JP3288735B2 - Vehicle layout structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a layout structure of a vehicle in which a fuel tank is disposed in a space below a floor behind a front seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, 4WD (four-wheel drive) is becoming mainstream in a wagon-type leisure vehicle such as an eight-seater. In such a vehicle, a propeller shaft for transmitting power from an engine disposed in front of a front seat to a rear wheel is disposed at a substantially central portion in a vehicle width direction so as to vertically cross the vehicle body. I have. The propeller shaft passes through a tunnel provided at substantially the center of the floor portion of the front seat in the vehicle width direction, and further passes through a lower portion of the floor of the rear seat and is connected to a rear differential. That is, the space under the floor of the rear seat is divided into two parts by the propeller shaft in the vehicle width direction.

[0003] On the other hand, in such a vehicle, a fuel tank is usually arranged together with the propeller shaft above the rear seat below the floor. However, as described above, the underfloor space of the rear seat is divided into two at the center in the width direction by the propeller shaft, so that the fuel tank cannot be arranged over the entire space under the floor in the vehicle width direction. .

Further, in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, the foot portion of the front seat has a low floor surface for improving the maneuverability. , A fuel tank cannot be arranged. Further, since a rear differential, a drive shaft, and the like are arranged in a lower part of the floor on the rear side of the vehicle body, a fuel tank cannot be arranged in this part. Therefore, conventionally, the fuel tank is disposed in a space from the rear side of the front seat to the front of the rear drive shaft in the vehicle longitudinal direction,
In the vehicle width direction, it was arranged in a space on one side separated by a propeller shaft at the center of the vehicle body.

[0005]

However, in the above conventional example, the limit of the plane area of the fuel tank in the front-rear and left-right directions is defined by the front seat, the rear drive shaft, and the propeller shaft. In order to secure sufficient fuel tank capacity, there is no other choice but to increase the height of the fuel tank, which raises the problem that the floor surface becomes high, and consequently the entire vehicle body becomes high. Was.

As means for solving this problem, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-32626, a saddle-type fuel tank that straddles a propeller shaft is used, A method of distributing and arranging the fuel tank in the space on both sides of the propeller shaft, or a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 3-1817 filed by the present applicant.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 51, a method of penetrating a propeller shaft in the center of a fuel tank and disposing the fuel tank in spaces on both sides of the propeller shaft like a saddle type fuel tank has been considered. However, in these methods, a space for passing a part of the fuel tank is required in a space above or below the propeller shaft, which also causes a problem that the floor surface becomes high. is there. Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress the floor height of the rear compartment of the vehicle body low while securing a sufficient capacity of the fuel tank. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle layout structure that can be used.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the object, a layout structure of a vehicle according to the present invention is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction at a center portion in a vehicle width direction and project from a vehicle interior side. A floor panel having a front floor panel having a raised tunnel portion, and a rear floor panel stepped up with respect to the front floor panel and continuously extending rearward. A vehicle in which a front seat for an occupant is provided on the rear floor panel so as to form an entry space, and a propeller shaft for transmitting the power of an engine disposed in a front portion of the vehicle to rear wheels is provided below the floor panel. A first propeller shaft disposed in the tunnel portion; and a rear propeller offset from the first propeller shaft in a vehicle width direction. A second propeller shaft arranged substantially horizontally and substantially parallel to a center line in the vehicle width direction, a rear end of the first propeller shaft, and a front end of the second propeller shaft arranged below the panel. And an offset mechanism for communicatively connecting the second propeller shaft and the rear floor panel on the side opposite to the side where the second propeller shaft is offset with respect to the first propeller shaft. A fuel tank is disposed below the fuel tank, and the fuel tank is located on the opposite side of the first and second propeller shafts from the fuel tank,
In addition, an exhaust passage is provided so as to extend substantially horizontally along the propeller shaft from the tunnel portion to below the rear floor panel.

The vehicle layout structure according to the present invention further includes a drive shaft disposed below the rear floor panel and extending in the vehicle width direction for transmitting a driving force from the propeller shaft to rear wheels. A spare tire is disposed in a state in which the second propeller shaft behind the drive shaft is offset in the vehicle width direction in a direction opposite to the offset direction.

[0009]

As described above, since the layout structure of the vehicle according to the present invention is constructed, a tunnel portion is provided at the foot space of the front seat at the center in the vehicle width direction, and the height changes between the front and rear. The propeller shaft is divided into front and rear with respect to the floor panel to be shifted, the rear second propeller shaft is offset in the vehicle width direction, and the fuel tank is arranged on the opposite side of the offset, so that the capacity of the fuel tank is sufficiently secured Meanwhile, the height of the floor panel behind the vehicle body is kept low, and the foot space for the occupants in front can be secured, and the comfort of the occupants can be achieved by securing a long cruising distance and a large cabin space.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view in which the layout structure of a vehicle according to one embodiment is applied to a wagon-type leisure vehicle. The leisure vehicle 8 shown in FIG. 1 is a 4WD vehicle (four-wheel drive vehicle),
An engine 14 is arranged in an engine room 12 in front of the vehicle. The power of the engine 14 is transmitted to a center differential (not shown) via a mission 16,
In the center differential, this power is divided for the front wheels and the rear wheels. Of the divided power, the power for the front wheels is transmitted to the front drive shaft 18 via a front differential (not shown), and
0 is driven.

On the other hand, the power for the rear wheels is first transmitted from the center differential to the first propeller shaft 22. The first propeller shaft 22 passes through the inside of a tunnel portion 28 formed on a floor surface at a substantially central portion in the vehicle width direction of a front portion 26 of the vehicle compartment where the front seat is disposed, and a floor below the front seat 24. It extends to the underside. First
The propeller shaft 22 is connected to an offset mechanism 30 for offsetting the tip end 22a extending rearward of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction (upward in the figure, rightward as viewed from the occupant). I have.

The offset mechanism 30 has a casing 32 fixed to the vehicle body 10, and the casing 32 supports the first propeller shaft 22 rotatably with respect to the vehicle body 10. On the other hand, a second propeller shaft 34 is connected to a side of the offset mechanism 30 opposite to the side to which the first propeller shaft 22 is connected (the rear side of the vehicle body).
In the same manner as described above, it is rotatably supported by the vehicle body 10.
The offset mechanism 30 is configured to offset the first propeller shaft 22 with respect to the first propeller shaft 22 in the vehicle width direction, in the vehicle width direction, to the upper side in the drawing (to the right as viewed from the occupant).
The power of the propeller shaft 22 is transferred to the second propeller shaft 3
4, which will be described later in detail.

The second propeller shaft 34 extends from the portion connected to the offset mechanism 30 toward the rear of the vehicle body 10, and a tip portion 34 a thereof is connected to a rear differential 36. Therefore, the power of the engine 14 is transmitted to the rear drive shaft 38 via the center differential, the first propeller shaft 22, the shift mechanism 30, the second propeller shaft 34, and the rear differential 36 in order, and the rear wheel 40 is driven. .

As described above, the second propeller shaft 3
As the vehicle 4 is offset in the vehicle width direction, the exhaust pipe 42 extending rearward from the engine 14 is also offset at a position corresponding to the offset mechanism 30 in the same manner as the second propeller shaft 34, and extends along the second propeller shaft 34. And extend to the rear of the vehicle body 10. A fuel tank 44 is arranged in a space below the floor between the rear side of the front seat 24 and the front side of the rear drive shaft 38. As shown in the figure, the width of the fuel tank 44 can be increased in the vehicle width direction by the amount by which the second propeller shaft 34 is offset upward in the drawing. That is, the fuel tank 44 is widened in the vehicle width direction from the position of the two-dot chain line A where the propeller shaft is arranged at the center in the vehicle width direction to the position of the embodiment shown by the solid line,
It is possible to ensure the capacity of the fuel tank 44 without increasing the height direction.

Incidentally, a spare tire 48 is usually arranged further rearward of the rear part 46 of the vehicle compartment, but in one embodiment, the spare tire 48 is attached to the rear drive shaft 3.
8 is disposed in the lower part of the floor on the same side as the side on which the fuel tank 44 is disposed in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 2). By arranging the spare tire 48 at such a position, the spare tire 48 can be efficiently stored by effectively utilizing the widened underfloor space due to the offset of the rear differential 36 in the same direction due to the shift of the second propeller shaft 34. can do. In contrast, as before,
When the drive shaft 38 is disposed so as to extend vertically through the center of the vehicle body, the rear differential 36 is also connected to the vehicle body 10.
, The plane space cannot be taken up, and the spare tire 48 cannot be arranged in the space under the floor.

In one embodiment, the tunnel 28 below the front seat 24 is disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction, and the first propeller shaft 22 is connected to the tunnel 28.
It is made to pass inside. And the front seat 24
, Only the second propeller shaft 34 disposed in the rear of the vehicle is offset in the vehicle width direction. Here, for example, the propeller shaft is connected to the first propeller shaft 2.
A case is considered in which one propeller shaft is arranged offset from the portion immediately after the center differential in the vehicle width direction without being divided into the second propeller shaft 34 and the second propeller shaft 34. In this case, the tunnel portion of the front seat is located closer to one side in the vehicle width direction, and the height of the floor surface at the foot of the front seat closer to the tunnel portion is higher. , The livability of the front seat of the vehicle will be significantly deteriorated. Therefore, in one embodiment, the propeller shaft is divided into the first and second propeller shafts 22 and 34, and only the second propeller shaft 34 below the front seat 24 and the rear seat 50 whose floor surfaces are originally raised is used. It is arranged to be offset in the vehicle width direction.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the leisure vehicle shown in FIG. As described above, the engine 14 is disposed in the engine room 12 at the front part of the vehicle body 10, and the first propeller shaft 34 is connected to the rear of the engine 14 via the transmission 16 and the center differential. I have. First propeller shaft 22
Is extended toward the rear of the vehicle body 10 through a tunnel portion 28 formed on the floor of the passenger compartment 10.

An offset mechanism 30 is arranged below the front seat 24, and one end of the first propeller shaft 22 is connected to the front end of the offset mechanism 30. One end of the second propeller shaft 34 is connected to the rear end of the offset mechanism 30. The second propeller shaft 34 extends rearward of the vehicle body 10, and the other end 34 a is connected to a rear differential 36. The rotational force of the second propeller shaft 34 is equal to the rear differential 3
The rear wheel 40 is transmitted to the rear drive shaft 38 through the rear wheel 6 to drive the rear wheel 40.

A fuel tank 44 is provided below the floor of the front seat 24 and the rear seat 34, as shown in the figure.
4 is offset in the vehicle width direction to secure a flat area, so that the thickness direction is extremely thin, and the height of the second propeller shaft 34 is approximately the same as the height in the vertical direction. Has been. Therefore, the rear 4
The floor of No. 6 does not rise due to the height of the fuel tank 44, and accordingly, the height of the vehicle body 10 can be kept low.

A spare tire 48 is mounted on the lower part of the floor behind the rear drive shaft 38. Next, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the leisure vehicle 8 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the front. The second propeller shaft 34 is arranged to be offset to the left in the vehicle width direction in the drawing, and the width of the fuel tank 44 is ensured to be larger than the position of the two-dot chain line A where the propeller shaft is arranged at the center. ing.

Next, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the above-described offset mechanism. The offset mechanism 30 includes a first propeller shaft 22 and a second propeller shaft 34 which are connected to a first propeller shaft 22 and a second propeller shaft 34, respectively.
It has a rotating shaft 62 and a second rotating shaft 64. The casing 32 has protrusions 32a and 32b on both sides thereof, and the protrusions 32a and 32b are fixed to the vehicle body 10. At the front end of the casing 60, a bearing 66 is disposed, and the bearing 66 allows the first rotating shaft 62 to be rotatable about a rotating shaft along the vehicle longitudinal direction. The rear end 2 of the first propeller shaft 22 is connected to the front end of the first rotating shaft 62 via a universal joint 68.
2a is connected. A second rotating shaft 64 is provided at the rear end of the casing 32 in the same manner as the front end.
, And a front end of the second propeller shaft 34 is connected to a front end of the second rotation shaft 64 via a universal joint 72.

The first and second rotating shafts 62,
First and second sprockets 74 and 76 are fixed to ends of the side 64 opposite to the side where the universal joints 68 and 72 are connected. A chain 78 extends between the first and second sprockets 74 and 76, and the rotational force of the first propeller shaft 22 is transmitted to the second propeller shaft 34 by the chain 78.

As described above, the offset mechanism 30 offsets the second propeller shaft 34 in the vehicle width direction, and arranges the fuel tank 44 in the space opposite to the offset side, whereby the fuel tank 44 Therefore, a large volume of the fuel tank 44 can be ensured without increasing the height of the fuel tank 44. As a result, it is possible to prevent the floor of the vehicle from being raised, and prevent the vehicle height from being raised. The present invention can be applied to a modification or modification of the above embodiment without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0024]

As described above, according to the vehicle layout structure of the present invention, the front seat has a tunnel portion disposed at the center of the vehicle width direction in the foot space, and the height varies between the front and rear. The propeller shaft is divided into front and rear with respect to the floor panel to be shifted, the rear second propeller shaft is offset in the vehicle width direction, and the fuel tank is arranged on the opposite side of the offset, so that the capacity of the fuel tank is sufficiently secured Meanwhile, the height of the floor panel behind the vehicle body is kept low, and the foot space for the occupants in front can be secured, and the comfort of the occupants can be achieved by securing a long cruising distance and a large cabin space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view in which a vehicle layout structure according to an embodiment is applied to a wagon-type leisure vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the leisure vehicle shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the leisure vehicle shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the front.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a shift mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 Leisure Vehicle 10 Body 12 Engine Room 14 Engine 16 Transmission 18 Front Drive Shaft 20 Front Wheel 22 First Propeller Shaft 24 Front Seat 26 Cabin Front 28 Tunnel 30 Offset Mechanism 32 Casing 34 Second Propeller Shaft 36 Rear Differential 38 Rear Drive Shaft 40 Rear wheel 42 Exhaust pipe 44 Fuel tank 46 Rear of vehicle compartment 48 Spare tire 50 Rear seat 62 First rotation shaft 64 Second rotation shaft 66 Bearing 68 Universal joint 70 Bearing 72 Universal joint 74 First sprocket 76 Second sprocket 78 Chain

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60K 15/02 B60K 17/22 B62D 25/20 B60K 13/04

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A front floor panel having a tunnel portion extending in the front-rear direction at a center portion in a vehicle width direction and projecting toward a vehicle interior side, and is stepped up with respect to the front floor panel and continuously extends rearward. A floor panel having a rear floor panel, a front seat for an occupant is provided on the rear floor panel so that a side of the tunnel of the front floor panel forms a foot space, and is disposed at a front portion of the vehicle. In a vehicle in which a propeller shaft for transmitting engine power to rear wheels is installed below the floor panel, a first propeller shaft disposed in the tunnel portion, and a first propeller shaft offset from the first propeller shaft in a vehicle width direction. It is disposed below the rear floor panel Te Rutotomoni, substantially
A second propeller shaft disposed horizontally and substantially parallel to the center line in the vehicle width direction; a rear end of the first propeller shaft and a front end of the second propeller shaft connected to be capable of transmitting power. And a fuel tank below the rear floor panel on the side of the second propeller shaft, opposite to the side on which the second propeller shaft is offset with respect to the first propeller shaft. Along with the first and second
Located on the opposite side of the fuel tank with the propeller shaft in between
And below the rear floor panel from the tunnel
And extend almost horizontally along the propeller shaft.
A vehicle layout structure in which an exhaust passage is provided . 2. A drive shaft disposed below the rear floor panel and extending in a vehicle width direction for transmitting a driving force from the propeller shaft to a rear wheel, wherein the second propeller behind the drive shaft is provided. The vehicle layout structure according to claim 1, wherein the spare tire is arranged in a state where the shaft is offset in a vehicle width direction in a direction opposite to the offset direction.