Fuel inlet clamp

Abstract

The goal is to enable temporary placement of the wire harness in both vehicles where suitable components for temporary placement exist and vehicles where such components do not exist, while also allowing for the shared use of the fuel inlet clamp. [Solution] Before connecting the wire harness WH in the vehicle's electrical system to the electric motor M for driving, a temporary clamp mounting section 44 is provided for attaching a temporary clamp 5 used to temporarily hold the wire harness WH. This allows for the common use of the fuel inlet clamp 4 across different vehicle models, thereby suppressing waste in terms of mass and material costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel inlet clamp. In particular, the present invention relates to measures for expanding the versatility of the fuel inlet clamp.

Background Art

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, in an electric vehicle (BEV), a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), etc. equipped with an electric motor as a driving power source for running, there is a type in which a wire harness connected to the electric motor is disposed under the floor (under the floor panel).

[0003] Also, during the assembly work of this type of vehicle, before connecting the wire harness to the electric motor mounted on the vehicle, the wire harness is temporarily placed under the floor panel once, and after performing the assembly work of other parts (for example, the rear suspension device, etc.), the wire harness is connected to the electric motor. The reason for temporarily placing the wire harness in this way is to prevent the wire harness from getting in the way during the assembly work of other parts such as the rear suspension device (getting in the way when the wire harness is connected to the electric motor or getting in the way when the wire harness hangs down without being temporarily placed), or to prevent the wire harness from being damaged by contact with other parts.

[0004] Also, as means for this temporary placement, in the case of a vehicle type (vehicle) in which there are members or places (hereinafter sometimes referred to as members, etc.) available for temporary placement under the floor panel, the wire harness is temporarily placed using such members, etc., while in the case of a vehicle type in which there are no members, etc. available for temporary placement under the floor panel, the wire harness is temporarily placed using adhesive tape, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-185898 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] By the way, even within the same vehicle model, there are vehicles configured as electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. And, as mentioned earlier, there are requirements to temporarily install wire harnesses during the manufacturing of these vehicles.

[0007] One way to meet this requirement is to use the fuel inlet clamp, which supports the fuel inlet on the vehicle body side in hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, as a component for temporarily holding the wire harness. In this case, from the standpoint of parts commonality, it is conceivable to provide a temporary holding section for the wire harness in all fuel inlet clamps applicable to each vehicle (hybrid vehicle, plug-in hybrid vehicle).

[0008] However, in some vehicles, there are components that can be used for temporary placement (in some cases, wire harnesses can be temporarily placed without using the temporary placement section of the fuel inlet clamp). For example, hybrid vehicles may have components that can be used for temporary placement, while plug-in hybrid vehicles may not. In this case, if the same fuel inlet clamp (a fuel inlet clamp with a temporary placement section) is applied to all vehicles as described above, the fuel inlet clamp in hybrid vehicles will have an unnecessary temporary placement section, resulting in a lot of waste in terms of mass and material costs. It is also conceivable to manufacture separate fuel inlet clamps for hybrid vehicles (fuel inlet clamps without a temporary placement section) and for plug-in hybrid vehicles (fuel inlet clamps with an integrated temporary placement section), but this would complicate the design and manufacturing process and is therefore undesirable.

[0009] These challenges are not limited to cases where the same vehicle model includes vehicles configured as hybrid vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles; they also occur between other different vehicle models.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its objective is to enable the temporary placement of wire harnesses in both vehicles where there are components available for temporary placement of wire harnesses and vehicles where there are no such components available for temporary placement, while also enabling the sharing of fuel inlet clamps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention provides a solution for achieving the aforementioned objectives, which is based on a fuel inlet clamp for supporting a fuel inlet on a vehicle body. This fuel inlet clamp is characterized by having a temporary clamp mounting portion for attaching a temporary clamp used to temporarily hold a wire harness, which is provided in the vehicle's electrical system, before connecting the wire harness to the on-board electrical equipment.

[0012] This specific requirement dictates that, when temporarily placing a wire harness on the vehicle body before connecting it to the vehicle's electrical equipment, if the vehicle model has components or locations available for temporary placement of the wire harness, those components or locations are used for temporary placement. On the other hand, if the vehicle model does not have components or locations available for temporary placement of the wire harness, a temporary placement clamp is attached to the temporary placement clamp mounting section of the fuel inlet clamp, and this temporary placement clamp is used for temporary placement of the wire harness. In this way, the fuel inlet clamp itself is common to all vehicle models, and the temporary placement clamp is attached as needed. Therefore, since the temporary placement section is not integrally molded into the fuel inlet clamp, there is no waste in terms of mass and material costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In this invention, the fuel inlet clamp is equipped with a temporary clamp mounting section for attaching a temporary clamp. This allows for the temporary placement of wire harnesses in vehicles where there are components available for temporary placement, and in vehicles where there are no components available for temporary placement, the wire harnesses can be temporarily placed using the fuel inlet clamp. This enables the sharing of fuel inlet clamps and reduces waste in terms of mass and material costs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a view of a portion of the floor panel, fuel tank, and fuel inlet in a vehicle according to the embodiment, as seen from the underside of the vehicle body, and Figure 1(b) is an enlarged view of the area around the fuel inlet clamp, as seen from the underside of the vehicle body. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the fuel inlet clamp with a temporary clamp attached. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the area around the electric motor, viewed from the underside of the vehicle, to illustrate the temporary placement of the wire harness. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0016] Figure 1(a) is a view of a part of the floor panel 1, fuel tank 2, and fuel inlet 3 in a vehicle according to this embodiment, as seen from the underside of the vehicle body. In Figure 1(a), arrow FR indicates the front direction of the vehicle, arrow RR indicates the rear direction of the vehicle, arrow LH indicates the left side in the vehicle width direction, and arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction.

[0017] The floor panel 1 is a component that makes up the floor surface of the vehicle and is formed by pressing sheet metal. Side members 11, 11 extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body are connected to both sides of the floor panel 1 in the vehicle width direction. In addition, multiple cross members 12, 13, 14 extending along the vehicle width direction are connected to multiple locations on the floor panel 1 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Both ends of these cross members 12, 13, 14 in the vehicle width direction are connected to the side members 11, 11.

[0018] In the vehicle according to this embodiment, a fuel tank 2 is supported below a floor panel 1. As a support structure for this fuel tank 2, two support shafts 21 and 22 are used. Each of the support shafts 21 and 22 is arranged at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the vehicle width direction, and one end side in its longitudinal direction is fastened to the lower part of the fuel tank 2, and the other end side in the longitudinal direction is fastened to the side member 11 or the cross member 12 by means such as bolting respectively.

[0019] The fuel inlet 3 is composed of a plurality of pipes 31, 32, and 33. Specifically, it includes a fuel pipe (inlet main pipe) 31 that injects fuel from the fuel filler neck 34 of the vehicle into the fuel tank 2, a breather pipe 32 that discharges air in the fuel tank 2 to the outside of the fuel tank 2 during refueling, and an air communication pipe 33 that connects a canister (not shown) that adsorbs evaporated fuel in the fuel tank 2 and the atmosphere. The fuel pipe 31 is composed of a metal pipe such as stainless steel. One end of the fuel pipe 31 is connected to the fuel filler 34, and the other end is connected to the fuel tank 2. The breather pipe 32 is composed of a metal pipe such as stainless steel. One end of the breather pipe 32 is connected to the fuel filler 34 via the fuel pipe 31, and the other end is connected to the fuel tank 2. The air communication pipe 33 is composed of a resin pipe. One end of the air communication pipe 33 is connected to the fuel filler 34, and the other end is connected to the canister.

[0020] And a fuel inlet clamp 4 for supporting the breather pipe 32 on the floor panel 1 is attached to the breather pipe 32. FIG. 1(b) is an enlarged view of the periphery of the fuel inlet clamp 4 as seen from the lower side of the vehicle body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a temporary clamp 5 described later is attached to the fuel inlet clamp 4.

[0021] As shown in these figures, the breather pipe 32 has a bent portion 32a below the cross member 13 that is bent so as to be convex inward in the vehicle width direction. This bent portion 32a has a first extended portion 32b that extends inward in the vehicle width direction as it moves forward of the vehicle, and a second extended portion 32c that is continuous with the front side of the first extended portion 32b (the front side in the vehicle body longitudinal direction) and extends outward in the vehicle width direction as it moves forward of the vehicle.

[0022] The fuel inlet clamp 4 comprises a main body portion 41 which is bent along the inner edge in the vehicle width direction of the bent portion 32a of the breather pipe 32 (more specifically, so as to maintain a predetermined distance between it and the inner edge in the vehicle width direction of the bent portion 32a), a first locking portion 42 located at the rear end of the main body portion 41 and attached to the first extension portion 32b, and a second locking portion 43 located at the front end of the main body portion 41 and locked to the second extension portion 32c. The first locking portion 42 and the second locking portion 43 have locking claws 42a, 43a, and 43b that are arranged to sandwich the bent portion 32a (first extension portion 32b and second extension portion 32c) of the breather pipe 32 from both the upper and lower sides. The bent portion 32a is fitted between these locking claws 42a, 43a, and 43b, thereby supporting the fuel inlet clamp 4 on the bent portion 32a of the breather pipe 32. In addition, the approximate center of the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 41 of the fuel inlet clamp 4 is supported by the cross member 13. This support structure may be configured by fitting a clip (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the main body portion 41 into an opening formed in the cross member 13, or it may be bolted in place.

[0023] At a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the main body 41 of the fuel inlet clamp 4, a temporary clamp attachment portion 44 that protrudes toward the center side in the vehicle width direction is provided. As shown in Fig. 1(b), this temporary clamp attachment portion 44 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and a temporary clamp attachment hole 44a with a predetermined shape is formed through the center portion thereof. The opening shape of the temporary clamp attachment hole 44a is not particularly limited, but it should be a shape that can hold the locking pin 54 of the temporary clamp 5 described later so that the locking pin 54 does not fall out when it is fitted.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a view of the periphery of the electric motor M as seen from the lower side of the vehicle body to explain the temporary installation operation of the wire harness (high-voltage wire harness) WH connected to the electric motor M for running. The symbol DS in the figure is the drive shaft. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the temporary clamp 5 is a member that can be attached to the fuel inlet clamp 4 as needed. Specifically, this temporary clamp 5 includes a main body portion 51 that extends along the vehicle width direction in a state of being attached to the fuel inlet clamp 4, a protruding portion 52 that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the main body portion 51, and a hook portion 53 that is continuous with the front end portion of the main body portion 51 and extends in a direction intersecting the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0025] The main body 51 has a rectangular shape in plan view when the temporary clamp 5 is attached to the fuel inlet clamp 4, and a locking pin 54 (shown by a dashed line in Figure 2) is provided near the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the upper surface in that state, protruding upward. As described above, this locking pin 54 is fitted into the temporary clamp mounting hole 44a of the fuel inlet clamp 4, thereby attaching the temporary clamp 5 to the fuel inlet clamp 4. For example, if the opening shape of the temporary clamp mounting hole 44a of the fuel inlet clamp 4 is circular and the locking pin 54 is cylindrical, the outer diameter of the locking pin 54 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the temporary clamp mounting hole 44a, so that the locking pin 54 does not easily fall out when it is inserted into the temporary clamp mounting hole 44a.

[0026] The protruding portion 52 is for regulating the position of the wire harness WH when it is temporarily placed using the temporary placement clamp 5, and is designed to prevent the wire harness WH from moving towards the breather pipe 32. Multiple ribs 52a, 52a, ... extending vertically are provided on the surface of the protruding portion 52 that faces inward in the vehicle width direction.

[0027] The hook portion 53 is a part for temporarily storing the wire harness WH by securing a portion of the wire harness WH, and is equipped with an opening 53a that opens downwards. A portion of the outer edge 53b of the hook portion 53 that forms this opening 53a is bent into a hook shape so as to cover the lower side of the opening. Therefore, by securing a portion of the wire harness WH to this hook-shaped outer edge 53b, it is possible to temporarily store the wire harness WH.

[0028] Next, we will explain the vehicle assembly procedure when temporarily placing the wire harness WH using the temporary placement clamp 5 mentioned above. This procedure of temporarily placing the wire harness WH using the temporary placement clamp 5 is performed on vehicle types where there are no available parts or locations for temporarily placing the wire harness WH (for example, plug-in hybrid vehicles). Figure 3 is a view of the area around the electric motor M from the underside of the vehicle body to illustrate the temporary placement procedure for the wire harness WH. In Figure 3, the temporarily placed state of the wire harness WH is shown with a solid line, and the state in which it is connected to the electric motor M is shown with a dashed line.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, before connecting the wire harness WH to the electric motor M mounted on the vehicle, the wire harness WH is temporarily placed on the underside of the floor panel 1 using the temporary placement clamp 5. In other words, the wire harness WH is temporarily placed by securing a part of the wire harness WH (for example, a part of the connector C of the wire harness WH) to the hook portion 53 of the temporary placement clamp 5. In this state, assembly work on other parts (for example, the rear suspension system, etc.) is carried out. During this assembly work, because the wire harness WH is temporarily placed, it is possible to avoid the wire harness WH getting in the way or being damaged by other parts coming into contact with the wire harness WH.

[0030] Once the assembly of other parts is complete, the temporary placement of the wire harness WH is released, and the connector C of the wire harness WH is connected to the electric motor M (see the dashed line in Figure 3). In this embodiment, the temporary clamp 5 is left attached to the fuel inlet clamp 4 even after the vehicle assembly is complete, but the temporary clamp 5 may be removed (recovered) from the fuel inlet clamp 4 after the vehicle assembly is complete.

[0031] On the other hand, in the assembly of vehicles (for example, hybrid vehicles) where there are available components or locations for temporarily placing the wire harness WH, the wire harness WH can be temporarily placed without using the temporary placement clamp 5 because these components or locations are available. Therefore, in the case of this vehicle, the wire harness WH is temporarily placed without attaching the temporary placement clamp 5 to the fuel inlet clamp 4. The work after this temporary placement is the same as described above.

[0032] As described above, in this embodiment, the fuel inlet clamp 4 is provided with a temporary clamp mounting portion 44 for attaching the temporary clamp 5. This allows for the temporary placement of the wire harness WH in vehicles where there are available components that can be used for temporary placement of the wire harness WH, and in vehicles where there are no available components that can be used for temporary placement of the wire harness WH, the fuel inlet clamp 4 and the temporary clamp 5 can be used for temporary placement of the wire harness WH. This enables the sharing of the fuel inlet clamp 4, thereby suppressing waste in terms of mass and material costs.

[0033] -Other Embodiments- Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and all modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims and equivalents thereof.

[0034] For example, in the above embodiment, a vehicle in a model where there are no components or locations available for temporarily placing the wire harness WH is described as a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and a vehicle in a model where there are components or locations available for temporarily placing the wire harness WH is described as a hybrid vehicle. However, the embodiment is not limited to this.

[0035] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described a case where the in-vehicle electrical equipment to which the wire harness is connected is an electric motor M, the in-vehicle electrical equipment is not limited to this. [Industrial applicability]

[0036] The present invention is applicable to a fuel inlet clamp for supporting a vehicle's fuel inlet on the vehicle body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 2...Fuel tank 3...Fuel inlet 34...Fuel filler cap 4…Fuel inlet clamp 44…Temporary clamp mounting part 5…Temporary clamp WH...Wire harness M...Electric motor (vehicle-mounted electrical equipment)

Claims

[Claim 1] A fuel inlet clamp for supporting the fuel inlet to the vehicle body, A fuel inlet clamp characterized by having a temporary clamp mounting portion for attaching a temporary clamp used to temporarily hold a wire harness in place before connecting the wire harness, which is provided in the vehicle's electrical system, to on-board electrical equipment.

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