VEHICLE BODY FRONT STRUCTURE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20130119704A1
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: WAKABAYASHI, Ryuta, AMANO, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,657,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/187.1
• 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: B60K 2001/001 one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/01 Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/61 Arrangements of controllers for electric machines, e.g. inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/152 Front or rear frames

Abstract

A vehicle body front structure of an electric vehicle includes a first side frame, a second side frame, a unit frame, and a bending inducing bracket. The unit frame includes a rear frame portion. The bending inducing bracket is provided in a substantially central area of the rear frame portion and protrudes from the rear frame portion toward a rear of the electric vehicle. The bending inducing bracket is spaced apart from a wall member of a vehicle cabin in a front-rear direction. The bending inducing bracket is provided to come into contact with the wall member when an impact load is input from a front side of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle body front structure of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a first side frame provided on a first side of a motor compartment in a vehicle width direction of the electric vehicle, the first side frame including a first curved portion curved substantially upward from a lower front side of a vehicle cabin of the electric vehicle toward a front side of a vehicle body of the electric vehicle;

a second side frame provided on a second side of the motor compartment in the vehicle width direction, the second side frame including a second curved portion curved substantially upward from the lower front side of the vehicle cabin toward the front side of the vehicle body;

a unit frame provided between the first and second side frames to hold an electrical device including a plurality of electrical components housed in a unit case, the unit frame comprising;

a first longitudinal frame portion extending in a front-rear direction of the electric vehicle and provided on a first side of the electrical device in the vehicle width direction, the first longitudinal frame portion being secured to a first side portion of the electrical device;

a second longitudinal frame portion extending in the front-rear direction and provided on a second side of the electrical device in the vehicle width direction, the second longitudinal frame portion being secured to a second side portion of the electrical device, the second side portion of the electrical device being opposite to the first side portion of the electrical device in the vehicle width direction;

a first front side support leg downwardly extending from a front end portion of the first longitudinal frame portion, the first front side support leg being secured to the first side frame at a position located further forward than the first curved portion of the first side frame;

a second front side support leg downwardly extending from a front end portion of the second longitudinal frame portion, the second front side support leg being secured to the second side frame at a position located further forward than the second curved portion of the second side frame;

a rear frame portion extending in the vehicle width direction and disposed on a rear side of the electrical device, the rear frame portion including a substantially central area positioned higher than an upper surface of a rear edge portion of the electrical device;

a first rear side support leg downwardly extending from a first end portion of the rear frame portion and secured to the first side frame;

a second rear side support leg downwardly extending from a second end portion of the rear frame portion and secured to the second side frame, the second end portion of the rear frame portion being opposite to the first end portion of the rear frame portion in the vehicle width direction;

a first branch portion connecting a rear end portion of the first longitudinal frame portion to the first rear side support leg at a substantially middle area of the first rear side support leg in a top-bottom direction of the electric vehicle; and

a second branch portion connecting a rear end portion of the second longitudinal frame portion to the second rear side support leg at a substantially middle area of the second rear side support leg in the top-bottom direction; and

a bending inducing bracket provided in the substantially central area of the rear frame portion and protruding from the rear frame portion toward a rear of the electric vehicle, the bending inducing bracket being spaced apart from a wall member of the vehicle cabin in the front-rear direction, the bending inducing bracket being provided to come into contact with the wall member when an impact load is input from a front side of the electric vehicle.

2. The vehicle body front structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the unit frame further comprises

a front frame portion extending in the vehicle width direction and provided on a front side of the electrical device, the front frame portion including a first end and a second end, the first end of the front frame portion being connected to the first front side support leg, the second end of the front frame portion being connected to the second front side support leg, and

wherein the electrical device is secured to only the front frame portion among the front frame portion and the rear frame portion.

3. The vehicle body front structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the bending inducing bracket diagonally upwardly protrudes from the rear frame portion toward the rear of the electric vehicle.

4. The vehicle body front structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the first rear side support leg is secured to the first side frame at a position closer to the first curved portion than the first front side support leg, and

wherein the second rear side support leg is secured to the second side frame at a position closer to the second curved portion than the second front side support leg.

5. The vehicle body front structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the first longitudinal frame portion is downwardly inclined toward the wall member of the vehicle cabin along the front-rear direction, and

wherein the second longitudinal frame portion is downwardly inclined toward the wall member of the vehicle cabin along the front-rear direction.