Vehicle front structure

Abstract

The vehicle front structure of the present invention includes: an electric compressor disposed on the front side of a drive source of a vehicle and supported by the drive source; a protector disposed on the front side of the electric compressor; a projection projecting forward from a side wall at a front part of the drive source; and a butting part being disposed in the protector, the butting part extending toward the projection, a first gap being provided between the butting part and the projection.

Description

Vehicle front structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle front structure.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses the structure of an electric compressor that is disposed on the front side of a vehicle engine and includes a compressor housing.

[0003] JP 2009-103100 A

[0004] However, if a sturdy component such as a cooling fan is located in front of the electric compressor, when a load is applied from the front, the load is applied to the electric compressor by the component located in front, which can cause damage to the electric compressor.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front structure that can prevent damage to an electric compressor when a load is input from the front.

[0006] A vehicle front structure according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an electric compressor arranged in front of a drive source of the vehicle and supported by the drive source, a protector provided in front of the electric compressor, a protrusion protruding forward from a front side wall of the drive source, and a stop portion provided on the protector, extending toward the protrusion and having a first gap between it and the protrusion.

[0007] According to the above vehicle front structure, damage to the electric compressor can be suppressed when a load is input from the front.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vehicle front structure according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the structure of an electric compressor and a protector. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the vehicle front structure according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the structure of a front contact portion of the protector. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the structure of the protector without the top wall. FIG. 7 is a front view showing the structure and arrangement of a connector. FIG. 8A is a plan view for explaining a modified example of the vehicle front structure. FIG. 8B is a plan view for explaining a modified example of the vehicle front structure.

[0009] Hereinafter, a vehicle front structure according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front and rear in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the upper in the vehicle vertical direction, and the left, left side, right side, right side, and center in the vehicle width direction will be simply referred to as the front, rear, upper, left, left side, right side, and center, respectively. Furthermore, components having the same functions as those already described will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. Note that the left in Figures 2, 5, 6, 8A, and 8B indicates the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the upper indicates the right in the vehicle width direction. In Figures 4 and 7, the left indicates the right in the vehicle width direction, and the upper indicates the upper in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0010] The vehicle front structure includes an electric compressor 11 disposed in front of a drive source 1 of the vehicle, and a protector 21 provided in front of the electric compressor 11 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4).

[0011] The driving source 1 is disposed at the front of the vehicle and has an engine or a driving motor for running the vehicle. The driving source 1 according to the embodiment includes a housing 2, a side wall 3, and a protrusion 4 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0012] The housing 2 accommodates an engine or a drive motor. A sidewall 3 extending substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction is provided at the front of the housing 2. The protrusion 4 protrudes forward from the sidewall 3. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the protrusion 4 may protrude forward from the sidewall 3 at the right side of the housing 2. In this case, the protrusion 4 may have a left side surface 4L extending substantially parallel to the front-to-rear direction. The protrusion 4 may be, for example, a protrusion provided on the housing 2 for a water pump, starter motor, alternator, or the like. Note that the configurations and arrangements of the housing 2, sidewall 3, and protrusion 4 are not limited to those described above. For example, the protrusion 4 may protrude forward from the sidewall 3 at the left side of the housing 2 and have a right side surface (not shown) extending substantially parallel to the front-to-rear direction. Alternatively, the protrusion 4 may protrude forward from the sidewall 3 at the center of the housing 2 and have a front side surface (not shown) extending substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction.

[0013] The electric compressor 11 compresses and circulates the refrigerant used in the vehicle's air conditioning system. The electric compressor 11 is disposed in front of the drive source 1 and includes a housing 12. The housing 12 contains, for example, a motor, an inverter that controls the motor, a control device, and the like. The electric compressor 11 is supported and fixed, for example, at the rear of the housing 12 to the front of the housing 2 of the drive source 1 (see FIG. 2). In a side view, at least a portion of the electric compressor 11 overlaps (is superimposed on) the protrusion 4. In other words, the electric compressor 11 and the protrusion 4 at least partially overlap in the front-to-rear direction in a top view (see FIG. 2).

[0014] The protector 21 is disposed in front of the electric compressor 11. That is, the protector 21 covers at least a portion of the front surface of the housing 12 of the electric compressor 11. The protector 21 includes a front wall 22, a top wall 23, and side walls 24 (see FIGS. 1-4).

[0015] The front wall 22 is provided on a wall surface constituting the front surface of the protector 21 and is formed substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. The top wall 23 is provided on a wall surface constituting the upper surface of the protector 21 and extends rearward and upward from the upper end of the front wall 22 (see FIG. 3). As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the front wall 22 may be formed from the center to the right side of the protector 21. In this case, the top wall 23 extending rearward and upward from the upper end of the front wall 22 may be formed from the center to the right side of the protector 21. The side wall 24 is, for example, a wall surface constituting the right side of the protector 21 and extends rearward from the right end of the front wall 22 (see FIG. 3). As illustrated in FIG. 4, the protector 21 is fixed to the electric compressor 11 by fixing points P provided at the upper and lower central portions and the upper left portion of the front wall 22.

[0016] A butting portion 23A is provided on a portion of the upper wall 23. The butting portion 23A is a portion of the upper wall 23 that extends in the vehicle width direction toward the protrusion 4 of the drive source 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 , the butting portion 23A may extend rearward and upward from the upper end of the front wall 22 and may also extend rightward toward the left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4. In this case, a first gap S1 in the vehicle width direction is formed between the tip of the butting portion 23A and the left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4 (see FIGS. 2, 4, and 5). Note that the arrangement of the protrusion 4 and the butting portion 23A is not limited to the above. For example, if the protrusion 4 is formed on the left side of the housing 2, the butting portion 23A may extend leftward toward the right side surface of the protrusion 4. In this case, a first gap S1 in the vehicle width direction may be formed between the tip of the butting portion 23A and the right side surface of the protrusion 4. Furthermore, when the protrusion 4 is formed in the central portion of the housing 2, the abutment portion 23A may extend rearward toward the front side surface of the protrusion 4. In this case, a first gap S1 in the front-to-rear direction may be formed between the tip of the abutment portion 23A and the front side surface of the protrusion 4.

[0017] A front abutment portion 22F may be provided in the center of the front wall 22 of the protector 21 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). That is, the front abutment portion 22F is a substantially central portion of the front wall 22 that connects with the abutment portion 23A, and can be defined as a portion that interferes with the component 31 arranged in front of the protector 21 before the vehicle width direction end portion 22E of the front wall 22 interferes with the component 31 when a load is input from the front.

[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, a component 31 disposed in front of the protector 21 is a piping for a vehicle air conditioning system (hereinafter referred to as piping 31). A cooling fan 32 is disposed in front of the piping 31, and components such as a radiator 33 are disposed in front of the cooling fan 32. In the above configuration, when a load is applied from the front, the radiator 33, the cooling fan 32, and the piping 31 are displaced rearward. As a result, the rear portion of the piping 31 interferes with the front wall 22 of the protector 21. At this time, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 , in a front view, the load from the rear of the cooling fan 32 is applied to an area 32A near the center of the front wall 22. That is, the load from the rear of the cooling fan 32 is applied to the piping 31 and then to the front contact portion 22F via the piping 31. Therefore, the piping 31, to which the load from the rear of the cooling fan 32 is applied, interferes with the front contact portion 22F. The front abutment portion 22F transmits a load input from the front to the abutment portion 23A. When the protector 21 is deformed by the load input from the front, the abutment portion 23A abuts against the protrusion 4. Therefore, the protector 21 converts the load in the front-rear direction input to the front abutment portion 22F into a load in the vehicle width direction and transmits the load from the abutment portion 23A to the left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4, thereby dissipating the load input from the front to the protrusion 4 and protecting the electric compressor 11.

[0019] The front abutment portion 22F may be formed as a protrusion that protrudes forward from the center of the front wall 22 beyond the end portion 22E (see FIG. 5). In this case, when a load is input from the front, the protruding front abutment portion 22F interferes with the piping 31 or the rear portion of the cooling fan 32 before the end portion 22E of the front wall 22 interferes with the piping 31 or the rear portion of the cooling fan 32. Therefore, the same effect as the front abutment portion 22F exemplified in FIGS. 4 and 6 can be achieved. Note that the parts that interfere with the front abutment portion 22F when a load is input from the front are not limited to those described above.

[0020] A second gap S2 in the front-to-rear direction may be provided between the front contact portion 22F and the electric compressor 11 (see FIG. 6 ). That is, the second gap S2 in the front-to-rear direction may be provided between the front contact portion 22F provided in the center of the front wall 22 and the wall portion 26 formed on the upper part of the electric compressor 11. In this case, the front contact portion 22F and the wall portion 26 of the electric compressor 11 are disposed in a position where they overlap in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the second gap S2 may be formed to be larger than the first gap S1. When a load is input from the front, the front contact portion 22F of the front wall 22 is crushed rearward and can be deformed until the second gap S2 disappears.

[0021] The electric compressor 11 may be provided with a connector 41 to which a harness 42 is connected. In this case, the connector 41 may be arranged in a position overlapping with a portion 25 of the protector 21 on one side in the vehicle width direction in the front-rear direction (see FIG. 7 ). The portion 25 on one side in the vehicle width direction of the protector 21 is a portion where the front wall 22 connected to the abutment portion 23A is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the portion 25 on one side in the vehicle width direction according to the embodiment is a portion from the center in the vehicle width direction to the right side. Furthermore, the connector 41 and the front abutment portion 22F may be arranged to partially overlap each other in a front view. Furthermore, the connector 41 may be arranged on the protrusion 4 side, which is to the right of the abutment portion 22F, and may be arranged to overlap with the front wall 22 in a front view.

[0022] Deformation of the vehicle front structure according to the embodiment when a load is applied from the front will now be described. As illustrated in FIG. 8A , the vehicle front structure according to the embodiment includes an electric compressor 11 disposed and supported in front of a drive source 1, a protector 21 provided in front of the electric compressor 11, a protrusion 4 protruding forward from a side wall 3 on the right side of the drive source 1, and an abutment 23A provided on the protector 21 and extending toward a left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4. A first gap S1 is provided between the left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4 and the tip of the abutment 23A. A pipe 31 is disposed in front of a front wall 22 of the protector 21. When a load is applied from the front, the pipe 31 interferes with a front abutment 22F provided in a central portion of the front wall 22 before the end 22E of the front wall 22. As a result, the central portion of the front wall 22 including the front abutment 22F deforms rearward before the end 22E of the front wall 22. Therefore, in a top view, the center portion of the front wall 22 having the front abutment portion 22F is twisted and deformed so as to rotate rearward and rightward relative to the end portion 22E of the front wall 22. As a result, the abutment portion 23A of the top wall 23 is displaced rearward and rightward and abuts against the left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4. At this time, the first gap S1 between the abutment portion 23A and the protrusion 4 disappears. Therefore, after the protector 21 deforms, the load input from the front is transmitted by the abutment portion 23A to the left side surface 4L of the protrusion 4. Therefore, by transmitting the load input from the front from the protector 21 to the protrusion 4, damage to the electric compressor 11 can be suppressed.

[0023] (1) The vehicle front structure according to the embodiment includes an electric compressor 11 disposed in front of the vehicle's drive source 1 and supported by the drive source 1, a protector 21 provided in front of the electric compressor 11, a protrusion 4 protruding forward from a side wall 3 of the drive source 1, and an abutment portion 23A provided on the protector 21, extending toward the protrusion 4, with a first gap S1 formed between the protector 21 and the protrusion 4.

[0024] With the above configuration, when a load is input from the front, the protector 21 receives the load, and after the protector 21 is deformed, the abutment portion 23A deforms toward the protrusion 4, thereby eliminating the first gap S1, and the abutment portion 23A abuts against the protrusion 4, thereby transmitting the load to the protrusion 4. Therefore, the load from the front can be received by the protrusion 4. Therefore, when a load is input from the front, damage to the electric compressor 11 can be suppressed.

[0025] (2) In the embodiment, the protector 21 includes a front wall 22 that forms the front surface and a top wall 23 that extends from the front wall 22 and forms the top surface. The abutment portion 23A is provided on the top wall 23 and abuts against the left side surface 4L or the right side surface of the protrusion 4 when a load is applied from the front. As a result, when a load is applied from the front, the protector 21 can transmit the load received by the front wall 22 to the top wall 23, and then from the abutment portion 23A of the top wall 23 to the left side surface 4L or the right side surface of the protrusion 4. Therefore, when a load is applied from the front, the load can be received by the left side surface 4L or the right side surface of the protrusion 4, which can further prevent damage to the housing 12 of the electric compressor 11.

[0026] (3) Furthermore, in the embodiment, the front wall 22 includes a front abutment portion 22F provided in the vehicle widthwise center portion and connected to the abutment portion 23A. When a load is input from the front, the front abutment portion 22F interferes with the piping 31, which is a component disposed forward, before the vehicle widthwise end 22E of the front wall 22 connected to the abutment portion 23A interferes with the piping 31. That is, by providing the abutment portion 23A connected to the front abutment portion 22F, a path for transmitting the load input from the front to the abutment portion 23A can be provided. Therefore, compared to a case in which the front abutment portion 22F connected to the abutment portion 23A is not provided, the load can be more quickly transmitted and released from the abutment portion 23A to the left side surface 4L or the right side surface 4L of the protrusion 4, further suppressing damage to the housing 12 of the electric compressor 11.

[0027] (4) In the embodiment, the first gap S1 is formed between the abutment portion 23A and the left side surface 4L or the right side surface 4L of the protrusion 4, and a second gap S2 larger than the first gap S1 is provided in the front-to-rear direction between the front abutment portion 22F and the electric compressor 11. That is, when a load is input from the front, the front abutment portion 22F receives the load, the protector 21 deforms, and then the abutment portion 23A deforms toward and abuts against the protrusion 4, thereby eliminating the first gap S1. This transmits the load from the front to the protrusion 4. At this time, the second gap S2 is reduced by the deformation of the protector 21, but because it is larger than the first gap S1, the second gap S2 does not disappear. Therefore, the protector 21 can further deform rearward to receive the load, and there is room for the second gap S2 to collapse and disappear. This further reduces damage to the electric compressor 11.

[0028] (5) Furthermore, in the embodiment, the electric compressor 11 includes a connector 41 to which the harness 42 is connected. The abutment portion 23A is provided in the portion 25 of the protector 21 on one side in the vehicle width direction, and the connector 41 is positioned so as to overlap the portion 25 of the protector 21 on one side in the vehicle width direction in the front-rear direction. This prevents the portion 25 of the protector 21 on one side in the vehicle width direction from damaging the rear connector 41 when a load is applied from the front. Furthermore, the portion 25 of the protector 21 on one side in the vehicle width direction is formed by a portion of the front wall 22 that connects to the abutment portion 23A. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the protector 21 with a new structure for protecting the connector 41. This makes it possible to protect the connector 41 while avoiding increases in weight and manufacturing costs of the protector 21.

[0029] The above-described embodiments are merely examples described to facilitate understanding of the invention. The technical scope of the invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above-described embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, alternative technologies, etc. that can be easily derived therefrom.

[0030] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Drive source 3 Side wall 4 Protrusion 4L Left side surface 11 Electric compressor 21 Protector 22 Front wall (front surface) 22E End 22F Front contact portion 23 Top wall (top surface) 23A Abutment portion 25 One side portion of protector in vehicle width direction 31 Pipe (component arranged at front) 41 Connector 42 Harness S1 First gap S2 Second gap

Claims

1. A vehicle front structure comprising: an electric compressor disposed in front of a vehicle's drive source and supported by the drive source; a protector provided in front of the electric compressor; a protruding portion protruding forward from a side wall of the drive source; and a stop portion provided on the protector, extending toward the protruding portion and having a first gap between itself and the protruding portion.

2. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 1, wherein the protector has a front surface and an upper surface extending from the front surface, and the abutment portion is provided on the upper surface and abuts against the left or right side of the protrusion when a load is input from the front.

3. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 2, further comprising a front contact portion provided in the center of the front surface in the vehicle width direction and connected to the abutment portion, wherein the front contact portion interferes with a component disposed in front of the front surface in the vehicle width direction when a load is input from the front.

4. A vehicle front structure as described in claim 3, wherein the first gap is formed between the abutment portion and the left side surface or the right side surface of the protrusion, and a second gap larger than the first gap is provided in the fore-and-aft direction between the front abutment portion and the electric compressor.

5. A vehicle front structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a connector provided on the electric compressor to which a harness is connected, the abutment portion being provided on one side of the protector in the vehicle width direction, and the connector being positioned so as to overlap with the one side of the protector in the vehicle width direction in the fore-and-aft direction.

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