Impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656694-B2
Application number	US-201013319931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2010
Priority date	Jul 17, 2009
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle charging port arrangement is provided with a vehicle body, a charging port support member and an electric charging port. The vehicle body includes a vehicle front end portion. The charging port support member is supported on the vehicle front end portion. The charging port support member includes an energy absorbing structure that is configured and arranged to deform towards a support structure of the vehicle front end portion and into an energy absorbing area that is disposed forward of the support structure of the vehicle front end portion during a frontal impact. The electric charging port is attached to the charging port support member, with the electric charging port being configured to receive an electric charging connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement comprising:
a vehicle body including a vehicle front end portion;
a charging port support member supported on the vehicle front end portion with the charging port support member including an energy absorbing structure that is configured and arranged to deform towards a support structure of the vehicle front end portion and into an energy absorbing area that is disposed forward of the support structure of the vehicle front end portion during a frontal impact such that the charging port support member moves upward and rearward during the frontal impact; and
an electric charging port attached to the charging port support member, with the electric charging port being configured to receive an electric charging connector;
the charging port support member including a charging port mounting wall slanting upward and rearward in the vehicle lengthwise direction, and
a charging port mounting opening provided in the charging port support member receiving the electric charging port support member, the charging port mounting opening being directed in an upward direction.

2. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure and the vehicle front end portion are arranged to form unobstructed space as the energy absorbing area, with the unobstructed space being oriented in a vehicle widthwise direction that is located rearward of and aligned with the charging port support member as viewed in a vehicle lengthwise direction.

3. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure is attached to the vehicle front end portion at three attachment points that are spaced apart and located to form apexes of a triangle.

4. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein
the support structure of the vehicle front end portion includes at least one vehicle body frame member to which the energy absorbing structure is attached.

5. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure includes an upper wall portion having a pair of rearward extending legs defining a cut-out that opens in a vehicle longitudinally rearward direction, with free ends of the legs being attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion.

6. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 5 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure further includes a lower end portion that is attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion.

7. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 6 , wherein
the charging port mounting wall spans between the upper wall portion and the lower end portion.

8. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein
the charging port support member is attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion at a location forward of a front collision crushable structure of the vehicle front end portion of the vehicle body that deforms rearward in the vehicle lengthwise direction to absorb energy and during a frontal impact.

9. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 8 , wherein
the charging port support member is attached to the support structure near a front end of the front collision crushable structure of the vehicle front end portion of the vehicle body.

10. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein
the charging port support member and the energy absorbing structure are integrally formed as a one-piece support plate that is attached to the vehicle front end portion.

11. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 2 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure is attached to the vehicle front end portion at three attachment points that are spaced apart and located to form apexes of a triangle.

12. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 2 , wherein
the support structure of the vehicle front end portion includes at least one vehicle body frame member to which the energy absorbing structure is attached.

13. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 2 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure includes an upper wall portion having a pair of rearward extending legs defining a cut-out that opens in a vehicle longitudinally rearward direction, with free ends of the legs being attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion.

14. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 13 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure further includes a lower end portion that is attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion.

15. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 14 , wherein
the charging port support member includes a charging port mounting wall that spans between the upper wall portion and the lower end portion, with the charging port mounting wall slanting upward and rearward in the vehicle lengthwise direction.

16. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 2 , wherein
the charging port support member is attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion at a location forward of a front collision crushable structure of the vehicle front end portion of the vehicle body that deforms rearward in the vehicle lengthwise direction to absorb energy and during a frontal impact.

17. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 16 , wherein
the charging port support member is attached to the support structure near a front end of the front collision crushable structure of the vehicle front end portion of the vehicle body.

18. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 2 , wherein
the charging port support member and the energy absorbing structure are integrally formed as a one-piece support plate that is attached to the vehicle front end portion.

19. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 11 , wherein
the support structure of the vehicle front end portion includes at least one vehicle body frame member to which the energy absorbing structure is attached.

20. The impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement as recited in claim 11 , wherein
the energy absorbing structure includes an upper wall portion having a pair of rearward extending legs defining a cut-out that opens in a vehicle longitudinally rearward direction, with free ends of the legs being attached to the support structure of the vehicle front end portion.

21. An impact energy absorbing vehicle charging port support arrangement comprising:
a vehicle body including a vehicle front end portion;
a charging port support member supported on the vehicle front end portion with the charging port support member including an energy absorbing structure that is configured and arranged to deform towards a support stru

Assignees

• Terashima Yasutsune
• Kakiuchi Takeshi
• Ataka Masahiro
• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Terashima Yasutsune
• Kakiuchi Takeshi
• Ataka Masahiro

Classifications

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T10/7005

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B60L11/1816

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title