Protection structure for on-vehicle component

Abstract

To provide a protection structure for an on-vehicle component that is advantageous in protecting an on-vehicle component at the time of a vehicle collision.SOLUTION: If an engine 14 abuts on an abutting part 36 at the time of a vehicle collision, a protector 12 swings on a second fitting part 34 as a fulcrum to be displaced backward in a vehicle with the load placed on the abutting part 36 from the engine 14, and then a first fitting part 32 presses in a dash panel 16 backward in the vehicle to cause the dash panel 16 to deform backward in the vehicle, so a space is secured between a canister 10 and the engine 14, which is advantageous in protecting the canister 10 against the collision load placed on the engine 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protective structure for an in-vehicle component. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A vehicle equipped with an engine (drive source) is provided with a canister (an on-board component) that absorbs fuel evaporative gas that evaporates from fuel in a fuel tank and prevents the fuel evaporative gas from transpiration into the atmosphere (see Patent Document 1). Such a canister may be located at the rear of the power unit room where the vehicle's drive source is located, between a panel member such as a dash panel that separates the engine from the passenger compartment in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and near a body component such as a suspension tower located on one side in the vehicle width direction. In such a vehicle, for example, if an offset frontal collision occurs on the other side of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction, the collision load may cause the engine to move backward and interfere with the canister, which may damage the canister.Therefore, it is possible to protect the canister by housing it in a protector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7327689 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above configuration, there is a concern that an excessive load may be applied to the protector because the protector is sandwiched between the rearward moving engine and the dash panel, and there is room for improvement in terms of protecting the canister. Furthermore, this problem is not limited to the canister, but also occurs in the same way with other on-board components that should be protected from the collision load applied during a vehicle collision. The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a protective structure for vehicle-mounted parts that is advantageous in protecting the vehicle-mounted parts in the event of a vehicle collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the present invention is a protective structure for an on-vehicle part arranged at the rear of a power unit room in which a drive source of a vehicle is arranged, the on-vehicle part being held by a protector that surrounds the periphery of the on-vehicle part with a wall portion, and being arranged between a dash panel that separates the power unit room from a passenger compartment and a rear surface of a suspension tower provided on the outer side of the power unit room in the vehicle width direction, the protector having an opposing wall portion that faces diagonally forward in the vehicle width direction and extends to face the drive source, and a protective structure extending from one end of the opposing wall portion in the extending direction to the outer side in the vehicle width direction and a second support wall portion extending linearly from the other end of the opposing wall portion toward the outside in the vehicle width direction along the rear surface of the suspension tower and having a second mounting portion mounted to the rear surface of the suspension tower, wherein the second mounting portion is provided at the end of the second support wall portion toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, and when the drive source abuts on the abutment portion during a vehicle collision, the protector is capable of swinging and displacing toward the rear of the vehicle with the second mounting portion as a fulcrum. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the second mounting portion includes a bent portion connected to the vehicle width direction outer end portion of the second support wall portion, and the protector is oscillated and displaced with the bent portion as a fulcrum when it abuts against a drive source. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the second mounting portion is folded back from the vehicle widthwise outer end of the second support wall portion via the bent portion so as to face the second support wall portion and is attached to the suspension tower. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the on-board component is a canister, the protector has a bottom wall that covers the lower part of the canister, and the bottom wall is inclined so as to gradually displace downward as it extends outward in the vehicle width direction. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the first mounting portion has a detachment portion that detaches from the dash panel when a load is applied to the protector from the drive source during a vehicle collision. In one embodiment of the present invention, the opposing wall portion has a curved shape that convexly extends inward in the vehicle width direction in a plan view. In addition, one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the rear surface of the suspension tower is formed as an inclined surface that extends rearward of the vehicle as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the drive source abuts the abutment portion during a vehicle collision, the load applied to the abutment portion from the drive source causes the protector to swing and displace toward the rear of the vehicle, with the second mounting portion as a fulcrum, causing the first mounting portion to push the dash panel toward the rear of the vehicle and deform the dash panel toward the rear of the vehicle.This ensures space between the on-board components and the drive source, which is advantageous in protecting the on-board components from the collision load applied by the drive source. In addition, the second mounting portion is configured to include a bent portion connected to the outer end portion of the second support wall portion in the vehicle width direction, and when the protector comes into contact with the drive source and is swung and displaced toward the rear of the vehicle with the bent portion as a fulcrum, this is advantageous for efficiently swung and displaced the protector, and is more advantageous for securing space between the on-vehicle components and the drive source and protecting the on-vehicle components from collision loads applied by the drive source. Furthermore, if the second mounting portion is folded back from the outer end of the second support wall portion in the vehicle width direction via a bent portion so as to face the second support wall portion and is attached to the suspension tower, the protector can be attached close to the suspension tower, which is advantageous in making effective use of a narrow space. Furthermore, if the on-board component is a canister and the protector has a bottom wall that covers the lower part of the canister, and the bottom wall is inclined so that it gradually displaces downward as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction, even if the fuel adsorbent falls onto the bottom wall from a damaged canister, this is advantageous in moving the fuel adsorbent along the inclination of the bottom wall in a direction away from the part of the drive source that becomes hot. Furthermore, if the first mounting portion is provided with a detachment portion that detaches from the dash panel when a load is applied to the protector from the drive source during a vehicle collision, the first mounting portion of the protector will detach from the dash panel via the detachment portion when a load is applied to the protector from the drive source during a vehicle collision, which is advantageous for efficiently swinging and displacing the protector and is more advantageous for protecting vehicle components from the collision load applied from the drive source. Furthermore, if the opposing wall portion that constitutes the abutment portion has a curved shape that is convex toward the inside of the vehicle width direction when viewed in a plane, the strength of the abutment portion can be ensured, and the collision load applied from the drive source can be efficiently transmitted to the protector, which is advantageous for efficiently swinging and displacing the protector. Furthermore, if the rear surface of the suspension tower is formed as an inclined surface that extends toward the rear of the vehicle as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction, this is advantageous in that when the drive source contacts the protector, the load applied to the protector from the drive source can be efficiently utilized to efficiently swing the protector toward the rear of the vehicle with the second mounting portion of the protector as a fulcrum. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a protective structure for an in-vehicle component according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the canister, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of an engagement portion to which the canister is attached. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a first mounting portion for mounting a protector to a dash panel in a modified example. [Figure 4] 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lower part of the protector and the canister, corresponding to the cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state before an offset frontal collision occurs. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a vehicle immediately after an offset frontal collision occurs. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the engine moving backward interferes with the protector. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the protector pushes the dash panel rearward due to the engine moving backward. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the symbol UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, the symbol FR indicates the front side of the vehicle, the symbol IN indicates the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the symbol OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a case where the on-vehicle part to be protected is a canister 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2(A), the canister 10 includes a canister case 1002 made of synthetic resin and a fuel adsorbent (such as activated carbon) (not shown) that is housed inside the canister case 1002 and adsorbs fuel vapor that evaporates from the fuel tank. In this embodiment, the canister case 1002 has a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and the upper part of the canister case 1002 is connected to a vapor pipe communicating with the fuel tank, a purge pipe communicating with the intake passage of the engine, and an atmospheric pipe open to the atmosphere, but these pipes are not shown in the drawing to simplify the drawing. As shown in FIG. 1, the canister 10 is housed in a protector 12, and as shown in FIG. 2(A), an engaging claw 1004 for attaching the canister case 1002 to the protector 12 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the canister case 1002.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the canister 10 is disposed at the rear of a power unit room in which an engine 14, which is the driving source of the vehicle, is disposed. More specifically, the canister 10 is housed in a protector 12 and disposed between the engine 14, which is disposed in the front space of the vehicle, and a dash panel 16, which is a panel member that separates the passenger compartment, in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and in the vicinity of a suspension tower 18, which is a body structural member disposed on one side in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the canister 10 is held by the protector 12, which surrounds the periphery of the canister 10 with a wall, and is disposed between the dash panel 16 that separates the power unit room from the passenger compartment and the rear surface 1810 of the suspension tower 18, which is provided on the outer side of the power unit room in the vehicle width direction, and the rear surface 1810 of the suspension tower 18 is formed as an inclined surface that extends toward the rear of the vehicle as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction. The suspension tower 18 is a member that houses and supports the shock absorbers and suspension springs of a front suspension device (not shown) that suspends the front wheels, and is joined to vehicle frame members such as front side members (not shown). An insertion groove 1802 is provided at the location of the suspension tower 18 facing the protector 12 .

[0010] The protector 12 accommodates and holds the canister 10 to protect the canister 10. The protector 12 is thicker than the dash panel 16 and is therefore made of a metal material or a synthetic resin material that ensures higher strength and rigidity than the dash panel 16. In this embodiment, the protector 12 has an opposing wall portion 20 that is convex toward the engine 14 when viewed from above, a plate-shaped first support wall portion 22 that extends linearly from one circumferential end of the opposing wall portion 20 outward in the vehicle width direction along the dash panel 16, a plate-shaped second support wall portion 24 that extends linearly from the other circumferential end of the opposing wall portion 20 toward the suspension tower 18, a connecting wall 26 that connects the end of the first support wall portion 22 and the end of the second support wall portion 24, which are located near the end of a tapered space formed by the first support wall portion 22 and the second support wall portion 24 from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction, and a bottom wall 28 that covers the lower part of the canister 10, and the interior of these walls forms a storage section 30 that stores the canister 10, and the upper part of the storage section 30 is open. In other words, the opposing wall portion 20 faces diagonally forward in the vehicle width direction and extends to face the engine 14, and the opposing wall portion 20 has a curved shape that convexly faces inward in the vehicle width direction when viewed in a plane. The first support wall portion 22 extends linearly from one end of the opposing wall portion 20 in the extending direction outward in the vehicle width direction along the dash panel 16 and is attached to the dash panel 16 . In addition, the second support wall portion 24 extends linearly from the other end of the opposing wall portion 20 outward in the vehicle width direction along the rear surface 1810 of the suspension tower 18, and has a second mounting portion 34, described later, that is attached to the rear surface 1810 of the suspension tower 18. As shown in Figure 2(B), the inner surface of the first support wall portion 22 is provided with an engagement portion 2202 that can engage with the engagement claw 1004 of the canister case 1002 when the canister 10 is inserted from above into the storage portion 30 of the protector 12, and also with a pressing piece 2204 that presses the upper surface of the canister case 1002 downward when the engagement claw 1004 and the engagement portion 2202 are engaged, and the canister 10 is stored in the storage portion 30 of the protector 12 via such engagement portion 2202 and pressing piece 2204. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom wall 28 is inclined so as to gradually displace downward as it extends outward in the vehicle width direction.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the protector 12 includes a first mounting portion 32 for mounting the protector 12 to the dash panel 16, a second mounting portion 34 for mounting the protector 12 to the suspension tower 18, and an abutment portion 36 that faces the engine 14 and abuts against the engine 14 in the event of a vehicle collision. The abutment portion 36 is formed by the opposing wall portion 20 , and the first attachment portion 32 is provided on the first support wall portion 22 . The first support wall portion 22 has a plurality of bolt insertion holes 38, and the first support wall portion 22 of the protector 12 is attached to the dash panel 16 by threading bolts 42 inserted into the bolt insertion holes 38 into weld nuts 40 of the dash panel 16. Therefore, the portion of the first support wall portion 22 where the bolt insertion hole 38 is provided constitutes a first attachment portion 32 for attaching the protector 12 to the dash panel 16.

[0012] The second mounting portion 34 is provided on the second support wall portion 24 . In this embodiment, the second mounting portion 34 is provided at the end of the second support wall portion 24 away from the opposing wall portion 20 via a bent portion 44 so as to face the second support wall portion 24, and the second mounting portion 34 is configured to include the bent portion 44 and has a plate-like shape. More specifically, the bent portion 44 is connected to the outer end portion of the second support wall portion 24 in the vehicle width direction, and the second mounting portion 34 is folded back from the outer end portion of the second support wall portion 24 in the vehicle width direction via the bent portion 44 so as to face the second support wall portion 34 and is attached to the suspension tower 18. When the protector 12 is mounted to the vehicle body, the second mounting portion 34 is inserted into the insertion groove 1802 of the suspension tower 18, thereby mounting the second mounting portion 34 to the suspension tower 18. When the rear corner 1404 of the cylinder head 1402 of the engine 14 abuts against the opposing wall portion 20 that constitutes the abutment portion 36 during a vehicle collision, the load applied from the engine 14 to the abutment portion 36 causes the protector 12 to swing and displace toward the rear of the vehicle, with the bent portion 44 of the second mounting portion 34 as a fulcrum, causing the first mounting portion 32 to push the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle, deforming the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle. In other words, the second mounting portion 34 is provided at the outer end of the second support wall portion 24 in the vehicle width direction, and when the engine 14 abuts against the abutment portion 36 during a vehicle collision, the protector 12 can swing and displace toward the rear of the vehicle with the second mounting portion 34 as a fulcrum.

[0013] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, a case where an object (barrier) collides with a location on the front of the vehicle that is offset toward the opposite side of the canister 10 in the vehicle width direction, that is called an offset frontal collision, will be described. When an offset frontal collision occurs as shown in FIG. 6 from the state immediately before the collision shown in FIG. 5, a collision load is input to the engine 14, causing it to move backward, and a corner 1404 of a cylinder head 1402 of the engine 14 moves in a direction approaching the protector 12 and the canister 10. As shown in Figure 7, when the corner 1404 of the cylinder head 1402 of the engine 14 abuts against the abutment portion 36 (opposing wall portion 20) of the protector 12, a collision load is input to the protector 12, and the protector 12 swings and displaces toward the rear of the vehicle, with the bent portion 44 of the second mounting portion 34 as a fulcrum. As shown in FIG. 8, as the protector 12 further swings and displaces, the first mounting portion 32 of the protector 12 pushes the dash panel 16 rearward, deforming the dash panel 16 rearward. This displaces the canister 10 rearward together with the protector 12, thereby ensuring a space between the canister 10 and the engine 14, which is advantageous in protecting the canister 10 from a collision load applied by the engine 14.

[0014] According to this embodiment, when the engine 14 abuts against the abutment portion 36 during a vehicle collision, the load applied from the engine 14 to the abutment portion 36 causes the protector 12 to swing and displace toward the rear of the vehicle with the second attachment portion 34 as a fulcrum, causing the first attachment portion 32 to push the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle, thereby deforming the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle. This ensures a space between the canister 10 and the engine 14, which is advantageous in protecting the canister 10 from the collision load applied by the engine 14.

[0015] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second mounting portion 34 is configured to include a bent portion 44 that connects to the outer end portion of the second support wall portion 24 in the vehicle width direction, and when the protector 12 comes into contact with the engine 14, it is swung and displaced toward the rear of the vehicle with the bent portion 44 as a fulcrum, which is advantageous in terms of efficiently swung and displaced the protector 12. Therefore, the first mounting portion 32 is more advantageous in pushing the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle and deforming the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle, which is more advantageous in securing a space between the canister 10 and the engine 14 and protecting the canister 10 from a collision load applied by the engine 14.

[0016] In addition, in this embodiment, the second mounting portion 34 is folded back from the outer end of the second support wall portion 24 in the vehicle width direction via a bending portion 44 so as to face the second support wall portion 24, and is attached to the suspension tower 18. Therefore, the protector 12 can be attached close to the suspension tower 18, which is advantageous in terms of making effective use of a small space.

[0017] In addition, in this embodiment, the protector 12 has a bottom wall 28 that covers the lower part of the canister 10, and the bottom wall 28 is inclined so as to gradually displace downward as it extends outward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, even if the fuel adsorbent falls onto the bottom wall 28 from a damaged canister case 1002, it is advantageous to move the fuel adsorbent along the slope of the bottom wall 28 in a direction away from the hot parts of the engine 14.

[0018] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the abutment portion 36 of the protector 12 with which the corner portion 1404 of the cylinder head 1402 abuts is configured with the opposing wall portion 20 having a curved shape that is convex inward in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, and therefore the strength of the abutment portion 36 can be ensured, and therefore the collision load applied from the corner portion 1404 of the cylinder head 1402 can be efficiently transmitted to the protector 12, which is advantageous for efficiently performing the swing displacement of the protector 12. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the corner 1404 of the cylinder head 1402 abuts against the opposing wall 20 of the protector 12, causing the opposing wall 20 to deform in a direction approaching a flat plate, a load is efficiently applied to the dash panel 16 from the boundary between the opposing wall 20 and the first support wall 22, which is advantageous for pushing the dash panel 16 rearward and deforming it rearward. This ensures a space between the canister 10 and the engine 14, and is advantageous for protecting the canister 10 from a collision load applied by the engine 14.

[0019] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear surface 1810 of the suspension tower 18 is formed as an inclined surface that extends toward the rear of the vehicle as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction, which is advantageous in that when the engine 14 abuts against the protector 12, the load applied to the protector 12 from the engine 14 can be efficiently utilized to efficiently swing the protector 12 toward the rear of the vehicle with the second mounting portion 34 of the protector 12 as a fulcrum.

[0020] Next, a modification of this embodiment will be described. In the modified example, the structure of the first attachment portion 32 is different from that of the first embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, instead of the bolt insertion hole 38 of the first embodiment, the first mounting portion 32 is configured to include a bolt movement groove 46 in which the shaft portion 4202 of the bolt 42 can move, and a window portion 48 that communicates with this bolt movement groove 46 and is sized to allow the head portion 4204 of the bolt 42 to pass through. When a vehicle crashes, a load is applied from engine 14 to protector 12, causing dash panel 16 to deform, and shaft 4202 of bolt 42 moves along bolt movement groove 46 to reach window portion 48, causing head 4204 of bolt 42 to come out of window portion 48; therefore, bolt movement groove 46 and window portion 48 form detachment portion 50 where protector 12 comes out of dash panel 16 when the vehicle crashes.

[0021] Therefore, when a load is applied to the protector 12 from the engine 14 during a vehicle collision, the first mounting portion 32 of the protector 12 detaches from the dash panel 16 via the detachment portion 50, and the first mounting portion 32 is no longer constrained to the dash panel 16. In other words, the protector 12 is no longer constrained to the dash panel 16, which is advantageous for efficient swing displacement of the protector 12. Therefore, the first mounting portion 32 is more advantageous in pushing the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle and deforming the dash panel 16 toward the rear of the vehicle, which is more advantageous in ensuring space between the canister 10 and the engine 14 and more advantageous in protecting the canister 10 from collision loads applied by the engine 14.

[0022] In this embodiment, the case where the driving source is the engine 14 and the on-vehicle part is the canister 10 has been described. However, the drive source may be, for example, a motor, and the on-board component may be any of various conventionally known on-board components that should be protected in the event of a vehicle collision, such as a fuel pump. The vehicle body structural member may also be a side frame extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle on both sides in the vehicle width direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 10 Canister (vehicle part) 1002 Canister Case 1004 Engagement claw 12 Protector (drive source) 14 Engine 1402 cylinder head 1404 Corner 16 Dash Panel 18 Suspension tower 1802 Insertion groove 1810 Rear 20 Opposite wall 22 1st support wall section 2202 Engagement part 2204 Clamp piece 24 Second support wall section 26 Connecting Wall 28 Bottom Wall 30 Storage section 32 First mounting part 34 Second mounting part 36 Contact part 38 Bolt insertion hole 40 Weld Nut 42 volts 4202 Shaft 4204 Head 44 Bend 46 Bolt moving groove 48 Window 50 Detachment section

Claims

1. A protective structure for on-board components arranged in a rear portion of a power unit compartment in which a drive source of a vehicle is arranged, the on-vehicle component is held by a protector that surrounds the periphery of the on-vehicle component with a wall portion, and is disposed between a dash panel that separates the power unit room from a passenger compartment and a rear surface of a suspension tower that is provided on the outer side of the power unit room in the vehicle width direction, The protector comprises: an opposing wall portion that faces diagonally forward and inward in the vehicle width direction and extends to face the drive source; a first support wall portion that extends linearly along the dash panel from one end of the opposing wall portion in the extending direction toward the outside in the vehicle width direction and is attached to the dash panel; a second support wall portion extending linearly from the other end of the opposing wall portion outward in the vehicle width direction along a rear surface of the suspension tower, and having a second attachment portion attached to the rear surface of the suspension tower, The second mounting portion is provided at an outer end of the second support wall portion in the vehicle width direction, and when the drive source abuts on the abutment portion during a vehicle collision, the protector is capable of swinging and displacing toward the rear of the vehicle with the second mounting portion as a fulcrum. A protective structure for an in-vehicle component.

2. The second mounting portion includes a bent portion connected to an outer end portion of the second support wall portion in the vehicle width direction, and the protector is displaced and swung about the bent portion as a fulcrum when the protector abuts against a drive source.

2. The protective structure for an in-vehicle part according to claim 1.

3. the second mounting portion is bent back from an outer end of the second support wall portion in the vehicle width direction via the bent portion so as to face the second support wall portion and is attached to the suspension tower; 3. The protective structure for an in-vehicle part according to claim 2.

4. the on-vehicle component is a canister, the protector has a bottom wall that covers a lower portion of the canister, The bottom wall is inclined so as to be gradually displaced downward as it extends outward in the vehicle width direction.

2. The protective structure for an in-vehicle part according to claim 1.

5. the first attachment portion includes a detachment portion that detaches from the dash panel when a load is applied to the protector from the driving source during a vehicle collision.

2. The protective structure for an in-vehicle part according to claim 1.

6. The opposing wall portion has a curved shape that is convex toward the inside in the vehicle width direction in a plan view.

2. The protective structure for an in-vehicle part according to claim 1.

7. The rear surface of the suspension tower is formed as an inclined surface that extends rearward of the vehicle as it moves outward in the vehicle width direction.

2. The protective structure for an in-vehicle part according to claim 1.

Images