Vehicle Floor Tunnel Reinforcement for Offset Collision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle lower portion structures, such as those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-269052, do not effectively suppress deformation of the floor tunnel during offset collisions, where collision loads and inertial forces act in opposite directions, leading to stress-induced deformation.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lower portion structure featuring a floor panel with a central floor tunnel and sub-tunnels on either side, reinforced by tunnel cross members that couple the inner surfaces of the side walls and overlap the sub-tunnels, enhancing rigidity and strength by distributing loads effectively across the floor tunnel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If seat reinforcing members (sub-tunnels) are disposed to extend along the floor tunnel and joined to side walls, then the rigidity and strength of the floor tunnel is enhanced, but the deformation of the floor tunnel during offset collisions is not effectively suppressed
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing structure is segmented into multiple components: sub-tunnels disposed on both sides of the floor tunnel, and a reinforcing member positioned inside the floor tunnel. This segmentation allows each component to address specific stress zones, with the sub-tunnels handling lateral loads and the reinforcing member addressing longitudinal stresses during collision, thereby effectively suppressing deformation while maintaining strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcing member is positioned inside the floor tunnel, creating a three-dimensional reinforcing system. This internal positioning allows the reinforcing member to directly counteract stresses from the vehicle upper side during collision, adding a vertical dimension to the reinforcement strategy and effectively suppressing deformation that cannot be addressed by side-mounted sub-tunnels alone.
2Reliability
If the reinforcing member is disposed inside the floor tunnel to couple opposite side walls, then the deformation during collision is suppressed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing member serves multiple functions: it couples the opposite side walls to suppress deformation during collision, provides additional structural strength to the floor tunnel, and works synergistically with the sub-tunnels to create a comprehensive reinforcing system. This multi-functionality justifies the added structural element by delivering multiple benefits from a single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcing member is integrated with the existing sub-tunnels and floor tunnel structure, creating a unified reinforcing system. The reinforcing member couples with the side walls at positions that coordinate with the sub-tunnel attachments, merging the reinforcement functions into a cohesive structural solution rather than adding isolated components.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle lower portion structure includes: a floor panel having a floor tunnel provided along a vehicle longitudinal direction, the floor tunnel being provided at a middle portion of the floor panel in a vehicle width direction including a side wall, and being open to a vehicle lower side; a pair of sub-tunnels, the sub-tunnels being disposed on respective sides of the floor tunnel in the vehicle width direction, each of the sub-tunnels extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction on outer sides of the floor tunnel in the vehicle width direction, and being joined to the side wall; and a reinforcing member coupling to respective sides of the floor panel, the respective sides of the floor panel sandwiching a middle portion of the floor tunnel in the vehicle width direction.