vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique that can reduce damages to a battery due to a front collision while increasing a space in a vehicle longitudinal direction in which the battery is arranged compared with prior art.SOLUTION: A vehicle disclosed in the present specification includes: a floor panel; a battery located below the floor panel; rockers extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction along side edges of the floor panel in a vehicle width direction; torque boxes each extending from a front end of the rocker inward in the vehicle width direction along a front edge of the floor panel in the vehicle longitudinal direction; and front side members each extending from the torque box forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The torque box includes a front wall and a rear wall that are located opposed to each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and forms an internal space extending in the vehicle width direction between the front wall and the rear wall. A base end portion including a rear end of the front side member is located in the internal space of the torque box and is bonded to an inner surface of the torque box in the internal space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle that has a battery located below a floor panel. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a battery below a floor panel. The vehicle further includes a rocker extending in the vehicle length direction along the side edge of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction, a cross member extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the front end of the rocker, and a front side member extending forward from the cross member via an extension side member. The extension side member is a member that connects the front side member and the cross member to each other and has a shape that branches into two at the rear end of the front side member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-193942 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, the front side members and the cross member are connected to each other by extension side members extending in the vehicle length direction. This reduces the space required for battery placement in the vehicle length direction. By omitting the extension side members and directly connecting the front side members to the cross member, the space required for battery placement can be expanded. However, if the strength at the connection points is insufficient, there is a risk of separation at the connection points, for example, in the event of a frontal collision. In this case, the front side members will not deform in the intended manner and will not be able to fully absorb the collision energy. This specification provides a technology for firmly connecting the front side members and the cross member without the need for special members such as extension side members. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The vehicle disclosed in this specification includes a floor panel, a battery located below the floor panel, a rocker extending in the vehicle length direction along a side edge of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction, a torque box extending inward in the vehicle width direction from a front end of the rocker along the front edge of the floor panel in the vehicle length direction, and a front side member extending forward in the vehicle length direction from the torque box. The torque box has a front wall and a rear wall opposing each other in the vehicle length direction, and an internal space extending in the vehicle width direction is formed between the front wall and the rear wall. A base end portion including a rear end of the front side member is located in the internal space of the torque box and is joined to an inner surface of the torque box within the internal space.

[0006] In the vehicle described above, the base end of the front side member is joined to the inner surface of the torque box in the interior space of the torque box. This configuration allows the base end of the front side member to be firmly joined to the inner surface of the torque box. Because the front side member and the torque box are firmly connected to each other, separation is unlikely to occur at the connection between these members, even in the event of a frontal collision of the vehicle. As a result, the front side member subjected to a collision load can be sufficiently deformed in an intended manner. This allows the collision energy to be sufficiently absorbed by the deformation of the front side member, thereby avoiding or reducing damage to, for example, the battery. Furthermore, because there is no need to interpose a special member such as an extension side member between the front side member and the torque box, the space for arranging the battery can be expanded in the vehicle length direction accordingly.

[0007] Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification are described in the following "Description of Embodiments of the Invention." [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows a bottom view of a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] An enlarged view of the right front side member 4R is shown. [Figure 3] This shows the deformation of the right front side member 4R in the event of a frontal collision. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In one embodiment of the present technology, the front side member may have a groove extending in a vehicle height direction at at least one location in the vehicle length direction. With this configuration, in the event of a frontal collision, the front side member can be sufficiently deformed in an intended manner, starting from the groove.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present technology, the front side member may have a bent portion that is convex outward in the vehicle width direction at at least one location in the vehicle length direction. With this configuration, in the event of a frontal collision, the front side member can be sufficiently deformed in an intended manner, starting from the bent portion.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present technology, the front side member may have grooves extending in the vehicle height direction at least at a first location and a second location in the vehicle length direction. In this case, the first location may be located forward of the bent portion in the vehicle length direction, and the second location may be located rearward of the bent portion in the vehicle length direction. However, in another embodiment, the first location and the second location may both be located forward of the bent portion in the vehicle length direction, or both may be located rearward of the bent portion in the vehicle length direction.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present technology, the base end portion of the front side member may have a fillet shape that widens in the vehicle width direction toward the rear end. In this case, the fillet shape may widen more at an outer portion in the vehicle width direction than at an inner portion in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the base end portion of the front side member is joined to the torque box more firmly at the vehicle outer portion than at the vehicle inner portion. As a result, in the event of a frontal collision, the front side member can be sufficiently deformed in an intended manner.

[0013] (Example) FIG. 1 shows a bottom view of the front of a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment. The vehicle 100 includes a bumper reinforcement member 2, a pair of front side members 4R, 4L, a pair of torque boxes 6R, 6L, a floor panel 7, and a pair of rockers 8R, 8L. These are skeletal components that form the body of the vehicle 100. In the coordinate system of FIG. 1, "FR" indicates the forward direction in the vehicle length direction. "UP" indicates the upward direction in the vehicle height direction. "LH" indicates "left" when looking forward from the rear of the vehicle 100, i.e., "left" in the vehicle width direction. The meaning of the coordinate system remains the same in subsequent figures. In the following description, the "forward direction in the vehicle length direction" may be simply referred to as "front," and the opposite side may be simply referred to as "rear." Similarly, the "outside in the vehicle width direction" may be simply referred to as the "outside," and the opposite side may be simply referred to as the "inside," and the "upper side in the vehicle height direction" may be simply referred to as the "top," and the opposite side may be simply referred to as the "bottom."

[0014] Vehicle 100 further includes battery 10. Vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle and is driven using power from battery 10. Battery 10 is a DC power supply having a plurality of secondary battery cells, and is a DC power supply that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. The type of each secondary battery cell is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. Battery 10 is disposed below floor panel 7 (i.e., toward the front of the paper in FIG. 1).

[0015] The floor panel 7 is a flat sheet metal part that forms the floor of the vehicle 100 and extends in the vehicle length direction. A center tunnel 9 extends in the vehicle length direction (i.e., left-right direction in the plane of FIG. 1) at the center of the floor panel 7 in the vehicle width direction (i.e., the up-down direction in the plane of FIG. 1). A pair of rockers 8R, 8L extending along the vehicle length direction are provided on side edges 7R, 7L in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel 7. The pair of rockers 8R, 8L are skeletal members with closed cross sections, and protect the cabin, battery 10, etc. of the vehicle 100 in the event of a collision (e.g., a frontal collision or a side collision) with the vehicle 100.

[0016] A right torque box 6R is provided at the front end 18R of the right rocker 8R. The right torque box 6R extends inward (i.e., upward in the plane of FIG. 1 ) from the front end 18R of the right rocker 8R along the front edge 7F of the floor panel 7 in the vehicle length direction. Similarly, a left torque box 6L is provided at the front end 18L of the left rocker 8L. The pair of torque boxes 6R, 6L are joined at their inner sides to the center tunnel 9 of the floor panel 7. The pair of torque boxes 6R, 6L have mutually symmetrical shapes. This specification will mainly describe the right torque box 6R of the pair of torque boxes 6R, 6L, but the left torque box 6L also has a similar shape.

[0017] A right front side member 4R is joined to the right torque box 6R. The right front side member 4R extends forward from the right torque box 6R. A base end 40R of the right front side member 4R is joined to the inner surface of the right torque box 6R. Similarly, a base end 40L of the left front side member 4L is joined to the inner surface of the left torque box 6L.

[0018] The detailed structures of the right torque box 6R and the right front side member 4R will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The right torque box 6R is a sheet metal part having a shape that is open upward (i.e., toward the back of the paper surface of FIG. 2). The right torque box 6R has an inner front wall 61R, an outer front wall 62R, a rear wall 64R, and a bottom wall 66R. The front walls 61R, 62R face each other in the vehicle length direction with the rear wall 64R. The bottom wall 66R extends in the vehicle length direction and connects the front walls 61R, 62R and the rear wall 64R. This forms an internal space S1 between the right torque box 6R and the floor panel 7 (see FIG. 1). The internal space S1 is a space that extends in the vehicle width direction along the right torque box 6R. In this way, the right torque box 6R forms a closed cross section with the walls 61R, 62R, 64R, and 66R. This provides high rigidity to the right torque box 6R. The right torque box 6R, which has high rigidity, can firmly connect the right rocker 8R (see FIG. 1) and the right front side member 4R.

[0019] The right front side member 4R is a sheet metal part having a shape that is open upward (i.e., toward the back of the paper in FIG. 2). The right front side member 4R has a front portion 47, a rear portion 48, a bent portion 49, and a base end portion 40R. As shown in FIG. 1, the front end of the right front side member 4R is connected to the bumper reinforcement 2.

[0020] A front portion 47 of the right front side member 4R extends along the vehicle length direction. A rear portion 48 of the right front side member 4R slopes inward toward the rear. Therefore, a bent portion 49 is convex outward. As a result, a bending point P1 is formed on the inside of the bent portion 49 of the right front side member 4R.

[0021] A front groove 51 is formed on the outer surface (i.e., the lower side of the paper in FIG. 1) of the front end portion of the front part 47 of the right front side member 4R. The front groove 51 extends in the vehicle height direction (i.e., toward the front and rear of the paper in FIG. 1). The front groove 51 is recessed inward. Similarly, a rear groove 52 recessed inward is formed on the outer surface of the rear end portion of the rear part 48 of the right front side member 4R. The rear groove 52 also extends in the vehicle height direction.

[0022] The base end portion 40R of the right front side member 4R is located in the internal space S1 of the right torque box 6R. The base end portion 40R includes a rear end 44R of the right front side member 4R. The base end portion 40R has an inner wall 41R, an outer wall 42R, and a bottom wall 46R. The inner wall 41R of the base end portion 40R extends along a portion of the inner front wall 61R of the right torque box 6R. The outer wall 42R of the base end portion 40R extends along a portion of the outer front wall 62R of the right torque box 6R. The bottom wall 46R of the base end portion 40R extends along a portion of the bottom wall 66R of the right torque box 6R. In other words, the base end portion 40R is formed to fit along the inner surface of the right torque box 6R.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R is welded to the inner surfaces of the walls 61R, 62R, and 66R of the right torque box 6R (i.e., the surfaces toward the rear of the page in FIG. 2) at multiple welds W1. In this case, the inner wall 41R of the base end 40R is welded to a portion of the inner front wall 61R of the right torque box 6R, the outer wall 42R of the base end 40R is welded to a portion of the outer front wall 62R of the right torque box 6R, and the bottom wall 46R of the base end 40R is welded to a portion of the bottom wall 66R of the right torque box 6R. This firmly joins the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R to the inner surfaces of the walls 61R, 62R, and 66R of the right torque box 6R. As a result, the right front side member 4R and the right torque box 6R are firmly connected to each other.

[0024] Furthermore, the inner wall 41R of the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R has a fillet shape that widens inward (i.e., toward the upper side of the paper in FIG. 2) toward the rear end 44R. Similarly, the outer wall 42R of the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R has a fillet shape that widens outward (i.e., toward the lower side of the paper in FIG. 2) toward the rear end 44R. Comparing the fillet shape of the inner wall 41R and the fillet shape of the outer wall 42R, as shown in FIG. 2, the fillet shape of the outer wall 42R is wider than the fillet shape of the inner wall 41R.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 3, the deformation of the right front side member 4R when a frontal collision occurs to the vehicle 100 will be described. When a frontal collision occurs to the vehicle 100, a first collision load F1 is transmitted to the right front side member 4R via the bumper reinforcement 2. As described above, the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R is firmly connected to the inner surface of the right torque box 6R in the internal space S1 of the right torque box 6R. Therefore, even when the first collision load F1 is transmitted to the right front side member 4R, no separation occurs at the connection between the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R and the right torque box 6R. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the right front side member 4R is sufficiently bent (i.e., deformed) in an intended manner by the first collision load F1 so as to displace the bent portion 49 outward.

[0026] As a result, the energy generated by the first collision load F1 is sufficiently absorbed by the deformation of the right front side member 4R. As a result, a second collision load F2, which is smaller than the first collision load F1, is transmitted to the right torque box 6R. The right torque box 6R transmits the second collision load F2 to the right rocker 8R (see FIG. 1). This allows the vehicle 100 to protect the battery 10 (see FIG. 1) in the event of a frontal collision.

[0027] Furthermore, because the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R is located in the internal space S1 of the right torque box 6R, the space required to accommodate the base end 40R in the vehicle longitudinal direction can be reduced. Therefore, for example, compared to a configuration in which the right front side member 4R and the right torque box 6R are connected in the vehicle longitudinal direction by a separate member, the structure between the right front side member 4R and the right rocker 8R can be made smaller. As a result, for example, the space required to accommodate the battery 10 in the vehicle longitudinal direction can be expanded.

[0028] 3, because the right front side member 4R bends stably, there is no need to provide a separate member for connecting the front end of the right front side member 4R and the front end of the left front side member 4L in the vehicle 100 of this embodiment. This makes it possible to reduce the mass, space, etc. of the separate member.

[0029] Furthermore, the front portion 47 of the right front side member 4R bends convexly inward, starting from the front groove 51. Similarly, the rear portion 48 of the right front side member 4R bends convexly inward, starting from the rear groove 52. In this way, by providing the grooves 51, 52 at at least one location in the vehicle length direction of the right front side member 4R, the right front side member 4R can bend sufficiently in an intended manner, starting from the grooves 51, 52.

[0030] Furthermore, the right front side member 4R is bent significantly outwardly in a convex shape, starting from a bending point P1 on the inside of the bent portion 49. By providing the right front side member 4R with the bent portion 49 that is convex outward at at least one location in the vehicle length direction, the right front side member 4R can stably deform from the bent portion 49 as a starting point. Furthermore, because the bent portion 49 is convex outward, the bent portion 49 of the right front side member 4R is displaced outward. This makes it possible to prevent interference between the displaced bent portion 49 and electrical equipment, for example, when such equipment is disposed inside the right front side member 4R.

[0031] As described above, the fillet shape of the outer wall 42R of the base end 40R of the right front side member 4R is wider than the fillet shape of the inner wall 41R. Therefore, the outer wall 42R of the base end 40R is fixed more firmly to the inner surface of the right torque box 6R than the inner wall 41R. This allows the right front side member 4R to deform sufficiently in the intended manner, starting from the rear groove 52.

[0032] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Modifications of the above examples are listed below.

[0033] (Variation 1) The right front side member 4R may include either the front groove 51 or the rear groove 52. In another variation, the right front side member 4R may not include a groove. In a further variation, a groove may be provided on the inner surface.

[0034] (Variation 2) The rear portion 48 of the right front side member 4R does not have to be inclined inward toward the rear. In this case, an outwardly convex bent portion 49 may be provided between the front portion 47 and the rear portion 48 extending in the vehicle length direction. In another variation, the bent portions 49 may be provided at multiple locations in the vehicle length direction.

[0035] (Variation 3) The fillet shape of the outer wall 42R of the base end portion 40R does not have to be wider than the fillet shape of the inner wall 41R. The fillet shape of the base end portion 40R may be changed depending on the shape to be deformed of the right front side member 4R.

[0036] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings may exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings may achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives alone is technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 2: Bumper Force 4L: Left front side member 4R: Right front side member 6L: Left torque box 6R: Right side torque box 7: Floor panel 7F: Leading edge 7L, 7R: Side edge 8L: Left side locker 8R: Right side rocker 9: Center Tunnel 10: Battery 18L, 18R: Front end 40L, 40R: Base end 41R: Inner wall 42R: Outer wall 44R: Rear end 46R, 66R: Bottom wall 47: Front 48: Rear 49: Bend 51: Front gutter 52: Rear gutter 61R :Inner front wall 62R: Lateral front wall 100: Vehicle F1: First collision load F2: Second collision load P1: bending point S1: Internal space W1: Welding point

Claims

1. Floor panels and a battery located below the floor panel; a rocker extending in the vehicle length direction along a side edge of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction; a torque box extending from a front end of the rocker toward an inner side in the vehicle width direction along a front edge of the floor panel in the vehicle length direction; a front side member extending forward in the vehicle length direction from the torque box; Equipped with the torque box has a front wall and a rear wall that face each other in the vehicle length direction, and an internal space extending in the vehicle width direction is formed between the front wall and the rear wall, a base end portion of the front side member, including a rear end thereof, is located in the internal space of the torque box and is joined to an inner surface of the torque box within the internal space; vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the front side member has a groove extending in a vehicle height direction at at least one location in the vehicle length direction.

3. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the front side member has a bent portion that is convex outward in the vehicle width direction at at least one location in the vehicle length direction.

4. the front side member has a groove extending in a vehicle height direction at least at a first location and a second location in the vehicle length direction, The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the first location is located forward of the bent portion in the vehicle length direction, and the second location is located rearward of the bent portion in the vehicle length direction.

5. the base end portion of the front side member has a fillet shape that widens in the vehicle width direction toward the rear end, The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the fillet shape has a width that is greater at an outer portion in the vehicle width direction than at an inner portion in the vehicle width direction.

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