Vehicle rear part structure

Abstract

To enhance the rigidity of a body while restricting an increase in mass.SOLUTION: A vehicle rear part structure 100 includes: a rear cross member 10 extending in a vehicle-width direction; left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R whose rear end parts are connected to left and right end parts of the rear cross member 10; left and right gussets 30L, 30R connected to the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R and extending upward; and a rear header 40 connecting respective upper end parts of the left and right gussets 30L, 30R in the vehicle-width direction. The left and right gussets 30L, 30R are connected to rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rear structure of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Structures have been proposed to prevent deformation of the body. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a reinforcing member structure that connects the upper surface of a rear suspension tower to an inner panel and forms a closed cross-sectional structure together with the inner panel.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which the center pillar is curved toward the outside of the vehicle, the center pillar and the roof cross member are continuous in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, and the center of rotation is provided in the center of the roof cross member. This makes it possible to prevent the center pillar from being displaced downward from the center of rotation in the event of a side collision and from entering the cabin.

[0004] Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which a rear floor panel and a rear suspension tower are connected with a reinforcing member to increase the rigidity of the rear part of the vehicle.

[0005] Patent Documents 4 and 5 disclose a structure in which a reinforcing member is provided along the outer surface of a rear wheel house to connect between an upper part of the vehicle body and a floor panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-083230 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-088730 A [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2021-000942 [Patent Document 4] JP 2006-335088 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2020-138589 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In recent years, there has been a demand for further increasing the rigidity of the vehicle body, but providing more reinforcing members to this end increases the vehicle mass, which can result in a reduction in the interior space of the vehicle.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to increase the rigidity of the body while suppressing an increase in mass. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vehicle rear structure disclosed herein comprises a rear cross member disposed at the rear of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction, left and right wheel houses having rear ends connected to the left and right ends of the rear cross member, left and right gussets connected to the left and right wheel houses and extending upward, and a rear header connecting the upper ends of the left and right gussets in the vehicle width direction, wherein the left and right gussets are connected to the rear ends of the left and right wheel houses.

[0010] As a result, the rear cross member, the rear ends of the left and right wheel houses, the left and right gussets, and the rear header form an annular structure, which suppresses the collapse deformation of the wheel house when a torsional load is applied to the vehicle, and increases the torsional rigidity of the rear part of the vehicle. In addition, because part of the annular structure is formed by the rear ends of the left and right wheel houses, the number of parts can be reduced and the increase in mass can be suppressed.

[0011] In the vehicle rear structure of the present disclosure, the rear header, the left and right gussets, and the left and right wheel houses are arranged so that they at least partially overlap when viewed from above the vehicle, and the rear cross member may be arranged so that it at least partially overlaps with the left and right wheel houses when viewed from above the vehicle.

[0012] As a result, the annular structure formed by the rear cross member, the rear ends of the left and right wheel houses, the left and right gussets, and the rear header is arranged approximately vertically, effectively increasing the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle.

[0013] In the vehicle rear structure of the present disclosure, the rear cross member is a grooved member including two flanges and a web, the left and right wheel houses include wheel house inner panels that rise from the floor panel and curve toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, the rear end portion is a flat rear plate that connects the rear end of the wheel house inner panel to the floor panel, the left and right gussets are grooved members including a rear flange, a front flange, and an inner web, the rear plate is connected to one of the two flanges, the rear flange is overlapping and connected to the rear plate, and the surface of the rear flange is continuous with the rear face of the rear plate.

[0014] With this structure, the load is transmitted from the rear header through the rear flange of the gusset and the rear plate of the wheelhouse to the flange of the rear cross member, which suppresses the collapse deformation of the wheelhouse and increases the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle.

[0015] In the vehicle rear structure of the present disclosure, the inner web may be overlapped and connected to the wheelhouse inner panel, and a surface of the inner web may be continuous with a side surface of the wheelhouse inner panel.

[0016] This structure transmits the load from the rear header through the inner web of the gusset and the wheelhouse inner panel to the rear cross member, which suppresses the collapse deformation of the wheelhouse and increases the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The present disclosure can increase the rigidity of the body while suppressing an increase in mass. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is an elevational view of a right side portion of a vehicle rear structure according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from inside the vehicle. [Diagram 2] 1 is an elevational view of a vehicle rear structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the rear of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle right side portion of a vehicle rear structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wheel house taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a diagram showing an elevational section of the vehicle rear structure, taken along line BB in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, a vehicle rear structure 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the vehicle rear structure 100 according to the embodiment is composed of a rear cross member 10, left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R, left and right gussets 30L, 30R, and a rear header 40. Note that arrows RR, UP, and RH shown in each drawing indicate the rear, upper, and right sides of the vehicle 200, and the opposite sides of the arrows indicate the front, lower, and left sides of the vehicle 200. Hereinafter, when the directions of front-rear, left-right, and up-down are used in the description, they refer to front-rear in the front-rear direction, left-right in the left-right direction, and up-down in the up-down direction of the vehicle 200, unless otherwise specified.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the rear cross member 10 is disposed under a floor panel 15 at the rear of the vehicle, and is a channel section member composed of two flanges 11, 12 and a web 13. The rear cross member 10 extends in the vehicle width direction. Left and right rear side members 14L, 14R extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are disposed under the left and right ends of the floor panel 15 of the vehicle 200. The rear cross member 10 is connected to the left and right rear side members 14L, 14R.

[0021] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the right wheel house 20R is a right wheel house inner 21R and a right wheel house outer 26R connected by a right connecting flange 27R, and accommodates a rear wheel therein. The right wheel house inner 21R is composed of a right wheel house inner panel 22R, a rear plate 23R, and a front plate 24R. The right wheel house inner panel 22R is a plate member that rises from the floor panel 15 and curves toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the rear plate 23R is a flat plate member that connects the rear end of the right wheel house inner panel 22R to the floor panel 15. In addition, the rear plate 23R is connected to the right end of the front flange 11 of the rear cross member 10 via the floor panel 15.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the rear plate 23R is disposed so that its upper end is inclined slightly forward from the vertical direction, and its inner end in the vehicle width direction is inclined slightly forward from the vehicle width direction, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The rear plate 23R constitutes the rear end of the right wheel house inner panel 21R. The front plate 24R is a curved plate member that connects the front end of the right wheel house inner panel 22R to the floor panel 15. A rear wheel suspension device (not shown) is attached to the top portion 25R of the right wheel house inner panel 22R. In addition, a right side panel outer 19R (see Fig. 2) is attached to the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the right wheel house outer 26R. The right side panel outer 19R constitutes the design surface on the right side of the rear part of the vehicle 200.

[0023] The left wheel house 20L is a left wheel house inner 21L and a left wheel house outer 26L connected by a left connecting flange 27L, and accommodates a rear wheel therein. The left wheel house inner 21L is composed of a left wheel house inner panel 22L, a rear plate 23L, and a front plate 24L. A rear wheel suspension (not shown) is attached to a top 25L of the left wheel house inner panel 22L. The rear plate 23L is connected to the left end of the front flange 11 of the rear cross member 10 via a floor panel 15. The left wheel house inner 21L and the left wheel house outer 26L are symmetrical to the right wheel house inner 21R and the right wheel house outer 26R, and the left side panel outer 19L is symmetrical to the right side panel outer 19R, so that a description of these will be omitted.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the right gusset 30R includes a rear flange 31R, a front flange 33R, and an inner web 32R, and is a channel-shaped member whose outer side in the vehicle width direction is open. The lower end of the right gusset 30R is connected to the upper part of the right wheel house inner 21R. The upper end of the right gusset 30R extends upward from the upper part of the right wheel house inner 21R. Details of the connection between the lower end of the right gusset 30R and the upper part of the right wheel house inner 21R will be described later with reference to Figs. 3 and 5. The upper end of the right gusset 30R is connected to the right arm part 42R of the rear header 40, which will be described later. The outer ends of the rear flange 31R and the front flange 33R at the center of the right gusset 30R in the vehicle width direction are connected to the right side panel inner 16R to form a closed cross section.

[0025] The left gusset 30L is composed of a rear flange 31L, a front flange (not shown), and an inner web 32L. The left gusset 30L is bilaterally symmetrical to the right gusset 30R. The upper end of the left gusset 30L is connected to the left arm portion 42L of the rear header 40, and the vehicle width direction outer ends of the central rear flange 31L and the front flange (not shown) are connected to the left side panel inner (not shown) to form a closed cross section.

[0026] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rear header 40 is composed of a cross portion 41 extending in the vehicle width direction behind the roof of the vehicle 200, and left and right arm portions 42L, 42R extending diagonally downward toward the rear of the vehicle from the left and right ends of the cross portion 41. As shown in Fig. 1, the rear end of the right arm portion 42R is connected to a right rear frame 50R that constitutes the opening of the back door. The left arm portion 42L is symmetrical to the right arm portion 42R. Left and right roof rails 18L, 18R extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are arranged on the left and right sides of the roof of the vehicle 200. The cross portion 41 of the rear header 40 is connected to the left and right roof rails 18L, 18R.

[0027] The rear header 40, right gusset 30R, and right wheel house 20R described above are arranged to overlap partially when viewed from above the vehicle 200, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. Also, the rear cross member 10 is arranged to overlap partially with the right wheel house 20R when viewed from above the vehicle 200. Similarly, although not shown, the rear header 40, left gusset 30L, and left wheel house 20L are arranged to overlap partially when viewed from above the vehicle 200, and the rear cross member 10 is arranged to overlap partially with the left wheel house 20L when viewed from above the vehicle 200.

[0028] Next, the details of the connection between the lower end of the right gusset 30R and the upper part of the right wheel house inner 21R will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 5. As shown in Figure 5, the lower part of the rear flange 31R of the right gusset 30R is overlapped and connected to the rear surface 23Ra of the upper part of the rear plate 23R of the right wheel house inner 21R. Also, the lower half of the rear flange 31R is arranged to be slightly inclined forward from the vertical direction, similar to the rear plate 23R. Therefore, the surface 31Ra of the lower half of the rear flange 31R is smoothly continuous with the rear surface 23Ra of the rear plate 23R. Similarly, the surface 31La of the left rear flange 31L shown in Figure 2 is smoothly continuous with the rear surface 23La of the left rear plate 23L.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the inner web 32R of the right gusset 30R is overlapped and connected to the upper side surface 22Ra of the right wheel house inner panel 22R. The inclination direction of the lower part of the inner web 32R and the inclination direction of the upper part of the right wheel house inner panel 22R are substantially the same. Therefore, the lower surface 32Ra of the right inner web 32R is smoothly continuous with the upper side surface 22Ra of the right wheel house inner panel 22R. Similarly, the surface 32La of the left inner web 32L shown in FIG. 2 is smoothly continuous with the upper side surface 22La of the left wheel house inner panel 22L.

[0030] In the vehicle rear structure 100 configured as described above, the rear cross member 10, the rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R, the left and right gussets 30L, 30R, and the rear header 40 form an annular structure, which can suppress collapse deformation of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R when a torsional load is applied to the vehicle 200, thereby increasing the torsional rigidity of the vehicle rear. In addition, because part of the annular structure is formed by the rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R, the number of parts can be reduced and an increase in mass can be suppressed.

[0031] In addition, the rear header 40, the left and right gussets 30L, 30R, and the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R are arranged to at least partially overlap when viewed from above the vehicle 200, and the rear cross member 10 is arranged to at least partially overlap with the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R when viewed from above the vehicle 200. As a result, the annular structure formed by the rear cross member 10, the rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R, the left and right gussets 30L, 30R, and the rear header 40 is arranged substantially vertically, effectively increasing the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle.

[0032] In addition, because the left and right rear flanges 31L, 31R and the left and right rear plates 23L, 23R are connected smoothly and continuously, the load is transmitted from the rear header 40 to the front flange 11 of the rear cross member 10 through the rear flanges 31L, 31R of the left and right gussets 30L, 30R and the left and right rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R. This makes it possible to suppress collapse deformation of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R and increase the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle.

[0033] In addition, because the left and right inner webs 32L, 32R and the left and right wheel house inner panels 22L, 22R are connected smoothly and continuously, the load is transmitted from the rear header 40 to the rear cross member 10 through the inner webs 32L, 32R of the left and right gussets 30L, 30R and the left and right wheel house inner panels 22L, 22R. This makes it possible to suppress collapse deformation of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R and increase the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle.

[0034] In the above explanation, the rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R have been described as being connected to the front flange 11 of the rear cross member 10, but this is not limited to the above and they may also be configured to be connected to the rear flange 12 of the rear cross member 10.

[0035] Also, the rear header 40, the left and right gussets 30L, 30R, the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R, and the rear cross member 10 may be arranged to at least partially overlap when viewed from above the vehicle 200. As a result, the annular structure formed by the rear cross member 10, the rear plates 23L, 23R of the left and right wheel houses 20L, 20R, the left and right gussets 30L, 30R, and the rear header 40 is erected at an angle closer to vertical, and the torsional rigidity of the rear of the vehicle can be more effectively increased. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 rear cross member, 11, 12 flange, 13 web, 14 rear side member, 15 floor panel, 16 side panel inner, 18 roof rail, 19 side panel outer, 20 wheel house, 21 wheel house inner, 22 wheel house inner panel, 22La, 22Ra side, 23 rear plate, 23La, 23Ra rear surface, 24 front plate, 25 top, 26 wheel house outer, 27 connecting flange, 30 gusset, 31 rear flange, 31La, 31Ra, 32La, 32Ra surface, 32 inner web, 33 front flange, 40 rear header, 41 cross portion, 42 arm portion, 50R right rear frame, 100 vehicle rear structure, 200 vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle rear structure, A rear cross member disposed at the rear of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle width direction; left and right wheel houses each having a rear end connected to a left and right end of the rear cross member; Left and right gussets connected to the left and right wheel houses and extending upward; a rear header connecting upper ends of the left and right gussets in the vehicle width direction; the left and right gussets are connected to rear ends of the left and right wheel houses, A vehicle rear structure characterized by the above.

2. 2. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 1, the rear header, the left and right gussets, and the left and right wheel houses are arranged so as to overlap at least partially when viewed from above the vehicle, and the rear cross member is arranged so as to overlap at least partially with the left and right wheel houses when viewed from above the vehicle; A vehicle rear structure characterized by the above.

3. 3. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 1, The rear cross member is a channel member including two flanges and a web, the left and right wheel houses each include a wheel house inner panel that rises from a floor panel and curves outward in a vehicle width direction, and the rear end portion is a flat rear plate that connects a rear end of the wheel house inner panel to the floor panel, The left and right gussets are channel members including a rear flange, a front flange, and an inner web, The back plate is connected to one of the two flanges, the rear flange is overlapped and connected to the rear plate, and a surface of the rear flange is continuous with a rear surface of the rear plate; A vehicle rear structure characterized by the above.

4. 4. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 3, the inner web is overlapped and connected to the wheelhouse inner panel, and a surface of the inner web is continuous with a side surface of the wheelhouse inner panel; A vehicle rear structure characterized by the above.

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