Vehicle undercarriage

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lower part structure that can suppress a position of a floor panel from getting higher, while maintaining side collision performance.SOLUTION: A vehicle lower part structure comprises: a battery unit 18 arranged at a lower side of a vehicle of a floor panel 12; a slide door 50 provided at a side part of a vehicle body 11; and a lower hinge 46, provided at a lower part of the slide door 50, which supports the slide door 50 with respect to the vehicle body 11, slidably in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The lower hinge 46 is configured to include a fixed part 46A extended in a vertical direction of the vehicle and fixed to the inside of the slide door 50 and an extended part 46B extended from a lower end portion of the fixed part 46A to inside in a width direction of the vehicle and arranged at a position overlapping with the battery unit 18 in a side view of the vehicle. A protruding member 66 protruding towards the fixed part 46A is provided at a position opposing in the width direction of the vehicle to the fixed part 46A, inside the slide door 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a sliding door is provided on the side of a vehicle in which a battery unit is disposed below a floor panel. In this vehicle, the lower hinge is disposed above the battery unit, so that interference between the lower hinge and the battery unit can be suppressed even if the lower hinge moves inward in the vehicle width direction together with the sliding door during a side collision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-214314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the lower hinge is positioned higher than the battery unit, which raises the position of the vehicle floor panel, making it difficult to ensure a spacious interior space. On the other hand, if the battery unit and the lower hinge are positioned at the same height, there is a risk that an excessive collision load will be input from the lower hinge to the battery in the event of a side collision.

[0005] In consideration of the above, the present invention has an object to provide a vehicle underbody structure that can prevent the floor panel from being positioned higher while maintaining side collision performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle undercarriage structure of the present invention described in claim 1 comprises a battery unit arranged on the vehicle lower side of a floor panel, a sliding door provided on the side of the vehicle body, and a lower hinge attached to the lower part of the sliding door and supporting the sliding door so that it can slide in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle relative to the vehicle body, wherein the lower hinge includes a fixed portion extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle and fixed to the inside of the sliding door, and an extension portion extending from the lower end of the fixed portion toward the inside in the vehicle width direction and positioned so as to overlap with the battery unit in a side view of the vehicle, and a protruding member protruding toward the fixed portion is provided on the inside of the sliding door at a position opposite the fixed portion in the vehicle width direction.

[0007] In the vehicle undercarriage structure according to the present invention, a battery unit is disposed below the floor panel. A sliding door is provided on a side of the vehicle body, and a lower hinge is attached to the lower part of the sliding door. The lower hinge supports the sliding door so that it can slide in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle relative to the vehicle body. The lower hinge includes a fixed portion extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle and an extension portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction from a lower end of the fixed portion, and the extension portion is disposed in a position overlapping the battery unit in a side view of the vehicle. By disposing the lower hinge and the battery unit at the same height, the floor panel can be prevented from becoming too high.

[0008] Furthermore, a protruding member protruding toward the fixed portion is provided on the inside of the sliding door at a position opposite the fixed portion in the vehicle width direction. As a result, when the sliding door moves inward in the vehicle width direction during a side collision of the vehicle, the protruding member comes into contact with the fixed portion, causing the fixed portion to move inward in the vehicle width direction, causing the lower hinge to rotate as seen from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and preventing excessive load from being input from the extension portion to the battery unit.

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention provides the vehicle underbody structure according to the first aspect, wherein the protruding member is a reinforcing member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and reinforces the sliding door.

[0010] In the vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention as set forth in claim 2, the reinforcing member of the sliding door is used to rotate the lower hinge during a side collision of the vehicle, so there is no need to use a dedicated member.

[0011] The vehicle undercarriage structure of the present invention described in claim 3 is the same as claim 2, wherein the sliding door has a closed cross-sectional structure including a door inner panel located on the inside in the vehicle width direction and a door outer panel located on the outside in the vehicle width direction, the fixing portion of the lower hinge is fixed to the door inner panel, and the reinforcing member is joined to the door outer panel at a position opposite to an upper portion of the fixing portion.

[0012] In the vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention, the fixing portion of the lower hinge is fixed to the door inner panel, and the reinforcing member is joined to the door outer panel. Furthermore, since the reinforcing member is joined at a position facing the upper portion of the fixing portion, a load is input from the reinforcing member to the upper portion of the lower hinge during a side collision of the vehicle. As a result, the lower hinge can be effectively rotated to suppress interference between the extension portion and the battery unit.

[0013] The vehicle undercarriage structure of the present invention described in claim 4 is the same as claim 2, wherein the sliding door has a closed cross-sectional structure including a door inner panel located on the inside in the vehicle width direction and a door outer panel located on the outside in the vehicle width direction, the fixing portion of the lower hinge is fixed to the door outer panel, and the reinforcing member is joined to the door inner panel at a position opposite to a lower portion of the fixing portion.

[0014] In the vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention, the fixed portion of the lower hinge is fixed to the door outer panel, and the reinforcing member is joined to the door inner panel. Furthermore, since the reinforcing member is joined at a position facing the lower portion of the fixed portion, during a side collision of the vehicle, a load is input from the reinforcing member to the fixed portion, i.e., the boundary between the fixed portion and the extension portion. As a result, even when the lower hinge is fixed to the door outer panel, the lower hinge can be effectively rotated to suppress interference between the extension portion and the battery unit.

[0015] The vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention described in claim 5 is based on any one of claims 1 to 4, and is arranged such that the lower hinge is disposed above a rocker extending in the vehicle front-rear direction under the vehicle.

[0016] In the vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention, the lower hinge is disposed above the rocker. Therefore, when the lower hinge rotates during a side collision of the vehicle, the extension can be received by the rocker, and the load input from the extension to the rocker can be distributed to the front and rear via the rocker. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, the vehicle underbody structure according to the present invention can prevent the floor panel from being positioned higher while maintaining side collision performance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a rear part of a vehicle to which a vehicle undercarriage structure according to a first embodiment is applied, as viewed from the outside. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a lower part of a vehicle to which a vehicle underbody structure according to a first embodiment is applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the lower part of a vehicle to which a vehicle underbody structure relating to a second embodiment is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] First Embodiment Hereinafter, a vehicle undercarriage structure according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrow UP shown as appropriate in each drawing indicates the upper side of the vehicle, the arrow FR indicates the front side of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the left side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Furthermore, when the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions are used in the following description unless otherwise specified, they refer to front-rear in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, up-down in the vehicle up-down direction, and left-right when facing the direction of travel.

[0020] 1, a vehicle 10 to which the vehicle undercarriage structure according to this embodiment is applied is provided with a sliding door 50. The sliding door 50 is provided on a side of a vehicle body 11, and is configured to be able to open and close an opening 11A formed on the side of the vehicle body 11 for passengers to get in and out of the vehicle.

[0021] Here, the vehicle body 11 is provided with an upper guide portion 13, a center guide portion 17, and a lower guide portion 48. The upper guide portion 13 is provided at the top of the vehicle body 11 and extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The center guide portion 17 is provided at the middle portion of the vehicle body 11 in the up-down direction of the vehicle and extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The lower guide portion 48 is provided at the bottom of the vehicle body 11 and extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0022] On the other hand, an upper hinge 15 is attached to the top of the sliding door 50, and a guide roller 15A provided on this upper hinge 15 is engaged with the upper guide portion 13. In addition, a center hinge 19 is attached to the middle portion of the sliding door 50 in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a guide roller 19A provided on this center hinge 19 is engaged with the center guide portion 17.

[0023] Furthermore, a lower hinge 56 is attached to the lower part of the sliding door 50, and a guide roller 62 provided on this lower hinge 56 is engaged with the lower guide part 48. In this way, the sliding door 50 is supported so as to be movable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle relative to the vehicle body 11. Note that, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the guide parts and the guide rollers are depicted as being separated in FIG. 1, but in reality, the guide rollers are inserted into the guide parts. The lower part of the sliding door 50 and the lower hinge 56 will be described in detail later.

[0024] 2, a vehicle body 11 of a vehicle 10 is provided with a floor panel 12 that forms the floor surface of the passenger compartment. The floor panel 12 extends in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle, with the thickness direction being the vertical direction of the vehicle. A floor carpet 14 is laid on the upper surface of this floor panel 12.

[0025] A battery unit 18 is disposed below the floor panel 12, and is provided across the entire area below the floor panel 12. The battery unit 18 also has a case 20 that serves as an outer shell. The case 20 houses a plurality of battery cells, a wire harness, a cooling device, and other components (not shown), and is configured to supply drive power from the battery unit 18 to a motor (not shown).

[0026] The case 20 is configured to include a bottom wall 22, a peripheral wall 24, and a lid 26. The bottom wall 22 extends in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction with the thickness direction being the vehicle up-down direction, and both ends of the bottom wall 22 in the vehicle width direction are fastened to rockers 34 by bolts (not shown). Although not shown, the bottom wall 22 is fastened to the rockers 34 at predetermined intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0027] A peripheral wall 24 is erected on the outer periphery of the bottom wall 22. The peripheral wall 24 is formed in a frame shape in a plan view along the outer periphery of the bottom wall 22, and in the present embodiment, as an example, is formed by extrusion molding of a metal such as aluminum. Here, the portion of the peripheral wall 24 that forms the side of the battery unit 18 has a closed cross-sectional structure when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is partitioned into multiple (two) closed cross-sections 24B, 24C in the vertical direction of the vehicle by an upper and lower partition wall 24A that extends in the vehicle width direction. Although not shown, the right side of the vehicle also has a similar structure.

[0028] A lid 26 is provided on the upper part of the battery unit 18. The lid 26 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape with its thickness direction aligned with the vertical direction of the vehicle so as to correspond to the outer shape of the peripheral wall 24. The outer peripheral edge of the lid 26 is fastened to the upper surface of the peripheral wall 24 by bolts (not shown).

[0029] A rocker 34 is provided on the vehicle width direction outer side of the battery unit 18 configured as described above. The rocker 34 is located at the bottom of the vehicle body 11 and includes a rocker outer panel 36 and a rocker inner panel 38.

[0030] The rocker outer panel 36 is located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and is formed in a generally crank shape when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. Specifically, the rocker outer panel 36 extends downward from an outer upper flange portion 36A at its upper end, and its lower portion is bent inward in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, an outer lower flange portion 36B extends downward from the inner end in the vehicle width direction.

[0031] The rocker inner panel 38 is located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction and has a generally hat-shaped cross section that opens outward in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. An inner upper flange portion 38A extending in the vehicle up-down direction is formed at the upper end of the rocker inner panel 38, and this inner upper flange portion 38A is joined in an overlapping state to the outer upper flange portion 36A of the rocker outer panel 36. Here, weatherstrips (not shown) are attached to the outer upper flange portion 36A and the inner upper flange portion 38A, and the weatherstrips seal the space between the sliding door 50.

[0032] An inner-side lower flange portion 38B extending in the vehicle vertical direction is formed at the lower end of the rocker inner panel 38, and this inner-side lower flange portion 38B is joined in an overlapping state to the outer-side lower flange portion 36B of the rocker outer panel 36. In this way, the rocker 34 has a closed cross-sectional structure.

[0033] A rocker molding 40 is provided on the outside of the rocker 34. The rocker molding 40 is made of resin and is attached to the rocker outer panel 36 with a clip or the like (not shown) so as to cover the lower part of the rocker outer panel 36 from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0034] A step-under panel 44 is provided between the floor panel 12 and the rocker 34, and connects the floor panel 12 and the rocker 34 by the step-under panel 44. The step-under panel 44 has an upper end bent along the underside of the floor panel 12 to form an upper flange portion 44A, and this upper flange portion 44A is joined to the floor panel 12.

[0035] The step-under panel 44 extends downward from the upper flange portion 44A of the vehicle, and further extends outward in the vehicle width direction along the lid 26 of the battery unit 18. The step-under panel 44 extends downward from a position further outward in the vehicle width direction than the peripheral wall 24 of the battery unit 18, and its lower end is bent to form a lower flange portion 44B that is bent along the rocker inner panel 38. The lower flange portion 44B is overlapped and joined to the rocker inner panel 38. As described above, the step-under panel 44 is formed in a shape that avoids the battery unit 18.

[0036] A step 46 for passengers to get on and off is attached to the step under panel 44. The step 46 is formed in a substantially straight line when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 46A are provided on the top surface of the step 46.

[0037] The inner end of the step 46 in the vehicle width direction is overlapped on the upper surface of the step under panel 44 and joined to this step under panel 44. Various methods can be used to join the step 46 and the step under panel 44. For example, they may be mechanically fastened by bolts, rivets, clips, etc., or they may be joined by adhesive, etc.

[0038] The outer end of the step 46 in the vehicle width direction is located above the rocker 34, and a lower guide portion 48 is provided on the underside of the step 46. The lower guide portion 48 is configured to include a pair of left and right guide pieces 48A that protrude from the step 46 toward the lower side of the vehicle, and these guide pieces 48A are formed integrally with the step 46. Furthermore, each of the pair of guide pieces 48A extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle along the step 46, and a guide roller 62 of a lower hinge 56, which will be described later, is inserted between the pair of guide pieces 48A. In this way, the lower guide portion 48 guides the lower hinge 56 so that it can move in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0039] A resin scuff plate 45 is provided above the step 46. The scuff plate 45 extends from the end of the floor panel 12 in the vehicle width direction to the end of the step main body 46B in the vehicle width direction, and is attached to the step 46 by a clip or the like (not shown).

[0040] (Sliding Door 50) The sliding door 50 has a closed cross-sectional structure including a door outer panel 52 on the outside in the vehicle width direction and a door inner panel 54 on the inside in the vehicle width direction, and the peripheral portions of the door outer panel 52 and the door inner panel 54 are joined by hemming.

[0041] Here, a lower hinge 56 is attached to the lower part of the sliding door 50. The lower hinge 56 is formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the vehicle longitudinal direction, and is a member that supports the sliding door 50 relative to the vehicle main body 11 so that the sliding door 50 can slide in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0042] The lower hinge 56 is mainly composed of a fixed portion 56A and an extending portion 56B. The fixed portion 56A extends in the vehicle up-down direction and is disposed inside the sliding door 50. In addition, the fixed portion 56A in this embodiment is fixed to the outer surface of the door inner panel 54 in the vehicle width direction. Various methods can be used to fasten the fixed portion 56A. For example, the fixed portion 56A may be mechanically fastened using bolts and weld nuts. The fixed portion 56A may also be fastened to the door inner panel 54 using rivets, clips, or the like. Furthermore, the fixed portion 56A may be joined to the door inner panel 54 by spot welding or the like.

[0043] An extension portion 56B extends from a lower end of the fixed portion 56A toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The extension portion 56B extends in the vehicle width direction and is disposed in a position above the rocker 34 and overlapping with the battery unit 18 in a side view of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, as an example, the extension portion 56B is disposed at a height that is offset upward from the vertical center portion of the battery unit 18. Although not shown, the extension portion 56B is provided with a swing mechanism between the tip end and the base end, and the tip side of the extension portion 56B is swingable in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle relative to the base end side.

[0044] A shaft 61 having an axial direction aligned with the vertical direction of the vehicle is provided at the tip of the extension portion 56B. The shaft 61 extends upward from the upper surface of the extension portion 56B, and a guide roller 62 is rotatably attached to the shaft 61. The guide roller 62 is inserted between a pair of guide pieces 48A that constitute the lower guide portion 48.

[0045] A pair of left and right bearings 63 are provided downward from the underside of the extension 56B, and load rollers 64 are rotatably attached to the bearings 63. The load rollers 64 abut against the step-under panel 44, and the lower hinge 56 is supported by the step-under panel 44 via the load rollers 64.

[0046] Here, a reinforcing member 66 serving as a protruding member is provided on the inside of the sliding door 50. The reinforcing member 66 is a member that functions as a door reinforcement for reinforcing the sliding door 50, and extends along the sliding door 50 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0047] In addition, the reinforcing member 66 has a cross section that is approximately hat-shaped when viewed from the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and the flange portions 66A at the upper and lower ends are joined to the door outer panel 52 by spot welding or the like, with the flange portions 66A overlapping the door outer panel 52.

[0048] Furthermore, the reinforcing member 66 is provided at a position facing the fixing portion 56A of the lower hinge 56 in the vehicle width direction, and protrudes toward the fixing portion 56A. Specifically, the reinforcing member 66 is joined to the door outer panel 52 at a position facing the upper end of the fixing portion 56A.

[0049] (action) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0050] In a vehicle 10 to which the vehicle undercarriage structure according to this embodiment is applied, a battery unit 18 is disposed on the vehicle lower side of a floor panel 12. A sliding door 50 is provided on the side of the vehicle body 11, and a lower hinge 56 is attached to the lower part of the sliding door 50. The lower hinge 56 supports the sliding door 50 so that it can slide in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle relative to the vehicle body 11.

[0051] Here, lower hinge 56 is configured to include fixed portion 56A extending in the vehicle up-down direction and extending portion 56B extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the fixed portion, and is disposed in a position where extending portion 56B overlaps battery unit 18 in a side view of the vehicle. In this way, by disposing lower hinge 56 and battery unit 18 at the same height, it is possible to prevent floor panel 12 from being positioned higher.

[0052] That is, in a structure in which the lower hinge 56 is positioned higher than the battery unit 18, it becomes necessary to position the floor panel 12 above the lower hinge 56. As a result, in order to maintain the space inside the vehicle, it becomes necessary to make design changes such as increasing the height of the entire vehicle, which may affect the driving performance of the vehicle.

[0053] In contrast, in this embodiment, a lower hinge 56 is not provided between the battery unit 18 and the floor panel 12, so the floor panel 12 can be brought closer to the height of the battery unit 18, thereby ensuring a larger space inside the vehicle cabin.

[0054] In this embodiment, a reinforcing member 66 protrudes toward the fixed portion 56A at a position facing the fixed portion 56A in the vehicle width direction on the inside of the sliding door 50. As a result, when the sliding door 50 moves inward in the vehicle width direction during a side collision of the vehicle 10, the reinforcing member 66 comes into contact with the fixed portion 56A, causing the fixed portion 56A to move inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0055] As a result, extension portion 56B moves relatively outward in the vehicle width direction, opposite fixed portion 56A, causing lower hinge 56 to rotate as viewed from the vehicle front-rear direction. This changes the orientation of extension portion 56B, causing it to tilt gradually downward from the outer side toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction, thereby preventing excessive load from being input from extension portion 56B to battery unit 18. In this way, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the position of floor panel 12 from becoming higher while maintaining side collision performance.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reinforcing member 66 for reinforcing the sliding door 50 is used to rotate the lower hinge 56 during a side collision of the vehicle 10, so there is no need to use a dedicated member for rotating the lower hinge 56. This makes it possible to prevent excessive load from being input from the lower hinge 56 to the battery unit 18 without increasing the number of parts.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the reinforcing member 66 is joined at a position facing the upper part of the fixed portion 56A, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle 10, a load is input from the reinforcing member 66 to the upper part of the lower hinge 56. As a result, the moment becomes large, which effectively rotates the lower hinge 56 and suppresses interference between the extension portion 56B and the battery unit 18.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lower hinge 56 is disposed above the rocker 34. Therefore, when the lower hinge rotates during a side collision of the vehicle 10, the extension portion 56B can be received by the rocker 34, and the load input from the extension portion 56B to the rocker 34 can be distributed to the front and rear via the rocker 34.

[0059] Second Embodiment Next, a vehicle underbody structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 3, a vehicle 70 to which the vehicle undercarriage structure according to this embodiment is applied differs from the first embodiment in that a lower hinge 72 is fixed to the door outer panel 52 of the sliding door 50.

[0061] The lower hinge 72 is mainly composed of a fixed portion 72A and an extending portion 72B. The fixed portion 72A extends in the vehicle up-down direction and is disposed inside the sliding door 50. In addition, the fixed portion 72A in this embodiment is fixed to the inner surface of the door outer panel 52 in the vehicle width direction. Various methods can be used to fasten the fixed portion 72A. For example, it may be mechanically fastened using bolts and weld nuts. It may also be fastened to the door outer panel 52 using rivets, clips, or the like. It may also be joined to the door outer panel 52 by spot welding, or the like.

[0062] An extension portion 72B extends from a lower end of the fixed portion 72A toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The extension portion 72B extends in the vehicle width direction and is disposed in a position above the rocker 34 and overlapping with the battery unit 18 in a side view of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, as an example, the extension portion 72B is disposed at a height that is offset upward from the vertical center of the battery unit 18. Although not shown, the extension portion 72B is provided with a swing mechanism between the tip end and the base end, and the tip side of the extension portion 72B is swingable in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle relative to the base end side.

[0063] A shaft 61 having an axial direction aligned with the vehicle vertical direction is provided at the tip of the extension portion 72B. The shaft 61 extends upward from the upper surface of the extension portion 56B, and a guide roller 62 is rotatably attached to the shaft 61. The guide roller 62 is inserted between a pair of guide pieces 48A that constitute the lower guide portion 48.

[0064] Furthermore, a pair of left and right bearings 63 are provided downward from the underside of the extension 72B, and load rollers 64 are rotatably attached to the bearings 63. The load rollers 64 abut against the step-under panel 44, and the lower hinge 56 is supported by the step-under panel 44 via the load rollers 64.

[0065] Here, a reinforcing member 74 as a protruding member is provided on the inside of the sliding door 50. The reinforcing member 74 is a member that functions as a door reinforcement for reinforcing the sliding door 50, and extends along the sliding door 50 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0066] In addition, the reinforcing member 74 has a cross section that is approximately hat-shaped when viewed from the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and the flange portions 74A at the upper and lower ends are overlapped on the door inner panel 54 and joined to the door inner panel 54 by spot welding or the like.

[0067] Furthermore, the reinforcing member 74 is joined to the door inner panel 54 at a position facing the lower part of the fixing portion 72A. Specifically, the reinforcing member 74 is joined to the lower hinge 72 at a position facing the lower end of the fixing portion 72A.

[0068] (action) Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0069] In this embodiment, a reinforcing member 74 protrudes toward the fixed portion 72A at a position facing the fixed portion 72A in the vehicle width direction on the inside of the sliding door 50. As a result, when the sliding door 50 moves inward in the vehicle width direction during a side collision of the vehicle 10, the reinforcing member 74 comes into contact with the lower end of the fixed portion 72A, and the upper end side of the fixed portion 72A moves inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0070] As a result, the extension portion 72B moves relatively outward in the vehicle width direction, causing the lower hinge 72 to rotate as viewed in the vehicle front-rear direction. This changes the orientation of the extension portion 72B, causing it to tilt gradually downward from the outer side toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction, thereby preventing excessive load from being input from the extension portion 72B to the battery unit 18. Other functions are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0071] While the vehicle undercarriage structures according to the first and second embodiments have been described above, it goes without saying that they can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, an impact absorbing structure may be provided on the step 46. In this case, the step 46 can absorb part of the collision load in the event of a side collision of the vehicle 10. The impact absorbing structure may be a structure that collapses when a collision load is input in the vehicle width direction.

[0072] In the above embodiment, a shock absorbing member may be provided inside the rocker 34. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a shock absorbing member made of a foamed resin material or the like is filled into the closed cross section of the rocker 34.

[0073] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the reinforcing member 66 provided on the door outer panel 52 is the protruding member, and in the second embodiment, the reinforcing member 74 provided on the door inner panel 54 is the protruding member, but this is not limiting. For example, a spacer member filling the gap between the lower hinge 56 and the door outer panel 52 may be the protruding member. In this case, the spacer member may be disposed only at the position of the lower hinge 56. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 11 Vehicle body 12 Floor Panel 18 Battery Unit 34 Rocca 50 Sliding Door 52 Door outer panel 54 Door inner panel 56 Lower hinge 56A Fixed part 56B Extension 66 Reinforcing member (protruding member) 72 Lower hinge 72A Fixed part 72B Extension 74 Reinforcing member (protruding member)

Claims

1. a battery unit disposed on the vehicle lower side of the floor panel; a sliding door provided on a side of the vehicle body; a lower hinge attached to a lower portion of the sliding door and supporting the sliding door slidably in the front-rear direction of the vehicle relative to a vehicle body; and the lower hinge includes a fixed portion extending in a vehicle up-down direction and fixed to an inner side of the sliding door, and an extension portion extending inward in a vehicle width direction from a lower end of the fixed portion and positioned at a position overlapping with the battery unit in a vehicle side view, a protruding member protruding toward the fixing portion is provided on the inside of the sliding door at a position opposite the fixing portion in the vehicle width direction.

2. 2. The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 1, wherein the protruding member is a reinforcing member that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and reinforces the sliding door.

3. The sliding door has a closed cross-sectional structure including a door inner panel located on the inside in the vehicle width direction and a door outer panel located on the outside in the vehicle width direction, The fixing portion of the lower hinge is fixed to the door inner panel, The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing member is joined to the door outer panel at a position facing an upper portion of the fixing portion.

4. The sliding door has a closed cross-sectional structure including a door inner panel located on the inside in the vehicle width direction and a door outer panel located on the outside in the vehicle width direction, The fixing portion of the lower hinge is fixed to the door outer panel, The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing member is joined to the door inner panel at a position facing a lower portion of the fixing portion.

5. 5. The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 1, wherein the lower hinge is disposed above a rocker extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction under the vehicle.

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