Floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body

Abstract

Floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body, comprising: a main floor (2) and a rear floor (3) provided in a vehicle front and rear direction; a side sill (4) provided on each of the left and right sides of the main floor (2) and the rear floor (3) in a vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front and rear directions; a floor tunnel (5) having a hat-like cross-sectional shape protruding in an upper direction of the vehicle, the floor tunnel (5) being provided at a central portion of the main floor (2) in the vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front and rear directions; and a vertical wall (6) formed on a front side of the rear floor (3) and extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle, wherein the vertical wall (6) of the rear floor (3) in a continuous form, which has no cracks, half the height (H1) from the top of the vertical wall (6) of the rear floor (3) is greater than the height (H2) from the top of the side sill (4), and half the height (H2) from the top of the side sill (4) is greater than the height (H3) from the top of the floor tunnel (5); wherein left and right foot portions (15b) of the rear end portion (15) of the floor tunnel (5) extend in the lower direction of the vehicle, and the extended parts of the foot portions (15b) are bent into curved shapes, and bead portions (15d) are provided at lower portions of the rear end portion (15).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body. [Technological background]

[0002] Conventionally, a floor of a vehicle body of a vehicle such as an automobile includes a main floor and a rear floor provided at the front and rear of the vehicle, and a side sill extending in the vehicle front and rear directions is provided on each of the left and right sides of the floor in a vehicle width direction. In addition, a floor tunnel protruding toward the upper direction of the vehicle and having a hat-like cross-sectional shape is provided at a central portion of the main floor in the vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front and rear directions. A vertical wall extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle is formed at a front side of the rear floor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In such a vehicle floor structure, steps are provided on the vertical wall of the rear floor to form a support plate for a rear seat and a protrusion for accommodating a fuel tank located at a lower position in the vehicle, and to improve performance. Furthermore, for structural reasons, the height from the vertical wall of the rear floor to the floor tunnel is smaller. Additionally, for structural reasons, a rear end portion of the floor tunnel has a trumpet shape for the arrangement of the exhaust pipe.

[0004] In some of the conventional vehicles, the height of the rear portion of the floor tunnel is gradually reduced toward the rear of the vehicle in order to increase a foot space for the passenger sitting on the rear seat (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [State of the art documents][Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-107424 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2008-074335 A

[0005] JP 2004-345447 A discloses a structure for mounting high-voltage electrical equipment on a vehicle, which enables a suitable design of the passenger compartment by reducing the floor height to a low level.

[0006] US 6,568,745 B2 discloses an automobile body structure with a cross member connecting the left and right center pillars. The cross member has a tubular beam body and node holes located at opposite ends of the beam body. A load acting on one of the center pillars is transferred to the other center pillar via the cross member. The acting load is distributed across these two center pillars to prevent deformation of the center pillar that has absorbed the applied load.

[0007] US 6 299 240 B1 discloses the use of a rigid torque box for cross-connecting the left and right sides of a vehicle frame.

[0008] DE 10 2011 109 314 B4 discloses a connecting member connecting an outer side portion of a cross member and an inner side wall surface portion of a side sill. The connecting member includes a cross member-side connecting portion connected to the cross member and a side sill-side connecting portion connected to the side sill. The side sill-side connecting portion is configured to have lower rigidity than the cross member-side connecting portion, and an outer side end portion of the cross member is disposed at a specified position located on the outer side of the cross member-side connecting portion and on the inner side away from the inner side wall surface portion of the side sill. Therefore, the impact load in the vehicle side collision can be effectively borne by the cross member with a simple structure. [Summary of the invention][Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, in the floor structure of Patent Document 1, as described above, the step provided on the vertical wall of the rear floor creates a deformation margin in the vertical wall, potentially leading to a reduction in ground vibration stability and vehicle body stability. Furthermore, since the height of the vertical wall of the rear floor is low at the portion where the floor tunnel is connected, similar problems may arise regarding ground vibration stability and vehicle body stability. Furthermore, the trumpet shape of the rear end portion of the floor tunnel reduces the lateral area of the vertical wall, weakening ground vibration stability and vehicle body stability, and potentially causing problems such as the generation of vibration and deformation.

[0010] On the other hand, in the floor structure of Patent Document 2 as described above, the gradual reduction in height from the rear end portion of the floor tunnel toward the rear of the vehicle may reduce the stability of the floor tunnel, resulting in reducing the local stability of the floor and the stability of the seat console bracket.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances and has an object to provide a floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body which can achieve a reduction in vehicle interior noise generated by floor vibrations and an improvement in vehicle running smoothness by providing stability in an area around a joint portion between a main floor and a rear floor, thereby improving vehicle body stability and stability against floor vibrations. [Means of solving the tasks]

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object in the conventional art, the present invention provides a floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body, comprising: a main floor and a rear floor provided in a vehicle front and rear direction; a side sill provided on each of the left and right sides of the main floor and the rear floor in a vehicle width direction, and extending in the vehicle front and rear direction; a floor tunnel having a hat-like cross-sectional shape and protruding in the upper direction of the vehicle, the floor tunnel being provided at a central portion of the main floor in the vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front and rear direction;and a vertical wall formed at a front side of the rear floor and extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle, wherein the vertical wall of the rear floor is formed in a continuous shape having no cracks, one half of a height from a top side of the vertical wall of the rear floor is greater than a height from a top side of the side sill, and one half of the height from the top side of the side sill is greater than a height from a top side of the floor tunnel;

[0013] Moreover, in the present invention, an upper edge of the vertical wall of the rear floor is formed in a curved shape bulging in an upper direction of the vehicle.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, the rear floor is provided with a protruding part for a fuel tank, and the protruding part and the vertical wall of the rear floor are formed continuously in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0015] In addition, in the present invention, left and right foot portions extend from a rear end portion of the floor tunnel in a lower direction of the vehicle, and the extended parts of the foot portions are bent into curved shapes.

[0016] Furthermore, in the present invention, the rear end portion of the floor tunnel is formed with a plate member which is a separate component from the floor tunnel. [Effects of the invention]

[0017] As described above, the floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body of the present invention includes: a main floor and a rear floor provided in a vehicle front-and-rear direction; a side sill provided on each of the left and right sides of the main floor and the rear floor in a vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front-and-rear direction; a floor tunnel having a hat-like cross-sectional shape and protruding in the upper direction of the vehicle, the floor tunnel being provided at a central portion of the main floor in the vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front-and-rear direction; and a vertical wall formed at a front side of the rear floor and extending in a vehicle vertical direction.In this floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body, the vertical wall of the rear floor is formed in a continuous shape without any cracks; one half of a height from a top of the vertical wall of the rear floor is greater than a height from a top of the side sill; and one half of the height from the top of the side sill is greater than a height from a top of the floor tunnel. Accordingly, reducing the height of the floor tunnel can provide a greater height, without any cracks, for the vertical wall of the rear floor above the floor tunnel.

[0018] Therefore, according to the floor reinforcement structure of the present invention, stability can be provided to the area around the joint portion between the main floor and the rear floor, enabling an improvement in the overall stability of the vehicle and providing stability to mitigate ground vibrations in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The stability thus provided can reduce vehicle interior noise generated by ground vibrations and improve vehicle smoothness.

[0019] Further, in the present invention, since the upper edge of the vertical wall of the rear floor is formed in a curved shape bulging in an upper direction of the vehicle, the effective height of the vertical wall of the rear floor located above the floor tunnel can be obtained to reduce the deflection of the ground vibration in the vertical direction of the vehicle and improve the ground stability.

[0020] Additionally, in the present invention, the rear floor is provided with a protruding portion for a fuel tank, and the protruding portion and the vertical wall of the rear floor are formed continuously in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Accordingly, the entire height of the vertical wall of the rear floor can be effectively utilized to achieve effects similar to those of the invention described above.

[0021] Furthermore, in the present invention, left and right foot sections extend from a rear end portion of the floor tunnel toward the lower end of the vehicle, and the extended portions of the foot sections are bent into curved shapes. Accordingly, the extended portions of the foot sections allow the effective height of the floor tunnel to be maintained even when the height of the rear end portion of the floor tunnel is reduced. Consequently, a reduction in the stability of the floor tunnel can be avoided.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, since the rear end portion of the floor tunnel is formed with a plate member that is a separate component from the floor tunnel, the local stability of the rear end portion of the floor tunnel can be ensured. In addition, in a case where the curved-shaped extended parts are provided only for the foot portions of the plate member that is a separate component, and not for the main body of the floor tunnel, the rear end portion, which is difficult to form, can be formed separately from the tunnel body, so that the plate member can be formed thicker than the tunnel body. This enables the dual success of formability and stability of the floor. [Brief description of the drawings] [ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle floor to which a reinforcing structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached, the view being diagonally from the top front. [ Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the vehicle floor in Fig. 1 with a cross member separated from a rear floor by a vertical wall. [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along an AA line in Fig. 2. [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the vehicle floor in Fig. 1 points diagonally from the back and bottom left. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing the vehicle floor in Fig. 1 from the front of the vehicle. [Embodiment of the invention]

[0023] A detailed description of the present invention will be given below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

[0024] Fig. 1 to 5 show a floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] As in the Fig. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a floor 1 of a vehicle body of a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a main floor 2 and a rear floor 3 provided in a vehicle front-and-rear direction. A rear end portion of the main floor 2 and a front end portion of the rear floor 3 are connected to each other in an overlapping manner. A side sill 4 is provided on each of the left and right sides of the floor 1 in a vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle front-and-rear direction. The side sill 4 includes a side sill inner member 4a and a side sill outer member 4b that are connected to each other, and has a closed cross section.

[0026] A floor tunnel 5 is provided at a central portion of the main floor 2 in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle front and rear directions. The floor tunnel 5 has a hat-like cross-sectional shape that protrudes in the upper direction of the vehicle. In addition, a vertical wall 6 extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle is formed at a front side of the rear floor 3. Note that an arrow F is indicated in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 indicates the front of the vehicle.

[0027] As the Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, a tunnel body part of the floor tunnel 5, i.e., a portion adjacent to a rear end portion 15, has a hat-like cross-section including an upper surface portion 5a, left and right foot portions 5b, and flange portions 5c. The left and right foot portions 5b extend downward from the left and right edge portions of the upper surface portion 5a, respectively, and face each other. The flange portions 5c are formed by bending lower edges of the foot portions 5b outward at right angles. The floor tunnel 5 is fixed to the main floor 2 by appropriately overlapping and connecting connecting flanges 2a (see Fig. 5) of the main floor 2 and the foot portions 5b of the floor tunnel 5, and by overlapping and joining together a lower surface of the main floor 2 and the flange portions 5c of the floor tunnel 5.

[0028] As almost similar to the tunnel body part, the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 of the present embodiment also has a hat-like cross section including an upper surface portion 15a, left and right foot portions 15b, and flange portions 15c. However, as will be described later, the rear end portion 15 is lower than the tunnel body part, so that the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 can be provided with a large height. For this reason, as shown in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 5, the upper surface portion 15a and the left and right foot portions 15b extend rectilinearly backward from the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 of the present embodiment toward, and are connected to, the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3. Although the joint portion between the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 and the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 normally has a fan-like curved shape so as to reduce local stress, the upper surface portion 15a extends rectilinearly to reduce the tunnel height as much as possible. Moreover, the left and right foot portions 15b do not extend outward, so that the vertical wall 6 extending in the upper direction of the vehicle from the ground surface can be provided with an area as large as possible.

[0029] Continue as in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the left and right foot portions 15b extend from the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 in a lower direction of the vehicle, and the extended parts of the foot portions 15b, which are thus formed, are bent into curved shapes with the flange portions 15c. Bead portions 15d are provided at lower portions of the rear end portion 15, which is thus depressed, to give the floor tunnel 5 a greater effective height. This can prevent the stability of the floor tunnel 5, the local stability of the floor, and the stability of the seat support from being reduced.

[0030] Note that, in the case where the floor tunnel 5 becomes lower and lower toward the rear of the vehicle, it is true that the bead portions 15d become higher and higher accordingly to maintain the overall height. In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the rear end portion 15 extending from the center of the floor tunnel 5 has a uniform height.

[0031] In the floor reinforcement structure of the present embodiment, the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 is formed with a plate member that is a separate component from the tunnel body part of the floor tunnel 5. Since this plate member, a rigid member thicker than the tunnel body, is used to provide local stability to the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5. It is also possible to provide the bead portions 15d only on the plate member, which is the separate member provided as the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5, and not on the tunnel body part. In this way, in the floor reinforcement structure of the present embodiment, the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5, which is difficult to form, can be manufactured separately from the tunnel body part, so that the plate member can be formed thicker than the tunnel body.This enables the dual success of the formability and stability of the soil 1.

[0032] Further, as the Fig. 1 to 5, the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 of the present embodiment is formed as a continuous flat surface without any cracks, and an upper edge 6a of the vertical wall 6 is formed in a curved shape that bulges toward the upper direction of the vehicle (a curved shape protruding upward). In this way, the height of the vertical wall 6, which is reduced by the floor tunnel 5, is compensated. In addition, as Fig. 5, above the floor tunnel 5, a half of a height H1 from the top of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 is greater than a height H2 from a top of the side sill 4, and a half of the height H2 from the top of the side sill 4 is greater than a height H3 from a top of the floor tunnel 5. Accordingly, even above the floor tunnel 5, the height H1 from the top of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 is large.

[0033] As in the Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 5, the rear floor 3 is provided with a protruding part 13 for a fuel tank, and a front side 13a of the protruding part 13 and the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 are formed continuously in the vertical direction of the vehicle, preferably in a region near the floor tunnel 5. The floor reinforcement structure of the present embodiment is therefore configured to effectively utilize the entire height of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3.

[0034] As the Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, a cross member 7 is provided at a front side of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 and extends in the vehicle width direction. Above the floor tunnel 5, a lower edge of the cross member 7 is arranged lower than the upper surface portion 15a of the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5, and an upper edge 7a of the cross member 7 is formed in a curved shape that bulges in the upper direction of the vehicle (a bulged shape protruding upward) along the upper edge 6a of the vertical wall 6. Thereby, a large height is provided from the upper surface portion 15a of the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 to the upper edge 6a of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 to improve vehicle stability. In addition, as shown in Fig.4, in the case of providing a reinforcing member 8 extending in the vehicle width direction at a rear side of the vertical wall 6, the reinforcing member 8 can cover an area from the upper surface portion 15a of the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 to the upper edge 6a of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3, such an area greatly contributing to stability improvement.

[0035] As described so far, in the floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 is formed as a continuous flat surface without any cracks, the vertical wall 6 can have a greater height than a vertical wall 6 having a step at a position in the center of the vertical wall 6 in the vertical direction. The vertical wall 6 having a greater height counteracts the vertical vibrations of the vehicle, achieving a reduction in the vibration level and an improvement in vehicle stability.

[0036] Furthermore, in the floor reinforcement structure of the present embodiment, above the floor tunnel 5, one half of the height H1 from the top of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 is greater than the height H2 from the top of the side sill 4, and one half of the height H2 from the top of the side sill 4 is greater than the height H3 from the top of the floor tunnel 5. Accordingly, the vertical wall 6 is high at a location that experiences the greatest vibration level from shocks in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Thus, stability is obtained around the joint portion between the main floor 2 and the rear floor 3, and the vibration level of the vertical shocks can be reduced. For these reasons, according to the floor reinforcement structure of the present embodiment, vehicle interior noise generated by floor vibrations can be reduced, and vehicle smoothness can be improved.

[0037] In addition, since the floor reinforcement structure of the present embodiment enables a reduction in the width of the rear end portion 15 of the floor tunnel 5 and an increase in the lateral width of the vertical wall 6 of the rear floor 3 in the vehicle width direction, the deflection of the vertical shocks can be further reduced by enlarging an area where the vertical wall 6 is large. [List of reference symbols] 1 floor 2 main floor 3 rear floor 4 side skirts 5 floor tunnels 5a upper surface section 5b Foot sections 5c Flange sections 6 vertical wall of the rear floor 6a upper edge of the vertical wall 13 protruding part for the fuel tank 13a Front of the protruding part 15 rear end section of the floor tunnel 15a upper surface section 15b Foot sections 15c Flange sections 15d bead sections H1 Height of the top of the vertical wall H2 Height of the top of the side skirts H3 Height of the top of the rear end section

Claims

[1] Floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body, comprising: a main floor (2) and a rear floor (3) provided in a vehicle front and rear direction; a side sill (4) provided on each of the left and right sides of the main floor (2) and the rear floor (3) in a vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front and rear directions; a floor tunnel (5) having a hat-like cross-sectional shape protruding in an upper direction of the vehicle, the floor tunnel (5) being provided at a central portion of the main floor (2) in the vehicle width direction and extending in the vehicle front and rear directions; and a vertical wall (6) formed on a front side of the rear floor (3) and extending in a vertical direction of the vehicle, wherein the vertical wall (6) of the rear floor (3) in a continuous form, which has no cracks, half the height (H1) from the top of the vertical wall (6) of the rear floor (3) is greater than the height (H2) from the top of the side sill (4), and half the height (H2) from the top of the side sill (4) is greater than the height (H3) from the top of the floor tunnel (5); wherein left and right foot portions (15b) of the rear end portion (15) of the floor tunnel (5) extend in the lower direction of the vehicle, and the extended parts of the foot portions (15b) are bent into curved shapes, and bead portions (15d) are provided at lower portions of the rear end portion (15). [2] A floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the rear end portion (15) of the floor tunnel (5) is lower than the tunnel body part of the floor tunnel (5) and is formed with a plate member which is a separate component of the floor tunnel (5). [3] A floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein an upper edge (6a) of the vertical wall (6) of the rear floor (3) is formed in a curved shape bulging in the upper direction of the vehicle. [4] A floor reinforcement structure for a vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein the rear floor (3) is provided with a protruding part (13) for a fuel tank, and the protruding part (13) and the vertical wall (6) of the rear floor (3) are formed continuously in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

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