JP7577588B2 - Vehicle body structure - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a vehicle body structure.

An example of a conventional vehicle body structure is the vehicle described in Patent Document 1. This conventional vehicle is a truck vehicle that includes a vehicle frame, a cab, a bed, a connecting portion, a hood member, and an enclosing member. In this truck vehicle, the occupants can walk through between the cab and the bed via the connecting portion.

JP 2019-177732 A

In recent years, there has been progress in the development of electric vehicles that run by driving a motor with battery power. Such electric vehicles need to be equipped with high-voltage components such as a battery junction box. They also need to be equipped with a protective unit to protect the high-voltage components from side collisions. This creates a problem of reduced on-board space compared to conventional non-electric vehicles. In particular, in vehicles that have a walk-through section between the cab and the loading platform, such as the vehicle in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the gate frame that constitutes the walk-through section needs to have a certain degree of rigidity, and it has been an issue to ensure both the rigidity of the gate frame and the on-board space.

This disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a vehicle body structure that can ensure both the rigidity of the gate frame and the space required for mounting the vehicle.

The vehicle body structure according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle body structure having a walk-through portion between the cab and the bed, and is provided with a gate frame that forms the framework of the walk-through portion, the gate frame having a pair of left and right side frames, a floor frame, and a ceiling frame, and a protective frame that protects high-voltage components is fixed integrally to the pair of left and right side frames and the floor frame on the floor side of the gate frame.

In this vehicle body structure, the protective frame that protects the high-voltage components is fixed integrally to a pair of left and right side frames and the floor frame of the gate frame that constitute the framework of the walk-through section. By integrating the protective frame with the gate frame, the excess space of the gate frame can be used as space for arranging the protective frame, and the protective frame can also function as a reinforcing member for the gate frame. This makes it possible to ensure both the rigidity of the gate frame and the onboard space. In addition, because the protective frame is located on the floor side of the gate frame, it is also possible to avoid the protective frame impeding the walk-through between the cab and the cargo bed.

The upper frame of the protective frame may have a recess in the center that is recessed toward the floor frame of the gate frame. This can reduce the step caused by the protective frame between the cab and the cargo bed. This ensures good walk-through between the cab and the cargo bed.

The protective frame may be provided with reinforcing sections at the corners between the side wall and bottom wall that form the recess. This ensures sufficient rigidity for the protective frame. Ensuring the rigidity of the protective frame also improves the rigidity of the gate frame, improving the protection performance of high-voltage components against side collisions.

At the corners of the protective frame between the vertical and horizontal frames, reinforcing sections that connect the vertical and horizontal frames diagonally may be provided. This ensures sufficient rigidity of the protective frame. Ensuring the rigidity of the protective frame also improves the rigidity of the gate frame, improving the protection performance of high-voltage components against side collisions.

The gate frame may be provided with a reinforcing section that connects the side frame and the ceiling frame at an angle at the corners between the side frame and the ceiling frame. This improves the rigidity of the gate frame without relying on excessive reinforcement.

The gate frame may be provided with a reinforcing section that diagonally connects the side frame and the upper frame of the protective frame at the corner between the side frame and the upper frame of the protective frame. This allows the input of collision energy to the gate frame during a side collision to be efficiently transmitted to the protective frame. Therefore, the rigidity of the gate frame can be improved without relying on excessive reinforcement.

A reinforcing section may be further provided that is arranged parallel to the side frame of the protective frame and connects the upper frame of the protective frame to the side frame of the gate frame. This allows the input of collision energy to the gate frame during a side collision to be efficiently transmitted to the protective frame. Therefore, the rigidity of the gate frame can be improved without relying on excessive reinforcement.

This disclosure makes it possible to ensure both the rigidity of the gate frame and the space required for mounting the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a body structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a junction box, which is an example of a high-voltage component. FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a protective frame. 5 is a perspective view of the protective frame shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the rear side.

Below, a preferred embodiment of a vehicle body structure according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the main parts of a structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main parts. The vehicle body structure 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is a structure applied to a large vehicle such as a truck. The vehicle is an electric vehicle that runs by driving a motor with power from a battery, for example. The vehicle has a walk-through portion W between the cab and the loading platform. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the walk-through portion W as viewed from the loading platform side.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle body structure 1 is configured with a gate frame 3 that forms the framework of the walk-through portion W on a chassis frame 2 of the vehicle. The gate frame 3 has a pair of left and right side frames 4, 4, a floor frame 5, and a ceiling frame 6, and forms a rectangular frame shape with dimensions according to the cross-sectional shape of the vehicle's interior. The side frames 4, 4, the floor frame 5, and the ceiling frame 6 are formed, for example, from long metal members.

Two vertically extending pillars 7, 7 are provided inside the gate frame 3. The pillars 7, 7 extend to connect the ceiling frame 6 and the upper frame 23 of the protective frame 11 (described below), dividing the space inside the gate frame 3 into three in the width direction of the vehicle. The central space of these three divided spaces forms the walk-through area W between the cab and the loading platform. Although the left and right spaces of the three divided spaces are open in FIG. 1, in reality they are blocked by partition members such as decorative panels.

A protective frame 11 that protects high-voltage components K is fixed integrally to the pair of left and right side frames 4, 4 and the floor frame 5 on the floor side of the gate frame 3. Here, the high-voltage component K is exemplified as a junction box 12 used in a high-voltage battery that serves as the driving source for the vehicle motor. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the junction box. In the example of Figure 3, the junction box 12 is configured with a housing 13 and a panel 14. The housing 13 is formed, for example, from metal, and has a flat box shape with a main surface 13a whose outer shape corresponds to the inner shape of the protective frame 11 described below.

The housing 13 contains components such as relays, fuses, current sensors, leak sensors, and terminal blocks. A side surface 13b of the housing 13 is provided with a number of connectors, for example, for high voltage and low voltage. A top surface 13c of the housing 13 is provided with a recess 13e that recesses toward the bottom surface 13d. The depth of the recess 13e is approximately half the vertical width of the housing 13. In addition, the inner wall surfaces 13f, 13f of the recess 13e are inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom surface 13g.

The panel 14 is slightly larger than the main surface 13a of the housing 13, has a shape similar to that of the main surface 13a, and is fixed concentrically to the main surface 13a. The junction box 12 is disposed within the protective frame 11 so that the panel 14 is flush with the protective frame 11. In this embodiment, the junction box 12 is not directly fixed to the protective frame 11, but is fixed to the chassis frame 2 below the gate frame 3 by a fixing member (not shown).

Figure 4 is a front view showing an example of a protective frame. Also, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the protective frame seen from the rear side. Figure 4 illustrates the protective frame 11 as seen from the loading platform side, and Figure 5 illustrates the protective frame 11 as seen from the cab side. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the protective frame 11 has a pair of left and right side frames 21, a lower frame 22, and an upper frame 23. The inside of the protective frame 11 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the junction box 12 as seen from the main surface 13a side of the housing 13. The side frames 21 are frames that extend along the side frames 4, 4 of the gate frame 3, and are fixed to the lower end portions of the side frames 4, 4. The lower frame 22 is a frame that extends along the floor frame 5 of the gate frame 3, and is fixed over the entire floor frame 5. The side frames 21 and the side frames 4 and the lower frame 22 and the floor frame 5 may be fixed by bolts or by welding.

The upper frame 23 is a frame that extends along the floor frame 5 above the lower frame. A recess 25 is provided in the center of the upper frame, recessed toward the floor frame 5 (lower frame 22). This recess 25 is formed to correspond to the recess 13e of the housing 13 of the junction box 12. The width of the recess 25 corresponds to the width of the walk-through portion W partitioned by the two supports 7. The depth of the recess 25 is approximately half the vertical width of the protective frame 11. The side walls 26, 26 that constitute the recess 25 are inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom wall 27. The angle of inclination of the side wall 26 with respect to the bottom wall 27 may be the same as the angle of inclination of the inner wall surface 13f with respect to the bottom surface 13g, or it may be smaller.

The vehicle body structure 1 described above is provided with a simple reinforcing structure for improving rigidity without excessively reinforcing the entire gate frame 3. All of these reinforcing structures are formed from rigid materials such as metal. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gate frame 3 of this embodiment is provided with a reinforcing portion 31A that diagonally connects the side frame 4 and the ceiling frame 6 at the corner between the side frame 4 and the ceiling frame 6, and a reinforcing portion 31B that diagonally connects the side frame 4 and the upper frame 23 at the corner between the side frame 4 and the upper frame 23 of the protective frame 11.

The reinforcing portion 31A is, for example, in a front view of the gate frame 3, in the shape of a right-angled triangle. The joint width between the reinforcing portion 31A and the side frame 4 is greater than the joint width between the reinforcing portion 31A and the ceiling frame 6. The joint width between the reinforcing portion 31A and the side frame 4 is, for example, about half the vertical length of the side frame 4, and the joint width between the reinforcing portion 31A and the ceiling frame 6 is, for example, about 1/3 to 1/2 the distance from the side frame 4 to the support 7. The reinforcing portion 31B is, for example, in a front view of the gate frame 3, in the shape of a substantially right-angled isosceles triangle. The joint width between the reinforcing portion 31B and the side frame 4 is approximately equal to the joint width between the reinforcing portion 31B and the upper frame 23. The joint width between the reinforcing portion 31B and the side frame 4 and the joint width between the reinforcing portion 31B and the upper frame 23 are both smaller than the joint width between the reinforcing portion 31A and the ceiling frame 6.

In this embodiment, the protective frame 11 is also provided with a reinforcing structure that contributes to improving the rigidity of the gate frame 3 by improving the rigidity of the protective frame 11. In the protective frame 11 of this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a reinforcing portion 31C is provided at the corner between the side wall portion 26 and the bottom wall portion 27 that constitute the recess 25. In the example of Figs. 4 and 5, the reinforcing portion 31C is formed of a substantially L-shaped plate-like member having the same width as the side wall portion 26 and the bottom wall portion 27, and is provided on the back side of the corner between the side wall portion 26 and the bottom wall portion 27. The joint width between the reinforcing portion 31C and the side wall portion 26 is, for example, approximately half or less of the vertical length of the side wall portion 26. The joint width between the reinforcing portion 31C and the bottom wall portion 27 is, for example, approximately the same as the joint width between the reinforcing portion 31C and the side wall portion 26.

In addition, at the corners of the protective frame 11 between the vertical and horizontal frames, reinforcing parts are provided that connect the vertical and horizontal frames diagonally. Specifically, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the protective frame 11 is provided with reinforcing parts 31D that connect the corners between the side frame 21 and the upper frame 23 diagonally, reinforcing parts 31E that connect the corners between the side frame 21 and the lower frame 22 diagonally, and reinforcing parts 31F that connect the corners between the upper frame 23 and the side wall parts 26 diagonally.

Reinforcement section 31D linearly connects side frame 21 and upper frame 23 at a 45° angle, and reinforcement section 31E linearly connects side frame 21 and lower frame 22 at a 45° angle. Reinforcement section 31F curves the corner between upper frame 23 and side wall section 26. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the corner between side wall section 26 and bottom wall section 27 is also rounded.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a reinforcing portion 31G is provided that is arranged parallel to the side frame 21 of the protective frame 11 and connects the upper frame 23 to the side frame 4 of the gate frame 3. The reinforcing portion 31G is composed of a substantially L-shaped plate member having a width substantially equal to that of the upper frame 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcing portion 31G has a first fixing portion 31Ga that is fixed to the upper frame 23 of the protective frame 11, and a second fixing portion 31Gb that hangs down parallel to the side frame 21 from the edge of the first fixing portion 31Ga. The second fixing portion 31Gb is fixed to the side frame 4 of the gate frame 3 by, for example, a bolt. Therefore, the fixing between the protective frame 11 and the side frame 4 of the gate frame 3 is a double fixing structure by the side frame 21 and the reinforcing portion 31G.

As described above, in this vehicle body structure 1, the protective frame 11 that protects the high-voltage components K is fixed integrally to the pair of left and right side frames 4, 4 and the floor frame 5 of the gate frame 3 that form the framework of the walk-through portion W. By integrating the protective frame 11 with the gate frame 3, the excess space of the gate frame 3 can be utilized as a placement space for the protective frame 11, and the protective frame 11 can also function as a reinforcing member for the gate frame 3. This makes it possible to ensure both the rigidity of the gate frame 3 and the vehicle mounting space. In addition, because the protective frame 11 is located on the floor side of the gate frame 3, it is also possible to avoid the protective frame 11 impeding the walk-through between the cab and the cargo bed.

In this embodiment, a recess 25 that is recessed toward the floor frame 5 of the gate frame 3 is provided in the center of the upper frame 23 of the protective frame 11. This makes it possible to reduce the step caused by the protective frame 11 between the cab and the cargo bed. This ensures good walk-through between the cab and the cargo bed.

In this embodiment, in the protective frame 11, a reinforcing portion 31C is provided at the corner between the side wall portion 26 and the bottom wall portion 27 that constitute the recess 25. Also, in this embodiment, reinforcing portions 31D, 31E, and 31F that diagonally connect the vertical and horizontal frames are provided at the corners between the vertical and horizontal frames in the protective frame. This ensures sufficient rigidity of the protective frame 11. By ensuring the rigidity of the protective frame 11, the rigidity of the gate frame 3 is also improved, thereby improving the protection performance of the high-voltage component K against side collisions.

In this embodiment, at the corner between the side frame 4 of the gate frame 3 and the ceiling frame 6, a reinforcing portion 31A is provided that diagonally connects the side frame 4 and the ceiling frame 6. This allows the rigidity of the gate frame 3 to be improved without excessive reinforcement. Also, in this embodiment, at the corner between the side frame 4 of the gate frame 3 and the upper frame 23 of the protective frame 11, a reinforcing portion 31B is provided that diagonally connects the side frame 4 and the upper frame 23. This allows the input of collision energy to the gate frame 3 during a side collision to be efficiently transmitted to the protective frame 11. Therefore, the rigidity of the gate frame 3 can be improved without excessive reinforcement.

In this embodiment, a reinforcing portion 31G is provided that is arranged parallel to the side frame 21 of the protective frame 11 and connects the upper frame 23 of the protective frame 11 to the side frame 4 of the gate frame 3. This allows the input of collision energy to the gate frame 3 during a side collision to be efficiently transmitted to the protective frame 11. Therefore, the rigidity of the gate frame 3 can be improved without relying on excessive reinforcement.

1...vehicle body structure, 3...gate frame, 4...side frame, 5...floor frame, 6...ceiling frame, 11...protective frame, 23...upper frame, 25...recess, 26...side wall portion, 27...bottom wall portion, 31A-31F...reinforcement portion, K...high voltage component.

Claims (7)

A body structure of a vehicle having a walk-through portion between a cab and a bed,
A gate frame that constitutes a framework of the walk-through portion is provided,
The gate frame has a pair of left and right side frames, a floor frame, and a ceiling frame,
A vehicle body structure in which a protective frame for protecting high-voltage components is fixed integrally to the pair of left and right side frames and the floor frame on the floor side portion of the gate frame. The vehicle body structure of claim 1, wherein a recess is provided in the center of the upper frame of the protective frame, the recess being recessed toward the floor frame side of the gate frame. The vehicle body structure according to claim 2, wherein the protective frame has a reinforcing portion at the corner formed by the side wall portion and the bottom wall portion that constitute the recess. The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a reinforcing part is provided at the corner between the vertical and horizontal frames of the protective frame, connecting the vertical and horizontal frames at an angle. The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the gate frame is provided with a reinforcing portion that connects the side frame and the ceiling frame at an angle at the corner between the side frame and the ceiling frame. The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gate frame is provided with a reinforcing part that diagonally connects the side frame and the upper frame at the corner formed by the side frame and the upper frame of the protective frame. The vehicle body structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a reinforcing portion arranged parallel to the side frame of the protective frame and connecting the upper frame of the protective frame and the side frame of the gate frame.

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