Mazda Motor Corporation

Katsumasa Sogame

Isao Toda

Hironobu Hashiguchi

Isao Tohda

Kenji Asada

Yasuhiro Kohara

Masayoshi Sannomiya

Haruo Ohe

Kouji Iwasaka

Shigeyuki Mori

Yukio Nakamura

Koji Wakamatsu

Osamu Kishi

Hiroki Ohira

Takeshi Matsukawa

Taichi Kobayashi

David Jason Coleman

Takaki Nakamura

Yoko Kyubun

Yasuhiro Kouhara

A vehicle lower structure includes: first and second battery units that are arranged under a floor panel and on both sides in a vehicle width direction of a propeller shaft; right and left floor frames disposed on a lower surface side of the floor panel. The floor frame has a front inclined section and a width increased section. The first and second battery units are arranged between the width increased sectionsof the right and left floor frames. A battery-related electrical component, a width of each of which in the vehicle width direction is less than a width of each of the first and second battery units, is arranged between the front inclined sections.

Vehicle lower structure

A vehicle lower structure includes a battery pack arranged under a floor panel and having: first and second battery units that are separately arranged from each other on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the propeller shaft; and a battery cover. The battery cover has a first battery accommodation section, a second battery accommodation section, and a coupling section that couples the first and second battery accommodation section and extends in the vehicle width direction. The coupling section includes a fragile section between the first and second battery accommodation sections in the vehicle width direction.

A vehicle lower structure includes: a battery pack having first and second battery units and a battery cover; and a fuel tank that is arranged on a vehicle rear side to be higher than the first and second battery units. At positions under a floor panel, the first and second battery units are arranged on both sides in a vehicle width direction of a propeller shaft. The battery cover has a coupling section that couples first and second battery accommodation sections. The coupling section couples the first and second battery accommodation sections such that a vehicle rear side thereof is higher than the first and second battery accommodation sections, extends in the vehicle width direction at a position above the propeller shaft, and is arranged next to a vehicle front side of the fuel tank.

A sound system for a vehicle including an engine and an audio device for an internal space of a cabin as sound sources disposed at given positions of the vehicle is provided which includes an engine sound localizer configured to localize a first sound generated by the engine to cause a vehicle driver inside the cabin to hear the first sound from a first position, and change the first position, and a traveling state detector configured to detect a traveling state of the vehicle. The engine sound localizer normally sets the first position at a default position and, when a given traveling state is detected by the traveling state detector, changes the first position to a specific position at which the vehicle driver is able to recognize the engine sound more clearly than at the default position.

Sound system for vehicle

A sound system for a vehicle is provided, which includes an engine and an audio device for an internal space of a cabin, as sound sources disposed at given positions of the vehicle. The system includes an engine sound localizer configured to localize a first sound generated by the engine to cause a vehicle driver inside the cabin to hear the first sound from a first position, an audio sound localizer configured to localize a second sound generated by the audio device to cause the driver to hear the second sound from a second position, a traveling state detector configured to detect a traveling state of the vehicle, and a controller configured to cause the audio sound localizer to change, when a given traveling state is detected by the traveling state detector, the second position in a direction away from the first position.

A sound system for a vehicle is provided, which includes as sound sources disposed at given positions of the vehicle, an engine and an audio device for an internal space of a cabin. The system includes an engine sound localizer configured to localize a first sound generated by the engine to cause a vehicle driver inside the cabin to hear the first sound from a first position, and an audio sound localizer configured to localize a second sound generated by the audio device to cause the driver to hear the second sound from a second position. The first and second positions are located forward of the driver in front-and-rear directions of the vehicle and separated from each other by a given distance.

A sound system for a vehicle including an engine and an audio device for an internal space of a cabin as sound sources disposed at given positions of the vehicle is provided. The audio device is switchable between a first mode in which an audio sound including both an audible sound and an inaudible sound for a human is reproduced in the cabin and a second mode in which an audio sound including the audible sound but not including the inaudible sound is reproduced in the cabin. The sound system includes a traveling state detector configured to detect a traveling state of the vehicle, and a switch controlling module executable by a processor configured to reproduce the audio sound in the first mode under a condition that a given traveling state is detected by the traveling state detector.

A cargo compartment structure for an automobile is disclosed. In one example, the cargo compartment comprises a trunk box disposed in a cargo compartment in a rear part of the automobile, the trunk box having an opening on its upper side; a cargo board capable of changing its position between a closed position where the opening is closed by the cargo board, and an open position where the opening is opened, the open position of the cargo board being frontward of the closed position; and a board holder for holding the cargo board in a specific state so that a top surface of the cargo board is downwardly inclined toward a rear side of the automobile and so that while the cargo board is in the open position, a rear end of the cargo board is disposed rearward of a front end of the trunk box.

Trunk box structure of automobile

An arrangement structure for an auxiliary component of a vehicle includes a floor panel defining the bottom surface of the passenger compartment. The floor panel includes a first kick-up portion and a second kick-up portion disposed in side-by-side relation to the first kick-up portion in a lateral direction of a vehicle body. The second kick-up portion is formed to have a height greater than that of the first kick-up portion. A first seat is disposed on the first kick-up portion, a second seat is formed to have a smaller size than that of the first seat and disposed on the second kick-up portion, and a cross member is joined along the second kick-up portion in the lateral direction to form a closed section therebetween. The arrangement structure of the present invention allows a vehicle to have a low overall-height compact body while achieving enhanced layout flexibility and assuring a passenger compartment space.

Arrangement structure for auxiliary component of vehicle

Disclosed is an indicator device for a vehicle with an automatic transmission, which comprises a plurality of light-emitting elementseach adapted to be lighted up when one of P, R and N gear ranges corresponding thereto is selected, and a digital indicatoradapted to indicate an alphabet character 'D' when a D gear range is selected, and indicate a numeric character representing a gear position when a M gear range (manual shift mode) is selected. The indication device of the present invention makes it possible to utilize a space of an instrument panel with higher efficiency and offer enhanced visibility for a driver, while avoiding increase in production cost.

Indicator device for vehicle with automatic transmission

In an air conditioner for a vehicle including a front pillar which is disposed diagonally in front of a passenger and extends slant in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, there are provided an air conditioning duct disposed along the front pillar, a front-pillar conditioned-air blowoff port which blows off conditioned air toward the passenger from the air conditioning duct, and a louver device to be disposed at the front pillar and deflect the conditioned air within an angle which is smaller than a slant angle of the front pillar, whereby the conditioned air from the louver device can be blown off toward a neck portion and a head portion of the passenger. Thus, efficient air conditioning to a neck portion and its surroundings, which are sensitive to the passenger's air conditioning feeling, can be provided.

Air conditioner for vehicle

A roll bar is provided behind seats of an open car, and there is provided a wind deflector to deflect air flow coming from the vehicle rear during the open-state driving on the roll bar. The wind deflector is configured so as to have air permeability in such a manner that an air permeability rate of its upper section is greater than that of its lower section. Part of air flow passes through the wind deflector. Since the amount of the air flow passing through the lower section of the deflector directed to the neck portion is suppressed compared to the air flow passing through the upper section, both the reducing of the air flow beyond the wind deflector and the suppressing of the passenger feeling displeasure with the air flow (against the neck portion) can be attained, and thereby the passenger can be prevented effectively from feeling displeasure.

Wind deflector of open car

An engine positioning structure is used for a rear wheel drive automobile, with an engine mounted in an engine compartment driving the rear wheels. In the automobile having a passenger compartment and the engine compartment, where the two compartments are separated by a dash panel, the engine is positioned so that a rotation axis of the engine is at a position higher than the height of a floor panel of the passenger compartment, and a rear end part of the engine is positioned behind a general plane defined by a position corresponding to the position of a passenger relative to a dash panel. The engine positioning structure enables a retreated layout of the engine to be obtained. It also reduces Yaw moment of inertia, and improves the steering stability.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Katsumasa Sogame