Reinforcing Structure

Abstract

A reinforcing structure is provided for an underbody of a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle has an axle support, in particular a rear axle support, wherein the axle support has a first and a second holder, which are spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The reinforcing structure has a transverse connecting strut and a first and a second axle support linkage. The transverse connecting strut is connected to both the first and the second axle support linkage, and the first holder of the axle support can be connected to the first axle support linkage and the second holder of the axle support can be connected to the second axle support linkage.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A reinforcing structure for an underbody of a motor vehicle having an axle support with a first and a second holder which are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction of the vehicle, the reinforcing structure comprising: a transverse connecting strut; and a first and a second axle support linkage, wherein the transverse connecting strut is connected both to the first and to the second axle support linkage, and the first holder of the axle support is connectable to the first axle support linkage and the second holder of the axle support is connectable to the second axle support linkage.

12. The reinforcing structure according to claim 11, further comprising: a first and a second support strut, each of which runs towards a rear in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the first support strut is connected to the first axle support linkage and the second support strut is connected to the second axle support linkage; a first and a second body linkage which are configured, in each case, to connect the reinforcing structure to a body of the motor vehicle, wherein the first body linkage is spaced apart from the first axle support linkage in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is connected to the first support strut, and the second body linkage is spaced apart from the second axle support linkage in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is connected to the second support strut.

13. The reinforcing structure according to claim 12, further comprising: a first and a second diagonal strut; a shear panel connected to the transverse connecting strut and also to the first and the second diagonal strut, wherein the first diagonal strut is connected to the first body linkage and also to the shear panel, and wherein the second diagonal strut is connected to the second body linkage and the shear panel.

14. The reinforcing structure according to claim 13, wherein the shear panel has a linkage for a torsion strut, wherein the torsion strut is connectable at the linkage via screw connection(s) to the shear panel, and wherein the linkage is framed by a U-shaped profile.

15. The reinforcing structure according to claim 12, further comprising: two further body linkages, which are each designed to connect the reinforcing structure to the body of the motor vehicle, wherein the first body linkage, the second body linkage, the two further body linkages, the first axle support linkage and/or the second axle support linkage are configured as a pipe section with a separate baseplate connected to the pipe section.

16. The reinforcing structure according to claim 13, further comprising: a plastic cover which is connected to the shear panel such that an air gap is formed between the plastic cover and the shear panel.

17. The reinforcing structure according to claim 13, wherein the shear panel has corrugations for impact protection.

18. The reinforcing structure according to claim 13, wherein the reinforcing structure has a high-temperature galvanized coating.

19. The reinforcing structure according to claim 11, wherein the axle support is a rear axle support.

20. A motor vehicle, comprising: an axle support, wherein the axle support has a first and a second axle support holder, which are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction of the vehicle; and a reinforcing structure comprising a transverse connecting strut and a first and a second axle support linkage, wherein the transverse connecting strut is connected both to the first and to the second axle support linkage, and the first holder of the axle support is connected to the first axle support linkage and the second axle holder of the axle support is connected to the second axle support linkage.

21. A motor vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the axle support is a rear axle support.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG. 1 shows schematically a reinforcing structure of an underbody of a motor vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows schematically a partial sectional view of the reinforcing structure shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a depiction of a reinforcing structure 1 of an underbody of a motor vehicle.

[0041] Furthermore, a Cartesian coordinate system is shown, wherein X is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, Y is the transverse direction of the vehicle, and Z is the vertical direction of the vehicle. The direction of the arrow in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X runs from a front of the motor vehicle to a rear of the motor vehicle, i.e. against a main driving direction.

[0042] FIG. 1 indicates schematically a rear axle support 8. The rear axle support 8 comprises a first and a second axle support holder 81, 82, which are likewise indicated schematically.

[0043] The reinforcing structure 1 comprises a transverse connecting strut 2, two support struts 31, 32, two diagonal struts 41, 42, a shear panel 5, two axle support linkages 61, 62, four body linkages 71, 72, 73, 74 and two connection struts 91, 92.

[0044] The shear panel 5 is connected to the transverse connecting strut 2. The shear panel 5 comprises two linkages 51, 52 for one end in each case in the longitudinal direction of a torsion strut not shown in FIG. 1 and four corrugations 53. The torsion struts may each be connected to a body of the motor vehicle at their other end in the longitudinal direction, which is not connected to the shear panel 5.

[0045] To be more precise, the shear panel 5 is configured in such a manner that one torsion strut of the two torsion struts in each case can be connected to the linkage 51 or to the linkage 52 via two screw connections in each case. The linkages 51, 52 are each framed by a U-shaped profile (not shown). The corrugations 53 are used for impact protection.

[0046] The transverse connecting strut 2 is connected to the rear axle support 8 of the motor vehicle. For this purpose, the stiffening structure 1 has the first and the second axle support linkage 61, 62, which are each connected to the transverse connecting strut 2.

[0047] The rear axle support 8, as described above, has the first and the second axle support holder 81, 82, which are spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction of the vehicle Y and connected to the first and the second axle support linkage 61, 62. To be more precise, the first axle support holder 81 is connected to the first axle support linkage 61 and the second axle support holder 82 is connected to the second axle support linkage 62.

[0048] Furthermore, the first support strut 31 is connected to the first axle support linkage 61 and the second support strut 32 is connected to the second axle support linkage 62.

[0049] The four body linkages 71, 72, 73, 74 are provided in order to connect the reinforcing structure 1 to the body of the motor vehicle.

[0050] In this case, a first of the four body linkages 71 is spaced apart from the first axle support linkage 61 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X and connected to the first support strut 31. The same applies to a second of the four body linkages 72, which is spaced apart from the second axle support linkage 62 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X and is connected to the second support strut 32. The other two body linkages 73, 74 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X substantially at the same height as the two axle support linkages 61, 62.

[0051] The first diagonal strut 41 is connected both to the first body linkage 71 and to the shear panel 5. The same applies to the second diagonal strut 42, which is connected both to the second body linkage 72 and to the shear panel 5.

[0052] The first connecting strut 91 is connected to the first axle support linkage 61. A third of the four body linkages 73 is spaced apart from the first axle support linkage 61 in the transverse direction of the vehicle Y and to the first connecting strut 91. The same applies to the second connecting strut 92, which is connected to the second axle support linkage 62. A fourth of the four body linkages 74 is spaced apart from the second axle support linkage 62 in the transverse direction of the vehicle Y and connected to the second connection strut 92.

[0053] As can be inferred from FIG. 1, the reinforcing structure 1 therefore has an axially symmetrical design in respect of an axis running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a schematic partial sectional view of the reinforcing structure 1.

[0055] The detail of the shear panel 5 shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to a part of the shear panel 5 shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the second axle support linkage 62 is shown in FIG. 2.

[0056] The reinforcing structure 1 comprises a plastic cover 54 and the second axle support linkage 62 comprises a baseplate 10.

[0057] The plastic cover 54 is connected to the shear panel 5 in such a manner that an air gap is formed between the plastic cover 54 and the shear panel 5.

[0058] The baseplate 10 is connected to the second axle support linkage 62. The connection may be a welded connection. In the same way, a baseplate 10 is connected to each of the first axle support linkage 61, and the first, the second, the third and the fourth body linkage 71, 72, 73, 74 (not shown).

[0059] The embodiment of the reinforcing structure 1 described above produces a transverse connection between the first axle support holder 81 and the second axle support holder 82 through a connection of the first axle support holder 81 to the first axle support linkage 61, and also a connection of the second axle support holder 82 to the second axle support linkage 62.

[0060] Furthermore, the axle support holder 81 is supported in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X by the connection between the first body linkage 71 and the body with the help of the first support strut 31. The axle support holder 82 is supported in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X by the connection between the second body linkage 72 and the body with the help of the second support strut 32. In other words, the two support struts 31, 32 support the reinforcing structure 1 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X.

[0061] The disadvantages of the prior art described above, in particular the deterioration in driving dynamics and vehicle acoustics which occur when a high-voltage battery and an electric drivetrain are integrated in a floor assembly designed for internal combustion engines, are compensated for by the reinforcing structure 1 described above, in particular by the support thereof in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle X and the transverse connecting strut 2.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0062] 1 reinforcing structure [0063] 2 transverse connecting strut [0064] 31 first support strut [0065] 32 second support strut [0066] 41 first diagonal strut [0067] 42 second diagonal strut [0068] 5 shear panel [0069] 51, 52 linkage for torsion strut [0070] 53 corrugations [0071] 54 plastic cover [0072] 61 first axle support linkage [0073] 62 second axle support linkage [0074] 71 first body linkage [0075] 72 second body linkage [0076] 73 third body linkage [0077] 74 fourth body linkage [0078] 8 rear axle support [0079] 81 first axle support holder [0080] 82 second axle support holder [0081] 91 first connection strut [0082] 92 second connection strut [0083] 10 baseplate