JPH0680032A - Rear wheel drive vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To secure sufficient luggage space in the rear of a rear seat without exerting any influence upon leg space of a rear seat occupant in a midship vehicle. CONSTITUTION:In a driving system 10, an engine 11, a transmission 12 and a differential gear 13 are arranged in order to the rear from the front, and the engine is mounted under a rear seat. The engine is a transverse type formed by turning an output shaft 11a in a vehicle width direction, and is mounted in rising-up and falling-down posture of being fallen frontward approximately down to a horizontal position, and the engine, the transmission and the differential gear are arranged approximately in a common horizontal plane.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rear-wheel drive vehicle,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a midship vehicle equipped with an engine near the rear wheel drive shaft.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles, particularly passenger cars, are classified into three types depending on the engine mounting position. The first type is a front engine in which the engine is mounted on the front side of the front axle. The second type is a rear engine with the engine mounted behind the rear axle. The third type is a midship with an engine mounted between the front and rear axles.

Both the front engine type and the rear engine type are used in so-called family cars because they can form a large cabin. On the other hand, the mid-ship type is used in special vehicles such as sports cars because it excels in maneuverability such as turning performance although the cabin space is sacrificed. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-85027 or French Patent No. 1,518,295 discloses a passenger car of a midship type. Explaining the midship vehicles disclosed in these publications, the former (JP-A-60-85027)
In that case, the engine is arranged in a standing posture with the axis of the cylinder bore oriented vertically, and in the latter case,
It is arranged in a tilted posture with the axis of the cylinder bore oriented in the front-back direction.

[0004]

[Problems to Solve Problems] By the way, when a midship engine is applied to a family car, it goes without saying that how to secure a cabin space including a luggage space is an important issue. On the other hand, in the above-mentioned conventional midship vehicle,
Since the engine is located behind the rear seats, it has the following problems.

Since it is necessary to secure an installation space for the engine (including other drive system components), the installation position of the rear seat is easily restricted. That is, it is easy to have a layout in which the rear seat is arranged on the front side in order to secure the engine mounting space. Of course, when the rear seats are arranged on the front side, the leg space of the rear seat occupants becomes small, and the rear seats are merely service seats.

The luggage space behind the rear seats is likely to be sacrificed. That is, for example, in a front engine vehicle, the space behind the rear seats is used as a luggage space as a whole, whereas in the above-described conventional technology, drive system parts including an engine are mounted in the space behind the rear seats. Because of the layout, the drive system limits the luggage space. For example, in the former case described above, since the engine is mounted in a standing posture, the luggage space is extremely narrowed (especially, it is difficult to take the vertical dimension). On the other hand, in the latter conventional technology, since the engine is in the tilted posture, a considerably large luggage space can be secured, but when the engine is greatly tilted in order to expand the volume of this luggage space. (When the engine is laid down until the axis of the cylinder bore is almost horizontal), the height of the engine (length from the cylinder head to the oil pan)
As a result, the rear seats have to be placed on the front side.
On the contrary, when the engine is stood upright, the height of the luggage space becomes small although the degree of freedom in the rear seat arrangement position (the mounting position in the front-rear direction) increases.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to adopt a midship in a vehicle for family use, in the rear seats,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rear-wheel drive vehicle in which a sufficient luggage space is secured behind the rear seat without particularly affecting the leg space of the rear seat occupant.

[0008]

In order to achieve such a technical problem, according to the present invention, an engine mounted in the lower region of the rear seat located in front of the rear wheel drive shaft and the engine Also has a transmission arranged on the rear side, the engine is arranged in a lying posture in which the axis of the cylinder bore is located substantially in the horizontal plane, and the transmission is arranged in the substantially horizontal plane as the cylinder bore. It is configured as

[0009]

According to the present invention, since the engine in the lying position is made to sneak into the lower area of the rear seat, the height of the engine (from the cylinder head to the oil pan) is reduced even when the engine is in the lying position. Does not affect the rear passenger occupant's leg space. Further, since the engine and the transmission are arranged in substantially the same plane, the height dimension occupied by the drive system composed of the engine and the transmission can be minimized, which results in a large luggage space ( In particular, the height dimension of the luggage space can be secured.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 shown in FIG. 2 is an automobile. In this automobile 1, a roof panel 2 extends almost immediately to a rear end, and a front seat 3 and a rear seat 4 and a luggage space 5 behind the rear seat 4 form a common space. It is a so-called 1-box type vehicle arranged. Further, in this automobile 1, the floor panel 6 is stepped, and the portion 6b located rearward from the front end of the rear seat 4 is located higher than the portion 6a where the front seat 3 is located. Drive system 1 such as engine in the lower area
0 is installed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drive system 10 is roughly composed of an engine 11, a transmission 12, and a differential gear 13, and the output distributed by the differential gear 13 is output to the left and right rear wheel drive shafts 15R and 15L. Via the rear wheels 16R and 16L, respectively. The arrangement relationship of the drive system 10 will be described below.
The drive system 10 includes an engine 11,
The transmission 12 and the differential gear 13 are arranged in order, and these elements 11, 12 and 13 are arranged adjacent to each other. That is, the engine 11 is a midship engine mounted in front of the rear wheel drive shaft 15, and the engine 11 and the differential gear 13 are
The transmission 12 is arranged between the transmission and. Here, the engine 11 is an in-line 6-cylinder engine in which six cylinders (not shown) are arranged in series, and is also a horizontal engine in which its output shaft 11a is arranged in the vehicle width direction. Further, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the engine 11 is mounted in a fallen state in which the engine 11 is tilted forward to a substantially horizontal position, and the arrangement position thereof is in the lower region of the rear seat 4. That is, the horizontally installed engine 11 is mounted below the rear seat 4 in a lying posture in which the engine 11 is tilted substantially horizontally. As is apparent from FIG. 2, a transmission 12 and a differential gear 13 are arranged in a horizontal plane including the engine 11. That is, the drive system 10 has a configuration in which the respective elements 11, 12 and 13 are arranged on a substantially common horizontal plane. Incidentally, the layout of the drive system 10 is shown in FIG. 3 to facilitate understanding. In the figure, reference numeral 17 is a clutch, and the engine output is input to the input shaft 12a of the transmission 12 via the clutch 17 and the chain 18, and is transmitted to the differential gear 13 from the output shaft 12b after being shifted by the transmission 12. To be done.

The engine 11 has its cylinder head 20.
It is a head intake type engine in which an intake port (not shown) is opened on the top surface 20a. The intake manifold 21 connected to the intake port has a shape that extends straight forward, and the upstream end of the intake manifold 21 is connected to a surge tank 22 that extends in the vehicle width direction, so that the intake manifold upstream of the surge tank 22 is connected. Although not shown in the drawings, the system parts are in front of the surge tank 22 or in the surge tank 22.
It is located to the side of. Incidentally, since the head intake type engine is conventionally known, its detailed description is omitted.

The exhaust system 25 of the engine 11 is composed of an exhaust manifold 26, two pre-catalytic converters 27, a main catalytic converter 28 and a silencer 29 in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side. Exhaust manifold 26
Is disposed below the engine 11 and extends rearward, the two pre-catalytic converters 27 are juxtaposed in the vehicle width direction, and the two pre-catalytic converters 27 are offset to the side portion of the vehicle body. It is arranged. Explaining this point in detail, the engine 11 is arranged in the center portion in the vehicle width direction, and the transmission 12 is arranged to be offset to one side (right side) of the vehicle body center line CL. In other words,
An open space is formed on the left side of the transmission 12, and the open space is used to utilize the two pre-catalyst converters 27.
Are juxtaposed. Then, the main catalytic converter 28 is arranged behind these two pre-catalytic converters 27,
A silencer 29 is disposed adjacently above the main catalytic converter 28, and the main catalytic converter 28 and the silencer 2 are arranged.
9 is a common exhaust pipe 3 that extends from the main catalytic converter 28 rearward and then reverses upward by about 180 degrees.
Connected by 0. In this way, the exhaust system 25 is arranged on the left side of the vehicle body in a biased manner, and as a result, the drive system 1
A space open downward is formed at the rear of 0 (the rear of the differential gear 13). Then, in order to utilize this space, the place indicated by the virtual line 32 in FIG.
The floor panel 6 is a luggage space in which it is lowered to a minimum ground clearance so that luggage with a large vertical height can be loaded. Reference numeral 35 shown in FIG. 1 is a vehicle body frame.

The drawings starting from FIG. 4 show other embodiments of the present invention. In the description of these embodiments, the first
The same elements as those in the embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals to omit the description thereof, and the characteristic portions of these embodiments will be described below. 4 to 6 show the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the arrangement relationship of the drive system 10 is
The engine 11, the differential gear 13, and the transmission 12 are arranged in order from the front to the rear. That is, the differential gear 13 is sandwiched between the engine 11 and the transmission 12. Incidentally, the layout of the drive system 10 is shown in FIG. 6 to facilitate understanding. Explaining the exhaust system 25, the silencer 29 is horizontally placed at the vehicle width direction central portion at the vehicle body rear end portion.

7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the automobile 1 has a trunk room 40 behind the rear seat 4, as is apparent from FIG.
It is a sedan type vehicle in which (corresponding to the luggage space in the first embodiment) is formed. Like the first embodiment, the drive system 10 in the present embodiment is arranged such that the engine 11, the transmission 12, and the differential gear 13 are arranged in order from the front to the rear, but the transmission 12 has a planetary gear mechanism (see FIG. (Not shown), and from this relationship, the input shaft and the output shaft are arranged on the same axis. Further, the engine 11 and the transmission 12 are connected by meshing with a gear (not shown). On the other hand, the exhaust system 25
The main catalytic converter 28 is arranged on the left side of the trunk room 40, and the silencer 29 is arranged on the right side of the trunk room 40. In other words, the rear area of the drive system 10 is an open space that is almost entirely downward, and by utilizing this open space, the floor 41 of the trunk room 40 is lowered to almost the minimum ground clearance. (See Figure 7). Further, a fuel tank 43 is arranged between the rear seat 4 and the trunk room 40, that is, in the upper region of the drive system 10.
On the other hand, explaining the intake system, the common intake pipe 45 connected to the surge tank 22 is formed in a so-called tunnel portion (not shown: vehicle compartment floor 46 and extends in the front-rear direction).
It is housed in a convex portion that opens downward), extends straight toward the front of the vehicle body, and its front end is connected to the air conditioner 47. The air conditioner 47 mainly adjusts the air conditioning state in the vehicle interior 48. However, when the outside air temperature is high, the air conditioner 4 is used by the air conditioner 47.
Cold air conditioned by 7 is introduced into the engine 11, and conversely, warm air conditioned by the air conditioner 47 is introduced into the engine 11 when the outside air temperature is low.
As a result, the volume efficiency in the summer can be improved, while the vaporization and atomization of the fuel in the winter can be promoted. 7 and 8, reference numeral 50 is a spare tire, 51R and 51L are left and right front wheels, and 52 is a front axle.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. In these embodiments, the engine 1 which is laid down substantially horizontally.
Since the exhaust manifold 26 is disposed below 1,
Radiation of the exhaust manifold 26 can be promoted by the traveling wind passing below the vehicle body. Also, drive system 1
Since the whole 0 is arranged almost horizontally, the height dimension of the space occupied by the drive system 10 can be minimized, and a large luggage space is secured in the upper area of the drive system 10 or the fuel tank is arranged. can do. Further, the arrangement relationship of the drive system 10 is set to the first embodiment or the third embodiment.
When the differential gear 13 is located at the rearmost end as in the embodiment, a space that opens downward can be formed behind the differential gear 13, and the luggage space can be lowered to the minimum ground clearance. In addition, even if such a luggage space is set, the distance from the rear wheel axle 15 to the rear end of the vehicle body, that is, the overhang can be shortened (short overhang).

[0017]

[Effect] As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, a large luggage space can be secured in the rear of the rear seat without affecting the leg space of the rear seat occupant. It is possible to provide mid-ship family vehicles with excellent performance.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and is a plan view of a main part of a rear part of a vehicle body in which a drive system mounted on the rear part of the vehicle body is extracted.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a layout of a drive system in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of a main part of the rear part of the vehicle body in which a drive system mounted on the rear part of the vehicle body is extracted.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a layout of a drive system in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view of an automobile to which a third embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a main part of the automobile shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Car 4 Rear Seat 10 Drive System 11 Engine 11a Engine Output Shaft 12 Transmission 12a Transmission Input Shaft 12b Transmission Output Shaft 13 Differential Gear 15 Rear Wheel Drive Shaft 16 Rear Wheel 20a Cylinder Head Top 21 Intake Manifold 25 Exhaust System 26 Exhaust manifold 27 Pre-catalytic converter 28 Main catalytic converter 29 Silencer 32 Luggage space 40 Trunk room 45 Common intake pipe 47 Air conditioner

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location F02B 67/00 E 7541-3G D 7541-3G

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An engine mounted on a lower region of a rear seat located in front of a rear wheel drive shaft, and a transmission arranged rearward of the engine, wherein the engine has a cylinder bore. The rear-wheel drive vehicle, wherein the axis is arranged in a lying posture in which the cylinder is located substantially in a horizontal plane, and the transmission is arranged in a horizontal plane substantially the same as the cylinder bore. 2. The engine is a horizontal engine with its output shaft oriented in the vehicle width direction, and is in a lying posture with its cylinder head forward and the cylinder block rearward. The rear-wheel drive vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the input shaft and the output shaft are arranged in the vehicle width direction. 3. The differential gear for the rear wheel drive shaft is arranged between the engine and the transmission, and the engine, the transmission and the differential gear are arranged adjacent to each other. Rear-wheel drive vehicle. 4. The rear-wheel drive vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a differential gear for the rear-wheel drive shaft is arranged adjacent to the rear of the transmission. 5. The transmission according to claim 2, wherein the transmission is arranged so as to be biased to one side in a vehicle width direction, and an exhaust system component is arranged on a side opposite to a side where the transmission is located. The rear-wheel drive vehicle described. 6. The rear-wheel drive vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the exhaust system component is a catalytic converter. 7. The rear wheel drive vehicle of claim 5, wherein the exhaust system components include a catalytic converter and a silencer. 8. The rear-wheel drive vehicle according to claim 7, wherein a rear region of a drive system including the engine, the transmission, and the differential gear is a luggage space lowered to a substantially minimum ground clearance. 9. The rear-wheel drive vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the engine is a multi-cylinder engine, and an exhaust manifold coupled to the multi-cylinder engine is arranged in a lower region of the engine. 10. The engine is a head intake type engine having an intake port opened to the top surface of a cylinder head, and an intake pipe connected to the intake port extends substantially straight forward. Claim 2 or Claim 9
Rear-wheel drive vehicle described in. 11. The rear-wheel drive vehicle according to claim 10, wherein an air conditioning unit is arranged at a front portion of the vehicle, and a front end of the intake pipe is connected to the air conditioning unit. 12. The intake pipe is housed in a tunnel portion which is formed on a passenger compartment floor and extends in a vehicle body front-rear direction.
The rear wheel drive device according to claim 11. 13. The rear wheel drive vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a fuel tank is disposed adjacent to the rear of the rear seat.