JP2001233238A - Vehicle body frame - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide vehicle body frame with improved collision safety while suppressing a cost and increase in weight. SOLUTION: A clearance W1 between center members 5, 5 is widened in comparison with clearances W2, W3 between front members 4, 4 and between rear members 6, 6 because bent parts 7, 8 bent inward in the vehicle width direction and bent upward in the vehicle height direction are molded respectively in the front member 4 and the rear member 6. The lateral width d2 of the center member 5 with the widened clearance W1 is set to be wider than the lateral width d3, d3 of the front member 4 and the rear member 6. Therefore, in the case of a side face collision, the shock can be received by the center member 5 with the wide lateral width d2 and high rigidity. In the case of a front face collision, great bending moment is generated in the connection part (bent part 7) between the front member 4 and the center member 5 when force is transmitted from the front member 4 to the rear member 5, however, the bent part 7 can exhibit rigidity resisting the moment because the lateral width d1 of the bent part 7 is set in molding to be wider than the lateral width d2, d3 of other parts in the side member 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body frame used for vehicles such as RVs and SUVs, and more particularly to a vehicle body frame having improved collision safety while suppressing an increase in cost and weight.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A body frame shown in FIG. 8 is known as a body frame used for vehicles such as RV and SUV. As shown in the figure, the vehicle body frame a has a pair of side members b, b arranged at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction, and a cross member c bridged between the side members b, b. It is composed of

[0003] The side member b has an outer piece d and an inner piece e having a U-shaped cross section formed integrally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
It is constituted by opposing welding in the middle. The lateral width f of each side member b is constant along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
The distance between the side members b, b is set at the rear part g of the vehicle body.
From the center part h to the center part h, the rear part is arranged at an interval i, and the front part j of the vehicle body is formed at a narrower interval k to secure the steering angle of the front wheels.

[0004] The side member b is provided with a bracket m for supporting the vehicle body. These brackets m are formed so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction, and have mounting holes n for the vehicle body at the ends thereof. Bracket m
Is larger than the distance i between the side members b (central portion h) set so that the rear wheels are disposed outside the vehicle body.

[0005]

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for collision safety, and in consideration of the safety of the occupant in a side collision, the center portion h of the side members b, and the distance i between the h, have been increased. 8, the side members b (central portion h) of the passenger compartment are laid out as far as possible, the impact load at the time of a side collision is received by the side members b (central portion h), and the vehicle body located above it One that suppresses deformation of guest rooms has been developed.

However, if the interval i of the central portion h is wider than that of FIG. 8, the interval of the front portion k needs to be a relatively small interval k for securing the steering angle of the front wheels. The difference between the interval k of j and the interval i of the center h increases. Therefore, when a force is transmitted from the front portion j to the center portion h at the time of a frontal collision, the moment generated at the connection portion (bent portion p) becomes large, and the bent portion p is greatly deformed, thereby causing deformation of the vehicle body cabin. .

In addition, with respect to side collisions, collision requirements such as side poles have become more severe in recent years, and it is no longer possible to simply arrange the side members b (central portion h) of the passenger compartment outside. . As a countermeasure, a method of adding a reinforcing plate or the like to the center portion h can be considered, but the weight and cost are deteriorated.

An object of the present invention, which has been made in view of the above circumstances, is to provide a vehicle body frame having improved collision safety while suppressing an increase in cost and weight.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle body frame according to the present invention comprises a pair of side members arranged at a predetermined interval in a vehicle width direction, each of which has a front side extending along a longitudinal direction. The center member is formed to be wider than the front members and the rear members, and the center member is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction. And the lateral width of the bent portion of the front member is wider than the lateral width of other portions of the side member.

According to the present invention, the front member and the rear member constituting the side members are each formed with a bent portion which is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction. Widens between the members and between the rear members. Then, the width of the center member having the widened interval is formed larger than the width of the front member and the rear member. Therefore, in the event of a side collision, the impact can be received by the center member having a large width and high rigidity, and deformation of the passenger compartment of the vehicle body can be suppressed without adding a reinforcing plate or the like.

Further, since the distance between the center members is wider than the distance between the front members and the distance between the rear members as described above, when a force is transmitted from the front member to the center member at the time of a frontal collision, the connection portion (bent portion) thereof. However, since the bending width of the bent portion is larger than the width of the other portion of the side member, the bent portion exhibits rigidity that can counter the above-mentioned moment. Therefore, at the time of a frontal collision, the deformation of the bent portion is suppressed, and the deformation of the passenger compartment of the vehicle body due to the deformation of the bent portion can be avoided.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, this body frame 1
Is composed of a pair of side members 2, 2 arranged at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction, and a cross member 3 bridged between the side members 2, 2. The side members 2, 2 are divided into a front member 4, a center member 5, and a rear member 6 along the longitudinal direction thereof.
They are connected (welded) in series.

The front member 4 and the rear member 6 are formed with bent portions 7 and 8 which are bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction. Thus, the interval W1 between the center members 5, 5 is wider than the intervals W2, W3 between the front members 4, 4 and between the rear members 6, 6. Specifically, the interval W2 between the front portions 4a, 4a of the front members 4, 4 is set to an interval W2 at which the front wheels can secure a predetermined steering angle, and the rear members 6, 6
The interval W3 between the rear portions 6b, 6b is set to an interval at which the rear wheels are disposed outside.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front member 4 has an outer piece 9 and an inner piece 10 which are press-formed in a U-shaped cross section and are opposedly welded in the middle. It comprises a front part 4b on the outside of which a front wheel is arranged, a rear part 4b to which a center member 5 is connected at the rear end, and a bent part 7 connecting the rear part 4b and the front part 4a. As described above, the bent portion 7 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction, and its width d1 (width in a top view) is the width (d2, d3) of the other portion of the side member 2. ) Is the most widely formed.

A rear portion 4b of the outer piece 9 and the inner piece 10 of the front member 4 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle has a stepped shape in which the outer piece 9 is shorter and the inner piece 10 is longer. This is because, when the center member 5 is inserted into the rear portion 4b for welding, the length of the welding line is increased to increase the joining rigidity. Further, a reinforcing plate 11 is housed in the bent portion 7 of the front member 4 by welding. Reinforcement plate 1
1 is to increase the rigidity of the bent portion 7 to suppress the buckling of the bent portion 7 against a compressive load, but is not always necessary in the present invention and may be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the center member 5 is formed by rolling a flat plate into a rectangular cylindrical shape so as to have a closed cross section, and the joint 12 is welded to a straight rectangular tube. Consists of a body. The front part 5a of the center member 5 is inserted into the rear part 4b of the front member 4 and welded, and the rear part 5b of the center member 5 is inserted into the front part 6a of the rear member 6 and welded. The center member 5 is not limited to the above structure, and may be formed by welding a member having a U-shaped cross section like a front member 4 shown in FIG. In this case, the reinforcing plate 11 is unnecessary.

The interval W1 between the center members 5, 5 is
The difference from the interval W2 of the front portion 4a of the front member 4 which is widened as much as possible in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle body and is narrowed to secure a predetermined steering angle of the front wheels is larger than that of the conventional type shown in FIG. Has become. Also, the width d2 of the center member 5
(Width when viewed from above) is formed wider than the lateral width d3 of the front member 4 and the rear member 6 excluding the bent portion 7. Accordingly, the rigidity of the center member 5 is larger than the rigidity of the front portion 4a of the front member 4 and the rear portion 6b of the rear member 6 in combination with the fact that the vertical width L is maximum.

The rear member 6, like the front member 4, has an outer piece 13 and an inner piece 14 each having a U-shaped cross section welded to each other in the middle, and a rear wheel is arranged outside the rear piece. It comprises a rear part 6b, a front part 6a to which the center member 5 is connected to the front end, and a bent part 8 connecting the front part 6a and the rear part 6b. The bent portion 8 is bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction, as described above. The front portion 6a of the outer piece 13 and the inner piece 14 of the rear member 6 in the vehicle longitudinal direction has a stepped shape in which the outer piece 13 is shorter and the inner piece 14 is longer. This is to increase the length of the welding line and increase the joining rigidity when welding is performed by inserting it into the center member 5.

Brackets 15, 16, 17, and 18 for supporting the vehicle body extend outwardly in the vehicle width direction at the bent portion 7 of the front member 4, the center member 5 and the bent portion 8 of the rear member 6. Installed. The extension length of the brackets 15 to 18 outward in the vehicle width direction is shorter than the extension length of the bracket m of the conventional body frame a shown in FIG. This difference is caused by the difference between the center members 5 and 5 in this embodiment.
This occurs because the interval W1 between the rear members 6, 6 is wider than the interval W3 between the rear members 6, and the center members 5, 5 are arranged as far outward as possible in the vehicle width direction as compared with those in FIG.

The operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Side member 2 is divided into front member 4 and center member 5
And the rear member 6, and the front member 4 and the rear member 6 are formed with bent portions 7, 8 which are bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction. W1 is wider than the intervals W2, W3 between the front members 4, 4 and between the rear members 6, 6.
Then, the width d of the center member 6 having the widened interval W1 is increased.
2 is the width d3 of the front member 4 and the rear member 6,
Molded wider than d3.

Therefore, in the event of a side collision, the impact can be received not only by the vehicle body but also by the center member 5 having a large width d2 and high rigidity, without adding a reinforcing plate or the like, that is, without increasing the weight or cost. In addition, deformation of the vehicle cabin arranged above the center member 5 can be suppressed. That is, in the conventional type shown in FIG. 8, the lateral width f of the central portion h of the side member b is the same as the lateral width f of the rear portion g set in accordance with the tread of the rear wheel. Most of the vehicle body that protruded largely outward in the vehicle width direction from the side member b via the bracket m was received,
It is not preferable for the safety of the occupants.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
Since the center member 5 constituting the side member 2 is arranged as far as possible in the vehicle width direction with respect to the rear member 6 set in accordance with the tread of the rear wheel, the impact at the time of a side collision is eliminated together with the vehicle body. 5 and the center member 5 has a greater width d2 than the widths d3 and d3 of the front member 4 and the rear member 6 and the rigidity of the center member 5 is increased. On the other hand, the center member 5 can exert a large resistance, and the safety of the occupant against a side collision is enhanced.

In this embodiment, as described above, the distance W1 between the center members 5, 5 is different from that of the front member 4,
Since the distance between the front members 4 and between the rear members 6, 6 is wider than W2, W3, when a force is transmitted from the front member to the center member at the time of a frontal collision, the connection portion (bend portion 7).
8 is greater than that of the type shown in FIG. 8, but since the width d1 of the bent portion 7 is formed larger than the widths d2 and d3 of the other portions of the side member 2, the bent portion 7 has the above-mentioned moment. Exhibits rigidity that can compete with

As described above, since the rigidity of the bent portion 7 is increased,
At the time of a frontal collision (at the time of a full lap collision), as shown in FIG. 6, deformation of the bent portion 7 is suppressed, and deformation of the vehicle body passenger compartment due to deformation of the bent portion 7 can be avoided. That is, at the time of a frontal collision, the front portion 4a of the front member 4 buckles and absorbs the impact of the collision, and the portion 4c between the front portion 4a and the bent portion 7 buckles and deforms during the collision. The bending portion 7 which absorbs impact but exhibits high rigidity does not buckle.

Therefore, the deformation of the passenger compartment of the vehicle body behind the bent portion 7 is suppressed, and the intrusion of the engine, the transmission and the like disposed above the front portion 4a into the passenger compartment is prevented. The rigidity of the bent portion 7 exhibiting such an effect is increased by maximizing the width d1 of the side member 2 without adding a reinforcing member or changing the plate thickness or material. It can be achieved at extremely low cost and with little increase in weight.

As shown in FIG. 7, when an offset collision occurs, a large load is applied to only one of the side members 2, so that the front member 4 on the side receiving the load is entirely buckled and deformed. Is inevitable to be deformed. However, in the present embodiment, since the width d2 of the center member 5 behind the bent portion 7 is wider than the width d3 of the other portion (excluding the bent portion 7), the center member 5 has a larger width.
Exhibits high rigidity, and the center member 5 itself does not buckle. Therefore, the deformation of the passenger compartment of the vehicle body due to the buckling of the center member 5 can be prevented.

On the other hand, in the conventional type shown in FIG. 8, since the lateral width f of the central portion h of the side member b is the same as the lateral width f of the other portions, the front portion j at the time of an offset collision as shown in FIG. When a load is applied so that the bent portion p buckles, the central portion h having the same width f as the buckled portion also buckles, which may cause deformation of the vehicle body passenger compartment. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the lateral width d2 of the center member 5 behind the bent portion 7 is wider than the lateral width d3 of the other portions, and the rigidity is increased. The buckling deformation of the vehicle body is suppressed, and the deformation of the vehicle cabin can be prevented.

That is, in the present embodiment, the increase in the lateral width d2 of the center member 5 is caused by the fact that the center member 5 is arranged outside the rear member 6 in the vehicle width direction in the event of a side collision, as described above. Demonstrates the effect of suppressing deformation.
It also has the effect of suppressing buckling deformation of itself and preventing deformation of the cabin. Center member 5 exhibiting such effects
The rigidity is increased by increasing the width d2 of the side member 2 to a maximum without adding a reinforcing member or changing the plate thickness or material, so that the cost is extremely low and the weight is hardly increased. Can be achieved.

[0031]

As described above, according to the vehicle body frame according to the present invention, it is possible to improve collision safety while suppressing an increase in cost and weight.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a vehicle body frame showing an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 1 (b) is a side view.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a front member constituting a side member.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a center member constituting a side member, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the center member.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the vehicle body frame at the time of a frontal collision (full lap collision).

FIG. 7 is a plan view at the time of a frontal collision (offset collision) of the vehicle body frame.

8A and 8B are explanatory views of a vehicle body frame showing a conventional example, in which FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a side view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body frame 2 Side member 4 Front member 5 Center member 6 Rear member 7 Front member bent portion 8 Rear member bent portion d1 Width of bent portion d2 Width of center member d3 Width of front member and rear member W1 Width between center members W2 Front Spacing between members W3 Spacing between rear members

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of side members arranged at a predetermined interval in a vehicle width direction each comprising a front member, a center member, and a rear member along a longitudinal direction, and the lateral width of the center member is defined by a front member and a rear member. The front member and the rear member are formed with a bent portion bent inward in the vehicle width direction and upward in the vehicle height direction, and the width of the bent portion of the front member is set to be equal to that of the other side member. A body frame characterized by being formed wider than the width of the part.