Rear body structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle body rear part structure capable of improving the torsional rigidity of the whole vehicle body by improving the rigidity of an upper corner part of a back door opening part.SOLUTION: A vehicle body rear part structure has a cylindrical reinforcement structure part 20 extending in the vehicle width direction at an upper corner part of a back door opening part 6 provided adjacent to a rear end part of a roof rail groove 3. The reinforcement structure part 20 has a rectangular shape in vehicle side view and has an upper face part 21 and a rear wall part 22 formed by a side body outer extension panel 10 and a bottom face part 23 and a front wall part 24 formed by a quarter inner upper extension panel 12. Each of the rear wall part 22 and the front wall part 24 extends linearly from the upper part over the lower part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Generally, hatchback vehicles, such as automobiles, are known, which have door hinges at the upper rear of the vehicle body and have a back door that opens upward. The back door opening of a hatchback vehicle is designed to have a large area at the rear of the vehicle body in order to increase loading capacity or improve the ease of loading and unloading luggage. However, if the area of ​​the back door opening is made large, the rigidity of the entire vehicle decreases, so it is necessary to increase the rigidity around the back door opening.

[0003] Therefore, some conventional hatchback vehicles have a structure that reinforces the back door opening by increasing the joint rigidity of panels that constitute the upper corners of the back door opening. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a reinforcing structure in which a closed cross section is formed in a side view of the vehicle by members such as a side body outer panel and a quarter inner panel at a shoulder of the back door opening (the upper corner of the back door opening) located behind a roof rail groove provided in the roof panel (see Figures 2 and 6 of Patent Document 1, etc.). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-228948 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In hatchback vehicles such as those described above, the roof panel and side body outer panels are spot-welded at multiple locations below the roof rail groove. When the vehicle body twists due to loads during driving, bending deformation occurs throughout the entire roof, originating from the spot welds in the roof rail groove. The upper corners of the tailgate opening are located adjacent to the rear end of the roof rail groove, making them particularly susceptible to deformation. The rigidity of the tailgate opening affects the rigidity of the rear body, contributing to the torsional rigidity of the entire vehicle body and improving the quality and handling stability of the vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the rigidity of the upper corners of the tailgate opening.

[0006] However, in the above-described conventional reinforcement structure, in the closed cross section formed in the shoulder of the back door opening (FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1), a bent portion for providing a hinge above the back door opening is formed on a panel surface located on the rear side of the vehicle and extending in the vehicle vertical direction. In a closed cross section having such a bent portion, when a load in the vehicle vertical direction is applied to the reinforcement structure, the panel surface may bend starting from the bent portion, leaving room for improvement in terms of ensuring the rigidity of the upper corner portion of the back door opening.

[0007] The present invention has been made with the above points in mind, and aims to provide a rear vehicle body structure that can increase the rigidity of the upper corner portion of the tailgate opening and improve the torsional rigidity of the entire vehicle body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle rear structure in which a roof rail groove extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is provided at the joint portion of a roof panel and a side body outer panel, an upper corner portion of a back door opening that is opened and closed by a back door is disposed adjacent to the rear end portion of the roof rail groove, and a tubular reinforcing structure extending in the vehicle width direction is provided at the upper corner portion of the back door opening, the reinforcing structure being formed by an upper rear portion of the side body outer panel and an upper portion of a quarter inner panel disposed on the vehicle inside of the rear portion of the side body outer panel. The reinforcing structure in this vehicle rear structure has a rectangular shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and includes an upper surface portion and a rear wall portion formed by the upper rear portion of the side body outer panel, and a bottom surface portion and a front wall portion formed by the upper portion of the quarter inner panel. a partition wall portion extending downward and forward from inner ends of the upper surface portion and the rear wall portion in the vehicle width direction and connected to the bottom surface portion and the front wall portion; Each of the rear wall portion and the front wall portion extends linearly from the upper portion to the lower portion. The partition wall has a sloping shape that slopes inward in the vehicle width direction as it moves downwards, and when viewed from the rear of the vehicle, a tailgate striker provided in the lower part of the tailgate opening is located on the extension of the sloping shape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the vehicle rear body structure of the present invention, a cylindrical reinforcing structure provided at the upper corner of the tailgate opening forms a rectangular closed cross section in a side view of the vehicle, and the rear wall and front wall of the reinforcing structure each extend linearly from the upper portion to the lower portion, thereby preventing the rear wall or front wall from bending due to loads in the vertical direction of the vehicle caused by twisting of the vehicle body while driving or opening and closing the tailgate, etc. This increases the rigidity of the upper corner of the tailgate opening, making it possible to improve the torsional rigidity of the entire vehicle body, as well as the quality and handling stability of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle body to which a vehicle body rear structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed obliquely from the rear. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the rear right part of the vehicle body in FIG. 1 in an exploded state. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion X in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a roof panel is attached to FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a back door hinge stiffener is removed from FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the reinforcing structure of FIG. 6, as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vehicle body of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a back door hinge is attached to FIG. 4. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle body to which a vehicle body rear structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, as seen obliquely from the rear. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the rear right part of the vehicle body of Fig. 1 in an exploded state. In each of the drawings described below, the arrow Fr direction indicates the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the arrow O direction indicates the outward direction in the vehicle width direction, and the arrow U direction indicates the upward direction in the vehicle vertical direction. In addition, "left and right" in the description of the embodiment correspond to the left and right when looking at the front of the vehicle from inside the vehicle cabin.

[0012] 1 and 2, the vehicle to which the vehicle rear body structure of this embodiment is applied is a hatchback vehicle with a door hinge (not shown) at the upper rear of the vehicle body, and a back door that opens upward. A roof panel 1 that extends in the front-to-rear and width directions of the vehicle is provided on the upper part of the body of the hatchback vehicle. The upper parts of left and right side body outer panels 2 that constitute the sides of the vehicle body are joined to both ends of the roof panel 1 in the vehicle width direction. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the roof panel 1 and side body outer panels 2 have been removed.

[0013] A roof rail groove 3 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is provided at the joint between the roof panel 1 and the side body outer panel 2. This roof rail groove 3 can be used as a groove for spot welding. Specifically, the roof rail groove 3 is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section by overlapping a vehicle width direction end 1A of the roof panel 1 bent into a substantially L-shaped cross section with a vehicle inner side end 2A of the side body outer panel 2 bent into a substantially L-shaped cross section and joining them by spot welding. This roof rail groove 3 has multiple ridges formed therein that extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0014] A plurality of roof cross members 4 are arranged at intervals in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle between the left and right roof rail grooves 3. The inner surface of the roof panel 1 is joined to each of the plurality of roof cross members 4. A roof side rail 5 extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is joined to the underside of the roof rail groove 3. The strength and rigidity of the entire roof are increased by the plurality of roof cross members 4 and roof side rails 5.

[0015] A rear end 1B of the roof panel 1 is bent downward toward the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 2. A back door opening 6 that is opened and closed by the back door is provided at the rear of the vehicle body (Fig. 1), and the rear end 1B of the roof panel 1 forms the upper periphery of the back door opening 6. A roof back inner reinforcement 7, a pair of left and right back door hinge reinforcements 8, and a pair of left and right back door hinge stiffeners 9 are provided on the inside of the vehicle at the rear end 1B of the roof panel 1.

[0016] The roof back inner reinforcement 7 extends in the vehicle width direction and has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The upper end and rear end (both ends of the L shape) of the roof back inner reinforcement 7 are joined to the inner surface of the roof panel 1.

[0017] The back door hinge reinforcement 8 is joined to the vehicle width direction end of the roof back inner reinforcement 7, and extends from the joined point toward the outside in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle width direction inside portion of the back door hinge reinforcement 8 is formed with a substantially L-shaped cross section so as to be continuous with the roof back inner reinforcement 7. A partition wall portion 25 that forms part of a reinforcing structure portion 20 described later is formed at the vehicle width direction outside end portion 8A of the back door hinge reinforcement 8.

[0018] The back door hinge stiffener 9 is disposed on the vehicle outer side (rear side of the vehicle) of the back door hinge reinforcement 8. An inner portion of the back door hinge stiffener 9 in the vehicle width direction is joined to the back door hinge reinforcement 8. An outer portion of the back door hinge stiffener 9 in the vehicle width direction is joined to a side body outer extension panel 10, which will be described later. The back door hinge stiffener 9 continuously connects the back door hinge reinforcement 8 and the side body outer extension panel 10 with a smooth curved surface.

[0019] A quarter pillar portion 2B extending in the vehicle vertical direction is disposed at the rear portion of the side body outer panel 2. The above-mentioned side body outer extension panel 10 is provided at the upper rear end of this quarter pillar portion 2B.

[0020] The side body outer extension panel 10 extends toward the vehicle rear from the upper rear end of the quarter pillar portion 2B of the side body outer panel 2. The side body outer extension panel 10 extends generally in the vehicle up-down direction along the upper rear end of the quarter pillar portion 2B, and has an inclined shape with its upper portion positioned closer to the front of the vehicle than its lower portion. An upper end 10A of the side body outer extension panel 10 curves toward the inside in the vehicle width direction. The tip (inner end in the vehicle width direction) of the upper end 10A is positioned more inward in the vehicle width direction than the vehicle-inner end 2A of the side body outer panel 2, which forms the roof rail groove 3, in a rear view of the vehicle. In other words, the curved upper end 10A of the side body outer extension panel 10 extends more inward in the vehicle width direction than the position of the roof rail groove 3 in a rear view of the vehicle. A rear end 10B of the side body outer extension panel 10 is bent toward the inside of the vehicle.

[0021] In this embodiment, the side body outer panel 2 and the side body outer extension panel 10 correspond to the "side body outer panel" of the present invention, and the side body outer extension panel 10 constitutes the "upper rear portion of the side body outer panel" of the present invention.

[0022] A quarter inner upper panel 11 and a quarter inner upper extension panel 12 are provided on the vehicle inner side of the quarter pillar portion 2B of the side body outer panel 2.

[0023] The quarter inner upper panel 11 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle along the quarter pillar portion 2B. The rear end of the quarter inner upper panel 11 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction. The lower portion of the side body outer extension panel 10 is joined to the rear end of the quarter inner upper panel 11 on the outer side of the vehicle.

[0024] The quarter inner upper extension panel 12 extends upward from the upper end of the quarter inner upper panel 11. An upper end 12A of the quarter inner upper extension panel 12 curves inward in the vehicle width direction and extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. A rear end 12B of the quarter inner upper extension panel 12 bends inward toward the vehicle interior. An upper portion of the side body outer extension panel 10 is joined to the vehicle outer side of the rear end 12B of the quarter inner upper extension panel 12.

[0025] In this embodiment, the quarter inner upper panel 11 and the quarter inner upper extension panel 12 correspond to the "quarter inner panel" of the present invention, and the quarter inner upper extension panel 12 constitutes the "upper part of the quarter inner panel" of the present invention.

[0026] In the vehicle rear body structure of this embodiment, the upper corner of the back door opening 6 is located adjacent to the rear end of the roof rail groove 3. The X portion surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 1 indicates the upper right corner of the back door opening 6. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the X portion in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the state in which the roof panel 1 is attached to FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the state in which the back door hinge stiffener 9 has been removed from FIG. 3.

[0027] 3 to 5, the vehicle rear body structure of this embodiment has a cylindrical reinforcing structure 20 extending in the vehicle width direction at an upper corner portion of the back door opening 6. This reinforcing structure 20 is formed by a side body outer extension panel 10 and a quarter inner upper extension panel 12. Specifically, the vehicle outer surface of a rear end 12B of the quarter inner upper extension panel 12 is joined to the vehicle inner surface of an upper end 10A of the side body outer extension panel 10, thereby forming the cylindrical reinforcing structure 20 extending in the vehicle width direction.

[0028] The reinforcement structure 20 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line AA in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the periphery of the reinforcing structure 20 in Fig. 6 as viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0029] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the reinforcing structure 20 of this embodiment has a rectangular shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and includes an upper surface portion 21 and a rear wall portion 22 formed by the side body outer extension panel 10, and a bottom surface portion 23 and a front wall portion 24 formed by the quarter inner upper extension panel 12.

[0030] Specifically, the upper surface portion 21 and rear wall portion 22 of the reinforcing structure 20 are formed by bending the upper end portion 10A of the side body outer extension panel 10 into a substantially L-shape. In a side view of the vehicle (FIG. 7), the upper surface portion 21 extends in the front-to-rear direction, and the rear wall portion 22 extends downward toward the rear of the vehicle. The rear wall portion 22 is formed to extend linearly from its upper portion to its lower portion. In other words, the rear wall portion 22 has a flat plate shape with no bent portions except for both end portions in the vehicle vertical direction. In this embodiment, the upper surface portion 21 is also formed to extend linearly from its front portion to its rear portion. However, the upper surface portion 21 may be formed so that the middle portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction is bent or curved.

[0031] The bottom surface portion 23 and front wall portion 24 of the reinforcing structure 20 are formed by bending the rear end portion 12B of the quarter inner upper extension panel 12 into a substantially L-shape. In a side view of the vehicle (FIG. 7), the bottom surface portion 23 extends in the front-to-rear direction, and the front wall portion 24 extends upward toward the front of the vehicle. Similar to the rear wall portion 22 described above, the front wall portion 24 is formed to extend linearly from its upper portion to its lower portion. In other words, the front wall portion 24 has a flat plate-like shape with no bent portions except for both end portions in the vehicle vertical direction. A spot welding hole 12C is provided in a middle portion of the front wall portion 24 in the vehicle vertical direction (FIG. 6). In addition, in this embodiment, similar to the upper surface portion 21 described above, the bottom surface portion 23 is also formed to extend linearly from its front portion to its rear portion. However, the middle portion of the bottom surface portion 23 in the vehicle longitudinal direction may be bent or curved.

[0032] In the reinforcing structure 20 according to this embodiment, the rear wall 22 and the front wall 24 are disposed substantially parallel to each other, and the top surface 21 and the bottom surface 23 are also disposed substantially parallel to each other. That is, the reinforcing structure 20 according to this embodiment has a generally parallelogram shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle. The lower end portion of the rear wall 22 and the rear end portion of the bottom surface 23 are spot-welded in two layers. The front end portion of the top surface 21 and the upper end portion of the front wall 24 are spot-welded in four layers, including the roof panel 1 and the side body outer panel 2. The outer ends of the reinforcing structure 20 in the vehicle width direction are closed by the quarter pillar portions 2B of the side body outer panel 2 and the upper side surfaces of the side body outer extension panel 10. The reinforcing structure 20, which is shaped like a closed-end cylinder and extends in the vehicle width direction, forms a closed cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

[0033] The partition wall 25 described above is provided at the vehicle width direction inner end of the reinforcement structure 20 ( FIG. 5 ). The partition wall 25 extends from the vehicle width direction inner ends of the upper surface 21 and the rear wall 22 toward the vehicle downward and forward, and is joined to the bottom surface 23 and the front wall 24. The partition wall 25 has an inclined shape that slopes inward in the vehicle width direction as it extends downward. In this embodiment, the partition wall 25 is formed by the vehicle width direction outer end 8A of the back door hinge reinforcement 8. Specifically, in the back door hinge reinforcement 8, which has a substantially L-shaped cross section, a substantially rectangular inclined surface portion (vehicle width direction outer end 8A) that connects the vehicle width direction outer ends of the vertical wall portion 8B and the bottom wall portion 8C and faces the vehicle width direction is formed as the partition wall 25 of the reinforcement structure 20. In this way, the partition wall portion 25 formed of a part of the back door hinge reinforcement 8 is covered by the back door hinge stiffener 9 when seen from the rear of the vehicle (FIG. 3).

[0034] Here, the inclined shape of the partition wall portion 25 as described above will be described in detail. FIG. 8 is a rear view of the vehicle body of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear of the vehicle. However, FIG. 8 also shows a schematic view of the vehicle with the side body outer panel 2 attached and the right tailgate hinge stiffener 9 removed. As shown in FIG. 8, when viewed from the rear of the vehicle, a tailgate striker 13 provided in the lower center portion of the tailgate opening 6 is located on an extension line L (a dashed line) of the inclined shape of the partition wall portion 25. The tailgate striker 13 is a hook or the like that engages with a latch in a door lock provided at the lower end of the tailgate (not shown) to keep the tailgate locked. As described above, in this embodiment, the inclination angle of the partition wall portion 25 is adjusted in accordance with the relative positional relationship of the partition wall portion 25 of the reinforcing structure 20 with respect to the tailgate striker 13.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, the back door hinge stiffener 9, which covers the partition wall portion 25 of the reinforcement structure 20 from the rear side of the vehicle, is provided with a hinge mounting portion 15 for mounting a back door hinge 14 that supports the back door so that it can be opened and closed. The rear end portion 1B of the roof panel 1 is joined to and overlaps the hinge mounting portion 15 of the back door hinge stiffener 9 from above the vehicle (Fig. 4), and the vehicle width direction intermediate portion of the bottom wall portion 8C of the back door hinge reinforcement 8 is joined to and overlaps the hinge mounting portion 15 from below the vehicle (Figs. 3 and 5). In other words, the back door hinge stiffener 9 and the back door hinge reinforcement 8 that reinforce the hinge mounting portion 15 are provided below the roof panel 1 including the hinge mounting portion 15.

[0036] 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing the state in which the back door hinge 14 is attached to the hinge attachment portion 15 in FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 9. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the back door hinge 14 is fastened to the hinge attachment portion 15 using bolts or the like. The roof panel 1, the back door hinge stiffener 9, and the back door hinge reinforcement 8 are each provided with bolt holes 1C, 9A, and 8D, into which a fastening bolt 16 is inserted, at corresponding positions. A weld nut 17 that threads onto the fastening bolt 16 is fixed to the underside of the back door hinge reinforcement 8, corresponding to the position of the bolt hole 8D. The back door hinge 14 is configured by connecting a hinge bracket 14A fixed to the hinge attachment portion 15 and a hinge arm 14B fixed to the back door side via a hinge pin 14C (rotation center axis) so that the hinges can rotate freely in the vertical direction.

[0037] Next, the operation of the rear vehicle body structure according to this embodiment will be described. As described above, in a typical hatchback vehicle, when the vehicle body twists due to the load during driving, bending deformation is likely to occur throughout the entire roof, starting from the spot welds in the roof rail groove. For this reason, the upper corner of the tailgate opening, located adjacent to the rear end of the roof rail groove, is particularly susceptible to deformation within the tailgate opening. Therefore, in the vehicle rear body structure according to this embodiment, a tubular reinforcing structure 20 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided in the upper corner of the tailgate opening 6. This reinforcing structure 20 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle, and each of the rear wall 22 and front wall 24 extends linearly from the upper portion to the lower portion.

[0038] According to the vehicle rear structure having such a reinforcement structure 20, a rectangular closed cross section is formed in the upper corner portion of the tailgate opening 6 in a side view of the vehicle, and the rear wall portion 22 and the front wall portion 24 of the reinforcement structure 20 constituting the closed cross section have a flat plate shape without any bent portions, thereby preventing the rear wall portion 22 or the front wall portion 24 from bending due to loads in the vertical direction of the vehicle caused by twisting of the vehicle body while driving or opening and closing the tailgate. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the rear wall portion 22 and the front wall portion 24, the top surface portion 21 and the bottom surface portion 23 also have a flat plate shape without any bent portions, preventing the top surface portion 21 or the bottom surface portion 23 from bending due to loads in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, the vehicle rear structure of this embodiment can increase the rigidity of the upper corner portion of the tailgate opening 6, thereby improving the torsional rigidity of the entire vehicle body, the quality of the vehicle, and the handling stability.

[0039] Furthermore, in the vehicle rear body structure according to this embodiment, the partition wall 25 is provided at the inner end of the reinforcement structure 20 in the vehicle width direction, thereby realizing a structure that is stronger against vertical and longitudinal loads acting on the reinforcement structure 20. Furthermore, the partition wall 25 has a shape that slopes inward in the vehicle width direction as it moves downwards on the vehicle, and the tailgate striker 13 is disposed on an extension line L of this slope. When the vehicle is traveling, the tailgate moves left and right around the tailgate striker 13. Because the slope of the partition wall 25 faces the tailgate striker 13, the strength of the reinforcement structure 20 can be increased against stresses generated by such left and right movement of the tailgate.

[0040] Furthermore, in the vehicle rear body structure according to this embodiment, a back door hinge stiffener 9 is provided that connects the side body outer extension panel 10 and the back door hinge reinforcement 8 with a curved surface, and the partition wall 25 of the reinforcement structure 20 is covered by the back door hinge stiffener 9 when viewed from the rear of the vehicle. The partition wall 25 (the vehicle width direction outer end 8A of the back door hinge reinforcement 8) forms a step with respect to the vertical wall portion 8B and the bottom wall portion 8C of the back door hinge reinforcement 8, and there is a possibility that the back door hinge reinforcement 8 will bend starting from this step. However, because the back door hinge stiffener 9 connects the side body outer extension panel 10 and the back door hinge reinforcement 8 across the partition wall 25, bending of the back door hinge reinforcement 8 can be suppressed. This further increases the rigidity of the upper corner portion of the back door opening 6.

[0041] In the vehicle rear body structure according to this embodiment, a hinge mounting portion 15 for mounting a tailgate hinge 14 is provided on the tailgate hinge stiffener 9, and the rear end portion 1B of the roof panel 1 and the vehicle width direction intermediate portion of the tailgate hinge reinforcement 8 are overlapped and joined to the hinge mounting portion 15. By attaching the tailgate hinge 14 to the hinge mounting portion 15, which has increased rigidity due to the overlapping of the three layers of the tailgate hinge stiffener 9, the roof panel 1, and the tailgate hinge reinforcement 8, the rigidity of the upper corner portion of the tailgate opening 6 can be further increased and the support performance of the tailgate can be improved. Furthermore, because the tailgate hinge 14 is positioned more inward in the vehicle width direction than the partition wall portion 25 when viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the tailgate hinge 14 can be installed on the tailgate hinge reinforcement 8, avoiding the reinforcing structure portion 20, which has a depth in the fore-aft direction. This makes it possible to reduce the gap (partition) between the vehicle body and the tailgate when the tailgate is closed.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiments, an example in which the reinforcing structure 20 has a generally parallelogram shape when viewed from the side of the vehicle is shown, but the reinforcing structure 20 may have a rectangular shape such as a trapezoid, in addition to a parallelogram. Furthermore, although an example in which the partition wall 25 is provided at the inner end of the reinforcing structure 20 in the vehicle width direction is described, the partition wall 25 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1...Roof panel 2...Side body outer panel 3...Roof rail groove 4...Roof cross member 5...Roof side rail 6...Back door opening 7...Roof back inner force 8...Back door hinge reinforcement 9...Back door hinge stiffener 10...Side body outer extension panel (upper rear of side body outer panel) 11...Quarter inner upper panel 12...Quarter inner upper extension panel (upper part of the quarter inner panel) 13...Backdoor Striker 14...Back door hinge 15...Hinge mounting part 20...Reinforcement structure 21...Top part 22...Rear wall part 23…Bottom part 24...Front wall part 25...Partition wall part L…Extension line

Claims

1. A vehicle rear structure in which a roof rail groove extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is provided at a joint portion between a roof panel and a side body outer panel, an upper corner portion of a back door opening that is opened and closed by a back door is disposed adjacent to a rear end portion of the roof rail groove, and a tubular reinforcing structure extending in the vehicle width direction is provided at the upper corner portion of the back door opening, the reinforcing structure being formed by an upper rear portion of the side body outer panel and an upper portion of a quarter inner panel that is disposed on the vehicle inside rear of the side body outer panel, the reinforcing structure has a rectangular shape in a side view of the vehicle, and includes an upper surface portion and a rear wall portion formed by an upper rear portion of the side body outer panel, a bottom surface portion and a front wall portion formed by an upper portion of the quarter inner panel, and a partition portion extending from inner ends of the upper surface portion and the rear wall portion in the vehicle width direction toward the bottom and front of the vehicle and joined to the bottom surface portion and the front wall portion, and each of the rear wall portion and the front wall portion extends linearly from an upper portion to a lower portion, The partition wall has a sloped shape that slopes inward in the vehicle width direction as it moves downwards, and when viewed from the rear of the vehicle, a tailgate striker provided in the lower part of the tailgate opening is located on an extension of the sloped shape.

2. A back door hinge reinforcement provided in an upper portion of the back door opening; a back door hinge stiffener that connects an upper rear portion of the side body outer panel and the back door hinge reinforcement with a curved surface, 2. The vehicle rear body structure according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is covered by the back door hinge stiffener when viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

3. the tailgate hinge stiffener has a hinge mounting portion for mounting a tailgate hinge that supports the tailgate so that it can be opened and closed, and a rear end portion of the roof panel and the tailgate hinge reinforcement are joined to and overlapped with the hinge mounting portion, 3. The vehicle rear structure according to claim 2, wherein the back door hinge is disposed inward in the vehicle width direction from the partition wall portion when viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

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