Motor vehicle structural unit, motor vehicle comprising a motor vehicle structural unit, structural set comprising

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle assembly (16) having an electric accumulator (20) and a charging module (22) for charging the electric accumulator (20), the electric accumulator (20) and the charging module (22) being fixed to one another and forming an intrinsically rigid self-supporting assembly, and the motor vehicle assembly (16) being replaceable. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle (10) having a motor vehicle structural unit (16) and to a structural group (42) having a motor vehicle (10). The invention further relates to a method for replacing a structural unit (16) of a motor vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle structural unit and a motor vehicle having a motor vehicle structural unit. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a structural group having a motor vehicle and a method for replacing a motor vehicle structural unit. Background Art

[0002] In the following, the term "motor vehicle" is used synonymously with the term "electrically driven motor vehicle". This also includes "at least partially electrically driven motor vehicles".

[0003] The drive of an electrically driven motor vehicle is generally ensured by an electrical energy storage device installed in the motor vehicle.

[0004] In order to utilize as much as possible the space available for the electrical energy storage device in the motor vehicle, the electrical energy storage device is typically constructed individually for each vehicle model or at least for each vehicle platform and integrated into the motor vehicle in such a way that the electrical energy storage device cannot be removed from the vehicle without problems due to bonding to prevent water ingress and due to a plurality of screw connections that are partly difficult to access. Thus, it is actually "fixedly" installed in the motor vehicle. This is generally also referred to as the high integration of the electrical energy storage device in the motor vehicle.

[0005] These electrical energy storage devices must be charged at corresponding charging devices at regular intervals. The charging device feeds electrical energy into the vehicle and thus charges the electrical energy storage device contained therein.

[0006] Motor vehicles with different electrical energy storage device variants are installed here. This particularly results in vehicles with a specific electrical energy storage device also being considered only for a specific customer range in used motor vehicles.

[0007] Furthermore, the electrical energy storage device is subject to aging phenomena, so that it is possible that the electrical energy storage device itself has reached the end of its service life cycle, while the rest of the motor vehicle such as the body, the electric drive device and the chassis continue to be suitable for road use. This can particularly depend on the respective application area or the charging process. Furthermore, technological advantages continuously emerge in the field of electrically driven motor vehicles. It is therefore also conceivable to replace a technically outdated battery with a more modern battery. In this case, the "fixedly installed" electrical energy storage device is disadvantageous because the costs for replacement and the material costs themselves are extremely high.

[0008] As an alternative to the "fixed-mounted" electrical energy storage device described above, replaceable electrical energy storage devices are also known in the prior art. Among them, the electrical energy storage device can be automatically replaced, for example, at a replacement station, so as to replace the electrical energy storage device with a low state of charge with the same electrical energy storage device with a high state of charge. However, the construction of such a replacement station is very expensive, resource-consuming and requires a lot of space. For this reason, it is impossible to provide these stations comprehensively.

[0009] Therefore, in principle, in addition to the "fixed-mounted" electrical energy storage device, the replaceable electrical energy storage device of a motor vehicle must also be suitable for being charged at other corresponding charging devices, such as charging piles, at regular intervals.

[0010] The charging device can be a DC voltage source or an AC voltage source here. Whether the vehicle can be charged by DC voltage or AC voltage depends on which charging technology the charging module in the vehicle has. If there is a rectifier, the vehicle is suitable for being charged by an AC voltage source, wherein the AC voltage is converted into a DC voltage by the rectifier and the DC voltage is used to supply electrical energy to the electrical energy storage device. If there is a transformer, the vehicle is suitable for being charged by a DC voltage source, wherein the transformer only performs voltage conversion and the electrical energy storage device is supplied with electrical energy through the converted voltage.

[0011] If the vehicle is also to be provided for bidirectional charging, that is, feeding back electrical energy, an inverter is additionally provided, by means of which the electrical energy is fed from the electrical energy storage device into the power grid.

[0012] The power at which the electrical energy storage device can be charged depends on the charging device itself, on the electrical energy storage device, but also on the charging module installed in the vehicle and its dimensional design.

[0013] The charging module in the form of a transformer, a rectifier and / or an inverter is "deeply" installed in the vehicle and is typically only difficult to access and can only be replaced with high resource consumption.

[0014] This also has an adverse effect when the charging module installed in the vehicle is damaged, and has the following disadvantages: Vehicles that are already available on the market and are equipped with special charging technologies (which cannot be realized when the charging infrastructure is disassembled) seriously lose their value and daily applicability. Summary of the Invention

[0015] Starting from this, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical energy storage device and a charging module, which allow flexible adjustment, so that the vehicle value is decoupled from these components and these components can be replaced with economically reasonable resource consumption.

[0016] According to the present invention, the above task is solved by a motor vehicle structural unit having an electrical energy storage device and a charging module for charging the electrical energy storage device. The electrical energy storage device and the charging module are fixed to each other and form an inherently rigid self-supporting structural unit. The motor vehicle structural unit is replaceable.

[0017] The basic concept of the present invention is to integrally unite the electrical energy storage device and the charging module in a motor vehicle structural unit and integrally and replaceably integrate the motor vehicle structural unit into the motor vehicle. This enables the motor vehicle structural unit to be replaced as a whole and the electrical energy storage device and the charging module to be replaced together at any time. Therefore, the motor vehicle structural unit can be selected such that it includes a charging module coordinated with the available charging infrastructure.

[0018] In other words, a variable equipment with a matching charging solution can thus be achieved throughout the entire service life of the vehicle.

[0019] This lies in that not only the electrical energy storage device is replaceable, but rather the entire motor vehicle structural unit including not only the electrical energy storage device but also the charging module is replaceable.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, the charging module may include a rectifier configured to charge the electrical energy storage device via an AC power source. In addition, the charging module may include a transformer configured to charge the electrical energy storage device via a DC voltage source. Therefore, the charging module and its included components can be coordinated with the available charging infrastructure in order to thereby improve the daily applicability of the motor vehicle and ensure an optimized charging time.

[0021] In addition, an inverter may be provided such that the vehicle is configured for bidirectional charging. The inverter may also be a component of the charging module.

[0022] Alternatively or additionally, the charging module may have an inductive charging system and / or a conductive charging system. Via the inductive charging system, comfort can be improved for the user because a conductive connection does not have to be established. In contrast, in the conductive charging system, it can be ensured that no metal objects are located between the components of the inductive charging system.

[0023] This also enables the motor vehicle structural unit to be coordinated with the existing charging infrastructure. Therefore, this enables the user to select a motor vehicle structural unit having a charging system that meets their personalized requirements.

[0024] The present invention also relates to a motor vehicle having a motor vehicle structural unit according to the present invention, wherein the structural unit is integrated in the motor vehicle such that the motor vehicle structural unit is exposed downward on the bottom side at the bottom of the vehicle. Therefore, the replaceable motor vehicle structural unit can be accessed from the bottom of the vehicle and can be easily replaced.

[0025] In addition, a releasable fixing device that can be freely and directly accessed from below can be provided for centrally coupling and decoupling the replaceable structural unit to and from the vehicle body.

[0026] The fixing device thus ensures that the replaceable structural unit can be simply and quickly decoupled from the vehicle body, but can also be quickly and reliably coupled to the vehicle body.

[0027] A fixing device that can be freely and directly accessed from below is particularly suitable here for automatically centrally coupling or decoupling the replaceable structural unit to and from the vehicle body.

[0028] In addition, a first vehicle-side interface can be provided on the motor vehicle, to which the charging module can be automatically coupled when plugged in and unplugged, wherein the first interface electrically couples the charging socket provided on the motor vehicle to the charging module. The automatic coupling simplifies the installation and removal of the motor vehicle structural unit and enables, when the motor vehicle structural unit is already installed, electrical energy to be fed into the electrical energy storage via the charging socket and the charging module.

[0029] In addition, a second vehicle-side interface can be provided on the motor vehicle, to which the electrical energy storage can be automatically coupled when plugged in and unplugged, wherein the second interface directly or indirectly electrically couples or decouples the electric drive device provided on the motor vehicle to and from the electrical energy storage. This also makes it easier to replace the motor vehicle structural unit and ensures that electrical energy can be exchanged between the electric drive device and the electrical energy storage.

[0030] In addition, the motor vehicle structural unit can at least partially form the vehicle floor of the motor vehicle. This ensures that the underside of the motor vehicle structural unit facing the floor is freely accessible. In this regard, the underside of the motor vehicle structural unit and the bottom of the vehicle body together form the vehicle floor.

[0031] In addition, the above-mentioned task is solved by a structural group of a motor vehicle according to the invention, wherein a second motor vehicle structural unit having an electrical energy storage and a charging module is provided outside the motor vehicle. The electrical energy storage and the charging module of the second motor vehicle structural unit are fixed to each other and form an inherently rigid self-supporting structural unit. The electrical energy storage and / or the charging module of the second motor vehicle structural unit provided outside the motor vehicle are different from the motor vehicle structural unit provided in the motor vehicle due to additional dimensional design and / or technology.

[0032] Thus, the second motor vehicle structural unit is different from the motor vehicle structural unit installed in the vehicle, so that the second motor vehicle structural unit can be dimensioned larger, for example, to achieve a higher range, or the electrical memory has a specific storage technology that has advantages over the previously installed electrical memory. In addition, the charging module can also be adapted to charge the electrical memory more quickly, or also includes corresponding technologies that are advantageous in terms of the available charging infrastructure.

[0033] Thus, such equipment remains variable over the entire service life of the vehicle with respect to the motor vehicle structural unit.

[0034] Regarding the advantages obtained in addition, reference is made to the above explanations.

[0035] In addition, the second motor vehicle structural unit can additionally have an interface for exchanging thermal energy between the motor vehicle and the infrastructure.

[0036] Thus, additional interfaces can be provided for the motor vehicle over its service life. Thus, the motor vehicle can be temperature-controlled in the case of low external temperatures or its waste heat can be used to heat the infrastructure connected via the interface after operation.

[0037] Furthermore, the above-mentioned task is achieved by a method for replacing a motor vehicle structural unit, the method having the following steps:

[0038] a) Automatically loosen the releasable fixing device that can be freely and directly accessed from below by means of an assembly device and decouple the replaceable motor vehicle structural unit from the vehicle body;

[0039] b) Disconnect the charging module of the structural unit from the first vehicle-side interface and / or disconnect the electrical memory of the motor vehicle structural unit from the second vehicle-side interface;

[0040] c) Provide a second motor vehicle structural unit provided outside the motor vehicle, the electrical memory of the second motor vehicle structural unit and / or the charging module of the second motor vehicle structural unit being different from the motor vehicle structural unit previously provided in the motor vehicle due to different dimensions and / or technologies;

[0041] d) Automatically lock the fixing device that can be freely and directly accessed from below by means of an assembly device and couple the replaceable second motor vehicle structural unit to the vehicle body; and

[0042] e) Couple the charging module of the second motor vehicle structural unit into the first vehicle-side interface and / or couple the electrical memory of the second motor vehicle structural unit into the second vehicle-side interface.

[0043] Thus, the replacement of motor vehicle structural units can be carried out automatically, quickly and simply, so that the motor vehicle can be provided with new or technically improved or user-requirement-matched motor vehicle structural units in the shortest possible time.

[0044] In principle, according to the invention, it is thus ensured that the motor vehicle can be variably equipped with respect to the charging solution during its service life, which is achieved in that the electrical energy storage and the charging module are integrally integrated in the motor vehicle structural unit. The charging module can here include the required hardware and, if necessary, also the necessary interfaces, which can thus be replaced together with the electrical energy storage. In other words, the required hardware and, if necessary, the required interfaces are arranged, in particular displaced outwards, such that they can be replaced together with the replaceable electrical energy storage, that is, by means of the motor vehicle structural unit having the electrical energy storage and the charging module. Description of the Drawings

[0045] The invention will be described below with the aid of the embodiments shown in the drawings. In the drawings:

[0046] Figure 1 A schematic view of a motor vehicle according to the invention having a motor vehicle structural unit according to the invention;

[0047] Figure 2 A schematic view of a structural group according to the invention, the structural group having Figure 1 the motor vehicle in and a second motor vehicle structural unit arranged outside the motor vehicle;

[0048] Figure 3 Showing having a schematic assembly device Figure 2 the structural group in ; and

[0049] Figure 4 Showing Figure 2 the structural group in, wherein the second motor vehicle structural unit is integrated in the motor vehicle. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0050] Figure 1 A motor vehicle 10 is shown, which has an electric drive device 11, a vehicle body 12 and a replaceable motor vehicle structural unit 16 arranged on the vehicle floor 14. In particular, the downwardly facing side of the motor vehicle structural unit 16 at least partly together forms the vehicle floor 14.

[0051] The motor vehicle structural unit 16 is thus exposed downwards on the underside, such that it is accessible from the outside (freely).

[0052] Furthermore, the motor vehicle structural unit 16 is fixed to the vehicle body 12 in the region of the vehicle floor 14 via a fixing device 18.

[0053] The fixing device 18 is also freely and directly accessible from below, i.e., in the region of the vehicle floor 14.

[0054] Figure 1 The fixing device 18 is shown in the locked state, in which the motor vehicle structural unit 16 is coupled to the vehicle body 12 centrally via the fixing device 18. However, the fixing device 18 is configured to be detachable and also enables decoupling of the replaceable vehicle structural unit 16 from the vehicle body 12.

[0055] The motor vehicle structural unit 16 includes an electrical memory 20 and a charging module 22 for charging the electrical memory 20. The electrical memory 20 and the charging module 22 are fixed to each other and form a replaceable, inherently rigid, self-supporting structural unit 16.

[0056] A charging socket 23 is provided for supplying electrical energy to the electrical memory 20, which is electrically coupled to the charging module 22 and via which the charging module 22 can be electrically coupled to a power source 24. Thereby, electrical energy can be introduced from the power source 24 into the electrical memory 20, i.e., the electrical memory 20 is charged.

[0057] Furthermore, the charging module 22 includes a rectifier 26 by means of which electrical energy can be supplied to the electrical memory via an alternating current power source 28. Additionally or alternatively, the charging module 22 can include a transformer 30 via which electrical energy can be supplied to the electrical memory 20 by means of a direct current power source 32.

[0058] Furthermore, it can be provided that the charging module 22 has an inverter via which electrical energy is fed from the electrical memory 20 into the electrical grid coupled via the charging module 22.

[0059] Furthermore, an inductive charging system 34 and / or a conductive charging system 36 can also be provided as part of the charging module 22.

[0060] A first electrical interface 38 on the vehicle side facing the charging module 22 is provided for supplying electrical energy from the power source 24 via the charging socket 23 to the charging module 22. During installation and removal of the motor vehicle structural unit 16, the first electrical interface can be automatically coupled to the charging module 22. Figure 1 The first interface 34 on the vehicle side is shown in the state of being coupled to the charging module 22 such that the charging socket 23 is also electrically coupled to the charging module 22.

[0061] A second interface 40 on the vehicle side is further provided in order to enable energy exchange between the electric drive device 11 and the electrical memory 20 during operation of the motor vehicle 10. Via the second interface, the electrical memory 20 can be automatically coupled during installation and removal of the motor vehicle structural unit 16. Figure 1Shows the coupled state such that the electric drive 11 is electrically coupled to the electric memory 20.

[0062] In Figure 2 the structural group 42 is shown, wherein the structural group 42 includes the motor vehicle 10 shown in Figure 1 and a second motor vehicle structural unit 44 arranged outside the motor vehicle 10.

[0063] The second motor vehicle structural unit 44 includes an electric memory 46 and a charging module 48, wherein the electric memory 46 and the charging module 48 of the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 are fixed to each other in a similar manner to the electric memory and the charging module of the motor vehicle structural unit 16 and form an inherently rigid self-supporting structural unit.

[0064] Furthermore, the charging module 48 of the second vehicle structural unit 44 can also include a transformer, an inverter and / or a rectifier as well as an inductive or conductive charging system.

[0065] Different from the motor vehicle structural unit 16, the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 has an electric memory 46 and / or a charging module 48 which are different from the electric memory 16 or the charging module 22 due to different dimensions and / or technologies.

[0066] Accordingly, the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 constitutes an alternative structural unit to the motor vehicle structural unit 16, which alternative structural unit has additional characteristics due to an additional electric memory 46 and / or an additional charging module 48. However, at the same time, the alternative structural unit is implemented such that it is compatible with the motor vehicle 10 and can be arranged instead of the motor vehicle structural unit 16.

[0067] The second vehicle structural unit 44 can have a more modern or larger-sized electric memory 46 than the first vehicle structural unit 16, which electric memory allows for a greater range of travel of the motor vehicle 10. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the charging module 48 is dimensioned larger in order to enable a shorter charging duration or, for example, includes a charging technology that matches the local charging infrastructure.

[0068] Furthermore, the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 can additionally have an interface 50 for exchanging thermal energy between the motor vehicle 10 and the infrastructure 52.

[0069] Next, based on the above-described embodiment of the structural group 42, with the aid of the attached Figure 3 and Figure 4 a method for replacing the motor vehicle structural unit 16 with the motor vehicle structural unit 44 is described.

[0070] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2the structural group 42 and the assembly device 54 therein, the assembly device being arranged in the region of the vehicle floor 14.

[0071] In the first step of the method, the fixing device 18 is automatically released by the assembly device 54. Thereby, the motor vehicle structural unit 16 is mechanically decoupled from the vehicle body 12.

[0072] In addition, decoupling also occurs, in particular automatically, between the charging module 22 and the first vehicle-side interface 38 and between the electrical energy storage 20 and the second vehicle-side interface 40.

[0073] Thereby, the charging module 22 is no longer electrically coupled to the charging socket 23, and the electrical energy storage 20 is also no longer electrically coupled to the electric drive device 11.

[0074] If the motor vehicle structural unit 16 has been removed by the assembly device 54, a second motor vehicle structural unit 44 provided outside the motor vehicle 10 can be provided in the next step.

[0075] Subsequently, the motor vehicle structural unit 44 is automatically received by the assembly device 54 and positioned in the region of the vehicle 10 where the motor vehicle structural unit 16 was previously located.

[0076] Here, locking is performed by the assembly device 54, which mechanically couples, in particular automatically, the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 to the vehicle body 12 via the fixing device 18 in the region of the vehicle floor 14. Thus, the motor vehicle structural unit 44 is now no longer provided outside the vehicle 10.

[0077] Now, in order to electrically couple the charging module 48 of the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 to the charging socket 23, the first vehicle-side interface 38 is coupled in. In addition, the second vehicle-side interface 40 is also coupled in such that the electrical energy storage 46 is electrically coupled to the electric drive device 11.

[0078] Figure 4 The structural group 42 is shown after the method has been fully implemented, where now the motor vehicle structural unit 16 is provided outside the vehicle 10 and the second motor vehicle structural unit 44 is integrated into the motor vehicle 10.

[0079] Of course, other motor vehicle structural units can also be provided, whose electrical energy storages and / or charging modules are different from each other, so that a selection can be made starting from one variant of the motor vehicle structural unit, and all these motor vehicle structural units can be integrated into the motor vehicle 10.

Claims

1. Motor vehicle structural unit having an electrical energy store (20) and a charging module (22) for charging the electrical energy store (20), wherein, The electric memory (20) and the charging module (22) are fixed to each other and form an inherently rigid self-supporting structural unit, and the motor vehicle structural unit (16) is replaceable.

2. The motor vehicle structural unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging module (22) includes a rectifier (26) configured to charge the electric memory (20) via an AC power supply (28), and / or includes a transformer (30) configured to charge the electric memory (20) via a DC power supply (32).

3. The motor vehicle structural unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The charging module (22) has an inductive charging system (34) and / or a conductive charging system (36).

4. A motor vehicle having a motor vehicle structural unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The motor vehicle structural unit is integrated in the motor vehicle (10) such that the motor vehicle structural unit (16) is exposed downward on the bottom side at the vehicle bottom (14).

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that, There is provided a releasable fixing device (18) that can be freely and directly accessed from below for centrally coupling and decoupling the replaceable structural unit to and from the vehicle body (12).

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, On the motor vehicle (10), there is provided a first vehicle-side interface (38) to which the charging module (22) can be automatically coupled during loading and unloading, and the first interface (38) electrically couples a charging socket (23) provided on the motor vehicle (10) to the charging module (22).

7. A motor vehicle according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, On the motor vehicle (10), there is provided a second vehicle-side interface (40) to which the electric memory (20) can be automatically coupled during loading and unloading, and the second interface (40) directly or indirectly electrically couples or decouples an electric drive device (11) provided in the motor vehicle (10) to and from the electric memory (20).

8. The motor vehicle according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that, The motor vehicle structural unit (16) at least partially constitutes the vehicle bottom (14) of the motor vehicle (10).

9. A structural group of a motor vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that, Outside the motor vehicle (10), there is provided a second motor vehicle structural unit (44) having an electric memory (46) and a charging module (48), and the electric memory (46) and the charging module (48) of the second motor vehicle structural unit (44) are fixed to each other and form an inherently rigid self-supporting structural unit, and the electric memory (46) and / or the charging module (48) of the second motor vehicle structural unit (44) provided outside the motor vehicle (10) are different from the motor vehicle structural unit (16) provided in the motor vehicle (10) due to additional dimensional design and / or technology.

10. The structural group according to claim 9, characterized in that, The second motor vehicle structural unit (44) additionally has an interface (50) for exchanging thermal energy between the motor vehicle (10) and the infrastructure (52).

11. A method for replacing a motor vehicle structural unit (16), the method having the following steps: a) Using an assembly device (54) to automatically release the releasable fixing device (18) that can be freely and directly accessed from below and decouple the replaceable structural unit from the vehicle body (12); b) decouple the charging module (22) of the motor vehicle structural unit (16) from the first vehicle-side interface (38) and / or decouple the electrical energy storage device (20) of the motor vehicle structural unit (16) from the second vehicle-side interface (40); c) provide a second motor vehicle structural unit (44) disposed outside the motor vehicle (10), wherein the electrical energy storage device (46) and / or the charging module (48) of the second motor vehicle structural unit differ from the motor vehicle structural unit (16) originally provided in the motor vehicle (10) due to different dimensions and / or technologies; d) automatically lock the fixing device (18) that can be freely and directly accessed from below by means of the assembly device (54) and couple the replaceable second motor vehicle structural unit (44) to the vehicle body (12); and e) couple the charging module (22) of the second motor vehicle structural unit (44) into the first vehicle-side interface (38) and / or couple the electrical energy storage device (20) of the second motor vehicle structural unit (44) into the second vehicle-side interface (40).

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