JP4766517B2 - Automobile undercarriage - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lower structure of an automobile in which a traveling drive unit is connected to a suspension member by a connecting body such as a torque rod.

Conventionally, there is a lower structure of the automobile described in Patent Document 1 below. According to this publication, the lower structure of an automobile is supported by a vehicle body, a suspension member that suspends a wheel, and one end connected to the lower surface side of the suspension member, while the other end is a drive unit for traveling. And a connecting body for connecting the drive unit to the suspension member. The suspension members face each other in the vertical direction, and the outer edge portions in a plan view of the vehicle body are coupled to each other, and are interposed in a space between the lower plate member and the upper and lower plate members. And a bulkhead for joining the lower plate members to each other.
JP 2004-203331 A

  By the way, in the prior art, one end of the coupling body is coupled to the lower surface side of the suspension member. For this reason, one end portion of the connecting body tends to protrude greatly from the suspension member downward. This is not preferable because, for example, the minimum ground clearance of the automobile may be reduced.

  Therefore, an opening for opening the space toward the drive unit is formed between the outer edge portions of the lower plate member on the suspension member, and one end portion of the coupling body is formed on the suspension member through the opening. It is conceivable that the suspension member is inserted between the lower plate members and connected to the suspension member. If it does in this way, it can prevent that the combined body of the said suspension member and the one end part of a connection body becomes a compact structure, and the one end part of the said connection body narrows the said minimum ground clearance.

  However, when configured as described above, the opening is formed by a large external force applied to the suspension member from the drive unit side through the coupling body, and the outer edge portions of the lower plate member are separated from each other (opening). There is a risk that the joint body will be greatly deformed, that is, the formation of the opening may cause a lack of connection strength of the connecting body in the suspension member. In order to prevent this deformation, for example, if the suspension member is simply reinforced by increasing the thickness of the upper and lower plate members as a whole, there arises a disadvantage that the suspension member becomes unnecessarily heavy.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a compact combination of a suspension member and one end of a connecting body for connecting a drive unit to the suspension member. In this configuration, the connection strength of the connection body in the suspension member is sufficiently ensured, and the suspension member does not become heavy even in such a case.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a suspension member 13 that is supported by the vehicle body 2 and suspends a wheel 3, and one end 20 is connected to the suspension member 13, while the other end 21 is connected to the traveling drive unit 6. And a connecting body 19 for connecting the drive unit 6 to the suspension member 13. The suspension member 13 faces each other in the vertical direction, and the outer edge portions 22 and 23 in a plan view of the vehicle body 2 are coupled to each other. The lower plate members 24 and 25, and an automobile provided with a bulkhead 27 that is interposed in the space 26 between the lower plate members 24 and 25 and connects the lower plate members 24 and 25 to each other. In the substructure of
Each of the outer edge portions 22 and 23 of the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 is separated from each other so that the space 26 is directed toward the drive unit 6 between the outer edge portions 22 and 23. An opening 38 to be opened is formed, and a reinforcing body 39 disposed in the space 26 in the vicinity of the opening 38 and coupled to the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 and the bulkhead 27 is provided.
This reinforcing body 39 is coupled to the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25, respectively, and a pair of left and right reinforcing plates 40 and 41, and a pair of left and right members for coupling the side edges of the upper and lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41 to each other Side coupling plate 42 and a front coupling plate 43 that couples the rear edge portions of the upper and lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41 to each other and is coupled to the bulkhead 27. Forming an opening 44 facing the opening 38 of the suspension member 13;
One end portion 20 of the connecting member 19 is fitted to the inside of the reinforcing member 39 definitive in the space 26 through the respective openings 38, 44, one end 20 of the connecting member 19, on the suspension member 13, the lower plate The members 24 and 25 and the reinforcing body 39 and the lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41 are connected to the suspension member 13 and the reinforcing body 39 while being supported so as to straddle the upper and lower joint portions .

  In this section, the reference numerals appended to the above terms are not to be construed as limiting the technical scope of the present invention to the section “Example” described later or the contents of the drawings.

  The effects of the present invention are as follows.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suspension member that is supported by a vehicle body and suspends a wheel, one end of which is connected to the suspension member, and the other end of which is connected to a driving unit for traveling. The suspension members are connected to each other in the vertical direction, and the outer edge portions in the plan view of the vehicle body are coupled to each other, the lower plate member, and the upper and lower plate members between In a lower structure of an automobile provided with a bulkhead that is interposed in a space and connects a lower plate member to each other above,
Each of the outer edge portions of the upper and lower plate members are separated from each other to form an opening between the portions of the outer edge portions to open the space toward the drive unit, and in the vicinity of the opening. And provided with a reinforcing body that is disposed in the space and coupled to the upper and lower plate members and the bulkhead,
The reinforcing body is coupled to the upper and lower plate members, the upper and lower reinforcing plates, and a pair of left and right side coupling plates for coupling the side edge portions of the upper and lower reinforcing plates to each other. A front coupling plate coupled to each of the rear edges of the lower reinforcing plate and coupled to the bulkhead, and forming an opening facing the opening of the suspension member on the front surface of the reinforcing body;
One end portion of the connecting member is fitted in the interior of the reinforcing body definitive in the space through the respective opening, the one end of the connecting body, on said suspension member, the lower plate and the member, on said reinforcing member, the lower The suspension plate is supported so as to straddle the upper and lower joints with the reinforcing plate, and is connected to the suspension member and the reinforcing body.

  That is, one end of the connecting body for connecting the drive unit to the suspension member is not connected to the outer surface side of the suspension member, but is fitted into the space inside the suspension member and connected to the reinforcing body. ing. For this reason, the combination of the suspension member and the one end of the coupling body is compact. Therefore, according to the said combination body, the minimum ground clearance of a motor vehicle can be made higher.

  Further, as described above, the reinforcing body that connects the one end portions of the connecting body is coupled to the lower plate member and the bulkhead on the suspension member in the vicinity of the opening.

  For this reason, the strength of the portion around the suspension member where the opening is formed tends to be reduced. This strength reduction is caused by the fact that the lower plate member, the bulkhead, and the reinforcing body are coupled to each other as described above. Is effectively prevented by. Therefore, even if a large external force is applied to the suspension member from the drive unit side through the coupling body that is inserted into the space through the opening and coupled to the reinforcing body, the opening is formed and Large deformation such as separation of the outer edge portions of the plate member from each other (opening) is prevented, that is, the connection strength of the connection body in the suspension member is sufficiently ensured.

  In order to sufficiently secure the connection strength of the connection body in the suspension member, a reinforcement body is disposed in the vicinity of the opening of the suspension member, and the connection between the reinforcement body and the bulkhead of the suspension member results in the connection of the bulkhead. This is due to the effective use of strength. Therefore, in order to secure the connection strength of the connection body, it is not necessary to reinforce the overall thickness of the upper and lower plate members, so that sufficient connection strength of the connection body is ensured. Can be achieved by preventing the suspension member from becoming heavy.

  With regard to the lower structure of the automobile of the present invention, a combination of a suspension member and one end portion of a connecting body for connecting a drive unit to the suspension member is compactly configured, and the connection strength of the connecting body in the suspension member is The best mode for carrying out the present invention is as follows in order to achieve the object of ensuring sufficient suspension and preventing the suspension member from becoming heavy even in such a case.

  That is, the lower structure of an automobile is supported by a vehicle body, and has a suspension member that suspends a wheel, and one end portion connected to the suspension member, and the other end portion connected to a traveling drive unit. And a coupling body coupled to the suspension member. The suspension members face each other in the vertical direction, and the outer edge portions in a plan view of the vehicle body are coupled to each other, and are interposed in a space between the lower plate member and the upper and lower plate members. And a bulkhead for joining the lower plate members to each other.

An opening is formed between each part of the outer edge portions to open the space toward the drive unit side, with each of the outer edge portions of the upper and lower plate members being separated from each other. A reinforcing body is provided which is disposed in the space and is coupled to the upper and lower plate members and the bulkhead. The reinforcing body is coupled to the upper and lower plate members, the upper and lower reinforcing plates, a pair of left and right side coupling plates for coupling the side edges of the upper and lower reinforcing plates to each other, A front coupling plate coupled to the bulkhead and coupled to each rear edge of the lower reinforcing plate. An opening facing the opening of the suspension member is formed on the front surface of the reinforcing body. One end portion of the connecting member is caused to fit into the interior of the reinforcing body definitive to the space through each opening, one end of the coupling body, on said suspension member, the lower plate and the member, on said reinforcing member, The suspension member is supported so as to straddle the upper and lower coupling portions with the lower reinforcing plate, and is connected to the suspension member and the reinforcing body.

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

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an automobile, and an arrow Fr indicates the front in the traveling direction of the automobile 1.

  The automobile 1 includes a vehicle body 2, a suspension device 4 for suspending left and right front wheels 3 with respect to the front portion of the vehicle body 2, and a traveling drive unit 6 supported on the vehicle body 2 by a pair of left and right engine mounts 5. I have. The engine mount 5 includes a buffer, and the drive unit 6 is supported on the vehicle body 2 via the buffer. The drive unit 6 includes an internal combustion engine and a power transmission device.

  The vehicle body 2 includes a vehicle body frame 8 that forms a skeleton thereof, and a vehicle body main body 9 that is supported on the vehicle body frame 8 and that has a vehicle interior. The body frame 8 includes a pair of left and right side members 10 and 11 that constitute the left and right side portions of the body frame 8 and extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2, and the left and right side members 10 and 11 are coupled to each other (not shown). And a cross member. The drive unit 6 is disposed between the front portions of the left and right side members 10 and 11, and the drive unit 6 is installed on the side members 10 and 11 as described above. It is supported by the engine mount 5.

  The suspension device 4 includes a suspension member 13 disposed between the left and right side members 10 and 11 in the vicinity of the rear of the drive unit 6. The suspension member 13 is installed on the left and right side members 10 and 11 of the vehicle body frame 8, and is supported at both ends by fasteners 14 on the side members 10 and 11. The suspension device 4 includes a pair of left and right lower links 16 that are pivotally supported by a pair of front and rear pivots 15 with respect to the left and right sides of the suspension member 13. The wheels 3 are supported on the suspension member 13 and the vehicle body 2 by the lower links 16 and a shock absorber (not shown).

  A connecting body 19 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2 and connects the rear portion of the drive unit 6 to the suspension member 13 is provided. One end (rear end) 20 of the connecting body 19 is connected to the front of the suspension member 13, while the other end (front end) 21 is connected to the rear of the drive unit 6. Specifically, the rear portion of the drive unit 6 is a transmission case of the power transmission device. The connecting body 19 is called a torque rod, and the one end portion 20 and the other end portion 21 are each provided with an elastic buffer body, and the suspension member 13 and the drive unit 6 are respectively disposed behind the suspension member via the buffer bodies. It is connected.

  The suspension member 13 is made of sheet metal. The suspension members 13 face each other in the vertical direction, and the outer edge portions 22 and 23 in the plan view of the vehicle body 2 are joined to each other by spot welding S1. 25, and a bulkhead 27 which is interposed in the rear part of the space 26 between the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 and couples the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 to each other.

  The bulkhead 27 is made of sheet metal and is formed by pressing. The bulkhead 27 extends over substantially the entire suspension member 13 in the width direction of the vehicle body 2, and each section in the longitudinal direction has an inverted hat shape. The bulkhead 27 includes front and rear plates 29 and 30 that face each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2, an upper plate 31 that integrally couples the upper edges of the front and rear plates 29 and 30 to each other, Outward flanges 32 and 33 are formed integrally with the lower edges of the front and rear plates 29 and 30, respectively.

A plurality of elongated holes 36 extending in the longitudinal direction of the bulkhead 27 (the width direction of the vehicle body 2) are formed in the upper plate member 24 of the suspension member 13 above the upper plate 31 of the bulkhead 27. The edge portions of the long holes 36 are coupled to the upper plate 31 of the bulkhead 27 by CO ₂ arc welding W1. The outward flanges 32 and 33 of the suspension member 13 are coupled to the lower plate member 25 of the suspension member 13 by spot welding S2. The lower plate member 25 and the bulkhead 27 form a closed cross-sectional structure, and the suspension member 13 has sufficient strength and rigidity.

  A part of each of the outer edge portions 22 and 23 of the lower plate members 24 and 25 is separated from each other on the suspension member 13 to form an opening 38. The opening 38 opens the space 26 toward the drive unit 6 (forward), and is formed at the front end of the suspension member 13.

  Located in the space 26 between the bulkhead 27 and the opening 38 and in the vicinity of the openings 27 and 28, the suspension plate 13 is coupled to the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 and the bulkhead 27. A reinforcing body 39 is provided. The reinforcing body 39 is made of sheet metal, and is formed by bending a single plate into a box shape by pressing.

  The reinforcing body 39 is surface-bonded to the upper surface of the suspension member 13 and the inner surfaces of the lower plate members 24 and 25, and the lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41, and the side edges of the upper and lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41, respectively. A pair of left and right side coupling plates 42 that integrally couple the parts together, and a front coupling plate 43 that integrally couples the rear edge portions of the upper and lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41 to each other. The lower reinforcing plate 41 and the connecting plates 42 and 43 are connected to each other by spot welding S3, and the reinforcing member 39 is given sufficient strength and rigidity. An opening 44 facing the opening 38 of the suspension member 13 is formed on the front surface of the reinforcing body 39.

A portion of the upper plate member 24 of the suspension member 13 above the upper reinforcing plate 40 of the reinforcing body 39 is in a direction (longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2) substantially orthogonal to the long hole 36 in a plan view of the vehicle body 2. A plurality of other elongated holes 48 are formed, and the edge portions of the elongated holes 48 are coupled to the upper reinforcing plate 40 of the reinforcing body 39 by CO ₂ arc welding W2. Further, the lower edge portion of each side connecting plate 42 is connected to the lower plate member 25 by CO ₂ arc welding W3. Further, the rear edge of each side coupling plate 42 is coupled to the front plate 29 of the bulkhead 27 by CO ₂ arc welding W4.

  One end 20 of the connecting body 19 is fitted into the space 26 and the inside of the reinforcing body 39 through the openings 38 and 44. One end portion 20 of the connecting body 19 is connected to the reinforcing body 39 by a pivot shaft 47 having a longitudinal axis through a buffer body of the one end portion 20.

  Specifically, the pivot shaft 47 is provided on the reinforcement body 39 so as to penetrate the collar 47a interposed between the lower reinforcement plates 40 and 41, and the suspension member 13, the reinforcement body 39, and the collar 47a. In addition to the collar 47a, there are provided fasteners 47b for fastening the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 and the reinforcing body 39 on the suspension member 13 together with the lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41, respectively. The pivot shaft 47 is supported at both ends by the suspension member 13 and the reinforcing body 39, and one end 20 of the coupling body 19 is coupled to the middle portion of the pivot shaft 47 via the buffer body.

  On the other hand, the connecting body 19 has a shaft center 49 connected to the rear end portion of the drive unit 6 by a lateral pivot shaft 50 through a buffer body constituting the other end portion 21.

  According to the above configuration, the opening 38 that opens the space 26 toward the drive unit 6 side is formed between the outer edge portions 22 and 23 of the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25, and the vicinity of the opening 38. The reinforcing body 39 is disposed in the space 26 and is coupled to the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 and the bulkhead 27, and the one end 20 of the connecting body 19 is connected to the space 26 through the opening 38. The one end 20 of the connecting body 19 is connected to the reinforcing body 39.

  That is, one end portion 20 of the connecting body 19 that connects the drive unit 6 to the suspension member 13 is not connected to the outer surface side of the suspension member 13 but is fitted into the space 26 inside the suspension member 13. Are connected to the reinforcing body 39. For this reason, the combination of the suspension member 13 and the one end 20 of the connecting body 19 is compact. Therefore, according to the above combination, the minimum ground clearance of the automobile 1 can be further increased.

  Further, as described above, the reinforcing body 39 for connecting the one end 20 of the connecting body 19 is coupled to the upper and lower plate members 24 and 25 and the bulkhead 27 on the suspension member 13 in the vicinity of the opening 38. .

  For this reason, the strength of the portion around the suspension member 13 where the opening 38 is formed tends to be reduced. This strength reduction is caused by the lower plate members 24 and 25 and the bulk plate being coupled together as described above. The head 27 and the reinforcing body 39 are effectively prevented. Therefore, even if a large external force is applied to the suspension member 13 from the drive unit 6 side through the connecting body 19 that is inserted into the space 26 through the opening 38 and connected to the reinforcing body 39, the opening 38 In addition, large deformations such as the outer edge portions 22 and 23 of the lower plate members 24 and 25 being separated from each other (opening) are prevented, that is, the connection strength of the connection body 19 in the suspension member 13 is sufficient. Secured.

  In order to ensure sufficient connection strength of the connecting body 19 in the suspension member 13, a reinforcing body 39 is disposed in the vicinity of the opening 38 of the suspension member 13, and the reinforcing body 39 and the bulkhead 27 of the suspension member 13 This is because the strength of the bulkhead 27 is effectively used by the connection. Therefore, in order to secure the connection strength of the connection body 19, there is no need to reinforce the overall thickness of the upper and lower plate members 24, 25. Ensuring sufficient strength can be achieved by preventing the suspension member 13 from becoming heavy.

  Further, as described above, the pivot shaft 47 is supported at both the upper and lower joint portions of the suspension member 13 and the lower plate members 24 and 25 and the reinforcing body 39 and the lower reinforcing plates 40 and 41. The one end portion 20 of the connecting body 19 is supported in the middle portion of the pivot shaft 47 in the axial direction.

  Therefore, since the one end portion 20 of the connecting body 19 is sufficiently reinforced and has high strength and is supported at both ends by the upper and lower coupling portions via the pivot shaft 47, the one end portion 20 of the connecting body 19 in the suspension member 13 is supported. The connection strength is more sufficiently secured.

  Although the above is based on the illustrated example, the suspension member 13 may be for a rear wheel such as a rear engine or a rear axle housing. Further, only two of the coupling plates 42 and 43 may be provided, or only one may be provided.

It is the II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a simplified top view of the front part of a motor vehicle. FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged partial sectional view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. It is a fragmentary perspective view of a suspension member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automobile 2 Car body 3 Wheel 4 Suspension device 5 Engine mount 6 Drive unit 13 Suspension member 19 Connection body 20 End part 21 Other end part 22 Outer edge part 23 Outer edge part 24 Upper board member 25 Lower board member 26 Space 27 Bulkhead 36 Long hole 38 Opening 39 Reinforcing body 40 Upper reinforcing plate 41 Lower reinforcing plate 42 Coupling plate 43 Coupling plate 44 Opening 47 Pivot shaft 48 Long hole 50 Pivot shaft S1 Spot welding S2 Spot welding S3 Spot welding W1 Arc welding W2 Arc welding W3 Arc welding W4 arc welding

Claims (1)

A suspension member that is supported by the vehicle body and that suspends the wheel; and a connecting body having one end connected to the suspension member and the other end connected to the traveling drive unit to connect the drive unit to the suspension member; The suspension members face each other in the vertical direction, and the outer edge portions in a plan view of the vehicle body are coupled to each other.In addition, the suspension plate is interposed in a space between the upper plate member and the lower plate member. On top of these, in the lower structure of an automobile provided with a bulkhead that joins the lower plate members together,
Each of the outer edge portions of the upper and lower plate members are separated from each other to form an opening between the portions of the outer edge portions to open the space toward the drive unit, and in the vicinity of the opening. And provided with a reinforcing body that is disposed in the space and coupled to the upper and lower plate members and the bulkhead,
The reinforcing body is coupled to the upper and lower plate members, the upper and lower reinforcing plates, and a pair of left and right side coupling plates for coupling the side edge portions of the upper and lower reinforcing plates to each other. A front coupling plate coupled to each of the rear edges of the lower reinforcing plate and coupled to the bulkhead, and forming an opening facing the opening of the suspension member on the front surface of the reinforcing body;
One end portion of the connecting member is fitted in the interior of the reinforcing body definitive in the space through the respective opening, the one end of the connecting body, on said suspension member, the lower plate and the member, on said reinforcing member, the lower A lower structure of an automobile characterized in that it is supported so as to straddle the upper and lower coupling portions with each other and connected to the suspension member and the reinforcing body.

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