Vehicle structure

Abstract

To prevent a battery pack from being damaged, at the time of a collision of a vehicle from a motor side in a longitudinal direction.SOLUTION: A vehicle structure is provided with: a motor 3 that is mounted on a cross member 2; a battery pack 4 arranged behind the motor 3; a mount bracket 7 that mounts the motor 3 on the cross member 2 at a rear side; and a fixing bracket 13 that fixes the battery pack 4 to a floor panel 15, at a front side thereof. An inclined plane 7b is formed on an upper surface portion of an end part 7a at a rear side of the mount bracket 7, and an inclined plane 13c is formed on a lower surface portion of an end part 13b at a font side of the fixing bracket 13. The inclined plane 7b and the inclined plane 13c extend out downward, from the front side toward the rear side. The inclined plane 7b opposes the inclined plane 13c in a longitudinal direction. The end part 7a at the rear side of the mount bracket 7 is positioned lower than the end part 13b at the front side of the fixing bracket 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle structure such as an electric vehicle equipped with a motor for driving the vehicle and a battery pack for supplying power to the motor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, some electric vehicles have a battery pack that supplies power to a driving motor, which is provided below the floor panel. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle structure that has a motor unit (motor) that is located below the vehicle relative to a rear suspension member attached to a side member, and a battery unit (battery pack) that is provided inside the motor in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0003] In the vehicle structure of Patent Document 1, a rear suspension member is attached to a side member with bolts, a support mount is fixed to the front cross member of the rear suspension member with a first fastener, and mounting brackets are fixed to both sides of the motor in the vehicle direction with a second fastener. The support mount and mounting bracket form a mount portion (mount bracket), which attaches the motor to the front cross member.

[0004] In the vehicle structure of Patent Document 1, the attachment strength of the first fastener and the attachment strength of the second fastener are set to be lower than the attachment strength of the bolts that attach the rear suspension member to the side member.

[0005] In the vehicle structure of Patent Document 1, in the event of a vehicle collision, the impact load input to the suspension member toward the battery pack causes the first fastener or second fastener to become disengaged, causing the motor to fall off the front cross member of the suspension member toward the underside of the vehicle, thereby reducing interference between the motor and the battery pack and minimizing damage to the battery pack. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-018686 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the vehicle structure of Patent Document 1, when the first fastener is released during a vehicle collision, the mount bracket attached to the motor by the second fastener may move toward the battery pack together with the motor and come into contact with the battery pack, potentially damaging the battery pack.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress damage to the battery pack when the vehicle is hit from the motor side in the longitudinal direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention can employ the following configurations 1 to 7. [Configuration 1] a motor as a drive source for driving the vehicle; a battery pack disposed on one side of the motor in the vehicle front-rear direction; a mount bracket for attaching the motor to a cross member on the battery pack side; a fixing bracket that faces the mount bracket in the vehicle front-rear direction and fixes the battery pack to a floor panel on the motor side, A vehicle structure in which at least one of the mount bracket and the fixing bracket has an inclined surface that extends downward from the motor side toward the battery pack side.

[0010] [Configuration 2] 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surfaces are formed on an upper surface of the mounting bracket and a lower surface of the fixing bracket.

[0011] [Configuration 3] 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the end of the mounting bracket on the side of the battery pack is positioned lower than the fixing bracket.

[0012] [Configuration 4] The vehicle structure according to configuration 2, wherein one end of the mount bracket on the side of the battery pack is positioned closer to the battery pack than one end of the motor on the side of the battery pack.

[0013] [Configuration 5] A vehicle structure according to configuration 2, wherein the inclined surface of the fixing bracket has a larger inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane than the inclined surface of the mounting bracket.

[0014] [Configuration 6] 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the end of the mounting bracket on the side of the battery pack is curved downward from the motor toward the battery pack when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] [Configuration 7] The cross member includes a first cross member and a second cross member attached to a pair of side members on both sides of the motor in the front-rear direction, the first cross member is located on the opposite side of the motor from the battery pack side, The vehicle structure according to configuration 1, wherein the second cross member is located on the battery pack side of the motor and is detachably attached to the pair of side members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to this invention, the inclined surface guides the mount bracket downward toward the battery pack in the event of a vehicle collision from the motor side in the longitudinal direction, thereby preventing the mount bracket from colliding with the battery pack. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a vehicle structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the vehicle structure according to the embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vehicle structure according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state of the vehicle structure according to the embodiment at the time of a vehicle collision; [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state of the vehicle structure according to the embodiment at the time of a vehicle collision; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle to which the vehicle structure according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] A vehicle structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 6, a vehicle 20 to which a vehicle structure 1 is applied is, for example, a cab-over electric vehicle. The vehicle structure 1 of the vehicle 20 includes a cross member 2 attached to the underside of a pair of front side members 5, a motor 3 attached to the cross member 2, and a battery pack 4 disposed behind the motor 3. In the following description, the up-down direction, the front-rear direction, and the vehicle width direction are based on the vehicle parked on flat ground.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the cross member 2 is attached to the underside of a pair of front side members 5. The cross member 2 is a frame-shaped member that is generally rectangular in plan view. As shown in FIG. 2, the cross member 2 has a first cross member 10 located in front of the motor 3 (opposite the battery pack 4), a second cross member 11 located behind the motor 3 (on the battery pack 4 side), and a pair of left and right side members 12. Lower arms (not shown) are attached to both the left and right sides of the cross member 2.

[0020] The first cross member 10 and the second cross member 11 are members that extend in the vehicle width direction and are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction. The pair of left and right side members 12 are members that extend in the vehicle width direction and are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and connect the first cross member 10 and the second cross member 11 at positions near both ends in the vehicle width direction.

[0021] 2 and 3, the first cross member 10 is a frame-shaped member in which both end portions 10a in the vehicle width direction are formed at positions higher than the center portion in the vehicle width direction. The end portions 10a of the first cross member 10 are attached to the lower surfaces of the pair of front side members 5. A support hole portion 10b is provided in the center portion in the vehicle width direction of the first cross member 10. The support hole portion 10b supports the front side of the motor 3 while holding a mount portion 6 of the motor 3 (described later) inside.

[0022] The second cross member 11 is a frame-shaped member having bent portions 11a that bend upward from both sides of a rod-shaped body in the vehicle width direction, and a base frame portion 11b. The bent portion 11a is integrally formed with a plate-shaped end portion 11c that extends rearward from its upper end toward the battery pack 4. A fixing hole 11d is formed in the end portion 11c. The end portion 11c of the second cross member 11 is attached to the undersides of the pair of front side members 5 by screwing bolts B that are screwed into the fixing holes 11d from below. When the screw connection of the bolts B is released, the second cross member 11 can be removed from the pair of front side members 5.

[0023] The base frame portion 11b is provided integrally with the bent portion 11a on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The base frame portion 11b has two plate members arranged at an interval in the vertical direction. The rear end of the side member 12 is inserted between the two plate members of the base frame portion 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, a bearing plate portion 11e is provided integrally on the upper plate member of each base frame portion 11b. The bearing plate portion 11e supports the shaft C along the vehicle width direction.

[0024] The motor 3 is disposed inside the cross member 2 and rotates tires 21 of the vehicle 20 via an output shaft (not shown) using power supplied from battery cells (not shown) of the battery pack 4 (see FIG. 6). The motor 3 has a mount 6 attached to its front end and a pair of mount brackets 7 attached to both sides of its rear (battery pack 4 side) in the vehicle width direction. The mount 6 is a triangular member in plan view whose width dimension in the vehicle width direction decreases toward the front. An internal thread is formed in the front end of the mount 6 along the front-to-rear direction. A screw member 9 passing through an elastic body 8 is threadedly coupled to the internal thread of the mount 6. The elastic body 8 is press-fitted into a support hole 10b of the first cross member 10, and the screw member 9 is threadedly coupled to the mount 6. With this threaded coupling, the front side of the motor 3 is supported by the first cross member 10 via the mount 6.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the mount bracket 7 is a roughly diamond-shaped plate-like member. The mount bracket 7 is positioned with two obtuse-angled corners located on the upper and lower sides, and is fixed to the motor 3 at three locations on the vehicle width outer side: the front corner, the upper corner, and the lower corner. A bearing is fitted to the rear end 7a of the mount bracket 7, which forms the rear corner. The shaft C of the bearing plate portion 11e is inserted into this bearing as a rotation shaft. Both rear sides of the motor 3 in the vehicle width direction are supported by the mount brackets 7 relative to the second cross member 11 so as to be able to swing up and down. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper part of the motor 3 protrudes upward relative to the cross member 2, and in this state, the motor 3 is attached to the cross member 2 via the mount brackets 7.

[0026] The rear end 7a of the mount bracket 7 extends rearward beyond the motor 3. An inclined surface 7b is formed on the top surface of the mount bracket 7, extending downward from the upper end, which is the upper corner, toward the rear end 7a (from the motor 3 side toward the battery pack 4 side). The inclined surface 7b forms an acute angle α with respect to the horizontal plane L. When viewed in the vehicle width direction, the end 7a is curved in an arc shape that protrudes rearward, and at least the upper portion of the curved portion of the end 7a faces an inclined surface 13c of the fixing bracket 13, which will be described later, in the front-rear direction.

[0027] The battery pack 4 has a plurality of battery cells (not shown) that supply power to the motor 3, and a flat, box-shaped case 4a that houses the plurality of battery cells. Fixing pieces 4b are provided at multiple locations in the front-to-rear direction on both sides of the case 4a in the vehicle width direction. Each fixing piece 4b is fixed to the lower surface of a pair of front side members 5. The battery pack 4 is attached to the front surface of the case 4a with fixing brackets 13 protruding forward.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1 , the fixed bracket 13 is a folded, strip-shaped member. The fixed bracket 13 is fixed to the underside of a floor cross member 14, which is fixed to a floor panel 15 along the vehicle width direction. The fixed bracket 13 has a base plate 13a fixed to the front surface of the case 4a and an end portion 13b extending upward from the base plate 13a toward the motor 3, with the tip of the end portion 13b fixed to the underside of the floor cross member 14. An inclined surface 13c extending downward from the motor 3 toward the battery pack 4 is formed on the underside of the end portion 13b. The inclined surface 13c forms an acute angle β with respect to the horizontal plane L. The inclination angle β of the inclined surface 13c is greater than the inclination angle α of the inclined surface 7b of the mount bracket 7 relative to the horizontal plane L.

[0029] 1 and 2, the inclined surface 13c formed on the lower surface of the end 13b of the fixing bracket 13 faces the inclined surface 7b formed on the upper surface of the mount bracket 7 in the front-to-rear direction. When viewed from the front, the lower part of the battery pack 4 and the upper part of the motor 3 overlap in the front-to-rear direction, and the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 on the battery pack 4 side is located lower than the end 13b of the fixing bracket 13.

[0030] The vehicle structure 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above. This vehicle structure 1 includes a pair of mount brackets 7 that attach the motor 3 to the cross member 2 on the battery pack 4 side, and a fixing bracket 13 that fixes the battery pack 4 to a floor panel 15 via a floor cross member 14 on the motor 3 side. An inclined surface 7b is formed on the upper surface of the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 on the battery pack 4 side, and an inclined surface 13c is formed on the lower surface of the end 13b of the fixing bracket 13 on the motor 3 side.

[0031] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the vehicle collides from the motor 3 side in the longitudinal direction, the cross member 2 receives a collision load and is displaced toward the battery pack 4. Due to this displacement, the second cross member 11 of the cross member 2 is released from the threaded connection of bolt B to the front side members 5, and is able to fall off the pair of front side members 5.

[0032] Furthermore, the motor 3, which is attached to the second cross member 11 via the pair of mount brackets 7, is displaced together with the mount brackets 7 toward the battery pack 4. This displacement causes the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 to abut against the inclined surface 13c of the fixing bracket 13 of the battery pack 4 (see FIG. 4). At this time, the second cross member 11 is in a state where it can fall off the pair of front side members 5. Therefore, the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 is guided downward along the inclined surface 13c of the fixing bracket 13, and can move below the battery pack 4. This movement prevents the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 from damaging the battery pack 4.

[0033] 1, the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 is curved in an arc shape that protrudes rearward. Therefore, during the above-mentioned vehicle collision, even if the direction of movement of the mount bracket 7 toward the battery pack 4 is tilted upward relative to the horizontal, the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 can move below the battery pack 4 by abutting against the inclined surface 13c of the fixed bracket 13.

[0034] Furthermore, the inclination angle β of the inclined surface 13c of the fixed bracket 13 is greater than the inclination angle α of the inclined surface 7c of the mount bracket 7 relative to the horizontal plane L. Therefore, in the event of the above-mentioned vehicle collision, it is possible to prevent parts other than the end 7a, such as the upper end of the mount bracket 7, from abutting against the inclined surface 13c of the fixed bracket 13, and it is possible to reliably abut the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 against the inclined surface 13c of the fixed bracket 13.

[0035] In the above embodiment, for example, at least one of an inclined surface 7b formed on the upper surface of the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 and an inclined surface 13c formed on the lower surface of the end 13b of the fixed bracket 13 may be formed. In this case, the inclined surface 7b formed on the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 faces the battery pack 4 in the front-rear direction. The inclined surface 13c formed on the end 13b of the fixed bracket 13 faces the end 7a of the mount bracket 7 in the front-rear direction.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, an example has been described in which the battery pack 4 is disposed behind the motor 3, but the battery pack 4 may also be disposed in front of the motor 3. In this case, an inclined surface is formed on the upper surface of the front end of the mount bracket 7 of the motor 3, and an inclined surface is formed on the lower surface of the rear end of the fixed bracket 13. Furthermore, the inclined surface formed on the mount bracket 7 and the inclined surface formed on the fixed bracket 13 extend downward from the rear side to the front side and face each other in the front-to-rear direction.

[0037] In this embodiment, the configuration of the present invention has been described assuming an electric vehicle (electrically driven vehicle (EV)) equipped with only a motor 3 as a driving source for driving, but the present invention can also be applied to hybrid vehicles (HVs) equipped with a motor 3 and an engine as a driving source for driving, and in particular to plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) in which the on-board secondary battery can be charged from an external charging facility and the secondary battery can supply power to the outside. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Vehicle structure 2 cross members 3 motors 4 Battery pack 5 Front side member 6 Mounting section 7 Mounting Bracket 7a End 7b Slope 10 First cross member 10a end 10b Support hole 11 Second cross member 11a Bend part 11b Base frame 11c end 12 Side member 13 Fixing bracket 13a Board section 13b End 13c Slope 14 Floor cross member 15 Floor Panel 20 vehicles 21 Tires B Bolt C shaft body L horizontal plane

Claims

1. a motor as a drive source for driving the vehicle; a battery pack disposed on one side of the motor in the vehicle front-rear direction; a mount bracket for attaching the motor to a cross member on the battery pack side; a fixing bracket that faces the mount bracket in the vehicle front-rear direction and fixes the battery pack to a floor panel on the motor side, A vehicle structure in which at least one of the mount bracket and the fixing bracket has an inclined surface that extends downward from the motor side toward the battery pack side.

2. 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surfaces are formed on the upper surface of the mounting bracket and the lower surface of the fixing bracket.

3. 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein an end of the mounting bracket on the side of the battery pack is located lower than the fixing bracket.

4. 3. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein one end of the mount bracket on the side of the battery pack is located closer to the battery pack than one end of the motor on the side of the battery pack.

5. 3. The vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the inclined surface of the fixing bracket has a larger inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane than the inclined surface of the mounting bracket.

6. 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein an end of the mounting bracket on the side of the battery pack is curved downward from the motor toward the battery pack when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

7. The cross member includes a first cross member and a second cross member attached to a pair of side members on both sides of the motor in the front-rear direction, the first cross member is located on the opposite side of the motor from the battery pack side, 2. The vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the second cross member is located on the battery pack side of the motor and is detachably attached to the pair of side members.

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