Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654367-B2
Application number	US-201815956946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle includes: a front room disposed at a front part of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a fuel cell stack disposed in the front room, the fuel cell stack including multiple cells stacked in the longitudinal direction; a bumper reinforcement disposed at a front part of the front room in the longitudinal direction; and a buffer member disposed between the fuel cell stack and the bumper reinforcement in the longitudinal direction. At least a part of the buffer member overlaps with the bumper reinforcement, as viewed from a direction along the longitudinal direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a front room disposed at a front part of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
a fuel cell stack disposed in the front room, the fuel cell stack including multiple cells stacked in the longitudinal direction;
a bumper reinforcement disposed at a front part of the front room in the longitudinal direction;
a buffer member disposed within a range between a front end of the fuel cell stack and the bumper reinforcement in the longitudinal direction; and
an auxiliary-device component disposed between the bumper reinforcement and the buffer member, wherein
at least a part of the buffer member overlaps with the bumper reinforcement, as viewed from a direction along the longitudinal direction,
the buffer member includes a first buffer portion and a second buffer portion, the second buffer portion having a lower durable load in the longitudinal direction than a durable load of the first buffer portion in the longitudinal direction,
the first buffer portion and the second buffer portion are arranged adjacent to each other, and
the first buffer portion is disposed within a range corresponding to an outline of the bumper reinforcement, as viewed from the direction along the longitudinal direction.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the first buffer portion and the second buffer portion are arranged adjacent to each other in a height direction of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
at least a part of the second buffer portion overlaps with the auxiliary-device component, as viewed from the direction along the longitudinal direction.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the auxiliary-device component has a higher durable load in the longitudinal direction than a durable load of the bumper reinforcement in the longitudinal direction.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the fuel cell stack includes a stack frame supporting the fuel cell stack,
a part of the buffer member is fixed to the stack frame, and
another part of the buffer member that is not fixed to the stack frame is fixed to a support member protruding from the stack frame.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein
the buffer member is configured to have a smaller durable load in the longitudinal direction than a durable load of the stack frame in the longitudinal direction and a durable load of the bumper reinforcement in the longitudinal direction.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
at least a part of the buffer member overlaps with the fuel cell stack, as viewed from the direction along the longitudinal direction.

8. A vehicle comprising:
a front room disposed at a front part of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
a fuel cell stack disposed in the front room, the fuel cell stack including multiple cells stacked in the longitudinal direction;
a bumper reinforcement disposed at a front part of the front room in the longitudinal direction; and
a buffer member disposed within a range between a front end of the fuel cell stack and the bumper reinforcement in the longitudinal direction, wherein
at least a part of the buffer member overlaps with the bumper reinforcement, as viewed from a direction along the longitudinal direction, and
the buffer member is fixed to the front end of the fuel cell stack.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ichida Yugo

Classifications

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• B60K2001/0411

  Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle · CPC title

• B60Y2400/202

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• B60L3/0007 Primary

  Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions · CPC title

• B60R19/023

  Details · CPC title