JP7706498B2 - vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle.

Vehicles such as hybrid vehicles (HV or HEV: Hybrid (Electric) Vehicle) and electric vehicles (EV: Electric Vehicle) are equipped with a PCU (Power Control Unit) in the engine compartment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Because many components must be fitted into the limited space inside the engine compartment, there is almost no excess space. For this reason, the layout and shape of the various components are carefully designed to make the most efficient use of the space possible.

Since the various components are adjacent to each other with almost no gaps, if various parts inside the engine compartment move during a vehicle collision, the PCU may collide with the components around it. In that case, if the PCU is damaged (or broken), it will have a major negative impact, so it is preferable for the object of the collision to be damaged.

However, in order for the collision object to be damaged rather than the PCU during a vehicle collision, the strength of the collision object (e.g., the air cleaner) must be appropriately weaker than that of the PCU.

JP 2020-082863 A

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a structure that makes it less likely for the power control unit (PCU) to be damaged in the event of a vehicle collision.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the vehicle of the present invention is a vehicle comprising an air cleaner and a rear member arranged rearward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from the mounting position of the air cleaner, wherein the air cleaner has a fastening point where the air cleaner is fixedly fastened to the body of the vehicle, and a collision point where the distance between the rear member and the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is the shortest, and the air cleaner comprises: low-rigidity sections located on the same side of the vehicle in the left-right direction as the collision point relative to the fastening point, arranged in a row in the same line , and having lower rigidity than other sections ; and a plurality of ribs located between the plurality of low-rigidity sections, protruding from the housing of the air cleaner, and intersecting the arrangement direction of the plurality of low-rigidity sections .

With this configuration, the air cleaner is reinforced against bending, flexure, and twisting by the ribs, but is still prone to breakage at low rigidity areas, providing a structure that makes the PCU less susceptible to damage in the event of a vehicle collision.

In the vehicle according to the present invention, the low rigidity portion is a thin-walled portion partially provided on the housing of the air cleaner.

With this configuration, low rigidity sections can be easily created by adjusting the mold.

In the vehicle according to the present invention, the low rigidity portions have a groove shape that is long along an arrangement direction of the low rigidity portions .

According to this configuration , the low rigidity portion can be easily broken in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the rib along the longitudinal direction of the groove-like shape .

In the vehicle according to the present invention, the low rigidity portion is provided in a portion of the air cleaner housing that has a curved shape.

This configuration allows the location at which the low-rigidity portion breaks to be set more reliably.

In addition, in the vehicle according to the present invention, the low rigidity portion is provided at a position where the distance from the fastening point is shorter than the distance from the fastening point to the collision point.

This configuration allows the force applied to the collision point to be effectively used to break the low-rigidity section.

In addition, in the vehicle according to the present invention, the surface of the air cleaner that has the collision point is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

With this configuration, after a collision, the air cleaner can slide relative to the rear member, thereby changing the direction of the force applied to the low rigidity portion.

In addition, in the vehicle according to the present invention, the air cleaner is configured to include a first case and a second case that is connected to the first case, the fastening point is located on the first case, the collision point is located on the second case, and the low rigidity portion is provided in the vicinity of the mating surface of the first case with the second case.

This configuration allows the force of a collision transmitted from the mating surface to the first case via the second case to be effectively transmitted to the low rigidity section.

The present invention has the effect of providing a structure in which the PCU is less likely to be damaged in the event of a vehicle collision, since the air cleaner is more likely to break at its low rigidity portion.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of a PCU and an air cleaner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of a PCU and an air cleaner according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of a PCU and an air cleaner according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external appearance of the air cleaner according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external appearance of the air cleaner according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the inside of the first case with the cover removed according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a low rigidity portion provided in the air cleaner according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of positions of the PCU and the air cleaner during a collision according to the embodiment.

Below, an example of the arrangement of a PCU (Power Control Unit) and an air cleaner in a vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 3 are diagrams showing an example of the arrangement of a PCU 1 and an air cleaner 2 according to an embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a view from above (plan view), and Figure 2 shows a view from the right side of the vehicle to the left side (side view). To aid in understanding, Figures 1 and 2 are accompanied by arrows indicating the direction from the back to the front of the vehicle, the right to the left, and the bottom to the top. Note that the front of the vehicle is the front of the driver holding the steering wheel of the vehicle. Figure 3 shows a view from the upper right rear of the subject looking down diagonally to the left.

The PCU 1 is an example of a rear component that is located rearward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle relative to the mounting position of the air cleaner 2.

The PCU 1 and air cleaner 2 are housed in the engine compartment of a hybrid vehicle (HV or HEV: Hybrid (Electric) Vehicle). The engine compartment also houses various auxiliary devices such as the engine, motor, and battery.

The PCU 1 controls the power supply, charging, and generation between the drivetrain, battery, and engine in a vehicle that runs on a motor. The air cleaner 2 removes dust and other particles from the intake air for the engine.

Because many components can be accommodated in a limited space inside the engine compartment, other components are placed in close proximity to the PCU 1, one of which is the air cleaner 2. The air cleaner 2 is an example of an object (collision object) that the PCU 1 will collide with if the PCU 1 moves forward in the event of a vehicle collision.

The PCU1 has a main body 11 and a protector 15. The main body 11 has a box-shaped exterior and houses circuit boards, high-voltage cables, etc.

The protector 15 is provided to protect the PCU 1, particularly the high-voltage cables. The protector 15 has a flap shape and is provided at the front end of the top surface of the main body 11, covering a portion of the front area of the top surface of the main body 11 with a small gap.

Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams showing an example of the external appearance of the air cleaner 2 according to the embodiment. The air cleaner 2 includes a first case 21 and a second case 22. The second case 22 is fixed to the first case 21 by clips 223 (see Figure 4). The clips 223 connect the first case 21 and the second case 22. Figure 5 shows the state with the clips 223 removed. The first case 21, together with the cover 213, constitutes a container (air cleaner box, housing).

The air cleaner 2 contains air from which the air cleaner 2 removes dust. The first case 21 has an intake port 215. The intake port 215 is an opening for sucking in air to fill the air cleaner 2. The air sucked in from the intake port 215 is taken into the air cleaner 2, which is made up of the first case 21 and the cover 213, and fills the air cleaner 2. Dust and other particles taken in with the air into the air cleaner 2 are removed by a filter 25 (see Figure 5) sandwiched between the first case 21 and the second case 22.

Figure 6 is a view showing the inside of the first case 21 with the cover 213 removed. The first case 21 is fixedly fastened to the vehicle body at fastening point O located below the air intake 215. The first case 21 has an opening 211 on the opposite side to the cover 213. A beam 212 is provided in the opening 211, spanning two opposing sides of the frame. The beam 212 maintains the shape of the opening 211 and prevents the filter 25 from falling into the first case 21. The outside of the opening 211 is covered by the second case 22.

Returning to FIG. 3, the second case 22 has an outlet 225. Air that has passed through the filter 25 is discharged from the outlet 225 and supplied to the engine. A terminal 275 of a sensor 27 that measures the flow rate is disposed at a predetermined position within the outlet 225.

As described above, the air cleaner 2 is disposed in front of the PCU 1, which is an example of a rear member. The air cleaner 2 needs to be designed with a strength such that if the PCU 1 moves forward in a vehicle collision and hits it, the air cleaner 2 will break and thus avoid damaging the PCU 1.

The air cleaner 2 in this embodiment is not a typical box type. This is because the shape of the air cleaner 2 is designed to make the most effective use of the gaps between the PCU 1 and other components. Compared to other components, the air cleaner 2 has a relatively high degree of freedom in terms of shape. Therefore, it is designed to have a shape that ensures a specified volume by making effective use of the gaps that occur between components whose shapes are difficult to change. The result is, for example, the shape shown in the figure.

Unlike a more stable shape such as a box shape, an air cleaner 2 with this shape is prone to twisting and bending when used alone. Therefore, in order to stabilize the shape, ribs 216, 217, and 218 are provided on the inside of the first case 21, as shown in Figure 6. Ribs 216 to 218 are multiple elongated plate-like parts that are aligned in the thickness direction.

Ribs 216-218 prevent twisting and bending. Ribs 216, 217 are provided near a pair of long sides of rectangular opening 211 and help maintain the shape of opening 211. Rib 218 is provided in the section from intake port 215 to opening 211 and helps maintain the shape of that section. This helps maintain the shape of first case 21, and ultimately air cleaner 2.

Generally, ribs act to reinforce components, so the provision of ribs 216-218 makes the first case 21 less likely to break. Since the air cleaner 2 must be breakable enough not to harm the PCU 1 in the event of a collision with the PCU 1, it is necessary to strike a balance between ensuring the brittleness of the PCU 1, particularly compared to the main body 11, and the structure required to maintain its shape.

To achieve this, the first case 21 of this embodiment is provided with a low-rigidity section 219. The low-rigidity section 219 is a section designed to have lower rigidity than other sections of the first case 21.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a low-rigidity portion 219 provided in the air cleaner 2 according to the embodiment. The low-rigidity portion 219 is, for example, a thin-walled portion partially provided in the housing of the air cleaner 2, and more specifically, is realized as a recess that is recessed from the surrounding area. The low-rigidity portion 219 in this embodiment has a groove-like shape. The longitudinal direction of this groove-like low-rigidity portion 219 intersects with the longitudinal direction of the rib 218.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the positions of the PCU 1 and the air cleaner 2 at the time of collision according to the embodiment. When the PCU 1 moves forward due to a vehicle collision, the protector 15 collides with the second case 22 of the air cleaner 2. The collision positions at this time are collision point P and collision point Q. Collision point P is the point at which the distance to the PCU 1 in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle is the shortest. In this embodiment, collision point P is located on a plane that is inclined with respect to the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. When the PCU 1 moves forward, it first hits collision point P, and as it moves further, it hits collision point Q.

Since the first case 21 is fixed at the fastening point O, the load received at the collision points P and Q acts as a bending force on the first case 21. The low rigidity portion 219 induces stress concentration in that portion so that the first case 21 breaks due to this bending force.

The low rigidity portion 219 is provided on the same side as the collision point P in the left-right direction of the vehicle with respect to the fastening point O. In the air cleaner 2 of this embodiment, the collision point P is on the left side of the vehicle with respect to the fastening point O, so the low rigidity portion 219 is also provided on the left side of the vehicle with respect to the fastening point O. In addition, it is preferable that the low rigidity portion 219 is provided at a position closer to the fastening point O than the distance from the fastening point O to the collision point P.

Furthermore, the low rigidity portion 219 is provided in a portion of the first case 21 that has a curved shape. The curved portion is a portion where bending stress is likely to concentrate, and by providing the low rigidity portion 219 there, it becomes easier to achieve breakage at the intended position. Furthermore, by forming the low rigidity portion 219 in a groove shape and aligning the longitudinal direction of the aligned grooves in a line, breakage is induced near the imaginary line drawn by the groove. This makes it possible to break the air cleaner 2 at the intended position and in the intended state.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the air cleaner 2 is more likely to break at the low rigidity portion 219, making it less likely that the PCU 1 will be damaged in the event of a vehicle collision.

In addition, the low rigidity portion 219 is provided partially on the housing of the air cleaner 2 as a thin portion, so that the low rigidity portion 219 can be easily provided by adjusting the mold used to manufacture the air cleaner 2.

The air cleaner 2 also has several ribs 218 arranged in the thickness direction on the housing, and the low rigidity section 219 is formed between the multiple ribs 218 and has a groove-like shape that is long in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the ribs 218. With this configuration, the air cleaner 2 is reinforced against flexure, bending, and twisting by the ribs 218, but can also be easily broken in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the ribs 218 along the longitudinal direction of the low rigidity section 219.

The low-rigidity section 219 is also provided in a curved portion of the housing of the air cleaner 2. This configuration makes it possible to more reliably set the position at which the low-rigidity section 219 breaks.

The low-rigidity section 219 is also located at a position where the distance from the fastening point O is shorter than the distance from the fastening point O to the collision point P. With this configuration, the force applied to the collision point P can be effectively used to break the low-rigidity section 219.

In addition, the surface of the air cleaner 2 that has the collision point P is inclined with respect to the vehicle's fore-and-aft direction. With this configuration, after a collision, the air cleaner 2 can be caused to slide relative to the PCU 1, thereby changing the direction of the force applied to the low-rigidity portion 219.

The air cleaner 2 is also configured to include a first case 21 and a second case 22 that is connected to the first case 21, with the fastening point O located on the first case 21 and the collision point P located on the second case 22, and the low rigidity portion 219 provided in the vicinity of the mating surface of the first case 21 with the second case 22. With this configuration, the force of a collision transmitted from the mating surface to the first case 21 via the second case 22 can be effectively transmitted to the low rigidity portion 219.

In the above embodiment, the air cleaner 2 is described as being box-shaped or other unusual shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the air cleaner housing (air cleaner box, container) is box-shaped, ribs are provided in areas with a large surface area and few irregularities to prevent deformation or bending. Therefore, as in the above embodiment, it is possible to obtain the intended breakage by providing a low-rigidity portion.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described, the above embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiment and its variations are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

For example, the low-rigidity portion 219 in the above embodiment may have a shape other than a groove shape.

1... PCU, 11... main body, 15... protector,
2...Air cleaner,
21: first case; 211: opening; 212: beam; 213: cover;
215: Intake port; 216-218: Ribs; 219: Low rigidity portion;
22: second case; 223: clip; 225: outlet port;
25...filter,
27...sensor, 275...terminal.

Claims (7)

The vehicle includes an air cleaner and a rear member disposed rearward in a front-rear direction of the vehicle with respect to a mounting position of the air cleaner,
the air cleaner has a fastening point, which is a point at which the air cleaner is fixedly fastened to the body of the vehicle, and a collision point, which is a point at which the rear member is closest to the vehicle in the front-rear direction;
The air cleaner includes:
a low-rigidity portion that is located on the same side as the collision point in the left-right direction of the vehicle with respect to the fastening point, is arranged in a line, and has a lower rigidity than other portions;
a plurality of ribs located between the plurality of low rigidity portions, protruding from a housing of the air cleaner, and intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of low rigidity portions;
A vehicle equipped with. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low rigidity portions have a groove shape that is long along an arrangement direction of the low rigidity portions . The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low rigidity portion is a thin portion that is partially provided in a housing of the air cleaner. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low rigidity portion is provided in a portion of a housing of the air cleaner that has a curved shape. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low rigidity portion is provided at a position where a distance from the fastening point is shorter than a distance from the fastening point to the collision point. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the air cleaner having the collision point is inclined with respect to a front-rear direction of the vehicle. The air cleaner includes a first case and a second case coupled to the first case,
The fastening point is located on the first case,
the collision point is located on the second case,
The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low rigidity portion is provided in the first case .

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