Vehicle rear structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle rear structure capable of improving rigidity of a rear portion of a frame while allowing a spare tire to be supported in a hanging manner under the rear portion of the frame of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A frame includes: a pair of right and left side frames 2 which extends along a vehicle fore and aft direction; a second cross member 4 which is connected to rear portions of the side frames 2 so as to bridge along a vehicle lateral direction and supports a rear portion of a motor 1; and a third cross member 5 which is connected to the side frames 2 so as to bridge along the vehicle lateral direction at the rear of the second cross member 4, and detachably supports a spare tire 11 in a hanging manner. The third cross member 5 is formed in an inverted U shape, is provided a lifting device 20 of the spare tire 11 in its middle portion in a longitudinal direction, and is provided with attachment portions (5a, 5b, 12) to which rear ends of leaf springs 13 are attached, at one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 states that "a motor 16 is supported under a rear floor panel 40 of the electric vehicle 10, a spare tire 24 is supported behind the motor 16 on the rear floor panel 40 of the electric vehicle 10, and the spare tire 24 is supported by a brace 30 fixed to the body 12." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-62784 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a motor and spare tire are placed at the rear of a vehicle, with the spare tire placed on the rear floor panel, and does not give any indication of the technical idea of ​​supporting the spare tire by hanging it from the underside of the side frame and cross member.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle rear structure that enables a spare tire to be suspended and supported below the rear of the vehicle frame while improving the rigidity of the rear of the frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a vehicle rear structure in which a motor that generates driving force is supported on the underside of the rear of the vehicle's skeleton, and a spare tire is supported rearward of the motor, the skeleton comprising a pair of left and right side frames extending along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, a front cross member connected to the rear of the side frames so as to span along the left-right direction of the vehicle and supporting the rear of the motor, and a rear cross member connected to the side frames so as to span along the left-right direction of the vehicle rearward of the front cross member and supporting the spare tire in a detachable manner so as to hang it down, the rear cross member being formed in an inverted U-shape, with a support device for the spare tire provided in the middle of its longitudinal direction, and mounting portions for attaching the rear ends of leaf springs provided at one and the other end of the longitudinal direction.

[0007] In this way, in the present invention, a front cross member for supporting the motor and a rear cross member for supporting the spare tire are installed at the rear of the vehicle's frame, thereby positioning the motor and spare tire closely together in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle below the rear of the vehicle's frame, and the rear of the leaf spring is attached to the mounting portion of the rear cross member.

[0008] This configuration improves the rigidity of the rear frame of the vehicle compared to the conventional example in which the motor is supported below the rear frame of the vehicle and the spare tire is mounted on the floor panel.

[0009] This improves the support rigidity for the load input from the left and right rear wheels, as well as the torsional rigidity at the rear of the vehicle frame, thereby reducing noise and vibration (NV) characteristics and enabling the leaf springs to perform their functions stably, improving handling stability.

[0010] In the above-mentioned vehicle rear structure, one and other longitudinal ends of the rear cross member are bent so as to protrude below the side frame, and the mounting portion can be configured to include protruding portions on one and other ends of the rear cross member and a shackle attached to the protruding portions.

[0011] With this configuration, even if another vehicle collides with the rear of the vehicle or the rear of the vehicle collides with some kind of object and the other vehicle or object gets stuck under the rear of the side frame, the other vehicle or object will be received by the spare tire and the mounting portions (the protruding portion and the shackle) on one end and the other end of the longitudinal direction of the rear cross member.

[0012] This makes it possible to suppress or prevent the other vehicle or object from getting under the side frame at the rear of the vehicle.

[0013] In addition, in the above-mentioned vehicle rear structure, the width of one end and the other end of the longitudinal direction of the front cross member, and the width of the bent portion of one end and the other end of the rear cross member can be configured to be larger than the width of the other portions.

[0014] This configuration improves the rigidity of the connecting portions between the front cross member and the side frame and between the rear cross member and the side frame.

[0015] This will further improve the support rigidity for the load input from the left and right rear wheels, as well as the torsional rigidity of the rear part of the vehicle frame, which will contribute to further reducing NV characteristics and enable the leaf spring to perform its function stably, further improving handling stability. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle rear structure that can improve the rigidity of the rear frame of the vehicle while allowing a motor and a spare tire to be disposed below the rear frame. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vehicle rear structure according to the present invention, seen from above; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear structure of the vehicle before the spare tire is attached, as seen from below. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a spare tire is attached in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1A is a plan view of the vehicle rear structure, and FIG. 1B is a bottom view of the vehicle rear structure. [Figure 5] 1A is a left side view of the vehicle rear structure, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at the center of the vehicle in the lateral direction. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a view of the vehicle rear structure as seen from the rear side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 to 6. In the figures, the rearward direction of the vehicle is designated as "Rr", the upward direction of the vehicle is designated as "Up", the leftward direction of the vehicle is designated as "Lh", and the rightward direction of the vehicle is designated as "Rh".

[0020] A motor 1 that generates the driving force for the vehicle is supported below the rear of the vehicle frame. The driving force generated by the motor 1 is transmitted to left and right rear hubs 7 via left and right axles 6. The left and right rear hubs 7 are connected by a De Dion tube (axle) 8.

[0021] The vehicle frame includes at least a pair of left and right side frames 2, first to third cross members 3 to 5, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), for example.

[0022] The side frame 2 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The first to third cross members 3 to 5 are connected to the side frame 2 so as to span the side frame 2 along the transverse direction of the vehicle and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0023] The side frame 2 and the first to third cross members 3 to 5 are hollow and made of, for example, metal material.

[0024] The first cross member 3 is disposed at a predetermined position on the side frame 2 in front of the motor 1. The second cross member 4 and the third cross member 5 are disposed on the side frame 2 behind the motor 1.

[0025] The first cross member 3 is formed in a band shape when viewed in a plane, and the front part of the motor 1 is supported in the middle of its longitudinal direction, and one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction are connected to the inner surface of the side frame 2, for example by welding.

[0026] 1 to 6, front motor mounts 9A and 9B are attached to two locations in the left-right direction of the vehicle at the front of the motor 1, while front brackets 10A and 10B are attached to two locations in the middle of the first cross member 3 in the longitudinal direction. The front motor mounts 9A and 9B are connected to the front brackets 10A and 10B.

[0027] The second cross member 4 is formed in a belt shape in a plan view, and the rear of the motor 1 is supported at its longitudinal midpoint, with one end and the other end connected to the inner surface of the side frame 2 by, for example, welding. This second cross member 4 corresponds to the "front cross member" described in the claims.

[0028] 1 to 6, rear motor mounts 9C, 9D are attached to two locations on the rear of the motor 1 in the left-right direction of the vehicle, while rear brackets 10C, 10D are attached to two locations in the middle of the second cross member 4 in the longitudinal direction. The rear motor mounts 9C, 9D are connected to the rear brackets 10C, 10D.

[0029] The third cross member 5 is formed in an inverted U-shape when viewed from the rear, and the bent portions on one end and the other end of its longitudinal direction are connected to the inner surface of the side frame 2, for example by welding, and the one end and the other end of the longitudinal direction protrude downward beyond the side frame 2.

[0030] The rear ends of leaf springs 13 are attached via shackles 12 to a protruding portion 5a at one longitudinal end and a protruding portion 5b at the other longitudinal end of the third cross member 5. The front ends of the leaf springs 13 are supported by the side frames 2.

[0031] The rear hub 7 is attached via first and second hub carriers 7a and 7b to the upper part of the leaf spring 13 at the longitudinal middle thereof. A shock absorber 14 is attached between the longitudinal middle of the leaf spring 13 and the first cross member 3.

[0032] In addition, the protrusion 5a on one end side of the third cross member 5, the protrusion 5b on the other end side, and the shackle 12 attached to each of the protrusions 5a, 5b correspond to the ``mounting portion'' described in the claims.

[0033] As is well known, the shackle 12 is a metal fitting used to attach the leaf spring 13 to the frame of the vehicle body.

[0034] A spare tire 11 is suspended and supported in a removable manner at the longitudinal center of the third cross member 5 via a lifting device 20. The third cross member 5 corresponds to the "rear cross member" described in the claims, and the lifting device 20 corresponds to the "support device" described in the claims.

[0035] As is well known, the spare tire 11 is generally supported by the third cross member 5 so as to be placed horizontally with its front end tilted, as shown in Fig. 5, in accordance with the departure angle. The horizontally placed position with its front end tilted means that the inclination of the central axis (axis of rotation) of the spare tire 11 with respect to the vertical is less than 45 degrees.

[0036] The lifting device 20 supports the spare tire 11 and raises or lowers it, and is, for example, a known chain winding mechanism as shown in FIGS.

[0037] The lifting device 20 is attached to the middle of the third cross member 5 in the longitudinal direction via a base 21, and a holder 23 provided at the end of a chain 22 is hooked onto the center hole of the wheel 11a of the spare tire 11.

[0038] 4(a), the widths of the first and second longitudinal ends of the second cross member 4 and the widths of the bent portions of the first and second longitudinal ends of the third cross member 5 are set larger than the widths of the other portions. Each of the widths is a dimension along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0039] This improves the rigidity of the connection portions of the second cross member 4 and the third cross member 5 to the side frames 2.

[0040] Furthermore, a lift guide 30 is provided at the middle of the second cross member 4 in the longitudinal direction.

[0041] The lifting guide 30 guides the spare tire 11 to maintain its posture when the spare tire 11 is raised or lowered, and is configured by combining a first guide bracket 31 and a second guide bracket 32, as shown in Figures 3 and 6, for example.

[0042] The first guide bracket 31 is a block that is long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in a plan view, and is fixed to the lower surface of the second cross member 4 at a central position in the longitudinal direction.

[0043] The lower rear portion of the first guide bracket 31 is formed into a curved surface that follows the rounded shape of the upper front shoulder of the spare tire 11 when it is placed horizontally with its front side tilted downward as shown in Fig. 5(a). The first guide bracket 31 is disposed in a position such that the upper front shoulder of the spare tire 11 abuts against the curved surface of the lower rear portion when the spare tire 11 is raised.

[0044] The second guide bracket 32 ​​is a plate-shaped member that is long in the left-right direction of the vehicle when viewed in a plane, and its middle part in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the front end of the first guide bracket 31, and one end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction are fixed to the left and right rear brackets 10C, 10D of the second cross member 4.

[0045] The rear portion of the second guide bracket 32 ​​is formed into a flat surface that follows the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the spare tire 11 in a horizontally placed position with the front side downward as shown in Fig. 5(a). The second guide bracket 32 ​​is disposed in a position such that the front of the outer peripheral surface of the spare tire 11 abuts against the flat surface of the rear portion when the spare tire 11 is raised.

[0046] The rear flat surface of the second guide bracket 32 ​​is disposed so as to be at approximately the same position relative to the rear end edge of the de Dion tube 8 in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0047] In this way, since the second guide bracket 32 ​​is fixed to the rear brackets 10C, 10D, the rigidity of the second cross member 4 is improved.

[0048] As described above, in an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, a second cross member 4 for supporting the motor 1 and a third cross member 5 for supporting the spare tire 11 are installed at the rear of the vehicle frame, thereby adopting a configuration in which the motor 1 and spare tire 11 are closely spaced in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle below the rear of the vehicle frame, and the rear of the leaf spring 13 is attached to the third cross member 5.

[0049] This configuration improves the rigidity of the rear portion of the vehicle frame compared to the conventional example in which the motor is supported below the rear portion of the vehicle frame and the spare tire is mounted on the floor panel.

[0050] This improves the support rigidity for the load input from the left and right rear wheels (not shown) and the torsional rigidity at the rear of the vehicle, thereby reducing the NV characteristics and enabling the leaf spring 13 to perform its function stably, thereby improving handling stability.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, even if a bogie 40 collides with the rear of the vehicle as shown in Figure 5(a) and the bogie 40 enters the underside of the rear of the side frame 2, the bogie 40 will be received by the spare tire 11, the protrusions 5a, 5b of the third cross member 5, and the shackle 12.

[0052] This makes it possible to suppress or prevent the bogie 40 from getting under the side frame 2. In addition, in the case where another vehicle collides with the rear of the vehicle, it is also possible to suppress or prevent the other vehicle from getting under the rear of the side frame 2, as described above.

[0053] Next, the operation when removing and installing the spare tire 11 will be described.

[0054] First, during the process of lowering the spare tire 11 by the lifting device 20 to remove it from the third cross member 5, the front end of the spare tire 11 abuts against the lifting guide 30, so the spare tire 11 is guided by the lifting guide 30 while maintaining a horizontal position with its front lowered, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 5(b). This makes it possible to suppress or avoid the spare tire 11 from swinging during the lowering process and interfering with the motor 1 and the areas around the motor 1 (rear brackets 10C, 10D, etc.).

[0055] Meanwhile, in the process of lifting the spare tire 11 by the lifting device 20 to attach it to the third cross member 5, the spare tire 11 is lifted in a horizontal, horizontal position, but once it has been lifted to a predetermined height, the front end of the spare tire 11 comes into contact with the lifting guide 30, which guides the spare tire 11 to be lifted while tilting it downward at the front. This makes it possible to suppress or avoid the spare tire 11 from swinging during the lifting process and interfering with the motor 1 and the areas around the motor 1 (rear brackets 10C, 10D, etc.).

[0056] Furthermore, even if the upper and lower front shoulders of the spare tire 11, which is placed horizontally with its front downwards, interfere with the De Dion tube 8 when the spare tire 11 is raised or lowered, the roundness of the shoulders will come into contact with the circular outer surface of the De Dion tube 8 and will be smoothly guided, so the posture of the spare tire 11 will not be significantly affected.

[0057] In this way, the work of removing (lowering) and the work of attaching (raising) the spare tire 11 can be performed stably and smoothly, thereby ensuring safety.

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the equivalents thereto.

[0059] (1) In the above embodiment, an example is given in which the rear of the motor 1 is supported on the second cross member 4 via two rear motor mounts 9C, 9D and two rear brackets 10C, 10D, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0060] For example, although not shown, the rear of the motor 1 can be supported on the second cross member 4 via one rear motor mount and one rear bracket. In this embodiment, the same effects and advantages as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0061] (2) In the above embodiment, an example is given in which a Dodion tube 8 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, although not shown, it is possible to have a configuration in which a Dodion tube 8 is not used. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The present invention can be suitably used in a vehicle rear structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1 motor 2 Side Frame 3 First cross member 4 Second cross member 5 Third cross member 5a Protrusion on one end 5b Protrusion on the other end 6 axles 7 rear hub 11 Spare tire 11a wheels 12 Shackles 13 Leaf spring 20 Lifting device

Claims

1. A vehicle rear structure in which a motor that generates a driving force is supported below a rear portion of a vehicle frame and a spare tire is supported rearward of the motor, The framework includes a pair of left and right side frames extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a front cross member connected to rear portions of the side frames so as to span along the transverse direction of the vehicle and supporting a rear portion of the motor, and a rear cross member connected to the side frames so as to span along the transverse direction of the vehicle rearward of the front cross member and detachably supporting the spare tire so as to suspend it, The rear cross member is formed in an inverted U-shape, and a support device for the spare tire is provided in the middle of its longitudinal direction, and mounting portions for attaching the rear ends of leaf springs are provided at one and the other longitudinal ends.

2. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 1, One end side and the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the rear cross member are bent so as to protrude below the side frame, A vehicle rear structure characterized in that the mounting portion is configured to include protruding portions on one end and the other end of the rear cross member and a shackle attached to the protruding portions.

3. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 1 or 2, A vehicle rear structure characterized in that the width of one end and the other end of the longitudinal direction of the front cross member, and the width of the bent portion of one end and the other end of the rear cross member are set larger than the width of other portions.

Images