Supporting structure for vehicle high-voltage unit and vehicle front portion structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464613-B2
Application number	US-201816175839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2018
Priority date	Nov 2, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle front portion structure includes: a pair of front side members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, the front side members being disposed at an interval in a vehicle width direction; an MC cross-member suspended between the front side members, the MC cross-member being provided with a front cross portion extending in the vehicle width direction and a rear cross portion provided behind the front cross portion and extending in the vehicle width direction; and motor mounts configured to connect a high-voltage component to the MC cross-member, the motor mounts being suspended between the front cross portion and the rear cross portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle front portion structure comprising:
a pair of front side members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, the front side members being disposed at an interval in a vehicle width direction;
an MC cross-member suspended between the front side members, the MC cross-member being provided with a front cross portion extending in the vehicle width direction and a rear cross portion provided behind the front cross portion and extending in the vehicle width direction; and
a motor mount configured to connect a high-voltage component to the MC cross-member, the motor mount being suspended between the front cross portion and the rear cross portion.

2. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
the MC cross-member is provided with
an upper member that forms an upper surface of the MC cross-member, and
lower members that form a bottom surface of the MC cross-member;

the upper member and the lower members are connected to each other such that a closed section is formed; and
a bolt penetrating the closed section and a nut screwed onto the bolt hold the motor mounts, the upper member, and the lower members together.

3. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 1 , wherein:
the motor mount is provided with
a base portion that is fastened to bottom surfaces or upper surfaces of the front cross portion and the rear cross portion, and
a protruding portion that protrudes in a vehicle height direction from a central portion of the base portion; and
when the base portion is fastened to the front cross portion and the rear cross portion, the protruding portion is positioned in a gap between the front cross portion and the rear cross portion.

4. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a gusset which is attached to each of outer surfaces of the front side members in the vehicle width direction, which protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction further than the front side members, and of which a dimension in the vehicle width direction becomes smaller toward a vehicle rear side,
wherein the MC cross-member and the front side members face each other in a state of being separated from each other in the vehicle width direction at the same position as a rear end of the gusset in the vehicle front-rear direction.

5. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 4 , wherein:
one or more projecting walls are provided on an outer surface of the MC cross-member in the vehicle width direction at the same position as the rear end of the gusset in the vehicle front-rear direction or at a position behind the rear end of the gusset in the vehicle front-rear direction; and
the projecting wall projects outward in the vehicle width direction further than a portion of the outer surface that is ahead of the projecting wall.

6. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 5 , wherein:
an end surface of each of the front side members in the vehicle width direction is provided with a reinforcement rib extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, the reinforcement rib being partially discontinuous; and
the projecting wall is provided at the same position as a discontinuation position of the reinforcement rib in the vehicle front-rear direction or at a position behind the discontinuation position of the reinforcement rib in the vehicle front-rear direction.

7. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 4 , wherein a height dimension of an end portion of the MC cross-member in the vehicle width direction is larger than a height dimension of a central portion of the MC cross-member in the vehicle width direction.

8. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 4 , further comprising supporting brackets configured to connect the MC cross-member and the front side members to each other in a state where the MC cross-member and the front side members are separated from each other in the vehicle width direction.

9. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 8 , wherein:
the MC cross-member is provided with
an upper member that forms an upper surface of the MC cross-member, and
lower members that form a bottom surface of the MC cross-member;

the upper member and the lower members are connected to each other such that a closed section is formed; and
first fastening bolts penetrating the closed section and nuts screwed onto the first fastening bolts hold the supporting brackets, the upper member, and the lower members together.

10. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 8 , wherein:
the supporting brackets are fastened to the MC cross-member and the front side members at a position behind the rear end of the gusset in the vehicle front-rear direction;
each of the supporting brackets is provided with a plurality of first fastening holes, the first fastening holes being used to fasten the supporting brackets to the MC cross-member and being arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction;
load bearing portions as predetermined gap portions are respectively interposed between the first fastening holes and inner end portions of the supporting brackets in the vehicle width direction; and
a strength of the foremost load bearing portion is higher than that of the other load bearing portions.

11. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 4 , wherein the MC cross-member is further provided with a pair of side portions configured to connect end portions of the front cross portion and the rear cross portion to each other.

12. A supporting structure for a vehicle high-voltage unit, the supporting structure comprising:
a pair of motor mounts attached to opposite ends of a rotating electrical machine unit in a width direction; and
an MC cross-member of which opposite ends in a vehicle width direction are fastened to a pair of front side members extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, the rotating electrical machine unit being attached to a lower portion of the MC cross-member via the motor mounts and a high-voltage device being attached to an upper portion of the MC cross-member, wherein:
an opening portion vertically penetrating the MC cross-member is formed in a central portion of the MC cross-member; and
front and rear end portions of each of the motor mounts are fastened to the MC cross-member with the opening portion of the MC cross-member interposed between the front and rear end portions of each of the motor mounts in the vehicle front-rear direction.

13. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 1 , wherein the motor mount extends from the front cross portion to the rear cross portion in the vehicle front-rear direction.

14. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 1 , wherein the motor mount comprises a MC cross-member fastening portion and a motor fastening portion, the MC cross-member fastening portion extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and is coupled with the front cross portion and the rear cross portion, and the motor fastening portion is in a gap between the front cross portion and the rear cross portion.

15. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 14 , wherein the motor mount is a first motor mount and the vehicle front portion structure further comprises:
a second motor mount configured to connect the high-voltage component to the MC cross-member, the second motor mount being suspended between the front cross portion and the rear cross portion.

16. The vehicle front portion structure according to claim 15 , wherein the second motor mount comprises a portion tha

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okura Daiki

Classifications

• B60Y2304/072

  by preassembled subunits · CPC title

• B60K5/12

  Arrangement of engine supports · CPC title

• B62D21/152

  Front or rear frames · CPC title

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• B60K2001/0411

  Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle · CPC title