Electric vehicles

Abstract

To suppress damage to a connector when an electric vehicle collides and prevent a conductive section from being exposed when the connector is damaged.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle 100 comprises: a water heating heater 20 arranged inside a front compartment 11; a high-voltage cable 40 with a connector provided with a connector 41 mounted thereon and connected to the water heating heater 20; and a cover member 50 that covers the high-voltage cable 40 with the connector. The connector 41 is connected to the water heating heater 20 so as to protrude in a vehicle width direction. The cover member 50 covers front and upper sides of the connector 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a structure for an electric vehicle including a high-voltage component and a high-voltage cable with a connector to which a connector connected to the high-voltage component is attached.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a structure for a vehicle including a wire harness routed on an outer surface of a transmission and a heat insulator disposed between the transmission and a muffler, wherein a clamp that sandwiches and fixes a protector attached to the wire harness is provided on a surface of the heat insulator on the transmission side.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Meanwhile, in recent years, hybrid electric vehicles (hereinafter referred to as HEVs) that travel using an engine and a motor have come into widespread use. In an HEV, the engine, high-voltage components, auxiliary equipment such as a radiator, and the like are accommodated in a front compartment at the front of the vehicle. A connector attached to a high-voltage cable is connected to the high-voltage component. When an HEV collides, components accommodated inside the front compartment such as the engine move rearward, which may interfere with the connector. If a component accommodated in the front compartment interferes with the connector and damages the connector, there is a risk that the conductive portion of the connector, to which high voltage is applied, will be exposed.

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure aims to suppress damage to the connector when an electric vehicle is involved in a collision, and to prevent the conductive parts of the connector from being exposed when the connector is damaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric vehicles described herein are A housing fixed to the rear of the vehicle's front compartment, and a device mounted inside the housing An electric vehicle comprising a high-voltage component, a high-voltage cable with a connector attached to which a connector connected to the high-voltage component is attached, and a cover member covering the high-voltage cable with the connector, wherein the connector is From the vehicle width end of the aforementioned housing The cover member is connected to the high-voltage component so as to protrude in the vehicle width direction, and covers at least the front and top of the connector. It is attached to the housing in such a way. It is characterized by the following.

[0007] In this way, the connector of the high-voltage cable with a connector is covered by the cover material, which helps to suppress damage to the connector in the event of a collision with an electric vehicle. Furthermore, even if the connector is damaged in a collision and the conductive part of the connector is exposed, the exposed conductive part is covered by the cover material, which helps to prevent people from touching the exposed conductive part. Furthermore, since the cover member is attached to the housing, damage to the connector in the event of a collision with an electric vehicle can be effectively suppressed. Also, since the cover member reliably covers the connector when a vehicle collides, even if the conductive part of the connector is exposed, the exposed conductive part can be reliably covered by the cover member. This effectively prevents people from touching the exposed conductive part.

[0010] In the electric vehicle of this disclosure, the cover member may cover the high-voltage cable with the connector from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0011] This prevents people from touching the exposed conductive parts of connectors or high-voltage cables, even if they are exposed during a collision.

[0012] The electric vehicle of this disclosure may include a connecting member that connects the connector and the cover member.

[0013] This prevents the connector from scattering even if it is damaged by a collision, and also prevents the conductive parts of the connector from being exposed if it is damaged.

[0014] In the electric vehicle of this disclosure, the housing is made of metal, the cover member is made of a conductor, and may include a conductive member that electrically connects the shield wire of the high-voltage cable with a connector to the cover member.

[0015] This allows the cover member and the body to be at the same potential, thus suppressing electric shock when a person touches both the cover member and the body simultaneously. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The electric vehicle of this disclosure can suppress damage to the connector when the electric vehicle is involved in a collision, and can also suppress the exposure of the conductive part of the connector if the connector is damaged. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view of the front compartment of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged plan view of the portion of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment that includes a water heater, and is an enlarged plan view of portion A shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment that includes the water heating element, and is the BB section shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This is a vertical cross-sectional view of the portion of the electric vehicle according to the embodiment that includes a water heating heater, and is the CC cross-section shown in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] Hereinafter, the electric vehicle 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 100 includes a body 10. The body 10 includes a vehicle compartment 16 and a front compartment 11. The front compartment 11 is a space in the front part of the vehicle that accommodates equipment such as a driving device of the electric vehicle 100. The vehicle compartment 16 is a space where a driver and passengers get on board. The vehicle compartment 16 and the front compartment 11 are partitioned by a dash panel 18. Note that FR, UP, and RH shown in each drawing indicate the front side, upper side, and right side of the electric vehicle 100, respectively. Further, directions opposite to FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear side, lower side, and left side, respectively. Hereinafter, when description is simply made using the directions of front-rear, left-right, and up-down, unless otherwise specified, the terms front-rear, left-right, and up-down refer to the front-rear of the front-rear direction, the left-right of the left-right direction, and the up-down of the up-down direction of the electric vehicle 100, respectively.

[0019] Inside the front compartment 11 of the electric vehicle 100, an engine 12, a motor 13, a power control unit 14, and a radiator 15 are arranged. The electric vehicle 100 is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) that runs with the engine 12 and the motor 13. Further, at the rear portion of the front compartment 11, a water heater 20, a housing 30, a high-voltage cable with connector 40, and a cover member 50 are arranged.

[0020] The water heater 20 is a heating device that heats water flowing through a heater core for heating the vehicle compartment 16. High-voltage driving power is supplied to the water heater 20 from the high-voltage cable with connector 40. Here, the term high voltage refers to a voltage higher than a low voltage of about 12V for driving auxiliary machines, for example, a voltage from 100V to 300V. As described above, the water heater 20 is a high-voltage component to which high-voltage power is supplied.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the water heater 20 is made of metal, and includes a heater body 21 and a connector receiving seat 22. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connector receiving seat 22 is a portion having a square cross-sectional shape that protrudes leftward from the left end surface of the heater body 21. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, bosses 23 and 24 extending upward are provided on upper portions of the heater body 21 and the connector receiving seat 22, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the boss 23 of the heater body 21 and the boss 24 of the connector receiving seat 22 are fixed to a lower surface of an upper plate 31 of a housing 30 by bolts 25. Thus, the water heating heater 20 is mounted inside the housing 30.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the high-voltage cable with connector 40 includes a connector 41 and a high-voltage cable 46. The connector 41 includes a connector main body 42, a connection flange 43, a left end portion 44, and a small-diameter portion 45. The connector main body 42 is an elongated member made of resin and having a square cross-section. The connection flange 43 is attached to a right end portion of the connector main body 42. The outer dimension of the connection flange 43 is larger than the outer dimension of the connector main body 42, and is substantially the same as the outer dimension of the connector receiving seat 22. Bolt holes are provided at four corners of the connection flange 43. A left end of the connector main body 42 is connected to the small-diameter portion 45 having an outer shape smaller than that of the connector main body 42. A right end of the small-diameter portion 45 is connected to the left end portion 44 having an outer dimension substantially the same as that of the connector main body 42. Therefore, the small-diameter portion 45 forms a square annular recess between the connector main body 42 and the left end portion 44. A metal fixing ring 55 is fitted into the small-diameter portion 45. A high-voltage cable 46 is attached to the left end portion 44.

[0023] The connection flange 43 is connected to the connector receiving seat 22 by four bolts 49. When the connection flange 43 is fixed to the connector receiving seat 22 with the bolts 49, a conductor inside the high-voltage cable 46 and an electric heater (not shown) arranged inside the water heating heater 20 are electrically connected. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, when the connection flange 43 is fixed to the connector receiving seat 22 with the bolts 49, the connector 41 protrudes leftward from the connector receiving seat 22 along the vehicle width direction.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the housing 30 is a longitudinal member made of metal with a substantially groove-shaped cross-section that is open at the rear of the vehicle. The water heating heater 20 is housed in the groove-shaped internal space. The housing 30 includes an upper plate 31, an upper flange portion 32, a front plate 33, and a lower flange portion 34. The upper plate 31 is a flat plate member extending in the vehicle width direction, and a front flange 31A is formed on its front edge, which curves upward and extends upward. In addition, a bracket portion 31B is formed on the left end of the upper plate 31, projecting to the left. The bracket portion 31B is a quarter-circular flat plate portion.

[0025] The upper flange portion 32 is connected to the rear end edge of the upper plate 31 and extends in a crank shape toward the upward direction of the vehicle. The upper end of the upper flange portion 32 is an upper flange 32A that extends upward along the vehicle front surface of the dash panel 18. The upper flange 32A is fixed to the vehicle front surface of the dash panel 18 with bolts 38.

[0026] The front plate 33 includes a vertical plate portion 33A and a horizontal plate portion 33B. The vertical plate portion 33A is connected to the front flange 31A of the upper plate 31 with bolts 39A and nuts 39B and extends downward from the front flange 31A. The horizontal plate portion 33B is connected to the lower end of the vertical plate portion 33A and curves toward the rear of the vehicle from the lower end of the vertical plate portion 33A, extending diagonally toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0027] The lower flange portion 34 is connected to the rear end edge of the horizontal plate portion 33B and extends in a crank shape toward the downward direction of the vehicle. The lower end of the lower flange portion 34 is a lower flange 34A that extends downward along the front surface of the dash panel 18. The lower flange 34A is fixed to the front surface of the dash panel 18 by bolts 38.

[0028] In this manner, the housing 30 is fixed to the dash panel 18, which forms the rear of the front compartment 11, by bolts 38, with the upper flange 32A and the lower flange 34A being fixed together.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the cover member 50 is composed of a ceiling plate 51, a front side plate 52, and a left end plate 53. The cover member 50 is made of a conductive material such as metal. The ceiling plate 51 is a flat plate member fastened to the lower surface of the bracket portion 31B of the upper plate 31 with bolts 54A and nuts 54B. The front side plate 52 is a flat plate member extending downward from the front edge of the ceiling plate 51. The left end plate 53 is a flat plate member extending downward from the left end of the ceiling plate 51. The front end of the left end plate 53 is connected to the left end of the front side plate 52.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, a metal fixing ring 55 fitted into the small-diameter portion 45 between the connector body 42 and the left end portion 44 is connected to a metal connecting member 56. The connecting member 56 is connected to the ceiling plate 51 of the cover member 50 by a bolt 57A and a nut 57B. In addition, the fixing ring 55 and the shield wire of the high-voltage cable 46 are connected by a conductive wire 58. Therefore, the shield wire of the high-voltage cable 46 and the ceiling plate 51 are electrically connected by the conductive wire 58, the metal fixing ring 55, and the metal connecting member 56. The wire 58, the fixing ring 55, and the connecting member 56 constitute a conductive member that electrically connects the shield wire of the high-voltage cable 46 and the cover member 50.

[0031] In the electric vehicle 100 configured as described above, the heater body 21 is mounted inside the housing 30. The top surface of the heater body 21 is covered by the top plate 31, and the front and bottom surfaces of the heater body 21 are covered by the vertical plate portion 33A and the horizontal plate portion 33B of the front plate 33. In addition, the top and front surfaces of the right half of the connector seat 22 are covered by the top plate 31 and the front plate 33.

[0032] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the left half of the connector seat 22 protrudes to the left of the left end faces of the upper plate 31 and front plate 33 of the housing 30. Therefore, the left half of the connector seat 22 is not covered by the upper plate 31 and front plate 33 of the housing 30. Also, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the connector 41 is fixed to the left end face of the connector seat 22 so as to protrude to the left from the connector seat 22 along the vehicle width direction. In other words, the connector 41 is connected to the connector seat 22 so as to protrude to the left in the vehicle width direction from the left end, which is the vehicle width end of the housing 30. Therefore, the high-voltage cable 40 with the connector also protrudes to the left of the left end of the housing 30 and is not covered by the upper plate 31 and front plate 33 of the housing 30.

[0033] However, the upper and front surfaces of the left half of the connector seat 22 are covered by the ceiling plate 51 and front side plate 52 of the cover member 50. Also, the upper and front surfaces of the high-voltage cable 40 with connector are covered by the ceiling plate 51 and front side plate 52 of the cover member 50. Furthermore, the left end surface of the high-voltage cable 40 with connector is covered from the left side by the left end plate 53 of the cover member 50. In this way, the left end surface of the high-voltage cable 40 with connector is covered from the outside in the vehicle width direction.

[0034] As described above, in the electric vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the connector 41 of the high-voltage cable 40 with a connector is covered by the cover member 50, so that damage to the connector 41 in the event of a collision with the electric vehicle 100 can be suppressed. Furthermore, even if the connector 41 is damaged by a collision and the conductive part of the connector 41 is exposed, the exposed conductive part is covered by the cover member 50, so that people are prevented from touching the exposed conductive part. Moreover, since the cover member 50 is attached to the housing 30, damage to the connector 41 in the event of a collision with the electric vehicle 100 can be effectively suppressed. In addition, when the electric vehicle 100 collides, the cover member 50 does not scatter and reliably covers the connector 41, so even if the conductive part of the connector 41 is exposed, the exposed conductive part can be reliably covered by the cover member 50. This effectively prevents people from touching the exposed conductive part.

[0035] Furthermore, in the electric vehicle 100 of this embodiment, a fixing ring 55 is attached to the small-diameter portion 45 of the connector 41, and the fixing ring 55 and the ceiling plate 51 of the cover member 50 are connected by a connecting member 56. This prevents the connector 41 from flying off even if it is damaged in a collision, and prevents the conductive part of the connector 41 from being exposed if it is damaged.

[0036] Furthermore, in the electric vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the shield wire of the high-voltage cable 46 and the cover member 50 are electrically connected by a wire 58, a fixing ring 55, and a connecting member 56. This makes it possible to make the cover member 50 and the body 10 of the electric vehicle 100 at the same potential, thereby suppressing electric shock when a person touches the cover member 50 and the body 10 at the same time.

[0037] As described above, the electric vehicle 100 of this embodiment can suppress damage to the connector 41 when the electric vehicle 100 collides, and can also suppress the exposure of the conductive part of the connector 41 when the connector 41 is damaged.

[0038] In the above explanation, the high-voltage component was described as a water heater 20, but it is not limited to this. Any electrical device that is supplied with power at a higher voltage than the low voltage of about 12V used for auxiliary drive equipment may be used.

[0039] Furthermore, in the electric vehicle 100 of the embodiment, the connector seat 22 of the water heater 20 protrudes toward the left side of the heater body 21, the connector 41 protrudes to the left from the connector seat 22, and the cover member 50 is attached to a bracket portion 31B provided at the left end of the upper plate 31 of the housing 30. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the connector seat 22 of the water heater 20 may protrude toward the right side of the heater body 21, the connector 41 may protrude to the right from the connector seat 22, and the cover member 50 may be attached to a bracket portion 31B provided at the right end of the upper plate 31 of the housing 30. In this case, the vehicle width end of the housing 30 would be the right end. In this case as well, damage to the connector 41 when the electric vehicle 100 collides can be suppressed, and the exposure of the conductive part of the connector 41 when the connector 41 is damaged can be suppressed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 10 Body, 11 Front compartment, 12 Engine, 13 Motor, 14 Power control unit, 15 Radiator, 16 Passenger compartment, 18 Dash panel, 20 Water heater, 21 Heater body, 22 Connector seat, 23, 24 Boss, 25, 38, 39A, 49, 54A, 57A Bolt, 30 Housing, 31 Top plate, 31A Front flange, 31B Bracket section, 32 Upper flange section, 32A Upper flange, 33 Front plate, 33A Vertical plate section, 33B Horizontal plate section, 34 Lower flange section, 34A Lower flange, 40 High voltage cable with connector, 41 Connector, 42 Connector body, 43 Connecting flange, 44 Left end, 45 Small diameter section, 46 High voltage cable, 50 Cover component, 51 Ceiling plate, 52 Front side plate, 53 Left end plate, 39B, 54B, 57B nuts, 55 fixing ring, 56 connecting member, 58 wire, 100 electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A housing fixed to the rear of the front compartment of a vehicle, A high-voltage component is mounted inside the housing, A high-voltage cable with a connector attached to which a connector connected to the aforementioned high-voltage component is attached, An electric vehicle comprising a cover member that covers the high-voltage cable with the connector, The connector is connected to the high-voltage component so as to protrude in the vehicle width direction from the vehicle width direction end of the housing, The cover member is attached to the housing so as to cover at least the front and top of the connector. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The cover member covers the high-voltage cable with the connector from the outside in the vehicle width direction. An electric vehicle characterized by [this feature].

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 2, The connector and the cover member are provided as connecting members. An electric vehicle characterized by [this feature].

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, The housing is made of metal, The cover member is made of a conductor, The high-voltage cable with the connector is provided with a conductive member that electrically connects the shield wire and the cover member. An electric vehicle characterized by [this feature].

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