JP2014144677A - Rear structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a vehicle height sensor arranged behind a fuel tank from colliding to the fuel tank in rear collision of a vehicle to prevent breakage of the fuel tank.SOLUTION: A rear structure of a vehicle comprises: a rear suspension 4 that suspends rear wheels on a rear portion of a vehicle body 2; a fuel tank 6 supported to the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 by a tank bracket 5; and a vehicle height sensor 8 that is arranged behind the fuel tank 6, supported to the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 by a sensor bracket 7 and detects height of the vehicle body 2 in tandem with the rear suspension 4. The sensor bracket 7 comprises: a bracket main body 46 that is arranged in front of the vehicle height sensor 8, has an opening 45 opened backward toward the vehicle height sensor 8 and has a C-letter shape in cross-section view; and a support piece 47, in which a bending portion 47a is formed midway in a longitudinal direction to extend backward from one lateral portion of the bracket main body 46 in a width direction of the opening 45 and the other lateral portion of the bracket main body 46, for supporting the vehicle height sensor 8 on the extending end portion.

Description

  The present invention relates to a rear structure of a vehicle including a fuel tank supported at the rear of the vehicle body and a vehicle height sensor that detects the height of the vehicle body in conjunction with a rear suspension.

  Conventionally, the rear structure of the vehicle is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. According to this publication, the rear structure of the vehicle is a vehicle that detects the height of the vehicle body in conjunction with the rear suspension that suspends the rear wheel on the rear part of the vehicle body and the sensor bracket that is supported on the rear part of the vehicle body. With a high sensor.

  Further, in the above-described configuration, there is a conventional one in which a fuel tank supported by a tank bracket is provided at the rear of the vehicle body, and a vehicle height sensor is arranged behind the fuel tank.

  The fuel tank stores fuel to be supplied to the driving engine for the vehicle. On the other hand, the detection direction from the vehicle height sensor controls the irradiation direction of the headlamp and controls the vehicle height to be a predetermined height while the vehicle is running.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-147423

  By the way, in the above conventional technique, a vehicle height sensor is arranged behind the fuel tank. For this reason, when any object collides with the vehicle from behind (rear collision), the vehicle height sensor is displaced forward by being pushed by the rear part of the vehicle body and the rear suspension that are moved forward by the impact force. It is conceivable that the high sensor collides with the fuel tank.

  Here, the fuel tank is usually formed of a thin plate material made of sheet metal or resin. For this reason, when the vehicle height sensor collides with the fuel tank due to the rear collision, the collision may cause damage to the fuel tank.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to avoid the collision by covering the fuel tank with a separate protector material. However, simply doing so increases the number of parts in the rear structure of the vehicle and complicates the configuration, thereby reducing the productivity and increasing the production cost.

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above situation, and the object of the present invention is as follows. The vehicle height sensor is prevented from colliding with the fuel tank to prevent the fuel tank from being damaged by the collision, and this can be achieved with a simple configuration and at a low production cost. That is.

The invention of claim 1 includes a rear suspension 4 for suspending a rear wheel 3 at the rear portion of the vehicle body 2, a fuel tank 6 supported by a tank bracket 5 at the rear portion of the vehicle body 2, and a vehicle body 2 disposed behind the fuel tank 6. In the rear structure of the vehicle provided with a vehicle height sensor 8 supported by a sensor bracket 7 at the rear and detecting the height of the vehicle body 2 in conjunction with the rear suspension 4;
The sensor bracket 7 is disposed in front of the vehicle height sensor 8 and has a U-shaped bracket body 46 having an opening 45 that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor 8, and a width direction of the opening 45. A bent portion 47a is formed at a midway portion in the front-rear direction so that the other side portion of the bracket body 46 extends toward the back from one side portion of the bracket body 46, and the extension end portion has the above-described end portion. This is a rear structure of a vehicle having a support piece 47 that supports the vehicle height sensor 8.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the tank bracket 5 is formed in a U-shaped cross section having an opening 38 that is disposed in front of the sensor bracket 7 and supported by the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 and opens forward. 5. The rear structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the sensor bracket and the sensor bracket are coupled to each other.

  In addition, in this section, the reference numerals and drawing numbers appended to the above terms are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the “Example” section and the contents of the drawings described later.

  The effects of the present invention are as follows.

The invention of claim 1 includes a rear suspension for suspending a rear wheel at the rear of the vehicle body, a fuel tank supported by a tank bracket at the rear of the vehicle, and a sensor bracket disposed at the rear of the fuel tank and supported by the sensor bracket, In the rear structure of the vehicle including a vehicle height sensor that detects the height of the vehicle body in conjunction with the rear suspension,
The sensor bracket is disposed in front of the vehicle height sensor and has a U-shaped bracket body having an opening that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor, and one side of the bracket body in the width direction of the opening. A bent part is formed in the middle part in the front-rear direction so that the other side part of the bracket main body extends toward the side, and a support piece for supporting the vehicle height sensor at the extended end part. have.

  Here, at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle, the vehicle height sensor is displaced forward by being pushed by the rear part of the vehicle body and the rear suspension which are moved forward by the impact force, and the vehicle height sensor collides with the fuel tank, and this fuel May cause damage to the tank.

  However, according to the invention, the sensor bracket has a bracket body having a U-shaped cross section having an opening that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor. For this reason, the vehicle height sensor which is displaced forward at the time of a rear collision is accommodated in the bracket body through the opening. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor displaced forward is prevented from colliding with the fuel tank, and the fuel tank is prevented from being damaged by the collision of the vehicle height sensor.

  Moreover, as described above, the bracket body of the sensor bracket has a U-shaped cross section, and this shape is easy to ensure high strength and rigidity. For this reason, when the vehicle height sensor that is displaced forward at the time of a rear collision is accommodated in the bracket body, the accommodation state is more reliably maintained in terms of strength. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor is more reliably prevented from colliding with the fuel tank, and the fuel tank is prevented from being damaged by the vehicle height sensor.

  Furthermore, as described above, the support piece of the sensor bracket is rearward from one side portion of the bracket body in the width direction of the opening and the front-rear direction so that the other side portion of the bracket body extends toward the side. A bent portion is formed in the middle of the vehicle, and the vehicle height sensor is supported on the extended end portion.

  For this reason, when the vehicle height sensor tries to displace forward by being pushed by the rear part of the vehicle body or the rear suspension at the time of rear-end collision of the vehicle, stress concentration occurs at the bent part of the support piece, and this bent part is the starting point. The extending end portion of the support piece is bent forward so as to fall into the sensor bracket through the opening. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor supported by the extended end portion of the support piece is more reliably stored in the bracket body through the opening as the support piece is bent forward. As a result, the vehicle height sensor is more reliably prevented from colliding with the fuel tank, and damage to the fuel tank due to the collision of the vehicle height sensor is prevented.

  In addition, the effect of preventing the fuel tank from being damaged by preventing the vehicle height sensor from colliding with the fuel tank at the time of the rear collision is achieved by devising the shape of the sensor bracket, and covers the fuel tank. It is not necessary to provide a separate protector. Therefore, the above effect can be achieved with a simple configuration while suppressing an increase in the number of parts of the rear structure of the vehicle, and at a low production cost.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the tank bracket is disposed in front of the sensor bracket, is supported at the rear of the vehicle body, and has an U-shaped cross section having an opening that opens toward the front. The tank bracket, the sensor bracket, Are connected to each other.

  For this reason, the bracket body and the tank bracket of the sensor bracket have a U-shaped cross-section that facilitates securing high strength and rigidity, respectively, and the openings are opened in opposite directions. Since the sensor bracket is joined back to back, the bracket body and the tank bracket of the sensor bracket effectively reinforce each other.

  Therefore, when the vehicle height sensor that is displaced forward at the time of a rear collision is accommodated in the bracket body, the accommodation state is more securely maintained in strength, and the fuel tank is caused by the collision of the vehicle height sensor with the fuel tank. Damage to the substrate is further reliably prevented. On the other hand, since the fuel tank is firmly supported by the rear part of the vehicle body by the tank bracket effectively reinforced as described above, the fuel tank may be damaged by the impact force at the time of rear collision. It is prevented more reliably with a simple configuration.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of what is shown in FIG. 3. It is a simplified side view of the vehicle rear. It is a simplified top view of a vehicle rear part. It is a perspective view of what was shown in FIG.

  The vehicle rear structure according to the present invention is configured to prevent the vehicle height sensor from colliding with the fuel tank at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle when a vehicle height sensor is disposed behind the fuel tank as the vehicle rear structure. In order to realize the purpose of preventing the damage of the fuel tank due to the collision and achieving this with a simple configuration and at a low production cost, The form is as follows.

  That is, the rear structure of the vehicle has a rear suspension that suspends the rear wheels at the rear of the vehicle body, a fuel tank that is supported by the tank bracket at the rear of the vehicle, and a sensor bracket that is disposed behind the fuel tank and is supported by the sensor bracket at the rear of the vehicle. And a vehicle height sensor for detecting the height of the vehicle body in conjunction with the rear suspension.

  The sensor bracket is disposed in front of the vehicle height sensor and has a U-shaped bracket body having an opening that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor, and one side of the bracket body in the width direction of the opening. A bent part is formed in the middle part in the front-rear direction so that the other side part of the bracket main body extends toward the side, and a support piece for supporting the vehicle height sensor at the extended end part. Have

  In order to explain the present invention in more detail, an embodiment thereof will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a vehicle exemplified by an automobile, and an arrow Fr indicates the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The left and right described below refer to the width direction of the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 toward the front.

  The vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 2, a rear suspension 4 that suspends left and right rear wheels 3 and 3 at the rear of the vehicle body 2, a resin fuel tank 6 that is supported by a tank bracket 5 at the rear of the vehicle body 2, A vehicle height sensor 8 disposed behind the tank 6 and supported by a sensor bracket 7 at the rear of the vehicle body 2 and detecting the height of the vehicle body 2 from the road surface in conjunction with the rear suspension 4 is provided. The fuel tank 6 may be made of sheet metal.

  The vehicle body 2 is made of sheet metal, and the vehicle body 2 is formed at the lower edge of the left and right side walls and extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 and a pair of left and right rockers 11, 11 and extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2. A first cross member 12 that connects the rear portions of the left and right rockers 11 and 11 and the left and right rockers 11 and 11 extend in the front-rear direction. A pair of left and right front side members 13, 13 coupled to the rear part of each rocker 11 is provided.

  In addition, welding, such as a spot, is usually employed as the means for coupling. Hereinafter, the meaning of this bond is the same as described above.

  The vehicle body 2 includes a pair of left and right rear side members 14, 14 extending in the front-rear direction between the left and right rockers 11, 11 in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and behind the first cross member 12. The outer side surface in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 at the front end portion 14 a of each rear side member 14 is coupled to the inner side surface portion in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 at the rear end portion 11 a of each rocker 11. Further, the front surface of the front end portion 14 a of each rear side member 14 is coupled to the rear surface of the first cross member 12.

  Further, the vehicle body 2 extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and extends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 to extend in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and the second cross member 15 that couples the middle portions of the left and right rear side members 14 and 14 to each other. The left and right rear side members 14 and 14 are provided with a third cross member 16 that couples the rear ends of the left and right rear side members 14 to each other.

  Each of the constituent members 11 to 16 of the vehicle body 2 has a hollow closed cross-sectional structure, constitutes a skeleton member of the vehicle body 2, and has sufficient strength and rigidity.

  In the side view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 2), the first cross member 12 is positioned on the upper side of the rocker 11, and the front side members 13 are positioned on the lower side of the rocker 11. The rear end of each front side member 13 is coupled to the lower surface of the first cross member 12. In addition, each rear side member 14 has a front end portion 14a extending from the rear surface side of the first cross member 12 toward the rear in the substantially horizontal direction, and a longitudinal middle portion 14b of each rear side member 14 is The rear end 14c extends from the rear end of the front end portion 14a toward the rear upper inclination direction, and the rear portion 14c of each rear side member 14 extends rearward from the rear end of the midway portion 14b substantially in the horizontal direction.

  The floor panel 19 is generally joined so as to straddle the upper surfaces of the component parts 11 to 16 of the vehicle body 2 described above, and the space above the floor panel 19 inside the vehicle body 2 is a vehicle compartment 20. The vehicle body 2 is symmetric with respect to a vehicle body center line 21 passing through the center in the width direction.

  The rear suspension 4 is provided below the left and right rear side members 14, and a suspension arm 24 that supports the left and right rear wheels 3, 3 at a rear end thereof, and a middle portion 14 b of each rear side member 14, downward. An arm bracket 26 that protrudes and pivotally supports the front end of the suspension arm 24 via a pivot shaft 25 so that the rear side of the suspension arm 24 swings up and down, the front side members 13, and the suspension arm 24. And a coil spring (not shown) and a shock absorber interposed between the two.

  The suspension arm 24 has a pair of left and right arm members 29 and 29 extending in the front-rear direction below the rear side members 14 and a longitudinal direction of the left and right arm members 29 and 29 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body 2. An intermediate beam 30 that couples the midway portions to each other, and this intermediate beam 30 mainly functions as a torsion bar.

  The fuel tank 6 is disposed in a space surrounded by the rear end portions 11 a of the left and right rockers 11, the first cross member 12, the front side including the front end portions 14 a of the left and right rear side members 14, and the second cross member 15. Is done. The front and rear portions of the fuel tank 6 are supported by fasteners 37 with respect to the pair of left and right tank brackets 5. Among these tank brackets 5, the rear tank bracket 5 is elongated in the vertical direction, and has a U-shaped cross section having an opening 38 in which each cross section in the longitudinal direction opens forward.

  Specifically, the tank bracket 5 includes a rear plate 40 that forms the rear surface side, and left and right side plates 41 and 41 that integrally extend forward from the left and right end edges of the rear plate 40, respectively. And a bottom plate 42 formed integrally with these 40 and 41 so as to close the lower end of the space surrounded by the rear plate 40 and the side plates 41. The tank bracket 5 is supported by the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 with the rear plate 40 at the upper portion thereof coupled to the front surface of the second cross member 15. The rear portion of the fuel tank 6 is fastened and supported by the fastener 37 to the lower surface plate 42 of the tank bracket 5.

  The sensor bracket 7 is disposed in front of the vehicle height sensor 8 and has a U-shaped bracket body 46 having an opening 45 that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor 8, and the width direction of the opening 45 ( There is a support piece 47 that is rearward from one side of the bracket body 46 in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and the other side of the bracket body 46 extends toward the side. In this case, a crank-shaped bent portion 47 a is formed in the middle portion of the support piece 47 in the front-rear direction.

  Specifically, the sensor bracket 7 includes a front plate 50 that forms the front side thereof, and left and right side plates 51 and 51 that integrally extend rearward from left and right end edges of the front plate 50, respectively. And a top plate 52 formed integrally with the front plate 50 and the side plates 51 so as to close the upper end portion of the space. The sensor bracket 7 is supported by the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 with the upper surface plate 52 at the upper end thereof coupled to the lower surface of the second cross member 15.

  The tank bracket 5 is disposed in front of the sensor bracket 7, and the rear plate 40 of the tank bracket 5 and the front plate 50 of the sensor bracket 7 are brought into surface contact with each other and coupled back to back. . The front end portion of the support piece 47 is fixed to the side plate 51 of the sensor bracket 7 by a fastener 54.

  The vehicle height sensor 8 includes a sensor main body 57 that is a potentiometer fixed to a rear end portion that is a rearward extending end portion of the support piece 47 of the sensor bracket 7, and a rotation shaft of the sensor main body 57. And a link mechanism 58 that connects the intermediate beam 30 of the suspension arm 24 of the rear suspension 4 to each other.

  According to the above configuration, the sensor bracket 7 is disposed in front of the vehicle height sensor 8 and has a U-shaped bracket body 46 having an opening 45 that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor 8. A bent portion 47a is formed at a midway portion in the front-rear direction so that the other side portion of the bracket body 46 extends toward the side from the one side portion of the bracket body 46 in the width direction 45. A support piece 47 that supports the vehicle height sensor 8 is provided at the extended end portion.

  Here, at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle 1, the vehicle height sensor 8 is displaced forward by being pushed by the rear side member 14, the floor panel 19 and the suspension arm 24 of the rear suspension 4 at the rear of the vehicle body 2 that moves forward due to the impact force. The vehicle height sensor 8 may collide with the fuel tank 6 and cause the fuel tank 6 to be damaged.

  However, according to the above configuration, the sensor bracket 7 has the bracket body 46 having a U-shaped cross section having the opening 45 that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor 8. For this reason, as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the vehicle height sensor 8 that is displaced forward at the time of a rear collision is easily accommodated in the bracket body 46 through the opening 45. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor 8 displaced forward is prevented from colliding with the fuel tank 6, and damage to the fuel tank 6 due to the collision of the vehicle height sensor 8 is prevented.

  In addition, as described above, the bracket body 46 of the sensor bracket 7 has a U-shaped cross section, and this shape is easy to ensure high strength and rigidity. For this reason, when the vehicle height sensor 8 that is displaced forward at the time of a rear collision is accommodated in the bracket body 46, the accommodation state is more reliably maintained in terms of strength. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor 8 is more reliably prevented from colliding with the fuel tank 6, and damage to the fuel tank 6 due to the collision of the vehicle height sensor 8 is prevented.

  Further, as described above, the support piece 47 of the sensor bracket 7 extends rearward from one side of the bracket body 46 in the width direction of the opening 45 and the other side of the bracket body 46 extends toward the side. A bent portion 47a is formed at a midway portion in the front-rear direction so as to exit, and the vehicle height sensor 8 is supported at an extended end portion thereof.

  For this reason, when the vehicle height sensor 8 is pushed forward by the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 or the rear suspension 4 at the time of a rear collision of the vehicle 1, stress concentration occurs in the bent portion 47a of the support piece 47, and FIG. 1, starting from the bent portion 47 a, the extending end portion of the support piece 47 is bent forward so as to fall into the sensor bracket 7 through the opening 45. Therefore, the vehicle height sensor 8 supported by the extending end portion of the support piece 47 is more securely stored in the bracket body 46 through the opening 45 as the support piece 47 is bent forward. The As a result, the vehicle height sensor 8 is more reliably prevented from colliding with the fuel tank 6, and damage to the fuel tank 6 due to the collision of the vehicle height sensor 8 is prevented.

  Further, the effect of preventing the fuel tank 6 from being damaged by preventing the vehicle height sensor 8 from colliding with the fuel tank 6 at the time of the rear impact described above is achieved by devising the shape of the sensor bracket 7, It is not necessary to provide a separate protector for covering the fuel tank 6. Therefore, the above effect can be achieved with a simple configuration while suppressing an increase in the number of parts of the rear structure of the vehicle, and at a low production cost.

  Further, as described above, the tank bracket 5 is disposed in front of the sensor bracket 7 and is supported by the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 and has a U-shaped cross section having an opening 38 that opens toward the front. And the sensor bracket 7 are coupled to each other.

  Therefore, in addition to the bracket body 46 and the tank bracket 5 of the sensor bracket 7 having a U-shaped cross section that facilitates ensuring high strength and rigidity, the respective openings 45 and 38 are mutually connected. Since they are joined back to back so as to open in the opposite direction, the bracket body 46 and the tank bracket 5 of the sensor bracket 7 effectively reinforce each other.

  Therefore, when the vehicle height sensor 8 that is displaced forward at the time of a rear collision is accommodated in the bracket main body 46, the accommodation state is more reliably maintained in strength, and the vehicle height sensor 8 to the fuel tank 6 is maintained. Damage to the fuel tank 6 due to the collision is more reliably prevented. On the other hand, since the fuel tank 6 is firmly supported by the rear part of the vehicle body 2 by the tank bracket 5 effectively reinforced as described above, the fuel tank 6 is damaged by the impact force at the time of rear collision. It is prevented more reliably by a simple structure.

  More specifically, the bracket main body 46 and the tank bracket 5 of the sensor bracket 7 are coupled back to back, and the combination of these has a cross-sectional H shape with high strength and rigidity. Further, the bracket body 46 of the sensor bracket 7 has an upper surface plate 52 whose surface direction is substantially horizontal, coupled to the lower surface of the second cross member 15, and the tank bracket 5 has a vertical surface direction and a vehicle body direction. A rear plate 40 having a width direction of 2 is coupled to the front surface of the second cross member 15. That is, members having different surface directions are coupled to the bracket body 46 and the tank bracket 5 of the sensor bracket 7 via the second cross member 15. Therefore, the bracket body 46 and the tank bracket 5 of the sensor bracket 7 are more effectively reinforced with each other, and the support strength of the fuel tank 6 and the vehicle height sensor 8 and the like are effectively improved. .

  Although the above is based on the illustrated example, the tank bracket 5 and the sensor bracket 7 may extend in the width direction of the vehicle body 2. Further, the bracket body 46 and the support piece 47 of the sensor bracket 7 may be coupled to each other by welding, or may be integrally formed by pressing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car body 3 Rear wheel 4 Rear suspension 5 Tank bracket 6 Fuel tank 7 Sensor bracket 8 Vehicle height sensor 11a Rear end part 14a Front end part 14b Middle part 14c Rear part 24 Suspension arm 26 Arm bracket 38 Open 45 Open 46 Bracket main body 47 Support Piece 47a Bend

Claims (2)

A rear suspension that suspends the rear wheels at the rear of the vehicle body, a fuel tank that is supported by a tank bracket at the rear of the vehicle body, and a rear side of the fuel tank that is supported by a sensor bracket at the rear of the vehicle body. In the rear structure of the vehicle provided with a vehicle height sensor that detects the height of the vehicle body,
The sensor bracket is disposed in front of the vehicle height sensor and has a U-shaped bracket body having an opening that opens rearward toward the vehicle height sensor, and one side of the bracket body in the width direction of the opening. A bent part is formed in the middle part in the front-rear direction so that the other side part of the bracket main body extends toward the side, and a support piece for supporting the vehicle height sensor at the extended end part. A vehicle rear structure characterized by comprising:   The tank bracket is disposed in front of the sensor bracket, is supported by the rear of the vehicle body, has a U-shaped cross section having an opening that opens toward the front, and the tank bracket and the sensor bracket are coupled to each other. The rear structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

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