Vehicle

Abstract

The utility model provides a vehicle which is characterized in that a battery module is arranged under a floor, and the battery module is formed by transversely holding a plurality of battery units in parallel by a frame component and is arranged above the bottom surface of a vehicle body; a flow path through which air as a refrigerant flows is defined by the lower side surface of the battery module and the upper side surface of the underbody surface, and the air as the refrigerant flowing through the flow path reaches the surface of the battery unit along the frame member. As a result, in a vehicle in which the battery module and the structure for cooling the battery module are disposed under the floor, the vehicle cabin space can be increased as much as possible, and the battery module can be cooled satisfactorily.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a vehicle in which a vehicle-mounted battery is arranged under a floor, and more particularly to a vehicle in which a structure for cooling the vehicle-mounted battery is arranged under the floor. Background Art

[0002] As electric vehicles become more popular, battery modules mounted on vehicles generate more heat than auxiliary batteries of conventional vehicles, and therefore various structures for cooling battery modules in vehicles have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a structure in which a flat-plate-shaped battery module is arranged under the floor of a vehicle, a bottom frame on which the battery is mounted is provided above the bottom surface of the vehicle body, and a refrigerant (air) for cooling the battery is circulated between the lower surface of the bottom frame and the upper surface of the bottom surface of the vehicle body.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-137830

[0004] In a vehicle where the battery module is arranged under the floor, typically, Figure 2A As schematically depicted, the structure is as follows: above the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body, a plurality of battery cells 12 are respectively erected and held in a horizontally parallel manner by a frame member 13 (battery module 11), below which a flow path L is defined by a partition wall 14, and air as a refrigerant for cooling is supplied from a blower 16 to the flow path L via an intake duct 18. Then, the air as a refrigerant passes through the flow path L as indicated by the arrow, flows along the frame member 13 on the surface of the battery cell 12, and cools the battery cell 12. In the case of this structure, there is a space sp between the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body and the partition wall 14 defining the flow path L, and the vehicle cabin space is correspondingly narrowed. In addition, in the case of the structure of patent document 1, as shown in FIG. Figure 2B As schematically depicted, a flow path L for the refrigerant is demarcated on the upper surface of the vehicle body bottom surface 10, and there is no space equivalent to the space sp. However, since the battery module is mounted on the bottom frame 15, a corresponding space is required. In addition, the refrigerant cannot flow around the battery cell 12, so depending on the thermal conductivity of the bottom frame 15, the battery cell 12 may not be fully cooled. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the above situation, the main technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a structure in which a battery module and a structure for cooling the battery module are arranged under the floor of a vehicle, which can increase the vehicle compartment space as much as possible and can well achieve cooling of the battery module.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the utility model relates to a vehicle, wherein a battery module is arranged under a floor, wherein the battery module is formed by holding a plurality of battery cells in a horizontal parallel manner by a frame component, and is arranged above a bottom surface of a vehicle body, and a flow path for circulation of air serving as a refrigerant is defined by a lower surface of the battery module and an upper surface of the bottom surface of the vehicle body, and the air serving as a refrigerant circulating in the flow path reaches the surface of the battery cell along the frame component.

[0007] In the above structure, the vehicle can be any vehicle as long as the battery module is arranged under the floor. The frame member for holding the battery cell can be, for example, a frame member composed of a skeleton for positioning the battery cell, and is constructed to allow air as a refrigerant to directly contact the surface of the battery cell and circulate. The bottom surface of the vehicle body can be composed of a closed surface material to prevent water or mud from the ground from entering the vehicle. The upper surface of the bottom surface of the vehicle body is opposite to the lower surface of the battery module, demarcating the flow path of the refrigerant, and structures such as partitions for controlling the flow of the refrigerant can be formed by die-casting of the vehicle body.

[0008] According to the above configuration, since the upper side surface of the vehicle body bottom surface becomes a part of the wall portion defining the flow path of the coolant for cooling the battery module, there is no Figure 2A The space between the bottom surface of the vehicle body and the partition wall defining the flow path in the conventional structure shown above can expand the vehicle compartment space, reduce the height of the battery module, and lower the center of gravity of the vehicle. This can improve the driving stability of the vehicle, reduce the number of parts, and release the heat of the battery module to the outside of the vehicle compartment, which is beneficial.

[0009] In the above structure, the air as the refrigerant can be introduced into the flow path by a blower of any form (forced air cooling). In this case, an intake duct is provided to connect the flow path and the blower, and the lower side of the intake duct can also be formed by the bottom surface of the vehicle body. This can save the material required for the intake duct.

[0010] Thus, according to the structure of the present invention, as described above, the vehicle compartment space can be increased as much as possible, and the battery module can be cooled well. The structure of the present invention can be applied to any type of electric vehicle equipped with a driving battery.

[0011] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a vehicle to which the cooling structure of the battery module according to the present embodiment is applied; Figure 1Bis a schematic diagram of a cooling structure for a battery module under the floor of a vehicle according to the present embodiment; Figure 1C Schematic diagram of a cross section of the air intake duct in this embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Each of them is a schematic diagram of an example of a cooling structure for a battery module under the floor of a conventional vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same parts.

[0015] like Figure 1A As schematically depicted in FIG. 1 , the battery module cooling structure Bt according to the present embodiment is formed at the bottom under the floor of the vehicle 1. Figure 1B In this embodiment, the battery module 11 has a structure in which a plurality of flat-plate-shaped battery cells 12 are arranged horizontally in an upright state and clamped by a frame member 13 in the same manner as in the past. Moreover, the battery module 11 is arranged above the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body 1. In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, a flow path L for the circulation of a refrigerant (air) for cooling the battery module 11 is defined between the upper surface of the bottom surface 10 of the vehicle body and the lower surface of the battery module 11. The flow path L is connected to the air supply port of the blower 16 via the air intake duct 18, and the air as the refrigerant is sent from the blower 16 to the flow path L via the air intake duct 18, and flows on the surface of the battery cell 12 along the frame member 13 as shown by the arrow in the figure, thereby cooling each battery cell 12. In addition, in order to suppress the flow of the refrigerant that flows out from the flow path L on the lower side of the battery module 11 without passing through the surroundings of the battery cell 12, the battery module 11 can also be surrounded by a partition wall 14 in the horizontal direction. In addition, on the upper side surface of the vehicle body bottom surface 10, in order to appropriately control the flow of the refrigerant, a structure such as a partition may be formed on the vehicle body by integral molding based on die casting. Figure 1C As schematically depicted, the lower side of the intake duct 18 may also be defined by the upper surface of the vehicle body underside 10 .

[0016] According to the structure of the present embodiment described above, the cooling of the battery cell 12 is well achieved by the air as the refrigerant flowing toward the surface of the battery cell 12, and the flow path L is defined between the upper surface of the vehicle body bottom surface 10 and the lower surface of the battery module 11, and there is no conventional structure ( Figure 2A) and the space between the bottom surface of the vehicle body and the partition wall defining the flow path, the cabin space can be increased downward accordingly. In addition, the configuration height of the battery module 11 can be reduced, and the center of gravity of the vehicle 1 can be lowered, thereby improving the driving stability of the vehicle. In addition, there is no need to set up components other than the bottom surface of the vehicle body for defining the flow path of the refrigerant and the lower side of the intake duct, thereby reducing the number of parts and components, and corresponding cost reduction can be expected.

[0017] The above is an explanation of the embodiments of the present invention, but for those skilled in the art, many modifications and changes can be easily made. Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, but can be applied to various devices within the scope of the concept of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle, wherein a battery module is arranged under the floor, characterized in that: The battery module is formed by holding a plurality of battery cells in parallel horizontally by a frame member, and is arranged above the bottom surface of a vehicle body. A flow path for circulating air serving as a refrigerant is defined by the lower surface of the battery module and the upper surface of the bottom surface of the vehicle body. The air serving as a refrigerant circulating in the flow path reaches the surface of the battery cell along the frame member.

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