vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technology for mounting a power converter in a vehicle with a load carrying platform with ease and without reducing loadage of the load carrying platform and usability.SOLUTION: In a vehicle 2 with a load carrying platform 10, a power conversion unit 30 is provided, in proximity to one side panel 18a, on a vehicle front side of one tire house 22a extending from the one side panel 18a on an outer side in a vehicle width direction of the load carrying platform 10 to an inner side in the vehicle width direction. The power conversion unit 30 can be provided by suppressing distortion of the shape of a floor surface 14 of the load carrying platform 10, utilizing the one tire house 22a extending in the vehicle inner direction of the load carrying platform 10 and a space on the front side thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a demand for electric vehicles with a cargo bed, such as pickup trucks, that are equipped with a power converter and driven by a motor. For example, a vehicle in which a power converter is provided in the center of the front of the cargo bed has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-213305 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In vehicles with a cargo bed or luggage compartment, it may be difficult to secure space for installing a power converter. It is therefore necessary to avoid a decrease in the load capacity of the cargo bed or a decrease in usability due to the power converter.

[0005] The present specification provides a technology for easily mounting a power converter on a vehicle equipped with a cargo bed without reducing the load capacity or usability of the cargo bed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle equipped with a cargo bed, and includes a power conversion unit disposed near one of the side panels on the vehicle front side of one of the tire housings that extends from one of the side panels on the outer side of the cargo bed in the vehicle width direction toward the inner side of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction.

[0007] According to this vehicle, the power converter is located on the front side of one of the wheel housings, adjacent to the side panel from which the wheel housing protrudes. By utilizing the wheel housing that protrudes toward the inside of the loading platform and the space in front of it, the power converter can be installed without causing distortion to the shape of the floor surface of the loading platform. This allows the power converter to be easily installed on the vehicle without significantly reducing the loading capacity or usability of the loading platform. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a view of a vehicle bed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a view of the loading platform shown in FIG. 1 as seen from diagonally rearward of the vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the loading platform shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above the vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a vehicle bed of another embodiment of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle equipped with a loading platform, and includes a power converter disposed adjacent to one of the side panels on the vehicle front side of one of the wheel housings that extends inward in the vehicle width direction from one of the side panels on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the loading platform.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the power conversion unit may be provided in contact with at least a portion of the front wall of one of the wheel housings on the vehicle front side, thereby making the front of the wheel housing more effective and preventing distortion of the shape of the floor surface of the cargo bed.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the power converter may be provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the inner edge of one of the wheel housings that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction, thereby making effective use of the cargo bed to mount the power converter while preventing the shape of the cargo bed floor surface from becoming distorted.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the power converter may be provided in contact with at least a portion of the front wall portion of one of the tire housings on the vehicle front side, at least a portion of one of the side panels, and a header panel disposed on the vehicle front side of the loading platform. This prevents the shape of the floor surface of the loading platform from becoming distorted, and allows the power converter to be mounted by effectively utilizing the space between the vehicle front side of one of the tire housings and the header panel of the loading platform.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a power supply unit accommodating an on-board charger and a converter may be provided on the vehicle front side of the other tire housing that extends inward in the vehicle width direction from the other side panel on the outer side of the cargo bed in the vehicle width direction, in close proximity to the other side panel. This prevents the shape of the cargo bed floor from becoming distorted, and allows the on-board charger and the boost converter to be mounted in the cargo bed while suppressing a decrease in the cargo bed's load capacity and usability.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, wiring may be provided along at least a portion of the header panel to connect the power converter to a battery mounted in the vehicle, thereby preventing the shape of the cargo bed floor from becoming distorted and shortening the length of wiring to a battery mounted, for example, at the front of the cargo bed.

[0015] Hereinafter, the vehicle disclosed in this specification will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the vehicle illustrated in the drawings is merely one embodiment of the vehicle disclosed in this specification.

[0016] In this specification, the terms "front," "rear," and "front-rear direction" refer to the respective front, rear, and front-rear directions of a vehicle. Similarly, the terms "left," "right," and "width direction" refer to the respective left, right, and width directions of a vehicle, and the terms "up," "down," and "height direction" refer to the respective up, down, and height directions of a vehicle.

[0017] In the drawings, the direction FR indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the direction RR indicates the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the direction LH indicates the left in the width direction of the vehicle, the direction RH indicates the right in the width direction of the vehicle, the direction UP indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the direction DW indicates the downward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0018] In this specification, the term "vehicle" refers to a so-called electric vehicle, and may include battery vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and solar cars. A vehicle is typically an automobile. A loading platform includes not only a platform without a roof, but also a platform with a roof that is part of the passenger compartment. Vehicles with a loading platform are not limited to pickup trucks, as described below, but also include general trucks, freight vehicles, SUVs, and the like, that have loading platforms.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a rear view of the cargo bed 10 of a vehicle 2, which is a pickup truck, FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the cargo bed 10 seen diagonally from the rear, FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the cargo bed, and FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 2 has a passenger compartment 4 in the front and a cargo bed 10 behind it. The vehicle 2 is a so-called BEV, and has a battery (not shown) extending below the passenger compartment 4 in front of the cargo bed 10. The battery is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the loading platform 10 is made up of a floor panel 12, a header panel 16, side panels 18a and 18b disposed on the left and right sides in the width direction, and a gate 20.

[0022] The floor panel 12 is a panel that constitutes the floor surface 14. The header panel 16 is disposed at the front of the vehicle so as to be integrated with or abut against the rear panel of the passenger compartment 4, and defines the front end of the cargo bed 10. The side panels 18a, 18b are disposed on the left and right in the width direction, and define the left and right ends of the cargo bed 10. The gate 20 is disposed at the rear end of the cargo bed 10, engages with the floor panel 12, and is configured to be able to open rearward using its lower edge as a base.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the side panels 18a, 18b are provided with tire housings 22a, 22b. The tire housings 22a, 22b are part of the rear fenders of the vehicle 2 and accommodate the upper parts of the rear tires. The tire housings 22a, 22b bulge outward inward and upward in the width direction of the cargo bed 10. The tire housings 22a, 22b shown in Figure 1 etc. are formed into a curved shape overall, but this is not limited to this.

[0024] 2 and 4, the tire housings 22a, 22b are arranged such that their front wall portions 23a, 23b, which are their front portions, are spaced apart from the header panel 16. Note that portions of the front wall portions 23a, 23b may reach the header panel 16. The tire housings 22a, 22b are arranged facing each other in the width direction, and the opposing surfaces have inner edges 24a, 24b that define the inner sides in the width direction. The inner edges 24a, 24b include the innermost portions of the tire housings 22a, 22b that protrude most inward in the width direction.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a power conversion unit 30 that houses a power converter is provided on the vehicle front side of the tire housing 22a. The power converter is a so-called inverter, which is an electrical device that converts DC current or AC current into a predetermined AC current or DC current as needed. The power conversion unit 30 includes the power conversion device within a housing, and may also include a connection device to a battery or the like.

[0026] 2 and 3, the power conversion unit 30 is disposed in contact with the side panel 18a between the header panel 16 and the front wall portion 23a that constitutes the front side of the tire housing 22a in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The power conversion unit 30 is disposed in contact with the floor panel 12 and the front wall portion 23a that are in contact with the front portions of the vehicle, and in contact with the header panel 16.

[0027] Furthermore, the power conversion unit 30 is disposed on the outer side in the width direction, i.e., close to the side panel 18a, so as not to exceed the inner edge 24a on the inner side of the width direction of the tire housing 22a. More specifically, the power conversion unit 30 has an inner wall 30a that is parallel to the side panel 18a at the innermost portion of the inner edge 24a of the tire housing 22a. The height of the power conversion unit 30 is formed within a range that does not exceed the height of the side panel 18a.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a power supply unit 40 is provided on the front side of the wheel housing 22b. The power supply unit 40 includes, for example, an on-board charger, a charge control ECU, a converter, and the like within a housing. The on-board charger is, for example, an AC charger, and the converter is, for example, a DC-DC converter. The power supply unit 40 may also include a connection device for connecting to a battery, etc.

[0029] 2 and 3, power supply unit 40 is disposed in contact with side panel 18b between front wall portion 23b, which forms the front of tire housing 22b in the vehicle front-to-rear direction, and header panel 16. Power supply unit 40 is also disposed in contact with floor panel 12 and header panel 16, in contact with the vehicle front portions of front wall portion 23b.

[0030] Furthermore, the power supply unit 40 is disposed on the outer side in the width direction, i.e., close to the side panel 18b side, so as not to extend beyond the inner edge 24b on the inner side in the width direction of the tire housing 22b. More specifically, Power supply unit 4 The power supply unit 40 has an inner wall 40a that is parallel to the side panel 18b at the innermost portion of the inner edge 24b of the tire housing 22b. The height of the power supply unit 40 is formed within a range that does not exceed the height of the side panel 18b.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cargo bed 10 is provided with a wiring path 50 that accommodates wiring. The wiring path 50 is arranged along the lower edge of the header panel 16 between the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40. The wiring is for connecting the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the wiring path 50 may be a cover connected to the header panel 16, the floor panel 12, the housing of the power conversion unit 30, the housing of the power supply unit 40, etc., or may be a cylindrical body having a space for accommodating the wiring. Note that a hole is provided in a part of the cargo bed 10 for connecting the wiring that passes through the wiring path 50 to the battery.

[0032] Next, the operation of the cargo bed 10 having such a mounting structure will be described. The cargo bed 10 is equipped with the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40, both of which are disposed on the front side of the tire housings 22a, 22b and in close proximity to the side panels 18a, 18b. In other words, by effectively utilizing the front sides of the tire housings 22a, 22b that are close to the header panel 16, the cargo bed 10 can be used without significantly distorting the shape of the floor surface 14 of the cargo bed 10. Therefore, the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 can be mounted on the vehicle 2 without significantly reducing the load capacity of the cargo bed 10 or reducing the ease of use of the cargo bed 10 for the user.

[0033] Furthermore, since the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 are both positioned so as not to extend beyond the inner edges 24a, 24b, the loading capacity and usability of the loading platform 10 are maintained.

[0034] Furthermore, since the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 are provided so as to be in contact with the front wall portions 23a, 23b of the tire housings 22a, 22b, the power conversion unit 30 and / or the power supply unit 40 can be placed even if the space between the tire housings 22a, 22b and the header panel 16 is narrow.

[0035] Furthermore, since the wiring path 50 that accommodates the wiring connecting these units 30, 40 is arranged along the lower edge of the header panel 16, even if the wiring is provided on the cargo bed 10, it is possible to avoid distorting the shape of the floor surface 14 of the cargo bed 10, reducing the loading capacity of the cargo bed 10, and reducing the usability of the cargo bed 10 for the user.

[0036] Furthermore, by mounting the power conversion unit 30 and / or power supply unit 40 on the loading platform 10 in this manner, corrosion due to impacts from the ground or moisture adhesion can be essentially avoided compared to mounting these units 30, 40 under the floor, and protective covers for avoiding these can be omitted.

[0037] Furthermore, by mounting the power conversion unit 30 and / or the power supply unit 40 on the loading platform 10, it is possible to prevent electrical equipment such as the power converter from interfering with strength members such as shafts and being damaged in the event of a side collision. Therefore, it is possible to omit collision countermeasures to prevent such interference.

[0038] Furthermore, by locating the power conversion unit 30 and / or the power supply unit 40 on the cargo bed 10 and in front of the rear tires, the load input to these units in the event of a rear collision can be significantly reduced. Also, in the event of a side collision, since there are no parts that interfere in the left-right direction, input of load to these units 30, 40 via parts can be avoided.

[0039] Furthermore, by mounting the power conversion unit 30 and / or the power supply unit 40 on the cargo bed 10 in this manner, when the battery is positioned in the front part of the cargo bed 10 and / or further forward than the cargo bed 10, it is advantageous in that the wiring between the power conversion unit 30 and / or the power supply unit 40 and the battery can be shortened.

[0040] In the above embodiment, a pickup truck has been described as an example of the vehicle 2 equipped with the cargo bed 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle may be equipped with a cargo bed (luggage compartment) that is continuous with the rear of the passenger compartment 4. In this case, the header panel 16 may not be provided on the front side of the cargo bed 10, or a separate element may be provided in place of the header panel 16.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the vehicle is described as including a power conversion unit 30 and a power supply unit 40, but this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is sufficient if at least the power conversion unit 32 is provided on the cargo bed 10 in the above configuration. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the power supply unit 40 is provided separately from the power conversion unit 30, but this is not limiting. For example, the power conversion unit 32 shown in FIG. 5 may include, within its housing, an on-board charger, which is an element of the power supply unit 40, as well as a charge control ECU, a converter, and the like.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 are provided so as to be in contact with the front wall portions 23a, 23b of the wheel housings 22a, 22b, but this is not limited to this, and the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 do not have to be in contact with the front wall portions 23a, 23b.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 are arranged outside in the width direction without exceeding the inner edges 24a, 24b of the wheel wells 22a, 22b, but this is not limited to this. Even if the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 extend beyond the inner edges 24a, 24b, it may be possible to design an arrangement pattern for the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 without distorting the shape of the floor surface 14 of the cargo bed 10.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the power conversion unit 30 and the power supply unit 40 do not exceed the height of the side panels 18a, 18b, but in some cases, they may be made to have a height approximately equal to that of the wheel housings 22a, 22b, for example.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the wiring path 50 is provided in contact with the floor surface 14 over substantially the entire width of the header panel 16, but this is not limited to this. The wiring path 50 may be provided within a necessary range in relation to the battery and the like installed in the vehicle 2.

[0046] This specification may include the following configurations. [1] A vehicle equipped with a loading platform, The vehicle is provided with a power conversion unit on the loading platform, on the vehicle front side of one of the wheel housings that extends from one of the side panels on the outer side of the loading platform in the vehicle width direction to the inner side of the vehicle width direction, and in close proximity to at least the one of the side panels. [2] The vehicle described in [1], wherein the power conversion unit is provided in contact with at least a portion of the front wall portion of the one wheel housing on the vehicle front side. [3] A vehicle as described in [1] or [2], in which the power conversion unit is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the inner edge of one of the wheel housings that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction. [4] A vehicle described in any one of [1] to [3], wherein the power conversion unit is provided in contact with at least a portion of the front wall portion of the one of the tire housings on the vehicle front side, at least a portion of the one of the side panels, and a header panel arranged on the vehicle front side of the loading platform. [5] A vehicle described in any one of [1] to [4], in which a power supply unit accommodating an on-board charger and a converter is provided on the vehicle front side of the other tire housing that extends from the other side panel on the outer side of the vehicle width direction of the loading platform to the inner side of the vehicle width direction, at least in close proximity to the other side panel. [6] A vehicle as described in any one of claims [1] to [5], comprising wiring connecting the power conversion unit and a battery mounted on the vehicle along at least a portion of a header panel arranged on the front side of the loading platform.

[0047] Although several specific examples have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 2: vehicle, 4: passenger compartment, 10: loading platform, 12: floor panel, 14: floor surface, 16: header panel, 18a, 18b: side panel, 20: gate, 22a, 22b: wheel housing, 23a, 23b: front wall, 24a, 24b: inner edge, 30, 32: power conversion unit, 40: power supply unit, 50: wiring path

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with a loading platform, a power conversion unit disposed on a vehicle front side of one wheel housing that protrudes from one side panel of the loading platform on an outer side in the vehicle width direction toward an inner side in the vehicle width direction; a power supply unit that houses an on-board charger and a converter and is disposed on a vehicle front side of another tire housing that protrudes from the other side panel of the loading platform on the outer side in the vehicle width direction toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction; With, the power conversion unit is in contact with at least a portion of a front wall portion of the one wheel housing on the vehicle front side, at least a portion of the one side panel, and a header panel arranged on the vehicle front side of the loading platform, and is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of an inner edge of the one wheel housing that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction, The power supply unit abuts against at least a portion of the front wall portion of the other tire housing on the vehicle front side, at least a portion of the other side panel, and a header panel arranged on the vehicle front side of the loading platform, and is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the inner edge of the other tire housing that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising wiring extending along at least a portion of the header panel, the wiring connecting the power conversion unit to a battery mounted on the vehicle.

Images