Vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle (1) is provided with: a frame (10) extending in the front-rear direction; a first battery (20L) that is provided on a side surface of the frame (10) in the vehicle width direction and that is replaceable; a support portion (30L) connected to the frame (10) and supporting the first battery (20L); and a plurality of side guardrails (40L) provided at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction on the outside of the first battery (20L) in the vehicle width direction. The plurality of side guards 40L include a first side guardrail 42L parallel to the front-rear direction supported on a support surface of the support portion 30L.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to vehicles with side guardrails. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles such as trucks have side guardrails to prevent pedestrians, bicycles, and other objects from being caught in them. The side guardrails disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2015-81532 are provided on the outer side of the vehicle frame in the front-to-back direction. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The problem to be solved by the present invention

[0004] In recent years, from the perspective of shortening charging time, a system has been proposed in which a battery is replaced by a charging battery when the remaining capacity of the battery installed in the vehicle frame decreases. However, when side guardrails are installed on the vehicle, the battery comes into contact with the side guardrails during the replacement process, thus hindering the replacement operation.

[0005] This disclosure focuses on this point, and its purpose is to facilitate the replacement of batteries in vehicles with side guardrails.

[0006] The means to solve this problem

[0007] One aspect of the invention provides a vehicle comprising: a frame extending in a longitudinal direction; a first battery disposed on a side surface of the frame in a vehicle width direction and being replaceable; a support portion connected to the frame and supporting the first battery; and a plurality of side guardrails disposed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction outside the first battery in the vehicle width direction, wherein the plurality of side guardrails includes a first side guardrail supported on a support surface of the support portion parallel to the longitudinal direction.

[0008] In addition, the length of the first side guardrail in the front-to-back direction can be less than the length of the first battery in the front-to-back direction.

[0009] In addition, the first side guardrail can be located below the first battery in the vehicle height direction.

[0010] In addition, the vehicle may include a track, which is arranged parallel to the width direction of the vehicle and guides the support portion supporting the first battery to move in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0011] In addition, the vehicle may include multiple fixed brackets fixed to the support surface of the support portion, wherein the first side guardrail may be fixed to multiple fixed brackets.

[0012] In addition, multiple side guardrails can be installed at the same location in the vehicle height direction.

[0013] In addition, the vehicle may include a mounting body supported by a frame, wherein multiple side guardrails may include a second side guardrail supported by struts extending from the mounting body.

[0014] In addition, the vehicle may include a second battery supported by a frame, wherein a second side guardrail may be disposed in the longitudinal direction at a position corresponding to the second battery. The vehicle may also include: a first strut oriented in the longitudinal direction in front of the second battery along the vehicle height direction and supporting one end of the second side guardrail; and a second strut disposed in the longitudinal direction behind the second battery along the vehicle height direction and supporting the other end of the second side guardrail.

[0015] In addition, the vehicle may include a charging box supported by a frame, wherein the second side guardrail may be disposed in a position corresponding to the charging box in the longitudinal direction. The vehicle may also include: a first strut oriented in the longitudinal direction in front of the charging box along the vehicle height direction and supporting one end of the second side guardrail; and a second strut oriented in the longitudinal direction in the rear of the charging box along the vehicle height direction and supporting the other end of the second side guardrail.

[0016] Invention Effects

[0017] According to this disclosure, the battery in a vehicle with side guardrails can be easily replaced. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 The surrounding configuration of the side guardrail 40L in the left-hand area of ​​vehicle 1 is schematically shown.

[0019] Figure 2 The state of the first battery 20L in motion is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 The support structure of the first side guardrail 42L on the support portion 30L is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 The side guardrail 140 according to the comparative example is shown schematically.

[0022] Figure 5 The surrounding configuration of the side guardrail 40R on the right side of vehicle 1 is schematically shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] <Vehicle Configuration>

[0024] Figure 1 The surrounding configuration of the side guardrail 40L in the left-side area of ​​vehicle 1 is schematically shown. Vehicle 1 has a frame structure and is a truck as an example herein. For example, vehicle 1 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that supplies power from a battery to a drive motor.

[0025] Vehicle 1 has side guardrails to prevent pedestrians, bicycles, etc. from being caught in, and in this embodiment, the side guardrails are divided into sections. For example... Figure 1 As shown, vehicle 1 includes a frame 10, a mounting body 15, a first battery 20L, a second battery 25, a support part 30L, and a side guardrail 40L.

[0026] The frame 1 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the frame 10 consists of a pair of side frames extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1. The pair of side frames are connected to transverse members extending in the width direction of the vehicle. For example, the drive motor, the cab, etc., are supported on the frame 10.

[0027] The mounting body 15 is supported by the frame 10. The mounting body 15 is located on the frame 10 behind the cab. The mounting body 15 is, for example, a cargo box and is supported on the upper surface of the frame 10.

[0028] The first battery 20L is disposed on the side surface of the frame 10 in the vehicle width direction. The first battery 20L is, for example, a lithium-ion battery. For example, the first battery 20L provides power to the drive motor. Here, two first batteries 20L are disposed at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and a single first battery 20L may be used.

[0029] The first battery 20L is a replaceable battery. For example, when the remaining capacity of the first battery 20L decreases, the first battery 20L is replaced with a new first battery 20L (e.g., a charged first battery 20L) at a replacement station. Specifically, a replacement arm installed in the replacement station installs a new first battery 20L after removing the first battery 20L installed on vehicle 1.

[0030] The second battery 25 is supported by the frame 10. The second battery 25 is, for example, a lead-acid battery and provides power to the auxiliary devices of the vehicle 1. Unlike the first battery 20L, the second battery 25 is not replaced at the replacement station.

[0031] The support portion 30L supports the first battery 20L. For the first battery 20L, two support portions 30L are provided, and the two support portions 30L have the same structure.

[0032] A support portion 30L is located below the first battery 20L and connected to the frame 10. The support portion 30L has a flat plate shape and supports the bottom surface of the first battery 20L. The support portion 30L is movable in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, the support portion 30L can move along a track arranged parallel to the vehicle width direction while supporting the first battery 20L. The track is arranged on both sides of the support portion 30L, and the support portion 30L slides along the track. In other words, the track guides the support portion 30L supporting the first battery 20L to be movable in the vehicle width direction.

[0033] Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the movement of the first battery 20L. The support portion 30L is positioned by moving outward along the track 36 in the vehicle width direction. Figure 2 The replacement position of the first battery 20L is shown. Here, the support portion 30L is moved to the replacement position by the arm 70 installed at the replacement station. When the support portion 30L is in the replacement position, the first battery 20L is replaced.

[0034] Side guardrails 40L prevent pedestrians, bicycles, and other objects from being caught in them. For example, side guardrails 40L are installed between the front and rear wheels of vehicle 1 to prevent pedestrians and other objects from being caught in the rear wheels. Multiple side guardrails 40L are installed at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction on the outer sides of the first battery 20L and the second battery 25 in the vehicle width direction. The multiple side guardrails 40L are installed at the same positions in the vehicle height direction.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the multiple side guardrails 40L include a first side guardrail 42L, a second side guardrail 44L, and a third side guardrail 46L. The first side guardrail 42L, the second side guardrail 44L, and the third side guardrail 46L are arranged separately.

[0036] The first side guardrail 42L is positioned in the front-to-back direction at a position corresponding to the first battery 20L. Specifically, the first side guardrail 42L is positioned facing the support portion 30L that supports the first battery 20L. Since there are two first batteries 20L, two first side guardrails 42L are also provided. The two first side guardrails 42L have the same structure.

[0037] The first side guardrail 42L is supported by the support portion 30L. Specifically, the first side guardrail 42L is supported by the support surface of the support portion 30L, which is parallel to the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the support portion 30L moves, the first side guardrail 42L moves together with the support portion 30L. The first side guardrail 42L is located below the first battery 20L in the vehicle height direction. Therefore, when replacing the first battery 20L, the first battery 20L will not interfere with the first side guardrail 42L, allowing the operator to replace the first battery 20L smoothly.

[0038] Figure 3 The support structure of a first side guardrail 42L on a support portion 30L is shown. Multiple (e.g., two) fixing brackets 32 are provided on a support surface 31 of the support portion 30L. The support surface 31 is the outer surface of the support portion 30L in the vehicle width direction, parallel to the front-rear direction. The multiple fixing brackets 32 are fixed to the support surface 31 of the support portion 30L. The first side guardrail 42L is fixed to the multiple fixing brackets 32. Specifically, the first side guardrail 42L is fixed to the fixing brackets 32 by screwing fastening members (e.g., screws) 34 into the screw holes of the fixing brackets 32. The fixing brackets 32 have a so-called cap-shaped shape to ensure space for the fastening members 34 to screw into the screw holes, but are not limited thereto.

[0039] Back Figure 1 The length of the first side guardrail 42L in the front-to-back direction is less than the length of the first battery 20L in the front-to-back direction. Specifically, the length of the first side guardrail 42L in the front-to-back direction is equal to the length of the support portion 30L in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, when the arm 70 ( Figure 2 When the support part 30L is moved to the replacement position, it can prevent the arm 70 from contacting the first side guardrail 42L.

[0040] The second side guardrail 44L is positioned in the front-rear direction corresponding to the second battery 25. The second side guardrail 44L is located below the second battery 25 in the vehicle height direction. The height of the second side guardrail 44L in the vehicle height direction is the same as that of the first side guardrail 42L in the vehicle height direction. Therefore, when the operator removes the casing above the second battery 25 to perform tasks such as inspection, the second side guardrail 44L is in a position that does not interfere with the work, allowing the operator to perform the work smoothly.

[0041] The second side guardrail 44L is supported by a first support rod 50 and a second support rod 52 extending from the mounting body 15. The first support rod 50 supports one end of the second side guardrail 44L. The second support rod 52 supports the other end of the second side guardrail 44L. Because both ends of the second side guardrail 44L are supported by the first support rod 50 and the second support rod 52 in this way, the second side guardrail 44L is stably supported even when spaced apart from the mounting body 15.

[0042] The first support rod 50 is oriented in the front of the second battery 25 along the vehicle height direction in the front-rear direction. The second support rod 52 is oriented in the rear of the second battery 25 along the vehicle height direction in the front-rear direction. Therefore, since the first support rod 50 and the second support rod 52 are positioned in the front-rear direction at a position away from the second battery 25, it is easy for the operator to perform inspection work on the second battery 25, etc.

[0043] In the above description, the second side guardrail 44L is supported by the first strut 50 and the second strut 52, but is not limited thereto. For example, the second side guardrail 44L may be supported by a single strut extending from the mounting body 15.

[0044] The third side guardrail 46L is installed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 at a position where the first side guardrail 42L and the second side guardrail 44L are not installed. Here, the third side guardrail 46L is: i) positioned between the two first side guardrails 42L, and ii) positioned between the first side guardrails 42L and the rear wheel. This provides multiple separate side guardrails over a wide range in the longitudinal direction, thereby preventing pedestrians and others from being caught in the trap. The third side guardrail 46L is supported by a strut 53 extending from the mounting body 15.

[0045] In this embodiment, since the side guardrail 40L is divided into multiple parts, when the support part 30L supporting the first battery 20L is moved, the first battery 20L and the support part 30L do not come into contact with the first side guardrail 42L, so the first battery 20L can be easily replaced.

[0046] Figure 4 The side guardrail 140 according to the comparative example is schematically shown. The side guardrail 140 of the comparative example is not separate, but a single bar extending in the front-rear direction. In this case, when the support portion 30L supporting the first battery 20L is moved, the first battery 20L contacts the side guardrail 140, therefore the support portion 30L cannot be moved to the replacement position. To move the support portion 30L to the replacement position, the side guardrail 140 needs to be removed.

[0047] Conversely, in this embodiment, since the side guardrails 40L are separated and the first side guardrail 42L at the position corresponding to the first battery 20L is supported by the support portion 30L, the first battery 20L does not come into contact with the first side guardrail 42L when the support portion 30L is moved to the replacement position.

[0048] The configuration on the left side of the frame 10 has been described above, and the configuration on the right side of the frame 10 is the same. Figure 5 The surrounding configuration of the side guardrail 40R on the right side of the vehicle 1 is schematically shown. The first battery 20R, the charging box 28, the support portion 30R, and the side guardrail 40R are located on the right side of the frame 10.

[0049] The configuration of the first battery 20R and the supporting part 30R and Figure 1 The configuration of the first battery 20L and the support portion 30L shown is the same. Therefore, the support portion 30R can also be configured as follows. Figure 2The vehicle is moved in the width direction as shown to replace the first battery 20R.

[0050] For example, the charging box 28 is a box used to charge the first battery 20R. The charging box 28 is supported by the frame 10. Viewed from the frame 10, the charging box 28 is positioned on the opposite side of the second battery 25. When the charging gun is connected to the charging box 28, the first battery 20R is charged.

[0051] Similar to the side guardrail 40L in the left-side area of ​​the frame 10, the side guardrail 40R is divided into a first side guardrail 42R, a second side guardrail 44R, and a third side guardrail 46R. Therefore, the first battery 20R can be easily replaced on the right side of the frame 10. Specifically, since the first side guardrail 42R is supported by a support portion 30R, when the support portion 30R is supported by the arm 70 (… Figure 2 When moving to replace the first battery 20R, the first side guardrail 42R can be prevented from becoming an obstacle.

[0052] The second side guardrail 44R is positioned in the front-to-back direction corresponding to the charging box 28. The second side guardrail 44R is located below the charging box 28 in the vehicle height direction. As a result, when the operator opens and closes the door of the charging box 28, the door does not contact the second side guardrail 44R, thus allowing the charging operation to be performed smoothly.

[0053] The second side guardrail 44R is supported by a first support rod 55 and a second support rod 57 extending from the mounting body 15. The first support rod 55 supports one end of the second side guardrail 44R. The second support rod 57 supports the other end of the second side guardrail 44R. Because both ends of the second side guardrail 44R are supported by the first support rod 55 and the second support rod 57 in this way, the second side guardrail 44R is stably supported even when it is spaced apart from the mounting body 15.

[0054] The first support rod 55 is oriented in the front of the charging box 28 along the vehicle height direction in the longitudinal direction. The second support rod 57 is oriented in the rear of the charging box 28 along the vehicle height direction in the longitudinal direction. It should be noted that the first support rod 55 is L-shaped, and its extended portion in the longitudinal direction connects to the second support rod 57. This portion is located above the charging box 28 in the vehicle height direction. Therefore, since the first support rod 55 and the second support rod 57 are located away from the charging box 28, the operator can easily perform the charging operation.

[0055] The third side guardrail 46R is installed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 at a position where the first side guardrail 42R and the second side guardrail 44R are not installed. The third side guardrail 46R is supported by a strut 58 extending from the mounting body 15.

[0056] <Effects of the Implementation Plan>

[0057] The vehicle 1 described above includes: i) a replaceable first battery 20L disposed on a side surface of the frame 10 in the vehicle width direction; ii) a support portion 30L supporting the first battery 20L; and iii) a plurality of side guardrails 40L disposed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction on the outer side of the first battery 20L in the vehicle width direction. The plurality of side guardrails 40L includes a first side guardrail 42L supported on a support surface 31 of the support portion 30L parallel to the longitudinal direction.

[0058] Therefore, in the side guardrail obtained by dividing the side guardrail, by having the first side guardrail 42L supported by the support portion 30L, the first battery 20L does not come into contact with the first side guardrail 42L when the first battery 20L is replaced. Thus, the operator can easily replace the first battery 20L through the first side guardrail 42L supported by the support portion 30L.

[0059] This disclosure has been described based on exemplary embodiments. The technical scope of this disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of this disclosure. For example, all or part of the apparatus may be configured with any functionally or physically distributed or integrated units. Furthermore, new exemplary embodiments resulting from any combination of all or part of the implementations are included in the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Moreover, the effects of the new exemplary embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original exemplary embodiments.

[0060] [Symbol Description]

[0061] 1: Vehicle

[0062] 10: Frame

[0063] 15: Installation Main Body

[0064] 20L, 20R: First battery

[0065] 25: Second battery

[0066] 30L, 30R: Support section

[0067] 32: Fixed bracket

[0068] 40L, 40R: Side guardrails

[0069] 40L, 42R: First side guardrail

[0070] 44L, 44R: Second side guardrail

[0071] 50: First support pole

[0072] 52: Second strut

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising: The frame extends in the front-to-back direction; The first battery is disposed on the side surface of the frame in the vehicle width direction and is replaceable; The support portion is connected to the vehicle frame and supports the first battery; as well as Multiple side guardrails are provided at predetermined intervals on the outer side of the first battery in the vehicle width direction along the front-rear direction, wherein... The plurality of side guardrails includes a first side guardrail, which is supported on a support surface of the support portion parallel to the front-back direction.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The length of the first side guardrail in the front-back direction is less than the length of the first battery in the front-back direction.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The first side guardrail is located below the first battery in the vehicle height direction.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: A track is provided parallel to the width direction of the vehicle and guides the support portion supporting the first battery to move in the width direction of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: Multiple fixed brackets are fixed to the support surface of the support portion, wherein, The first side guardrail is fixed to the plurality of fixed brackets.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, The multiple side guardrails are installed at the same location in the vehicle height direction.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: The main mounting body is supported by the vehicle frame, wherein, The plurality of side guardrails includes a second side guardrail supported by a strut extending from the mounting body.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising: The second battery is supported by the vehicle frame, wherein... The second side guardrail is positioned in the front-to-back direction at a location corresponding to the second battery. The vehicle also includes: A first strut, oriented in the front-rear direction in the vehicle height direction in front of the second battery, supports one end of the second side guardrail; and The second strut, oriented in the front-rear direction behind the second battery along the vehicle height direction, supports the other end of the second side guardrail.

9. The vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising: The charging box, supported by the vehicle frame, wherein, The second side guardrail is positioned in the front-to-back direction at a location corresponding to the charging box. The vehicle also includes: A first support rod, oriented in the front-rear direction along the vehicle height in front of the charging box, supports one end of the second side guardrail; and The second support rod, oriented in the front-rear direction behind the charging box along the vehicle height direction, supports the other end of the second side guardrail.

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