Vehicle Rear Lower Structure Hook Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle body rear structures fail to effectively prevent the forward displacement, upward and forward displacement, and deformation of the spare tire housing, which can lead to contact with the fuel tank and rear seats, while also causing vibration issues and reducing luggage space.
Innovation Solution
A lower structure of the vehicle body rear portion featuring a spare tire housing, a rear cross member, a hook reinforcement with a closed cross section, and a spare tire bracket, where the hook reinforcement is divided into reinforcement front and rear portions to facilitate a reverse-V-shape bend, absorbing loads and maintaining the spare tire in an inclined position to prevent deformation and displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sufficient space is ensured between the spare tire housing and the back panel/fuel tank to absorb load, then the spare tire housing deformation and displacement are prevented, but the vehicle body size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the load absorption function into multiple segments: the bumper member absorbs rearward loads, the hook reinforcement absorbs forward loads, and the spare tire housing absorbs lateral loads. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, preventing the need for excessive overall spacing while maintaining protection against deformation and displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The hook reinforcement acts as an intermediary structure between the bumper member and the spare tire housing. It transfers and redistributes loads from the bumper to the spare tire housing, enabling load absorption without requiring direct contact or excessive spacing between these components, thus preventing vehicle body size increase.
2Reliability
If the spare tire is housed in an inclined orientation to prevent forward displacement, then the spare tire housing deformation is reduced, but the front end of the spare tire may still move upward and forward contacting rear seats
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the spare tire in a steeply inclined orientation within the housing, and pre-configuring the hook reinforcement to bend in a reverse-V shape under load. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when rearward loads are applied, the spare tire is already positioned and oriented to move upward and backward rather than forward, preventing contact with rear seats before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful upward and forward movement of the spare tire under load into a beneficial upward and backward movement. By configuring the hook reinforcement to bend in a reverse-V shape and the spare tire to incline steeply, the load that would normally cause the spare tire to rise and contact rear seats is instead redirected to make the spare tire rise and move backward, eliminating the harmful contact while utilizing the same loading condition.
3Reliability
If a frangible portion is provided to the spare tire bracket to allow bending under load, then the spare tire can turn and lift up, but vibration occurs during vehicle operation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by providing the frangible portion (bending capability) only at specific locations in the hook reinforcement rather than throughout the entire structure. The hook reinforcement is rigid in most areas to prevent vibration during normal operation, but has localized bending capability at the rear end to allow the reverse-V-shape bend under rearward loads, thus preventing spare tire forward displacement without generating harmful vibrations during vehicle operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The structure effectively prevents the forward displacement and deformation of the spare tire housing, avoids contact with the fuel tank and rear seats, reduces vibration, and maintains the spare tire in a steeper incline to absorb loads, enhancing safety and space utilization.
Implementation Method 1
the hook reinforcement includes a reinforcement front portion and a reinforcement rear portion which are obtained by dividing the reinforcement at a location corresponding to a center location of a spare tire housed within the spare tire housing
Data Source
AI summary
A lower structure of a vehicle body rear portion, includes: a spare tire housing formed in a rear floor; a cross member joining paired side frames, and being provided at a location frontward of the housing; a reinforcement for a hook, being arranged at a center of the housing; and a bumper member provided at a rear end of the vehicle body, in which a front side of the reinforcement is attached to the cross member, the reinforcement forms a closed cross section so that the closed cross section is larger at a rear side than at a front side, the reinforcement includes front and rear portions obtained by dividing the reinforcement at a location corresponding to a center of a spare tire, and an upper side of a rear end of the rear portion is arranged below the bumper member and overlaps with the bumper member (FIG. 2).