JP2024075140A - Vehicle undercarriage - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a slide rail disposed under a locker from hitting an internal member under a floor too hard without using a dedicated shock absorbing member.
[Solution] A slide rail (lower slide rail 19) that supports the sliding door 20 so that it can slide in the opening and closing direction is arranged on the underside of the locker 30 via a connecting member (second connecting member 52), and the connecting member (52) is arranged to extend in the inward and outward directions of the vehicle at a position below the locker 30 with its inner side fixed to the locker 30, and the slide rail (19) is fixed to the part of the connecting member (52) that is outer than the fixed point with the locker 30.
[Selected figure] Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle undercarriage in which a slide rail for a sliding door is provided under a locker that forms the lower edge of the door opening.

A related technique is described in Patent Document 1. The vehicle of Patent Document 1 is configured such that a door opening provided in the vehicle body can be opened and closed in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle by a sliding door. A cylindrical side sill, which corresponds to the locker of the present application, is provided at the lower edge of this door opening so as to extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. Under the side sill, a slide rail that supports the sliding door so that it can slide is provided so as to extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. A bracket that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction is provided at the lower end of the sliding door, and a roller journaled on this bracket is slidably fitted into the slide rail. This allows the sliding door to slide in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle by sliding the roller along the slide rail.

JP 2007-76482 A

In the above-mentioned vehicle, various internal components such as a battery may be disposed under the floor. If a slide rail is disposed under the locker, the slide rail will be disposed on the outer side of the internal components in the vehicle width direction. In the above-mentioned configuration, care must be taken to ensure that the slide rail, to which an impact load is applied, does not move inward in the vehicle width direction and hit the internal components hard in the event of a vehicle collision. In this case, it is possible to provide a buffer member dedicated to the internal components and support the slide rail with this buffer member, but this would increase costs. The present invention was devised in consideration of the above points, and the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to prevent the slide rail disposed under the locker from hitting the internal components under the floor hard without using a dedicated buffer member.

As a means for solving the above problems, the vehicle undercarriage structure of the first invention includes a sliding door that opens and closes the door opening of the vehicle body, and a cylindrical locker that forms the lower edge of the door opening. A slide rail that supports the sliding door so that it can slide in the opening and closing direction is arranged on the underside of the locker via a connecting member. In this type of configuration, it is desirable to prevent the slide rail arranged under the locker from hitting the internal member under the floor with force in the event of a vehicle collision, etc., without using a dedicated cushioning member.

In this invention, when the direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction is defined as the vehicle interior/exterior direction based on a plan view in the vehicle vertical direction, the connecting member is provided so as to extend in the vehicle interior/exterior direction at the vehicle lower position of the locker with its vehicle interior portion fixed to the locker, and the slide rail is fixed to a portion of the connecting member outside the vehicle from the fixed point with the locker. In this invention, the connecting member to which the slide rail is fixed is provided so as to extend in the vehicle interior/exterior direction, so that it is disposed between the slide rail and the internal member. With the above-mentioned configuration, the slide rail and the connecting member can withstand the impact load applied during a vehicle collision, etc. Furthermore, the slide rail to which an impact load is applied is prevented from moving inwardly of the vehicle by the connecting member, so that it is less likely to come into strong contact with the internal member.

The vehicle undercarriage of the second invention is the vehicle undercarriage of the first invention, in which the connecting member has at least one of a first reinforcing portion extending in the vehicle inside-outside direction and a second reinforcing portion extending in the opening/closing direction at the end of the connecting member on the vehicle outside. In the present invention, by providing at least one of the first reinforcing portion and the second reinforcing portion on the connecting member to reinforce it, it becomes possible to more reliably suppress movement of the slide rail toward the inside of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle collision, etc.

The vehicle undercarriage of the third invention is the vehicle undercarriage of the second invention, in which the connecting member has a first reinforcing portion that protrudes in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The connecting member of the present invention has a first reinforcing portion that protrudes in the vertical direction of the vehicle while extending in the vehicle interior-exterior direction, i.e., in the direction in which the impact load is applied, so that the rigidity against the impact load is more reliably increased.

The vehicle understructure of the fourth invention is the vehicle understructure of the second or third invention, in which the connecting member has a second reinforcing portion that protrudes in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The connecting member of the present invention is able to more reliably withstand impact loads because the second reinforcing portion that protrudes in the vertical direction of the vehicle is located at the end of the connecting member on the outer side of the vehicle, i.e., at the location where the impact load is applied.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the slide rail arranged under the locker from hitting the internal member under the floor with force without using a dedicated cushioning member. According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more reliably prevent the slide rail from moving toward the inside of the vehicle. According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further reliably prevent the slide rail from moving toward the inside of the vehicle. And according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more reliably receive the load applied to the slide rail by the connecting member.

FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower part of the vehicle showing the step device. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle corresponding to the cross section taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle when the sliding door is fully opened, as viewed from below the vehicle. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle when the sliding door is fully closed. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the vehicle when the sliding door is fully closed, as viewed from below the vehicle. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the vehicle showing the guide roller unit. 1 is a side view of a vehicle showing the movement of a bracket portion of a sliding door. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the vehicle showing the movement locus of the sliding door and the rotation locus of the four-bar link mechanism. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In each figure, arrows indicating the front-rear, left-right (vehicle width direction), and up-down (vehicle height direction) directions of the vehicle are appropriately shown. Furthermore, based on Figures 4 and 6 (plan view in the vehicle up-down direction), the front-rear direction corresponds to the opening and closing direction of the sliding door, and the vehicle width direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction corresponds to the vehicle inside-outside direction. In each figure, the left side on the outside in the vehicle width direction corresponds to the outside of the vehicle, and the left side on the inside in the vehicle width direction corresponds to the inside of the vehicle. Note that Figure 1 shows only the left side of the vehicle, and shows the sliding door in an open state.

[Vehicle Overview]
Before describing the vehicle's underbody structure, an overview of a vehicle 2 shown in Fig. 1 will be given. A vehicle body 10 of the vehicle 2 is formed with a front door opening 11 corresponding to the front seats and a rear door opening 12 corresponding to the rear seats. The front door opening 11 is configured to be opened and closed by a front door 15 that can rotate about a door hinge (not shown). The rear door opening 12 is configured to be opened and closed by a sliding door 20 that slides in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 2, a rocker 30, which is a cylindrical frame, is provided at the lower edge of the rear door opening 12 so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a fixed step plate 33 is provided on the rocker 30 so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction.

The vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a number of slide rails 17, 18, 19 that support the sliding door 20 so that it can slide in the fore-and-aft direction (opening and closing direction) of the vehicle. For example, in the vehicle 2 shown in FIG. 1, an upper slide rail 17 is provided on the upper side of the rear door opening 12. A center slide rail 18 is provided at the center position in the height direction on the rear side of the rear door opening 12. A lower slide rail 19 is provided on the lower side of the rear door opening 12, i.e., on the lower side of the locker 30 and the fixed step plate 33.

1 and 2, the sliding door 20 is provided with guide roller units 25 at its upper end, lower end, and intermediate positions (for convenience, in each drawing, only the lowest guide roller unit is labeled with the corresponding reference number 25). The sliding door 20 is configured so that the corresponding guide roller units 25 move (slide, etc.) along the respective slide rails 17 to 19, allowing the sliding door 20 to slide along the slide rails 17 to 19. The sliding door 20 moves generally in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle between the fully open and fully closed positions, but moves diagonally inward in the vehicle width direction near the fully closed position (see the movement trajectory Do of the sliding door shown in FIG. 10).

A step device 40 having a step plate 41 serving as a tread surface is disposed on the underside of the locker 30 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. An internal member 3 such as a battery installed on the underfloor side of the vehicle 2 is disposed on the inside (right side) of the locker 30 in the vehicle width direction as shown in Fig. 3. The locker 30 is disposed at a height position higher than the height position H of the internal member 3, so that the locker 30 is configured to easily obtain a sufficient height distance from the ground (ground clearance).

[Vehicle undercarriage]
In the vehicle undercarriage structure of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower slide rail 19 and the step device 40 are disposed on the vehicle underside (under the locker) of the locker 30. This increases the freedom of selection of the shape of the locker 30, making it easier to ensure rigidity. In addition, by disposing the lower slide rail 19 on the outer side (left side) of the vehicle width direction by utilizing the space on the vehicle underside of the slide door 20, interference between the lower slide rail 19 and the internal member 3 is avoided. In the above-mentioned configuration, the internal member 3 is disposed on the inner side (right side) of the lower slide rail 19 in the vehicle width direction. In this type of configuration, it is necessary to take care that the slide rail 19, which receives an impact load during a vehicle collision, does not move inward in the vehicle width direction and hit the internal member 3 hard, but in this case, the use of a dedicated buffer member should be avoided from the viewpoint of suppressing cost increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration described below is used to prevent the lower slide rail 19 disposed under the locker from hitting the internal member 3 under the floor hard without using a dedicated buffer member. The vehicle undercarriage will be described in detail below in the order of the locker 30, the step device 40, the lower slide rail 19, and the slide door 20.

[locker]
First, the locker 30 shown in Fig. 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape from an outer rocker 31 and an inner rocker 32, and is provided along the lower edge of the rear door opening 12. The outer rocker 31 is formed in a cross section of a generally horizontal U-shape from its upper plate surface 311, lower plate surface 312, and left plate surface 313, and its inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction is open. The outer rocker 31 has its upper plate surface 311 and lower plate surface 312 extending inward in the vehicle width direction, and the lower plate surface 312 relatively protrudes inward. An upper flange portion 31a bent toward the upper side of the vehicle is formed at the upper end position of the upper plate surface 311, and a lower flange portion 31b bent toward the lower side of the vehicle is formed at the lower end position of the lower plate surface 312. The upper plate surface 311 and the lower plate surface 312 are continuous with the left plate surface 313 extending in the vehicle up-down direction on the outer side (left side) of the outer rocker 31 in the vehicle width direction. The inner rocker 32 is formed with an upper plate surface 321, a lower plate surface 322, and a right side plate surface 323 so as to have a generally horizontal U-shaped cross section, with the outer side open in the vehicle width direction. The upper plate surface 321 of the inner rocker 32 protrudes relatively far outward. Upper and lower flanges 32a, 32b bent in the vehicle vertical direction are also formed at the upper and lower end positions of the inner rocker 32.

The locker 30 shown in FIG. 3 is formed into a substantially square tube-like cross section by joining the outer locker 31 and the inner locker 32 together in the vehicle width direction. That is, in the locker 30, the upper flanges 31a, 32a and the lower flanges 31b, 32b are joined by welding or the like. In this way, the locker 30 is formed into a substantially square tube-like cross section with no recesses for slide rails, and thus has a cross-sectional shape that contributes to ensuring rigidity. In addition, by providing a cross-sectional shape with excellent rigidity, the locker 30 can be made compact by reducing the dimensions in the vertical direction of the vehicle. As a result, the locker 30 is provided at a height position higher than the height position H of the internal member 3, which contributes to ensuring ground clearance. In the locker 30, the upper flanges 31a, 32a are arranged near the end on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction, and the lower flanges 31b, 32b are arranged near the end on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction. Additionally, the left side plate surface 313 of the outer rocker 31 forms the outer surface of the rocker 30 in the vehicle width direction.

[Fixed step board]
Here, the locker 30 shown in Figures 2 and 3 has a fixed step plate 33 fixed to its outer (left) surface in the vehicle width direction, which serves as the occupant's stepping surface. This fixed step plate 33 is formed so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction along the locker 30 as shown in Figure 2. The fixed step plate 33 is also formed in a substantially L-shape in cross section as shown in Figure 3, and is fixed to the left side plate surface 313 of the outer rocker 31 by a vertical wall portion 34 extending in the vehicle up-down direction. The fixed step plate 33 is also provided with a horizontal wall portion 35 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction at the lower end of the vertical wall portion 34, and this horizontal wall portion 35 serves as the occupant's stepping surface. The fixed step plate 33 is reinforced by integrating a reinforcing member 36 that is substantially L-shaped in cross section with the back side. That is, the fixed step plate 33 has its vertical wall portion 34 and the rear portion of the horizontal wall portion 35 reinforced by the reinforcing member 36, thereby increasing the rigidity against forces applied from the vehicle up-down direction.

[Step device (step plate)]
Next, the step device 40 shown in Figures 2 and 3 has a step plate 41 and a four-joint link mechanism 43 (described in detail later) that supports the step plate 41. In the step device 40, the step plate 41 and the four-joint link mechanism 43 are arranged under the locker. The fixed step plate 33 of the locker 30 is arranged at the vehicle upper position of the step plate 41. The step plate 41 is a member that serves as a stepping surface for the occupant, and is supported approximately horizontally under the locker by the four-joint link mechanism 43. As shown in Figure 4, the step plate 41 is formed in a plate shape that is long in the front and rear directions, and the front side is narrower than the rear side. As described later, the step plate 41 is configured to be displaceable between a deployed position on the outer side (left side) of the vehicle width direction shown in Figures 3 and 4 and a stored position under the locker shown in Figures 5 and 6.

The step plate 41 shown in FIG. 3 has a tip 410 on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction bent into an approximately L-shape, extending approximately perpendicularly to the underside of the vehicle, and then extending inward (right side) in the vehicle width direction. A fixed plate portion 411 is fixed and integrated with this tip portion 410 so as to cover the outer side in the vehicle width direction. A rail portion 42 is fixed and supported at the lower end of the tip portion 410 of the step plate 41 so as to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction. The rail portion 42 has an inverted U-shaped cross section so that the rolling roller 28 of the guide roller unit 25 described later can be fitted from below the vehicle. The rail portion 42 constitutes the outer end of the step plate 41, that is, a convex end protruding inward in the vehicle width direction. As described later, the rolling roller 28 is fitted into the rail portion 42, so that the step plate 41 provided with the rail portion 42 can be linked to the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 20.

The rail portion 42 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the outer (left) edge of the step plate 41 in the vehicle width direction, as shown in FIG. 4. The rail portion 42 is composed of a front straight portion 420, a bent portion 421, and a rear straight portion 422. The front straight portion 420 is formed so as to extend linearly in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the front position of the step plate 41. The bent portion 421 is bent at a predetermined angle from the rear end of the front straight portion 420 outward in the vehicle width direction, and the rear straight portion 422 is formed so as to extend linearly in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rear end of the bent portion 421. With reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 10, the front straight portion 420 is formed so as to intersect with the trajectory when the sliding door 20 starts moving in the opening direction, that is, the moving trajectory Do in the vicinity of the fully closed position, which will be described later. The bent portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422 are formed so as to follow the moving trajectory Do when the sliding door 20 moves in the opening direction.

[Four-bar link mechanism (link)]
3 and 4, the four-bar link mechanism 43 is a mechanism that supports the step plate 41 so that it can move between a stored position and an deployed position. As shown in FIG. 4, the four-bar link mechanism 43 has a front support link 43f and a rear support link 43b formed to have the same length. The front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b are respectively pivotally connected to the step plate 41 and the rocker 30 as described below. Here, the connection manner of each support link 43f, 43b is generally the same, so the following will mainly explain the details by taking the front support link 43f as an example.

With reference to FIG. 4, the base end of the front support link 43f on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction is axially connected to the base end bracket 37 fixed to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the rocker 30. Here, the base end bracket 37 is formed so as to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a front support part 37sf is provided at the front part of the base end bracket 37. This front support part 37sf has a hat cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 7 and is provided so as to protrude from the lower surface (lower plate surface 312) of the rocker 30 to the lower side of the vehicle. The base end of the front support link 43f is placed on the front support part 37sf from above, and is axially connected to the front support part 37sf by the front rotation center shaft 43c in a horizontally rotatable state. The tip end of the front support link 43f on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction shown in FIG. 4 is axially connected to the tip bracket 38 fixed to the step plate 41. The tip bracket 38 is formed to extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and its front and rear parts are formed to be one step lower than the step plate 41. The tip of the front support link 43f is axially connected to the front part of the tip bracket 38 by the front tip connecting shaft 43x in a horizontally rotatable state.

[Base end support part]
Further, the base end of the front support link 43f shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is supported by a support plate 44 provided on the inside (right side) of the locker 30 in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Fig. 4, this support plate 44 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the rotation trajectory of the front support link 43f. As shown in Fig. 3, the support plate 44 is fixed to the underside of the locker 30 so as to be disposed directly above the base end of the front support link 43f. This makes it possible to support the base end of the front support link 43f, which moves between the storage position and the deployment position, by sandwiching it between the front support part 37sf (base end bracket 37) and the support plate 44. As a result, a base end support part 45 that supports the base end of the front support link 43f is formed in the locker 30 at the position where the support plate 44 is disposed.

The base end of the rear support link 43b shown in FIG. 4 is axially connected to the rear support portion 37sb of the base end bracket 37 by the rear rotation center shaft 43e. The tip end of the rear support link 43b is axially connected to the rear portion of the tip bracket 38 by the rear tip connecting shaft 43y. The base end of the rear support link 43b is also supported by another support plate portion 44a, and another base end support portion 45a that supports the base end of the rear support link 43b is formed at the position of this other support plate portion 44a.

[Function of the four-bar link mechanism]
Here, referring to FIG. 10, the manner of positional displacement of the step plate 41 by the four-joint link mechanism 43 will be described (linkage with the sliding door will be described later). First, the distance between the front and rear tip connecting shafts 43x, 43y connected to the step plate 41 side is set to a value equal to the distance between the rotation center shafts 43c, 43e connected to the locker 30 side. In addition, the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b are formed with equal dimensions. Therefore, by horizontally rotating the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b of the four-joint link mechanism 43, the step plate 41 moves along the arc trajectory S while being held parallel to the locker 30 in a plan view. Then, the tip portions of both support links 43f, 43b are horizontally rotated to the left rotation limit position by a predetermined angle with respect to the locker 30 around the rotation center shafts 43c, 43e (see the solid line portion in FIG. 10). In this way, the tip portions of both support links 43f, 43b rotate leftward about the rotation central shafts 43c, 43e, so that the step plate 41 protrudes outward (leftward) from under the locker in the vehicle width direction and is held in the deployed position (see Figs. 3 and 4). The tip portions of both support links 43f, 43b rotate horizontally to a right rotation limit position rotated rightward by a predetermined angle with respect to the locker 30 about the rotation central shafts 43c, 43e (see the two-dot dashed line portion in Fig. 10). In this way, the tip portions of both support links 43f, 43b rotate rightward about the rotation central shafts 43c, 43e, so that the step plate 41 is held in a stored position located under the locker (see Figs. 5 and 6).

[Slide rail]
Next, the lower slide rail 19 shown in Fig. 4 is disposed under the locker via connecting members 51, 52, and 53 described later. The lower slide rail 19 is formed so as to follow the movement path of the slide door 20 (see the movement path Do in Fig. 10), and has a bent portion 190 and a straight portion 191. The bent portion 190 is formed at the front portion of the lower slide rail 19, and is gradually bent inward (to the right) in the vehicle width direction as it approaches the front side of the vehicle. The straight portion 191 is continuous with the rear end of the bent portion 190, and extends linearly so as to follow the opening and closing direction of the slide door 20 (the vehicle front-rear direction).

The lower slide rail 19 is formed in a hollow column shape with the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction open in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3. The lower slide rail 19 is formed from an upper wall portion 192, a lower wall portion 193, and a vertical wall portion 194 connecting the upper and lower wall portions. The upper wall portion 192 is formed in an inverted U-shape with the lower side open, so that the guide roller 26 of the guide roller unit 25 described later can be slidably fitted therein. A band-shaped support portion 196 that is always in contact with the step plate 41 described above is integrally provided on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 192, so that the step plate 41 can be smoothly slid on the support portion 196. The lower wall portion 193 is a flat plate-shaped portion arranged on the lower side of the upper wall portion 192, and is capable of slidably supporting the load roller 27 of the guide roller unit 25 described later.

[Storage section]
As shown in Fig. 3, the upper wall portion 192 and the lower wall portion 193 are connected to a vertical wall portion 194 extending in the vehicle up-down direction on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the lower slide rail 19 is formed in a hollow column shape with the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction open, and an opening portion 195 communicating with the outside on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is formed at the same height position as the rail portion 42 of the step plate 41 described above. Then, as described later, when the step plate 41 moves inward in the vehicle width direction, the rail portion 42 provided on the step plate 41 is guided into the lower slide rail 19 through the opening portion 195 (see Fig. 5). When the step plate 41 moves outward in the vehicle width direction, the rail portion 42 is pulled outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower slide rail 19 through the opening portion 195 (see Fig. 3). In this manner, the lower slide rail 19 shown in FIG. 3 constitutes the accommodation portion 100 that accommodates the rail portion 42 (the end portion on the outer side of the vehicle) of the step plate 41 in a state in which it can be pulled out in the vehicle width direction.

Here, referring to Figures 4 and 6, the lower slide rail 19 is configured to accommodate a part of the step plate 41 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, that is, the wide rear side of the step plate 41. The rear side of the step plate 41 is provided with the bent portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422 of the rail portion 42 shown in Figure 4. The bent portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422 are formed so as to follow the movement trajectory when the sliding door 20 moves in the opening direction as described above (see the movement trajectory Do in Figure 10). As a result, the bent portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422 of the rail portion 42 are formed in the same shape as the portion from the rear of the bent portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19 to the straight portion 191. Therefore, the lower slide rail 19 (accommodating portion 100) can accommodate the bent portion 421 and the rear straight portion 422 of the rail portion 42 by moving the rail portion 42 inward (right side) in the vehicle width direction as shown in Figure 6. The front straight section 420 of the rail section 42 extends linearly so as to intersect with the movement trajectory of the sliding door 20. Therefore, when the step plate 41 is in the storage position, the front straight section 420 of the rail section 42 is positioned on the outer side of the lower slide rail 19 (bent section 190) in the vehicle width direction.

[Connecting member]
4, connecting members 51, 52, 53 are disposed at the front, intermediate, and rear end positions in the vehicle longitudinal direction. That is, a first connecting member 51 is disposed at a bent portion 190 (front position) of the lower slide rail 19. A second connecting member 52 and a third connecting member 53 are disposed at the front and rear ends (intermediate and rear end positions) of a straight portion 191 of the lower slide rail 19. Since the connecting members 51 to 53 have substantially the same basic configuration, the second connecting member 52 will be taken as an example for detailed description below.

The second connecting member 52 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is formed in a plate shape extending in the vehicle width direction, and is disposed between the straight portion 191 of the lower slide rail 19 and the front support portion 37sf of the locker 30. This second connecting member 52 is bent in a crank shape in the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 3, and the base end portion 520 on the inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction is one step higher. This base end portion 520 is disposed near the flange portions 31b, 32b at the lower end position of the locker 30 described above. The base end portion 520 (the portion on the inside of the vehicle) is fixed to the lower plate surface 312 of the locker 30 in a state where it is fastened to the front support portion 37sf shown in Fig. 7.

The second connecting member 52 shown in FIG. 3 is formed so that the main body portion 521, which is one step lower than the base end portion 520, extends outward in the vehicle width direction (left side). Furthermore, in the second connecting member 52, the tip portion 522 of the main body portion 521 is bent at a substantially right angle toward the lower side of the vehicle, and this bent tip portion 522 constitutes the portion of the second connecting member 52 that is closer to the vehicle outside than the base end portion 520 (fixed portion with the locker). The main body portion 521 extends to a position that is more outward in the vehicle width direction than the support plate portion 44 (base end support portion 45) described above, and the tip portion 522 is disposed more outward in the vehicle width direction than the locker 30. In this way, the second connecting member 52 extends from the flange portions 31b, 32b at the lower end position, i.e., the end position on the inner side of the locker 30 in the vehicle width direction, across the locker 30 to the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

The vertical wall portion 194 of the lower slide rail 19 is fixed to the tip portion 522 of the second connecting member 52 on the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction of the second connecting member 52 shown in FIG. 3. As a result, the lower slide rail 19 is disposed under the locker via the second connecting member 52, and is disposed at a position on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the support plate portion 44 (base end support portion 45) described above. Furthermore, by being fixed to the tip portion 522 of the second connecting member 52, the lower slide rail 19 protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction of the locker 30 and is disposed on the vehicle underside of the fixed step plate 33. As a result, the upper side of the lower slide rail 19 can be covered by the fixed step plate 33, and the external exposure of the lower slide rail 19 can be minimized. In addition, the lower slide rail 19 is disposed at a height position approximately the same as or higher than the height position H of the internal member 3 described above, which contributes to ensuring ground clearance.

[Reinforcement part]
3 and 4, the second connecting member 52 is reinforced at appropriate locations with reinforcing portions (50A, 50B). That is, the lower main body portion 521 of the second connecting member 52 has front and rear reinforcing bead portions 523 extending in the vehicle width direction provided at appropriate intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction (for convenience, the front and rear reinforcing bead portions are given the same reference numeral 523 in FIG. 4). The front and rear reinforcing bead portions 523 correspond to the first reinforcing portion 50A, and are formed by deforming the second connecting member 52 in a direction to locally raise it. The front and rear reinforcing bead portions 523 are provided so as to cross the main body portion 521 in the vehicle width direction, thereby increasing the rigidity of the second connecting member 52 against a load applied from the outside in the vehicle width direction. The second connecting member 52 is reinforced by fixing a hollow columnar lower slide rail 19 as a second reinforcing portion 50B to its tip portion 522 (the end portion on the outside in the vehicle width direction). The lower slide rail 19 is disposed so as to protrude downward from the vehicle lower side relative to the main body portion 521 of the second connecting member 52. The lower slide rail 19 is disposed so as to transversely cross the second connecting member 52 in the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the second connecting member 52 can appropriately bear the load applied from the outside in the vehicle width direction. Note that the first connecting member 51 and the third connecting member 53 are also provided with reinforcing portions 50A, 50B similar to the second connecting member 52 (in FIG. 4, for convenience, the first reinforcing portions of each connecting member are given the same reference numeral 50A).

[slide door]
Next, the sliding door 20 shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is formed by joining a door outer panel and a door inner panel (not shown) to each other at their peripheral portions. A bracket portion 23 for a guide roller unit is fixed to the lower end position of the door inner panel side of the sliding door 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the bracket portion 23 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section and is fixed to the lower end of the sliding door 20 by a vertical wall-like fixing portion 23a extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The bracket portion 23 also has a horizontal wall-like installation portion 23b extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of the fixing portion 23a toward the inside of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 4, the installation portion 23b is formed to extend toward the front side of the vehicle and toward the inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction in a top view with a guide roller unit 25 (described later) disposed therein.

First, the guide roller unit 25 shown in FIG. 4 has front and rear guide rollers 26 and a load roller 27 for the slide rail (for convenience, the front and rear guide rollers are given the same reference numeral 26 in FIG. 4). Now, referring to FIG. 8, the mounting portion 23b of the bracket portion 23 is provided with an upper support portion 261 for the guide roller and a lower support portion 271 for the load roller at the tip portion on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction. The upper support portion 261 is formed in a substantially U-shape in a plan view, and a vertically oriented first shaft member 260 is provided at the free end side of the fork. The horizontally oriented guide rollers 26 corresponding to each first shaft member 260 are rotatably supported, and each guide roller 26 is slidably fitted into the upper wall portion 192 of the lower slide rail 19 as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8.

The mounting portion 23b of the bracket portion 23 shown in Figs. 3 and 8 has a vertical second shaft member 270 at its tip, and a lower support portion 271 having a substantially horizontal U-shaped cross section is rotatably supported by the vertical second shaft member 270. The lower support portion 271 also supports a horizontal third shaft member 272 that protrudes toward the inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction, and a vertical load roller 27 is rotatably supported by the third shaft member 272. The load roller 27 is supported so as to be slidable against the lower wall portion 193 of the lower slide rail 19. The load roller 27 supported by the lower support portion 271 can be turned to follow the lower slide rail 19 by rotating the lower support portion 271 around the vertical second shaft member 270.

The guide roller unit 25 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 further includes a rolling roller 28 for the step plate. That is, a vertical fourth shaft member 280 is provided on the mounting portion 23b of the bracket portion 23 shown in Fig. 3 toward the outer side (left side) in the vehicle width direction, and the horizontal rolling roller 28 is rotatably supported on this fourth shaft member 280. The rolling roller 28 is slidably fitted into the rail portion 42 of the step plate 41 described above, so that the sliding door 20 provided with the rolling roller 28 is interlockingly connected to the step plate 41. The rail portion 42 into which the rolling roller 28 can be fitted constitutes a mechanism for interlocking the sliding door 20 and the step plate 41.

[Step device in storage position]
5 and 6, when the sliding door 20 is in the fully closed position, the step device 40 in the stored position is disposed on the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction of the sliding door 20 in the closed state. At this time, the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b of the four-bar linkage mechanism 43 are horizontally rotated to the right rotation limit position around the rotation center shafts 43c and 43e as shown in Fig. 6. As a result, the step plate 41 is disposed on the vehicle lower side of the locker 30 and the fixed step plate 33 as shown in Fig. 5 and is held in the stored position.

In the vehicle undercarriage shown in FIG. 5, the lower slide rail 19 is disposed under the locker together with the step device 40. The internal member 3 is disposed on the inside (right side) of the lower slide rail 19 in the vehicle width direction. In this type of configuration, it is necessary to consider that the slide rail 19, which receives an impact load during a vehicle collision, does not move inward in the vehicle width direction and hit the internal member 3 strongly while suppressing the increase in cost as described above. Therefore, in the vehicle undercarriage, the connecting members 51, 52, and 53 shown in FIG. 6 are provided so as to extend in the vehicle width direction at the vehicle underside position of the locker 30 while being fixed to the locker 30 at their inside parts in the vehicle width direction. And, referring to FIG. 5, the slide rail 19 is fixed to the connecting members 52, etc., at the part on the outside (left side) of the fixed part with the locker 30 in the vehicle width direction, that is, the tip part 522 provided outside the base end part 520 in the vehicle width direction. In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, by disposing the connecting member 52 between the lower slide rail 19 and the internal member 3, the lower slide rail 19 to which the impact load F is applied is less likely to come into strong contact with the internal member 3. Therefore, the function of the second connecting member 52 will be specifically explained below as an example.

First, in the vehicle undercarriage structure, as shown in FIG. 5, the second connecting member 52 to which the lower slide rail 19 is fixed is provided under the locker so as to extend in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the second connecting member 52 is disposed between the lower slide rail 19 and the internal member 3 so as to fill the gap between them. By fixing the lower slide rail 19 to the tip portion 522 of the second connecting member 52, the impact load F applied to the slide rail 19 during a vehicle side collision can be received by this slide rail 19 and the second connecting member 52. In particular, the lower slide rail 19 as the second reinforcing portion 50B protrudes to the underside of the vehicle and cuts the second connecting member 52 in the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the impact load F applied from the outside (left side) in the vehicle width direction can be properly received by the lower slide rail 19 and the second connecting member 52. Furthermore, the rail portion 42 is housed inside the lower slide rail 19, further increasing its rigidity. This makes it possible to prevent the lower slide rail 19 from being excessively deformed when subjected to the impact load F as much as possible.

The second connecting member 52 shown in FIG. 5 deforms and absorbs the impact load F applied from the outside (left side) in the vehicle width direction, thereby suppressing the movement of the lower slide rail 19 inward (right side) in the vehicle width direction. As described above, the second connecting member 52 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the flange portions 31b, 32b at the lower end positions, and further protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction of the locker 30. Therefore, the second connecting member 52 can more reliably absorb the impact load F by ensuring its deformation stroke (length in the vehicle width direction). In this way, the lower slide rail 19 to which the impact load F is applied is less likely to be strongly hit against the internal member 3 because its movement inward in the vehicle width direction is suppressed by the second connecting member 52. In particular, the second connecting member 52 has increased rigidity against the impact load F applied from the outside in the vehicle width direction due to the front and rear reinforcing bead portions 523 (first reinforcing portion 50A), so that the movement of the lower slide rail 19 can be more reliably suppressed. In the vehicle undercarriage, connecting members 51, 52, and 53 are disposed at the front, middle, and rear end positions of the lower slide rail 19 shown in FIG. 6. Therefore, the connecting members 51, 52, and 53 act to prevent the lower slide rail 19 from moving inward (to the right) in the vehicle width direction over substantially the entire length of the lower slide rail 19 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[Vehicle undercarriage advantages]
In this embodiment, the connecting members 52, etc. to which the lower slide rail 19 is fixed are provided so as to extend in the vehicle width direction, and are disposed between the lower slide rail 19 and the internal member 3. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the impact load applied during a vehicle collision, etc., can be received by the lower slide rail 19 and the connecting members 52, etc. Then, the lower slide rail 19 to which the impact load is applied is restrained from moving inward in the vehicle width direction by the connecting members 52, etc., and is therefore unlikely to hit the internal member 3 hard. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the lower slide rail 19 disposed under the locker from hitting the internal member 3 under the floor hard, without using a dedicated buffer member.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing the first reinforcing portion 50A and the second reinforcing portion 50B on the connecting member 52 etc. for reinforcement, it becomes possible to more reliably suppress the movement of the lower slide rail 19 inward in the vehicle width direction during a vehicle collision, etc. In particular, the connecting member 52 etc. has a more reliably increased rigidity against impact loads because the first reinforcing portion 50A protrudes in the vertical direction of the vehicle while extending in the vehicle width direction, i.e., in the direction in which the impact load is applied. In addition, the connecting member 52 etc. has a second reinforcing portion 50B protruding below the vehicle, which is located at the end on the outer side of the vehicle, i.e., at the location where the impact load is applied, so that it can more reliably withstand the impact load.

[Step board position displacement]
Next, the behavior of the step device 40 when it is moved from the stored position to the deployed position will be described. With reference to Fig. 9, the sliding door 20 starts to move in the opening direction from its fully closed position, and the bracket portion 23 provided on the sliding door 20 moves toward the rear of the vehicle. At this time, the sliding door 20 slides along the slide rail 19 by sliding the guide rollers 26 and the load rollers 27 of the guide roller unit 25 against the slide rail 19 as shown in Fig. 10 (see the movement trajectory Do of the sliding door shown in Fig. 10).

10, when the sliding door 20 starts to move, the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 of the guide roller unit 25 described above move toward the rear of the vehicle along the bent portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19 (see the rollers shown by the two-dot dashed line in FIG. 10). The rolling roller 28 of the guide roller unit 25 also moves toward the rear of the vehicle along the front straight portion 420 (see the portion shown by the two-dot dashed line) of the rail portion 42 of the step plate 41. The front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42 intersects with the movement trajectory Do when the sliding door 20 starts to move in the opening direction from the fully closed position as described above. Therefore, while the rolling roller 28 moves along the front straight portion 420 (see the arrow A1 in FIG. 10), the moving force of the sliding door 20 toward the outside in the vehicle width direction is applied to the rail portion 42 via the rolling roller 28, and the step plate 41 is pressed toward the outside (left side) in the vehicle width direction. As a result, the front support link 43f and the rear support link 43b of the four-joint link mechanism 43 rotate left about the corresponding rotation center shafts 43c and 43e, and the step plate 41 moves horizontally outward in the vehicle width direction. Then, by the time the rolling roller 28 moves to the rear end of the front straight section 420, the step plate 41 receives the above-mentioned moving force and displaces from the stored position to the deployed position.

6 and 10, when the sliding door 20 starts to move, the front straight portion 420 of the rail portion 42 is not stored in front of the bent portion 190 as described above. This allows the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 to move to their rear end positions along the bent portion 190 of the lower slide rail 19. Also, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, the step plate 41 is displaced to the deployed position, and the rail portion 42 provided on the step plate 41 is pulled out from the lower slide rail 19 to the outside (left side) in the vehicle width direction. Pulling out the rail portion 42 from the lower slide rail 19 in this way allows the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 to enter the rear side of the bent portion 190.

Next, referring to FIG. 10, the sliding door 20 slides further to the fully open position. At this time, the guide roller 26 and the load roller 27 move along the rear part of the bent part 190 and the straight part 191 of the lower slide rail 19. The rolling roller 28 enters the bent part 421 from the front straight part 420 of the rail part 42, and then moves along the bent part 421 and the rear straight part 422 (see arrow A2 in FIG. 10). The bent part 421 and the rear straight part 422 of the rail part 42 are formed to follow the movement trajectory Do of the sliding door 20 as described above. Therefore, while the rolling roller 28 rolls between the bent part 421 and the rear straight part 422, the moving force of the sliding door 20 is not applied to the rail part 42 of the step plate 41. Therefore, the step plate 41 is held in the storage position until the sliding door 20 moves to the fully open position. When the sliding door 20 is closed from the fully open position to the fully closed position, the step plate 41 is returned to the storage position by performing the reverse operation to that described above.

[Another advantage of the vehicle undercarriage (1)]
In addition, in the vehicle undercarriage structure, an increase in the accommodation space for the lower slide rail 19 and the step device 40 can be suppressed as much as possible. That is, the lower slide rail 19 shown in FIG. 5 is disposed on the vehicle lower side of the fixed step plate 33 with its position relative to the locker 30 fixed as described above. The lower slide rail 19 constitutes a hollow columnar accommodation portion 100, and an opening 195 is formed on its outer side in the vehicle width direction (left side). Next, the step plate 41 is provided with a rail portion 42 at its outer end in the vehicle width direction so as to protrude on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (right side). The rail portion 42 and the lower slide rail 19 (opening 195) are provided at approximately the same height position. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the step plate 41 is displaced to the storage position, and the rail portion 42 is disposed on the vehicle lower side of the fixed step plate 33, so that the rail portion 42 is accommodated in the lower slide rail 19 through the opening 195. This allows the rail portion 42 of the step plate 41 and the lower slide rail 19 to be arranged so as to overlap in the vehicle width direction, making it easier to secure the accommodation space in the vehicle width direction compared to the case where each component is arranged separately. In particular, in the above-mentioned configuration, the rail portion 42 (convex end portion) protruding inward in the vehicle width direction and the lower slide rail 19 (concave accommodation portion 100) having a substantially horizontal U-shaped cross section can be fitted together in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, by accommodating the rail portion 42 within the lower slide rail 19, the rail portion 42 is less likely to protrude from the lower slide rail 19 to the vehicle lower side. As a result, the ground clearance of the lower slide rail 19 and the step device 40 is secured, making it less likely to interfere with the ground (road surface).

[Another advantage of the vehicle undercarriage (2)]
In addition, the vehicle undercarriage structure can more reliably ensure the support of the step plate 41 shown in Fig. 3. That is, the step plate 41 in the storage position shown in Fig. 5 is disposed below the vehicle of the locker 30 and the fixed step plate 33 as described above. The lower slide rail 19 is disposed below the vehicle of the fixed step plate 33 while being supported by the second connecting member 52 and the like. The lower slide rail 19 is disposed directly below the step plate 41, so that the lower slide rail 19 (support portion 196) can contact and support the step plate 41. The support portion 196 is configured to always contact the step plate 41 while the step plate 41 is displaced from the storage position to the deployed position.

The step plate 41 is displaced from the stored position to the deployed position, so that it is positioned outside (left side) in the vehicle width direction from the stored position, as shown in FIG. 3. The lower slide rail 19 supports the step plate 41 in the deployed position by constantly contacting the step plate 41 with its support portion 196. The lower slide rail 19 is positioned outside the locker 30 in the vehicle width direction as described above, so that it supports a position closer to the outer edge of the step plate 41 in the vehicle width direction than the support plate portion 44 (base end support portion 45) on the locker side. As a result, when a load Fu (foot load, etc.) is applied to the step plate 41 in the deployed position from the upper side of the vehicle, the step plate 41 in the deployed position can be more stably supported by the lower slide rail 19. The step plate 41 to which the load Fu is applied tends to move its inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction toward the upper side of the vehicle, but the upward movement of the step plate 41 can be suppressed by the fixed step plate 33 with increased rigidity.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned configuration, the distance between the left edge of the step plate 41 shown in FIG. 3 (load point, the part located directly above the rail portion 42 in the same figure) and the lower slide rail 19 (support point) can be shortened as much as possible, so there is no need to make the rigidity of the step plate 41 excessively high. Also, since the step plate 41 does not need to be supported by the front support link 43f and rear support link 43b shown in FIG. 4 when getting on and off, there is no need to make the rigidity of these links 43f, 43b excessively high. Therefore, according to the vehicle's undercarriage structure, the function of the lower slide rail 19 makes it possible to simplify the configuration of the step device 40 and reduce its weight.

The vehicle undercarriage of this embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may take various other embodiments. In this embodiment, the configuration of the slide rail and the connecting member is exemplified, but these configurations are not intended to be limited. For example, the slide rail may be supported by multiple connecting members, or a single connecting member (for example, multiple connecting members shown in FIG. 4 are connected into one) may be configured to support the slide rail. When multiple connecting members are used, the number of connecting members and their arrangement positions can be changed as appropriate, and the shape (external shape and cross-sectional shape) can be set for each connecting member. It is preferable to provide at least one of a first reinforcing portion and a second reinforcing portion on the connecting member. As the first reinforcing portion, in addition to the reinforcing bead portion, a vertical wall-shaped portion rising from the surface of the main body portion, a flange-shaped portion formed by bending the outer edge of the main body portion, etc. can be provided, and the first reinforcing portion can be protruded to at least one of the upper and lower sides of the vehicle. As the second reinforcing portion, a portion separate from the slide rail can be provided, and this second reinforcing portion can be protruded to at least one of the upper and lower sides of the vehicle. The slide rail does not necessarily have to be fixed to the end of the connecting member on the outer side of the vehicle, but may be fixed to a portion on the inner side of the vehicle from that end. The connecting member can be fixed to an appropriate position on the locker. Note that examples of internal members include batteries and various types of members mounted on vehicles, such as fuel storage members that store fuel, such as liquid or gas. Note that the opening and closing direction of the slide rail is not necessarily limited to the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the configuration of the step plate and the slide rail is exemplified as a structure related to the above-mentioned other advantage (1), but these configurations are not intended to be limited. For example, a storage section can be provided in the step plate, and the end of the slide rail on the vehicle outside can be stored in this storage section. For example, in the slide rail shown in FIG. 3, the lower wall section supporting the load roller can be omitted, and in such a case, the slide rail can be formed only by the upper wall section for the guide roller. In this case, the upper wall section constituting the end of the slide rail on the vehicle outside can be configured to be stored in a storage section formed between the lower surface of the step plate and the roller section. In the above configuration, when the step plate is displaced to the deployed position, the upper wall section of the slide rail is pulled out toward the inside of the vehicle relative to the storage section. In addition, when the step plate is moved electrically, a sensor for detecting an occupant and a sensor for detecting a sliding door (an example of a mechanism section) can be disposed at the position of the rail section. In this case, various sensors constitute the end of the step plate on the vehicle outside (convex end). Note that the end on the vehicle outside and the storage section do not necessarily need to be configured to be fitted from the inside and outside of the vehicle (convex and concave fitting). If possible, the end of the step board on the inside of the vehicle may be accommodated in a storage section serving as a slide rail. At least a part of the structure relating to the other advantage (1) may be omitted as necessary.

In this embodiment, the configuration of the step plate and the slide rail is exemplified as a structure related to the above-mentioned other advantage (2), but these configurations are not intended to be limited. For example, the slide rail may be configured to be able to abut against the step plate to which a load is applied from the upper side of the vehicle. In other words, the step plate to which a load is applied may move to the lower side of the vehicle and directly abut against the slide rail, and a small gap may be provided between the step plate and the slide rail in the free state. The slide rail may also be configured to support only the step plate in the deployed position. The slide rail may also be arranged so as to be hidden under the locker, and in this case, it is desirable that it is arranged on the outer side of the vehicle than the base end support part. The base end support part may also be omitted. And when the slide rail is arranged on the outer side of the vehicle than the locker, this slide rail does not necessarily need to be covered by the fixed step plate. The support part may be provided continuously or intermittently along the lower slide rail, and the material of the support part is generally resin, but is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. It is also possible to omit the support portion from the lower slide rail, in which case the lower slide rail directly contacts and supports the step plate. At least a portion of the structure related to the other advantage (2) can be omitted as necessary.

2 Vehicle 3 Internal member 10 Vehicle body 11 Front door opening 12 Rear door opening 15 Front door 17 Upper slide rail 18 Center slide rail 19 Lower slide rail (slide rail of the present invention)
190 Bent portion 191 Straight portion 192 Upper wall portion 193 Lower wall portion 194 Vertical wall portion 195 Opening 196 Support portion 20 Sliding door 23 Bracket portion 23a Fixed portion 23b Mounting portion 25 Guide roller unit 26 Guide roller 27 Load roller 28 Rolling roller 30 Locker 31 Locker outer 311 (Locker outer) Upper plate surface 312 (Locker outer) Lower plate surface 313 (Locker outer) Left plate surface 32 (Locker inner) Inner locker 321 (Locker inner) Upper plate surface 322 (Locker inner) Lower plate surface 323 (Locker inner) Right plate surface 31a, 32a Upper flange portion 31b, 32b Lower flange portion 33 Fixed step plate 34 Vertical wall portion 35 Horizontal wall portion 36 Reinforcement material 37 Base end bracket 37sb Rear support portion 37sf Front support portion 38 Tip bracket 40 Step device 41 Step plate 410 Tip portion 411 Fixing plate portion 42 Rail portion 420 Front straight portion 421 Bent portion 422 Rear straight portion 43 Four-bar link mechanism 43f Front support link 43b Rear support link 43c, 43e Rotation center shaft 43x, 43y Tip connecting shaft 44 Support plate portion 44a Another support plate portion 45 Base end support portion 45a Another base end support portion 51 First connecting member 52 Second connecting member 520 Base end portion (portion of the connecting member of the present invention on the vehicle inner side, fixed portion with the locker)
521 Main body portion 522 Tip portion (portion of the connecting member of the present invention on the vehicle outer side)
523 Reinforcement bead portion 53 Third connecting member 50A First reinforcing portion 50B Second reinforcing portion 100 Storage portion 260 First shaft member 261 Upper support portion 270 Second shaft member 271 Lower support portion 272 Third shaft member 280 Fourth shaft member

Claims (4)

A vehicle underbody structure including a sliding door for opening and closing a door opening of a vehicle body, and a cylindrical locker forming a lower edge of the door opening,
A slide rail that supports the slide door so that the slide door can slide in an opening and closing direction is disposed on the vehicle underside of the locker via a connecting member,
When the direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction is defined as the vehicle interior/exterior direction based on a plan view in the vehicle vertical direction, the connecting member is arranged to extend in the vehicle interior/exterior direction at a position below the locker with its vehicle interior portion fixed to the locker, and the slide rail is fixed to a part of the connecting member on the vehicle exterior side further than the fixed point with the locker. The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member has at least one of a first reinforcing portion extending in the vehicle interior-exterior direction and a second reinforcing portion extending in the opening/closing direction at the vehicle exterior end of the connecting member. The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 2, wherein the connecting member has the first reinforcing portion that protrudes in the vertical direction of the vehicle. 4. The vehicle underbody structure according to claim 2, wherein the connecting member has the second reinforcing portion protruding in the vehicle up-down direction.

Images