Outlet mounting structure

Abstract

A power outlet (2) and a controller (3) are disposed between an inner body panel (11) and a trim (12) at the rear of a vehicle, and an insertion port (2a) of the power outlet (2) is exposed in an opening (12a) formed in the trim (12). When a bracket (1) for supporting the power outlet (2) and the controller (3) is fixed to the inner body panel (11), a portion connecting a first attachment part (5a) and a second attachment part (5b) of the bracket (1) is provided with an outlet attachment part (7) for attaching the power outlet (2), and a portion connecting the second attachment part (5b) and a third attachment part (5c) is provided with a controller attachment part (8) for attaching the controller (3).

Description

Outlet mounting structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a power outlet mounting structure, and more particularly to a power outlet mounting structure for providing a power outlet in a luggage room or trunk room at the rear of a vehicle.

[0002] In Patent Document 1 below, a power outlet for a 100V power source or the like is provided in a vehicle.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-158345

[0004] However, the vehicle power outlet described in Patent Document 1 is mainly an attachment structure for a cover that covers the receptacle, and no specific attachment structure for the power outlet itself is disclosed, leaving room for further study.The present invention aims to provide an outlet attachment structure that is suitable for installing a power outlet together with an electronic control controller in a portion of the inner body panel at the rear of a vehicle where the inside of the vehicle is covered with trim.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle comprising a trim attached to an inner body panel at the rear of the vehicle, a power outlet arranged between the inner body panel and the trim and having a socket portion exposed in an opening formed in the trim, a controller arranged between the inner body panel and the trim, and a bracket fixed to the inner body panel and supporting the power outlet and the controller, wherein the bracket has a first mounting portion, a second mounting portion, and a third mounting portion attached to the inner body panel, and a socket mounting portion for mounting the power outlet is provided at a portion connecting the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, and a controller mounting portion for mounting the controller is provided at a portion connecting the second mounting portion and the third mounting portion.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, the number of mounting points for attaching the power outlet and controller to the inner body panel can be reduced, thereby reducing costs. The objects and advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by using the elements and combinations set forth in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not intended to be limiting of the invention as claimed.

[0007] Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a power outlet receptacle with the lid closed, as seen from the inside of a vehicle, as one embodiment of the outlet mounting structure. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the power outlet with the trim removed from Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the power outlet with the lid flipped up. Fig. 4 is a front view of a bracket used in the outlet mounting structure of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the power outlet with the lid flipped up, as seen from the inside of a vehicle. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the power outlet with only the controller attached to an inner body panel.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows a power outlet provided on the interior surface of a vehicle with the receptacle covered. As an example, the receptacle is provided on the left interior surface of a luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle, with the receptacle exposed. The luggage compartment side panels include a rear quarter panel (not shown) disposed on the exterior surface of the vehicle, a rear quarter inner body panel 11 (see FIG. 2 ) attached to the interior surface of the rear quarter panel, and a trim 12 covering the interior surface of the luggage compartment. In this embodiment, soft trim is used for the trim 12 covering the interior surface of the luggage compartment. Unlike plastic trim, soft trim is made of a thick, fabric-like material and is flexible. A rear quarter window (not shown) is located above the rear quarter side panel, and a rear quarter garnish 14 is located below the rear quarter window on the interior surface of the vehicle. The rear quarter garnish 14 holds down the upper edge of the trim (soft trim) 12 from the interior of the vehicle. In addition, because the rear wheels (rear tires) are located on the rear quarter panel, a rear wheel house inner 13 is attached to the rear inner body panel 11, and a portion (13a) of the rear wheel house inner 13 protrudes further inward than the rear inner body panel 11 (see FIG. 6). Note that, hereinafter, the "rear quarter" part of the rear quarter inner body panel 11 will be omitted, and the panel will be simply referred to as the inner body panel 11, for example.

[0009] In this embodiment, an electronic controller 3 is disposed on the exterior side of the luggage compartment trim 12 where the power outlet 2 is located. As an example, the controller 3 is a controller for a power tailgate that opens and closes the tailgate by operating a switch (including a remote controller). In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 are attached to an inner body panel 11 using a single shared bracket 1. Before describing the bracket 1, the structures of the controller 3 and the power outlet 2 will be briefly described. The controller 3 is a rectangular, relatively thin box housing a computer system. Referring to FIG. 3 , the box has long sides at the upper left and lower right sides and short sides at the upper right and lower left sides, and its thickness toward the depth of the page is relatively small. On the inner body panel 11 side of the box, a first support portion 3a and a second support portion 3b each protrude from the center of each long side toward the side of the box. A through-hole (not shown) is formed at the protruding end of each support portion. The power outlet 2 is, for example, a 100V AC power outlet. As shown in FIG. 3 , the power outlet 2 has a receptacle 2a into which a commercial power plug is inserted, and a cover 2b that covers the receptacle 2a. The receptacle 2a refers to the entire area including the receptacle into which the plug is actually inserted. In this embodiment, the cover 2b is manually opened and closed. However, as an example, the cover 2b may be configured so that when the cover 2b is pressed from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 , it is unlocked and automatically opened by a biasing force such as a spring (not shown). In FIG. 2 , with only the trim 12 removed, the power outlet 2 appears to be attached to the bracket 1 alone. However, as described below, in this embodiment, the power outlet 2 is attached to the bracket 1 via a finisher 4 (see FIG. 6 ). The main body 2c (see FIG. 5 ), located further back than the receptacle 2a in FIG. 2 , is a rectangular parallelepiped that extends slightly elongated toward the back of the page. A connector 2d for connecting a harness (not shown) is attached to the front end of the main body 2c. The size of the insertion port 2a when viewed from the front is slightly larger than the cross section of the main body 2c.

[0010] Although the front view of the bracket 1 shown in FIG. 4 appears relatively flat, it is actually three-dimensionally configured as shown in FIG. 2. The bracket 1 is formed by bending a metal plate member such as a steel plate using a press or other suitable method. To attach the bracket 1 to an inner body panel 11, the bracket 1 has a first mounting portion 5a at the lower left end in FIG. 4, a second mounting portion 5b at a portion slightly upwardly and slightly leftwardly, and a third mounting portion 5c at the right end of the center portion in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, these mounting portions 5a to 5c are formed to be attached to the inner body panel 11 in approximately the same plane. Stud bolts 21 are provided on the inner body panel 11, protruding toward the vehicle interior, from a first fixing portion 6a corresponding to the first fixing portion 5a, a second fixing portion 6b corresponding to the second fixing portion 5b, and a third fixing portion 6c corresponding to the third fixing portion 5c. The male threaded portion of this stud bolt 21 is inserted into the through holes 23 formed in each of the first mounting portion 5a, the second mounting portion 5b, and the third mounting portion 5c, and a nut 22 is screwed onto the protruding portion, thereby attaching and fixing the bracket 1 to the inner body panel 11.

[0011] Since the bracket 1 in FIG. 4 is attached to the inner body panel 11 in this orientation as shown in FIG. 3 , the first fixing portion 6a and the first mounting portion 5a are located rearward of the third fixing portion 6c and the third mounting portion 5c, sandwiching the second fixing portion 6b and the second mounting portion 5b. The controller 3 is disposed between the inner body panel 11 and the trim 12, and the user rarely has access to the controller 3. On the other hand, since the user accesses the power outlet 2 (its receptacle 2a) from the back door when the back door is open, it is desirable for the power outlet 2 (its receptacle 2a) to be located closer to the back door, i.e., toward the rear of the vehicle, for user convenience. Therefore, in this embodiment, the receptacle mounting portion 7 for mounting the power outlet 2 is formed at a portion of the bracket 1 connecting the first mounting portion 5a and the second mounting portion 5b, which are located closer to the rear of the vehicle, and the controller mounting portion 8 for mounting the controller 3 is formed at a portion connecting the second mounting portion 5b and the third mounting portion 5c, which are located closer to the front of the vehicle.

[0012] As described above, the rear wheel house inner 13 is attached to the inner body panel 11, and since this rear wheel house inner 13 has a vehicle inward protruding portion 13a that protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle, the trim 12 attached to the inner body panel 11 is provided at a predetermined distance from the inner body panel 11. In order to expose the outlet 2a of the power outlet 2 in the opening 12a (see FIG. 5) formed in the trim 12 that is separated from the inner body panel 11, the power outlet 2 needs to be positioned so that the outlet 2a of the power outlet 2 is located at a distance from the inner body panel 11. To achieve this, the bracket 1 has legs 51 that extend from the first mounting portion 5a and the second mounting portion 5b toward the inside of the vehicle, and the protruding ends of these legs 51 are provided with the outlet mounting portion 7 for mounting the outlet 2a of the power outlet 2. The outlet mounting portion 7 is configured with a receiving portion 7a formed into a square shape from the metal plate member that constitutes the bracket 1, and a square recessed portion 7b opened in the center of the receiving portion 7a, and the main body 2c of the power outlet 2 is inserted into this recessed portion 7b. When inserting the main body 2c into the recessed portion 7b, a finisher 4 is inserted between them as described below, and the power outlet 2 (the socket portion 2a) is fixed to the receiving portion 7a of the bracket 1 by this finisher 4. The peripheral edge of the recessed portion 7b provided in the receiving portion 7a is slightly raised toward the inside of the vehicle to form a positioning edge 7c.

[0013] Meanwhile, two connecting portions 1a extend parallel to each other from the second mounting portion 5b and from a leg portion 51 extending from the second mounting portion 5b toward the receiving portion 7a in a direction away from the receiving portion 7a, and a controller mounting portion 8 is provided that connects the two connecting portions 1a to the third mounting portion 5c. The controller mounting portion 8 is an elongated plate-like portion (both longitudinal ends are formed in an arc shape), and stud bolts 24 are provided at both longitudinal ends facing toward the inside of the vehicle. The spacing between the two stud bolts 24 is equal to the dimension between the through holes formed in the protruding ends of the first support portion 3a and the second support portion 3b of the controller 3. The two stud bolts 24 are inserted into the through holes of the first support portion 3a and the second support portion 3b, and nuts 22 are screwed onto the protruding portions of the stud bolts 24, thereby attaching and fixing the controller 3 to the bracket 1. The dimension (distance) between the through holes of the first support portion 3a and the second support portion 3b is set to be the same as the dimension (distance) between the stud bolts 21 of the first fixing portion 6a and the second fixing portion 6b, but details of this will be described later.

[0014] In the cross-sectional view of Figure 5, the "left" direction of the arrow indicates the outside of the vehicle. As previously described, the upper edge of the trim 12 is held down from the inside of the vehicle by the garnish 14. In this mounting structure for the power outlet 2, the power outlet 2 is mounted to the bracket 1 via the finisher 4, as previously described. The finisher 4 is configured with a rectangular plate-shaped holding portion 4a similar to the receiving portion 7a of the bracket 1 in Figure 4, a rectangular recessed portion 4b formed in the center of the holding portion 4a, and a rectangular cross-sectional tubular portion 4c protruding from the periphery of the recessed portion 4b toward the inner body panel 11. In this mounting structure for the power outlet 2, the rectangular parallelepiped main body 2c of the power outlet 2 is first inserted into the rectangular recessed portion 4b of the finisher 4. The end of the pressing portion 4a on the side of the recessed portion 4b protrudes further into the recessed portion 4b than the cylindrical portion 4c, forming an edge 4e, and a receptacle tab 2e protrudes from the main body 2c of the power outlet 2 near the socket portion 2a. Therefore, when the main body 2c of the power outlet 2 is inserted into the recessed portion 4b of the finisher 4, the receptacle tab 2e of the main body 2c engages with the edge 4e of the recessed portion 4b of the finisher 4, thereby securing the power outlet 2 to the finisher 4 and preventing the power outlet 2 from coming off the finisher 4. In this state, the cylindrical portion 4c of the finisher 4 is inserted somewhat tightly into the recessed portion 7b of the receiving portion 7a of the receptacle mounting portion 7 formed on the bracket 1. With the main body 2c inserted into the recessed portion 4b of the finisher 4, the power outlet 2 and the finisher 4 are integrated, and in this state, the finisher 4 can be said to be part of the power outlet 2.

[0015] The portion of the trim 12 where the receptacle 2 is located has an opening 12a that is the same shape as the outer periphery of the positioning edge 7c on the receiving portion 7a of the bracket 1. The trim 12 is placed against the vehicle-interior surface of the receiving portion 7a formed on the receptacle mounting portion 7 of the bracket 1, with the positioning edge 7c inserted into this opening 12a. The tubular portion 4c of the finisher 4, to which the receptacle 2 is attached, is then inserted into the recessed portion 7b of the receiving portion 7a of the bracket 1. A finisher claw 4d protrudes from the outer periphery of the tubular portion 4c, near the retaining portion 4a. Therefore, when the tubular portion 4c of the finisher 4 is inserted into the recessed portion 7b of the bracket 1, the finisher claw 4d engages with the edge 4e of the recessed portion 7b of the bracket 1, securing the finisher 4 to the bracket 1 and preventing the finisher 4 from coming off the bracket 1. As a result, the power outlet 2 is fixed to the bracket 1, and the trim (soft trim) 12 is sandwiched and fixed between the bracket 1 and the power outlet 2 (and the finisher 4). Because the bracket 1 is fixed to the inner body panel 11, the power outlet 2 is fixed to the inner body panel 11. Therefore, even though the socket portion 2a of the power outlet 2 is provided in the trim (soft trim) 12, the power outlet 2 itself is firmly supported by the inner body panel 11.

[0016] FIG. 6 shows the layout of the outlet 2a of the power outlet 2 in the trim (soft trim) 12. The dashed line in the figure indicates the vehicle-interior protrusion 13a of the rear wheel house inner 13. As is clear from the figure, the trim 12 is disposed across the vehicle-interior protrusion 13a of the rear wheel house inner 13 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The rear end of the trim 12 is attached to the inner body panel 11 by three rear end mounting portions 12b shown in the figure, and the front end of the trim 12 is attached to the inner body panel 11 by one front end mounting portion 12c shown in the figure. The power outlet 2 (the outlet 2a) is disposed between the vehicle-interior protrusion 13a and the rear end mounting portion 12b of the rear wheel house inner 13 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and in this embodiment, is disposed near the upper end of the trim 12. In this embodiment, as described above, the trim 12 is sandwiched and fixed between the bracket 1 and the power outlet 2 (and the finisher 4), so the bracket 1 can have the function of supporting the power outlet 2 (and the controller 3) and the function of fixing the trim 12, which makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and lower costs, for example. Furthermore, the position of the trim 12 that is sandwiched and fixed between the power outlet 2 and the bracket 1 is located near the upper end of the trim 12, so sagging of the trim (soft trim) 12 from the garnish 14 can be suppressed.

[0017] Accordingly, the trim 12 is spaced from the inner body panel 11 in a portion of the rear of the vehicle rearward of the vehicle inward protrusion 13a of the rear wheel house inner 13. Therefore, if a spacer (gauge material) is not provided between the trim 12 and the inner body panel 11 in this portion, the trim (soft trim) 12 will be significantly deformed when a user touches the trim 12. In contrast, in this embodiment, the portion where the trim (soft trim) 12 is sandwiched and fixed between the bracket 1 and the power outlet 2 is located between the vehicle inward protrusion 13a of the rear wheel house inner 13 and the rear end mounting portion 12b of the trim 12 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, thereby reducing deformation of the trim (soft trim) 12 when a user touches it. Furthermore, if the power outlet 2 is to be directly supported by the trim 12 without using the bracket 1, it is difficult to use the soft trim alone. Therefore, it is necessary to use a hard trim such as made of resin, or to harden the power supply support portion of the soft trim with fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP, etc.). However, in either case, costs are higher than when using soft trim alone, and hard trim made of resin or the like increases weight. Furthermore, hard trim made of resin or the like may degrade noise and vibration performance. In contrast, in this embodiment, soft trim can be used alone for the trim 12, which avoids the problems of increased weight and cost, and flexible soft trim also provides excellent noise and vibration performance.

[0018] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the dimension (distance) between the through holes of the first support portion 3 a and the second support portion 3 b of the controller 3 is set to be equal to the dimension (distance) between the stud bolts 21 of the first fixing portion 6 a and the second fixing portion 6 b of the inner body panel 11. In this embodiment, the vehicle may be configured with or without a power outlet 2. Therefore, for vehicles without a power outlet 2, as shown in FIG. 7 , the bracket 1 is not used, and the stud bolts 21 of the first fixing portion 6 a and the second fixing portion 6 b of the inner body panel 11 are inserted into the through holes of the first support portion 3 a and the second support portion 3 b of the controller 3, and nuts 22 are screwed onto the protruding portions of the stud bolts, thereby directly attaching and fixing the controller 3 to the inner body panel 11. In this embodiment, when the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 are mounted together, they are attached to a single bracket 1, and the first to third mounting portions 5 a to 5 c of the bracket 1 are fixed to the first to third fixing portions 6 a to 6 c of the inner body panel 11, thereby attaching the bracket 1 to the inner body panel 11. As mentioned above, in this portion, the trim 12 is separated from the inner body panel 11, and if the user touches the trim 12, the trim (soft trim) 12 will deform. However, as shown in FIG. 7 , by placing the controller 3 in this space, deformation of the trim (soft trim) 12 when the user touches it can be suppressed, and this makes it possible to omit the spacer between the trim 12 and the inner body panel 11 and reduce costs.

[0019] Furthermore, for example, if the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 were attached to separate brackets 1 and those brackets 1 were attached separately to the inner body panel 11, each bracket 1 would require at least two mounting portions for attaching to the inner body panel 11, for a total of four mounting portions. In contrast, in this embodiment, the bracket 1 to which the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 are attached is fixed to the inner body panel 11 using three mounting portions, the first to third mounting portions 5a to 5c. This reduces the number of mounting portions (and fixing portions) compared to when separate brackets are used for the power outlet 2 bracket and the controller 3, thereby enabling cost reduction. By the same logic, when separate brackets are used for the power outlet 2 bracket and the controller 3, two fixing portions on the inner body panel 11 are unused in a vehicle without a power outlet 2. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , only one fixing portion on the inner body panel 11 is unused, which also enables cost reduction.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the power outlet 2 and controller 3 are attached to the bracket 1, as shown in Figure 3, the controller 3 is positioned higher on the vehicle than the power outlet 2. For example, if an electric kettle or the like is used with the power outlet 2 and water is spilled on the trim (soft trim) 12, the water will seep into the soft trim, and if the controller 3 is positioned lower than the power outlet 2, there is a risk that water will seep into the connector of the controller 3, for example. However, by positioning the controller 3 higher than the power outlet 2, water can be prevented from seeping into the connector of the controller 3.

[0021] Although the above describes the outlet mounting structure of the present invention, it is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the bracket 1 is formed by bending a metal plate member. However, the material of the bracket 1 is not limited to this, and examples thereof include a resin molded product. In addition, in the above embodiment, the rear quarter inner body panel on the left vehicle interior side of the luggage compartment is described as the inner body panel 11 at the rear of the vehicle. However, the inner body panel 11 to which the power outlet 2 is attached via the bracket 1 is not limited to this. For example, an inner body panel used on the vehicle interior side of the trunk compartment is one example. In addition, in the above embodiment, the power outlet 2 is a 100V AC power outlet, but the power outlet 2 may be a power outlet 2 of a different power source. In addition, in the above embodiment, the controller 3 attached to the bracket 1 together with the power outlet 2 is a power tailgate controller. However, any electronic controller for the vehicle may be used.

[0022] As described above, in this embodiment, the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 are disposed between the inner body panel 11 and the trim 12 at the rear of the vehicle, with the receptacle portion 2a of the power outlet 2 exposed through the opening 12a formed in the trim 12. When the bracket 1 supporting the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 is fixed to the inner body panel 11, the receptacle mounting portion 7 for mounting the power outlet 2 is provided at the portion connecting the first mounting portion 5a and the second mounting portion 5b of the bracket 1, and the controller mounting portion 8 for mounting the controller 3 is provided at the portion connecting the second mounting portion 5b and the third mounting portion 5c. This reduces the number of mounting portions required to mount the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 to the inner body panel 11 compared to mounting the power outlet 2 and the controller 3 to the inner body panel 11 with separate brackets, thereby reducing costs. Furthermore, even if the trim 12 is soft trim, the power outlet 2 can be firmly supported, and the trim 12 near the receptacle portion 2a can be firmly supported.

[0023] The inner body panel 11 is provided with a first fixing portion 6a to which the first mounting portion 5a of the bracket 1 is fixed, a second fixing portion 6b to which the second mounting portion 5b is fixed, and a third fixing portion 6c to which the third mounting portion 5c is fixed, and the first fixing portion 6a is located rearward of the third fixing portion 6c. This allows the power outlet 2 to be located rearward of the vehicle relative to the controller 3, improving usability for the user. Furthermore, when the controller 3 and the power outlet 2 are attached to the inner body panel 11 via the bracket 1, the controller 3 is located above the power outlet 2. This prevents water from entering the connector of the controller 3. Furthermore, by setting the distance between the first support portion 3a and the second support portion 3b of the controller 3 for attachment to the bracket 1 to be equal to the distance between the first fixing portion 6a and the second fixing portion 6b of the inner body panel 11, the controller 3 can be attached to the first fixing portion 6a and the second fixing portion 6b of the inner body panel 11 without using the bracket 1 in vehicles without a power outlet 2.

[0024] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...bracket, 2...power outlet, 2a...socket portion, 3...controller, 3a...first support portion, 3b...second support portion, 5a...first mounting portion, 5b...second mounting portion, 5c...third mounting portion, 6a...first fixing portion, 6b...second fixing portion, 6c...third fixing portion, 7...outlet mounting portion, 8...controller mounting portion, 9..., 10..., 11...inner body panel, 12...trim (soft trim), 12a...opening, 12b...rear end mounting portion, 13...rear wheel house inner, 13a...vehicle inner protruding portion

Claims

1. An outlet mounting structure comprising: a trim attached to an inner body panel at the rear of a vehicle; a power outlet positioned between said inner body panel and said trim, with a socket portion exposed in an opening formed in said trim; a controller positioned between said inner body panel and said trim; and a bracket fixed to said inner body panel and supporting said power outlet and controller, wherein said bracket has first, second and third mounting portions attached to said inner body panel, an outlet mounting portion for mounting said power outlet being provided at a portion connecting said first mounting portion and said second mounting portion, and a controller mounting portion for mounting said controller being provided at a portion connecting said second mounting portion and said third mounting portion.

2. The outlet mounting structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the inner body panel is provided with a first fixing portion to which the first mounting portion of the bracket is fixed, a second fixing portion to which the second mounting portion of the bracket is fixed, and a third fixing portion to which the third mounting portion of the bracket is fixed, and the first fixing portion is positioned rearward of the third fixing portion in the vehicle.

3. The outlet mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the controller is positioned above the power outlet when the controller and the power outlet are mounted to the inner body panel via the bracket.

4. The socket mounting structure described in claim 2, characterized in that the controller is provided with a first support part and a second support part for mounting to the bracket, and the distance between the first support part and the second support part is the same as the distance between the first fixed part and the second fixed part.

5. The outlet mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the trim is a soft trim.