Protection structure and electric vehicle

• US 8,893,843 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayano, Katsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Restifo, Jeffrey J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coolman, Travis
• Application Number:
  US14/045,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140097641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 180/232, 180/68.6, 180/291
• US Class Current: 180/232
• 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 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/42 Voltage source inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0007 Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/01 Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/085 Front-end modules
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A protection structure is equipped with a protrusion a protector, and a protector fixation portion. An in-vehicle appliance is equipped with a corner portion, a first face, and a second face that the first and the second faces are adjacent to the corner portion. The protrusion is provided on the second face of the in-vehicle appliance. The protector covers the corner portion, equipped with a first portion and a second portion which the faces are opposed to the first face and the second face respectively, and equipped with a notch at an edge of the second portion thereof. The protrusion abuts on an edge of the notch. The protector fixation portion is provided on the first face of the in-vehicle appliance, and the protector is fixed to the in-vehicle appliance through the protector fixation portion.

Claims

1. A protection structure for an in-vehicle appliance, the in-vehicle appliance equipped with a corner portion, a first face that is adjacent to the corner portion, and a second face that is adjacent to the corner portion, the protection structure comprising:

a protrusion provided on the second face of the in-vehicle appliance;

a protector covering the corner portion, the protector being equipped with a first portion which is a face that is opposed to the first face, and a second portion which is a face that is opposed to the second face, the protector being equipped with a notch at an edge of the second portion, and the protrusion abutting on an edge of the notch, wherein the protrusion is flattened such that a longitudinal direction of the protrusion coincides with a straight line that passes through the corner portion, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the second face, and wherein an end of the protrusion close to the corner portion abuts on the edge of the notch; and

a protector fixation portion provided on the first face of the in-vehicle appliance, the protector being fixed to the in-vehicle appliance through the protector fixation portion.

2. The protection structure according to claim 1, wherein

the protector is equipped with a recess at an edge of the first portion, the edge of the first portion extends from an edge of the second portion,

the recess is a trapezoidal recess of the edge of the first portion, and is equipped with a pair of lateral edges equivalent to a pair of legs of a trapezoid respectively,

the lateral edges are provided on a straight line that radially extends from the protector fixation portion, and

the in-vehicle appliance is equipped, on the first face thereof, with a convex portion that abuts on both the lateral edges.

3. The protection structure according to claim 2, wherein

the protector is equipped, on the first portion thereof, with a long hole on a straight line that passes through a center of the recess and the protector fixation portion,

a longitudinal direction of the long hole coincides with the straight line that passes through the center of the recess and the protector fixation portion, and

the in-vehicle appliance is equipped, on the first face thereof, with a columnar protrusion that passes through the long hole.

4. An electric vehicle comprising:

a battery; and

the protection structure according to claim 1, wherein

the in-vehicle appliance is an inverter,

the inverter is arranged beside the battery in an engine compartment, and

the corner portion is located on front side of the inverter and the corner portion is opposed to the battery.

5. A protection structure for an in-vehicle appliance, the in-vehicle appliance equipped with a corner portion, a first face that is adjacent to the corner portion, and a second face that is adjacent to the corner portion, the protection structure comprising:

a protrusion provided on the second face of the in-vehicle appliance;

a protector covering the corner portion, the protector being equipped with a first portion which is a face that is opposed to the first face, and a second portion which is a face that is opposed to the second face, the protector being equipped with a notch at an edge of the second portion, and the protrusion abutting on an edge of the notch, wherein the protrusion is flattened such that a longitudinal direction of the protrusion coincides with a straight line that passes through the corner portion, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the second face, and wherein an end of the protrusion close to the corner portion abuts on the edge of the notch;

wherein the protector is equipped with a recess at an edge of the first portion, the edge of the first portion extends from an edge of the second portion,

the recess is a trapezoidal recess of the edge of the first portion, and is equipped with a pair of lateral edges equivalent to a pair of legs of a trapezoid respectively,

the lateral edges are provided on a straight line that radially extends from the protector fixation portion, and

the in-vehicle appliance is equipped, on the first face thereof, with a convex portion that abuts on both the lateral edges; and

a protector fixation portion provided on the first face of the in-vehicle appliance, the protector being fixed to the in-vehicle appliance through the protector fixation portion.