Center Frame Vehicle Body Structure for Cabin Deformation Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle-body structures without a tunnel portion face challenges in maintaining stiffness and suppressing cabin deformation during impact, as traditional reinforcement methods lead to weight increase and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-body structure with a center frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, connected to a cross member via connecting members, which enhances distortion stiffness and suppresses cabin deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcement members such as tunnel frames are joined to the floor panel to constitute a partial closed cross-section structure, then the stiffness of the floor panel is improved, but the distortion stiffness of the vehicle body as a whole remains insufficient and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional floor panel reinforcement to three-dimensional space utilization by forming a closed cross-section structure that extends vertically from the floor panel upward to the vehicle body. This vertical dimension addition creates a more effective stiffness enhancement with reduced weight compared to extensive horizontal reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the floor panel with vertical reinforcement members and the vehicle body to form an integrated closed cross-section structure. This merging creates a unified load-bearing system that improves distortion stiffness without requiring separate, heavy reinforcement components.
2Strength
If a tunnel portion largely bulging upward is provided to improve vehicle body stiffness, then the stiffness is improved, but the structure becomes complex and space is occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the reinforcement function into separate vertical members positioned at the front and rear of the occupant space, rather than using a continuous tunnel structure. This segmentation achieves stiffness enhancement while reducing structural complexity and freeing up interior space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential stiffness-providing function from the traditional tunnel structure and implements it through simpler vertical reinforcement members. This extraction removes the bulky, space-occupying tunnel portion while retaining the beneficial stiffness effect.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] To sufficiently improve the distortion stiffness of a vehicle body and suppress deformation of a vehicle cabin due to an impact load from a front side in a vehicle-body structure including no floor tunnel largely bulging upward from a floor panel. [Means for Solution] A vehicle-body structure A includes a floor panel 41 constituting a floor of an occupant space R1, a center frame 80 disposed to be higher than and away from the floor panel at a vehicle-width-direction central portion of the occupant space R1 and extending in a front-rear direction, a cross member 44A extending and intersecting the center frame 80 in a plan view in the occupant space R1, and a connecting member 101 extending upward from the cross member 44A, having an upper portion fixed to the center frame 80, and connecting the center frame 80 to the cross member 44A.