VEHICLE BATTERY PACK MOUNTING STRUCTURE

Abstract

[Problem to be solved] The creation of a vehicle battery pack mounting structure that increases body stiffness and steering stability by improving the stiffness of the coupling area between a battery pack and rear side elements. [Solution] A vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 secures a drive battery pack 3, which is attached to a rear side element 4 in an electric vehicle (EV). This mounting structure 1 comprises: a body-side support 12, which is fixed to the rear side element 4; and a battery-side support 13, which is installed between a fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 and the body-side support 12. The body-side support 12 is adjacent to an arm support part 7, which pivotally supports a trailing arm 61 of a rear suspension 6 and is attached to the rear side element 4. A reinforcement support 14 is installed between the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 and the arm support part 7.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle battery pack mounting structure. [Technical background]

[0002] Generally, a large battery pack for powering an electric vehicle, such as an electric car, is located beneath the floor pan. To attach this drive battery pack to the main body of the electric vehicle, the rear end of the battery pack is fixed to structural components, such as rear side elements located at the rear of the vehicle, via supports. Patent specification 1, for example, shows a structure in which, beneath a plurality of supports at the two end sections of the drive battery pack extending laterally along the vehicle, these supports are fixed to rear side elements at the rearmost side of the vehicle via other supports that are coupled to the upper part of the supports. [List of publications][Patent specification]

[0003] [Patent 1] JP 2016 - 112 913 A [Disclosure of the invention][Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because in a conventional mounting structure like the one disclosed in the aforementioned patent specification 1, individual supports couple a battery pack and rear side elements and are formed by combining sheet-metal-like components, the rigidity may be insufficient. In particular, a very large inertial force is applied to a large and heavy drive battery pack in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle or in its lateral direction, and this inertial force is also transferred to the coupling area between the battery pack and the rear side elements. Therefore, the coupling area requires high rigidity. Furthermore, the trailing arms of the rear suspension system of the electric vehicle are attached to their respective rear side elements.If a coupling area between a rear side element and the battery pack is deformed, and if the vehicle rigidity is insufficient, the steering stability of the electric vehicle may be adversely affected. Therefore, there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention was made with regard to the above points, and its objective is to create a vehicle battery pack mounting structure that improves body stiffness and steering stability by increasing the stiffness of the coupling area between a battery pack and rear side elements. [Means to solve the problem]

[0006] A variant of the invention for achieving the object described above provides a vehicle battery pack mounting structure for attaching a drive battery pack, which is mounted under a floor plate of an electric vehicle on a rear side element located on a side part of a rear section of the electric vehicle, wherein the side part points in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction, comprising: a body-side support attached to the rear side element;and a battery-side support installed between a fixing part on a rear end part of the battery pack and the body-side support, wherein the body-side support is adjacent to an arm support part which pivotably supports and is attached to a longitudinal link of a rear suspension installed in the electric vehicle and attached to the rear side element, and wherein a reinforcement support is installed between the fixing part of the battery pack and the arm support part. [Advantageous mode of operation of the invention]

[0007] A vehicle battery pack mounting structure according to the present invention improves the vehicle body stiffness and steering stability by improving the stiffness of the coupling area between a battery pack and rear side elements. [Brief description of the drawings] Fig. Figure 1 is a ground view of the right rear side of an electric vehicle when viewed from below the vehicle, wherein a vehicle battery pack mounting structure according to an embodiment of the invention is used. Fig. Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a coupling area between a battery pack and a rear side element, as well as the periphery of the coupling area of ​​the electric vehicle according to Fig. 1, from which a rear suspension system has been removed, viewed from below and obliquely behind. Fig. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Fig. 2. Fig. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view along line BB in Fig. 2. Fig. Figure 5 is a perspective view from below and obliquely behind the vehicle, showing the battery pack, an extension, a battery-side support, a reinforcement support, and an arm-side support. Fig. 2 were removed. Fig. 6 is a floor view of the vehicle after Fig. 5 from below the vehicle. Fig. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the battery-side carrier when viewed from below and diagonally to the right of the vehicle. Fig. Figure 8 is a bottom view of the reinforcement beam when viewed from below the vehicle. [Method of carrying out the invention]

[0008] In the following, one embodiment of the invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. Figure 1 is a bottom view of the right rear side of an electric vehicle (EV), viewed from below, in which a vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is used. Furthermore, Fig. 2 an enlarged perspective view of a coupling area between a battery pack 3 and a rear side element 4 as well as the periphery of the coupling area of ​​the in Fig. Figure 1 shows an electric vehicle from which a rear suspension system (hereinafter: rear suspension) has been removed, viewed from below and obliquely behind. In the drawings described below, an arrow F indicates the frontal direction along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and an arrow U indicates the upward direction in a vertical direction. Additionally, arrows R and L indicate the right and left directions from the perspective of a person looking from inside the vehicle towards the front of the vehicle.

[0009] In the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is a vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1. This embodiment is applied to a structure in which, for example, the drive battery pack 3, which is mounted under a floor plate 2 of the electric vehicle EV, for example an electric car, is attached to the paired right and left rear side elements 4, which are located on the two side areas in the vehicle width direction in a lower rear area of ​​the electric vehicle EV. The right and left rear side elements 4 extend approximately in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0010] The floor panel 2 is a plate element, with two side sections of the rear part of the floor panel 2, which point in the width direction of the vehicle, connected to the right and left rear side elements 4, respectively. The top surface of the floor panel 2 forms the floor of the vehicle interior. The battery pack 3, the rear suspension 6, and the like are located beneath the floor panel 2 of the vehicle.

[0011] The structure for attaching the battery pack 3 to the right rear side element 4 and the structure for attaching the battery pack 3 to the left rear side element 4 are symmetrically related. Therefore, the structure for attaching the battery pack 3 to the right rear side element 4 will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The description and illustration of the structure for attaching the battery pack 3 to the left rear side element 4 are omitted.

[0012] The battery pack 3 is a power supply device designed to supply power to a drive unit (not shown) which contains a drive motor installed in the electric vehicle EV. The battery pack 3 includes, for example, a main body part 31, a fixing part 32, and an input / output opening 33.

[0013] The main body part 31 has numerous batteries (cell modules) housed in a casing. The main body part 31 is box-shaped with a length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a length in the width direction of the vehicle, with the required height in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the main body part 31 has a step, such that the width-direction side region of a rear end section 31A of the main body part 31 is located slightly in front of a width-direction intermediate region.

[0014] The fixing part 32 is a component for fixing the main body part 31 to the vehicle body and is attached to the main body part 31 by welding or the like. The fixing part 32 can be integrated with the main body part 31. The fixing part 32 extends from the rear of the lateral side section of the rear end section 31A of the main body part 31 in the rearward direction of the vehicle. The fixing part 32 has an approximately rectangular cross-section. The extension length of the fixing part 32 corresponds approximately to the step in the rear end section of the main body part 31 or is slightly greater than the step. An extension 11, which is a component of the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1, is attached to the tip (the rear end) of the fixing part 32.

[0015] The input / output opening 33 is electrically connected to the numerous batteries mentioned above, which are housed in the main body section 31. The input / output opening 33 is located on the right side of the lateral intermediate section of the rear end section 31A of the main body section 31. A connector box and the like (not shown) are attached to the input / output opening 33 from the rear of the vehicle.

[0016] The rear side element 4 is located in a lower rear section of the electric vehicle (EV) and in an external area in the width direction of the vehicle, and it extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The rear side element 4 is a component with an approximately hat-shaped cross-section that is open at the top. The upper part of the rear side element 4 is connected to a side part of the floor panel 2, which is located in the width direction of the vehicle. Consequently, the rear side element 4 and the floor panel 2 form a closed cross-section.

[0017] A side sill 51 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle overlaps the rear side element 4 and is connected to the outer, width-direction face of the front part of the rear side element 4. The side sill 51 is located at the front of the rear side element 4 and extends continuously from a floor side element 52 ( Fig. 2) in the reverse direction of the vehicle. The floor side element 52 runs longitudinally along the vehicle. A reinforcing element 53 is connected to the upper surface of a part where the rear side element 4, the side sill 51, and the floor side element 52 overlap, and is connected to the inner width-direction area of ​​the part. Furthermore, an end region of a transverse element 54, extending in the width direction, is connected to the inner width-direction side of the reinforcing element 53 ( Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) The floor panel 2, the rear side element 4, the side sill 51, the floor side element 52 and the transverse element 54 are each a rigid component and form part of the vehicle structural element (body frame). These components are made of metallic material.

[0018] The rear side element 4 has a sloping section 41 in its longitudinally extending intermediate section. This sloping section extends upwards along the vehicle and towards the center in the vehicle's width direction, while extending backwards along the vehicle's rearward direction. The floor plate 2, which is connected to the upper section of the rear side element 4, has a step between the floor surface on the front side of the sloping section 41 and the floor surface on the rear side of the sloping section 41. The step is shaped to correspond to the vertical slope of the sloping section 41. In this way, a space is formed below the rear floor surface for accommodating the rear suspension system 6 and the like.

[0019] A body-side support 12, which is a component of the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1, and an arm support part 7, which pivotably supports a longitudinal control arm 61 ( Fig. 1) of the rear suspension 6 are arranged adjacent to each other and are connected to the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4. In the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1, the body-side support 12 is coupled to the extension 11 via a battery-side support 13. Furthermore, the extension 11 is coupled to the arm support part 7 via a reinforcement support 14 and an arm support-side support 15.

[0020] The rear suspension 6 is a torsion bar suspension system to which the (not shown) rear wheels are attached. The rear suspension 6 includes a pair of right and left trailing arms 61, a torsion bar 62, and the like. Fig. Figure 1 shows the right longitudinal control arm 61 and the torsion bar 62; the illustration of the left longitudinal control arm 61 is omitted.

[0021] The individual longitudinal control arm 61 is a metal component that extends approximately in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In a ground view of the vehicle, the intermediate section of the longitudinal control arm 61 is curved in the longitudinal direction towards the center in the vehicle width direction with respect to the front and rear sections of the longitudinal control arm 61. The front end section of the longitudinal control arm 61 is equipped with a metal, body-side coupling section 63, which extends at a required angle θ from the vehicle width direction and is cylindrical in shape. A cylindrical rubber bushing is inserted into the body-side coupling section 63. A pin 64, held by the arm support section 7, is inserted into the bushing. In this way, the longitudinal control arm 61 is coupled to the vehicle body (the rear side element 4) such that the longitudinal control arm 61 can oscillate vertically with the pin 64 acting as a support.That is, in this embodiment, the central shaft of the pin 64 is an arm support shaft a (in . Fig. 1 (shown as a dashed line).

[0022] The torsion bar 62 is a metal part that extends in a straight line in the width direction of the vehicle and provides a torsional reaction force for each of the right and left rear wheels. The torsion bar 62 is located with both ends in the width direction of the vehicle, each end being connected to an inner side section (when viewed in the width direction) of the longitudinal intermediate section of a corresponding trailing arm 61. A spring support 65, which carries the lower end of a coil spring (not shown), is connected to the rear side of the connecting part to which the inner side section (when viewed in the width direction) of each trailing arm 61 and the torsion bar 62 are connected. The upper end of the individual coil spring is connected to the body structural element.

[0023] Next, the following will be used to... Fig. 3 to 8 describe the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 (the extension 11, the body-side support 12, the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14 and the arm-side support 15) of this embodiment and the arm-side part 7.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional rear view along line AA in Fig. 2, and Fig. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view along line BB in Fig. 2. Furthermore, Fig. 5 a perspective view from below and diagonally rear of the vehicle, showing the battery pack 3, the extension 11, the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14 and the arm-side support 15 in Fig. 2 were removed. Fig. 6 is a floor view of the vehicle after Fig. 5 when viewed from below the vehicle. Furthermore, Fig. 7 a perspective view of the battery-side support 13 in a view from below and diagonally right, and Fig. Figure 8 is a bottom view of the reinforcement beam 14 when viewed from below the vehicle.

[0025] First, the extension 11, the body-side support 12 and the battery-side support 13 of the mounting structure 1 will be explained in detail.

[0026] As in the Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the extension 11 is attached to the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 and is designed as a block extending from a rear end of the fixing part 32 in the rearward direction of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the extension 11 has a rectangular prism shape extending longitudinally along the vehicle. It consists of a solid metal part with six surfaces: a front, a back, a top, a bottom, a right side, and a left side. Because the extension 11 is block-shaped, it possesses high rigidity. However, the extension 11 is not limited to a block shape. It can also be obtained by machining a sheet metal part into the desired shape.

[0027] The extension 11 has two through holes 11A that penetrate the extension 11 from the front to the back, and which form a gap between them in a vertical direction ( Fig. 2 to 4). The fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 has threaded holes 32A (dashed lines in Fig. 4) corresponding to the through holes 11A of the extension 11. A bolt or the like is inserted into each of the through holes 11A of the extension 11 and is firmly connected to a corresponding threaded hole 32A in the fixing part 32. As a result, the extension 11 is fixed to the battery pack 3.

[0028] In the structure for fixing the battery pack 3 to the right rear side element 4 according to Fig. 1. The right side of the extension 11 is a flat outer surface 11B, which faces outwards in the width direction. The battery-side support 13 is connected to the outer surface 11B of the extension 11. The outer surface 11B of the extension 11 has two threaded holes 11C for fixing the battery-side support 13, with a gap between them in the vertical direction ( Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) Furthermore, two threaded holes 11D for fixing the reinforcement carrier 14 are formed in the underside of the extension 11, with a gap between them in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (dashed lines in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4).

[0029] The body-side support 12 is a component formed by machining sheet metal; it has a projection 12A that extends from the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4 towards the center in the vehicle width direction, and also flanges 12B that are fixed to a bottom part 41A of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4 and to a side surface part 41B that points towards the center in the vehicle width direction ( Fig. 3 to 6).

[0030] The projection 12A has a flat underside 12A1, which points downwards towards the vehicle, and a front side 12A2 and a rear side 12A3, which extend upwards from the front end and the rear end of the underside 12A1, and further a side surface 12A4, which extends upwards from a side part of the underside 12A1 pointing towards the center in the vehicle width direction and connects the front side 12A2 with the rear side 12A1 ( Fig. 5 and Fig. 6) The underside 12A1 of the projection 12A extends, while its outer end portion runs diagonally in the width direction along the inclined portion 41 of the rear element 4. As a result, an approximate trapezoidal shape is formed in a ground view of the vehicle. Approximately the central area of ​​the underside 12A1 of the projection 12A contains a screw receptacle 12A5 for fixing the battery-side support 13.

[0031] The flanges 12B include an outer flange 12B1, which extends outwards in the vehicle width direction from approximately the center in the vehicle width direction of the underside 12A of the projection 12A, a front side flange 12B2, which projects away in the front direction of the vehicle from the width-direction outer end of the front side 12A2 of the projection 12A, and a rear flange 12B3, which projects in the rear direction of the vehicle from the width-direction outer end of the rear side 12A3 of the projection 12A ( Fig. 5 and Fig. 6) At the boundary between the underside 12A1 of the projection 12A and the outer flange 12B1, there is a step, the underside of the outer flange 12B1 being located slightly below the underside 12A1 of the projection 12A. The outer flange 12B1 is attached to the underside part 41A of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4 by welding or the like. Furthermore, the front side flange 12B2 and the rear flange 12B3 are connected to the side surface part 41B of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4 by welding or the like, the side surface part 41B facing the center in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] The body-side support 12, which is fixed to the inclined section 41 of the rear side element 4 as explained above, has the shape of a tower projecting from the rear side element 4 in its mid-width direction. The battery-side support 13 is positioned between the underside 12A1 of the body-side support 12 and the outer surface 11B of the extension 11, which is attached to the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3. As a result, the battery pack 3 is fixed to the rear side element 4 on the body side.

[0033] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, the battery-side support 12 is an L-shaped metal component when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The battery-side support 13 has a vertical wall section 13A extending vertically along the vehicle and a horizontal wall section 13B extending from the upper end of the vertical wall section 13A to an outer side in the vehicle's width direction. The battery-side support 13 has a predetermined width in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front and rear ends of the vertical wall section 13A are curved outwards in the vehicle's width direction, and the front and rear ends of the horizontal wall section 13B are curved downwards in the vehicle's direction. In other words, the battery-side support 13 has an approximately U-shaped cross-section that follows the L-shape.

[0034] The vertical wall section 13A of the battery-side support 13 has two through-holes 13C that extend through the vertical wall section 13A in the vehicle width direction, forming a vertical gap between them. A bolt or similar component is inserted into each through-hole 13C of the vertical wall section 13A of the battery-side support 13 and is tightened against a corresponding threaded hole 11C on the outer surface 11B of the extension 11. In this way, the battery-side support 13 is fixed to the extension 11.

[0035] The horizontal wall section 13B of the battery-side support 13 has a through-hole 13D that extends vertically through the horizontal wall section 13B in the vehicle direction. The through-hole 13D is formed in the central part of the horizontal wall section 13B. A bolt or similar component is inserted into the through-hole 13D of the horizontal wall section 13B of the battery-side support 13 and is firmly connected to the screw receptacle 12A5 on the underside 12A1 of the body-side support 12. In this way, the battery-side support 13 is fixed to the body-side support 12.

[0036] Next, the arm support part 7, the arm support-side support 15, and the reinforcement support 14 will be explained. As described above, the arm support part 7 pivotably mounts the longitudinal control arm 61 of the rear suspension 6. The arm support part 7 of this embodiment has an outer support 71, an inner support 72, and an inner reinforcement support 73, as shown in the Fig. Numbers 1 to 6 are shown.

[0037] The outer support 71 of the arm support section 7 has an approximately U-shape, open towards the center in the width direction when viewed from below. The outer support 71 extends vertically along the vehicle. The inner support 72 has an approximate U-shape, open towards one outer side in the width direction when viewed from below. The inner support 72 extends vertically along the vehicle. One end of the outer support 71, pointing towards the center in the width direction, and one end of the inner support 72, pointing towards the outer side in the width direction, are connected to each other. In a ground view of the vehicle, the outer support 71 and the inner support 72 have a cylindrical shape.

[0038] The outer support 71 and the inner support 72 are located in a space with an approximately U-shaped cross-section, which is open in the downward direction of the vehicle and is located between a side surface part 41C of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4, wherein the side surface part 41C points outwards in the width direction of the vehicle, and the inside of the rear part of the side sill 41 in the vehicle width direction ( Fig. 1 to 3). Inside the outer support 71 and the inner support 72 a space is formed in which the body-side coupling part 63 can be received at the front end of the longitudinal control arm 61.

[0039] The outer support 71 has a side wall part 71A on its outer side in the direction of the vehicle width, and this side wall part 71A is connected to the inner side of the side sill 51 ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) The area where the side support part 41A of the outer support 71 and the side sill 71 are connected is equipped with a bearing part 71B, which supports the outer end of the pin 64 (carrier shaft) of the longitudinal control arm 61 ( Fig. 3) The upper end of the outer support 71 is connected to a step part which is formed on the side surface part 41C of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4, wherein the side surface part 41C points outwards in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0040] The inner support 72 has a side wall part 72A, which faces the center in the direction of the vehicle width, and the upper part of this side wall part 72A is connected to the lower part of the side surface part 41C of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4, wherein the side surface part 41C points outwards in the direction of the vehicle width ( Fig. 3) The lower part of the side surface section 72A of the inner support 72 is connected to an outer surface of the inner reinforcement support 73 in the vehicle width direction. The area where the side wall section 72A of the inner support 72 and the inner reinforcement support 73 are connected to each other is equipped with a bearing section 72B, which supports the inner end of the pin 64 (carrier shaft) of the longitudinal control arm 61.

[0041] The inner reinforcement beam 73 has a side wall section 73A, which runs approximately in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the side wall section 72A of the inner beam 72, and a front wall section 73B, which runs from the front end of the side wall section 73A to the outside in the direction of the width of the vehicle ( Fig. 5 and Fig. 6) A section of the side wall part 73, which includes a section corresponding to the bearing part 72B of the inner support 72, is offset to the outside in the direction of the vehicle width. A side flange part 73C is formed at the upper end of the side wall part 73A. The side flange part 73C is bent towards the center in the direction of the vehicle width and extends along the underside part 41A of the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4. An upper flange part 73D is also formed on the rear side of the side flange part 73C. The side flange part 73C is fixed at several points to the underside part 41A of the rear side element 4 by welding or the like, and the upper flange part 73D is fixed to the side surface part 41B of the rear side element 4 by welding or the like, with the side surface part 41B pointing towards the center in the direction of the vehicle width.

[0042] A front flange section 73E is formed at one outer end (the outer end in the vehicle width direction) of the front wall section 73B of the inner reinforcement beam 73. The front flange section 73E is curved towards the front of the vehicle and runs along the inner surface of the side sill 51. The front flange section 73E is fixed at several points on the inner surface of the side sill 51 by welding or the like. The stiffness of the entire arm support section 7 is improved by connecting the inner support 72 to the inner reinforcement beam 73, fixed to the underside section 41A of the rear side element 4 and the inner surface of the side sill 51, as explained above. The arm support-side support 15 is connected to the inner surface of the side wall section 73A of the inner reinforcement beam 73, with the inner surface oriented towards the vehicle width direction ( Fig. 2 to 4).

[0043] The arm-side support 15 has a lower wall section 15A, which projects from the lower part of the inner surface of the side wall section 73A of the inner reinforcement support 73 of the arm support section 7 towards the center in the direction of the vehicle width, and furthermore a side wall section 15B, which extends from an edge of the lower wall section 15A, the edge of which points outwards in the direction of the vehicle width. The side wall section 15B has an approximately L-shape when viewed from the rear of the vehicle ( Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) The front and rear edges of the lower wall section 15A are curved upwards along the vehicle, and the front and rear edges of the side wall section 15B are curved towards the center in the vehicle's width direction. In other words, in a side view, the arm-side support 15 has an approximately L-shape, with the cross-section of each part of the arm-side support 15 being approximately U-shaped. The lower wall section 15A has two (not shown) screw receptacles for fixing the reinforcement support 14, with a gap between the receptacles in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The outer surface of the side wall section 15B is fixed to the lower part of the inner surface of the side wall section 73A of the inner reinforcement support 73 of the arm-side support 7 by welding or the like.

[0044] The reinforcement carrier 14 is a metal component that runs approximately in the vehicle width direction from the underside of the lower wall part 15A of the arm carrier-side carrier 15 to the underside of the extension 11 ( Fig. 1 to 4). In this embodiment, the height of the underside of the lower wall section 15A of the arm-support-side support 15 and the height of the underside of the extension 11 are set to approximately the same value, with the extension 11 being located slightly in front of the arm-support-side support 15 in the front direction of the vehicle. To adjust the positional relationship between the extension 11 and the arm-support-side support 15, the reinforcement support 14 curves in the front direction of the vehicle, extending from the arm-support side (the outer side in the vehicle width direction) to the battery side (the center in the vehicle width direction).

[0045] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the reinforcement carrier 14 of this embodiment is in particular divided into three parts which are divided in the direction of extension (the direction shown in Figure 8). Fig. 8 (indicated by the dashed line Lo) of the reinforcement carrier 14 are located. That is, the reinforcement carrier 14 has a side part 14A on the arm support side (the outer side in the direction of vehicle width), a side part 14b on the battery side (the middle in the direction of vehicle width) and an intermediate part 14C, which connects the side parts 14A and 14B.

[0046] The side section 14A on the arm support side runs at an angle θ (the inclination angle of the arm support shaft a of the longitudinal control arm 61) from the vehicle width direction. The arm support-side side section 14A has a width Wa in a direction orthogonal to the direction of travel of the side section 14A (the direction which in Fig. (indicated by the dashed line La). The arm-support side part 14A has two arm-support retaining parts 14D with a gap located between them in the orthogonal direction. Each arm-support retaining part 14D has the form of a hole passing vertically through the side part 14A. A bolt or the like is inserted into each arm-support retaining part 14D and tightened to the lower wall part 15A of the arm-support support 15 with a corresponding screw receptacle. As a result, the reinforcement support 14 is attached to the arm-support support 15. An attachment distance Pa on the arm-support side part 14A corresponds to the distance between two arm-support retaining parts 14D.

[0047] The battery-side side panel 14B extends in the vehicle width direction with a width Wb in a direction orthogonal to the extension direction of the side panel 14B (the direction is in Fig. 8 (indicated by the dashed line Lb). The battery-side side part 14B has two battery-side retaining parts 14E with a gap running orthogonally between them. Each battery-side retaining part 14E has the form of a hole through the side part 14B in a vertical direction. A bolt or the like is inserted into each battery-side retaining part 14E and firmly connected to one of the threaded holes 11D in the underside of the extension 11. As a result, the reinforcement carrier 14 is attached to the extension 11. An attachment distance Pb on the battery-side side part 14B corresponds to the distance between the two battery-side retaining parts 14E.

[0048] The intermediate section 14C curves such that the inclined extension direction of the arm-side side section 14A gradually coincides with the extension direction (vehicle width direction) of the battery-side side section 14B. The intermediate section 14C has a narrower width on the arm-side and a greater width on the battery-side. That is, the width of the intermediate section 14C in a direction orthogonal to the curvature of the intermediate section 14C gradually decreases from Wa to Wb. The intermediate section 14C has an oval opening 14F along the vehicle width direction. In a ground view, the intermediate section 14C is located at a point that overlaps with the point where the body-side support 12 and the battery-side support 13 are attached to each other ( Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) In other words, when the reinforcement carrier 14 is viewed from below the vehicle, the intermediate part 14C of the reinforcement carrier 14 is located at a point where the fastening area of ​​the through hole 13D in the battery-side carrier 13 and the screw receiving part 12A5 of the body-side carrier 12 are visible through the opening 14F of the intermediate part 14C.

[0049] Near the boundary between the arm-side side part 14A and the intermediate part 14C of the reinforcement carrier 14, a small step 14G is formed in a vertical direction ( Fig. 2 to 4 and 8). This stage 14G adjusts the height difference between the underside of the lower wall section 15A of the arm-support-side support 15 and the height of the underside of the extension 11. Furthermore, the front and rear edges of the reinforcement support 14 are bent downwards along the vehicle. In other words, the reinforcement support 14 has an approximately U-shaped cross-section that extends in the longitudinal direction.

[0050] The shape of the reinforcement carrier 14, with the arm-support-side side part 14A described above, the battery-side side part 14B, and the intermediate part 14C, is designed such that the width Wa of the arm-support-side side part 14A is greater than the width Wb of the battery-side side part 14B (Wa > Wb). Furthermore, the locations of the arm-support-side retaining elements 14E of the reinforcement carrier 14 are designed such that the mounting distance Pa on the arm-support-side side part 14A is greater than the mounting distance Pb of the battery-side side part 14B (Pa > Pb).

[0051] The vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 (the extension 11, the body-side support 12, the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14 and the arm-side support 15) of this embodiment is adjacent to the arm-side part 7, which has high rigidity in the manner described above, and is fixed to the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4.

[0052] As if through a dotted line in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the extension 11, the body-side support 12, the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14, and the arm-side support 15 are located within a band area A1, which is formed by moving the outer width of the arm-side support part 7 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle parallel to the vehicle's width direction, when viewed from below the vehicle. In the example according to Fig. 1 is the outer width of the arm support part 7 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the width from the front end of the inner reinforcement support 73 to the rear end of the outer support 71.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the extension 11, the body-side support 12, the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14, and the arm-side support 15 are located in a band area A2, formed by moving the outer width of the arm-support part 7 in a direction orthogonal to the arm-support shaft a in a ground view of the vehicle. In the example according to Fig.1 is the outer width of the arm support part 7 in a direction orthogonal to the arm support shaft 1, the width from the front end to the rear end of the inner reinforcement support 73. In particular, it is preferred that in a ground view of the vehicle, the fixing point of the body-side support 12 and the battery-side support 13 (the screw receiving part 12A5 of the body-side support 12 and the through-hole 13D of the battery-side support 13) and of the intermediate part 14C of the reinforcement support 14 is located at a point which overlaps an extension line of the arm support shaft a.

[0054] The advantages of the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 of this embodiment will be explained in detail below.

[0055] In the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 of this embodiment as described above, the body-side support 12 is adjacent to the arm support part 7, which pivotably mounts the longitudinal control arm 61 of the rear suspension system 6, and is attached to the rear side element 4. Furthermore, the battery-side support 13 is installed between the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 and the body-side support 12 via the extension 11 extending from the fixing part 32, and the reinforcement support 14 is installed between the extension 11 and the arm support part 7 via the arm support-side support 15, which is connected to the arm support part 7. As a result, the battery pack 3 is fixed to the rear side element 4.

[0056] In the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1, a portion of the arm support 7, which is attached to the rear side element 4, possesses relatively high rigidity. By fixing the body-side support 12 adjacent to the arm support 7 on the rear side element 4, the rigidity of the body-side support 12 is consequently increased. By arranging the extension 11 on the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3, the positional relationship between the fixing part 32, the body-side support 12, and the arm support 7 can be easily adjusted. As a result, a situation can be easily achieved in which one of several units with different external dimensions, other than the battery pack 3, is housed in the electric vehicle EV.Furthermore, since the extension 11 is coupled to the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 with two high-strength components (the body-side support 12 and the arm support part 7), which are fixed to the rear side element 4 via the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14 and the arm support-side support 15, the coupling area between the rear side element 4 and the battery pack 3 has high strength and consequently deforms less. Therefore, the stiffness of the vehicle body as well as the steering stability is improved.

[0057] Furthermore, in the vehicle battery pack mounting structure 1 of this embodiment, the reinforcement carrier 14 extends from the arm-side support 15, which is attached to the arm carrier 7, to the extension 11 on the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3. The multiple arm-side retaining elements 14D are formed in the arm-side side part 14A in the direction of extension, and the multiple battery-side retaining elements 14E are formed in the battery-side side part 14B. In addition, in a ground view of the vehicle, the width Wa of the arm-side side part 14A of the reinforcement carrier 14 is greater than the width Wb of the battery-side side part 14B, and the mounting distance Pa of the arm-side side part 14A is greater than the mounting distance Pb on the battery-side side part 14B.

[0058] This reinforcement beam 14 prevents a load acting on the reinforcement beam 14 via the arm support section 7 and the arm support-side support 15 from the rear suspension 6 during driving from concentrating on individual arm support-side retaining elements 14D formed in the arm support-side side section 14A. As a result, deformation of the reinforcement beam 14 is reduced. This structure makes it more difficult to deform the coupling area between the rear side element 4 and the battery pack 3. This means that body stiffness and steering stability are further improved.

[0059] Furthermore, in the mounting structure 1 of this embodiment, the intermediate part 14C of the reinforcement carrier 14 is located at a point that overlaps with the point where the body-side carrier 12 and the battery-side carrier 13 are connected, as seen from the ground. In this way, the points where the arm-side side part 14A of the reinforcement carrier 14 and the arm-side carrier 15 are fixed to each other, the points where the battery-side side part 14B of the reinforcement carrier 14 and the extension 11 are attached to each other, and the points where the body-side carrier and the battery-side carrier 13 are attached to each other are distributed vertically and in the vehicle width direction, forming a triangle. This prevents the force acting on the coupling area between the rear side element and the battery pack 3 from being concentrated on a single, specific part.As a result, the deformation of the coupling area is further reduced, and the body stiffness and steering stability are further improved.

[0060] Furthermore, in the mounting structure 1 of this embodiment, the body-side support 12 has the projection 12A, which extends from the rear side element 4 towards the center in the vehicle width direction, and the flange parts 12B, which are attached to the underside part 41A of the rear side element 4 and the side surface part 41B, which points towards the center in the vehicle width direction. The battery-side support 13 is also connected to the flat underside 12A1 of the projection 12A of the body-side support 12, with the flat underside 12A1 pointing downwards towards the vehicle. This structure increases the stiffness of the body-side support 12 against the force in the vehicle width direction, which is applied to the body-side support 12 by turning maneuvers or the like while driving.As a result, deformation of the coupling area between the rear side element 4 and the battery pack 3 can be further reduced, and body stiffness and steering stability are additionally improved.

[0061] Furthermore, in the mounting structure 1 of this embodiment, the extension 11, the body-side support 12, the battery-side support 13, the reinforcement support 14, and the arm-side support 15 are located within the band area A1, which is formed by moving the outer width of the arm support part 7 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle parallel to the vehicle width direction, as viewed from a ground-level perspective of the vehicle. These components are also located within the band area A2, which is formed by moving the outer width of the arm support part 7 in a direction orthogonal to the arm support shaft a of the arm support part 7 and parallel to the arm support shaft 1.Because this structure reduces the loss (transmission loss) that occurs when the force acting in the vehicle width direction, which is applied to the rear side element 4 via the longitudinal control arm 61 and the arm support part 7 during turning maneuvers or the like while driving, is transferred to the coupling area between the rear side element 4 and the battery pack 3, thus distributing this force effectively. As a result, the strength and stiffness of the coupling area between the rear side element 4 and the battery pack 3 are improved, and the deformation of the coupling area is effectively reduced. Therefore, body stiffness and steering stability can be further improved.

[0062] Although one embodiment of the invention has been described, the invention is not limited to this embodiment. Various modifications and variations within the scope of the invention's technical concept are possible.

[0063] For example, the above embodiment was described using an example in which the battery-side support 13 is attached to the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 via the extension 11, while the reinforcement support 14 is fixed to the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3 via the extension 11 and the arm support part 7 is fixed via the arm-side support 15. However, the extension 11 and / or the arm-side support 15 can be omitted, depending on the relative positional relationship between the rear side element 4 and the battery pack 3.

[0064] Furthermore, the above embodiment was described using an example in which the width Wa of the arm-support-side side part 14A of the reinforcement carrier 14 is greater than the width Wb of the battery-side side part 14B, while the mounting distance Pa of the arm-support-side side part 14A is greater than the mounting distance Pb of the battery-side side part 14B. However, the shape of the reinforcement carrier 14 is not limited to this example. For instance, the reinforcement carrier 14 can have a strip-plate shape with a certain width extending from the arm-support side to the battery side. The shape of the reinforcement carrier and the mounting distances can be designed appropriately, depending on the positional relationship between the extension 11 (or the fixing part 32 of the battery pack 3) and the arm-support-side carrier 15 (or the arm carrier 7), to give an example.

[0065] Furthermore, the above embodiment was described using an example in which the body-side support 12 has a tower shape projecting from the rear side element 4 towards the center in the direction of the vehicle's width, while the battery-side support 13 has an L-shape. However, the shape of the body-side support 12 and the battery-side support 13 is not limited to this example. The body-side support 12 and the battery-side support 13 can have any shape, as long as they couple the rear side element 4 and the extension 11 (or the fixing part 32 of the battery pack).

[0066] Furthermore, the above embodiment was described using an example in which the body-side support 12 and the arm support part 7 are attached to the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4. However, the body-side support 12 and the arm support part 7 can be attached to a part other than the inclined part 41 of the rear side element 4. [List of reference symbols] 1 Vehicle battery pack mounting structure 11 Extension 11A Through hole 11B Outdoor area 11C, 11D threaded hole 12 body-side supports 12A advantage 12A1 Underside 12A2 Front 12A3 reverse 12A4 page area 12B flange 12B1 Outer flange 12B2 Front side flange 12B3 rear flange 13 battery-side carriers 13A Vertical wall section 13B Horizontal wall section 13C, 13D Through hole 14 reinforcement beams 14A arm support side panel 14B battery-side side panel 14C Intermediate part 14D arm carrier-side retaining part 14E battery-side retaining part 14F opening 14G level 15 arm-side support 15A Under-wall section 15B Side panel 2 Base plate 3 battery packs 31 Main body part 31A Back end 32 Fixing part 32A threaded hole 33 Entrance / Exit Opening 4 rear side element 41 Slanted section 41A Underside part 41B Side surface section opposite center in width direction 41C Side surface section opposite outside in width direction 51 side skirts 52 floor side element 53 Reinforcement 54 transverse element 6 rear suspension 61 trailing arms 62 Torsion bar 63 Body-side coupling part 64 pens 65 spring support 7 Arm support part 71 external carriers 71A Side wall section 71B Bearing part 72 inner carriers 72A Side panel 72B Bearing part 73 Internal reinforcement beams 73A Side wall section 73B Front panel section 73C Side flange part 73D upper flange part 73E Front flange part a arm support shaft A1 Band area in the direction of vehicle width A2 band area in arm support shaft direction EV electric vehicle Pa, Pb application distance on reinforcement beam Wa, Wb Width of the reinforcement beam QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2016 - 112 913 A

[0003]

Claims

[1] Vehicle battery pack mounting structure (1) for mounting a traction battery pack (3) which is attached under a floor plate (2) of an electric vehicle to a rear side element (4) which is located on a side part of a rear part of the electric vehicle extending in the vehicle width direction and in the vehicle length direction, comprising: a body-side support (12) which is attached to the rear side element (4); and a battery-side support (13) which is installed between a fixing part (32) on a rear end part of the battery pack (3) and the body-side support (12), wherein the body-side support (12) is adjacent to an arm support part (7) which pivotably supports a longitudinal link (61) of a rear suspension (6) installed in the electric vehicle and attached to the rear side element (4) and is attached to the rear side element (4), and wherein a reinforcement carrier (14) is installed between the fixing part (32) of the battery pack (3) and the arm carrier part (7). [2] Fastening structure (1) according to claim 1, further comprising: an extension (11) extending from the fixing part (32) of the battery pack (3) in the rearward direction of the vehicle; and an arm carrier-side support (15) which is attached to the arm carrier part (7) and projects towards the center in the direction of the vehicle width, wherein the battery-side carrier (13) is attached to the fixing part (32) of the battery pack via the extension (11), and wherein the reinforcement carrier (14) is attached to the fixing part (32) of the battery pack via the extension (11) and is attached to the arm carrier part (7) via the arm carrier-side carrier (15). [3] Fastening structure (1) according to claim 1, in which the reinforcement carrier (14) extends from the arm support part (7) to the fixing part (32) of the battery pack (3), wherein an arm-support side part (14A) of the reinforcement carrier (14) has several arm-support side retaining parts (14D) with a gap between them in the orthogonal direction to the extension direction of the reinforcement carrier (14), and a battery-side part (14B) of the reinforcement carrier (14) has a plurality of battery-side retaining parts (14E) with a gap between them in the orthogonal direction in the extension direction, wherein in a ground view of the vehicle a width (Wa) of the arm carrier side part (4A) in the orthogonal direction is greater than a width (Wb) of the battery side part (14B) in the orthogonal direction, and an attachment distance (Pa) on the arm carrier side part (14A) is greater than an attachment distance (Pb) on the battery side part (14B). [4] Fastening structure (1) according to claim 1, wherein in a floor view of the vehicle the intermediate part of the reinforcement carrier (14) is arranged in the extension direction such that it overlaps a point where the body-side carrier and the battery-side carrier (13) are attached to each other. [5] Fastening structure according to claim 1, wherein the body-side support (12) contains: a projection (12A) extending from the rear side element (4) towards the center in the direction of the vehicle, and Flange parts (12B) attached to a bottom part and to a side surface part of the rear side element (4), wherein the side surface part (41b) faces the center in the vehicle width direction, wherein the battery-side support (13) is attached to a flat underside of the projection (12A), with the flat underside pointing downwards towards the vehicle. [6] Fastening structure (1) according to claim 1, wherein in a bottom view of the vehicle the body-side support (12), the battery-side support (13) and the reinforcement support (14) are arranged in a band area (A1) formed by moving an outer width of the arm support part (7) in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle parallel to the width direction of the vehicle. [7] Fastening structure according to claim 1, wherein in a bottom view of the vehicle the body-side support (12), the battery-side support (13) and the reinforcement support (14) are located in a band area (A2) formed by moving an outer width of the arm support part (7) in a direction orthogonal to an arm support shaft (a) parallel to it.

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