Front vehicle body structure of vehicle in which battery unit is mounted

Abstract

To increase the capacity of a battery unit while appropriately ensuring the function of a torque box.SOLUTION: A front vehicle body structure of a vehicle includes a torque box 70 having a closed cross-sectional structure formed by attaching a box panel 71 to a lower surface of a front end portion of a floor panel 8 and connecting a rear end portion 5b of each of left and right front side frames 5 to a front end portion of a side sill 6 in cooperation with the floor panel 8. A battery unit 30 has a rectangular appearance when viewed from above, and is arranged below the floor panel 8 so as to extend along the floor panel 8. The torque box 70 is received in a step portion 68 provided at a front end portion of the battery unit 30, and thus the front end portion of the battery unit 30 and the torque box 70 are arranged to overlap in a vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to a front body structure of a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, that is equipped with a battery unit for driving the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of front body structure is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] In the front vehicle body structure of Patent Document 1, a pair of left and right front side frames 14 are connected to a cross member 18 extending in the vehicle width direction. The left and right ends of the cross member 18 are connected to a pair of left and right side sills 16 via outriggers 26, respectively.

[0004] An inclined surface 58 is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of each outrigger 26, sloping outward in the vehicle width direction as it extends rearward. Inclined surfaces 56 are provided at the left and right front corners of the battery case 52. These inclined surfaces 56 and the inclined surfaces 58 of each outrigger 26 are arranged to face each other with a clearance therebetween. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-18821 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The battery unit is heavy and has a large capacity, so it is generally disposed so as to extend below a floor panel having a large surface area.

[0007] However, there are height restrictions in the space below the floor panel, so the battery unit needs to be as large horizontally as possible. Meanwhile, the front of the vehicle has a pair of front side frames that support the load acting from the front of the vehicle.

[0008] In order to transmit this load to a pair of rear side sills, the vehicle body structure of Patent Document 1 is provided with a cross member and a pair of outriggers. Accordingly, the left and right front corners of the battery unit in Patent Document 1 have a cut-off shape when viewed from above. This has the disadvantage of reducing the capacity of the battery unit.

[0009] On the other hand, the load of each front side frame may be transmitted to each side sill via a torque box with a closed cross-section structure that has excellent strength and rigidity. In order for the torque box to properly transmit the load, it is necessary to configure the torque box with an appropriate volume and a small deviation in the aspect ratio (length-to-length ratio) of the closed cross-section.

[0010] Therefore, if the battery unit is made larger forward, it will interfere with the torque box. Therefore, in this case, as with the vehicle body structure of Patent Document 1, the battery unit must be positioned to avoid the torque box, which reduces the capacity of the battery unit.

[0011] Therefore, this specification discloses a technology that can expand the battery unit forward and increase its capacity while ensuring the proper function of the torque box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The disclosed technology relates to a front body structure of a vehicle equipped with a battery unit.

[0013] The front body structure includes a floor panel that forms the floor surface of the vehicle's passenger compartment, a pair of side sills that extend in the fore-and-aft direction along both left and right side edges of the floor panel, a pair of front side frames that extend forward at a distance to the left and right from the front side of the floor panel, and a torque box that has a closed cross-sectional structure formed by attaching a box panel to the underside of the front end portion of the floor panel and that cooperates with the floor panel to connect the rear end portions of the left and right front side frames to the front end portions of the side sills.

[0014] The battery unit has a rectangular appearance when viewed from above and is disposed below the floor panel so as to extend along the floor panel. A step that is lower than the top surface of the battery unit is provided at the front end of the battery unit, and the torque box is received in the step so that the front end of the battery unit and the torque box are arranged to overlap one another.

[0015] That is, according to this front vehicle body structure, a torque box having a closed cross-section is formed by attaching a box panel to the underside of the front end portion of the floor panel. The torque box, in cooperation with the floor panel, connects the rear ends of the left and right front side frames to the front ends of the side sills.

[0016] The battery unit, which is disposed below the floor panel so as to extend along the floor panel, has a rectangular appearance when viewed from above. A step is provided at the front end of the battery unit, which is lower than the top surface of the battery unit. The torque box is received in the step, so that the front end of the battery unit and the torque box are arranged to overlap one another.

[0017] This allows the battery unit to be formed in a rectangular shape roughly the same size as the floor panel, allowing the battery unit to be expanded forward while maintaining its torque box functionality, resulting in a large-capacity battery unit.

[0018] The torque box may have a front wall portion facing forward, a rear wall portion facing rearward, and a lower wall portion facing downward, and the step portion may be formed along the lower wall portion and the rear wall portion.

[0019] This allows the capacity of the front end of the battery unit to be maximized while ensuring an appropriate closed cross-sectional shape for the torque box.

[0020] The torque box may further have a side wall portion facing laterally, and the torque box may be joined to the front end portion of the side sill from a plurality of directions.

[0021] This allows the load acting on the torque box to be transmitted to the side sill in an appropriate manner with reliability.

[0022] Both rear end portions of the front side frames may be joined to the torque box via the front wall portion.

[0023] In this way, the torque box receives from the front the load transmitted rearward from the front side frame, so that the load acting on the front side frame can be transmitted to the torque box in an appropriate manner with reliability.

[0024] The battery unit may have a battery case that houses battery cells, and the battery case may have a rectangular frame material and a bottom material and a cover material that are assembled to the frame material and cover the top and bottom of the battery cells, and the step portion may be formed by the frame material that faces the bottom wall portion and the cover material that faces the rear wall portion, and the frame material may be fixed to the bottom wall portion.

[0025] In this way, the battery unit is supported by the torque box, which also has excellent strength and rigidity, via a frame material, which also has excellent strength and rigidity, so that the battery unit can be stably supported.

[0026] The lower surface of the floor panel including the torque box and the upper surface of the battery case including the frame material and the lid material may face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween.

[0027] The battery unit dissipates heat during use. If there is a gap between the floor panel or other parts and the top surface of the battery case, a large surface area of ​​heat dissipation space can be secured above the battery unit, facilitating heat dissipation from the battery unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to the disclosed technology, the battery unit can be expanded forward to increase its capacity while ensuring proper torque box function. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view of a vehicle body structure to which the disclosed technology is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a view seen from the direction of arrow E in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a battery unit. [Figure 7B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a battery unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a box panel. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the box panel attached to the vehicle body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The disclosed technology will be described below. However, the description is essentially merely illustrative. The front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions used in the description are based on the vehicle. In each drawing, these directions are indicated by arrows. The left-right direction corresponds to the vehicle width direction.

[0031] <Body structure> 1 to 6 illustrate examples of vehicle body structures to which the disclosed technology is applied. FIG. 1 is a view (plan view) of the vehicle body 1 as seen from above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a view (bottom view) as seen from the direction of arrow E in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1. The vehicle body 1 in these FIGS. 1 to 6 is simplified.

[0032] The vehicle body 1 is composed of a bumper beam 2, a shroud upper member 3, an apron member 4, a front side frame 5, a side sill 6, a dash panel 7, a floor panel 8, and the like.

[0033] This vehicle is an electric vehicle. It is driven by a motor. Although not shown, the motor is mounted in a front space 1a provided at the front of the vehicle body 1. A passenger compartment 1b is formed in the middle of the vehicle body 1. A floor panel 8, which is roughly rectangular in top view, is laid in the middle of the vehicle body 1 so as to extend in both the front-rear and left-right directions (horizontally). The floor panel 8 forms the floor surface of the passenger compartment 1b.

[0034] A battery unit 30 is mounted on a vehicle as a power source for driving a driving motor. The battery unit 30 is required to have high output. Therefore, the battery unit 30 is heavy and has a large capacity. However, the installation space in a vehicle is limited. Therefore, the battery unit 30 is arranged below the floor panel 8 so as to extend along the floor panel 8, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1.

[0035] By applying the disclosed technology, the battery unit 30 of this vehicle has a rectangular appearance in top view that is substantially the same as the floor panel 8. It should be particularly noted that its front end portion is located near the front edge of the floor panel 8. The left and right front corners of the battery unit 30 overlap vertically with the left and right front corners of the floor panel 8. The battery unit 30 will be described separately below.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 2, the front space 1a and the passenger compartment 1b are separated by a dash panel 7 that extends in both the vertical direction (vertical direction). As shown in Fig. 3, the front end portion of the floor panel 8 is provided with an upwardly inclined surface portion 8a that is inclined so as to become higher toward the front.

[0037] The tip of the upwardly inclined surface portion 8a is connected to the lower end of the dash panel 7. The dash panel 7 and floor panel 8 are integrally formed by joining multiple pressed steel plates. The lower end portion of the dash panel 7 is provided with a protruding strip portion 7a that extends in the left-right direction and protrudes forward.

[0038] A reinforcing rib 7b that forms a closed cross-section structure is provided behind the protruding strip 7a. A bulging portion 8b that bulges upward and extends rearward in a band-like shape is formed in the center of the front end of the floor panel 8. A torque box 70 (described in detail below) is attached to both the left and right sides of the bulging portion 8b on the underside of the floor panel 8, utilizing the upwardly inclined surfaces 8a.

[0039] A pair of side sills 6, 6 with excellent strength and rigidity are provided on both the left and right sides of the center portion of the vehicle body 1. Each side sill 6 is made of a pillar-shaped member and extends parallel to the front-to-rear direction along the left and right side edges of the floor panel 8. A rear side frame 9 extending rearward is connected to the rear end of each side sill 6. A rear floor panel 9a connected to the floor panel 8 is laid between these rear side frames 9, 9.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, etc., a pair of front side frames 5, 5 extend forward, spaced apart on the left and right sides, from the front side of the floor panel 8. Each front side frame 5 is made of a columnar member with a rectangular cross section and has a main body portion 5a that extends substantially horizontally and a short rear end portion 5b that extends downwardly from the rear end of the main body portion 5a.

[0041] Each front side frame 5 is joined via its rear end 5b to the upwardly inclined surface 8a of the floor panel 8 and to the torque box 70. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the joint portion of the rear end 5b is located midway between the center of the vehicle body 1 and each of the left and right side edges in the left-right direction. The pair of front side frames 5, 5 are arranged at a slight incline so that they move farther apart toward the front when viewed from the top-bottom direction.

[0042] Suspension housings 11 are provided in front of each of the left and right ends of the dash panel 7. The lower end of each suspension housing 11 is connected to the corresponding front side frame 5. The upper end of each suspension housing 11 is connected to an apron member 4.

[0043] Each apron member 4 extends forward from the outside of each suspension housing 11. Each apron member 4 is curved so that it faces inward in the vehicle width direction as it moves forward. The tips of the pair of apron members 4, 4 are connected by a shroud upper member 3 that extends in the left-right direction.

[0044] A bumper beam 2 extending in the left-right direction is disposed below and forward of the shroud upper member 3. The front ends of the front side frames 5 are connected to both ends of the bumper beam 2 via crash cans 12.

[0045] <Battery unit> 7A and 7B show examples of the structure of the battery unit 30. The battery unit 30 has a plurality of battery cells 30a and a battery case 30b that houses these battery cells 30a.

[0046] Each battery cell 30a is configured by connecting a large number of lithium ion batteries or the like. All of the battery cells 30a are electrically connected and configured to be able to output a predetermined high voltage. Each battery cell 30a is formed in a rectangular block shape (cuboid shape) in consideration of loading efficiency into the battery case 30b. In the case of this battery unit 30, 12 battery cells 30a are arranged inside the battery case 30b so that four are arranged in the left-right direction and three are arranged in the front-rear direction and are closely spaced horizontally.

[0047] The battery case 30b includes a battery frame 40, a base member 50, a lid member 60, etc. The battery frame 40 includes a rectangular frame member 41 and a plurality of reinforcing members 45. The frame member 41 and the reinforcing members 45 are made of square pipes with a predetermined cross-sectional shape, and are formed by extruding aluminum.

[0048] The frame member 41 has a pair of first frame members 41a, 41a facing each other laterally and a pair of second frame members 41b, 41b facing each other front-to-rear. Each second frame member 41b has a rectangular cross section with a partitioned interior. Front fastening portions 31 for fastening to the torque box 70 are provided at two predetermined positions symmetrically on the left and right of the front second frame member 41b (also referred to as the front second frame member 41b) (details will be described later).

[0049] Meanwhile, each first frame member 41a has an inverted L-shaped cross section with the interior partitioned, and an outwardly projecting support portion 42 is provided at its upper portion. Side fastening portions 32 for fastening to the side sill 6 are provided at multiple locations on the support portion 42 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, as shown enlarged in Fig. 7B, screw fastening portions 33 for screwing in the cover member 60 are provided at multiple locations on the frame member 41.

[0050] The reinforcing members 45 also have a rectangular cross section with an interior that is partitioned. In the case of this battery unit 30, there are three reinforcing members 45. Each reinforcing member 45 extends between and parallel to a pair of first frame members 41a, 41a. Each reinforcing member 45 is installed between the front and rear second frame members 41b, 41b so as to pass between the battery cells 30a.

[0051] The base material 50 and the lid material 60 are made of members formed by pressing aluminum plate material. The base material 50 is joined (welded) to the lower surface of the frame material 41 so as to cover the lower sides of the battery cells 30a. The lid material 60, which covers the upper sides of the battery cells 30a, is fastened to the upper surface of the frame material 41.

[0052] The lid 60 has a tray-like appearance with an opening facing downward. Specifically, when viewed from above, it has a rectangular upper surface 61, a frame-shaped side surface 62 whose upper edge is continuous with the periphery of the upper surface 61, and a flange surface 63 that extends from the lower edge of the side surface 62 around the periphery.

[0053] A platform portion 64 is formed at the rear portion of the lid member 60, extending along the rear edge thereof and having an upper surface portion 61 that is one step higher. This platform portion 64 accommodates electrical components, such as a control device that controls the battery unit 30 and a power input / output device, although not shown. Side surface portions 62 facing to the left and right are formed to hang down from the upper surface portion 61. On the other hand, the side surface portion 62 facing forward is formed to slope downward toward the front (also referred to as downwardly inclined surface portions 65).

[0054] Fastening holes 66 for screw fastening are formed in multiple locations on the flange surface portion 63, corresponding to the arrangement of the screw fastening portions 33 of the frame material 41. By fastening screws 67 inserted into each fastening hole 66 to the screw fastening portions 33, the lid material 60 is detachably attached to the frame material 41.

[0055] By attaching the cover member 60 to the frame member 41, a step portion 68 that is lower in height than the upper surface of the battery unit 30, i.e., the upper surface portion 61, is formed at the front end portion of the battery unit 30. In detail, the upper surface of the front second frame member 41b and the outer surface of the downwardly inclined surface portion 65 form a step-like portion that is lower in height than the upper surface portion 61 and extends left and right along the front edge of the battery unit 30.

[0056] In this vehicle body structure, by receiving the torque box 70 in this step portion 68, the front end portion of the battery unit 30 and the torque box 70 are arranged to be stacked vertically. This allows the battery unit 30 to be formed into a rectangle that is approximately the same size as the rectangular floor panel 8 when viewed from above. The battery unit 30 can be expanded forward while maintaining the functionality of the torque box 70, resulting in a battery unit 30 with a large capacity.

[0057] <Torque box and key parts of the vehicle body structure related to the torque box> When a load acts on the vehicle from the front due to a collision or the like, the load is received by the bumper beam 2. Most of the load received by the bumper beam 2 is transmitted rearward via the left and right crash cans 12, 12 and the pair of front side frames 5, 5.

[0058] The torque box 70 connects the rear end portions 5b of the left and right front side frames 5, 5 to the front end portions of the side sills 6. As a result, the torque box 70 transmits the load acting on the pair of front side frames 5, 5 to the pair of side sills 6, 6.

[0059] Torque box 70 needs to have a predetermined strength and rigidity to properly transmit load. In this vehicle body 1, torque box 70 has a closed cross-sectional structure with excellent strength and rigidity, and is formed by attaching a box panel 71 of a specific shape to the underside of the front end portion of floor panel 8. Torque box 70 cooperates with floor panel 8 to connect rear end portions 5b of each of left and right front side frames 5 to the front end portions of side sills 6.

[0060] There are two box panels 71 in the vehicle body 1. They are formed symmetrically. The left and right box panels 71, 71 are joined and attached to the left and right undersides of the front end portion of the floor panel 8, respectively.

[0061] Figure 8 shows an example of the left box panel 71. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the box panel 71 attached to the vehicle body 1. Figure 9 shows the box panel 71 from the rear right diagonally, with the floor panel 8 removed. In the figure, joints are indicated by multiple crosses. Note that although joints are generally made by spot welding, the crosses do not indicate the position or number of joints.

[0062] The box panel 71 is made of a pressed steel plate and has a front wall 71a facing forward, a rear wall 71b facing rearward, a lower wall 71c facing downward, and a pair of side walls 71d, 71d facing laterally (of the side walls 71d, the one facing outward in the vehicle width direction is also referred to as the outer wall 71d, and the one facing inward in the vehicle width direction is also referred to as the inner wall 71d).

[0063] The rear wall 71b has a first flange 71e extending along its upper edge. The outer wall 71d has a second flange 71f extending along its rear edge, a third flange 71g extending from its lower end along the lower wall 71c and rear wall 71b, and a fourth flange 71h extending from the lower end of the second flange 71f along the third flange 71g.

[0064] Inner wall portion 71d is formed so as to overlap the side surface shape of bulging portion 8b of floor panel 8. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, inner wall portion 71d is joined in an overlapping state to the side surface of bulging portion 8b.

[0065] The lower wall portion 71c is formed in a band shape facing the upper surface of the front second frame member 41b of the battery unit 30. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the lower wall portion 71c is configured to be in a substantially horizontal state and extend outward in the vehicle width direction from the portion where the bulge portion 8b is formed at the front end portion of the floor panel 8. A fastening seat 72 for bolt fastening is provided on the lower wall portion 71c.

[0066] The front wall portion 71a and the rear wall portion 71b are inclined upward from the long side portion of the lower wall portion 71c. The inclination of the front wall portion 71a is formed to match the inclination of the upward inclined surface portion 8a at the front end portion of the floor panel 8. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front wall portion 71a is joined in a state where it overlaps the upward inclined surface portion 8a.

[0067] The inclination of the rear wall portion 71b is formed to match the inclination of the downwardly inclined surface portion 65 at the front end portion of the battery unit 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear wall portion 71b is joined with its first flange portion 71e overlapping the underside of the floor panel 8.

[0068] Outer wall portion 71d is formed in a triangular shape that slopes upward from the sloped outer edge of front wall portion 71a. As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 9, the outer end portion of torque box 70 in the vehicle width direction is joined from multiple directions to the front end portion of side sill 6 via the edge portion of outer wall portion 71d and second to fourth flange portions 71f to 71h.

[0069] More specifically, the edge of the outer wall portion 71d and the third flange portion 71g are joined to the inner surface 6a of the side sill 6, as shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 5, the second flange portion 71f is joined to the front end surface 6b of the side sill 6. The fourth flange portion 71h is joined to the lower surface 6c of the side sill 6. This firmly connects the torque box 70 to the front end portion of the side sill 6.

[0070] Each torque box 70 extends relatively long in the left-right direction from the front end portion of the floor panel 8, and has a closed cross-sectional structure with a substantially triangular cross section with a relatively small aspect ratio deviation when viewed from the left-right direction. Therefore, these torque boxes 70 have excellent strength and rigidity.

[0071] As described above, each front side frame 5 is joined via its rear end 5b to the upwardly inclined surface portion 8a of the floor panel 8 and the torque box 70. In detail, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the rear end 5b of each front side frame 5 has a frame joining portion formed to match the shapes of the upwardly inclined surface portion 8a and the front wall portion 71a of the torque box 70.

[0072] The frame joints are provided with joint flanges 5d that come into surface contact with the upwardly inclined surface 8a and the front wall 71a. Each front side frame 5 is connected to the floor panel 8 and the torque box 70 by joining the joint flanges 5d to the front surfaces of the upwardly inclined surface 8a and the front wall 71a.

[0073] That is, each torque box 70, which has a closed cross-sectional structure with excellent strength and rigidity, cooperates with the floor panel 8 to connect the rear end portion 5b of each of the left and right front side frames 5 to the front end portion of the side sill 6. Therefore, when a load acts on each front side frame 5 from the front, the load can be effectively transmitted to each torque box 70. The load acting on each torque box 70 can then be effectively transmitted to each side sill 6. This allows the torque boxes 70 to fully function.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 7B, a step 68 is provided at the front end portion of the battery unit 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the step 68 is formed to fit along the lower wall portion 71c and the rear wall portion 71b of each torque box 70. As a result, the front end portion of the battery unit 30 and each torque box 70 are arranged to overlap vertically with a slight clearance C. This gives the battery unit 30 a rectangular shape that is approximately the same size as the floor panel 8 when viewed from above. As a result, the battery unit 30 is supported by the pair of torque boxes 70, 70 and the pair of side sills 6, 6, which have excellent strength and rigidity.

[0075] 3 and 6, a bolt support tube 31a that passes through the front second frame member 41b in the vertical direction is attached to the front fastening portion 31. The upper end portion of the bolt support tube 31a protrudes from the upper surface of the front second frame member 41b. The bolts 31b inserted through the bolt support tube 31a are fastened to fastening seats 72 on the lower wall portions 71c of the torque boxes 70 to fix them.

[0076] Although not shown, each side fastening portion 32 provided on the support portion 42 of the first frame member 41a is configured similarly to the front fastening portion 31. That is, bolts inserted into the bolt support pipes of each side fastening portion 32 are fastened to each side sill 6 for fixation. By doing so, the lower surface of the floor panel 8 including the torque box 70 and the upper surface of the battery case 30b including the frame member 41 and the lid member 60 face each other with a predetermined gap (clearance C) between them.

[0077] The step portion 68 of the battery unit 30 is formed to fit the bottom wall portion 71c and rear wall portion 71b of the torque box 70. This allows the capacity of the battery case 30b to be increased to its maximum. The battery case 30b is made of aluminum, while the floor panel 8 and the torque box 70 are made of steel plate. Because the materials have different thermal expansion coefficients, placing the battery case 30b in close contact with the floor panel 8 or the like could cause distortion or deformation.

[0078] However, by providing a predetermined clearance C between them, this problem can be prevented. Furthermore, the battery unit 30 dissipates heat during use. The battery unit 30 may become very hot. By providing the clearance C between the floor panel 8, etc. and the battery case 30b, a heat dissipation space with a large surface area can be secured above the battery unit 30.

[0079] In this way, according to the front body structure of a vehicle to which the disclosed technology is applied, the battery unit can be expanded forward to increase its capacity while ensuring the functionality of the torque box.

[0080] The disclosed technology is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various other configurations. For example, although an electric vehicle is used as an example vehicle in the embodiment, the vehicle may be a hybrid vehicle. The vehicle body structure, including the box panel 71, and the detailed shape of the battery unit 30 may be modified as appropriate according to specifications as long as the application of the disclosed technology is not affected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1. Body 2 bumper beams 3 Shroud upper member 4 Apron Members 5 Front side frame 5b Rear end 6 Side sill 7 Dash Panel 8 Floor Panels 8a Uphill slope 8b Bulge 11 Suspension housing 12 Crush Can 13 Connecting plate 30 Battery Unit 30a battery cell 30b Battery Case 40 Battery Frame 41 Frame material 41a 1st frame material 41b 2nd frame material 42 Support part 45 Reinforcement 50 Bottom material 60 Lid material 61 Top part 62 Side part 63 Tsuba area 64 Trap 65 Downward slope section 68 Step 70 Torque box 71 Box Panel 71a Front wall 71b Rear wall 71c Lower wall part 71d Side wall part 72 Fastening seat

Claims

1. A front body structure of a vehicle equipped with a battery unit, a floor panel that forms a floor surface of a passenger compartment of the vehicle; a pair of side sills extending in the front-rear direction along the left and right side edges of the floor panel; a pair of front side frames extending forward from a front side of the floor panel on the left and right sides; a torque box having a closed cross-sectional structure formed by attaching a box panel to the underside of a front end portion of the floor panel, the torque box cooperating with the floor panel to connect rear ends of the left and right front side frames to front ends of the side sills; Equipped with the battery unit has a rectangular appearance when viewed from above, and is disposed below the floor panel so as to extend along the floor panel; a step portion that is lower in height than an upper surface of the battery unit is provided at the front end portion of the battery unit, and the torque box is received in the step portion, so that the front end portion of the battery unit and the torque box are arranged to be overlapped vertically.

2. 2. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, The torque box has a front wall portion facing forward, a rear wall portion facing rearward, and a lower wall portion facing downward, A front body structure for a vehicle, wherein the step portion is formed along the lower wall portion and the rear wall portion.

3. 3. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 2, The torque box further has a side wall portion facing laterally, A front body structure of a vehicle, wherein the torque box is joined to the front end portion of the side sill from multiple directions.

4. 4. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 2 or 3, a front body structure for a vehicle, wherein both rear end portions of the front side frames are joined to the torque box via the front wall portion.

5. 3. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 2, the battery unit has a battery case that houses battery cells; the battery case has a rectangular frame member, and a bottom member and a lid member that are assembled to the frame member and cover the top and bottom of the battery cell, the frame member facing the lower wall portion and the lid member facing the rear wall portion constitute the step portion, A front body structure of a vehicle, wherein the frame material is fixed to the lower wall portion.

6. 6. The front body structure of a vehicle according to claim 5, A front body structure of a vehicle, wherein a lower surface of the floor panel including the torque box and an upper surface of the battery case including the frame material and the lid material face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween.

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