Patent ID: 12246642

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, relative positional, directional, and orientational terms, such as front, ahead of, rear, behind, left, leftward, right, rightward, up, above, down, and below, indicate the position, direction, and orientation based on a vehicle. The front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of the vehicle are defined, respectively, as a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a vertical direction.

FIG.1is a schematic view of the configuration of main components of a vehicle10. The vehicle10has a structure in which a body14is mounted on a ladder frame12. The vehicle10includes a driver's cab16and a motor compartment18disposed at its front end portion, in which the motor compartment18is located below the driver's cab16. Thus, the vehicle10serves as a so-called cabover vehicle. The motor compartment18houses an electric motor (not illustrated) as an exemplary motor that drives the vehicle. A passenger cabin20that passengers board is disposed behind the driver's cab16. A driver's-cab floor22of the driver's cab16is located higher than a passenger-cabin floor24of the passenger cabin20.

FIG.2illustrates the front face of the vehicle10. A headlight28is disposed on the left below a windshield26and another headlight28is disposed on the right below the windshield26. In addition, an external display30is disposed between the headlights28. The external display30provides external objects, such as pedestrians and oncoming vehicles, with information regarding the situation of the vehicle10. For example, the external display30displays a message prompting a pedestrian who is trying to cross the road to cross or displays, if the vehicle10serves as a route bus, the destination. If the vehicle10is capable of automated driving, the external display30displays “under automated driving” or “under unautomated driving.”

In addition, for example, below the external display30on the front face of the vehicle10, a sensor unit32is disposed in order to acquire an external situation. The external situation acquired by the sensor unit32is used as information for driving assistance or automated driving. The sensor unit32may include a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) device that measures the distance to a target around the vehicle.

FIG.3is a schematic side view of a schematic structure of the driver's cab16. The body14mounted on the ladder frame12includes front side members34as frame members that are disposed one-to-one on the left and right of the front portion of the body14and extend in the longitudinal direction. Each of the front side members34has a front portion supporting the floor panel36of the driver's-cab floor22and has a rear portion inclining rearward and downward and having a rear end coupled with a center side member38supporting the passenger-cabin floor24. A frame structure includes a passenger-cabin crossing member40extending in the lateral direction along the front edge of the passenger-cabin floor24. The passenger-cabin crossing member40intersects and is coupled with the center side members38. A plurality of supports42are arrayed along the direction in which the passenger-cabin crossing member40extends, and stand on the passenger-cabin crossing member40. A partition board may be attached to the supports42such that a partition wall is formed between the driver's cab16and the passenger cabin20. The frame structure further includes a driver's-cab crossing member44extending in the lateral direction along the rear edge of the driver's-cab floor22. The driver's-cab crossing member44intersects and is coupled with the front side members34. The supports42and the driver's-cab crossing member44support a seat base46. A driver's seat48is placed and fixed on the seat base46.

FIGS.4and5each illustrate the frame structure of the front portion of the body14viewed from slightly below in front.FIG.4illustrates a state resulting from attachment of the external display30.FIG.5illustrates a state resulting from removal of the external display30. Front pillars50extending along the vertical direction are disposed one-to-one on the left and right of the front face of the body14. An upper front crossing member52and a lower front crossing member54are provided such that the left and right front pillars50are linked together. The lower front crossing member54is disposed below the upper front crossing member52. The lower front crossing member54extends along the lateral direction and has respective ends coupled one-to-one with the lower end portions of the front pillars50. Each of the front side members34described above has a front end coupled with the lower front crossing member54. The upper front crossing member52extends along the lateral direction and has respective ends that are located higher than the lower front crossing member54and are coupled one-to-one with the front pillars50. A cowl panel56is disposed above the upper front crossing member52. The cowl panel56has respective ends coupled one-to-one with the left and right front pillars50.

The body14has each side face on which a second pillar58is disposed near the boundary between the driver's cab16and the passenger cabin20. The second pillars58stand one-to-one on rockers60extending along the longitudinal direction, one-to-one, on the left and right of the passenger-cabin floor24. The left front pillar50and second pillar58have respective upper ends coupled with a roof rail (not illustrated) extending along the longitudinal direction on the left of a roof62(refer toFIGS.1and2) and support the roof62through the roof rail. The right front pillar50and second pillar58have respective upper ends coupled with a roof rail (not illustrated) extending along the longitudinal direction on the right of the roof62and support the roof62through the roof rail. The body14has each side face on which an upper side wall member64and a lower side wall member66are disposed such that the front pillar50and the second pillar58are linked together. The lower side wall member66is coupled with the lower end portion of the front pillar50. The external display30is coupled, on its left and right, with the upper front crossing member52and the lower front crossing member54.

FIG.6illustrates the coupled part between the external display30and the upper and lower front crossing members52and54, particularly, a minute coupled part on the left side.

The external display30includes a display panel68that performs displaying with a light-emitting element, such as an LED, and a display case70supporting the display panel68. The display case70is a rectangular parallelepiped, particularly, a flat rectangular parallelepiped, having a face provided with an opening. The display panel68is disposed such that the opening is occluded, resulting in being boxy as a whole. The display case70houses a display drive device (not illustrated) that drives the display panel. The display case70may be made of steel. The external display30further includes display brackets72fixed one-to-one to the left and right side faces of the display case70by a technique, such as screw fixation. Each of the display brackets72includes a trunk72athat extends along the corresponding side face of the display case70and is fixed to the corresponding side face, an upper leg72bextending from the upper end portion of the trunk72ain a direction away from the display case70, and a lower leg72cprovided round to the rear face of the display case70from the lower end portion of the trunk72a. Each of the display brackets72further includes a front arm72dextending, from the lower end portion of the trunk72a, round to the front face of the display case70. The front arm72dis located opposite the front face and is fixed to the display case70at the front face.

The upper front crossing member52is provided with upper fixation bases74for fixing the external display30(refer toFIG.5). The lower front crossing member54is provided with lower fixation bases76for fixing the external display30(refer toFIG.5). Each of the upper fixation bases74has the upper leg72bof the corresponding display bracket72fixed thereto with fastening members, such as a bolt and a nut. Each of the lower fixation bases76has the lower leg72cof the corresponding display bracket72fixed thereto with fastening members, such as a bolt and a nut. Each of the lower legs72cis located lower than the lower edge of the display case70such that fastening can be carried out from the front.

Due to fixation of the external display30to the upper and lower front crossing members52and54, the external display30is used as a member that improves the strength of the frame members of the body, resulting in an improvement in the strength of a vehicular front structure.