Vehicle

Abstract

To input a collision load from the vehicle side to a vehicle body and a battery pack unit equally when a lateral collision of a vehicle occurs.SOLUTION: A vehicle may include: a floor panel; side sills each of which extends in a vehicle front-back direction along a side edge of the floor panel; a floor cross member extending from the side sill in a vehicle lateral direction along the floor panel; reinforcement plates each of which is located in the side sill and arranged in a direction intersecting with the vehicle front-back direction; and a battery pack unit located below the floor panel and fastened to the side sills. The reinforcement plate may be provided at a fastening portion of the battery pack unit fastened to the side sill.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body having a floor panel, and a battery pack unit disposed below the floor panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2012 / 063393 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a side collision occurs on a vehicle, the collision load from the side of the vehicle is input not only to the vehicle body but also to the battery pack unit located below the floor panel. In this case, it is preferable that the collision load is input evenly to both the vehicle body and the battery pack unit. This allows the collision energy caused by the side collision to be effectively absorbed by both the vehicle body and the battery pack unit. This specification provides a new and useful technology for this purpose. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The technology disclosed in this specification is embodied in a vehicle. In a first aspect, the vehicle may include a floor panel, a side sill extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along a side edge of the floor panel, a floor cross member extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle from the side sill along the floor panel, a reinforcing plate located inside the side sill and arranged in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a battery pack unit located below the floor panel and fastened to the side sill. The reinforcing plate may be provided at a fastening point of the battery pack unit to the side sill.

[0006] In the above-mentioned vehicle, a side sill extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along the side edge of the floor panel, and a battery pack unit located below the floor panel is fastened to the side sill. A reinforcing plate is provided inside the side sill. In particular, the reinforcing plate is located at the fastening point of the battery pack unit to the side sill. With this configuration, the side sill and the battery pack unit are firmly connected. As a result, when a side collision occurs on the vehicle, the collision load from the side of the vehicle can be input evenly to both the vehicle body and the battery pack unit.

[0007] In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the reinforcing plate may be located within a portion of the side sill to which the floor cross member is connected. With this configuration, the reinforcing plate is supported by the floor cross member against a collision load from the side of the vehicle. This allows the collision load from the side of the vehicle to be input more evenly to both the vehicle body and the battery pack unit.

[0008] In a third aspect, in the second aspect, the floor cross member may have a vertical wall extending upward from the floor panel, and the reinforcing plate may be located on an extension line of the vertical wall extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle. With this configuration, the reinforcing plate is strongly supported by the floor cross member against a collision load from the side of the vehicle. This allows the collision load from the side of the vehicle to be input more evenly to both the vehicle body and the battery pack unit.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, the vehicle may further include a second floor cross member extending from the side sill along the floor panel in the left-right direction, and a second reinforcing plate located inside the side sill and arranged in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the vehicle. In this case, the second reinforcing plate may be located at a portion of the side sill where the second floor cross member is connected, and may be provided at a second fastening point of the battery pack unit to the side sill. With this configuration, the side sill and the battery pack unit are firmly connected at a plurality of fastening points. As a result, when a side collision occurs on the vehicle, the collision load from the side of the vehicle can be input more evenly to both the vehicle body and the battery pack unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 10. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the internal configuration of the vehicle 10. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of a side sill 24. Of the side sill 24, only an inner panel 24a is shown. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A vehicle 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 10 includes a plurality of wheels 14f, 14r, a vehicle body 12, a driving motor 16, a power conversion device 18, and a battery pack unit 20. The vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle. The vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle that runs by driving at least one of the plurality of wheels 14f, 14r by the driving motor 16.

[0012] Here, the direction FR in the drawings indicates the front in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10, and the direction RR indicates the rear in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10. The direction LH indicates the left in the left-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10, and the direction RH indicates the right in the left-and-aft direction of the vehicle 10. The direction UP indicates the upward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10, and the direction DW indicates the downward direction in the vertical direction of the vehicle 10.

[0013] The traveling motor 16 is driven by power supplied from the battery pack unit 20 via a power converter 18. The power converter 18 converts DC power from the battery pack unit 20 and supplies AC power to the traveling motor 16. The wheels 14f, 14r include a pair of front wheels 14f and a pair of rear wheels 14r. In this embodiment, the traveling motor 16 drives, for example, the front wheels 14f. The vehicle body 12 is formed using a metal such as steel or aluminum alloy. The vehicle body 12 has a passenger compartment 12c and a front room 12f located in front of the passenger compartment 12c. The passenger compartment 12c is a space in which passengers of the vehicle 10 board. The front room 12f is located between the pair of front wheels 14f and is a space in which a drive device such as the traveling motor 16 for the front wheels 14f is arranged. The battery pack unit 20 is disposed below the passenger compartment 12c.

[0014] The lower structure of the vehicle 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle body 12 has a floor panel 22, a pair of side sills 24, a dash panel 26, a first floor cross member 28, a second floor cross member 30, and a plurality of reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38. The floor panel 22 is a plate member and has an upper surface 22a and a lower surface 22b located opposite to the upper surface 22a. The floor panel 22 defines the floor of the passenger compartment 12c. One of the pair of side sills 24 extends in the front-rear direction along the left edge 22c of the floor panel 22. The other of the pair of side sills 24 extends in the front-rear direction along the right edge 22d of the floor panel 22. The pair of side sills 24 are joined at the left edge 22c and the right edge 22d of the floor panel 22, respectively. The dash panel 26 extends in the left-right direction along the front edge 22e of the floor panel 22. The dash panel 26 is a plate-like member, and defines the space between the passenger compartment 12c and the front room 12f. The first floor cross member 28 and the second floor cross member 30 are disposed on the upper surface 22a side of the floor panel 22. The first floor cross member 28 and the second floor cross member 30 each extend in the left-right direction along the floor panel 22. The second floor cross member 30 is located behind the first floor cross member 28.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the battery pack unit 20 is disposed below the floor panel 22 (i.e., on the lower surface 22b side). The battery pack unit 20 has a battery pack 20a and a plurality of (two in this embodiment) mounting members 20b, 20c. The battery pack 20a has a flat shape. A plurality of battery cells (not shown) are housed in the battery pack 20a. The mounting members 20b, 20c are plate-shaped members that are long in the front-rear direction. The left mounting member 20b is disposed on the left side of the battery pack 20a, and the right mounting member 20c is disposed on the right side of the battery pack 20a. The left mounting member 20b extends from the left side surface of the battery pack 20a to the bottom surface of the opposing side sill 24. The left mounting member 20b is fastened to the side sill 24 by a plurality of (five in this embodiment) fasteners 40. The fasteners 40 are, for example, bolts and nuts. Therefore, the battery pack unit 20 is fixed to the floor panel 22 via the left side mounting member 20b and the side sill 24. The right side mounting member 20c can also be arranged on the right side of the battery pack 20a with a similar configuration to the left side mounting member 20b.

[0016] The mounting members 20b, 20c are made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. The mounting members 20b, 20c are so-called EA (energy absorption) materials, and absorb collision energy when the vehicle 10 collides. However, the mounting members 20b, 20c are not limited to EA materials, and may be other materials. In this embodiment, the battery pack 20a and the mounting members 20b, 20c are each made of separate members, but all of these members may be formed as an integrated member. The battery pack unit 20 only needs to be configured to be fastened to the side sill 24.

[0017] Next, the details of the configuration of the first floor cross member 28 and the second floor cross member 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the first floor cross member 28 forms a closed cross section together with the floor panel 22. The cross section of the first floor cross member 28 has a hat shape. The first floor cross member 28 has a pair of standing walls 28a, 28b and an upper wall 28c extending between the pair of standing walls 28a, 28b. The lower ends of each of the pair of standing walls 28a, 28b are joined to the floor panel 22. The first floor cross member 28 also extends from one of the pair of side sills 24 to the other. The left and right ends of the first floor cross member 28 are connected to the corresponding side sill 24. The second floor cross member 30 can also be configured in the same manner as the first floor cross member 28, and has a pair of standing walls 30a, 30b and an upper wall 30c.

[0018] Next, the configuration of the side sill 24 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the side sill 24 is a cylindrical member and has an upper wall, a lower wall located on the opposite side thereof, and two side walls extending between the upper wall and the lower wall. The side sill 24 has an inner panel 24a and an outer panel 24b located on the outer side of the vehicle than the inner panel 24a (i.e., on the LH side in FIG. 3). The side sill 24 forms a closed cross section with the inner panel 24a and the outer panel 24b. The inner panel 24a of the side sill 24 is joined to the floor panel 22. Although not particularly limited, a reinforcement 32 is provided on the inner surface of the inner panel 24a of the side sill 24. The reinforcement 32 is a bent plate member and is a reinforcing member of the side sill 24. The reinforcement 32 extends in the front-rear direction along the side sill 24.

[0019] The multiple reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 are located inside the side sill 24, particularly on the inner panel 24a side. Each of the multiple reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 is a plate-shaped member and is arranged in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction. The reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 extend from the lower wall of the side sill 24 to the upper wall of the side sill 24. The reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 are joined to the upper wall, the lower wall, and one of the side walls of the side sill 24, respectively. The multiple reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 include a first reinforcing plate 34, a second reinforcing plate 36, and multiple third reinforcing plates 38. The first reinforcing plate 34 has a main plate portion 34a and multiple joining tabs 34b adjacent to the main plate portion 34a. The main plate portion 34a is arranged in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction. The multiple joining tabs 34b extend in the front-rear direction from the main plate portion 34a along the side sill 24. The multiple joining tabs 34b are portions of the reinforcing plate 34 that are joined to the side sill 24. The second reinforcing plate 36 and the third reinforcing plate 38 may be configured similarly to the first reinforcing plate 34. Thus, the second reinforcing plate 36 has a main plate portion 36a and multiple joining tabs 36b, and the third reinforcing plate 38 has a main plate portion 38a and multiple joining tabs 38b.

[0020] The specific configuration (orientation, position, number, etc.) of the multiple joint tabs 34b, 36b, 38b of each of the reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 is not limited. The reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 are arranged so as to be joined to the upper wall, lower wall, and side wall inside the side sill 24, respectively. As an example, in the first reinforcing plate 34, the multiple joint tabs 34b are formed so as to extend rearward from the main plate portion 34a, and in the second reinforcing plate 36, the multiple joint tabs 36b are formed so as to extend forward from the main plate portion 36a.

[0021] As described above, the battery pack unit 20 (attachment members 20b, 20c) is fastened to the side sill 24 by a plurality of fasteners 40. The first reinforcing plate 34 among the plurality of reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 is provided at one of a plurality of fastening points of the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. Therefore, the fastener 40 disposed at one of the plurality of fastening points penetrates the battery pack unit 20 (attachment members 20b, 20c), the lower wall of the side sill 24, and the joint tab 34b of the first reinforcing plate 34, and fixes the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. Therefore, the first reinforcing plate 34 also functions as a bracket for attaching the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. Specifically, but not limited to, as shown in FIG. 5, the first reinforcing plate 34 is located on the extension line X1 of the vertical walls 28a, 28b of the first floor cross member 28. Similarly, the second reinforcing plate 36 of the multiple reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 is provided at another one of the multiple fastening points of the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. Therefore, the fastener 40 arranged at the other one of the multiple fastening points penetrates the battery pack unit 20 (mounting members 20b, 20c), the lower wall of the side sill 24, and the second reinforcing plate 36 (joint tab 36b) to fix the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. Therefore, the second reinforcing plate 36 also functions as a bracket for attaching the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. Although not particularly limited, specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the second reinforcing plate 36 is located on the extension line X2 of the vertical walls 30a, 30b of the second floor cross member 30. The multiple third reinforcing plates 38 are arranged at positions different from the fastening points where the first reinforcing plate 34 and the second reinforcing plate 36 are arranged.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first floor cross member 28 is located forward of the center of gravity of the vehicle 10, and the second floor cross member 30 is located rearward of the center of gravity of the vehicle 10. In this regard, the first reinforcing plate 34 is located on an extension line X1 of the standing wall 28b located on the rear side, i.e., the second floor cross member 30 side, of the pair of standing walls 28a, 28b of the first floor cross member 28, and the second reinforcing plate 36 is located on an extension line X2 of the standing wall 30a located on the front side, i.e., the first floor cross member 28 side, of the pair of standing walls 30a, 30b of the second floor cross member 30. Therefore, the first reinforcing plate 34 and the second reinforcing plate 36 are disposed relatively close to the center of gravity of the vehicle 10. However, without being limited to this, the first reinforcing plate 34 may be provided on the extension line of the front vertical wall 28a instead of on the extension line X1 of the rear vertical wall 28b, and the second reinforcing plate 36 may be provided on the extension line of the rear vertical wall 30b instead of on the extension line X2 of the front vertical wall 30a.

[0023] The technology disclosed in this specification aims to protect the battery pack unit 20 by evenly inputting the collision energy to the vehicle body 12, particularly the floor panel 22 and the battery pack unit 20, when the vehicle 10 is hit in a side collision, for example by a pole or the like.

[0024] In view of the above, in the vehicle 10 of this embodiment, a side sill 24 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction along the side edges 22c, 22d of the floor panel 22, and the battery pack unit 20 located below the floor panel 22 is fastened to the side sill 24. Reinforcing plates 34, 36 are provided inside the side sill 24. In particular, the reinforcing plates 34, 36 are located at the fastening points of the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. With this configuration, the side sill 24 and the battery pack unit 20 are firmly connected to each other. As a result, when a side collision occurs on the vehicle 10, the collision load from the side of the vehicle can be input evenly to both the vehicle body 12 and the battery pack unit 20.

[0025] In this embodiment, the first reinforcing plate 34 is located on the extension line X1 of the standing wall 28b on the rear side of the first floor cross member 28. With this configuration, the first reinforcing plate 34 is strongly supported by the first floor cross member 28 against a collision load from the side of the vehicle. This allows the collision load from the side of the vehicle to be input more evenly to both the vehicle body 12 and the battery pack unit 20. However, the position of the first reinforcing plate 34 is not limited to the above-mentioned position. The first reinforcing plate 34 only needs to be located at the first connection portion S1 to which the first floor cross member 28 of the side sill 24 is connected. With this configuration, the first reinforcing plate 34 is strongly supported by the first floor cross member 28 against a collision load from the side of the vehicle. This allows the collision load from the side of the vehicle to be input more evenly to both the vehicle body 12 and the battery pack unit 20. Here, the first connection portion S1 may be a portion located between the extension line of the front standing wall 28a of the first floor cross member 28 and the extension line X1 of the rear standing wall 28b, as shown in FIG. 5. In a modified example, the first reinforcing plate 34 may not be located in the first connection portion S1, and may be located in the vicinity of the first floor cross member 28. The same can be said about the second reinforcing plate 36 as for the first reinforcing plate 34. The second reinforcing plate 36 may be located in the second connection portion S2 to which the second floor cross member 30 of the side sill 24 is connected. In a modified example, the second reinforcing plate 36 may not be located in the second connection portion S2, and may be located in the vicinity of the second floor cross member 30.

[0026] In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 includes two floor cross members 28, 30. This is not limiting, and the number of floor cross members is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more.

[0027] In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 includes both the first reinforcing plate 34 and the second reinforcing plate 36. The first reinforcing plate 34 and the second reinforcing plate 36 are located at the connection portions S1 and S2 connected to the floor cross members 28 and 30 of the side sill 24, and are provided at the fastening points of the battery pack unit 20 to the side sill 24. With this configuration, the side sill 24 and the battery pack unit 20 are firmly connected to each other at a plurality of fastening points. As a result, when a side collision occurs on the vehicle 10, the collision load from the side of the vehicle can be input more evenly to both the vehicle body 12 and the battery pack unit 20. However, the vehicle 10 does not need to include both reinforcing plates 34 and 36, and may include only one of the first reinforcing plate 34 and the second reinforcing plate 36. The number of the first reinforcing plates 34 and the second reinforcing plates 36 is not limited to the above. A plurality of first reinforcing plates 34 may be provided. In this case, for example, two first reinforcing plates 34 may be provided on the extension lines of the two standing walls 28a, 28b of the first floor cross member 28, respectively. 36 The position and number of the third reinforcing plates 38 are not limited to those exemplified in this specification, and can be appropriately adjusted according to the rigidity required for the side sill 24 of the vehicle 10.

[0028] In this embodiment, the multiple reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 provided on the inner panel 24a of the side sill 24 have been described, but multiple reinforcing plates (not shown) are also provided on the outer panel 24b of the side sill 24. The reinforcing plate provided on the outer panel 24b may be the same as the third reinforcing plate 38 of the inner panel 24a. Each reinforcing plate of the outer panel 24b is located substantially on the same plane as a corresponding one of the multiple reinforcing plates 34, 36, 38 of the inner panel 24a. Therefore, when a side collision occurs on the vehicle 10, the collision load from the side of the vehicle is transmitted from the multiple reinforcing plates of the outer panel 24b to the first and second reinforcing plates 34, 36 of the inner panel 24a, and is input from the first and second reinforcing plates 34, 36 to the vehicle body 12 and the battery pack unit 20. However, the reinforcing plate of the outer panel 24b is not necessarily required, and it is sufficient that at least the reinforcing plates 34, 36 of the inner panel 24a are provided.

[0029] Specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. The technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of the objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10: Vehicle 20: Battery pack unit 22:Floor panel 22c, 22d: Side edge 24: Side sill 28, 30: Floor cross member 34, 36, 38: Reinforcement plates X1, X2: Extension line S1, S2: Connection parts

Claims

1. Floor panels and a side sill extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle along a side edge of the floor panel; a floor cross member extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle from the side sill along the floor panel; A reinforcing plate is located inside the side sill and arranged in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction; a battery pack unit located below the floor panel and fastened to the side sill; Equipped with The reinforcing plate is provided at a fastening location of the battery pack unit to the side sill. vehicle.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing plate is located within a portion of the side sill to which the floor cross member is connected.

3. The floor cross member has a standing wall extending upward from the floor panel, The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the reinforcing plate is located on an extension line of the standing wall that extends in the left-right direction.

4. a second floor cross member extending in the left-right direction from the side sill along the floor panel; a second reinforcing plate located inside the side sill and arranged in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction; Further equipped with 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second reinforcement plate is located in a portion of the side sill to which the second floor cross member is connected, and is provided at a second fastening point of the battery pack unit relative to the side sill.

Images