JP2012166612A - Structure coping with crash of vehicle rear part - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the safety of an occupant in a vehicle interior by effectively absorbing an impact load applied from a vehicle rear side.SOLUTION: This structure coping with the crash of a vehicle rear part includes: a pair of right and left rear side frames 2 extending in a vehicle front/back direction in a vehicle rear part; a rear suspension cross member 20 installed between the rear side frames 2; and a hollow exhaust silencer 30 arranged in an exhaust path 28 of an engine and installed behind the rear suspension cross member 20 where a moving direction regulation member 80 for regulating the moving direction of the exhaust silencer 30 is arranged so that the exhaust silencer 30 moves toward the rear suspension cross member 20 when an impact load is applied on a vehicle 1 from the rear side of the vehicle 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a collision handling structure at the rear of a vehicle for absorbing an impact load applied from the rear of the vehicle.

  A technology is known that absorbs the impact load applied to the vehicle due to a collision or the like by crushing a part of the vehicle body such as a side frame. According to this technology, the impact transmitted to the passenger compartment can be mitigated, and the occupant Can improve the safety.

  For example, in the case of a frontal collision, first, the crash can provided across the front end of the front side frame and the front bumper is crushed, so that the impact load is absorbed by the crash can and the impact load that cannot be absorbed by this crash can. In addition, a technique for absorbing the front side frame by being crushed is widely known.

  In addition to the above, various technologies have been developed as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 and the like regarding the collision-responsive structure at the front of the vehicle.

  For example, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the sub-bumper beam provided at the front end portion of the vehicle corresponds to the vehicle body portion at the rear end portion of the front vehicle by operating an actuator in an emergency in which a collision with the front vehicle is predicted. The collision energy is efficiently absorbed by being lowered to a height and causing the sub-bumper beam to collide with the vehicle body of the preceding vehicle.

  Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2, by operating a screw mechanism in an emergency in which a collision with a preceding vehicle is predicted, the sub-bumper beam is lowered in the same manner as in the technique of Patent Document 1, and the sub-bumper beam is moved forward. It is made to collide with the vehicle body.

  On the other hand, with regard to countermeasures against rear collision, for example, first, the crash can provided across the rear end portion of the rear side frame and the rear bumper is crushed, so that the impact load is absorbed by the crash can and thus absorbed. There is known a technique for absorbing a shock load that is not absorbed by further crushing the rear side frame.

  Further, as another structure for dealing with a collision at the rear of the vehicle, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for improving the safety of the occupant of the rear seat by sliding the rear seat forward when the rear vehicle collides. Has been.

JP 2007-203807 A JP 2007-203808 A JP-A-11-208337

  However, as a countermeasure against a rear collision, there is a case where the impact load cannot be absorbed sufficiently only by the crash can and the rear side frame at the rear part of the vehicle. Therefore, development of a technique for absorbing the impact load more effectively is required. .

  Further, the technique of Patent Document 3 is to move the occupant of the rear seat to the front in order to move away from the collision part at the time of a rear collision, and is not intended to effectively absorb the impact load. The impact cannot be reduced.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a collision-resistant structure at the rear of the vehicle that can effectively absorb an impact load applied from the rear of the vehicle and can contribute to an improvement in passenger safety.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the rear-vehicle collision response structure according to the present invention is configured as follows.

First, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
A pair of left and right rear side frames extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the rear of the vehicle;
A rear suspension cross member erected between the left and right rear side frames;
A collision-responsive structure at the rear of the vehicle having a hollow exhaust silencer provided in the exhaust path of the engine and disposed behind the rear suspension cross member;
It has a moving direction restricting means for restricting the moving direction of the exhaust silencer so that the exhaust silencer moves toward the rear suspension cross member when an impact load is applied to the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The moving direction restricting means is a guide member that extends rearward from the rear suspension cross member to a lower space of the exhaust silencer or a front vicinity of the lower space.

  Here, the “front side vicinity of the lower space” is a front portion of the lower space of the exhaust silencer and supports the exhaust silencer from the lower side when an impact load is applied to the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle. Refers to possible part.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2,
The guide member is arranged so that a rear end portion of the guide member overlaps with the exhaust silencer in a vehicle front-rear direction in a state where an impact load is not applied to the vehicle.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The guide member includes a plate-like horizontal portion that extends in the horizontal direction so as to function as an undercover for reducing the air resistance of the bottom surface of the rear portion of the vehicle during traveling.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein
The guide member is a member elongated in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a plurality of guide members are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction,
An under cover for reducing the air resistance of the bottom surface of the rear part of the vehicle during travel is provided across the plurality of guide members.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 1,
The movement direction restricting means is a pair of front and rear hangers used by each rear side frame to suspend and support the exhaust silencer,
The hanger members extend in the vehicle width direction respectively to a frame side fixing member fixed to the rear side frame, a silencer side fixing member fixed to the exhaust silencer, and the frame side fixing member and the silencer side fixing member. A connecting member connected rotatably about an axis;
In the hanger member on the front side, the silencer side fixing member is fixed to a front portion of the exhaust silencer, and a connecting portion between the silencer side fixing member and the connecting member is formed by the frame side fixing member and the connecting member. Arranged below and in front of the connecting portion of
In the hanger member on the rear side, the silencer side fixing member is fixed to a rear portion of the exhaust silencer, and a connecting portion between the silencer side fixing member and the connecting member includes the frame side fixing member and the connecting member. It is arranged below and behind the connecting part.

Further, the invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The vehicle further includes a rear bumper extending in the vehicle width direction behind the rear side frame,
A load transmission member that abuts against a rear end portion of the exhaust silencer and transmits the impact load to the exhaust silencer when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper from the rear of the vehicle to a rear bumper reinforcement provided in the rear bumper Is provided.

  First, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when an impact load is applied to the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle, the movement of the exhaust silencer is moved by the movement direction restricting means so that the exhaust silencer moves toward the rear suspension cross member. Since the direction is regulated, the exhaust silencer can be sandwiched from both the front and rear sides by a rear suspension cross member and a collision object such as a vehicle constituent member or a rear vehicle disposed behind the exhaust silencer. The exhaust silencer can be crushed to absorb the impact load. Therefore, the impact load from the vehicle rear side can be effectively absorbed by using the exhaust silencer.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when an impact load is applied to the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle, the rear suspension cross member extends rearward to the lower space of the exhaust silencer or to the front side vicinity of the lower space. Since the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer is supported from the lower side by the provided guide member, the exhaust silencer can be reliably guided toward the front rear suspension cross member so as not to drop off.

  Furthermore, if the invention according to claim 3 is applied to the invention according to claim 2, the bottom of the exhaust silencer can be supported by the guide member from the time when an impact load starts to be applied to the rear bumper from the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the exhaust silencer from falling off more reliably.

  Furthermore, when the invention according to claim 4 is applied to the invention according to claim 2 or 3, the plate-like horizontal portion of the guide member is used to reduce the air resistance of the bottom surface of the vehicle rear portion during traveling. Since it functions as an undercover, good aerodynamic characteristics can be obtained at the bottom of the vehicle. This also eliminates the need to make the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer into a shape that takes into account aerodynamic characteristics, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the exhaust silencer. Therefore, by making the exhaust silencer more easily crushed, the impact absorption effect of the exhaust silencer can be further enhanced.

  Further, when the invention according to claim 5 is applied to the invention according to claim 2 or 3, the air resistance of the bottom surface of the rear portion of the vehicle during traveling is reduced across a plurality of guide members elongated in the vehicle front-rear direction. Therefore, a favorable aerodynamic characteristic can be obtained on the vehicle bottom surface. This also eliminates the need to make the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer into a shape that takes into account aerodynamic characteristics, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the exhaust silencer. Therefore, by making the exhaust silencer more easily crushed, the impact absorption effect of the exhaust silencer can be further enhanced.

  Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 6, of the pair of front and rear hangers used to suspend and support the exhaust silencer by the rear side frame, the front hanger member includes a silencer side fixing member and a connecting member. The connecting portion is disposed below and in front of the connecting portion between the frame side fixing member and the connecting member, and in the rear hanger member, the connecting portion between the silencer side fixing member and the connecting member is connected to the frame side fixing member. Since it is arranged below and behind the connecting part with the connecting member, when an impact load is applied to the exhaust silencer from the rear, the front hanger member has a connecting part between the silencer side fixing member and the connecting member. The frame-side fixing member and the connecting member are pivoted forward and upward with the connecting portion as the central axis. In the rear hanger member, the connecting portion between the silencer-side fixing member and the connecting member is the frame side. It rotates forward and downward around shaft connecting portion of the connecting member and the fixed member. Therefore, the movement direction of the exhaust silencer is regulated so that the exhaust silencer moves forward toward the rear suspension cross member in a state where the front end portion is lifted higher than the rear end portion. Therefore, the front end portion of the exhaust silencer whose height is maintained as much as possible can be reliably guided so as to contact the rear suspension cross member.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper from the rear of the vehicle, the impact load can be transmitted to the exhaust silencer by the load transmitting member provided in the rear bumper reinforcement. Therefore, after the exhaust silencer is pushed forward toward the rear suspension cross member by the load transmission member, the exhaust silencer can be sandwiched between the load transmission member and the rear suspension cross member.

It is a bottom view which shows the vehicle rear part to which the collision response structure which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a part of exhaust silencer, a load transmission member, and a guide member in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 in a state where an impact load starts to be applied to the rear bumper from the rear of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 in a state where the exhaust silencer is pushed forward until it abuts against a rear suspension cross member. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. 1 in the state by which the exhaust silencer was crushed. It is a bottom view which shows the vehicle rear part with which the collision response structure which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is the BB sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a bottom view which shows the vehicle rear part with which the collision response structure which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the side view seen from the vehicle left side which shows the vehicle rear part to which the collision response structure which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention is applied. FIG. 12 is a side view seen from the left side of the vehicle, showing a state of the rear part of the vehicle in FIG. 11 when an impact load is applied to the exhaust silencer from the vehicle rear side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following description, terms indicating directions such as “front”, “rear”, “front / rear”, “right”, “left”, “left / right”, etc. It shall indicate the direction when the traveling direction is “front”.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing a rear portion of a vehicle 1 to which a rear-end collision-corresponding structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of left and right rear side frames 2 and 3 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction are provided at the rear portion of the vehicle 1. A cargo room floor material (not shown) is installed between the left and right rear side frames 2 and 3.

  A rear bumper 4 extends in the vehicle width direction behind the rear side frames 2 and 3. The rear bumper 4 includes a rear bumper reinforcement 6 that extends in the vehicle width direction, and a rear bumper cover (not shown) that covers the rear bumper reinforcement 6. The rear bumper reinforcement 6 includes a front-side member 8 having a hat-like cross section that opens toward the rear side of the vehicle, and a rear-side member 10 that is joined to the front-side member 8 so as to close the rear-side opening portion of the front-side member 8 Have

  Further, crash cans 12 and 13 are provided across the rear end portions of the rear side frames 2 and 3 and the rear bumper reinforcement provided in the rear bumper 4, respectively. A flange 14 is provided at the front ends of the crash cans 12 and 13, and the flanges 14 and flanges 16 provided at the rear ends of the rear side frames 2 and 3 are joined together, The rear side frames 2 and 3 are connected. When an impact load is applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle, the impact can be transmitted to the vehicle body by first absorbing the impact load while the crash cans 12 and 13 are crushed.

  Further, a rear suspension cross member 20 is installed between the left and right rear side frames 2 and 3. The rear suspension cross member 20 constitutes a part of a suspension device for rear wheels, and includes a pair of left and right connecting member portions 22 and 23 respectively connected to the lower surfaces of the left and right rear side frames 2 and 3. And a horizontal member portion 24 laid between the connecting member portions 22 and 23. Each of the connecting member portions 22 and 23 is curved so as to bulge inward in the vehicle width direction, and both end portions of the connecting member portions 22 and 23 are fixed to the lower surfaces of the rear side frames 2 and 3.

  A hollow exhaust silencer 30 provided in the exhaust path 28 of the engine is disposed behind the rear suspension cross member 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust silencer 30 is disposed between the left and right rear side frames 2 and 3 in the vehicle width direction. Further, the exhaust silencer 30 is disposed at a position overlapping the rear side frames 2 and 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30 is disposed on the rear side of the rear ends of the rear side frames 2 and 3, but is located on the front side of the rear ends of the rear side frames 2 and 3. It may be arranged. As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust silencer 30 is provided at a position lower than the rear side frames 2 and 3 and the rear bumper reinforcement 6, and is attached to the left and right rear side frames 2 and 3 via hanger members (not shown). Suspended and supported.

  An inlet pipe 32 for introducing exhaust gas is provided at the front part of the exhaust silencer 30, and the inlet pipe 32 is connected to an exhaust pipe 50 extending rearward from the engine side. Further, outlet pipes 34 and 35 for discharging exhaust gas are provided at both ends of the exhaust silencer 30 in the vehicle width direction, and the exhaust gas that has passed through the exhaust silencer 30 passes through the outlet pipes 34 and 35. It is discharged to the rear of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust silencer 30 includes a flat cylindrical wall portion 38 extending in the vehicle width direction, a pair of left and right side wall plates 40, 42 that closes both end openings of the cylindrical wall portion 38, and an exhaust silencer. And partition plates 44 and 46 that divide 30 internal spaces in the vehicle width direction. The upper surface of the cylindrical wall portion 38 is a substantially horizontal surface, but the lower surface of the cylindrical wall portion 38 is an inclined surface that is inclined upward toward the rear (see FIG. 2). The side wall plates 40 and 42 and the partition plates 44 and 46 are formed in a step shape in plan view, and are folded so as to be shortened in the vehicle front-rear direction when an impact load is received from the vehicle rear side. It has become easier. Therefore, when the exhaust silencer 30 receives an impact load from the rear side of the vehicle, the exhaust silencer 30 is easily crushed so as to be compressed in the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the impact load can be effectively absorbed. It has become.

  1 and 2, in the present embodiment, the exhaust silencer 30 moves toward the rear suspension cross member 20 when an impact load is applied to the vehicle 1 from the rear of the vehicle 1 at the rear of the vehicle 1. Guide members 80 and 82 are provided as movement direction regulating means for regulating the movement direction of the exhaust silencer 30.

  The guide members 80 and 82 are strip-like members that are elongated in the vehicle front-rear direction, and are provided, for example, as a pair on the left and right sides at intervals in the vehicle width direction. However, in the present invention, the number of guide members 80 and 82 is not particularly limited.

  Each guide member 80, 82 extends rearward from the rear suspension cross member 20 to the space below the exhaust silencer, and the rear end portion of the guide member 80, 82 when no impact load is applied to the vehicle 1. Is arranged so as to overlap the exhaust silencer 30 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the guide members 80 and 82 include a front horizontal portion 84 disposed along the substantially horizontal direction below the lateral member portion 24 of the rear suspension cross member 20, and a rear end of the horizontal portion 84. And a rear inclined portion 86 extending obliquely upward from the rear to the rear. The inclination direction of the rear inclined portion 86 is substantially parallel to the inclination direction of the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer 30, and the rear inclined portion 86 is in contact with the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer 30 or has a slight gap. It is arranged with a gap.

  The guide members 80 and 82 are suspended and supported by the lateral member portion 24 of the rear suspension cross member 20 via a pair of front and rear support members 90 and 94.

  The front support member 90 includes an upper fixing portion 91 that is fixed to the front surface of the lateral member portion 24 by welding, for example, and a lower fixing portion 92 that extends forward from the lower end of the upper fixing portion 91. The lower fixing portion 92 is fixed to the upper surface of the front horizontal portion 84 of the guide members 80, 82, for example, by welding, so that the front end portions of the guide members 80, 82 are interposed between the front member 90 and the horizontal member portion. 24 is supported by suspension.

  On the other hand, the rear support member 94 includes an upper fixing portion 95 fixed to the rear surface of the lateral member portion 24 by welding, an inclined portion 96 that obliquely extends rearward and downward from the lower end of the upper fixing portion 95, and the inclination A lower fixing portion 97 extending rearward from the lower end of the portion 96. The lower fixing portion 97 is fixed to the upper surface of the rear inclined portion 86 of the guide members 80, 82 by, for example, welding, so that the central portion of the guide members 80, 82 is laterally interposed via the rear support member 94. The member part 24 is supported by suspension.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the left and right guide members 80 and 82 are arranged in a square shape in a plan view so that the distance between the guide members 80 and 82 increases toward the rear. Thus, the exhaust silencer 30 longer than the lateral member portion 24 in the vehicle width direction can be favorably supported from the lower side by the both guide members 30.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, for example, a pair of left and right load transmission members 52 that transmit an impact load applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle to the exhaust silencer 30 are disposed behind the exhaust silencer 30. Yes. However, in the present invention, the structure and the number of the load transmission members 52 are not particularly limited, and the load transmission members 52 are not necessarily provided.

  The load transmission member 52 extends downward from the rear bumper reinforcement 6 so that it can contact the rear end of the exhaust silencer 30 when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle. The load transmission member 52 is joined to the lower surface of the front member 8 of the rear bumper reinforcement 6 by, for example, welding.

  A facing surface 55 of the load transmission member 52 that faces the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30 is disposed along a substantially vertical direction, so that when the facing surface 55 comes into contact with the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30. The impact load applied from the rear of the vehicle can be efficiently transmitted from the load transmission member 52 to the exhaust silencer 30.

  Between the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30 and the facing surface 55, the load transmission member 52 contacts the exhaust silencer 30 after the crash cans 12 and 13 are crushed when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle. An interval d necessary for contact is provided. Thus, after the crash cans 12 and 13 are first crushed, the load transmission member 52 comes into contact with the exhaust silencer 30, and therefore, the impact load is absorbed by the crash cans 12 and 13, and then the impact is absorbed by the exhaust silencer 30. The load can be absorbed. For this reason, when the impact load from the rear of the vehicle is small enough to cope with only the crash cans 12 and 13, damage to the exhaust silencer 30 can be avoided.

  A specific example of an aspect in which the impact load is absorbed at the rear portion of the vehicle 1 when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle, the crash cans 12 and 13 are first crushed and the impact loads are absorbed by the crash cans 12 and 13. When the impact load is relatively small, it can be dealt with only by the impact absorption by the crash cans 12 and 13. However, when the impact load is relatively large, the impact absorption is continued in the following manner.

  When the crash cans 12 and 13 are crushed so as to be compressed in the vehicle front-rear direction, the load transmitting member 52 is pushed forward, and the contact portion 54 of the load transmitting member 52 is moved to the rear end of the exhaust silencer 30. The load transmission to the exhaust silencer 30 by the load transmission member 52 is started. Following this, as shown in FIG. 5, as the rear side frames 2 and 3 begin to collapse and the rear side frames 2 and 3 are compressed in the vehicle front-rear direction, the load transmission member 52 further moves forward. Then, the exhaust silencer 30 is pushed forward.

  Here, since the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer 30 is supported from the lower side by the guide members 80 and 82 continuously from when the impact load starts to be applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle, the exhaust silencer 30 is prevented from dropping off. The rear suspension cross member 20 can be reliably guided toward the lateral member portion 24.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the exhaust silencer 30 is crushed by being sandwiched between the suspension cross member 20 and the load transmission member 52 in parallel with the rear side frames 2 and 3 being crushed. Thus, since the impact load can be absorbed not only by the rear side frames 2 and 3 but also by the exhaust silencer 30, the impact absorbing effect can be enhanced.

  When the shock absorption by the exhaust silencer 30 is completed, the load transmission member 52 is separated from the rear bumper reinforcement 6 by the reaction force received from the rear suspension cross member 20 and falls. Thereby, it is possible to avoid that the impact transmission by the rear side frames 2 and 3 subsequently performed is hindered by the load transmission member 52.

  In the present embodiment, if the load transmission member 52 is not provided, the exhaust silencer 30 receives an impact load from an impact object such as a rear vehicle, and is sandwiched between the impact object and the rear suspension cross member 20. The impact load can be absorbed by being crushed. In this case as well, the exhaust silencer 30 pushed forward by the collision object is regulated in its moving direction by the guide members 80 and 82 so as not to drop out, as described above, and therefore the exhaust silencer 30 reliably absorbs the impact load. be able to.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that in the second embodiment, detailed description of the same configuration as in the first embodiment is omitted. 7 and 8, members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing a rear portion of the vehicle 101 to which the vehicle rear collision corresponding structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, also in the present embodiment, the exhaust silencer 30 moves toward the rear suspension cross member 20 when an impact load is applied to the vehicle 101 from the rear of the vehicle, as in the first embodiment. A pair of left and right guide members 80 and 82 for restricting the moving direction of the exhaust silencer 30 are provided so as to move, and each guide member 80 and 82 is provided with a rear suspension cross member via a pair of front and rear support members 90 and 94. It is supported by 20 horizontal member portions 24 in a suspended manner.

  And in this embodiment, the under cover 110 for reducing the air resistance of the bottom face of the vehicle 101 rear part at the time of driving | running | working is extended over the guide members 80 and 82 on either side. The under cover 110 is fixed to the lower surfaces of the guide members 80 and 82 by, for example, a plurality of bolts 120.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the under cover 110 is provided in a substantially trapezoidal shape with a front edge portion and a rear edge portion arranged along the vehicle width direction, and the front edge portion of the under cover 110 is a rear suspension. The rear member is disposed along the rear edge of the lateral member 24 of the cross member 20, and the rear edge of the under cover 110 is disposed along the front edge of the rear bumper 4.

  In the present embodiment, by providing the under cover 110 as described above, good aerodynamic characteristics can be obtained on the bottom surface of the vehicle 101. This also eliminates the need for the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer 30 to have a shape that takes into account aerodynamic characteristics, so that the degree of freedom in designing the exhaust silencer 30 can be increased. Therefore, by making the exhaust silencer 30 more easily crushed, the impact absorbing effect of the exhaust silencer 30 can be further enhanced.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when an impact load is applied to the vehicle 101 from the rear of the vehicle, the moving direction of the exhaust silencer 30 is appropriately regulated by the guide members 80 and 82, The exhaust silencer 30 can be reliably brought into contact with the rear suspension cross member 20, whereby efficient impact load absorption using the exhaust silencer 30 can be realized.

[Third Embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Note that in the third embodiment, detailed description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted. 9 and 10, members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 9 is a bottom view showing a rear portion of a vehicle 201 to which a rear-end collision corresponding structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in this embodiment, a guide member 210 different from the first and second embodiments is provided. The guide member 210 has an L-shape when viewed from the side, and has a fixed portion 212 fixed to the lateral member portion 24 of the rear suspension cross member 20 and a plate shape extending rearward from the lower end portion of the fixed portion 212. And a horizontal portion 214.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the fixed portion 212 is disposed along a plane perpendicular to the vehicle front-rear direction, and is fixed to the rear surface of the lateral member portion 24 by, for example, welding. An insertion hole 216 for avoiding interference with the exhaust pipe 50 is provided at the center of the fixed portion 212 in the vehicle width direction, and the exhaust pipe 50 is inserted through the insertion hole 216.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the plate-like horizontal portion 214 is provided to expand in the horizontal direction so as to block the space from the lower side to the front end portion of the exhaust silencer 30 from the rear end of the lateral member portion 24. The vehicle 201 functions as an under cover for reducing the air resistance at the bottom of the rear portion of the vehicle 201 during traveling. Therefore, good aerodynamic characteristics can be obtained on the bottom surface of the vehicle 201. This also eliminates the need for the bottom surface of the exhaust silencer 30 to have a shape that takes into account aerodynamic characteristics, so that the degree of freedom in designing the exhaust silencer 30 can be increased. Therefore, by making the exhaust silencer 30 more easily crushed, the impact absorbing effect of the exhaust silencer 30 can be further enhanced.

  Further, the plate-like horizontal portion 214 supports the exhaust silencer 30 from below when an impact load is applied to the vehicle 201 from the rear of the vehicle, and prevents the exhaust silencer 30 from dropping off. It is possible to reliably guide toward the lateral member portion 24.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the load transmission member 52 is directed downward from the rear bumper reinforcement 6 so that it can contact the rear end of the exhaust silencer 30 when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle. The abutting portion 54 extended and the corresponding abutting portion 54 extends forward from the abutting portion 54 so that the bottom portion of the exhaust silencer 30 can be supported in a state where the abutting portion 54 is in contact with the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30. The support part 56 is provided.

  The support portion 56 extends forward from the lower end portion of the contact portion 56, and at least the front end portion of the support portion 56 is disposed at a position lower than the lower end of the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30. As a result, the crash cans 12 and 13 are crushed by an impact load from the rear of the vehicle, and when the load transmission member 52 moves forward, the front end portion of the support portion 56 interferes with the rear end portion of the exhaust silencer 30. Therefore, the support portion 56 can be reliably disposed below the exhaust silencer 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the exhaust silencer 30 can be supported from the lower side not only by the plate-like horizontal portion 214 of the guide member 210 but also by the support portion 56 of the load transmission member 52. The dropout can be prevented more reliably.

  The front end portion of the support portion 56 is disposed so as to overlap the exhaust silencer 30 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Therefore, since the bottom of the exhaust silencer 30 can be supported by the support portion 56 when an impact load starts to be applied to the rear bumper 4 from the rear of the vehicle, the exhaust silencer 30 can be more reliably prevented from falling off.

  Therefore, also in this embodiment, absorption of the impact load by the exhaust silencer 30 can be realized, and the impact load from the rear of the vehicle can be effectively absorbed.

[Fourth Embodiment]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that in the fourth embodiment, a detailed description of the same configuration as the first embodiment is omitted. 11 and 12, members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, in FIG.11 and FIG.12, although illustration of the rear bumper 4 and the load transmission member 52 is abbreviate | omitted, these both members 4 and 52 shall be provided similarly to 1st Embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the present embodiment, the exhaust silencer 30 is suspended and supported by the rear side frames 2 and 3 via a pair of front and rear hanger members 60 and 62. 11 and 12, only the hanger members 60 and 62 for supporting the exhaust silencer 30 by the left rear side frame 3 are shown, but the exhaust silencer 30 for supporting the exhaust silencer 30 by the right rear side frame 2 is shown. The hanger members 60 and 62 have the same configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the movement direction of the exhaust silencer 30 is such that the front and rear hanger members 60, 62 move toward the rear suspension cross member 20 when an impact load is applied to the vehicle 1 from the rear of the vehicle. It functions as a moving direction restricting means for restricting. This will be specifically described below.

  The front hanger member 60 includes a frame side fixing pin 64 having one end fixed to the rear side frame 3, a silencer side fixing pin 68 having one end fixed to the front portion of the exhaust silencer 30 via a bracket 76, and a frame side fixing. A connecting member 72 having a substantially elliptical shape in a side view is connected to the other end of the pin 64 and the other end of the silencer side fixing pin 68 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vehicle width direction. The long axis direction of the connecting member 72 is inclined forward and downward with respect to the vertical direction, and the connecting member 72 is connected to the frame side fixing pin 64 at the upper end in the long axis direction, and the lower side in the long axis direction. The end of the side is connected to the silencer side fixing pin 68. That is, the connection part (silencer side connection part) 69 between the silencer side fixing pin 68 and the connection member 72 is lower and the front side than the connection part (frame side connection part) 65 between the frame side fixing pin 64 and the connection member 72. Is arranged. Thus, when an impact load is transmitted to the exhaust silencer 30 from the rear, the silencer side connecting portion 69 is rotated forward and upward with the frame side connecting portion 65 as the central axis.

  On the other hand, the rear hanger member 62 includes a frame-side fixing pin 66 having one end fixed to the rear side frame 3 via flanges 14 and 16, and a silencer having one end fixed to the rear portion of the exhaust silencer 30 via a bracket 78. The side fixing pin 70, the other end of the frame side fixing pin 66, and the other end of the silencer side fixing pin 70 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vehicle width direction. And have. The long axis direction of the connecting member 74 is inclined rearward and downward with respect to the vertical direction, and the connecting member 72 is connected to the frame side fixing pin 66 at the upper end portion in the long axis direction, and the lower side in the long axis direction. The end of the side is connected to the silencer side fixing pin 70. That is, the connection part (silencer side connection part) 71 between the silencer side fixing pin 70 and the connection member 74 is lower and front than the connection part (frame side connection part) 67 between the frame side fixing pin 66 and the connection member 72. Is arranged. Thereby, when an impact load is transmitted to the exhaust silencer 30 from the rear, the silencer side connecting portion 71 is rotated forward and downward with the frame side connecting portion 67 as the central axis.

  Thus, when an impact load is applied to the exhaust silencer 30 from the rear, in the front hanger member 60, the silencer side connecting portion 69 rotates forward and upward with the frame side connecting portion 65 as the central axis, and the rear hanger member 62. Then, the silencer side connecting portion 71 rotates forward and downward with the frame side connecting portion 67 as the central axis. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the exhaust silencer 30 moves so as to move forward toward the lateral member portion 24 of the rear suspension cross member 20 in a state where the front end portion is lifted higher than the rear end portion. Direction is regulated. Therefore, the front end portion of the exhaust silencer 30 whose height is maintained as much as possible can be reliably guided so as to come into contact with the lateral member portion 24, and the exhaust silencer 30 can absorb the impact load. be able to.

  In addition, in this embodiment, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.7 and FIG.8, you may provide the load transmission member 52 similarly to the 1st-3rd embodiment. In this embodiment, guide members 80, 82, and 210 according to the first to third embodiments may be further provided. In this case, both the guide members 80, 82, and 210 and the hanger members 60 and 62 are connected. By using it, the movement direction of the exhaust silencer 30 can be regulated more reliably.

  While the present invention has been described with reference to the above-described embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

  For example, the exhaust silencer used for absorbing the impact load in the present invention is not limited to the exhaust silencer 30 configured as described above, and various exhaust silencers can be used.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the configuration in which the guide members 80, 82, and 210 extend to the space below the exhaust silencer 30 has been described. However, in the present invention, the guide member is not necessarily an exhaust silencer. The exhaust silencer 30 need not be extended to the lower space of the exhaust silencer 30, and can be supported from the lower side when the impact load is applied to the vehicle from the rear side of the exhaust silencer 30. What is necessary is just to extend to the part.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the safety of passengers in the vehicle interior by effectively absorbing the impact load applied from the rear of the vehicle by the exhaust silencer. It may be suitably used in the vehicle manufacturing industry.

1, 101, 201, 301: Vehicle, 2, 3: Rear side frame, 4: Rear bumper, 6: Rear bumper reinforcement, 12, 13: Crash can, 20: Rear suspension cross member, 30: Exhaust silencer, 52: Load Transmission member, 60, 62: Hanger member, 64, 66: Frame side fixing pin, 68, 70: Silencer side fixing pin, 72, 74: Connection member, 65, 67: Frame side connection portion, 69, 71: Silencer side Connection part, 80, 82, 210: guide member, 110: under cover, 214: plate-like horizontal part.

Claims (7)

A pair of left and right rear side frames extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the rear of the vehicle;
A rear suspension cross member erected between the left and right rear side frames;
A collision-responsive structure at the rear of the vehicle having a hollow exhaust silencer provided in the exhaust path of the engine and disposed behind the rear suspension cross member;
Vehicle having a moving direction restricting means for restricting a moving direction of the exhaust silencer so that the exhaust silencer moves toward the rear suspension cross member when an impact load is applied to the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle. Rear collision response structure.   2. The guide member according to claim 1, wherein the moving direction restricting unit is a guide member that extends rearward from the rear suspension cross member to a lower space of the exhaust silencer or a front vicinity of the lower space. Correspondence structure at the rear of the vehicle.   The said guide member is arrange | positioned so that the rear-end part of the said guide member may overlap with the said exhaust silencer in the vehicle front-back direction in the state where the impact load is not applied to the said vehicle. Collision-resistant structure at the rear of the vehicle.   The said guide member is equipped with the plate-shaped horizontal part extended in a horizontal direction so that it can function as an undercover for reducing the air resistance of the bottom face of the vehicle rear part at the time of driving | running | working, The Claim 2 or Claim Item 4. The vehicle rear-end collision response structure according to item 3. The guide member is a member elongated in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a plurality of guide members are provided at intervals in the vehicle width direction,
4. The rear collision of the vehicle according to claim 2, wherein an under cover for reducing an air resistance of a bottom surface of the rear portion of the vehicle at the time of traveling is attached across the plurality of guide members. Corresponding structure. The movement direction restricting means is a pair of front and rear hangers used by each rear side frame to suspend and support the exhaust silencer,
The hanger members extend in the vehicle width direction respectively to a frame side fixing member fixed to the rear side frame, a silencer side fixing member fixed to the exhaust silencer, and the frame side fixing member and the silencer side fixing member. A connecting member connected rotatably about an axis;
In the hanger member on the front side, the silencer side fixing member is fixed to a front portion of the exhaust silencer, and a connecting portion between the silencer side fixing member and the connecting member is formed by the frame side fixing member and the connecting member. Arranged below and in front of the connecting portion of
In the hanger member on the rear side, the silencer side fixing member is fixed to a rear portion of the exhaust silencer, and a connecting portion between the silencer side fixing member and the connecting member includes the frame side fixing member and the connecting member. 2. The collision-resolving structure at the rear of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the structure is disposed below and behind the connecting portion. The vehicle further includes a rear bumper extending in the vehicle width direction behind the rear side frame,
A load transmission member that abuts against a rear end portion of the exhaust silencer and transmits the impact load to the exhaust silencer when an impact load is applied to the rear bumper from the rear of the vehicle to a rear bumper reinforcement provided in the rear bumper The vehicle rear-end collision response structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the vehicle rear-end collision response structure is provided.

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