Vehicle understructure of electric vehicle and seat structure for vehicles

Abstract

To provide a vehicle understructure of an electric vehicle and a seat structure for vehicles making it possible to suppress the height in the vehicular vertical direction compared with a case where a seat rail is disposed in the compartment, and expand the compartment space.SOLUTION: A vehicle understructure 10 of an electric vehicle includes a drive battery pack 20 mounted on the vehicular lower side of a floor 12 of the vehicle, and at least one seat rail 26 which is disposed on a wall 23 in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack 20 on the vehicular lower side of the floor 12 or located at a position opposite to the wall and with which a slide member 58 included in a vehicle seat 30 can be engaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle underbody structure and a vehicle seat structure for an electric vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle in which a drive battery is disposed under the floor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-219336 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, due to the presence of a battery, seat rails must be provided on the floor above the battery, leaving room for improvement in the passenger living space in the vehicle height direction.

[0005] The present invention takes into consideration the above-mentioned facts and aims to provide a vehicle underbody structure and a vehicle seat structure for an electric vehicle that can expand the living space for occupants in the vehicle height direction compared to a case in which seat rails are arranged on the floor inside the vehicle cabin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle underbody structure of the electric vehicle according to the present invention as described in claim 1 comprises a drive battery pack mounted on the underside of the vehicle floor of the vehicle, and at least one seat rail to which a slide member arranged on a vehicle seat can be engaged, the seat rail being provided on the underside of the floor and on a wall portion in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack or in a position facing the wall portion.

[0007] In the vehicle underbody structure for an electric vehicle according to the present invention described in claim 1, at least one seat rail is engageable with a slide member provided on the vehicle seat, is provided on the vehicle floor under the vehicle, and is provided on a wall portion in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack or in a position facing said wall portion. Therefore, the installation position of the vehicle seat can be lowered compared to when the seat rail is provided on the vehicle floor, and the living space for occupants in the vehicle height direction can be expanded.

[0008] The vehicle underbody structure of the electric vehicle of the present invention described in claim 2 is, in the configuration described in claim 1, provided with rockers arranged along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle, and the seat rails are provided on the outer side of the vehicle width direction of the vehicle seat, outside the wall portion of the driving battery pack, and disposed on the upper surface of the rockers.

[0009] In the vehicle underbody structure for an electric vehicle according to the present invention described in claim 2, the seat rail provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is disposed on the outer side of the wall of the drive battery pack and on the upper surface of the rocker. Therefore, by providing the seat rail on the outer side of the wall of the drive battery pack, it is possible to easily ensure insulation from the drive battery. Also, by providing the seat rail on the upper surface of the rocker, the space on the rocker side of the drive battery pack can be used both as a space for suppressing load transmission to the drive battery and as a space for arranging the seat rail.

[0010] The vehicle underbody structure of an electric vehicle according to the present invention as described in claim 3 is the configuration as described in claim 1, wherein the seat rail is provided on the outer side of the vehicle seat in the vehicle width direction and on the inner side of the wall portion of the drive battery pack.

[0011] In the vehicle underbody structure for an electric vehicle according to the present invention described in claim 3, the seat rails are provided on the outer side of the vehicle seat in the vehicle width direction and on the inner side of the wall of the drive battery pack, so there is no need to provide additional space for arranging the seat rails outside the drive battery pack, and an increase in the arrangement space in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed.

[0012] The vehicle seat structure of the present invention as described in claim 4 comprises: a vehicle undercarriage structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3; a seat cushion on which an occupant sits; a pair of seat legs extending toward the vehicle lower side on both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction and arranged to overlap with side surfaces of a floor of the vehicle; and a slide member provided on at least one of the pair of seat legs corresponding to the seat rail and moving along the seat rail.

[0013] In the vehicle seat structure according to the present invention described in claim 4, a pair of seat legs extend downwardly from both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction and are arranged to overlap with the side surfaces of the vehicle floor. Therefore, a space corresponding to the height of the pair of seat legs is formed between the pair of seat legs on the vehicle floor, so that it is possible to expand the living space under the feet of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat on the rear side of the vehicle seat.

[0014] The vehicle seat structure according to the present invention as set forth in claim 5 is the configuration as set forth in claim 4, wherein the at least one seat leg portion is provided with the slide member on a surface side facing the other seat leg portion.

[0015] In the vehicle seat structure of the present invention described in claim 5, at least one of the seat legs has a slide member provided on the surface side facing the other seat leg, thereby preventing the slide member from being exposed from the seat leg, thereby improving the appearance. Effect of the Invention

[0016] As described above, the vehicle underbody structure and vehicle seat structure for an electric vehicle according to the present invention have the excellent effect of expanding the living space for occupants in the vehicle height direction, compared to a case in which seat rails are arranged on the floor inside the vehicle cabin. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lower portion to which a vehicle lower portion structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, viewed obliquely from the left side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the lower part of the vehicle in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example corresponding to FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another modified example corresponding to FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A vehicle underbody structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the arrows FR, UP, and LH shown in each drawing indicate the front, upper, and left directions of a vehicle to which the vehicle underbody structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, respectively. Hereinafter, when the directions of front / rear, up / down, and left / right are simply used for the description, they indicate front / rear in the vehicle front / rear direction, up / down in the vehicle up / down direction, and left / right when facing forward, unless otherwise specified.

[0019] Vehicles to which the vehicle undercarriage 10 of this embodiment is applicable include, for example, electric vehicles, gasoline hybrid vehicles, fuel cell hybrid vehicles, etc. that run using an electric motor (not shown) as a drive source, and a drive battery pack 20 that stores electricity to be supplied to the electric motor is disposed on the underside of the vehicle of a floor panel 12 that constitutes the floor of the vehicle.

[0020] (Vehicle underbody structure configuration) As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a floor panel 12 extends along the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction in a vehicle underside 10 to which the vehicle underside structure according to this embodiment is applied. In this embodiment, this floor panel 12 constitutes a floor, which is the floor surface of the vehicle. Furthermore, rockers 14 extend along the vehicle front-rear direction at both ends of the floor panel 12 in the vehicle width direction. Note that in each drawing, only the rocker 14 on the left side in the vehicle width direction is shown, and the rocker 14 on the right side is omitted from the drawing. Below, the rocker 14 on the left side in the vehicle width direction is explained, and the right side rocker 14 has the same configuration as the left side rocker 14, so explanation of it will be omitted here.

[0021] The rocker 14 is a skeletal member constituting the skeleton of the lower part of the vehicle body at the side of the vehicle body, and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the rocker 14 includes an outer part 15 arranged on the outside in the vehicle width direction, an inner part 16 arranged on the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a rocker reinforcement 17 arranged between the outer part 15 and the inner part 16. The outer part 15 and the inner part 16 are reinforced by the rocker reinforcement 17. Note that the rocker 14 is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 3. The rocker 14 is formed of a metal such as an aluminum alloy, and the outer part 15, the inner part 16, and the rocker reinforcement 17 are joined by welding or the like. Note that the rocker 14 may be formed integrally with the outer part 15, the inner part 16, and the rocker reinforcement 17 by casting, extrusion, drawing, or the like.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the vehicle outer side of the rocker 14 is covered by a rocker molding 18, which is a design part made of resin or the like. The rocker molding 18 has a cover portion 18A formed along the up-down direction in a cross-sectional shape cut along the vehicle width direction. The rocker molding 18 also has an upper cover portion 18B provided on the vehicle upper side of the cover portion 18A and inclined upward as it approaches the inside of the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the rocker molding 18 has a lower cover portion 18C extending toward the inside of the vehicle width direction. The upper cover portion 18B has an upper end portion 18D at the upper end in a part in the vehicle front-rear direction that is bent at a substantially right angle toward the inside of the vehicle width direction, and this upper end portion 18D forms a cover insertion hole 18E through which a leg frame 56 described later is inserted.

[0023] The floor panel 12 has a flat portion 12A formed in a flat shape and an oblique side portion 12B extending downward and diagonally outward from both ends of the flat portion 12A. The oblique side portion 12B is formed so as to be inclined at the same angle as the upper cover portion 18B when the floor panel 12 is placed on the rocker molding 18.

[0024] The cover insertion hole 18E is formed to extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and in this embodiment, after a leg frame 56 described later is inserted into the cover insertion hole 18E, the floor panel 12 and the rocker molding 18 are joined by a bolt or the like. The floor panel 12 and the rocker molding 18 are fixed at a location where the cover insertion hole 18E is not formed, as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is also diagrammatically drawn. For example, the rocker 14 and the rocker molding 18 are drawn apart in FIG. 3, but in reality, the rocker molding 18 is fixed in contact with the rocker 14.

[0025] Returning to FIG. 1, a vehicle seat 30 is disposed on the upper surface of the floor panel 12. Although each drawing shows only the front vehicle seat 30 disposed on the left side in the vehicle width direction, in reality, a front vehicle seat 30 is also disposed on the right side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, a rear vehicle seat (not shown), such as a bench seat as an example, is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the front vehicle seat 30. The rear vehicle seat may be provided only in the second row, or may be provided in the second and third rows. In addition, the rear vehicle seat is not limited to a bench seat, and a seat of a known structure may be disposed.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, a center console 40 is provided on the upper surface of the floor panel 12 between the left and right front vehicle seats 30. The center console 40 is provided continuous with the center of the instrument panel (not shown) in the vehicle width direction, and both ends in the vehicle width direction are located on the sides of the left vehicle seat 30 and the right vehicle seat 30, respectively. Although not shown, the upper surface of the center console 40 may be provided with, for example, a cup holder, an operating unit capable of operating vehicle electronic devices such as a car navigation system and audio equipment, or a console box. When a console box is provided, an armrest extending in the vehicle front-rear direction may be disposed on the upper part of the console box so as to cover the upper part. In this case, the rear end or side end of the armrest is provided rotatably with respect to the console box, and the armrest functions as a lid for opening and closing the console box.

[0027] 3, a driving battery pack 20 is disposed on the vehicle underside of the floor panel 12 as a driving force supply device for supplying electric power to a power unit such as a motor. The driving battery pack 20 includes a battery pack case 22 that forms an outer shell of the driving battery pack 20 and a battery 24 disposed inside the battery pack case 22.

[0028] The battery pack case 22 includes an upper battery case 22A that covers the battery 24 from above the vehicle, and a lower battery case 22B that covers the battery 24 from below the vehicle, and the battery 24 is stored in the battery pack case 22 so as to be covered from the top and bottom of the vehicle by the upper battery case 22A and the lower battery case 22B. The battery pack case 22 extends in the vehicle width direction between the rockers 14 on both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction, and is disposed below the left and right vehicle seats 30 on the front side of the vehicle. The battery pack case 22 also extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle so as to include at least the left and right vehicle seats 30 on the front side of the vehicle.

[0029] The battery upper case 22A is made of light metal or steel plate, and the battery lower case 22B is made of steel plate, for example. Outside the wall portions 23 on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the battery upper case 22A and on the rocker 14 side, seat rails 26 having a substantially elongated shape with the vehicle front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction are provided, and the seat rails 26 are fastened to the upper surface of the rocker 14 by bolts, for example. The seat rails 26 may be formed integrally with the rocker 14. The seat rails 26 are configured so that a slide member 58 of the vehicle seat 30, which will be described later, can be engaged therewith. The seat rails 26 have, for example, a lower surface portion extending substantially horizontally in a vertical cross section, and side wall portions extending from both ends of the lower surface portion in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle upper side, and have a substantially C-shaped open cross section opened toward the vehicle upper side. That is, the upper side of the vehicle is open, and the seat rails 26A are provided with a recess 26A extending in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0030] The battery 24 is configured to include a plurality of battery pack modules (not shown). The battery module is configured, for example, with a battery stack formed by stacking a number of battery cells, a metal case that houses the battery stack, and various electric components arranged on the battery stack. The battery cells are rechargeable secondary batteries, for example lithium-ion secondary batteries. The metal case is made of a light metal such as aluminum.

[0031] The battery modules (not shown) are placed on the battery lower case 22B in one direction at regular intervals. The battery upper case 22A covers the upper surfaces of the battery modules arranged on the battery lower case 22B. An upper cross member (not shown) that forms the framework of the vehicle is attached to the upper surface of the battery upper case 22A, and a lower cross member (not shown) that forms the framework of the vehicle is attached to the lower surface of the battery lower case 22B.

[0032] As an example, the battery lower case 22B is fastened to the locker 14 by bolts or the like via a shock absorbing portion (not shown). If a shock absorbing structure is provided inside the locker 14, the battery lower case 22B is fastened to the locker 14 by bolts or the like. Note that as the shock absorbing portion and the shock absorbing structure, a known structure formed, for example, in a ladder-shaped cross section can be used.

[0033] (Configuration of vehicle seat structure) 1 and 2, a vehicle seat 30 according to this embodiment includes a seat cushion 32 on which an occupant sits (supporting the occupant's buttocks and thighs), a seat back 34 that supports the occupant's back, i.e., forms a backrest, and a headrest 36 that supports the occupant's head. The seat back 34 stands upright from the rear end of the seat cushion 32 and has a reclining function that is rotatable relative to the seat cushion 32. Note that a known technology can be used for the reclining function, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0034] The vehicle seat 30 also includes a pair of seat legs 50. The pair of seat legs 50 includes an outer seat leg 50A on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and an inner seat leg 50B on the inner side. The outer seat leg 50A and the inner seat leg 50B extend toward the vehicle lower side on both sides of the seat cushion 32 in the vehicle width direction, and are arranged to overlap with the side surface of the floor panel 12 as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer seat leg 50A and the inner seat leg 50B are arranged so that the lower end portion 52 in the vehicle lower direction covers the cover insertion hole 18E provided in the rocker molding 18 described above. In this embodiment, as an example, the floor panel 12 has an opening (not shown) extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on the side of the center console 40, and the inner seat leg 50B is arranged to overlap with the side surface that forms the opening of the floor panel 12 by being inserted into this opening.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, the pair of seat legs 50 (outer seat legs 50A) are provided with leg moldings 54, which are design parts made of resin or the like and cover the outer surfaces. The lower end of the leg moldings 54 covering the outer seat legs 50A on the vehicle underside is positioned so as to cover the cover insertion hole 18E of the rocker molding 18 described above. That is, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in the places where the leg moldings 54 are not positioned, the cover insertion hole 18E is formed so as to be visible from the outside of the vehicle.

[0036] The outer seat leg 50A is connected to the outer side in the vehicle width direction of a seat pan (not shown) that forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 32, and includes a leg frame 56 that forms the skeleton of the outer seat leg 50A. The leg frame 56 is made of stainless steel, for example, and includes an upper frame 56A extending from the lower end of the seat pan toward the lower side of the vehicle, an intermediate frame 56B extending from the lower end of the upper frame 56A toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a lower frame 56C extending downward from the end of the intermediate frame 56B.

[0037] A slide member 58 that engages with the recess 26A of the seat rail 26 described above is provided at the lower end of the lower frame 56C of the outer seat leg 50A. That is, the slide member 58 provided on the outer seat leg 50A is provided on a surface corresponding to the inner seat leg 50B via the intermediate frame 56B and the lower frame 56C.

[0038] The slide member 58 extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and has a length shorter than the recessed portion 26A of the seat rail 26. As one example, the slide member 58 is configured to be slidable relative to the seat rail 26 by providing a ball bearing or the like between the slide member 58 and the seat rail 26. That is, the slide member 58 moves along the seat rail 26. Note that a known technology can be used for the slidable structure, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0039] The inner seat leg 50B is connected to the inside of a seat pan (not shown) that forms the framework of the seat cushion 32 in the vehicle width direction, and includes a leg frame that forms the framework of the inner seat leg 50B. The leg frame is made of stainless steel, for example, and extends from the lower end of the seat pan toward the vehicle lower side, with a slide member 58 provided at the lower end. In this embodiment, a seat rail having a recess 56A that engages with the slide member 58 on the inner seat leg 50B side, for example, is provided on the upper surface of the battery upper case 22A located at the vehicle lower end of the opening of the floor panel 12 described above, although not shown.

[0040] (Action and effect of vehicle underbody structure) Next, the operation and effects of the vehicle underbody structure 10 and the vehicle seat structure 30 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0041] In the vehicle underbody structure 10 for an electric vehicle according to this embodiment, the seat rail 26 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is engageable with a slide member 58 arranged on the vehicle seat 30, is provided on the vehicle underside of the vehicle floor panel 12, and is provided in a position facing the wall portion 23 in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack 20. Therefore, the installation position of the vehicle seat 30 can be lowered compared to when the seat rail 26 is arranged on the vehicle floor panel 12, and the living space for occupants in the vehicle height direction can be expanded.

[0042] Furthermore, in the vehicle undercarriage structure 10 for an electric vehicle according to this embodiment, the seat rails 26 provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction are provided outside the wall portion 23 of the driving battery pack 20 and on the rocker 14 side. Therefore, providing the seat rails 26 on the outer side of the wall portion 23 of the driving battery pack 20 makes it easier to ensure insulation from the battery 24. Also, providing the seat rails 26 on the upper surface of the rocker 14 makes it possible to utilize the space on the rocker 14 side of the driving battery pack 20 as both a space for suppressing load transmission to the battery 24 and a space for arranging the seat rails 26.

[0043] In the structure of the vehicle seat 30 according to this embodiment, the pair of seat legs 50 extend toward the vehicle lower side on both sides of the seat cushion 32 in the vehicle width direction and are arranged to overlap with the side surfaces of the vehicle floor panel 12. Therefore, a space according to the height of the pair of seat legs 50 is formed between the pair of seat legs 50 on the vehicle floor panel 12, so that the living space under the feet of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat on the rear side of the vehicle seat 30 can be expanded, for example.

[0044] In addition, in the structure of the vehicle seat 30 according to this embodiment, the outer seat leg 50A is provided with the slide member 58 on the surface side facing the inner seat leg 50B, so that the slide member 58 can be prevented from being exposed from the outer seat leg 50A, thereby improving the appearance.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the seat rail 26 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is provided at a position facing the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. Fig. 4 shows a modified example corresponding to Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 shows another modified example corresponding to Fig. 3. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the seat rail 26 may be provided on the outer side surface of the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20. In this case, the seat rail 26 is fastened to the wall portion 23 by, for example, a bolt or the like. In this case, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0046] 5, the seat rail 26 may be provided inside the wall portion 23B of the battery lower case 22B of the driving battery pack 20. In this case, an insertion hole 59 through which the lower frame 56C is inserted is provided in the battery upper case 22A located on the vehicle upper side of the seat rail 26, and the slide member 58 is inserted through the insertion hole 59. The insertion hole 59 extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0047] In the vehicle underbody structure 10 shown in the modified example, the seat rails 26 are provided inside the wall portion 23B of the driving battery pack 20. Therefore, there is no need to provide additional space for arranging the seat rails 26 outside the driving battery pack 20, so an increase in the arrangement space in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed.

[0048] (Supplementary information regarding this embodiment) In the above embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the recess 26A of the seat rail 26 is disposed so as to be open on the upper side, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, The recess 26A of the seat rail 26 may be disposed so that the outer side in the vehicle width direction is open.

[0049] Also, in the above embodiment, as an example, the seat rail having the recess 56A that engages with the slide member 58 on the inner seat leg 50B side is provided on the upper surface of the upper battery case 22A located at the vehicle lower end of the opening of the floor panel 12 described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if multiple driving battery packs 20 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction, the seat rail on the inner seat leg 50B side can be configured in the same way as the seat rail 26 of the outer seat leg 50A.

[0050] An example of an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above, and one embodiment and various modified examples may be used in appropriate combination, and it is of course possible to implement the present invention in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10 Vehicle underbody structure 12 Floor panel (vehicle floor) 14 Rocca 20 Drive battery pack 23 Wall 23B Wall section 26 Seat rail 30 Vehicle seats 50 Pair of seat legs 50A Outer seat leg (one seat leg) 50B Inner seat leg (other seat leg) 58 Slide member

Claims

1. a drive battery pack mounted on the underside of the vehicle floor; at least one seat rail that is engageable with a slide member disposed on a vehicle seat and that is provided on the vehicle underside of the floor and on a wall portion of the driving battery pack in a vehicle width direction or at a position facing the wall portion; A vehicle underbody structure for an electric vehicle.

2. A rocker is provided along a vehicle front-rear direction at both ends of the vehicle in a vehicle width direction, 2. The vehicle undercarriage structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the seat rail is provided on the outer side of the vehicle seat in the vehicle width direction, on the outer side of the wall portion of the driving battery pack, and on the upper surface of the rocker.

3. 2. The vehicle underbody structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the seat rail is provided on an outer side of the vehicle seat in a vehicle width direction and on an inner side of the wall portion of the drive battery pack.

4. A vehicle underbody structure according to claim 1; A seat cushion on which an occupant sits; A pair of seat legs extending toward a vehicle lower side on both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction and arranged to overlap with side surfaces of a floor of the vehicle; a slide member provided on at least one of the pair of seat legs corresponding to the seat rail, the slide member moving along the seat rail; A vehicle seat structure comprising:

5. The vehicle seat structure according to claim 4, wherein the slide member is provided on a surface of the at least one seat leg portion that faces the other seat leg portion.

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