JP7468434B2 - Body structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure having, for example, a floor panel.

For example, in the case of an automobile equipped with a driving motor, a battery unit is installed to supply power to the driving motor, and this battery unit has a large capacity to increase the driving range of the driving motor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the vehicle body structure of Patent Document 1, the battery unit is installed below a floor panel that extends horizontally from the front to the rear.

JP 2019-18686 A

However, the driving range is heavily dependent on the battery capacity, and since it would be desirable to increase the driving range by increasing the installed battery capacity, a major issue is where to locate the battery on the vehicle body.

On the other hand, when considering a frontal collision of an automobile, there is a demand for receiving an impact load from the front, transmitting it to the vehicle body and dispersing it to each part of the vehicle body, thereby effectively absorbing the impact load while suppressing excessive deformation of the passenger compartment. At this time, in vehicles equipped with a battery, there is also a demand for reducing the impact load input to the battery as much as possible.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to increase the number of battery placement areas to increase on-board capacity, while suppressing excessive deformation of the passenger compartment during a frontal collision and reducing the impact load input to the battery.

To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present disclosure can be based on the premise of a vehicle body structure including a floor panel that constitutes the floor surface of the vehicle compartment, a driving motor, and a battery that supplies power to the driving motor. The vehicle body structure includes a dash panel that extends upward from the front of the floor panel, and a rigid member that is attached to the floor panel and extends in the vehicle width direction forward of the lower part of the dash panel, with a front battery arrangement portion formed inside.

With this configuration, for example, when a frontal impact load is input to the rigid member during a frontal collision, the rigid member extends in the vehicle width direction, so the impact load can be received by the rigid member. Since the rigid member is attached to a highly rigid floor panel, the impact load is dispersed and absorbed by the floor panel in the vehicle width direction. This prevents excessive deformation of the passenger compartment.

On the other hand, since the front battery placement section is provided inside the rigid member, the battery carrying capacity can be increased. In addition, since the rigid member is attached to the floor panel, which also increases the rigidity, deformation of the rigid member due to the impact load is suppressed. As a result, the impact load input to the battery placed inside the rigid member is reduced.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle includes a pair of left and right side sills arranged to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction at both ends of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of left and right pillars extending upward from the vehicle front portions of the pair of left and right side sills. Both ends of the rigid member are fixed to the lower portions of the pillars.

With this configuration, the left and right sides of the rigid member can be fixed to the left and right pillars, respectively, so that the impact load input to the rigid member during a frontal collision can be distributed to the left and right pillars as well. This further enhances the effect of suppressing deformation of the passenger compartment.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, the floor panel includes a front floor panel provided on the front side of the vehicle and a rear floor panel provided behind the front floor panel, the front floor panel is positioned higher than the rear floor panel, and an under-floor battery placement section in which the battery is placed is provided below the front floor panel.

With this configuration, the battery can be placed in the space below the front floor panel, further increasing the battery capacity.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a fixing portion to which the rigid member is fixed is provided on the underside of the front part of the vehicle of the front floor panel.

This configuration allows the rigid member to be firmly fixed to the front of the vehicle via the fixing portion of the front floor panel.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the rigid member includes an upper wall portion extending from the lower portion of the dash panel toward the front of the vehicle, a front wall portion extending downward from the vehicle front portion of the upper wall portion, and a lower wall portion extending from the lower portion of the front wall portion toward the rear of the vehicle. The front battery arrangement portion is provided in a space surrounded by the upper wall portion, the front wall portion, and the lower wall portion, and the vehicle rear portion of the upper wall portion is fixed to the lower portion of the dash panel, and the vehicle rear portion of the lower wall portion is fixed to the fixing portion.

With this configuration, the rigid member is fixed to both the dash panel and the floor panel, so the impact load input to the rigid member during a frontal collision can also be distributed to the dash panel, further enhancing the effect of suppressing deformation of the passenger compartment. In addition, the dash panel and floor panel can be connected by a rigid member, further increasing the rigidity of the front part of the vehicle body.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the space between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of the rigid member is an opening that opens toward the rear of the vehicle, and the under-floor battery arrangement portion and the front battery arrangement portion are connected via the opening.

This configuration allows batteries to be placed continuously from the front battery placement area to the underfloor battery placement area, improving space efficiency.

As explained above, a rigid member is provided that extends in the vehicle width direction forward of the lower part of the dash panel, and the battery can be placed inside this rigid member, so that the battery placement area can be increased while reducing excessive deformation of the passenger compartment in the event of a frontal collision and the impact load input to the battery.

1 is a side view of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-section of an automobile dash panel and floor panel showing the location of a brake pedal. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-section of an automobile dash panel and floor panel showing the location of an accelerator pedal. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction showing an example of the structure of a floor panel. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the rigid member, showing its positional relationship with other vehicle body constituent members. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a pedal operation.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description of the preferred embodiment is essentially merely an example and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

Figure 1 is a left side view of an automobile 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automobile 1 is a passenger automobile. In the description of this embodiment, the front side of the vehicle is simply referred to as the "front", the rear side of the vehicle is simply referred to as the "rear", the right side of the vehicle is simply referred to as the "right", and the left side of the vehicle is simply referred to as the "left". The left-right direction of the vehicle is the vehicle width direction.

A power room S is provided at the front of the automobile 1. The power room S houses a power train (not shown) consisting of a driving motor M and the like. Therefore, the power room S can also be called, for example, a power train storage room or a motor room. The automobile 1 may be an electric automobile or a hybrid automobile (including a plug-in hybrid automobile). If the automobile 1 is an electric automobile, the driving motor M is mounted in the power room S. If the automobile 1 is a hybrid automobile, the driving motor M and an internal combustion engine (not shown) are mounted in the power room S. Also, although not shown, the driving motor may be mounted at the rear of the automobile 1, or may be an in-wheel motor mounted inside the wheels.

A bonnet hood 2 is provided on top of the power chamber S. The automobile 1 may be a front-engine, rear-drive vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an FR vehicle) in which the rear wheels R are driven by an engine or a driving motor M mounted in the power chamber S, or a front-engine, front-drive vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an FF vehicle) in which the front wheels F are driven by an engine or a driving motor M mounted in the power chamber S. In addition to being an FR vehicle or an FF vehicle, the automobile 1 may also be a four-wheel drive vehicle that drives all four wheels.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automobile 1 has a passenger compartment R behind the power compartment S. The bottom of the passenger compartment R is made up of a floor panel 3, and therefore the space above the floor panel 3 forms the passenger compartment R. A roof 4 is provided on the upper part of the passenger compartment R. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a front door 5 and a rear door 6 are arranged on the left side of the automobile 1 so as to be able to be opened and closed. Although not shown, a front door and a rear door are also arranged on the right side of the automobile 1 so as to be able to be opened and closed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the automobile 1 is equipped with a vehicle body structure 1A according to the present invention. The vehicle body structure 1A is equipped with a floor panel 3 and a dash panel 7. The dash panel 7 is a member that separates the passenger compartment R and the power compartment S in the front-rear direction. The dash panel 7 is made of, for example, a steel plate, and extends in the left-right direction as well as the up-down direction. The lower portion of the dash panel 7 is inclined or curved so that it is positioned further rearward as it approaches the lower end, and the lower end of the dash panel 7 is connected to the front end of the floor panel 3. Therefore, the floor panel 3 is provided so as to extend rearward from the lower end of the dash panel 7, and the dash panel 3 is provided so as to extend upward from the front of the floor panel 3.

In this embodiment, the right side of the passenger compartment R is the driver's seat side, and the left side of the passenger compartment R is the passenger's seat side. FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the driver's seat side of the automobile 1, showing cross-sections of the floor panel 3 and dash panel 7, and a schematic structure of the driver's seat 8 and rear seat 10 attached to the floor panel 3, and the brake pedal B attached to the dash panel 7. The driver's seat 8 is provided to the right of the center in the left-right direction of the passenger compartment R, while a passenger seat 9 (shown in FIG. 1) is provided to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the passenger compartment R. However, this is not limited to this, and the left side of the passenger compartment R may be the driver's seat side, and the right side of the passenger compartment R may be the passenger's seat side. In addition, the passenger compartment R may have two or more rows of rear seats.

To explain the body structure 1A of the automobile 1 in more detail, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 1, the left and right sides of the automobile 1 are provided with a front door opening 40 opened and closed by the front door 5, and a rear door opening 41 opened and closed by the rear door 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the body structure 1A has a pair of left and right side sills 42 arranged to extend in the front-rear direction at both left and right ends of the floor panel 3. The body structure 1A also has a pair of left and right hinge pillars 43 (shown by phantom lines in FIG. 7) arranged to extend in the up-down direction at both left and right ends of the front floor panel 30 that constitutes the front part of the floor panel 3. The lower part of the hinge pillar 43 is connected to the front vicinity of the side sill 42, and the hinge pillar 43 extends upward from there. The lower part of the front pillar 44 (shown in FIG. 1) is connected to the upper part of the hinge pillar 43. The front pillar 44 extends at an angle so that it is positioned further rearward as it goes upward, and is connected to the front of the roof 4. Furthermore, the vehicle body structure 1A includes a center pillar 45 that extends upward from the middle of the side sill 42 in the fore-and-aft direction. The front door opening 40 is formed by the rear edge of the hinge pillar 43, the lower edge of the front pillar 44, the upper edge of the side sill 42, the front edge of the center pillar 45, and the roof 4. The front door 5 is supported by the hinge pillar 43, and the rear door 6 is supported by the center pillar 45. The rear door 6 may be omitted, in which case the rear door opening 41 is also omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, a brake pedal B is provided on the dash panel 7 so as to be able to swing freely. That is, a pedal bracket 11 is attached to the right side of the dash panel 7, facing the driver's seat 8, inside the passenger compartment R. The pedal bracket 11 is provided above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the floor panel 3. The pedal bracket 11 is provided with a support shaft 11a extending in the left-right direction. The upper end of the brake pedal B is supported by this support shaft 11a.

The brake pedal B extends downward from the portion supported by the support shaft 11a. The lower end of the brake pedal B is the portion that is depressed by the occupant. The rear end of the rod B1 is connected to the brake pedal B. The front end of the rod B1 is connected to the input portion of the brake booster 12. The front end of the rod B1 may be connected to a braking force generating device other than the brake booster 12.

The support structure of the brake pedal B is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and may be a so-called organ pedal type brake pedal, not shown. In this case, the lower part of the brake pedal is supported so as to be able to swing freely relative to the floor panel 3 via a support shaft extending in the left-right direction.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the dash panel 7 and floor panel 3 showing the position of accelerator pedal A. Accelerator pedal A is a so-called organ pedal type, and the lower part of the accelerator pedal A is supported so as to be able to swing freely against the floor panel 3 via a support shaft A1 extending in the left-right direction. Although not shown, accelerator pedal A may be of a suspended type. In this case, the upper part of accelerator pedal A is supported so as to be able to swing freely against the dash panel 7 via a support shaft extending in the left-right direction. Automobiles 1 that run on a driving motor M also have a pedal that is operated when accelerating, and in this specification, this pedal is also referred to as an accelerator pedal.

Although not shown, if the vehicle is equipped with a manual transmission in which the occupant changes the gear ratio using an operating lever (not shown) provided in the passenger compartment R, a pedal for operating the clutch is provided in the passenger compartment R. Normally, the accelerator pedal A is located at the far right, the brake pedal B is located to the left of the accelerator pedal A, and the clutch pedal is located to the left of the brake pedal B.

Although not shown, for example, in a driving school car used for driving lessons, an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal are provided on the passenger side as well as on the driver's side. The present invention can also be applied to such a driving school car.

(Floor panel configuration)
5, the floor panel 3 includes a front floor panel 30, a seat mounting floor panel 34, and a connection panel 35 (details of which will be described later). The front floor panel 30, the seat mounting floor panel 34, and the connection panel 35 are provided not only on the driver's seat side, but also on the passenger's seat side. For example, the front floor panel 30, the seat mounting floor panel 34, and the connection panel 35 may be continuous from the driver's seat side to the passenger's seat side, or may be made of separate members on the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side.

The front floor panel 30, the seat-mounting floor panel 34 and the connection panel 35 are made of separate members and are joined together to form a single floor panel 3. Furthermore, the seat-mounting floor panel 34 includes a first floor panel (rear floor panel) 31 that forms the front portion of the seat-mounting floor panel 34, and a second floor panel 32 that forms the rear portion of the seat-mounting floor panel 34. The first floor panel 31 and the second floor panel 32 are made of separate members and are joined together to form the seat-mounting floor panel 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, a floor tunnel portion 30c may be formed in the front floor panel 30, the connection panel 35, and the first floor panel 31. The floor tunnel portion 30c can be formed by bulging upward the left-right central portion (the portion between the driver's seat and the passenger seat) of the front floor panel 30, the connection panel 35, and the first floor panel 31, and can be shaped to extend continuously in the front-rear direction, for example, from the front of the front floor panel 30 to the rear of the first floor panel 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, the front floor panel 30 extends rearward from the lower end of the dash panel 7 and also extends in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 5, the front floor panel 30 is provided with a heel rest 30a on which the heel of a pedal operator who operates the brake pedal B and the accelerator pedal A is placed. The heel rest 30a is a portion on which the occupant's heel naturally rests when operating the accelerator pedal A or the brake pedal B, and although it varies somewhat depending on the occupant's physique and driving posture, it is generally within the range (area) shown in FIG. 5. In other words, the heel rest 30a can be defined as a continuous area from a portion of the front floor panel 30 that is rearwardly spaced from the front end to a portion of the front floor panel 30 that is forwardly spaced from the rear end, and can also be called the middle portion of the front floor panel 30 in the fore-aft direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second floor panel 32 is disposed rearward away from the front floor panel 30 and is a member to which the rear seat 10 is attached. The rear seat 10 includes a rear seat cushion portion 10a that forms the seat surface and a rear seat back portion 10b that forms the backrest portion. The rear seat cushion portion 10a is fixed to the upper surface of the second floor panel 32.

The second floor panel 32 is continuous at least from the portion corresponding to the front end of the rear seat cushion portion 10a to the portion corresponding to the rear end, but may be extended rearward beyond the rear end of the rear seat cushion portion 10a. In this case, it is possible to install a second row of rear seats behind the rear seat 10, or to provide a luggage compartment for storing luggage.

The first floor panel 31 extends from the rear of the connection panel 35 to the front of the second floor panel 32. The first floor panel 31 is positioned lower than the front floor panel 30. For example, the front floor panel 30 can extend approximately horizontally in the front-to-rear direction, and the first floor panel 31 can also extend approximately horizontally in the front-to-rear direction.

The second floor panel 32 can also be shaped to extend approximately horizontally in the front-to-rear direction. The second floor panel 32 is positioned higher than the first floor panel 31. This provides the floor panel 3 with a rear plate portion 3B that extends vertically from the front of the second floor panel 32 to the rear of the first floor panel 31. Since the second floor panel 32 and the first floor panel 31 are connected via the rear plate portion 3B, a step is formed between the second floor panel 32 and the first floor panel 31.

With the above configuration, the first floor panel 31 is positioned one step lower than the front floor panel 30 and the second floor panel 32. The difference in height between the front floor panel 30 and the second floor panel 32 and the first floor panel 31 can be set to, for example, 5 cm or more, 10 cm or more, or may be set to 15 cm or more. The front floor panel 30 and the second floor panel 32 may be at the same height, or the front floor panel 30 may be lower or higher than the second floor panel 32. In addition, the front floor panel 30, the first floor panel 31, and the second floor panel 32 do not have to be strictly horizontal, and may be inclined so that the further rearward they are, the lower they are. In addition, only a part of the front floor panel 30, the first floor panel 31, and the second floor panel 32 may be inclined, and the other parts may be approximately horizontal. Furthermore, the second floor panel 32 may be at the same height as the first floor panel 31.

The rear plate portion 3B may be integrally molded with the second floor panel 32, may be integrally molded with the first floor panel 31, or may be molded separately from these floor panels 31, 32. The rear plate portion 3B may extend substantially vertically, or may be inclined or curved. For example, the rear plate portion 3B may be inclined or curved so that it is positioned further forward as it goes downward.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first floor panel 31 is provided with a first front seat fixing portion (front seat fixing portion) 31a and a second front seat fixing portion (rear seat fixing portion) 31b for fixing the front seat 8. The first front seat fixing portion 31a is provided in front of the center of the first floor panel 31 in the front-rear direction, and is composed of, for example, a member elongated in the left-right direction fixed to the first floor panel 31. Similarly, the second front seat fixing portion 31b is composed of a member elongated in the left-right direction, and is provided a predetermined distance rearward from the first front seat fixing portion 31a. The configuration of the first front seat fixing portion 31a and the second front seat fixing portion 31b is not limited to a member, and various shapes made of plate material or the like can be used. In this embodiment, the first front seat fixing portion 31a is formed higher than the second front seat fixing portion 31b, but the heights of the first front seat fixing portion 31a and the second front seat fixing portion 31b may be the same.

At least the front part of the second floor panel 32 is provided with a rear seat fixing part 32a for fixing the rear seat 10. This rear seat fixing part 32a may be configured similarly to the front seat fixing parts 31a, 31b, or may have a different structure. When the second floor panel 32 and the first floor panel 31 are arranged at the same height, the front seat 8 and the rear seat 10 can be arranged at the same height.

(Front seats)
The front seat 8 includes a front seat cushion portion 8a, a front seat back portion 8b, and a seat slide mechanism 8c that adjusts the position of the front seat cushion portion 8a in the front-rear direction. The front seat cushion portion 8a is a portion that constitutes the seat surface of the front seat occupant, and is composed of, for example, a seat frame provided in the front seat cushion portion 8a, a cushion material supported by the seat frame, a skin material that covers the cushion material, etc., although not shown. The front seat back portion 8b is a portion that constitutes the backrest portion of the front seat occupant, and is composed of, for example, a seat frame, a cushion material, a skin material, etc., although not shown.

The lower part of the front seat back part 8b is attached to the rear part of the front seat cushion part 8a via a reclining mechanism 8d. The reclining mechanism 8d is a conventionally known mechanism for setting the front seat back part 8b at a desired inclination angle and fixing it in place.

The seat slide mechanism 8c may be a conventionally known mechanism, and may, for example, include a movable member 8e fixed to the bottom of the front seat cushion portion 8a, and a rail 8f fixed to the first front seat fixing portion 31a and the second front seat fixing portion 31b of the first floor panel 31. The rail 8f is a member for guiding the front seat cushion portion 8a in the front-rear direction, and extends in the front-rear direction. The front part of the rail 8f is fixed to the first front seat fixing portion 31a, and the rear part is fixed to the second front seat fixing portion 31b. Since the first front seat fixing portion 31a is higher than the second front seat fixing portion 31b, the rail 8f is inclined so that it is positioned higher as it moves forward. The rail 8f may be approximately horizontal.

The movable member 8e is a member that can move in the front-rear direction relative to the rail 8f while engaged with the rail 8f. The position of the movable member 8e in the front-rear direction relative to the rail 8f can be any position within a specified range, and the movable member 8e can be locked to the rail 8f at that position.

The height of the seat slide mechanism 8c can be set by the height of the first floor panel 31, the height of the first front seat fixing part 31a, and the height of the second front seat fixing part 31b. In this embodiment, the height of the seat slide mechanism 8c is set so that the front floor panel 30 is positioned higher than the seat slide mechanism 8c when compared with the front floor panel 30.

(Rear seat)
The rear seat 10 includes a rear seat cushion portion 10a and a rear seat back portion 10b. The rear seat cushion portion 10a and the rear seat back portion 10b can be configured in the same manner as those of the front seat 8. The rear seat cushion portion 10a is fixed to a rear seat fixing portion 32a of a second floor panel 32. The rear seat 10 may also be provided with a seat sliding mechanism and a reclining mechanism similar to those of the front seat 8.

(Connection panel)
5, the connection panel 35 is a member that connects the front floor panel 30 and the first floor panel 31, and extends continuously from the rear of the front floor panel 30 to the front of the first floor panel 31. In this embodiment, since the front floor panel 30 is positioned higher than the first floor panel 31, the connection panel 35 that connects them has an inclined or curved shape that is positioned lower as it goes toward the rear.

The connection panel 35 may be a member that is inclined at the same inclination angle from the rear of the front floor panel 30 to the front of the first floor panel 31, or a portion of the front-to-rear direction may be inclined at a different inclination angle than the other portions. The connection panel 35 may be a member that is curved at the same curvature from the rear of the front floor panel 30 to the front of the first floor panel 31, or a portion of the front-to-rear direction may be curved at a different curvature than the other portions. A portion of the connection panel 35 in the front-to-rear direction may be inclined and the other portions may be curved. Only a portion of the connection panel 35 in the front-to-rear direction may be a horizontal portion that is approximately horizontal, or a portion of the connection panel 35 in the front-to-rear direction may have a step.

The connection panel 35 may extend vertically. In this case, the upper part of the connection panel 35 is connected to the rear part of the front floor panel 30, and the lower part of the connection panel 35 is connected to the front part of the first floor panel 31.

(Battery)
2, a plurality of batteries 50 for supplying power to the driving motor M are mounted below the floor panel 3 of the automobile 1. The type of the batteries 50 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a lithium ion battery, an all-solid-state battery, or other secondary batteries.

When mounting the battery 50, the vehicle body structure 1A is provided with a front battery placement section 51, a first underfloor battery placement section 52, and a second underfloor battery placement section 53 as spaces (battery placement spaces) for placing the battery 50. The front battery placement section 51 is a section where some of the multiple batteries 50 are placed, the first underfloor battery placement section 52 is a section where the remaining part of the batteries 50 are placed, and the second underfloor battery placement section 53 is a section where the remaining batteries 50 are placed.

In FIG. 2, the size and shape of the front battery mounting area 51, the first underfloor battery mounting area 52, and the second underfloor battery mounting area 53 are shown generally by phantom lines, and may be larger or smaller than the shapes shown. First, the first underfloor battery mounting area 52 and the second underfloor battery mounting area 53 will be described, and then the front battery mounting area 51 will be described.

The first underfloor battery placement section 52 is provided below the front floor panel 30. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first underfloor battery placement section 52 extends from below the driver's seat side (right side) of the front floor panel 30 to below the passenger seat side (left side) of the front floor panel 30. The left-right center of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 corresponds to the floor tunnel section 30c and has a shape that protrudes upward toward the inside of the floor tunnel section 30c. As shown in FIG. 2, the front part of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 is located below the front part of the front floor panel 30, and the rear part of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 is located at the rear of the connection panel 35. As a result, the first underfloor battery placement section 52 is formed continuously from below the front part of the front floor panel 30 to below the rear part of the connection panel 35. The rear part of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 may be located below the rear part of the front floor panel 30.

The driver's side of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 is provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction near the right hinge pillar 43. The passenger's side of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 is provided on the inside in the vehicle width direction near the left hinge pillar 43. As shown in FIG. 2, in a side view, the lower part of the hinge pillar 43 and at least a part of the first underfloor battery placement section 52 are in a positional relationship that overlaps.

The hinge pillar 43 is highly rigid because it is a member that supports the front door 5 so that it can be opened and closed. The lower end of the hinge pillar 43 is located near the front floor panel 30. For example, when an impact load acts from the side of the automobile 1 (such as during a side collision), the load is transmitted to the vehicle body via the highly rigid hinge pillar 43. At this time, the hinge pillar 43 and the battery 50 arranged in the first underfloor battery arrangement section 52 overlap in a side view, so that the battery 50 can be protected by the hinge pillar 43 and the input load to the battery 50 can be reduced.

A second under-floor battery mounting section 53 is provided below the second floor panel 32. This second under-floor battery mounting section 53 is similar to the first under-floor battery mounting section 52, and is provided from the driver's seat side to the passenger seat side. The second under-floor battery mounting section 53 may be provided as needed, or may be omitted.

The above-mentioned first underfloor battery placement area 52 and second underfloor battery placement area 53 are placement spaces for the battery 50, and in order to place the battery 50 in these placement spaces, a battery holding means is required to prevent the battery 50 from moving from a predetermined position. As an example of this battery holding means, a front battery case 54 and a rear battery case 55 that house the battery 50 are used. Therefore, the vehicle body structure 1A is equipped with a front battery case 54 and a rear battery case 55.

The front battery case 54 is fixed to at least one of the floor panel 3 and the side sill 42, for example, and is integrated with the vehicle body. Examples of materials that make up the front battery case 54 include steel plates and extruded materials, and these materials make up the single front battery case 54. "Single" means that it is one unit when viewed as a structure before being fixed to the vehicle body, and even if the front battery case 54 is made up of multiple separable members, it means that the members are integrated so that they do not separate from each other just before being fixed to the vehicle body in the manufacturing line of the automobile 1, for example. The battery 50 and the front battery case 54 can be collectively referred to as a battery unit, etc.

Reinforcing members and the like are provided inside and outside the front battery case 54. In this way, the rigidity of the front battery case 54 can be increased. By fixing the highly rigid front battery case 54 to the floor panel 3 or the side sill 42, the rigidity of the front battery case 54 can be utilized to increase the rigidity of the vehicle body. The fixing structure of the front battery case 54 is not particularly limited, but examples of the fixing structure include a fixing structure using fastening members such as bolts, nuts, and screws.

As shown in FIG. 3, a bulge 54a that bulges upward is formed in the center of the front battery case 54 in the left-right direction. This bulge 54a is located inside the floor tunnel section 30c. The battery 50 can also be accommodated inside the bulge 54a. This allows not only the space below the front floor panel 30 but also the internal space of the floor tunnel section 30c to be effectively used as storage space for the battery 50, thereby increasing the mounting capacity of the battery 50. Therefore, the internal space of the front battery case 54 is the first underfloor battery arrangement section 52. The front battery case 54 may be contained within the first underfloor battery arrangement section 52, or the first underfloor battery arrangement section 52 and the front battery case 54 may have the same shape.

The rear battery case 55 can be configured similarly to the front battery case 54. The front battery case 54 and the rear battery case 55 may be configured as one unit. The interior space of the rear battery case 55 is the second underfloor battery placement section 53. This allows the space below the second floor panel 32 to be effectively used as storage space for the battery 50. The rear battery case 55 may be contained within the second underfloor battery placement section 53, or the second underfloor battery placement section 53 and the rear battery case 55 may have the same shape.

(Rigid member and front battery placement section)
The vehicle body structure 1A according to this embodiment includes a rigid member 60 as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the rigid member 60 is a highly rigid member that is formed in a hollow shape extending in the left-right direction forward of the lower part of the dash panel 7 and is attached to the floor panel 3. The "high rigidity" refers to a degree of rigidity that, for example, when the automobile 1 collides head-on and an impact load is applied to the rigid member 60, the rigid member 60 does not easily deform and transmits the impact load applied to the rigid member 60 to at least the floor panel 3 and can absorb it. Such rigidity can be obtained by the type of material constituting the rigid member 60 and the setting of dimensions of each part. The material of the rigid member 60 is not particularly limited, but can be, for example, a steel plate. A front battery arrangement portion 51 can be provided inside the rigid member 60. Therefore, the rigid member 60 can also be called one form of a battery holding means for preventing the battery 50 from moving from a predetermined position.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rigid member 60 extends from the lower part of the left hinge pillar 43 to the lower part of the right hinge pillar 43. The left side of the rigid member 60 is fixed to the lower part of the left hinge pillar 43, and the right side of the rigid member 60 is fixed to the lower part of the right hinge pillar 43. The rigid member 60 may be welded to the hinge pillar 43, or may be fixed with fastening members such as bolts, nuts, screws, etc. The rigid member 60 may also be fixed to the hinge pillar 43 via a bracket (not shown) or the like.

The rigid member 60 does not have to be continuous in the left-right direction, and may be composed of, for example, a member extending from the bottom of the left hinge pillar 43 to the vicinity of the floor tunnel portion 30c, and a member extending from the bottom of the right hinge pillar 43 to the vicinity of the floor tunnel portion 30c.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rigid member 60 includes an upper wall portion 61 extending forward from the lower portion of the dash panel 7, a front wall portion 62 extending downward from the front portion of the upper wall portion 61, and a lower wall portion 63 extending rearward from the lower portion of the front wall portion 62. The upper wall portion 61 and the lower wall portion 63 may be substantially horizontal or inclined. The front wall portion 62 may be substantially vertical or inclined. The rigid member 60 may have a rib (not shown) extending in the left-right direction inside. The rigid member 60 may have a reinforcing bead extending in the left-right direction. The rigid member 60 may be an integrally molded product, or may be formed by combining separate members.

A front battery placement section 51 in which a battery 50 is placed is provided in a space surrounded by an upper wall section 61, a front wall section 62, and a lower wall section 63. The spacing and front-rear dimensions of the upper wall section 61 and the lower wall section 63 are set to correspond to the dimensions of the battery 50 to be placed. The rigid member 60 may be contained within the front battery placement section 51, or the front battery placement section 51 and the rigid member 60 may have the same shape.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rear of the upper wall portion 61 and the rear of the lower wall portion 63 of the rigid member 60 are disposed at a distance from each other in the vertical direction. The area between the rear of the upper wall portion 61 and the rear of the lower wall portion 63 is an open area that opens rearward. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the front of the front battery case 54 is open forward, and the rigid member 60 is disposed in front of the front battery case 54. The first underfloor battery arrangement portion 52 in the front battery case 54 and the front battery arrangement portion 51 in the rigid member 60 are connected via the open area. Therefore, the battery 50 can be arranged from the front battery arrangement portion 51 to the first underfloor battery arrangement portion 52. The first underfloor battery arrangement portion 52 and the front battery arrangement portion 51 may be partitioned.

A fixing plate portion 61a that is fixed to the dash panel 7 is provided at the rear of the upper wall portion 61 so as to protrude upward. The fixing plate portion 61a is welded or fastened to the dash panel 7 with the fixing plate portion 61a overlapping the front surface of the dash panel 7. When fastening, bolts, nuts, screws, etc., not shown, can be used. The fixing plate portion 61a may be provided so as to protrude downward. The fixing structure of the upper wall portion 61 is not limited to the structure shown in the figure, and it may be fixed to the dash panel 7 using, for example, a separate fastener or bracket.

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of through holes 63a penetrating in the vertical direction are formed at intervals in the horizontal direction in the rear of the lower wall portion 63. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of fixing portions 64 to which the rigid member 60 is fixed are provided at intervals in the horizontal direction on the lower surface of the front part of the front floor panel 30. The positions of the fixing portions 64 correspond to the positions of the through holes 63a of the lower wall portion 63. The fixing portions 64 are formed, for example, in a columnar or axial shape extending in the vertical direction, and the upper end of the fixing portions 64 is fixed to the lower surface of the front part of the front floor panel 30. The fixing portions 64 are formed with a screw hole (not shown) that opens downward. When the rear of the lower wall portion 63 is overlapped with the lower end surface of the fixing portion 64, the through hole 63a of the lower wall portion 63 and the screw hole of the fixing portion 64 are aligned. With the two parts aligned, a bolt 66 can be inserted from below through the through hole 63a and screwed into the screw hole of the fixing part 64 to fix the rear part of the lower wall part 63 to the fixing part 64. Note that the fixing structure of the lower wall part 63 is not limited to the structure shown in the figure, and a bracket (not shown) may be used as the fixing part 64, and the rear part of the lower wall part 63 may be fixed to the fixing part 64 via this bracket. Also, the fixing part 64 and the front floor panel 30 may be molded as a single unit.

By fixing the upper wall portion 61 of the rigid member 60 to the dash panel 7 and the lower wall portion 63 to the floor panel 3, the dash panel 7 and the floor panel 3 can be connected by the rigid member 60. This makes it possible to further increase the strength and rigidity of the lower part of the dash panel 7 and the front part of the floor panel 3, including the rigid member 60.

As shown in FIG. 7, the right front wheel F is located in front of the right side of the rigid member 60, and the left front wheel F is located in front of the left side of the rigid member 60. Furthermore, the running motor M is located in front of the center of the rigid member 60 in the left-right direction. In the event of a frontal collision, the right front wheel F may hit the right side of the rigid member 60, the left front wheel F may hit the left side of the rigid member 60, or the running motor M may hit the center of the rigid member 60 in the left-right direction. When such an obstacle hits the rigid member 60, an impact load is input to the rigid member 60. In other words, since the rigid member 60 extends in the left-right direction, the impact load can be received by the rigid member 60. Since the rigid member 60 is fixed to the highly rigid floor panel 3, the impact load is transmitted to the floor panel 3. At this time, since the rigid member 60 is long in the left-right direction, the impact load is not transmitted locally to the floor panel 3, but is transmitted over a wide range in the left-right direction. This makes it possible to absorb the impact load. In addition, since the rigid member 60 is also fixed to the dash panel 7, the impact load is also transmitted to and absorbed by the dash panel 7. Furthermore, since both the left and right sides of the rigid member 60 are fixed to the hinge pillars 43, the impact load is also transmitted to and absorbed by the left and right hinge pillars 43. This prevents excessive deformation of the passenger compartment.

In addition, because the rigid member 60 has high rigidity, deformation of the rigid member 60 itself during a frontal collision is sufficiently suppressed. Therefore, the impact load input to the battery 50 disposed inside the rigid member 60 can be reduced.

(Front seat passenger posture and pedal operation)
8 is a diagram showing the lower legs 100 of a front seat occupant (pedal operator) seated on the front seat 8, the floor panel 3, the dash panel 7, the brake pedal B, and the vicinity thereof. In this embodiment, the fixing parts 31a, 31b of the front seat 8 are positioned below the upper surface of the front floor panel 30, so that the hip point of the pedal operator can be lowered. Lowering the hip point of the pedal operator means that the seating position of the pedal operator is lowered, and as a result, the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle in the riding state is lowered.

The front floor panel 30 on which the pedal operator's heel 101 is placed is positioned higher than the first floor panel 31, so the pedal operator's heel 101 is placed in a higher position than in a typical operating posture. This layout results in the pedal operator's upper leg 102 and lower leg 103 being placed in a widely spread posture. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 200 indicates the center line of the pedal operator's upper leg 102, and reference numeral 201 indicates the center line of the lower leg 103. The difference in height between the front floor panel 30 and the first floor panel 31 is set so that the angle between the center line 200 and the center line 201 (opening angle α between the upper leg 102 and the lower leg 103) is in the range of 125° to 150°.

By setting the height difference in this way, the angle between the lower leg 100 and the front floor panel 30 (angle β between the center line 201 and the front floor panel 30) is reduced, so the vertical component of force input to the heel 101 during pedal operation is reduced, improving the operability of the brake pedal B. To be more specific, when the pedal operator depresses the brake pedal B, the heel 101 applies a diagonally downward force F to the front floor panel 30. If this force F is divided into a vertical force and a horizontal force, they are force F1 and force F2, respectively. As described above, since the angle β is reduced, the vertical component of force F1 input from the heel 101 is reduced. This allows, for example, a change of foot from the brake pedal B to the accelerator pedal A or vice versa to be performed quickly and accurately, improving the operability of the pedals A and B.

(Rear seat passenger comfort)
In this embodiment, the habitability of the rear seat passengers can be improved. As shown in Fig. 2, the second floor panel 32 to which the rear seat 10 is attached is positioned higher than the first floor panel 31, so that the passengers in the rear seat 10 sit at a relatively high position and have good visibility. The rear seat passengers place their feet on the first floor panel 31, but because this first floor panel 31 is positioned lower than the second floor panel 32, the foot space of the rear seat passengers is secured to be wide, especially in the vertical direction.

(Effects of the embodiment)
As described above, according to this embodiment, a rigid member 60 is provided that extends in the left-right direction forward of the lower part of the dash panel 7, and the battery 50 can be placed inside this rigid member 60. Therefore, it is possible to increase the mounting capacity of the battery 50 while reducing excessive deformation of the passenger compartment in the event of a frontal collision and the impact load input to the battery 50.

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as limiting. Furthermore, all modifications and variations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the vehicle body structure according to the present invention can be used, for example, in an automobile equipped with a floor panel.

1A Vehicle body structure 3 Floor panel 30 Front floor panel 31 First floor panel (rear floor panel)
42 Side sill 43 Hinge pillar 50 Battery 51 Front battery placement portion 52 Under-floor battery placement portion 60 Rigid member 61 Upper wall portion 62 Front wall portion 63 Lower wall portion 64 Fixing portion B Brake pedal R Vehicle interior

Claims (6)

A vehicle body structure for an automobile including a floor panel that constitutes a floor surface of a vehicle compartment, a driving motor, and a battery that supplies power to the driving motor,
a dash panel extending upward from a front portion of the floor panel;
a rigid member attached to the floor panel and extending in the vehicle width direction forward of the lower part of the dash panel, with a front battery placement portion formed therein and with the battery placed therein. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1,
a pair of left and right side sills disposed at both ends of the floor panel in a vehicle width direction so as to extend in a vehicle front-rear direction;
a pair of left and right pillars respectively extending upward from vehicle front portions of the pair of left and right side sills,
A vehicle body structure in which both ends of the rigid member are fixed to the lower portion of each of the pillars. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The floor panel is
A front floor panel provided on the front side of the vehicle;
a rear floor panel provided behind the front floor panel,
The front floor panel is positioned above the rear floor panel,
A vehicle body structure in which an under-floor battery placement section in which the battery is placed is provided below the front floor panel. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3,
A vehicle body structure in which a fixing portion to which the rigid member is fixed is provided on the underside of the front portion of the vehicle of the front floor panel. The vehicle body structure according to claim 4,
the rigid member includes an upper wall portion extending from a lower portion of the dash panel toward the front of the vehicle, a front wall portion extending downward from a vehicle front portion of the upper wall portion, and a lower wall portion extending from a lower portion of the front wall portion toward the rear of the vehicle,
the front battery placement portion is provided in a space surrounded by the upper wall portion, the front wall portion, and the lower wall portion,
The vehicle rear portion of the upper wall portion is fixed to the lower portion of the dash panel,
A vehicle body structure, wherein a vehicle rear portion of the lower wall portion is fixed to the fixing portion. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5,
A portion between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of the rigid member is an open portion that opens toward the rear of the vehicle,
The under-floor battery mounting portion and the front battery mounting portion are connected via the opening.

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