Nissan Motor Company Limited

Keizo Inoue

Kenichi Miyazaki

Katsumi Nakamura

Taro Hagiwara

Hideyuki Kumasaka

Hiroshi Kuriyama

Kouji Takao

Tarou Haiwara

A vehicle body consists of six independent body sections, i.e., an engine compartment assembly, floor assembly, rear end assembly, a pair of body side assemblies and roof assembly. The assemblies are prepared and painted independently and then respectively provided with equipment such as an engine, suspensions, upholsteries, etc. so as to constitute an engine compartment module, floor module, rear end module, body side modules and roof module, respectively. A complete vehicle or nearly complete vehicle is obtained by joining the modules together with bolts and nuts.

Modular vehicle body and method of building same

A front floor panel has at a lateral end thereof a first flange for joining with a body side assembly. A floor panel has a second flange for joining with the body side assembly of a modular vehicle body. The first and seond flanges are formed with first and second recesses, respectively. A patch plate is fitted in the first and second recesses to form a smooth continuous joining surface which is joined with the corresponding flange of the body side assembly by interposing therebetween sealant adhesive. The rear floor panel is nearly rectangular and has a continuous upstanding flange extending upwardly from the laterally opposed ends and the rear end thereof for joining with the body side assembly and another body side assembly and a rear end assemby of the modular vehicle body.

Floor structure for modular vehicle body

Growing community of inventors

Sagamihara, Japan

Keizo Inoue