Air-cooled battery for vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an air-cooled battery of a vehicle. The air-cooled battery includes: a battery mounted on a floor of a vehicle and cooled by air; and a cooling duct having a first portion connected to the battery and extending in a length direction of the vehicle and a second portion branched from the first portion in a width direction of the vehicle and disposed below a seat of the vehicle to discharge air cooling the battery in a plurality of directions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air-cooled battery for a vehicle in which the battery is cooled by air. Background Art

[0002] Fuels such as gasoline or diesel have been used as a driving source for vehicles, but recently, consumer demand has increased for hybrid electric vehicles that have a battery and a motor built into the vehicle to drive the vehicle with electricity or assist the vehicle in traveling.

[0003] For example, a hybrid electric vehicle has an internal combustion engine and a battery built together, but since the internal combustion engine is the main driving source, the capacity and power of the built-in battery are not large. Considering this, in some cases, air cooling is adopted as a method of cooling the battery in a hybrid electric vehicle.

[0004] In some cases, a hybrid electric vehicle may exhaust air that cools the battery into the vehicle interior to prevent outside air, foreign matter, etc. from flowing into the battery. In some cases, passengers may feel uncomfortable due to the heat of the air that cools the battery. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present disclosure describes an air-cooled battery for a vehicle that can minimize discomfort felt by passengers because air cooling the battery is not delivered directly to the passengers and is exhausted under the second row of seats or under the third row of seats.

[0006] According to one aspect of the subject matter described in the present application, an air-cooled battery for a vehicle includes: a battery mounted on the floor of the vehicle and cooled by sucked air; and a cooling duct having one end connected to the battery and extending in the length direction of the vehicle and the other end branching in the width direction of the vehicle under a seat of the vehicle and discharging air for cooling the battery in two directions.

[0007] An outlet configured to discharge air cooling the battery to both sides may be provided at the other end of the cooling duct, and the outlet may be provided to face a seat rail to which the seat is coupled.

[0008] A guide grill configured to guide the exhausted air in a direction toward the seat rail may be provided at the outlet, and may have a streamlined shape in which an upper end of the guide grill approaches the seat rail as the guide grill extends toward the seat rail.

[0009] A protection member extending in a direction toward the cooling duct may be provided at an upper end of the seat rail.

[0010] A plurality of holes through which air exhausted from the outlet is introduced may be formed in a side surface of the seat rail facing the outlet.

[0011] The upper end of the outlet may be arranged to be located below the upper end of the seat rail.

[0012] An extension pipe may be further included between the battery and the cooling pipe, one end of the extension pipe being connected to the battery and the other end of the extension pipe being connected to the cooling pipe.

[0013] One end of the cooling pipe may be connected to the other end of the extension pipe, and a connector surrounding the one end of the cooling pipe may be provided at the one end of the cooling pipe.

[0014] The other end of the extension pipe may be connected to an inner side of a connector provided on the cooling pipe.

[0015] Each end portion of the connecting cooling duct and the extension duct may be disposed in a lower space between the seats.

[0016] The exit may be located under the first or second row of seats in the vehicle.

[0017] The exit may be located under the vehicle's second or third row of seats.

[0018] One end of the cooling pipe may have an oblique shape in which an upper end protrudes more than a lower end.

[0019] In some embodiments, when air cooling the battery is blown under the seat to the seat rail side to which the seat is coupled, the air cooling the battery may not be directly transferred to the passenger, thus minimizing possible discomfort felt by the passenger.

[0020] For example, the vehicle may include a duct through which battery cooling air flows, wherein the duct may be positioned above the rear seats so that the battery cooling air is exhausted to a location below, for example, a second row of seats or a third row of seats in the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a side view showing an example of the interior of a hybrid electric vehicle in the related art.

[0022] Figure 2 is a view showing an example of a cooling duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle.

[0023] Figure 3 is an enlarged view showing an example of one end of a cooling pipe.

[0024] Figure 4 is a view showing an example of the lower surface of the cooling duct.

[0025] Figure 5 is an enlarged view showing an example of a side portion of a seat rail and a side portion of a cooling duct.

[0026] Figure 6 is a view showing an example of an extension duct of an air-cooled battery.

[0027] Figure 7 is a view showing an example of a floor of a vehicle to which an air-cooled battery including an extension duct is applied.

[0028] Figure 8 is a view showing an example of one end of a cooling pipe provided with a connector.

[0029] Fig. 9 is a view showing an example of connection between a cooling pipe and an extension pipe.

[0030] Fig.10 1 is a side view showing an example of the interior of a vehicle to which an air-cooled battery is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0032] Figure 1 is a side view of the interior of a hybrid electric vehicle in the prior art, Figure 2 is a view showing a cooling duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle, Figure 3 This is an enlarged view of the other end of the cooling pipe. Figure 4 is a view showing the lower surface of a cooling duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle, Figure 5 is an enlarged view showing the side of the seat rail and the side of the cooling duct, Figure 6 is a view showing an extended duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle, Figure 7 is a view showing a floor of a vehicle to which an air-cooled battery of the vehicle including an extension duct is applied, Figure 8 is a view showing one end of the cooling pipe provided with a connector, Fig. 9 is a view showing the connection between the cooling pipe and the extension pipe, Fig.10 It is a side view showing the interior of a vehicle to which the air-cooled battery of the vehicle is applied.

[0033] Figure 1 1 is a side view showing an example of the interior of a hybrid electric vehicle in the related art. A hybrid electric vehicle is a vehicle that may be equipped with one or more of an internal combustion engine, a battery, and a motor in the vehicle to drive the vehicle by two energy sources.

[0034] In some examples, the electric motor can assist the internal combustion engine, or can operate independently to drive the vehicle without using high power. The main drive source of a hybrid electric vehicle is the internal combustion engine. When high power is used, the vehicle can be driven by the internal combustion engine, and the battery can assist in driving the vehicle by operating the electric motor.

[0035] Since the main driving source of a hybrid electric vehicle is an internal combustion engine and the battery plays a relatively auxiliary role, the capacity and size of the battery installed in the hybrid electric vehicle are smaller than those of the battery installed in an electric vehicle.

[0036] Therefore, in some cases, the battery cooling system installed in hybrid electric vehicles also adopts air cooling, which has a simpler structure than water cooling. In the air cooling structure, such as Figure 1 As shown, the air cooling the battery is exhausted into the vehicle interior space, and the air cooling the battery is exhausted directly onto the passengers behind the seats under the seats, so the passengers may feel uncomfortable due to the heat of the air cooling the battery, thereby reducing the marketability of the hybrid electric vehicle.

[0037] An object of the present disclosure is to minimize discomfort that a passenger may feel by changing the exhaust path of battery cooling air exhausted to the vehicle interior space according to a cooling method of a conventional air-cooled battery in a hybrid electric vehicle.

[0038] The air-cooled battery of the vehicle according to the present disclosure for achieving the above-mentioned purpose includes: a battery, which is mounted on the vehicle floor and cooled by sucked air; and a cooling duct 100, one end of which is connected to the battery and extends in the length direction of the vehicle, and the other end is branched in the vehicle width direction under the seat to discharge air cooling the battery in two directions.

[0039] Figure 2 is a view showing a cooling duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle.

[0040] In some embodiments, the battery can be installed on the floor below the vehicle. The battery can be located at the rear side or the front side of the floor of the vehicle, and can be located at the center of the floor. In this disclosure, for ease of description, the battery will be described as being installed on the front side of the floor.

[0041] The air for cooling the battery may be introduced from the outside of the vehicle or from the interior of the vehicle. The air introduced for cooling the battery passes through the battery to cool the battery, and then is discharged to the interior of the vehicle through the cooling duct 100 .

[0042] Specifically, one end of the cooling duct 100 is connected to the battery so as to introduce air to cool the battery, and the other end formed by extending the one end of the cooling duct 100 in the length direction of the vehicle is located under the seat. The other end of the cooling duct 100 branches in the width direction of the vehicle under the seat.

[0043] In other words, the other end of the cooling duct 100 may be branched in two directions to cause the air cooling the battery to be discharged in two directions under the seat, thereby preventing the air from being discharged directly to the passenger's body.

[0044] In some embodiments, when the battery is located at the front side of the floor of the vehicle, the cooling duct 100 can be connected to the battery and extend to the rear side of the vehicle. In some embodiments, when the battery is located at the rear side of the floor of the vehicle, the cooling duct 100 can extend to the front side of the vehicle.

[0045] In some embodiments, Figure 4 It is a view showing the lower surface of a cooling duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle.

[0046] Reference Figures 2 to 5 An outlet 130 for discharging air for cooling the battery is provided at the other end of the cooling duct 100. Specifically, the other end of the cooling duct 100 branches in the width direction of the vehicle, and the outlet 130 is provided at both ends branched by extending in the width direction.

[0047] The cooling duct 100 is disposed to be located under the seat, and more specifically, the other end of the cooling duct 100 and the outlet 130 provided at the other end of the cooling duct 100 are disposed to be located under the seat.

[0048] The seat is coupled to the seat rail 300. The seat rail 300 is also provided on the floor of the vehicle, and structurally, the seat rails 300 may be provided on the floor of the vehicle spaced apart from each other to form a space between the seat rails.

[0049] In some embodiments, the other end of the cooling duct is located in the interval space between the seat rails 300 and the seat rails 300. Therefore, the outlet 130 of the cooling duct 100 may be provided in a shape facing the seat rails 300.

[0050] The air exhausted from outlet 130 is exhausted toward seat rail 300, and since the exhausted air is exhausted toward seat rail 300, the air cooling the battery is not exhausted directly to the passenger, so that the discomfort felt by the passenger can be minimized, thereby improving the marketability of the vehicle.

[0051] In some embodiments, the air discharged from the outlet 130 may be dispersed around by hitting the seat rail 300 , and the diffused air may move to the passenger. In order to suppress the air hitting the seat rail 300 from being dispersed to the passenger, a guide grill 150 may be provided at the outlet 130 .

[0052] Air guide grill 150 provided at outlet 130 may extend toward facing seat rail 300, and air guide grill 150 may be formed into a streamlined shape, in which case, as air guide grill 150 extends, its upper end approaches seat rail 300. Air guide grill 150 is provided close to seat rail 300, and is formed into a streamlined shape in which the upper end is closer to seat rail 300 than the lower end, so that air for cooling the battery can be stably discharged to the seat rail 300 side.

[0053] In addition, a wire 500 through which an electrical signal or electrical energy moves can be set between the seat rail 300 and the outlet 130 of the cooling duct 100, and the advantage is that since the guide grille can be formed to avoid the wire 500 to take into account the arrangement of the components of the vehicle, the guide grille has a structure suitable for designing the floor of the vehicle.

[0054] In addition, refer to Figure 5 A protective member 350 extending in a direction toward the cooling duct 100 may be formed at the upper end of the seat rail 300. A portion of the upper end of the seat rail 300 facing the cooling duct 100 may extend toward the cooling duct 100 to form an eave structure.

[0055] Therefore, it is possible to suppress the air exhausted from outlet 130 from moving upward after hitting seat rail 300 .

[0056] In other words, guide grill 150 may be formed at outlet 130 in a direction toward seat rail 300, and protective member 350 may be formed at an upper end of seat rail 300 in a direction toward outlet 130. As described above, there is an advantage in that the air exhausted from outlet 130 can be prevented from being dispersed upward by forming an eave structure on outlet 130 and seat rail 300, thereby minimizing discomfort that a passenger may feel.

[0057] In addition, since the eaves structure is formed on both side surfaces of the seat rail 300 and the outlet 130, it is possible to suppress entry of foreign matter from above.

[0058] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4, a plurality of holes 330 through which air for cooling the battery exhausted from outlet 130 is introduced may be formed in seat rail 300. A plurality of holes 330 may be formed on a side surface of seat rail 300, specifically, on a side surface of seat rail 300 facing outlet 130. The air exhausted from outlet 130 may flow into seat rail 300 through holes 330 formed in seat rail 300, and the air flowing into seat rail 300 may be uniformly distributed to the interior of the vehicle by moving along seat rail 300.

[0059] Therefore, there is an advantage in that discomfort that a passenger may feel can be minimized by preventing the air cooling the battery from being discharged directly to the passenger and distributing the discharged air evenly to the vehicle interior space.

[0060] In some embodiments, the upper end of the outlet 130 may be disposed below the upper end of the seat rail 300. By disposing the upper end of the outlet 130 or the end of the guide grille 150 disposed at the outlet 130 below the upper end of the seat rail 300, it is possible to suppress the exhaust air from being dispersed upward, and by disposing the end of the guide grille 150 at the lower end of the protection member 350 formed on the seat rail 300 and forming the guide grille 150 and the protection member 350 to partially overlap each other, it is possible to suppress the exhaust air from being dispersed upward and foreign matter from outside from entering from above.

[0061] Although the upper end of outlet 130 may be positioned above the upper end of seat rail 300 , in order to allow air exhausted from outlet 130 to stably flow into seat rail 300 , the upper end of seat rail 300 may be positioned above the upper end of outlet 130 .

[0062] In some embodiments, an extension duct 700 may be further included between the battery and the cooling duct 100, one end of the extension duct 700 being connected to the battery and the other end being connected to the cooling duct 100. When only the battery and the cooling duct 100 are connected, the other end of the cooling duct 100 may be disposed under the first row of seats to discharge air to the seat rail 300 side of the first row of seats.

[0063] However, since passengers often sit on the first row of seats or the second row of seats, an extension duct 700 may be provided between the cooling duct 100 and the battery to extend the cooling duct 100 to the third row or several rows behind the third row.

[0064] Figure 6 is a view showing an extended duct of an air-cooled battery of a vehicle, Figure 7 is a view showing a floor of a vehicle to which an air-cooled battery of the vehicle including an extension duct is applied.

[0065] exist Figure 7In the embodiment, it can be confirmed that the battery is installed on the floor at the first row seat side, and an extension duct 700 is further included between the battery and the cooling duct 100 so that air cooling the battery is exhausted under the second row seat.

[0066] The extension duct 700 may be formed longer, or the cooling duct 100 may be formed longer so that the air is exhausted below the third row seat of the vehicle.

[0067] In some embodiments, when the extension duct 700 is further disposed between the battery and the cooling duct 100 , one end of the extension duct 700 may be connected to the battery, and the other end of the extension duct 700 may be connected to the cooling duct 100 .

[0068] In this case, a connector 900 for connecting the other end of the extension pipe 700 to the cooling pipe may be provided at one end of the cooling pipe 100 . Figure 8 is a view showing one end of a cooling pipe provided with a connector. Figure 8 As shown, the connector 900 may be coupled to the cooling pipe 100 in a shape surrounding one end of the cooling pipe.

[0069] The cooling duct 100 is usually made of plastic material and is formed by a blow molding method. At this time, heat shrinkage will occur during the cooling and heating of the formed plastic, so one end of the cooling duct 100 will shrink inwards, thereby destroying the stability of the airflow.

[0070] As described above, the connector 900 may be provided to expand one end of the heat-contracted cooling pipe 100 and connect the other end of the extension pipe 700 to the one end of the cooling pipe 100 .

[0071] In this case, in order to stably expand one end of the cooling pipe 100, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown, the other end of the extension pipe 700 may be inserted into one end of the cooling pipe 100 to connect the extension pipe 700 to the cooling pipe 100 .

[0072] Reference Fig. 9 , one end of the cooling pipe 100 can be formed into an inclined shape in which the upper end protrudes more than the lower end, so the other end of the extension pipe 700 can be inserted into the cooling pipe 100 in a direction from the upper side to the lower side of the cooling pipe 100 to connect the cooling pipe 100 to the extension pipe 700.

[0073] In some embodiments, each end of the connecting cooling duct 100 and the extension duct 700 may be disposed in the lower space between the seats. Fig.10 As shown, the feet of passengers are located in the space between the seats, and by introducing the extension duct 700, the carpet provided on the upper portion of the floor can be recessed into the floor due to the feet of the passengers.

[0074] Since the portion connecting the cooling duct 100 and the extension duct 700 has sufficient rigidity to support the load of the passenger's feet, each end portion connecting the cooling duct 100 and the extension duct 700 may be disposed in the lower space between the seats.

[0075] When the cooling duct 100, the extension duct 700, and the portion where the connector 900 provided between the cooling duct 100 and the extension duct 700 is located are provided in the lower space between the seats, the rigidity can be sufficiently ensured by the cooling duct 100, the extension duct 700, and the connector 900, thereby suppressing the carpet of the floor from being sunken into the floor due to the load of the passenger's feet.

[0076] While specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure as provided in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An air-cooled battery for a vehicle, the air-cooled battery comprising: a battery configured to be mounted on the floor of the vehicle and to be air cooled; as well as A cooling duct having (i) a first portion connected to the battery and extending in a length direction of the vehicle, and (ii) a second portion branching from the first portion in a width direction of the vehicle, the second portion being configured to be disposed under a seat of the vehicle and to discharge air for cooling the battery in multiple directions.

2. The air-cooled battery according to claim 1, wherein: The second portion of the cooling duct defines an outlet configured to discharge air that cools the battery, and The outlet is defined at a side of the cooling duct and is configured to face a seat rail of the vehicle to which the seat is coupled.

3. The air-cooled battery according to claim 2 further includes a guide grille, which is arranged at the outlet and is configured to guide the air exhausted from the second part in a direction toward the seat rail, and the guide grille defines a streamlined shape extending toward the seat rail and has an upper end arranged adjacent to the seat rail.

4. The air-cooled battery according to claim 2, wherein: The cooling duct is configured to face a protection member of the vehicle, the protection member being provided at an upper end of the seat rail and extending in a direction toward the cooling duct.

5. The air-cooled battery according to claim 2, wherein: The outlet is configured to face a plurality of holes defined at a side surface of the seat rail facing the outlet and configured to receive air exhausted from the outlet.

6. The air-cooled battery according to claim 2, wherein: An upper end of the outlet is configured to be disposed below an upper end of the seat rail.

7. The air-cooled battery according to claim 2, further comprising an extension duct disposed between the battery and the cooling duct, the extension duct having (i) a first end connected to the battery and (ii) a second end connected to the cooling duct.

8. The air-cooled battery according to claim 7, further comprising a connector disposed at the first portion of the cooling pipe and surrounding the first portion of the cooling pipe, the connector connecting the first portion of the cooling pipe to the second end of the extension pipe.

9. The air-cooled battery according to claim 8, wherein: The second end of the extension pipe is connected to the inner side of the connector.

10. The air-cooled battery according to claim 7, wherein: The cooling duct and the extension duct include end portions connected to each other and configured to be disposed in a lower space defined between a plurality of seats of the vehicle.

11. The air-cooled battery according to claim 2, wherein: The outlet is configured to be located below a first row of seats or a second row of seats of the vehicle.

12. The air-cooled battery according to claim 7, wherein: The outlet is configured to be located below a second row of seats or a third row of seats of the vehicle.

13. The air-cooled battery according to claim 7, wherein: The first portion of the cooling duct has an inclined shape, and an upper end of the first portion protrudes relative to a lower end of the first portion.

14. The air-cooled battery according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of directions include a pair of directions oriented opposite to each other in a width direction of the vehicle.

15. The air-cooled battery according to claim 1, wherein: The second portion of the cooling duct comprises: a first outlet protruding from a first side surface of the cooling duct and extending in a first direction along a width direction of the vehicle; and A second outlet protrudes from a second side surface of the cooling duct opposite to the first side surface, the second outlet extending in a second direction opposite to the first direction along the width direction of the vehicle.

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