Vehicle undercarriage

Abstract

The vehicle understructure is designed so that workers can only access the connection between the battery pack and the high-voltage cable after the high-voltage circuit has been shut off. [Solution] The vehicle understructure 10 is located at the front of the battery pack 14 mounted in the lower center of the vehicle and includes a connection part 40 that connects the battery pack 14 and the high-voltage cable 16, a guard member 22 that spans from the suspension member 20 to the front lower side of the battery pack 14 and covers the connection part 40 when viewed from below the vehicle, an under cover 28 located at the bottom of the power unit room and extending to a position that covers the fastening part 24A between the guard member 22 and the suspension member 20 when viewed from below the vehicle, and an interlock clip 26 that is attached to the fastening part 24A and is unlocked using an interlock grip 58 provided in the middle of the high-voltage cable 16 connection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle underbody structure.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a structure has been proposed to protect a connector provided in a battery pack mounted under a vehicle from flying stones and colliding objects.

[0003] As an example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1 below, a protector attached to the lower part of a suspension member and the bottom surface of a battery is attached below the connector, and by colliding with the protector before a road debris collides with the connector, the connector is protected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the case of the above prior art, only protection using a fastened protector (guard member) is provided for the connector that becomes the vehicle high-voltage connection part. Therefore, when removing the parts by removing the fastening tool, even if it is in an energized state, there is room for improvement in that an operator can access it.

[0006] In consideration of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle underbody structure in which an operator can access the connection part between a battery pack and a high-voltage cable only after the high-voltage circuit is interrupted.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The vehicle understructure according to claim 1 includes: a connection part located at the front of a battery pack mounted in the lower center of the vehicle and connecting the battery pack to a high-voltage cable; a guard member extending from a suspension member across the front underside of the battery pack and covering the connection part when viewed from below the vehicle; an under cover located in the lower part of the power unit room and extending to a position that covers the fastening part between the guard member and the suspension member when viewed from below the vehicle; and an interlock device attached to the fastening part and unlocked using a high-voltage circuit interruption member provided in the middle of the high-voltage cable connection.

[0008] According to the present invention as described in claim 1, the battery pack is positioned at the lower center of the vehicle when mounted on the vehicle. Meanwhile, the power unit is provided in a power unit room located at the front of the vehicle. The high-voltage cable is routed between the battery pack and the power unit room and has a circuit interruption member within its circuit. The connection part connecting the high-voltage cable and the battery pack is located at the front of the battery pack. The guard member is stretched from the suspension member across the lower front of the battery pack and covers the connection part when viewed from below the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent objects from colliding with the high-voltage charging part from below the vehicle.

[0009] Here, the interlock device is attached to the fastening portion between the guard member and the suspension member and is formed to be lockable. The interlock device is unlocked using a high-voltage circuit interruption member. In addition, the under cover extends from the bottom of the power unit room to a position that covers the fastening portion, and the interlock device can be seen from the underside of the vehicle by the under cover. This means that the worker can only remove the guard component after first removing the under cover, then taking out the circuit interruption component, and using it to unlock the interlock device. In other words, the high-voltage circuit is interrupted when the worker is accessing the connection between the battery pack and the high-voltage cable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, the vehicle understructure according to the present invention has the excellent effect that workers cannot access the connection between the battery pack and the high-voltage cable until after the high-voltage circuit has been shut off. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of the vehicle understructure according to this embodiment, obtained by cutting along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. [Figure 2] (A) is an external perspective view of the main part of the underside of the vehicle to which the vehicle understructure shown in Figure 1 is applied, and (B) is an external perspective view of the main part when the under cover is removed. [Figure 3] (A) is an external perspective view of the main fastening part in the vehicle understructure shown in Figure 2, (B) is an external perspective view of the interlock grip, and (C) is an external perspective view of the interlock clip. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] The vehicle understructure 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In these figures, the arrows UP indicate the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle, FR indicate the front side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and RH indicate the right side in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0013] Figure 1 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle understructure 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in this figure, a battery pack 14 is provided below the floor panel 12 installed in the vehicle, which serves as a power source for supplying power to a power unit (not shown) located at the front of the vehicle. A high-voltage cable 16 is routed to electrically connect this power unit and the battery pack 14.

[0014] Furthermore, the vehicle's understructure 10 includes a reinforcement 18 that reinforces the front underside of the battery pack 14, and a suspension member 20 that supports the front suspension (not shown).

[0015] Furthermore, the vehicle understructure 10 of this embodiment includes a guard member 22 that protects high-voltage cables 16 and the like, which are routed between the battery pack 14 and the suspension member 20, from collisions with objects from the road surface; an interlock clip 26 attached to a fastening portion 24 of the guard member 22; an under cover 28 positioned below the mounting portion of the interlock clip 26; and a shear panel 30 that is fastened together with the reinforcement 18 and the guard member 22 and extends over the entire lower surface of the battery pack 14.

[0016] The battery pack 14 is comprised of an upper case 32, which serves as the upper frame of the battery pack 14, and a lower case 34, which serves as the lower frame of the battery pack 14, in order to protect the internal module.

[0017] Of these, the lower case 34 is provided with a connector block 36 on the front side of the vehicle, which serves as an insertion point for the connection terminal. The connector block 36 is formed to be connectable to a connector 38 attached to the tip of the high-voltage cable 16. As a result, the connector block 36 and the connector 38 form a connection portion 40 that enables electrical connection.

[0018] To add to this, the high-voltage cable 16 is wired to include an interlock grip 58 in which a blade section 60, described later, is formed during the wiring process.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2(A), the under cover 28 extends from the power unit room and is attached from the underside of the vehicle so as to protect the connection part 40 and part of the guard member 22.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2(B), the suspension member 20 extends in the vehicle width direction on the front side of the battery pack 14 and is formed to support the input load from the suspension. In addition, the reinforcement 18 abuts against the front lower surface of the lower case 34 and extends in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] The guard member 22 is disposed so as to span between the lower rear part of the above-described suspension member 20 and the lower front part of the reinforcement 18. Further, the guard member 22 is fastened to each member by a plurality of fastening parts 24.

[0022] More specifically, the fastening part 24 includes a fastening part 24A for fastening the suspension member 20 and the guard member 22, a fastening part 24B for fastening the reinforcement 18, the shared panel 30, and the guard member 22, and a fastening part 24C for fastening the under cover 28 and the guard member 22.

[0023] FIG. 3(A) shows an enlarged view of a part of the fastening part 24A shown in FIG. 2(B) described above. As shown in this figure, an interlock clip 26 is attached to the fastening part 24A.

[0024] The interlock clip 26 is erected in a substantially oval shape and includes a bolt fixing part 44 that is fitted into the head of the fastening bolt 42, a convex part 46 that engages with the guard member 22, and an engaging part 48 that meshes with a blade part 60 described later.

[0025] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3(C), the bolt fixing part 44 is formed including a semi-circular part on one oval side of the interlock clip 26 and is attached so as to surround the hexagonal head of the fastening bolt 42.

[0026] The engaging part 48 is disposed on the other semi-circular part of the interlock clip 26. The engaging part 48 includes a cylindrical part 50 that is integrally formed so as to be relatively movable in the thickness direction. Further, a protrusion part 54 and a groove part 56 are formed on the cylindrical part 50. Furthermore, a frustum-shaped tip part 52 protrudes from the end surface on the lower side of the vehicle of the cylindrical part 50.

[0027] The teeth 48, located on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 50 opposite the aforementioned protrusion 46, is designed to move downward in accordance with the height of the tip portion 52 when unlocked. The projection 54 is formed in a cylindrical shape adjacent to the shaft located in the center of the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 50. The groove 56 is formed in two places on the lower surface of the cylindrical portion 50, with roughly quarter-circular arcs formed symmetrically around the center point of the circle.

[0028] Here, as shown in Figure 3(B), the interlock grip 58 is designed to be removable in the event of a break in the high-voltage cable 16, and includes a blade portion 60 on its lower surface. The interlock grip 58 is designed to be unlocked from the locked state by engaging the blade portion 60 with the groove portion 56 of the interlock clip 26.

[0029] (Mechanism of Action and Effects) Next, the operation and effects of the vehicle understructure 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0030] The battery pack 14 is positioned at the lower center of the vehicle when it is installed. The power unit, on the other hand, is located in a power unit room at the front of the vehicle. The high-voltage cable 16 is routed between the battery pack 14 and the power unit room and has an interlock grip 58 within its circuit.

[0031] The connector 40, which connects the high-voltage cable 16 and the battery pack 14, is formed by a connector block 36 disposed in the lower case 34 of the battery pack 14 and a connector 38 disposed at the end of the high-voltage cable 16, and is located at the front of the battery pack 14.

[0032] The guard member 22 spans from the suspension member 20 to the front underside of the battery pack 14, covering the connection part 40 when viewed from below the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent objects from colliding with the high-voltage charging part from below the vehicle.

[0033] Here, the interlock clip 26 is attached to the fastening portion 24A between the guard member 22 and the suspension member 20 and is formed to be lockable. The interlock clip 26 is unlocked by inserting the blade portion 60 formed on the interlock grip 58 into the gear portion 48. The under cover 28 extends from the bottom of the power unit room to a position that covers the fastening portion 24A, and the interlock clip 26 can be seen from the underside of the vehicle by the under cover 28.

[0034] As a result, the worker can remove the guard member 22 only after first removing the under cover 28, then taking out the interlock grip 58 and using it to unlock the interlock clip 26. In other words, the high-voltage circuit is shut off when the worker is accessing the connection point 40 between the battery pack 14 and the high-voltage cable 16.

[0035] As described above, in this embodiment, the vehicle understructure 10 allows workers to access the connection portion 40 between the battery pack 14 and the high-voltage cable 16 only after the high-voltage circuit has been shut off.

[0036] In this embodiment, a blade portion 60 and a gear portion 48 are used, but the invention is not limited to this. Any interlock device that uses a high-voltage circuit interruption member to unlock the device may employ a structure that uses a sensor, for example. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 10. Vehicle understructure 14 Battery Pack 16 High-voltage cables 20 Suspension Member 22 Guard member 24 Fastening section 26 Interlock clip (interlock device) 28 Undercover 36 Connector Block (Connection Section) 38 Connectors (connecting parts) 58 Interlock Grip (Component for High-Voltage Circuit Interruption)

Claims

[Claim 1] Located at the front of the battery pack mounted in the lower center of the vehicle, it has a connector that connects the battery pack to the high-voltage cable, A guard member is stretched from the suspension member across the front lower part of the battery pack and covers the connection part when viewed from below the vehicle, An under cover is located in the lower part of the power unit room and extends to a position that covers the fastening portion between the guard member and the suspension member when viewed from the lower side of the vehicle, An interlock device that is attached to the fastening portion and unlocked using a high-voltage circuit interruption member provided in the middle of the high-voltage cable connection, A vehicle understructure having the following characteristics.

Images