JP3514084B2 - Body 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 vehicle body structure in which a cabin is provided at a substantially central portion of the vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a passenger car has a box-shaped vehicle body having wheels on the front and rear sides thereof and a cabin provided at the center thereof. When designing such a passenger car, it is desirable to make the outer surface streamlined to reduce air resistance during travel. However, since it is necessary to secure the visibility of the driver while traveling, the cabin must be arranged above the vehicle body.

[0003]

When designing a passenger car in this way, it has been difficult to design a passenger car with a design desired by a designer due to the problems of air resistance and securing of the driver's field of view. there were.

Therefore, for example, as a "driving-field-of-view varying device" disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 9-76799, while ensuring a vehicle body shape that reduces air resistance, the seat can be changed depending on the running state of the vehicle. It is disclosed that the height adjuster is actuated to move the driver seat up and down to change the range of the driver's field of view. However, in the "driving field of view changing device" disclosed in this publication, the driver's seat is moved up and down in the cabin to change the driver's field of view. Therefore, the space between the driver sitting on the driver seat and the cabin ceiling is reduced. There is a problem in that the driver becomes uncomfortable because it becomes narrow.

The present invention solves such a problem by providing a vehicle body shape for reducing air resistance and ensuring a sufficient field of view in front according to the running state of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle body structure that improves traveling stability and traveling safety.

[0006]

The vehicle body structure of the invention of claim 1 for achieving the above object, according to an aspect of, providing a cabin separately from the vehicle body in a substantially central portion of the vehicle body, of the cabin
The front part is rotatably supported by the support shaft, while the rear part is
Depending on the running state of the vehicle by the pressure cylinder , the outer surface of the cabin is movable to a lower position where the outer surface of the cabin is substantially flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body and a raised position where the outer surface projects upward from the outer surface of the vehicle body . When the cabin is in the raised position
A cover is provided to cover the space between the vehicle body and the cabin . Therefore, in the lowered position of the cabin, the outer surface of the cabin is substantially flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body, and a vehicle body shape that can reduce air resistance is secured, while in the raised position of the cabin, the cabin body is From the upper part of the vehicle , ensuring a sufficient field of view in the front and
The space between the cabin and the cabin is covered with a cover,
Does not impair the appearance quality.

In the vehicle body structure according to the second aspect of the present invention, the cabin is moved from the raised position to the lowered position when a predetermined traveling speed is exceeded. Therefore, when the vehicle is traveling at high speed, the cabin is in the lowered position and the outer surface of the cabin is flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body. Therefore, the effect of reducing air resistance becomes clear, while when the vehicle is traveling at low speed, the cabin is in the raised position. Since the vehicle protrudes upward from the vehicle body, the driver can sufficiently secure the front field of view.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle having a vehicle body structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle in which the cabin is in a raised position, and FIG. 3 is a relationship between the cabin in the lowered position and the vehicle body. 4 is a side view showing the relationship between the cabin in the raised position and the vehicle body, FIG. 5 is a side view of the vehicle in which the door is in the open position, and FIG. 6 is a main view of the vehicle body showing the door opening / closing mechanism. Partial cross section, FIG. 7 shows an external appearance of a vehicle having the vehicle body structure of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, a vehicle 11 is provided with a cabin 13 in a central portion of a vehicle body 12, headlamps 14 are mounted on both sides of a front surface portion of the vehicle body 12, and a rear surface portion thereof is illustrated. Stop lamp is installed. The communication lamps 15 and 1 are provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body 12 so as to be located on both sides of the cabin 13.
6, 17, 18 are attached. Vehicle 1 of the present embodiment
In 1, the cabin 13 is
The outer surface is movable to a lower position where the outer surface is substantially flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body 12 and a raised position where the outer surface projects upward from the outer surface of the vehicle body 12.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cabin 13 is disposed substantially in the center of the vehicle body 12 and is vertically rotatable by support shafts 21 provided on both sides of the front portion. . A pair of left and right hydraulic cylinders 22 are attached to the rear portion of the vehicle body 12, and the front end portion of the drive rod 23 is connected to the rear surface portion of the cabin 13. Therefore, by operating the hydraulic cylinder 22 to expand and contract the drive rod 23, the cabin 13 is rotated around the support shaft 21 as a fulcrum and moved to the lowered position shown in FIG. 1 and the raised position shown in FIG. You can

A cover is provided between the vehicle body 12 and the cabin 13 to cover the space between the vehicle body 12 and the cabin 13 when the cabin 13 is in the raised position. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a roof-shaped cover 24 is supported on the vehicle body 12 behind the cabin 13 so as to be movable back and forth, and can be moved by a driving unit (not shown). Therefore, when the cabin 13 shown in FIG. 3 is in the lowered position, the cover 24 is moved rearward, and when the cabin 13 is moved to the raised position shown in FIG. 4, the cover 24 is moved forward to move the cabin 13 and the vehicle body 12 together. And cover the space above the rear of the.

Further, first shield plates 25 are fixed to the rear portion of the cabin 13 at the lower portions on both sides. Meanwhile, the cabin 13
A second shield plate 26 and a third shield plate 27 are disposed on both sides of the vehicle body 12 positioned below the vehicle body 12, and the front end portions of the support shaft 28,
It is rotatably supported on the vehicle body 12 by 29. Then, the connecting shaft 30 of the first shielding plate 25 engages with the long hole 31 formed at the rear end of the second shielding plate 26, and the connecting shaft 32 of the second shielding plate 26 of the third shielding plate 27. It engages with the long hole 33. Therefore, in the lowered position of the cabin 13 shown in FIG. 3, the shielding plates 25, 26, 27 are housed in the vehicle body 12, and when the cabin 13 moves to the raised position shown in FIG. The first shield 25
And the second and third shielding plates 26 and 27 rotate upward to cover the spaces on both sides of the cabin 13 and the vehicle body 12.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cabin 13 is supported rotatably up and down with respect to the vehicle body 12, and the door 34 provided in the cabin 13 is of a gull wing type. . That is, the gull wing type door 34 has an L-shaped vertical cross section, and an upper end thereof is rotatably supported by a hinge 35 on a support portion 13a along the front and rear of the center of the ceiling of the cabin 13 and is mounted on the cabin 13. The tip of the drive rod 37 of the hydraulic cylinder 36 is connected to the door 34. In addition, outside the door 34, a side protector 38 whose outer surface is flush with the vehicle body 12 is provided.
Is provided. A lower end of the side protector 38 is rotatably supported by a hinge 39, and is rotatable outward by a hydraulic cylinder (not shown). The side protector 38 can be used as an occupant's step when pivoting outward. .

In the vehicle 11 of the present embodiment described above, when the vehicle 11 travels at low and medium speeds, the hydraulic cylinder 22 extends as shown in FIGS.
Is in a raised position in which the cover 24 moves forward to cover the space above the rear part of the cabin 13 and the vehicle body 12 at the same time, and at the same time, the first, second, and third shielding plates. 25, 26, and 27 move upward to cover the spaces on both sides of the cabin 13 and the vehicle body 12, and the appearance quality is not impaired. And in this state, the cabin 1
The driver sitting on a seat (not shown) in 3 has a high line-of-sight position, and the driver's field of view is close to the vehicle 11 that is traveling at low and medium speeds, and thus the traveling safety is good.

After that, when the vehicle 11 enters a highway or the like to increase the traveling speed and enter a high-speed traveling state, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the hydraulic cylinder 22 contracts to rotate the cabin 13 downward. Move it to the lower position. At this time, the cover 24 moves backward and is housed in the vehicle body 12, and the first, second, and third shielding plates 25, 26, 2
7 moves downward and is stored in the vehicle body 12. In this state, since the outer surface of the vehicle body 12 and the outer surface of the cabin 13 are flush with each other, the air resistance of the vehicle 11 is reduced, the running stability is improved, and the fuel economy is improved. Also, when traveling at high speed,
Since the distant field of view is important for the driver, the driver in the cabin 13 does not hinder traveling safety even if the line of sight is lowered.

Further, when the vehicle 11 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the side protector 3 is moved by a hydraulic cylinder.
6 is rotated outward, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the hydraulic cylinder 36 is extended and the door 34 is rotated upward, so that the side of the cabin 13 is opened. Step 38 can be taken out of the cabin.

As described above, in the vehicle body structure of the present embodiment, the cabin 13 is in the raised position when the vehicle 11 is traveling at low and medium speeds, and the driver's line of sight is increased so that the driver can see the vehicle 11 in the vicinity thereof. The traveling safety is improved, and the cover 24 and the shielding plates 25, 26, and 27 cover the space between the cabin 13 and the vehicle body 12, so that the appearance quality is not deteriorated. On the other hand, when the vehicle 11 travels at high speed, the cabin 13
Is in the lowered position, the outer surface of the vehicle body 12 and the outer surface of the cabin 13 are flush with each other, air resistance is reduced, and traveling stability and fuel economy are improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the cabin 1
Although 3 can be moved up and down according to the vehicle speed, the hydraulic cylinder 22 may be expanded and contracted by a switch operation to move the cabin 13 up and down, or the cabin 13 may be stopped at an intermediate position. Further, by providing the lock mechanism at each of the raised position and the lowered position of the cabin 13, the vehicle 11
It is also possible to improve the rigidity and running stability of the vehicle.

[0020]

Effect of the Invention] According to the body structure of the invention of claim 1 as described in detail in embodiments, provided cabin separately from the vehicle body in a substantially central portion of the vehicle body, the calibration
The front part of the bottle is rotatably supported by the support shaft, while the rear part
Depending on the running state of the vehicle, this part is movably supported by a hydraulic cylinder in a lowered position, which is substantially flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body, and in a raised position, which projects upward from the outer surface of the vehicle body. With the car body when
Is provided with the cover covering the space in the cabin, in the raised position of the cabin, it is possible to improve the running safety can see the driver's line of sight is increased until proximal of the vehicle, and a vehicle body The space with the cabin is covered
It is covered by, without impairing the appearance quality,
On the other hand, in the lowered position of the cabin, the outer surface of the vehicle body is flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body to reduce the air resistance and improve the running stability.

Further, according to the vehicle body structure of the present invention, the cabin is moved from the ascending position to the descending position when the traveling speed exceeds a predetermined traveling speed. The driver's line of sight can be raised to improve the driving safety while the vehicle is traveling at high speed, while the cabin is in the lowered position to reduce air resistance and improve driving stability. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle having a vehicle body structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle with the cabin in a raised position.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the relationship between the cabin in the lowered position and the vehicle body.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the relationship between the cabin in the raised position and the vehicle body.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the vehicle with the door in the open position.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a vehicle body showing an opening / closing mechanism of a door.

FIG. 7 is an external view of a vehicle having the vehicle body structure of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 vehicles 12 body 13 cabins 14 headlamp 15,16,17,18 Communication lamp 21 Support shaft 22 Hydraulic cylinder 24 cover 25 First shielding plate 26 Second shielding plate 27 Third shielding plate 34 door 36 hydraulic cylinder 38 Side protector

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 25/00 B62D 35/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. The vehicle body (1 ) is provided substantially at the center of the vehicle body (12).
The 2) Cabin (13) is provided separately, the calibration
The front part of the bottle (13) can be freely rotated by the support shaft (21).
Supported by the hydraulic cylinder (22) at the rear.
Depending on the running state of the vehicle, the outer surface is substantially flush with the outer surface of the vehicle body (12) in a lowered position, and the outer surface is the vehicle body.
Movably supported from the outer surface (12) in the raised position projecting upward Rutotomoni, the cabin (13) is raised position
When in the stationary position, the vehicle body (12) and the cabin (1)
3) A vehicle body structure characterized in that a cover (24) for covering a space with the space (3) is provided . 2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the cabin (13) moves from the raised position to the lowered position when a predetermined traveling speed is exceeded.