JP2021109526A - Front structure of hybrid vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To arrange a protector 21 in a narrow space between an engine 10 and an electric power controller 20.SOLUTION: The specification discloses a front structure 2 of a hybrid vehicle 3. A front compartment 4 of the hybrid vehicle 3 is mounted with an engine 10, a motor 30, and an electric power controller 20. The motor 30 is disposed at the lateral side of the engine 10 and the electric power controller 20 is fixed onto the motor 30. A front end of the electric power controller 20 is located at the front relative to a front end of the engine 10. The engine 10 has a protrusion 13 protruding toward the electric power controller 20. A surface, which faces the engine 10, of the electric power controller 20 includes a protector 21. A cutout 22 is provided at a portion, which faces the protrusion 13, of the protector 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The techniques disclosed herein relate to the front structure of a hybrid vehicle.

The hybrid vehicle is equipped with a power controller that controls the driving power of a traveling motor. When the traction motor is mounted in the front compartment of the vehicle, the power controller is often mounted in the front compartment as well. By arranging the power controller near the motor, the power cable can be shortened and the power transmission loss can be suppressed. On the other hand, various devices are arranged in the front compartment with a small gap. When a vehicle collides, contact with adjacent devices can damage the power controller. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose, for example, a technique for protecting a power controller including a device to which a high voltage is applied from the impact of a collision.

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a sub-battery is arranged next to the power controller, and a protector is attached to the surface of the power controller facing the sub-battery. The protector protects the power controller when the sub-battery comes into contact with the power controller in the event of a collision.

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a protector is attached to the front upper corner of the power controller. The protector protects the power controller from obstacles that enter the front compar and ment from the front in the event of a collision.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-236539 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-0766585

As mentioned earlier, various devices are placed in the front compartment with a small gap. Although the protector is effective in protecting the power controller, it is difficult to secure a space for mounting the protector. In particular, the engine has many protrusions and ribs and is complicated in shape. When arranging the power controller next to the engine, I want to attach a protector to the power controller to protect the power controller from contact with the protrusion of the engine in the event of a collision, but the protrusion limits the space where the protector is placed. Occurs. In particular, since the engine vibrates while driving, contact between the vibrating engine protrusions and the protector causes noise. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a suitable gap between the engine and the protector.

This specification discloses the front structure of a hybrid vehicle. The front compartment contains an engine, a motor for driving, and a power controller that powers the motor. The motor is located next to the engine. The power controller is fixed on top of the motor. The front end of the power controller is located in front of the front end of the engine. The engine has a protrusion that projects toward the power controller. A protector is provided on the surface of the power controller facing the engine. A notch is provided at a position facing the protrusion of the protector in the vehicle width direction.

A gap is secured between the protrusion and the protector by providing a notch at the protector facing the protrusion of the engine in the vehicle width direction. This gap prevents the protrusions from coming into contact with the protector even if the engine vibrates. On the other hand, since the front end of the power controller is located in front of the engine, it retracts ahead of the engine in the event of a forward collision. Therefore, even if the notch of the protector is located next to the protrusion in the vehicle width direction, the notch shifts to the rear of the protrusion in the event of a collision, and the protector comes into contact with the protrusion. In the event of a collision, the protector protects the power controller from collisions with the protrusions.

Details of the techniques disclosed herein and further improvements will be described in the "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention" below.

It is a perspective view of the front compartment of a hybrid vehicle. It is a top view which shows the layout of a power controller and an engine. It is an enlarged view of the part where the engine and the power controller are adjacent to each other.

The front structure 2 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The front structure 2 of the embodiment is applied to the hybrid vehicle 3. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the front compartment 4 of the hybrid vehicle 3. In the coordinate system in the figure, the F axis indicates the front of the vehicle, the V axis indicates the upper side, and the H axis indicates the vehicle width direction (left side of the vehicle). The meaning of each axis of the coordinate system in the figure is the same in the following figures.

The hybrid vehicle 3 includes an engine 10 and a motor 30 for traveling. In addition to the engine 10 and the motor 30, the front compartment 4 houses a power controller 20, a radiator 6, a sub-battery 7, and the like. In FIG. 1, the engine 10, the motor 30, and the power controller 20 are simplified and drawn. Various other devices are housed in the front compartment 4, but their description will be omitted.

The engine 10 and the motor 30 are connected in the vehicle width direction. A gear set is also housed in the housing of the motor 30, and the output shaft of the engine 10 and the output shaft of the motor 30 are combined by the gear set and output to the axle.

The connecting body of the engine 10 and the motor 30 is suspended between a pair of side members 5 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In FIG. 1, one side member is hidden and not visible. The engine 10 and the motor 30 are located behind the radiator 6.

The power controller 20 is fixed on the motor 30 (on the housing of the motor 30). The power controller 20 controls the electric power of the traveling motor 30. Specifically, the power controller 20 boosts the voltage of the power of the main battery (not shown) and converts the boosted DC power into AC power suitable for driving the motor 30. The output voltage of the main battery exceeds 100 volts. A voltage exceeding 100 volts is applied to the internal components of the power controller 20. The power controller 20 supplies the converted electric power to the motor 30. The power controller 20 is fixed on the motor 30 in order to suppress the loss of power transmission between the power controller 20 and the motor 30. By fixing the power controller 20 on the motor 30, the distance between the motor 30 and the power controller 20 is shortened, and the loss of power transmission is suppressed.

The sub-battery 7 is arranged above the side member 5 on the left side of the vehicle. The sub-battery 7 powers a device that operates at a voltage lower than the output voltage of the main battery (not shown). Devices that receive power from the sub-battery 7 are collectively referred to as auxiliary devices. Examples of auxiliary equipment are car navigation devices, room lamps, in-vehicle computers, and the like.

The engine 10 and the power controller 20 are close to each other in the vehicle width direction. When an obstacle collides with the vehicle from the left front side (the side where the sub-battery 7 is arranged), the sub-battery 7 may push down the power controller 20 to the left rear side, and the power controller 20 may come into contact with the engine 10. Since the housing of the power controller 20 contains parts to which the voltage of the main battery (voltage exceeding 100 volts) is applied, it is necessary to protect the housing from damage.

On the other hand, although the engine 10 is schematically represented by a rectangular parallelepiped in FIG. 1, various parts are attached to the actual engine 10 and have a complicated shape. If the protrusion of the engine 10 strongly contacts the side surface of the power controller 20, the housing of the power controller 20 may be damaged. The housing of the power controller 20 is made of aluminum.

Therefore, a protector 21 is attached to the right side surface (side surface facing the engine 10) of the power controller 20. The protector 21 is made of an iron plate (or steel plate) and is strong against impact. The strength of the protector 21 is higher than the strength of the housing of the motor 30. When the power controller 20 retracts, the protector 21 contacts the engine 10 to protect the power controller 20.

Here, if the power controller 20 and the engine 10 are close to each other and the protrusion of the engine 10 protrudes toward the power controller 20, the space for arranging the protector 21 is limited. To address this issue, the protector 21 is provided with a notch.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the layout of the power controller 20 and the engine 10. The alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2 shows the outline of the front part of the hybrid vehicle 3. The sub-battery 7 is arranged on the left front side of the vehicle, the power controller 20 is arranged slightly behind the right side of the sub-battery 7, and the engine 10 is arranged slightly behind the right side of the sub-battery 7. The front end of the power controller 20 is located slightly ahead of the front end of the engine 10.

A protrusion 13 projects from the surface of the engine 10 facing the power controller 20 toward the power controller 20. On the other hand, the protector 21 is attached to the surface (right side surface 20a) of the power controller 20 facing the engine 10. The protector 21 is provided with a notch 22. The notch 22 is provided at a position facing the protrusion 13 in the vehicle width direction (H direction of the coordinate system in the drawing).

The engine 10 vibrates in the vehicle width direction during traveling. In FIG. 2, the arrow line A indicates the vibration direction. The protector 21 is provided with a notch 22 at a position facing the protrusion 13, and the protrusion 13 sways in the vehicle width direction due to the vibration of the engine 10 but does not come into contact with the protector 21. By providing the notch 22, the protector 21 can be provided in the power controller 20 against the limitation of space. By providing the notch 22, it is possible to prevent the protrusion 13 of the vibrating engine 10 from coming into contact with the protector 21.

Since the vibration characteristics of the engine 10 can be accurately grasped by simulation, analysis, evaluation test, etc., the notch 22 is suppressed to the size of the minimum source.

On the other hand, it is assumed that an obstacle collides with the vehicle diagonally from the front left. The arrow F in FIG. 2 indicates the direction in which the collision load is applied. The collision load F pushes the sub-battery 7 to the rear right. The sub-battery 7 comes into contact with the power controller 20 and pushes the power controller 20 to the rear right. In FIG. 2, the arrow line B indicates the direction in which the power controller 20 approaches the engine 10. As shown in FIG. 2, when the power controller 20 (protector 21) moves in the direction of the arrow line B, the notch 22 moves behind the protrusion 13 and reaches the protrusion 13 on the uncut surface of the protector 21. Contact. That is, the protector 21 protects the power controller 20 from a collision with the engine 10.

FIG. 3 shows a more specific shape. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion where the engine 10 and the power controller 20 are adjacent to each other. An exhaust gas recirculation device 12 (EGR device 12) is attached to the left side portion (right side in FIG. 3) of the engine 10. The protrusion 13 described above is a flange of the pipe of the EGR device. The power controller 20 is arranged close to the engine 10, and the right side surface 20a is confined to the EGR device 12. As described above, the protector 21 is attached to the right side surface 20a of the power controller 20, and the protector 21 is provided with a notch 22. The notch 22 is provided at a position facing the protrusion 13 (rib of the pipe of the EGR device 12) in the vehicle width direction. As described above, the notch 22 prevents the engine 10 and the protector 21 from coming into contact with each other even if the engine 10 vibrates when the protector 21 is arranged in a narrow space.

A flange 24 projecting toward the engine 10 is provided at the boundary between the right side surface 20a and the upper surface of the power controller 20, and the upper portion of the protector 21 is curved so as to surround the flange 24.

One of the features of the front structure 2 described in the examples is as follows. The technique disclosed in the present specification focuses on the fact that the vibration direction of the engine 10 and the movement direction of the power controller 20 at the time of an oblique collision are different, and the notch 22 is provided so that the protrusion does not come into contact with the protector against vibration. prepare. Since the moving direction of the power controller 20 in the case of an oblique collision is different from the vibration direction mentioned above, the notch 22 does not fit with the protrusion 13 of the engine 10 in the case of a collision, but the part where the protector 21 does not have a protrusion. Contact the protrusion 13. That is, the protector 21 protects the housing of the power controller 20 from contact with the engine 10.

The points to be noted regarding the technique described in the examples will be described. The site where contact with the protector by the notch should be avoided is not limited to the EGR device 12. That is, the protrusion 13 may be a portion other than the flange of the EGR device 12.

Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications and modifications of the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described herein or in the drawings exhibit their technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the techniques illustrated in the present specification or drawings can achieve a plurality of purposes at the same time, and achieving one of the purposes itself has technical usefulness.

2: Front structure, 3: Hybrid vehicle, 4: Front compartment, 5: Side member, 6: Radiator, 7: Sub-battery, 10: Engine, 12: Exhaust gas recirculation device (EGR device), 13: Protrusion, 20 : Power controller, 21: Protector, 22: Notch, 30: Motor

Claims (1)

The engine mounted in the front compartment and
A traveling motor located next to the engine and
A power controller mounted on the motor and supplying power to the motor,
Is equipped with
The front end of the power controller is located in front of the front end of the engine.
The engine has a protrusion that projects toward the power controller.
A protector is provided on the surface of the power controller facing the engine.
A front structure of a hybrid vehicle in which a notch is provided at a portion of the protector facing the protrusion.

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