JP7596735B2 - ICR relay mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ICR (Inrush Current Reduction) relay mounting structure, and in particular to an ICR relay mounting structure for vehicles with transversely mounted engines.

The ICR relay is provided in the power supply path between the battery and the starter motor, and serves to suppress inrush current to the starter motor, for example, when restarting the engine after an idling stop. Patent Document 1 discloses related technology.

Patent No. 5218496

The ICR relay generates operating noise and vibrations when switching (hereinafter, operating noise and vibrations may be referred to as "sound vibration"). From the perspective of improving the sound environment inside the vehicle cabin, it is desirable to suppress the transmission of this sound vibration to the vehicle body. One method for doing this, for example, is to mount the ICR relay on the side of the engine, which is a heavy object that is elastically supported by the vehicle body.

However, in the case of a horizontally mounted engine, if the ICR relay is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle, the operating sound emitted from the ICR relay will enter the vehicle cabin, reducing the quietness inside the vehicle. On the other hand, if the ICR relay is mounted on the front side of the vehicle, the ICR relay may be damaged in the event of a frontal collision due to contact between the ICR relay and parts or components located further forward than the engine.

The object of the present invention is to protect the ICR relay from damage caused by a frontal collision of the vehicle while improving the quietness of the vehicle interior when the ICR relay is installed in a vehicle with a transversely mounted engine.

In one aspect of the present invention, an ICR relay mounting structure includes at least three accessories and an ICR relay mounted on the vehicle front side of a transversely mounted engine. The ICR relay is located inside a triangle formed by connecting the front end points of the at least three accessories when viewed from the vehicle's front-rear direction, and is located rearward of a plane that includes the triangle.

The above ICR relay mounting structure can protect the ICR relay from damage caused by a frontal collision while improving the quietness of the vehicle interior.

1 is a perspective view showing an ICR relay mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front view showing an ICR relay mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view showing an ICR relay mounting structure according to an embodiment together with peripheral components; 1 is a plan view showing a main portion of an ICR relay mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

The ICR relay mounting structure S (hereinafter referred to as mounting structure S) according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each figure, FR and RR indicate the front and rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, LH and RH indicate the left and right in the width direction of the vehicle, and UP and DN indicate the top and bottom in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In the following description, elements having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the mounting structure S according to the embodiment includes an engine 1, which is an internal combustion engine that drives a vehicle, and auxiliary devices, such as an alternator 2, an air conditioner compressor 3, a starter motor 4, and an ICR relay 5. The engine 1 is a transversely mounted engine with the crankshaft positioned parallel to the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the engine 1 is mainly composed of a cylinder block 6, a cylinder head 7 fixed to the upper surface of the cylinder block 6, and an oil pan 8 fixed to the lower surface of the cylinder block 6.

The oil pan 8 includes an upper oil pan _8U and a lower oil pan _8L . The lower oil pan _8L is attached to the upper oil pan _8U so as to cover from below an opening provided in the bottom of the upper oil pan _8U . A flange F is formed at the upper end of the upper oil pan _8U , and the flange F and a flange F formed at the lower end of the cylinder block 6 are fastened to each other by fasteners such as bolts (not shown).

A transmission TM is connected to the end of the engine 1 on the left side of the vehicle. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, an air cleaner AC is disposed above the transmission TM. A throttle body SB is connected via a pipe to the downstream side of the air cleaner AC, and an intake manifold IM is connected to the downstream side of the throttle body SB. The downstream end of the intake manifold IM is connected to the cylinder head 7.

As shown in Fig. 3, a radiator RD and a radiator fan (not shown) provided on the rear side of the radiator RD are disposed on the vehicle front side of the engine 1. The radiator RD includes a radiator core Rc and an upper tank _TU and a lower tank _TL provided above and below the radiator core Rc, respectively. The periphery of the radiator RD is supported by a radiator core support (not shown). The tip of an air intake duct D is fastened and fixed to the upper end of the radiator core support.

2 and 3, a coolant inlet 9 that communicates with a water jacket of the cylinder block 6 is formed on the side surface of the cylinder block 6 facing the front of the vehicle. One end of a radiator hose 10 is connected to the coolant inlet 9. The other end of the radiator hose 10 is connected to a lower tank _TL of the radiator RD. The radiator hose 10 is made of electrically insulating rubber or the like.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, an alternator 2 is mounted on the right end of the side surface of the cylinder block 6 facing the front of the vehicle. The alternator 2 is an AC generator that generates electricity when driven by the engine 1. The alternator 2 is connected via a cable to a battery (not shown), such as a lead storage battery. The battery is charged with the electricity generated by the alternator 2.

The air conditioner compressor 3 is mounted on the right end of the front side of the cylinder block 6, lower than the mounting position of the alternator 2. The air conditioner compressor 3 is driven by the engine 1 and is a compressor that compresses the refrigerant of a vehicle air conditioner (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, an alternator pulley 2p is provided at the end of the rotating shaft of the alternator 2, and a compressor pulley 3p is provided at the end of the rotating shaft of the air conditioner compressor 3. A crankshaft pulley is provided at the end of the crankshaft (not shown) (the end on the right side of the vehicle in this embodiment). A transmission belt V, such as a V-ribbed belt, is wound around the alternator pulley 2p, compressor pulley 3p, and crankshaft pulley. This allows the rotational driving force of the crankshaft to be transmitted to the alternator 2 and the air conditioner compressor 3 via each pulley and the transmission belt V.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, a starter motor 4 is mounted on the end of the cylinder block 6 on the left side of the vehicle's front side. The starter motor 4 is located lower than the mounting position of the alternator 2 and higher than the air conditioner compressor 3. The starter motor 4 is a device that starts the engine 1 by receiving power from a battery, and applies a starting torque to the crankshaft by driving a ring gear (not shown) that is connected to the crankshaft.

Thus, in the mounting structure S of this embodiment, the three accessories 2, 3, 4 and the ICR relay 5 are mounted on the side of the engine 1 facing forward of the vehicle. Note that "accessories" refers to devices that are provided around the engine 1 and driven by the engine 1, or devices that perform functions necessary to operate the engine 1. The former (devices provided around the engine and driven by the engine) include the alternator 2, air conditioner compressor 3, as well as a water pump, oil pump, fuel pump, power steering pump, etc. The latter (devices provided around the engine and performing functions necessary to operate the engine) includes the starter motor 4, etc.

2, the point constituting the part 2f of the alternator 2 located at the most forward side of the vehicle is defined as the first front end point P1. Similarly, the points constituting the parts 3f, 4f of the air conditioner compressor 3 and the starter motor 4 located at the most forward side of the vehicle are defined as the second front end point P2 and the third front end point P3, respectively. In the mounting structure S, the ICR relay 5 is located inside the triangle A formed by connecting the first front end point P1, the second front end point P2, and the third front end point P3 when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Note that being located inside the triangle A does not necessarily mean that the entire ICR relay 5 is included inside the triangle A when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction, but also means that a part of the ICR relay 5 overlaps with the triangle A. Also, the ICR relay 5 is located on the rear side of the plane including the triangle A, as shown in FIG. 4.

The ICR relay 5 is provided in a power supply path between a battery (not shown) and the starter motor 4, and serves to suppress an inrush current to the starter motor 4 when the engine 1 is started or when the engine 1 is restarted after an idling stop. As shown in FIG. 2, the ICR relay 5 includes a relay body 51, two terminals (not shown) protruding from the relay body 51, and a resin terminal cover 52 that covers the two terminals. The relay body 51 includes a resistor connected in parallel between the two terminals and a short-circuit relay that shorts the resistor. One of the two terminals is electrically connected to the starter motor 4, and the other is electrically connected to a battery (not shown) via a cable 11. As shown in FIG. 3, a radiator hose 10 is disposed on the front side of the cable 11. The radiator hose 10 is disposed so as to overlap the cable 11 when viewed in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ICR relay 5 is attached to the side of the cylinder block 6 via a bracket 53. The bracket 53 is fastened to the side of the cylinder block 6 near a flange F that protrudes from the side of the cylinder block 6.

The effects of this embodiment are explained below.

(1) During a frontal collision (head-on collision), a load is input from the front of the vehicle to the front of the vehicle body, causing parts or components such as the radiator RD that are located further forward than the engine 1 to move toward the rear of the vehicle and come into contact with parts mounted on the side of the engine 1.

According to the mounting structure S, the ICR relay 5 is located inside the triangle A formed by connecting the front end points P1, P2, and P3 of the three auxiliaries 2, 3, and 4 when viewed from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is located rearward of the plane including the triangle A. Therefore, in the event of a frontal collision, a part or member that moves toward the rear of the vehicle will come into contact with the three auxiliaries 2, 3, and 4 before the ICR relay 5. This contact and interference with the auxiliaries 2, 3, and 4 prevents the part or member from moving further toward the rear of the vehicle (entering the internal area of the triangle A). In other words, according to the mounting structure S, a part or member that moves toward the rear of the vehicle is less likely to come into contact with the ICR relay 5 than if the entire ICR relay 5 was located outside the triangle A. This makes it possible to protect the ICR relay 5 from damage caused by a frontal collision. For example, if there are multiple first front end points P1 on the alternator 2, a separate triangle A can be defined for each of them, and the above effect can be achieved if the ICR relay 5 is located inside any of the multiple triangles A defined in this way. The same applies when there are multiple second front end points P2 or multiple third front end points P3.

(2) In the mounting structure S, the starter motor 4 is included in the three accessories mounted on the side of the vehicle's front side. Therefore, the length of the cable 11 electrically connecting the ICR relay 5 and the starter motor 4 can be shortened compared to a case in which the starter motor 4 is not included in the three accessories.

(3) In the mounting structure S, the radiator hose 10 connected to the engine 1 is mounted on the vehicle front side of the cable 11 so as to overlap with the cable 11 when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Therefore, even if a part or member moving toward the rear of the vehicle attempts to come into contact with the cable 11 during a frontal collision, the radiator hose 10 is interposed between the part or member and the cable 11 to protect the cable 11. Specifically, the radiator hose 10 buffers the load input to the cable 11 from the receding part or member, while more reliably maintaining electrical insulation between the part or member and the cable 11.

The radiator hose 10 may be mounted on the vehicle front side of the ICR relay 5 so as to overlap the ICR relay 5 when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction, or so as to overlap both the ICR relay 5 and the cable 11. In this way, the radiator hose 10 can more reliably maintain electrical insulation between the part or member and the ICR relay 5 while cushioning the load input to the ICR relay 5 from a receding part or member.

(4) In the mounting structure S, the ICR relay 5 is attached to the side of the cylinder block 6 via a bracket 53, and the bracket 53 is fastened to the side in the vicinity of a flange F protruding from the side of the cylinder block 6. Since the vicinity of the flange F of the cylinder block 6 has higher rigidity than other parts of the side of the engine 1, the support rigidity of the ICR relay 5 can be increased more than when the bracket 53 is fastened to other parts.

If a rib is provided on the side of the cylinder block 6, the bracket 53 may be fastened near the rib. This also increases the support rigidity of the ICR relay 5.

The above 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 embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, and alternative technologies that can be easily derived therefrom.

In the above embodiment, the alternator 2, the air conditioner compressor 3, and the starter motor 4 are shown as examples of three accessories mounted on the side of the engine 1, but the type of accessories is not particularly limited and may include any of the various accessories mentioned above (e.g., a power steering pump, etc.).

The number of accessories mounted on the vehicle front side of the engine 1 may be four or more. In this case, the ICR relay 5 may be arranged so as to be located inside one of triangles A formed by connecting the front end points of three accessories arbitrarily selected from the four or more accessories.

In the above embodiment, the engine 1 that drives the vehicle has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be used when the ICR relay 5 is installed in an electric vehicle or the like that has an engine dedicated to generating electricity.

S ICR relay mounting structure 1 Engine 10 Radiator hose F Flange 2 Alternator (auxiliary)
3. Air conditioner compressor (auxiliary)
4 Starter motor (auxiliary)
5 ICR relay 53 Bracket 11 Cables P1 to P3 1st to 3rd front end points (front end points)
A Triangle

Claims (4)

At least three auxiliary devices selected from an alternator, an air conditioner compressor, a water pump, an oil pump, a fuel pump, a power steering pump, and a starter motor, and an ICR relay are mounted on the side of the transversely mounted engine on the vehicle front side,
An ICR relay mounting structure in which the ICR relay is located inside a triangle formed by connecting the front end points of three of the auxiliaries , which are the parts that are located furthest forward of the vehicle when viewed from the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and is located rearward of the plane containing the triangle. The three accessories include the starter motor for starting the engine,
2. The ICR relay mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the starter motor is electrically connected to the ICR relay via a cable. 3. The ICR relay mounting structure as described in claim 2, wherein a radiator hose connected to the engine is arranged further forward of the vehicle than at least one of the ICR relay and the cable, and arranged so as to overlap with at least one of the ICR relay and the cable when viewed in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. the ICR relay is attached to a side surface of a cylinder block of the engine via a bracket,
4. The ICR relay mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the bracket is fastened to the side surface of the cylinder block in the vicinity of a flange or a rib protruding from the side surface of the cylinder block.

Images