Battery frame structure

Abstract

To obtain a battery frame structure that allows for easier assembly of the vehicle body structure and the battery frame. [Solution] The battery frame structure S includes a pair of left and right first skeletal members 30 that extend in the vehicle front-rear direction on both sides of the vehicle width direction of the battery 20 and have a closed cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and have a partition wall that divides the vehicle into an upper space and a lower space in the vehicle vertical direction; a pair of front and rear second skeletal members 40 that extend in the vehicle width direction on both sides of the vehicle front-rear direction of the battery 20 and have a closed cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and are arranged on the front or rear side of the vehicle of the battery 20 to which the vehicle body structure is joined; and a corner retainer 50 (52, 54) comprising one piece 52A, 54A and the other piece 52B, 54B, with one piece 52A, 54A being inserted into the lower space and the other piece 52B, 54B being inserted into the longitudinal end of the second skeletal member 40 and fixed in that state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery frame structure.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a fuel cell vehicle in which a fuel cell is attached below a floor panel of a vehicle via a battery frame.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The battery frame to which a fuel cell is attached has a pair of side frames extending in the vehicle front-rear direction on both sides in the vehicle width direction, and a cross frame bridging the pair of side frames. The side frames and the cross frame are joined by, for example, welding, an adhesive, or the like. Therefore, in the battery frame, it is difficult to achieve accuracy in the dimensions in the vehicle width direction, and variations occur in the product dimensions. When variations occur in the product dimensions, when coupling the vehicle body structure constituting the skeleton of the vehicle and the battery frame, gaps or interference may occur, and assembly may become difficult, and improvement is desired.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a battery frame structure that can more easily assemble a vehicle body structure and a battery frame.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The battery frame structure according to claim 1 comprises: a pair of left and right first skeletal members that extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction on both sides in the vehicle width direction of a drive battery mounted on a vehicle, and whose cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is a closed cross-sectional shape, and which have a partition wall that divides the vehicle into an upper space and a lower space in the vehicle vertical direction; a pair of front and rear second skeletal members that extend in the vehicle width direction on both sides in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the battery, and whose cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is a closed cross-sectional shape, and which are arranged on the front or rear side of the vehicle of the battery to which a vehicle body structure constituting the vehicle body frame is joined; and a corner retainer comprising one piece and the other piece, wherein the one piece is inserted into the lower space and the other piece is inserted into the longitudinal end of the second skeletal member and fixed in that state.

[0007] In the battery frame structure according to claim 1, the vehicle width direction of the pair of left and right first frame members can be aligned with the vehicle width direction surface of the vehicle body structure by adjusting the fixing position of the corner retainer and the second frame member. Furthermore, by inserting the corner retainer into the space below the first frame member, a step can be formed between the second frame member and the first frame member, and the vehicle body structure can be joined to this step. Thus, in the battery frame structure according to claim 1, the dimensions of the pair of left and right first frame members in the vehicle width direction can be adjusted, and a step is formed to join the vehicle body structure, making it easier to assemble the vehicle body structure and the battery frame.

[0008] The battery frame structure according to claim 2 is configured in the configuration described in claim 1, wherein the corner retainer includes a first corner retainer used for connecting the second skeletal member and the first skeletal member, which are located on the front side of the vehicle, and a second corner retainer used for connecting the second skeletal member and the first skeletal member, which are located on the rear side of the vehicle, and both the first corner retainer and the second skeletal member, and the second corner retainer and the second skeletal member are fixed at the tip of the other piece.

[0009] In the battery frame structure according to claim 2, the first corner retainer and the second corner retainer and the second skeletal member are fixed at the tip of the other end piece. Therefore, by changing the shape of the first corner retainer and the second corner retainer, excluding at least one of the tip portions, the length of the battery frame in the vehicle width direction can be changed according to the shape of the vehicle body structure.

[0010] The battery frame structure according to claim 3 is the configuration according to claim 2, wherein the tip portion has one or more protrusions on its surface, and the second skeletal member has an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is in the vehicle width direction at a position corresponding to the one or more protrusions when the tip portion is inserted.

[0011] In the battery frame structure according to claim 3, the position of the corner retainer in the vehicle width direction can be adjusted by the elongated hole, so that variations in the vehicle width direction of the pair of first skeletal members can be absorbed.

[0012] The battery frame structure according to claim 4 is the configuration according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the other piece includes the tip portion and a base portion that is wider than the tip portion.

[0013] In the battery frame structure according to claim 4, the position in the vehicle width direction is adjusted solely by the positional relationship between the tip and the second skeletal member, thus limiting the adjustment range in the vehicle width direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, the battery frame structure according to the present invention makes it easier to assemble the vehicle body structure and the battery frame. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view showing an example of a battery frame having a battery frame structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side frame along line II-II. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of the battery frame. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the mounting points when the vehicle body structure is assembled to the battery frame. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting section along the VV line. [Figure 6] This is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view showing a portion of a battery frame having a conventional battery frame structure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] A battery frame structure S according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Also, the arrows FR shown as appropriate in each figure indicate the front side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the arrow UP indicates the upper side in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction. Hereafter, when simply using the longitudinal, vertical, and left-right directions, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction).

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a battery frame 10 having a battery frame structure S according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the battery frame 10 of this embodiment is a structure that supports a battery pack 20 as a battery within the frame. The battery frame 10, for example, has a rectangular frame shape with the vehicle's front-rear direction as its longitudinal direction in a plan view, and includes a pair of side frames 30 as first skeletal members, a pair of cross frames 40 as second skeletal members, and corner retainers 50.

[0018] A pair of side frames 30 extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on both outer sides in the vehicle width direction of the battery pack 20. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line II-II of the side frame 30 in FIG. 1. The side frame 30 has a closed cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and is formed by extrusion molding or the like using an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, or the like as a material. In addition, it may be formed of a resin such as CFRP other than metal. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the side frame 30 includes, as an example, a main body portion 32 formed in a cylindrical shape with a rectangular cross-section having long sides in the vertical direction in a front view, and a partition wall 34 that divides the inside of the main body portion 32 into an upper space S1 and a lower space S2 in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0019] A pair of cross frames 40 extend in the vehicle width direction on both outer sides in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle of the battery pack 20. Among the pair of cross frames 40, the frame disposed on the front side of the vehicle is the front cross frame 42, and the frame disposed on the rear side of the vehicle is the rear cross frame 44. In the present embodiment, as an example, the front cross frame 42 is formed to be longer in the vehicle width direction than the rear cross frame 44. The pair of cross frames 40 have a closed cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and are formed by extrusion molding or the like using an aluminum alloy, a magnesium alloy, or the like as a material. In addition, it may be formed of a resin such as CFRP other than metal.

[0020] Specifically, the cross frame 40, that is, the front cross frame 42 and the rear cross frame 44, are formed in a cylindrical shape with a rectangular cross-section having short sides in the vertical direction in a front view, as an example. Further, long holes 46 and 48 are provided at positions corresponding to convex portions 56A and 55, which will be described later, on the upper surface in the vehicle vertical direction. Specifically, the front cross frame 42 is provided with two long holes 46 arranged in the longitudinal direction on the upper surfaces on both sides in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction), as an example. In addition, the rear cross frame 44 is provided with one long hole 48 on the upper surfaces on both sides in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction), as an example. Each of the long holes 46 and 48 is provided such that the longitudinal direction is the vehicle width direction.

[0021] The corner retainer 50 includes a front corner retainer 52 as a first corner retainer used for connecting the side frame 30 and the front cross frame 42, and a rear corner retainer 54 as a second corner retainer used for connecting the side frame 30 and the rear cross frame 44. The front corner retainer 52 and the rear corner retainer 54 are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction, respectively. That is, the battery frame 10 includes two front corner retainers 52 and two rear corner retainers 54.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front corner retainer 52 includes one piece 52A and the other piece 52B, and in the present embodiment, as an example, it is formed in a substantially L shape. In the present embodiment, as an example, the other piece 52B is formed longer than the one piece 52A.

[0023] Also, the one piece 52A is formed to correspond to the shape of the lower space S2 of the side frame 30 described above. As an example, the whole of the one piece 52A is inserted into the lower space S2 from the front side of the vehicle. The one piece 52A is fixed to the side frame 30 by a known fixing method such as an adhesive and welding. In the present embodiment, the whole of the one piece 52A is inserted into the lower space S2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only a part of the tip side may be inserted into the lower space S2.

[0024] Also, the other piece 52B extends in a direction perpendicular to the one piece 52A from the end of the one piece 52A, and includes a tip portion 56 and a base portion 58 extending from the tip portion 56 toward the one piece 52A side. The base portion 58 is formed wider in the vehicle longitudinal direction than the tip portion 56, as an example.

[0025] The tip portion 56 is inserted into the longitudinal end of the front cross frame 42 and is formed to correspond to the inner diameter of the front cross frame 42. In this embodiment, as an example, the entire tip portion 56 is inserted into the interior of the front cross frame 42. In this embodiment, the entire tip portion 56 is inserted into the interior of the front cross frame 42, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only a part of the tip end of the tip portion 56 may be inserted into the interior of the front cross frame 42.

[0026] Furthermore, the tip portion 56 has two protrusions 56A on the upper surface of the vehicle, i.e., the upper surface. The protrusions 56A are, for example, cylindrical in shape, and the two protrusions 56A are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. The protrusions 56A are elastic in the vehicle vertical direction and are inserted into the front cross frame 42 in a contracted state on the lower side of the vehicle, and then return to their original state (extend) in the elongated hole 46, thereby fitting into the elongated hole 46. The elasticity of the protrusions 56A in the vehicle vertical direction may be achieved by using, for example, a spring member, or the protrusions 56A themselves may be made of an elastic material, or known techniques may be used. The front corner retainer 52 is fixed to the front cross frame 42 by the fitting of the protrusions 56A into the elongated hole 46, which causes the tip portion 56 of the other piece 52B to be fixed to the front cross frame 42.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the rear corner retainer 54 comprises one piece 54A and the other piece 54B, with each piece extending from both ends of a rectangular prism-shaped connecting piece 54C. Specifically, the one piece 54A and the other piece 54B extend in substantially perpendicular directions, and the connecting piece 54C is connected diagonally to the one piece 54A and the other piece 54B, respectively.

[0028] One piece 54A of the rear corner retainer 54 is formed to correspond to the shape of the lower space S2 of the side frame 30, similar to one piece 52A of the front corner retainer 52 described above, and as an example, the entire piece is inserted into the lower space S2 from the rear side of the vehicle. One piece 54A is fixed to the side frame 30 by known fixing methods such as adhesive and welding, as an example. In this embodiment, the entire piece 54A is inserted into the lower space S2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only a part of the tip side may be inserted into the lower space S2.

[0029] Furthermore, the other end 54B of the rear corner retainer 54 functions as the tip 56 of the rear corner retainer 54 and has a protrusion 56A on its upper surface, i.e., its upper surface. Since this protrusion 56A has the same configuration as the protrusion 56A provided on the tip 56 of the front corner retainer 52 described above, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0030] As described above, the battery frame 10 supports the battery pack 20, and a vehicle body structure 60, which is integrally molded by casting as an example, has a front vehicle body structure 62 (see Figure 4) and a rear vehicle body structure (not shown) connected to the front and rear of the vehicle, respectively. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the mounting portion when the vehicle body structure 60 is assembled to the battery frame 10 of Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a plan cross-sectional view of the mounting portion of Figure 4 along line VV. Note that in Figure 4, only a part of the front vehicle body structure 62, including the connection point with the battery frame 10, is shown, and the other parts are not shown. Also, since the rear vehicle body structure can be assembled in the same way as the front vehicle body structure 62, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the front body structure 62 includes a pair of side member portions 64 that are attached to cover the upper and inner surfaces of a pair of side frames 30 of the battery frame 10, and a cross member portion 66 that connects the pair of side member portions 64. As shown in Figure 5, the side member portion 64 has an open cross-sectional shape with the lower outer side open, and includes a side wall 64A that covers the inner surface of the side frame 30 and an upper wall 64B that covers the upper surface of the side frame 30. The side frame 30 is fastened to the side wall 64A and the upper wall 64B, respectively, in two directions: the vertical direction of the vehicle and the vehicle width direction, using fastening members such as bolts. These fastenings of the side frame 30 in two directions are performed at the wall that constitutes the upper space S1 of the main body portion 32.

[0032] Furthermore, as an example, the lower wall of the side frame 30, which constitutes the lower space S2 of the main body 32, is fastened to the flange 22 provided on the battery pack 20 using fastening members such as bolts. The battery frame 10 of this embodiment is configured to have the battery frame structure S described above.

[0033] (Mechanism of Action and Effects) Next, the effects and advantages of the first embodiment will be described.

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view showing a part of a conventional battery frame structure 100. As shown in Figure 6, in the conventional battery frame structure 100, the side frame 130 has a rectangular closed cross-sectional shape and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle on both sides in the vehicle width direction. That is, while the side frame 30 of the above-described embodiment has a partition wall 34, the conventional side frame 130 does not have a partition wall.

[0035] Furthermore, at both ends of the battery frame 100 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, the front or rear ends of a pair of side frames 130 are supported by cross frames 140. The cross frames 140 are fixed to the side frames 130 below the center of the side frames 130 in the vehicle's vertical direction, for example, by welding or adhesive. The battery pack 120 is fixed to the battery frame 100, which is composed of a pair of side frames 130 and a pair of cross frames 140, from below. Also, on both sides of the battery frame 100 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, similar to the embodiment described above, the vehicle body structure (not shown) is fastened to the side frames 30 in two directions, the vehicle's vertical direction and the vehicle's width direction, using fastening members such as bolts.

[0036] In conventional battery frames 100 with the above configuration, the cross frame 140 and the side frame 130 are fixed together by welding or adhesive, as described above. This makes it difficult to achieve precision in the vehicle width dimension D, resulting in variations in product dimensions. When variations in product dimensions occur, gaps or interference can occur when joining the vehicle body structure and the battery frame 100, making assembly difficult in some cases.

[0037] Therefore, in the battery frame structure S of the battery frame 10 of this embodiment, by adjusting the fixing position of the corner retainer 50 and the cross frame 40, the vehicle width direction of the pair of left and right side frames 30 can be aligned with the vehicle width direction surface of the vehicle body structure 60. In addition, by inserting the corner retainer 50 into the lower space S2 of the side frame 30, a step can be formed between the cross frame 40 and the side frame 30, and the vehicle body structure 60 can be joined to this step. In this way, in the battery frame structure S of this embodiment, the dimensions of the pair of left and right side frames 30 in the vehicle width direction can be adjusted, and a step is formed to join the vehicle body structure 60, so that the vehicle body structure 60 and the battery frame 10 can be assembled more easily.

[0038] Furthermore, in the battery frame structure S of the battery frame 10 of this embodiment, the front corner retainer 52 and the rear corner retainer 54 and the cross frame 40 are each fixed at their respective tip portions 56. Therefore, by changing the shape of the front corner retainer 52 and the rear corner retainer 54, excluding at least one of their tip portions 56, the length of the battery frame 10 in the vehicle width direction can be changed according to the shape of the vehicle body structure 60.

[0039] Furthermore, in the battery frame structure S of the battery frame 10 of this embodiment, the position of the corner retainer 50 in the vehicle width direction can be adjusted by the elongated holes 46 and 48, so that variations in the vehicle width direction of the pair of side frames 30 can be absorbed.

[0040] Furthermore, in the battery frame structure S of the battery frame 10 of this embodiment, the position in the vehicle width direction is adjusted solely by the positional relationship between the tip portion 56 and the cross frame 40, thus limiting the adjustment range in the vehicle width direction.

[0041] [supplementary explanation] In the embodiments described above, a front vehicle body structure 62 mounted on the front of the vehicle was explained as an example of a vehicle body structure, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a rear vehicle body structure mounted on the rear of the vehicle.

[0042] Furthermore, although the vehicle body structure 60 in the above-described embodiment is integrally molded by casting, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a vehicle body structure that is not integrally molded may also be assembled.

[0043] Furthermore, in the battery frame structure S of the embodiment described above, the front corner retainer 52 and the rear corner retainer 54 have different shapes, but the present invention is not limited to this, and they may have the same shape.

[0044] Furthermore, in the battery frame structure S of the embodiment described above, the holes that fit into the protrusions 56A are elongated holes 46 and 48, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any hole extending in the vehicle width direction is acceptable, for example, a slit.

[0045] Furthermore, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the configuration can be modified as appropriate, as long as the problem can be solved. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0046] 10 Battery Frames 20 Battery packs (batteries) 30 Side frame (first structural member) 34 Bulkhead 40 Cross frame (second skeletal member) 46 long hole 48 long hole 50 Corner retainer 52 Front corner retainer (first corner retainer) 54 Rear corner retainer 54 (2nd corner retainer) 56 Tip 56A Convex part 58 Base S Battery frame structure S1 upper space S2 lower space

Claims

1. A pair of left and right first skeletal members are provided, extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction on both sides in the vehicle's width direction for the drive battery mounted on the vehicle, with a closed cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and having a partition wall that divides the vehicle into an upper space and a lower space in the vehicle's vertical direction. The battery has a closed cross-sectional shape extending in the vehicle width direction on both sides in the vehicle's front-rear direction, and a pair of front and rear second skeletal members to which a vehicle body structure constituting the vehicle body frame is joined, and which are positioned on the front or rear side of the battery. A corner retainer comprising one piece and the other piece, wherein the one piece is inserted into the lower space and the other piece is inserted into the longitudinal end of the second skeletal member and fixed in that state, A battery frame structure having the following characteristics.

2. The corner retainer is configured to include a first corner retainer used to connect the second structural member and the first structural member, which are located on the front side of the vehicle, and a second corner retainer used to connect the second structural member and the first structural member, which are located on the rear side of the vehicle. The battery frame structure according to claim 1, wherein the first corner retainer and the second skeletal member, and the second corner retainer and the second skeletal member are both fixed at the tip of the other piece.

3. The aforementioned tip portion has one or more protrusions on its surface, The battery frame structure according to claim 2, wherein the second skeletal member has an elongated hole whose longitudinal direction is in the vehicle width direction at a position corresponding to the one or more protrusions when the tip portion is inserted.

4. The battery frame structure according to claim 2, wherein the other piece includes the tip portion and a base portion that is wider than the tip portion.

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