JPH0750268Y2 - Automotive fuel tank protector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a device for protecting a fuel tank disposed in an underfloor space of an automobile such as a passenger car.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, in a passenger car, a fuel injection port is provided in a body near a rear wheel, and a fuel tank is provided in an underfloor space near the rear wheel. In this case, since a front engine / rear drive (FR) vehicle has a rear differential device that is configured to transmit power to the left and right rear wheels, a fuel tank is arranged in front of this rear differential device and fuel is consumed in the event of a collision from the rear of the vehicle body. There is one that protects the tank (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-82233).

The prior art described in the above publication pushes up the fuel tank even if the propeller shaft is pushed forward due to a rear collision of an automobile, etc. when the fuel tank is arranged in front of the lower portion of the cross member of the vehicle body across the propeller shaft. For the purpose of preventing damage due to damage, a stopper portion is provided on the flange portion for connecting the propeller shaft and the rear differential device so that the cross member can be engaged with the cross member from a rearward slope.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

By the way, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the fuel tank is arranged under the horizontal floor in front of the cross member and the lower portion is exposed, it is easy to be hit by stones and the like due to the rear wheels. Further, since the left and right sides of the fuel tank are only surrounded by the shallow body side frames, they are insufficiently protected against a collision from the side of the vehicle body.

Therefore, the present invention can sufficiently protect the fuel tank not only from the rear of the vehicle body but also from side collisions, stone bounces, etc., and also make the structure near the fuel tank advantageous for vibration noise and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a possible vehicle fuel tank protection device.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

For this purpose, the present invention relates to a vehicle having a body structure in which a body side frame extending in the front-rear direction under the floor of the vehicle body rises obliquely rearward from the rear position of the body cross member toward the upper side of the rear differential device, and the vicinity of the body cross member. A subframe, which is formed in a substantially gate shape in a plan view and supports the rear differential device, is additionally provided immediately below the side frame from the rear position to the rear differential device, and is surrounded by the body cross member, the body side frame, and the subframe. A fuel tank is accommodated in the underfloor.

A differential member, which supports the front end portion of the rear differential device and which crosses the lower portion of the fuel tank and partially covers the same, is horizontally mounted on the subframe.

[Action]

In such a means, the front side of the fuel tank is a body cross member in the lower part of the vehicle body, the rear side is a subframe, and the entire left and right sides are surrounded by the body side frame and the subframe. It is well protected not only from the rear but also from side impacts and stone bounces.

Further, the sub-frame supporting the rear differential device increases the sprung weight of the vehicle body and lowers the natural frequency of the vehicle body, which is advantageous in reducing vibration noise.

Further, when the differential member is laid horizontally on the subframe, the lower surface of the fuel tank is partially covered with the differential member to be protected.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a pair of left and right body side frames extending in the front-rear direction in the underfloor portion of the vehicle body, and a body cross member 3 is laid horizontally at the front position of the rear wheel 2. The body side frame 1 is bent and formed so as to rise obliquely upward from the vicinity of the body cross member 3 toward the upper side of the rear differential device 4.

The rear differential device 4 arranged below the rising portion 1a of the body side frame 1 is connected to the propeller shaft 5 at the front of the vehicle body and is also connected to the left and right rear wheels 2 via the axle 6. An exhaust pipe 7 extends laterally of the propeller shaft 5 and the rear differential device 4 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

On the other hand, the vehicle body floor 8 is higher in the rear part than the vicinity of the body cross member 3 in a stepwise manner corresponding to the rising portion 1a of the body side frame 1.

Here, a sub-frame 9 is attached immediately below the side frame 1 from the vicinity of the body cross member 3 to the position above the rear differential device 4.

The sub-frame 9 is a suspension cross member 9c for fixing the side members 9a, 9b along the body side frame 1 and the rear end of the rear differential device 4 and connecting the rear ends of the side members 9a, 9b left and right. And is configured in a substantially gate shape in plan view. In the sub-frame 9, the front and rear ends of the side members 9a and 9b are rubber bushes 10 and 11, respectively.
It is suspended on the body side frame 1 via the.

The side members 9a, 9b of the subframe 9 as described above include
A differential member 12 to which the front end portion of the rear differential device 4 is fixed is positioned in front of the suspension cross member 9c and is horizontally mounted, and a vehicle body floor 8 is connected via a bracket 13 and the rubber bush 10. The side members 9a and 9b are connected to the front ends of trailing links 14 that form a rear suspension, and the inner ends of the front and rear lateral links 15 and 16 are connected to the suspension cross member 9c. .

In such a vehicle body structure, the fuel tank 17 is housed and arranged immediately below the stepped vehicle body floor 8 surrounded by the body cross member 3, the body side frame 1, and the sub frame 9.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fuel tank 17 has an upper surface which is stepwise in the front-rear direction along the vehicle body floor 8 and a lower surface which is dented in the left-right central portion along the differential member 12. It has a shape, and the propeller shaft 5 and the exhaust pipe 7 are passed through the recess 17a. The left and right side surfaces of the fuel tank 17 are covered with the body side frame 1 and the sub frame 9 over substantially the entire area.

In the figure, reference numeral 18 indicates an exhaust system muffler, and reference numeral 19 indicates a spare tire.

In the above structure, the fuel tank 17 is guarded by being directly surrounded by the body cross member 3 immediately below the vehicle body floor 8 and by being surrounded by the suspension cross member 9c of the sub frame 9 at the rear thereof. Since it is formed on the base plate and has a high bending rigidity, it is sufficiently protected from damage in the event of a collision from the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

In particular, since the left and right sides of the fuel tank 17 are widely surrounded and guarded by the body side frame 1 and the side members 9a and 9b of the sub-frame 9 which are vertically overlapped with each other, a collision from the side of the vehicle body or a rear side The fuel tank 17 is sufficiently protected against damage by stones or the like caused by the wheel 2.

Further, since the sub-frame 9 supporting the rear differential device 4 has the side members 9a and 9b to increase the sprung weight of the vehicle body, the natural frequency of the vehicle body is lowered, which is advantageous in reducing vibration noise.

Further, since the fuel tank 17 is arranged by fully utilizing the space under the vehicle body floor 8 surrounded by the gate-shaped sub-frame 9, the space efficiency is very good.

Further, since the fuel tank 17 is arranged near the center of gravity of the vehicle, the decrease in fuel has little influence on the maneuverability.

5 to 7 show another embodiment of the present invention in which the supporting means of the rear differential device 4 is slightly modified.

In this embodiment, the rear end portion of the rear differential device 4 is suspended by a suspension cross member 9c of the subframe 9 via a rubber bush 20. Further, the differential member 21 having the front end portion of the rear differential device 4 fastened and fixed crosses under the fuel tank 17 and partially covers the fuel tank 17, and both end portions of the differential member 21 are provided with side faces 9a, 9b of the subframe 9 via rubber bushes 22. Is hung on.

In this embodiment, the fuel tank 17 is similar to the previous embodiment.
Is protected from collisions from the front-rear direction and the side of the vehicle body and from rock smashing by the rear wheel 2, and the lower surface of the fuel tank 17 is partially covered by the differential member 21 to be protected from rock smashing.

[Advantages of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, in the lower part of the vehicle body, the front of the fuel tank is the body cross member, the rear is the subframe, and the entire left and right sides are the body side frame and the subframe. Because each is surrounded
The fuel tank can be sufficiently protected not only from the front and rear of the vehicle body, but also from side impacts and stone bounces.

In addition, since the subframe for supporting the rear differential device is newly provided, the sprung weight of the vehicle body is increased and the natural frequency of the vehicle body is reduced accordingly, which is advantageous in reducing vibration noise.

Further, when the differential member is laid horizontally on the sub-frame, the lower surface of the fuel tank can be partially covered with the differential member to protect it from stone bounce.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a vehicle fuel tank protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a vehicle fuel tank protection device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 1 ... Body side frame, 1a ... rise part,
2 ... rear wheel, 3 ... body cross member, 4 ... rear differential device, 5 ... propeller shaft, 6 ... axle, 7 ...
… Exhaust pipe, 8 …… Vehicle floor, 9 …… Subframe, 9
a, 9b …… Side member, 9c …… Suspension cross member, 10,11 …… Rubber bush, 12 …… Def member, 1
3 …… Bracket, 14 …… Trailing link, 15,16…
... lateral link, 17 ... fuel tank, 18 ... muffler,
19 …… Spare tires, 20,22 …… Rubber bushes. twenty one…
… Def member.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A vehicle having a body structure in which a body side frame extending in the front-rear direction under the floor of the vehicle body rises obliquely rearward from a rear position of the body cross member toward an upper side of the rear differential device, and the rear differential device extends from the vicinity of the body cross member. Immediately below the side frame toward the upper position, a sub-frame that is formed in a substantially gate shape in plan view and supports the rear differential device is additionally provided, and the sub-frame is surrounded by the body cross member, the body side frame, and the sub-frame. , A fuel tank protection device for an automobile, in which a fuel tank is housed and arranged. 2. A fuel tank for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein said subframe is provided with a differential member which supports a front end portion of the rear differential device and which crosses a lower portion of the fuel tank and partially covers the fuel tank. Protector.