Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247740-B2
Application number	US-201916538364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2018
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle includes a fragile portion provided in an exhaust passage at a position frontward of a dashboard panel in a vehicle front-rear direction, and a thrusting portion. The fragile portion fractures more easily under a force from a front side of the vehicle than other portions of the exhaust passage. The thrusting portion is provided in one of the exhaust passage, at a position frontward of the dashboard panel and rearward of the fragile portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a framework member that is part of a frame structure of the vehicle and supports the dashboard panel. The thrusting portion protrudes from the one of the exhaust passage and the framework member toward the other one and facing the other one in the vehicle front-rear direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a plate-shaped dashboard panel serving as a partition between an engine compartment in which an internal combustion engine is installed and a vehicle cabin located rearward of the engine compartment in a vehicle front-rear direction;
a first exhaust passage fixed to the internal combustion engine and extending from the internal combustion engine toward a rear side of the vehicle, the first exhaust passage having a fragile portion provided at a position frontward of the dashboard panel in the vehicle front-rear direction, the fragile portion fracturing more easily under a force from a front side of the vehicle than other portions of the first exhaust passage; and
a thrusting portion provided in one of the first exhaust passage, at a position frontward of the dashboard panel and rearward of the fragile portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a framework member that is part of a frame structure of the vehicle and supports the dashboard panel, the thrusting portion protruding from the one of the first exhaust passage and the framework member toward the other one and facing the other one in the vehicle front-rear direction.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a thrust-receiving portion that is provided in the other one of the first exhaust passage, at a position frontward of the dashboard panel and rearward of the fragile portion in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the framework member, the thrusting portion coming into contact with the thrust-receiving portion when the first exhaust passage moves toward the rear side of the vehicle,
wherein, inside the engine compartment, a distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the thrusting portion and the thrust-receiving portion is equal to or shorter than a shortest distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the dashboard panel and a portion of the first exhaust passage that faces the dashboard panel in the vehicle front-rear direction.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a second exhaust passage,
wherein, the first exhaust passage located on one side in a vehicle width direction and the second exhaust passage located on the other side in the vehicle width direction,
the second exhaust passage is fixed to the internal combustion engine and extends from the internal combustion engine toward the rear side of the vehicle, and
inside the engine compartment, a distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the thrusting portion and the thrust-receiving portion is shorter than a shortest distance in the vehicle front-rear direction between the dashboard panel and a portion of the second exhaust passage that faces the dashboard panel in the vehicle front-rear direction.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein a portion at which the first exhaust passage is fixed to the internal combustion engine is located rearward in the vehicle front-rear direction of a portion at which the second exhaust passage is fixed to the internal combustion engine.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising a steering wheel which is mounted inside the vehicle cabin and by which the vehicle is steered, wherein, in a plan view of the vehicle, a distance in a vehicle width direction between a center of turning of the steering wheel and the first exhaust passage is shorter than a distance in the vehicle width direction between the center of turning of the steering wheel and the second exhaust passage.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the first exhaust passage includes an upstream-side exhaust pipe located on an upstream side, a downstream-side exhaust pipe located on a downstream side, and a ring-shaped clamp member that fixes a downstream end of the upstream-side exhaust pipe and an upstream end of the downstream-side exhaust pipe to each other in a state of being coupled together,
the thrusting portion is located below the clamp member in a vehicle height direction,
the clamp member includes a half-ring-shaped first fixing part, a half-ring-shaped second fixing part, a turning part that turnably couples together the first fixing part and the second fixing part at ends on one side, and a fastening part that fastens together the first fixing part and the second fixing part at ends on the other side by screw fastening,
the turning part is located above the fastening part in the vehicle height direction, and
the fragile portion is a portion at which the downstream end of the upstream-side exhaust pipe and the upstream end of the downstream-side exhaust pipe are fixed to each other.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a catalytic converter that reduces pollutants in exhaust gas is mounted inside the first exhaust passage, at a position frontward of the dashboard panel and rearward of the fragile portion.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the thrusting portion is a plate-shaped member having a curved or bent shape in cross section orthogonal to the vehicle front-rear direction.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nagata Ryosuke
• Kosaka Hiroaki

Classifications

• B60K13/04 Primary

  concerning exhaust · CPC title

• F01N13/1822 Primary

  for fixing exhaust pipes or devices to vehicle body · CPC title

• F16B2/02

  Clamps, i.e. with gripping action effected by positive means other than the inherent resistance to deformation of the material of the fastening · CPC title

• B62D21/152

  Front or rear frames · CPC title

• B62D1/02

  vehicle-mounted · CPC title