JP2023060644A - Protective structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a protective structure of a vehicle that protects a connector of a storage battery and a fuel tank which move in a direction in which the connector and the tank approach each other at the time of collision of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A protective structure of a vehicle 1 in which a connector 12 of a power cable 11 is attachably and detachably connected to a battery pack 2 between the battery pack 2 and a fuel tank 3 arranged in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, comprises a protector part 24 arranged between the connector 12 and a step part 15 of a front wall 14 of the fuel tank 3 and fixed to the battery pack 2 side. The protector part 24 is a plate-like member that is formed with a first inclined part, whose base end part is fixed to a seating part of a connector flange 20 of the battery pack 2 and whose tip part is protruded to the fuel tank 3 side beyond the connector 12 connected thereto and whose vertical length from the base end part toward the tip part gradually reduces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a protection structure for a connector connected to a storage battery of a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Vehicles such as plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles equipped with an electric motor for driving are equipped with a large-sized storage battery in order to increase the travelable distance of the electric motor.
As shown in Patent Literature 1, a vehicle equipped with an electric motor for driving a vehicle is equipped with, for example, a storage battery that is large in the width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle under the floor. Furthermore, in the vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1, a storage battery (battery pack) is mounted between frames arranged in a lattice under the floor to protect the vehicle in the event of a vehicle collision.

On the other hand, a hybrid vehicle equipped with a storage battery and an electric motor and further equipped with an engine is equipped with a fuel tank for supplying fuel to the engine. Fuel tanks are also generally arranged under the floor of the vehicle.

JP 2019-186072 A

As described above, in many vehicles having a large-sized storage battery and a fuel tank mounted under the floor, the storage battery and the fuel tank are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In addition, a power input/output connector is connected to the storage battery, and is sometimes placed between the storage battery and the fuel tank in order to protect the connector in the event of a collision. Furthermore, in a vehicle in which a connector for the storage battery is arranged between the storage battery and the fuel tank, for example, a step is provided on the wall surface of the fuel tank on the side of the storage battery so that the connector and the stepped portion of the fuel tank overlap when viewed from the side. By reducing the gap between the storage battery and the fuel tank on the side of the connector, it is possible to increase the capacity of the fuel tank while using the limited mounting space as much as possible.

However, in a vehicle in which a storage battery and a fuel tank are arranged side by side, the relative movement of the storage battery and the fuel tank may differ depending on the collision position and the configuration of the vehicle at the time of a vehicle collision. either or both may be damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle protection structure for protecting a storage battery connector and a fuel tank that move toward each other in the event of a vehicle collision.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle protection structure of the present invention is a vehicle protection structure in which a power line connector is connected to the storage battery between the storage battery and the fuel tank arranged side by side in the vehicle front-rear direction. a protector disposed between the connector and an outer wall of the fuel tank to protect the connector of the storage battery, the protector having a base end fixed to a base of the storage battery to which the connector is connected; a plate-shaped member having a first sloping portion with a front end projecting toward the fuel tank from the connector connected to the pedestal and having a vertical length that decreases from the base end toward the front end; characterized by having

Accordingly, even if the connector and the fuel tank come close to each other due to a vehicle collision, the protector prevents contact between the connector and the fuel tank. Moreover, the protector can be easily installed by using the base of the storage battery for connecting the connector. Further, when the fuel tank comes into contact with the tip of the protector and receives a load laterally in the vehicle width direction, the moment acting on the protector increases toward the base end. can be set to a necessary and sufficient intensity. Furthermore, by shortening the vertical length of the tip of the protector, it is possible to expose a part of the side surface of the connector and make it easier for the operator to grip the connector.

Preferably, the protector has a flange portion extending laterally in the vehicle width direction between the base end portion and the tip end portion of the plate member.
As a result, the strength of the protector against loads acting laterally in the vehicle width direction can be improved.
Preferably, between the protector and the pedestal, there is provided a second inclined portion that slopes downward from the side surface of the protector toward the pedestal.

As a result, the strength can be improved by suppressing the concentration of stress at the joint between the side surface of the protector and the pedestal.
Preferably, between the base end portion of the protector and the pedestal, there is provided a third inclined portion that is inclined downward from the protector side toward the pedestal.
As a result, it is possible to suppress the concentration of stress at the joint between the base end portion of the protector and the pedestal, thereby improving the strength.

Preferably, the strength of the protector is higher than the strength of the connector and lower than the strength of the outer wall of the fuel tank.
Accordingly, since the strength of the protector is higher than that of the connector, the connector can be sufficiently protected in the event of a vehicle collision. Further, since the strength of the protector is lower than the strength of the outer wall of the fuel tank, the fuel tank can be protected when the protector and the outer wall of the fuel tank come into contact with each other.

Preferably, a wall surface of the fuel tank on the storage battery side is provided with a stepped portion on a vehicle width direction side of the connector, and the protector is arranged between the stepped portion and the connector. Good.
As a result, if the storage battery and the fuel tank move relative to each other in the vehicle width direction due to, for example, a side collision of the vehicle, and the connector moves closer to the stepped portion, the protector prevents contact between the connector and the fuel tank. As a result, the connector and the fuel tank can be protected.

Preferably, a chamfered portion is provided at the tip portion side end portion of the collar portion.
As a result, when the front end of the protector and the fuel tank come closer to each other due to a vehicle collision and the front end of the protector's flange contacts the fuel tank, the contact area is increased and the local pressure on the fuel tank increases. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the unnecessary input and protect the fuel tank.

According to the vehicle protection structure of the present invention, by arranging the storage battery and the fuel tank side by side, a large capacity of the storage battery and the fuel tank can be ensured, and the storage battery is connected between the battery and the fuel tank. By arranging the connector in such a manner as to protect the connector in the event of a vehicle collision, the connector can be protected. Furthermore, by providing a protector fixed to the storage battery between the connector and the outer wall of the fuel tank, the connector can be protected by preventing contact between the connector and the fuel tank in the event of a vehicle collision.

The protector has a base end fixed to the pedestal of the storage battery to which the connector is connected, a tip end projecting toward the fuel tank from the connector connected to the pedestal, and a vertical length becoming shorter from the base end to the tip. Since the plate-like member has the first inclined portion, the protector can be easily installed, the strength of the protector can be set to a necessary and sufficient level, and a part of the side surface of the connector is exposed. By doing so, the worker can easily attach and detach the connector by gripping the side surface of the connector.

1 is a bottom view showing a schematic configuration under a floor of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the connector attachment part of the storage battery which concerns on this embodiment. It is structural drawing which shows the shape of the connector flange which concerns on this embodiment, (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, (C) is a top view, (d) is a perspective view. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing an example of the state under the floor of the vehicle in the event of a side collision; FIG. 5 is an enlarged bottom view showing an example of the state of the vicinity of the connector at the time of side collision;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing a schematic configuration under the floor of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 employing the protection structure of the present invention is a plug-in hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine (not shown) and a large-capacity battery pack 2 (storage battery).
Under the floor of the vehicle 1, a battery pack 2 and a fuel tank 3 of the engine are mounted side by side in the vehicle front-rear direction.

The fuel tank 3 is arranged in the vehicle front and rear positions near the rear wheels 5a and 5b of the vehicle 1, and is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape extending in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. The fuel tank 3 is made of a thin steel plate, resin, or the like.
The battery pack 2 is arranged in front of the fuel tank 3 in the vehicle, and positioned in the vehicle front-rear position between the front wheels 4a, 4b and the rear wheels 5a, 5b of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. The battery pack 2 is configured by housing a plurality of secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries. The battery pack 2 is arranged in a space between a pair of left and right side frames 6 and 7 of the vehicle 1, and is formed to substantially fill the space in the vehicle width direction.

A wall surface (rear wall 10) of the battery pack 2 on the vehicle rear side is provided with a connector 12 for detachably connecting the battery pack 2 and one end of a power cable 11 (power line). The other end of the power cable 11 is connected to a power control unit 13 such as an inverter installed behind the fuel tank 3 and on the floor.
The connector 12 is arranged on the left side of the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 in the vehicle width direction so as to protrude rearward of the vehicle from the rear wall 10 . The front wall 14 (outer wall) of the fuel tank 3 and the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 have a gap of several centimeters, for example. The front wall 14 of the fuel tank 3 is recessed toward the rear of the vehicle in the vicinity of the connector 12 and on the left side in the vehicle width direction so as to avoid interference with the connector 12. A stepped portion 15 is formed on the right side of the connector 12 in the vehicle width direction. is provided.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the connector mounting portion of the battery pack 2. As shown in FIG. 3A and 3B are structural diagrams showing the shape of the connector flange 20, where (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view, (C) is a top view, and (d) is a perspective view. It should be noted that the connector flange 20 will be described below using the vehicle direction when installed in the vehicle 1 .
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connector 12 consists of a battery-side connector 21 fixed to the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 via a connector flange 20 and a cable-side connector 22 connected to one end of the power cable 11. It is configured. The battery-side connector 21 and the cable-side connector 22 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape and configured to be detachable from each other. The cable-side connector 22 is connected to the vehicle rear side of the battery-side connector 21 fixed to the connector flange 20 . The connector has an outer portion formed of resin, for example.

The connector flange 20 has a pedestal portion 23 (pedestal) for fixing the battery side connector 21 to the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 and a protector portion 24 (protector) for protecting the connector 12. For example, an aluminum die It is integrally formed by casting.
The pedestal 23 has a substantially rectangular box shape with one side open, and left and right edges 26a and 26b on the side of the opening 25 protrude left and right outward. A plurality of bolt holes 27 for fixing to the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 are provided in each of the left and right edges 26a and 26b.

The connector flange 20 is arranged with the opening 25 side of the pedestal 23 facing the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 , and is fixed to the rear wall 10 of the battery pack 2 by passing bolts through the bolt holes 27 of the left and right edges 26 a and 26 b. It is
The battery-side connector 21 is fixed by a plurality of bolts 29 to a wall surface 28 of the pedestal portion 23 opposite to the opening portion 25 , that is, the wall surface 28 on the rear side of the vehicle.

The protector portion 24 is a plate-like member provided on the upper portion of the right side wall 30 of the pedestal portion 23 . The protector portion 24 extends rearward from the vicinity of the front end portion of the pedestal portion 23 as a base end, and the tip portion protrudes rearward from the wall surface 28 which is the rear wall of the pedestal portion 23 by at least the thickness of the connector 12 in the front-rear direction. The size of the pedestal 23 in the width direction and the fixing position of the battery-side connector 21 with respect to the pedestal 23 are set so that the connector 12 fixed to the pedestal 23 and the protector 24 are separated from each other by, for example, several millimeters to several centimeters. ing.

The upper end of the protector portion 24 protrudes upward from the upper wall 33 of the base portion 23 . A lower end of the protector portion 24 is positioned above a lower wall 34 of the base portion 23, and a first inclined portion 35 is formed so as to be positioned upward toward the rear of the vehicle.
The protector portion 24 is formed so that the right side surface of the cable-side connector 22 of the connector 12 fixed to the base portion 23 is exposed by the first inclined portion 35 to such an extent that it is possible to grip it with fingers. .

The upper end of the protector portion 24 is formed with a collar portion 32 that is bent substantially vertically and protrudes to the right by several millimeters, and has an inverted L-shaped longitudinal section. The collar portion 32 is provided from the distal end portion to the proximal end portion of the protector portion 24 , and an R-shaped chamfered portion 38 is provided at the distal right end portion (tip portion side end portion) of the collar portion 32 .
At the connection point between the upper wall 33 of the pedestal portion 23 and the left side surface of the protector portion 24, there is a second inclined portion which is inclined downward from the protector portion 24 side toward the pedestal portion 23 side so as to connect smoothly. 36 is provided. Furthermore, in addition to the second inclined portion 36, an inclined portion is provided at the connecting portion between the base portion 23 and the protector portion 24 so that the vertically connected portion is smooth. For example, a third inclined portion 40 inclined downward from the protector portion 24 side toward the pedestal portion 23 side is provided at the connection point between the upper end surface of the right edge portion 26b of the pedestal portion 23 and the upper portion of the front end surface of the protector portion 24. At the same time, a connection point 41 between the right edge portion 26b and the right side surface of the protector section 24, and a connection point 42 between the rear side wall surface 28 of the pedestal section 23 and the left side surface of the protector section 24 are inclined so as to be smoothly connected. It's on a slope.

Furthermore, the strength of the protector portion 24 is set higher than that of the connector 12 and lower than that of the front wall 14 of the fuel tank 3 .
FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing an example of the state under the floor of the vehicle 1 at the time of a side collision. FIG. 5 is an enlarged bottom view showing an example of the state of the vicinity of the connector 12 at the time of side collision.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a columnar object such as a utility pole (collision) is placed between the left front wheel 4a and the left rear wheel 5a of the vehicle 1 from the left in the vehicle width direction to the right in the vehicle width direction. When the object 50) collides, the battery pack 2 is pushed by the colliding object 50 and moves to the right in the vehicle 1 . On the other hand, since the fuel tank 3 is spaced to the rear of the vehicle with respect to the collision position with the collision object 50, it hardly moves within the vehicle 1, or the rear portion of the vehicle body is twisted due to the collision, causing the fuel tank 3 to move inside the vehicle 1. to move left. Further, since the content of the fuel tank 3 is fluid, it is less likely to move than the battery pack 2 due to inertial force at the time of collision. Therefore, in the event of a side collision with the colliding object 50, the connector 12 connected to the battery pack 2 and the stepped portion 15 of the front wall 14 of the fuel tank 3 move toward each other in the vehicle width direction.

Since the connector 12 and the stepped portion 15 of the fuel tank 3 are substantially the same in the longitudinal and vertical positions of the vehicle, when the connector 12 and the fuel tank 3 move closer to each other in the vehicle width direction, the connector 12 and the fuel tank 3 do not move. 3 and the stepped portion 15 may collide with each other.
However, since the connector flange 20 that supports the connector 12 is provided with the protector portion 24 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the connector 12 and the step portion 15, the connector 12 and the step portion 15 between the connector 12 and the fuel tank 3 are prevented from collapsing in the event of a side collision. , the stepped portion 15 of the fuel tank 3 comes into contact with the protector portion 24 to prevent contact between the fuel tank 3 and the connector 12 . As a result, it is possible to prevent damage to the connector 12 in the event of a side collision. Since the strength of the protector portion 24 is higher than that of the connector 12 , the protector portion 24 can sufficiently protect the connector 12 .

Moreover, since the protector portion 24 is formed of a plate-like member, it can bend and absorb the impact when it comes into contact with the fuel tank 3 . Since the strength of the protector portion 24 is lower than the strength of the front wall 14 of the fuel tank 3, the fuel tank 3 can be protected when the protector portion 24 and the fuel tank 3 come into contact with each other.
The connector 12 of the battery pack 2 is arranged between the battery pack 2 and the fuel tank 3. This is to make it difficult for the colliding object to reach the connector 12 and damage the connector 12 in the event of a vehicle collision. be. Further, by arranging the connector 12 behind the battery pack 2, the power cable 11 connected to the power control unit 13 arranged at the rear part of the vehicle can be shortened. Further, by providing the fuel tank 3 with the stepped portion 15, the space for installing the connector 12 can be secured, and the fuel tank 3 can be extended forward of the vehicle at the portion to the right of the connector 12 in the vehicle width direction to increase the capacity of the fuel tank 3. can be increased.

The lower end of the protector portion 24 of the connector flange 20 is inclined at the first inclined portion 35 so that a part of the right side surface of the cable side connector 22 is exposed. Therefore, the cable-side connector 22 can be easily attached and detached.
Further, the protector portion 24 has an inclined lower end, and the vertical length of the vehicle front side, which is the base end portion, is longer than the vertical length of the vehicle rear side, which is the tip portion. The strength of the protector portion 24 can be set to a necessary and sufficient degree corresponding to the magnitude of the moment acting when the contact is made.

In addition, since the upper end of the protector portion 24 is bent to have the brim portion 32 extending in the left-right direction, the strength against the force acting on the protector portion 24 in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) is increased. Strength can be improved.
A second inclined portion 36 between the upper wall 33 of the pedestal portion 23 and the left side surface of the protector portion 24, and a third inclined portion 36 between the right edge portion 26b of the pedestal portion 23 and the upper front end surface of the protector portion 24 are provided. At the inclined portion 40 and other connecting portions 41 and 42 between the base portion 23 and the protector portion 24, the stress concentration at the connecting portions between the protector portion 24 and the base portion 23 is reduced. can be suppressed and the strength of the connection can be improved.

Further, since a chamfered portion 38 is provided at the right end of the front end portion of the collar portion 32 of the protector portion 24, the front end portion of the protector portion 24 and the stepped portion 15 of the fuel tank 3 approach each other when the vehicle 1 collides sideways. When the fuel tank 3 comes into contact with the fuel tank 3 , the contact area is increased to suppress the local load input to the fuel tank 3 , thereby protecting the fuel tank 3 .
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, the detailed shape of the connector flange 20 can be changed as appropriate.
Moreover, the present invention can be widely applied to vehicles in which a storage battery and a fuel tank are arranged adjacent to each other.

1 vehicle 2 battery pack (storage battery)
3 fuel tank 11 power cable (power line)
14 front wall (outer wall)
15 Step 22 Cable side connector (connector)
23 pedestal (pedestal)
24 protector part (protector)
32 collar portion 35 first inclined portion 36 second inclined portion 38 chamfered portion 40 third inclined portion

Claims (7)

A vehicle protection structure in which a power line connector is connected to a storage battery between a storage battery and a fuel tank arranged side by side in the vehicle front-rear direction,
a protector disposed between the connector and an outer wall of the fuel tank to protect the connector of the storage battery;
The protector has a base end portion fixed to the base of the storage battery to which the connector is connected, a tip end portion projecting toward the fuel tank from the connector connected to the base, and a fuel tank extending from the base end portion to the tip end portion. A protective structure for a vehicle, comprising: a plate-like member having a first inclined portion whose vertical length is shortened toward the vehicle. 2. The vehicle protection structure according to claim 1, wherein the protector has a flange portion extending laterally in the vehicle width direction between the base end portion and the tip end portion of the plate member. 3. The vehicle protection structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second sloping portion that slopes downward from a side surface of the protector toward the pedestal between the protector and the pedestal. 4. The protector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a third inclined portion inclined downward from the protector side toward the pedestal side between the base end portion of the protector and the pedestal. A protective structure for a vehicle according to item 1. 5. The vehicle protection structure according to claim 1, wherein the protector has a strength higher than that of the connector and lower than an outer wall of the fuel tank. A wall surface of the fuel tank on the storage battery side is provided with a stepped portion on a vehicle width direction side of the connector,
The vehicle protection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protector is arranged between the stepped portion and the connector. 3. The protective structure for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a chamfered portion is provided at the tip portion side end portion of the flange portion.

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