Engine compartment mounting structure

Abstract

To obtain an engine compartment mounted structure which can efficiently secure a space for routing a charging cable in an engine compartment.SOLUTION: An engine compartment mounted structure 10 includes: an engine 20 mounted in an engine compartment 14 of a vehicle 12; a charger 26 mounted on the vehicle upper side of a transaxle 22 mounted in the engine compartment 14 and arranged side by side with the engine 20 in a vehicle width direction in a plan view; and a charging cable 30 arranged from the charger 26 to a charging port 28 for external power supply connection provided on an outer plate of the vehicle 12; and a charging cable 30 arranged between the engine 20 and the charger 26 through a space S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine room mounting structure.

Background Art

[0002] A hybrid vehicle in which a charging cable for supplying electric power from an external power source to a battery (charger) provided at the rear of the vehicle is mounted in an engine room where an engine at the front of the vehicle is mounted has been conventionally known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV vehicle) that can be charged, since there are many components mounted in the engine room, such as an engine and a transaxle, it is difficult to efficiently secure a space for routing a charging cable in the engine room.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain an engine room mounting structure that can efficiently secure a space for routing a charging cable in the engine room.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the engine room mounting structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises an engine mounted in the engine room of a vehicle, a charger mounted on the vehicle's upper side of the transaxle mounted in the engine room and aligned with the engine in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, and a charging cable routed from the charger to a charging port for connecting to an external power source provided on the outer panel of the vehicle, wherein the charging cable is routed through the space between the engine and the charger.

[0007] According to the first embodiment of the invention, a charger is mounted in the engine compartment, and a charging cable connecting the charger to a charging port for connecting to an external power source is routed through the space between the engine and the charger. In this way, even when the charger is mounted in the engine compartment, space for routing the charging cable is efficiently secured within the engine compartment.

[0008] Furthermore, the engine room mounting structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the engine room mounting structure according to the first embodiment, wherein the charging cable exits from the side of the charger facing the engine in the vehicle width direction and is routed toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0009] According to the second embodiment of the invention, the charging cable exits from the side of the charger facing the engine in the vehicle width direction and is routed towards the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, even if there is no space on the front, rear, or top of the vehicle side of the charger, the charger can be mounted in the engine compartment.

[0010] Furthermore, a third embodiment of the engine room mounting structure according to the present invention is the engine room mounting structure according to the second embodiment, wherein the charging cable, which exits from the side of the charger facing the engine in the vehicle width direction and is routed toward the rear of the vehicle, is fixed to the dash panel in a bent state.

[0011] According to the third embodiment of the invention, the charging cable, which exits from the side of the charger facing the engine in the vehicle width direction and is routed toward the rear of the vehicle, is fixed to the dashboard panel in a flexed state. Therefore, compared to the case where the charging cable is fixed to the dashboard panel without being flexed, the charging cable is less affected by engine vibrations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] As described above, according to the present invention, space for routing charging cables can be efficiently secured within the engine compartment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view illustrating the engine room mounting structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic plan view showing an enlarged view of the engine room mounting structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged view of the engine room mounting structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic side view showing an enlarged view of the engine room mounting structure according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of explanation, in each figure, the arrow UP will indicate the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR will indicate the forward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow RH will indicate the rightward direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions of up, down, front, back, and left and right will refer to the up, down, front, back, and left and right directions of the vehicle. Also, the left and right direction is synonymous with the vehicle width direction.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the engine room mounting structure 10 according to this embodiment includes an engine 20 mounted in the engine room 14 at the front of the vehicle 12, a transaxle 22 mounted in the engine room 14 alongside the engine 20 in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, a charger 26 mounted above the transaxle 22 and alongside the engine 20 in the vehicle width direction in a plan view, and a charging cable 30 routed from the charger 26 to a charging port 28 for connecting to an external power source provided on the outer panel of the vehicle 12.

[0016] The charging port 28 is located, for example, on the upper part of the left front fender (not shown) which is part of the outer body of the right-hand drive vehicle 12. A battery 32 (see Figure 1), which is charged via a charger 26, is mounted approximately in the center of the vehicle 12 in the front-to-rear direction. In other words, the vehicle 12 according to this embodiment is a rechargeable plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV).

[0017] The charger 26 is formed in the shape of a roughly rectangular box with a predetermined thickness (low height) (see Figure 3). The charger 26 is positioned with its longitudinal direction aligned with the front-to-back direction and is placed on the upper surface of the transaxle 22 via a support member (not shown). In this embodiment, the transaxle 22 is located to the left of the engine 20 within the engine compartment 14.

[0018] Furthermore, within the engine compartment 14, a radiator 24 (see Figures 2 and 4) and a cooling device (not shown) for cooling the charger 26 are located at the front of the engine 20 and transaxle 22 (charger 26) (the front end of the engine compartment 14). This cooling device and the charger 26 are connected by piping (not shown) through which refrigerant flows.

[0019] In addition, in the engine room 14, a cowl 16 extending in the vehicle width direction (refer to FIG. 4, omitted in FIG. 2) is arranged behind the engine 20 and the charger 26 in a plan view (the rear end in the engine room 14). The engine room 14 is covered from above by a substantially flat engine hood 13 (refer to FIG. 4). That is, an engine hood 13 extending in the front-rear direction and the vehicle width direction is arranged above the engine 20 and the charger 26.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a space S (a void which is a dead space), which is long in the front-rear direction and wider in width (length along the vehicle width direction) than the outer diameter of the charging cable 30, is formed between the upper part of the engine 20 and the charger 26 in a plan view (the portions facing each other in the vehicle width direction). The charging cable 30 in the present embodiment is routed through this space S.

[0021] Specifically, a connector 27 is provided at one end of the charging cable 30 whose other end is connected to the charging port 28, and the connector 27 is connected, for example, at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the charger 26 and at a portion away from the engine 20. Then, this charging cable 30 is routed out from the side of the charger 26 facing the engine 20 in the vehicle width direction and to the rear side.

[0022] That is, this charging cable 30 is drawn out from the connector 27 toward the engine 20 along the vehicle width direction, and then bent and routed to the rear side so as to pass through the space S. Then, the charging cable 30 routed through the space S to the rear side is bent and routed downward in front of the cowl 16.

[0023] Note that a part of the charging cable 30 bent downward is in a state of being bent with a certain amount of slack. And a middle part below the bent part of the charging cable 30 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "extra length part 30A") is fixed to the dash panel 18 by a fixture 19 such as a clip (refer to FIG. 2).

[0024] Here, the engine 20 and the transaxle 22 are supported by mounts (not shown) on a pair of front side members (not shown) on the left and right sides, and vibrations from the engine 20 are transmitted to the transaxle 22. Therefore, vibrations from the engine 20 are also transmitted to the charger 26 located above the transaxle 22.

[0025] However, as described above, the charging cable 30 extending from the charger 26 is partially bent (having an excess length portion 30A). Therefore, even if vibrations from the engine 20 are transmitted to the charger 26 via the transaxle 22, these vibrations can be absorbed by the portion of the charging cable 30.

[0026] In other words, even if the engine 20 vibrates (even if the charger 26 moves relative to the charging cable 30), the charging cable 30 is not affected. In this embodiment, the deflection (excess length portion 30A) of the charging cable 30 refers to the formation of, for example, a roughly arc-shaped loop (see Figure 4).

[0027] The operation of the engine room mounting structure 10 according to this embodiment, which has the configuration described above, will now be explained.

[0028] In the vehicle 12 of this embodiment, the transaxle 22 is miniaturized and its height is reduced, so the charger 26 is positioned above it. Therefore, compared to a PHEV vehicle (not shown) where the charger 26 is located at the rear of the vehicle, the length of the charging cable 30 connecting the charger 26 and the charging port 28 can be shortened, and the length of the piping connecting the charger 26 and the cooling system can also be shortened.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the radiator 24 is located in front of the charger 26 within the engine compartment 14, the cowl 16 is located behind the charger 26, and the engine hood 13 is located above the charger 26. Therefore, it is difficult to route the charging cable 30 from the charger 26 to the front, rear, or upward.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, the charging cable 30 is routed from the side of the charger 26 that faces the engine 20 in the vehicle width direction and towards the rear. In other words, in this embodiment, the charging cable 30 is routed through the space S (dead space) between the engine 20 and the charger 26.

[0031] Thus, even when the charger 26 is mounted inside the engine compartment 14, space S for routing the charging cable 30 can be efficiently secured within the engine compartment 14. In other words, even if there is no space to pull out the charging cable 30 from the front, rear, or top of the charger 26, the charger 26 can be mounted inside the engine compartment 14.

[0032] Furthermore, compared to routing the charging cable 30 from the charger 26 to the front, rear, or upward, the engine compartment 14 does not need to be made longer in the front-to-rear direction, nor does it need to be made taller in the vertical direction. As a result, the length in the front-to-rear direction and the height in the vertical direction of the front of the vehicle 12 can be reduced. In other words, the engine compartment mounting structure 10 according to this embodiment can also be made smaller in the front of the vehicle 12.

[0033] Furthermore, the charging cable 30, which is routed from the side of the charger 26 opposite the engine 20 in the vehicle width direction and towards the rear, is partially bent, and the portion below the bent portion (excess length 30A) is fixed to the dash panel 18. Therefore, compared to the case where the charging cable 30 is fixed to the dash panel 18 without being bent (with tension applied), the vibration of the engine 20 can be absorbed by a portion of the charging cable 30, and the effect of the engine 20's vibration on the charging cable 30 (for example, preventing the charging cable 30 from breaking) can be prevented.

[0034] The engine room mounting structure 10 according to this embodiment has been described above based on the drawings. However, the engine room mounting structure 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the illustrated version, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0035] For example, the charging port 28 may be located on the upper part of the right front fender (not shown) which is part of the outer body of the vehicle 12. In this case as well, the charging cable 30 is routed in the same manner as described above. Furthermore, since the space S is long in the front-to-back direction, the charging cable 30 can be routed even if, for example, the connector 27 is connected to the front end of the upper surface of the charger 26. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 10. Engine compartment mounting structure 12 vehicles 14. Engine Room 18. Dashboard 20 Engine 22 transaxle 26 Charger 28 Charging port 30 charging cables S Space

Claims

1. The engine mounted in the vehicle's engine compartment, A charger mounted on the vehicle's upper side of the transaxle, which is mounted in the engine compartment, and which is mounted in a plan view parallel to the engine in the vehicle width direction, A charging cable routed from the charger to a charging port for connecting to an external power source provided on the outer panel of the vehicle, Equipped with, The charging cable is routed through the space between the engine and the charger in an engine compartment-mounted structure.

2. The engine room mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the charging cable exits from the side of the charger facing the engine in the vehicle width direction and is routed toward the rear of the vehicle.

3. The engine room mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the charging cable, which exits from the side of the charger facing the engine in the vehicle width direction and is routed toward the rear of the vehicle, is fixed to the dash panel in a bent state.

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