Vehicle impact absorbing structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle impact absorbing structure capable of surely protecting a battery while absorbing collision energy by being properly crushed in a collision.SOLUTION: A vehicle impact absorbing structure 10 includes a pair of support members 7, 7 arranged along a Y direction of a vehicle on a front side and a rear side of the vehicle with respect to a battery 23 mounted on the vehicle in a plan view, a first impact absorbing member 11 arranged on an outer lateral side of the vehicle with respect to the battery 23, and a second impact absorbing member 12 having rigidity smaller than that of the first impact absorbing member 11. In addition, at least a part thereof is disposed on the outer lateral side of the battery 23 in a state of being juxtaposed in the Y direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with impact absorbing structures that absorb the impact energy received when a vehicle collides with another object, thereby protecting occupants and precision components mounted on the vehicle. As a specific example of an impact absorbing structure for a vehicle, Patent Document 1 discloses an impact absorbing member mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle impact absorbing structure"). The vehicle impact absorbing structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is installed on the side end of the vehicle body and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and reduces the impact on the vehicle interior in the event of a side collision.

[0003] Furthermore, in the vehicle undercarriage structure described in Patent Document 2, a rocker is provided as an energy absorbing section that is disposed outward in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction relative to the battery pack mounted on the vehicle lower side of the floor panel. Therefore, in the vehicle described in Patent Document 2, the battery pack is protected from impact in the event of a side collision by the energy absorbing section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-31109 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-18760 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In vehicles equipped with a battery, protection of the battery is required in the event of a side collision. However, in the vehicle structures described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there are few parts of the impact absorbing member that support the battery, and the entire impact absorbing member may bend without being crushed. In such cases, there is a risk of malfunction, such as the impact absorbing member coming into contact with the battery and catching fire.

[0006] As described above, the vehicle structures described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have room for improvement in terms of protecting the battery in the event of a collision with another object.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle impact absorbing structure that can properly collapse in the event of a side collision to absorb the collision energy while also properly protecting the battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The characteristic configuration of the vehicle impact absorption structure of the present invention is a vehicle impact absorption structure that is installed on a vehicle equipped with a battery and absorbs impact caused by an external force directed toward the battery from the side of the vehicle, and in a plan view, comprises a pair of support members that are arranged along the vehicle width direction of the vehicle on the front and rear sides of the vehicle relative to the battery, a first impact absorbing member that is arranged on the outer side of the vehicle relative to the battery, and a second impact absorbing member that has less rigidity than the first impact absorbing member, and at least one of the first impact absorbing member and the second impact absorbing member is arranged across the pair of support members, and at least a portion of the first impact absorbing member is arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction on the outer side of the battery.

[0009] According to the vehicle impact absorption structure of this configuration, at least one of the two impact absorbing members with different rigidities is provided across a pair of support members, and is positioned on the outer side of the battery with at least a portion of the impact absorbing members arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, in the event of a side collision of a vehicle equipped with a battery, the impact energy acts first on the second impact absorbing member with lower rigidity. As a result, the second impact absorbing member with lower rigidity is crushed, allowing the second impact absorbing member to absorb most of the impact energy. This reduces the impact energy acting on the first impact absorbing member with relatively higher rigidity, thereby suppressing deflection of the first impact absorbing member. As a result, contact of the impact absorbing member with the battery can be avoided during a side collision, thereby properly protecting the battery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a supporting form of the battery. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vehicle impact absorbing structure according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which an external force is applied from the side of a vehicle to a vehicle impact absorption structure of a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a vehicle impact absorbing structure of a comparative example. [Figure 7] 10 is a partial cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which an external force is applied from the side of the vehicle to the vehicle impact absorption structure of the comparative example. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional plan view schematically showing a vehicle impact absorbing structure according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which an external force is applied from the side of the vehicle to the vehicle impact absorption structure of the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional plan view schematically showing a vehicle impact absorbing structure according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The vehicle impact absorption structure according to the present invention is configured to be used in, for example, a vehicle body. The vehicle impact absorption structure according to the present embodiment will be described below. However, the vehicle impact absorption structure is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0012] [First embodiment] Vehicle impact absorption structures are widely used as impact absorption structures for automobiles and the like. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicle 1 has front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 as running wheels, and a central frame 4 as a vehicle body frame. A vehicle impact absorption structure 10 is configured, for example, by being connected to the central frame 4. The vehicle 1 is configured with a passenger compartment 5 and a luggage compartment 6 arranged at the front and rear in the traveling direction.

[0013] 1 to 6, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 (front-rear direction of the vehicle) is defined as the X direction, and the width direction of the vehicle 1 (left-right direction of the vehicle) is defined as the Y direction. The front side of the traveling direction is defined as the X1 side, and the rear side of the traveling direction is defined as the X2 side. Furthermore, the left side of the traveling direction in the vehicle width direction is defined as the Y1 side, and the right side of the traveling direction in the vehicle width direction is defined as the Y2 side.

[0014] The central frame 4 is composed of a pair of frames 4a, 4a provided near the center in the vehicle width direction, and the pair of frames 4a, 4a extend in the X direction.

[0015] In this embodiment, the batteries 20 are arranged such that a first battery 21 and a second battery 22 are arranged in the front-rear direction in an area sandwiched between a pair of frames 4a, 4a of the central frame 4. A third battery 23 is arranged on the Y1 side of the pair of frames 4a, 4a in the Y direction, and a fourth battery 24 is arranged on the Y2 side of the pair of frames 4a, 4a in the Y direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle impact absorption structure 10 (vehicle impact absorber) is provided on a vehicle equipped with a battery 20, and is an impact absorption structure that absorbs impacts caused by external forces directed toward the battery 20 from the side of the vehicle 1.

[0017] In this embodiment, four batteries 20 (21, 22, 23, 24) are arranged in the vehicle 1. Of the four batteries 20, two batteries 21 and 22 are arranged in the center, and the other two batteries 23 and 24 are arranged one on each side.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the vehicle impact absorption structure 10, in a plan view on the Y1 side of the vehicle 1 (viewed in a direction perpendicular to the XY plane), includes a pair of support members 7, 7 arranged along the Y direction of the vehicle 1 on the front and rear sides of the vehicle 1 relative to the third battery 23. The first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 are arranged on the Y1 side (outside side) of the vehicle 1 relative to the third battery 23. In addition, the second impact absorbing member 12 has lower rigidity than the first impact absorbing member 11. The vehicle impact absorption structure 10 also includes a pair of support members 7, 7, and the first impact absorbing member 11 and second impact absorbing member 12 on the Y2 side of the vehicle 1, similar to the Y1 side of the vehicle 1. In other words, on the Y2 side of the vehicle 1, the first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 are arranged on the Y2 side (outside side) of the vehicle 1 relative to the fourth battery 24.

[0019] The first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 in the vehicle impact absorbing structure 10 of this embodiment are die-cast products formed using a die-casting method from metals such as aluminum, zinc, magnesium, copper, lead, or tin, or metal alloys containing these metals. Die-cast products can maintain desired porosity, ductility, strength, thermal conductivity, high-temperature resistance, hardness, abrasion resistance, durability, dimensional stability, and the like. The first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 may also be cast or extruded products.

[0020] At least one of the first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 is arranged across a pair of support members 7, 7, and is arranged on the outer side of the third battery 23 and the fourth battery 24 with at least a portion of them arranged side by side in the Y direction.

[0021] In this embodiment, on the Y1 side of the vehicle 1, the first impact absorbing member 11 is disposed closer to the third battery 23 than the second impact absorbing member 12. Furthermore, on the Y2 side of the vehicle 1, the first impact absorbing member 11 is disposed closer to the fourth battery 24 than the second impact absorbing member 12. That is, in this embodiment, the first impact absorbing member 11 is disposed on the inner lateral side of the vehicle 1, and the second impact absorbing member 12 is disposed on the outer lateral side of the vehicle 1. On the Y1 side and the Y2 side of the vehicle 1, the first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 are each provided across a pair of support members 7, 7. The second impact absorbing member 12 is composed of two members spaced apart in the X direction in a side view. One of the two members is disposed in a position overlapping with the support member 7 disposed on the front side of the vehicle 1, and the other member is disposed in a position overlapping with the support member 7 disposed on the rear side of the vehicle 1. That is, the second impact absorbing member 12 is configured in a form that overlaps the pair of support members 7, 7 in a side view and is not disposed in a part of the area sandwiched between the pair of support members 7, 7.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 are plate-shaped members made of the same material. The first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 are cylindrical and hollow, and have ribs 12a extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction in the hollow portion V. In this embodiment, the rigidity of the second impact absorbing member 12 is made smaller than that of the first impact absorbing member 11 by adjusting the number, shape, and arrangement of the ribs 12a. Note that the hollow portion and ribs of the first impact absorbing member 11 are not shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0023] In FIG. 1, A denotes a straight line extending in the X direction and passing through the rotational axes 2a of the front wheels 2 and the rotational axes 3a of the rear wheels 3. In this embodiment, at least a portion of the battery 20 (21, 22, 23, 24) is located above the rotational axes 2a of the front wheels 2 and the rotational axes 3a of the rear wheels 3. That is, in FIG. 1, at least a portion of the battery 20 (21, 22, 23, 24) is located above the extension line A in a side view. In other words, at least a portion of the battery 20 (21, 22, 23, 24) is located above a plane including the rotational axes 2a, 3a.

[0024] Assume that an object W, simulating another vehicle B, collides from the side with the vehicle impact absorption structure 10 shown in FIG. 4. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the impact from the object W acts on the second impact absorbing member 12, which has low rigidity, in the vehicle impact absorption structure 10, crushing the second impact absorbing member 12. As a result, the collision energy of the object W from the side of the vehicle is attenuated and almost absorbed by the second impact absorbing member 12. This reduces the collision energy of the object W acting on the first impact absorbing member 11, thereby suppressing deflection of the first impact absorbing member 11 and making it easier to maintain its position. As a result, the vehicle impact absorption structure 10 can adequately protect the third battery 23 even when the vehicle 1 is hit by a side collision. In addition, in this embodiment, the second impact absorbing member 12 is configured so that, in a side view, it overlaps the pair of support members 7, 7 and is not positioned in a portion of the area sandwiched between the pair of support members 7, 7. This reduces the amount of material (e.g., aluminum) used for the impact absorbing member, thereby suppressing cost increases.

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a comparative example of a vehicle impact absorption structure 10A. The vehicle impact absorption structure 10A includes a single impact absorbing member 11A. Like the first impact absorbing member 11, the impact absorbing member 11A has a hollow cylindrical shape. In the comparative example of the vehicle impact absorption structure 10A, if an object W simulating another vehicle B collides from the side, the impact absorbing member 11A bends inward in the Y direction, as shown in FIG. 7. This could result in the impact absorbing member 11A coming into contact with the battery 23 and causing a fire. Therefore, the vehicle impact absorption structure 10A shown in FIG. 6 cannot adequately protect the third battery 23. While increasing the thickness of the impact absorbing member 11A could reduce the deflection, this would require the use of a large amount of material for the impact absorbing member 11A, increasing costs.

[0026] Second Embodiment As shown in Fig. 8, the vehicle impact absorbing structure 10 may have a first impact absorbing member 11 disposed on a lateral outer side of the vehicle 1 and a second impact absorbing member 12 disposed on a lateral inner side of the vehicle 1. In the second embodiment, the second impact absorbing member 12 is attached as two members to the ends of a pair of support members 7, 7. The first impact absorbing member 11 is provided across the pair of support members 7, 7, and both end portions in the X direction are attached to the two second impact absorbing members 12. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0027] In the vehicle impact absorption structure 10 of the second embodiment, if an object W simulating a pillar-shaped member P such as a utility pole collides with the side of the vehicle 1, the object W (pillar-shaped member P) will come into contact with the first impact absorbing member 11, as shown in FIG. 9 . In this case, the impact is transmitted from the first impact absorbing member 11 to the second impact absorbing member 12, and the second impact absorbing member 12, which has lower rigidity, collapses and absorbs the impact from the object W. Therefore, the first impact absorbing member 11 is not significantly affected by the impact from the object W, and deformation of the first impact absorbing member 11 can be minimized. This allows the position of the first impact absorbing member 11 to be stably maintained, thereby appropriately protecting the third battery 23. Note that increasing the dimension of the second impact absorbing member 12 in the Y direction and widening the distance between the first impact absorbing member 11 and the third battery 23 can more easily prevent the first impact absorbing member 11 from contacting the third battery 23.

[0028] Third Embodiment 10, the vehicle impact absorption structure 10 may have the first impact absorbing member 11 disposed along the inner side in the Y direction (Y2 side) and the second impact absorbing member 12 disposed along the outer side in the Y direction (Y1 side). In the third embodiment, the first impact absorbing member 11 and the second impact absorbing member 12 are both disposed across a pair of support members 7, 7. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0029] In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the vehicle impact absorption structure 10 can absorb the impact energy from a collision not only in the event of a side collision with another vehicle, but also when the side of the vehicle 1 collides with a pillar-shaped member by bringing the pillar-shaped member into contact with the second impact absorbing member 12.

[0030] Other Embodiments (1) In the above embodiment, the vehicle 1 is described as a truck having a luggage compartment 6, but the vehicle 1 is not limited to a truck and may be another vehicle such as a passenger car.

[0031] (2) In the above embodiment, the battery 20 mounted on the vehicle 1 is configured by four batteries 21, 22, 23, and 24, and two batteries 21 and 22 are disposed near the center of the vehicle 1 in the Y direction, and the batteries 23 and 24 are disposed on both outer sides in the Y direction. In the embodiment, the number and arrangement of the batteries 20 mounted on the vehicle 1 are not particularly limited.

[0032] (3) In the above embodiment, the first shock absorbing member 11 and the second shock absorbing member 12 are hollow members with ribs provided in the hollow portions, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. Depending on the material used, one or both of the first shock absorbing member 11 and the second shock absorbing member 12 may be solid members as long as the second shock absorbing member 12 has lower rigidity than the first shock absorbing member 11.

[0033] [Summary of the above embodiment] Hereinafter, in the above-described embodiment, the following configurations are considered. <1> One aspect of the vehicle impact absorption structure (10) is a vehicle impact absorption structure (10) that is provided on a vehicle (1) equipped with a battery (20) and that absorbs impacts caused by external forces directed toward the battery (20) from the side of the vehicle (1), and that includes, in a plan view, a pair of support members (7, 7) that are arranged along the vehicle width direction (Y direction) of the vehicle (1) on the front and rear sides of the vehicle (1) relative to the battery (23, 24), a first impact absorbing member (11) that is arranged on the outer side of the vehicle (1) relative to the battery (23, 24), and a second impact absorbing member (12) that has less rigidity than the first impact absorbing member (11), and at least one of the first impact absorbing member (11) and the second impact absorbing member (12) is arranged across the pair of support members (7, 7), and is arranged on the outer side of the battery (23, 24) with at least a portion of the first impact absorbing member (11) and the second impact absorbing member (12) arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction (Y direction).

[0034] According to this embodiment, at least one of the two impact absorbing members (11, 12) having different rigidities is provided across a pair of support members (7, 7), and is disposed outward of the battery (23, 24) with at least a portion of the impact absorbing members (11, 12) arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction (Y direction). With this configuration, in the event of a side collision of a vehicle (1) equipped with the battery (23, 24), the impact energy acts first on the second impact absorbing member (12) having lower rigidity. As a result, the second impact absorbing member (12) having lower rigidity is crushed, and most of the impact energy can be absorbed by the second impact absorbing member (12). This reduces the impact energy acting on the first impact absorbing member (11) having higher rigidity, thereby suppressing deflection of the first impact absorbing member (11). As a result, contact between the impact absorbing members (11, 12) and the battery (23, 24) can be avoided during a side collision, thereby appropriately protecting the battery (23, 24).

[0035] <2> <1> In the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10), it is preferable that the first shock absorbing member (11) is arranged closer to the battery (23, 24), and the second shock absorbing member (12) is arranged further outward than the first shock absorbing member (11).

[0036] In this embodiment, when the second impact absorbing member (12) is provided on the outer side of the first impact absorbing member (11), in the event of a side collision with another vehicle, the other vehicle will come into contact with the second impact absorbing member (12). As a result, the collision energy in the event of a side collision can be reliably absorbed by the second impact absorbing member (12).

[0037] <3> <1> In the vehicle impact absorbing structure (10), the second impact absorbing member (12) is disposed on the side closer to the battery (23, 24), and it is preferable that, in a side view (viewed in the Y direction), the second impact absorbing member (12) overlaps only the support members (7, 7).

[0038] According to this embodiment, the amount of second shock absorbing member (12) used is reduced, thereby enabling weight and cost reduction of the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10). Furthermore, the first shock absorbing member (11) is provided across the pair of support members (7, 7). As a result, in the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10), in the event of a side collision with a narrow pole-shaped member (P) such as a utility pole, in addition to a side collision with another vehicle, the pole-shaped member (P) abuts against the first shock absorbing member (11). The impact is transmitted from the first shock absorbing member (11) to the second shock absorbing member (12). The second shock absorbing member (12), which has low rigidity, collapses, thereby absorbing the impact of the object (W). As a result, the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10) can perform its shock absorbing function in side collisions with various types of objects.

[0039] <4> <2> In the vehicle impact absorption structure (10), it is preferable that, when viewed from the side (viewed in the Y direction), the second impact absorbing member (12) is configured in a form that overlaps the pair of support members (7, 7) and is not positioned in at least a part of the area sandwiched between the pair of support members (7, 7).

[0040] According to this embodiment, the amount of the second shock absorbing member (12) used can be reduced, thereby enabling the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10) to be lighter and less expensive. Furthermore, the first shock absorbing member (11) is provided across the pair of support members (7, 7). This allows the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10) to adequately protect the sides of the batteries (23, 24) with the first shock absorbing member (11).

[0041] <5> <1> ~ <4> In the vehicle shock absorbing structure (10), it is preferable that at least a part of the battery (23, 24) is located above the vehicle (1) relative to the rotation axes (2a, 3a) of the traveling wheels (2, 3) of the vehicle (1).

[0042] For example, when a vehicle (1) is side-collided with another vehicle, the part of the vehicle that the other vehicle collides with is the vehicle body. Here, the vehicle body is usually located above the rotation axes (2a, 3a) of the vehicle's running wheels (2, 3). Therefore, if the batteries (23, 24) mounted on the vehicle (1) were all located below the rotation axes (2a, 3a) of the running wheels (2, 3), the vehicle impact absorption structure (10) may not function properly. Therefore, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the batteries (23, 24) is located above the rotation axes (2a, 3a) of the running wheels (2, 3) of the vehicle (1). This configuration allows the vehicle impact absorption structure (10) to function more effectively when the vehicle (1) equipped with the vehicle impact absorption structure (10) is side-collided with another vehicle. [Industrial Applicability]

[0043] The present invention is widely applicable to vehicle impact absorbing structures. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1: vehicle, 2: front wheels (driving wheels), 3: rear wheels (driving wheels), 2a, 3a: rotating shaft, 7: support member, 10: vehicle impact absorbing structure, 11: first impact absorbing member, 12: second impact absorbing member, 20: battery, 23: third battery, 24: fourth battery

Claims

1. A vehicle impact absorption structure that is provided in a vehicle equipped with a battery and absorbs an impact caused by an external force directed toward the battery from the side of the vehicle, a pair of support members arranged along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle on front and rear sides of the vehicle with respect to the battery in a plan view; a first impact absorbing member and a second impact absorbing member having a lower rigidity than the first impact absorbing member, the first impact absorbing member being disposed on an outer side of the vehicle with respect to the battery; A vehicle impact absorption structure in which at least one of the first impact absorbing member and the second impact absorbing member is arranged across a pair of the support members, and at least a portion of the first impact absorbing member and the second impact absorbing member are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction on the outer side of the battery.

2. the first impact absorbing member is disposed on a side closer to the battery, The vehicle impact absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the second impact absorbing member is provided on the outer side of the first impact absorbing member.

3. The second impact absorbing member is disposed on a side closer to the battery, The vehicle impact absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the second impact absorbing member overlaps only the support member in a side view.

4. 3. The vehicle impact absorbing structure according to claim 2, wherein, in a side view, the second impact absorbing member overlaps the pair of support members and is not positioned in at least a portion of an area sandwiched between the pair of support members.

5. The vehicle impact absorbing structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the battery is located above a rotation axis of a wheel for driving the vehicle.

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