CN109895855B

CN109895855B - Vehicle body structure

Info

Publication number: CN109895855B
Application number: CN201811412896.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 菊田谕
Original assignee: Suzuki Motor Corp
Current assignee: Suzuki Motor Corp
Priority date: 2017-11-24
Filing date: 2018-11-23
Publication date: 2021-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-23
Also published as: CN109895855A; JP2019093937A; FR3076272A1; DE102018129434A1; FR3076272B1; JP6624186B2

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle body structure capable of more completely preventing deformation of a side frame caused by impact in offset collision. The vehicle body structure (100) is provided with: a pair of side frames (104, 106); a cross member (108d, 108e) having a right front side arm section (117a), a left front side arm section (117b), a right rear side arm section (119a), and a left rear side arm section (119b) in common, the arm sections being attached to the pair of side frames, the cross member having a joint section that joins the arm sections together between the pair of side frames; and a pair of vehicle body fixing brackets (134, 136) which are arranged on the respective vehicle width direction outer sides of the pair of side frames and connect the cab (102) and the pair of side frames together, wherein the pair of vehicle body fixing brackets overlap brackets (110a, 110b) which are mounting portions for mounting the right front side arm portion and the left front side arm portion of the cross member to the pair of side frames when viewed from the side.

Description

Vehicle body structure

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure.

Background

Vehicles such as automobiles have a vehicle body structure including a pair of side frames extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The pair of side frames are members arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction, and have a closed cross section in a rectangular shape, for example.

Patent document 1 describes a lower body structure of a vehicle. The vehicle body structure includes: a cross beam; an oblique cross beam; a pair of left and right front side frames extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle; and a pair of left and right rear side frames extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The front side frame and the rear side frame are coupled together by a pair of left and right side sills extending in the vehicle front-rear direction at both side edge portions of the vehicle floor.

A cross member in a vehicle body structure couples a pair of right and left rear side frames to each other. The cross member extends in the vehicle width direction, and connects a rear end portion of at least one of the pair of left and right front side frames to a joint portion of the cross member and the rear side frame on the side opposite to the side where the front side frame is located in the left-right direction.

In patent document 1, since the vehicle body includes the oblique cross member in addition to the front side frame, the rocker, the rear side frame, and the cross member, the rigidity and strength of the vehicle body can be improved. Further, according to patent document 1, at the time of an offset collision, the input load received by the front side frame can be transmitted to the rocker immediately behind the front side frame, and the load can be transmitted to the rear side frame positioned on the other side by the oblique cross member.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-230421

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

With the vehicle body structure described in patent document 1, a load transmitted from the front to the rear of the side frame on one side at the time of offset collision can be transmitted to the side frame on the other side by the cross member, and the impact load can be effectively dispersed.

However, the cross member described in patent document 1 is simply connected to the side frames. That is, the vehicle body structure disclosed in patent document 1 has room for improvement in terms of more completely preventing deformation of the side frames, for example, by reinforcing the connection positions themselves with the side frames to increase rigidity, or by designing the peripheral structures of the connection positions to increase rigidity.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle body structure that can more fully prevent deformation of a side frame due to an impact at the time of an offset collision.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical structure of a vehicle body structure according to the present invention includes a pair of side frames that are members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction and are arranged at a distance in a vehicle width direction, and the vehicle body structure further includes: a cross member having a right front side arm portion attached to a right side frame of the pair of side frames and inclined to the left rear side from the right side frame, a left front side arm portion attached to a left side frame and inclined to the right rear side from the left side frame, a right rear side arm portion attached to the right side frame and inclined to the left front side from the right side frame, a left rear side arm portion attached to the left side frame and inclined to the right front side from the left side frame, and a joint portion joining the arm portions together between the pair of side frames; and a pair of vehicle body fixing brackets which are arranged at the outer sides of the pair of side frames in the vehicle width direction, respectively, and connect the vehicle body and the pair of side frames together.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

The present invention can provide a vehicle body structure that can more fully prevent deformation of the side frames due to impact during offset collision.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view schematically showing a vehicle body structure and a cab arranged in the vehicle body structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a part of the vehicle body structure in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view schematically showing a state in which a drive system component is mounted on the vehicle body structure of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view of the vehicle body structure in fig. 2 in the direction a.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle body structure in fig. 4, taken along F-F.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a joining process for joining the vehicle transverse direction center portions of the cross members in the vehicle body structure of fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the bonding step in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view showing another modification of the bonding step in fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a view showing a modification of the vehicle body structure in fig. 4.

Description of the reference numerals

100. 100A, a vehicle body structure; 102. a cab; 104. 106, 104A, 106A, a side frame; 108a to 108i, 108j to 108n and a beam; 109a, 109b, 113a, 113b, a vehicle width direction end portion of the cross member; 110a, 110b, 112a, 112b, 138a, 138b, 152, 178, brackets; 111. 115, a vehicle width direction central portion of the cross member; 114. 146, 148, fixed support; 116. a transmission; 117a, 117b, 119a, 119b, arm portions of the cross member; 118a, 118b, 120a, 120b, 122a, 122b, 124a, 124b, 126a, 126b, 128a, 128b, 130a, 130b, 132a, 132b, the sides of the bracket; 134. 136, a vehicle body fixing bracket; 142. 144, a terminal expansion; 150. a differential gear; 154. an inner member; 156. an outer member; 158. a closed cross-section; 160a, 160b, 166a, 166b, flanges of the bracket; 162. 164, upper surface of side frame; 168. 180, an enclosing part; 170. a side wall of the inner member; 172. 182, the lower end of the surrounding part; 174. 176, a lower surface of the side frame; 184. 188, a patch; 186a, 186b, 190a, 190b, 192a, 192b, 193a, 193b, 194, 195a, 195b, welding locations; 196a, 196b, 197a, 197b, and a vehicle width direction end portion of the cross member; 198a, 198b, 199a, 199b, through holes of the side frames.

Detailed Description

A typical structure of a vehicle body structure according to an aspect of the present invention includes a pair of side frames that are members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction and are arranged at a distance in a vehicle width direction, and the vehicle body structure further includes: a cross member having a right front side arm portion that is attached to a side frame on a right side of the pair of side frames and is inclined to a left rear side from the side frame on the right side, a left front side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the left side and is inclined to a right rear side from the side frame on the left side, a right rear side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the right side and is inclined to a left front side from the side frame on the right side, a left rear side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the left side and is inclined to a right front side from the side frame on the left side, and a joint portion that joins the arm portions together between the pair of side frames; and a pair of vehicle body fixing brackets which are arranged at the outer sides of the pair of side frames in the vehicle width direction, respectively, and connect the vehicle body and the pair of side frames together.

In the above configuration, the cross member has a joint portion and four arm portions, that is, a right front side arm portion, a left front side arm portion, a right rear side arm portion, and a left rear side arm portion, the arm portions are attached to the pair of side frames, and the arm portions are joined together between the pair of side frames by the joint portion. Here, in an offset collision in which an impact force is concentrated on either the left or right side of the front face of the vehicle, it is assumed that the impact force is concentrated on the side frame located on the right side. In the offset collision, a part of the load transmitted from the front to the rear of the side frame on the right side can be transmitted to the right front-side arm of the cross member via the attachment portion that attaches the right front-side arm of the cross member to the side frame on the right side. Further, the load can be transmitted to the left rear-side arm portion of the cross member via the coupling portion that couples the respective arm portions together, and can be distributed to the side frame on the left side via the attachment portion that attaches the left rear-side arm portion to the side frame on the left side.

With this arrangement, in the case of the above-described structure, the load input during an offset collision can be distributed from the side frame on the right side to the side frame on the left side or from the side frame on the left side to the side frame on the right side by the cross member having the four arm portions attached to the pair of side frames.

Here, the vehicle body fixing bracket is a highly rigid bracket that connects the side frame and the vehicle body together. In the above configuration, the vehicle body fixing bracket overlaps with a mounting portion that mounts the right and left front arm portions of the cross member to the pair of side frames when viewed from the side, and therefore, the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body can be improved. Therefore, with the above configuration, not only can the load input in association with the offset collision be dispersed by the cross member having the four arm portions attached to the pair of side frames, but also the torsional deformation of the vehicle body can be suppressed by overlapping the vehicle body fixing bracket with the attachment portions that attach the right and left front arm portions to the pair of side frames when viewed from the side. With this arrangement, the deformation of the side frame due to the impact at the time of offset collision can be more completely prevented.

The vehicle body structure may further include another cross member that overlaps the pair of vehicle body fixing brackets when viewed from the side, and the other cross member may be fixed to the pair of side frames. Therefore, the right and left front-side arm portions of the cross member are attached to the attachment portions of the pair of side frames, and can be reinforced by a vehicle body fixing bracket having high rigidity, and also can be reinforced by another cross member that is fixed to and attached to the pair of side frames. Therefore, with the above configuration, the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body can be further improved, and therefore, torsional deformation of the vehicle body can be further suppressed at the time of an offset collision, and deformation of the side frames can be more completely prevented.

The pair of side frames may be formed with end extension portions that extend further toward the vehicle width direction outer side than the end extension portions toward the vehicle rear side, the attachment portions of the right and left front-side arm portions and the cross member to the pair of side frames may be located on the vehicle front side than the end extension portions, and the attachment portions of the right and left rear-side arm portions and the cross member to the pair of side frames may be located on the end extension portions or on the vehicle rear side than the end extension portions.

In this way, the mounting portion that mounts the right and left front-side arm portions to the pair of side frames in the cross member is located on the vehicle front side of the end expanding portion, and therefore, the load input at the time of offset collision can be transmitted from the mounting portion to the right and left front-side arm portions and dispersed. The load of the right and left front arm portions dispersed in the cross member is continuously transmitted to the right and left rear arm portions in the cross member via the joint portions joining the arm portions together, and can be dispersed. The load of the right and left rear arm portions dispersed in the cross member can be transmitted to the distal end expansion portion or to the vehicle rear side than the distal end expansion portion via the mounting portion that mounts the right and left rear arm portions to the pair of side frames. Therefore, with the above configuration, the load input at the time of offset collision is not excessively transmitted to the end expanding portion, and deformation of the side frame can be suppressed.

The vehicle body structure may further include a fixing bracket fixed from the right rear arm portion of the cross member to the side frame on the right side adjacent to the right rear arm portion, or fixed from the left rear arm portion of the cross member to between the side frames on the left side adjacent to the left rear arm portion.

Here, the fixed bracket is a highly rigid bracket for mounting a drive system component (for example, a differential gear). By using such a fixing bracket and fixing it between the right rear side arm portion of the cross member and the side frame positioned on the right side or between the left rear side arm portion of the cross member and the side frame positioned on the left side, it is possible to suppress deformation of the side frame due to an impact at the time of offset collision.

Examples

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values and the like shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and are not intended to limit the invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description thereof is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a vehicle body structure 100 and a cab 102 disposed in the vehicle body structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a state in which the vehicle body structure 100 and the cab 102 are viewed obliquely from below. Next, an arrow X shown in each drawing indicates a vehicle front side, and an arrow Y indicates a vehicle right side.

The vehicle body structure 100 includes: a pair of side frames 104 and 106 arranged at a distance in the vehicle width direction; and a plurality of cross members 108a to 108i fixed between the pair of side frames 104 and 106. The vehicle body structure 100 is a frame-shaped vehicle body structure as shown in the drawings, using these members. The vehicle body structure 100 can be applied to a vehicle having a structure in which the cab 102 is disposed above the frame structure as shown in the drawing.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a part of the vehicle body structure 100 in fig. 1. The figure shows a state in which the vehicle body structure 100 is viewed from above. Fig. 3 is a view schematically showing a state in which a drive system component is mounted on the vehicle body structure 100 of fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 2, the cross member 108d is located at the fourth position from the vehicle front side among the cross members 108a to 108i, and the cross member 108e is located at the fifth position from the vehicle front side among the cross members 108a to 108 i. The cross member 108d is fixed to the pair of side frames 104 and 106. The cross member 108d is bent such that its vehicle width direction end portion 109a and vehicle width direction end portion 109b are located on the vehicle front side of its vehicle width direction central portion 111, the vehicle width direction end portion 109a is joined to the side frame 104 via the bracket 110a, and the vehicle width direction end portion 109b is joined to the side frame 106 via the bracket 110 b. Therefore, the mounting positions of the pair of side frames 104 and 106 for mounting the cross member 108d correspond to the positions of the

brackets

110a and 110 b.

The cross member 108e is fixed to the pair of side frames 104 and 106 on the vehicle rear side of the cross member 108 d. The cross member 108e is bent such that the vehicle width direction end portion 113a and the vehicle width direction end portion 113b are located on the vehicle rear side of the vehicle width direction center portion 115. The vehicle width direction end 113a of the cross member 108e is joined to the side frame 104 via the bracket 112a, and the vehicle width direction end 113b of the cross member 108e is joined to the side frame 106 via the bracket 112 b. Therefore, the mounting positions of the pair of side frames 104 and 106 for mounting the cross member 108e correspond to the positions of the

brackets

112a and 112 b.

As shown in fig. 2, the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e are joined together by a fixing bracket 114, and formed in an X-letter shape in plan view. Specifically, the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e have four arms, namely, a right front arm 117a, a left front arm 117b, a right rear arm 119a, and a left rear arm 119b, and these arms are attached to the pair of side frames 104 and 106. The arm portions are coupled together by a coupling portion between the pair of side frames 104 and 106. In addition, the joint is a region in fig. 2 at a position where the bracket 114 is fixed. More specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the joint refers to a region including a welding position 186a, a welding position 186b, a welding position 190a, a welding position 190b, a welding position 192a, a welding position 192b, a welding position 193a, and a welding position 193b, where the cross beam 108d and the cross beam 108e are joined to each other by the patch 184, the patch 188, and the fixing bracket 114.

The right front arm 117a is attached to the right side frame 104 of the pair of side frames 104 and 106, and extends obliquely from the side frame 104 toward the left rear. The left front arm 117b is attached to the side frame 106 on the left side and extends obliquely from the side frame 106 toward the rear right. The right rear arm 119a is attached to the side frame 104 on the right side and extends obliquely toward the front left from the side frame 104. The left rear-side arm 119b is attached to the side frame 106 on the left side and extends obliquely from the side frame 106 toward the front right.

Bracket 110a attaches right front arm 117a of cross member 108d and cross member 108e to side frame 104, and bracket 110b attaches left front arm 117b of cross member 108d and cross member 108e to side frame 106. Bracket 112a attaches cross member 108d and right rear arm 119a of cross member 108e to side frame 104, and bracket 112b attaches left rear arm 119b of cross member 108e to side frame 106.

The fixed bracket 114 is a highly rigid bracket for mounting components of a drive system (for example, a transmission 116 shown in fig. 3). The fixing bracket 114 is disposed at a joint portion between the pair of side frames 104 and 106, which joins the respective arm portions of the cross member 108d and the cross member 108 e. Therefore, by using the fixing bracket 114, the vehicle width direction center portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction center portion 115 of the cross member 108e can be joined to each other with high rigidity, and as a result, the right front side arm portion 117a, the left front side arm portion 117b, the right rear side arm portion 119a, and the left rear side arm portion 119b can be joined to each other with high rigidity.

As shown in fig. 2, the bracket 110a has at least a side 118a along the right front side arm portion 117a, a side 120a along the side frame 104, and a side 122a intersecting the right front side arm portion 117a, and the bracket 110b has at least a side 118b along the left front side arm portion 117b, a side 120b along the side frame 106, and a side 122b intersecting the left front side arm portion 117 b. The bracket 110a further has a side 124a bent from the side 122a toward the side frame 104, and the bracket 110b further has a side 124b bent from the side 122b toward the side frame 106.

In the present embodiment, the

brackets

110a and 110b have a quadrangular shape as shown in fig. 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the

brackets

110a and 110b may have a trapezoidal shape, or the

brackets

110a and 110b may have a triangular shape, that is, the

sides

124a and 124b may be absent unless the

sides

122a and 122b are bent and extended toward the side frames 104 and 106. By forming the

brackets

110a and 110b into various polygonal shapes in this manner, the right front arm portion 117a of the cross member 108d can be attached to the side frame 104 and the left front arm portion 117b can be attached to the side frame 106 with high rigidity.

The bracket 112a has at least a side 126a along the right rear side arm portion 119a, a side 128a along the side frame 104, and a side 130a intersecting the right rear side arm portion 119a, and the bracket 112b has at least a side 126b along the left rear side arm portion 119b, a side 128b along the side frame 106, and a side 130b intersecting the left rear side arm portion 119 b. The bracket 112a further has a side 132a bent from the side 130a toward the side frame 104, and the bracket 112b further has a side 132b bent from the side 130b toward the side frame 106.

Therefore, the

brackets

112a and 112b have a quadrangular shape as shown in fig. 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the bracket 112a may be formed in a triangular shape, that is, if the side 130a is not bent and extended toward the side frame 104, the side 132a is not present, and the bracket 112b may be formed in a triangular shape, that is, if the side 130b is not bent and extended toward the side frame 106, the side 132b is not present. By forming the

brackets

112a, 112b in a polygonal shape such as a trapezoidal shape or a triangular shape in this manner, the right rear arm portion 119a of the cross member 108e can be attached to the side frame 104 and the left rear arm portion 119b can be attached to the side frame 106 with high rigidity.

As shown in fig. 2, a vehicle body fixing bracket 134 is disposed on the vehicle width direction outer side of the side frame 104, and a vehicle body fixing bracket 136 is disposed on the vehicle width direction outer side of the side frame 106. The pair of vehicle

body fixing brackets

134 and 136 are high-rigidity brackets for connecting the cab 102 to the pair of side frames 104 and 106. The cross member 108c is fixed to the pair of side frames 104 and 106. The cross member 108c is engaged with the side frame 104 by means of the bracket 138a and with the side frame 106 by means of the bracket 138 b.

As can be seen from fig. 2, the vehicle body fixing bracket 134 is located in a front-rear direction range that overlaps the bracket 110a corresponding to the position of the vehicle width direction end 109a of the cross member 108d, and the vehicle body fixing bracket 136 is located in a front-rear direction range that overlaps the bracket 110b corresponding to the position of the vehicle width direction end 109b of the cross member 108 d. The

brackets

110a and 110b are attachment portions for attaching the right front arm portion 117a and the left front arm portion 117b of the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e to the pair of side frames 104 and 106. Further, the longitudinal range in which the vehicle body fixing bracket 134 is located overlaps with the bracket 138a corresponding to the position of the cross member 108c, and the longitudinal range in which the vehicle body fixing bracket 136 is located overlaps with the bracket 138b corresponding to the position of the cross member 108 c. The

brackets

138a and 138b are mounting portions for mounting the cross member 108c to the pair of side frames 104 and 106.

Here, as shown in fig. 2, the side frames 104 and 106 extend in the vehicle front-rear direction and have symmetrical shapes. The side frame 104 is formed with a terminal expanding portion 142, the terminal expanding portion 142 being formed so as to extend further toward the vehicle width direction outer side toward the vehicle rear, and the side frame 106 is formed with a terminal expanding portion 144, the terminal expanding portion 144 being formed so as to extend further toward the vehicle width direction outer side toward the vehicle rear. Therefore, in the case of using the side frames 104 and 106, the load input at the time of a frontal collision tends to concentrate on the expanded

end portions

142 and 144, and the expanded

end portions

142 and 144 tend to become the starting points of deformation.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the positions of the

brackets

110a, 110b, 112a, 112b are set so as to prevent the load input at the time of a frontal collision from being excessively transmitted to the distal end expanding portion 142 of the side frame 104 and the distal end expanding portion 144 of the side frame 106. Specifically, the bracket 110a is set at the vehicle front side of the end extension 142, the bracket 110b is set at the vehicle front side of the end extension 144, the bracket 112a is set at the vehicle rear side of the end extension 142, and the bracket 112b is set at the vehicle rear side of the end extension 144. The

brackets

112a and 112b are attachment portions for attaching the right rear arm portion 119a and the left rear arm portion 119b of the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e to the pair of side frames 104 and 106.

Here, a case will be described where, at the time of a frontal collision, particularly, at the time of an offset collision in which impact force is concentrated on either the left or right side of the front face of the vehicle, impact force is concentrated on the side frame 104 of the vehicle body structure 100.

As shown in fig. 2, an input load (see arrow B) input to the right side frame 104 is transmitted from the front to the rear, and a part of the load is transmitted to the right front side arm portion 117a of the cross member 108d via the bracket 110a located on the vehicle front side of the end expanded portion 142 (see arrow C). The load transmitted from the right front side arm portion 117a of the cross member 108D to the vehicle width direction center portion 111 is further transmitted to the left rear side arm portion 119b of the cross member 108e extending diagonally rearward via the fixing bracket 114 (see arrow D). Then, the load transmitted to the left rear-side arm 119b of the cross member 108E is distributed to the side frame 106 on the left side via the bracket 112b positioned further to the vehicle rear side than the end extension 144 of the side frame 106 (see arrow E). With this arrangement, the load at the time of offset collision can be dispersed without being excessively transmitted to the end expanded portion 142 and the end expanded portion 144.

Also, a fixing bracket 146 and a fixing bracket 148 are mounted at the vehicle width direction inner side of the side frame 104. As shown in fig. 2, the fixing bracket 146 is fixed from the right rear side arm portion 119a of the cross member 108e to the right side frame 104 adjacent to the right rear side arm portion 119 a.

The fixed bracket 146 is a highly rigid bracket for mounting a drive system component (for example, a differential gear 150 shown in fig. 3), and is fixed to the side frame 104 with high rigidity. As shown in fig. 3, the differential gear 150 is mounted via a bracket 152 fixed to the fixed bracket 146 and the fixed bracket 148.

Fig. 4 is a view of the vehicle body structure 100 in fig. 2 in the direction a. However, the vehicle body fixing bracket 134, the vehicle body fixing bracket 136, the cross member 108c, the bracket 138a, and the bracket 138b are omitted in the drawings. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle body structure 100 in fig. 4, taken along F-F. Fig. 5 (b) shows a modification of the bracket 112a in fig. 5 (a).

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the side frame 104 has an inner member 154 on the vehicle inside and an outer member 156 on the vehicle outside, and the side frame 104 is joined together by these members to form a closed cross section 158 in a rectangular shape.

As shown in fig. 4, bracket 110a has a flange 160a and bracket 110b has a flange 160 b. Flange 160a extends along an upper surface 162 of rectangular-shaped side frame 104 and flange 160b extends along an upper surface 164 of rectangular-shaped side frame 106. Bracket 110a is securely fixed to side frame 104 by flange 160a engaging upper surface 162, and bracket 110b is securely fixed to side frame 106 by flange 160b engaging upper surface 164.

As shown in fig. 4, bracket 112a has a flange 166a and bracket 112b has a flange 166 b. Flange 166a extends along upper surface 162 of side frame 104 and flange 166b extends along upper surface 164 of side frame 106. Bracket 112a is securely fixed to side frame 104 by flange 166a engaging upper surface 162 and bracket 112b is securely fixed to side frame 106 by flange 166b engaging upper surface 164.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the bracket 112a has a surrounding portion 168 in addition to a flange 166a that engages the upper surface 162 of the side frame 104. The surrounding portion 168 is curved so as to be continuous with the flange 166a and extend along the side wall 170 of the inner member 154 so as to surround the cross member 108 e. The lower end 172 of the surrounding portion 168 reaches a lower surface 174 of the side frame 104 and is joined to the lower surface 174.

By providing this configuration, the bracket 112a is joined not only to the upper surface 162 but also to the lower surface 174 of the side frame 104, and the cross member 108e can be reliably attached to the side frame 104. Similarly, the

other brackets

110a, 110b, and 112b may be joined to the upper surface 162 of the side frame 104 and the upper surface 164 of the side frame 106, and may be joined to the lower surface 174 and the lower surface 176 (see fig. 4).

In the modification shown in fig. 5 (b), the lower end 182 of the surrounding portion 180 of the bracket 178 does not reach the lower surface 174 of the side frame 104, but is joined to the side wall 170 of the inner member 154. Even in this case, the bracket 178 is joined to the side wall 170 in addition to the upper surface 162 of the side frame 104, and therefore, the cross member 108e can be reliably attached to the side frame 104.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a joining process of joining the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e of the vehicle body structure 100 in fig. 4 to each other. The

beams

108d and 108e are formed by bending a pipe member having high rigidity. First, as shown in fig. 6 (a), the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e are brought close to each other, and joined together via the patch 184. In addition, the patch 184 is welded to the upper side of the beam 108d at the welding position 186a and to the upper side of the beam 108e at the welding position 186 b.

Then, as shown in fig. 6 (c), the patches 188 are disposed on the lower sides of the

beams

108d and 108e, respectively. Patch 188 is welded to the underside of beam 108d at weld location 190a and to the underside of beam 108e at weld location 190 b. Fig. 6 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along G-G in fig. 6 (b).

Further, a fixing bracket 114 is disposed above each of the

beams

108d and 108 e. As shown in fig. 6 (b), the fixing bracket 114 is welded to the upper side of the cross beam 108d at the welding position 192a and the welding position 192b and to the upper side of the cross beam 108e at the welding position 193a and the welding position 193 b. By so doing, the cross member 108d, the cross member 108e can be formed in the letter X shape by the patch 184, the patch 188, and the fixing bracket 114 in a state where the vehicle width direction central portion 111 and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 are firmly joined to each other. That is, as shown in fig. 2 or 4, the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e have a right front arm portion 117a, a left front arm portion 117b, a right rear arm portion 119a, a left rear arm portion 119b, and a joint portion which is a region including each welding position, and the respective arm portions are joined together between the pair of side frames 104, 106 by the joint portion.

The vehicle body structure 100 according to the present embodiment includes:

brackets

110a, 110b, 112a, 112 b; the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e have four arm portions attached to the pair of side frames 104 and 106. In the case of the vehicle body structure 100, by using these members, it is possible to disperse the load input at the time of offset collision from the side frame 104 positioned on the right side to the side frame 106 positioned on the left side, or to disperse the load from the side frame 106 positioned on the left side to the side frame 104 positioned on the right side. In addition, in vehicle body structure 100, since

brackets

110a, 110b, 112a, and 112b are formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangular shape or a trapezoidal shape, the respective arm portions of cross member 108d and cross member 108e can be attached to side frames 104 and 106 with high rigidity.

In addition, in the vehicle body structure 100, the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e can be joined together with high rigidity by the fixing bracket 114 having high rigidity for mounting the transmission 116, and as a result, the arm portions can be joined together with high rigidity. Therefore, with the vehicle body structure 100, the deformation of the side frames 104 and 106 due to the impact at the time of offset collision can be more completely prevented.

In the vehicle body structure 100, as shown in fig. 4, the flange 160a is provided on the bracket 110a, the flange 160b is provided on the bracket 110b, the flange 166a is provided on the bracket 112a, and the flange 166b is provided on the bracket 112b, and the bracket 110a and the bracket 112a are used to attach the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e to the side frame 104, and the bracket 110b and the bracket 112b are used to attach the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e to the side frame 106. Therefore, when the vehicle body structure 100 is employed, the flange 160a of the bracket 110a and the flange 166a of the bracket 112a can be temporarily placed on the upper surface 162 of the side frame 104, and the flange 160b of the bracket 110b and the flange 166b of the bracket 112b can be temporarily placed on the upper surface 164 of the side frame 106 at the time of manufacture (at the time of assembly).

Therefore, in the case of the vehicle body structure 100, the bracket 110a and the bracket 112a can be assembled while being adjusted in their positions of assembly to the upper surface 162 of the side frame 104 and the bracket 110b and the bracket 112b to the upper surface 164 of the side frame 106, and the manufacturing is easy in this respect. When

brackets

110a, 110b, 112a, and 112b are fixed to

upper surfaces

162 and 164 of side frames 104 and 106, CO, for example, may be used₂Or welding, or providing a through hole and inserting a bolt into the through hole and then fastening with a nut.

Here, when the transmission 116 (see fig. 3), which is a drive system component mounted on the fixing bracket 114, is displaced in the axial direction, power transmission efficiency is reduced, and therefore, high accuracy is required for the mounting position. In contrast, when the vehicle body structure 100 is employed, the drive system components can be accurately positioned by temporarily placing the

brackets

110a and 112a on the upper surface 162 of the side frame 104 and the

brackets

110b and 112b on the upper surface 164 of the side frame 106. In addition, in the case of the vehicle body structure 100, the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e having four arm portions in total can be attached to the side frames 104 and 106 while accurately positioning the components of the drive system.

As shown in fig. 2, in the vehicle body structure 100, the

brackets

110a and 110b are located on the vehicle front side of the end expanded

portions

142 and 144, and the

brackets

112a and 112b are located on the vehicle rear side of the end expanded

portions

142 and 144. Therefore, in the case of the vehicle body structure 100, the load input at the time of an offset collision is not excessively transmitted to the end expanded portion 142 and the end expanded portion 144, and deformation of the side frames 104 and 106 can be suppressed. Further, as long as it is ensured that the load input at the time of offset collision is not excessively transmitted to the terminal expanding portion 142 and the terminal expanding portion 144, the

brackets

112a and 112b are not limited to being positioned on the vehicle rear side of the terminal expanding portion 142 and the terminal expanding portion 144, and the

brackets

112a and 112b may be arranged at the terminal expanding portion 142 and the terminal expanding portion 144, respectively, or in the vicinity of the terminal expanding portion 142 and the terminal expanding portion 144, respectively.

As shown in fig. 6, in vehicle body structure 100, cross member 108d and cross member 108e are formed by bending a pipe member having high rigidity. With this arrangement, the cross member 108d has a right front side arm portion 117a and a left front side arm portion 117b (see fig. 2), and is formed in a V-shape that opens toward the front side in plan view. The cross member 108e has a right rear arm portion 119a and a left rear arm portion 119b, and is formed in a V-shape that opens rearward in a plan view. The cross member 108d and the cross member 108e are formed in an X-letter shape in plan view by the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e being joined together by a joint portion between the pair of side frames 104 and 106. Therefore, in the case of the vehicle body structure 100, the load from the front received at the time of offset collision can be reliably transmitted to the oblique rear side via the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e, and the load can be dispersed.

In the vehicle body structure 100, the highly rigid fixing bracket 146 for mounting the differential gear 150 is fixed from the right rear arm portion 119a of the cross member 108e to the side frame 104 adjacent to the right rear arm portion 119 a. However, depending on the position where the differential gear 150 is mounted, the fixing bracket 146 may be fixed from the left rear-side arm 119b of the cross member 108e to the side frame 106 adjacent to the left rear-side arm 119 b. Therefore, in the case of the vehicle body structure 100, the deformation of the side frames 104 and 106 due to the impact at the time of offset collision can be suppressed.

Further, the vehicle body structure 100 of the present embodiment includes a vehicle body fixing bracket 134 and a vehicle body fixing bracket 136 having high rigidity as shown in fig. 2. The vehicle body fixing bracket 134 and the vehicle body fixing bracket 136 overlap the bracket 110a, which is a mounting portion for mounting the right front side arm portion 117a and the left front side arm portion 117b of the cross member 108d to the side frame 104 and the side frame 106, respectively, when viewed from the side. Therefore, when the vehicle body structure 100 is employed, the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body can be improved. Therefore, according to the vehicle body structure 100, not only can the load associated with the offset collision be dispersed by the cross member 108d and the cross member 108e, but also the torsional deformation of the vehicle body can be suppressed, and therefore, the deformation of the side frames 104 and 106 can be more completely prevented.

The vehicle body fixing bracket 134 and the vehicle body fixing bracket 136 also overlap with

brackets

138a and 138b, which are mounting portions for mounting the cross member 108c to the pair of side frames 104 and 106, when viewed from the side. Therefore, according to the vehicle body structure 100, the right and left

front arm portions

117a and 117b of the cross member 108d are attached to the attachment portions of the side frames 104 and 106, respectively, and can be reinforced by the cross member 108c in addition to the vehicle body fixing bracket 134 and the vehicle body fixing bracket 136 having high rigidity. Therefore, according to the vehicle body structure 100, the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body can be further improved, and the torsional deformation of the vehicle body at the time of an offset collision can be suppressed, so that the deformation of the side frames 104 and 106 can be more completely prevented.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the bonding step in fig. 6. In a modification of the joining step, as shown in fig. 7 (a), the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e are brought into contact with each other, and then, as shown in fig. 7 (b), the vehicle width direction central portion 111 and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 are welded to each other at a welding position 194. Fig. 7 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along H-H in fig. 7 (a).

In the modification of the joining step of fig. 7, the patch 184, the patch 188, and the fixing bracket 114 shown in fig. 6 are not used, and the vehicle width direction central portion 111 of the cross member 108d and the vehicle width direction central portion 115 of the cross member 108e can be joined to each other easily.

Fig. 8 is a view showing another modification of the bonding step in fig. 6. In the modification of the joining step shown in fig. 8, first, a beam 108j, a beam 108k, and a beam 108l each formed of a square tube are prepared. Next, as shown in fig. 8 (a), the beam 108k and the beam 108l are linearly arranged with the beam 108j interposed therebetween. Fig. 8 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I in fig. 8 (a).

Next, as shown in fig. 8 (b), the end of the beam 108k and the beam 108j are welded together at the welding position 195a, and the end of the beam 108l and the beam 108j are welded together at the welding position 195 b. Through such a joining step, the

beams

108j, 108k, and 108l having the letter X shape can be formed. That is, in order to form the beams into the X-letter shape, it is not necessary to join the beams to each other after bending all the beams (see fig. 6), and the beams having a straight line shape may be crossed and joined as shown in fig. 8.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a modification of the vehicle body structure 100 in fig. 4. In the vehicle body structure 100A of the modification, the vehicle width direction end 196A, the vehicle width direction end 196b, the vehicle width direction end 197a, and the vehicle width direction end 197b of the cross member 108m and the cross member 108n, which are formed in the X-shape shown in fig. 9 (a), are directly attached to the side frames 104A and 106A without using brackets.

That is, the cross member 108m shown in fig. 9 (b) is attached to the side frame 104A and the side frame 106A by inserting the vehicle width direction end 196A through the through hole 198a formed in the side frame 104A and inserting the vehicle width direction end 196b through the through hole 198b formed in the side frame 106A. The cross member 108n is attached to the side frame 104A and the side frame 106A by inserting the vehicle width direction end 197a through the through hole 199a formed in the side frame 104A and inserting the vehicle width direction end 197b through the through hole 199b formed in the side frame 106A.

In the case of the vehicle body structure 100A as described above, the cross member 108m and the cross member 108n formed in the X-letter shape can be directly attached to the side frames 104A and 106A. The through-

holes

198a and 199a of the side frame 104A are located on the front side and the rear side of the end extension 142 of the side frame 104A, and the through-

holes

198b and 199b of the side frame 106A are located on the front side and the rear side of the end extension 144 of the side frame 106A. Therefore, even if the vehicle body structure 100A is employed, the load input at the time of an offset collision is not excessively transmitted to the terminal expanding portion 142 and the terminal expanding portion 144, and deformation of the side frames 104A and 106A can be suppressed.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can conceive various modifications and alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is needless to say that these modifications and alterations are also within the technical scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can be applied to a vehicle body structure.

Claims

1. A vehicle body structure includes:

a pair of side frames that are members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction and are arranged at intervals in a vehicle width direction;

a cross member having a right front side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the right side of the pair of side frames and is inclined to the left rear side from the side frame on the right side, a left front side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the left side and is inclined to the right rear side from the side frame on the left side, a right rear side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the right side and is inclined to the left front side from the side frame on the right side, a left rear side arm portion that is attached to the side frame on the left side and is inclined to the right front side from the side frame on the left side, and a joint portion that joins the arm portions together between the pair of side frames; and

a pair of vehicle body fixing brackets disposed on the vehicle width direction outer sides of the pair of side frames, respectively, for connecting the vehicle body and the pair of side frames together,

the pair of vehicle body fixing brackets overlap with mounting portions that mount right and left front arm portions of the cross member to the pair of side frames when viewed from the side,

a pair of side frames each having a pair of end expanded portions formed so as to extend rearward of the vehicle and expand outward in the vehicle width direction,

mounting portions that mount right and left rear-side arm portions of the cross member to a pair of the side frames are located at the end expanded portions.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1,

the right front arm portion and the left front arm portion are each formed by a pipe member in a V-letter shape that opens to the front side in plan view,

the right rear arm portion and the left rear arm portion are each formed by a tube member having a V-letter shape that opens rearward in plan view,

the vehicle width direction central portion of the V-letter shaped pipe member that opens to the front side in the plan view and the vehicle width direction central portion of the V-letter shaped pipe member that opens to the rear side in the plan view are joined together by a joining portion.

3. A vehicle body structure having a pair of side frames which are members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction and are arranged with a space therebetween in a vehicle width direction,

the vehicle body structure further includes:

the vehicle body structure further includes another cross member that overlaps the pair of vehicle body fixing brackets when viewed from the side, the other cross member being fixed to the pair of side frames,

mounting right and left front-side arm portions of the cross member to mounting portions of a pair of the side frames, a pair of the body fixing brackets, and the other cross member on a vehicle front side of the end expanded portion,

the mounting portions that mount the right and left rear-side arm portions of the cross member to the pair of side frames are located at the terminal expansion portions or at the vehicle rear side than the terminal expansion portions.

4. The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the vehicle body structure further has a fixing bracket that is fixed from the right rear-side arm portion of the cross member to the side frame on the right side adjacent to the right rear-side arm portion, or fixed from the left rear-side arm portion of the cross member to the side frame on the left side adjacent to the left rear-side arm portion.