Description:A FLOOR REINFORCEMENT STRUCTURE FOR A VEHICLE BODY

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter described herein relates to a rear floor of a vehicle. The present invention is particularly related to a floor reinforcement structure for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a four wheel drive vehicle body.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present subject matter. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] A vehicle has a spare tyre storage recess that is built on a rear floor panel of a vehicle's body. In the existing design, a reinforcement is placed on the spare tyre storage recess in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. One end of the reinforcement is connected to a cross member and another end of the reinforcement is connected to a back panel of a vehicle's body.
[0004] Further, a tow hook is attached to the lower surface side of the first floor reinforcement by welding or a similar method.
[0005] The reinforcement is provided on the rear floor of the vehicle to cater to different purposes such as crash energy absorption, spare tire support, towing hook fixation in vehicles and has a box structure with multiple components in rear floor as well as requires extension of back panel.
[0006] The challenges that are faced in the existing design is that a reinforcement sub-assembly is welded on the rear floor and connected to the back panel with multiple child parts and an extended box section is provided in the rear portion for which extension parts are added in back panel area. This amounts to adding of a plurality of parts that makes the assembly of this region highly complex.
[0007] Further, there is a large span of unsupported area on the rear floor in which additional stiffening is required. This necessitates changes in rear floor panel or reinforcement addition from inside or stiffener sheet addition. Also, there is dependency on towing hook mounting location without which that structure and the required performance criteria cannot be achieved.
[0008] Lastly, there is a weight and cost increase to implement the existing structure.
[0009] It is therefore desirable to increase the rigidity of the rear floor panel with cost-effective measures.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0010] It forms an object of the present disclosure to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks/limitations in the existing solutions available in the form of related prior arts.
[0011] It is a primary object of the present disclosure to improve vibration performance and stiffness of the rear floor of the vehicle.
[0012] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a floor reinforcement structure for inducing resistance to loads received by the vehicle body.
[0013] It is another object of the present disclosure to increase span of the supported area on the rear floor.
[0014] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a cost-effective solution to achieve the above objectives.
[0015] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taken into consideration with accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0016] A solution to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed disclosure.
[0017] The present disclosure provides a solution in the form of a floor reinforcement structure assembly for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a four wheel drive vehicle body. The floor reinforcement structure assembly comprises a floor reinforcement structure mounted on a rear floor of the four wheel drive vehicle body. The floor reinforcement structure is connected with a cross member of the rear floor at a front end and with a back panel at a rear end of the four wheel drive vehicle body.
[0018] In an aspect, a floor reinforcement structure for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a rear floor of a four-wheel drive vehicle body is provided. The floor reinforcement structure comprises a flat base defining a front end and a rear end, the flat base having L-shaped mounting flanges running along both longitudinal sides to mount the floor reinforcement structure on the rear floor, a flange extend perpendicularly away from the rear end to mount with a back panel, wherein width of the flat base gradually reduces from the rear end to the front end, wherein the front end is mounted with the cross member.
[0019] In an aspect, a pair of curved beads are provided on the flat base, each of the curved bead from the pair of curved beads provided adjacent to the longitudinal side.
[0020] In an aspect, the width of the plurality of curved beads gradually decrease along the width of the flat base.
[0021] In an aspect, a pair of straight beads are disposed at inner surface area of the flat base provided in between the pair of curved beads, wherein the pair of curved beads are longer than the pair of straight brads.
[0022] In an aspect, a plurality of locating holes and a plurality of Electrode Deposition drain holes are disposed at a surface area in between the pair straight beads.
[0023] In an aspect, the flange has a stepped or corrugated profile.
[0024] In an aspect, the flat base has a 3D bent profile towards a welding location provided adjacent to the flange on the flat base to connect the flat base with the rear floor, wherein the flat base with a bent defines a semi-circular bent portion / dipping bead profile with a center at the welding location .
[0025] In an aspect, the floor reinforcement structure defines a hat shape cross section profile along transverse cross section line.
[0026] In an aspect, the rear end defines a width (D) and the front end defines a width (d), where the width (D) is greater than the width (d).
[0027] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0028] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0029] Fig. 1a illustrates a floor reinforcement structure assembly according to the present disclosure;
[0030] Fig. 2a illustrates a top view of a floor reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0031] Fig. 2b illustrates a perspective view of the floor reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0032] Fig. 3a illustrates a cross sectional view of the floor reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0033] Fig. 3b illustrates a cross sectional view A-A of the floor reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0034] Fig. 3c illustrates a cross sectional view B-B of the floor reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure;
[0035] Fig. 3d illustrates a cross sectional view C-C of the floor reinforcement structure according to the present disclosure.
[0036] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0037] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0038] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0039] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0041] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration of specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
[0042] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0043] The present invention discloses a reinforcement structure provided on a floor assembly. The floor reinforcement structure improves the stiffness and vibration performance of a four wheel drive vehicle body.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 1a, it shows the floor reinforcement structure assembly for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a four wheel drive vehicle body. The Rear Underbody area for Differential mounting (in 4 Wheel Drive vehicles) comprises of a rear floor (101), a cross member (103), and a back panel (102).
[0045] A floor reinforcement structure (100) is mounted on a rear floor (101) of the four wheel drive vehicle body. The floor reinforcement structure (100) is mounted to the rear floor (101) below the spare tyre storage recess (from underbody / vehicle bottom outside) in a longitudinal direction in the length of the vehicle.
[0046] Further, one end of the floor reinforcement structure (100) is connected with a cross member (103) of the rear floor (101) and another end of the floor reinforcement structure (100) is connected with a back panel (102) of the four wheel drive vehicle body.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, it shows the floor reinforcement structure (100) for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a rear floor (101 as provided in FIG. 1) of the four-wheel drive vehicle body. The floor reinforcement structure (100) comprises of a flat base (201) with L-shaped mounting flanges (209a, 209b), a flange (203), a pair of curved beads (205a, 205b), a pair of straight beads (206a, 206b), a plurality of locating holes (207a, 207b) and a plurality of ED holes (208a, 208b).
[0048] Referring to FIG. 2a, the floor reinforcement structure (100) defines a hat shape cross section profile along transverse cross section line along the longitudinal length of the vehicle.
[0049] The flat base (201) has a front end (202b) and a rear end (202a). The flat base (201) further has L-shaped mounting flanges (209a, 209b) that are provided along the periphery of both longitudinal sides (211a, 211b) to mount the floor reinforcement structure (100) on the rear floor (101).
[0050] Further, the rear end (202a) defines a width (D) and the front end (202b) defines a width (d). The width (D) of the the rear end (202a) is greater than the width (d) of the front end (202b).
[0051] Also, a flange (203) is extended perpendicularly away from the rear end (202a). The flange (203) is configured to mount and get connected with the back panel (102). The flange (203) has a stepped or a corrugated profile (204) to further increase the rigidity of the floor reinforcement structure (100).
[0052] Also, the width of the flat base (201) gradually reduces from the rear end (202a) to the front end (202b) forming a tapered shape. The front end (202b) further gets welded with the cross member (103 as provided in FIG. 1).
[0053] Referring to FIG. 2b, it shows a pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) that are provided on the flat base (201). Also each of the curved bead from the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) are provided adjacent to the longitudinal side (211a, 211b).
[0054] The width of the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) gradually decrease along the width of the flat base (201). Therefore the width of the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) is maximum near the rear end (202a) and minimises towards the front end (202b).
[0055] Also, a pair of straight beads (206a, 206b) are given at an inner surface area of the flat base (201) that is provided in between the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b). The length of the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) is longer than the length of the pair of straight beads (206a, 206b). The pair of straight beads (206a, 206b) is provided to further stiffen the floor reinforcement structure (100) and enhance the vibration performance of the vehicle.
[0056] Further, a plurality of locating holes (207a, 207b) and a plurality of Electrode Deposition drain holes (208a, 208b) are disposed at a surface area that is provided in between the pair of straight beads (206a, 206b).
[0057] Also, the flat base (201) has a welding location near rear end (212) and a center is defined at the spot weld location (212). The flat base (201) is bent towards a welding location (212) that is provided adjacent to the flange (203) on the flat base (201) to mount the flat base (201) with the rear floor (101).
[0058] The flat base (201) with the 3D bent profile defines a semi-circular bent portion (dipping bead) (206) with a center at the spot weld location (212). The bent portion (206) is provided to increase the stiffness around the area between the rear end (202a) and the flange (203) that is connected with the back panel (102).
[0059] Referring to FIG. 3a, illustrates the cross section view of the floor reinforcement structure (100).
[0060] Referring to FIG. 3b, cross section A-A is illustrated. The section A-A defines the floor reinforcement structure (100) mounted on the rear floor (101) of the four wheel drive vehicle body. The floor reinforcement structure (100) is connected with a cross member (103) of the rear floor (101) at a front end (210b) and with a back panel (102) at a rear end (210a) of the four wheel drive vehicle body.
[0061] Referring to FIG. 3c, cross section B-B is illustrated. The section B-B defines the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) and the pair of straight beads (206a, 206b) provided on the flat base (201).
[0062] Referring to FIG. 3d, cross section C-C is illustrated. The section C-C defines the flange (203) that is extended perpendicularly away from the rear end (202a) of the flat base (201) and further forms a joinery with the back panel (102). The flange (203) has the stepped or corrugated profile (204) to increase the stiffness of the floor reinforcement joinery with back panel and overall strength of the structure (100).
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0063] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, the reinforcement at multiple areas contributes to local area stiffness improvement and Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) performance enhancement.
[0064] With the help of the solution as proposed herein in the context of the present disclosure, there is a local area stiffness improvement without any complex joinery or sub assembly or extension part in the back panel area.
[0065] It is observed that the maximum span provided by the floor reinforcement structure on the rear floor is supported and a box section is formed which improves local area rigidity.
[0066] The solution in form of the floor reinforcement structure is independent of other part location and thus increase modularity i.e. positioning/expanse can be modified as per requirement.
[0067] The overall weight reduction and cost reduction is achieved through this solution.
[0068] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[0069] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature. , Claims:We claim:
1. A floor reinforcement structure assembly for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a four wheel drive vehicle body, the floor reinforcement structure assembly comprising:
a floor reinforcement structure (100) mounted on a rear floor (101) of the four wheel drive vehicle body, the floor reinforcement structure (100) connected with a cross member (103) of the rear floor (101) at a front end (202b) and with a back panel (102) at a rear end (202a) of the four wheel drive vehicle body.
2. A floor reinforcement structure (100) for improving stiffness and vibration performance of a rear floor (101) of a four-wheel drive vehicle body, the floor reinforcement structure (100) comprising:
a flat base (201) defining a front end (202b) and a rear end (202a), the flat base (201) having L-shaped mounting flanges (209a, 209b) running along both longitudinal sides (211a, 211b) to mount the floor reinforcement structure (200) on the rear floor (101); and
a flange (203) extend perpendicularly away from the rear end (202a) to mount with a back panel (102),
wherein width of the flat base (201) gradually reduces from the rear end (202a) to the front end (202b), wherein the front end (202b) mounts with the cross member (103).
3. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) are provided on the flat base (201), each of the curved bead from the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) provided adjacent to the longitudinal side (211a, 211b).
4. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the width of the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) gradually decrease along the width of the flat base (201).
5. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein a pair of straight beads (206a, 206b) are disposed at inner surface area of the flat base (201) provided in between the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b), wherein the pair of curved beads (205a, 205b) are longer than the pair of straight beads (206a, 206b).
6. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein a plurality of locating holes (207a, 207b) and a plurality of Electrode Deposition drain holes (208a, 208b) are disposed at a surface area in between the pair straight beads (206a, 206b).
7. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the flange (203) has a stepped or corrugated profile (204).
8. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat base (201) has a 3D bent profile towards a welding location (212) provided adjacent to the flange (203) on the flat base (201) to connect the flat base (201) with the rear floor (101), wherein the flat base (201) with a bent defines a semi-circular bent portion / dipping bead profile (206) with a center at the welding location (212).
9. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the floor reinforcement structure (100) defines a hat shape cross section profile along transverse cross section line.
10. The floor reinforcement structure (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear end (202a) defines a width (D) and the front end (202b) defines a width (d), where the width (D) is greater than the width (d).