vehicle

Abstract

To inhibit or avoid interference between an accessory and a high voltage component and protect the accessory and the high voltage component during a collision of a vehicle etc.SOLUTION: A vehicle includes a component housing body which may be fitted in a recessed part on a rear floor or a front floor of the vehicle. The component housing body includes: a first housing part which is used to house an accessory and has a first cavity formed at the end side in an anteroposterior direction of the vehicle; a second housing part which is used to house a high voltage component, has a second cavity which is open toward a bottom part of the recessed part so as to house the high voltage component fixed to the bottom part, and is disposed closer to the center side than the first housing part in the anteroposterior direction of the vehicle. The component housing body further includes: one or more fragile parts arranged along a width direction of the vehicle between the first housing part and the second housing part; and an inclined surface which faces the side of the high voltage component housed in the second cavity and is located closer to the high voltage component in a direction toward the upper side of the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] In electric vehicles, various high-voltage components are mounted. For example, high-voltage components such as an AC100V inverter may be mounted on the rear floor. Equipment such as a jack used for repairing a flat tire may also be mounted on the rear floor at the same time. In this case, when the vehicle is collided from the rear, there is a concern that high-rigidity components such as a jack may strongly interfere with the high-voltage components and damage the high-voltage components. Here, "high voltage" means a DC voltage exceeding 60 volts or an operating voltage exceeding 30 volts (effective value), and "high-voltage component" widely means a component that operates at such an operating voltage.

[0003] In order to suppress or avoid such interference, technologies have been disclosed in which high-voltage components and equipment are separated and housed in different housing forms, and during a collision, the equipment is moved in a direction so as not to interfere with the high-voltage components (Patent Document 1). In this structure, while the high-voltage components are fixed to the rear cross member of the vehicle body or the like, the equipment is placed on a deformation member that deforms by a collision on the rear side of the high-voltage components. And during a collision, the equipment is configured to jump above the height of the high-voltage components by the deformation member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not reliably restrict the direction of movement of the equipment during a collision. As a result, there was a risk that the equipment might fly out of its storage location, which could lead to damage to the equipment.

[0006] The technology disclosed herein protects equipment and high-voltage components while suppressing or avoiding interference between the equipment and high-voltage components during vehicle collisions and other events. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This specification discloses a vehicle. The vehicle comprises a component housing that can be fitted into a recessed portion in the rear floor or front floor of the vehicle. The component housing comprises a housing for housing equipment, having a first housing portion having a first cavity formed at the end in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a housing portion for housing high-voltage components, having a second housing portion having a second cavity fixed to the bottom of the recessed portion and opening to the bottom to accommodate the high-voltage components, and being positioned closer to the center of the first housing portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, the component housing comprises one or more vulnerable portions along the width direction of the vehicle between the first housing portion and the second housing portion, and an inclined surface facing the side of the high-voltage component housed in the second cavity and inclined so as it moves upward toward the high-voltage component.

[0008] In the vehicle disclosed herein, the component housing can simultaneously house equipment and high-voltage components. Furthermore, the component housing includes one or more vulnerable sections along the width direction of the vehicle between the first housing section and the second housing section, and an inclined surface that faces the side of the high-voltage component housed in the second cavity and slopes so as it moves upward toward the high-voltage component, so that when an impact is applied from the end side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the first housing section containing the equipment is guided diagonally upward toward the center side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. That is, the vulnerable sections separate the first housing section and the second housing section, and the inclined surface guides the portion including the separated first housing section diagonally upward toward the second housing section.

[0009] Since the separated portion, including the first housing containing the equipment, is guided diagonally upward toward the second housing while housed in the first housing, strong interference between the equipment and high-voltage components is suppressed or avoided. Furthermore, since the equipment is guided while housed in the first housing, damage to the equipment is also suppressed or avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the function of a component housing in the rear floor of a vehicle. [Figure 2] This diagram combines a left side view (a) and a top view (b) of the component housing shown in Figure 1, both in the vehicle width direction. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes an embodiment of this technology, specifically a component storage structure in the rear floor of a vehicle, with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The vehicle described in the following drawings is an electric vehicle equipped with a rear baggage space at the rear of the vehicle. In the drawings, direction FR indicates the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and direction RR indicates the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Direction LH indicates the left side in the width direction of the vehicle, and direction RH indicates the right side in the width direction of the vehicle. Direction UP indicates the upper side in the downward direction of the vehicle, and direction DW indicates the lower side in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In this specification, the longitudinal direction, width direction, and vertical direction of the vehicle may be simply referred to as the longitudinal direction, width direction, and vertical direction, respectively. In this specification, the front and rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the left and right sides in the width direction of the vehicle, and the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction of the vehicle may be simply referred to as the front and rear, left and right, and upper and lower, respectively.

[0012] Figure 1 shows a diagram combining a left side view of the parts storage tray 20 and a diagram of its operation, and Figure 2 shows a diagram combining a left side view (a) of the parts storage tray 20 and a plan view (b).

[0013] Figure 2(a) shows a recessed portion 12 of a rear floor pan 10 formed by opening the rear floor panel of the vehicle upwards. The recessed portion 12 is formed, for example, under the floorboard of the luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle. The recessed portion 12 is an example of a recessed portion as described herein. A parts storage tray 20 is housed in the recessed portion 12, and is designed to hold and store a jack 40 and an AC100V inverter (hereinafter also simply referred to as an inverter) 60 together.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the parts storage tray 20 has an external shape that can be fitted into the recessed portion 12. The upper surface of the parts storage tray 20 is formed to be substantially flat, at the same height as the opening of the recessed portion 12. The entire parts storage tray 20 is made of a porous material, such as foam. Typically, it is a foamed resin molded body obtained by foaming polypropylene beads into a predetermined shape. The parts storage tray 20 is an example of a parts storage body as described herein.

[0015] The parts storage tray 20 includes a first storage section 42 located towards the rear for accommodating a jack 40, which is a piece of equipment mounted on the vehicle. The first storage section 42 includes a cavity 43 that extends in the vehicle width direction so as to accommodate the jack 40 along its longitudinal direction, parallel to the vehicle width direction. The cavity 43 is an example of a first cavity as described herein. The cavity 43 is formed as a concave portion, large enough to accommodate the jack 40, and has an opening 44 at its top. The opening 44 has an opening shape that allows the jack 40 to be inserted and removed. Because the cavity 43, including the opening 44, is concave, it is possible to suppress or avoid the jack 40 flying out of the first storage section 42 even in the event of a rear collision. Furthermore, as a measure to further suppress and prevent the jack 40 from flying out, a cover 46 may be fitted over the opening 44. The cover 46 may be made of the same material as the parts storage tray 20.

[0016] The component storage tray 20 includes a second storage section 62 located towards the front, that is, forward of the first storage section 42, which has a cavity 63 for housing the inverter 60. The cavity 63 is an example of the second cavity as described herein. The inverter 60 is a high-voltage component that converts the voltage from a battery mounted in the vehicle into AC 100V so that it can be used as household power. The inverter 60 is provided with a suitable casing and is configured to dissipate the heat generated during operation. For this reason, the inverter 60 is fixed to the bottom of the recessed section 12 either directly or in close proximity to the recessed section 12, either directly or in unity with other high-voltage components.

[0017] Cavity 6Section 3 is formed as a downwardly opening recessed portion so as to cover at least the rear and upper sides of the inverter 60, which is fixed directly or in close proximity to the bottom of the recessed portion 12. In other words, the lower front side of the component storage tray 20 is largely missing so as to form a cavity large enough to accommodate the inverter 60 between it and the recessed portion 12. For this reason, the second storage portion 62 is provided with a flange-like portion 64 that protrudes forward from the first storage portion 42 side for accommodating the inverter 60 in the recessed portion 12. The front end edge of the flange-like portion 64 extends to reach the front end edge of the inverter 60 and cover the entire upper part of the inverter 60.

[0018] The space between the first storage section 42 and the second storage section 62 of the parts storage tray 20 functions as a connecting section 48. The connecting section 48 is part of the parts storage tray 20 and is interposed between the first storage section 42 and the second storage section 62. The connecting section 48 integrates the first storage section 42 and the second storage section 62, while separating the jack 40 housed in the first storage section 42 and the inverter 60 housed in the second storage section 62, thus avoiding interference between them.

[0019] As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), the connecting portion 48 between the first housing section 42 and the second housing section 62 has a weak portion 70 along the width direction. The weak portion 70 is formed to be the thinnest in the entire component housing tray 20 so that it is the point where stress is most likely to concentrate. As a result, when an impact is applied from the rear, the component housing tray 20 will break along the weak portion 70. In the configuration shown in Figure 2(a), the weak portion 70 is formed as a linear, thinnest portion along the width direction, substantially coinciding with the upper part of the rear end edge of the inverter 60 housed in the cavity 63.

[0020] Further, the flange-shaped portion 64 of the second housing portion 62 of the component housing tray 20 is formed to gradually increase in wall thickness from the formation site of the weak portion 70 to its front edge. That is, the flange-shaped portion 64 has a gentle inclined surface 66 that slopes downward from the weak portion 70 toward the front edge of the inverter 60 on the cavity 63 side. The degree of the inclination is appropriately determined by the thickness of the component housing tray 20, the wall thickness at the weak portion 70, the size of the inverter 60, and the like. By doing so, the weak portion 70 can be easily formed, and the weight of the component housing tray 20 can be reduced. At the same time, the heat dissipation during the accommodation of the inverter 60 can be promoted.

[0021] Further, the component housing tray 20 is formed such that the portion facing the surface of the inverter 60 housed in the cavity 63 and directed rearward gradually approaches the inverter 60 as it goes upward. That is, the portion facing the inverter 60 has an inclined surface 68 that gradually approaches the inverter 60 from the rear lower edge 67 of the cavity 63 toward the weak portion 70. The rear lower edge 67 is formed across the entire width direction along the rear edge of the inverter 60 housed in the cavity 63.

[0022] The degree of inclination of the inclined surface 68 is appropriately determined by the thickness of the component housing tray 20, the wall thickness at the weak portion 70, the size of the inverter 60, and the degree of compression of the concave portion 12 due to an impact from the rear. By doing so, when an impact is applied to the component housing tray 20 from the rear and the concave portion 12 is compressed from the rear, even if the tray 20 breaks at the weak portion 70, the portion including the first housing portion 42 and the connecting portion 48 will be guided obliquely upward in the front by this inclined surface 68.

[0023] Further, by forming the weak portion 70, the inclined surface 66, and the inclined surface 68 as described above, the cavity 63 is in a state of being cut out so that the upper part along the rear edge of the accommodated inverter 60 becomes the deepest valley portion.

[0024] Thus, the component storage tray 20 accommodates the jack 40 and the inverter 60 simultaneously and collectively. In the accommodation structure by this component storage tray 20, the jack 40 and the inverter 60 are each protected by the foam that constitutes the component storage tray 20, and the jack 40 and the inverter 60 can be separated from each other by the connecting portion 48 to form a state in which interference is avoided and they are accommodated.

[0025] Next, referring to FIG. 1, the operation when an impact is applied from the rear to the vehicle equipped with the component storage tray 20 will be described. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the jack 40 is accommodated in the first accommodation portion 42 of the component storage tray 20 and the inverter 60 is accommodated in the second accommodation portion 62 in the concave portion 12 of the rear floor of the vehicle.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, when an impact is applied from the rear of the vehicle due to a rear collision or the like to the vehicle, the concave portion 12 is compressed and deformed. When an external force is applied to the component storage tray 20 from the rear due to the impact from the rear and the compression deformation of the concave portion 12, the component storage tray 20 breaks along the vulnerable portion 70 with the vulnerable portion 70 serving as the base of the breakage and is separated into the first accommodation portion 42 and the second accommodation portion 62. Further, the portion including the broken first accommodation portion 42 is guided obliquely upward in the front even when it hits the inverter 60 by the inclined surface 68.

[0027] Even in the breakage of the component storage tray 20 and the movement obliquely upward in the front of the broken portion including the first accommodation portion 42, the jack 40 is held by the concave cavity 43 or the like of the first accommodation portion 42 and the whole is protected by the foam that constitutes the component storage tray 20. Therefore, even if the first accommodation portion 42 hits the inverter 60, it is avoided that a large impact is given to the inverter 60.

[0028] From the above, by using the component storage tray 20, in-vehicle equipment such as the jack 40 can suppress or avoid interference with high-voltage components such as the inverter 60 even during a rear collision of the vehicle.

[0029] Furthermore, by using this component storage tray 20, protectors for high-voltage components such as the inverter 60 can be suppressed or omitted, thereby reducing the cost and volume required for housing high-voltage components. In addition, high-voltage components can be housed in locations suitable for heat dissipation, such as the rear floor.

[0030] Even long components such as the Jack 40 can be stored in the rear floor or other areas along their length and width, allowing for efficient storage and a safer, larger cargo space. Furthermore, by storing long components in the length direction, the impact of collisions towards the center of the vehicle in the front-to-rear direction, such as towards the passenger seats, can be mitigated.

[0031] In the embodiments described above, the vehicle is an electric vehicle, but it is not limited to this. In addition to an electric vehicle equipped with a rechargeable battery and motor, the vehicle may also be a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine, a fuel cell vehicle, or an engine-powered vehicle.

[0032] In the above embodiments, the concave portion 12 was formed by bending the rear floor pan 10 of the rear floor panel, but it is not limited to this. Various forms can be taken as long as high-voltage components and equipment can be accommodated and interference during collisions is avoided. For example, the rear floor pan 10 may separately be provided with a concave storage tray corresponding to the concave portion 12.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the concave portion 12 is provided on the rear floor, and the parts storage tray 20 is also housed under the rear floor, but the invention is not limited to this. It can also be applied as a parts storage tray on the front floor of vehicles that have luggage space on the front floor, such as rear-engine vehicles. In this case as well, the same function as in the embodiment can be achieved by providing the first storage portion 42 for storing equipment on the front side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the second storage portion 62 for storing high-voltage components on the center side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0034] In the above embodiment, an AC100V inverter 60 was used as the high-voltage component, but it is not limited to this. For example, an air-cooled rear inverter or other high-voltage electrical components may be used.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the equipment is a jack 40, but it is not limited to this. For example, it may be a jack handle, a wheel nut trench, a tow hook, or a tire repair kit. A parts storage tray is useful when the equipment is a highly rigid part, such as one with metal parts.

[0036] In the embodiments described above, the fixing position of the inverter 60 in the concave portion 12 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it be fixed to a part of the floor panel that has high rigidity, such as the part where the rear cross member is horizontally mounted.

[0037] In the embodiments described above, the parts storage tray 20 comprises a first storage section 42 and a second storage section 62, but it may also include additional storage sections. Depending on the characteristics of the parts to be stored, the additional storage sections may also be configured in the same manner as the first or second storage section as described herein.

[0038] In the embodiments described above, the cavity 43 of the first storage section 42 is concave and opens upward, and is provided with a lid to close the opening, but it is not limited to this. Any configuration that allows for the removal and storage of equipment while suppressing it from flying out is acceptable. The opening 44 of the cavity 43 may open in either or both directions in the vehicle width direction, or it may open on the end side opposite to the second storage section in the vehicle front-rear direction. Alternatively, even if the opening 44 opens upward, the equipment can be prevented from flying out by providing a flange-like portion that protrudes inward from the opening edge of the opening 44 towards the inside of the cavity 43.

[0039] In the embodiments described above, the weak portion 70 is a valley-shaped, thinnest portion that extends along the entire width direction of the parts storage tray 20 on the first storage portion 42 side of the second storage portion 62, but it is not limited to this. It is not particularly limited as long as the first storage portion 42 and the second storage portion 62 can be fractured when impact is applied. For example, the weak portion 70 does not have to be a steep concave shape as in the embodiments, but may be a gentle concave shape. Also, even if it is not a valley shape, the weak portion 70 may be one or more intermittently present along the width direction. Each weak portion 70 may be a hole that penetrates the matrix such as foam of the parts storage tray 20.

[0040] Although embodiments of this technology have been described in detail above, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technologies described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 10 Rear floor pan, 12 Recessed section, 20 Parts storage tray, 40 Jack, 42 ​​First storage section, 43 Cavity, 44 Opening, 46 Cover, 48 Connecting section, 60 Inverter, 62 Second storage section, 63 Cavity, 64 Flange-shaped section, 66 Inclined surface, 67 Rear lower edge, 68 Inclined surface, 70 Weak section

Claims

[Claim 1] It is a vehicle, A component housing that can be fitted into a recessed portion in the rear or front floor of the aforementioned vehicle, Equipped with, The aforementioned component housing is A storage compartment for accommodating equipment, comprising a first storage compartment having a first cavity formed on the end side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, A housing for housing high-voltage components, having a second cavity that opens to the bottom of the concave portion to accommodate the high-voltage components fixed to the bottom of the concave portion, the second housing is positioned more centrally than the first housing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is integrally formed with respect to the first housing, Between the first housing and the second housing, there is a weak portion which is one or more thin portions along the width direction of the vehicle, Equipped with, The component housing has a first inclined surface that slopes upward toward the weak portion at the portion of the high-voltage component facing the rear side of the vehicle, and a second inclined surface that slopes downward toward the front edge of the high-voltage component from the weak portion at the portion facing above the high-voltage component, wherein the first and second inclined surfaces are configured such that when the concave portion of the component housing is compressed and deformed by an impact from the rear of the vehicle, the first housing and the second housing break at the weak portion, and the first housing is guided forward and upward by the first inclined surface.

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