Patent Publication Number: US-2023132719-A1

Title: Vehicle body structure

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure generally relates to vehicle body structure. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to vehicle body structure that includes an exhaust component and tail pipe with a water shield attached to the tail pipe in order to direct water from above the tail pipe away from the tail pipe. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     Exhaust gases traveling through an exhaust system of a vehicle can get very hot when the vehicle is operating. It is advantageous to limit and/or prevent water from contacting all elements of the exhaust system. 
     SUMMARY 
     It has been discovered that in to prevent water from contacting a tail pipe of a vehicle when it rains, it is advantageous to provide the tail pipe with a water shield that deflects water away from the tail pipe. 
     In view of the state of the known technology, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle body structure with an exhaust component, a pipe extending from the exhaust component and a water shield. The water shield has a first end fixed to the pipe at a location proximate the exhaust component. The water shield extends rearward from the location proximate the exhaust component and has a second end that is spaced apart from the pipe. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle body structure with a rear panel of a vehicle, an exhaust component, a pipe and a water shield. The rear panel at least partially defines a rear opening. The exhaust component is attached to a lower rear section of the vehicle. The pipe is attached to the exhaust component and extends from the exhaust component under the rear panel. The water shield has a first end fixed to the pipe at a location proximate the exhaust component and a second end that extends under the rear panel of the vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure: 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of a vehicle that includes a vehicle body structure having an exhaust component installed to a rear lower section of the vehicle body structure in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is a rear view of the vehicle showing a rear hatch door in a closed orientation with the exhaust component installed to the rear lower section of the vehicle body structure with a tail pipe extending rearward from the exhaust component in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  3    is another rear view of the vehicle showing the rear hatch door in an open orientation exposing drainage sections of the vehicle body structure defined adjacent to opposite sides of a rear opening with the tail pipe extending rearward from the exhaust component beneath one of the drainage sections in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is another side view of the vehicle showing the tail pipe extending rearward from the exhaust component installed to the rear lower section of the vehicle body structure in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  5    is a bottom view of the vehicle body structure showing an exhaust system installed to an underside of the vehicle body structure with the exhaust component installed to the rear lower section and the tail pipe extending rearward from one lateral side of the exhaust component in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  6    a rear view of a lower outboard area of the vehicle body structure showing one of the drainage sections of the vehicle body structure with the tail pipe extending rearward from the exhaust component beneath the depicted drainage section with the water shield installed to the tail pipe shielding the upper surface of the tail pipe such that when it is raining the water shield diverts rain water flowing downward along the drainage section away from the tail pipe in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of the exhaust component and the tail pipe removed from the vehicle showing the water shield attached to the tail pipe in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  8    is another bottom view of the vehicle body structure showing a portion of the rear lower section of the vehicle body structure with the exhaust component attached thereto and with the water shield attached to the tail pipe in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  9    is a side view of the exhaust component and tail pipe with the water shield depicted in phantom showing the orientation of the tail pipe relative to the exhaust component in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  10    is a top view of the water shield removed from the tail pipe showing an upper surface of the water shield with a first end that includes welding zones, a mid-section and a second end in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  11    is an outboard side perspective view of the water shield showing a portion of the upper surface of the water shield, a portion of a lower surface of the water shield and the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  12    is a rear perspective view of the water shield showing a portion of the upper surface of the water shield, the lower surface of the water shield and one of the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  13    is a partial outboard side view of the first end of the water shield showing one of the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  14    is a partial inboard side view of the first end of the water shield showing the other of the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  15    is a perspective view of the water shield showing the upper surface and the other of the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; 
         FIG.  16    is a rear perspective view of the water shield showing the upper surface and the one of the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment; and 
         FIG.  17    is a perspective view of the water shield showing the lower surface and the welding zones in accordance with the exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Selected embodiments will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS.  1 - 4   , a vehicle  10  that includes an exhaust component  12  with a water shield  14  ( FIGS.  5 - 6  and  8 - 17   ) is illustrated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the vehicle  10  is, for example, an SUV (sports utility vehicle). However, the vehicle  10  can be any of a variety of vehicle designs that include a trunk opening or rear hatch opening and an exhaust system. 
     Several directions are defined by the vehicle  10 , such as a vehicle longitudinal direction DL, a vehicle forward direction DF and a vehicle rearward direction DR, as shown in  FIG.  1   , an inboard direction D 1 , an outboard direction Do and a vehicle lateral direction Ds (a vehicle side-to-side direction), as shown in  FIGS.  2 - 3  and  5   . 
     In the exemplary embodiment, the vehicle  10  has a vehicle body structure  18  that includes a rear panel  20  that defines a rear opening  22  ( FIGS.  3  and  6   ). The rear panel  20  also defines vertical drainage sections  24  located on opposite sides of the rear opening  22 . A seal  26  is installed to seal retaining structures (not shown), such as flanges (not shown) such that the seal  26  basically surrounds the rear opening  22 . The drainage section  24  basically defines an edge of the rear opening  22  of the vehicle  10  with portions of the seal  26  extending between the rear opening  22  and the drainage sections  24 . 
     The vehicle body structure  18  further includes a rear hatch door  30  that is movable between a closed orientation ( FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  4   , and an open orientation ( FIGS.  3  and  6   ). When the rear hatch door  30  is in the closed position, the rear hatch door  30  contacts the seal  26  preventing water from entering the rear opening  22  and entering a cargo area  32  defined within the vehicle body structure  18 . Further, when the vehicle  10  is exposed to large amounts of water, such as a steady or hard rain, the seal  26  ensures that water to flow down along the vertical drainage sections  24  (also referred to as the drainage section  24 ) to locations below the vehicle  10 , thereby preventing water from flowing into the rear opening  22 . 
     The vehicle body structure  18  also defines a rear lower section  36 , as shown in  FIG.  5   . An exhaust system  40  is installed to the vehicle body structure  18  of the vehicle  10 . The exhaust system  40  extends from an engine (not shown) located at the front of the vehicle  10  to the rear lower section  36  of the vehicle body structure  18 . The exhaust component  12  is installed to predetermined locations of the rear lower section  36  of the vehicle body structure  18 . The exhaust component  12  is oriented such that it extends in the vehicle lateral direction Ds, as shown in  FIG.  5   . 
     The exhaust component  12  are installed to the rear lower section  36  via, for example, a first hanger assembly  42  and a second hanger assembly  44 , as shown in  FIG.  5   . The first and second hanger assemblies  42  and  44  are conventional structures. Further description of the first and second hanger assemblies  42  and  44  is therefore omitted for the sake of brevity. A rear pipe  34  is fixed to the exhaust component  12  beneath the second hanger  44  at one lateral end of the exhaust component  12 . The rear pipe  34  includes a curved portion  50  and a rearwardly extending portion  52  that includes an open end  54 . The curved portion  50  is welded or otherwise rigidly fixed to the exhaust component  12  and curves rearward such that the portion  52  of the rear pipe  34  is located below a rear bumper assembly  56  of the vehicle  10  and exhausts gases to the rear of the vehicle  10 . 
     The exhaust component  12  can be a muffler or resonator of the exhaust system  40  but is preferably a muffler. The exhaust system  12  includes a plurality of conventional components. Since the components of the exhaust system  40  are conventional exhaust system components, further description is omitted for the sake of brevity. 
     A description of the water shield  14  is now provided with specific reference to  FIGS.  6 - 17   . 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   , the water shield  14  and the rear pipe  34  are located below the vertical drainage section  24 . In  FIG.  6   , a fascia cover of the rear bumper assembly  56  has been removed showing only an energy absorbing member  56   a  of the rear bumper assembly  56 . 
     When rain falls on the vehicle  10 , water is diverted away from the rear opening  22  by the seal  26  such that water is channeled to move along the vertical drainage sections  24  on either side of the rear opening  22 . One of the drainage sections  24  is located above the water shield  14  and the rear pipe  34  (also referred to as a tail pipe or the pipe  34 ). Water flowing downward from the drainage section  24  can make its way between the rear bumper assembly  56  and the rear panel  20  such that some of the rainwater flows can flow onto the rear pipe  34  in the absence of the water shield  14 . The water shield  14  is installed to the rear pipe  34  in order to divert the rainwater away from the rear pipe  34 . 
     The water shield  14  includes a first end  60 , a mid-section  62  and a second end  64 . The first end  60  of the water shield  14  includes welding zones  68   a  and  68   b . The welding zone  68   a  is located along an outboard side of the first end  60  of the water shield  14 . The welding zone  68   b  is located along an inboard side of the first end  60  of the water shield  14 . The welding zones  68   a  and  68   b  can be indentations formed in the water shield  14 . The water shield  14  also defines an upper surface  70   a  and a lower surface  70   b . In the depicted embodiment, the indentations with flattened areas that define the welding zones  68   a  and  68   b  are concaved along the upper surface  70   a  and are convex along the lower surface  70   b , as shown in  FIGS.  10 - 17   . 
     The first end  60  of the water shield  14  is attached to the rear pipe  34  (the tail pipe) at a forward end of the rearwardly extending portion  52  proximate the curved portion  50  and proximate the exhaust component  12 . In the depicted embodiment, the welding zones  68   a  and  68   b  are dimensioned such that they mate and firmly contact the rear pipe  34  during assembly. The first end  60  of the water shield  14  is welded to the rear pipe  34  at the welding zones  68   a  and  68   b . The contact between the welding zones  68   a  and  68   a  define attachment locations such that the second end  64  of the water shield  14  is spaced apart from the open end  54  of the rear pipe  34 . Further, the second ends  64  of the water shield  14  extends under the rear panel  20  of the vehicle  10  and under one of the drainage sections  24 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  10   , the mid-section  62  of water shield  14  is curved as it extends from the first end  60  to the second end  64 . The second end  64  defines an outboard end portion  72   a  and an inboard end portion  72   b . As shown in  FIGS.  6  and  8   , the outboard end  72   a  is a first distance D 1  away from the open end  54  of the rear pipe  34  and the inboard end portion  72   b  is a second distance D 2  away from the open end  54  of the rear pipe  34 , with the second distance D 2  being greater than the first distance D 1 . Further, as shown in  FIGS.  6  and  7   , the water shield  14  diverges away from the rear pipe  34  moving from the welding zones  68   a  and  68   b  toward the mid-section  62  and open end  54  of the rear pipe  14 . This, the mid-section  62  and second end  64  of the water shield  14  are spaced apart from the rear pipe  14 . 
     Further, the water shield  14  has a curved contour that is shaped to direct water away from the rear pipe  14 . Further, as viewed in  FIGS.  12  and  16   , the water shield  14  has a partial conical shape that directs water away from the rear pipe  34 . 
     The features and elements (other than the water shield  14 , rear pipe  34  and the exhaust component  12 ) are conventional components that are well known in the art. Since these features and elements are well known in the art, these structures will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the components can be any type of structure and/or programming that can be used to carry out the present invention. 
     In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. Also as used herein to describe the above embodiment(s), the following directional terms “forward”, “rearward”, “above”, “downward”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “below” and “transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle body structure. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a vehicle equipped with the vehicle body structure. 
     The term “configured” as used herein to describe a component, section or part of a device includes structure that is constructed to carry out the desired function. 
     The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. 
     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such features. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.