Vehicle undercarriage

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lower part structure in which a splash cover can be fitted efficiently.SOLUTION: A splash cover 102 of a vehicle lower part structure 100 includes: a main body portion 112 provided on an upper side of an undercover 104; and a bulging portion 114 bulging rearward along the undercover 104 from a lower part of the main body portion 112. The main body portion 112 includes: a main-body main wall portion 118 extending upward from a side edge of the undercover 104; and a main-body rear wall portion 120 extending inward in a vehicle width direction from a rear edge of the main-body main wall portion 118. The bulging portion 114 includes: a bulging side-surface portion 126 extending rearward from the main-body main wall portion 118; a bulging rear-surface portion 128 bending and extending inward in the vehicle width direction from a rear edge of the bulging side-surface portion 126; and a bulging upper-surface portion 130 extending from the main-body rear wall portion 120 to an upper edge of the bulging side-surface portion 126 and an upper edge of the bulging rear-surface portion 128.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle underbody structure.

Background Art

[0002] Among the power plant rooms where engines, motors, etc. in the front part of a vehicle are mounted, a cover member called a splash cover may be assembled near the wheel house of the front wheels. The splash cover is attached to the side part of the under cover that forms the bottom surface of the power plant room, and in addition to improving aerodynamic resistance, it prevents mud, rainwater, etc. from entering the power plant room.

[0003] For example, in FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1, a splash cover 120 is disclosed as a technology by the applicant of the present application. The splash cover 120 is assembled to the side part of the under cover 154 using clips 166, 168, etc., and forms a part of the side wall of the engine room.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When assembling the splash cover 120 of Cited Document 1 to the under cover 154, it is necessary to align the positions of a plurality of bottom fixing holes 126, 128. However, in the initial position where the splash cover 120 and the under cover 154 are simply overlapped, the holes do not completely overlap, and fine adjustment by an operator may be required. At this time, since many important components such as an electrical system are mounted in the power plant room, it is desired that the assembly work of the splash cover be completed as simply and quickly as possible.

[0006] In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle understructure that enables efficient assembly of splash covers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the vehicle understructure according to the present invention is a vehicle understructure comprising an under cover that covers the lower part of the vehicle's power plant room and a splash cover attached to the side of the under cover, wherein the splash cover has a main body portion provided on the upper side of the under cover and a bulging portion that bulges out rearward from the lower part of the main body portion along the under cover, the main body portion has a main body wall portion extending upward from the side edge of the under cover and a main body rear wall portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the main body wall portion, and the bulging portion has a bulging side portion extending rearward from the main body wall portion, a bulging rear portion that bends inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the bulging side portion and a bulging upper portion extending from the main body rear wall portion to the upper edge of the bulging side portion and the upper edge of the bulging rear portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle understructure that enables efficient assembly of the splash cover. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an overview of a vehicle understructure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the splash cover in Figure 1 as viewed from the side of the vehicle. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the splash cover, looking up from the rear and below. [Figure 4] Figure 3 shows the splash cover during assembly. [Figure 5] This is a view of the splash cover from the rear, as shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6]This figure shows the area near the bulge in Figure 5, viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. [Figure 7] Figure 2 shows cross-sectional views of the splash cover. [Figure 8] These are cross-sectional views of the bulging portion shown in Figure 2, etc. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] A vehicle understructure according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an under cover that covers the lower part of the vehicle's power plant room and a splash cover attached to the side of the under cover, wherein the splash cover has a main body provided on the upper side of the under cover and a bulging portion that bulges rearward from the lower part of the main body along the under cover, the main body has a main body wall portion extending upward from the side edge of the under cover and a main body rear wall portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the main body wall portion, the bulging portion has a bulging side portion extending rearward from the main body wall portion, a bulging rear portion that bends inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the bulging side portion, and the upper edge of the bulging side portion and Posterior part of bulge It is characterized by having a bulging upper surface portion that extends to the upper edge.

[0011] According to the above configuration, by providing a bulge at the lower rear of the main body, the operator can place their fingers on the bulge and push or pull it, making it easy to adjust the position of the splash cover. In particular, the bulge is formed in a box shape having a bulge side, a bulge rear, and a bulge top, allowing it to maintain high rigidity. Therefore, the bulge is less likely to deform even when the operator presses on the bulge top, and can be easily manipulated by the operator.

[0012] The splash cover described above may further have an extension that extends rearward from the inside in the vehicle width direction of the rear wall of the main body, and the lower part of the extension may be connected to the inside in the vehicle width direction of the bulging upper surface.

[0013] According to the above configuration, a bulging portion is provided so as to fill the inner angle between the main body rear wall portion and the extension portion, and it is possible to further increase the rigidity of the bulging portion. In particular, since the main body rear wall portion and the extension portion exist in two directions adjacent to the bulging portion, the force that pushes or pulls the bulging portion acts widely on the splash cover, and it is possible to efficiently adjust the position of the splash cover. Further, since the extension portion becomes the back wall when the operator places a finger on the bulging upper surface portion, it is possible to prevent the operator's finger from touching other structures in the power plant room.

[0014] The above bulging upper surface portion may extend obliquely downward from the extension portion toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] In the case of the above inclined bulging upper surface portion, when the operator places a finger on it, it is suitable because the load hardly accumulates at the inner angle between the bulging upper surface portion and the extension portion, and it is easy to push it inward with a finger.

[0016] The above splash cover further has a plurality of fixing portions fixed to the under cover by a predetermined fixing means, and the bulging portion further has a bulging lower surface portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction along the under cover from the lower edge of the bulging side surface portion, and at least one of the plurality of fixing portions may be provided on the bulging lower surface portion.

[0017] By providing a fixing portion on the above bulging portion, it becomes possible to easily adjust the fixing position of the splash cover with respect to the under cover by operating the bulging portion by pushing or pulling it with a finger.

[0018] The above bulging portion may further have one or a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending from the bulging upper surface portion across the bulging side surface portion to the bulging lower surface portion.

[0019] According to the above reinforcing ribs, the rigidity of the bulging portion can be further improved, and the deformation when the bulging upper surface portion is pushed with a finger can be prevented, making it easy to adjust the position of the splash cover.

[0020] The extension described above may have upper and lower beads that extend vertically along the rear wall of the main body.

[0021] The upper and lower beads described above make it possible to improve the rigidity of the extension. Since the aforementioned bulge is provided below the extension, the improved rigidity of the extension also contributes to preventing deformation of the bulge. [Examples]

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values ​​shown in these embodiments are merely illustrative to facilitate understanding of the invention and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are omitted from the illustrations.

[0023] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a vehicle understructure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, in Figure 1 and all other drawings of this application, the vehicle's longitudinal direction is illustrated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward), the left and right directions in the vehicle's width direction are illustrated by arrows L (Leftward) and R (Rightward), and the vehicle's vertical direction is illustrated by arrows U (Upward) and D (Downward).

[0024] The splash cover 102 of the vehicle's understructure 100 is located at the rear of the front of the front wheel well 106. The splash cover 102 improves aerodynamic drag around the wheel well 106 and prevents mud, rainwater, etc. from entering the power plant room.

[0025] Figure 2 shows the splash cover 102 of Figure 1 as viewed from the side of the vehicle. The under cover 104 is a component that covers the lower part of the power plant room. The splash cover 102 is attached to the side of the under cover 104 behind the lower cross member 108 and in front of the suspension frame 110, forming part of the side wall of the power plant room.

[0026] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the splash cover 102 of Figure 2, looking up from the rear and below. The splash cover 102 of this embodiment is broadly divided into a main body portion 112 provided on the upper side of the under cover 104, a bulging portion 114 that bulges out rearward from the lower part of the main body portion 112 along the under cover 104, and an extension portion 116 that extends further rearward from the main body portion 112.

[0027] The main body portion 112 is the main part of the splash cover 102 and includes a main body wall portion 118 extending upward from the side edge of the under cover 104 and a rear body wall portion 120 extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the main body wall portion 118. A front flange 122 is formed on the front side of the main body wall portion 118. The front flange 122 is provided with a number of front mounting portions 124a, 124b, which are realized by bolts or clips and are connected to a structure in front of it.

[0028] The bulging portion 114 is the part that receives operator input when the splash cover 102 is assembled to the under cover 104. The bulging portion 114 is formed in a box shape to ensure rigidity and is formed as a shelf-like protrusion below the extension portion 116.

[0029] The bulging portion 114 has a wall portion which is a bulging side portion 126 extending rearward from the main body wall portion 118, and a bulging rear portion 128 that bends inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the bulging side portion 126. Above the bulging portion 114, a bulging upper portion 130 is formed as a top plate, extending from the main body rear wall portion 120 to the upper edge of the bulging side portion 126 and the upper edge of the main body rear wall portion 120.

[0030] The bulging rear portion 128 may form a corner from the bulging side portion 126 and bend inward in the vehicle width direction, or it may be configured to curve inward in the vehicle width direction while forming a rounded shape. Because the bulging rear portion 128 is formed as a wall portion that extends in a different direction from the bulging side portion 126, the bulging upper portion 130, which is the top plate, can be supported with high rigidity.

[0031] Figure 4 shows the assembly of the splash cover 102 shown in Figure 3. Figure 4 includes the worker's hand h1 to aid in understanding the assembly process.

[0032] The splash cover 102 has multiple fixing parts 132 (see Figure 6) on its underside, and can be fixed to the under cover 104 using bolts 134a to 134c or other fixing means such as clips.

[0033] Before fastening the bolts 134a to 134d, the splash cover 102 needs to align the positions of each fixing part (such as fixing part 132 in Figure 6) with the bolt holes 136a to 136c of the under cover 104. However, in the initial position where the splash cover 102 and the under cover 104 are simply aligned, there is a risk of errors in the positions of each fixing part and the bolt holes 136a to 136c. Therefore, in the vehicle understructure 100, the position of the splash cover 102 can be adjusted by an operator pushing or pulling the bulging part 114 with their fingers.

[0034] In this embodiment, the splash cover 102 has a fixing part 132 (see Figure 6) located below the bulging part 114, among several fixing parts. Fixing parts located at the ends of a part, such as the fixing part 132, are more prone to positional errors than fixing parts located closer to the center of the part. In this embodiment, by providing the bulging part 114 above the fixing part 132 at the end, it is made easier to adjust the position of the splash cover 102 relative to the under cover 104, thereby enabling efficient assembly of the splash cover 102.

[0035] Figure 5 shows the splash cover 102 of Figure 1 as viewed from the rear. The bulging portion 114 bulges outwards in a shelf-like manner from the lower part of the extension portion 116 in the vehicle width direction.

[0036] As described above, the worker can align the bulge portion 114 when fastening the bolt 34a below it by placing their finger on the bulge upper surface 130 of the bulge portion 114 and pushing it inward, or pushing it downward and pulling it towards them. At this time, the bulge portion 114 maintains its rigidity because the bulge rear surface 128 is provided parallel to the main body rear wall 120, suppressing deflection when the worker applies force to the bulge upper surface 130 and allowing it to accurately accept movement caused by the worker's operation.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the extension 116 extends rearward from the inside in the vehicle width direction of the main body rear wall portion 120. Then, as shown in Figure 5, the lower part of the extension 116 is connected to the inside in the vehicle width direction of the bulging upper surface portion 130. Therefore, the bulging portion 114 is provided in such a way as to fill the inner angle between the main body rear wall portion 120 and the extension 116, thereby increasing rigidity.

[0038] The presence of the main body rear wall portion 120 and extension portion 116 on two adjacent directions—the front side and the inner side in the vehicle width direction—of the bulging portion 114 allows the force pushing or pulling the bulging portion 114 to be applied broadly to the splash cover 102, enabling efficient position adjustment of the splash cover 102. Furthermore, when an operator places their fingers on the upper surface portion 130 of the bulge, the extension portion 116 acts as a wall on the power plant room side at the back, preventing the operator's fingers from touching other structures in the power plant room.

[0039] As shown in Figure 3, the extension 116 is provided with upper and lower beads 138 that extend vertically along the rear wall 120 of the main body. The upper and lower beads 138 increase the second moment of area of ​​the extension 116, contributing to its improved rigidity. Since the aforementioned bulge 114 is provided below the extension 116, the improvement in the rigidity of the extension 116 also contributes to preventing deformation of the bulge 114.

[0040] Figure 6 shows the area around the bulge 114 in Figure 5, viewed from the inside in the vehicle width direction. Below the bulge 114, a bulge lower surface portion 140 is formed, extending inward in the vehicle width direction along the under cover 104 from the lower edge of the bulge side surface portion 126.

[0041] The bulging lower surface portion 140 is provided with the rearmost fixing portion 132 of the fixing portion between the splash cover 102 and the under cover 104. Reinforcing ribs 142a and 142b are provided in front of and behind the fixing portion 132, increasing the rigidity around the fixing portion 132.

[0042] Figure 7 shows cross-sectional views of the splash cover 102 in Figure 2. Figure 7(a) is cross-sectional view AA of the splash cover 102 in Figure 2. The main body wall portion 118 extends vertically while curving slightly inward in the vehicle width direction, improving aerodynamic resistance and preventing mud and rainwater from entering the power plant room on the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0043] Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the splash cover 102 of Figure 2. As described above, the bulging portion 114 is provided below the extension portion 116 and bulges outward in the vehicle width direction, and can be operated by the operator with their fingers.

[0044] Figure 8 shows cross-sectional views of the bulge 114 shown in Figure 2, etc. Figure 8(a) is an enlarged view of the bulge 114 shown in Figure 7(b).

[0045] In this embodiment, as described above, by providing a fixing portion 132 on the bulging portion 114, the fixing position of the splash cover 102 relative to the under cover 104 can be easily adjusted by manipulating the bulging portion 114 with a finger.

[0046] Furthermore, the bulging portion 114 is formed in a box shape having a bulging side portion 126, a bulging rear portion 128 (see Figure 5), and a bulging top portion 130, which allows it to maintain high rigidity, making it difficult to deform even when the bulging top portion 130 is pressed, and allowing it to be easily manipulated by the worker.

[0047] In this embodiment, the bulging upper surface portion 130 extends downward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the extension portion 116. In particular, the inclined bulging upper surface portion 130 is formed so as not to be parallel to the lower bulging lower surface portion 140. With such an inclined bulging upper surface portion 130, when an operator places their finger on it, the load is less likely to concentrate at the inner angle between the bulging upper surface portion 130 and the extension portion 116, thus suppressing deformation, and it is also preferable because it makes it easier to push it inward with a finger.

[0048] Figure 8(b) is a cross-sectional view of the CC of the bulge 114 shown in Figure 6. The reinforcing rib 142a extends from the upper surface 130 of the bulge, across the side surface 126, to the lower surface 140 of the bulge. The reinforcing rib 142b in Figure 6 has the same configuration.

[0049] The reinforcing ribs 142a and 142b described above (see Figure 6) further improve the rigidity of the bulge portion 114 from the inside, preventing deformation when the bulge upper surface portion 130 is pressed with a finger and deformation around the fixing portion 132, and making it easier to adjust the position of the splash cover 102.

[0050] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0051] This invention can be used in the undercarriage of a vehicle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 100...Vehicle understructure, 102...Splash cover, 104...Under cover, 106...Wheel house, 108...Lower cross member, 110...Suspension frame, 112...Main body, 114...Bulging part, 116...Extension part, 118...Main body wall, 120...Main body rear wall, 122...Front flange, 124a, 124b...Front mounting part, 126...Bulging side part, 128...Bulging rear part, 130...Bulging top part, 132...Fixing part, 134a~134d...Bolts, 136a~136d...Bolt holes, 138...Upper and lower beads, 140...Bulging bottom part, 142a, 142b...Reinforcement ribs

Claims

1. In a vehicle understructure comprising an under cover that covers the lower part of the vehicle's power plant room and a splash cover attached to the side of the under cover, The aforementioned splash cover is, The main body portion is provided on the upper side of the aforementioned under cover, It has a bulge that extends rearward from the lower part of the main body along the under cover, The main body is, The main body wall portion extends upward from the side edge of the under cover, The main body has a rear wall portion that extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the main body wall portion, The aforementioned bulge is, A bulging side portion extending rearward from the main wall portion of the main body, A bulging rear surface portion extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the rear edge of the aforementioned bulging side surface portion, A vehicle understructure characterized by having a bulging upper surface portion extending from the rear wall portion of the main body to the upper edge of the bulging side portion and the upper edge of the bulging rear surface portion.

2. The splash cover further has an extension that extends rearward from the inside in the vehicle width direction of the rear wall of the main body, The lower part of the extension is connected to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the bulging upper surface, as described in claim 1.

3. The vehicle understructure according to claim 2, characterized in that the bulging upper portion extends downward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the extension portion.

4. The splash cover further has a plurality of fixing parts that are fixed to the under cover by predetermined fixing means, The bulging portion further has a bulging lower surface portion that extends inward in the vehicle width direction along the under cover from the lower edge of the bulging side surface portion, The vehicle understructure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of fixing parts is provided on the bulging lower surface.

5. The vehicle understructure according to claim 4, characterized in that the bulging portion further has one or more reinforcing ribs extending from the upper surface of the bulge across the side surface of the bulge to the lower surface of the bulge.

6. The vehicle understructure according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the extension portion has upper and lower beads that extend vertically along the rear wall portion of the main body.

Images