JP7831389B2 - Rear component for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to the structure of a rear component of a vehicle. More specifically, it relates to the structure of a rear component of a vehicle to which a suspension arm is attached.

In recent years, vehicle structures have been studied in which the vehicle's skeletal structure is formed from cast parts such as aluminum, and these are joined together to form the vehicle body frame. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which the left and right rear frames extending in the longitudinal direction at both sides of the rear of the vehicle, the left and right suspension towers, and the cross members connecting the left and right rear frames in the vehicle width direction are integrated by casting.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-286652

However, the casting described in Patent Document 1 is a casting with a shape similar to that of the rear frame, suspension tower, and cross member made of plate members, and the thickness of the members is thick, leaving room for improvement from the perspective of vehicle weight reduction.

Therefore, the present invention aims to reduce the weight of vehicles and improve their strength and rigidity.

The rear component for a vehicle of the present invention is a rear component for a vehicle that is connected to the rear end of a rocker and a rear pillar and extends to the rear of the vehicle, and is a hollow member that is integrally cast and consists of a main body, a tower, and a suspension member, wherein at least a portion of the main body has a closed cross-section and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, connecting the rear pillar and the rear member at the rear of the vehicle, the tower is connected to the upper part of the main body and has a space for housing a part of the suspension device, the suspension member has at least a closed cross-section and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at the lower part of the main body, with its front end connected to the rocker and the rear pillar, and arm brackets are provided on the outer surface of the main body in the vehicle width direction and on the outer surface of the suspension member in the vehicle width direction, to which the arms of the suspension device are connected, and the suspension member is provided with a cylindrical opening in the center surrounded by the arm brackets through which a drive shaft passes .

This invention can reduce the weight of a vehicle and improve its strength and rigidity.

This is a side view showing the rear structure of a vehicle equipped with the rear components of the embodiment. This is a perspective view showing the suspension system attached to the rear component of the embodiment. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the rear component.

The following description will explain the rear component 100 for a vehicle according to the embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "rear component 100") with reference to the drawings. First, the rear structure 310 of a vehicle 300 equipped with the rear component 100 will be described with reference to Figure 1. In the following description, the right-side rear structure 310 of the vehicle 300 will be described. The left-side rear structure 310 of the vehicle 300 is symmetrical to the right-side rear structure 310, so its description will be omitted. The arrows FR, UP, and RH in each figure indicate the front, top, and right sides of the vehicle 300, respectively. The opposite directions of each arrow FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear, bottom, and left sides. Hereafter, when simply using the front/rear, left/right, and up/down directions, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the front/rear, left/right, and up/down directions of the vehicle 300.

As shown in Figure 1, the rear structure 310 of the vehicle 300 includes a rocker 81, a rear pillar 84, a rear pillar outer 82, a rear component 100, a rear member 92, a cross connecting member 93, a support column 94, a connecting member 76, and a roof rail 91.

The rocker 81 is a structural member extending in the longitudinal direction at the side end of the vehicle 300. The rocker 81 has a square, closed cross-section. A rear pillar 84 is attached to the upper surface of the rear end of the rocker 81. A rear pillar outer 82 is connected to the upper and front parts of the rear pillar 84. The lower end of the rear pillar outer 82 is connected to the upper surface of the rear end of the rocker 81. A rear end plate 85 is attached to the rear end of the rocker 81. Thus, the rear pillar 84 and the rear pillar outer 82 are attached to the rear end of the rocker 81. As shown in Figure 2, the rear pillar outer 82 is a hat-shaped, closed-section structural member extending upward from the rocker 81.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rear component 100 is a structural member that extends to the rear of the vehicle, connected to the rear end of the rocker 81 and the rear pillar 84. The rear component 100 is a hollow member formed by integral casting and consists of a main body 10, a tower 40, a suspension member 50, and a front end block 70. Details of the structure of the rear component 100 will be explained later with reference to Figures 1 and 3.

The rear member 92 is a closed-section structural member that extends to the rear of the vehicle, connected to the rear end 19 of the rear component 100. A rear end plate 95 is attached to the rear end of the rear member 92.

The cross-connecting member 93 is a cross-connecting member that connects the rear ends of the upper bases 47 of the tower sections 40 of the left and right rear component members 100. The support column 94 is a closed-section member that connects the upper surface of the rear member 92 to the lower surface of the cross-connecting member 93. The connecting member 76 is a closed-section member that connects the front end of the upper base 47 of the tower section 40 to the upper part of the front end block 70.

The roof rail 91 is a structural member that constitutes the roof of the vehicle 300. The roof rail 91 is a longitudinal member with a closed cross-section that extends in the front-rear direction from the upper side end of the vehicle 300. The central portion of the roof rail 91 is connected to the upper end 83 of the rear pillar outer 82. The roof rail 91 extends diagonally rearward from the upper end 83 of the rear pillar outer 82 towards the upper base 47 of the tower section 40. The rear end of the roof rail 91 is connected to the upper base 47 of the tower section 40.

Next, with reference to Figure 2, the suspension system 200 attached to the rear component 100 will be briefly described. The suspension system 200 consists of an upper arm 201, two lower arms 202, a middle arm 203, a coil spring 204, and a shock absorber 205. The upper arm 201 connects the arm brackets 31 and 32 fixed to the main body 10 to the upper part of the wheel 210. The rear lower arm 202 connects the arm bracket 34 fixed to the suspension member 50 to the rear lower part of the wheel 210. The front lower arm 202 (not shown) connects the arm bracket 34 (not shown) fixed in front of the suspension member 50 to the front lower part of the wheel 210. The structure of the front arm bracket 34 (not shown) is the same as the rear arm bracket 34 shown. The middle arm 203 connects the arm bracket 36 fixed to the suspension member 50 to the vertical center of the wheel 210. The shock absorber 205 is attached to the lower part of the wheel 210. The upper part of the shock absorber 205 is housed in a recess 46 of the tower section 40. The upper end of the shock absorber 205 is attached to the upper part of the tower section 40. The coil spring 204, like the shock absorber 205, has its upper part housed in a recess 46 of the tower section 40. A drive shaft 211 is connected to the wheel 210, and the suspension member section 50 is provided with an opening 54 through which the drive shaft 211 passes in the vehicle width direction.

Next, the structure of the rear component 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 3. As explained earlier, the rear component 100 is a hollow member cast in one piece, and is composed of a main body portion 10, a tower portion 40, a suspension member portion 50, and a front end block 70.

The main body portion 10 is a closed section, at least in part, that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front end of the main body portion 10 is connected to the upper half 71 of the front end block 70. As shown in Figure 3, the general portion of the main body portion 10 is a rectangular closed section composed of an upper plate 13, a lower plate 14, a right-side plate 11, and a left-side plate 12. Here, the right-side plate 11 constitutes the outer plate of the main body portion 10 in the vehicle width direction. The left-side plate 12 constitutes the inner plate of the main body portion 10 in the vehicle width direction.

The closed cross-sectional shape of the general section of the main body 10 and the closed cross-sectional shape of the rear member 92 are identical. Therefore, when the rear member 92 is connected to the rear end 19 of the main body 10, the main body 10 and the rear member 92 together constitute a rear side member, a structural member extending from the rear pillar 84 toward the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in Figure 3, the top plate 13 is cut out in the part of the main body 10 that connects to the tower section 40 (the part other than the general section). The top plate 13 is divided into a front section located in front of the part that connects to the tower section 40 and a rear section located behind the part that connects to the tower section 40. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tower section 40 is composed of a right side plate 41, a left side plate (not shown), a front plate 43, a rear plate 44, and a ceiling plate 45. The front part of the top plate 13 is connected to the front plate 43 of the tower section 40. The rear part of the top plate 13 is connected to the rear plate 44 of the tower section 40. The front plate 43 and the rear plate 44 are connected front to back by the ceiling plate 45. The right side plate 11 of the main body 10 is connected to the right side plate 41 of the tower section 40, and the left side plate 12 of the main body 10 is connected to the left side plate (not shown) of the tower section 40. Therefore, the portion of the main body 10 connected to the tower section 40 is composed of a front plate 43, a rear plate 44, a ceiling plate 45, a lower plate 14, right-side plates 11 and 41, a left-side plate 12, and a left-side plate of the tower section 40 (not shown), forming a closed cross-sectional shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

As shown in Figure 1, the surface of the right-side plate 11 is provided with bases 15 and 17 to which the arm brackets 31 and 32 shown in Figure 2 are fixed. Here, the surface of the right-side plate 11 is the outer surface of the main body 10 in the vehicle width direction. The bases 15 and 17 are provided with bolt holes 16 and 18 for fixing the arm brackets 31 and 32.

The tower section 40 is connected to the upper part of the main body section 10 and has a recess 46 that accommodates a part of the suspension system 200. As previously described, the tower section 40 is composed of a right-side plate 41, a left-side plate (not shown), a front plate 43, a rear plate 44, and a ceiling plate 45. The front plate 43 and the rear plate 44 are connected to the upper plate 13 of the main body section 10 so as to rise from the upper plate 13 of the main body section 10. The right-side plate 41 is connected to the right-side plate 11 of the main body section 10. Similarly, the left-side plate (not shown) is connected to the left-side plate 12 of the main body section 10. The right-side plate 41 is provided with a recess 46. The recess 46 is a cylindrical recess that is recessed inward in the vehicle width direction and has its central axis inclined diagonally outward from the vehicle. The upper part of the recess 46 is connected to the ceiling plate 45. The upper part of the coil spring 204 and the upper part of the shock absorber 205 are accommodated in the space 46A inside this recess 46. An upper base 47 is provided at the right end of the ceiling panel 45 of the tower section 40. As explained earlier, the roof rail 91, the connecting member 76, and the cross connecting member 93 are connected to the upper base 47.

The suspension member portion 50 has a closed cross-section in at least a portion and extends in the vehicle's longitudinal direction from the lower part of the main body portion 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the suspension member portion 50 includes a right-side plate 51, a left-side plate 52, a rear plate 53A, and a lower plate 53B. The suspension member portion 50 is a hollow member with a closed cross-section, enclosed on the right, left, rear, front, lower, and upper sides by the right-side plate 51, left-side plate 52, rear plate 53A, front end block 70, lower plate 53B, and the lower plate 14 of the main body portion 10. Here, the right-side plate 51 constitutes the outer plate of the suspension member portion 50 in the vehicle width direction. The left-side plate 52 constitutes the inner plate of the suspension member portion 50 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a cylindrical opening 54 is provided in the center of the suspension member 50 through which the drive shaft 211 passes. A bowl-shaped recess 55 is provided in front of the right side plate 51. The bottom of the recess 55 is flat. A base 57 is provided at the bottom to which the front arm bracket 34 is fixed. The base 57 is provided with bolt holes 58 for fixing the front arm bracket 34. A recess 56 is provided on the lower rear side of the right side plate 51, recessed in a step shape from the surface of the right side plate 51. A base 59 is provided at the bottom of the recess 56 to which the rear arm bracket 34 is fixed. The base 59 is provided with bolt holes 60 for fastening bolts 37 (see Figure 2) that fix the rear arm bracket 34. An oval opening 61 is provided on the upper rear side of the right side plate 51. The periphery of the opening 61 and the surface of the right side plate 51 are connected by an inclined curved surface. The upper and lower parts of the opening 61 are provided with bases 62 to which the arm bracket 36 shown in Figure 2 is fixed. Each base 62 is provided with bolt holes 63 for fixing the arm bracket 36. Here, the bottom of recess 55 and the bottom of recess 56 are the outer surfaces of the suspension member portion 50 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Figure 1, the front end block 70 is a rectangular closed-section member to which the front end of the main body 10 and the front end of the suspension member 50 are connected. As shown in Figure 2, the right end of the front end block 70 is connected to the left end of the rear pillar 84. The suspension member 50 is also connected to the lower half 72 of the front end block 70. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the left side plate 52 of the suspension member 50 and the front end block 70 are connected by ribs 73 and 74. Therefore, the suspension member 50 is connected to the rear pillar 84 and the rocker 81 via the front end block 70. Additionally, a receiving seat 75 is provided on the upper part of the front end block 70 to which the front end of the connecting member 76 is connected.

As described above, the rear component 100 of this embodiment is a hollow part formed by integral casting. It comprises a main body portion 10 that constitutes a structural rear side member, a tower portion 40 that houses a part of the suspension system 200, and a suspension member portion 50 at the lower part of the main body portion 10. Arm brackets 31, 32, 34, and 36 are provided on the main body portion 10 and the suspension member portion 50 to which the arms of the suspension system 200 are connected. In this way, the rear component 100 is constructed as a single hollow part that integrates the structural member of the rear of the vehicle, the suspension tower, and the mounting portion of the suspension system 200. As a result, the rear component 100 can reduce the weight of the vehicle 300 with a simple configuration.

In the above explanation, the general portion of the main body 10 of the rear component 100 was described as a rectangular closed cross-section, but it is not limited to this; for example, it may be an elliptical closed cross-section.

10 Main body, 11, 41, 51 Right side plate, 12, 52 Left side plate, 13 Top plate, 14, 53B Bottom plate, 15, 17, 57, 59, 62 Base, 16, 18, 58, 60, 63 Bolt hole, 19 Rear end, 31, 32, 34, 36 Arm bracket, 37 Bolt, 40 Tower section, 43 Front plate, 44, 53A Rear plate, 45 Ceiling plate, 46, 55, 56 Recess, 46A Space, 47 Upper base, 50 Suspension member section, 54, 61 Opening, 70 Front end block, 71 Upper half, 72 Lower half, 73, 74 Rib, 75 Receiving seat, 76 Connecting member, 81 Rocker, 82 Rear pillar outer, 83 Upper end, 84 Rear pillar, 85, 95 91 Rear end plate, 92 Roof rail, 93 Rear member, 94 Cross connecting member, 100 Rear component (rear component for vehicle), 200 Suspension system, 201 Upper arm, 202 Lower arm, 203 Middle arm, 204 Coil spring, 205 Shock absorber, 210 Wheel, 211 Drive shaft, 300 Vehicle, 310 Rear structure.

Claims (1)

A rear component for a vehicle that is connected to the rear end of the rocker and the rear pillar and extends to the rear of the vehicle,
It is a hollow component cast in one piece, consisting of a main body, a tower section, and a suspension member section.
The main body portion extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with at least a portion of it having a closed cross-section, connecting the rear pillar and the rear member at the rear of the vehicle.
The tower section is connected to the upper part of the main body and has a space for housing a part of the suspension system.
The suspension member portion has at least a closed cross-section, extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the lower part of the main body, and its front end is connected to the rocker and the rear pillar.
Arm brackets are provided on the outer surface of the main body in the vehicle width direction and on the outer surface of the suspension member in the vehicle width direction, respectively, to which the arms of the suspension device are connected.
The suspension member portion has a cylindrical opening in the center, surrounded by the arm bracket, through which the drive shaft passes.
A rear component for a vehicle characterized by the following features .