Vehicle structure

Abstract

To materialize a vehicle structure characterized in that a space between an outer plate and an inner plate is effectively utilized and access to the space from outside is easily gained.SOLUTION: A vehicle structure includes an outer plate 14 attachable to or detachable from a vehicle body, an inner plate 16 that is disposed inside a vehicle beyond the outer plate 14 and forms a part of the vehicle body, and a fastening part 22 that is disposed on the outer plate 14 or inner plate 16 in a space S which is formed between the outer plate 14 and inner plate 16 and accommodates a vehicle-mounted component 32, and that fastens the vehicle-mounted component 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In a monocoque structure, which is one type of vehicle structure, the body and chassis are integrated by welding the outer and inner panels of the vehicle together or by performing a hemming process. In such a structure, the space between the outer and inner panels is generally sealed, making it difficult to access the interior of the vehicle from the outside after it has been manufactured.

[0003] Meanwhile, vehicle structures have also been proposed that allow the outer panels to be detached from the vehicle body. Such vehicles allow multiple bodies to be swapped onto the same body structure, making it possible to obtain different types of body panels without having to purchase a new vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a swappable vehicle. In this swappable vehicle, the attachment structure between multiple components that make up the body is designed so that the attachment points of the components that are attached first are covered by the components that are attached later. Furthermore, when the outer panel is removed from the vehicle body, the component that must be removed first cannot be removed unless the door lock is released. This configuration is said to enable this swappable vehicle to easily swap out the outer panel while also providing anti-theft measures. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-098186 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Recently, the number of electronic functional components in vehicles has increased, resulting in a lack of space for arranging sensors, ECUs, signage, and the like (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle-mounted components" as appropriate). Therefore, it would be desirable to secure the outer and inner panels of the vehicle body at fixed locations while providing a space between the outer and inner panels, allowing the vehicle-mounted components to be arranged in that space. Furthermore, as vehicle-mounted components continue to advance, users may wish to update the vehicle, such as by adding or replacing components, after the vehicle has been manufactured or even sold. In such cases, if vehicle-mounted components are easily accessible, updates can be accommodated while reducing labor hours and costs.

[0006] Here, in conventional vehicle structures, the outer panels themselves are detachable, but no consideration is given to utilizing the space between the outer panels and the inner panels.

[0007] Therefore, in this specification, a vehicle structure is realized that effectively utilizes the space between the outer panel and the inner panel while allowing easy access to the space from the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle structure disclosed in this specification comprises an outer plate that can be attached and detached to a vehicle body, an inner plate that is located inside the outer plate and forms part of the vehicle body, and a fastening portion that is located on the outer plate or the inner plate in a space formed between the outer plate and the inner plate to accommodate vehicle-mounted components and fastens the vehicle-mounted components.

[0009] According to the above-mentioned configuration, since the outer panel is detachable, it is easy to access the space from the outside. Also, it is possible to store vehicle-mounted components in the space, thereby enabling effective use of the space.

[0010] The fastening portion may be provided with a fixing component for fixing the vehicle-mounted component.

[0011] According to the above configuration, vehicle updates can be easily performed even after the vehicle has been manufactured or sold.

[0012] The fastening portion may be provided on the inner plate.

[0013] According to the above configuration, by providing a fastening portion on the inner plate, the outer plate can be replaced.

[0014] The fastening portion is characterized in that a hole or a burring process is performed on the fastening portion.

[0015] According to the above configuration, by performing hole drilling or burring on the fastening portion, a method of fastening with a fastener can be adopted when fastening a vehicle-mounted component, so there is no need to pre-install fastening components on the outer panel or inner panel, which results in further reduction of work hours and costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The vehicle structure disclosed in this specification makes effective use of the space between the outer panel and the inner panel, while facilitating access to the space from the outside. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a vehicle structure according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional vehicle structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The vehicle structure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, "Fr," "Up," and "Rh" indicate the front, upper, and right sides of the vehicle, respectively.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a vehicle structure according to an embodiment. Specifically, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 10 as seen from the left rear. FIG. 1 also illustrates the AA cross-sectional structure of the vicinity of a quarter panel covering the left rear wheel of the vehicle 10, surrounded by a dashed line B. Note that in this example, the vehicle structure disclosed in this specification is employed in the quarter panel, but is not limited thereto. For example, the vehicle structure disclosed in this specification can also be employed in parts that are generally closed by welding or hemming in conventional vehicle structures, such as door parts such as side doors, hoods, roofs, front pillars, and center pillars.

[0020] Before describing a vehicle structure 12 according to an embodiment surrounded by dashed line B in FIG. 1, a conventional vehicle structure will be described as a comparative example with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a conventional vehicle structure. More specifically, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic cross section taken along line AA of a quarter panel portion covering the left rear wheel of the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1. The conventional vehicle structure 50 includes an outer plate 52 and an inner plate 54 that is disposed on the vehicle inner side of the outer plate 52 and that constitutes part of the vehicle body. The outer plate 52 and the inner plate 54 are fixed by spot welding at locations surrounded by dashed lines in FIG. 2. Furthermore, spaces S1 and S2 are formed in the portions where the outer plate 52 and the inner plate 54 face each other but are not welded (i.e., in the internal space between the outer plate 52 and the inner plate 54).

[0021] As mentioned above, the number of electronic functional components installed in vehicles has increased in recent years, making it ideal to utilize spaces S1 and S2. In particular, sensors and displays must be mounted on the exterior of the vehicle body, but securing the necessary mounting space is difficult. Therefore, utilizing spaces S1 and S2 as such is ideal. However, in conventional vehicle structures 50, the utilization of spaces S1 and S2 is not considered. Therefore, installing vehicle-mounted components such as electronic functional components requires design changes and increased assembly time, resulting in increased costs. Furthermore, even if the vehicle is designed with the assumption that vehicle-mounted components will be fixed in spaces S1 and S2, it is difficult to accommodate updates after manufacturing. For example, if an existing sensor is to be replaced with a newer sensor after the outer panel 52 and inner panel 54 are fixed by welding or hemming, the fixed portion must be removed and replaced, and then the outer panel 52 and inner panel 54 must be re-welded.

[0022] Furthermore, one possible method of accessing the interior of a monocoque vehicle body (i.e., the above-mentioned spaces S1 and S2) is to utilize a service hole (not shown) in the inner plate 54. This service hole is accessed from further inside the inner plate 54. However, in this case, even if access to the spaces S1 and S2 is possible after the vehicle is manufactured, the size of the service hole limits the size of the vehicle-mounted components. That is, if the service hole is large, the area of ​​the inner plate 54 itself becomes small, and as a result, the size of the vehicle-mounted components fixed to the inner plate 54 must be small. On the other hand, if the service hole is small, it becomes difficult to pass the vehicle-mounted components through it. That is, the conventional vehicle structure 50 has not been able to fully meet the demand for effectively utilizing the spaces S1 and S2 between the outer plate 52 and the inner plate 54 while also facilitating access to the spaces S1 and S2 from the outside.

[0023] On the other hand, the vehicle structure 12 according to the embodiment does not employ a structure in which the outer plate and the inner plate are fixed over substantially the entire surface by welding or the like, as in the conventional vehicle structure 50, and therefore makes it easier to access the space formed between the outer plate and the inner plate. This point will be explained again with reference to FIG. 1. The vehicle structure 12 according to the embodiment includes an outer plate 14 that is detachable from the car body, and an inner plate 16 that is located on the vehicle inner side of the outer plate 14 and forms part of the car body. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer plate 14 and the inner plate 16 are fixed with clips 18 at the upper and lower parts in the vehicle vertical direction, respectively, and a space S is formed in the middle where the outer plate 14 and the inner plate 16 face each other (i.e., in the internal space between the outer plate 14 and the inner plate 16). This space S also functions as a space for accommodating vehicle-mounted components, which will be described later.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle structure 12 further includes a fastening portion on the inner plate 16 in the space S. Note that this fastening portion may also be provided on the outer plate 14. In this example, a fixing part 22 is provided on the inner plate 16 as this fastening portion. FIG. 1 shows a burring processed part 24, a weld nut 26, a hole processed part 28, and a stud bolt 30 as examples of the fixing part 22. These fixing parts 22 are used as fasteners when fixing vehicle-mounted parts 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d in the space S. Note that hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the vehicle-mounted parts 32a to 32d shown in a two-dot chain rectangular shape in FIG. 1 will simply be referred to as "vehicle-mounted parts 32."

[0025] The burred portion 24 is an example of a fixing part (more precisely, a fixing portion) provided on the inner plate 16, and is a portion that has been subjected to a type of forming method in which a hole is drilled in the inner plate 16 and a raised portion is formed around the hole. In this example, a vehicle-mounted component 32a is fixed to the burred portion 24 with a tapping screw 34.

[0026] The weld nut 26 is a fixing component provided on the inner plate 16. In this example, the vehicle-mounted component 32b is fixed to the inner plate 16 using the weld nut 26 and a bolt 36.

[0027] The hole processed portion 28 is an example of a fixing part (more precisely, a fixing portion) provided on the inner plate 16, and is a hole portion provided in the inner plate 16. In this example, when the vehicle-mounted component 32c is mounted, a pop nut 40 shaped like a flanged nut is attached to the hole processed portion 28. More specifically, the pop nut 40 is inserted into the hole processed portion 28 and fixed with a bolt 38, thereby fixing the vehicle-mounted component 32c to the inner plate 16.

[0028] The stud bolt 30 is a fixing component provided on the inner plate 16, and is a bolt having male threads on both ends. In this example, the stud bolt 30 and a bolt 42 are used to fix a vehicle-mounted component 32d to the inner plate 16.

[0029] As described above, in the vehicle structure 12 according to the embodiment, the outer panel 14 is detachable from the vehicle body. This allows access to the vehicle-mounted components 32 from the outside of the vehicle body after removing the outer panel 14. This reduces the workload and eliminates the cost of unnecessary installation and removal. In a conventional vehicle structure 50 such as that shown in FIG. 2, sensors and indicators are often housed inside the instrument panel. Therefore, when sensors need to be replaced after the vehicle is manufactured, it is necessary to remove many components, such as the instrument panel trim and console box, in advance. This results in unnecessary work (i.e., increased labor hours) to replace the sensors, and further increases the burden on the driver and costs associated with the increased labor hours. However, the vehicle structure 12 is configured to solve these problems.

[0030] The above description is merely an example, and the vehicle structure disclosed in this specification may be configured such that a fastening portion is provided in a space for accommodating vehicle-mounted components that is formed between an outer panel that is detachable from the vehicle body and an inner panel that constitutes part of the vehicle body. Therefore, other configurations may be changed as appropriate.

[0031] For example, in the embodiment, the outer panel and the inner panel are fastened to each other at the upper and lower portions with clips, respectively. However, this is not a limitation. Instead of clips, bolts may be used, or an attachment structure that makes it easier to attach and detach the outer panel and the inner panel by fitting or the like may be adopted. Furthermore, the vehicle structure disclosed in this specification is provided with a fastening part that fastens the vehicle-mounted component in advance to the fastening portion, but this is not particularly limited. In addition to the fasteners shown in FIG. 1 , when fastening the vehicle-mounted component, for example, a rivet nut shaped like a screw with a threaded hole may be crimped into a hole drilled in the inner panel. Note that the vehicle structure according to the embodiment can fasten the vehicle-mounted component with a simple configuration, and separate components such as brackets are unnecessary in terms of cost and mass. However, a configuration that includes separate components in the vehicle structure for fastening the vehicle-mounted component to the outer panel or the inner panel may also be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10 Vehicle, 12 Vehicle structure, 14 Outer panel, 16 Inner panel, 18 Clip, 20 Wheel house, 22 Fastening part, 24 Burring processing part, 26 Weld nut, 28 Hole processing part, 30 Stud bolt, 32 Vehicle mounted parts, 34 Tapping screw, 36, 38 Bolt, 40 Pop nut, 42 Nut, S space.

Claims

1. A detachable outer panel on the car body, an inner plate that is located on the vehicle inner side of the outer plate and constitutes a part of the car body; a fastening portion provided on the outer plate or the inner plate in a space formed between the outer plate and the inner plate for accommodating a vehicle-mounted component, the fastening portion fastening the vehicle-mounted component; A vehicle structure comprising:

2. The fastening portion is provided with a fixing part that fixes the vehicle-mounted part.

2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1.

3. The fastening portion is provided on the inner plate.

2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1.

4. The fastening portion is subjected to hole drilling or burring.

2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1.

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