Battery case

Abstract

To provide a battery case capable of easily positioning and accommodating a replaceable battery.SOLUTION: A disclosed battery case accommodates at least one replaceable battery. The battery case includes: a main case that has an opening through which the battery can be inserted and removed; a lid for opening and closing the opening, which is rotatably supported on an axis that extends along the lower edge of the opening by the main case body, a guide portion on the case that is formed on the inner bottom surface of the main case, extending from the opening towards the inside of the main case in the direction of battery insertion and removal, and engages with the corresponding guide portion formed on the battery; and a guide that is formed on the lid so as to align with the guide member on the case when the lid is opened and engage with a corresponding guide surface formed on the battery.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery case that houses at least one replaceable battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electric motorcycles including an electric motor driven by power supplied from a removable battery (replaceable battery) have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The removable battery is shared by multiple electric motorcycles, and used removable batteries are returned to one of multiple slots in a battery exchange device installed in a charging and exchange station. The removable battery is then connected to a connector installed in the slot, charged so that the SOC reaches a predetermined value, and then stored in the slot until it is loaned to another electric motorcycle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 153477 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, the above-mentioned detachable battery is replaced by an operator, and in order to improve the efficiency of the battery replacement work, it is necessary to make it possible to easily position and store the detachable battery in the electric motorcycle or battery replacement device. However, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose or suggest a configuration that improves the ease of positioning or storing the battery in the electric motorcycle or battery replacement device.

[0005] Therefore, a primary object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery case that allows a replaceable battery to be easily positioned and housed therein. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery case of the present disclosure is a battery case that accommodates at least one replaceable battery, and includes a case body having an opening through which the battery is inserted and removed, a lid body that is supported by the case body so as to be rotatable around an axis extending along the lower edge of the opening and that opens and closes the opening, a case side guide portion that is formed on the inner bottom surface of the case body so as to extend from the opening side toward the inside of the case body in the insertion and removal direction of the battery and that engages with a guided portion formed on the battery, and a lid side guide portion that is formed on the lid body so as to be aligned with the case side guide portion when the lid body is opened and that engages with a guided portion formed on the battery.

[0007] To accommodate a replaceable battery in the battery case of the present disclosure, the lid is opened to expose the opening of the case body. The opened lid extends from the lower edge of the opening toward the opposite side of the case body, and the lid guide portion of the lid aligns with the case guide portion formed on the inner bottom surface of the case body so as to extend in the direction of battery insertion and removal. Next, the battery is placed on the lid so that the guided portion engages with the lid guide portion of the lid, and the battery is pushed toward the case body. As the battery is pushed toward the case body, the guided portion of the battery engages with the case guide portion of the case body that is aligned with the lid guide portion. Therefore, the battery moves smoothly toward the back of the case body. As a result, the replaceable battery can be easily positioned and accommodated in the battery case. Furthermore, to remove the battery from the battery case, the lid is opened and the battery is pulled out, allowing the battery to be smoothly removed from the battery case while the guided portion of the battery is guided by the case guide portion and the lid guide portion.

[0008] The battery case may also be mounted on a vehicle, and the case side guide portion may protrude from the inner bottom surface toward the inside of the case body, and the lid side guide portion may protrude from the inner surface of the lid body toward the inside of the case body and support the end of the battery when the lid body is closed.

[0009] This effectively prevents the battery from rattling inside the battery case while the vehicle is running, etc. In addition, since there is no need to provide a separate battery support portion in the battery case, increases in the cost and size of the battery case can be effectively prevented. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery case according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1(a) and 1(b) are cross-sectional views showing a battery case according to the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the battery case of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery case 1 of the present disclosure. The battery case 1 shown in the figure houses multiple (for example, three in this embodiment) replaceable batteries (battery packs) 10 that store power used in a vehicle V, such as a commercial vehicle. In this embodiment, the battery case 1 is fixed to a floor panel (vehicle body) of the vehicle V via multiple brackets B so as to be located behind the front seats of the vehicle V. Each battery 10 includes a pack case and multiple cells (for example, lithium-ion secondary battery cells or nickel-metal hydride secondary battery cells) housed in the pack case. Each battery 10 supplies power to a motor generator (electric motor) (not shown) that outputs power to propel the vehicle V, and also stores power generated (regenerated) by the motor generator when braking the vehicle V.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , the battery case 1 includes a case body 2 in the shape of a rectangular cylinder with a bottom and an opening 2o, and a lid 3 that opens and closes the opening 2o of the case body 2. The case body 2 is formed, for example, from multiple pressed metal plates, and includes a bottom 20, a pair of side walls 21 that extend upward from corresponding side edges of the bottom 20, a ceiling 22 that faces the bottom 20 at a distance, and an end wall 23. The bottom 20, the pair of side walls 21, and the ceiling 22 form a flat rectangular cylinder, and the end wall 23 closes one end of the rectangular cylinder. This defines a rectangular opening 2o at the end of the case body 2 opposite the end wall 23.

[0014] A plurality of (e.g., three) batteries 10 are housed inside the case body 2, lined up along the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the opening 2o. That is, each battery 10 is inserted into or removed from the case body 2 through the opening 2o in the extension direction of the pair of side wall portions 21. A plurality of partition walls 24 (see FIG. 2(a)) are disposed inside the case body 2 so as to be positioned between adjacent batteries 10. Furthermore, a plurality of (three) receptacles (all not shown) that can be coupled with connectors provided on the corresponding batteries 10 are disposed inside the case body 2, adjacent to the end wall portions 23. Each battery 10 is connected to an inverter or the like that drives the motor generator via the receptacles or cables (not shown). In this embodiment, the case body 2 is fixed to the floor panel so that the opening 2o faces, for example, the side surface on the driver's seat side of the vehicle V.

[0015] The lid 3 is formed, for example, from a pressed metal plate, and is supported by the case body 2 via multiple hinges (not shown) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis A. The rotation axis A extends along the lower edge of the opening 2o, i.e., along one side of the bottom 20 that defines the opening 2o. This allows the lid 3 to be opened to expose the opening 2o by rotating the lid 3 from top to bottom about the rotation axis A (tilting it forward). The lid 3 can also be closed to close the opening 2o by rotating the lid 3 from bottom to top about the rotation axis A (lifting it up). The case body 2 is further provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) that locks the lid 3 when it has closed the opening 2o.

[0016] Here, in order to improve the efficiency of the work of replacing the battery 10 in the vehicle V, it is necessary to make it possible to easily position and house the battery 10 in the battery case 1. For this reason, in the battery case 1, in order to improve the ease of positioning and housing the battery 10, a plurality of (in this embodiment, three, for example) case-side guide portions 25 are provided on the case main body 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 2(a).

[0017] The multiple case side guide portions 25 extend parallel to the side wall portions 21 from the opening 2o toward the end wall portions 23 (inside the case main body 2), and are arranged on the bottom portion 20 so as to be spaced apart in the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the opening 2o. In this embodiment, each case side guide portion 25 is formed by pressing so as to protrude from the inner surface (top surface) of the bottom portion 20, which serves as the inner bottom surface of the case main body 2, toward the interior of the case main body 2, i.e., toward the ceiling portion 22, and is located below the center in the width direction of each battery 10 housed in the case main body 2. The upper surface of each case side guide portion 25 is formed flat, and an inclined surface that connects the upper surface and the inner surface of the bottom portion 20 is formed at the end of each case side guide portion 25 on the opening 2o side and the end on the end wall portion 23 side.

[0018] 1 and 2(b), in the battery case 1, a plurality of (for example, three in this embodiment) lid-side guide portions 35 are disposed on the lid body 3 so as to align with the corresponding case-side guide portions 25 when the lid body 3 is open (fully open). The plurality of lid-side guide portions 35 are formed by pressing so as to protrude from the inner surface of the lid body 3 toward the interior of the case body 2 and to be aligned at intervals in the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the lid body 3, and are located below the center in the width direction of each battery 10 that is inserted into or removed from the case body 2. The upper surface of each lid-side guide portion 35 is formed flat and is included in approximately the same plane as the upper surface of the corresponding case-side guide portion 25 when the lid body 3 is open (fully open). Furthermore, an inclined surface 35a is formed at the end of each lid side guide portion 35 on the free end side of the lid body 3, connecting the upper surface of the lid side guide portion 35 to the inner surface of the lid body 3, and an inclined surface 35b is formed at the end of each lid side guide portion 35 on the rotation axis A side, connecting the upper surface of the lid side guide portion 35 to the inner surface of the lid body 3.

[0019] The battery 10 also includes guided portions 11 that engage with the case-side guide portions 25 of the case body 2 and the lid-side guide portions 35 of the lid 3. In this embodiment, the guided portions 11 are a pair of ridges (rails) that protrude downward from the bottom surface of the battery 10 (pack case) and extend in the longitudinal direction of the battery 10. The pair of ridges extend parallel to each other at a distance slightly larger than the width of the case-side guide portions 25 and the lid-side guide portions 35, and respectively make sliding contact with the corresponding side surfaces of the case-side guide portions 25 and the lid-side guide portions 35. Furthermore, at least one end surface of each battery 10 (pack case) is provided with an abutment member 15 made of an elastic material such as rubber or resin. The abutment member 15 is located below the handle portion 12 of the battery 10 and has a surface that slopes away from the end surface of the battery 10 from the top surface to the bottom surface of the battery 10.

[0020] When a replaceable battery 10 is placed in the battery case 1 configured as described above, the cover of the battery case 1 is removed, and the lid 3 is opened to expose the opening 2o of the case body 2. The opened lid 3 extends from the lower edge of the opening 2o toward the opposite side of the case body 2 (see FIG. 1 ). Each lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid 3 aligns with a corresponding case-side guide portion 25 formed on the inner surface of the bottom 20 of the case body 2 so as to extend in the direction of insertion and removal of the battery 10 (the extension direction of the pair of side walls 21). Next, the battery 10 is placed on the lid 3 so that the guided portion 11 engages with the lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid 3, and the battery 10 is pushed toward the case body 2. When the battery 10 is pushed toward the case body 2, the guided portion 11 of the battery 10 engages with the case-side guide portion 25 of the case body 2 that is aligned with the lid-side guide portion 35. Therefore, the battery 10 moves smoothly toward the back of the case body 2. As a result, the replaceable battery 10 can be easily positioned relative to the battery case 1 and housed therein.

[0021] Furthermore, each lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid body 3 protrudes from the inner surface of the lid body 3 toward the inside of the case body 2 and abuts against a contact member 15 provided on the end surface of the battery 10 when the lid body 3 is completely closed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the inclined surface 35b on the rotation axis A side (lower side in the figure) of each lid-side guide portion 35 abuts against the surface of the abutment member 15. This effectively prevents each battery 10 from rattling inside the battery case 1 while the vehicle V is traveling, etc. In addition, since there is no need to provide a separate support portion for the battery 10 in the battery case 1, increases in cost and size of the battery case 1 can be effectively prevented. When removing a battery 10 from the battery case 1, the lid body 3 is fully opened and the battery 10 is pulled out. The battery 10 can be smoothly removed from the battery case 1 while the guided portion 11 of the battery 10 is guided by the case-side guide portion 25 and the lid-side guide portion 35.

[0022] In the above embodiment, the guided portion 11 of the battery 10 is not limited to a portion protruding from the bottom surface of the battery 10, but may be a recess that can engage with the case-side guide portion 25 and the lid-side guide portion 35. Furthermore, the case-side guide portion 25 of the case body 2 and the lid-side guide portion 35 of the lid body 3 do not necessarily have to be protrusions that protrude from the inner surfaces of the bottom portion 20 and the lid body 3, but may be recesses that are recessed into the inner surfaces of the bottom portion 20 and the lid body 3. Furthermore, the battery case 1 may be mounted on a moving body other than the vehicle V, such as a railway vehicle, or may be installed in fixed equipment. The battery case 1 may also be configured to accommodate a single replaceable battery 10.

[0023] Furthermore, the invention of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment is merely one specific form of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0024] The invention of the present disclosure can be used in the battery case manufacturing industry and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 battery case, 2 case body, 20 bottom, 21 side wall, 22 ceiling, 23 end wall, 24 partition wall, 25 case side guide, 2o opening, 3 lid, 35 lid side guide, 35a, 35b inclined surface, 10 battery, 11 guided portion, 12 handle, 15 abutment member, A rotating shaft, V vehicle.

Claims

[Claim 1] A battery case for housing at least one replaceable battery, a case body having an opening for inserting and removing the battery; a cover supported by the case body so as to be rotatable about an axis extending along a lower edge of the opening, and adapted to open and close the opening; a case-side guide portion formed on the inner bottom surface of the case body so as to extend from the opening side toward the inside of the case body in the insertion / removal direction of the battery, and which engages with a guided portion formed on the battery; a lid-side guide portion formed on the lid so as to be aligned with the case-side guide portion when the lid is opened, and which engages with a guided portion formed on the battery; A battery case comprising:

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