PHEV Floor Layout for Sliding Rear Seats and Flat Cabin Floors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minivan type plug-in hybrid electric vehicles require long slide rails for a sufficient sliding amount of the second row seat, necessitating a high and uneven floor structure that compromises cabin space.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle design includes a compact layout with the engine compartment forward, battery and fuel tank under the floor, and strategic routing of wire harnesses and components to maintain a low and flat floor, allowing for a wide vehicle cabin space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If long slide rails are disposed on the floor to enable sufficient sliding of the second row seat, then the sliding amount of the second row seat is improved, but the floor becomes high and uneven which reduces cabin space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent routes wire harnesses through the lateral direction (vehicle width direction) instead of the longitudinal direction (vehicle front-rear direction). This dimensional change allows the wire harnesses to bypass the slide rail area, enabling the use of shorter slide rails that do not compromise cabin space while still providing sufficient sliding functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a lateral routing path for wire harnesses as an intermediary solution. By routing wire harnesses through the side of the fuel tank and along the vehicle width direction, this intermediary path resolves the conflict between needing long slide rails for seat sliding and maintaining a low, flat floor for adequate cabin space.
2Reliability
If wire harnesses are routed through the center of the vehicle to connect battery and inverter, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but the wire harnesses are exposed to impact risks and cause power loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wire harness routing from the vulnerable central longitudinal path and relocates it to a protected lateral path. By taking the wire harnesses out of the high-risk center area and routing them through the side of the fuel tank, the design reduces exposure to impact while maintaining electrical connectivity between the battery and inverter.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the fuel tank structure as a protective element. By routing wire harnesses through the side of the fuel tank, the potentially harmful factor (fuel tank presence) is converted into a beneficial protective barrier that shields the wire harnesses from impact while the routing path itself provides mechanical protection.
Data Source
AI summary
A minivan type plug-in hybrid electric vehicle includes an engine, a motor, an on-board charger, a power transmission mechanism, an inverter configured to drive the motor, an engine compartment, a floor panel, a first row seat located rearward of front wheels, a second row seat located forward of rear wheels, and one or more wire harnesses. The engine compartment is located forward of a vehicle cabin. Under the floor panel, a battery, a fuel tank, an exhaust pipe, and a muffler are disposed. The second row seat is configured to slide in the vehicle front-rear direction along a slide rail. The one or more wire harnesses are routed in the vehicle front-rear direction through a side of the fuel tank under the floor panel.