Attaching structure capable of preventing a service-plug from exposure to water

• US 9,499,057 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Matsumura, Hiroyasu, Motono, Makoto, Yamada, Go, Takishita, Ryuta, Iwabe, Masaaki, Eto, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meyer, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US14/014,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An attaching structure for attaching a service-plug for shutting off and conducting an electric circuit of a vehicle to a power source device, comprises a floor panel constituting a bottom wall of a compartment of the vehicle and formed with an opening which faces the compartment; a metal plate disposed outside the vehicle than the floor panel and forming a cavity between the metal plate and the floor metal plate and covering the power source device, and including an attachment portion to which the service-plug is attached and raised toward the opening in the cavity; and a sealing member for keeping the cavity liquid-tight disposed between the floor panel and the metal sheet so as to surround the attachment portion; wherein the service-plug is detachably attached to the attachment portion so as to project toward the compartment through the opening.

Claims

1. An attaching structure for attaching a service-plug for shutting off and conducting an electric circuit of a vehicle to a power source device, the attaching structure comprising:

a floor panel constituting a bottom wall of a compartment of the vehicle and formed with an opening which faces the compartment;

a metal plate disposed on a side of the floor panel opposite the compartment and forming a cavity between the metal plate and the floor panel and covering the power source device, and including an attachment portion to which the service-plug is attached, the attachment portion extending toward the opening; and

a sealing member disposed between and contacting both the floor panel and the metal plate so as to surround the attachment portion for sealing the cavity;

wherein the service-plug is attachable to the attachment portion so as to project toward the compartment through the opening.

2. An arrangement comprising an attaching structure for attaching a service-plug, the arrangement comprising:

a power source device;

the service-plug for shutting off and conducting a first electric circuit of a vehicle to the power source device;

a floor panel constituting a bottom wall of a compartment of the vehicle and formed with an opening which faces the compartment;

a metal plate disposed on a side of the floor panel opposite the compartment and forming a cavity between the metal plate and the floor panel and covering the power source device, and including an attachment portion to which the service-plug is attached, the attachment portion extending toward the opening; and

a sealing member disposed between and contacting both the floor panel and the metal plate so as to surround the attachment portion for sealing the cavity,

wherein the service-plug is attachable to the attachment portion so as to project toward the compartment through the opening,

wherein the power source device comprises;

a connector unit for connection to a second electric circuit having a voltage lower than a voltage of the first electric circuit and a plate member to which the service-plug and the connector unit are attachable so as to be integrated with each other; and

in response to the service-plug being attached to the attachment portion, the service-plug is integrated with the connector unit by the plate member.