JP7696380B2 - Vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment.

Conventionally, an on-board structure for electrical equipment having a protective structure as disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 has been provided. The protective structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is for protecting wiring components for supplying current to an electronic control unit arranged in a compartment at the front of the vehicle body, and a protective member for protecting the wiring components is arranged facing the rear face of the electronic control unit to which the wiring components are connected, so that the wiring components are sandwiched between the rear face and the protective member, and a fastener for fastening the protective member to the electronic control unit is provided so as to be operated from above the protective member.

JP 2020-1642 A

Here, if the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, when the vehicle is subjected to a collision shock, the connector and bracket (protector) are pinched between the vehicle body and the main body of the electronic control unit, and a large load is applied. Therefore, in order to protect the connector when using the configuration as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to increase the strength of the bracket by increasing the plate thickness of the bracket or by modifying the shape of the bracket. If such a configuration is used, there are problems in that the vehicle mounting structure for the electrical equipment becomes larger in size due to the increased weight, leading to poor fuel efficiency and increased manufacturing costs.

The present invention aims to provide a vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment that can adequately protect the connector from loads input from vehicle body components that extend in the vehicle width direction during a collision, while minimizing the size of the bracket provided to protect the connector.

(1) The present invention is a vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment in a front compartment, comprising a structure disposed in the front compartment, electrical equipment disposed on the structure, a connector disposed on an upper portion of the electrical equipment so as to be inclined toward the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a bracket for protecting the connector, the electrical equipment being disposed at a position offset in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from a vehicle body component disposed to extend in the width direction of the vehicle, the bracket comprising a vehicle body side component surface located on the vehicle body component side among the side surfaces constituting the electrical equipment, and a leg portion fastened to the upper surface, a vehicle body side bracket portion disposed at a position spaced apart in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from the vehicle body side component surface of the electrical equipment via the leg portion, and an upper bracket portion disposed at a position spaced apart upward from the upper surface of the electrical equipment via the leg portion so as to be inclined relative to the upper surface, the connector being disposed below an imaginary extension line of the upper bracket portion when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

The vehicle-mounted structure for electrical equipment according to the present invention has a connector arranged at an angle above the electrical equipment, and the connector is covered by an upper bracket portion that forms a bracket. This makes it possible to realize a vehicle-mounted structure for electrical equipment that can adequately protect the connector against loads input from vehicle body components that extend in the vehicle width direction during a collision, while reducing the size of the portion that is covered by the bracket to protect the connector, compared to the conventional technology in which the connector is attached in an upright position.

(2) The vehicle-mounted structure for electrical equipment of the present invention may be characterized in that the connector is electrically connected to the harness, a portion of the connector including the connection side with the harness and the harness are covered by the bracket, and the remainder of the connector is exposed from the bracket.

By configuring the electrical device mounting structure of the present invention as described above in (2), the size of the portion covered by the bracket to protect the connector can be reduced, while the bracket can protect the harness in addition to the connector.

(3) The vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment of the present invention may be characterized in that a harness fixing portion for fixing the harness is provided on the bracket and protrudes upward.

By configuring the vehicle-mounted structure for electrical equipment of the present invention as described above in (3), the harness can be fixed above the bracket while utilizing the harness fixing portion as a structure that provides a cushioning effect against the input of external forces from above.

(4) The vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment of the present invention may be characterized in that the upper bracket portion is positioned in a position offset in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from a cowl that is provided to extend in the width direction of the vehicle, and is positioned below the cowl.

The vehicle-mounted structure for electrical equipment of the present invention, configured as described above in (4), can cushion the external force input from the cowl at the upper bracket portion and protect the connector.

(5) The vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment of the present invention may be characterized in that the harness connected to the connector is routed using the space formed between the electrical equipment and the bracket.

By configuring the electrical equipment mounting structure of the present invention as described above in (5), the space formed between the electrical equipment and the bracket can be utilized for wiring the harness while protecting the harness with the bracket.

(6) The vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment of the present invention is preferably characterized in that the connector has a covered portion covered by the upper bracket portion and an exposed portion exposed from the upper bracket portion, the width of the covered portion is smaller than the width of the exposed portion, and the width of the portion of the upper bracket portion that covers the connector is smaller than the width of the exposed portion.

By configuring the electrical device mounting structure of the present invention as described above in (6), the size of the bracket can be further reduced while adequately protecting the connector from the load input from the vehicle body structural member that extends in the vehicle width direction during a collision.

The present invention can solve the above problems.

1 is a front view showing a configuration within a front compartment of a vehicle that employs an in-vehicle structure for mounting an electric device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a low-voltage cable is removed from FIG. 1 . 1 is a perspective view showing an electric device mounting structure for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a side view showing the vehicle-mounted structure for an electric device according to the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the left side in FIG. 1 . 2 is a plan view showing the vehicle-mounted structure for an electric device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above in FIG. 1 .

Below, a vehicle-mounted structure 10 for electrical equipment according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as "vehicle-mounted structure 10") and a vehicle 1 employing the vehicle-mounted structure 10 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, terms indicating positions and directions such as up, down, left, right, width direction, front and rear direction, etc. will be described based on the attitude of the electrical equipment mounted on the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

The vehicle 1 may be, for example, a hybrid vehicle. The vehicle 1 is configured with various structures arranged in a front compartment 3 provided at the front of the vehicle body 2. For example, if the vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle, structures such as an engine, a generator, a drive motor, a gear mechanism, and a differential gear are arranged in the front compartment 3. In this embodiment, a power unit 5, which is an integrated structure that houses the generator and drive motor together with the gear mechanism and differential gear in a unit case 4, is arranged in the front compartment 3 as a structure.

The vehicle 1 has a passenger compartment adjacent to the front compartment 3 in the fore-and-aft direction. The vehicle 1 is configured such that the front compartment 3 and the passenger compartment are separated by a dash panel 6 (a body component) that is provided to extend in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle 1 also has a cowl 7 (a body component) that is provided to extend in the vehicle width direction in the same manner as the dash panel 6.

The power unit 5 (structure) is disposed at a position offset from the dash panel 6 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1. An electrical device 8 is disposed above the power unit 5. In this embodiment, the electrical device 8 is a PCU (Power Control Unit) for controlling the power unit 5. The power unit 5 is disposed inside the front compartment 3 with the top surface inclined upwards toward the dash panel 6.

The electric equipment 8, like the power unit 5, is disposed at a position offset from the dash panel 6 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1. The electric equipment 8 is also disposed at a position offset from the cowl 7 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1, and at a position below the cowl 7. The electric equipment 8 includes an inverter and a microcomputer for driving the drive motor inside the case 9 that forms the outer shell of the electric equipment 8. The case 9 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a vehicle body side component surface 9a that faces the dash panel 6 and cowl 7, and a top surface 9b. The electric equipment 8 has a connection portion 9c for connecting a connector 20 to the top surface 9b of the case 9.

The vehicle mounting structure 10 includes the power unit 5 (structure) and electrical equipment 8 described above, as well as a connector 20 and a bracket 30. The vehicle mounting structure 10 is configured by mounting these components in the front compartment 3.

The connector 20 is electrically connected to a connection portion 9c provided on the upper portion of the electrical device 8. The connector 20 is installed so as to be inclined toward the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the connector 20 is installed so as to have a downward slope as it approaches the dash panel 6 and the cowl 7. The connector 20 is electrically connected to a high-voltage harness 40 (harness).

The connector 20 has a covered portion 22 that is covered by the bracket 30, which will be described in detail later, and an exposed portion 24. The covered portion 22 is a portion that is covered by the upper bracket portion 36 that constitutes the bracket 30. The exposed portion 24 is a portion that is exposed from the upper bracket portion 36 that constitutes the bracket 30. The connector 20 is formed in a shape such that the width of the covered portion 22 is smaller than the width of the exposed portion 24.

The bracket 30 is a member provided to protect the connector 20. The bracket 30 is attached to the case 9 that constitutes the electrical equipment 8, and by arranging the connector 20 and the high-voltage harness 40 connected thereto in the space formed between the bracket 30 and the electrical equipment 8, the connector 20 and the high-voltage harness 40 can be protected. The bracket 30 has legs 32, a vehicle body side bracket part 34, an upper bracket part 36, and a harness fixing part 38. The bracket 30 is formed by processing, for example, a single steel plate so that the legs 32, the vehicle body side bracket part 34, and the upper bracket part 36 are integrally and continuously formed.

The legs 32 are fastened to the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a, which forms the surface facing the dash panel 6 and cowl 7, and to the top surface 9b of the case 9 that constitutes the electrical equipment 8. In this embodiment, the case has a first leg 32a that is fastened to the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a, and a second leg 32b that is fastened to the top surface 9b. The first leg 32a and the second leg 32b are fastened to the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a and the second leg 32b, respectively, using fasteners such as bolts, for example.

The vehicle body side bracket part 34 is a planar part that is arranged at a position separated in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a of the electrical device 8 via the leg part 32 (first leg part 32a). The vehicle body side bracket part 34 forms a surface that is approximately parallel to the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a. The vehicle body side bracket part 34 is arranged at a position separated from the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a by the length of the leg part 32. This forms a space between the vehicle body side bracket part 34 and the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a.

The upper bracket portion 36 is a planar portion that is disposed above and away from the top surface 9b of the electrical device 8 via the leg portion 32 (second leg portion 32b). The upper bracket portion 36 is disposed so as to be inclined relative to the top surface 9b of the electrical device 8. The upper bracket portion 36 is disposed above and away from the top surface 9b by the length of the leg portion 32 (second leg portion 32b). This forms a space between the upper bracket portion 36 and the top surface 9b, and the connector 20 is disposed in this space.

The upper bracket portion 36 has a connector covering portion 36a and a harness covering portion 36b. The connector covering portion 36a is a portion that covers the connector 20 from above. The connector covering portion 36a covers a portion of the connector 20. Specifically, the connector covering portion 36a covers the covering portion 22, which is a portion of the connector 20, but does not cover the exposed portion 24. The harness covering portion 36b is a portion that continues from the connector covering portion 36a on the vehicle body side bracket portion 34 side, and covers the high voltage harness 40 that is connected to the covering portion 22. The upper bracket portion 36 is formed so that the width (length in the vehicle width direction) of the harness covering portion 36b is smaller than the width of the connector covering portion 36a.

The harness fixing portion 38 is for fixing the low-voltage harness 42 (harness) to the bracket 30. The harness fixing portion 38 may be anything capable of fixing the low-voltage harness 42 to the bracket 30, and may be, for example, a fixing member such as a clamp that can clamp and hold the low-voltage harness 42, or a member such as a clamp that is previously attached to the low-voltage harness 42 and can be connected to the bracket 30 to fix the low-voltage harness 42.

The harness fixing portion 38 may be provided at various locations on the legs 32, vehicle side bracket portion 34, upper bracket portion 36, and the like that constitute the bracket 30. In this embodiment, the harness fixing portion 38 is provided so as to protrude upward on the upper bracket portion 36. This allows the bracket 30 to fix the low-voltage harness 42, which is routed so as to pass above the upper bracket portion 36, by the harness fixing portion 38 without causing any misalignment. The harness fixing portion 38 is also provided above the second leg portion 32b. This allows the harness fixing portion 38 to provide both cushioning against input from above and support.

When the above-described vehicle mounting structure 10 is configured, the connector 20 is disposed below the imaginary extension line L of the upper bracket portion 36 in a side view from the side of the vehicle 1. In addition, the connector 20 is in a state where the covering portion 22, which is a part of the region including the connection side with the high-voltage harness 40, is covered by the bracket 30 (the connector covering portion 36a of the upper bracket portion 36). The connector 20 is in a state where the exposed portion 24, which is the region (the remaining region) on the opposite side to the connection side with the high-voltage harness 40, is exposed from the bracket 30. Furthermore, the high-voltage harness 40 connected to the connector 20 is arranged using the space formed between the electrical equipment 8 and the bracket 30. Specifically, the high-voltage harness 40 is arranged through a path that passes through the space between the harness covering portion 36b of the upper bracket portion 36 and the upper surface 9b of the electrical equipment 8, and the space between the vehicle body side bracket portion 34 and the vehicle body side constituent surface 9a of the electrical equipment 8. This allows the bracket 30 to protect not only the bracket 30 itself, but also the high-voltage harness 40.

<About the effects>
The above-described vehicle-mounted electric device structure 10 of the present embodiment has the following characteristic configurations (a) to (f), which enable the vehicle-mounted electric device structure 10 to achieve the following unique effects.

(a) The vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment has a power unit 5 (structure) arranged in the front compartment 3, electrical equipment 8 arranged on top of the power unit 5, a connector 20 arranged at an angle toward the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 on the upper part of the electrical equipment 8, and a bracket 30 that protects the connector 20, the electrical equipment 8 being arranged in a position offset in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 with respect to the vehicle body constituent members (dash panel 6 and cowl 7) that are arranged to extend in the width direction of the vehicle 1, and the bracket 30 is disposed on the vehicle body constituent member among the side surfaces that constitute the electrical equipment 8. It has a vehicle body side component surface 9a located on the component (dash panel 6 and cowl 7) side, and legs 32 fastened to the top surface 9b, a vehicle body side bracket part 34 arranged at a position separated from the vehicle body side component surface 9a of the electrical device 8 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 via the legs 32, and an upper bracket part 36 arranged at an angle to the top surface 9b at a position separated upward from the top surface 9b of the electrical device 8 via the legs 32, and the connector 20 is arranged below the imaginary extension line L of the upper bracket part 36 when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

In the vehicle mounting structure 10 according to this embodiment, the connector 20 is arranged at an angle above the electrical device 8, and the connector 20 is covered by the upper bracket portion 36 forming the bracket 30. This makes it possible to realize a vehicle mounting structure 10 that can adequately protect the connector 20 against loads input from the vehicle body components (dash panel 6 and cowl 7) that are arranged to extend in the width direction of the vehicle 1 during a collision, while reducing the size of the portion that is covered by the bracket 30 to protect the connector 20, compared to the case where the connector 20 is attached in an upright position as in the conventional technology.

(b) In the vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment, the connector 20 is electrically connected to the high-voltage harness 40, and a portion of the connector 20 including the connection side with the high-voltage harness 40 and the high-voltage harness 40 are covered by the bracket 30, and the remainder of the connector 20 is exposed from the bracket 30.

The vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment is configured as described above in (b), so that the size of the portion covered by the bracket 30 to protect the connector 20 can be reduced, while the bracket 30 can protect not only the connector 20 but also the high-voltage harness 40.

(c) The vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment is characterized in that a harness fixing portion 38 for fixing the low-voltage harness 42 is provided on the bracket 30 and is arranged to protrude upward.

The vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment is configured as described above in (c), and can use the harness fixing portion 38 as a structure that provides a cushioning effect against the input of external forces from above while fixing the low-voltage harness 42 above the bracket 30.

(d) In this embodiment, the vehicle mounting structure 10 has an upper bracket portion 36 that is offset in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 1 from the cowl 7 that is provided to extend in the width direction of the vehicle 1, and is disposed below the cowl 7.

The vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment is configured as described above in (d), so that the external force input from the cowl 7 is buffered by the upper bracket portion 36, thereby protecting the connector 20.

(e) In this embodiment, the vehicle mounting structure 10 is configured such that the high-voltage harness 40 connected to the connector 20 is routed using the space formed between the electrical device 8 and the bracket 30.

By configuring the vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment as described above in (e), the space formed between the electrical device 8 and the bracket 30 can be utilized for routing the high-voltage harness 40, while the high-voltage harness 40 can be protected by the bracket 30.

(f) In this embodiment, the vehicle mounting structure 10 has a connector 20 that has a covered portion 22 that is covered by the upper bracket portion 36 and an exposed portion 24 that is exposed from the upper bracket portion 36, and the width of the covered portion 22 is smaller than the width of the exposed portion 24, and the width of the portion of the upper bracket portion 36 that covers the connector 20 is smaller than the width of the exposed portion 24.

By configuring the vehicle mounting structure 10 of this embodiment as described above in (f), the size of the bracket 30 can be further reduced, while adequately protecting the connector 20 from the load input from the vehicle body components (dash panel 6 and cowl 7) that extend in the width direction of the vehicle 1 during a collision.

<<Variations>>
The vehicle-mounted structure 10 for electrical equipment exemplified in the above embodiment is merely one example of the present invention, and as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, for example, the configurations relating to (a) to (f) described above may be different from those exemplified in the above embodiment, or other configurations may be provided in addition to or instead of the configurations included in (a) to (f), or some configurations may be omitted.

Specifically, the vehicle mounting structure 10 illustrated in the above embodiment is configured as shown in (b) above, in which a part of the connector 20 including the connection side with the high-voltage harness 40 and the high-voltage harness 40 are covered by the bracket 30, and the remaining part is exposed, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the connection side of the connector 20 with the high-voltage harness 40 does not face the dash panel 6 or cowl 7, the vehicle mounting structure 10 may be configured to cover the part of the connector 20 other than the connection side with the high-voltage harness 40 that is located on the dash panel 6 or cowl 7 side with the bracket 30. Also, the vehicle mounting structure 10 may cover the high-voltage harness 40 with another covering member or the like, without covering the high-voltage harness 40 with the bracket 30.

The vehicle-mounted structure 10 illustrated in the above embodiment may not have a harness fixing portion 38 for fixing the low-voltage harness 42 as in (c) above, or the harness fixing portion 38 may be provided on something other than the bracket 30. Also, the vehicle-mounted structure 10 may have a configuration in which, instead of or in addition to the harness fixing portion 38, the bracket 30 is provided with a structure capable of cushioning an external force acting from the vehicle body 2 toward the bracket 30.

In the vehicle mounting structure 10 illustrated in the above embodiment, the upper bracket portion 36 is disposed below the cowl 7 as shown in (d) above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle mounting structure 10 can be configured such that another portion disposed below the cowl 7 is provided in place of the upper bracket portion 36.

The vehicle-mounted structure 10 illustrated in the above embodiment is not limited to the above (e) in which the high-voltage harness 40 connected to the connector 20 is routed using the space formed between the electrical device 8 and the bracket 30. For example, the vehicle-mounted structure 10 may be configured such that the space formed between the electrical device 8 and the bracket 30 is not used for routing the high-voltage harness 40.

The vehicle mounting structure 10 illustrated in the above embodiment is not limited to the above (f) in which the width of the portion of the upper bracket part 36 that covers the connector 20 is smaller than the width of the exposed part 24. For example, the vehicle mounting structure 10 may be one in which the width of the portion of the upper bracket part 36 that covers the connector 20 is equal to or greater than the width of the exposed part 24.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and variations, and other embodiments may be possible within the scope of the claims, based on the teachings and spirit of the invention. The components of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Any component of the embodiment may also be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the means for solving the problem, or any component that embodies any component described in the means for solving the problem. We intend to obtain rights to these as well through amendments to this application or divisional applications, etc.

The present invention can be suitably used in all vehicle mounting structures for electrical equipment in the front compartment.

1: Vehicle 2: Body 3: Front compartment 5: Power unit (structure)
[0033] 6: Dash panel 7: Cowl 8: Electrical equipment 9a: Vehicle body side component surface 9b: Upper surface 10: Vehicle mounting structure 20: Connector 22: Covering portion 24: Exposed portion 30: Bracket 32: Leg portion 34: Vehicle body side bracket portion 36: Upper bracket portion 38: Harness fixing portion 40: High voltage harness 42: Low voltage harness L: Imaginary extension line

Claims (3)

A vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment in a front compartment,
A structure disposed in the front compartment;
An electrical device disposed on the structure;
a connector provided on an upper portion of the electric device so as to be inclined toward the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
A bracket for protecting the connector;
and
the electrical device is disposed at a position offset in a front-rear direction of the vehicle with respect to a vehicle body constituent member provided so as to extend in a width direction of the vehicle,
The bracket is
a leg portion fastened to a vehicle body side constituent surface, which is located on the vehicle body constituent member side among side surfaces constituting the electric device, and to an upper surface of the electric device ;
a vehicle body side bracket portion disposed at a position spaced apart in a front-rear direction of the vehicle from the vehicle body side constituent surface of the electrical device via the leg portion;
an upper bracket portion disposed at an upper side away from the upper surface of the electrical device via the leg portion and inclined with respect to the upper surface;
and
13. A vehicle-mounted structure for electrical equipment, comprising: a connector disposed below an imaginary extension line of the upper bracket portion when viewed from a side of the vehicle. The connector is electrically connected to a harness,
2. The vehicle mounting structure for electrical equipment according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the connector including the connection side with the harness and the harness are covered by the bracket, and the remainder of the connector is exposed from the bracket. 3. The vehicle-mounted structure for an electric device according to claim 1, wherein a harness fixing portion for fixing a harness is provided on the bracket and protrudes upward.