Invertor loading structure

Abstract

To provide an invertor loading structure capable of more appropriately protecting an invertor disposed below a console box.SOLUTION: A loading structure of an invertor 20 includes: the invertor 20 loaded on a vehicle and disposed below a console box 18; a high voltage part 26 mounted on the upper part and either right or left side of the invertor 20; a top plate 30 covering the upper surface of the invertor 20; a first side plate 32L adjacent to the high voltage part 26 in a vehicle width direction; and a second side plate 32R located on an opposite side of the first side plate 32L while sandwiching the invertor 20. The first side plate 32L includes: a first region 40 facing the high voltage part 26 in the vehicle width direction; and a second region 42 not facing the high voltage part 26 in the vehicle width direction. The first region 40 is further apart from the side surface of the invertor 20 than the second region 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a mounting structure of an inverter on a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electric vehicles (e.g., battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, etc.) have been widely distributed. Such electric vehicles are equipped with an inverter that converts electric power from direct current to alternating current or from alternating current to direct current.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of mounting an inverter at the rear of a vehicle. In Patent Document 1, brackets are attached to both the left and right sides of the inverter, and the inverter is fixed to the floor panel via the brackets.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, usually, an inverter has a high-voltage section where high-voltage components such as capacitors are arranged. Such a high-voltage section is required to be protected so as not to be damaged even during a vehicle collision. In addition, the inverter may be arranged under the console box. When the inverter is arranged under the console box and an obstacle collides with the side of the vehicle, there is a risk that the high-voltage section may be damaged by peripheral components such as the reclining shaft of the front seat. In Patent Document 1, there was room for improvement regarding the protection of such a high-voltage section.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a mounting structure of an inverter that can more appropriately protect the inverter arranged under the console box.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The mounting structure of the inverter disclosed in this specification includes an inverter mounted on a vehicle and disposed below a console box, a high-voltage part provided above and on one side in the left-right direction of the inverter, a top plate covering the upper surface of the inverter, a first side plate adjacent to the high-voltage part in the vehicle width direction, and a second side plate located on the opposite side of the first side plate with the inverter interposed therebetween. The first side plate has a first region facing the high-voltage part in the vehicle width direction and a second region not facing the high-voltage part in the vehicle width direction, and the first region is farther from the side surface of the inverter in the vehicle width direction than the second region. This is the gist of the invention.

[0008] With such a configuration, when a peripheral component such as a reclining shaft collides with the first side plate, the second region collides with a non-high-voltage part before the first region collides with the high-voltage part. As a result, further movement of the peripheral component is inhibited, and further deformation or displacement of the first region is inhibited. As a result, impact application to the high-voltage part via the first region is prevented, and the high-voltage part is appropriately protected.

[0009] In this case, further, below the inverter, a tunnel extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and a connecting bracket connecting the inverter to the tunnel are provided, and the panel materials constituting the first side plate, the second side plate, and the top plate may all have higher rigidity than the panel material constituting the connecting bracket.

[0010] With such a configuration, when the vehicle is side-impacted, the connecting bracket deforms so as to absorb the deformation of the tunnel. As a result, the inclination of the inverter is prevented, and it is prevented that a peripheral component such as a reclining shaft collides with the top plate. As a result, the high-voltage part is appropriately protected.

[0011] Further, the top plate is a joint margin formed by bending both left and right end portions thereof downward, and has a joint margin that overlaps with the first side plate and the second side plate in the vehicle width direction. The first side plate and the second side plate are each a joint margin formed by bending the upper end portion thereof in the vehicle width direction, and have a joint margin that overlaps with the top plate in the vertical direction. The top plate and the first side plate, and the top plate and the second side plate may be joined to each other on the upper surface and the side surface, respectively.

[0012] With such a configuration, the rigidity of the cover unit composed of the top plate, the first side plate, and the second side plate can be further improved. And thereby, the deformation of the match box of the cover unit can be effectively prevented, so that the high voltage portion can be more appropriately protected.

[0013] Further, a connector is provided on the rear end surface of the inverter, and the inverter may be mounted in a forwardly inclined posture.

[0014] With such a configuration, it is possible to effectively prevent liquid from entering the inverter through the connector.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, the high voltage portion of the inverter can be more appropriately protected.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the mounting structure of the inverter 20 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the inverter 20. In each figure, Fr, Up, and Rh indicate the front, upper, and right side directions of the vehicle, respectively. Also, in FIG. 1, illustration of a cover unit 29 and a connecting bracket 50, which will be described later, is omitted.

[0018] At the front part of the vehicle, two front seat seats 10 are arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction. Each front seat seat 10 has a seat cushion 12 that supports the buttocks of the occupant and a seat back 14 that supports the back of the occupant. The seat back 14 is reclinable about a reclining shaft 16 provided near the lower end thereof.

[0019] A console box 18 is arranged between the two seat cushions 12. The console box 18 is a box-shaped member capable of storing various articles. In this example, the console box 18 functions as a refrigerator having a cooling function. The occupant can store, for example, a PET bottle beverage or the like in the console box 18 (i.e., the refrigerator). The top surface of the console box 18 also functions as an armrest for the occupant sitting on the front seat seat 10.

[0020] The inverter 20 is arranged below the console box 18. The inverter 20 converts the electric power of a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle from direct current to alternating current and outputs it to electronic devices.

[0021] A connector 24 to which a power cable is detachably attached is provided at the rear end of the inverter 20. The inverter 20 is fixed in a forwardly inclined posture such that this connector 24 faces obliquely downward. By directing the connector 24 obliquely downward in this way, it is possible to prevent liquid spilled on the vehicle interior floor surface from entering the interior of the inverter 20 from the connector 24.

[0022] Such an inverter 20 is fixed to the tunnel 60 of the vehicle via a connecting bracket 50. Also, the upper surface and the side surfaces of the inverter 20 are protected by a cover unit 29. Hereinafter, this will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inverter 20. Also, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the inverter 20. Note that in FIGS. 2 and 3, for ease of understanding, some shapes are shown in a simplified manner, and some dimensional ratios are different from the actual ones.

[0023] The inverter 20 has a flat rectangular shape. High-voltage components such as capacitors are arranged in the upper left part of such an inverter 20 (the area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. 2 and 3). Hereinafter, the area where these high-voltage components are arranged will be referred to as the "high-voltage section 26". It is required that this high-voltage section 26 be appropriately protected without being damaged even during a vehicle collision.

[0024] Therefore, in this example, a cover unit 29 is provided to protect the high-voltage section 26. The cover unit 29 is composed of a top plate 30, a first side plate 32L, and a second side plate 32R. Note that hereinafter, when the first side plate 32L and the second side plate 32R are not distinguished, they will simply be referred to as the "side plate 32".

[0025] The top plate 30 is a panel member that covers the upper surface of the inverter 20. There is a slight gap between the upper surface of the inverter 20 and the top plate 30. By providing such a gap, even when a strong impact is applied to the top plate 30, the transmission of the impact to the high-voltage section 26 can be prevented. The top plate 30 has joining margins 34 formed by bending both its left and right ends downward. The joining margins 34 are overlapped and joined with the side plate 32 in the vehicle width direction. Note that the black circles in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicate the joining points 38 between the top plate 30 and the side plate 32.

[0026] The first side plate 32L is a panel member arranged on the left side of the inverter 20. As described above, the high-voltage section 26 is provided on the left side of the inverter 20. Therefore, the first side plate 32L is adjacent to the high-voltage section 26 in the vehicle width direction.

[0027] The first side plate 32L has a joint margin 36 formed by bending its upper end in the vehicle width direction. The joint margin 36 is stacked and joined with the top plate 30 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the top plate 30 and the first side plate 32L are joined to each other on two surfaces, the upper surface and the side surface. As a result, the rigidity of the joint portion between the top plate 30 and the first side plate 32L is improved. And as a result, deformation of the cover unit 29 during a vehicle collision can be effectively prevented.

[0028] The main body portion of the first side plate 32L (that is, the portion other than the joint margin 36) is roughly divided into a first region 40 and a second region 42. The first region 40 is the upper half region of the first side plate 32L and is a region facing the high voltage portion 26 in the vehicle width direction. The second region 42 is the lower half region of the first side plate 32L and is displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the high voltage portion 26 and is a region not facing the high voltage portion 26. As shown in FIG. 3, a protrusion 28 protruding outward in the vehicle width direction is formed at the portion of the side surface of the inverter 20 facing the second region 42. This protrusion 28 is a high-rigidity portion formed by casting or the like. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, there is a gap of a certain size between the first region 40 and the side surface of the inverter 20. By providing such a gap, it is possible to effectively prevent the impact applied to the first region 40 from being transmitted to the high voltage portion 26.

[0029] Also, the first region 40 is farther from the side surface of the inverter 20 in the vehicle width direction than the second region 42. Therefore, when the inverter 20 moves leftward (that is, in the direction approaching the first side plate 32L), the second region 42 contacts the side surface of the inverter 20, more specifically, the protrusion 28, earlier than the first region 40. When the second region 42 contacts the protrusion 28, further leftward movement of the inverter 20 is inhibited. As a result, contact between the first region 40 and the high voltage portion 26, and thus impact transmission to the high voltage portion 26, are effectively prevented.

[0030] The second side plate 32R is a panel material disposed on the right side of the inverter 20, that is, on the opposite side of the first side plate 32L with the inverter 20 interposed therebetween. Similar to the first side plate 32L, the second side plate 32R also has a joint margin 36 formed by bending its upper end in the vehicle width direction. The second side plate 32R and the top plate 30 are joined to each other at this joint margin 36 and the joint margin 34. Therefore, the top plate 30 and the second side plate 32R are also joined to each other on both the upper surface and the side surface. And thereby, deformation of the cover unit 29 during a vehicle collision can be effectively prevented.

[0031] A connection bracket 50 is attached to the inverter 20. The connection bracket 50 is a bracket that connects the inverter 20 to the tunnel 60. Here, the tunnel 60 is a portion where the floor panel 64 bulges in a tunnel shape and is a convex portion extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0032] A total of two connection brackets 50 are provided, one on each of the left and right sides. Each connection bracket 50 is roughly divided into a base portion 52 and a leg portion 54. The base portion 52 is disposed below the inverter 20 and is screwed and fastened to the bottom surface of the inverter 20. The end portion of the base portion 52 in the vehicle width direction rises upward. This rising portion is overlapped with the side plate 32 in the vehicle width direction and is screwed and fastened to the side plate 32. The leg portion 54 is a portion extending downward from the base portion 52. The end of this leg portion 54 is screwed and fastened to the tunnel 60.

[0033] Here, the cover unit 29 is made of a high-rigidity material compared to the connection bracket 50. Specifically, the panel material constituting the top plate 30 and the side plates 32 is made of a material with higher rigidity than the panel material constituting the connection bracket 50. Also, as is clear from FIG. 3, the plate thickness of the panel material constituting the top plate 30 and the side plates 32 is larger than the plate thickness of the panel material constituting the connection bracket 50.

[0034] Next, the reasons for adopting the above mounting structure will be explained. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the inverter 20 when a right-side collision occurs in which an obstacle collides with the vehicle from the right side. As shown in FIG. 4, when a right-side collision occurs, the tunnel 60 is greatly deformed so that its entire body falls to the left side. And the upper surface of the tunnel 60 inclines downward to the left.

[0035] With this deformation of the tunnel 60, the inverter 20 is displaced to the left side. Here, on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the inverter 20, there is a reclining shaft 16 of the front seat 10. If this reclining shaft 16 collides with the high-voltage part 26 at the upper left of the inverter 20, the high-voltage part 26 may be damaged. In this example, the first side plate 32L and the top plate 30 are arranged around the high-voltage part 26.

[0036] As described above, the top plate 30 and the side plates 32 are made of high-rigidity panel materials. Also, a predetermined gap is formed between the top plate 30 and the side plates 32 and the high-voltage part 26. Therefore, even if the reclining shaft 16 collides with the first side plate 32L or the top plate 30, the impact is not transmitted to the high-voltage part 26. As a result, damage to the high-voltage part 26 can be effectively prevented.

[0037] Also, as described above, the first side plate 32L has a first region 40 facing the high-voltage part 26 and a second region 42 not facing the high-voltage part 26, and the first region 40 is farther from the side surface of the inverter 20 than the second region 42. Therefore, when the reclining shaft 16 collides with the first side plate 32L from the left side and the first side plate 32L is displaced or deformed in the direction approaching the inverter 20, the second region 42 contacts the side surface of the inverter 20 earlier than the first region 40. And when the second region 42 contacts the side surface of the inverter 20, further movement of the reclining shaft 16 to the right, and thus further displacement or deformation of the first side plate 32L are inhibited. As a result, it is effectively prevented that the first region 40 contacts the high-voltage part 26 and, thus, an impact is transmitted to the high-voltage part 26.

[0038] In addition, in this example, all of the top plate 30, the first side plate 32L, and the second side plate 32R are made of a high-rigidity panel material, and further, these are joined in two directions, the vertical direction and the vehicle width direction. By adopting such a configuration, the rigidity of the cover unit 29 is increased, and the matchbox deformation of the cover unit can be effectively prevented. The matchbox deformation is a deformation in which the matchbox is crushed obliquely. When such matchbox deformation occurs in the cover unit 29, the gap between the first side plate 32L and the high-voltage portion 26 becomes narrow, and it becomes easier for an impact to be transmitted to the high-voltage portion 26. In this example, since such matchbox deformation of the cover unit 29 is effectively prevented, the high-voltage portion 26 can be more appropriately protected.

[0039] Also, as described above, the connecting bracket 50 has lower rigidity than the cover unit 29 and is relatively easily deformed. As a result, when a right-side protrusion as shown in FIG. 3 occurs, the connecting bracket 50 fastened to the tunnel 60 easily deforms so as to absorb the deformation of the tunnel 60. Specifically, the leg portion 54 of the left connecting bracket 50 extends greatly, but the leg portion 54 of the right connecting bracket 50 is compressed and crushed in the vertical direction. As a result, although the upper surface of the tunnel 60 is greatly inclined, the inclination of the inverter 20 located above the leg portion 54 is suppressed to be small. Thereby, it is possible to effectively prevent the reclining shaft 16 from colliding with the top plate 30 of the inverter 20.

[0040] That is, when the rigidity of the connecting bracket 50 is high and the connecting bracket 50 does not deform, along with the deformation of the tunnel 60, the inverter 20 and the cover unit 29 will incline upward to the right as greatly as the upper surface of the tunnel 60. In this case, the top plate 30 faces the reclining shaft 16, and the reclining shaft 16 is likely to collide with the top plate 30. When the reclining shaft 16 collides with the top plate 30, there is a risk that the impact will be transmitted to the high-voltage portion 26 through the top plate 30. On the other hand, when the connecting bracket 50 is easily deformed as in this example, the inclination of the inverter 20 and the cover unit 29 can be suppressed, and the collision of the reclining shaft 16 with the top plate 30 can be effectively prevented. As a result, the high-voltage portion 26 can be appropriately protected.

[0041] Note that the connecting bracket 50 can be easily deformed independently of the tunnel 60, and has rigidity such that it does not break easily even when subjected to an impact. Since the connecting bracket 50 does not break, the inverter 20 is prevented from being completely separated from the tunnel 60, and the inverter 20 is effectively prevented from moving to an unexpected location.

[0042] As is clear from the above description, according to this example, the high-voltage part 26 of the inverter 20 can be appropriately protected. Note that the above description is an example, and other configurations may be changed as long as the configuration described in claim 1 is provided. For example, the shapes of the first side plate 32L and the connecting bracket 50 may be changed as appropriate.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0043] 10 Front seat, 12 Seat cushion, 14 Seat back, 16 Reclining shaft, 18 Console box, 20 Inverter, 24 Connector, 26 High-voltage part, 28 Protrusion, 29 Cover unit, 30 Top plate, 32 Side plate, 32L First side plate, 32R Second side plate, 34, 36 Joint margin, 38 Joint point, 40 First region, 42 Second region, 50 Connecting bracket, 52 Base part, 54 Leg part, 60 Tunnel, 64 Floor panel.

Claims

1. An inverter mounted on a vehicle and disposed below a console box, a high-voltage section provided above and on one side in the left-right direction of the inverter, a top plate covering the upper surface of the inverter, a first side plate adjacent to the high-voltage section in the vehicle width direction, a second side plate located on the opposite side of the first side plate with the inverter interposed therebetween, characterized by comprising: The first side plate has a first region facing the high-voltage section in the vehicle width direction and a second region not facing the high-voltage section in the vehicle width direction, and the first region is farther from the side surface of the inverter in the vehicle width direction than the second region. An inverter mounting structure characterized by the above.

2. The inverter mounting structure according to Claim 1, further comprising: a tunnel extending in the vehicle front-rear direction below the inverter, and a connecting bracket connecting the inverter to the tunnel, wherein each of the panel materials constituting the first side plate, the second side plate, and the top plate has higher rigidity than the panel material constituting the connecting bracket. An inverter mounting structure characterized by the above.

3. The inverter mounting structure according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the top plate is a joint margin formed by bending both left and right end portions thereof downward, and has a joint margin overlapping the first side plate and the second side plate in the vehicle width direction, the first side plate and the second side plate are each a joint margin formed by bending the upper end portion thereof in the vehicle width direction, and have a joint margin overlapping the top plate in the vertical direction, and the top plate and the first side plate, and the top plate and the second side plate are joined to each other on the upper surface and the side surface, respectively. An inverter mounting structure characterized by the above.

4. The inverter mounting structure according to Claim 1, wherein a connector is provided on the rear end surface of the inverter, and the inverter is mounted in a forwardly inclined posture. An inverter mounting structure characterized by the above.

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