Battery unit

Abstract

To provide a battery unit capable of inhibiting a blower from being affected by deflection of a floor of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A battery unit is disposed between two side members provided at a vehicle and two cross members provided at the vehicle. The battery unit includes: a battery pack configured to supply electric power to the vehicle; a lower case which is open to the upper side and houses the battery pack; a protection cover which covers the battery pack at the upper side of the battery pack; skeleton frames which are overlapped with the protection cover, span the two cross members, and are welded to the protection cover and fastened to the two cross members; and a blower which is disposed at the side of the battery pack, fastened to the skeleton frame and the lower case, and blows air for cooling the battery pack.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery unit for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Vehicles such as hybrid vehicles (HV) and electric vehicles (EV) are equipped with a battery unit that supplies electricity to the vehicle. The battery unit has a battery pack and a blower for cooling the battery pack. As this type of vehicle, there are known ones in which the blower is fastened to a floor panel constituting the vehicle floor via a bracket (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and ones in which the blower is suspended by a skeletal member of the floor panel (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the prior art, since the blower is fastened to the front panel constituted by a thin plate in the floor panel via a bracket, the floor panel is likely to bend and the acceleration of the floor panel becomes large. As a result, the acceleration of the blower also becomes large together with the floor panel. That is, there is a problem that the blower is likely to be affected by the bending of the floor panel.

[0005] In view of the above, one of the problems of the present invention is to provide a battery unit capable of suppressing the blower from being affected by the bending of the vehicle floor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The battery unit according to the present invention is a battery unit disposed between two side members provided on a vehicle and two cross members provided on the vehicle, and includes a battery pack that supplies electricity to the vehicle, a lower case that opens upward and houses the battery pack, a protective cover that covers the battery pack on the upper side of the battery pack, a skeleton frame that is overlapped with the protective cover, extends across the two cross members, is welded to the protective cover, and is fastened to the two cross members, and a blower that is disposed on the side of the battery pack, is fastened to the skeleton frame and the lower case, and blows air for cooling the battery pack.

[0007] According to such a configuration, since the blower is fastened to the skeleton frame of the battery unit and the lower case of the battery unit, it is possible to suppress the blower from being affected by the deflection of the vehicle floor. Further, according to the above configuration, in order to suppress the blower from being affected by the deflection of the vehicle floor, there is no need to provide separate parts other than the battery unit. Therefore, an increase in the number of vehicle parts can be suppressed, and thus cost reduction can be achieved.

[0008] In the battery unit, for example, the blower is fastened to one end portion of the skeleton frame, and a protruding portion that protrudes to the opposite side of the blower and is located above the battery pack is provided at the other end portion of the skeleton frame on the opposite side of the one end portion.

[0009] According to such a configuration, for example, when the battery pack moves upward toward the skeleton frame for some reason and contacts the protruding portion, the protruding portion can limit the upward movement of the battery pack by the protruding portion. Further, according to the above configuration, the protruding portion can suppress the rotation of the blower around the central axis of the skeleton frame by contacting the upper portion of the battery pack.

Effect of the Invention

[0010] The battery unit according to the present invention has an effect of providing a battery unit capable of suppressing the blower from being affected by the deflection of the vehicle floor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described. Note that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationships between elements, the ratios of the elements, etc. may be different from reality. Also, there may be parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios are different between the drawings. In this specification, ordinal numbers are used only for distinguishing components, members, parts, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 100 on which a battery unit 1 according to an embodiment is mounted. The vehicle is an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle. The vehicle 100 includes a front seat 103, a rear seat 104, and a battery unit 1 on a floor 102 of an interior 101. The battery unit 1 is installed under the front seat 103. The battery unit 1 is also referred to as a power supply unit.

[0014] A three-dimensional coordinate system is shown in each drawing. In the three-dimensional coordinate system, the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and the battery unit 1 is defined as the X-axis direction, the width direction (left-right direction) is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction (height direction) is defined as the Z-axis direction. The positive direction of the X-axis is the rear in the front-rear direction, and the negative direction of the X-axis is the front in the front-rear direction. The positive direction of the Y-axis is the right side, and the negative direction of the Y-axis is the left side. The positive direction of the Z-axis is the upper side, and the negative direction of the Z-axis is the lower side. Also, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear direction is the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 and the battery unit 1, the width direction is the width direction of the vehicle 100 and the battery unit 1, and the vertical direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle 100 and the battery unit 1.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the floor 102 of the vehicle 100 and the battery unit 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the floor 102 is a part of the vehicle body and has at least a left side member 5L, a right side member 5R, a front cross member 6F, and a rear cross member 6R. The floor 102 is also referred to as a floor panel.

[0016] The left side member 5L and the right side member 5R each extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged side by side with a gap in the width direction. The front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R each extend in the width direction and are arranged side by side with a gap in the front-rear direction. The front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R are each provided across the left side member 5L and the right side member 5R. In the floor 102, a region surrounded by the left side member 5L, the right side member 5R, the front cross member 6F, and the rear cross member 6R is provided with a plate-like panel portion, and the battery unit 1 is disposed above this panel portion.

[0017] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of Figure 2. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the battery unit 1 includes a case 11, a battery pack 12, a blower 13 (Figure 2), a control device 14 (Figure 2), and a waterproof tray 15 (Figure 3). The case 11 houses the battery pack 12, the blower 13, and the control device 14. The battery pack 12, the blower 13, and the control device 14 are arranged side by side in the width direction. The blower 13 is disposed on one side (for example, the right side) of the battery pack 12, and the control device 14 is disposed on the other side (for example, the left side) of the battery pack 12. The waterproof tray 15 houses the case 11, the battery pack 12, the blower 13, and the control device 14.

[0018] The battery pack 12 is a secondary battery (battery) that supplies electricity to the motor of the vehicle 100, and is, for example, a lithium ion battery. The battery pack 12 is charged by regenerative power or power from a charger. The blower 3 blows air for cooling the battery pack 12 onto the battery pack 12 within the protective cover 2. The control device 14 controls the battery pack 12 and the blower 13. The control device 14 is, for example, a battery management system and has a plurality of electronic components. Among the plurality of electronic components, there are high voltage components to which a high voltage is applied.

[0019] Each part will be described in detail below.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the waterproof tray 15 is open upward. The waterproof tray 15 is fixed, for example, by bolts 27 and 28 to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R via a plurality of brackets 32. The brackets 32 are also referred to as waterproof tray brackets.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the case 11 has a lower case 21 (FIG. 3) and a protective cover 22.

[0022] The lower case 21 is open upward and houses the battery pack 12, the blower 13, and the control device 14 inside. The lower case 21 is fixed to the floor 102. For example, the lower case 21 is fixed by bolts to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R via the brackets 32. Thereby, the battery pack 12 is fixed by bolts to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R via the lower case 21 and the brackets 32. That is, the brackets 32 fix the battery pack 12 (lower case 21) and the waterproof tray 15 to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R.

[0023] The protective cover 22 is provided above the lower case 21 and covers the opening of the lower case 21. The protective cover 22 is provided above the battery pack 12, the blower 13, and the control device 14 and covers the battery pack 12, the blower 13, and the control device 14.

[0024] The protective cover 22 is composed of a combination of a plurality of members. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the protective cover 22 has a first cover member 23, a second cover member 24, and a third cover member 25. The protective cover 22 is fixed to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R by bolts 27 to 29 and the like.

[0025] The first cover member 23 is located at least above the battery pack 12 and covers the battery pack 12. The second cover member 24 is located at least above the control device 14 and covers the control device 14. The third cover member 25 is located at least above the blower 13 and covers the blower 13.

[0026] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality (two in this example) of skeleton frames 26A and 26B are fixed to the protective cover 22. The skeleton frame 26A is fixed to the first cover member 23, and the skeleton frame 26B is fixed to the second cover member 24. Hereinafter, the skeleton frames 26A and 26B are collectively referred to as the skeleton frame 26. Hereinafter, an example in which one skeleton frame 26 is provided on each of the first cover member 23 and the second cover member 24 will be described, but the number of the skeleton frames 26 is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of skeleton frames 26 may be provided on each of the first cover member 23 and the second cover member 24.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the battery unit 1 according to the embodiment, and is a view in a state where a part of the protective cover 22 is removed. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows a state where the first cover member 23 and the second cover member 24 of the protective cover 22 are removed.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of skeleton frames 26 each extend in the front-rear direction and are arranged at intervals in the width direction. Each skeleton frame 26 is provided across the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R and is fixed to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R. In other words, each skeleton frame 26 bridges the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R.

[0029] The skeleton frame 26 is a plate member having the front-rear direction as the longitudinal direction. The skeleton frame 26 is made, for example, by processing a hat-shaped member, and at least a part of the cross section is a hat-shaped cross section. The skeleton frame 26 is made of, for example, a metal material.

[0030] The skeletal frame 26 has a front end portion 26a, a rear end portion 26b on the side opposite to the front end portion 26a, a left end portion 26c, and a right end portion 26d on the side opposite to the left end portion 26c.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front end portion 26a and the rear end portion 26b of the skeletal frame 26 are fastened to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R by bolts 27. The bolts 27 are coupled with nuts (not shown) to fix the skeletal frame 26 to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the front end portion 26a and the rear end portion 26b of the skeletal frame 26 are overlapped with brackets 32 and, together with the brackets 32, are fastened to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R by bolts 27.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, concavo-convex portions 26e are provided on the left end portion 26c and the right end portion 26d of the skeletal frame 26. The concavo-convex portions 26e have a plurality of convex portions 26ea arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. Each convex portion 26ea is fixed to the protective cover 22. Specifically, each convex portion 26ea is welded to the protective cover 22. More specifically, the convex portion 26ea of the skeletal frame 26A is welded to the first cover member 23, and the convex portion 26ea of the skeletal frame 26B is welded to the second cover member 24. The welding of the skeletal frame 26 and the protective cover 22 is, for example, spot welding but is not limited thereto. In FIG. 4, the welding locations 26g on the skeletal frame 26 are indicated by black circles. Note that the welding locations 26g of the skeletal frame 26 and the protective cover 22 are not limited to the above.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion including the protruding portion 26i of the skeleton frame 26A in the battery unit 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the skeleton frame 26A is provided with the protruding portion 26i. The protruding portion 26i is provided in plural (two as an example) at the left end portion 26c of the skeleton frame 26A. The plural protruding portions 26i are provided at intervals in the front-rear direction. The plural protruding portions 26i protrude leftward from the left end portion 26c, that is, to the side opposite to the blower 13. The protruding portion 26i is integrally formed with the skeleton frame 26A. Note that the protruding portion 26i may be provided as a separate member from the skeleton frame 26A and fixed to the skeleton frame 26A by fastening or the like.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 26i is located above the battery pack 12. The protruding portion 26i has a first portion 26ia, a second portion 26ib, and a third portion 26ic. The first portion 26ia extends in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. The second portion 26ib extends downward as it goes leftward from the left end (negative direction of the Y axis) of the first portion 26ia. In other words, the second portion 26ib extends obliquely downward to the left from the first portion 26ia. The second portion 26ib is also referred to as an inclined portion. The third portion 26ic extends leftward from the left end (negative direction of the Y axis) of the second portion 26ib.

[0035] When the battery pack 12 moves upward toward the skeleton frame 26A for some reason, the upper portion of the battery pack 12 contacts the third portion 26ic of the protruding portion 26i configured as described above. In this state, the protruding portion 26i restricts the upward movement of the battery pack 12. Further, the protruding portion 26i suppresses the rotation of the blower 13. Specifically, when the blower 13 moves in the vertical direction, the blower 13 and the skeleton frame 26A become integrated and try to rotate around the central axis Ax1 (FIGS. 4, 6, 7) of the skeleton frame 26A. At this time, the protruding portion 26i suppresses the rotation of the skeleton frame 26A and thus the blower 13 by the third portion 26ic contacting the upper portion of the battery pack 12.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, the skeletal frame 26A is provided with a fixing portion 26h. The blower 13 is fixed to the fixing portion 26h. In other words, the blower 13 is attached to the fixing portion 26h. The fixing portion 26h is also referred to as a blower attachment portion. The fixing portion 26h is provided in a plurality (two as an example) at the right end portion 26d of the skeletal frame 26A. The plurality of fixing portions 26h are provided at intervals in the front-rear direction. The plurality of fixing portions 26h project rightward from the left end portion 26c, that is, to the side opposite to the battery pack 12. The fixing portion 26h is integrally formed with the skeletal frame 26A. Note that the fixing portion 26h may be provided as a separate member from the skeletal frame 26A and fixed to the skeletal frame 26A by fastening or the like. Details of the shape of the fixing portion 26h will be described later.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the battery pack 12 includes a plurality of battery cells 31 and a bracket 32. The plurality of battery cells 31 store electric power to be supplied to the motor of the vehicle 100. The bracket 32 supports the plurality of battery cells 31. The bracket 32, together with the skeletal frame 26, is fastened to the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R by bolts 27.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a portion including the blower 13 in the battery unit 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a portion including the blower 13 in the battery unit 1 according to the embodiment.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the blower 13 has a case 41. Inside the case 41, an impeller and a motor for rotationally driving the impeller are accommodated. The blower 13 rotates the impeller by the motor, sucks air from the intake port of the case 41, blows the sucked air onto the battery pack 12 from the blowout port of the case 41, and cools the battery pack 12 by the flow of the air. That is, the blower 13 generates an air flow for cooling the battery pack 12.

[0040] Case 41 has a case body 41a that houses an impeller and a motor, and a plurality of fixing parts 41b and 41c that protrude from the case body 41a.

[0041] Next, the fixing structure of the blower 13 will be described. The blower 13 is fixed to the skeleton frame 26A and the lower case 21. Specifically, the fixing part 41b of the case 41 is fastened to the fixing part 26h of the skeleton frame 26A by bolts 42, and the fixing part 41c is fastened to the fixing part 21b of the lower case 21 by bolts 42.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the mounting structure of the blower 13 in the battery unit 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the fixing part 41b is overlapped with and on the upper side of the fixing part 21h of the skeleton frame 26A and is fastened to the fixing part 21h of the skeleton frame 26A by bolts 42. The bolts 42 are coupled with nuts 43 to fix the fixing part 41b of the blower 13 to the fixing part 26h of the skeleton frame 26A.

[0043] Here, the fixing part 26h of the skeleton frame 26A has a first part 26ha, a second part 26hb, and a third part 26hc. The first part 26ha extends in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The second part 26hb extends downward as it goes rightward from the right end (in the positive direction of the Y axis) of the first part 26aa. In other words, the second part 26hb extends obliquely downward to the right from the first part 26aa. The second part 26hb is also referred to as an inclined part. The third part 26hc extends rightward from the right end (in the positive direction of the Y axis) of the second part 26hab. The fixing part 41b of the blower 13 is fastened to this third part 26hc.

[0044] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the fixing portion 21b of the lower case 21 protrudes from the inner surface of the lower case 21. A female screw is provided on the fixing portion 21b. The fixing portion 41c of the case 41 is overlapped with the fixing portion 21b above the fixing portion 21b of the lower case 21 and is fastened to the fixing portion 21b by a bolt 42. The bolt 42 is engaged with the female screw to fix the fixing portion 41c of the blower 13 to the fixing portion 21b of the lower case 21.

[0045] It can also be said that at least a part of the blower 13 configured as described above is fixed by being suspended from the skeleton frame 26A and the lower case 21 via the fixing portions 41b and 41c.

[0046] As described above, the battery unit 1 of the present embodiment is disposed between the right side member 5R and the left side member 5L (two side members) provided on the vehicle 100 and the front cross member 6F and the rear cross member 6R (two cross members) provided on the vehicle 100. The battery unit 1 includes a battery pack 12, a lower case 21, a protective cover 22, a skeleton frame 26, and a blower 13. The battery pack 12 supplies electricity to the vehicle 100. The lower case 21 has an upward opening and houses the battery pack 12. The protective cover 22 covers the battery pack 12 above the battery pack 12. The skeleton frame 26 is overlapped with the protective cover 22, extends across the two front cross members 6F and the rear cross member 6R, is welded to the protective cover 22, and is fastened to the two front cross members 6F and the rear cross member 6R. The blower 13 is disposed on the side of the battery pack 12, is fastened to the skeleton frame 26 and the lower case 21, and blows air for cooling the battery pack 12.

[0047] According to such a configuration, since the blower 13 is fastened to the skeleton frame 26 of the battery unit 1 and the lower case 21 of the battery unit 1, it is possible to suppress the blower 13 from being affected by the deflection of the floor 102 (plate portion) of the vehicle 100. Therefore, in order to satisfy the allowable acceleration set for the blower 13, it is not necessary to increase the rigidity of the blower 13 itself. Further, according to the above configuration, in order to suppress the blower 13 from being affected by the deflection of the floor of the vehicle 100, there is no need to provide other components in addition to the battery unit 1. Therefore, an increase in the number of parts of the vehicle 100 can be suppressed, and thus the cost of the vehicle 100 can be reduced.

[0048] Further, in the battery unit 1, for example, the blower 13 is fastened to the right end portion 26d (one end portion) of the skeleton frame 26A. A protruding portion 26i that protrudes to the side opposite to the blower 13 and is located above the battery pack 12 is provided at the left end portion 26c (the other end portion) on the side opposite to the right end portion 26d (one end portion) of the skeleton frame 26A.

[0049] According to such a configuration, for example, when the battery pack 12 moves upward toward the skeleton frame 26 for some reason and comes into contact with the protruding portion 26i, the protruding portion 26i can restrict the upward movement of the battery pack 12 by the protruding portion 26i. Further, according to the above configuration, the protruding portion 26i can suppress the rotation of the blower 13 around the central axis Ax1 of the skeleton frame 26A by contacting the upper portion of the battery pack 12.

[0050] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0051] 1…Battery unit, 5L…Left side member (side member), 5R…Right side member (side member), 6F…Front cross member (cross member), 6R…Rear cross member (cross member), 12…Battery pack, 13…Blower, 14…Control device, 21…Lower case, 22…Protective cover, 23…First cover member, 24…Second cover member, 26, 26A, 26B…Skeletal frame, 26c…Left end portion (other end portion), 26d…Right end portion (one end portion), 26i…Protrusion, 100…Vehicle.

Claims

【Claim 1】 A battery unit disposed between two side members provided on a vehicle and two cross members provided on the vehicle, comprising: a battery pack that supplies electricity to the vehicle; a lower case that opens upward and houses the battery pack; a protective cover that covers the battery pack above the battery pack; a skeleton frame that is overlapped on the protective cover, extends across the two cross members, is welded to the protective cover, and is fastened to the two cross members; a blower that is disposed on a side of the battery pack, is fastened to the skeleton frame and the lower case, and blows air for cooling the battery pack; and comprising: the blower is fastened to one end of the skeleton frame; a protruding portion that protrudes to the side opposite to the blower and is located above the battery pack is provided at the other end of the skeleton frame opposite to the one end; a battery unit.

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