Abstract:
A support structure of parts for a vehicle including: a tray fixed to a structural member of a vehicle body for mounting a first part thereto; a retainer member for retaining the first part on the tray; and a vertically extending support member for supporting a second part on the side of the first part. The support member is connected to the tray at a lower end thereof and to the retainer member at an upper end thereof.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a support structure of parts for a vehicle, and particularly to a support structure of a battery and a fuse box mounted in an engine compartment of a vehicle.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     A variety of parts for a vehicle including a battery, a fuse box, ABS actuator, electronic control unit, etc. are mounted in an engine compartment of the vehicle, in which the battery and the fuse box are mounted on the upper face of a front side member.  
         [0005]     The Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-29336 discloses a support structure in which a battery is mounted on a tray provided on a front side member, and a bracket is provided on the side of the battery and a fuse box is mounted on the bracket.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     However, since the above support structure has a cantilever structure in which only the lower part of the bracket is connected to the tray, the strength of the bracket is lowered and the supporting rigidity of the fuse box is degraded. It is necessary to increase the board thickness in order to improve the rigidity of the bracket, but it causes weight increase.  
         [0007]     Also, since a vertical rod for tying the battery to the tray is arranged in a gap between the bracket and the battery, the space efficiency of the engine compartment might be deteriorated.  
         [0008]     The present invention was made in the light of the problem. An object of the present invention is to provide a support structure of parts for a vehicle, which enhances the mounting strength of parts such as a fuse box.  
         [0009]     An aspect of the present invention is a support structure of parts for a vehicle comprising: a tray fixed to a structural member of a vehicle body for mounting a first part thereto; a retainer member for retaining the first part on the tray; and a vertically extending support member for supporting a second part on the side of the first part, which is connected to the tray at a lower end thereof and to the retainer member at an upper end thereof. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a battery and a fuse box employing a support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a partially sectional front view showing a vehicle front body which the battery and the fuse box in  FIG. 1  are mounted to, seen from the front of the vehicle.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a front view showing a variation of an upper retainer member and a bracket.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a front view showing another variation of an upper retainer member and a bracket. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]     An embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings, wherein like members are designated by like reference characters.  
         [0016]     In an engine compartment of a vehicle, side members  1  are extended in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on both right and left sides thereof. Each of the side members  1  is formed in the closed sectional structure having a rectangular shape in section, as shown in  FIG. 2 , and a support bracket  3  is provided on an inner side in the vehicle transverse direction of the side member  1 . A top face  3   a  of this support bracket  3  is set at the same height as that of a top face  1   a  of the side member  1 . And on these top faces  1   a  and  3   a  of the side member  1  and the support bracket  3 , a tray  5  is provided to support a square-shaped heavy battery  7  (first part) using a retainer member  19 . A fuse box  11  (second part) is supported on a bracket  9  arranged on the side of the battery  7 .  
         [0017]     The tray  5  has a top face formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and is provided at the front and rear ends of the outer edge in the vehicle transverse direction thereof with eye plates  15  extended outward in the vehicle transverse direction therefrom, and on the central part of the outer edge in the vehicle transverse direction with a tongue piece  17  extending upward therefrom. The eye plate  15  and the tongue piece  17  have a bolt insertion hole  13  and a lock hole thereon, respectively.  
         [0018]     The battery  7  is mounted on to the tray  5  and tied thereto using the retainer member  19  and the bracket  9  surrounding the battery  7 .  
         [0019]     The retainer member  19  includes a vertically extending fixing rod  21  disposed on the outer side in the vehicle transverse direction of the battery  7 , and a horizontally extending upper retainer member (pressing member)  23  provided on top of the battery  7 . The fixing rod  21  has, at its lower end, a J-shaped hook  25  engaging with the lock hole of the tongue piece  17 . The upper end of the fixing rod  21  is connected to the outer end in the vehicle transverse direction of the upper retainer member  23  with a nut  26 . Also, the upper retainer member  23  is bent and formed in a Z-shape in side view, as shown in  FIG. 2 , to have a contact portion  29  which comes into contact with an upwardly facing upper face  7   a  of the battery  7  and presses it downward, a vertical wall  31  extending upward from the inner end in the vehicle transverse direction of the contact portion  29 , and a flange  33  extending inward in the vehicle transverse direction from the upper end of the vertical wall  31  and connected to an upper-end flange  37  of the bracket  9 .  
         [0020]     The bracket  9  is extended vertically along an inner side face  7   b  in the vehicle transverse direction of the battery  7 , and has the lower end thereof bent and extended outward in the vehicle transverse direction to be connected to the lower face of the tray  5  by welding. The upper end of the bracket  9  is bent to have the upper-end flange  37  extended inward in the vehicle transverse direction and fastened to the flange  33  of the upper retainer member  23  with the bolt  27 . The bracket  9  is provided on upper part and lower part of the inner side in the vehicle transverse direction thereof with three stud bolts  39 .  
         [0021]     Moreover, the fuse box  11  is mounted on the inner side face in the vehicle transverse direction of the bracket  9 . The fuse box  11  is provided with mounting flanges  41  on an upper end and a lower end thereof. Two bolt holes  43  are provided in the upper mounting flange  41 , while a single bolt hole  43  in the lower mounting flange  41 . These bolt holes  43  are located at positions corresponding to the respective stud bolts  39  of the bracket  9 . The stud bolts  39  are inserted through the bolt holes  43  of the mounting flanges  41  and are tightened with nuts, whereby the fuse box  11  is mounted on the side of the battery  7 .  
         [0022]     The dimensional relations among the fixing rod  21  and the upper retainer member  23  of the retainer member  19 , the bracket  9  and the battery  7  are set as shown in  FIG. 2 , in which the dimension H 1  which is the height difference between the contact face of the contact portion  29  of the upper retainer member  23  to the lower face of the flange  33 , is slightly larger than the dimension L 1  which is the height difference between the top face of the flange  37  of the bracket  9  to the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7 , before the bolt  27  is tightened. When tightening the bolt  27  to fasten the flange  33  of the upper retainer member  23  to the flange  37  of the bracket  9 , each of the upper retainer member  23  and the bracket  9  elastically deforms, whereby the battery  7  is supported on the tray  5  with the upper face  7   a thereof pressed by the upper retainer member  23  downward, that is, in the state where the battery  7  is clamped between the upper retainer member  23  and the tray  5 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a front view showing a variation of the upper retainer member and the bracket.  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , an upper retainer member  123  is simply formed of a straight flat bar, which has a flange  133  at the inner end in the vehicle transverse direction thereof. A bracket  109  of this variation is formed shorter in vertical length than that of the bracket  9  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and a predetermined gap δ in the vertical direction is provided between a top face of an upper-end flange  137  of the bracket  109  and a lower face of the flange  133 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The flange  137  of the bracket  109  is fastened to the flange  133  of the upper retainer member  123 , using a bolt  141  having a long unthreaded shank and a nut  143 ,  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is a front view showing another variation of an upper retainer member and a bracket.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an upper retainer member  223  has a vertical wall  231  extending downward from the inner end in the vehicle transverse direction of the contact portion  229  and a flange  233  formed by bending the lower end of the vertical wall  231  and extended therefrom inward in the vehicle transverse direction. The upper retainer member  223  thus has a shape of an inversed upper retainer member  23  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The flange  233  of the upper retainer member  223  is fastened to an upper-end flange  237  of a bracket  209  by a bolt, in a similar way to that of the flanges  33  and  37  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  
         [0027]     Similarly to the case of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the contact portions  129  and  229  of the respective upper retainer members  123  and  223  in  FIGS. 3 and 4  press the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7 , when the upper-end flanges  137  and  237  of the brackets  109  and  209  are fastened to the flanges  133  and  233  of the upper retainer members  123  and  223 , respectively.  
         [0028]     In  FIG. 3 , the upper retainer member  123  and the bracket  109  elastically deform as the bolt  141  is tightened, with the distance δ between the flange  137  of the bracket  109  and the flange  133  of the upper retainer member  123  being gradually decreased. By adjusting the tightening torque of the bolt  141  as appropriate, the pressing force onto the battery  7  by the upper retainer member  123  can be adjusted.  
         [0029]     Also, in the example shown in  FIG. 4 , the dimensional relations among the fixing rod  21  and the upper retainer member  223  of the retainer member  19 , the bracket  209  and the battery  7  are set similarly to those in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in which the dimension H 1  which is the height difference between the contact face of the contact portion  229  of the upper retainer member  223  and the lower face of the flange  233  is slightly smaller than the dimension L 2  which is the height difference between the top face of the flange  237  of the bracket  209  and the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7 , before the bolt  241  is tightened. By tightening the bolt  241  to fasten the flange  237  of the bracket  209  to the flange  233  of the upper retainer member  223 , the battery  7  can be supported on the tray  5  in the state where the upper retainer member  223  presses the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7  downward.  
         [0030]     Below, the function and effect of the present invention according to the preferred embodiments will be explained.  
         [0031]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the retainer member  19  includes the vertical fixing rod  21  extending from the tongue piece  17  provided on the outer edge in the vehicle transverse direction of the tray  5 , and the upper retainer member  23  connected to the upper end of the fixing rod  21  for pressing the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7 . Since the bracket  9  is connected at the upper end thereof to the upper retainer member  23  of the retainer  19 , the supporting rigidity of the bracket  9  is improved and the mounting strength of the fuse box  11  mounted thereon is enhanced.  
         [0032]     Further, since only the bracket  9  is disposed between the fuse box  11  and the battery  7 , eliminating the need of a fixing rod, the space efficiency in the engine compartment can be improved.  
         [0033]     Also, since the battery  7  is pressed against the tray  5  with the upper face  7   a  thereof being pressed downward by the upper retainer member  23 , the battery  7  is secured and the supporting rigidity of the bracket  9  is improved. This also improves the mounting strength of the fuse box  11 .  
         [0034]     Moreover, since the bracket  9  and the upper retainer member  23  are formed so that the height difference between the top face of the flange  37  of the bracket  9  and the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7  is made smaller than the height difference between the lower face of the contact portion  29  of the upper retainer member  23  and the lower face of the flange  33 , the upper face  7   a  of the battery  7  can be pressed downward securely by the upper retainer member  23  while the bracket  9  is supported on the flange  33  of the upper retainer member  23 , and the mounting strength of the fuse box  11  is this improved.  
         [0035]     The preferred embodiment described herein is illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention may be practiced or embodied in other ways without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof. The scope of the invention being indicated by the claims, and all variations which come within the meaning of claims are intended to be embraced herein.  
         [0036]     The present disclosure relates to subject matters contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-116638, filed on Apr. 12, 2004, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.