Electric vehicles

Abstract

To inhibit exposure of a high voltage cable caused during a collision in an electric vehicle in which the high voltage cable is disposed in a passenger compartment.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle 100 includes: a high voltage cable 60 arranged in a passenger compartment; a console box 20 housing the high voltage cable 60; a console bracket 40 connecting the console box 20 with an upper surface 12A of a floor tunnel 12; and a metallic cover 30 which is disposed in the console box 20 and covers an upper part of the high voltage cable 60. The metallic cover 30 is rotatably attached to the console bracket 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure of an electric vehicle provided with a console box. [Background Art]

[0002] Vehicles provided with a console box for storing small items between front seats are in use (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-18085 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in recent years, battery electric vehicles (hereinafter referred to as BEVs), which travel by driving a motor with electric power from a battery charged by an external power source, have come into use. In such a BEV, a high-voltage cable connecting the battery and a high-voltage device may sometimes be arranged inside the vehicle compartment. In this case, it is required that the high-voltage cable is not exposed into the vehicle compartment when the vehicle compartment receives an impact force due to a collision or the like.

[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress exposure of a high-voltage cable into a vehicle compartment during a collision in an electric vehicle in which the high-voltage cable is arranged inside the vehicle compartment. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0006] The electric vehicle of the present disclosure includes a high-voltage cable arran cable ged inside a vehicle compartment, a console box that accommodates the high-voltage cable, a console bracket that connects the console box to an upper surface of a floor tunnel, and a metal cover arranged inside the console box and covering an upper portion of the high-voltage cable, wherein the metal cover is With one bolt The console bracket It is attached to the console bracket. In contrast Around the shaft of the aforementioned bolt Rotatable That is, It is characterized by the following:

[0007] In this way, the high-voltage cable is covered with a metal cover, preventing external forces from being applied to the high-voltage cable. Also, in the event of a collision in which the passenger compartment is subjected to a large impact force, the metal cover will protect the console bracket. Around the axis of one bolt Because it rotates, it suppresses the application of large impact forces to the metal cover, thus preventing the metal cover from breaking. This prevents the metal cover from breaking during a collision and exposing the high-voltage cables inside the vehicle. Furthermore, since the metal cover is bolted to the console bracket, it becomes impossible for occupants to remove the metal cover without using tools. This prevents occupants from accidentally touching the inverter and high-voltage cable connections or the high-voltage cables themselves.

[0008] In the electric vehicle of this disclosure, the console box comprises a main body attached to the upper surface of the floor tunnel via a console bracket located inside, and a cable cover located adjacent to the rear of the main body and housing the high-voltage cable inside, wherein the console bracket is box-shaped and houses an inverter inside, the high-voltage cable is connected to the rear end of the inverter and extends from the rear end of the inverter toward the rear of the vehicle above the floor tunnel, and the metal cover may be located inside the cable cover and cover above the connection between the inverter and the high-voltage cable and above the high-voltage cable.

[0009] In this way, the metal cover covers the connection point between the inverter and the high-voltage cable, as well as the high-voltage cable itself, preventing external forces from being applied to the connection point and the high-voltage cable. Furthermore, it prevents the connection point and the high-voltage cable from being exposed inside the vehicle during a collision. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] This disclosure makes it possible to suppress the exposure of high-voltage cables into the passenger compartment during a collision in an electric vehicle where high-voltage cables are located inside the passenger compartment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the passenger compartment of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the console box, console bracket, inverter, high-voltage cable, and metal cover. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged perspective view showing the fastening mechanism between the console bracket and the metal cover. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of section A shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the movement and deformation of the console bracket and metal cover in the event of a side collision involving an electric vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The electric vehicle 100 of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The electric vehicle 100 will be described as a BEV, but it may also be a hybrid vehicle that runs on an engine and a motor. As shown in Figure 1, the electric vehicle 100 includes a passenger compartment 10, a console box 20, a console bracket 40, an inverter 50, a metal cover 30, and a high-voltage cable 60. In each figure, FR, UP, and RH indicate the front, top, and right sides of the electric vehicle 100, respectively. The opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear, bottom, and left sides. Hereafter, when simply referring to the front / rear, left / right, and up / down directions, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the front / rear in the front-rear direction, the left / right in the left-right direction, and the up / down in the up / down direction of the electric vehicle 100.

[0015] The passenger compartment 10 comprises a floor panel 11, a floor tunnel 12, and a rear floor panel 13. The floor panel 11 is a plate member that constitutes the floor of the passenger compartment 10. The floor tunnel 12 is located in the center of the passenger compartment 10 in the vehicle width direction and is a portion that protrudes upward from the upper surface 11A of the floor panel 11. The floor tunnel 12 has a groove-shaped cross section that is open at the bottom and extends towards the rear of the vehicle from the dash panel (not shown) at the front of the passenger compartment to the front of the rear floor panel 13. The rear floor panel 13 is a pedestal-shaped portion that rises upward from the floor panel 11 behind the floor tunnel 12. The left and right front seats (not shown) are mounted on top of the floor panels 11 on both sides of the floor tunnel 12. The rear seats 15 are mounted above the rear floor panel 13. The area above the upper surface 11A of the floor panel 11, the area above the upper surface 12A of the floor tunnel 12, and the area above the upper surface 13A of the rear floor panel 13 constitute the interior of the vehicle.

[0016] A console box 20 is mounted on top of the floor tunnel 12. The console box 20 is an interior component that stores small items inside. The console box 20 consists of a main body 21, an end panel 25, and a cable cover 28. As will be explained later, the main body 21 is mounted on the upper surface 12A of the floor tunnel 12 via a console bracket 40 located inside. An inverter 50 is mounted inside the console bracket 40. A high-voltage cable 60 is connected to the inverter 50. The high-voltage cable 60 is housed inside the cable cover 28 and extends from the inverter 50 toward the rear of the vehicle. A floor trim 14 is also mounted between the cable cover 28 and the rear floor panel 13.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the console bracket 40 is made of metal and includes a housing portion 41, a lower bracket 42, and an upper bracket 43. The housing portion 41 has a rectangular box shape with open front and rear ends. An inverter 50 is attached to the bottom surface inside the housing portion 41. The lower bracket 42 is a leg portion attached to the lower surfaces of the front end and rear end of the housing portion 41 and extending downward. The lower bracket 42 is attached to the upper surface 12A of the floor tunnel 12 by a fastening member such as a bolt. The upper bracket 43 is attached to the upper surface of the housing portion 41. The upper bracket 43 includes a seat portion 44 to which the main body 21 of the console box 20 is fastened, and a tongue portion 46 to which the metal cover 30 is fastened. The seat portion 44 has an upwardly convex hat-shaped cross section, and a screw hole 45 is provided in the web. The tongue portion 46 is a plate member extending in a crank shape toward the vehicle rear at the center portion in the vehicle width direction of the seat portion 44. A bolt hole 47 is provided in the tongue portion 46. Further, a fixing nut 73 (see FIG. 4) is provided on the lower surface of the tongue portion 46 (see FIG. 4).

[0018] The inverter 50 attached to the housing portion 41 is provided with a connection terminal 51 at a rear end thereof. A connector 61 of a high-voltage cable 60 is connected to the connection terminal 51. The high-voltage cable 60 extends from the rear end of the inverter 50 above the floor tunnel 12 toward the vehicle rear. In this way, the high-voltage cable 60 is arranged in the vehicle compart cable ment. Here, the connection terminal 51 and the connector 61 constitute a connection portion between the inverter 50 and the high-voltage cable 60.

[0019] As described above, the console box 20 is composed of the main body 21, an end panel 25, and a cable cover 28. The main body 21 is attached to the upper surface 12A of the floor tunnel 12. The main body 21 is made of resin and includes a box portion 22 for accommodating small articles. An arm portion 23 extending obliquely downward is provided at a rear end of the box portion 22. A bolt hole 24 is provided in the arm portion 23.

[0020] The end panel 25 is a member attached to an upper portion of a rear end of a main body 21. The end panel 25 is made of resin, and is provided with an air outlet 26 that blows conditioned air rearward. The cable cover 28 is made of resin, and is disposed adjacent to the main body 21 at a lower rear portion of the main body 21.

[0021] The metal cover 30 includes a plate-shaped portion 31 and a fastening portion 32 projecting from the plate-shaped portion 31 toward the front of the vehicle. The fastening portion 32 is provided with a bolt hole 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the metal cover 30 is attached to an inner surface of the cable cover 28. A pin seat 29 is provided on the inner surface of the cable cover 28. The metal cover 30 is attached to the inner surface of the cable cover 28 by a pin 75.

[0022] Next, an assembly procedure of the console box 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the bolt holes 24 of the arm portion 23 of the main body 21 are aligned with the screw holes 45 provided in the pedestal portion 44 of the console bracket 40. Then, the arm portion 23 is fixed onto the pedestal portion 44 with a bolt 71. Thereby, the console bracket 40 connects the main body 21 and an upper surface 12A of the floor tunnel 12.

[0023] Next, the cable cover 28 is connected to the rear end of the main body 21 and connected onto the floor tunnel 12. Thereby, the position of the bolt hole 33 of the fastening portion 32 of the metal cover 30 is aligned with the position of the bolt hole 47 of the tongue portion 46 of the console bracket 40. A bolt 72 is inserted through the bolt holes 47 and 33, and the bolt 72 is screwed into a fixing nut 73 (see FIG. 4) to fasten the fastening portion 32 to the tongue portion 46.

[0024] Next, a front end of the end panel 25 is connected to the rear end of the main body 21, and a lower end of the end panel 25 is connected to an upper end of the cable cover 28.

[0025] Thus, the main unit 21 is attached to the upper surface 12A of the floor tunnel 12 via a console bracket 40 located inside it. Since the inverter 50 is mounted inside the console bracket 40, when the main unit 21 is mounted to the floor tunnel 12, the inverter 50 is housed inside the main unit 21. Also, as shown in Figure 4, when the cable cover 28 is mounted on top of the floor tunnel 12, the high-voltage cable 60, the connector 61, and the connection terminal 51 are housed inside the cable cover 28. The metal cover 30 covers the high-voltage cable 60, the connector 61, and the connection terminal 51 from above. Therefore, the metal cover 30 covers the high-voltage cable 60 and the connection between the inverter 50 and the high-voltage cable 60 from above. Also, since the metal cover 30 is fastened to the console bracket 40 with one bolt 72, the metal cover 30 can rotate around the bolt 72 when a large force is applied. The tightening torque of the bolt 72 may be controlled so that the metal cover 30 can rotate when a large force is applied.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the high-voltage cable 60 extends above the floor tunnel 12 toward the rear of the vehicle and extends toward the rear of the vehicle from the rear end of the cable cover 28. The high-voltage cable 60 It extends upward from the front of the rear floor panel 13 towards the upper surface 13A of the rear floor panel 13, passing between the floor panel 11 and the floor trim 14. Then, it extends towards the rear of the vehicle between the upper surface 13A of the rear floor panel 13 and the rear seat 15.

[0027] Next, the movement and deformation of each part of the electric vehicle 100 during a side collision will be explained with reference to Figure 5. As shown by the white arrow 91 in Figure 5, when an impact force is applied from the left side of the vehicle due to a side collision, the floor tunnel 12 deforms or moves to the right. As a result, the console bracket 40 moves or deforms to the right. At this time, the fastening portion 32 of the metal cover 30 moves to the right together with the console bracket 40. The fastening portion 32 is fastened to the tongue portion 46 with a single bolt 72. Therefore, when the fastening portion 32 receives a large impact force, it rotates around the bolt 72 as shown by the white arrow 92 in Figure 5. This suppresses the application of a large impact force to the metal cover 30 and prevents the metal cover 30 from breaking. This also prevents the metal cover 30 from breaking during a side collision and exposing the high-voltage cable 60 located inside the vehicle interior.

[0028] As explained above, the electric vehicle 100 covers the high-voltage cable 60 located inside the vehicle with the metal cover 30, so that no external force is applied to the high-voltage cable 60. In addition, in the event of a collision, the metal cover 30 rotates relative to the console bracket 40, deflecting the impact force and preventing the metal cover 30 from breaking, thus preventing the high-voltage cable 60 from being exposed inside the vehicle.

[0029] Furthermore, since the electric vehicle 100 covers the connection point between the inverter 50 and the high-voltage cable 60 and the high-voltage cable 60 with the metal cover 30, external forces can be prevented from being applied to the connection point between the inverter 50 and the high-voltage cable 60 and the high-voltage cable 60. In addition, it is possible to prevent the connection point between the inverter 50 and the high-voltage cable 60 and the high-voltage cable 60 from being exposed inside the vehicle during a collision.

[0030] Furthermore, in the electric vehicle 100, the cable cover 28, floor trim 14, and rear seat 15 cover the top of the high-voltage cable 60, thus preventing the high-voltage cable 60, which is located inside the vehicle, from being exposed inside the vehicle.

[0031] Furthermore, since the electric vehicle 100 has a metal cover 30 and a console bracket 40 fastened together with bolts 72, the occupant cannot remove the metal cover 30 without using tools. This prevents the occupant from accidentally touching the connection point between the inverter 50 and the high-voltage cable 60, or the high-voltage cable 60, which are located inside the vehicle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 10 Passenger compartment, 11 Floor panel, 11A, 12A, 13A Top surface, 12 Floor tunnel, 13 Rear floor panel, 14 Floor trim, 15 Rear seat, 20 Console box, 21 Main body, 22 Box section, 23 Arm section, 24, 33, 47 Bolt holes, 25 End panel, 26 Air vent, 28 Cable cover, 29 Pin seat, 30 Metal cover, 31 Plate section, 32 Fastening section, 40 Console bracket, 41 Housing section, 42 Lower bracket, 43 Upper bracket, 44 Base section, 45 Screw hole, 46 Tongue section, 50 Inverter, 51 Connection terminal, 60 High-voltage cable, 61 Connector, 71, 72 Bolt, 73 Fixing nut, 75 Pin, 100 Electric vehicle.

Claims

1. High-voltage cables routed inside the vehicle interior, A console box for housing the aforementioned high-voltage cable, A console bracket connecting the console box and the upper surface of the floor tunnel, An electric vehicle comprising a metal cover located inside the console box and covering the upper part of the high-voltage cable, The metal cover is attached to the console bracket by one bolt and is rotatable around the axis of the bolt relative to the console bracket. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The aforementioned console box is The main body is attached to the upper surface of the floor tunnel via the console bracket located inside, The main body is positioned adjacent to the rear of the cable cover, which houses the high-voltage cable inside, The aforementioned console bracket is box-shaped and houses the inverter inside. The high-voltage cable is connected to the rear end of the inverter and extends from the rear end of the inverter towards the rear of the vehicle above the floor tunnel. The metal cover is positioned inside the cable cover and covers the connection between the inverter and the high-voltage cable and the high-voltage cable. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

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