JP2003291850A - Car body structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the weight of a car body by eliminating minus load generated in a locker on anti-collision side when a vehicle causes offset collision. <P>SOLUTION: On both sides in the width direction below an engine room, a front side member 20 extending in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle is disposed, and the rear part of the front side member 20 is curved side backward in the width direction on the lower surface side of a floor panel 12. The rear part 22 of the front side member 20 is connected to a tunnel side reinforcement 16 disposed in a floor tunnel part 14, not connected to a locker 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure, and more particularly to a vehicle body structure for a vehicle such as an automobile having a pair of left and right front side members on a front portion of the vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle body structure of a vehicle such as an automobile having a pair of left and right front side members at the front portion of the vehicle body, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3721/1979, for example.

As shown in FIG. 5, in this vehicle body structure,
The left and right front side members 100, 102 are branched in three directions at the joints with the dash panel 104, respectively, and the branched branch portions 100A, 100B, 100 are provided.
By connecting C and the branch portions 102A, 102B, and 102C to the left and right rockers 106 and 108, the left and right front pillar portions 110 and 112, and the floor tunnel portion 114, deformation of the vehicle body at the time of a collision is suppressed.

[0004]

However, in this vehicle body structure, as shown in FIG. 6, when the load F acts on one of the floor side members 102 at the time of an offset collision from the front of the vehicle, the load F becomes large. The portion F1 is transmitted to the rocker 108 on the collision side, and the remaining component force F2 is transmitted to the floor tunnel portion 114. As a result, a negative load, that is, a load F3 toward the front of the vehicle is generated in the rocker 106 on the opposite side of the collision. As a result, the rocker 108 and the floor tunnel portion 114 on the collision side substantially receive the reaction force of the load F3 in addition to the load F, and the increased load F
It is necessary to reinforce No. 3 by adding a reinforcing member or the like. Therefore, there is a problem that the weight of the vehicle body increases.

In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to obtain a vehicle body structure capable of reducing the weight of a vehicle body by eliminating a negative load generated in a rocker on the side opposite to a collision during an offset collision of the vehicle.

[0006]

The vehicle body structure according to the present invention is characterized in that the front side member is connected only to the skeleton member at the central portion in the vehicle width direction and is not connected to the rocker.

Therefore, since the front side member is connected only to the frame member in the central portion in the vehicle width direction and not to the rocker, when a load acts on one floor side member during an offset collision of the vehicle. Most of the load is transmitted to the skeleton member in the central portion in the vehicle width direction, and the component force transmitted to the rockers on the collision side and the anti-collision side is small. As a result, a negative force does not act on the rocker on the opposite side of the offset collision. Therefore, compared to the conventional structure in which a negative force is applied to the rocker on the side opposite to the collision with respect to the offset collision, the respective shared loads on the frame member in the vehicle width direction central portion and the rocker on the side of the collision are reduced. It is possible to reduce the number of reinforcing members provided and reduce the weight of the vehicle body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle body structure according to the first aspect, the skeleton member at the central portion in the vehicle width direction is a floor tunnel portion.

Therefore, since the front side member is connected only to the floor tunnel portion and is not connected to the rocker, when a load acts on one floor side member during an offset collision of the vehicle, most of the load is applied. Is transmitted to the floor tunnel portion, and the component force transmitted to the rockers on the collision side and the anti-collision side is reduced. As a result, a negative force does not act on the rocker on the opposite side of the offset collision. Therefore, compared to the conventional structure in which a negative force is applied to the rocker on the side opposite to the collision with respect to the offset collision, each load of the floor tunnel and the rocker on the side of the collision is reduced. The number of parts can be reduced,
The weight of the vehicle body can be reduced.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a vehicle body structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the figure, an arrow FR indicates a vehicle front direction, an arrow IN indicates a vehicle width inside direction, and an arrow UP indicates a vehicle upward direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, rockers 10 as vehicle body structural members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction of a lower portion of a vehicle body of an automobile body.
A front pillar (not shown) is erected on the upper surface of the front end of the rocker 10. Further, a floor tunnel portion 14 projecting upward from the vehicle is formed in the vehicle width direction central portion of the floor panel 12 along the vehicle front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, flanges 12A are formed downward at both ends of the floor panel 12 in the vehicle width direction. The flanges 12A are welded to the vehicle width direction inner side wall portion 10A of the rocker 10. Has been done. A tunnel side reinforcement 16 is arranged at the lower ends of the left and right side wall portions 14A of the floor tunnel portion 14 along the vehicle front-rear direction. A closed cross section 18 extending in the front-rear direction is formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, front side members 20 as vehicle body structural members extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are arranged on both sides of the lower portion of the engine room in the vehicle width direction. The rear portion 22 is curved rearward inward in the vehicle width direction on the lower surface side of the floor panel 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear portion 22 of the front side member 20 has a hat shape with the opening facing upward, and the flanges 22A and 22B formed in the opening.
Is welded to the lower surface of the floor panel 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, a flange 22C is formed at the rear end of the rear portion 22 of the front side member 20 along a U-shaped opening.
Is welded to the outer side wall portion 16A of the tunnel side reinforcement 16 in the vehicle width direction.

That is, in this embodiment, the rear portion 22 of the front side member 20 is connected to the tunnel side reinforcement 16 provided in the floor tunnel portion 14 and is not connected to the rocker 10.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In the vehicle body structure of this embodiment, the rear portion 22 of the front side member 20 is connected only to the floor tunnel portion 14 and not to the rocker 10. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when the load F acts on one of the floor side members 20 during an offset collision of the vehicle, most of the load F1 is transmitted to the floor tunnel portion 14 and is passed through the floor panel 12. As a result, the component force F2 transmitted to the rocker 10 on the collision side and the anti-collision side becomes small.

As a result, as in the prior art shown in FIG.
Negative force does not act on the rocker on the opposite side of the offset collision. Therefore, in this embodiment,
The respective shared loads of the floor tunnel portion 14 and the rocker 10 on the collision side are reduced, and the reinforcing members conventionally arranged can be reduced accordingly, and the weight of the vehicle body can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, even in the case of a full lap collision from the front of the vehicle, most of the load input to the floor side member 20 can be made to flow to the floor tunnel portion 14 at the central portion in the vehicle width direction.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various other embodiments within the scope of the present invention. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that

[0023]

According to the vehicle body structure of the present invention as set forth in claim 1, since the front side member is connected only to the skeleton member in the central portion in the vehicle width direction and is not connected to the rocker, the rocker on the side opposite to the collision at the time of an offset collision of the vehicle. It has the excellent effect of eliminating the negative load generated in the vehicle and reducing the weight of the vehicle body.

According to the invention of claim 2, in the vehicle body structure according to claim 1, since the skeleton member in the central portion in the vehicle width direction is the floor tunnel portion, it occurs in the rocker on the side opposite to the collision at the time of offset front collision of the vehicle. It has the excellent effect of eliminating negative loads and reducing the weight of the vehicle body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body structure according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from an obliquely rearward inside of a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a vehicle body structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of the vehicle body structure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a conventional vehicle body structure.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of a conventional vehicle body structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 rockers 12 floor panels 14 floor tunnel section 16 tunnel side reinforcement 20 front side members 22 Rear of front side member

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Ryoichi Yamamoto             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuo Suzuki             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tsutomu Hamabe             1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Auto             Car Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3D003 AA05 BB02 CA09 CA15

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle body structure characterized in that a front side member is connected only to a skeleton member at a central portion in the vehicle width direction and not connected to a rocker. 2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the skeleton member at the central portion in the vehicle width direction is a floor tunnel portion.