vehicle

Abstract

To improve the strength at a front corner portion of a vehicle by a simple structure.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes: a plurality of wheels including front wheels; a front side member extending in a vehicle front-back direction at inner sides in the vehicle left-right direction of the front wheels; upper members each including a first section that extends in a vehicle front-back direction above in a vehicle up-down direction of the front wheel and a second section that extends downward in the vehicle up-down direction at a front side of the front wheel in the vehicle front-back direction; and connection plates each located at the front side in the vehicle front-back direction of the front wheel and connecting a front end of the front side member and the second section of the upper member. The connection plate is formed of a single plate member and is formed in a wavy shape in which a plurality of projections and grooves that extend in the vehicle left-right direction are repeatedly formed along the vehicle up-down direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] A vehicle is described in Patent Document 1. In this vehicle, the front side member and the upper member are connected using a plurality of members.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When connecting between the front side member and the upper member as in the above-described vehicle, the strength at the front corner of the vehicle can be effectively increased against a frontal collision of the vehicle. However, in a structure where these two members are connected by a plurality of members, there is a problem that the configuration and manufacturing process of the vehicle become complicated.

[0005] In view of the above, this specification provides a technology for improving the strength at the front corner of a vehicle with a simple configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The technology disclosed herein is embodied in a vehicle. In a first embodiment, the vehicle includes a plurality of wheels, including a front wheel; a front side member extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on the inside of the front wheel in the lateral direction of the vehicle; an upper member having a first section extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle above the front wheel in the vertical direction of the vehicle and a second section extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle in front of the front wheel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; and a connecting plate located in front of the front wheel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, connecting the front end of the front side member and the second section of the upper member to each other. The connecting plate is made of a single plate material and has a wave-like shape in which a plurality of protrusions and grooves extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle are repeatedly formed along the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0007] In the vehicle described above, the connecting plate that links the front side member and the upper member is made of a single plate material. The connecting plate has a wavy shape in which multiple protrusions and grooves extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle are repeatedly formed along the vertical direction of the vehicle. With this configuration, the strength at the front corner of the vehicle can be improved with a simple structure.

[0008] In a second embodiment, the connecting plate may have, in the first embodiment, an inner region joined to the front end of the front side member, an outer region joined to the second section of the upper member, and an intermediate region located between the inner region and the outer region. In this case, the plurality of protrusions and grooves may be formed at least from the intermediate region to the outer region. With such a configuration, the front side member and the upper member can be connected with high rigidity.

[0009] In a third embodiment, in the second embodiment, the vehicle may further include a crash box attached to the front end of the front side member. In this case, the inner region of the connecting plate may be sandwiched between the front end of the front side member and the crash box. With this configuration, the connecting plate is firmly supported on the front side member.

[0010] In a fourth embodiment, in any one of the first to third embodiments, the vehicle may further include an auxiliary device attached to the coupling plate. With this configuration, the number of parts of the vehicle can be reduced by using the coupling plate as a bracket for attaching the auxiliary device.

[0011] In a fifth embodiment, the auxiliary equipment in the fourth embodiment may be a pump for circulating coolant. In this case, at least a portion of the pump may be located inside the groove formed in the connecting plate. This configuration allows for effective use of the limited space inside the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A schematic side view showing vehicle 10 of the embodiment. [Figure 2] A plan view showing the main part of the front section 12f of the vehicle body 12. [Figure 3] A side view showing the main part of the right side of the front section 12f of the vehicle body 12. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a side view in which a portion of the upper member 22 is omitted from the illustration. [Figure 5] A front view showing the main part of the right side of the front section 12f of the vehicle body 12. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Vehicle 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings attached to this application, direction FR indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and direction RR indicates the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Direction LH indicates the left in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and direction RH indicates the right in the lateral direction of the vehicle. Direction UP indicates the up in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and direction DW indicates the down in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the vehicle are parallel to the road surface 2 and are perpendicular to each other. The vertical direction of the vehicle is perpendicular to the road surface 2 and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the vehicle.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 10 is a road-traveling vehicle comprising a body 12 and a plurality of wheels 14f, 14r supporting the body 12. The plurality of wheels 14f, 14r include a pair of front wheels 14f and a pair of rear wheels 14r. The pair of front wheels 14f are located at the front 12f of the body 12, and the pair of rear wheels 14r are located at the rear 12r of the body 12. The body 12 has a cabin 12c between the front 12f and the rear 12r. The body 12 is not particularly limited, but is mainly made of metal material.

[0015] Although not particularly limited, the vehicle 10 in this embodiment is a battery-powered electric vehicle comprising a battery pack 16 and a drive motor 18. The battery pack 16 is a power source that supplies power to the drive motor 18 and is located below the cabin 12c. The drive motor 18 is located at the front 12f of the vehicle body 12 and is configured to drive a pair of front wheels 14f. Although not shown, the vehicle 10 may further include a power conversion device, including a DC-DC converter and / or inverter, between the battery pack 16 and the drive motor 18. Note that the configuration of the vehicle 10 described herein is not limited to a battery-powered electric vehicle and can be adopted in various types of vehicles such as hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, or engine vehicles.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle body 12 of the vehicle 10 comprises a pair of front side members 20, a pair of upper members 22, and a pair of connecting plates 24. The pair of front side members 20, the pair of upper members 22, and the pair of connecting plates 24 are located at the front 12f of the vehicle body 12 and are arranged symmetrically in the left-right direction of the vehicle. In the following description, the right side portion of the front 12f of the vehicle body 12 will be described as representative, and the description of the left side portion will be omitted.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2-5, the front side member 20 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on the inside (i.e., left side) of the front wheel 14f in the vehicle's lateral direction. The front side member 20 is the main structural member of the vehicle body 12 and is made of longitudinal members having a predetermined cross-sectional shape, such as square pipes, channel members, or hat members. A crash box 30 and a front bumper reinforcement 32 are attached to the front end 20a of the front side member 20. The crash box 30 is located between the front end 20a of the front side member 20 and the front bumper reinforcement 32. When a frontal collision occurs to the vehicle 10, the crash box 30 absorbs collision energy by compressing and deforming.

[0018] The upper member 22 is provided above and forward of the front wheel 14f and has a first section 22a and a second section 22b. The first section 22a extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle above the front wheel 14f. The second section 22b extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle in front of the front wheel 14f. The upper member 22 is the main structural member of the vehicle body 12 and is made of longitudinal members having a predetermined cross-sectional shape, such as square pipes, channel members, or hat members. Although not shown, a panel material is provided between the upper member 22 and the front side member 20 that defines the wheel well that houses the front wheel 14f and its suspension.

[0019] The connecting plate 24 is located in front of the front wheel 14f and connects the front end 20a of the front side member 20 and the second section 22b of the upper member 22 to each other. In this way, when these two members 20 and 22 are connected to each other in front of the front wheel 14f, the strength at the front corner of the vehicle body 12 can be effectively increased against a frontal collision of the vehicle 10. Note that the connecting plate 24 in the present embodiment is located in front of the second section 22b of the upper member 22. However, as another embodiment, the connecting plate 24 may be located behind the second section 22b of the upper member 22.

[0020] The connecting plate 24 is composed of a single plate material. The material constituting the plate material is not particularly limited, but may be a metal material. The connecting plate 24 has a wavy shape. That is, a plurality of protrusions 26 and grooves 28 extending in the vehicle left-right direction are repeatedly formed along the vehicle up-down direction on the connecting plate 24. According to such a configuration, the rigidity of the connecting plate 24 is increased, so that the front side member 20 and the upper member 22 can be connected with high rigidity.

[0021] When viewed from the front (see FIG. 5), the connecting plate 24 can be divided into an inner region 24a, an outer region 24b, and an intermediate region 24c. The inner region 24a is a region joined to the front end 20a of the front side member 20. The outer region 24b is a region joined to the second section 22b of the upper member 22. And the intermediate region 24c is a region located between the inner region 24a and the outer region 24b. Although not particularly limited, in the connecting plate 24 in the present embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 26 and grooves 28 are formed from the intermediate region 24c to the outer region 24b. In this way, when a plurality of protrusions 26 and grooves 28 are formed not only in the intermediate region 24c but also in the outer region 24b and / or the inner region 24a, the front side member 20 and the upper member 22 can be connected with higher rigidity.

[0022] As described above, a crash box 30 is attached to the front end 20a of the front side member 20 (see FIGS. 2-4). In this regard, the connecting plate 24 (particularly, its inner region 24a) is fastened together with the crash box 30 to the front end 20a of the front side member 20. Thereby, the inner region 24a of the connecting plate 24 is sandwiched between the front end 20a of the front side member 20 and the crash box 30. According to such a configuration, since the connecting plate 24 is firmly supported by the front side member 20, the front side member 20 and the upper member 22 are connected with higher rigidity.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, a pump 40 is attached to the connecting plate 24. The pump 40 is one of the accessories of the vehicle 10 and is a device for circulating the coolant. The pump 40 is also referred to as a water pump. By also using the connecting plate 24 as a bracket for attaching the pump 40, the number of parts of the vehicle can be reduced. In addition, a part 40a of the pump 40 bulges toward the connecting plate 24 and is located inside the groove 28 formed in the connecting plate 24. According to such a configuration, the limited space inside the vehicle 10 can be effectively utilized. Note that other types of accessories may be attached to the connecting plate 24 instead of or in addition to the pump 40.

[0024] As described above, specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Also, the technology illustrated in this specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of purposes simultaneously, and has technical utility by achieving one of those purposes itself.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0025] 10: Vehicles 12: Vehicle body 14f: Front wheel 20: Front side member 22: Upper Member 22a: First section of the upper member 22b: Second section of the upper member 24: Connecting plate 24a: Inner area of ​​the connecting plate 24b: Outer region of the connecting plate 24c: Intermediate region of the connecting plate 26: Protrusion of the connecting plate 28: Groove of the connecting plate 30: Crash Box 32: Front bumper reinforcement 40: Pump

Claims

1. Multiple wheels, including the front wheel, A front side member extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction on the inner side of the front wheel in the vehicle's left-right direction, An upper member having a first section extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction above the front wheel in the vehicle's vertical direction, and a second section extending in the vehicle's vertical direction in front of the front wheel in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, A connecting plate is located in front of the front wheel in the vehicle's longitudinal direction and connects the front end of the front side member and the second section of the upper member to each other. Auxiliary equipment attached to the aforementioned connecting plate, Equipped with, The connecting plate is made of a single plate material and has a wavy shape in which a plurality of protrusions and grooves extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle are repeatedly formed along the vertical direction of the vehicle. At least a portion of the auxiliary equipment is located inside the groove formed in the connecting plate, vehicle.

2. The connecting plate has an inner region joined to the front end of the front side member, an outer region joined to the second section of the upper member, and an intermediate region located between the inner region and the outer region. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions and grooves are formed at least from the intermediate region to the outer region.

3. The front side member further comprises a crash box attached to the front end of the aforementioned front side member, The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the inner region of the connecting plate is sandwiched between the front end of the front side member and the crash box.

4. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary equipment is a pump for circulating coolant.

5. Multiple wheels, including the front wheel, A front side member extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction on the inner side of the front wheel in the vehicle's left-right direction, An upper member having a first section extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction above the front wheel in the vehicle's vertical direction, and a second section extending in the vehicle's vertical direction in front of the front wheel in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, A connecting plate is located in front of the front wheel in the vehicle's longitudinal direction and connects the front end of the front side member and the second section of the upper member to each other. Equipped with, The connecting plate has an inner region joined to the front end of the front side member, an outer region joined to the second section of the upper member, and an intermediate region located between the inner region and the outer region. The connecting plate is made of a single plate material and has a wavy shape in which a plurality of protrusions and grooves extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle are repeatedly formed along the vertical direction of the vehicle. The plurality of protrusions and grooves are formed at least from the intermediate region to the outer region, In the vehicle's left-right direction, the inner ends of the plurality of protrusions and grooves are located inward from the inner side surface of the front wheel. vehicle.

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