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DE-102019126187-B4 - Rear chassis module

DE102019126187B4DE 102019126187 B4DE102019126187 B4DE 102019126187B4DE-102019126187-B4

Abstract

Rear chassis module for a vehicle, wherein the rear chassis module comprises: a rear suspension subframe (11, 110) arranged under a rear floor panel (3); a pair of front reinforcement elements (12, 112) extending from the rear suspension subframe (11, 110) towards the front of the vehicle and supporting a battery pack (1); a pair of rear reinforcement elements (13, 113) extending from the rear suspension subframe (11, 110) towards the rear of the vehicle and supporting a fuel tank (2); a pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4) arranged on both sides of the rear floor panel (3); and a rear cross member (14, 114) which runs transversely to and is connected to the pair of rear floor longitudinal members (4), wherein a pair of support elements (15) are coupled to sections of the rear crossbeam (14) adjacent to respective ends of the rear crossbeam (14), and the pair of support elements (15) connects the rear crossbeam (14) to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4) in a diagonal direction, and wherein front ends of the pair of support elements (15) are each coupled to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4) and rear ends of the pair of support elements (15) are each coupled to rear ends of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (13) and the rear crossbeam (14).

Inventors

  • Seong Eun Choi
  • Kun Ho PARK

Assignees

  • HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
  • KIA MOTORS CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20190927
Priority Date
20190123

Claims (11)

  1. Rear chassis module for a vehicle, the rear chassis module comprising: a rear suspension subframe (11, 110) arranged below a rear floor panel (3); a pair of front reinforcement elements (12, 112) extending from the rear suspension subframe (11, 110) towards the front of the vehicle and supporting a battery pack (1); a pair of rear reinforcement elements (13, 113) extending from the rear suspension subframe (11, 110) towards the rear of the vehicle and supporting a fuel tank (2); a pair of rear floor longitudinal members (4) arranged on both sides of the rear floor panel (3); and a rear crossbeam (14, 114) which runs transversely to and is connected to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4), a pair of support elements (15) being coupled to sections of the rear crossbeam (14) adjacent to the respective ends of the rear crossbeam (14), and the pair of support elements (15) connecting the rear crossbeam (14) to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4) in a diagonal direction, and front ends of the pair of support elements (15) being coupled to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4) and rear ends of the pair of support elements (15) being coupled to the rear ends of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (13) and the rear crossbeam (14).
  2. Rear chassis module after Claim 1 , wherein the rear floor panel (3) has a tunnel (7) arranged in a central section thereof and a pair of tunnel-side longitudinal members (8) arranged on both sides of the tunnel (7), the pair of front reinforcement elements (12) connecting the rear suspension subframe (11) to the pair of tunnel-side longitudinal members (8), and each of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (13) connecting the rear suspension subframe (11) and the rear cross member (14) to each other.
  3. Rear chassis module after Claim 2 , wherein the front ends of the pair of front reinforcement elements (12) are each directly coupled to the rear ends of the pair of tunnel-side longitudinal members (8), and the rear ends of the pair of front reinforcement elements (12) are coupled to the rear suspension subframe (11).
  4. Rear chassis module after one of the Claims 1 until 3 , wherein each of the pair of front reinforcing elements (12) has a straight section (12a) supporting a bottom surface of the battery assembly (1) and an inclined section (12b) extending from the straight section (12a) and inclined with respect to the straight section (12a), the straight section (12a) being directly coupled to the bottom surface of the battery assembly (1), and the inclined section (12b) being arranged at a distance from a rear end of the battery assembly (1).
  5. Rear chassis module after one of the Claims 1 until 4 , further comprising a plurality of battery support elements (16) attached to a base surface of the battery assembly (1), wherein one end of each plurality of battery support elements (16) is coupled to one of the pair of front reinforcement elements (12) and the base surface of the battery assembly (1), and another end of each plurality of battery support elements (16) is coupled to the battery assembly (1). The interior support elements (16) are each coupled to one of the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams (4).
  6. Rear chassis module after one of the Claims 1 until 5 , wherein the front ends of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (13) are coupled to the rear suspension subframe (11), and the rear ends of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (13) are coupled to the rear crossmember (14).
  7. Rear chassis module after one of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein each of the pair of rear reinforcing elements (13) has a straight section (13a) supporting a bottom surface of the fuel tank (2) and an inclined section (13b) extending from the straight section (13a) and inclined with respect to the straight section (13a), the straight section (13a) being directly coupled to the bottom surface of the fuel tank (2), and the inclined section (13b) being arranged at a distance from a rear end of the fuel tank (2).
  8. Rear chassis module after Claim 1 , wherein front ends of the pair of support elements (15) are coupled to a rear end of a rear mounting element (23) of the rear suspension subframe (11) and each is coupled to the pair of rear floor longitudinal members (4).
  9. Rear chassis module after Claim 1 , wherein the rear floor panel (3) has a tunnel (7) arranged in a central section thereof, a pair of tunnel-side longitudinal members (8) arranged on both sides of the tunnel (7), and a pair of outer longitudinal members (9) each arranged in a direction towards an outside of the vehicle at a distance from the pair of tunnel-side longitudinal members (8), the pair of front reinforcement elements (112) connecting the rear suspension subframe (110) to the pair of outer longitudinal members (9), and each of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (113) connecting the rear suspension subframe (110) and the rear cross member (114) to each other.
  10. Rear chassis module after Claim 9 , wherein a rear end of each of the pair of rear reinforcement elements (113) is connected to the rear cross member (114) via a holder (118).
  11. Rear chassis module after Claim 9 or 10 , further comprising: a rear bumper support (5) connected via a crash box (6) to a rear end of the rear floor panel (3); and a lower rear bumper support (5a) arranged below the rear bumper support (5), wherein the rear reinforcement element (113) has an extension section (113a) extending from the rear cross member (114) towards the rear of the vehicle, and the extension section (113a) is directly coupled to the lower rear bumper support (5a).

Description

The invention relates to a rear chassis module for a vehicle, and in particular a rear chassis module for a vehicle, which is suitable to safely protect rear-mounted components, such as a battery and a fuel tank, in the event of a rear-end collision and to improve impact resistance. In general, environmentally friendly vehicles, such as hybrid vehicles, have rear-mounted components, such as a battery pack and a fuel tank, which require a safety function, and the rear-mounted components may be located under a rear floor of a vehicle body. Such rear-mounted components must be reliably protected against a rear-end collision. In particular, reinforcement structures and mounting parts to ensure the safety function of the rear-mounted components may be individually installed. However, in conventional environmentally friendly vehicles, the rear-mounted components, reinforcement structures, mounting parts and the like described above are individually mounted on the rear floor, and accordingly it is difficult to ensure the impact resistance of the vehicle in a rear-end collision, and assembly work and assembly time are excessively required. Furthermore, the environmentally friendly vehicle features a rear bumper support mounted to a rear panel of the vehicle body to mitigate rear-end collisions. The rear bumper support is attached to the rear panel of the vehicle body via a pair of crash boxes, and a pair of rear floor longitudinal members are positioned along the rear floor of the vehicle. The crash boxes are each connected to the rear floor longitudinal members. An impact force generated in a rear-end collision is transferred via the rear bumper support and the crash boxes to the respective rear floor longitudinal members and absorbed by them. However, since the conventional rear structure absorbs impact energy by utilizing only one body-side load path in a rear-end collision—defined by the rear bumper support, crash boxes, and rear floor longitudinal members—it is not possible to actively utilize the rear tires and similar components located outside the rear floor longitudinal members as an impact absorption space. In particular, if both body-side load paths are not utilized due to an offset impact or similar event, the fuel tank and battery may be damaged as a result of excessive deformation of the rear floor longitudinal members and surrounding sections. For example, from JP 2016 - 52 862 A a rear chassis module for a vehicle known, comprising: a rear suspension subframe arranged below a rear floor panel, a pair of front reinforcement elements extending from the rear suspension subframe towards a front of the vehicle and supporting a battery pack, a pair of rear reinforcement elements extending from the rear suspension subframe towards a rear of the vehicle and supporting a fuel tank, a pair of rear floor longitudinal members arranged on both sides of the rear floor panel, a rear cross member extending transversely to and connected with the pair of rear floor longitudinal members, and a pair of support elements coupled to sections of the rear cross member. Other chassis modules are made, for example, from JP 2008 - 56 189 A and WO 2018 / 207 688 A1 known. According to the invention, a rear chassis module for a vehicle is provided, having the features of claim 1. Further embodiments of the rear chassis module are described in the dependent claims. This means that the invention creates a rear chassis module for a vehicle that is suitable for safely protecting rear-mounted components, such as a battery and a fuel tank, in the event of a rear-end collision and for improving impact resistance. A rear chassis module (or chassis module) according to the invention for a vehicle comprises: a rear suspension subframe arranged below a rear floor panel, a pair of front reinforcement elements extending from the rear suspension subframe towards the front of the vehicle and supporting a battery pack, a pair of rear reinforcement elements extending from the rear suspension subframe towards the rear of the vehicle and supporting a fuel tank, a pair of rear floor longitudinal members arranged on both sides of the rear floor panel, and a rear cross member extending transversely to and connected with the pair of rear floor longitudinal members. A pair of support elements is coupled to sections of the rear cross member adjacent to respective ends of the rear cross member, and the A pair of support elements connects the rear crossbeam to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams in a diagonal direction (or oblique direction). The front ends of each pair of support elements are coupled to the pair of rear floor longitudinal beams, and the rear ends of each pair of support elements are coupled to the rear ends of the pair of rear reinforcement elements and to the rear crossbeam. The rear floor panel may have a tunnel arranged in a central section thereof, and a pair of tunnel-side longitudinal members arranged on both sides of the tun