Vehicle body fastening structure for charging inlet

Abstract

To provide a vehicle body fastening structure for a charging inlet capable of precisely fastening the charging inlet to a predetermined position by a lightweight structure.SOLUTION: A charging inlet 1 is fastened to a front fender 2 located at the front side of a vehicle body using a holding bracket 3, a first fastening bracket 4 and a second fastening bracket 5. The holding bracket 3 holds the charging inlet 1. The first fastening bracket 4 fastens the upper portion of the holding bracket 3 to a cowl side member 21, and the second holding bracket 5 fastens the rear portion of the holding bracket 3 to a front pillar 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet in an electric vehicle, a structure is known in which the charging inlet is attached to a bracket and the bracket is fixed to the side or front of the vehicle body (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the conventional vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet as described above has a shape in which the bracket surrounds the charging inlet in order to ensure the accuracy of the fixing position of the charging inlet, which may cause an increase in weight. Further, depending on the layout of the charging inlet in the vehicle body, the bracket may be fixed across a plurality of different vehicle body members. In this case, it may be difficult to fix the charging inlet at a required accuracy to a predetermined position due to dimensional errors or assembly errors of each vehicle body member, and there has been room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet that can accurately fix the charging inlet to a predetermined position with a lightweight structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet of an electric vehicle, which fixes the charging inlet to a front fender portion on the front side of the vehicle body using a bracket. This vehicle body fixing structure for the charging inlet includes a cowl side member located at the upper part of the front fender portion and extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a front pillar located at the rear part of the front fender portion and extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and joined to the rear end portion of the cowl side member, a holding bracket for holding the charging inlet, a first fixing bracket for fixing the upper part of the holding bracket to the cowl side member, and a second fixing bracket for fixing the rear part of the holding bracket to the front pillar.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the vehicle body fixing structure for the charging inlet according to the present invention, the charging inlet can be accurately fixed at a predetermined position with a lightweight structure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body fixing structure of a charging inlet according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a front side portion of a vehicle body to which the structure of FIG. 1 is applied. In each of the drawings described below, the direction of arrow F indicates the front in the vehicle body front-rear direction, the direction of arrow U indicates the upper side in the vehicle body up-down direction, and the directions of arrow R and arrow L indicate the right side and the left side when looking at the front of the vehicle from the interior of the vehicle compartment.

[0010] In the present embodiment, the charging inlet 1 is fixed to a front fender portion 2 (left side) of the vehicle body of an electric vehicle, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, using a bracket group in which a holding bracket 3, a first fixing bracket 4, and a second fixing bracket 5 are combined. Note that FIG. 2 shows a state in which the charging inlet 1 is removed from the bracket group. Further, the electric vehicle is not limited to a vehicle that runs only by an electric motor, and may be a hybrid vehicle that runs using both an electric motor and an engine.

[0011] The charging inlet 1 is electrically connected to a battery (not shown) mounted on the electric vehicle via a cable. The charging inlet 1 is configured to be detachable from a power supply connector (not shown) provided at the tip of a cable of an external power supply facility. The charging inlet 1 is provided with a flange portion 12 that extends radially outward from a substantially circular insertion port 11 into which the power supply connector is inserted. An inlet cover 13 is provided outside the flange portion 12 so as to surround the insertion port 11. In a state where the charging inlet 1 is disposed at a predetermined position of the front fender portion 2, portions located above and behind the flange portion 12 are attached to and held by the holding bracket 3. In the present embodiment, three locations, namely, the front upper end portion, the rear upper end portion, and the rear lower end portion of the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1 are fastened to the holding bracket 3 with bolts (FIG. 1).

[0012] The charging inlet 1 attached to the holding bracket 3 is fixed to the cowl side member 21 of the front fender portion 2 via the first fixing bracket 4 and is also fixed to the front pillar 22 of the front fender portion 2 via the second fixing bracket 5. That is, the charging inlet 1 is fixed across the cowl side member 21 and the front pillar 22 that constitute the front fender portion 2 using a bracket group (holding bracket 3, first and second fixing brackets 4, 5).

[0013] The cowl side member 21 is located at the upper part of the front fender portion 2 and extends in the vehicle body front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the cowl side member 21 gently curves downward along the vehicle body from the rear end portion at the upper part of the front fender portion 2 and extends forward (FIG. 2). The cowl side member 21 has a closed cross-section structure formed by a cowl side inner 21A and a cowl side outer 21B having a substantially L-shaped cross-section as described later. In the present embodiment, the first fixing bracket 4 is fixed to the cowl side outer 21B.

[0014] The front pillar 22 is located at the rear part of the front fender portion 2, extends in the vehicle body up-down direction, and is joined to the rear end portion of the cowl side member 21. In the present embodiment, the front pillar 22 extends along the vehicle width direction end portion (left end portion) of a front windshield (not shown) and extends from the lower end portion of the front windshield downward along the vehicle body to the floor (FIG. 2). The rear end portion of the cowl side member 21 is joined to the longitudinal center portion of the front pillar 22 (near the lower end portion of the front windshield). When a front pillar reinforcement (not shown) for increasing the strength of the front pillar 22 is provided around the joining portion of the cowl side member 21 on the front pillar 22, the rear end portion of the cowl side member 21 and the second fixing bracket 5 are fixed to the front pillar reinforcement.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance around the charging inlet 1 in the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the charging inlet 1 is disposed such that the insertion port 11 and the inlet cover 13 described above are exposed to the outside through a charging port 23A provided in a front fender panel 23 that forms a design surface on the outside of the vehicle body of the front fender portion 2. A resin lid housing 24 having an opening that encloses the insertion port 11 of the charging inlet 1 is provided in the charging port 23A. The lid housing 24 is provided with a lid 25 that can open and close the charging port 23A from the outside of the vehicle body. Note that FIG. 3 shows the state where the lid 25 is open, and FIG. 4 shows the state where the lid 25 is closed.

[0016] The lid 25 is formed with a substantially cylindrical extension portion 25A having a back surface on the side opposite to the design surface as a base end. A water stop seal member 25B is provided at the tip portion of the extension portion 25A. The water stop seal member 25B abuts on the surface of the lid housing 24 when the lid 25 is closed to stop water from entering the charging inlet 1. Also, a water stop seal member 12A that abuts on the back surface of the lid housing 24 is provided at the peripheral portion of the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1 (FIG. 4). The water stop seal member 12A prevents water from leaking from the upper mating portion (not shown) of the front fender panel 23 to the back side of the front fender panel 23 outside the lid housing 24 and from getting on the terminals of the charging inlet 1.

[0017] Here, the specific structures of the holding bracket 3, the first fixing bracket 4, and the second fixing bracket 5 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 as well. FIG. 5 is a side view of the state where the charging inlet 1 is removed in FIG. 1 described above, as viewed from the left side of the vehicle body. Further, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional front view of the state of FIG. 5, as viewed from the front of the vehicle body, cut along line B-B.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6, the holding bracket 3 includes an upper holding portion 31 that holds the upper part of the flange portion 12 at the charging inlet 1, and a rear holding portion 32 that holds the rear part of the flange portion 12.

[0019] The upper holding portion 31 has a first joint portion 31B that extends from an attachment surface 31A to which the upper part of the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1 is attached and spreads horizontally inward of the vehicle body. The attachment surface 31A is inclined obliquely upward with respect to the vertical surface (FIGS. 4 and 6). The first joint portion 31B only needs to be generally horizontal and does not need to be strictly horizontal. The upper holding portion 31 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and has a substantially L-shaped cross section (FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6). A bead process is applied to the bent portion of the upper holding portion 31 (FIGS. 1 and 5). Bolt holes for attaching the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1 are formed in the front and rear portions of the attachment surface 31A of the upper holding portion 31, respectively (FIG. 5). The rear holding portion 32 is continuously formed in the lower portion of the attachment surface 31A. The first fixing bracket 4 is joined to the lower surface of the first joint portion 31B.

[0020] The rear holding portion 32 has a second joint portion 32B that extends inward from the vehicle body from the mounting surface 32A to which the rear portion of the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1 is attached and spreads vertically. The mounting surface 32A is on the same surface as the mounting surface 31A of the upper holding portion 31 and is inclined obliquely upward with respect to the vertical plane (FIGS. 4 and 6). The second joint portion 32B only needs to be generally vertical and does not need to be strictly vertical. The rear holding portion 32 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and has a substantially L-shaped cross section. Bolt holes for attaching the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1 are formed in the upper and lower portions of the mounting surface 32A of the rear holding portion 32, respectively. Note that the bolt hole in the upper portion of the mounting surface 32A of the rear holding portion 32 is common to the bolt hole in the rear portion of the mounting surface 31A of the upper holding portion 31 described above. An extending portion 32C extending toward the front side of the vehicle body is formed at the lower end portion of the mounting surface 32A of the rear holding portion 32 (FIG. 5). A portion protruding inward of the vehicle body is provided on the lower end side of the second joint portion 32B, and a pair of bolt holes for attaching the second fixing bracket 5 to the portion are formed.

[0021] The first fixing bracket 4 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body corresponding to the upper holding portion 31 of the holding bracket 3 and has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The first fixing bracket 4 includes an inlet-side joint portion 4A and a vehicle-body-side joint portion 4B. The inlet-side joint portion 4A extends horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Note that the inlet-side joint portion 4A only needs to be generally horizontal and does not need to be strictly horizontal. The upper surface of the inlet-side joint portion 4A is fixed to the lower surface of the first joint portion 31B in the upper holding portion 31 of the holding bracket 3 by welding or the like. The vehicle-body-side joint portion 4B is disposed orthogonally to the inlet-side joint portion 4A and extends substantially vertically in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Bolt holes for fastening the first fixing bracket 4 to the side surface of the cowl side outer 21B are formed in the front and rear portions of the vehicle-body-side joint portion 4B, respectively.

[0022] The side surface of the cowl side outer 21B to which the vehicle body side joint portion 4B of the first fixing bracket 4 is fixed is, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, a substantially vertical surface with its upper part facing the outside of the vehicle body (left side), and is inclined and extends toward the inside of the vehicle body (right side) from the lower end of the vertical surface toward the lower side of the vehicle body. The charging inlet 1 is arranged using the space formed outside the inclined portion at the lower part of the side surface of the cowl side outer 21B. The upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the cowl side outer 21B are joined to the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the cowl side inner 21A having a substantially L-shaped cross section, and a closed cross-sectional structure extending in the vehicle body front-rear direction is formed (FIG. 6). Such a cowl side member 21 having a closed cross-sectional structure has high rigidity.

[0023] The second fixing bracket 5 includes an inlet side joint portion 51, a first vehicle body side joint portion 52, a second vehicle body side joint portion 53, and a connecting portion 54. The inlet side joint portion 51 has a vertical surface facing the vehicle body front-rear direction, and is bolted to the second joint portion 32B in the rear holding portion 32 of the holding bracket 3 (FIGS. 1 and 6). Note that the inlet side joint portion 51 only needs to have a substantially vertical surface and does not necessarily need to be a strictly vertical surface. The first vehicle body side joint portion 52 is fixed to the side wall portion 22A located at the lower center in the vehicle body up-down direction in the front pillar 22 by welding or the like (FIGS. 1, 5, and 6). The second vehicle body side joint portion 53 is fixed to the front wall portion 22B of the front pillar 22 by welding or the like (FIGS. 5 and 6). The connecting portion 54 extends from the inner end of the inlet side joint portion 51 in the vehicle body toward the rear side of the vehicle body and is connected to the first and second vehicle body side joint portions 52 and 53, respectively. Beads are provided on the first and second vehicle body side joint portions 52 and 53 and the connecting portion 54, respectively (FIGS. 1, 5, and 6).

[0024] Next, the assembling process of the charging inlet 1 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the exploded perspective view of FIG. 7 as well. In the vehicle body fixing structure of the charging inlet 1 as described above, first, the upper surface of the inlet-side joint portion 4A of the first fixing bracket 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the first joint portion 31B of the upper holding portion 31 of the holding bracket 3 by welding or the like to form a sub-assembly. At this time, considering the dimensional error and assembly error of the cowl side outer 21B on the vehicle body side, the welding position between the holding bracket 3 and the first fixing bracket 4 is roughly adjusted in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle body front-rear direction. Further, the first and second vehicle body-side joint portions 52, 53 of the second fixing bracket 5 are fixed to the side wall portion 22A and the front wall portion 22B of the front pillar 22 by welding or the like. At this time, considering the dimensional error and assembly error of the front pillar 22 on the vehicle body side, the welding position of the second fixing bracket 5 is roughly adjusted in the vehicle body up-down direction.

[0025] When the sub-assembly of the holding bracket 3 and the first fixing bracket 4 and the fixing of the second fixing bracket 5 to the vehicle body side are completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle body-side joint portion 4B of the first fixing bracket 4 is bolted to the cowl side outer 21B, and the second joint portion 32B of the holding bracket 3 is bolted to the inlet-side joint portion 51 of the second fixing bracket 5. At this time, the positioning of the sub-assembled holding bracket 3 and the first fixing bracket 4 is performed using a jig (not shown). During the above-mentioned bolting, the fixing position between the vehicle body-side joint portion 4B of the first fixing bracket 4 and the cowl side outer 21B is finely adjusted in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction by utilizing the clearance of the bolt hole formed in the vehicle body-side joint portion 4B. Also, the fixing position between the second joint portion 32B of the holding bracket 3 and the inlet-side joint portion 51 of the second fixing bracket 5 is finely adjusted in the vehicle width direction and the up-down direction by utilizing the clearance of the bolt hole formed in the second joint portion 32B.

[0026] When the holding bracket 3, the first and second fixing brackets 4, 5 are fixed across the cowl side outer 21B and the front pillar 22 as described above, the front fender panel 23 that covers the outer side of the vehicle body of the front fender portion 2 is fixed to the vehicle body by welding or the like.

[0027] When the fixing of the front fender panel 23 is completed, the charging inlet 1 is attached to the holding bracket 3. Specifically, three locations, namely the front upper end portion, the rear upper end portion, and the rear lower end portion of the flange portion 12 of the charging inlet 1, are fastened and fixed with three bolts to three bolt holes formed in the mounting surfaces 31A and 32A of the upper holding portion 31 and the rear holding portion 32 of the holding bracket 3. After the charging inlet 1 is attached to the holding bracket 3 and the connection between the charging inlet 1 and a vehicle body cable (not shown) is made, the lid housing 24 and the lid 25 are attached to the charging port 23A of the front fender panel 23.

[0028] As described above, in the vehicle body fixing structure of the charging inlet 1 according to the present embodiment, the charging inlet 1 is held by the holding bracket 3, the upper part of the holding bracket 3 is fixed to the cowl side member 21 (cowl side outer 21B) by the first fixing bracket 4, and the rear part of the holding bracket 3 is fixed to the front pillar 22 by the second fixing bracket 5. According to such a vehicle body fixing structure of the charging inlet 1, when the charging inlet 1 is fixed across a plurality of vehicle body members (cowl side outer 21B and front pillar 22), since the brackets for fixing the inlet are divided corresponding to each vehicle body member, the degree of freedom in adjusting the position of each bracket increases and the adjustment range widens, so that the accuracy of the position and posture of the charging inlet 1 can be improved. Further, since the brackets for fixing the inlet are divided, the divided brackets can be arranged by narrowing down to the minimum necessary locations for fixing to the vehicle body side, so that it becomes possible to reduce the weight of the brackets for fixing the inlet. Therefore, the charging inlet 1 can be accurately fixed at a predetermined position with a lightweight structure.

[0029] Also, in the vehicle body fixing structure of the charging inlet 1 according to the present embodiment, the upper holding portion 31 of the holding bracket 3 has a first joint portion 31B that extends from the mounting surface 31A of the charging inlet 1 toward the inside of the vehicle body and spreads horizontally. The first fixing bracket 4 is joined to the first joint portion 31B. The rear holding portion 32 of the holding bracket 3 has a second joint portion 32B that extends from the mounting surface 32A of the charging inlet 1 toward the inside of the vehicle body and spreads vertically. The second fixing bracket 5 is joined to the second joint portion 32B. According to such a holding bracket 3, horizontal and vertical joint surfaces having an angle with respect to the mounting surfaces 31A and 32A of the charging inlet 1 facing the outside of the vehicle body are provided. Thus, a bracket structure that ensures strength and rigidity with a minimum number of members can be realized, and position adjustment can be easily performed based on each of the horizontal and vertical joint surfaces.

[0030] Furthermore, in the vehicle body fixing structure of the charging inlet 1 according to the present embodiment, the first fixing bracket 4 includes an inlet-side joint portion 4A that extends horizontally in the vehicle body front-rear direction and is joined to the holding bracket 3, and a vehicle body-side joint portion 4B that is orthogonally arranged with respect to the inlet-side joint portion 4A, extends in the vehicle body front-rear direction, and is joined to the vertical side surface of the cowl side outer 21B. According to such a first fixing bracket 4, position adjustment in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle body front-rear direction can be easily performed based on the horizontal joint surface with the holding bracket 3. Also, by making the first fixing bracket 4 have a simple shape in which the inlet-side joint portion 4A and the vehicle body-side joint portion 4B are orthogonally arranged, it becomes easier to ensure the dimensional accuracy and the assembly accuracy of the first fixing bracket 4, and the rigidity of the first fixing bracket 4 can also be increased.

[0031] In addition, in the vehicle body fixing structure of the charging inlet 1 according to the present embodiment, the second fixing bracket 5 has a vertical surface facing the vehicle body front-rear direction, an inlet-side joint portion 51 joined to the holding bracket 3, first and second vehicle body-side joint portions 52 and 53 joined to the side wall portion 22A and the front wall portion 22B of the front pillar 22, and a connecting portion 54 that extends inward of the vehicle body from the inlet-side joint portion 51 toward the rear side of the vehicle body and connects to the first and second vehicle body-side joint portions 52 and 53. According to such a second fixing bracket 5, it is possible to easily perform position adjustment in the vehicle body vertical direction and vehicle width direction with reference to the joint surface (vertical surface facing the vehicle body front-rear direction) with the holding bracket 3. Further, since the second fixing bracket 5 is joined across the side wall portion 22A and the front wall portion 22B of the front pillar 22 having high rigidity, it becomes easy to ensure the rigidity in the assembled state of the second fixing bracket 5.

[0032] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible based on the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the charging inlet 1 is disposed in the left front fender portion 2 has been described. However, the present invention is also effective when the charging inlet 1 is disposed in the right front fender portion. Further, an example in which the joint surfaces of the holding bracket 3 and the first and second fixing brackets 4 and 5 are horizontal and vertical has been described. However, each joint surface may be inclined with respect to the horizontal and vertical.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0033] 1…Charging inlet 11…Insertion port 12…Flange portion 12A…Water stop seal member 13…Inlet cover 2…Front fender portion 21…Cowl side member 21A…Cowl side inner 21B…Cowl side outer 22…Front pillar 22A…Side wall portion 22B…Front wall portion 23…Front fender panel 23A…Charging port 24…Lid housing 25…Lid 25A…Extension portion 25B…Waterstop seal member 3…Holding bracket 31…Upper holding portion 31A…Mounting surface 31B…First joint portion 32…Rear holding portion 32A…Mounting surface 32B…Second joint portion 32C…Extension portion 4…First fixing bracket 4A…Inlet side joint portion 4B…Vehicle body side joint portion 5…Second fixing bracket 51…Inlet side joint portion 52…First vehicle body side joint portion 53…Second vehicle body side joint portion 54…Connecting portion

Claims

1. A vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet of an electric vehicle, which fixes the charging inlet to a front fender portion on the front side of the vehicle body using a bracket, a cowl side member located at the upper part of the front fender portion and extending in the vehicle body front-rear direction, a front pillar located at the rear part of the front fender portion and extending in the vehicle body up-down direction and joined to the rear end portion of the cowl side member, a holding bracket for holding the charging inlet, a first fixing bracket for fixing the upper part of the holding bracket to the cowl side member, a second fixing bracket for fixing the rear part of the holding bracket to the front pillar, and characterized by comprising the above. The vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet.

2. The holding bracket, has an upper holding portion for holding the upper part of the charging inlet, and a rear holding portion for holding the rear part of the charging inlet, and includes, the upper holding portion has a first joint portion that extends from the mounting surface to which the upper part of the charging inlet is attached to the inside of the vehicle body and spreads horizontally, and the first fixing bracket is joined to the first joint portion, the rear holding portion has a second joint portion that extends from the mounting surface to which the rear part of the charging inlet is attached to the inside of the vehicle body and spreads vertically, and the second fixing bracket is joined to the second joint portion, The vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The first fixing bracket, extends horizontally in the vehicle body front-rear direction and has an inlet-side joint portion joined to the holding bracket, and is orthogonally arranged with respect to the inlet-side joint portion, extends in the vehicle body front-rear direction, and includes a vehicle body-side joint portion joined to the vertical side surface of the cowl side member, The vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The second fixing bracket, has a vertical surface facing the vehicle body front-rear direction and has an inlet-side joint portion joined to the holding bracket, a first vehicle body-side joint portion joined to the side wall portion of the front pillar, a second vehicle body-side joint portion joined to the front wall portion of the front pillar, and includes a connecting portion that extends from the inlet-side joint portion to the inside of the vehicle body toward the rear side of the vehicle body and connects to the first vehicle body-side joint portion and the second vehicle body-side joint portion, The vehicle body fixing structure for a charging inlet according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

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