floor tunnel.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle body floor structure of a vehicle. [Technical background]

[0002] Typically, a floor tunnel extending longitudinally along the center of a vehicle floor is formed. This floor tunnel is a basic structure required to accommodate a drive shaft in a commonly used rear-wheel-drive vehicle, but also in a front-wheel-drive vehicle, since in the latter the floor tunnel serves as a reinforcing structure for a vehicle body floor section and also provides a space for an exhaust pipe.

[0003] In recent years, however, the importance of the reinforcement structure has decreased due to improvements in body design technology, while providing space for a higher-capacity battery has become more important, driven by the electrification of power transmission systems, for example in electric and hybrid vehicles. For instance, patent specification 1 shows a structure in which the floor tunnel terminates in front of a seat, while a floor below the seat is flattened to provide space for a battery pack. [List of publications][Patent specifications]

[0004] Patent specification 1: JP 7197254 B2 [Disclosure of the invention][Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0005] By partially omitting a floor tunnel and flattening the floor in the vehicle interior, a floor transverse element, which was usually divided into a left and a right part by the floor tunnel, can be replaced by a floor transverse element that extends across the entire floor of the vehicle interior in the entire width of the vehicle, and by connecting the opposite ends of the floor transverse element to side sills of a frame structure on the underside of the vehicle body, a space for a battery could be created while simultaneously ensuring the rigidity of a vehicle body floor section.

[0006] However, challenges remain in patent specification 1 insofar as a remaining floor tunnel section and the floor transverse element are separate, and the floor tunnel section cannot be used as a reinforcement structure in conjunction with the floor transverse element.

[0007] The invention was made in view of these circumstances, and it is an objective of the invention to create a vehicle body floor structure which offers the advantage of using a floor tunnel section as a reinforcement structure in conjunction with a floor transverse element, while at the same time creating a battery accommodation space. [Means of solving the problems]

[0008] To solve the above problems, a vehicle body floor structure according to the invention includes: a floor plate defining the floor area of ​​a vehicle interior; a floor tunnel extending upwards from the center of the floor panel in the direction of the vehicle's width, which extends longitudinally from a front part of the vehicle interior to the rear and terminates at a rear end in the center of the vehicle interior; and a floor transverse element extending in the vehicle width direction on the floor panel, comprising a front wall, a rear wall, an upper wall extending between an upper end of the front wall and an upper end of the rear wall, and flange sections formed at a lower end of the front wall and at a lower end of the rear wall, each having a hat-shaped cross-section and each connected at one end in the vehicle width direction to a body frame part, the rear end of the floor tunnel consists of a tunnel back section, the tunnel back section includes a front edge section connected to the top wall and a side wall of the bottom tunnel, a side edge section and a rear edge section connected to the base plate, and a tunnel back wall extending between the front edge section and the side edge section and the rear edge section, and so that the floor cross element crosses the tunnel rear section and extends in the direction of the vehicle width, a cutout extending from the front wall to a front section of the upper wall of the floor cross element is formed, and an upper support covering the cutout from above and connected to the upper wall of the floor tunnel is present. [Advantageous mode of operation of the invention]

[0009] As explained above, the vehicle body floor structure according to the invention includes a configuration in which a floor cross element extending across the entire width of the vehicle interior floor intersects, i.e., overlaps, a rear end of a floor tunnel. This configuration advantageously results in a highly rigid floor structure in which the floor tunnel and the floor cross element interact. Compared to a configuration in which the floor tunnel and the floor cross element do not intersect, this also offers the advantage that the rear end of a floor tunnel can be extended rearward to increase the efficiency of utilizing the interior space behind the floor tunnel, or that the floor cross element can be positioned further forward, thus extending a flat floor space behind the floor cross element forward. [Brief description of the drawings] Fig. Figure 1 is a top view of a vehicle body floor structure according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view along line AA in Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a major component near a front floor tunnel back end. Fig. Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part and shows the close-up area of ​​the rear end of a front floor tunnel, with an upper support removed. Fig. Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part and shows the proximity of the rear end of the front floor tunnel, with a front floor cross element omitted. Fig. Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part, illustrating the close-up view of the upper support when viewed from behind. Fig. Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part made of Fig. 2 and shows the close-up area of ​​a rear end of the front floor tunnel. [Method of implementing the invention]

[0010] One embodiment of the invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] Unless otherwise stated, in the following description, the terms Front and Rear refer to the front and rear areas in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (FR), Left and Right refer to the left and right ends in the width direction of the vehicle (W), and Vertical Height means a vertical height in the height direction of the vehicle (H).

[0012] Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the following description assumes that each panel and component forming a vehicle body floor section is press-formed from sheet metal, particularly steel. It is also assumed that each panel and component is joined by welding, specifically spot welding (resistance spot welding or laser spot welding). However, this does not exclude configurations using other materials, forming processes, or joining methods. (Basic structure of the vehicle body floor section)

[0013] In the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are a left and a right floor plate 10, 10, which form an underside of a vehicle body, connected on opposite sides to side sills 12, 12. These side sills 12, 12 are vehicle body frame parts that extend in the longitudinal direction FR to a lower part of the vehicle body and typically have a closed cross-sectional structure, in which a side sill outer element with a hat-shaped cross-section projects outwards in the vehicle width direction and forms an outer surface of the vehicle body lower part, while a side sill inner element with a hat-shaped cross-section projects towards the center in the vehicle width direction, the outer element and inner element being connected directly to each other or via a reinforcing element and extending longitudinally.

[0014] Floor side elements 11, 11, extending in the longitudinal direction FR of the vehicle, are connected to the undersides of the floor panels 10, 10 adjacent to the center of the side sills 12, 12 in the width direction of the vehicle. The floor side elements 11, 11 have an inverted hat-shaped cross-section, are connected to the undersides of the floor panels 10, 10 at flange sections on opposite sides, and have a closed cross-section extending in the internally defined longitudinal direction. As in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, the floor side elements 11, 11 are directed towards the rear of the vehicle and are arranged at an angle in such a way that their distance increases in a top view.

[0015] A front and a rear floor cross element 21 and 22, respectively, extending in the vehicle width direction W between the left and right side sills 12, 12, are arranged at a distance from each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction FR and are connected to the upper surfaces of the floor panels 10, 10. The front and rear floor cross elements 21 and 22, respectively, have a hat-shaped cross-section and a closed cross-section in the vehicle width direction W, which is defined on the inside.

[0016] The left and right floor plates 10, 10 include a front floor section 101 in front of the front floor cross element 21, an intermediate floor section 102 between the front floor cross element 21 and the rear floor cross element 22, and opposite side sections 103 of a rear floor section behind the rear floor cross element 22, these sections forming a substantially flat floor underplane as shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 can be seen.

[0017] In contrast, a raised surface 104 is formed in the middle of the rear floor section in the vehicle width direction W. A front part of the raised surface 104 runs continuously with the intermediate floor section 102 over a sloping surface 105, and opposite sides of the raised surface 104 in the vehicle width direction W run continuously with the opposite side sections 103 over a sloping surface 106. Therefore, the rear floor section has a three-dimensional shape including the opposite side sections 103, which form the sub-planes on opposite sides, and the central raised surface 104. As in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, the left and right base plates 10, 10 each extend continuously from the front part of the base 101 to the rear part of the base at a substantially constant width, and each plate is formed from a blank by pressing molds.

[0018] In the middle between the left and right floor panels 10, 10 in the vehicle width direction W, there is a front floor tunnel 13, which projects upwards, extends from the front part of the vehicle interior in the longitudinal direction to the rear, and terminates near the front floor cross element 21 in the middle of the vehicle interior. The front floor tunnel 13 has a hat-shaped cross-section and arches upwards in the vehicle height direction H relative to the floor panels 10, 10. Furthermore, it has a front end 135 with an upward slope along the (not shown) dashboard towards the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0019] A substantially flat floor center panel 15 is located behind the front floor tunnel 13 in the center, in the vehicle width direction W, between the left floor panel 10 and the right floor panel 10, and also between the front floor cross member 21 and the rear floor cross member 22. In this configuration, a flat area extending across the entire width in the vehicle width direction W is formed in the floor intermediate section 102 between the front floor cross member 21 and the rear floor cross member 22. This flat area defines a receiving space 150 for a battery 7 (a HEV battery for powering a motor generator of a hybrid vehicle) below the left and right seats 6 (the front seats).

[0020] Furthermore, a rear floor tunnel 16, extending backwards in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from the rear floor cross element 22, is located behind the floor center plate 15 in the center in the vehicle width direction W between the left floor plate 10 and the right floor plate 10, and a rear support 23 is connected between the upper and rear walls of the rear floor cross element 22 and an upper surface of the rear floor tunnel 16 behind the rear floor cross element. As explained above, the rear floor tunnel 16 has a lower relative height compared to the floor plate 10 (104) than the front floor tunnel 13, since the raised surface 104 in the center of the rear floor section is formed in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] In the above configuration, a rear underfloor space 160 is formed below the rear floor section by the central rear floor tunnel 16 and the raised area 104 on the opposite sides of the rear floor tunnel 16. As the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the rear underbody space 160 serves as a receiving space for a silencer 82 (main chamber) which is located in the middle of an exhaust pipe 8.

[0022] Seat supports 25 and 26 for attaching the front parts 65 of the side rails 66 of a left and a right seat 6 (front seats) are located on the front floor cross member 21, and seat supports 27 and 28 for attaching the rear mounting parts 67 of the sliding rails 66 are located on the rear floor cross member 22. Of these supports, the front seat supports 25, 25 are integrated in the middle in the direction of the vehicle width between the left and the right seat 6 with an upper support 23, and the rear seat supports 27, 27 are integrated in the middle in the direction of the vehicle width between the left and the right seat 6 with an upper support 24. The upper support 23 is explained further below. (Tunnel back section to form the front bottom tunnel rear end)

[0023] How Fig. Figure 5 shows that, in which the upper support 23 and the front floor cross element 21 are omitted, a rear end of the front floor tunnel 13, which crosses the front floor cross element 21, is composed of a tunnel back part 14 separated from a main part of the front floor tunnel 13.

[0024] The tunnel back section 14 is connected to the rear end of the front floor tunnel 13 in a front edge section (141, 142, 143) whose cross-sectional shape corresponds to the rear end of the front floor tunnel 13. That is, an upper section 143 of the front edge section is connected to a rear end of an upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13, and side sections 141 and 142 of the front edge section are connected to side walls 131 and 132 of the front floor tunnel 13.

[0025] In the side walls 131 and 132 of the front floor tunnel 13, the upper section 132 is gently inclined relative to the lower section 131, and similarly, in the side sections 141 and 142 of the leading edge section of the tunnel rear end section 14, the upper section 142 is gently inclined relative to the lower section 141. Furthermore, a flanged section 13 located at an edge of the floor tunnel 10 is connected to the lower ends of the side wall subsection 131 of the front floor tunnel 13 and the lower section 141 of the tunnel rear end section 14.

[0026] The tunnel rear section 14 includes a tunnel back wall 146, which defines a sloping surface extending to the floor surface (the lower plane) behind the front edge sections (141, 142, 143). A central section of the tunnel back wall 146 has a sloping surface that descends rearward from the upper section 143, and opposite side sections 147 of the tunnel back wall 146 have surfaces that are inclined diagonally to the left and right sides, corresponding to the inclinations of the side walls 131 and 132 of the front floor tunnel 13 and the front edge side sections 141 and 142.

[0027] Furthermore, the tunnel back section 14 includes a flat section (144, 145), including a trailing edge section 145 extending rearward along the floor surface from a lower area of ​​the tunnel back wall 146, and laterally extending side edge sections 144. The trailing edge section 145 overlaps and is connected to a leading edge section 155 of the floor center plate 15 adjacent to the tunnel back section 14. The tunnel back section 14 is also connected to the floor plates 10, 10 at the side edge sections 144, overlapping and extending from the undersides of the left and right floor plates 10, 10.

[0028] The flange section 113 of the floor plate 10 terminates in the opposite side sections 147 of the tunnel rear wall 146, and the edges 114 in the middle in the vehicle width direction between the floor plates 10, which extend rearward from the side sections 147, include a flat part (144, 145) of the tunnel rear wall 146 and a flat edge along the top of the floor center plate 15.

[0029] As further in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 5, the side edge sections 144 of the tunnel back end part 14 coincide with side edge sections 134 of the front floor tunnel 13 and side edge sections 154 of the floor center plate 15 and extend to the underside of the floor plate 10. The side edge sections 134, 144 and 154 have a series of inverted hat-shaped cross-sections 138-158 ( Fig. 1), which are shaped to project downwards and extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the side edge sections 134, 144 and 154 are connected to the underside of the floor plate 10 to form a series of closed cross-sections (138-158; Fig. 1) to form, extending in the direction of the vehicle from the left and right side edge sections 134 of the front floor tunnel 13 to the left and right side edge sections 154 of the floor center plate 15.

[0030] Although not shown in the drawings, in a preferred embodiment an upwardly projecting reinforcing bead is preferably formed at the edge of the base plate 10 above the inverted hat-shaped cross-sections 138-158 of the side edge sections 134, 144 and 154, and this reinforcing bead reinforces the closed cross-section upwards. (Intersection structure of the front floor tunnel back end and front floor cross element)

[0031] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, in order for the front floor cross element 21 to cross above the tunnel back section 14 and extend in the longitudinal direction W of the vehicle, a cutout 210 is formed which extends from a front wall 211 to a front section of an upper wall 213 of the front floor cross element 21.

[0032] The cutout 210 is formed in a zone in which a cross-section of a basic shape of the front floor transverse element 21 (a shape based on the assumption that there is no cutout 210), which intersects the tunnel back section 14, is enlarged rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and laterally in the vehicle width direction. That is, the cutout 210 is dimensioned such that the front floor transverse element 21 does not touch the tunnel back section 14, while a generally uniform gap is defined between an edge of the cutout 210 and the tunnel back section 14.

[0033] Furthermore, the cutout 210 is partially formed relative to a width of the upper wall 213 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The upper wall 213 remains partially intact, and a bent section between the upper wall 213 and a rear wall 212 remains behind the upper wall 213 of the front floor cross element 21, so that the cross-sectional shape of the front floor cross element 21 is also maintained in a section in which the cutout 210 is formed.

[0034] On opposite sides in the vehicle width direction of a part of the front floor cross element 21, where the cutout 210 is formed, there are (not shown) partition walls which are connected to the inner surfaces of the front wall 211, the rear wall 212 and the upper wall 213, in order to subdivide the cross-section of the front floor cross element 21.

[0035] The front floor cross element 21, with the exception of the crossing part with the front floor tunnel 13, is connected to the floor plate 10 in a front flange 214 extending from a lower end of the front wall 211 and a rear flange 215 extending from a lower end of the rear wall 212, and as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, in the front edge section 155 of the bottom center plate 15, to which the rear edge section 145 of the tunnel back end part 14 is connected, three parts are connected together, including the edges of the rear flange 215.

[0036] Preferably proceeds according to Fig. 7 the rear edge section 145 of the tunnel back end part 14 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to the rear beyond the rear flange 215 of the front floor transverse element 21 and is connected to the floor center plate 15 in this extension section (145). (Connecting structure between the front floor tunnel back end and the front floor cross element)

[0037] As described above, in the area of ​​cutout 210, a gap is formed between the front bottom cross element 21 and the tunnel back section 14, and the front bottom cross element 21 and the tunnel back section 14 are not directly connected to each other. Furthermore, in the area of ​​cutout 210, the cross-section is reduced compared to a cross-section that does not contain cutout 210, with the relative decrease in strength being non-negligible.

[0038] In order to reinforce the front floor cross element 21 in the area of ​​the cutout 210 and at the same time to obtain a connected area with the rear end of the front floor tunnel 13, the upper support 23 is provided, which covers the cutout 210 from above and is connected to the upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13.

[0039] As in the Fig. 3 and Fig. As can be seen in Figure 6, the upper support 23 forms a basic shape in the form of a box or a trapezoidal shape, which extends in the direction of the width of the vehicle with a width that is essentially equal to the width of the upper wall 213 of the front floor cross element 21, in order to widen the cross-section of the front floor cross element 21 upwards in the area of ​​the cutout 210.

[0040] In particular, the upper support 23 includes a front wall section 231 with connected sections 230 on the front wall 211 of the front floor transverse element 21 on opposite sides of the cutout 210 in the vehicle width direction, and rising to extend the front wall 211 upwards; a rear wall section 234 ( Fig. 6), which in a lower area includes a connected section 238 on the rear wall 210 of the front floor cross member 21 and rises to extend the rear wall 212 upwards; an upper wall section 237 extending between an upper edge of the front wall section 231 and an upper edge of the rear wall section 234; and side wall sections 235 extending downwards in the vehicle width direction from side edges on opposite sides of the upper wall section 237 and connected to the upper wall 213 of the front floor cross member 21 by means of flange sections 236 extending laterally from the respective lower ends of the side walls. The upper support 23 is box-shaped and has tabs that are folded back from the side edges of the front wall section 231 and the rear wall section 234 and connected to the rear sides of the two sides of the side wall section 235.

[0041] Furthermore, in the middle of the front wall section 231 of the upper girder 23, flange sections 232 and 233 are formed in the vehicle width direction such that they extend forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from an edge which is formed in an essentially trapezoidal tunnel shape, corresponding to the shape of an upper region of the rear ends of the front floor tunnel 13 and the front edge sections (142, 143) of the tunnel rear end section 14. In the flange sections 232 and 233, the upper girder is connected to the side wall 132 and the upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13, to which the front edge sections (142, 143) of the tunnel rear end section 14 are connected.

[0042] That is, the upper support 23 is connected in three layers to the side wall 132 of the front floor tunnel 13 and the side section 142 of the front edge section of the tunnel rear end part 14 in the flange section 232, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from the side edge of the tunnel form, and is also connected in three layers to the upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13 and the upper section 142 of the front edge section of the tunnel rear end part 14 in the flange section 233, which extends forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, starting from the upper edge of the tunnel form.

[0043] As described above, the front floor cross element 21 is rigidly connected to the front floor tunnel 13 and the tunnel rear end part 14 via the upper support 23 with three surfaces, which has the advantage of ensuring stiffness of the vehicle body floor part.

[0044] Furthermore, the upper support 23 incorporates seat mounting structures 25, for example, in the form of seat surfaces and bolt holes (welded nuts) for attaching the front parts 65 of the sliding rails 66 of the left and right seats 6 (front seats) to opposite side areas of the upper wall section 237 in the vehicle width direction. These seat mounting structures function as seat supports (25). As explained above, the seat mounting structures 25 are integrated with the upper support 23 to reinforce a connecting section between the front floor tunnel 13 and the front floor cross member 21. This provides the advantage of ensuring the mounting rigidity for the left and right seats 6 while simultaneously reducing the number of components.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the flange section 236 of the upper support 23 includes a connection point to an upper flange of the (not shown) partition located in the cross-section of the front floor cross-section element 21, and to the upper wall 213 of the front floor cross-section element 21; the adjacent connection section 230 of the front wall section 231 of the upper support 23 includes a connection point to a front flange of the partition and the front wall 211 of the front floor cross-section element 21; and the connection section 238 of the rear wall section 234 includes a connection point to a rear flange of the partition and the rear wall 212 of the front floor cross-section element 21. Near these connection points, the flanges are connected to the floor plates 10 and the tunnel back section 14, so that a load acting on the seat support (25) is transferred to and distributed by the surroundings.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the upper support 23 is pre-assembled with the front floor cross element 21 to form a front floor cross element assembly and is joined with the front floor tunnel 13 (the tunnel rear part 14) when the upper support 23 was connected as a front floor cross element assembly with the side sills 12, 12 and the floor plates 10, 10.

[0047] Among the components that form the vehicle body floor section, the thickness of the plates of the respective floor panels, such as the floor panel 10, the front floor tunnel 13, the tunnel rear end section 14, the floor center panel 15 and the rear floor tunnel 16, is greater than the thickness of the plates of the vehicle frame parts, such as the floor side element 11, the side sill 12, the front floor cross element 21 and the rear floor cross element 22, and the thickness of the supports (fastening element, reinforcement element), such as the upper support 23, the rear support 24 and the seat supports 26 and 28.

[0048] As mentioned above, the thickness of the tunnel back section 14 and / or the floor center plate 15 is greater than the thickness of the other plates and can be equal to the thickness of a support group, or it can have an average thickness. Therefore, the tunnel back section 14 can be designed as a tunnel back reinforcement element or tunnel back support, and / or the floor center plate 15 can be designed as floor center reinforcement. (Main structure and mode of operation)

[0049] As described above, the vehicle body floor structure according to the invention has the advantage that a highly rigid floor structure is obtained in which the front floor tunnel 13 and the front floor transverse element 21 are coupled together, in a configuration in which the rear end of the front floor tunnel 13 is composed of the separate tunnel rear end part 14, whereas the cutout 210, which extends from the front wall 211 to a front section of the upper wall 213 of the front floor transverse element 21, is formed, and the upper support 23 is present, which covers the cutout 210 from above and is connected to the upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13.

[0050] This means that in the structure in which the rear end of the front floor tunnel 13 (the tunnel back section 14) and the front floor cross element 21 are arranged so that they cross (overlap) each other, the rear end of the front floor tunnel (the front edge sections 141, 142 and 143 of the tunnel back section 14), where the cross-sectional shape is maintained, and the front floor cross element 21 are arranged close together, there is a strong and rigid connection with the upper support 23.

[0051] Furthermore, the cutout 210 forms a gap between the front floor transverse element 21 and the tunnel back section 14 (the tunnel back wall 146), which has the advantage that the design organization of the tunnel back section 14 and the front floor transverse element 21 is simple.

[0052] Furthermore, the rear end of the front floor tunnel 13 (the tunnel rear end part 14) is extended rearward to the cross-section of the front floor transverse element 21, and compared to an embodiment in which the front floor tunnel 13 and the front floor transverse element 21 do not cross each other, the front tunnel underspace 130 is enlarged rearward, which can effectively increase the use of a vehicle interior.

[0053] For example, if, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, an exhaust gas purification device 81 (a catalyst) or a secondary silencer is located in the front tunnel underspace 130, the advantage is that the routing of an exhaust pipe 83, which extends from the catalyst 81 to the rear, is facilitated.

[0054] Alternatively, in comparison to the configuration in which the front floor tunnel 13 and the front floor cross element 21 do not cross each other, the front floor cross element 21 can be arranged further forward, and the flat floor space 150 behind the front floor cross element 21 can be extended further forward.

[0055] For example, in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 2, if the battery 7 (the HEV battery) is installed between the front floor cross member 21 and the rear floor cross member 22, the space for the battery 7 can be enlarged forwards, and a larger battery can be advantageously accommodated. In this case, the forward-backward movement of the front floor cross member 21 is less than the width of each component in the forward-backward direction, and the floor space 150 is extended forwards across the entire width of the vehicle, thereby effectively increasing the available space.

[0056] In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the upper wall section 237 of the upper support 23 is located at a higher position than the upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13, which in turn is located at a higher position than the upper wall 213 of the front floor transverse element 21, and the upper support 23 extends in the vehicle width direction, spreading over the tunnel rear end section 14.That is, the upper wall 213 of the front floor cross element 21 is reinforced in a form that is located at a lower point than the upper wall 133 of the front floor tunnel 13, in a state in which the cross-section of the front floor cross element 21 is extended upwards by the upper support 23, and is also connected in a form in which the cross-section of the front floor tunnel 13 (tunnel back section 14) is preserved, which gives the advantage of improved stiffness of the connected section between the front floor cross element 21 and the front floor tunnel 13 (tunnel back section 14).

[0057] In a preferred aspect of the invention, according to Fig. 7 the rear edge section 145 of the tunnel back end part 14 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to the rear beyond the rear flange 215, which extends from the lower end of the rear wall 212 of the front floor transverse element 21, and is connected to the front edge section 155 of the floor center plate 15 in this extension section (145).

[0058] This extension section (145) is essentially flat and therefore has no negative impact on the use of the floor space 150 above the floor center panel 15, and it extends further rearward beyond the rear flange section 215 of the front floor cross member 21. This configuration allows for a two-stage connection, including a connection point of two pieces, including the front floor panel 15, when connecting the left and right floor panels 10, 10, the front floor tunnel 13, the floor center panel 15, and the rear floor tunnel 16 to form a floor surface before the front floor cross member 21 (and the rear floor cross member 22) are installed. A subsequent connection of three pieces, including the rear flange section 215, is then made when the front floor cross member 21 is installed, which has the advantage of guaranteeing the connection strength of the floor center panel 15.

[0059] In the above embodiment, a case was presented in which the tunnel rear wall 146 of the tunnel rear end part 14 extends linearly while descending from the upper section 143 of the front edge section towards the rear edge section 145, as shown in Fig. 7 can be seen, however, the tunnel back wall 146 can also run in a non-straight manner, with a changed angle of inclination, and it can also run in a stepped form.

[0060] In the above description, the term "flat" also means "essentially flat" and may include some irregularities.

[0061] Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to these; rather, further modifications and alterations are possible on the basis of the technical concept of the invention within the scope of protection of the invention. [List of reference symbols] 10 Base plate 12 side sills (body frame part) 13 front floor tunnel 14 Tunnel back section 15 Base plate 16 rear floor tunnel 21 front floor cross element 22 rear floor cross member 23 upper beam 130 Front tunnel underpass 131, 132 side wall 133 Upper wall 141, 142 Page section (front edge section) 143 upper section (front edge section) 144 Side edge section 145 trailing edge section 146 Tunnel back wall 210 Excerpt 211 Front wall 212 Back panel 213 Upper wall QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 7197254 B2

[0004]

Claims

[1] Vehicle body floor structure, comprising: a floor plate defining a floor area of ​​a vehicle interior (10); a floor tunnel (13) extending upwards from a center of the floor plate (10) in the direction of the vehicle width, which extends longitudinally from a front part of the vehicle interior to the rear and terminates at a rear end in the center of the vehicle interior; and a floor transverse element (21) extending in the vehicle width direction on the floor plate (10), comprising a front wall (211), a rear wall (212), an upper wall (213) extending between an upper end of the front wall (211) and an upper end of the rear wall (212), and flange sections (214, 215) formed at a lower end of the front wall (211) and at a lower end of the rear wall (212), having a hat-shaped cross-section and being connected at one end in the vehicle width direction to a body frame part (12), wherein the rear end of the floor tunnel (13) is composed of a tunnel back section (14), the tunnel rear section (14) includes a front edge section (141, 142, 143) connected to the top wall (133) and a side wall (131, 132) of the bottom tunnel (13), a side edge section (144) and a rear edge section (145) connected to the base plate (10), and a tunnel rear wall (146) extending between the front edge section (141, 142, 143) and the side edge section (144) and the rear edge section (145), and so that the floor transverse element (21) crosses the tunnel rear section (14) and extends in the direction of the vehicle width, a cutout (210) extending from the front wall (211) to a front section of the upper wall of the floor transverse element (21) is formed, and an upper support (23) covering the cutout (210) from above and connected to the upper wall (133) of the floor tunnel (13) is present. [2] Vehicle body floor structure according to claim 1, wherein the upper support (23) has a front wall section (232) which includes connecting sections to the front wall (211) of the floor transverse element (21) on opposite sides of the cutout (210) in the vehicle width direction, which extend between the connecting sections on the opposite sides;a rear wall section (234) connected to the rear wall (212) of the floor transverse element (21), an upper wall section (237) extending between an upper edge of the front wall (211) and an upper edge of the rear wall (212) on opposite sides of the cutout (210) in the vehicle width direction, and opposite side wall sections (235) extending from opposite side edges of the upper wall section (237) in the vehicle width direction and connected to the upper wall (213) of the floor transverse element (21) by flange sections (236) extending laterally from the respective lower ends of the side wall sections (235), and; a connecting section with the upper wall, to which the tunnel rear section (14) of the floor tunnel (13) is connected, is located in a flange section that extends forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from the front wall section (232). [3] Vehicle body floor structure according to claim 2, wherein the upper support (23) further comprises: a connecting section with the side wall to which the tunnel rear end part (14) of the floor tunnel (13) is attached, and the connecting section is present in the flange section which extends forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from the front wall section. [4] Vehicle body floor structure according to claim 3, wherein the upper wall section (237) of the upper support (23) is located at a higher point than the upper wall (133) of the floor tunnel (13), which in turn is located at a higher point than the upper wall (213) of the floor transverse element (21), and the upper support (23) extends in the vehicle width direction, spreading over the tunnel rear end section (14). [5] Vehicle body floor structure according to claim 3, wherein the upper support (23) has been pre-connected to the floor transverse element (21) to form a floor transverse element arrangement, and the upper support (23) and the floor transverse element (21) are connected to the tunnel rear end part (14) as a floor transverse element arrangement. [6] Vehicle body floor structure according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a seat mounting structure is provided in the upper wall section (237) of the upper support (23) and the upper support (23) has the function of a seat support.

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