Vehicle power control unit mounting structure

Abstract

To provide a power control unit mounting structure for a hybrid vehicle, which even when a power control unit (PCU) is arranged in an engine room, prevents breakage of a high-voltage cable due to backward movement of an engine during a frontal collision and hindrance of expected backward movement of the engine.SOLUTION: In a power control unit mounting structure, when viewed from the front of a vehicle, a longitudinally-mounted engine 10 and a toe board cross member 6 are provided with parts thereof overlapping with each other within a projection plane along a front-rear direction so as to have a space behind a power control unit (PCU) 20. An intake manifold 16 and the PCU 20 are arranged within the outline of the longitudinally-mounted engine 10 when viewed from the top of the vehicle, in which the intake manifold 16 is arranged in front of the PCU 20. Both side portions of an intake pipe are extended backward, and the portions of both side surfaces of the PCU 20 are arranged opposite to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle equipped with a longitudinally mounted engine and a power source of an engine and a motor. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, hybrid vehicles equipped with two power sources, an engine and a driving motor, have appeared. In addition to the conventional engine and gasoline tank, these hybrid vehicles are equipped with a driving motor, a main battery that supplies power to the driving motor, a power control unit (PCU) that controls the distribution of power, and an auxiliary battery that supplies power to the auxiliary devices.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle technology in which a PCU arranged in an engine compartment of a vehicle can reduce shear load on a bolt of a fastening part arranged on a side part of a housing during a frontal collision of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-328870 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, in order to improve protection performance in the event of a frontal collision, the PCU of a hybrid vehicle has conventionally been placed on top of the transmission of a horizontally mounted engine in the engine compartment, or next to the fuel tank under the floor at the rear of the vehicle.

[0006] However, in hybrid vehicles, when the engine is mounted vertically, there is a space that does not allow it to be placed above the transmission, and if the PCU is located on the engine side forward of the toe board frame, there is a risk that the high-voltage cable will break when the engine retreats in the event of a frontal collision, or that the PCU will hinder the engine from moving backward as intended.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle in a hybrid vehicle with a longitudinally mounted engine, which prevents high-voltage cables from breaking due to the engine reversing in the event of a frontal collision, and prevents the anticipated obstruction of engine reversal, even if the PCU is located in the engine compartment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The power control unit mounting structure of a vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a longitudinally mounted engine mounted in an engine room at the front of the vehicle, and a power supply unit (PSU) disposed on the longitudinally mounted engine. The intake pipe extends to the left and right in the vehicle width direction. an intake manifold; a power control unit disposed on the longitudinally mounted engine and connected to a high voltage cable to control power of a drive motor from a drive battery; and a toe board cross member disposed on a toe board separating the engine room from a vehicle interior, before The toe board cross member is ,before The power control unit has a space behind it. Setting The intake manifold and the power control unit are disposed within the outline of the longitudinally mounted engine when viewed from above the vehicle, and the intake manifold is disposed in front of the power control unit, with portions of both sides of the intake pipe extending rearward and facing portions of both side surfaces of the power control unit. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The vehicle power control unit mounting structure of the present invention can prevent high-voltage cables from breaking due to the engine reversing during a frontal collision, and can prevent the anticipated obstruction of engine reverse motion, even if the PCU is located in the engine compartment of a hybrid vehicle equipped with a longitudinally mounted engine. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing a hybrid vehicle [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the front part of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the front part of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the front part of the vehicle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the front part of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings used in the following description, each component is shown at a different scale so that the components can be recognized on the drawings, and the present invention is not limited to the number of components, the shapes of components, the size ratios of the components, and the relative positional relationships of the components shown in these drawings.

[0012] The vehicle 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a so-called hybrid vehicle having two power sources. The first power source is a vertically mounted internal combustion engine 10 that serves as a driving source. An intake manifold 16 that feeds air from outside the vehicle is provided on the upper portion of the engine 10.

[0013] The engine 10 is connected to a transmission 11. A fuel tank 12 that stores fuel for the engine 10 is disposed at the rear of the vehicle 1. The engine 10 is connected to an exhaust pipe 13 that extends to the rear of the vehicle 1 via an exhaust manifold (not shown). The exhaust pipe 13 is provided with a pre-silencer 14 and a main silencer 15 as a muffler that incorporates a catalyst.

[0014] The second power source is a motor generator 21, which is an electric motor having a starting function and a power generating function. This motor generator 21 is built in the transmission 11. The motor generator 21 is electrically connected to a driving battery 22, which is a secondary battery arranged at the rear of the vehicle 1, via a power control unit (PCU) 20, which is a power management unit. An auxiliary battery 23 is provided at the rear of the vehicle 1. This auxiliary battery 23 may be arranged at the front of the vehicle 1 near the engine 10.

[0015] 2, the engine 10 is mounted in an engine room 2 at the front of the vehicle 1 surrounded by side frames 3, a front cross member 4 that also serves as a radiator core support, and a toe board 5. The engine 10 is mounted vertically in the engine room 2 so that a crankshaft (not shown) is parallel to the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1.

[0016] The toe board 5 is a partition plate also called a dash panel that separates the engine room 2 from the passenger compartment behind it. The toe board 5 is provided with a toe board cross member 6 that protrudes toward the engine room 2 side.

[0017] The PCU 20 is mainly composed of an inverter and a DC-DC converter. The PCU 20 performs AC / DC conversion using the inverter. The inverter of the PCU 20 controls the rotation speed and torque when converting the DC power of the drive battery 22 into AC power to drive the motor generator 21.

[0018] On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 is decelerating, the inverter of the PCU 20 converts the AC power output by the motor generator 21 into DC power to charge the drive battery 22. In addition, the DC-DC converter of the PCU 20 increases the output voltage of the drive battery 22 and then inputs the DC power to the inverter.

[0019] The PCU 20 is connected by a connector or the like to a PCU terminal block 24, which is a high-voltage junction box provided on the upper part of the engine 10. The PCU terminal block 24 is also electrically connected to the drive battery 22 and the motor generator and high-voltage cables 25, 26 by connectors or the like.

[0020] Here, the layout of the intake manifold 16 of the engine 10, the PCU 20, the PCU terminal block 24, and the toe board cross member 6 of the toe board 5 in the power control unit mounting structure of the vehicle 1 will be described in detail below.

[0021] 2 to 5, a PCU 20 is disposed above an engine 10 mounted in an engine compartment 2 at the front of the vehicle 1. The PCU 20 is disposed rearward of the vehicle 1 from an intake manifold 16 of the engine 10. The PCU 20 is also disposed forward of the vehicle 1 from a toe board 5, which is a part of the vehicle body.

[0022] A space is provided above the engine 10 between the intake manifold 16 and the toe board cross member 6 provided on the toe board 5, and the PCU 20 is disposed in this space. Furthermore, a space is also provided above the engine 10 between the PCU 20 and the toe board cross member 6.

[0023] A high-voltage cable 25 that electrically connects the PCU 20 and the drive battery 22 is extended to the drive battery 22 mounted at the rear of the vehicle 1. This high-voltage cable 25 is connected to a PCU terminal block 24. The PCU terminal block 24 is mounted on the upper part of the engine 10, and is disposed in the space between the PCU 20 and the toeboard cross member 6.

[0024] In this manner, in the power control unit mounting structure of the vehicle 1, the intake manifold 16 of the engine 10, the PCU 20, the PCU terminal block 24, and the toe board cross member 6 of the toe board 5 are arranged in this order from the front in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 (X direction in the drawing). That is, in a front view seen from the front of the vehicle 1, the intake manifold 16, the PCU 20, the PCU terminal block 24, and the toe board cross member 6 are arranged so that, from the front, they overlap in part or in whole within a projection plane along the fore-and-aft direction (see FIG. 5).

[0025] The intake manifold 16, the PCU 20, and the PCU terminal block 24 are arranged so as to fit within the outline of the engine 10 in a plan view (top view) as seen from above. The engine 10 is arranged with respect to the toeboard cross member 6 so that both side ends and parts of the upper end in the left-right direction in the vehicle width direction (Y direction in the figure) and the up-down direction in the vehicle vertical direction (Z direction in the figure) overlap within a projection plane along the front-rear direction (see FIG. 5).

[0026] Due to such a layout configuration of the engine room 2 provided at the front of the vehicle 1, the power control unit mounting structure of the vehicle 1 has the intake manifold 16 in front of the PCU 20, and the PCU terminal block 24 and the toeboard cross member 6 behind the PCU 20, so that when a collision load is input from the front during a frontal collision of the vehicle, the PCU 20 and the PCU terminal block 24 are not directly subjected to the collision load. Also, by providing a space behind the PCU 20, it is possible to ensure a mounting space for the PCU terminal block 24 and not to impede the backward movement of the engine 10 due to the PCU 20 during a frontal collision of the vehicle.

[0027] Furthermore, the power control unit mounting structure of the vehicle 1 is offset so that the intake manifold 16, the PCU 20, and the PCU terminal block 24 are shifted in the front-rear direction within the outline of the engine 10 as viewed from above. That is, the intake manifold 16, the PCU 20, and the PCU terminal block 24 are shifted in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 within the outline of the engine 10 as viewed from above. Therefore, in the front PCU mounting structure of the vehicle 1, the intake manifold 16, the PCU 20, and the PCU terminal block 24 are protected against input of a collision load from any of the front, diagonal, and side directions during a vehicle collision.

[0028] The intake manifold 16 has four intake pipes 19a, 19b, 19c, and 19d extending to the left and right in the vehicle width direction, which are stacked in the vertical direction and communicate with a central surge tank 18 where a throttle body is provided. At least the left and right intake pipes 19c and 19d of the intake manifold 16 are bent and extended rearward, and the intake manifold 16 has a U-shaped (open-box shaped) shape when viewed from above. That is, the intake manifold 16 has a shape in which the central surge tank 18 side is offset forward.

[0029] The PCU 20 is disposed on the upper portion of the engine 10 so that parts of both sides of the PCU 20 face two intake pipes 19c, 19d of the intake manifold 16 that is bent and extended toward the rear of the vehicle 1. Therefore, the front PCU mounting structure of the vehicle 1 can further protect the PCU 20 against input of a collision load from any direction, including the front, diagonally forward, or side, in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0030] Furthermore, the intake manifold 16 is offset so that one of the left and right ends, in this case the end of the right intake pipe 19a, 19c connected to the engine 10, is shifted forward. That is, the intake manifold 16 has a shape in which the ends of the left and right intake pipes 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d in the vehicle width direction are shifted in the front-rear direction.

[0031] Therefore, the front PCU mounting structure of the vehicle 1 has ample mounting space on the engine 10 rearward of the two right-hand intake pipes 19a, 19c of the intake manifold 16, and the center of the PCU 20 can be positioned on top of the engine 10 in an offset position shifted to the right of the central axis C perpendicular to the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) of the engine 10.

[0032] The PCU 20 is offset with its center shifted to either the left or right, here to the upper right side of the engine 10, with respect to the central axis C (see FIG. 2) of the engine 10 in the vehicle width direction, and the exhaust pipe 13 connected to an exhaust manifold 17 connected to the lower part of the engine 10 shown in FIG. 5 is offset with its center shifted to either the left or right, here to the lower left side of the engine 10 (note that in FIG. 5, the lower right side of the central axis C'). In other words, the PCU 20 and the exhaust pipe 13 are offset with respect to the central axes C, C' perpendicular to the vehicle width direction of the engine 10 so that they are shifted in opposite left and right directions.

[0033] As a result, the power control unit mounting structure of the vehicle 1 can increase the distance between the PCU 20 and the exhaust pipe 13 of the exhaust system, which is a heat source, and can suppress the thermal effect of the exhaust system on the PCU 20.

[0034] The PCU terminal block 24 is disposed at a position offset from the PCU 20 toward the central axis C of the engine 10, which is perpendicular to the vehicle width direction. This allows the power control unit mounting structure of the vehicle 1 to minimize the path (length) of the high-voltage cable 26 that electrically connects the motor generator 21 and the PCU terminal block 24. Also, by shortening the path of the high-voltage cable 26 that connects the PCU terminal block 24 to the motor generator 21, it is possible to reduce factors that cause the high-voltage cable 26 to break during a frontal collision of the vehicle.

[0035] The power control unit mounting structure of vehicle 1 described above provides space for mounting PCU 20 above vertically mounted engine 10 in engine compartment 2 of vehicle 1, which is a hybrid vehicle, thereby preventing high-voltage cables 25, 26 from breaking due to the engine 10 moving backward in the event of a forward collision, and preventing the engine from moving backward as expected by PCU 20.

[0036] Furthermore, since the PCU 20 is not disposed at the rear of the vehicle 1, the fuel tank 12 can be made larger, and the tank capacity can be increased.

[0037] The invention described in the above embodiments is not limited to those embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, each of the above embodiments includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed constituent elements.

[0038] For example, if some of the constituent elements shown in each form are deleted, and the stated problem can be solved and the stated effect can be obtained, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1. Vehicle 2. Engine room 3...Side frame 4...Front cross member 5. Toe board 6...Toeboard cross member 10…Engine 11...Transmission 12. Fuel tank 13...Exhaust pipe 14…Pre-silencer 15…Main silencer 16…Intake manifold 17...Exhaust manifold 18…Surge tank 19a~19d…Intake pipe 21...Motor generator 22…Drive battery 23…Auxiliary battery 24…PCU terminal block 25,26…High voltage cables C,C´…center axis

Claims

1. A vertical engine mounted in an engine room at the front of a vehicle, An intake manifold disposed on the vertical engine and having intake pipes extending in the left-right direction in the vehicle width direction, A power control unit disposed on the vertical engine and connected to a high-voltage cable to control the power of a drive motor from a drive battery, A turbo board cross member provided on a turbo board that partitions the engine room and the passenger compartment, Comprising, The turbo board cross member is provided with a space behind the power control unit, The intake manifold and the power control unit are disposed within the contour of the vertical engine in a top view of the vehicle, The intake manifold is disposed in front of the power control unit, and both side portions of the intake pipes extend rearward and are disposed so as to face both side surfaces of the power control unit. A power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle, characterized in that.

2. The power control unit is offset in a direction opposite to either the left or right direction from a central axis orthogonal to the vehicle width direction of the vertical engine below the vertical engine with respect to an exhaust pipe offset in either the left or right direction from the central axis. The power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. One of the intake pipes in the left-right direction of the intake manifold is offset by being shifted forward, The power control unit is disposed behind the intake pipe offset forward. The power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that.

4. A power control unit terminal block disposed in the space on the vertical engine, connected to the high-voltage cable, and offset in a direction shifted toward the central axis side orthogonal to the vehicle width direction of the vertical engine with respect to the power control unit. The power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided.

5. The power control unit mounting structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the intake manifold, the power control unit, and the turbo cross member are arranged such that at least a part thereof overlaps within a projection plane along the front-rear direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle body.

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