Vehicle battery exhaust duct structure

Abstract

Conventional battery exhaust duct structures have the potential for some of the battery exhaust to flow into the cabin, and improvements have been requested. [Solution] The vehicle's floor panel 1 is equipped with a battery 3 located below the front seats 2, an exhaust fan 4 for cooling the battery 3, and an exhaust duct 5 connected to the exhaust fan 4. The outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 is open to the door pocket 6 for the sliding door at the bottom of the vehicle, thus creating a battery exhaust duct structure that prevents exhaust from the battery 3 from flowing into the cabin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle equipped with a sliding door.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a structure in which a battery disposed below a front seat, an exhaust fan for cooling the battery, and an exhaust duct connected to the exhaust fan are provided above a floor panel, and an outlet of the exhaust duct is opened to a trim space.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described battery exhaust duct structure, since the exhaust of the battery is introduced into the trim space, there is a risk that part of the exhaust may flow into the cabin, and if the exhaust flows in, it may cause discomfort to the passengers. Therefore, improvement of the battery exhaust path has been demanded.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional situation, and an object thereof is to provide a battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle that can prevent the inflow of exhaust into the cabin by devising the exhaust path of the battery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle battery exhaust duct structure according to the present invention comprises a battery located above the vehicle's floor panel and below the front seats, an exhaust fan for cooling the battery, and an exhaust duct connected to the exhaust fan. The vehicle battery exhaust duct structure is characterized in that the outlet of the exhaust duct is open to the door pocket for the sliding door at the bottom of the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle according to the present invention, by adopting the above configuration, can reliably prevent exhaust from entering the cabin by discharging the battery exhaust into the door pocket for the sliding door at the bottom of the vehicle, thereby eliminating the risk of causing discomfort to occupants due to the exhaust. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure (A) is a plan view showing one embodiment of the battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle according to the present invention, and Figure (B) is a cross-sectional view based on line AA in Figure A. [Figure 2] This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration in which a lip seal is interposed between the door panel trim and the kicking trim when viewed from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the outlet portion of the exhaust duct when viewed from the rear of the vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <First Embodiment> The vehicle battery exhaust duct structure shown in Figure 1(A) includes a battery 3 located above the vehicle's floor panel 1 and below the front seat 2, an exhaust fan 4 for cooling the battery 3, and an exhaust duct 5 connected to the exhaust fan 4.

[0010] The floor panel 1 is a well-known metal panel with various features such as indentations and holes for mounting equipment, but these are omitted in the drawing. The front seat S, shown by a dashed line in Figure 1(A), is the driver's seat on the right side, and in Figure 1(A), left is the direction of the vehicle's front (arrow FR). The battery 3 is the main power source for this electric vehicle. The air heated by this battery 3 is drawn in by the exhaust fan 4 and guided to the exhaust duct 5.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-described battery exhaust duct structure, the outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 is open to the door pocket 6 for the sliding door at the bottom of the vehicle. Therefore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle of this embodiment is equipped with a sliding door D on the right side of the vehicle body (left side in Figure 2). The door pocket 6 is not a space for housing the door, but a space for housing the rail 7 for guiding the sliding door D and the mechanisms for holding the sliding door D in a drivable position.

[0012] As is well known, when the sliding door D is open, it moves outward while sliding towards the rear of the vehicle, and when it is closed, it slides forward while moving towards the inside of the vehicle. For this reason, the rail 7 curves inward on the front side of the vehicle. The door pocket section 6 described above is provided in two places, for example, at the top and bottom of the vehicle, but in the battery exhaust duct structure according to the present invention, the lower door pocket section 6 is used to achieve its effect.

[0013] Furthermore, the battery exhaust duct structure described above has a vertical cross-sectional area perpendicular to the airflow direction within the exhaust duct 5 that is smaller than the vertical cross-sectional area perpendicular to the airflow direction within the door pocket section 6. Note that the direction of exhaust flow is indicated by arrows in each figure.

[0014] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the battery exhaust duct structure described above includes a longitudinally continuous lip seal 9 interposed between the trim (interior material) of the sliding door D and the kicking trim 8 that forms at least the upper part of the door pocket 6, and another lip seal 10 interposed between the trim of the sliding door D and the floor panel 1.

[0015] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1(B) and 3, in the battery exhaust duct structure described above, a sealing material 11 is interposed between the outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 and the kicking trim 8 to prevent exhaust leakage. As is well known, the kicking trim 8 is a member disposed at the foot of the lift opening above the floor panel 1.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, in the battery exhaust duct structure described above, the door pocket portion 6 has a protruding space 6A that protrudes in the vehicle center direction at the front end of the vehicle, and the outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 is opened above the protruding space 6A.

[0017] The battery exhaust duct structure of the vehicle having the above configuration discharges the exhaust of the battery 3 to the door pocket portion 6 for the sliding door at the lower part of the vehicle, which is a space other than the cabin, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the exhaust from flowing into the cabin and eliminate the risk of giving discomfort to the passengers due to the exhaust.

[0018] Also, in the battery exhaust duct structure described above, since the exhaust is flowed into the relatively large space of the door pocket portion 6, the flow velocity and temperature of the exhaust can be reduced compared to the flow velocity at the outlet of the exhaust fan 4, and the temperature rise of the components around the door pocket portion 6 can be prevented.

[0019] Furthermore, in the battery exhaust duct structure described above, since the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the exhaust duct 5 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the door pocket portion 6, the flow velocity and temperature of the exhaust can be surely reduced, and the function of suppressing the temperature rise around the door pocket portion 6 can be further enhanced.

[0020] Furthermore, in the battery exhaust duct structure described above, by interposing a lip seal 9 between the trim of the sliding door D and the kicking trim 8 that forms the upper part of the door pocket portion 6, the airtightness of the door pocket portion 6 into which the exhaust flows is improved, and the exhaust can be flowed not near the passengers but to the luggage space at the rear of the vehicle, contributing to further improvement of the function of preventing the exhaust from flowing into the cabin.

[0021] Furthermore, in the above battery exhaust duct structure, a sealing material 11 is interposed between the outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 and the kicking trim, thereby improving the airtightness of the exhaust path and reliably preventing exhaust from leaking into the cabin through the gap between the exhaust duct 5 and the floor panel 1.

[0022] Furthermore, in the above battery exhaust duct structure, the outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 is opened to the protruding space 6A that protrudes in the vehicle center direction of the door pocket portion 6. As a result, the internal space near the opening of the door pocket portion 6 has a larger volume than that on the center pillar side (not shown in the figure). Therefore, the flow velocity (pressure) of the exhaust flowing out from the outlet 5A of the exhaust duct 5 can be reduced, and a situation where exhaust leaks to the cabin side can be more reliably prevented.

[0023] The detailed configuration of the battery exhaust duct structure of the vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0024] 1 Floor panel 2 Front seat 3 Battery 4 Exhaust fan 5 Exhaust duct 5A Outlet 6 Door pocket portion 6A Protruding space 8 Kicking trim 9 Lip seal <​​​

Claims

1. The vehicle's floor panel is located above the front seats and includes a battery positioned below the front seats, an exhaust fan for cooling the battery, and an exhaust duct connected to the exhaust fan. A vehicle battery exhaust duct structure characterized in that the outlet of the exhaust duct is open to the door pocket for the sliding door at the bottom of the vehicle.

2. The battery structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust duct in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the door pocket in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction.

3. The exhaust duct structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that a lip seal is interposed between the trim of the sliding door and the kicking trim that forms the upper part of the door pocket.

4. A battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a sealing material is interposed between the outlet of the exhaust duct and the kicking trim.

5. The aforementioned door pocket section has a protruding space at the front end of the vehicle that extends toward the center of the vehicle, The battery exhaust duct structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the outlet of the exhaust duct is open to the protruding space.

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