Electric vehicle disconnect plug structure

Abstract

In the plug-out structure of the electric vehicle, a plug bracket (9) is erected from the inside of the battery unit (1) into the inside of a protrusion (5) formed on the floor plate (4) under the rear seat to prevent the occupant from sinking. Furthermore, a plug (6) is detachably mounted on the front of the plug bracket (9), and an opening (7) for accessing the plug (6) is formed on the front wall of the protrusion (5). Additionally, an openable and closable cover (14) covering the opening (7) is provided on the decorative section (13) below the front of the rear seat cushion (3).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a structure of a disconnect plug of an electric vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] A battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) having a high voltage circuit is provided with a disconnect plug that safely disconnects the high voltage circuit. In most cases, the disconnect plug is mounted on a battery unit, and the battery unit, which is large in size and heavy in weight, is mounted under a seat of a rear seat. Patent Document 1 below discloses a disconnect plug structure. In Patent Document 1, the disconnect plug is referred to as a service disconnector, and is also referred to as a disconnect switch or a manual high voltage disconnector.

[0003] For work safety at the time of maintenance or passenger rescue, the disconnect plug is detached. In the disconnect plug structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, an opening portion for accessing the disconnect plug is opened in a floor panel under a seat cushion of a rear seat. Therefore, in the case where the disconnect plug is removed to disconnect the high voltage circuit, a large seat cushion must be detached.

[0004] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0005] PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-248969

[0007] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0008] Since the disconnect plug disclosed in Patent Document 1 must be accessed by detaching the seat cushion of the rear seat, the workability of maintenance or passenger rescue is poor. In particular, in the case where the vehicle body is deformed due to an accident or the like, it is sometimes difficult to detach the seat cushion. Thus, there is a demand for a disconnect plug structure that enables easy access to the disconnect plug. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a disconnect plug structure of an electric vehicle that enables easy access to a disconnect plug.

[0010] In the plug disconnect structure of the electric vehicle according to the feature of the present application, a plug cradle is erected from the inside of the battery unit to the inside of the bulging portion for preventing the behavior of the passenger's sinking formed in the floor under the rear seat. In addition, the plug disconnect is detachably mounted in the front of the plug cradle, and an opening portion for accessing the plug disconnect is formed in the front wall of the bulging portion. Further, a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the opening portion is provided in the garnish portion under the front of the seat cushion of the rear seat. The "rear seat" referred to herein means the seat behind the frontmost driver's seat and the front passenger's seat. For example, if the seats are three rows, the second and third rows are the rear seats.

[0011] Inventive Effects

[0012] According to the above feature, the plug disconnect can be easily accessed from the garnish portion under the front end of the seat cushion without detaching the seat cushion of the rear seat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of the plug disconnect structure of the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the floor of the above plug disconnect structure.

[0015] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the battery unit of the above plug disconnect structure.

[0016] Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the plug disconnect and the plug cradle of the above plug disconnect structure.

[0017] Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the plug disconnect and the plug cradle in the modified example of the above plug disconnect structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the plug disconnect structure of the electric vehicle of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1-4 The plug disconnect structure of the electric vehicle of the embodiment will be described.

[0019] The electric vehicle of the embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that does not mount an internal combustion engine, consumes the electric power stored in the battery unit 1, and drives four wheels by two electric motors (not shown) mounted in the front and rear portions thereof, respectively. When the vehicle is decelerated, the electric motors perform regenerative power generation, and the electric power generated thereby is used to charge the battery unit 1. The battery unit 1 is also charged by the electric power supplied from the outside of the vehicle.

[0020] The no-rechargeable cruising distance of the BEV is determined by the electric power accumulated in the battery unit (and the regenerative electric power). Thus, it is necessary to mount a battery unit with a larger charging capacity to cope with the demand for a longer no-rechargeable cruising distance. The larger the charging capacity, the larger the volume of the battery unit. Therefore, the battery unit of the BEV is usually mounted in the space below the rear seat. In the case of the BEV without an internal combustion engine, since the space for the exhaust pipe and fuel tank can also be utilized, a large space is easily ensured below the rear seat.

[0021] The battery unit 1 of the present embodiment not only occupies the space below the rear seat, but also occupies the entire floor of the passenger compartment. That is, the battery unit 1 is mounted between the front and rear wheels (front and rear wheel covers) and between the pair of lower side members 2. Since the battery unit 1 has a heavy weight per unit volume, the mounting position of the battery unit 1 lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle, thereby improving the vehicle motion performance.

[0022] The battery unit is a high voltage device capable of outputting high voltage electric power. Therefore, a disconnect plug that safely cuts off the high voltage circuit (power circuit) is provided in the high voltage system. In most cases, the disconnect plug is provided in the battery unit that is the power source. In the present embodiment, the disconnect plug 6 is also provided in the battery unit 1. The disconnect plug 6 will be described in detail later.

[0023] On the other hand, in order to prevent the so-called submarining motion of the rear seat occupant at the time of frontal collision, an anti-submarining protrusion is protruded upward from the metal floor below the seat cushion of the rear seat. The protrusion is constituted by a member extending in the lateral direction (anti-submarining bar), or by a bulge formed on the floor below the seat cushion. In the present embodiment, the bulge 5 is formed that protrudes upward from the floor 4 below the seat cushion 3.

[0024] The seat cushion 3 is placed on the bulge 5, and the bulge 5 is located in the front portion of the seat cushion 3. The bulge 5 prevents the submarining motion in which the hips of the passenger move forward due to the inertial force at the time of frontal collision. The ramp of the rear wall of the bulge 5 restricts the movement of the hips of the occupant forward via the seat cushion 3. By suppressing the submarining motion, the restraint of the seat belt is effectively exerted.

[0025] In this embodiment, the driver's seat and front passenger seat are separate seats, but the rear seat is a long seat that can accommodate three occupants. The bulge 5 extends laterally in proportion to the lateral width of the long seat. That is, the bulge 5 has a lateral width that covers the entire seating area for three people. An opening 7 is formed at the lateral center of the front wall of the bulge 5 for accessing the disconnect plug 6. A metal cap 8, which plugs the opening 7, is screwed onto the opening 7.

[0026] The battery unit 1 has a plug bracket 9 erected from its interior into the bulge 5. A disconnect plug 6 is detachably mounted on the upper front surface of the plug bracket 9. When the disconnect plug 6 is manually removed, the high-voltage circuit (electrical circuit) of the battery unit 1 is mechanically disconnected. The disconnect plug 6 is removed by the operator during maintenance of the high-voltage components or during occupant evacuation in the event of a vehicle accident.

[0027] The plug holder 9 is made of resin and is formed by injection molding. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the plug bracket 9 consists of a lower bracket 9L inside the battery unit 1 and an upper bracket 9U protruding from the top panel 1U of the battery unit 1. Furthermore, Figure 4 The detailed internal structure of the electric harnesses and disconnect plug 6 is not shown.

[0028] The lower bracket 9L and the upper bracket 9U are joined via the top plate 1U of the battery unit 1. Specifically, the lower bracket 9L is fixed to the base plate 10, which is positioned above (or on the upper surface) of the battery modules 1M housed inside the battery unit 1. The base plate 10 is fixed to the battery modules 1M (and the bottom of the housing of the battery unit 1) via brackets 11. Electronic components and wiring are also fixed to the upper surface of the base plate 10.

[0029] The bottom surface (flange) of the upper bracket 9U is mounted on the upper surface of the lower bracket 9L, and this surface contacts the lower surface of the top plate 1U. The portion of the upper bracket 9U other than the flange protrudes upward from a hole formed in the top plate 1U. When the battery unit 1 is installed on the vehicle body (lower longitudinal beam 2, etc.) from below, the upper part of the upper bracket 9U enters the interior of the bulge 5. A resin (or metal) retainer 12 is installed on the top plate 1U. The retainer 12 clamps the top plate 1U and is fixed to the upper surface of the lower bracket 9L and the flange of the upper bracket 9U with screws.

[0030] The disconnect plug 6 has a lever 6L, which is used for disassembly. The disconnect plug 6 is mounted on the plug bracket 9 to allow the lever 6L to swing laterally. That is, the disconnect plug 6 is oriented to allow the lever 6L to swing laterally. In other words, the swing axis of the lever 6L is substantially vertical. Here, "substantially vertical" means 0° to 30° relative to the horizontal plane. A locking mechanism may also be mounted on the lever 6L. Furthermore, a fuse may be assembled into the disconnect plug 6.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, an openable and closable cover 14 covering the opening 7 (cap 8) is provided on the trim 13 below the front of the seat cushion 3. The cover 14 can be opened and closed vertically. In this embodiment, the upper edge of the cover 14 is a hinge, opening upwards. Furthermore, the trim 13 is made of a soft fabric material, and the closed state is maintained by a zipper or Velcro tape. Also, since the hinge is located at the top, the cover 14 will close due to its own weight even if the zipper or the like cannot be closed. Therefore, the opening 7 (cap 8) is not visible. Additionally, the cover 14 is oriented in the opposite direction to the occupant's line of sight. Therefore, the cover 14 provides a beautiful appearance for the interior and conceals the portion near the disconnect plug 6. Alternatively, the trim 13 can also be a resin panel. In this case, the cover 14 can also have a resin hinge and a locking claw, which maintains the closed state.

[0032] The following describes the disassembly procedure for disconnect plug 6. Open cover 14 and remove cap 8. During maintenance, remove the screws and cap 8. During passenger rescue, cap 8 can also be forcibly removed using a pry bar or similar tool. Next, reach into opening 7 and swing lever 6L 90° laterally. Then, by pulling lever 6L, disconnect plug 6 is removed and can be taken out through opening 7. This disconnects the high-voltage system.

[0033] At this point, the disconnect plug 6 can be easily accessed from the trim section 13 exposed inside the vehicle interior. Since there is legroom for rear seat occupants in front of the trim section 13, the opening 7 can also be easily accessed, providing sufficient working space. It is not necessary to remove the seat cushion 3 of the rear seat (long bench) to access the disconnect plug 6. Furthermore, since the disconnect plug 6 is positioned below the center of the long bench laterally, it can be easily accessed from either the left or right side of the vehicle during maintenance or rescue operations. This is particularly important during rescue operations, where access may sometimes only be possible from one side.

[0034] In addition, in the case where the cap 8 is detached for some reason, it is also conceivable that the occupant seated on the rear seat finds the disconnected plug 6. (However, as described above, since the cover 14 is closed by its own weight, it is difficult to find the opening portion 7) In this case, since the operation direction of the lever 6L located further in the rear than the opening portion 7 is the lateral direction, the occupant seated on the rear seat cannot easily operate the lever 6L. If the operation direction is the vertical direction, particularly the upward direction, the occupant seated on the rear seat can also operate it, but in the present embodiment, the operation direction is the lateral direction in order to prevent anti-tamper.

[0035] Figure 5 A modification of the above embodiment is shown. In the case of a BEV, sometimes levels of different charging capacities (no chargeable distance) are prepared. The more the charging capacity, that is, the more the plurality of battery modules 1M are mounted, the higher the price of the vehicle. Then, a plurality of charging capacities (models / levels) are prepared according to the user's request. In this case, it is also possible to consider increasing the capacity of one battery module 1M, but it is also possible to cope by increasing the number of battery modules 1M mounted inside the battery unit 1. In order to increase the number of battery modules 1M, mounting space is required, but the floor space is limited, and it is easy to secure space under the rear seat.

[0036] The present modification changes the internal structure of the rear portion of the battery unit 1, and increases the number of battery modules 1M. Specifically, the battery modules 1M are stacked. Even in this case, the arrangement of the floor panel 4 and the disconnected plug 6 does not change. Regarding the disconnected plug 6, the same as the above embodiment is applied. Figure 4 The embodiment shown in FIG. 9 can be coped with by changing only the lower bracket 9L. Since the plug bracket 9 can be divided into the lower bracket 9L and the upper bracket 9U, the upper bracket 9U can be shared.

[0037] In addition, in this case, the base panel 10 is also eliminated. The lower bracket 9L is low in height, and is fixed to the battery module 1M stacked via the bracket 11. No change is required for the upper bracket 9U and the retainer 12 (including the mounting position and the mounting structure)

[0038] In the present embodiment, the bulge portion 5 protrudes upward from the floor panel 4 between the seat cushion 3 of the rear seat and the battery unit 1. In addition, the plug bracket 9 is erected from the inside of the battery unit 1 to the inside of the bulge portion 5, and the disconnected plug 6 is detachably mounted to the front surface of the plug bracket 9. The opening portion 7 is opened in the front wall of the bulge portion 5 toward the front, and the cover 14 is provided on the garnish portion 13 below the front surface of the seat cushion 3. Therefore, by the cover 14 and the opening portion 7, the disconnected plug 6 can be easily accessed from the garnish portion 13 exposed to the inside of the vehicle. At this time, it is not necessary to remove the seat cushion 3 of the rear seat.

[0039] Further, the disconnect plug 6 is mounted on the plug cradle 9 in a manner that the stem 6L thereof is swung in the lateral direction. Therefore, a passenger seated on the rear seat cannot easily operate the stem 6L located at a position further inboard than the opening portion 7, and misoperation of the disconnect plug 6 (stem 6L) can be prevented.

[0040] Further, the disconnect plug 6 is located below the center of the rear seat (long seat). Therefore, in a maintenance work and a rescue work in which the disconnect plug 6 is detached, the disconnect plug 6 can be easily accessed from either one of the left side and the right side of the vehicle, and thus workability is improved. In particular, in the rescue work, it is sometimes possible to access only from either one side, and work can be reliably performed.

[0041] Here, the bulging portion 5 extends in the lateral direction in correspondence with the lateral width of the long seat (rear seat). That is, the bulging portion 5 that prevents the occupant diving behavior is formed to cover all the occupants of the long seat. Therefore, the bulging portion 5 functions as a reinforcing rib formed on the floor panel 4, and the floor panel 4 can effectively resist a side load at the time of a side impact or the like, and protection of the battery unit 1 is effective. Further, even if the relative position of the disconnect plug 6 (and the upper portion of the plug cradle 9) disposed inside the bulging portion 5 to the floor panel 4 is changed due to deformation of the vehicle body at the time of a side impact, since the bulging portion 5 extends in the width direction, the disconnect plug 6 does not interfere with the floor panel 4 and is not damaged.

[0042] Further, the plug cradle 9 is composed of a lower cradle 9L and an upper cradle 9U, and the lower cradle 9L and the upper cradle 9U are joined via the top panel 1U of the battery unit 1. Therefore, when the number of battery modules 1M mounted on the battery unit 1 is changed, it is possible to easily cope with it by only replacing the lower cradle 9L.

[0043] Further, the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the electric vehicle can not be a battery electric vehicle (BEV), but can be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV: including PHEV). Further, in the above-described embodiment, the plug cradle 9 is composed of the lower cradle 9L and the upper cradle 9U. However, the plug cradle 9 can be injection molded monolithically. In this case, a first molding die corresponding to the upper cradle 9U and a second molding die corresponding to the lower cradle 9L are used. Here, by preparing only two kinds of second molding dies, it is possible to mold Figure 4 the plug cradle 9 and Figure 5 the plug cradle 9 shown in FIG. 1. That is, the first die can be shared.

[0044] Symbol Explanation

[0045] 1: battery unit

[0046] 1U: top plate (of battery unit 1)

[0047] 3: seat cushion (of rear seat)

[0048] 4: bottom plate

[0049] 5: bulge

[0050] 6: disconnect plug

[0051] 6L: stem (of disconnect plug 6)

[0052] 7: opening

[0053] 9: plug holder

[0054] 9L: lower holder

[0055] 9U: upper holder

[0056] 13: trim (under seat cushion 3)

[0057] 14: cover

Claims

1. A disconnect plug structure, which is a disconnect plug structure for an electric vehicle, wherein, The disconnect plug structure has: a battery unit mounted under a rear seat in a passenger compartment; a bulge portion protruding upward from a floor between a seat cushion of the rear seat and the battery unit to prevent a passenger located in a front portion of the seat cushion from diving when a front collision occurs; a plug bracket extending from an inside of the battery unit to an outside and standing up to an inside of the bulge portion; a disconnect plug detachably mounted in front of a portion extending to the outside of the battery unit in the plug bracket to cut off a power circuit of the battery unit; an opening portion opened toward the front in a front wall of the bulge portion for accessing the disconnect plug, covered by a cap; an openable and closable cap provided in front of the bulge portion and formed in a decorative portion under the front of the seat cushion to cover the opening portion and the cap.

2. The disconnect plug structure according to claim 1, wherein the disconnect plug has a lever operated when detached, and the disconnect plug is mounted in the plug bracket in a manner that the lever swings in a lateral direction.

3. The disconnect plug structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rear seat is a long seat, and the disconnect plug is located under a center of the long seat.

4. The disconnect plug structure according to claim 3, wherein the bulge portion extends in the lateral direction corresponding to a lateral width of the long seat.

5. The disconnect plug structure according to claim 4, wherein the plug bracket is composed of a lower bracket in the inside of the battery unit and an upper bracket standing up from a top plate of the battery unit, the lower bracket and the upper bracket are joined via the top plate.

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