Vehicle structure

Abstract

To efficiently cool power conversion equipment. [Solution] The vehicle structure includes a power conversion device housed in a compartment provided in the vehicle, a partition plate with a ventilation opening that connects the inside and outside of the compartment, and a power outlet connected to the power conversion device via a power cable. The vehicle structure has an outlet cover that is movable between a closed position that closes the power outlet and an open position that opens the power outlet. The vehicle structure has an opening / closing body that is movable between a closed position that closes the ventilation opening and an open position that opens the ventilation opening. When the opening / closing body moves to the open position, the outlet cover moves to the open position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle structure. [Background Art]

[0002] Vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles include an electricity storage device such as a lithium-ion battery (see Patent Documents 1 to 4). Vehicles such as electric vehicles also include an inverter that converts DC power from the electricity storage device into AC power, so as to enable power supply to electric appliances such as household appliances. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-125160 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-228195 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-112531 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-153245 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] An inverter, which is a power conversion device, cools internal switching elements and the like using cooling air. However, since the installation space for the inverter in a vehicle is limited, the inverter may be accommodated in a narrow space. When the inverter is accommodated in such a narrow space, it becomes difficult to allow cooling air to flow efficiently, which makes it difficult to efficiently cool the inverter, that is, the power conversion device, using cooling air. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] According to this disclosure, a vehicle structure has a power conversion device housed in a compartment provided in the vehicle, which converts DC power from a power storage device to AC power. The vehicle structure has a partition plate provided in the vehicle that partitions the compartment and has a ventilation opening that connects the inside and outside of the compartment. The vehicle structure has a power outlet connected to the power conversion device via a power cable and installed in the passenger compartment. The vehicle structure has an outlet cover that is movable between a closed position that closes the power outlet and an open position that opens the power outlet. The vehicle structure has an opening / closing body that is movable between a closed position that closes the ventilation opening and an open position that opens the ventilation opening. When the opening / closing body moves to the open position, the outlet cover moves to the open position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this disclosure, when the opening / closing mechanism moves to the open position, the outlet cover also moves to the open position. As a result, when the power outlet is exposed, the ventilation holes in the partition plate are opened, allowing the power conversion equipment to be cooled efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle structure that is one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the luggage compartment and its vicinity. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the battery pack and its vicinity from the direction of arrow III in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the flow of cooling air in the battery pack. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the luggage compartment and its vicinity. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the flow of cooling air in the battery pack. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the vehicle structure of a modified example. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows the vehicle structure of a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical or substantially identical components and elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0009] <Vehicle Structure> Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a vehicle 11 equipped with a vehicle structure 10, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 11 has a passenger compartment 14 consisting of a cabin 12 and a luggage compartment 13. The cabin 12 is located in the center of the vehicle body 15, and the luggage compartment 13 is located at the rear of the vehicle body 15. The vehicle 11 also has a front seat 16 and a rear seat 17 installed in the cabin 12. The rear seat 17 includes a seat cushion 19 attached to the vehicle body 15 via a seat rail 18, and a seat back 20 that is pivotably attached to the seat cushion 19.

[0010] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the luggage compartment 13 and its vicinity. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle 11 has a battery storage compartment 21 located below the luggage compartment 13. The battery storage compartment 21 is partitioned by a rear floor panel 22, a bulkhead plate 23 joined to the front end of the rear floor panel 22, a lower back panel 24 joined to the rear end of the rear floor panel 22, and a luggage boat 25 facing the rear floor panel 22. The bulkhead plate 23 partitioning the battery storage compartment 21 is also provided with a ventilation opening 23a that connects the inside and outside of the battery storage compartment 21.

[0011] Vehicle 11 has a battery pack 30 housed in a battery compartment 21. The battery pack 30 comprises a pack case 31 and a battery module (energy storage device) 32 housed in the pack case 31. The battery module 32 is composed of multiple battery cells (not shown) consisting of lithium-ion batteries or the like. Furthermore, the battery pack 30 has a power supply inverter (power conversion device) 33 housed in the pack case 31. The power supply inverter 33 is connected to the battery module 32 via a power cable 34 and to a power outlet 36 via a power cable 35. The power outlet 36 is attached to the side trim 37 of the luggage compartment 13. In other words, the power outlet 36 is installed inside the passenger compartment 14.

[0012] The power supply inverter 33 includes an inverter case 38 and a conversion circuit 39 housed in the inverter case 38. The conversion circuit 39 is composed of switching elements (not shown) and has the function of converting DC power to AC power. The power supply inverter 33 equipped with the conversion circuit 39 converts the DC power of the battery module 32 to AC power and supplies this AC power to the power outlet 36. As will be described later, by connecting the power plug 101 of the electrical product 100 to the power outlet 36, it becomes possible to supply power from the battery module 32 to the electrical product 100.

[0013] The vehicle 11 has an electric axle 41 connected to the wheels 40. The electric axle 41 includes a motor generator 42, a differential 43, and a motor inverter 44. The motor generator 42 and the motor inverter 44 are connected to each other via busbars, etc. (not shown). The motor inverter 44 is also connected to the battery module 32 via a power cable 45. The motor inverter 44 controls the rotating magnetic field generated in the stator of the motor generator 42, thereby controlling the torque and rotational speed of the motor generator 42.

[0014] <Cooling Structure for Battery Module and Power Supply Inverter> A cooling structure 50 for a battery module 32 and a power supply inverter 33 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the battery pack 30 and the vicinity thereof from the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cooling structure 50 includes a main cooling fan 51 for supplying cooling air to the battery pack 30. A suction port of the main cooling fan 51 is connected to an air intake port 53 via an intake duct 52, and a discharge port of the main cooling fan 51 is connected to the battery module 32 via an intake duct 54.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the battery module 32 includes a plurality of exhaust ports 55 for discharging cooling air. Further, the power supply inverter 33 includes a sub cooling fan 56 attached to an inverter case 38, and an exhaust duct 57 provided in the inverter case 38. The exhaust duct 57 of the power supply inverter 33 penetrates the pack case 31 and opens into the battery accommodation chamber 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the main cooling fan 51 and the intake ducts 52, 54 are accommodated on the back side of a side trim 37, and the air intake port 53 opens into a luggage room 13.

[0016] <Control System for Power Supply Inverter> A control system 60 for the power supply inverter 33 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the control system 60 of the power supply inverter 33 includes an electronic control unit 63 composed of a microcontroller 61, a drive circuit 62 and the like. A power supply switch 64 operated by a user is connected to the electronic control unit 63. The microcontroller 61 of the electronic control unit 63 includes a processor and a memory which are not shown. When the power supply switch 64 is turned on by the user, the electronic control unit 63 outputs a drive signal to a conversion circuit 39, and also outputs drive signals to the main cooling fan 51 and the sub cooling fan 56.

[0017] <Flow of Cooling Air> Figure 4 shows the flow of cooling air in the battery pack 30. As mentioned above, when the power supply inverter 33 is used, the main cooling fan 51 and the sub-cooling fan 56 are driven. As shown in Figure 4, when the main cooling fan 51 is driven, as indicated by arrow FL1, air drawn in from the air intake 53 is supplied to the battery module 32 inside the battery pack 30 via the main cooling fan 51. Then, as indicated by arrow FL2, the air that has flowed inside the battery module 32 is discharged outside the battery module 32 from the exhaust port 55. Furthermore, since the sub-cooling fan 56 is driven, as indicated by arrow FL3, air inside the pack case 31 is taken into the power supply inverter 33 via the sub-cooling fan 56, and the air that has flowed inside the power supply inverter 33 is discharged outside the battery pack 30 from the exhaust duct 57.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle structure 10 of this disclosure has an outlet cover 70 that covers a power outlet 36. This outlet cover 70 is attached to the seat back (opening / closing part) 20 of the rear seat 17. The seat back 20 of the rear seat 17 is movable between a usage position in which it is upright away from the seat cushion 19 and a storage position in which it is folded down closer to the seat cushion 19. Here, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the luggage compartment 13 and its vicinity. Figure 5 shows the same part as in Figure 2, and Figure 5 shows the seat back 20 moved to the storage position.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, when the seat back 20 of the rear seat 17 is moved to the use position, the seat back 20 covers the vent 23a of the bulkhead plate 23, thus closing the vent 23a of the bulkhead plate 23. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5, when the seat back 20 of the rear seat 17 is moved to the stowed position, the seat back 20 moves away from the vent 23a of the bulkhead plate 23, thus opening the vent 23a of the bulkhead plate 23. Thus, the seat back 20 is movable between a use position (closed position) that closes the vent 23a and a stowed position (open position) that opens the vent 23a.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, when the seat back 20 of the rear seat 17 is moved to the usage position (closed position), the outlet cover 70, which moves with the seat back 20, moves to a position that overlaps the power outlet 36, that is, to the closed position that covers the power outlet 36. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5, when the seat back 20 of the rear seat 17 is moved to the storage position (open position), the outlet cover 70, which moves with the seat back 20, moves to a position that does not overlap the power outlet 36, that is, to the open position that exposes the power outlet 36. Thus, the outlet cover 70 is movable between a closed position that closes the power outlet 36 and an open position that opens the power outlet 36.

[0021] Here, as shown by arrow α in Figure 5, when using the power supply inverter 33, the user connects the power plug 101 of the electrical appliance 100 to the power outlet 36. In order to connect the power plug 101 to the power outlet 36 in this way, it is necessary to expose the power outlet 36 by moving the seat back 20 to the stowed position and moving the outlet cover 70 to the open position, as shown by arrow β. Also, when the seat back 20 is folded down to the stowed position, the seat back 20 moves away from the bulkhead plate 23 and the vent 23a opens, so the battery housing 21 is opened to the passenger compartment 14 through the vent 23a.

[0022] Figure 6 shows the flow of cooling air in the battery pack 30, and Figure 6 shows the situation when the seat back 20 is moved to the stowed position. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the seat back 20 is moved to the stowed position and the vent 23a is opened, as indicated by arrow FL4, the air released from the exhaust duct 57 of the power supply inverter 33 can be released from the battery housing 21 through the vent 23a into the passenger compartment 14. In this way, the air that has passed through the power supply inverter 33 can be released into the passenger compartment 14, so that cooling air can be efficiently flowed to the power supply inverter 33, and the power supply inverter 33 can be efficiently cooled.

[0023] Furthermore, as mentioned above, when the power supply inverter 33 is used, the seat back 20 moves to the stowed position (open position), which opens the vent 23a. As a result, when the power supply inverter 33 is used, air can be actively expelled from the battery compartment 21, ensuring the cooling performance of the power supply inverter 33 without increasing the volume of the battery compartment 21. In other words, from the perspective of increasing the volume of the battery compartment 21, there is no need to widen the distance between the rear seat 17 and the power supply inverter 33, so the cabin space can be used effectively.

[0024] In the example shown in Figure 5, a cover cloth 71 is attached to the seat back 20 and the bulkhead plate 23 to cover the step. Therefore, when the seat back 20 is moved to the stowed position and the vent 23a is opened, the air released from the vent 23a flows into the space between the cover cloth 71 and the bulkhead plate 23. In this way, even when air is flowed from the vent 23a into the space partitioned by the cover cloth 71, air can be actively discharged from the battery housing 21, thereby efficiently cooling the power supply inverter 33. Alternatively, the cover cloth 71 may be omitted from the seat back 20, etc., and air may be directly released from the vent 23a to the cabin 12 and luggage compartment 13.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, when the seat back 20 moves to the usage position (closed position), the outlet cover 70 also moves to the closed position. In other words, when the ventilation opening 23a is closed by the seat back 20, the power outlet 36 is covered by the outlet cover 70, so the power outlet 36 is not used and the power supply inverter 33 does not generate heat.

[0026] <Example 1> In the example shown in Figure 2, the outlet cover 82 is attached to the seat back 20, but this is not the only option. Figure 7 shows a modified vehicle structure 80. As shown in Figure 7, the vehicle structure 80 has an outlet cover 82 driven by an electric actuator 81. The outlet cover 82 is movable between a closed position that closes the power outlet 36 and an open position that opens the power outlet 36. The vehicle structure 80 also has a position sensor 83 that detects the operating position of the seat back 20.

[0027] When the electronic control unit 63 detects that the seat back 20 has moved to the stowed position based on the detection signal from the position sensor 83, it outputs a drive signal to the electric actuator 81 to rotate the outlet cover 82 to the open position. In other words, as indicated by arrow Xa1, the situation in which the outlet cover 82 moves to the open position and exposes the power outlet 36 is the situation in which the seat back 20 has moved to the stowed position (open position) and the vent 23a has been opened. This allows the air that has passed through the power supply inverter 33 to be released into the passenger compartment 14 from the vent 23a, and cooling air can be efficiently flowed to the power supply inverter 33, thus efficiently cooling the power supply inverter 33.

[0028] Furthermore, when the electronic control unit 63 detects that the seat back 20 has moved to the usage position based on the detection signal from the position sensor 83, it outputs a drive signal to the electric actuator 81 to rotate the outlet cover 82 to the closed position. In other words, when the seat back 20 moves to the usage position (closed position), the outlet cover 82 moves to the closed position. As a result, when the ventilation opening 23a is closed by the seat back 20, the power outlet 36 is covered by the outlet cover 82, so the power outlet 36 is not used and the power supply inverter 33 does not generate heat.

[0029] <Modification 2> In the example shown in Figure 2, the vent 23a is opened and closed by the seat back 20, but this is not the only way. Figure 8 shows a modified vehicle structure 90. As shown in Figure 8, the vehicle structure 90 includes an outlet cover 92 driven by an electric actuator 91, a partition plate 93 that partitions the battery housing 21, and a shutter plate (opening / closing body) 94 that opens and closes the vent 93a of the partition plate 93. The outlet cover 92 is movable between a closed position that closes the power outlet 36 and an open position that opens the power outlet 36. The shutter plate 94 is also movable between a closed position that closes the vent 93a and an open position that opens the vent 93a. Furthermore, the vehicle structure 90 has a position sensor 95 that detects the operating position of the shutter plate 94.

[0030] When the electronic control unit 63 detects that the shutter plate 94 has moved to the open position based on the detection signal from the position sensor 95, it outputs a drive signal to the electric actuator 91 to rotate the outlet cover 92 to the open position. In other words, the situation in which the outlet cover 92 moves to the open position and exposes the power outlet 36, as shown by arrow Xb1, is the same as the situation in which the shutter plate 94 moves to the open position and the vent 93a is opened, as shown by arrow Xb2. This allows the air that has passed through the power supply inverter 33 to be released into the passenger compartment 14 through the vent 93a, and cooling air can be efficiently flowed to the power supply inverter 33, thus efficiently cooling the power supply inverter 33.

[0031] Furthermore, when the electronic control unit 63 detects that the shutter plate 94 has moved to the closed position based on the detection signal from the position sensor 95, it outputs a drive signal to the electric actuator 91 to rotate the outlet cover 92 to the closed position. In other words, when the shutter plate 94 moves to the closed position, the outlet cover 92 also moves to the closed position. As a result, when the ventilation opening 93a is closed by the shutter plate 94, the power outlet 36 is covered by the outlet cover 92, so the power outlet 36 is not used and the power supply inverter 33 does not generate heat.

[0032] <Other variations> This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the disclosure. In the above description, the power supply inverter 33 is incorporated into the battery pack 30, but this is not limited to this, and the power supply inverter 33 may be separated from the battery pack 30. Also, in the above description, the cooling systems for the battery module 32 and the power supply inverter 33 are combined into one, but this is not limited to this, and the cooling systems for the battery module 32 and the power supply inverter 33 may be configured separately.

[0033] In the example shown in Figure 2, the outlet cover 70 is directly attached to the seat back 20, but this is not the only way. For example, the outlet cover 70 may be attached to the seat back 20 via a linkage mechanism. Also, in the example shown in Figure 2, the outlet cover 70 is attached to the rear seat 17, but this is not the only way. For example, when applying the technology of this disclosure to a vehicle with three rows of seats, the outlet cover 70 may be attached to the third row seat. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10...Vehicle structure, 11...Vehicle, 13...Luggage compartment, 14...Passenger compartment, 17...Rear seat, 20...Seat back (opening / closing mechanism), 21...Battery compartment, 23...Bulkhead plate, 23a...Ventilation opening, 32...Battery module (energy storage device), 33...Power inverter (power conversion device), 35...Power cable, 36...Power outlet, 70...Outlet cover, 80...Vehicle structure, 82...Outlet cover, 90...Vehicle structure, 92...Outlet cover, 93...Bulkhead plate, 93a...Ventilation opening, 94...Shutter plate (opening / closing mechanism)

Claims

1. A power conversion device housed in a compartment on the vehicle, which converts the DC power of a power storage device into AC power, A partition plate provided in the vehicle, which partitions the storage compartment and has ventilation openings that allow communication between the inside and outside of the storage compartment, The aforementioned power conversion device is connected via a power cable to a power outlet installed inside the vehicle, An outlet cover that is movable between a closed position that closes the power outlet and an open position that opens the power outlet, An opening / closing body that can move between a closed position that closes the vent and an open position that opens the vent, It has, When the opening / closing body moves to the open position, the outlet cover moves to the open position. Vehicle structure.

2. In the vehicle structure described in claim 1, When the opening / closing body moves to the closed position, the outlet cover moves to the closed position. Vehicle structure.

3. In the vehicle structure described in claim 1, The aforementioned opening and closing mechanism is the seat back of the seat. Vehicle structure.

4. In the vehicle structure described in claim 3, The outlet cover is attached to the seat back. Vehicle structure.

5. In the vehicle structure described in claim 1, The aforementioned storage compartment is located below the cargo compartment. Vehicle structure.

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