Vehicle structure

Abstract

[Problem] To achieve both connection workability of a harness and protection of a strong-electricity harness connector. [Solution] The present invention comprises an electrical component which is disposed in front of a dash panel 20 and below a cowling 30, and which is supported by a wall surface of a strut housing 10, wherein the electrical component is provided with a protector 90 on a strong-electricity harness connection part (harness connector) 81, and the protector is bolt-fastened to a front-side side surface of the electrical component.

Description

Vehicle structure

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

[0002] Among the heating means installed inside the engine compartment of a vehicle, the heating means responsible for heating the interior of the vehicle heats the interior of the vehicle by heating the outside air while a heat exchange medium for lowering the temperature of the engine circulates through the heater core. One heating means, a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater, operates to heat the interior of the vehicle for a while when the coolant is not heated and the vehicle heater does not generate heat, such as during the initial start-up period in winter, and increases the temperature of the air flowing into the PTC heater to supplement the vehicle's heating performance.

[0003] One technology related to such PTC heaters is to provide an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system in the engine compartment of a vehicle, which has a heat exchanger to which an engine coolant pipe is connected and an air PTC heater, and the air PTC heater has a connector to which a high-voltage harness is connected.

[0004] JP 2016-002998 A

[0005] When a compact HVAC is required due to layout or other factors, it is possible to utilize the available space in the engine compartment by moving the air PTC heater inside the HVAC to a water PTC heater on the cooling water channel outside the HVAC. However, if the PTC heater is located in the engine compartment, there is a risk that the front parts of the PTC heater will interfere with the high-voltage harness connector in the event of a vehicle collision, causing a short circuit in the high-voltage harness. Furthermore, if the PTC heater is located in a recessed area in the engine compartment where the front parts are least likely to interfere with the PTC heater in order to protect the high-voltage harness connector in the event of a vehicle collision, this will make it difficult to assemble the high-voltage harness.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to achieve both ease of wiring harnesses and protection of high-voltage harness connectors.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an electrical device disposed in front of the dash panel and below the cowl, supported on a wall surface of the strut tower. The electrical device includes a protector at a connection point of a high-voltage harness. The protector is fastened to the front side of a PTC heater with a bolt.

[0008] According to the above vehicle structure, it is possible to achieve both ease of wiring the harness and protection of the high-voltage harness connector.

[0009] It is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle structure according to an embodiment. It is a schematic front view of Figure 1. It is a schematic view of Figure 1 in a state where the cowl is not displayed. It is a schematic view showing a connection portion between a high-voltage harness and a connector bracket. It is a schematic front view showing the connector bracket, the high-voltage harness, a protector, etc. It is a schematic side view of Figure 5. It is a circuit diagram around the electrical equipment.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. In the drawings, the size and proportions of each component are exaggerated to facilitate understanding of the embodiments, and may differ from the actual size and proportions.

[0011] In each figure, arrows represented by X, Y, and Z are used to indicate the orientation of components constituting the vehicle structure according to the embodiment. X constitutes the front-rear direction of the vehicle and is referred to as the front-rear direction X. Y indicates the width direction of the vehicle and is referred to as the vehicle width direction Y. Z indicates the height direction of the vehicle and is referred to as the height direction Z.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a vehicle structure according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic view of Fig. 1 without showing the cowl 30. Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the connection between the high-voltage harness 80 and the connector bracket B3. Fig. 5 is a schematic front view showing the connector bracket B3, the high-voltage harness 80, the protector 90, etc. Fig. 6 is a schematic side view of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram of the electrical equipment main body 70 and its surroundings.

[0013] The vehicle structure according to this embodiment can be used in hybrid automobiles, etc. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle structure according to this embodiment includes a strut housing 10 (also called a strut tower), a dash panel 20, a cowl 30, water piping 40, and a valve 50. The vehicle structure also includes a powertrain housing 60, an electrical component body 70, a high-voltage harness 80, and a protector 90. These components are described below.

[0014] (Strut Housing) The strut housing 10 is configured to mount shock absorbers and the like of a vehicle suspension system that suspends the vehicle body, and is disposed in the engine compartment. The strut housing 10 can be provided on both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0015] (Dash Panel) The dash panel 20 is configured to separate the vehicle interior from the engine room (motor room).

[0016] (Cowl) The cowl 30 extends along the vehicle width direction Y and is joined to an upper portion of the dash panel 20. The cowl 30 is provided on the rear wall of the engine compartment.

[0017] (Water Piping) The water piping 40 is configured to form a circulation path for cooling water that cools the engine. The water piping passes beside the electrical equipment main body 70 and is disposed in front of the electrical equipment main body 70.

[0018] (Valve) The valve 50 is provided in a coolant circuit connected to the electrical equipment body 70 and is configured to be able to switch between opening and closing the circuit. The valve 50 is configured to be disposed in front of the water pipe 40.

[0019] (Housing) The powertrain housing 60 is configured to house various parts necessary for the operation of the automobile, such as the engine and inverter. The powertrain housing 60 is configured to be integrally connected to the valve 50 by a bracket B4. The bracket B4 is configured to support the valve 50 and to fix the housing 60 at its back side.

[0020] (Electrical Equipment) The electrical equipment includes an electrical equipment main body 70, brackets B1 and B2, a connector bracket B3, a high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, and a protector 90. The electrical equipment is disposed in front of the dash panel 20 and below the cowl 30, and is configured to be supported by the wall surface of the strut housing 10.

[0021] In this embodiment, the electrical component body 70 is a PTC heater used to compensate for insufficient heating capacity when the heater core cannot sufficiently heat the air conditioning air, such as when the outside air temperature is low and the engine coolant temperature is low. The PTC heater 70 has a so-called PTC characteristic, in which the electrical resistance increases and power consumption decreases as the temperature of the heater element increases, and its operation is controlled accordingly. The PTC heater 70 uses water as a heating medium.

[0022] The PTC heater 70 is configured to be attached to the strut housing 10 by two substantially U-shaped brackets B1 and B2.

[0023] Bracket B1 is U-shaped in plan view, and the bottom of the U is fastened with a bolt to a boss provided on strut housing 10. Bracket B1 is connected to bracket B2 at both ends of the U with bolts or the like. PTC heater 70 is integrally connected to bracket B2 on the top surface of bracket B2 with bolts or the like.

[0024] The bracket B2 is configured to be connected to the connector bracket B3 on the opposite side (inner side in the vehicle width direction) from the strut housing 10 in the vehicle width direction Y. The connector bracket B3 is bent in a generally S-shape when viewed from the front and in a generally L-shape when viewed from the top, and has a front side B31 extending in the vehicle width direction and a lateral side B32 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The connector bracket B3 is connected to the bracket B2 by a bolt on the side (lateral side) B32 along the vehicle front-rear direction, and a high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 is attached to the connector bracket B3.

[0025] (High-Power Harness) The high-power harness 80 is configured to connect high-power devices, such as PTC heaters, which are components with line voltages greater than a predetermined value.

[0026] (Protector) The protector 90 is provided at the connection between the high-voltage harness 80 and the connector bracket B3. The protector 90 is disposed on the connector bracket B3 so as to extend along the vehicle width direction Y. The protector 90 is formed to protect the vicinity of the connection between the high-voltage harness 80 and the connector bracket B3. The protector 90 is formed in a generally U-shape having a bottom (front), upper surface, and lower surface when viewed from the side, and is disposed so that the bottom (front) of the U-shape faces forward of the vehicle (see FIG. 6 ). The bottom of the U-shape of the protector 90 is connected to the front surface (front side surface) B31 of the connector bracket B3 with a bolt.

[0027] The PTC heater 70 is attached so as to be suspended from the upper surface of the bracket B2, which is attached to the bracket B1 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and the bracket B1 is attached to the wall surface (the inner side surface in the vehicle width direction) of the strut housing 10. In addition, a connector bracket B3 is attached to the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the bracket B2. A high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 is attached to the lateral side surface B32 of the connector bracket B3, and a protector 90 is attached to the front side surface B31. The high-voltage harness connection portion 81 is a harness connector, and when a high-voltage harness 80 is connected, the high-voltage harness 80 and the PTC heater 70 are electrically connected. The protector 90 has a U-shaped bottom (front) that is provided in front of the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, and the U-shaped bottom (front), top surface, and bottom surface cover the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, with the outer end of the bottom (front) in the vehicle width direction attached to the front side surface B31 of the connector bracket B3. The protector 90 has a bottom (front) that is located forward of the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, an upper surface that extends rearward from the upper end of the front portion that is located above, and a lower surface that extends rearward from the lower end of the front portion that is located below.

[0028] That is, the electrical equipment is attached to the wall of the strut housing 10 on its outer side in the vehicle width direction, a high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 is provided on its inner side in the vehicle width direction (lateral side B32), and a protector 90 covering the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 is attached to the front side B31 of the electrical equipment.

[0029] By providing the electrical equipment at a high position in the engine compartment and on the outside in the vehicle width direction Y, it is possible to ensure ease of assembly when assembling the high-voltage harness 80 to the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 of the electrical equipment. Furthermore, by fastening the protector 90 to the front side surface B31 of the electrical equipment (connector bracket B3) with bolts, it is possible to ensure ease of assembly of the protector 90. The protector 90 can prevent other components from interfering with the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 during a frontal collision, causing a short circuit. In other words, it is possible to achieve both ease of wiring the high-voltage harness 80 and protection of the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81.

[0030] The outer end of the upper surface of the protector 90 in the vehicle width direction is positioned so as to have a gap C1 (first gap) with the lateral side surface B32 of the electrical equipment (connector bracket B3). Gap C1 is formed so as to be smaller than gap C2 (second gap) between the U-shaped bottom (front) of the protector 90 and the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81. As shown in FIG. 4 , the protector 90 is fixed with a single bolt, which reduces layout space, weight, and cost compared to when multiple bolts are used. Note that the portion of the protector 90 that has gap C1 with the connector bracket B3 is also referred to as a front abutment portion 96 in this specification.

[0031] Furthermore, by connecting the front end of the protector 90 at the outer side in the vehicle width direction to the electrical equipment (the front side surface B31 of the connector bracket B3) with a single bolt, the protector 90 is cantilevered and tends to rotate clockwise as viewed from above the vehicle when a collision load is input from the front. However, by configuring the gaps C1 and C2 as described above, the front abutment portion 96 abuts against the lateral side surface B32 of the connector bracket B3, suppressing clockwise rotation as viewed from above the vehicle, and preventing the protector 90 from interfering with the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81.

[0032] Furthermore, the strength of the front side surface B31 and the side side surface B32 of the electrical equipment (connector bracket B3) is formed to be lower than the strength of the protector 90. In other words, the strength of the connector bracket B3 is formed to be lower than the strength of the protector 90. With this configuration, when an excessive input is applied, the amount of deformation of the connector bracket B3 can be made larger than the amount of deformation of the protector 90, so that the input can be absorbed. As a result, a gap is secured between the protector 90 and the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, and the protector 90 can be prevented from interfering with the harness connector 81.

[0033] The protector 90 is formed so as to have a flange 91 at the tip of the U-shape. By setting the flange 91 in this way, it is possible to increase the strength and suppress deformation of the protector 90 in the event of a collision.

[0034] Furthermore, the flange 91 of the protector 90 is formed so as to be bent outward. If it were bent inward, as opposed to the above, the edge of the flange would come into contact with the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 or the high-voltage harness 80 when a load is input from the front, but by bending it outward as described above, it is possible to prevent the edge of the protector 90 from interfering with the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81 or the high-voltage harness in the event of a collision.

[0035] The bottom (front) of the U-shape of the protector 90 is formed in a stepped shape along the vehicle width direction Y, which is the bolt fastening portion, and the upper step 92 and the lower step 93 are connected by a bead 94 as shown in FIG. 2. The side opposite the electrical equipment main body 70 in the vehicle width direction Y is formed with a step to ensure a gap with adjacent components, but the provision of a step can reduce the rigidity of the protector 90. In response to this, by providing the bead 94 as described above, it is possible to suppress the reduction in rigidity of the protector 90. The shape connecting the upper step 92 and the lower step 93 may be flat or curved.

[0036] The protector 90 is configured to have a notch 95 formed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction (on the connector bracket B3 side) of a corner connecting the bottom (front) and top surface of the U-shape. In other words, the protector 90 has a notch 95 formed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, extending from the bottom (front) to the top surface, and a stopper portion 96 is provided behind the notch 95. This configuration allows the stopper portion 96 to abut against the lateral side surface B32 of the connector bracket B3, while also achieving weight and cost reductions. The notch 95 can also be used as a portion for checking the connection of the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, thereby ensuring visibility.

[0037] Furthermore, the engine (corresponding to ENG in FIG. 7 ) is provided with a coolant passageway as a heat exchanger, and a PTC heater (corresponding to HV PTC in FIG. 7 ) is installed in the coolant passageway as an electrical component body 70. In automobiles such as series hybrids, the motor is the vehicle's driving source, and the engine is used to generate electricity. Therefore, when there is no need to generate electricity, the engine is stopped, and no heat is generated from the engine. However, by installing PTC heater 70 in the coolant passageway, heat can be generated by PTC heater 70 even when heat is not being generated from the engine.

[0038] The PTC heater 70 is operated by an HV power supply (high voltage power supply) as shown in Figure 7 and is controlled by the controller ECM. The PTC heater supplies heat to the heater (corresponding to HEATER in Figure 7) by heating the water flowing in the cooling circuit during heating. When the engine is running, the heat generated by the engine heats the water flowing in the circuit.

[0039] When there is no need to generate electricity, the engine does not generate heat. In this case, the PTC heater generates heat to warm the water in the circuit. When the valve 50 is closed, the electric pump (corresponding to the WATER PUMP in Figure 7) does not operate.

[0040] The controller ECM opens the valve 50 in response to a heating request and operates the electric pump. If the water temperature detected by the water temperature sensor (corresponding to the circle symbol above HV PTC in Figure 7) is higher than a predetermined value, the PTC heater is not operated. If the water temperature is low, the PTC heater is operated. The radiator (corresponding to HT-RAD in Figure 7) cools the engine to prevent the engine water temperature from rising excessively after the engine has finished warming up after starting the engine.

[0041] As described above, the water pipe 40 forming the cooling water path is disposed in front of the high-voltage harness connection portion (harness connector) 81, the valve 50 is disposed in front of the water pipe 40, the bracket B4 supports the valve 50, and the powertrain housing 60 is configured to fix the bracket B4 to its rear surface. With this configuration, the powertrain moves backward in the event of a frontal collision, and the bracket B4 of the valve 50 also moves backward, causing the bracket B4 to push the water pipe 40 toward the connector.

[0042] Here, the protector 90 is placed between the harness connector (the part protected by the protector 90 of the high-voltage harness 80) and the water piping 40, so that the water piping 40 can be prevented from directly interfering with the high-voltage harness connection part (harness connector) 81 and damaging that part.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Although the electrical component body 70 has been described as a PTC heater in the above, it is not limited to this, and may also be an inverter, a motor, or the like.

[0044] The following embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention: a vehicle structure as defined in claim 1 having the features of claim 2; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 2 having the features of claim 3; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 2 or claim 3 having the features of claim 4; a vehicle structure as defined in claim 4 having the features of claim 5; a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 2 to 5 having the features of claim 6; a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 2 to 6 having the features of claim 7; a vehicle structure as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7 having the features of claim 8; and a vehicle structure as defined in claim 8 having the features of claim 9.

[0045] 10 Strut housing, 20 Dash panel, 30 Cowl, 40 Water piping, 50 Valve, 60 Housing, 70 Electrical equipment body (PTC heater), 80 High voltage harness, 81 High voltage harness connection part (harness connector) 90 Protector, 91 Flange, 92 Upper section, 93 Lower section, 94 Bead, 95 Notch, B31 Front side surface, B32 Side side surface, C1 Gap (first gap between upper surface and / or lower surface and side side surface of electrical equipment), C2 Gap (second gap between front of protector and high voltage harness connection part).

Claims

1. A vehicle structure comprising electrical equipment located in front of the dash panel and below the cowl, and supported on the wall of the strut tower, the electrical equipment having a protector at the high-voltage harness connection, and the protector being bolted to the front side of the electrical equipment.

2. A vehicle structure as described in claim 1, wherein the protector is formed in a U-shape having a front portion, an upper surface, and a lower surface, the front portion is fastened to the front side surface of the electrical equipment with bolts, and a first gap between the upper surface and / or the lower surface and a lateral side surface of the electrical equipment is smaller than a second gap between the front portion and the high-voltage harness connection portion.

3. A vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the strength of the front side surface and the side side surface of the electrical equipment is lower than the strength of the protector.

4. A vehicle structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the protector has a flange at the tip of the U-shape.

5. A vehicle structure according to claim 4, wherein the flange is bent outward.

6. A vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the front portion of the protector is formed in a stepped shape, with the upper and lower steps connected by a bead.

7. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the protector has notches at the corners of the front portion and the top surface.

8. A vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the electrical equipment is a PTC heater provided in the engine cooling water passage upstream of the heat exchanger.

9. A vehicle structure according to claim 8, comprising: a water pipe arranged in front of the PTC heater; a valve arranged in front of the water pipe; a bracket supporting the valve; and a power train housing to the rear surface of which the bracket is fixed.

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