IP Library Granted Patent US 12,233,946
Granted Patent B2
US 12,233,946 · App. 17/903,197 · Granted Feb 25, 2025

Vehicle-body structure including a cross member at a rear portion of the floor panel

Inventors: Takuma Inami (Hiroshima, JP); Nobuyuki Nakayama (Hiroshima, JP); Hiroyuki Baba (Hiroshima, JP); Takashi Hirakawa (Hiroshima, JP); Hideaki Hoshuyama (Hiroshima, JP); Tsuneki Shimanaka (Hiroshima, JP)
Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
B62D25/2027B62D25/20B62D25/2009B62D25/2018B62D25/2045B60K1/00B60K2001/0438B62D21/04B62D21/11B62D21/152B62D25/082B62D25/14
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,233,946
App. No.
17/903,197
Granted
Feb 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

To sufficiently improve the distortion stiffness of a vehicle body in a case in which no floor tunnel largely bulging upward from a floor panel is provided. A vehicle-body structure includes a floor panel constituting a floor of an occupant space including a seat on which a passenger is to sit, a cross member provided at a rear portion of the floor panel and extending in a vehicle width direction, a center frame disposed to be higher than and away from the floor panel at a vehicle-width-direction central portion of the occupant space and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a connecting member connecting the cross member and a rear portion of the center frame.

Claims (28)

1. A vehicle-body structure provided in an automobile, the vehicle-body structure comprising:

a floor panel constituting a floor of an occupant space including a seat on which a passenger is to sit;

a cross member at a rear portion of the floor panel and extending in a vehicle-width-direction;

a center frame disposed to be higher than and away from the floor panel at a vehicle-width-direction central portion of the occupant space and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction;

a connecting member connecting the cross member and a rear portion of the center frame; and

a traveling motor that drives rear wheels of the automobile, wherein

the traveling motor is disposed on a vehicle rear side of the rear portion of the center frame, and

at least part of the rear portion of the center frame is positioned lower than an upper end of the traveling motor and higher than a lower end of the traveling motor in a vehicle side view.

2. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 1 , wherein the height of a rotation center of the traveling motor is set to be lower than the rear portion of the center frame.

3. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 2 , comprising:

a left-side rear-side frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on a vehicle rear side and a vehicle left side of the rear portion of the floor panel;

a right-side rear-side frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle rear side and a vehicle right side of the rear portion of the floor panel;

a left-side connection frame extending from the rear portion of the center frame to the left-side rear-side frame and connecting the rear portion of the center frame and the left-side rear-side frame; and

a right-side connection frame extending from the rear portion of the center frame to the right-side rear-side frame and connecting the rear portion of the center frame and the right-side rear-side frame.

4. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 1 , comprising:

a left-side rear-side frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on a vehicle rear side and a vehicle left side of the rear portion of the floor panel;

a right-side rear-side frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle rear side and a vehicle right side of the rear portion of the floor panel;

a left-side connection frame extending from the rear portion of the center frame to the left-side rear-side frame and connecting the rear portion of the center frame and the left-side rear-side frame; and

a right-side connection frame extending from the rear portion of the center frame to the right-side rear-side frame and connecting the rear portion of the center frame and the right-side rear-side frame.

5. A vehicle-body structure provided in an automobile, the vehicle-body structure comprising:

a floor panel constituting a floor of an occupant space including a seat on which a passenger is to sit;

a cross member at a rear portion of the floor panel and extending in a vehicle-width-direction;

a center frame disposed to be higher than and away from the floor panel at a vehicle-width-direction central portion of the occupant space and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction;

a connecting member connecting the cross member and a rear portion of the center frame;

a left-side rear-side frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on a vehicle rear side and a vehicle left side of the rear portion of the floor panel;

a right-side rear-side frame extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on the vehicle rear side and a vehicle right side of the rear portion of the floor panel;

a left-side connection frame extending from the rear portion of the center frame to the left-side rear-side frame and connecting the rear portion of the center frame and the left-side rear-side frame; and

a right-side connection frame extending from the rear portion of the center frame to the right-side rear-side frame and connecting the rear portion of the center frame and the right-side rear-side frame.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 6, 2022
From: INAMI, TAKUMA; NAKAYAMA, NOBUYUKI; BABA, HIROYUKI; HIRAKAWA, TAKASHI; HOSHUYAMA, HIDEAKI; SHIMANAKA, TSUNEKI
To: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060995/0139 →
Priority Claims (7)
JP 2021-161834 · Sep 30, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183258 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183259 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183261 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183318 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183326 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183330 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63403804 · Sep 5, 2022
Related Publication 20230182827A1 · Jun 15, 2023
References Cited (36)
US 5908077A · Moore · 1999 [cited by examiner]
US 6270153B1 · Toyao · 2001 [cited by examiner]
US 9446793B2 · Choi · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 9926013B2 · Ideguchi · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10814745B2 · Natsume · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11008049B2 · Natsume · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11059519B2 · Persson · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11097787B2 · Ebisumoto · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11220298B2 · Matsuda · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11299211B2 · Matsuda · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11325654B2 · Ebisumoto · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11420686B2 · Matsuda · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11876239B2 · Wassmur · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 11964535B2 · Bollinger · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 11993166B2 · Doo · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 12065030B2 · Kamemoto · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20210237550A1 · Kawase · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20230094186A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230094304A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230095674A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230097913A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230100068A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230101421A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230101665A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230101843A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230102921A1 · Odhekar · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230103246A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230339275A1 · Hiramatsu · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230347828A1 · Bos · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230406121A1 · An · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240181863A1 · Kim · 2024 [cited by examiner]
JP 200541395A · 2005 [cited by applicant]
JP 2009101815A · 2009 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019123461A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019177831A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 202135789A · 2021 [cited by applicant]