Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack with strength and water proofness secured.SOLUTION: A case 12 of a battery pack 10 has a cover 26 for covering a high-voltage component storage unit 16 for storing a high-voltage component 14 from the above. The cover 26 includes a waterproof cover 30 for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component storage unit 16 and a protective cover 40 for protecting the battery pack 10 from external force. The waterproof cover 30 covers the high-voltage component storage unit 16 from the above and the protective cover 40 covers a part of the waterproof cover 30 from the above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack. The case of this battery pack includes a tray and a cover.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when the above battery pack is mounted under the floor of a vehicle, a load is applied to the cover, so the strength of the cover is required. In addition, waterproofness is also required for the portion of the cover that covers the high-voltage components.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack that ensures both strength and waterproofness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A battery pack according to a first aspect is a battery pack mounted under the floor of a vehicle, the battery pack including a battery body, high-voltage components, and a case that houses the battery body and the high-voltage components, the case including a cover that covers a high-voltage component housing portion that houses the high-voltage components from above, the cover being a waterproof cover for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing portion, and including the waterproof cover that covers the high-voltage component housing portion from above and a protection cover for protecting the battery pack from external forces, the protection cover covering a part of the waterproof cover from above.

[0007] This aspect relates to a battery pack mounted under the floor of a vehicle. In this aspect, the battery pack includes a battery body, high-voltage components, and a case that houses the battery body and the high-voltage components. The case includes a cover that covers the high-voltage component housing portion for housing the high-voltage components from above.

[0008] By the way, when such a battery pack is mounted under the floor of a vehicle, a load is applied to the cover. Therefore, the cover requires strength. Also, the cover requires waterproofness. Here, in order to ensure the strength of the cover, it is conceivable to form the cover with a material such as a high-tensile material. However, such a material has a high molding difficulty and it is difficult to ensure waterproofness.

[0009] Therefore, in this aspect, the cover includes a waterproof cover for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing portion and a protection cover for protecting the battery pack from external forces. The waterproof cover covers the high-voltage component housing portion from above, and the protection cover covers a part of the waterproof cover from above. That is, since the waterproof cover and the protection cover are provided separately, the waterproof cover and the protection cover can be formed with materials suitable for their respective functions. As a result, a battery pack with both strength and waterproofness can be realized. In addition, since the protection cover is provided to cover a part rather than the whole of the waterproof cover, the weight of the battery pack can be reduced.

[0010] The battery pack according to the second aspect is, in the first aspect, wherein the protection cover includes a co-fastening portion fastened together with the waterproof cover and an outer fastening portion fastened separately from the waterproof cover, and the outer fastening portion is provided outside the co-fastening portion in the vehicle width direction.

[0011] In this aspect, the protection cover includes a co-fastening portion fastened together with the waterproof cover and an outer fastening portion fastened separately from the waterproof cover. The outer fastening portion is provided outside the co-fastening portion in the vehicle width direction. For this reason, the load applied to the protection cover is dispersed to the fastening points, and the external force applied to the waterproof cover can be suppressed.

[0012] In the battery pack according to the third aspect, in the second aspect, the protective cover has ribs formed so as to connect the outer fastening portion and the co-fastening portion.

[0013] In this aspect, the protective cover has ribs formed so as to connect the outer fastening portion and the co-fastening portion. Therefore, the load applied to the protective cover can be effectively dispersed to the outer fastening portion and the co-fastening portion.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, a battery pack ensuring both strength and waterproofness can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the battery pack according to the present invention will be described. In the drawings, an arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction, an arrow OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and an arrow UP indicates the upper side in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a battery pack 10 according to this embodiment.

[0018] The battery pack 10 includes a case 12, a battery body (not shown) housed in the case 12, and high-voltage components 14 (see FIG. 4) housed in the case.

[0019] The battery body is composed of a plurality of battery modules. A battery module is formed by connecting a plurality of single cells and modularizing them.

[0020] The high-voltage components 14 include a battery ECU, a fuse, a junction box, etc. These high-voltage components 14 are collectively arranged in the high-voltage component housing portion 16 within the case 12. The case 12 has a shape with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction, and the high-voltage component housing portion 16 is provided at the outer end in the vehicle width direction (specifically, the left end of the vehicle) inside the case 12.

[0021] The case 12 includes a tray 18 and a cover 20 that covers the upper side of the tray 18.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 18 includes a tray body 22 and a plurality of brackets 24. The tray body 22 has a bottom wall portion 22A and a peripheral wall portion 22B. That is, the tray body 22 has a shape that covers the object to be accommodated in the case 12 from below and from the side. The bracket 24 is formed separately from the tray body 22 and is attached to the tray body 22. The bracket 24 functions to support the object to be accommodated in the case 12. Note that the bracket 24 is fastened to the vehicle frame (not shown, specifically, a frame extending in the vehicle width direction).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 20 includes a first cover 26 that covers the high-voltage component housing portion 16 from above and a second cover 28 that covers the other portions from above. The first cover 26 corresponds to the "cover that covers the high-voltage component housing portion from above" of the present invention. Hereinafter, the first cover 26 may be simply referred to as the cover 26. The battery body is mainly arranged below the second cover 28. The first cover 26 is configured to be detachable from the tray 18 while the second cover 28 is attached to the tray 18.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a top view of the periphery of the first cover 26 in the battery pack 10.

[0025] The battery pack 10 is mounted under the floor of the vehicle. Specifically, a carpet (not shown) is provided between the battery pack 10 and the passenger compartment located above the battery pack 10, but no floor panel or the like is provided. Therefore, a load from the feet of passengers or the like is applied to the cover 20 including the first cover 26.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the first cover 26 can be grasped separately into a first cover front portion 26A and a first cover rear portion 26B. Among these, the first cover rear portion 26B overlaps with the external force input area. The external force input area is an area where an external force is likely to be input to the battery pack 10 from above. Specifically, the first cover rear portion 26B corresponds to the floor in front of the rear seat of the vehicle, and a load is applied from the feet of the passengers using the rear seat. That is, a load is likely to be applied to the first cover rear portion 26B, and it is difficult for a load to be applied to the first cover front portion 26A. Note that the first cover front portion 26A is located below the front seat (specifically, the passenger seat).

[0027] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first cover 26.

[0028] The first cover 26 includes a waterproof cover 30 for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing portion 16, a protection cover 40 for protecting the battery pack 10 from external forces, and an SP cover 50 for covering the openings 36 and 46 for accessing the service plug 15.

[0029] The waterproof cover 30 is provided corresponding to the entire high-voltage component housing portion 16 and covers the entire or substantially the entire high-voltage component housing portion 16 from above. On the other hand, the protection cover 40 is provided corresponding to a part of the high-voltage component housing portion 16 and covers a part of the waterproof cover 30 from above.

[0030] The waterproof cover 30 and the protective cover 40 are made by subjecting a metal (e.g., steel) plate material to pressing or the like. From the viewpoint of ensuring strength, the material of the protective cover 40 is a plate material having a plate thickness (e.g., twice or more) thicker than the plate thickness of the plate material that becomes the material of the waterproof cover 30. For example, the plate material that becomes the material of the waterproof cover 30 has a plate thickness of 1.0 mm or less, and the plate thickness of the plate material that becomes the material of the protective cover 40 is 2 mm or more. Further, the protective cover 40 is formed of a high-tensile steel plate from the viewpoint of ensuring strength. On the other hand, the waterproof cover 30 is formed of a plate material other than a high-tensile steel plate from the viewpoint of ensuring the moldability of the waterproof cover 30. In this specification, the high-tensile steel plate means a steel plate having a tensile strength of 340 MPa or more.

[0031] (Waterproof cover 30) As shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof cover 30 has a first surface portion 31. The first surface portion 31 has a flat plate shape with the plate thickness direction oriented in the vertical direction. The first surface portion 31 is formed at a position corresponding to the front portion 26A of the first cover and is not formed at a position corresponding to the rear portion 26B of the first cover. The first surface portion 31 is substantially triangular in top view, and the dimension in the vehicle width direction decreases as it advances toward the rear side of the vehicle.

[0032] The waterproof cover 30 has a second surface portion 32. The second surface portion 32 has a flat plate shape with the plate thickness direction oriented in the vertical direction. The second surface portion 32 is located below the first surface portion 31 in the vertical direction.

[0033] The waterproof cover 30 has an inner joint portion 33. The inner joint portion 33 is joined to the inner joint portion 43 of the protective cover 40 by resistance spot welding or the like. The inner joint portion 33 has a flat plate shape with the plate thickness direction oriented in the vertical direction. The inner joint portion 33 is located below the first surface portion 31 and above the second surface portion 32 in the vertical direction.

[0034] The inner joint portion 33 has a first extending portion 33A extending in a direction inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a second extending portion 33B extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The rear end of the first extending portion 33A is connected to the front end of the second extending portion 33B. The first extending portion 33A is located at the front part of the first cover 26A, and the second extending portion 33B is located at the rear part of the first cover 26B.

[0035] The waterproof cover 30 has an outer flange 34. The outer flange 34 has a flat plate shape with the plate thickness direction oriented in the vertical direction. The outer flange 34 is located at the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the waterproof cover 30 and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The outer flange 34 is located below the second surface portion 32 in the vertical direction.

[0036] The waterproof cover 30 has an outer joint portion 35 connecting the second surface portion 32 and the outer flange 34. The outer joint portion 35 connects the second surface portion 32 and the outer flange 34 in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction. That is, the plate thickness direction of the outer joint portion 35 is inclined with respect to the vehicle horizontal direction.

[0037] The waterproof cover 30 has an opening 36 enabling access to the service plug 15 (see FIG. 4). The opening 36 is formed near the rear end portion of the waterproof cover 30. A bulging portion 37 bulging upward is formed around the periphery of the opening 36 so as to surround the opening 36. By forming the bulging portion 37, water that has fallen onto the upper surface of the waterproof cover 30 (particularly the upper surface of the second surface portion 32) does not enter the case 12 through the opening 36.

[0038] The waterproof cover 30 has a front fastening portion 38A and a rear fastening portion 39A.

[0039] The front fastening portion 38A is formed on the front flange 38. Specifically, a through hole for inserting a bolt is formed in the front flange 38, and the vicinity of the through hole serves as the front fastening portion 38A. The front flange 38 is formed on the front side of the first surface portion 31 and extends in the front-rear direction. The front flange 38 is located below the first surface portion 31 in the vertical direction.

[0040] The rear fastening portion 39A is formed on the rear flange 39. Specifically, a through hole for inserting a bolt is formed in the rear flange 39, and the vicinity of the through hole serves as the rear fastening portion 39A. The rear flange 39 is formed at the rear and inner side in the vehicle width direction of the waterproof cover 30. The rear flange 39 is located below the second surface portion 32 in the vertical direction.

[0041] (Protective cover 40) The protective cover 40 covers a part of the waterproof cover 30 from above. Specifically, it covers almost the entire part of the waterproof cover 30 other than the first surface portion 31 and the front flange 38 from above.

[0042] The inner edge 40A in the vehicle width direction of the protective cover 40 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction on the rear side of the vehicle and extends in a direction inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction on the front side of the vehicle. As a result, the protective cover 40 has a shape that does not cover a part (the first surface portion 31 and the front flange 38) of the waterproof cover 30.

[0043] The protective cover 40 has an inner joint portion 43 that is joined to the inner joint portion 33 of the waterproof cover 30 by spot resistance welding or the like. That is, the inner joint portion 43 has a first extending portion 43A that extends in a direction inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction and a second extending portion 43B that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The inner joint portion 43 extends along the inner edge 40A in the vehicle width direction of the protective cover 40.

[0044] The protective cover 40 has an outer joint portion 45 that is joined to the outer joint portion 35 of the waterproof cover 30 by spot resistance welding or the like.

[0045] The protective cover 40 has an outer flange 44. The outer flange 44 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the outer joint portion 45. The outer flange 44 covers a part of the outer flange 34 of the waterproof cover 30 from above.

[0046] The protective cover 40 has a plurality (three) of ribs 48. Each rib 48 extends along the inner edge 40A in the vehicle width direction of the protective cover 40. Specifically, each rib 48 has a portion extending along the first extension portion 43A of the inner joint portion 43 and a portion extending along the second extension portion 43B of the inner joint portion 43.

[0047] The plurality of ribs 48 are arranged on the upper side of the second surface portion 32 of the waterproof cover 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the apex of the rib 48 is located at the same position as the inner joint portion 43 in the vertical direction. Thereby, the rib 48 does not protrude upward with respect to the other portions of the protective cover 40.

[0048] The protective cover 40 has outer fastening portions 47A, 47B located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and an inner fastening portion 49A located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.

[0049] As the outer fastening portions 47A, 47B, a first outer fastening portion 47A formed near the front end of the first cover 26 and a second outer fastening portion 47B formed near the rear end of the first cover 26 are provided. Both the first outer fastening portion 47A and the second outer fastening portion 47B are fastened to the frame of the vehicle (not shown, specifically a frame extending in the vehicle width direction).

[0050] As the inner fastening portion 49A, an inner fastening portion 49A formed near the rear end of the first cover 26 is provided and is not provided near the front end of the first cover 26. The inner fastening portion 49A is fastened together with the rear fastening portion 39A of the waterproof cover 30 to the bracket 24 and the second cover 28. Hereinafter, the inner fastening portion 49A of the protective cover 40 may be referred to as a co-fastening portion 49A.

[0051] The protective cover 40 has an opening 46 for accessing the service plug. The opening 46 is provided near the end portion on the rear side of the vehicle of the protective cover 40. The opening 46 of the protective cover 40 and the opening 36 of the waterproof cover 30 together form openings 36, 46 for accessing the service plug 15.

[0052] The protective cover 40 has an engagement hole 42A into which the hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 engages. The hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 is inserted into the engagement hole 42A. Thereby, the hook portion 52 in the SP cover 50 is held by the protective cover 40. The engagement hole 42A is an elongated hole extending in the vehicle width direction and is located on the front side with respect to the opening 46.

[0053] The protective cover 40 has a coupling portion 42B that is coupled to the clip portion 53 of the SP cover 50 by a clip 61. The coupling portion 42B is oriented in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction in the plate thickness direction. An insertion hole for inserting the clip 61 is formed in the coupling portion 42B. The coupling portion 42B is located on the rear side with respect to the opening 46.

[0054] (SP cover 50) The SP cover 50 has a main body portion 51, a hook portion 52, and a clip portion 53.

[0055] The main body portion 51 covers the opening 36 of the waterproof cover 30. A water stop seal 62 (see FIG. 4) is provided on the lower surface side of the main body portion 51. The water stop seal 62 is provided in an annular shape so as to surround the opening 36. The water stop seal 62 contacts the peripheral edge of the opening 36 of the waterproof cover 30.

[0056] To attach the SP cover 50, first, insert the hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 into the engagement hole 42A of the protective cover 40, and then couple the clip portion 53 of the SP cover 50 to the coupling portion 42B of the protective cover 40 with a clip 61. To remove the SP cover 50, perform the reverse operation. Since the vehicle front end side of the SP cover 50 is held by the protective cover 40 without using a clip, the operation of releasing the coupling by the clip 61 needs to be performed only on the vehicle rear side of the SP cover 50. Therefore, the attachment and detachment operations of the SP cover 50 are easy.

[0057] <Function and effect> Next, the function and effect of this embodiment will be described.

[0058] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the battery pack 10 includes a battery body (not shown), high-voltage components 14, and a case 12 that houses the battery body and the high-voltage components 14. The case 12 includes a cover 26 that covers the high-voltage component housing portion 16 that houses the high-voltage components 14 from above.

[0059] By the way, when such a battery pack 10 is mounted under the floor of a vehicle, a load is applied to the cover 26. Therefore, the cover 26 needs to have strength. In addition, the cover 26 also needs to have waterproofness. Here, in order to ensure the strength of the cover 26, it is conceivable to form the cover 26 with a material such as a high-tensile material. However, such a material has a high molding difficulty and it is difficult to ensure waterproofness.

[0060] Therefore, in this embodiment, the cover 26 includes a waterproof cover 30 for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing portion 16 and a protective cover 40 for protecting the battery pack 10 from external forces. The waterproof cover 30 covers the high-voltage component housing portion 16 from above, and the protective cover 40 covers a part of the waterproof cover 30 from above. That is, since the waterproof cover 30 and the protective cover 40 are provided separately, the waterproof cover 30 and the protective cover 40 can be formed with materials suitable for their respective functions. As a result, it is possible to realize a battery pack 10 that ensures both strength and waterproofness.

[0061] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the protective cover 40 is provided so as to cover a part of the waterproof cover 30 rather than the entire waterproof cover 30. For this reason, the weight of the battery pack 10 can be reduced.

[0062] Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the protective cover 40 includes a co-fastening portion 49A that is fastened together with the waterproof cover 30, and outer fastening portions 47A and 47B that are fastened separately from the waterproof cover 30. The outer fastening portions 47A and 47B are provided outside the vehicle width direction with respect to the co-fastening portion 49A. For this reason, the load applied to the protective cover 40 is dispersed to the fastening points, and the external force applied to the waterproof cover 30 can be suppressed.

[0063] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the protective cover 40 has a rib 48 formed so as to connect the outer fastening portion 47A and the co-fastening portion 49A. Therefore, the load applied to the protective cover 40 can be effectively dispersed to the outer fastening portion 47A and the co-fastening portion 49A.

[0064] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the waterproof cover 30, the second surface portion 32 is recessed with respect to the inner joint portion 33, and the rib 48 of the protective cover 40 is disposed above the second surface portion 32. Therefore, an increase in the vertical dimension of the battery pack 10 can be suppressed.

[0065] 〔Supplementary Explanation of the Above Embodiment〕 As described above, the preferred embodiments of the battery pack of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The following description is a supplementary explanation for the sake of caution.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the co-fastening portion 49A is fastened to the bracket 24 and the second cover 28, but the co-fastening portion of the protective cover of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the co-fastening portion may not be fastened to the second cover.

[0067] In the above embodiment, a plurality (three) of ribs 48 are formed, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and one rib may be sufficient.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0068] 10 Battery pack 12 Case 14 High-voltage component 16 High-voltage component housing portion 20 Cover 26 First cover (cover) 30 Waterproof cover 40 Protective cover 47A First outer fastening portion (outer fastening portion) 47B Second outer fastening portion (outer fastening portion) 48 Rib 49A Inner fastening portion (co-fastening portion)

Claims

1. A battery pack mounted under a floor of a vehicle, The battery pack includes: A battery body; High voltage components, a case that houses the battery body and the high-voltage component; Equipped with the case includes a cover that covers from above a high-voltage component housing portion that houses high-voltage components; The cover is a waterproof cover for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component storage portion, the waterproof cover covering the high-voltage component storage portion from above; a protective cover for protecting the battery pack from an external force, the protective cover covering a part of the waterproof cover from above; Equipped with Battery pack.

2. The protective cover is A co-fastening portion that is fastened together with the waterproof cover; An outer fastening part that is fastened separately from the waterproof cover; Equipped with The outer fastening portion is provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction than the co-fastening portion. The battery pack according to claim 1 .

3. The protective cover has a rib formed to connect the outer fastening portion and the co-fastening portion. The battery pack according to claim 2 .

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