JP2023107098A - Protective structure of on-vehicle equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To protect equipment mounted in a front compartment when the front compartment on a vehicle front part is deformed by a collision against the vehicle front part.SOLUTION: A protective structure of on-vehicle equipment protects first equipment and second equipment respectively arranged in a front compartment on a vehicle front part. The structure includes a first plate-like protector of which one end part is mounted on the first equipment while the other end part separates from the first equipment, and a second protector which is mounted on the second equipment in a tilted surface state of tilting to a horizontal direction. The other end part of the first protector abuts on the first equipment when a main body part of the first protector abuts on the tilted surface. When the other end part abuts on the first equipment, the main body part of the first protector maintains a state in which a space is formed with the first equipment on an inner surface side while an outer surface abuts on the tilted surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a protective structure for in-vehicle equipment.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a protective structure that protects an engine and an inverter among on-vehicle devices mounted in an engine compartment, assuming that the engine compartment will be deformed in the event of a front collision of the vehicle. . In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the protection structure includes a reaction plate attached to the engine and a bracket attached to the inverter, and when the front portion of the vehicle collides, the bracket is in contact with the reaction plate. The deformation can absorb the impact load of the inverter.

JP 2019-038412 A

However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, in the process in which the inverter slides toward the upper side of the engine while the bracket is in contact with the reaction plate, if the bracket is completely crushed, the reaction plate contacts the lower surface of the inverter. , the lower surface of the inverter may be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an in-vehicle device capable of protecting equipment mounted in the front compartment when the front compartment at the front of the vehicle is deformed due to a collision with the front part of the vehicle. The purpose is to provide a protective structure for equipment.

The present invention is an in-vehicle device that protects a first device and a second device that are arranged in a front compartment in the front part of a vehicle and that are in a positional relationship of abutting each other when the front compartment is deformed in the event of a collision in the front part of the vehicle. The protective structure of is arranged on the second device side of the first device, and is in a state where one end is attached to the first device and the other end is separated from the first device, A plate-shaped first protector having a main body portion between the one end and the other end formed in a convex shape protruding from the first device side to the second device side, and the second device a second protector arranged on the side of the first device and attached to the second device in a state in which the surface of the first protector facing the main body portion is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction; wherein the main body portion of the first protector abuts the inclined surface of the second protector when the front compartment is deformed during a collision of the front portion of the vehicle, and the other end portion of the first protector is: When the main body part is not in contact with the inclined surface, it is separated from the first device, and when the main body part is in contact with the inclined surface, it contacts the first device, and the first protector is separated from the first device. With the other end in contact with the first device, the main body of the first protector forms a space between itself and the first device on the inner surface side with the outer surface in contact with the inclined surface. characterized in that it is configured to be able to maintain the

According to this configuration, when the other end of the first protector is separated from the first device, the position of the other end of the first protector can be displaced, so that the main body contacts the inclined surface of the second protector. Upon contact, the position of the other end is displaced by the reaction force from the second protector, and the posture of the first protector can be changed. Then, when the other end of the first protector comes into contact with the first device, the force that changes the posture of the first protector is applied to the first protector as a force in the direction of avoiding the collision between the first device and the second device. to act on the first device. Further, when the other end and the first device are in contact with each other, the body of the first protector is kept in such a state that it does not deform such that the space between it and the first device formed on the inner surface side disappears. Therefore, when the first protector slides along the slope of the second protector, it is possible to prevent the end of the first device from contacting the second protector.

Further, in a state in which the other end is in contact with the first device, the main body portion of the first protector supports the other end while forming a space between itself and the first device. good too.

According to this configuration, the first protector can maintain the state in which the other end is in contact with the first device while maintaining the shape of the main body.

Further, the other end portion of the first protector may abut against a portion forming a side surface of the first device on the side of the second device.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the other end of the first protector from coming into contact with the lower surface of the first device. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the load from the first protector from directly acting on the lower surface of the first device, and to suppress damage to the lower surface of the first device.

In the present invention, since the position of the other end of the first protector can be displaced while the other end of the first protector is away from the first device, the main body abuts the inclined surface of the second protector. At that time, the position of the other end portion is displaced by the reaction force from the second protector, and the posture of the first protector can be changed. Then, when the other end of the first protector comes into contact with the first device, the force that changes the posture of the first protector is applied to the first protector as a force in the direction of avoiding the collision between the first device and the second device. to act on the first device. Further, when the other end and the first device are in contact with each other, the body of the first protector is kept in such a state that it does not deform such that the space between it and the first device formed on the inner surface side disappears. Therefore, when the first protector slides along the slope of the second protector, it is possible to prevent the end of the first device from contacting the second protector.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration inside a front compartment of a vehicle according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement within the front compartment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the PCU and the engine. FIG. 4 is a diagram more schematically showing the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the PCU protector. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the PCU protector is in contact with the engine protector. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the other end of the PCU protector is in contact with the PCU. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the PCU has moved along the engine protector.

Hereinafter, a protection structure for on-vehicle equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a front compartment of a vehicle according to the embodiment. A vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle in which a power control unit (hereinafter referred to as PCU) 3 and an engine (ENG) 4 are mounted in a front compartment 2 . The vehicle 1 drives the wheels by the power output from the engine 4 and controls the driving state of the driving motor by the PCU 3 .

The front compartment 2 is an engine compartment provided in the front part of the vehicle, and in addition to the PCU 3 and the engine 4, various in-vehicle devices are mounted therein. The rear part of the front compartment 2 is separated from the passenger compartment by a dash panel.

The PCU 3 is arranged near the side surface on the right side in the vehicle width direction within the front compartment 2 . The PCU 3 includes a boost converter that boosts the DC power supplied from the battery, and an inverter that drives the driving motor. That is, the PCU 3 has a structure in which an inverter and a boost converter are housed inside a PCU case. In this embodiment, the PCU 3 is the first device. The PCU 3 described in this description may refer to the PCU case main body.

The engine 4 is arranged on the center side in the vehicle width direction within the front compartment 2 . The engine 4 is connected to wheels via a power transmission mechanism so as to be able to transmit power. In this embodiment, the engine 4 is the second device.

The PCU 3 and the engine 4 are arranged at positions separated from each other in the vehicle width direction. In the arrangement of the PCU 3 and the engine 4, the PCU 3 is arranged on the right side of the engine 4 in the vehicle width direction. That is, in terms of the arrangement of the PCU 3 and the engine 4 , the engine 4 is arranged closer to the center in the vehicle width direction than the PCU 3 . The left and right in the vehicle width direction will be described as the left and right positions when the vehicle 1 is viewed from the rear side to the front side.

In addition, the PCU 3 and the engine 4 are arranged to overlap each other in the front-rear direction. The PCU 3 is arranged at a position in the longitudinal direction overlapping with a part of the engine 4 .

Furthermore, in the vertical direction, the PCU 3 and the engine 4 are arranged so that they partially overlap each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the PCU 3 and the engine 4 are arranged at a vertical position where the lower end side of the PCU 3 and the upper end side of the engine 4 overlap. In other words, regarding the arrangement of the PCU 3 and the engine 4 , the engine 4 is arranged below the PCU 3 . The PCU 3 is arranged above the engine 4 and is supported by the PCU tray 5 from below as shown in FIG. PCU tray 5 is attached to front side member 6 of vehicle 1 .

The PCU 3 and the engine 4, which are arranged in this way, are in a positional relationship such that they come into contact with each other when the front compartment 2 is deformed in the event of a front collision of the vehicle due to a side collision. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vehicle 1 includes a PCU protector 10 attached to the PCU 3 and an engine protector 20 attached to the engine 4 as protective structures for on-vehicle devices.

The PCU protector 10 is a plate-like protector formed so that one end is fixed to the PCU 3 and the other end is separated from the PCU 3 . The PCU protector 10 includes one end 11 fixed to the PCU 3, the other end 12 not fixed to the PCU 3, and a main body projecting from the PCU 3 to the engine side between the one end 11 and the other end 12. a part 13;

One end portion 11 is a fixed side end portion fixed to a side portion of the PCU 3 on the engine side. One end portion 11 and PCU 3 are fixed by bolting, welding, or the like. As an example of bolt fastening, one end portion 11 is fixed to a boss portion 31 provided on PCU 3 with bolts 32, as shown in FIGS. The bolt 32 is screwed into a bolt hole provided in the boss portion 31 .

The other end 12 is an end on the non-fixed side located away from the PCU 3 . As shown in FIG. 4, the other end portion 12 is arranged closer to the engine than the side surface of the PCU 3 on the engine side in the vehicle width direction and below the lower end portion 3a of the PCU 3 in the vertical direction. 4 is a diagram more schematically showing the configuration shown in FIG.

The body portion 13 is a plate-like portion extending from the one end portion 11 to the other end portion 12 . The body portion 13 has a first portion that extends from the one end portion 11 on the fixed side to the engine side in the vehicle width direction and extends downward in the vertical direction, and curves from the first portion from the engine side to the PCU side in the vehicle width direction. and a third portion extending from the second portion toward the PCU in the vehicle width direction. That is, the main body portion 13 is a plate portion formed in series from one end portion 11 on the fixed side to the other end portion 12 on the non-fixed side in the order of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion.

PCU protector 10 is arranged between PCU 3 and engine 4 . At that time, the one end portion 11 is attached to the PCU 3 and the other end portion 12 and the body portion 13 are held by the PCU 3 so as to be separated from the PCU 3 . This PCU protector 10 is for protecting the lower end portion 3a of the PCU 3. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the PCU protector 10 is the first protector.

The engine protector 20 is a plate-shaped protector that is arranged to face the PCU protector 10 at a distance from the PCU protector 10 and is attached to the upper end portion of the engine 4 . This engine protector 20 has an inclined surface 21 that is inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction. Note that the vehicle width direction coincides with the horizontal direction when the vehicle 1 does not collide.

The inclined surface 21 is a surface facing the main body portion 13 of the PCU protector 10, and is inclined from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction as it goes from the PCU side to the engine side in the vehicle width direction. do. The length of the inclined surface 21 in the front-rear direction is equal to or greater than the length of the PCU protector 10 in the front-rear direction.

Engine protector 20 is arranged between engine 4 and PCU 3 . At this time, the inclined surface 21 is held by the engine 4 so as to face the PCU protector 10 . The engine protector 20 is for protecting the upper end portion of the engine 4 . A portion on the upper end side of the engine 4 is a cylinder head 4a. In this embodiment, the engine protector 20 is the second protector.

PCU protector 10 and engine protector 20 configured in this manner function as members for avoiding PCU 3 from colliding with engine 4 in the event of a collision that deforms front compartment 2 .

Here, the function that each protector exerts at the time of a front collision of the vehicle will be described. For example, when the pole 100 collides with the right side of the vehicle front portion as shown in FIG. 4, the PCU protector 10 comes into contact with the engine protector 20 as shown in FIG.

When PCU protector 10 and engine protector 20 abut against each other, PCU protector 10 and engine protector 20 generate a force for avoiding collision between PCU 3 and engine 4 . The force for avoiding this collision acts on the PCU 3 when the other end 12 of the PCU protector 10 comes into contact with the PCU 3 . At this time, the force acts to prevent the lower surface of the PCU 3 from contacting the engine protector 20 and to move the PCU 3 upward of the engine 4 .

That is, since the other end portion 12 of the PCU protector 10 is separated from the PCU 3, when the body portion 13 of the PCU protector 10 comes into contact with the inclined surface 21 of the engine protector 20, as shown in FIGS. In addition, the position of the other end 12 can be displaced so that the reaction force from the engine protector 20 rotates the PCU protector 10 clockwise. At that time, the one end portion 11 is kept fixed to the boss portion 31 of the PCU 3 . With the other end 12 in contact with the PCU 3, the force generated by the PCU protector 10 and the engine protector 20 is applied from the PCU protector 10 to the PCU 3, thereby separating the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20. Let At this time, the body portion 13 supports the other end portion 12 while forming a space S between the PCU 3 and the other end portion 12 on the inner surface side in a state where the other end portion 12 is in contact with the PCU 3 . That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the body portion 13 is configured so as to be able to maintain a state in which the space S between the PCU 3 and the PCU 3 is formed on the inner surface side while the outer surface is in contact with the inclined surface 21 . . The body portion 13 has sufficient rigidity to maintain the state shown in FIG. Specifically, when the other end 12 abuts on the PCU 3 after a front collision of the vehicle, the main body 13 is sandwiched between the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20 to provide a space between the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20 . It has a high stiffness enough to keep it from deforming to eliminate S. In short, the main body portion 13 is a highly rigid portion, and has sufficient rigidity to support the other end portion 12 without deformation such as crushing when sandwiched between the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20 . Note that the clockwise direction is the direction on the paper surface shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 . Further, as shown in FIG. 6 , in a state in which main body portion 13 is in contact with inclined surface 21 , one end portion 11 maintains a state of being connected to PCU 3 .

More specifically, the PCU protector 10 can change its posture when the other end 12 is separated from the PCU 3 . Therefore, when the body portion 13 abuts against the inclined surface 21 , the reaction force from the engine protector 20 acts on the body portion 13 , and the other end portion 12 and the PCU 3 move closer to the PCU 3 . Relative positional relationship changes. As a result, the posture of the PCU protector 10 changes. After that, the other end 12 abuts on the PCU 3 . When the other end 12 abuts on the PCU 3 in this manner, the PCU protector 10 is sandwiched between the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20 . to PCU3. At this time, the force that changes the posture of the PCU protector 10 can be regarded as a force that rotates the other end portion 12 around the one end portion 11 on the fixed side. The force is generated by PCU protector 10 and engine protector 20 . The force acts on the PCU 3 from the PCU protector 10, so that the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20 can be separated from each other.

When the other end 12 is in contact with the PCU 3, the length L from the lower end 3a of the PCU 3 to the same plane as the inclined surface 21 is kept greater than zero, as shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 7, the length L is shorter than the state before the front collision of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4, but the length L is greater than zero. A state in which the length L is greater than zero represents a state in which the PCU 3 and the engine protector 20 are separated. By preventing the main body 13 from deforming so as to eliminate the space S between itself and the PCU 3, the posture of the PCU 3 as shown in FIG. can be maintained. The deformation that eliminates the space S between the PCU 3 is a deformation that shortens the length A in the space S, and as a result of the shortening of the length A, the shape is deformed so that the length L is zero or less. It refers to the state of Length A is the distance between the inner surface of the portion of main body 13 that abuts on engine protector 20 and the portion on the side surface of PCU 3 in the direction orthogonal to inclined surface 21 . Although some deformation is allowed in the main body part 13, the length L is kept larger than zero by not allowing the deformation in which the length A is shortened to the point where the length L becomes zero or less. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the PCU 3 can be slid along the inclined surface 21 toward the upper side of the engine 4 so that the lower end portion 3a of the PCU 3 does not come into contact with the inclined surface 21. That is, when the PCU 3 moves upward from the engine 4, it is possible to prevent the lower surface of the PCU 3 from contacting the inclined surface 21 of the engine protector 20 and applying an excessive impact load to the lower surface of the PCU 3. can.

4, 6, and 8 show chronological changes at the time of a vehicle front collision. For example, the state shown in FIG. 4 represents the instant (0 msec) when the collision occurred. The state shown in FIG. 6 represents the state 30 msec after the collision from the state shown in FIG. The state shown in FIG. 8 represents the state 45 msec after the collision from the state shown in FIG. Also, in the state shown in FIG. 7, the length A is configured to be longer than the length L. As shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the lower end portion 3a of the PCU 3 can be protected by the PCU protector 10 in the event of a front side collision of the vehicle. can be prevented.

It should be noted that the present invention is applicable not only to side collisions against the front of the vehicle, but also to collisions of the front of the vehicle including head-on collisions, offset collisions, oblique collisions, and the like.

PCU protector 10 is not limited to a structure in which one end 11 on the fixed side is directly fixed to PCU 3, but a structure in which one end 11 is attached to PCU 3 via a holding member such as a bracket. good too. For example, one end 11 of the PCU protector 10 is fixed to a holding member bolted to the side surface of the PCU 3 . A method for fixing the holding member and the one end portion 11 is not particularly limited, such as bolting or welding. Also, the method of fixing the holding member and the PCU 3 is not particularly limited.

Also, although the structure in which the PCU 3 is supported by the PCU tray 5 has been described, the PCU 3 may be supported by the PCU tray 5 via brackets.

Moreover, although the configuration in which the PCU 3 is the first device and the engine 4 is the second device has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the protective structure can be applied to any type of first and second devices that are housed in the front compartment 2 and that are arranged in a positional relationship such that they collide with each other in the event of a collision at the front of the vehicle. is.

Moreover, the relationship between the length of the inclined surface 21 in the front-rear direction and the length of the PCU protector 10 in the front-rear direction is not particularly limited. That is, the length of the inclined surface 21 in the front-rear direction may be shorter than the length of the PCU protector 10 in the front-rear direction.

Also, although an example in which the PCU protector 10 is bolted to the boss portion 31 of the PCU case has been described, the fixing method is not limited to this. For example, the PCU protector 10 may be fixed to the PCU 3 via a detachment bracket. In this case, the PCU tray 5 is attached to the PCU 3 via a detachable bracket. When the front part of the vehicle collides, the detachment bracket is detached from the PCU tray 5 but remains fixed to the PCU 3 . That is, in a state in which the detachment bracket is detached from the PCU tray 5, the PCU protector 10 maintains a state of being fixed to the PCU 3 via the detachment bracket.

1 vehicle 2 front compartment 3 PCU
3a Lower end 4 Engine 4a Cylinder head 5 PCU tray 6 Front side member 10 PCU protector 11 One end 12 Other end 13 Body 20 Engine protector 21 Inclined surface 31 Boss 32 Bolt

Claims (3)

A protective structure for in-vehicle equipment that protects a first device and a second device that are arranged in a front compartment in the front part of a vehicle and that are in a positional relationship to contact each other when the front compartment is deformed in the event of a collision in the front part of the vehicle. There is
It is arranged on the second device side of the first device, one end is attached to the first device and the other end is separated from the first device, and the one end and the other end a plate-shaped first protector formed in a convex shape projecting from the first device side to the second device side;
It is arranged on the side of the first device of the second device, and is attached to the second device in such a state that a surface of the first protector facing the main body portion forms an inclined surface inclined with respect to a horizontal direction. a second protector;
with
the main body portion of the first protector abuts against the inclined surface of the second protector when the front compartment is deformed in the collision of the front portion of the vehicle;
The other end portion of the first protector is separated from the first device when the main body portion is not in contact with the inclined surface, and is separated from the first device when the main body portion is in contact with the inclined surface. abut the equipment,
With the other end portion of the first protector in contact with the first device, the main body portion of the first protector has an outer surface in contact with the inclined surface, and the first device and the inner surface of the main body portion of the first protector. A protective structure for in-vehicle equipment, characterized in that it is constructed so as to maintain a state in which a space is formed between them. The main body portion of the first protector supports the other end portion while forming a space with the first device when the other end portion is in contact with the first device. The protective structure for vehicle-mounted equipment according to claim 1. 3. The protection structure for on-vehicle equipment according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the first protector abuts on a portion of the first equipment that forms a side surface on the side of the second equipment.

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