Vehicle and protector structure

• US 10,300,799 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kume, Yasuhisa, Fukuda, Shuta
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Stanley
• Application Number:
  US15/340,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20170120760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 174520
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0015 Prevention of collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/91 Electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/112 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2410/114 Shields, e.g. for heat protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes a cover, a front protector, and a rear protector. The cover has a cover lowest portion projecting from the bottom of the vehicle body toward an outside of the vehicle by a first distance. The front protector is provided on a front side of the cover in a front-rear direction. The front protector has a front protector lowest portion projecting from the bottom of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle a second distance longer than the first distance. The rear protector is provided on a rear side of the cover in the front-rear direction. The cover is provided between the front protector and the rear protector in the front-rear direction. The rear protector has a rear protector lowest portion projecting from the bottom toward the outside of the vehicle by a third distance longer than the first distance.

Claims

1. In a vehicle configured such that a non-contact electric element for either or both of power transmitting and power receiving is disposed on the lower surface of a vehicle body,

said vehicle characterized in that said vehicle has

a covered member protecting said electric element by covering said electric element,

a front protecting member preventing said covered member from contacting with an obstacle on a road surface or said road surface itself in a front direction of said covered member, said front protecting member extending along a front side of said covered member,

a rear protecting member preventing said covered member from contacting with the obstacle on said road surface or said road surface itself in a rear direction of said covered member, said rear protecting member extending along a rear side of said covered member,

the lowest portion of said front protecting member or the lowest portion of said rear protecting member are positioned below the lowest portion of said covered member,

the vehicle characterized in that

said front protecting member has an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in a width direction of the vehicle, and

said rear protecting member has an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in the width direction of the vehicle,

the vehicle characterized in that said front protecting member and said rear protecting member are fixed on the lower surface of said body through a bracket, and

the rigidity of said bracket is lower than the rigidity of said front protecting member and the rigidity of said rear protecting member.

2. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 1,

the vehicle characterized in that said covered member has a housing portion housing said electric element,

and the profile line of said rear protecting member and the profile line of said front protecting member are positioned below the profile line of said housing portion in the width direction and a lower direction of said vehicle when viewed in a longitudinal direction of said vehicle.

3. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 1,

the vehicle characterized in that

said covered member has a rectangular parallel-piped shape,

and the profile line of said front protecting member and the profile line of said rear protecting member are positioned below the profile line of the lower surface of said covered member.

4. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 1,

the vehicle characterized in that

said vehicle has connecting members that each have an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and

said connecting members connecting said front protecting member and said rear protecting member to form a rectangular shaped frame with an open central area when viewed in a height direction of the vehicle.

5. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 4,

the vehicle characterized in that

said front protecting member, said rear protecting member, and said connecting members are formed as a single member.

6. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 4,

the vehicle characterized in that said electric element, a supporting member supporting said electric element, or said covered member is fixed on said connecting members.

7. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 1,

the vehicle characterized in that said bracket is configured with an elastic member.

8. In the vehicle mentioned in claim 1,

the vehicle characterized in that said electric element is a coil,

said covered member is made of resin,

and said front protecting member and said rear protecting member are made of metal.

9. A vehicle comprising:

an electric circuit disposed on a bottom of a vehicle body and configured to transmit and/or to receive electric power wirelessly;

a cover covering the electric circuit and having a cover lowest portion projecting from the bottom of the vehicle body toward an outside of the vehicle by a first distance in a height direction of the vehicle;

a front protector provided on a front side of the cover in a front-rear direction of the vehicle perpendicular to the height direction, the front protector having a front protector lowest portion projecting from the bottom of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle in the height direction by a second distance longer than the first distance, the front protector extending along the front side of the cover; and

a rear protector provided on a rear side of the cover in the front-rear direction, the cover being provided between the front protector and the rear protector in the front-rear direction, the rear protector having a rear protector lowest portion projecting from the bottom toward the outside of the vehicle in the height direction by a third distance longer than the first distance, the rear protector extending along the rear side of the cover,

wherein the front protector has an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in a width direction of the vehicle,

wherein the rear protector has an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in the width direction of the vehicle,

wherein the front protector and the rear protector are fixed on a bottom surface of the vehicle body through a bracket, and

wherein rigidity of the bracket is lower than rigidity of the front protector and rigidity of the rear protector.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein

the cover has a housing portion housing the electric circuit, and

a profile line of the rear protector and a profile line of the front protector are positioned below a profile line of the housing portion in the width direction and the height direction viewed in the front-rear direction.

11. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein

the cover has a rectangular parallel-piped shape, and

a profile line of the front protector and a profile line of the rear protector are positioned below a profile line of a lower surface of the cover.

12. The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising connecting members that each have an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle,

wherein the connecting members connect the front protector and the rear protector to form a rectangular shaped frame with an open central area when viewed in the height direction of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the front protector, the rear protector, and the connecting members are formed as a single member.

14. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the electric circuit, a supporting member supporting the electric circuit, or the cover is fixed on the connecting members.

15. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the bracket is configured with an elastic member.

16. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein

the electric circuit includes a coil,

the cover is made of resin, and

the front protector and the rear protector are made of metal.

17. A protector structure comprising:

a cover to cover an electric circuit and having a cover lowest portion projecting from a bottom of a vehicle body toward an outside of a vehicle by a first distance in a height direction of the vehicle;

a front protector provided on a front side of the cover in a front-rear direction of the vehicle perpendicular to the height direction, the front protector having a front protector lowest portion projecting from the bottom of the vehicle body toward the outside of the vehicle in the height direction by a second distance longer than the first distance, the front protector extending along the front side of the cover; and

a rear protector provided on a rear side of the cover in the front-rear direction, the cover being provided between the front protector and the rear protector in the front-rear direction, the rear protector having a rear protector lowest portion projecting from the bottom toward the outside of the vehicle in the height direction by a third distance longer than the first distance, the rear protector extending along the rear side of the cover,

wherein the front protector has an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in a width direction of the vehicle,

wherein the rear protector has an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in the width direction of the vehicle,

wherein the front protector and the rear protector are fixed on a bottom surface of the vehicle body through a bracket, and

wherein rigidity of the bracket is lower than rigidity of the front protector and rigidity of the rear protector.

18. The protector structure according to claim 17, further comprising connecting members that each have an elongated shape that longitudinally extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle,

wherein the connecting members connect the front protector and the rear protector to form a rectangular shaped frame with an open central area when viewed in the height direction of the vehicle.