GB2088791A - A rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The rear vehicle body structure comprises a pair of rear wheel housings (20) each covering a rear wheel (21) and including an outer panel (22) having a lower portion (22a) and an inner panel (24) secured to the outer panel (22); a pair of rear wing panels (28) each secured to the outer panel (22); and a rear floor panel (26) having lateral ends each in part secured to the inner panel (24). The outer panel (22) partially extends downwardly from the rear floor panel (26) and projects outwardly from the lateral end of the rear floor panel (26) and has an outer peripheral portion curved toward the axis of rotation of the rear wheel (21). The rear wing panel (28) has a rear lower end in part secured to the lateral end of the rear floor panel (26) projecting rearwardly from the rear wheel housing (20), the rear lower end of the wing panel (28) in part extending across and secured to the lower portion of the outer panel (22). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle The present invention relates to a rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, to a rear vehicle body structure such as used for a passenger vehicle.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle which comprises a pair of rear wheel housings each covering a rear wheel and including an outer panel having a lower portion and an inner panel secured to the outer panel; a pair of rear wing panels each secured to the outer panel; and a rear floor panel having lateral ends each in part secured to the inner panel; wherein the outer panel partially extends downwardly from the rear floor panel, the outer panel projecting outwardly from the lateral end of the rear floor panel and having an outer peripheral portion curved toward the axis of rotation of the rear wheel, and wherein the rear wing panel has a rear lower end in part secured to the lateral end of the rear floor panel projecting rearwardly from the rear wheel housing, the rear lower end of the rear wing panel in part extending across and secured to the lower portion of the rear wheel housing outer panel.

Drawbacks of a prior-art rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle and the details of the rear vehicle body structure according to the present invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a prior-art rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line Il-Il of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear side view of an automotive vehicle having a rear vehicle body structure according to the present invention, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 3 and showing, to an enlarged scale, panels and members forming part of the rear vehicle body structure according to the present invention together with a rear bumper disassembled from a rear wheel housing of the rear vehicle body structure, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4.

Conventionally, there have been proposed a wide variety of rear vehicle body structures of automotive vehicles one of which is shown in Figs.

1 and 2. The rear vehicle body structure therein shown comprises a pair of rear wheel housings 1 only one of which is shown as being generally shell-shaped for covering a rear wheel as is well known in the art. Each of the rear wheel housings 1 consists of a rear wheel housing outer panel 2 having a flange portion 3 integrally formed at its inner peripheral end, and a rear wheel housing inner panel 4 having a flange portion 5 integrally formed at its outer peripheral end and seam welded to the flange portion 3 of the outer panel 2.The rear vehicle body structure further comprises a horizontal rear floor panel 6 having lateral ends each of which is in part spot welded to the inner panel 4 and in part extends rearwardly from the rear wheel housing 1 in alignment with the flange portion 3 of the outer panel 2, and a pair of rear floor side panels 7 each of which extends perpendicularly to and downwardly from the rear floor panel 6 in such manner that each of the side panels 7 has an upper end bent inwardly and welded to the floor panel 6, a lower end terminating at the horizontal plane of the lower end of the outer panel 2 and bent inwardly, and a front end spot welded to the outer surface of the flange portion 3 of the outer panel 2.In the priorart rear vehicle body structure of the automotive vehicle, there are provided a pair of rear wing panels 8 each of which has a lower end spot welded to the lower end of the floor side panel 7 and the rear wheel housing outer panel 2 along a tyre opening line 12 formed at the outer peripheral end of the outer panel 2 so that a space 9 is formed between the floor side panel 7 and the lower portion of the rear wing panel 8 so as to enable tools and the like to be accommodated therein. To the lower surface of the floor panel 6 are welded a pair of spaced and parallel side members 10 each of which is generally channelshaped and adapted to support a tie-down hook 11 for towing land vehicle.

In the foregoing prior-art rear vehicle body structure, the lower end of the rear wing panel 8 is welded to the housing outer panel 2 along the tyre opening line 12 and to the lower end of the floor side panel 7 as has been described. By virtue of the described construction, the weld line of the rear wing panel 8 is smoothly curved along the tyre opening line 12 of the rear wheel house outer panel 2 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, thereby resulting in deteriorating flexural rigidity of the plate of the rear wing panel 8. Even if the panel 8 is spot welded to the outer panel 2 and the floor side panel 7 as previously mentioned, the wing panel 8 is unable to be reliably supported by the housing outer panel 2 and the floor side panel 7.It therefore follows that the wing panel 8 tends to be deformed especially when a relatively large external force is exerted on the tie-down hook 11 attached to the side member 10. On the other hand, pebbles, gravel and the like are liable to be thrown against the lower end portion of the rear wing panel 8, thereby resulting in the panel 8 being damaged and rusted for the reason that the rear lower end of the rear wing panel 8 extends to, and thus is in a horizontal plane substantially identical to, the lower end of the rear wheel housing outer panel 2.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an improved rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle which eliminates such drawbacks inherent in a prior-art rear vehicle body structure.

Figs. 3 to 5 show an embodiment of the rear vehicle body structure according to the present invention. Similar to the prior-art rear vehicle body structure, the embodiment herein shown comprises a pair of rear wheel housings 20 only one of which is shown as being generally shellshaped for covering a rear wheel 21. Each of the housings 20 consists of a rear wheel housing outer panel 22 having a flange portion 23 integrally formed at its inner peripheral end and an outer peripheral portion curved toward the axis of rotation of the rear wheel 21, and a rear wheel housing inner panel 24 having a flange portion 25 integrally formed at its outer peripheral end. The inner panel 24 is secured to the outer panel 22 in such a mannerthat the flange portion 25 of the inner panel 24 is seam welded or otherwise securely connected to the flange portion 23 of the outer panel 22.The rear vehicle body structure further comprises a horizontal rear floor panel 26 having lateral ends each formed with a flange portion 27 in part downwardly extending along the inner panel 24 and spot welded to the inner panel 24. The flange portion 27 further in part extends downwardly and projects rearwardly from the rear wheel housing 20 in alignment with the flange portion 25 of the inner panel 24. This means that the outer panel 22 projects outwardly from the lateral end of the floor panel 26. A pair of rear wing panels 28 each has a rear lower end formed with a flange portion 29.The rear lower end of the rear wing panel 28 is in part secured to the lateral end of the floor panel 26 projecting rearwardly from the rear wheel housing 20 in such a manner that the flange portion 29 of the rear wing panel 28 is in part spot welded or otherwise securely connected to the flange portion 27 of the floor panel 26. In the embodiment of the present invention, the outer panel 22 has a lower portion 22a, and the flange portion 29 of the rear wing panel 28 in part extends across and is spot welded or otherwise securely connected to the lower portion 22a of the outer panel 22. Further, the rear lower end of the wing panel 28 is in part spot welded or otherwise securely connected to the outer panel 22 along a tyre opening line 30 formed at the outer peripheral end of the outer panel 22.The outer panel 22 partially extends downwardly from the floor panel 26 and forms a mudguard 31 partially covering the rear wheel 21 for preventing pebbles, gravel and the like from being thrown against the rear lower end portion of the rear wing panel 28. The wing panel 28 is formed with an embossed line 32 extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the rear vehicle body structure and having a front end merged into the front end of the flange portion 29 of the wing panel 28 on the tyre opening line 30 of the outer panel 22. Similar to the prior-art rear vehicle body structure, a pair of spaced and parallel generally channel-shaped side members 33 are welded to the lower surface of the rear floor panel 26 and each supports a tie-down hook 34 for towing a land vehicle.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a rear bumper 35 has a pair of side portions 36 each horizontally extending in spaced and parallel relationship to, and along, the flange portion 29 of the rear wing panel 28 for concealing the lower portion 22a of the rear wheel housing outer panel 22, the rear lower end of the rear wing panel 28 and the lateral end of the rearfloor panel 26 projecting rearwardly from the rear wheel housing 20, viz., the flange portions 27 and 29 of the floor panel 26 and the wing panel 28. Each of the side portions 35 of the rear bumper 35 is partially attached to, and supported by, the lower portion 22a of the outer panel 22 by means of fastening means such as stud bolts 37.

With reference to Fig. 5, the embodiment illustrated therein further comprises a drain hole 38 which is shown as being formed along the laterally inner end of the outer panel 22 by the flange portion 29 of the wing panel 28, the flange portion 23 of the outer panel 22 and the outer surface of the outer panel 22 and being open to the exterior of a boot 39 defined by the rear wing panels 28, the rear floor panel 26, a rear end panel 40 (see Fig. 3) and a boot lid (not shown). The drain hole 38 thus enables water which has penetrated into the boot 39 to be discharged therethrough to the exterior of the boot 39 for example in the event that a crack occurs in a sealing member around a fuel filler lid 41 (see Fig.

3) and allows such water to enter the boot 39.

As will be understood from the foregoing description of the embodiment according to the present invention, the outer peripheral end portion of the rear wheel housing outer panel 22 is curved toward the axis of rotation of the rear wheel 21 so that the rear wheel housing outer panel 22 has a high flexural rigidity of the plate. The rear lower end of the rear wing panel 28 in part extends across and is secured to the lower portion of the outer panel 22 having a high flexural rigidity of the plate as just mentioned. In addition, the rear lower end of the rear wing panel 28 is in part secured to the lateral end of the rear floor panel 26 projecting rearwardly from the rear wheel housing 20.This results in the strength of the welded portion of the outer panel 22 and the lower portion of the rear wing panel 28 being enhanced as compared with that of the prior-art rear vehicle body structure.

Furthermore, the rear lower end portion of the rear wing panel 28 has a radius of curvature smaller than that of the rear lower end portion of the panel 8 of the prior-art rear vehicle body structure so that the rear wing panel 28 is enhanced in flexural rigidity of the plate as compared with the rear wing panel 8 of the prior-art rear vehicle body structure. As a consequence, the panel 28 can be reliably supported by the outer panel 22 and the floor panel 26. The rear wing panel 28 is thus by no means deformed even if a relatively large external force is exerted on the tie-down hook 33 for the reason that the strength of the welded portion of the wing panel 28 and the outer panel 22 and the flexural rigidity of the plate of the panel 28 can effectively bear the external force on the tie-down hook 33.

Still further, pebbles, gravel and the like are prevented from being thrown against the rear wing panel 28 since the outer panel 22 partially extends downwardly from the rear floor panel 26 and forms a mudguard 31 partially covering the rear wheel 21.

Claims (4)

1. A rear vehicle body structure of an automotive vehicle comprising: a pair of rear wheel housings each covering a rear wheel and including an outer panel having a lower portion and an inner panel secured to the outer panel; a pair of rear wing panels each secured to the outer panel; and a rear floor panel having lateral ends each in part secured to the inner panel;; wherein said outer panel partially extends downwardly from said rear floor panel, the outer panel projecting outwardly from the lateral end of said rear floor panel and having an outer peripheral portion curved toward the axis of rotation of said rear wheel, and wherein said rear wing panel has a rear lower end in part secured to the lateral end of said rear floor panel projecting rearwardly from said rear wheel housing, the rear lower end of said rear wing panel in part extending across and secured to said lower portion of said rear wheel housing outer panel.

2. A rear vehicle body structure of an automobile vehicle as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises a rear bumper having a pair of side portions each horizontally extending along the rear lower end of said rear wing panel and partially supported by said outer panel for concealing said lower portion of said outer panel, the rear lower end of said rear wing panel and the lateral end of said rear floor panel projecting rearwardly from said rear wheel housing.

3. A rear vehicle body structure of an automobile vehicle as set forth in claim 1, in which the rear lower end of said rear wing panel and said outer panel form in combination a drain hole along the laterally inner end of said outer panel so as to enable water to be discharged therethrough.

4. A rear vehicle body structure of an automobile vehicle substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figs. 3 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.