Fireproof protection device for a hybrid motor vehicle

Abstract

Fire protection device for a hybrid motor vehicle. Fire protection device (10) for a hybrid motor vehicle, the protection device (10) being characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a connecting piece (11) adapted to be mounted in a fixed position on a fuel tank (4) intended to supply a combustion engine of the motor vehicle, said connecting piece (11) having a receiving area (110) configured to receive a mounting tab (40) of the tank (4) so ​​as to rigidly connect said tank (4) and said protection device (10), and characterized in that the protection device (10) comprises, on the other hand, a guide structure (12) comprising a receiving portion (121) configured to receive at least one cable (2) intended to be connected to an electric battery of a hybrid motor vehicle. Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Firewall protection device for a hybrid motor vehicle

[0001] The invention relates to a firewall protection device for a hybrid motor vehicle. The invention further relates to a hybrid motor vehicle equipped with a firewall protection device according to the invention.

[0002] Hybrid motor vehicles are equipped with new functions and equipment that did not necessarily exist on internal combustion engine vehicles. This includes, in particular, the battery, the DC fast charging connector wiring, and the AC charging connector cable.

[0003] The cabling, which has a relatively large linear mass, requires the installation of cable trays and special fasteners regularly spaced from each other in order to hold it there.

[0004] For certain models of hybrid motor vehicles, a cable tray extends around a fuel tank intended to supply the internal combustion engine of said vehicle. More specifically, one or more high-voltage cables may be installed near the fuel tank. A guiding and / or support means is then necessary to ensure the correct positioning of said cables.

[0005] Furthermore, the fuel tank must be protected by a fire-resistant device. The function of this fire-resistant device is therefore to prevent the spread of fire, or at least to slow its spread towards the fuel tank in the event of a fire, for example during a road accident.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a multifunctional fire-resistant protection device. In particular, the invention aims to provide a protection device that simultaneously provides a fire-resistant protection function for the fuel tank of the hybrid motor vehicle and serves as a support for at least one cable.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to a fire-resistant protection device for a hybrid motor vehicle. The protection device is characterized in that it comprises: - on the one hand, a connecting piece adapted to be mounted in a fixed position on a fuel tank intended to supply a combustion engine of the motor vehicle, said connecting piece having a receiving area configured to receive a mounting bracket for the tank so as to be able to rigidly connect said tank and said protection device, and - on the other hand, a guidance structure comprising a receiving portion configured to receive at least one cable intended to be connected to an electric battery of a hybrid motor vehicle.

[0008] The connecting piece and the guide structure can cooperate with each other in a detachable manner using at least one sliding connection.

[0009] At least one sliding connection between the connecting piece and the guide structure may have a dovetail profile.

[0010] The guide structure may include a stop against which a free edge of the connecting piece is intended to come into contact when the connecting piece and the guide structure are assembled using at least one sliding joint.

[0011] The thickness of the connecting piece can be between 1 mm and 2.5 mm, and in that the thickness of the connecting piece can more particularly be equal to 1.5 mm.

[0012] The connecting piece may have at least one folded edge so as to form a receiving area configured to accommodate a mounting tab for a fuel tank.

[0013] The connecting piece can be obtained during a bending process.

[0014] The connecting piece can be a metal part and the guiding structure can be a plastic part.

[0015] The connecting piece can be a metal part and the guiding structure can also be a metal part.

[0016] The invention further relates to a hybrid motor vehicle characterized in that it comprises: - a battery, - at least one cable connected to the battery, - a fuel tank intended to power an internal combustion engine, and - a previously defined firewall protection device, the fire protection device being mounted on the tank using the connecting piece, and at least one cable being arranged at a receiving portion of the cable guide structure of the fire protection device.

[0017] The invention further relates to a hybrid motor vehicle equipped with a firewall protection device defined above.

[0018] These objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description of a particular embodiment, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying figures, among which:

[0019] Fig. 1 is a partial view of a component arrangement for a hybrid motor vehicle equipped with a firewall protection device according to the invention;

[0020] [Fig.2] is a detail view of [Fig.1];

[0021] Fig. 3 is a first cavalier perspective view of the protective device firewall;

[0022] The [Fig.4] is a second cavalier perspective of the firewall protection device;

[0023] Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of an assembly step of the firewall protection device.

[0024] The object of [Fig.1] is inscribed in an orthogonal coordinate system X, Y, Z, in which the X axis extends along a longitudinal front-to-back direction of the motor vehicle, oriented towards the rear; the Y axis extends along a transverse direction of the vehicle, oriented from left to right in driving situation; and the Z axis extends along a vertical direction, oriented away from the ground.

[0025] Figure 1 thus shows a partial view of an arrangement 1 for a hybrid motor vehicle. The arrangement 1 comprises a battery, at least one cable 2 connected to the battery, a fuel tank 4 for supplying a combustion engine of the hybrid motor vehicle, and a fire-resistant protective device 10 configured to protect said tank 4, in particular by preventing the spread of fire in the event of a blaze. The fire-resistant protective device 10 thus serves, among other things, to slow down any potential spread of fire to the fuel tank 4, for example during a road accident, in order to give the vehicle's occupants time to leave the vehicle and reach safety.

[0026] Reference will now be made to [Fig. 2] in order to describe in detail the fire-resistant device 10 which is fixedly mounted on the fuel tank 4. This fire-resistant device 10 is a multifunctional device, that is to say, it performs several functions simultaneously. In particular, the fire-resistant device 10 prevents, or at least slows down, the potential spread of a fire to the fuel tank 4, thus fulfilling a primary function, but this fire-resistant device 10 also supports one or more cables 2 intended to be connected to the electric battery of the hybrid motor vehicle.

[0027] Indeed, as illustrated in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2], one or more cables 2 run around the fuel tank 4, for reasons of layout and / or compactness. The fire-resistant protection device 10 according to the invention is then configured to perform a second function: that of holding the cable(s) 2 and / or guiding the cable(s) 2 in their path around the fuel tank 4.

[0028] In order to simultaneously ensure these two functions, the fire protection device 10 includes on the one hand a connecting piece 11 configured to be mounted in a fixed position on the fuel tank 4 which is itself intended to supply a thermal engine of the motor vehicle, and the fire protection device 10 includes on the other hand a guide structure 12 including a receiving portion 121 configured to receive at least one cable 2 intended to be connected to the electric battery of the hybrid motor vehicle.

[0029] The connecting piece 11 of the protective device 10 has a receiving area 110 configured to receive a fixing tab 40 of the tank 4 so as to be able to rigidly connect said tank 4 and said protective device 10 together, this is more particularly illustrated in [Fig.2].

[0030] The guide structure 12 defines a cable receiving portion 121 configured to guide and optionally protect a cable bundle 2 intended to run around the fuel tank 4. More specifically, the cable bundle 2 curves around a corner of the tank 4 while being housed in the receiving portion 121 of the guide structure 12, as illustrated in [Fig. 2].

[0031] The guide structure 12 can be similar to a chute comprising one or more straight portions and / or one or more curved portions which delimit the receiving portion 121 of cables 2, allowing the cable bundle 2 to be guided along an appropriate path around the fuel tank 4.

[0032] The cable harness 2 includes, for example, a pair of charging plug cables allowing the vehicle's accumulator battery to be supplied with direct current, in particular for fast charging, and an alternating current charging plug cable for standard charging.

[0033] According to a particular embodiment which is not illustrated in the figures, the guide structure 12 can be equipped with at least one attachment configured to hold at least one cable 2 in the cable receiving portion 121 of the guide structure 12. The at least one attachment may in particular include a flexible link which encircles the cable bundle 2 so that it is held in a fixed position in the receiving portion 121 of the guide structure 12.

[0034] By way of non-limiting example, a specific embodiment of the protective device 10 is illustrated in detail in figures 3 to 5, allowing better visualization of the connecting piece 11 and the guiding structure 12 of said protective device 10.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the fire-resistant protection device 10, the connecting piece 11 is a metallic part. According to a preferred manufacturing method, the connecting piece 11 is obtained by a bending process. In addition to being relatively economical, such a process is generally easy to implement.

[0036] According to a preferred and optional embodiment of the firewall protection device 10, the thickness of the connecting piece 11 is between 1 mm and 2.5 mm. In a particular embodiment, the thickness of the connecting piece 11 is notably 1.5 mm. A thin connecting piece 11 has the advantage of being lighter, while a thicker connecting piece 11 has the advantage of being more robust and more easily resistant to potential vibrations that may occur during the use of the hybrid motor vehicle equipped with such a firewall protection device 10 comprising such a connecting piece 11.

[0037] As illustrated in figures 2 to 5, the connecting piece 11 has at least one folded edge 111 so as to delimit the receiving area 110 configured to accommodate a fixing tab 40 of the fuel tank 4 so as to be able to rigidly connect together said tank 4 and said fire protection device 10.

[0038] At least one folded edge 111 of the connecting piece 11 may comprise straight and curved portions. As illustrated in Figures 2 to 5, the folded edge 111 of the connecting piece 11 comprises, for example, three straight portions joined together by two curved portions. Among these three straight portions of the folded edge 111 are two extreme straight portions and one intermediate portion. Each extreme portion of the folded edge 111 is connected to one end of the intermediate portion of the folded edge 111 by a curved portion. The two extreme straight portions of the folded edge 111 are, for example, parallel to each other. The intermediate portion of the folded edge then extends perpendicularly to these two extreme straight portions.

[0039] The receiving area 110 of the connecting piece 11 can also be in the form of a basin comprising a flat bottom 112 bordered by the folded edge 111. The flat bottom 112 of the connecting piece 11 can then be pressed against an underside of the fixing tab 40. Such a flat bottom contributes to a more compact design of the fire protection device 10.

[0040] Preferably, but optionally, there is a complementary shape between the mounting bracket 40 and the receiving area 110 of the connecting piece 11 configured to accommodate said mounting bracket 40. In other words, the shape of the folded edge 111 of the connecting piece 11 is adapted so as to fit the edges of the mounting bracket 40 of the tank 4. This ensures the positioning and retention of the connecting piece 11 of the fireproof protection device 10 against the fuel tank 4 of the hybrid motor vehicle.

[0041] As illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the flat bottom 112 of the receiving area 110 of the connecting piece 11 has two openings. A first circular fixing opening 113 is suitable for receiving a mechanical fastener such as a screw, for example, to allow the connecting piece 11 to be attached in a removable manner to the mounting bracket 40 of the fuel tank 4.

[0042] A second oblong-shaped opening 114 allows for the factory positioning of the connecting piece 11 on the mounting tab 40 of the tank 4. The second opening 114 can be considered a gripping means. The oblong shape of the second mounting opening 114 allows for adjustment of the position of the connecting piece 11 relative to the mounting tab 40 of the tank 4.

[0043] The second mounting hole 114 prevents any slippage and / or rotation of the mounting tab 40 of the tank 4 relative to the connecting piece 11. In this way, the mounting tab 40 of the tank 4 is held in a fixed position within the receiving area 110 of the connecting piece 11 of the fire-resistant protection device 10. Other means of fastening between the connecting piece 11 and the fuel tank 4 may be considered.

[0044] According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 of the fire-resistant protection device 10 cooperate with each other in a detachable manner by means of at least one sliding joint. This sliding joint allows the guide structure 12 to move relative to the connecting piece 11 along an axis of movement that is substantially parallel to the vertical axis Z. Thanks to this sliding joint, it is possible to adjust the position of the guide structure 12 relative to the connecting piece 11 along this axis of movement, in particular to adjust the position of at least one cable 2 in its path around the reservoir 4.

[0045] The axis of movement of the sliding joint is not necessarily parallel to the vertical axis Z. In other words, other directions can be considered for the axis of movement of the removable sliding joint between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 of the fire protection device 10.

[0046] Such a removable sliding link within the fire-resistant protection device 10 also allows the linking piece 11 or the guide structure 12 to be replaced independently of each other if necessary.

[0047] In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the guide structure 12 notably has two folded tabs 122, each forming a straight path, while the connecting piece 11 has a flat wall 115 of substantially rectangular shape. Two opposite edges 116 of said rectangular flat wall 115 are configured to be inserted into the straight paths formed by the folded tabs 122 of the guide structure 12.

[0048] During the assembly of the fire protection device 10, illustrated in particular in [Fig.5], the connecting piece 11 is brought close to the guide structure 12 so that the edges 116 of the flat wall 115 of the connecting piece 11 engage in the folded tabs 122 of the guide structure 12 in order to form the sliding connection between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12.

[0049] The opposite edges 116 of the flat wall 115 of the connecting piece 11 and the folded tabs 122 of the guide structure 12 have a complementary shape to form the sliding connection between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12.

[0050] Thus, according to a particular embodiment, at least one sliding joint between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 has, for example, a dovetail profile. A dovetail profile for the sliding joint between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 ensures, on the one hand, a complementary shape between these two pieces so as to secure the sliding joint thus formed. Although it is a removable configuration, the dovetail profile for this sliding joint prevents accidental disassembly of this joint during the use of the hybrid vehicle equipped with such a firewall protection device 10.

[0051] Optionally, the guide structure 12 may include a stop against which a free edge 117 of the connecting piece 11 is intended to abut when the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 are assembled using at least one sliding joint. The stop then extends perpendicularly to the axis of movement of the sliding joint between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12. This embodiment is not illustrated in the figures.

[0052] As illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, the connecting piece 11 may have a transition zone 118 between the flat bottom 112 of the receiving zone 110 and the flat wall 115 of the connecting piece 11. The transition zone 118 may include several folds, visible in particular in [Fig. 3], [Fig. 4], and [Fig. 5]. Each fold may define a crease line that allows deformation of the connecting piece 11, thus enabling the connecting piece 11 to move relative to the guide structure 12, particularly in the event of an impact.

[0053] According to a particular embodiment of the fire-resistant protection device 10, the connecting piece 11 is a metal part and the guide structure 12 is a plastic part. In this embodiment, the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 are obtained using two different manufacturing processes and then assembled to form the fire-resistant protection device 10, as illustrated in particular in [Fig. 5]. The difference in materials between the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 can facilitate the assembly of these two elements. In particular, it can facilitate the insertion of the edges 116 of the flat wall 115 of the metal connecting piece 11 into the channels formed by the folded tabs 122 of the guide structure 12.

[0054] According to an alternative embodiment of the fire-resistant protection device 10, the connecting piece 11 is a metallic part and the guide structure 12 is also a metallic part. In this alternative embodiment, the connecting piece 11 and the guide structure 12 can be permanently joined by welding, such as spot welding, or with a weld bead. This embodiment has the advantage of being more resistant to potential vibrations that may occur during the use of the motor vehicle equipped with such a device 10. Firewall protection. This alternative embodiment of the firewall protection device 10 is not illustrated in the figures.

[0055] Common to all embodiments, the protective device 10 performs its function as a fireguard near the fuel tank 4 to which it is attached by means of the connecting piece 11 while guiding the cable harness 2 in its path around the tank 4 by means of the guiding structure 12. The protective device 10 is thus a multifunctional device which simultaneously performs different functions within a component arrangement for a hybrid motor vehicle.

Claims

Demands

1. Fire protection device (10) for a hybrid motor vehicle, the protection device (10) being characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a connecting piece (11) adapted to be mounted in a fixed position on a fuel tank (4) intended to supply a thermal engine of the motor vehicle, said connecting piece (11) having a receiving area (110) configured to receive a fixing tab (40) of the tank (4) so ​​as to be able to rigidly connect said tank (4) and said protection device (10) together, and characterized in that the protection device (10) comprises, on the other hand, a guide structure (12) comprising a receiving portion (121) configured to receive at least one cable (2) intended to be connected to an electric battery of a hybrid motor vehicle.

2. Fire protection device (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the connecting piece (11) and the guide structure (12) cooperate with each other in a detachable manner by means of at least one sliding connection.

3. Fire protection device (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that at least one sliding connection between the connecting piece (11) and the guide structure (12) has a dovetail profile.

4. Fire-resistant protection device (10) according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the guide structure (12) includes a stop against which a free edge (117) of the connecting piece (11) is intended to come into contact when the connecting piece (11) and the guide structure (12) are assembled using at least one sliding connection.

5. Fire protection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thickness of the connecting piece (11) is between 1 mm and 2.5 mm, and in that the thickness of the connecting piece (11) is more particularly equal to 1.5 mm.

6. Fireproof protection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting piece (11) has at least one folded edge (111) so as to form a receiving area (110) configured to accommodate a fixing tab (40) of a fuel tank (4).

7. Fireproof protection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting piece (11) is obtained during a folding process.

8. Fire protection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting piece (11) is a metallic piece and in that the guiding structure (12) is a plastic piece.

9. Fire protection device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the connecting piece (11) is a metallic piece and in that the guide structure (12) is also a metallic piece.

10. Hybrid motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a battery, at least one cable (2) connected to the battery, a fuel tank (4) for supplying a thermal engine and a fire protection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, the fire protection device (10) being mounted on the tank (4) using the connecting piece (11), and the at least one cable (2) being arranged at a receiving portion (121) of the cable guide structure (12) of the fire protection device (10).

Images