Rear vehicle-body structure of vehicle

• US 9,604,674 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Muraoka, Shuji, Fujii, Hiroaki, Ikeda, Toshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLISH, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US14/739,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20160023685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 280/124.154, 296/193.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/01 the wheel being mounted for sliding movement, e.g. in or on a vertical guide camber maintaining means B60G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/04 Door pillars ; windshield pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/087 Luggage compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/088 Details of structures as upper supports for springs or dampers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/16 Mud-guards or wings; Wheel cover panels equipped with means for freeing wheels or tyres from foreign matter B60S

Abstract

A rear pillar inner provided at a side panel inner and extending upward from a front-side upper portion of a rear wheel house, a rear pillar reinforcement joined to an outside portion of the rear pillar inner, and an outside reinforcing member connecting an outside portion of the side panel inner and the rear wheel house are provided. The rear pillar reinforcement has a rear-side pillar-reinforcement ridge portion extending vertically. The outside reinforcing member has a front-side reinforcing-member ridge portion extending vertically. A lower end portion of the rear pillar reinforcement and an upper end portion of the outside reinforcing member are joined such that the both ridge portions are arranged to align substantially straightly, when viewed from the side, and to slant in such a manner that an upper side thereof is positioned relatively forward compared to a lower side thereof.

Claims

1. A rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising:

a roof rail extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and forming an upper end of a side panel;

a pillar portion provided at a side panel inner of a rear portion of a vehicle body, the pillar portion being configured to separate a window opening positioned in back thereof and a passenger'"'"'s ingress/egress opening positioned in front thereof and extending upward to the roof rail from a front-side upper portion of a rear wheel house;

a pillar reinforcement joined to an outside portion, in a width direction of the vehicle, of the pillar portion and connected to the roof rail at an upper end portion thereof; and

a reinforcing member joined to an outside portion, in the width direction of the vehicle, of the side panel inner and connected to the rear wheel house at a lower end portion thereof,

wherein said pillar reinforcement has a pillar-reinforcement ridge portion substantially straightly extending vertically, said reinforcing member has a reinforcing-member ridge portion substantially straightly extending vertically, and a lower end portion of the pillar reinforcement and an upper end portion of the reinforcing member are joined together such that said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion extending substantially straightly and said reinforcing-member ridge portion extending substantially straightly are arranged to align substantially straightly from the roof rail to the rear wheel house and to slant in such a manner that an upper side of the pillar reinforcement is positioned relatively forward compared to a lower side of the reinforcing member, when viewed from the side.

2. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 1, wherein said pillar reinforcement comprises a front-side flange portion which is configured to have a crank-shaped horizontal cross section and joined to the side panel inner, a body portion which connects to said front-side flange portion via a front-side ridge portion extending vertically, and a rear-side flange portion which connects to said body portion via said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and is joined to said reinforcing member.

3. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, wherein said rear wheel house has a slant face portion which is configured such that a front side thereof is positioned relatively downward compared to a rear side thereof at a top portion thereof, said reinforcing member has a front-end flange portion which extends forward from a lower end of a front wall portion thereof and is joined to said slant face portion of the rear wheel house, and a cross angle of said front wall portion and said front-end flange portion of the reinforcing member is set at substantially 90 degrees.

4. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a suspension housing which connects to said rear wheel house in back of said pillar reinforcement and supports a damper of a suspension, wherein a cross portion of an extension line of said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and said reinforcing-member ridge portion and said top portion of the rear wheel house is located substantially at the same longitudinal position as a cross portion of an extension line of an axial center of said damper and the top portion of the rear wheel house when viewed from the side.

5. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a suspension housing which connects to said rear wheel house in back of said pillar reinforcement and supports a damper of a suspension, wherein a cross portion of an extension line of said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and said reinforcing-member ridge portion and said top portion of the rear wheel house is located substantially at the same longitudinal position as a cross portion of an extension line of an axial center of said damper and the top portion of the rear wheel house when viewed from the side.

6. A rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprising:

a pillar portion provided at a side panel inner of a rear portion of a vehicle body and extending upward from a front-side upper portion of a rear wheel house;

a pillar reinforcement joined to an outside portion, in a width direction of the vehicle, of the pillar portion; and

a reinforcing member connecting an outside portion, in the width direction of the vehicle, of the side panel inner and the rear wheel house,

wherein said pillar reinforcement has a pillar-reinforcement ridge portion extending vertically, said reinforcing member has a reinforcing-member ridge portion extending vertically, and a lower end portion of the pillar reinforcement and an upper end portion of the reinforcing member are joined together such that said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and said reinforcing-member ridge portion are arranged to align substantially straightly, when viewed from the side, and to slant in such a manner that an upper side thereof is positioned relatively forward compared to a lower side thereof,

said rear wheel house has a slant face portion which is configured such that a front side thereof is positioned relatively downward compared to a rear side thereof at a top portion thereof, said reinforcing member has a front-end flange portion which extends forward from a lower end of a front wall portion thereof and is joined to said slant face portion of the rear wheel house, and a cross angle of said front wall portion and said front-end flange portion of the reinforcing member is set at substantially 90 degrees.

7. The rear vehicle-body structure of the vehicle of claim 6, further comprising a suspension housing which connects to said rear wheel house in back of said pillar reinforcement and supports a damper of a suspension, wherein a cross portion of an extension line of said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and said reinforcing-member ridge portion and said top portion of the rear wheel house is located substantially at the same longitudinal position as a cross portion of an extension line of an axial center of said damper and the top portion of the rear wheel house when viewed from the side.

8. A rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprising:

a pillar portion provided at a side panel inner of a rear portion of a vehicle body and extending upward from a front-side upper portion of a rear wheel house;

a pillar reinforcement joined to an outside portion, in a width direction of the vehicle, of the pillar portion; and

a reinforcing member connecting an outside portion, in the width direction of the vehicle, of the side panel inner and the rear wheel house,

wherein said pillar reinforcement has a pillar-reinforcement ridge portion extending vertically, said reinforcing member has a reinforcing-member ridge portion extending vertically, and a lower end portion of the pillar reinforcement and an upper end portion of the reinforcing member are joined together such that said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and said reinforcing-member ridge portion are arranged to align substantially straightly, when viewed from the side, and to slant in such a manner that an upper side thereof is positioned relatively forward compared to a lower side thereof,

said rear vehicle-body structure further comprises a suspension housing which connects to said rear wheel house in back of said pillar reinforcement and supports a damper of a suspension, wherein a cross portion of an extension line of said pillar-reinforcement ridge portion and said reinforcing-member ridge portion and said top portion of the rear wheel house is located substantially at the same longitudinal position as a cross portion of an extension line of an axial center of said damper and the top portion of the rear wheel house when viewed from the side.