2 Mounting arrangement for an electrical device in the front area of ​​a vehicle

Abstract

An arrangement (2) for mounting an electrical device (10) in a front compartment (101) of a vehicle (100) is disclosed. The arrangement (2) may include: a housing (11) divided into a first housing (11a) and a second housing (11b); a first (14a) and a second (14f) through-hole provided in the first housing (11a); a first (15a) and a second (15f) mounting hole provided in the second housing (11b); a first mounting element (12a) extending through the first through-hole (14a) and attached to the first mounting hole (15a); and a second mounting element (12f) extending through the second through-hole (14f) and attached to the second mounting hole (15f). The first through-hole (14a) is located on a remote side of the first housing (11a) with respect to a vehicle centerline and is located on a front half of the first housing (11a).The second through-hole (14f) is located on a closer side and a rear half of the first housing (11a).

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The teaching disclosed herein relates to a mounting arrangement of an electrical device in a front area of ​​a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, various electrical devices have been installed on vehicles. For example, electric vehicles are fitted with a power or current converter that converts the electrical power from a DC source into electrical power to drive a motor. In an electric vehicle described in JP 2018-24330 A (Patent Document 1), an electrical power or current control unit, which regulates electrical power or current to drive a traction motor, is mounted on a motor housing. If the housing of the electrical device, to which a high voltage is applied, is damaged by a collision, a high-voltage component of the electrical device can be exposed from the housing. In the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the power or current control unit is supported on the motor housing by a front bracket and a rear bracket.If such an electric vehicle collides with an obstacle at its front, the bracket will deform to displace the power control unit, thereby reducing the impact of the collision on the power control unit.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a technique for preventing damage to the engine casing due to an impact applied to the engine casing via the rear bracket. The rear bracket is attached to the engine casing by a first screw located on a front side and a second screw located on a rear side. The rear bracket is provided with a first insertion hole into which the first screw is inserted and a second insertion hole into which the second screw is inserted. The gap (clearance) between the second screw and the second insertion hole is larger than the gap between the first screw and the first insertion hole. Furthermore, a section of the engine casing with the first screw attached to it has a higher strength than a section of the engine casing with the second screw attached to it.In the design described in patent document 1, the gap between the second screw and the second insertion hole is larger than the gap between the first screw and the first insertion hole. Therefore, if a collision impact is applied to the rear mount from the front of the vehicle, a greater load is applied to the first insertion hole with the narrower gap than to the second insertion hole with the larger gap. In short, a greater load is applied to a high-strength area around the first insertion hole, whereas a relatively small load is applied to a low-strength area around the second insertion hole. Consequently, the collision impact is distributed according to the strength of the section of the engine housing, making damage to the engine housing less likely.

[0004] US 7,291,024 B2 (Patent Document 2) relates to an electrical distribution box comprising a box body for arrangement in a vehicle compartment; a mounting section provided on the box body for attachment to a vehicle body; and a fracture induction section provided on a box body side of the mounting section to induce the fracture of the mounting section by an impact during a vehicle collision, thereby separating the box body from the vehicle body. The mounting section is divided into two virtual sections by a line passing through the center of an insertion hole in the mounting section, the longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to a forward direction of the vehicle.The fracture induction section is provided on one of the two virtual sections, which is arranged in a direction away from a direction of the lateral inclination of the box body in a collision of the vehicle. SUMMARY

[0005] The technology of patent document 1 is a technology for preventing damage to the motor housing when a collision impact is applied to the vehicle from the front. In contrast, the present technology disclosed herein provides a technology according to claim 1 for preventing damage to the housing of an electrical device or electrical apparatus mounted in a front area of ​​a vehicle when a collision impact is applied to the electrical device from its sloping front side.

[0006] In the technology disclosed herein, an electrical device is mounted in the front section of a vehicle. The electric vehicle has a first housing and a second housing, which are separated from each other in a top-bottom direction. The first housing has a first through-hole and a second through-hole. The second housing has a first mounting hole to which a first fastening component, extending through the first through-hole, is attached, and a second mounting hole to which a second fastening component, extending through the second through-hole, is attached. The first through-hole is located on a far side of the first housing with respect to a centerline of the vehicle in a direction along one body width of the vehicle and is situated on a front half of the first housing.The second through-hole is located on a side of the first housing closer to the vehicle's centerline, along the width of the vehicle body, and is situated on the rear half of the first housing. The first gap between the first mounting component and the first through-hole is larger than the second gap between the second mounting component and the second through-hole.

[0007] In the aforementioned vehicle assembly setup or arrangement, the first through-hole and the first fastening component are located closer to an angled front corner of the vehicle than the second through-hole and the second fastening component. If an obstacle collides with the vehicle from the angled front corner, a collision impact load applied to an area around the first fastening hole and the first fastening component attached to it will tend to be greater than a collision impact load applied to an area around the second fastening hole and the second fastening component attached to it.This is because a section of the housing between the first and second mounting holes deforms to absorb the collision impact load, resulting in a reduced collision impact load transferred to the second mounting hole. By adjusting the first gap to be relatively larger than the second gap, the first housing can be displaced from the second housing within the area around the first mounting hole to a greater degree, or extent, than within the area around the second mounting hole. As a result, the impact load applied to the area around the first mounting hole is reduced, leading to a decreased difference between the impact loads applied to the respective areas around the first and second mounting holes.Accordingly, any imbalance in the collision impact load is reduced, making the casing less likely to be damaged.

[0008] The first through-hole and the first mounting hole are located at a front corner of the electric vehicle on a side farther from the centerline, whereas the second through-hole and the second mounting hole are located at a rear corner of the electric vehicle on a side closer to the centerline.

[0009] Details and modifications of the technology disclosed herein are described in the following “Detailed Description”. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a top view of an electric vehicle using a vehicle assembly arrangement in one embodiment. Fig. Figure 2 is a front view of the electric vehicle using the vehicle assembly arrangement in the embodiment. Fig. Figure 3 is an enlarged top view of a power converter or current transformer and its surroundings. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view drawn along a line IV-IV in Fig. 3 is taken. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view drawn along a line VV in Fig. 3 is taken. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view drawn along a line VI-VI in Fig. 3 is taken. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Representative, non-limiting examples of the present teachings are now described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is intended solely to provide a person skilled in the art with further details on implementing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the teachings. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachings disclosed below can be used separately or in combination with other features and teachings to provide an improved assembly structure or mounting arrangement of an electrical device in a front area of ​​a vehicle.

[0011] Furthermore, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the following detailed description are not necessary to implement the teachings in the broadest sense and are instead included merely to illustrate representative examples. Moreover, various features of the representative examples described above and below, as well as of the various independent and dependent claims, can be combined in a non-specific and explicitly enumerated manner to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.

[0012] All features disclosed in the description and / or the claim shall be disclosed separately and independently of one another for the purpose of the original written disclosure and for the limitation of the claimed subject matter, irrespective of the composition of the features in the embodiments and / or the claims. Furthermore, all ranges of values ​​or specifications of groups of units shall serve to disclose any possible intermediate value or unit for the purpose of the original written disclosure and for the limitation of the claimed subject matter.

[0013] Some features of the assembly arrangement of an electrical device or electrical appliance disclosed herein are described.

[0014] In the vehicle assembly setup or arrangement disclosed herein, the first housing and the second housing can be connected by a third fastening component in addition to the aforementioned first and second fastening components. In particular, a third through-hole can be provided between the first and second through-holes of the first housing. The second housing can be provided with a third fastening hole to which the third fastening component is attached, passing through the third through-hole. A third gap between the third fastening component and the third through-hole can be smaller than the first gap and larger than the second gap.The third mounting hole, located between the first and second mounting holes, does not exacerbate an uneven collision load as long as the size of the third hole falls within the range between the sizes of the first and second holes. The load can be distributed by connecting or joining the first housing to the second housing with a larger number of tie-down or fastening components. (Forms of execution)

[0015] A vehicle mounting arrangement 2 of one embodiment is described below with reference to the attached drawings. The vehicle mounting structure or vehicle mounting arrangement 2 of the embodiment is applied to a power converter or current transformer 10 in an electric vehicle 100. Fig. Figure 1 is a top view of the electric vehicle or electric vehicle 100; Fig. Figure 2 is a front view of the electric vehicle 100. In each of Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 2 represents an imaginary line, an outer line or outline of the electric vehicle 100. The electric vehicle 100 has a front section 101 in which an electric drive motor 5, the power converter 10, and a battery charger 6 are mounted. The electric drive motor 5 will henceforth be referred to simply as the motor 5.

[0016] In a coordinate system of Fig. Figures 1 to 3 show an F-axis representing the front-to-rear direction of the electric vehicle 100, an H-axis representing a lateral direction of the vehicle, and a V-axis representing an up-to-down direction of the vehicle. A positive (+) direction on the F-axis corresponds to the front of a body or car body, and a positive (+) direction on the V-axis corresponds to the top of the body or car body.

[0017] The electric vehicle 100 is designed to be powered by the motor 5. The motor 5 is suspended between two side components 3 in the front section 101. The side components 3 are frames that serve to ensure the vehicle's rigidity. Each side component 3 extends along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The side components 3 are connected at their ends to a radiator frame 9. The motor 5 is suspended between the two side components 3 by brackets 4, each of which is equipped with a vibration-damping bushing.

[0018] The power converter 10 is a device that converts direct current from a power source (not shown) into current to drive the motor 5. The output voltage of the power source can be 100 V or more. The housing 11 of the power converter 10 contains a number of components to which a voltage of 100 V or more is applied. For this reason, a vehicle mounting arrangement is desired in which the housing 11 is less likely to be damaged due to a collision.

[0019] A base plate 7 is positioned between the two side components 3. The power converter 10 is fixed to the base plate 7. The battery charger 6 is also fixed to the base plate 7. The power converter 10 and the battery charger 6 are arranged side by side in the lateral direction of the vehicle. A straight line CL in the figures indicates a center line in the lateral direction of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the power converter 10 is located off-center on the right side of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle's center line CL.

[0020] Fig. Figure 3 is an enlarged top view of the power converter 10 and its surroundings. The housing 11 of the power converter 10 is divided into an upper and a lower housing in the top-bottom direction (see Figure 3). Fig. 2) The upper housing is referred to as an upper housing 11a, whereas the lower housing is referred to as a lower housing 11b. The upper housing 11a and the lower housing 11b are fastened to each other by a plurality of screws at points around their mutually facing openings. A flange 19a is provided around the opening of the upper housing 11a, whereas a flange 19b is provided around the opening of the lower housing 11b. A contact surface between the flanges 19a and 19b coincides with the horizontal plane. The flanges 19a and 19b are fixed to each other by a plurality of screws 12a to 12h. More precisely, the flange 19a of the upper housing 11a is provided with through holes through which the screws 12a to 12h pass. The flange 19b of the lower housing 11b is provided with screw fastening holes which are oriented towards the through holes of the upper housing 11a.The screws 12a to 12h, which pass through the through holes in the upper housing 11a, are fixed to the corresponding screw fixing holes in the lower housing 11b. Hereinafter, any one of the screws 12a to 12h is referred to as a screw 12.

[0021] The power converter 10 can be seriously damaged, especially if an obstacle collides with the vehicle from its slanted front, where the power converter 10 is located. Fig. Figure 3 schematically shows an obstacle 102 that can penetrate the vehicle from its right front side. The outlined arrow represents a direction in which the power converter 10 absorbs a collision load from the obstacle 102. As shown in Figure 3, the following diagram illustrates the potential impact of the obstacle 102. Fig. As is clear from Figure 3, the greatest collision load is applied to a front corner 13a of the power converter 10 on a side furthest from the centerline CL. Conversely, the smallest collision load is applied to a rear corner 13b in the current direction on a side closer to the centerline CL. The vehicle mounting arrangement 2 of the embodiment can reduce any unevenness of the load applied to the fastening elements around the housing 11. Consequently, the housing 11 is less likely to be damaged if an obstacle collides with the vehicle from its angled front.

[0022] Fig. Figure 4 shows a cross-section along line IV-IV in Fig. 3 is taken. In particular, it states Fig. Figure 4 represents the cross-section that intersects the screw 12, which is located closest to the obstacle 102. Fig. Figure 5 shows a cross-section along line VV in Fig. 3 is taken. Fig. Figure 6 shows a cross-section along line VI-VI in Fig. 3 is taken. In particular, it states Fig. Figure 6 shows the cross-section that cuts through the screw 12f which is furthest away from the obstacle 102. Fig. Figure 5 represents the cross-section intersecting screw 12b, which is located substantially midway between screws 12a and 12f. Screw 12a (through hole 14a, screw fixing hole 15a) is located at the front corner 13a of the housing 11 on the far side with respect to the vehicle's centerline CL. Screw 12f (through hole 14f, screw fixing hole 15f) is located at the rear corner 13b of the housing 11 on the side of the vehicle closer to the vehicle's centerline CL (see Figure 5). Fig. 3).

[0023] Referring to Fig. Sections 4 to 6 below describe the features of the vehicle assembly arrangement 2 in the embodiment. As mentioned above, the flange 19a of the upper housing 11a is provided with the through-hole 14a (14b, 14f) through which the screw 12a (12b, 12f) passes. The flange 19b of the lower housing 11b is provided with screw fastening holes 15a, 15b, and 15f, which are each oriented towards the through-holes 14a, 14b, and 14f, respectively. The screw 12a (12b, 12f) passes through the through-hole 14a (14b, 14f) and is fastened to the screw fastening hole 15a (15b, 15f). In the vehicle assembly arrangement 2 of the embodiment, the gap d1 (see Fig. 4) between the screw 12a and the through hole 14a, which is located in the front section of the converter 10 and on the far side from the center line CL in the lateral direction of the vehicle, larger than the gap d2 (see Fig. 6) between the screw 12f and the through-hole 14f, which is located in the rear section of the converter 10 and on the side closer to the center line CL. A gap d3 (see Fig. 5) The gap between screw 12b and through hole 14b, which is located between through holes 14a and 14f, is smaller than the gap d1 and larger than the gap d2. Note that the term "gap" can be replaced by the term "distance" or "clearance".

[0024] The relationship between columns d1, d2, and d3 produces the following effects. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, screw 12a (through hole 14a, screw fixing hole 15a) is located closer to the angled front corner of the vehicle than screw 12f (through hole 14f, screw fixing hole 15f). When the obstacle 102 collides with the vehicle from its angled front corner, a collision impact load applied to the area around screw fixing hole 15a is greater than a collision impact load applied to the area around screw fixing hole 15f. This is because the section of the housing 11 between screw fixing hole 15a and screw fixing hole 15f deforms to absorb some of the applied collision impact load.By adjusting the gap d1 at the sloping front of the vehicle to be larger than the gap d3 at its rear, the upper housing 11a can be offset to a greater extent in screw 12a than in screw 12f relative to the lower housing 11b. Consequently, the load applied to the area around the screw mounting hole 15a, located at the sloping front corner 13a of the vehicle, can be reduced. This results in a smaller difference between the loads applied to the areas around screw mounting hole 15a and screw mounting hole 15f, respectively. Accordingly, any unevenness in the collision load is mitigated, making damage to the housing 11 less likely.

[0025] The gap d3 in screw 12b, located midway between screw 12a and screw 12f, is smaller than gap d1 and larger than gap d2. Since screw 12b (through hole 14b, screw fixing hole 15b) is situated midway between screws 12a and 12f, and the size of gap d3 lies between the sizes of gaps d1 and d2, screw 12b and gap d3 do not worsen the unevenness of the collision impact load. By inserting or connecting the upper housing 11a to the lower housing 11b with a greater number of screws, the collision impact load is distributed across the housing 11, thus reducing the likelihood of damage to the housing 11.

[0026] In the vehicle assembly arrangement 2 of the embodiment, the gaps between the screws 12 and the through holes 14 are classified or divided into three types of gaps. These are area (A), area (B), and area (C), separated by a single dotted dashed line L1 and L2, which serve as boundaries, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the gaps (between the through holes 14 and the screws 12) are of varying sizes. In area (A), which is closest to the angled front corner of the vehicle, the gap is the largest. In area (B), which is furthest from the angled front corner of the vehicle, the gap is the smallest. In area (C), located between areas (A) and (B), the gap is smaller than the gap in area (A) and larger than the gap in area (B).

[0027] This means that screws 12b and 12c have the same gap size to each other, and screws 12d to 12h have the same gap size to each other.

[0028] This ensures a large gap in the area near the vehicle's angled front corner, while a small gap is maintained in the area farther from the vehicle's angled front corner. As such, it mitigates the unevenness of a collision impact load applied to a multitude of bolt holes and their surrounding areas when an obstacle collides with the vehicle from its angled front.

[0029] Some technical aspects of the technology disclosed in the embodiment are described below. When the upper and lower housings are joined, a pin (knock pin) can be used for positioning. The knock pin is not a fastening component for securing the upper and lower housings. In short, the knock pin is not necessarily a component that withstands a collision impact load. If the knock pin and a plurality of screws are used together, only the screws need to satisfy the relationship mentioned above in the columns.

[0030] If the power converter is located in the middle in the direction along one body width of the vehicle, the gap between the screw located in the front section of the power converter and the through-hole may also be larger than the gap between the screw located in the rear section of the power converter and the corresponding through-hole.

[0031] The screw 12a, the through hole 14a, and the screw fixing hole 15a of the embodiment each correspond to examples of a first fastening component, a first through hole, and a first fixing hole, respectively. The screw 12f, the through hole 14f, and the screw fixing hole 15f of the embodiment correspond to examples of a second fastening component, a second through hole, and a second fixing hole, respectively. The screw 12b, the through hole 14b, and the screw fixing hole 15b of the embodiment correspond to examples of a third fastening component, a third through hole, and a third fixing hole, respectively.

[0032] The upper housing 11a corresponds to an example of a first housing, and the lower housing 14b corresponds to an example of a second housing. In the vehicle mounting arrangement disclosed herein, the lower housing can alternatively be provided with through holes, and the upper housing can be provided with mounting holes. The technology disclosed herein, in particular the vehicle mounting arrangement disclosed herein, can also be applied to any electrical devices other than the power converter.

[0033] An arrangement 2 for mounting an electrical device 10 in a front compartment 101 of a vehicle 100 is disclosed. The arrangement 2 may comprise: a housing 11, which is divided into a first housing 11a and a second housing 11b; a first 14a and a second 14f through-hole provided in the first housing 11a; a first 15a and a second 15f mounting hole provided in the second housing 11b; a first mounting element 12a, which passes through the first through-hole 14a and is attached to the first mounting hole 15a; and a second mounting element 12f, which passes through the second through-hole 14f and is attached to the second mounting hole 15f. The first through-hole 14a is located on a far side of the first housing 11a with respect to a vehicle centerline and is situated on a front half of the first housing 11a.The second through-hole 14f is located on a closer side and a rear half of the first housing 11a.

Claims

[1] Vehicle (100) with a front section (101) in which an electrical device (10) is mounted off-center on one side of the vehicle (100) with respect to a center line (CL) of the vehicle, the electrical device (10) comprising: a housing (11) of the electrical device (10), wherein the housing (11) is divided into a first housing (11a) and a second housing (11b) in a top-bottom direction; a first through hole (14a), a second through hole (14f) and a third through hole (14b) provided in the first housing (11a); a first mounting hole (15a), a second mounting hole (15f) and a third mounting hole (15b) provided in the second housing (11b); a first fastening component (12a) that passes through the first through hole (14a) and is attached to the first fastening hole (15a); a second fastening component (12f) which passes through the second through-hole (14f) and is attached to the second fastening hole (15f), and a third fastening component (12b) which passes through the third through hole (14b) and is attached to the third fastening hole (15b), characterized by , that: the first through-hole (14a) is located at a front corner (13a) of the first housing (11a) on a more distant side of the first housing (11a) with respect to a center line (CL), the second through-hole (14f) is located at a rear corner (13b) of the first housing (11a) on a side of the first housing (11a) closer to the center line (CL), the first through-hole (14a) is located closer to the front corner on one side of the vehicle (100) than the second through-hole (14f), the third through hole (14b) is closer to the front corner than the second through hole (14f), but farther from the front corner than the first through hole (14a), a first gap between the first fastening component (12a) and the first through-hole (14a) is larger than a second gap between the second fastening component (12f) and the second through-hole (14f), and a third gap between the third fastening component (12b) and the third through hole (14b) is smaller than the first gap and larger than the second gap.

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