JPH0517349Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] (Industrial application field) This invention relates to the body structure of an automobile.

[Prior Art] As is well known, an automobile body is made up of a framework of closed-section strength members such as various pillars, side sills, side members, cross members, cowl boxes, and roof rails, and various panel materials are joined together.
In the box type, the engine compartment and the cabin are separated, and in the three box type, the engine compartment is separated from the cabin and trunk room. For any of these types of car bodies, Automotive Engineering Complete Book Volume 19, Automobile Manufacturing Methods; published by Sankaido on April 20, 1980,
As is clear from the content described in item 7.4 "Vehicle body assembly process" on pages 178 to 179, the white body is constructed by sequentially joining various frame members and panel materials, and this is sequentially transferred to the painting process and outfitting process. Finally, various functional parts and interior parts are assembled.

By the way, automatic welding by a robot is used to assemble the white body in order to save labor, but as the engine compartment, cabin, etc. are separated, the movement of the robot's arm is restricted. This not only complicates the operation control of the robot, but also makes it difficult to automate assembly because the arm of the robot may not be able to reach the robot properly.

Additionally, when assembling various parts inside the cabin during the outfitting process, workers must enter the cabin or manually through the vehicle body opening where the door is attached, which requires a great deal of labor and effort. Problems have been pointed out that require time.

For this reason, recently, the car body has been divided into several units, such as the engine compartment at the front of the car body, the floor unit including the floor panel behind the engine compartment, the body side which has various units and side sills integrated, and the roof unit which mainly consists of the roof panel. It is desired to propose a so-called modular car body structure that would improve the above-mentioned problems by assembling each unit separately, completing panel painting, etc., and then connecting these units to each other with bolts and nuts to complete the car. .

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, when the body side of a modular car body and the floor unit are fastened and connected, if the conventional car body assembly structure is followed, the fastening process is as shown in the schematic diagram of Fig. 5. Occasionally, problems arise in processing the punching plate and in drilling the working holes.

That is, the body side 102 below the door 107
When connecting the cross member 10 to the floor unit 103, the second cross member 10 of the floor unit 103
4 (part A) is bolted with its end flange placed on the upper surface of the side sill inner 105 for strength reasons. For this reason, the kicking plate 101
will be installed after the two have been fastened together. This has been divided and organized in advance. This assembly method is contrary to the modular assembly method in which each unit is fastened and connected at the end, and the tightening plate rides on the bolt head, creating a gap between it and the side sill inner 105. Connections cannot be established in the case of modular expressions.

In addition, if you want to stop the vertical mounting method and use the vertical surface of the flange (part B) provided on the second cross member 104, attach the bolts to the side sill inner 105 at a point as close to the upper corner as possible in terms of bond strength. Since it has to be tightened, the extension line of the axis ends up on the stepped portion of the side sill outer 106. In that case, body side 1
In the modular fastening method, which attempts to fasten from the outside of the 02 toward the inside of the vehicle body, it is necessary to drill a working hole in the stepped portion, and this method is not recommended for reasons of strength.

Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide an automobile body structure that does not impair the strength and appearance of the side sill in connection with the connection between the body side and the floor unit, and also allows subassembly of the kicking plate.

(Means for Solving the Problem) This invention is an automobile body structure in which a body side integrally having a side sill and a floor unit having a floor panel as a main body and integrally having a cross member are fastened together. A sloped portion is provided at the upper part of the side sill inner, and a sloped flange that fits the sloped portion is provided at the end of the cross member, and this flange is fastened and connected to the sloped portion with a bolt nut, and the axis of the bolt and nut is extended. The line passes between the outermost side of the side sill outer side surface of the side sill and the lower fastening joint portion.

[Operation] With the kicking plate attached to the body side, the sloped part of the side sill inner is brought into contact with the end flange of the second cross member on the floor unit side, and the two are fastened together with bolts and nuts. This is possible because the sloped portion is located away from the mounting portion of the kicking plate. In addition, since the axial extension line of the bolt nut is oblique, the working hole is drilled in the flat part of the side surface of the side sill outer, so that the strength is not reduced much and workability is facilitated.

(Example) An embodiment of this invention will be described below.

1 and 2 show an example of application to a hatchback vehicle. The figure is an exploded perspective view showing the overall configuration.

The floor unit 1 mainly includes a floor panel 5, to which a second cross member 6 is attached at a lower portion 6a by spot welding. As shown in FIG. 3, the second cross member 6 has a channel-shaped upper part 6b above the lower part 6a, and has an upper flange 6c and two side flanges 6d at its ends. The upper flange 6c is a side sill 37 of the body side 2, which will be described later.
It is formed into a slope shape that matches the slope portion 37c of the inner 37a. Further, the side flange 6d is formed into a vertical surface so as to fit the vertical surface 37e of the inner 37a. Bolts 6e are welded to these flanges 6c and 6d.

On the other hand, the body side 2 has a side sill 37, which is a part of the skeleton, below. The side sill 37 includes a side sill inner 37a and a side sill outer 37b.
They are spot welded into one piece, and a kicking plate 37f is attached to the top.
The sloped surface 37c formed diagonally on the upper part of the side sill inner 37a serves as a contact surface with the flange 6c of the cross member 6, as described above, and its vertical surface 37e also serves as a contact surface with the flange 6d. This is the result. These slope portions 37c and vertical surfaces 3
7e may be formed in a sloped shape or vertically only at the mounting portion in the longitudinal (back and forth) direction, or may be formed uniformly in that direction. The side sill inner 3 is attached to the nut 5a welded to the floor panel 5 at the lower end.
The welded joint between 7a and outer 37b is bolt 37h.
At the same time, the lower end of the sill cover 37g is tightened together. Working holes 37i and 37j are formed in the side sill outer 37b, and these holes are provided in a range 1 between the outermost side of the sill outer 37b and the lower mounting portion. Therefore, the two nuts 37m can be inserted through these holes and fastened to the bolt 6e. Note that the cover 37g is connected to the grommet 37h as shown in FIG.
is welded to the sill outer 37b, and there is a retainer 3 that can be stopped when screwing the screw 37g.
Insert the top end into 7r and secure it.

The body of this hatchback car is divided into each unit, for example, floor unit 1, body side 2, engine compartment 3, and roof unit 4, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, panel painting, and various interior parts. The assembled units 1, 2, 3, and 4 are combined to assemble an automobile.

The floor unit 1 further comprises a rear side member 2
3. It has various skeletal members such as the second cross member 6 integrated into it, a floor carpet 8 is attached to the upper surface of the floor panel 5, a front seat 25, a rear seat 27 are attached, various wiring is attached to the underside, a rear suspension 29, a rear axle, a muffler, etc. are attached, and it is assembled in advance as a unit.

A rear wheel is attached to the lower part 29a of the rear suspension 29.

On the other hand, the body side 2 has a front pillar 3
1. It integrally includes a center pillar 33, a rear pillar 35, a side sill 37, and a side roof rail 39.

The front end of the body side 2 is provided with a flange 49 that is fastened and fixed to a bracket 47 of the engine compartment 3, which will be described later, and also integrally has a dash side panel 51. Furthermore, various trims and lamps are assembled on the body side 2, and are divided into units in advance.

The engine compartment 3 includes a dart upper 57 and a dart lower 59, and the dart upper 57 constitutes a part of a cowl box 61 that constitutes a frame member in the vehicle width direction. The bracket 47 is provided at the end of the dash upper 57 that projects from the end of the cowl box 61.

The cowl box 61, hood storage panel 63, and front side member 65 constitute the frame of the engine compartment 5, and a power unit 67 and the like are installed in the separated engine room.

Further, the engine compartment 3 is equipped with a front suspension 69, a front axle, a handle 71, an instrument 73 equipped with various meters, various pedals, etc., and is divided into units in advance.

Also, the hub 69 of the front suspension 69
A front wheel is attached to a. The gusset 75 is tightened together when the dash side panel 51 of the body side 2 is connected to the dash upper 57 and the dart lower 59 of the engine compartment 3 by bolts and nuts.

Further, the radio core support 77, front bumper unit 79, front fender 81, and engine hood 83 are later assembled to the engine compartment 3 in connection with the engine compartment 3 and the body side 2, etc. can also be assembled during the outfitting process of the engine compartment 3.

The roof unit 4 is mainly composed of a roof panel 85, to which trims, lamps, etc. are assembled, and is divided into units in advance. When the front roof rail 87 and the rear roof rail 89 are connected to the roof unit 4,
It is installed between the upper front and rear of the body side 2.

The front windshield panel 91, the back door 93, the rear panel 95, the rear combination lamp 97, and the rear bumper unit 99 are assumed to be assembled after the floor unit 1, body side 2, engine compartment 3, and roof unit 4 are interconnected. It's summery.

Next, we will discuss the connections between each unit along with their functions. The floor unit 1, body side 2, engine compartment 3, and roof unit 4 are welded together on separate lines and transported to separate painting and outfitting processes. That is, in the painting process, panel painting is performed separately, and in separate outfitting processes, various functional parts and interior parts are assembled, and each is divided and assembled as a unit.

The units thus divided and composed are first combined in the following manner. That is, first, at the rear end of the needle lower 59 of the engine compartment 3,
The front end of the floor panel 5 of the floor unit 1 is fastened and connected with bolts and nuts.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the side sill 37 of the body side 2 is placed against the side surface of the floor panel 5 of the floor unit 1. A nut 5a is welded to the corresponding surface of the floor panel 5, and a cross member 6
Since the bolts 6e are welded to each of the flange 6c, 6d, the side sill inner 37a can be fastened and connected at the lower part with the bolt 7h and the upper part with the nut 37m. At this time, the tightening plate 37f is attached to the body side 2 in advance, but since the slope portion 37c is located away from this attachment portion, the connection with the cross member 6 can be achieved regardless of the tightening plate 37f. .

In addition, since the working holes 37i and 37j are bored in a substantially flat place on the outside of the side sill outer 7b,
There is no need to reduce the strength of the side sill, and the work is easy. Therefore, the working hole 37i,
37j allows for fastening and connection from the outside of the vehicle body, making assembly work easier. Working holes 37i, 37j
is covered with a cover 37g, does not require special closing parts such as grommets, and does not damage the appearance. The cross member 6c is advantageous in terms of strength because it is fixed to the slope portion 37c and the corner portions are close to the periphery thereof. Furthermore, the connection point of the lower flange 6d is also
The corner portion of the slope portion 37c is located directly above, which is advantageous in terms of strength.

In addition, when connecting the roof unit 4, first, a front roof rail 87 and a rear roof rail 89 are constructed between the upper front and rear parts of the body side 2, and these front roof rails 8
7. Fasten and connect the roof unit 4 to the rear roof rail 89 and the side roof rail 39 with bolts and nuts. Other items to be assembled later are as described above.

In addition, since the floor unit 1, body side 2, engine compartment 3, and roof unit 4 are assembled separately for each unit, welding of the panels of each unit can be done in an open space, so automatic welding by a welding robot is possible. Control can be simplified. Furthermore, since various interior functional parts can be assembled in an open space, automation using robots is also facilitated. Note that the divisional composition of each unit of the vehicle body is not limited to the above. For example, the body side 2 and the roof unit 4 may be combined into the floor unit 1.
and the engine compartment 3 may be combined. Furthermore, the method of dividing the vehicle body is not limited either.

[Effects of the invention] As is clear from the above, according to the structure of this invention, a sloped portion is provided at the upper part of the sadsill inner on the body side, and this is fastened together with the flange of the cross member of the floor unit with bolts and nuts. This makes it possible to fasten and connect the tightening plate with it attached to the side sill.
In addition, it is possible to drill a working hole for the fastening work from the outside in a flat portion of the side sill outer that poses no problem in terms of strength or workmanship.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the side sill part of the assembled floor unit and body side taken along the line in Fig. 2, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the overall configuration, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover is attached from above, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional side sill portion. Explanation of symbols appearing in the drawings: 1...Floor unit, 2...Body side, 5...Floor panel, 6...Second cross member, 6c, 6d...
...flange, 37...side sill, 37a...side sill inner, 37b...side sill outer,
37c...Slope part.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An automobile body structure in which a body side integrally having a side sill and a floor unit having a floor panel as a main body and integrally having a cross member are fastened and connected, wherein a sloped portion is provided at the upper part of the side sill inner of the side sill, and the cross A slanted flange that fits the slanted surface is provided at the end of the member, and this flange is fastened to the slanted surface with a bolt nut, so that the extension line of the axis of the bolt and nut is the outermost part of the side sill outer side surface of the side sill and the bottom. An automobile body structure in which the passage passes between the side fastening joints.