Vehicle Floor Tunnel Load Path via Cross Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle skeleton structures face inefficiencies in transmitting impact loads from a side impact to the opposite side, leading to potential local concentration and reduced load transmission efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle skeleton structure featuring a tunnel portion with a tunnel upper reinforcement member and a cross member that bridges the tunnel portion and a rocker, where the cross member is directly or indirectly joined to the tunnel upper reinforcement member, enhancing load transmission efficiency and dispersing impact loads along the vehicle's front-rear and width directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the front cross members and the stiffener are placed apart from each other in the vehicle front-rear direction, then the structure allows easier assembly and manufacturing, but the impact load transmission efficiency to the opposite side is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coupling member as an intermediary component that connects the cross member and the stiffener. This coupling member features a first closed cross-section portion formed by the cross member and a second closed cross-section portion formed by the stiffener, creating an integrated load transmission path. The coupling member mediates between the spaced-apart cross member and stiffener, enabling efficient impact load transmission to the opposite side while maintaining the manufacturing advantages of spaced placement.
2Device complexity
If the cross member is directly joined to the tunnel portion, then the structure is simpler, but the load transmission efficiency is reduced due to lower strength and rigidity at the joining location
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the stiffener as an intermediary component that connects to the tunnel portion and provides a high-strength, high-rigidity joining location for the coupling member. The stiffener's closed cross-section structure creates an optimal load transmission path from the cross member through the stiffener to the tunnel portion, improving load transmission efficiency while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
3Reliability
If the cross member has a complex shape to improve load transmission, then the load transmission efficiency increases, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the load transmission system into distinct functional components: the cross member for lateral load reception, the coupling member for connection, the stiffener for structural support and load path creation, and the tunnel portion for overall structural integration. Each component has a relatively simple, standardized shape that is easy to manufacture, yet together they form an efficient load transmission system that achieves high reliability without requiring any single component to have a complex shape.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle skeleton structure including: a tunnel portion that projects upward in a vertical direction at a vehicle width direction central portion of a floor panel, and that extends in a vehicle front-rear direction, the tunnel portion including side wall portions opposing each other in the vehicle width direction, and an upper wall portion that interconnects upper end portions of the side wall portions; a tunnel upper reinforcement member that covers the upper wall portion and the side wall portions of the tunnel portion from an exterior of each and that is joined to the tunnel portion; and a cross member that bridges, along the vehicle width direction, the tunnel portion and a rocker that is disposed at a vehicle width direction outer side of the floor panel, and that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, the cross member being directly or indirectly joined to the tunnel upper reinforcement member.