Patent Description:
Patent Literature <NUM> and <NUM> discloses a structure in which a charging inlet is arranged outside a vehicle, and a wire harness connected to the charging inlet is routed inside the vehicle and connected to a power storage device installed in the vehicle.

Patent Literature <NUM>: <CIT>; Patent Literature <NUM>: <CIT>.

The internal space of a vehicle has a complicated shape due to structural members and installed parts of the vehicle body, and thus a wire harness needs to be routed while being bent along the complicated shape of the internal space, leading to an issue with routing workability.

It is thus an object of the present invention to enhance the routing workability within a vehicle of a wire harness connected to a charging inlet.

A wire harness routing structure for a chargeable vehicle according to the present invention is defined by appended claim <NUM>. Specific embodiments are defined by the dependent claims. Such a wire harness routing structure includes a wire harness that connects a battery installed in the vehicle and a charging inlet arranged on a vehicle body side part of the vehicle. A tip of the charging inlet to which the wire harness is connected is positioned inside the vehicle passing through the vehicle body side part.

According to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the routing workability within a vehicle of a wire harness connected to a charging inlet.

An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> illustrates a wire harness routing structure for a chargeable vehicle according to an embodiment. Here, an electric vehicle is described as the chargeable vehicle. <FIG> omits some vehicle body members such as a floor panel <NUM> of a vehicle body <NUM> from <FIG> and thus illustrates a battery unit <NUM> arranged below the floor panel <NUM>. The battery unit <NUM> constitutes a battery installed in the vehicle. The battery unit <NUM> may be referred to simply as the battery <NUM> below. The directions indicated by the arrows FR, UP, and LH in the figures are the front of the vehicle, the upper side of the vehicle, and the left side of the vehicle, respectively.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a dash panel <NUM> is arranged in front of the floor panel <NUM>. The dash panel <NUM> is arranged in front of a vehicle compartment <NUM> and serves as a partition separating the vehicle compartment <NUM> and a motor room <NUM> in front. Front side members <NUM> extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction on both sides in the vehicle width direction at the lower part of the motor room <NUM>. The lower part of the dash panel <NUM> inclines rearward. The rear parts of the front side members <NUM> bend downward along the above-described inclination of the dash panel <NUM>, and the bent parts are connected to the above-described inclining part of the dash panel <NUM>.

A hood ridge panel <NUM> as a vehicle body side part is arranged above each of the front side members <NUM> in the motor room <NUM> and slightly outside in the vehicle width direction. The rear parts of the hood ridge panels <NUM> are connected to front pillars <NUM> extending in the vertical direction. A strut tower <NUM> and a wheel house <NUM> are arranged inside each hood ridge panel <NUM> in the vehicle width direction. The front part of the strut tower <NUM> and the rear part of the wheel house <NUM> are connected to each other. The strut tower <NUM> and the wheel house <NUM> each have the upper part connected to the hood ridge panel <NUM> and the lower part connected to the front side member <NUM>.

Each hood ridge panel <NUM> includes a front part <NUM> positioned in the vicinity of the strut tower <NUM> toward the front and a rear part <NUM> positioned in the vicinity of the strut tower <NUM> toward the rear. As illustrated in <FIG>, the front part <NUM> extends longitudinally, and the rear part <NUM> extends vertically from the rear end of the front part <NUM> to be connected to the front pillar <NUM> described above. The hood ridge panel <NUM> includes a side surface <NUM>, an upper surface <NUM>, and a lower surface <NUM> over its entire length including the front part <NUM> and the rear part <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the hood ridge panel <NUM> includes an outer panel 17a and an inner panel 17b, which are joined to each other at upper and lower flange joints F1, F2 to form a closed cross section. The side surface <NUM>, the upper surface <NUM>, and the lower surface <NUM> are each formed on the outer panel 17a.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a front upper surface 31a and a front lower surface 33a of the front part <NUM> are horizontal planes parallel to each other. A rear upper surface 31b of the rear part <NUM> inclines so that the height in the vertical direction gradually increases from near the front part <NUM> toward the rear. A rear lower surface 33b of the rear part <NUM> inclines so that the height in the vertical direction gradually decreases from near the front part <NUM> toward the rear and curves in a gentle manner so that a part thereof near the front pillar <NUM> becomes convex downward.

A charging inlet mounting portion <NUM> is arranged on the side surface <NUM> between the rear upper surface 31b and the curved part of the rear lower surface 33b. A charging inlet <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> is mounted on the charging inlet mounting portion <NUM>. The charging inlet <NUM> is for charging the battery <NUM>. The charging inlet mounting portion <NUM> includes a through hole <NUM> penetrating the side surface <NUM> and brackets <NUM> arranged on the side surface <NUM> outside in the vehicle width direction at the periphery of the through hole <NUM>. The brackets <NUM> may be integral with or separate from the side surface <NUM>.

The through hole <NUM> includes an upper edge 39a linearly extending in the longitudinal direction, a pair of front and rear side edges 39b linearly extending downward from both front and rear ends of the upper edge 39a, and a lower edge 39c connecting the lower ends of the pair of front and rear side edges 39b. The lower edge 39c is curved to be convex downward. The brackets <NUM> are each arranged along the pair of front and rear side edges 39b. As illustrated in <FIG>, the pair of front and rear brackets <NUM> is substantially symmetrical in a side view.

As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the pair of front and rear brackets <NUM> inclines so that mounting surfaces 41a on the outside in the vehicle width direction project outward in the vehicle width direction more at the lower part thereof than at the upper part thereof. The pair of front and rear brackets <NUM> includes a pair of front and rear side wall surfaces 41b rising from the side surface <NUM>. The pair of front and rear mounting surfaces 41a is formed to bend in the direction in which they are opposed to each other, from the outside edges in the vehicle width direction of the pair of front and rear side wall surfaces 41b. The space between the pair of front and rear brackets <NUM> is aligned with the through hole <NUM>. Two upper and lower mounting holes 41ah are formed in each of the pair of front and rear mounting surfaces 41a.

The charging inlet <NUM> is inserted between the pair of front and rear brackets <NUM> and into the through hole <NUM> from the outside of the vehicle body to be mounted on the charging inlet mounting portion <NUM>. The charging inlet <NUM> has a peripheral flange part 37a abutted against the mounting surface 41a while being inserted between the front and rear pair of brackets <NUM> and in the through hole <NUM>. Here, flange mounting holes formed in the flange part 37a are aligned with the mounting holes 41ah, and a bolt <NUM> is inserted in each of the flange mounting holes and the mounting holes 41ah and then is fastened to a nut <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the charging inlet <NUM> penetrates the outer panel 17a of the hood ridge panel <NUM> on the vehicle body side part, in a state of being mounted on the vehicle body <NUM>. That is, in the charging inlet <NUM>, a charging connector connection part 37b on the outside in the vehicle width direction is positioned outside the outer panel 17a, and a harness connection part 37c on the inside in the vehicle width direction is positioned inside the outer panel 17a. An opening and closing lid 37b1 is mounted in an openable and closable manner on the end part of the charging connector connection part 37b outside the vehicle body. With the opening and closing lid 37b1 in the open state, a charging connector pulled out from a charger, which is not illustrated, outside the vehicle is connected to the charging connector connection part 37b to charge the battery <NUM>. One end of a wire harness <NUM> is connected to the harness connection part 37c.

In the charging inlet <NUM> mounted as illustrated in <FIG>, the harness connection part 37c is positioned between the outer panel 17a and the inner panel 17b. Thus, the wire harness <NUM> penetrates an inner through hole 17bh formed in the inner panel 17b. The charging inlet <NUM> inclines so that the charging connector connection part 37b on the outside in the vehicle width direction is higher than the harness connection part 37c on the inside in the vehicle width direction in a state where the charging inlet <NUM> passes through the outer panel 17a of the hood ridge panel <NUM>. The wire harness <NUM> having one end connected to the harness connection part 37c is routed downward inside the vehicle along the above-described inclination direction of the charging inlet <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, a connector <NUM> is mounted on the other end of the wire harness <NUM>. Meanwhile, the battery unit <NUM> is arranged with a battery-side connector <NUM> at the front end part thereof. The connector <NUM> of the wire harness <NUM> is connected to the battery-side connector <NUM>. The front end part of the battery unit <NUM> including the part on which the battery-side connector <NUM> is mounted includes a battery inclining part 5a inclining so that the lower part thereof is more forward of the vehicle than the upper part thereof. The battery-side connector <NUM> is mounted on the battery inclining part 5a. Thus, a connection port of the battery-side connector <NUM> faces obliquely upward toward the front of the vehicle. Accordingly, the connector <NUM> of the wire harness <NUM> is connected to the battery-side connector <NUM> from the front of the vehicle toward the rear in an obliquely downward direction.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the battery-side connector <NUM> is positioned near the center of the battery unit <NUM> in the vehicle width direction. Another connector <NUM> is arranged on the left side of the battery-side connector <NUM> in the vehicle width direction. A motorside end of a wire harness, which is not illustrated, is connected to the connector <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the dash panel <NUM> includes a front protruding part 9a that is positioned adjacent to a center of the dash panel <NUM> in the vehicle width direction and protrudes more toward the front of the vehicle body than a different part, of the dash panel <NUM>, on a side where the charging inlet <NUM> is arranged. The charging inlet <NUM> is positioned closer to the rear of the vehicle body than the front protruding part 9a. The wire harness <NUM> is connected to the battery unit <NUM> toward the rear of the vehicle body at a position corresponding to the front protruding part 9a in the vehicle width direction.

The front protruding part 9a has a surface substantially perpendicular to the vehicle body longitudinal direction and substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. The dash panel <NUM> includes, closer to the end where the charging inlet <NUM> is arranged than the front protruding part 9a, a vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c that bends at a bent part 9b and inclines toward the rear of the vehicle body. An end part of the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c opposite to the front protruding part 9a is joined to the inner panel 17b of the hood ridge panel <NUM>. The connection part of the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c to the hood ridge panel <NUM> is positioned closer to the rear of the vehicle body than the charging inlet <NUM>.

The charging inlet <NUM> is arranged at a position corresponding to the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c in the vehicle body longitudinal direction. Thus, in the plan view in <FIG>, the wire harness <NUM> pulled into the vehicle through the charging inlet <NUM> bends toward the front of the vehicle body along the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c, passes over the bent part 9b, and is then routed toward the inside in the vehicle width direction along the front surface of the front protruding part 9a.

A region S where the wire harness <NUM> is routed is provided between: the front protruding part 9a near the bent part 9b and the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c of the dash panel <NUM>; and the strut tower <NUM>. The wire harness <NUM> pulled out through the charging inlet <NUM> is routed in the region S. An inclining surface <NUM> as a vertical-direction inclining part is formed on the vehicle body member in the region S. The inclining surface <NUM> inclines from adjacent to the charging inlet <NUM> toward the center in the vehicle width direction so that the height in the vertical direction gradually decreases. The inclining surface <NUM> has one end near the front of the vehicle body connected to the strut tower <NUM> and the other end near the rear of the vehicle body connected to the dash panel <NUM>.

The inclination angle of the inclining surface <NUM> when viewed from the vehicle body longitudinal direction is substantially equal to the inclination angle of the charging inlet <NUM> when viewed from the vehicle body longitudinal direction. That is, the wire harness <NUM> pulled out through the charging inlet <NUM> is routed obliquely downward along the inclining surface <NUM> straight from the inclination direction of the charging inlet <NUM> when viewed from the vehicle body longitudinal direction. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the wire harness <NUM> is fixed using fixtures <NUM> (57a to 57d) to the dash panel <NUM> at multiple points with appropriate intervals along the route direction.

As illustrated in <FIG>, when viewed from the front of the vehicle, the wire harness <NUM> is routed in a gradual downward inclination from one end to which the charging inlet <NUM> on the left side in the vehicle width direction (the right side in <FIG>) is connected to the other end connected to the battery unit <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, in a plan view, the wire harness <NUM> bends toward the front of the vehicle at a first bent part 47a near one end to which the charging inlet <NUM> is connected, then bends toward the inside in the vehicle width direction at a second bent part 47b, and is routed toward the center in the vehicle width direction along the front surface of the front protruding part 9a.

The wire harness <NUM> further slightly bends toward the front of the vehicle at a third bent part 47c corresponding to the vicinity of the fixture 57b in the front surface of the front protruding part 9a, and is routed obliquely right toward the front of the vehicle. In a plan view illustrated in <FIG>, the wire harness <NUM> bends toward the rear of the vehicle at an angle of approximately <NUM> degrees at a fourth bent part 47d in front of the battery-side connector <NUM>. Note that the bend angles of the first bent part 47a, the second bent part 47b, and the third bent part 47c in a plan view are all obtuse angles of about <NUM> degrees.

When the wire harness <NUM> bends toward the rear of the vehicle at the fourth bent part 47d in the plan view, the wire harness <NUM> previously bends toward the front of the vehicle at the first bent part 47a and the third bent part 47c with the formation of the front protruding part 9a. Thus, the bend angle at the fourth bent part 47d is suppressed to be smaller. The wire harness <NUM> between the fourth bent part 47d and the connector <NUM> is routed along the inclining part in the lower part of the dash panel <NUM>. The wire harness <NUM> is fixed with the fixture 57d at the lower inclining part of the dash panel <NUM>. That is, the wire harness <NUM> inclines obliquely downward toward the rear of the vehicle from the fourth bent part 47d toward the connector <NUM>.

In <FIG>, a front fender panel <NUM> serving as a vehicle body outer plate is added to <FIG>. An opening part 59a is formed in the front fender panel <NUM> at a position corresponding to the charging inlet <NUM>. A lid <NUM>, which can be opened and closed, is arranged on the opening part 59a. By opening the lid <NUM>, the charging inlet <NUM> is exposed to the outside through the opening part 59a. In this state, a charging connector of a charger, which is not illustrated, is connected to the charging inlet <NUM> for charging.

The wire harness <NUM> is mounted on the vehicle body with the charging inlet <NUM> connected thereto. At that time, the connector <NUM> end of the wire harness <NUM> is inserted into the vehicle through the through hole <NUM> of the charging inlet mounting portion <NUM> and the inner through hole 17bh from the state illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>. Here, the connector <NUM> and the wire harness <NUM> are guided to slide on the inclining surface <NUM> in the region S and are inserted downward toward the center in the vehicle width direction. At the time of insertion, the work of pulling the wire harness <NUM> from the inside of the vehicle is also performed. After the connector <NUM> and the wire harness <NUM> are inserted into the vehicle, the charging inlet <NUM> is fixed to the bracket <NUM> of the charging inlet mounting portion <NUM>, and the wire harness <NUM> is fixed to the vehicle body with the fixtures <NUM>. Then, the connector <NUM> is connected to the battery-side connector <NUM> of the battery unit <NUM> installed in the vehicle body.

Next, the operation and effect of the embodiment are described.

The present embodiment includes the battery unit <NUM> installed in a vehicle, the charging inlet <NUM> arranged on the hood ridge panel <NUM> on the vehicle body side part for charging the battery unit <NUM>, and the wire harness <NUM> connected to the battery unit <NUM> and the charging inlet <NUM>. A tip of the charging inlet <NUM> to which the wire harness <NUM> is connected penetrates the inner panel 17b of the hood ridge panel <NUM> and is positioned inside the vehicle.

This enables the wire harness <NUM> to be pulled in and routed almost linearly from the tip of the charging inlet <NUM> positioned inside the inner panel 17b toward the inside of the vehicle as it is. This improves the routing workability of the wire harness <NUM> and also shortens the overall length of the wire harness <NUM> to achieve a reduction in material cost.

The charging inlet <NUM> according to the present embodiment is arranged at a position corresponding to the motor room <NUM> in front of the dash panel <NUM>, and the dash panel <NUM> includes the front protruding part 9a that is positioned adjacent to the center of the dash panel <NUM> in the vehicle width direction and protrudes more toward the front of the vehicle body than the different part, of the dash panel <NUM>, where the charging inlet <NUM> is arranged. The charging inlet <NUM> is positioned closer to the rear of the vehicle body than the front protruding part 9a, and the wire harness <NUM> is connected to the battery unit <NUM> from the front of the vehicle body at a position corresponding to the front protruding part 9a in the vehicle width direction.

Here, the wire harness <NUM> pulled into the vehicle through the charging inlet <NUM> is temporarily displaced forward of the vehicle body due to the presence of the front protruding part 9a. This makes the curvature at the fourth bent part 47d smaller and enhances the routing workability of the wire harness <NUM>, which is thick and hard to bend.

The dash panel <NUM> according to the present embodiment includes the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c inclining so that one end adjacent to the charging inlet <NUM> is positioned to the rear of the vehicle body with respect to the front protruding part 9a that is substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. This enables the wire harness <NUM> pulled into the vehicle through the charging inlet <NUM> to be directed in a gentle manner to the front of the vehicle along the vehicle-width-direction inclining part 9c.

In the present embodiment, the region S where the wire harness <NUM> is routed is provided between the dash panel <NUM> and the strut tower <NUM> positioned closer to the front of the vehicle body than the dash panel <NUM>. When the charging inlet <NUM> and the wire harness <NUM> are mounted on the vehicle body, the connector <NUM> end of the wire harness <NUM> having the charging inlet <NUM> connected thereto is inserted into the vehicle through the through hole <NUM> of the charging inlet mounting portion <NUM> and the inner through hole 17bh. Although the inside of the vehicle is difficult for the operator to see from the outside of the vehicle, providing the region S facilitates the routing work of the wire harness <NUM>.

The battery <NUM> according to the present embodiment is positioned lower in the vertical direction than the connection part of the wire harness <NUM> connecting to the charging inlet <NUM>. The vehicle body member in the region S in which the wire harness <NUM> is routed includes the inclining surface <NUM> whose height in the vertical direction gradually decreases from adjacent to the charging inlet <NUM> toward the center in the vehicle width direction. Thus, when the connector <NUM> end of the wire harness <NUM> is inserted into the vehicle through the through hole <NUM> of the charging inlet mounting portion <NUM> and the inner through hole 17bh, it is possible to slide and push the wire harness <NUM> on the inclining surface <NUM> and to facilitate the routing work.

The battery <NUM> according to the present embodiment is arranged lower in the vertical direction than the connection part of the wire harness <NUM> connecting to the charging inlet <NUM>, and the part of the battery unit <NUM> to which the wire harness <NUM> is connected faces obliquely upward toward the front of the vehicle body. This enables the connector <NUM> of the wire harness <NUM> to be connected to the battery-side connector <NUM> obliquely downward from the front toward the rear of the vehicle and thus facilitates the connection work.

In the above-described embodiment, the charging inlet <NUM> is mounted on the left side of the vehicle, which is on the passenger seat side. In this case, the charging inlet <NUM> is for rapid charging, and a charging inlet for normal charging is mounted on the right side of the vehicle, which is on the vehicle body on the driver's seat side.

Although an embodiment according to the present invention is described above, the embodiment is just an example to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific technical matters disclosed in the above embodiment, and also includes various alternations, modifications, and technical substitutions easily derived therefrom.

Claim 1:
A wire harness routing structure for a chargeable vehicle, comprising:
a battery (<NUM>) installed in the chargeable vehicle;
a charging inlet (<NUM>) for charging the battery (<NUM>), arranged on a vehicle body side part (<NUM>) of the chargeable vehicle; and
a wire harness (<NUM>) connected to the battery (<NUM>) and the charging inlet (<NUM>), wherein
a tip of the charging inlet (<NUM>) to which the wire harness (<NUM>) is connected is positioned inside the chargeable vehicle passing through the vehicle body side part (<NUM>),
wherein
the battery (<NUM>) is arranged at a position lower in a vertical direction than a connection part of the wire harness (<NUM>) connecting to the charging inlet (<NUM>), and
characterised in that
a portion of the battery (<NUM>), to which the wire harness (<NUM>) is connected, faces obliquely upward toward a front of the vehicle body (<NUM>).