Vehicle rear structure

Abstract

To minimize a deformation of a body at the time of a lateral collision using a simple structure.SOLUTION: A vehicle rear structure includes a wheel house inner piece 12, an inner R / F 20, and a spring support 30. The spring support 30 is located on the outer side of the wheel house inner piece 12. The inner R / F 20 extends from a flank 12a in a compartment of the wheel house inner piece 12 to a door opening edge 48, which receives a rear lower part of a rear door 70, along a peripheral surface 12b. A front end 24 of the inner R / F 20 is located at the door opening edge 48. The front end 24 is located at a position deviated in a vehicular vertical direction from a rear end of an impact beam 74 of the rear door 70. A rear end 26 of the inner R / F 20 is located on the flank 12a of the wheel house inner piece 12. The rear end 26 is coupled to the spring support 30 via the wheel house inner piece 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle rear structure, and more particularly to a structure around a rear wheel house of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Automobiles have a structure for reducing body deformation and protecting passengers in the vehicle cabin when the side of the vehicle is hit by another relatively large vehicle, etc. For example, a structure is known in which a pipe-shaped reinforcing member extending in the vehicle width direction is placed under the seat cushion of the rear seat in the vehicle cabin, and the reinforcing member transmits the load of a side collision to the vehicle body part on the opposite side from the collision side.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a reinforcing member that extends from the side surface of the rear wheel house on the passenger compartment side of the vehicle body along the peripheral surface on the passenger compartment side to the opening edge that receives the rear of the lower part of the rear door. The reinforcing member has a convex portion that forms two or more closed cross-sectional spaces that extend toward different positions on the opening edge. The reinforcing member is provided at a position facing the rear end of the impact beam of the rear door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-152969 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a demand for a further improved structure for reducing body deformation during a vehicle side collision. An object of the present invention is to provide a simple structure that can reduce body deformation during a side collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle rear structure according to the present invention comprises a wheelhouse inner, an inner reinforcement, and a spring support. The spring support is disposed on the vehicle exterior side of the wheelhouse inner. The inner reinforcement extends from the side surface on the vehicle interior side of the wheelhouse inner along the circumferential surface to a door opening edge that receives the rear lower part of the rear door. The front end of the inner reinforcement is at the door opening edge, and the front end is in a position offset in the vehicle vertical direction from the rear end of the impact beam of the rear door. The rear end of the inner reinforcement is at the side surface of the wheelhouse inner, and the rear end is connected to the spring support via the wheelhouse inner.

[0007] In addition, in the vehicle rear structure of the present invention, the inner reinforcement may be configured to be capable of transmitting a load to a cross member arranged between a pair of left and right wheel house inners via the spring support, and the impact beam may be configured to be capable of transmitting a load to a floor panel.

[0008] In the vehicle rear structure according to the present invention, the inner reinforcement may have a raised portion that forms a closed cross-sectional space.

[0009] In addition, in the vehicle rear structure according to the present invention, the raised portion of the inner reinforcement may have a holding portion that holds a member mounted on the vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce body deformation during a side collision with a simple structure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 2 is a perspective view of the rear wheel house and its periphery as viewed from the vehicle interior side. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a load transfer path during a side collision. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an inner R / F 20. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described here. In all drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations are omitted. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms indicating directions and orientations such as front, rear, left, right, up, down, etc. indicate directions and orientations related to the vehicle. In each drawing, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction, the arrow UP indicates the upward direction, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction. In addition, the side closer to the center of the vehicle in the left-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction) is referred to as the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the side farther from the center is referred to as the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0013] 1 is a perspective view of the rear wheel house and its periphery as viewed from the passenger compartment side. The vehicle 10 is, for example, a sedan-type automobile. The vehicle 10 has a pair of left and right rear wheel houses. The structure of the right rear wheel house and its periphery will be described below, but the structure of the left rear wheel house and its periphery is the same and symmetrical.

[0014] The rear wheel house is a space in which a rear tire is accommodated. The rear wheel house is formed by a wheel house inner 12 and a wheel house outer 14 arranged on the vehicle outer side of the wheel house inner 12. In this embodiment, the wheel house outer 14 is a panel (steel plate) that extends upward and on the front and rear sides. Therefore, the panel of the wheel house outer 14 is also present on the upper side and on the front and rear sides of the rear wheel house. Note that another panel (such as a quarter panel inner) may be arranged on the upper side and on the front and rear sides of the rear wheel house.

[0015] The steel plate located at the outermost position of the vehicle 10 is a side outer (not shown). In the peripheral portion of the rear wheel house, the side outer, the wheel house outer 14, and the wheel house inner 12 are arranged in this order from the outside of the vehicle toward the passenger compartment. The side outer is also called a quarter panel, etc.

[0016] The wheelhouse inner 12 is made of a relatively thin steel plate. The wheelhouse inner 12 has a shape that bulges toward the passenger compartment. The wheelhouse inner 12 has a side portion 12a and a peripheral portion 12b at the portion that bulges toward the passenger compartment. The wheelhouse inner 12 has a flange portion, and is joined to the wheelhouse outer 14 by the flange portion. The wheelhouse inner 12 is provided behind a door opening edge 48 that receives a door end portion 71 at the rear lower portion of the rear door 70.

[0017] The vehicle 10 includes an inner reinforcement 20 (hereinafter, referred to as an inner R / F 20). The inner R / F 20 covers a part of the surface of the wheel house inner 12 facing the passenger compartment. The inner R / F 20 is made of a thicker steel plate and has higher strength than the wheel house inner 12. The inner R / F 20 may have a plate thickness, for example, twice or more the plate thickness of the wheel house inner 12. The inner R / F 20 increases the rigidity of the periphery of the rear wheel house and plays a role in transmitting a collision load (see FIG. 2) to the rear cross member 32 in the event of a side collision. In addition, in each drawing, a cross mark shown on the inner R / F 20 indicates a joint portion of the inner R / F 20 with another panel.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 includes a spring support 30. The spring support 30 is disposed on the vehicle exterior side of a wheel house inner 12. An opening 12c is provided in a portion of a side surface 12a of the wheel house inner 12. The spring support 30 is disposed on the rear side of the wheel house inner 12 including the opening 12c. A portion of the spring support 30 is exposed from the opening 12c to the passenger compartment side. In other words, most of the spring support 30 is not visible from the passenger compartment side, but only a portion of it is visible from the opening 12c of the wheel house inner 12. In FIG. 1, the outer contour of the spring support 30 on the rear side of the wheel house inner 12 is indicated by a dotted line.

[0019] The spring support 30 is a panel to which a shock absorber (not shown) is attached via an attachment member. The spring support 30 is made of a thicker steel plate and has higher strength than the wheelhouse inner panel 12. The spring support 30 may have a plate thickness that is, for example, twice or more the plate thickness of the wheelhouse inner panel 12.

[0020] Floor panels 40, 42 are provided from the front to the rear on the bottom of the vehicle body near the wheel well inner 12. A rear seat is installed on the floor panel 40. A trunk room is installed above the floor panel 42.

[0021] The vehicle 10 includes side members, a rear cross member 32, a gusset 34, and an upper member 36 that form a skeleton structure of the rear portion of the vehicle body. These skeleton members are made of relatively high-strength steel plates. The side members are provided in pairs on the left and right outboard sides in the vehicle width direction and extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The pair of side members extend in the front-rear direction below the left and right rear doors 70, and support floor panels 40, 42. The rear cross member 32 is disposed between the pair of side members.

[0022] The rear cross member 32 is disposed between a pair of left and right wheel house inners 12. The rear cross member 32 is a skeletal member having a generally hat-shaped cross section. The rear cross member 32 has flange portions 32a at the front and rear. The rear cross member 32 is joined to floor panels 40, 42 by these flange portions 32a. By joining the rear cross member 32 to these floor panels 40, 42, a closed cross-sectional space extending in the vehicle width direction is formed between the rear cross member 32 and the floor panels 40, 42.

[0023] The outer end of the rear cross member 32 in the vehicle width direction is joined to a gusset 34. As a result, the rear cross member 32 and the gusset 34 function as a load transmitting member in the event of a side collision of the vehicle. The gusset 34 is a skeletal member with a generally hat-shaped cross section. The gusset 34 has flange portions 34a at the front and rear. The gusset 34 is joined to the floor panels 40, 42, the side members, and the spring support 30 by these flange portions 34a. The gusset 34 is joined to the portion of the spring support 30 exposed from the opening 12c.

[0024] The upper member 36 is a framework member located above the wheelhouse inner 12. Note that only a portion of the upper member 36 is shown in FIG. 1, with the upper portion of the upper member 36 being omitted. The lower end of the upper member 36 is joined to the gusset 34. The upper member 36 has a flange portion 36a. The flange portion 36a of the upper member 36 is joined to the spring support 30 via the peripheral portion 12b of the wheelhouse inner 12.

[0025] The rear door 70 is attached to a center pillar (not shown) at the front of the vehicle body so as to be rotatable. A door end 71 at the lower rear of the rear door 70 is received by the door opening edge 48 of the vehicle body. The rear door 70 has a closed cross-sectional space therein, and houses an impact beam 74 as a member that absorbs collision energy during a side collision and transmits the collision load. The impact beam 74 extends in the front-rear direction with its rear end lowered.

[0026] The inner R / F 20 extends from the side surface portion 12a of the wheel house inner 12 along the peripheral surface portion 12b to a door opening edge 48. A front end 24 of the inner R / F 20 is located at the door opening edge 48. In a part of the door opening edge 48, the side outer, the wheel house outer 14, and the front end 24 of the inner R / F 20 are arranged in this order from the exterior side of the vehicle toward the interior side of the vehicle, and these three panels are joined together to form a joint portion 50.

[0027] The front end 24 of the inner R / F 20 is located above the rear end of the impact beam 74 of the rear door 70. In other words, the front end 24 of the inner R / F 20 and the rear end of the impact beam 74 are shifted in the up-down direction and do not face each other.

[0028] The rear end 26 of the inner R / F 20 is located on a side surface 12a of the wheel house inner 12. In a part of the side surface 12a, the spring support 30, the wheel house inner 12, and the rear end 26 of the inner R / F 20 are arranged in this order from the outer side to the inner side of the vehicle, and these three panels are joined together to form a joint 52.

[0029] Between the front end 24 and the rear end 26 of the inner R / F 20 is a middle portion of the inner R / F 20. The middle portion of the inner R / F 20 is joined to the side surface portion 12a and the peripheral surface portion 12b of the wheel house inner 12 at multiple points with intervals between them.

[0030] The inner R / F 20 and the other panels are joined by spot welding. However, they may be joined by a method other than spot welding. For example, instead of or in addition to welding, the panels may be joined by using fastening members such as bolts.

[0031] The inner R / F 20 has a raised portion 22. The raised portion 22 of the inner R / F 20 forms a closed cross-sectional space between the inner R / F 20 and the wheel house inner 12. The raised portion 22 increases the rigidity of the inner R / F 20.

[0032] Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the inner R / F 20. The raised portion 22 of the inner R / F 20 has a holding portion 28 that holds various cables, airbag-related members, and the like mounted on the vehicle. Note that in Fig. 3, only a part of the holding portion 28 is indicated with a reference numeral. The holding portion 28 is, for example, a hole in which a bracket or mounting member of a held member (various cables, airbag-related members, and the like) is engaged. The cable held by the holding portion 28 is, for example, a wire harness or a trunk cable connecting a trunk opener in the vehicle interior to a door lock unit in the trunk room.

[0033] Next, the effects of the vehicle 10 of this embodiment will be described.

[0034] According to the embodiment described above, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner R / F 20 covers a part of the wheel house inner 12 and connects between the door opening edge 48 and the spring support 30, so that it is possible to increase the rigidity around the rear wheel house. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, this makes it possible to transmit a large amount of load during a side collision to the rear cross member 32.

[0035] 2, when the vehicle 10 is subjected to a side collision, the main load transmission paths can be paths A and B. Path A is a path that transmits the collision load from the impact beam 74 of the rear door 70 to the floor panel 40, and part of the load can also be transmitted to the rear cross member 32 and another cross member located in front of it.

[0036] Path B is a load transmission path by the inner R / F 20, which enables the collision load to be transmitted to the rear cross member 32 via the inner R / F 20, the spring support 30, and the gusset 34. Because the inner R / F 20 connects between the door opening edge 48 and the spring support 30, a large amount of load due to a side collision can be transmitted to the rear cross member 32 via the spring support 30 and the gusset 34. In other words, the collision load can be efficiently transmitted to the vehicle body part on the opposite side to the collision side via the rear cross member 32 to absorb the collision energy, and body deformation can be effectively reduced.

[0037] Also, according to the embodiment described above, the inner R / F20 is not directly subjected to the load from the rear end of the impact beam 74 of the rear door 70 in the event of a side collision, and the rear end of the impact beam 74 and the front end 24 of the inner R / F20 are not opposed to each other. That is, in a structure in which the inner R / F20 faces the rear end of the impact beam 74 and receives the load from there, the width of the front part of the inner R / F20 in the vertical direction needs to be relatively wide to realize the load transmission, but the above embodiment does not have such a structure. In the above embodiment, the load from the rear end of the impact beam 74 is transmitted to the floor panel 40 side, so that the inner R / F20 does not need to directly receive it. Therefore, the width of the inner R / F20 in the vertical direction can be made relatively narrow, and the inner R / F20 can be made relatively small.

[0038] In addition, according to the embodiment described above, a pipe-shaped reinforcing member extending in the vehicle width direction is disposed under the seat cushion of the rear seat in the vehicle interior, and a great advantage can be obtained compared to a conventional structure in which the reinforcing member reduces body deformation due to a side collision. That is, according to the embodiment described above, compared to the conventional structure, it is possible to reduce costs and weight, there is no restriction on the cushion thickness of the seat cushion, and further, it is possible to reduce the burden on workers when assembling the reinforcing member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 10 vehicle, 12 wheelhouse inner, 12a side portion, 12b peripheral portion, 12c opening, 14 wheelhouse outer, 20 inner reinforcement (inner R / F), 22 raised portion, 24 front end, 26 rear end, 28 retaining portion, 30 spring support, 32 rear cross member (cross member), 32a flange portion, 34 gusset, 34a flange portion, 36 upper member, 36a flange portion, 40, 42 floor panel, 48 door opening edge, 50, 52 connection portion, 70 rear door, 71 door end, 74 impact beam.

Claims

1. With inner wheel house, Inner reinforcement and A spring support is provided. The spring support is disposed on an outer side of the wheel house inner. the inner reinforcement extends from a side surface portion of the wheel house inner on the vehicle compartment side along a peripheral surface portion to a door opening edge that receives a rear lower portion of the rear door, A front end of the inner reinforcement is located at the door opening edge, and the front end is located at a position offset in the vehicle up-down direction from a rear end of the impact beam of the rear door, A rear end of the inner reinforcement is located on the side portion of the wheelhouse inner, and the rear end is connected to the spring support via the wheelhouse inner. A vehicle rear structure comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 1, The inner reinforcement is provided so as to be capable of transmitting a load to a cross member disposed between a pair of left and right wheel house inners via the spring support, The impact beam is provided so as to be capable of transmitting a load to the floor panel. A vehicle rear structure comprising:

3. 3. A vehicle rear structure according to claim 1, The inner reinforcement has a raised portion that forms a closed cross-sectional space, A vehicle rear structure comprising:

4. 4. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 3, The raised portion of the inner reinforcement has a holding portion that holds a member mounted on a vehicle. A vehicle rear structure comprising:

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