Vehicle structure

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vehicle structure that enables jack-up at a portion other than a side sill. [Solution] The present invention includes a side sill 10, a battery 40, and a side rail 50. The side rail is provided with a portion where a jack can be hooked to an end part in a lower portion of a vehicle in the front-rear direction X.

Description

Vehicle structure

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

[0002] When replacing tires or other parts of an automobile, a jack is placed on the ground below the vehicle to lift the body. Therefore, parts located on the lower part of the vehicle are often designed with the assumption that the body will be lifted by a jack. One technology related to jacking up a vehicle body is disclosed, which installs a jack-up point on the side sill located on the lower part of the vehicle body.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-045063

[0004] The present inventors have been actively studying a new vehicle structure that allows jacking up at a location other than the side sill when installing jack-up points on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle structure that allows jacking up at a location other than the side sill.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle structure having a side sill, a battery, and a side rail. The side sill is disposed in the lower part of the vehicle. The battery is disposed under the floor of the electric vehicle, with its underside lower than the underside of the side sill. The side rail is disposed on a side of the battery in the vehicle width direction and is configured to be fixed to the side sill. The side rail has a portion on which a jack can be hooked at either lower end in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0007] According to the above vehicle structure, the vehicle can be jacked up at a location other than the side sill to lift the vehicle.

[0008] Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a lower part of a vehicle structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the lower part of the vehicle in the vehicle structure of Fig. 1, taken along a line intersecting the front-rear direction. Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a battery and a side rail. Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the connection between the embossed portion of the undercover and the surrounding shape that constitutes the vehicle structure of Fig. 2. Fig. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a modified example of Fig. 2. Fig. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the connection between the embossment of the undercover and the surrounding shape of the embossment. Fig. 13 is a view of the vehicle of Fig. 7 from below.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. In the drawings, the size and proportions of each component are exaggerated to facilitate understanding of the embodiments, and may differ from the actual size and proportions.

[0010] In each figure, arrows (coordinate system) represented by X, Y, and Z are used to indicate the orientation of members constituting the vehicle structure according to the embodiment. X indicates the front-rear direction, which is referred to as the front-rear direction X. Y indicates the vehicle width direction, which is referred to as the vehicle width direction Y. Z indicates the vehicle height direction, which is referred to as the height direction Z.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the lower part of a vehicle structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view intersecting the longitudinal direction X, showing the structure of the lower part of the vehicle in the vehicle structure of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a battery 40 and a side rail 50. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection between an embossed shape 61 of an undercover 60 constituting the vehicle structure of Fig. 2 and a surrounding shape.

[0012] The vehicle structure according to this embodiment can be used in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle structure according to this embodiment includes a side sill 10, a battery 40, a side rail 50, and an undercover 60. These will be described in detail below.

[0013] (Side Sill) The side sill 10 is configured to be located at the bottom of a door, which is a part of a vehicle. As shown in Fig. 2, the side sill 10 includes a first member 20 and a second member 30. The first member 20 includes contact portions 21 and 22 and a recess 23. The second member 30 includes contact portions 31 and 32 and a recess 33.

[0014] The contact portions 21, 31 and the contact portions 22, 32 are configured to abut against each other. The contact portions 21, 31 and the contact portions 22, 32 are configured to be positioned on either side of the recesses 23, 33 in the height direction Z. The recesses 23, 33 are arranged opposite each other so that an internal space is formed by the abutment of the contact portions 21, 22, 31, 32. The recesses 23 and 33 form a substantially rectangular internal space when viewed from the front-rear direction X by the abutment of the contact portions 21, 22, 31, 32, but the specific shape does not have to be rectangular.

[0015] (Battery) The battery 40 is disposed inward of the side sill 10 in the vehicle width direction Y. The battery 40 includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolyte, a current collector, an exterior body, etc., and is configured to be capable of charging and discharging. The battery 40 is disposed below the floor panel fp (under the floor) of the electric vehicle, with its lower surface lower than the lower surface of the side sill 10. The floor panel fp is formed flat and extends in a substantially horizontal direction, and a floor cross member (not shown) is disposed on top of the floor panel fp.

[0016] (Side Rails) The side rails 50 are configured to protect the battery 40 from debris flying off the road surface and from road interference while the vehicle is in motion (see FIG. 3). The side rails 50 are positioned outboard of the battery 40 in the vehicle width direction Y. The side rails 50 are configured to be fixed to the side sills 10 with fastening means F, such as bolts. The side rails 50 are also configured to be fixed to the outer members of the battery 20. The shape of the side rails 50 is not particularly limited, but may be formed into a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the side rails 50 may be provided with a jack-up point (a location where a jack can be hooked) at either lower end of the side rail 50 in the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction X. This allows the vehicle body to be lifted for tasks such as tire changes.

[0017] (Undercover) The undercover 60 is positioned lower than the side sill 10, the battery 40, and the side rail 50. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the undercover 60 is configured to have embossed shapes 61 at the jack-up points of the side rail 50. The embossed shapes 61 are formed to be convex downward in the height direction Z. This configuration reduces the gap between the battery 40 and the side sill 10 in the vehicle width direction Y, increasing the size of the battery 40 in the vehicle width direction Y. Even when the battery capacity is increased, the embossed shapes 61 allow the battery 40 to be jacked up at the lower end of the side rail 50. Multiple undercovers 60 can be positioned along the fore-aft direction X of the vehicle.

[0018] The embossed shape 61 of the undercover 60 is configured so that its center in the vehicle width direction Y corresponds to the lower end of the side rail 50. This configuration allows the lower end of the side rail 50 to be positioned near the center of the embossed shape 61 during jacking up, thereby stabilizing the jacking up. Furthermore, the embossed shape 61 can be located near the center of gravity of the vehicle in the fore-and-aft direction X, as shown in FIG. 1 . This configuration allows two wheels on one side to be lifted with a single jack up, thereby shortening the work time required for tire replacement.

[0019] Furthermore, the embossed shape 61 is configured to have a notch 62 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). By configuring it in this way, it is possible to prevent the embossed shape 61 from being deformed in a buckling manner when the vehicle is jacked up.

[0020] Furthermore, the embossed shape 61 is configured to have a round shape when viewed from the bottom, as shown in Fig. 1. By forming the embossed shape 61 in the same shape as a garage jack in this way, the size of the embossed shape 61 can be minimized compared to when the embossed shape 61 is formed in a polygonal shape such as a square, and deterioration of aerodynamic performance due to the embossed shape 61 can be suppressed.

[0021] Furthermore, the embossed shape 61 is formed so that its center is convex downward. This configuration allows it to match the inclination of the vehicle when jacking up, thereby avoiding interference between the garage jack and the undercover 60 and allowing for smooth jacking up. The embossed shape 61 has two semicircular recesses arranged to sandwich the side rail 50. The semicircular portions of the embossed shape 61 are configured to slope upward in the height direction Z as they move away from the lower end p1 of the side rail 50 toward the outside or inside in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0022] The embossed shape 61 on the undercover 60 has a step with the surrounding shape, but the step is configured to smoothly connect with the rounded shape as shown in Figure 4. In this case, the outermost part of the embossed shape 61 can be positioned at approximately the same position as the outer part of the undercover 60. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to eliminate the problem of the step deteriorating the appearance.

[0023] (Variation 1) Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a variation of Figure 2. As a variation relating to the connection between the embossed shape 61 and the surrounding shape, as can be seen by comparing the bottom right of Figure 2 with the bottom right of Figure 5, the outer side of the undercover 60a can be configured to match the sloped shape of the embossed shape 61a. In this case, the outermost side of the embossed shape can be positioned approximately in the same position as the outer side of the undercover 60. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to eliminate the problem of steps deteriorating the appearance of the undercover 60a.

[0024] (Variation 2) Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a variation of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the embossed shape 61b of the undercover 60b and the shape around the embossment. Fig. 8 is a view of the vehicle of Fig. 7 as seen from below. As another variation relating to the connection between the embossed shape 61b and the surrounding shape, the embossed shape 61b can be configured to be smoothly connected to the shape in the front-to-rear direction X, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8. By making the embossed surface smooth in this way, it is possible to prevent turbulence of the air flowing from front to rear during driving, and to suppress deterioration of aerodynamic performance due to the provision of the embossed shape 61b.

[0025] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Although the above description has been given of the vehicle structure including an undercover, the vehicle structure does not necessarily have to include an undercover as long as it is provided with jack-up points.

[0026] The following embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention: a vehicle structure as defined in claim 1 having the features of claim 2; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 2 having the features of claim 3; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 2 or claim 3 having the features of claim 4; a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 2 to 4 having the features of claim 5; a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 2 to 5 having the features of claim 6; a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 2 to 6 having the features of claim 7; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 7 having the features of claim 8; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 7 having the features of claim 9; and a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 2 to 9 having the features of claim 10.

[0027] 10 Side sill, 40 Battery, 50 Side rail, 60, 60a, 60b Under cover, 61, 61a, 61b Embossed shape, 62 Notch, X Front-rear direction, Y Vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle structure having a side sill disposed below the vehicle body, a battery provided under the floor of the electric vehicle with a lower surface lower than the lower surface of the side sill, and a side rail provided on a side surface in the vehicle width direction of the battery and fixed to the side sill, wherein the side rail has a portion where a jack can be hooked at a lower end in either the vehicle front-rear direction.

2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, further comprising an under cover provided below the battery and the side rail, wherein the under cover has an emboss recessed below the side rail.

3. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the emboss is provided at a position where the central portion in the vehicle width direction corresponds to the lower end of the side rail.

4. The vehicle structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the emboss is provided near the center of gravity of the vehicle in the vehicle front-rear direction.

5. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the emboss has a notch at a position corresponding to the lower end of the side rail.

6. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the emboss is formed in a circular shape when viewed from the bottom.

7. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the emboss is formed to be convex downward toward the central portion.

8. The vehicle structure according to claim 7, when the outermost side of the emboss in the vehicle width direction is substantially at the same position as the outer portion of the under cover, smoothly connecting the step between the emboss and the surrounding area in the under cover caused by the presence or absence of the emboss in the vehicle front-rear direction.

9. The vehicle structure according to claim 7, when the outermost side of the emboss in the vehicle width direction is substantially at the same position as the outer portion of the under cover, unifying the outer portion of the under cover into the slope shape of the emboss in the vehicle front-rear direction.

10. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the under cover smoothly connects the lower surface and the emboss without a step.

Images