Electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11577663-B2
Application number	US-202117197037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2021
Priority date	Mar 25, 2020
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

An electric vehicle may include a body, a bracket fixed in a rear potion of the body, a low-voltage component supported by the bracket and a high-voltage component located frontward of the low-voltage component. The bracket may include a front end fixed to the body at a position frontward of the low-voltage component, a rear end fixed to the body at a position rearward of the low-voltage component and at least one bend located between the front end and the rear end and each having an upwardly protruding shape. The at least one bend may include one or both of a first bend located frontward of the low-voltage component and a second bend located rearward of the low-voltage component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle comprising:
a body comprising a cabin and a rear potion located rearward of the cabin;
a bracket fixed in the rear potion of the body;
a low-voltage component supported by the bracket; and
a high-voltage component located frontward of the low-voltage component,
wherein
the bracket comprises:
a front end fixed to the body at a position frontward of the low-voltage component;
a rear end fixed to the body at a position rearward of the low-voltage component;
at least one bend located between the front end and the rear end and having an upwardly protruding shape;
an upper surface extending from the front end to the rear end through the at least one bend; and
a lower surface located opposed to the upper surface and extending from the front end to the rear end through the at least one bend,

wherein
the at least one bend comprises a first bend located frontward of the low-voltage component and a second bend located rearward of the low-voltage component,
the upper surface of the bracket comprises a first convex portion at the first bend and a second convex portion at the second bend, and
the lower surface of the bracket comprises a first concave portion at the first bend and a second concave portion at the second bend such that the first concave portion is located opposite to the first convex portion and the second concave portion is located opposite to the second convex portion.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the bracket comprises a plate-shaped member extending between the front end and the rear end in a longitudinal direction, and
each of the first bend and the second bend extends across a full width of the bracket perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the bracket.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low-voltage component is located below the bracket.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first bend and the second bend have an upwardly protruding bead shape.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the bracket extends along a straight line linking the front end and the rear end except in one or more of areas where the at least one bend is located.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first bend and the second bend have an upwardly protruding mountain fold shape.

7. The electric vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein one or both of the first bend and the second bend are located above a straight line linking the front end and the rear end of the bracket.

8. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the low-voltage component is an electronic control unit comprising at least one processor.

9. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the high-voltage component comprises at least one of a traction motor configured to drive a wheel or a power control unit configured to control electric power supplied to the motor.

10. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first convex portion and the second convex portion continuously extends across a full width of the upper surface of the bracket, and
each of the first concave portion and the second concave portion continuously extends across a full width of the lower surface of the bracket.

11. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the rear portion of the body comprises:
a pair of rear side members each extends in a front-rear direction;
a rear floor panel extending between the pair of rear side member and configuring a floor in the rear portion of the body;
a rear crossmember provided along the rear floor panel and extending in a right-left direction between the pair of rear side members; and
a back panel configuring a rear wall in the rear portion of the body, a rear end of the rear floor panel being connected to the back panel, and

the front end of the bracket is fixed to the rear crossmember and the rear end of the bracket is fixed to the back panel.

12. The electric vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein
the rear floor panel extends downward from the rear crossmember toward the back panel such that a space is defined between the bracket and the rear floor panel in an up-down direction, and
the low-voltage component is located in the space between the bracket and the rear floor panel.

13. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the lower surface of the bracket is between the low-voltage component and the upper surface of the bracket.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd
• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Itoh Keisuke
• Fujikawa Ryotaro
• Furukawa Iwao
• Matsumoto Tomohiro

Classifications

• B60L3/0007

  Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions · CPC title

• B60R16/0239

  Electronic boxes · CPC title

• B60R11/0264 Primary

  for control means · CPC title

• B60R2011/0036

  Luggage compartment · CPC title

• B60R2011/0052

  using screws, bolts, rivets or the like · CPC title