vehicle

Abstract

Vehicle comprising: a body (21) forming a floor section in a passenger compartment; a console box (41) placed in the passenger compartment and having a receiving section (42) forming a receiving space (43) for articles; a battery (31) provided below the console box (41); and a battery housing (36) configured to receive the battery (31);characterized by a first fastening element (51) and a second fastening element (52) configured to fasten the console box (41) to the body (21) and to the battery housing (36), wherein the console box (41) has a first extension section (46) and a second extension section (47) extending from the receiving section (42) towards the outside of the receiving space (43), and wherein the first extension section (46) is attached to the body (21) and the second extension section (47) is attached to the battery housing (36).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the InventionThe present invention relates generally to a vehicle and more particularly to a vehicle having a console box according to the preamble of claim 1.Description of Technical BackgroundRegarding a conventional vehicle having a console box, for example, JP 2013-071 729 A discloses a high voltage battery pack apparatus for a vehicle that is intended to more efficiently use the luggage compartment of the vehicle and thus to improve the marketability of the vehicle. In the high voltage battery pack device shown in JP 2013-071 729 A, a high voltage battery pack is disposed in a center console in a passenger compartment.In addition, JP 2007-269 229 A discloses a console box that is intended to avoid an increase in size and to accommodate a desired article with a simple structure. The console box shown in JP 2007-269 229 A has a main body provided with a plurality of receiving portions. The main body has an elongated shape in a front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and is fixed to a floor panel of a vehicle.In addition, JP 2014-104 940 A discloses a console structure that is intended to absorb a shock when the shock load is applied to the console from above a vehicle. In the console structure described in JP 2014-104 940 A, a console box has a container portion capable of accommodating small articles and the like. The container portion is supported on a floor of a vehicle body via a bracket.Further vehicles having a console box are known from DE 11 2008 000 351 T5, DE 11 2010 003 108 T5 and WO 2013 / 061 847 A1.Furthermore, US 2010 / 0 213 741 A1 and JP 2008-100 585 A show possibilities for accommodating electrical vehicle components and batteries under hood-shaped bulges of a vehicle floor.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAs shown in the aforementioned JP 2013-071 729 A, a vehicle body including a battery provided below a console box is known. When the console box in such a vehicle body is attached to a battery case, an increase in the strength of the battery box as a whole is required to stably hold the console box in the passenger compartment. This raises a concern about an increase in weight and higher cost caused when the console box is held.Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide a vehicle capable of holding a console box in a passenger compartment without increasing the weight and without increasing the cost.This object is achieved with a vehicle having the features of claim 1.According to the present invention, there can be provided a vehicle capable of holding a console box in a passenger compartment without increasing weight and without higher cost.The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the inside of a passenger compartment of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a console box in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a supporting structure of a console box according to a comparative example.DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSAn embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to below, like or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing the inside of a passenger compartment of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle according to the present embodiment is, for example, a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine and an electric motor driven by supplying electric power from a battery.The vehicle according to the present embodiment includes a body 21, a console box 41, a battery 31, a battery case 36, a fastener 51, and a fastener 52.The body 21 is a part of a vehicle main body and forms a floor portion in a passenger compartment. The body 21 is a floor panel. A console box holding portion 22 and a battery holding portion 23 are fixed to the body 21. The console box holding portion 22 and the battery holding portion 23 are lined up in a vehicle front-rear direction. The console box holding portion 22 is provided on the vehicle front side, and the battery holding portion 23 is provided on the vehicle rear side.FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the console box in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the console box 41 is a box for accommodating small articles and the like placed in the passenger compartment.The console box 41 is provided on the body 21. The console box 41 is provided between a driver seat and a passenger seat that are aligned with each other in a vehicle width direction. The console box 41 is composed of a resin molded article as a whole.The console box 41 has a receiving portion 42 and a lid portion 44. the receiving portion 42 has a housing shape that is open upward and forms an article receiving space 43. The accommodating portion 42 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. A long side direction of the accommodating portion 42 in plan view corresponds to the vehicle front-rear direction, and a short side direction of the accommodating portion 42 in plan view corresponds to a vehicle width direction. The lid portion 44 is provided to be capable of opening and closing the opening of the accommodating portion 42.The battery 31 is held by the battery holding portion 23. The battery 31 is disposed on the battery holding portion 23. The battery 31 is provided below the console box 41 (the accommodating portion 42). The battery 31 is vertically disposed between the battery holding portion 23 and the receiving portion 42 of the console box 41.The battery 31 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The battery 31 is disposed such that a long side direction thereof in a plan view corresponds to the vehicle front-rear direction, and a short side direction thereof in the plan view corresponds to the vehicle width direction.The type of the battery 31 is not particularly limited. The battery 31 may be, for example, a battery charged during regenerative braking of the vehicle, or a battery charged by external power supply, or a battery charged by a photovoltaic power generation system mounted on the vehicle.The battery 31 is accommodated in the battery case 36. The battery case 36 is made of metal sheet as a whole.The battery case 36 has a main body portion 37 and a plate-like stiffening portion 38, which will be referred to as a plate-like portion 38 hereinafter. The main body portion 37 constitutes a main portion of the battery case 36 serving as a case body accommodating the battery 31. The main body portion 37 is hood-like shaped and has a housing shape and is provided to cover the battery 31.The main body portion 37 has a front portion 37 p, an upper portion 37 q, and a rear portion 37 ras the components of the main body portion 37. the front portion 37 pis disposed on the vehicle front side with respect to the battery 31, and the rear portion 37 ris disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the battery 31. The upper portion 37 qis disposed above the battery 31 and extends between the front portion 37 pand the rear portion 37 ralong the vehicle front-rear direction.The plate-like portion 38 has a plate shape bent at a plurality of locations and fixed to the main body portion 37. In the present embodiment, the plate-like portion 38 is fixed to the main body portion 37 by spot welding. The plate-like portion 38 is fixed to the rear portion 37 rof the main body portion 37.The plate-like portion 38 has a rigidity higher than that of the main body portion 37. in particular, a thickness of the metal sheet constituting the plate-like portion 38 is greater than a thickness of the metal sheet constituting the main body portion 37. As an example, the thickness of the metal sheet constituting the main body portion 37 is 0.7 mm and the thickness of the metal sheet constituting the plate-like portion 38 is 1.4 mm.Means for configuring the plate-like portion 38 to have high rigidity is not limited to the aforementioned thickness of the metal sheet. The plate-like portion 38 may have high rigidity due to a difference in material of the metal sheet, or the plate-like portion 38 may have high rigidity by providing a rib structure.The plate-like portion 38 has an upper portion 38g, a corner portion 38h and a rear portion 38i as the components of the plate-like portion 38. The rear portion 38i is fixed to the rear portion 37r of the main body portion 37. The corner portion 38 his disposed at the corner of the upper portion 38 gand the rear portion 38 i. The corner portion 38 hextends between the upper portion 38 gand the rear portion 38 iin an oblique direction. The upper portion 38g and the corner portion 38h are arranged to form a gap between the upper portion 38g and the corner portion 38h and the main body portion 37.The fixing member 51 fixes the console box 41 on the body 21 side. Specifically, the fixing member 51 fixes the console box 41 to the console box holding portion 22 on the body 21 side. The fixing member 52 fixes the console box 41 on the battery case 36 side.The console box 41 further includes an extending portion 46 and an extending portion 47. the extending portion 46 and the extending portion 47 are provided to extend from the accommodating portion 42 toward the outside of the accommodating space 43. The extending portion 46 and the extending portion 47 are provided to be spaced apart from each other in the vehicle front-rear direction. The extending portion 46 is provided on the vehicle front side, and the extending portion 47 is provided on the vehicle rear side. The extending portion 46 and the extending portion 47 are provided at opposite ends in the long side direction of the accommodating portion 42 (vehicle front-rear direction).More specifically, the extending portion 46 is provided at the front end of the receiving portion 42. The extending portion 46 extends from the accommodating portion 42 through the vehicle front side of the battery case 36 (the front portion 37 pof the main body portion 37) to the console box holding portion 22. Together with the plate-like portion 38 of the battery case 36, the extending portion 46 is provided to straddle the battery 31 from the vehicle front and rear sides. The extending portion 46 has a rib having a strut-shaped cross section and is configured to have high rigidity. The fixing member 51 fixes the extending portion 46 to the console box holding portion 22.The extending portion 47 is provided at the rear end of the receiving portion 42. The extending portion 47 extends from the receiving portion 42 toward the vehicle rear side. The extending portion 47 extends obliquely downward and rearward from the receiving portion 42. The extending portion 47 is in surface contact with the corner portion 38 hof the plate-like portion 38. the fixing member 52 fixes the extending portion 47 to the corner portion 38 hof the plate-like portion 38.The extending portion 46 fixed on the body 21 side must extend from the receiving portion 42 through the position adjacent to the battery case 36 to the body 21. On the other hand, the extending portion 47 fixed on the battery case 36 side has a short extending length from the accommodating portion 42 because the battery case 36 is provided directly below the accommodating portion 42. On the vehicle rear side of the battery case 36, there is the foot space for passengers who are seated on a rear seat, and there is comparatively little space. Thus, in the present embodiment, the extending portion 46 fixed on the body 21 side is provided on the vehicle front side, and the extending portion 47 fixed on the battery case 36 side is provided on the vehicle rear side.In addition, in the present embodiment, the fixed portions of the console box 41 are spaced apart from each other in the long side direction of the accommodating portion 42, and thus the console box 41 can be more firmly held in the passenger compartment. Further, a gap 33 is provided between the accommodating portion 42 of the console box 41 and the battery case 36 (the upper portion 37 qof the main body portion 37). Such a configuration makes it possible to prevent the weight of the console box 41 from directly acting on the low-rigidity receiving portion 42.Although not shown in FIG. 1, a decorative cover forming the outer appearance of the console box 41 is provided on the body 21 to cover the structure disposed below the lid portion 44. In addition, although screws are shown as the fastening member 51 and the fastening member 52 in FIG. 1, the invention is not limited thereto. A clip member, a fixing structure and the like may be used, for example.FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a supporting structure of a console box according to a comparative example. As shown in FIG. 3, in this comparative example, the console box 41 is fixed to the battery case 36 by the fixing member 51 and the fixing member 52. The fixing member 52 fixes the console box 41 to the battery case 36 within the accommodating portion 42.In this case, it is necessary to increase the rigidity (the thickness of the metal sheet) of the battery case 36 as a whole in order to retain the console box 41 in the passenger compartment. In addition, the fastening member 52 is disposed inside the accommodating portion 42, and thus there is a concern that the work for fastening the console box 41 by the fastening member 52 becomes complicated.In contrast, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, the console box 41 is fixed to the body 21 side and the battery case 36 side, and thus the portion of the battery case 36 requiring an increase in rigidity is limited to the plate-like portion 38. This can prevent an increase in weight and higher costs caused when the battery case 36 is held in the passenger compartment.In addition, in the present embodiment, the console box 41 is fixed to the body 21 side and the battery case 36 side in the extending portions 46 and 47 extending from the accommodating portion 42 toward the outside of the accommodating space 43. Such a configuration can facilitate the work for fixing the console box 41 on the body 21 side and the battery case 36 side.The configuration of the vehicle according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention will be summarized. The vehicle according to the present invention includes: the body 21 forming the floor portion in the passenger compartment; the console box 41 provided on the body 21 and placed in the passenger compartment; the battery 31 provided below the console box 41; the battery case 36 configured to house the battery 31; and the fixing member 51 as a first fixing member and the fixing member 52 as a second fixing member configured to fix the console box 41 on the body 21 side and the battery case 36 side, respectively.According to the vehicle of the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the console box 41 can be held in the passenger compartment without causing an increase in weight and higher cost.A vehicle according to the present invention includes: a body forming a floor portion in a passenger compartment; a console box provided on the body and placed in the passenger compartment; a battery provided below the console box; a battery case configured to accommodate the battery; and a first fastening member and a second fastening member configured to fasten the console box on the body side and the battery case side, respectively. Here, the console box has a receiving portion that forms an article receiving space, and has a first extending portion and a second extending portion that extend from the receiving portion toward the outside of the receiving space. The first extension portion and the second extension portion are fastened on the vehicle side and on the battery housing side, respectively.According to the vehicle configured as described above, the console box is fixed on the body side and the battery box side, and thus it becomes unnecessary to increase the rigidity of the battery case as a whole. As a result, the console box can be held in the passenger compartment without causing an increase in weight and higher cost.Preferably, a fixed portion of the battery case to which the console box is fixed has higher rigidity than other portions of the battery case.According to the vehicle configured as described above, the console box can be more firmly held in the passenger compartment.Preferably, the battery case has a hood-like main portion in a case shape and is provided to cover the battery, and has a plate-like stiffening portion fixed to the main body portion. The fixed portion of the battery case to which the console box is fixed is the plate-like stiffening portion.In the vehicle configured as described above, the rigidity of the fixing portion of the battery case to which the console box is fixed can be easily increased.Preferably, a gap is provided between the main body portion and the console box.In the vehicle configured as described above, it is possible to prevent the weight of the console box from directly acting on the low-rigidity main body portion.According to the vehicle configured as described above, the first extending portion and the second extending portion are disposed outside the accommodation space, and thus the console box can be easily fixed on the body side and the battery case side.Preferably, the accommodating portion has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view in which a long side direction of the accommodating portion corresponds to a vehicle front-rear direction and a short side direction of the accommodating portion corresponds to a vehicle width direction. The first extending portion and the second extending portion are provided at opposite ends of the receiving portion in the long side direction.In the vehicle configured as described above, the first extending portion and the second extending portion fixed on the vehicle body side and the battery case side, respectively, are spaced apart from each other in the long side direction of the accommodating portion, and thus the console box can be held more firmly.Preferably, the console box is provided between a driver seat and a passenger seat. The first extending portion and the second extending portion are provided on the vehicle front side and the vehicle rear side, respectively.In the vehicle configured as described above, the console box is fixed on the vehicle front side on the body side where relatively enough space is present, and the console box is fixed on the vehicle rear side on the battery case side where not relatively enough space is present. As a result, the space in the passenger compartment can be used efficiently and the console box can be supported.The present invention is applied to the vehicle having the console box.Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described, it is to be understood that the embodiment described herein is illustrative and not restrictive in each direction. The scope of the invention is defined by the terms in the claims, and it is intended to include any modification within the meaning and range of equivalents to the terms in the claims.

Claims

A vehicle comprising: a body (21) forming a floor portion in a passenger compartment; a console box (41) placed in the passenger compartment and having a receiving portion (42) forming an article receiving space (43); a battery (31) provided below the console box (41); and a battery case (36) configured to accommodate the battery (31); characterized by a first fixing member (51) and a second fixing member (52) configured to fix the console box (41) on the body (21) side and on the battery case (36) side, wherein the console box (41) has a first extending portion (46) and a second extending portion (47) extending from the accommodating portion (42) toward the outside of the accommodating space (43), and wherein the first extending portion (46) is fixed to the body (21) and the second extending portion (47) is fixed to the battery case (36).The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a fixed portion of the battery case (36) to which the console box (41) is fixed has a rigidity higher than that of the other portions of the battery case (36).The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the battery case (36) has a hood-like main body portion (37) and is provided to cover the battery (31), and has a plate-like stiffening portion (38) fixed to the main body portion (37), and the fixed portion of the battery case (36) to which the console box (41) is fixed is the plate-like stiffening portion (38).The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a gap (33) is provided between the main body portion (37) and the console box (41).The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the accommodating portion (42) has a rectangular shape in plan view in which a long side direction of the accommodating portion (42) corresponds to a vehicle front-rear direction and a short side direction of the accommodating portion (42) corresponds to a vehicle width direction, and the first extending portion (46) and the second extending portion (47) are provided at opposite ends in the long side direction of the accommodating portion (42).The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the console box (41) is provided between a driver seat and a passenger seat, and the first extending portion (46) and the second extending portion (47) are provided on the vehicle front side and the vehicle rear side, respectively.

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