Protector

Abstract

To prevent a high voltage cable arranged in an engine room from being caught between a dash panel and a protector for preventing damage of another component disposed in the engine room.SOLUTION: A protector has a protection part which protects a component disposed in an engine room. The protection part includes a recessed part, in which a high voltage cable can enter, at an edge which faces the high voltage cable disposed near a dash panel disposed at a rear end of the engine room in a state where the protector is installed within the engine room. When the vehicle collides or a similar situation occurs, the high voltage cable enters the recessed part to be prevented from being caught between the protector and the dash panel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a type of vehicle in which an engine that drives the wheels is arranged in an engine room provided at the front of the vehicle body. In the engine room, in addition to the engine body having a cylinder block, a cylinder head, and the like, many other parts are arranged, such as auxiliary equipment and a fuel supply system that supplies fuel to the engine. When such a vehicle is subjected to a large impact, the parts arranged in the engine room collide with each other, and the collided parts may be damaged. One such part is, for example, a fuel tube connected to a fuel pump that supplies fuel to the engine. Fuel tubes are often made of flexible materials such as synthetic resins, and are easily damaged. For this reason, a highly rigid protector has been proposed to protect the fuel tube (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The fuel pump and the fuel tube are sometimes arranged near a dash panel in the engine room, and therefore the protector that protects the fuel tube is sometimes also arranged near the dash panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-38997 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when the vehicle is a so-called hybrid vehicle, a PCU (Power Control Unit) may be disposed in the engine room in addition to the engine body, its accessories, the fuel supply system, and the like. The PCU is connected to a motor generator (MG) disposed behind a dash panel located at the rear end of the engine room. For this reason, a high-voltage cable (MG cable) connecting the PCU and the motor generator may pass near the dash panel in the engine room. When a protector is disposed near the dash panel in the engine room and a high-voltage cable also passes near the dash panel, the high-voltage cable is disposed so as to cross between the protector and the dash panel. In this state, for example, if the vehicle collides and the protector is pushed backward, the high-voltage cable may be pinched between the protector and the dash panel, affecting the function of the high-voltage cable.

[0005] Patent Document 1 does not assume that a high-voltage cable is arranged near the dash panel, and does not take any measures to prevent the high-voltage cable from being pinched between the protector and the dash panel.

[0006] Therefore, the objective of the invention disclosed in this specification is to prevent a high-voltage cable arranged in an engine compartment from being pinched between a protector that prevents damage to other components arranged in the engine compartment and the dash panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The protector disclosed in this specification is a protector having a protective part that protects components placed in an engine room, and is characterized in that, when the protector is installed in the engine room, the protective part has a recess at an edge facing a high-voltage cable arranged near a dash panel located at the rear end of the engine room, into which the high-voltage cable can enter. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The invention disclosed in this specification can prevent a high-voltage cable arranged in an engine compartment from being pinched between a protector and a dash panel, which prevents damage to other components arranged in the engine compartment. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic view of the inside of an engine room in which a protector according to an embodiment is arranged. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a six-sided view of the protector of the embodiment, where FIG. 2(A) is a front view, FIG. 2(B) is a plan view, FIG. 2(C) is a bottom view, FIG. 2(D) is a right side view, FIG. 2(E) is a left side view, and FIG. 2(F) is a rear view. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the X portion in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the X portion with the high-voltage cable removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the engine on which the protector of the embodiment is installed, viewed from its rear end side. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the connection between a clamp member and a bracket for fixing a high-voltage cable to a protector. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(A) is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the protector, the high-voltage cable, and the dash panel before a collision, and FIG. 6(B) is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the protector, the high-voltage cable, and the dash panel after a collision. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the drawings, the dimensions, ratios, etc. of each part may not be illustrated to be completely consistent with the actual ones. In addition, some details may be omitted in the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment) [Inside the engine room] First, referring to Fig. 1, an engine room 50 of a vehicle and major devices arranged in the engine room 50 will be described. In the following description, the front-rear and left-right directions of the engine room 50 are set as shown in Fig. 1. These directions coincide with the front-rear and left-right directions of the vehicle. The engine room 50 is provided at the front side of the vehicle body. The engine room 50 is surrounded by a dash panel 51 arranged at its rear end, a front cross member 52 arranged at its front end, and side panels 53 arranged on both sides.

[0012] The vehicle of this embodiment is a hybrid vehicle in which the wheels are driven by an engine 100, which is an internal combustion engine, and a motor (not shown). The engine 100, its accessories, and part of a fuel supply system such as a fuel pump 10 are arranged in an engine room 50. Also arranged in the engine room 50 is a PCU 16 that controls the power for driving the motor.

[0013] The fuel pump 10 is a high-pressure fuel pump that supplies fuel to a delivery pipe (not shown) that is provided to directly inject high-pressure fuel into a cylinder of the engine 100. The fuel pump 10 is attached to a pump installation portion 102 that is provided near the rear end of a head cover 101 provided in the engine 100, that is, near a dash panel 51 in the engine room 50. The fuel pump 10 has an intake port 10a and an exhaust port 10b. One end of a fuel tube 11 is connected to the intake port 10a. The other end of the fuel tube 11 is connected to a low-pressure pump provided on the fuel tank side (not shown). The exhaust port 10b is connected to the delivery pipe via a connection pipe 12. The fuel pump 10 increases the pressure of the fuel supplied through the fuel tube 11 and supplies the high-pressure fuel to the delivery pipe through the connection pipe 12. Since the fuel pump 10 is attached near the dash panel 51, the fuel tube 11 also passes near the dash panel 51.

[0014] The fuel tube 11 is formed into a cylindrical shape from synthetic resin that is chemically resistant to fuel and is flexible. In this embodiment, the fuel tube 11 is made of nylon. The fuel tube 11 is one of the components disposed in the engine compartment 50, and the engine compartment 50 is equipped with a protector 20 having a protective portion 21 that protects the fuel tube 11. The protector 20 will be described in detail later.

[0015] The PCU 16 is connected to a motor generator (not shown) via a high-voltage cable 15 called an MG cable. The PCU 16 includes a PCU connector 16a serving as a connection port. Referring to FIG. 1, the PCU connector 16a in this embodiment is disposed in the engine room 50 near a right side panel 53. On the other hand, the motor generator is disposed rearward of the dash panel 51 in the vehicle body, and the MG connector 17 serving as a connection port is provided below the dash panel 51. The high-voltage cable 15 includes a first connector 15a at one end and a second connector 15b at the other end. The first connector 15a is connected to the PCU connector 16a, and the second connector 15b is connected to the MG connector 17. For this reason, the arrangement path of the high-voltage cable 15 passes between the dash panel 51 and the rear end of the engine 100, and further passes above the engine 100 toward the right side of the engine 100.

[0016] Now, with reference to Figs. 2(A) to 5, the shape of protector 20 that protects fuel tube 11, the positional relationship between fuel tube 11 and protector 20, and the positional relationship between high voltage cable 15 and protector 20 will be described.

[0017] [Protector shape] First, the shape of the protector 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2(A) to Fig. 2(F), which are six-sided views of the protector 20. The protector 20 is attached onto the head cover 101 of the engine 100, and is installed so that the surface shown in the front view of Fig. 2(A) is located at the front side of the engine room 50. At this time, the part located at the right end in the front view of Fig. 2(A) is located at the left side of the engine room 50. In other words, the surface shown in the right side view of Fig. 2(D) faces the left side panel 53 of the engine room 50.

[0018] The protector 20 is formed from a metal plate having sufficient rigidity not to be deformed by an expected collision load, and a protective portion 21 is provided in a portion located at the center in the front view shown in Fig. 2(A) and the plan view shown in Fig. 2(B). The protective portion 21 has a predetermined width in the front-rear direction, and includes a front edge portion 21a and a rear edge portion 21b. The rear edge portion 21b faces the high-voltage cable 15 and the dash panel 51 when the protector 20 is installed in the engine room 50 (see Fig. 3(A) and the like).

[0019] 2(B) and 2(C), a recess 21b1 into which the high-voltage cable 15 can be inserted is formed at the rear edge 21b of the protector 20. The recess 21b1 has an opening dimension and a depth dimension capable of accommodating the high-voltage cable 15 according to the outer diameter of the high-voltage cable 15.

[0020] The protector 20 has a first mounting portion 23 at one end in the left-right direction, and a second mounting portion 24 at the other end in the left-right direction. A first bolt hole 23a is provided in the first mounting portion 23, and a second bolt hole 24a is provided in the second mounting portion 24. The protector 20 is attached to the head cover 101 by inserting and tightening a bolt 27 through these bolt holes (see FIG. 1).

[0021] As shown in Figures 2(B) and 2(C), the protector 20 has a bracket attachment portion 25 between the protective portion 21 and the first mounting portion 23. The bracket attachment portion 25 has a third bolt hole 25a and a notched hook portion 25b. As shown in Figures 1 and 3(A), the bracket attachment portion 25 is a portion to which a bracket 30 is attached for fixing a clamp member 31 for holding the high voltage cable 15 to the protector 20. The bracket 30 will be described later.

[0022] The protector 20 includes a flange-shaped sensor mounting portion 26 extending vertically to the side of the second mounting portion 24. As shown in Fig. 2(D) and Fig. 2(E), the sensor mounting portion 26 is provided with two mounting holes 26a for mounting a sensor. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(A) and the like, a pressure sensor 28 is attached to the sensor mounting portion 26. The pressure sensor 28 detects the pressure of the intake air of the engine 100. Note that other sensors may be attached to the sensor mounting portion 26, or other components other than a sensor may be attached. Also, the protector 20 may have a shape in which the sensor mounting portion 26 is omitted.

[0023] [Relative position of fuel tube and protector] Next, the positional relationship between the fuel tube 11 and the protector 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3(A) and FIG. 3(B), the protector 20 is attached to the head cover 101 so that the front edge 21a is located on the front side and the rear edge 21b faces the dash panel 51. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the fuel tube 11 is positioned below the protective part 21 of the protector 20. That is, the protective part 21 of the protector 20 covers the upper part of the fuel tube 11 like a canopy. As a result, even if the vehicle collides head-on with another vehicle or other structure and a hard, sharp part provided in the engine room 50 is displaced rearward, such a displaced part will collide with the protective part 21. As a result, the displaced part is prevented from hitting the fuel tube 11, and damage to the fuel tube 11 is avoided. In addition, in order to make it easier to understand the state in which the protector 20 is installed, FIG. 3(B) shows a state in which the high voltage cable 15 and the bracket 30 supporting the cable have been removed.

[0024] [Positional relationship between high voltage cable and protector] Next, a description will be given of the positional relationship between the high voltage cable 15 and the protector 20. The protector 20 is attached to the head cover 101 so that the position of the recess 21b1 coincides with the position where the high voltage cable 15 passes, as shown in Figures 3(A) and 4.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the high voltage cable 15 is fixed to the protector 20 via the bracket 30 and the clamp member 31. The bracket 30 has an attachment portion 30a that is attached in close contact with the bracket attachment portion 25 (see FIG. 2(B)) of the protector 20, and a hook piece 30b that is hooked to a hook portion 25b formed on the bracket attachment portion 25. The bracket 30 also has an insertion piece 30c that is inserted into an insertion hole 31c1 of the clamp member 31 described later. The insertion piece 30c is provided with a fixing hole 30c1 into which a fitting protrusion (not shown) provided in the insertion hole 31c1 fits. With the hook piece 30b hooked to the hook portion 25b, the bracket 30 is fastened together with the protector 20 to the head cover 101 by inserting the bolt 32 into the third bolt hole 25a.

[0026] On the other hand, the clamp member 31 is a cylindrical member that covers the outer peripheral wall of the high-voltage cable 15 in the circumferential direction and can hold the high-voltage cable 15. The clamp member 31 is openable by cutting open a part of the cylindrical outer peripheral wall along a cutting line L extending in the axial direction. The clamp member 31 has a hook frame portion 31b that can hold the high-voltage cable 15 by engaging the fixed claws 31a with the fixed claws 31a across the cutting line L. The clamp member 31 also has a fixed block portion 31c on its outer peripheral surface. The fixed block portion 31c has an insertion hole 31c1. An insertion piece 30c provided on the bracket 30 is inserted into the insertion hole 31c1, and a protrusion formed in the insertion hole 31c1 fits into the fixing hole 30c1, thereby fixing the clamp member 31 to the bracket 30.

[0027] This determines the positional relationship between high-voltage cable 15 and protector 20, and maintains the positional relationship between high-voltage cable 15 and recess 21b1. As a result, for example, when the vehicle collides, even if engine 100 itself is displaced rearward and the distance between protector 20 and dash panel 151 is narrowed, high-voltage cable 15 can easily enter recess 21b1.

[0028] Fig. 6(A) shows the positional relationship between the protector 20, the high-voltage cable 15, and the dash panel 51 before the vehicle collides. There is a gap between the protector 20 and the dash panel 51 before the vehicle collides, which is sufficient for the high-voltage cable 15 to pass through. When the vehicle collides from such a normal state, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the protector 20 is displaced rearward as indicated by an arrow F, and the gap between the protector 20 and the dash panel 51 becomes narrower. However, with the protector 20 of this embodiment, the high-voltage cable 15 can enter the recess 21b1.

[0029] In this manner, the high-voltage cable 15 can enter the recess 21b1 and retreat into the recess 21b1. This prevents the high-voltage cable 15 from being pinched between the protector 20 and the dash panel 51. As a result, damage to the high-voltage cable 15 is prevented.

[0030] Furthermore, by inserting high-voltage cable 15 into recess 21b1, the movement of high-voltage cable 15 is restricted, and therefore it is possible to prevent high-voltage cable 15 from interfering with and coming into contact with fuel tube 11 and other components of the fuel supply system, thereby improving the safety of the vehicle.

[0031] The effects of the protector 20 of this embodiment are summarized as follows. The protector 20 of this embodiment has a recess 21b1 into which the high-voltage cable 15 can enter, at the rear edge 21b of the protective portion 21 that protects the components arranged in the engine compartment 50 and faces the high-voltage cable 15. This not only protects the components with the protector 20, but also prevents the high-voltage cable 15 from being pinched between the protector 20 and the dash panel 51. Note that, although the object of protection of the protector 20 in this embodiment is the fuel tube 11, the provision of the recess 21b1 can prevent damage to the high-voltage cable 15 even when the protector 20 is intended to protect other components.

[0032] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for implementing the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these. Various modifications of these embodiments are within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it is self-evident from the above description that various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10 Fuel pump 11 Fuel tube 15 High voltage cable 16 PCU 16a PCU connector 17 MG connector 20 Protector 21 Protective part 21a Front edge 21b Back edge 21b1 Recess 30 Bracket 31 Clamp member 50 Engine room 51 Dash Panel 100 Engine 101 Head Cover

Claims

[Claim 1] A protector having a protective portion for protecting a fuel tube disposed near a dash panel disposed at a rear end of an engine compartment, The protective portion has a shape that allows at least a portion of the fuel tube to be positioned below the protective portion when the protector is installed in the engine compartment, and is characterized in that the protective portion is provided with a high-voltage cable arranged near the dash panel and an edge portion facing the dash panel, into which the high-voltage cable can enter.

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