Battery carrier for vehicles

Abstract

Battery carrier for a vehicle, wherein the battery carrier has the following features: - a battery pack (100, 110) formed by arranging a secondary battery in a housing and arranged on a base plate of a vehicle body (10); and - a deformable support (130) for supporting one end of the battery pack (100, 110) in the vehicle width direction, - wherein the deformable support (130) on which the battery pack (100, 110) is suspended deforms in response to an input load from one end of the battery pack (100, 110) in the vehicle width direction and thereby causes the other end of the battery pack (100, 110) to move in the load input direction and to move downwards relative to the base plate of the vehicle body (10).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery support device for vehicles, which carries a battery pack in a lower part of a vehicle body, and relates in particular to a device with which both a crash distance in a side impact and a battery accommodation capacity can be ensured. 2. Description of the relevant state of the art

[0002] In an electric vehicle, such as a hybrid electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine, a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric car, a large number of secondary batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries or nickel-hydrogen batteries, must be accommodated.

[0003] The batteries are arranged in the vehicle in the form of a battery pack, in which a large number of battery cells are housed in a casing.

[0004] Among the various components of the vehicle, the battery pack has a comparatively high weight, and for this reason it was proposed to place the battery pack in a space between the left and right side frames on the underside of a floor panel that forms a floor area of ​​a passenger compartment, in order to lower the vehicle's center of gravity and thus ensure favorable driving characteristics and the like.

[0005] The unexamined Japanese patent application publication JP H06-261422A describes, for example, an electric car in which a battery pack is mounted in an area between a left and a right side frame of a lower part of a vehicle body under a floor plate.

[0006] With this type of battery pack, it must be ensured that the casing is not destroyed even in the event of an impact of the vehicle, so that the battery cells are protected.

[0007] As a relevant technique dealing with a battery support structure designed with a view to a side impact, JP 2008-184 015 A describes, for example, the arrangement of a support between batteries of an upper stage and batteries of a lower stage, so that the support can be restored in a flattening direction by the weight of the batteries in the upper stage.

[0008] From DE 600 24 384 T2, an arrangement for mounting a vehicle battery is known, comprising the following: a battery mounting base for mounting the battery, which is provided on a floor in a rear part of a vehicle body; and a rear suspension cross member extending laterally over the vehicle below the floor, wherein the battery mounting base is arranged within an area of ​​the floor which, in plan view, corresponds to the location of the rear suspension cross member.

[0009] From JP 2007-15 600 A, a floor structure for a vehicle is known that has a lower level separated from an upper level. The upper level has side elements and floor panels that extend from front to rear on both sides of the vehicle body. These elements define a battery housing area that has an inlet for conditioned air on one side and an air outlet on the other.

[0010] From JP 2006-73 466 A, a battery unit for powering an electric vehicle is known in which a plurality of accumulators are combined in a housing. A shutdown unit is externally attached to the outer surface of the housing and is integrally formed with the battery unit.

[0011] From JP 2001-138 753 A, a lower body structure for a hybrid vehicle is known, which is optionally powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. In this structure, a step area, which is higher than a main surface of a floor panel, is formed on the floor panel below the seat on which an occupant sits. Furthermore, a fuel tank for the internal combustion engine and a battery for the electric motor are arranged in a space within the step area below the floor panel.

[0012] From JP 2005-297 861 A, a battery mounting device for a vehicle is known, comprising the following: a first battery assembly and a second battery assembly arranged on a base plate and spaced apart from each other along a left-right direction of the vehicle; and a movable bracket that holds a separate element, for example a battery terminal box or a battery control unit, in such a way that it is movable in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0013] When considering the vehicle's behavior during a side impact, it is important to ensure a crash distance or crash volume by causing such deformation of the vehicle body that the side frame is pushed inwards in the direction of the vehicle's width in order to absorb energy.

[0014] If the clearance between the battery pack and the side frame is increased to ensure a permissible degree of lateral displacement of the side frame, the maximum charging capacity of the battery pack will be reduced, making it difficult to ensure a battery capacity required to achieve good vehicle performance.

[0015] In a situation where it is difficult to ensure sufficient crash volume, the strength of components such as the side frame elements and the side door sills must be increased to absorb an initial load, which leads to an increase in weight and cost as well as losses in terms of fuel economy and driving characteristics. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] In view of the problems described above, the object of the present invention is to create a battery support device for a vehicle that ensures both a crash distance or crash volume with respect to a side impact and a battery accommodation capacity.

[0017] The problem is solved by a battery carrying device with the features of claim 1. Advantageous further developments are specified in dependent claims 2 to 4.

[0018] According to the present invention, a battery support device for a vehicle is provided. The battery support device for a vehicle comprises: a battery pack formed by arranging a secondary battery in a housing and arranged on a floor plate of a vehicle body; and a deformable support that carries one end of the battery pack in the width direction of the vehicle.

[0019] The deformable support from which the battery pack is suspended deforms in response to an input load from one end of the battery pack in the vehicle's width direction. This causes the other end of the battery pack to move in the direction of the input load and downwards relative to the vehicle body's floor panel. The other end of the battery pack is thus supported in such a way that it can move in the direction of the input load. In this way, the battery pack can move in the vehicle's width direction, while the vehicle body is displaced in response to an input load applied from one end in the same direction. This ensures a consistent crash path.

[0020] This allows the width of the battery pack to be increased compared to a case without using the present invention, so that there is no need to increase the vertical dimension of the battery pack to ensure the charging capacity of the battery pack.

[0021] Furthermore, by causing the other end of the battery pack to move downwards upon impact, disruptive interference with other components accompanying the movement in the vehicle's width direction can be prevented.

[0022] Preferably, the deformable carrier has a rotating unit which has a body-side end coupled to the vehicle body and a battery-side end coupled to the battery pack at both its ends, wherein the body-side end is arranged in a higher position than the battery-side end before a collision and in a position away from the battery pack in the vehicle width direction.

[0023] In response to an input load acting on the battery pack in the vehicle width direction, the rotation unit performs a rotational movement such that the battery-side end moves downwards and in the vehicle width direction essentially in alignment with a load input direction.

[0024] In this way, the effects described above can be reliably achieved using a simple configuration. Preferably, the deformable support is formed by the rotation unit being integrally integrated with a fixing element that attaches the rotation unit to the vehicle body or battery pack, wherein the rotation unit performs a rotational movement when a point coupled to the fixing element undergoes bending.

[0025] This allows the effects described above to be achieved with a simple configuration that has a small number of components.

[0026] Preferably, the battery pack has a first end that is located near a side frame of the vehicle, and a second end that is located relative to the first end on the side of a vehicle center, with the deformable support carrying the second end.

[0027] By causing the battery pack to move towards the side of the center of the vehicle body (towards the side of a floor tunnel) when the vehicle is subjected to a side impact, a crash distance or crash volume can be ensured that allows for movement of the lateral frame. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The drawings show: Fig. 1 a schematic top view of a vehicle, viewed from an underbody side, which has an embodiment of a battery support device for a vehicle in which the present invention is used; Fig. 2 a sectional view along arrows II-II in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 an enlarged view of area III in Fig. 2, wherein Fig. 3(a) shows a state prior to a collision and Fig. 3(b) shows a state after a collision. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXECUTION EXAMPLES

[0029] The present invention solves the problem of creating a battery support device for a vehicle that ensures both a crash volume with respect to a side impact and a battery accommodation capacity by supporting an inner side of a battery pack in the direction of the vehicle width using a deformable support which deforms in the event of a collision, so that the battery pack can move inwards in the direction of the vehicle width and downwards in relation to the vehicle body. Example of implementation

[0030] The following describes an exemplary embodiment of a battery carrier device for a vehicle in which the present invention is applied.

[0031] The battery support device for a vehicle according to the present embodiment is used to support or hold a battery pack on the floor of a passenger car, which is, for example, a hybrid electric vehicle with a gasoline engine.

[0032] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic top view, viewed from the underbody side, of a vehicle which has an embodiment of a battery support device for a vehicle in which the present invention is applied.

[0033] The Fig. Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view along arrows of a region II-II in the Fig. 1.

[0034] Vehicle 1 is a passenger car with four wheels, having a left and a right front wheel FW and a left and a right rear wheel RW, which each form a pair of wheels.

[0035] The vehicle 1 has a vehicle body 10, a front suspension 20, a rear suspension 30, an engine 40, a gearbox 50, a cardan shaft 60, a rear differential 70, a fuel tank 80, an exhaust pipe 90, a right battery pack 100, a left battery pack 110, etc.

[0036] The vehicle body 10 has a floor plate 11, a front frame 12, a side frame 13, a front subframe 14, a rear subframe 15, etc.

[0037] The floor plate 11 is an element that forms a floor surface of a passenger compartment for transporting occupants and the like, and is designed in the form of a substantially flat plate that is arranged substantially horizontally.

[0038] A floor tunnel 11a, which serves as a recess area in which the cardan shaft and the exhaust pipe are housed, is formed in a central area of ​​the floor plate 11 in the vehicle width direction such that it extends in the vehicle length direction.

[0039] As further in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, a projection area 11b is provided on the left and right sides of the floor tunnel 11a, and supports are attached to the projection area 11b on which the left battery pack 100 and the right battery pack 110 are suspended, as will be explained below.

[0040] The projection area 11b is formed by the fact that a part of the base plate 11 projects downwards.

[0041] The front frame 12 is a structural element designed to extend from a front end of the base plate 11 to the front of the vehicle.

[0042] The front frame 12, for example, is designed in a beam shape with a rectangular, closed cross-section.

[0043] The front frame 12 is designed in the form of a pair of frames that are separated in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0044] The side frame 13 is a beam-shaped element with a closed cross-section, which is provided at each lateral end of the base plate 11 and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0045] The front subframe 14 is a frame-shaped structural element that extends over a lower area of ​​the left and right front frames 12 and serves as a base to which the front suspension 20, the engine 40, etc. are attached.

[0046] The rear subframe 15 is a frame-shaped structural element provided at a lower rear area of ​​the vehicle and serves as a base to which the rear suspension 30, the rear differential 70, etc. are attached.

[0047] The front suspension 20 is used to support a hub bearing which rotatably supports the front wheels FW so that they can perform a lifting movement relative to the vehicle body.

[0048] The front suspension 20 has a housing in which the hub bearing is located, a suspension arm that couples the housing to the front subframe 14, a suspension spring and a damping element that generate a spring reaction force and a damping force depending on a stroke movement, etc.

[0049] The rear suspension 30 is used to support a hub bearing which rotatably supports the rear wheels RW so that they can perform a lifting movement relative to the vehicle body.

[0050] The rear suspension 30 has a housing in which the hub bearing is located, a suspension arm that couples the housing to the rear subframe 15, a suspension spring and a damping element that generate a spring reaction force and a damping force depending on a stroke movement, etc.

[0051] Engine 40, for example, is a four-cylinder boxer petrol engine that serves as the power source for vehicle 1.

[0052] The motor 40 is arranged longitudinally between the left and right front frames 12 and is mounted on an upper area of ​​the front subframe 14.

[0053] The gearbox 50 is used for switching and delivering output power from the motor 40.

[0054] Furthermore, the transmission 50 has a motor / generator that performs regenerative energy generation during braking, drive support during acceleration, etc., an all-wheel drive transfer device for distributing the drive power to the front and rear wheels, a final reduction mechanism, and a front differential that distributes the drive power to the left and right front wheels, etc.

[0055] The gearbox 50 is connected to a rear end of the motor 40 and is arranged in the floor tunnel 11a on its front side,

[0056] The cardan shaft 60 is a power transmission shaft that is provided between a rear end of the gearbox 50 and a front end of the rear differential 70 to transmit a rear-wheel-side output force from the gearbox 50 to the rear differential 70.

[0057] The rear differential 70 is used to reduce the rotation of the cardan shaft 60 and to transmit the reduced rotation to the left and right rear wheels RW and has a final reduction mechanism, a rear differential, etc.

[0058] The fuel tank 80 is a container for receiving gasoline or the like, such as is used as fuel for the engine 40, wherein the fuel tank 80 is arranged under the base plate 11 at the front of the rear subframe 15.

[0059] The exhaust pipe 90 is used to carry away burnt gas (exhaust) emitted by the engine 40 to the outside of the vehicle and is arranged such that it extends from the inside of the floor tunnel 11a under the fuel tank 80 to a rear end of the vehicle.

[0060] A catalytic converter 91 and a silencer or exhaust muffler 92 are arranged one after the other in a central area of ​​the exhaust pipe 90 from the upstream side.

[0061] The catalytic converter 91 has a three-way catalyst that cleans, for example, HC, NOx, and CO contained in the exhaust gas. The catalytic converter 91 is arranged such that it is housed, for example, in a recess formed in a lower area of ​​the fuel tank 80.

[0062] The silencer 92 is used to reduce noise by reducing the acoustic energy of the exhaust gas. The silencer 92 is, for example, located on the underbody side at the rear end of the vehicle, behind the rear subframe 15.

[0063] The right battery pack 100 and the left battery pack 110 store energy generated by the motor / generator during regenerative energy production and supply energy to drive the motor / generator.

[0064] The right battery pack 100 and the left battery pack 110 are formed, for example, by housing a large number of battery cells C in a metal housing.

[0065] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the right battery pack 100 and the left battery pack 110 have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each having flanges F which extend horizontally from both ends in the vehicle width direction at a mean height position (whereby the flange on an outer side in the vehicle width direction of the right battery pack 100 is not shown in the drawing).

[0066] The respective upper surfaces of the right battery pack 100 and the left battery pack 110 are arranged such that they face a lower surface of the base plate 11 across a predetermined gap.

[0067] The right battery pack 100 and the left battery pack 110 are held in place by the fact that the flanges F are suspended from supports.

[0068] The following describes a support device for the left battery pack 110 as a representative example.

[0069] It should be noted that the right battery pack 100 is supported by a support structure which is essentially symmetrical in the horizontal direction to the support structure of the left battery pack 110.

[0070] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the left battery pack 110 is suspended from an outer support 120 and an inner support 130.

[0071] The outer support 120 is used to support an outer end (end on the side of the side frame 13) of the left battery pack 110 in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0072] The outer carrier 120 has a body-side fixing element 121, a battery-side fixing element 122, a coupling element 123, etc.

[0073] The body-side fixing element 121 is a part that is attached to a lower surface of the side frame 13. The body-side fixing element 121 is designed in the form of a flat plate spring and is arranged essentially horizontally.

[0074] The body-side fixing element 121 is fixed, for example, by attaching a screw B to a weld nut fixed to the side frame 13.

[0075] The battery-side fixing element 122 is a part that is fixed to a lower surface of the outer side flange F of the left battery pack 110 in the direction of the vehicle width. The battery-side fixing element 122 is designed in the form of a flat plate and is arranged essentially horizontally.

[0076] The coupling element 123 is an element for coupling an inner end in the vehicle width direction of the body-side fixing element 121 with an outer end in the vehicle width direction of the battery-side fixing element 122.

[0077] An end of the coupling element 123 located on the side of the body-side fixing element 121 is arranged above and outside in the vehicle width direction of an end area on the side of the battery-side fixing element 122.

[0078] The body-side fixing element 121, the battery-side fixing element 122 and the coupling element 123 are formed in an integral manner, for example by bending strip-shaped sheet metal.

[0079] The inner support 130 is used to support an inner end (end on the side of the floor tunnel 11a) of the left battery pack 110 in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0080] The inner support 130 functions as a deformable support according to the present invention, which is deformed when a side impact occurs on the vehicle, so that the left battery pack 110 can move downwards while moving inwards in the vehicle width direction.

[0081] The inner carrier 130 has a body-side fixing element 131, a battery-side fixing element 132, a connecting element 133, etc.

[0082] The body-side fixing element 131 is an element that is attached to the projection 11b of the base plate 11. The body-side fixing element 131 is designed in the form of a flat plate and is arranged essentially horizontally.

[0083] The body-side fixing element 131 is, for example, attached by fastening a screw B to a weld nut attached to the projection 11b.

[0084] The battery-side fixing element 132 is an element that is fixed to an upper surface of the flange F of the left battery pack 110, which is located on the inside side in the direction of the vehicle width. The battery-side fixing element 132 is designed in the form of a flat plate and is arranged essentially horizontally.

[0085] The connecting element 133 is a part for coupling an inner end of the body-side fixing element 131 in the direction of the vehicle width with an outer end of the battery-side fixing element in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0086] An end of the connecting element 133 located on the side of the body-side fixing element 131 is arranged above and in the vehicle width direction inside an end on the side of the battery-side fixing element 132.

[0087] The connecting element 133 functions as a rotational unit that moves rotationally when a side impact occurs on the vehicle, in order to cause the inner end of the left battery pack 110 to move downwards simultaneously as it moves inwards in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0088] The body-side fixing element 131, the battery-side fixing element 132 and the connecting element 133 are formed integrally, e.g. by bending strip-shaped sheet metal.

[0089] The following describes the functionality during an impact according to the present embodiment.

[0090] Fig. Figure 3 illustrates an enlarged view of area III in Fig. 2, wherein Fig. 3(a) shows a state prior to a collision and Fig. 3(b) shows a state during a collision.

[0091] As in Fig.As shown in 3(b), when a side impact occurs in which an input load acts in a direction that pushes the side frame 13 inwards in the direction of the vehicle width, a movement of the side frame 13 to the side of the floor tunnel 11a occurs, while at the same time an area of ​​the floor plate 11 adjacent to the side frame 13 is deformed.

[0092] During the movement of the side frame 13, the left battery pack 110 is pressed against the outer support 120, so that it is shifted inwards in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0093] In this process, a plastic deformation occurs in an area of ​​the connecting element 133 of the inner carrier 130, which connects the body-side fixing element 131 with the battery-side fixing element 132, and as a result of this, the connecting element 133 performs a rotational movement around the end on the side of the body-side fixing element 131, so that the end on the side of the battery-side fixing element 132 moves downwards relative to the vehicle body 10 and is simultaneously displaced inwards in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0094] The inner end of the left battery pack 110, in the direction of the vehicle width, moves downwards and is shifted inwards in the direction of the vehicle width together with the battery-side fixing element 132 of the inner carrier 130, thus preventing it from colliding with other components and the like.

[0095] As described above, according to this example, by supporting the inner end of the battery pack (in the vehicle width direction) using the inner support with the coupling element, which can perform a rotational movement and thus cause the inner end (in the vehicle width direction) to move downwards simultaneously with a displacement inwards (in the vehicle width direction), the battery pack can be moved inwards in the vehicle width direction, while the vehicle body is deformed from the outer side (in the vehicle width direction) depending on an input load generated in a side impact. As a result, a crash path can be ensured.

[0096] Because the inner end of the battery pack, in the direction of the vehicle's width, is forced to move downwards, a collision of the battery pack with other components, such as the driveshaft, can be prevented. This prevents a situation in which the battery pack is damaged by being wedged between other components.

[0097] Furthermore, the effects described above are achieved using the integral inner support, which is formed by creating body-side and battery-side coupling elements at the respective ends of the rotating unit (coupling device), so that an increase in the number of components can be avoided and a simple design can be achieved. Modified examples

[0098] The present invention is not limited to the example described above, but various changes and modifications can be made which are within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) The shapes, structures, arrangements, materials, manufacturing processes, etc. of the respective elements that form the battery pack support structure for a vehicle are not limited to the examples described above and may be modified appropriately. (2) In the embodiment described above, the battery packs are located on the left and right sides of the floor tunnel; however, a battery can also be located in a central area of ​​the vehicle body. In this case, the left and right ends are supported by carriers with a rotating unit such that, in the event of a side impact, the battery pack can be moved by the rotating unit of the carrier to the opposite side from a load entry side. (3) The vehicle according to the embodiment described above is, for example, a hybrid electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine; however, the present invention is not limited to this, but can also be used in a plug-in hybrid vehicle that can be charged from a power supply unit, or in another type of electric vehicle, such as an electric car that obtains drive power exclusively from an electric motor. Reference symbol list 10 Vehicle body 11 Base plate 11a Ground tunnel 11b Advantage area 12 Front frames 13 side frames 14 front subframe 15 rear subframe 20 front suspension 30 rear suspension 40 engine 50 gearboxes 60 Cardan shaft 70 rear differential 80 Fuel tank 90 exhaust pipe 91 catalytic converter 92 silencers 100 right battery pack 110 left battery pack 120 outer support 121 Body-side fixing element 122 battery-side fixing element 123 Coupling element 130 inner carrier 131 Body-side fixing element 132 battery-side fixing element 133 Connecting element B screw C cell F flange FW front wheel RW rear wheel

Claims

[1] Battery carrying device for a vehicle, the battery carrying device comprising: - a battery pack (100, 110) formed by arranging a secondary battery in a casing and arranged on a floor panel of a vehicle body (10); and - a deformable support (130) for supporting one end of the battery pack (100, 110) in the vehicle width direction, - wherein the deformable support (130) on which the battery pack (100, 110) is suspended deforms in response to an input load from one end of the battery pack (100, 110) in the vehicle width direction, thereby causing the other end of the battery pack (100, 110) to move in the load input direction and to move downward relative to the floor panel of the vehicle body (10). [2] Battery carrying device according to claim 1, wherein the deformable carrier (130) has a rotation unit (133) having a body-side end (131) coupled to the vehicle body (10) and a battery-side end (132) coupled to the battery pack (100, 110) at both ends thereof, wherein the body-side end (131) is arranged in a higher position than the battery-side end (132) and in a position remote from the battery pack (100, 110) in the vehicle width direction before a collision, and wherein the rotation unit (133) rotates in response to an input load acting on the battery unit (100, 110) in the vehicle width direction such that the battery-side end (132) moves downward and in the vehicle width direction substantially in alignment with the load input direction. [3] Battery carrying device according to claim 2, wherein the deformable support (130) is formed in that the rotation unit (133) is formed integrally with a fixing element (131) which fixes the rotation unit (133) to the vehicle body (10) or the battery pack, and wherein the rotation unit (133) performs a rotational movement when a point thereof coupled to the fixing element undergoes a bend. [4] Battery carrying device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the battery pack (100, 110) has a first end arranged near a side frame (13) of the vehicle body (10) and a second end arranged on a central vehicle side in relation to the first end, and wherein the deformable support (130) supports the second end.

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