Vehicle frame

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to a front crash structure for transferring force from a frontal collision into a reinforced portion of a bulkhead.

Description

[0001] VEHICLE FRAME

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle frame. Aspects of the invention relate to a vehicle frame and to a vehicle having the vehicle frame.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] It is known to provide vehicles with protection to avoid injuries being caused to passengers when the vehicle is involved in a collision. Where a vehicle has a front-mounted internal combustion engine, the engine may provide a substantial amount of protection in the case of a frontal collision. For vehicles, such as fully electric vehicles, that do not have an internal combustion engine, there is a need to identify an alternative means of protecting passengers during frontal collisions.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a support structure arranged to couple to a vehicle frame such that the support structure is spaced from a bulkhead of the vehicle, and the support structure is arranged to couple to an electric drive unit, the support structure comprising: a first portion arranged to couple to the electric drive unit; and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the bulkhead such that the second portion is located between the first portion and the bulkhead, the second portion being arranged to engage the bulkhead in the event of an impact.

[0008] According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle frame comprising: a bulkhead configured to separate a vehicle cabin from an electric drive unit; and a support structure spaced from the bulkhead and arranged to couple to an electric drive unit, the support structure comprising: a first portion coupled to the electric drive unit; and a second portion extending from the first portion toward the bulkhead such that the second portion is located between the first portion and the bulkhead, the second portion being arranged to engage the bulkhead in the event of an impact.

[0009] While vehicles having an internal combustion engine may use the engine as part of a crash protection structure during collisions, an electric drive unit may not function as effectively in protecting passengers due to the relatively lower weight and lower strength of the electric drive unit as compared to an internal combustion engine. Therefore, the support structure may provide an improved crash protection structure for a vehicle that does not have an internal combustion engine. This may allow a vehicle to achieve the benefits of having no engine while maintaining a level of crash protection.

[0010] In particular, by providing a support structure having a portion extending toward a bulkhead, the support structure may reduce the prospect of penetration of the bulkhead and intrusion into a passenger compartment by more reliably engaging a particular portion of the bulkhead during a collision. This may be particularly beneficial where there is a prospect of the electric drive unit pitching or changing height during a front-end collision. The bulkhead may be a dash panel that separates a passenger compartment from the components under the bonnet. By spacing the second engagement portion of the support structure from the dash panel, less noise generated in the electric drive unit may be transferred into the passenger compartment.

[0011] The term “vehicle frame” used herein is intended to cover any chassis, unibody or monocoque arrangement of a vehicle and also a vehicle subframe. The term generally refers to a structural part of a vehicle that provides substantial strength and support to the vehicle. In some cases, a vehicle frame may comprise a body in white, which is a unibody structure containing the structural components of the vehicle, to which further auxiliary components may be fixed. The invention provides a vehicle frame comprising the support structure as described above.

[0012] The support structure may comprise an engagement portion on the second portion arranged to engage the bulkhead.

[0013] The support structure may comprise a substantially planar surface for engaging the bulkhead. By providing a substantially planar surface, the support structure may engage the bulkhead evenly, reducing peak stresses on the material.

[0014] The second portion may comprise two members extending from the first portion toward the bulkhead in a first longitudinal direction with respect to the vehicle, the two members being spaced apart in a second transverse direction perpendicular to the first direction. By providing two spaced apart members, the support structure may still be made reasonably resilient to bending about a vertical axis, thereby providing significant protection against collisions not on a line of symmetry, whilst the space between the two members may also be used for housing ancillary components of the vehicle.

[0015] The two members may be coupled together by a transverse member, the transverse member being arranged to engage the bulkhead in the event of an impact. The engagement portion of the support structure may be arranged on the transverse member. The transverse member may prevent the two members from moving together or apart, thereby improving the strength of the support structure. The transverse member may also provide improved strength for the engagement portion.

[0016] The two members and the transverse member may form a D shape. The D-shape may be identified by the two members converging in a direction toward the bulkhead. This may provide a support structure that deforms in preference to penetrating the bulkhead, as well as accounting for any difference in width between the electric drive unit and the reinforced portion of the bulkhead. That is, the second portion of the support structure may be arranged to deform before the bulkhead deforms.

[0017] The members may be hollow. By providing hollow members, the weight of the chassis may be reduced, while maintaining a good strength of the support structure. The support structure may further comprise an elastically deformable portion arranged to abut the electric drive unit. The support structure may comprise one or more elastically deformable portions that extend downwardly from the support structure towards the electric drive unit. The elastically deformable portion may act to prevent noise being developed by contact between the electric drive unit and the support structure, such as due to the vehicle moving.

[0018] The bulkhead may comprise a reinforced portion, and the support structure may be arranged to engage the bulkhead at the reinforced portion. The bulkhead may have one or more reinforced portions, which may be box-sections or thickened material relative to the remainder of the bulkhead. The engagement surface of the support structure may engage the reinforced portion such that the reinforced portion resists intrusion into the passenger compartment of the support structure. In this way, the bulkhead may be made lighter overall, as not all of the bulkhead need have the same strength, and the support structure may engage only the stronger part of the bulkhead.

[0019] The support structure may comprise an engagement portion arranged to engage the reinforced portion, and the engagement portion and the reinforced portion may have substantially the same width and / or height. In this way, the forces from a collision may be applied more evenly across the reinforced portion of the bulkhead, reducing peak stresses in the material.

[0020] The vehicle frame may further comprise an electric drive unit mount for supporting an electric drive unit, the electric drive unit being coupled to the support structure such that the support structure is arranged to be coupled to the electric drive unit via the electric drive unit mount.

[0021] By coupling the support structure via an electric drive unit mount, noise transfer to the support structure from the electric drive unit may be reduced and so overall noise transmitted into the passenger compartment may be reduced. The electric drive unit mount may be coupled to the support structure using elastically deformable inserts to further reduce noise transfer to the support structure from the electric drive unit.

[0022] The support structure may be arranged forward of the bulkhead. In this case, the support structure may form part of a front crash structure and may improve the safety of the vehicle in head-on collisions.

[0023] The vehicle frame may comprise a unibody structure, and a support structure bracket, wherein the support structure is fixed to the unibody structure via the bracket. The unibody structure may provide a lightweight and resilient vehicle body. By fixing the support structure to the unibody structure via a support structure bracket, the electric drive unit and the support structure may be assembled as an integral component and more easily assembled into the vehicle frame. The bulkhead may be a part of the unibody structure.

[0024] The vehicle frame may further comprise a subframe coupled to the unibody structure and to the electric drive unit mount and arranged to be below the electric drive unit. The subframe may support a significant proportion of the weight of the electric drive unit, allowing the support structure to be made lighter. According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising the vehicle frame described above and an electric drive unit coupled to the vehicle frame.

[0025] Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

[0026] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 shows a vehicle to provide context for the invention;

[0029] Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of a front crash protection structure in accordance with the invention;

[0030] Figure 3 shows a further schematic illustration of the front crash protection structure;

[0031] Figure 4 shows a schematic illustration of a front crash protection structure in accordance with the invention after a collision;

[0032] Figure 5 shows a tray for use in a vehicle frame in accordance with the invention; and

[0033] Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the tray.

[0034] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Figure 1 shows a vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that is powered by electrical power alone and has no internal combustion engine. The vehicle 10 has an electric machine arranged to provide propulsive torque to the wheels of the vehicle. In some cases, the vehicle 10 may have two or more electric machines, such as a first electric machine to provide torque to the front wheels and a second electric machine to provide torque to the rear wheels. The electric machines may be powered by batteries, which may be arranged between the wheels, underneath the passenger compartment. The vehicle has a vehicle frame

[0036] 12 (see Figure 2) comprising, for example, a body in white.

[0037] The vehicle 10 has a front crash structure 100, which is arranged to protect the passengers of the vehicle during a frontal collision. A frontal collision is any collision where a force is applied to the front of the vehicle.

[0038] For instance, this may involve the vehicle driving forwardly into a wall or a barrier or another vehicle driving into the front of the present vehicle when the present vehicle is stationary. Crash structures cannot guarantee complete protection, however, and their effectiveness depends on the nature and severity of any collision; they may only assist protection of vehicle occupants in a limited number of collisions. Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of the crash protection structure 100 and Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of the front crash structure 100. Figure 3 shows a vehicle from a right side, such that the front of the vehicle is to the right of the drawing, and a passenger compartment is to the left of the drawing.

[0039] The front crash structure 100 is coupled to the vehicle frame 12, and in particular to a portion of the body in white adjacent a front wheel well. The front crash structure may be coupled to any part of the vehicle frame 12, which may be a unibody vehicle frame, which is a structure having all permanent structural parts of the vehicle that are either cast together or welded together. The front crash structure 100 has tray brackets 106 (which may be referred to as brackets 106), which are bolted to or otherwise coupled to the body in white 12.

[0040] The brackets 106 are arranged to couple directly to various parts of the front crash structure 100. The brackets may couple to a tray 102 (also referred to as a support structure or crash protection frame) and to electric drive unit mounts 104. In some cases, the bracket 106, or a portion thereof, may extend through the tray 102 to mount to the electric drive unit mount 104. Alternatively, the brackets 106 may be coupled to the electric drive unit mounts 104 by bolts which pass through the tray 102. In this way, one portion of the bracket 106 may couple to both the tray 102 and the electric drive unit mount 104. The electric drive unit mounts 104 may also include an elastically deformable portion to reduce the transfer of noise and vibration into the bracket 106 from the tray 102.

[0041] The electric drive unit mount 104 may hang down from the brackets 106 and may also be coupled at a bottom end to a subframe 108. There may be two electric drive unit mounts 104, which support the electric drive unit 200 and which lies between the electric drive unit mounts 104.

[0042] The subframe 108 may be coupled to the vehicle body at any location, such as at a deflector plate 16 (shown in Figure 3), or at any other point in the vehicle unit body.

[0043] The tray 102 of the crash protection structure 100 is arranged above the electric drive unit 150. The tray 102 is arranged to transfer a frontal force on the vehicle into a bulkhead 14 (shown in Figure 3) in front of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The tray 102 may therefore add significant strength to the front of the vehicle and may distribute forces from frontal collisions such that they are transferred more evenly into the body in white.

[0044] As can be seen in Figure 3, the tray 102 may be aligned with a reinforced portion 14a of the bulkhead, such that the tray, when moved relative to the bulkhead 14 due to deformation of the vehicle 10 during a collision, engages the bulkhead 14 at the reinforced portion 14a. The reinforced portion 14a may be identified by a localised increase in strength, leading to an increased resistance to deformation. Visually, the reinforced portion 14a may be recognised by an increase in material thickness or the presence of a box section. Generally, a second moment of area of the bulkhead may increase at the reinforced portion 14a.

[0045] The crash protection structure 100 may also comprise a tether 110 coupled to the tray 102 and arranged to provide a vertical force to the tray to guide the tray, during a collision, to contact the bulkhead 14 at the reinforced portion 14a. The tether 1 10 may be coupled to the deflection panel 16 or may be coupled elsewhere to the vehicle. The tether 110 may be coupled to the tray 102 at a rear portion of the tray 102 and generally may be coupled to the tray 102 proximate a location on the tray that is arranged to engage the bulkhead 14. This may improve control of the movement of the tray 102 during a collision.

[0046] The electric drive unit mounts 104 may also have one or more sound reducing buffers 122 arranged to contact the electrical drive unit 200. The sound reducing buffers 122 may be formed of an elastically deformable material and may be arranged to reduce the noise generated by the vehicle when travelling.

[0047] Figure 4 shows a possible condition of the front crash structure 100 after a frontal collision. In Figure 4, it can be seen that the tether 110 has pivoted about its connection with the deflector plate 16 and the tray 102 has moved towards the bulkhead 14 to contact the bulkhead 14 at the reinforced portion 14a.

[0048] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a tray 102 for use in a vehicle frame. The tray 102 has a first portion 102a arranged to couple to the vehicle body in white via the brackets 106 and to the electric drive unit 150 via the electric drive unit mounts 104. The first portion 102a has bolt holes 120 for coupling the tray 102 to the brackets 106.

[0049] The first portion 102a has a wide front surface 103 which is arranged to be contacted by a front bumper of the vehicle or by a portion of an object into which the vehicle may be colliding. By providing a wide front surface, which may be substantially the same width as the electric drive unit 150, the prospect of an object impacting the vehicle and contacting the bulkhead 14 directly without contacting the tray 102 may be reduced.

[0050] The first portion 102a may also be arranged to support further components on a top surface. In this way, the tray 102 may allow the components of the vehicle to be packed more closely. This may improve the amount of storage space in the vehicle. The tray 102 therefore has further mounting points on the top and bottom surfaces of the first portion 102a for mounting auxiliary components.

[0051] The tray 102 also has a second portion 102b, which extends away from the first portion 102a towards the bulkhead 14. The second portion 102b may be D-shaped as viewed from above. The D-shape may be characterised by a central hole through the second portion 102b that is bounded on one side by a substantially flat rear end of the first portion 102a and by curved or converging members extending rearwardly from the first portion 102a, the two members being connected at an opposite side of the hole from the first portion 102a.

[0052] The second portion 102b may be formed from two members 124 extending from the first portion 102a towards the bulkhead 14, and the two members 124 may converge towards one another. The two members 124 are coupled together by a transverse member 126. One of the two members 124 may be omitted and the second portion may have only a single member extending away from the first portion 102a. Alternatively, the second portion 102b may have three or more members extending away from the first portion, which may be angled relative to a direction of travel of the vehicle. Angling the members 124 of the second portion 102b to the direction of travel of the vehicle provides a relatively strong second portion allowing forces to be transferred into the bulkhead 14.

[0053] The transverse member 126 is arranged to abut the bulkhead 14 during a collision. The transverse member therefore has an engagement surface 126a that is arranged to contact the bulkhead 14 proximate the reinforced portion 14a of the bulkhead. The engagement surface 126a may be substantially planar in order to reduce the peak stress in the bulkhead 14. This may reduce the prospect of the bulkhead 14 being breached.

[0054] The transverse member 126 may still be present even where the two members 124 are not present, such as where a single member (not illustrated) extends from the first portion 102a. In this case, the second portion 102b may have a T-shape as viewed from above. The transverse member 126 may also couple together three or more members 124 extending from the first portion 102a to the transverse member 126. Generally, the transverse member 126 may couple together a plurality of members 124 where there are a plurality of members and, in any case, may provide an engagement surface 126a for engaging the bulkhead 14 during a collision.

[0055] As shown in Figure 6, the tray 102 may be substantially hollow, including the members 124, 126 which may also be hollow. The tray 102 may be formed by gravity pressure die casting with an inner core made of sand and so there may be a number of holes in the outer surface of the tray 102 to allow sand to leave the hollow central portion of the tray 102 after casting.

[0056] Thus, as described above, the tray constitutes a support structure for multiple components of the vehicle. It also provides both structural rigidity within a front compartment of the vehicle in which such components are situated and also crash protection. It does this by absorbing energy in the event of a frontal collision and by transmitting horizontal forces generated in a collision to the reinforced area of a bulkhead that separates such compartment from a vehicle cabin.

[0057] It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A vehicle frame comprising: a bulkhead configured to separate a vehicle cabin from an electric drive unit; and a support structure spaced from the bulkhead and arranged to couple to an electric drive unit, the support structure comprising: a first portion arranged to be coupled to the electric drive unit; a second portion extending from the first portion toward the bulkhead such that the second portion is located between the first portion and the bulkhead, the second portion being arranged to engage the bulkhead in the event of an impact.

2. The vehicle frame of claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a substantially planar surface for engaging the bulkhead.

3. The vehicle frame of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second portion comprises two members extending from the first portion toward the bulkhead in a first direction, the two members being spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The vehicle frame of claim 3, wherein the two members are coupled together by a transverse member, the transverse member being arranged to engage the bulkhead in the event of an impact.

5. The vehicle frame of claim 4, wherein the two members and the transverse member form a D shape.

6. The vehicle frame of claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein the members are hollow.

7. The vehicle frame of any preceding claim, wherein the support structure is coupled to support structure brackets, the support structure brackets comprising an elastically deformable portion arranged to abut the electric drive unit.

8. The vehicle frame of any preceding claim, wherein the bulkhead comprises a reinforced portion, and wherein the support structure is arranged to engage the bulkhead at the reinforced portion.

9. The vehicle frame of claim 8, wherein the support structure comprises an engagement portion arranged to engage the bulkhead, and wherein the engagement portion and the reinforced portion have substantially the same width and / or height.

10. The vehicle frame of any preceding claim, further comprising an electric drive unit mount for supporting an electric drive unit, the electric drive unit being coupled to the support structure such that the support structure is arranged to be coupled to the electric drive unit via the electric drive unit mount.11 . The vehicle frame of any preceding claim, wherein the support structure is arranged forward of the bulkhead.

12. The vehicle frame of any preceding claim, further comprising a unibody structure, and a support structure bracket, wherein the support structure is coupled to the unibody structure via the support structure bracket.

13. The vehicle frame of claim 14, further comprising a subframe coupled to the unibody structure and to the electric drive unit mount and arranged to be below the electric drive unit.

14. A vehicle comprising: the vehicle frame of any preceding claim; and an electric drive unit coupled to the vehicle frame.

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