JP7281102B2 - VEHICLE POWERTRAIN SUPPORT METHOD AND SUPPORT STRUCTURE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle powertrain support method and support structure.

In a vehicle, the space in front of the dash panel that forms the front wall of the passenger compartment is generally used as a storage room (so-called engine room) for storing a power train including an engine, a motor, and the like. A pair of left and right front side frames extending in the front-rear direction is disposed in the storage room, and the power train is generally supported by the pair of left and right front side frames. Patent Literature 1 discloses that a power train is supported by a front side frame via a mount bracket, and the mount bracket is broken when it receives the load of a frontal collision.

JP 2007-261529 A

By the way, it is considered to offset and dispose the power train housed in the storage room to one of the left and right sides (one side in the vehicle width direction). In this case, the power train and the front side frames located on the other left and right sides are largely spaced apart in the left-right direction. Therefore, when connecting the power train offset to one of the left and right sides to the front side frame on the other side of the left and right sides, it is conceivable to interpose a mount bracket extending in the left and right direction.

The connection between the powertrain and the mount bracket must be performed by attaching connecting tools such as connecting bolts to a plurality of predetermined mounting positions, and these mounting positions are set below the top wall of the mount bracket. may be

On the other hand, since the mount bracket supports a heavy power train, it is a large component, and the area of its top wall is also considerably large. Therefore, it is difficult to visually recognize the situation below the top wall of the mount bracket from above. In other words, of the plurality of mounting positions set below the top wall, some of the mounting positions cannot be visually confirmed from above (the top wall of) the mount bracket. In some cases, it is difficult to see from the outside. In particular, the mount bracket may be reinforced by reinforcing ribs extending downward from the bottom surface of the top wall, and a part of the mounting position may not be visible from above the mount bracket, nor from the front and rear directions.

From the above, workers who connect the powertrain and the mount bracket must place their head (face) below the top wall of the mount bracket in order to visually recognize the mounting position that cannot be visually recognized from above or from the front and back. It was supposed to be forced into an unreasonable posture such as looking up diagonally upward.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the circumstances described above, and its object is to mount a power train, which is offset in the left-right direction, on a pair of left and right front side frames via mount brackets extending in the left-right direction. To provide a power train supporting method and a supporting structure for a vehicle in which the mounting position of the power train and the mount bracket can be easily visually recognized from above the mount bracket when the power train is supported by a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, the support method of the present invention employs the following solutions. That is, as described in claim 1,
A powertrain supporting method for a vehicle in which the powertrain is supported by a pair of left and right front side frames in a state in which the powertrain is offset to one of the left and right sides in a storage room configured in the front part of the vehicle,
a first step of connecting an end portion on one of the left and right sides of the mount bracket extending in the left-right direction to a mounting surface on the other left and right side of the power train at a predetermined mounting position using a connecting member;
a second step of connecting the assembly of the mount bracket and the power train connected by the connecting tool to the pair of left and right front side frames;
has
The mount bracket has a top wall portion with a peephole formed therein, and the mounting position is set below the top wall portion, and in the first step, the mounting bracket is mounted through the peephole from above the mount bracket. Performing connection by the connecting tool at the mounting position while visually recognizing the position;
It is like this.

According to the above solution method, when performing the work of connecting the power train and the mount bracket with the connecting tool attached to the predetermined mounting position, the worker can see the mounting position through the peep hole formed in the top wall of the mount bracket. While visually recognizing, the connecting member can be brought closer to the visually recognized attachment position to perform the connecting work, which makes the connecting work extremely easy. Also, when disconnecting the power train and the mount bracket for maintenance or the like, the position of the connector can be visually recognized through the peephole, and the disconnection work can be easily performed.

A preferred embodiment based on the above solution method is as described below. i.e.
The power train and the mount bracket are preliminarily formed with a positioning portion for connection,
The connection by the connecting member in the first step is performed in a state in which the power train and the mount bracket are pre-positioned using the positioning portion.
(corresponding to claim 2). In this case, the connecting work is performed with the connecting tool after the power train and the mount bracket are positioned in advance, so the connecting work is further facilitated.

In order to achieve the above objects, the support structure of the present invention adopts the following solutions. That is, as described in claim 3,
A power train supported by a pair of left and right front side frames is offset to one side on the left and right in a storage room configured in the front part of the vehicle.
an end portion of the power train on the other left and right side is connected to a front side frame on the other left and right side via a mount bracket extending in the left and right direction,
The power train and the mount bracket are connected by a connector at a mounting position set below the top wall of the mount bracket,
The top wall portion of the mount bracket is formed with a peep hole for making the mounting position visible from above.
(corresponding to claim 3). In this case, there is provided a powertrain support structure constructed by a support method corresponding to claim 1 .

A preferred embodiment based on the above solution method is as described below. i.e.
The mount bracket has a vertical wall portion that extends downward from the top wall portion and overlaps the viewing hole in the front-rear direction (corresponding to claim 4). In this case, while the vertical wall reinforces the mount bracket, the mounting position, which is blocked by the vertical wall and cannot be visually recognized from the front and rear directions, can be visually recognized through the peephole.

The top wall portion is formed with an opening for suppressing vibration of the mount bracket during running (corresponding to claim 5). In this case, it is possible to prevent or suppress a situation in which the mount bracket unnecessarily vibrates while the vehicle is running.

The mounting position visible from the peep hole is set at a high position near the top wall, among positions below the top wall (corresponding to claim 6). In this case, the mounting position, which is obstructed by the top wall and difficult to see not only from above but also from obliquely above, can be visually recognized through the viewing hole.

According to the present invention, the mounting position of the powertrain and the mount bracket can be easily viewed from above the mount bracket, and as a result, the work of connecting and disconnecting the powertrain and the mount bracket can be easily performed. can.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state of arrangement in a storage room of a powertrain; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the X2-X2 line in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing how the power train is arranged in the storage room; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which a collision load obliquely forward acts from the state shown in FIG. 3 ; The side view which shows the attachment surface to a mount bracket among powertrains. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the power train is positioned by the mount bracket from the state in FIG. 5; The perspective view of a mount bracket. The top view which looked at the mount bracket from upper direction. Bottom view of mounting bracket from below The side view which looked at the mount bracket from the vehicle width direction inner side. The side view which looked at the mount bracket from the vehicle width direction outer side. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the mount bracket as seen from the rear; The front view which looked at the mount bracket from the front. The figure which shows the state which is performing the fixing work of a mount bracket and a powertrain. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion showing a state in which a worker views an upper front connecting portion from above the mount bracket; FIG. 4 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing an example of mounting when the power train also has an engine and a generator;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The vehicle in the embodiment is an electric vehicle that does not have an engine and is driven only by a motor.

First, the overall outline will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. In the figure, 1 is a dash panel. A storage room 2 for storing a power train is provided in front of the dash panel 1, and a passenger compartment 3 is provided behind it. A pair of left and right front side frames 4 are arranged in the storage room 2 . The pair of left and right front side frames 4 are used as strength members, and their rear ends are connected to the pair of left and right side sills and floor frames via a torque box or the like.

A floor panel 6 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) forming the floor surface of the passenger compartment 3 is formed with a tunnel portion 7 that bulges upward in the middle portion in the left-right direction. A front opening portion 7a (see FIG. 1) of the tunnel portion 7 is opened in the middle portion in the left-right direction of the lower end portion of the dash panel 1. As shown in FIG.

In the figure, PT is a powertrain. In the embodiment, the power train PT is a unit body in which the motor 11, the transaxle 12 and the inverter 13 are integrated with each other. The power train PT is arranged in the storage room 2 in a state of being offset to one side (right side in the embodiment) in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction) as a whole. The transaxle is located on the center side of the motor 11 in the left-right direction, and the inverter 13 is attached to the upper surface of the motor 11 .

A driving force generated by the motor 11 is transmitted to a pair of left and right drive shafts 14 via the transaxle 12 . A front wheel (not shown) as a drive wheel is attached to the tip of the drive shaft 14 . The power supplied to the motor 11 is adjusted by the inverter 13, and the power generated from the motor 11, which functions as a generator during deceleration, is supplied to a battery (not shown) (charging).

At the rear of the power train PT, a pair of left and right front side frames 4 are connected to each other by a suspension support member 5 as a strength member extending in the left-right direction.

The power train PT is supported on the vehicle body as follows. First, the right end of the motor 11 is attached to the right front side frame 4 using the mount member 21 . A left end of the transaxle 12 is attached to the left front side frame 4 via a mount bracket 30 and a mount member 22 extending in the left-right direction. Further, the transaxle 12 is attached to the substantially central portion of the suspension support member 5 in the left-right direction via a support bracket 23 and a mount member 24 . In this way, the powertrain PT is supported by the vehicle body at a total of three points, two on the left and right and one on the center.

Next, details of the mount bracket 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13. FIG. First, the mount bracket 30 is entirely made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy, but the material is not particularly limited.

The mount bracket 30 has a top wall portion 31 , a vertical wall portion 32 extending substantially straight downward from the left-right central end portion of the top wall portion 31 , a flange portion 33 , and reinforcing ribs 34 .

The top wall portion 31 is shaped like a plate having a large area and has a substantially flat upper surface. The top wall portion 31 is formed with openings 31a for reducing vibration (resonance) at a plurality of locations in order to prevent the occurrence of vibration due to vibration during running. A mounting hole 31 b for connection to the mount member 22 is formed in the left end portion of the top wall portion 31 . The top wall portion 31 is further formed with a peephole 31c for facilitating the connection work to the power train PT, which will be described later.

The vertical wall portion 32 serves as an attachment surface (connection surface) to the power train PT. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the vertical wall portion 32 is formed with a total of four mounting holes 32a to 32d for connection to the power train PT.

The mounting holes 32a and 32b are positioned on the front side, with the mounting hole 32a forming an upper front connecting portion positioned on the upper side, and the mounting hole 32b forming a lower front connecting portion positioned on the lower side. The mounting holes 32c and 32d are positioned on the rear side, with the mounting hole 32c forming an upper rear connecting portion positioned on the upper side, and the mounting hole 32d forming a lower rear connecting portion positioned on the lower side.

The vertical wall portion 32 is further formed with positioning holes 32e and 32f for positioning when connecting to the power train PT. The vertical wall portion 32 is formed to have two front and rear legs in the middle, and mounting holes 32c and 32d are formed at the tip portions of the legs. In other words, the strength (rigidity) in the vicinity of the mounting holes 32c and 32d is set to be relatively small so that they are relatively easily broken in the event of a frontal collision, which will be described later.

The flange portion 33 extends short downward from each front end of the top wall portion 31 and the vertical wall portion 32 . The formation of the flange portion 33 enhances the rigidity of the mount bracket 30 . A large number of reinforcing ribs 34 are formed over the back surface of the top wall portion 31 and the back surface (inner surface) of the vertical wall portion 32 . The mount bracket 30 is formed so as to have high strength (rigidity) particularly in the vicinity of the mounting hole 32a as the upper front connecting portion. For this reason, in the vicinity of the attachment hole 32a, for example, the wall thickness is increased or the reinforcing ribs 34 are set so as to provide sufficient reinforcement, thereby partially improving the strength. As a result, the strength near the mounting hole 32a is sufficiently higher than the strength near the other mounting holes 32b to 32d.

Next, the connection between the power train PT and the mount bracket 30 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5, mounting holes 12a to 12d consisting of screw holes are formed on the mounting surface of the power train PT to the mount bracket 30 (surface on the center side in the left-right direction). Positioning pins 12e and 12f are attached.

Positioning holes 32e and 32f formed in the mount bracket 30 are fitted to the positioning pins 12e and 12f attached to the transaxle 12, so that the transaxle 12 and the mount bracket 30 are positioned.

In the state where the above positioning is performed, a connecting bolt 40 (see FIG. 6, the head of the connecting bolt 40 is ) are screwed (fastened) into mounting holes 12 a to 12 d as screw holes formed in the transaxle 12 . In FIG. 6, the connecting bolts 40 are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the mounting holes 32a to 32d. In addition, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the fastening bolts 40 are excluded in order to show the positions of the mounting holes 32a to 32d.

When connecting the transaxle 12 and the bracket 30 described above, the worker visually checks the positions of the mounting holes 32a to 32d formed in the mount bracket 30 and performs the connecting work using the connecting bolts. It will be. In this case, in particular, since the mounting hole 32a serving as the upper front connecting portion is shielded by the top wall portion 31 of the mount bracket 30, the flange portion 33 serving as the vertical wall portion, and the reinforcing rib 34, it is possible to It becomes difficult (impossible) to visually recognize from. Although it is possible to confirm the position of the mounting hole 12a from below, such confirmation from below requires the worker to bend down and face diagonally upward, which is extremely poor in workability. become a thing. On the other hand, the other mounting holes 32b-32d can be seen from the front and above 30 with the worker P tilting his/her head slightly.

A viewing hole 31c is formed in the top wall portion 31 of the mount bracket 30 so as to correspond to the mounting hole 32a that cannot be viewed from above. The viewing hole 31c overlaps in the front-rear direction with respect to the vertical wall portion (flange portion 33, reinforcing rib 34) shielding the attachment hole 32a from the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 14, the worker P can view the mounting hole 32a from above the mount bracket 30 through the viewing hole 31c. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the operator P looks at the mounting hole 32a through the peephole 32c, and in FIG. Using the peep hole 31c, it is possible to easily perform the work of inserting the connecting bolt 40 into the mounting hole 32a and fastening it. In order to disconnect the power train PT and the mount bracket 30 for maintenance or the like after the connection, the disconnection operation can be performed while visually checking the connecting bolt 40 at the position of the mounting hole 32a through the peep hole 31c.

The assembly of the power train PT and the front portion 30 connected by the connecting bolts 40 is then connected to the pair of left and right front side frames 4 . The connection between the power train PT and the front portion 30 with the connecting bolt 40 was temporarily tightened before the assembly was mounted on the front side frame 4, and the assembly was mounted on the front side frame 4. Final tightening is preferred later.

Here, in FIG. 3, which is a plan view, connection parts that are greatly related to a frontal collision are indicated by symbols α1 and α2. A connecting portion α1 indicates a connecting portion between the mount bracket 30 and the left mount member 22 . α2 indicates an upper front connecting portion (corresponding to the mounting holes 12a, 32a) of the connecting portions between the mount bracket 30 and the transaxle 12. As shown in FIG.

Now, assume a frontal collision, especially a collision from the right front oblique direction in which a load is input also from the direction in which the power train PT is offset (for example, an oblique collision or a SOL collision). This collision load from the oblique front right is indicated by symbol F in FIG.

When the collision load F is input to the power train PT, among the connecting portions between the transaxle 12 and the mount bracket 30, the upper and lower rear side connecting portions (mounting holes 12c, 12d and 32c, 32d) having relatively weak strength ) and the lower front connecting portion (corresponding to the mounting holes 12b and 32b) are broken at an early stage, and the transaxle 12 and the mounting bracket 30 can be connected only with the upper front connecting portion (corresponding to the mounting holes 12a and 32a). are connected to each other. In particular, since the upper connecting portion is broken early, the power train PT is moved backward while performing yaw motion around the connecting portion α1 in a plan view.

The yaw motion of the power train PT causes the power train PT to retreat while being displaced toward the central portion in the left-right direction. In other words, the power train PT is prevented or restrained from being displaced in the direction toward the front opening 7a of the tunnel portion 7 and retreating almost straight. Also, the power train PT is moved backward while being displaced downward.

Since the mount bracket 30 is slanted so that it becomes lower toward the center in the left-right direction, it is preferable for displacing the power train PT downward in the event of a frontal collision.

At the time of a frontal collision, the powertrain PT is also in the direction toward the front opening 7a in the dash panel 1 in the tunnel section 7, and even if the powertrain PT is greatly retreated, the inverter 13 located at a high position will not It enters into the front opening 7a (it does not protrude into the vehicle interior 3). It should be noted that the power train PT is displaced toward the front opening 7a side of the tunnel portion 7 even when a collision load is input from straight ahead of the power train PT.

Here, in the vehicle according to the present embodiment, commonality is achieved between an electric vehicle that does not have an engine and a range extender type electric vehicle that separately has an engine dedicated to power generation. For this reason, the mount bracket 30 is not used when the range extender type electric vehicle is used.

FIG. 16 shows a mounting example of the power train PT2 in a range extender type electric vehicle. In FIG. 16, instead of the mount bracket 30, an engine 50 and a generator 51 generated by the engine 50 are positioned. The power train PT2 is formed by connecting a motor 11, a transaxle 12, an engine 51 and a generator 52 in series.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the claims. Specifically, the left-right offset direction of the power train PT may be reversed from that in the embodiment.
The power train PT and the mount bracket 30 can be positioned by forming a positioning pin on the mount bracket 30 side and forming a positioning hole on the power train PT side.

The peephole 31c is not limited to the mounting hole 32a, and the peephole 31c can be formed to correspond to the mounting hole that is difficult to see from above the bracket 30 among the mounting holes 32a to 32c. A plurality of 31c can also be formed. The power train PT may have an engine, in which case the drive wheels may be driven only by the engine, or the drive wheels may be driven by both the engine and the motor. good too. The connection mode of the individual units that constitute the power train PT can be changed as appropriate. The present invention implicitly includes providing a method of manufacturing an electric vehicle that does not have an engine and a range extender type electric vehicle that has an engine dedicated to power generation, while sharing the vehicle body. But also. Of course, the purpose of the present invention is not limited to those stated, but implicitly to provide those which are substantially preferred or expressed as advantages.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is preferable as a collision safety measure when the power train is offset in the left-right direction.

PT: Power Train P: Worker 1: Dash Panel 2: Storage Room 3: Vehicle Interior 4: Front Side Frame 5: Suspension Support Member 6: Floor Panel 7: Tunnel Part 7a: Front Opening 11: Motor 12: Transaxle 13: Inverter 14: Drive shaft 21: Mount member 22: Mount member 24: Mount member 30: Mount bracket 31: Top wall portion 31c: Peephole 32: Vertical wall portion 32a: Mounting hole (upper front connecting portion)
32b: Mounting hole (lower front connecting part)
32c: Mounting hole (upper rear connecting part)
32d: Mounting hole (lower rear connecting part)
33: Flange (vertical wall)
34: Reinforcement rib (vertical wall)
40: bolt for connection

Claims (6)

A powertrain supporting method for a vehicle in which the powertrain is supported by a pair of left and right front side frames in a state in which the powertrain is offset to one of the left and right sides in a storage room configured in the front part of the vehicle,
a first step of connecting an end portion on one of the left and right sides of the mount bracket extending in the left-right direction to a mounting surface on the other left and right side of the power train at a predetermined mounting position using a connecting member;
a second step of connecting the assembly of the mount bracket and the power train connected by the connecting tool to the pair of left and right front side frames;
has
The mount bracket has a top wall portion with a peephole formed therein, and the mounting position is set below the top wall portion, and in the first step, the mounting bracket is mounted through the peephole from above the mount bracket. Performing connection by the connecting tool at the mounting position while visually recognizing the position;
A power train support method for a vehicle, characterized by: In claim 1,
The power train and the mount bracket are preliminarily formed with a positioning portion for connection,
The connection by the connecting member in the first step is performed in a state in which the power train and the mount bracket are pre-positioned using the positioning portion.
A power train support method for a vehicle, characterized by: A power train supported by a pair of left and right front side frames is offset to one side on the left and right in a storage room configured in the front part of the vehicle.
an end portion of the power train on the other left and right side is connected to a front side frame on the other left and right side via a mount bracket extending in the left and right direction,
The power train and the mount bracket are connected by a connector at a mounting position set below the top wall of the mount bracket,
The top wall portion of the mount bracket is formed with a peep hole for making the mounting position visible from above.
A powertrain support structure for a vehicle, characterized by:
In claim 3,
A powertrain support structure for a vehicle, wherein the mount bracket has a vertical wall portion that extends downward from the top wall portion and overlaps the peep hole in the front-rear direction. In claim 3 or claim 4,
A powertrain support structure for a vehicle, wherein an opening is formed in the top wall for suppressing vibration of the mount bracket during running. In any one of claims 3 to 5,
A support structure for a power train, wherein the mounting position visible through the peep hole is set at a higher position nearer to the top wall than the top wall, among positions below the top wall.

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