Vehicle battery housing case

Abstract

To provide a vehicle battery storage case which can suppress battery's immersion in a cooling liquid even when the cooling liquid leaks out of a cooling groove.SOLUTION: A case 20 comprises an upper plate 30 having a mounting part 31, where a battery stack 11 is mounted, and a lower plate 40, overlapped with the bottom face of the upper plate 30 and joined to the upper plate 30. The case 20 comprises a cover 50 which covers the battery stack 11 and fixed on the upper plate 30. The top face of the lower plate 40 is provided with a cooling groove 41 through which the cooling liquid flows. The cover 50 had a flange part 53 fixed on the upper plate 30. The top face of the upper plate 30 has the mount of a fixing part 80 for fixing the battery stack 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery housing case for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a battery housing case for a vehicle. The battery housing case for a vehicle described in Patent Document 1 has a rectangular frame, a bathtub-shaped tray that is fitted into the frame from above, and a top cover and an under cover that sandwich the frame and tray from above and below. A cooling groove through which a coolant flows is provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall of the tray. A metal closure plate that is fixed to the bottom wall and covers the cooling groove is disposed inside the tray. A flow path for the coolant is formed by the bottom wall and the closure plate. A battery is disposed on the closure plate. The battery is cooled by heat exchange with the coolant via the closure plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-42851 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the battery housing case described in Patent Document 1, if the joint between the bottom wall of the tray and the closure plate breaks, the coolant will leak into the tray, which could result in the battery being submerged in the coolant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle battery housing case for solving the above problem comprises an upper plate having a mounting portion on which a battery is placed, a lower plate that is overlaid on the underside of the upper plate and joined to the upper plate, and a cover that covers the battery and is fixed to the upper plate, wherein at least one of the underside of the upper plate and the upper surface of the lower plate is provided with a cooling groove through which a coolant flows, the cover has a flange portion that is fixed to the upper plate, and a fixing portion that fixes the battery is attached to the upper surface of the upper plate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle on which a vehicle battery housing case according to one embodiment is mounted. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle battery housing case of FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the vehicle battery housing case of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a battery housing case for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, a battery housing case (hereinafter referred to as case 20) that houses a battery stack 11 is attached to the underside of a floor panel 10 of the vehicle.

[0008] As shown in FIG. 3, the case 20 includes an upper plate 30, a lower plate 40, and a cover 50. <Upper plate 30> As shown in FIG. 3, the upper plate 30 has a generally rectangular plate shape in plan view.

[0009] In the following description, the long side direction and short side direction of the upper plate 30 are respectively referred to as a first direction X and a second direction Y. Both the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to the up-down direction Z.

[0010] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper surface of the upper plate 30 is provided with a mounting portion 31 on which the battery stack 11 is placed. 3, the mounting portion 31 of this embodiment has a generally rectangular shape in plan view with its short sides extending in the first direction X and its long sides extending in the second direction Y. Four mounting portions 31 are provided at intervals from one another in the first direction X.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the battery stack 11 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is fixed by a fixing part 80 attached to the upper plate 30 while being placed on the placing part 31. The fixing part 80 has a bolt 33, a bracket 81 fixed to the battery stack 11 via the bolt 33, and a bolt 62 that is threaded into a crimp nut 61 (described later) and fastens the bracket 81 to the crimp nut 61. The bracket 81 has an L-shaped cross section.

[0012] Two brackets 81 are provided on each side of the mounting portion 31 in the second direction Y. Two crimping nuts 61 are provided for one bracket 81 at an interval in the first direction X.

[0013] The upper plate 30 has a through hole 34 through which the crimp nut 61 is inserted. The through hole 34 passes through the upper plate 30 in the vertical direction Z. The upper plate 30 has a communication hole 35 through which a crimp nut 71 (described later) is inserted.

[0014] 3, the communication holes 35 are provided in the peripheral portion of the upper plate 30. A plurality of the communication holes 35 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the upper plate 30. The communication holes 35 are located outward of the through holes 34 in the second direction Y.

[0015] The upper plate 30 has an inlet hole 36 and an outlet hole 37. The inlet hole 36 and the outlet hole 37 penetrate the upper plate 30 in the up-down direction Z. In this embodiment, the inlet hole 36 and the outlet hole 37 are provided at one edge of the upper plate 30 in the first direction X. The inlet hole 36 is provided on one side in the second direction Y. The outlet hole 37 is provided on the other side in the second direction Y. A cooling circuit (not shown) is connected to the inlet hole 36 and the outlet hole 37.

[0016] The upper plate 30 is preferably made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. <Cover 50> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the cover 50 covers the battery stack 11 and is fixed to the upper plate 30.

[0017] The cover 50 has a top wall 51 that is a rectangular plate in plan view, a peripheral wall 52 that extends downward from the entire periphery of the top wall 51, and a flange portion 53 provided at the lower end of the peripheral wall 52. 1 and 5, the flange portion 53 has a communication hole 55 penetrating the flange portion 53 in the up-down direction Z. A plurality of communication holes 55 are provided corresponding to a plurality of crimp nuts 71. The flange portion 53 is fixed to the upper plate 30 by inserting a bolt 72 into the communication hole 55 and screwing it into the crimp nut 71.

[0018] A seal member 90 is provided between the flange portion 53 and the upper plate 30. The seal member 90 is located inside the crimp nut 71. The seal member 90 extends around the entire circumference of the flange portion 53.

[0019] <Lower plate 40> As shown in FIG. 3, the lower plate 40 has a rectangular plate shape in a plan view. 1 and 5, the upper surface of the lower plate 40 is overlapped on the lower surface of the upper plate 30 and bonded to the upper plate 30. The lower plate 40 is bonded to the upper plate 30 by, for example, an adhesive.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the lower plate 40 is provided with cooling grooves 41 through which a cooling liquid flows. The cooling groove 41 has an inlet portion 41a, a cooling region 41b, and an outlet portion 41c.

[0021] The introduction portion 41a is a portion that introduces the coolant that flows in from a cooling flow path (not shown) through the inlet hole 36 of the upper plate 30. The introduction portion 41a in this embodiment has an end portion located directly below the inlet hole 36 and extends from the end portion in the first direction X.

[0022] The cooling region 41b is connected to the introduction portion 41a and is located directly below the mounting portion 31. The cooling grooves 41 constituting the cooling region 41b are arranged in a zigzag pattern. In this embodiment, four cooling regions 41b are provided corresponding to the four mounting portions 31, respectively.

[0023] The outlet portion 41c is connected to the cooling region 41b and leads the coolant flowing out from the cooling region 41b to the outlet hole 37. The outlet portion 41c in this embodiment has an end portion located directly below the outlet hole 37 and extends from the end portion in the first direction X.

[0024] 1 and 5, the lower plate 40 has a through hole 44 through which the crimp nut 61 is inserted and a communication hole 45 through which the crimp nut 71 is inserted. The through hole 44 and the communication hole 45 penetrate the lower plate 40 in the up-down direction Z.

[0025] A crimping nut 61 is inserted into the through-hole 34 of the upper plate 30 and the through-hole 44 of the lower plate 40 and attached, so that the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 are crimped and fixed together.

[0026] A crimping nut 71 is inserted into the communication hole 35 of the upper plate 30 and the communication hole 45 of the lower plate 40 and attached, so that the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 are crimped and fixed together.

[0027] The through-holes 44 are located outside the cooling grooves 41. In this embodiment, the through-holes 44 are located outside the introduction portions 41a in the second direction Y. The lower plate 40 has a drain hole 42. The drain hole 42 is located inside the flange portion 53. In this embodiment, the drain hole 42 is located inside the flange portion 53 in the second direction Y.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, the drain holes 42 are provided between the mounting portions 31 in the arrangement direction of the mounting portions 31, that is, in the first direction X. As shown in FIG. 5, the drain hole 42 has a main body portion 42a that penetrates the lower plate 40 in the vertical direction Z, and an extension portion 42b that extends inward in the second direction Y from the upper end of the main body portion 42a.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 5, a weakened portion 48 is defined as a portion of a joint 46 that joins the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 and that is located between the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 . The weak portion 48 is weaker than the other portion of the joint portion 46 (hereinafter referred to as the general portion 47) (see FIG. 1).

[0030] In this embodiment, the fragile portion 48 is formed by making the distance W1 between the introduction portion 41a of the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 smaller than the distance W2 between the introduction portion 41a and the through hole 44.

[0031] The lower plate 40 is preferably made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the upper plate 30. The lower plate 40 is made of, for example, resin. 3 and 4, a plurality of mounting holes 49 are provided on the periphery of the lower plate 40, penetrating the lower plate 40 in the up-down direction Z. The lower plate 40 is attached to the floor panel 10 by bolts (not shown) inserted into the mounting holes 49.

[0032] In this embodiment, the crimping nut 61 corresponds to the plate fastening member according to the present invention. The crimping nut 71 and the bolt 72 constitute the cover fastening member according to the present invention.

[0033] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. 1, cooling grooves 41 are provided on the outside of the storage space S, which is formed by the cover 50 and the upper plate 30 and which houses the battery stack 11. Therefore, if the joint between the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 breaks, the leaked coolant will not flow into the storage space S.

[0034] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. (1) The cover 50 has a flange portion 53 that is fixed to the upper plate 30. The upper surface of the lower plate 40 is provided with cooling grooves 41 through which a coolant flows.

[0035] According to this configuration, the above-mentioned effect is achieved, so that even if the coolant leaks from the cooling groove 41, the battery stack 11 can be prevented from being immersed in the coolant. (2) The joint portion 46 has a general portion 47 and a weak portion 48 that is located between the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 and is weaker than the general portion 47 .

[0036] With this configuration, the weak portion 48 of the joint 46 located between the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 breaks preferentially over the general portion 47. Therefore, the coolant leaking from the cooling groove 41 can be easily discharged to the drain hole 42 through the broken weak portion 48.

[0037] (3) The distance W1 between the introduction portion 41a and the drain hole 42 is smaller than the distance W2 between the introduction portion 41a and the through-hole 44. According to this configuration, the portion of the joint 46 joining the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 between the introduction portion 41a and the drain hole 42 becomes a weak portion 48 that is weaker than the portion between the introduction portion 41a and the through-hole 44. Therefore, the weak portion 48 can be easily set.

[0038] (4) The drainage holes 42 are provided between the mounting portions 31 in the first direction X. The mounting portions 31 of the upper plate 30 on which the battery stack 11 is placed have higher surface rigidity than other portions because the battery stack 11 is fixed by the fixing portions 80. Therefore, the portions of the upper plate 30 between the mounting portions 31 have lower surface rigidity than the mounting portions 31.

[0039] In this regard, according to the above configuration, the drain holes 42 are provided in the areas between the mounting portions 31 where the surface rigidity is low, so that the weakened portions 48 can be easily provided around the drain holes 42 . (5) The lower plate 40 is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the upper plate 30 .

[0040] With this configuration, the thermal conductivity of the lower plate 40 is lower than that of the upper plate 30, so that external heat is less likely to be transferred to the upper plate 30 via the lower plate 40. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the upper plate 30 is higher than that of the lower plate 40, so that heat exchange between the battery stack 11 and the coolant via the upper plate 30 is promoted. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the battery stack 11 can be improved.

[0041] (6) The flange portion 53 of the cover 50, the upper plate 30, and the lower plate 40 have communication holes 55, 35, 45 through which the cover fastening members that fasten the flange portion 53, the upper plate 30, and the lower plate 40 are inserted.

[0042] According to this configuration, the flange portion 53 of the cover 50, the upper plate 30, and the lower plate 40 are fastened together by a common cover fastening member, so that the rigidity of the case 20 can be increased.

[0043] (7) The cover fastening member includes a crimping nut 71 that crimps and fixes the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 together, and a bolt 72 that is threaded into the crimping nut 71 and fastens the flange portion 53 of the cover 50 .

[0044] According to this configuration, the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 are crimped and fixed together with the crimp nut 71, thereby increasing the rigidity of the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40. Furthermore, the flange portion 53 can be fixed to the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 by threading the bolt 72 into the crimp nut 71. Therefore, the cover fastening member can be realized with a simple configuration.

[0045] <Example of change> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0046] In this embodiment, the flange portion 53, the upper plate 30, and the lower plate 40 are fastened together using the crimp nuts 71 and the bolts 72, but this is not limitative. The flange portion 53, the upper plate 30, and the lower plate 40 may also be fastened together using nuts and bolts.

[0047] Although the flange portion 53, the upper plate 30, and the lower plate 40 are fastened together using a common cover fastening member, this is not limitative. The flange portion 53 and the upper plate 30 may be fastened together using a first fastening member, and the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 40 may be fastened together using a second fastening member that is different from the first fastening member.

[0048] The lower plate 40 may be made of metal. Even in this case, the same effect as effect (5) can be achieved as long as the lower plate 40 is made of a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the upper plate 30. The lower plate 40 may also be made of the same material as the upper plate 30.

[0049] The drainage holes 42 do not have to be provided between the mounting portions 31 in the arrangement direction of the mounting portions 31, i.e., in the first direction X. For example, the drainage holes 42 may be provided at positions overlapping with the mounting portions 31 in the second direction Y.

[0050] In this embodiment, the distance W1 between the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 is made smaller than the distance W2 between the cooling groove 41 and the through hole 44, thereby making the portion of the joint 46 located between the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 the weakened portion 48. Alternatively, the density of the adhesive applied to the portion of the joint 46 located between the cooling groove 41 and the drain hole 42 can be made lower than that of the general portion 47, i.e., the adhesive strength can be made lower than that of the general portion 47, thereby making the portion the weakened portion 48.

[0051] Instead of or in addition to the upper surface of the lower plate 40, the cooling grooves 41 may be provided on the lower surface of the upper plate 30. <Additional Notes> Each of the above embodiments includes the configurations described in the following supplementary notes.

[0052] [Appendix 1] A battery housing case for a vehicle comprising: an upper plate having a mounting portion on which a battery is placed; a lower plate superimposed on the underside of the upper plate and joined to the upper plate; and a cover covering the battery and fixed to the upper plate, wherein at least one of the underside of the upper plate and the upper surface of the lower plate is provided with cooling grooves through which a coolant flows, the cover has a flange portion fixed to the upper plate, and a fixing portion for fixing the battery is attached to the upper surface of the upper plate.

[0053] [Appendix 2] The lower plate has a drainage hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the joint joining the upper plate and the lower plate has a general portion and a fragile portion located between the cooling groove and the drainage hole and weaker than the general portion. [Appendix 1]

[0054] [Appendix 3] A vehicle battery housing case as described in [Appendix 2], wherein a through hole through which a plate fastening member for fastening the upper plate and the lower plate is inserted and the drain hole are provided on the inside of the flange portion outside the cooling groove in the upper plate and the lower plate, the plate fastening member is a crimp nut that crimps and fastens the upper plate and the lower plate, the fixing portion has a bracket fixed to the battery and a bolt that is screwed into the crimp nut and fastens the bracket to the crimp nut, and the distance between the cooling groove and the drain hole is smaller than the distance between the cooling groove and the through hole.

[0055] [Appendix 4] A vehicle battery housing case as described in [Appendix 2] or [Appendix 3], wherein the plurality of mounting sections are provided at intervals from each other, and the drainage hole is provided between the mounting sections in the arrangement direction of the mounting sections.

[0056] [Appendix 5] A vehicle battery housing case according to any one of [Appendix 1] to [Appendix 4], wherein the lower plate is formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the upper plate. [Appendix 6] A vehicle battery housing case described in any one of [Appendix 1] to [Appendix 5], wherein the flange portion of the cover, the upper plate, and the lower plate have communicating holes through which cover fastening members that fasten the flange portion, the upper plate, and the lower plate are inserted.

[0057] [Appendix 7] The vehicle battery housing case described in [Appendix 6], wherein the cover fastening member includes a crimp nut attached to the communicating hole of the upper plate and the communicating hole of the lower plate, which crimps and fixes the upper plate and the lower plate, and a bolt threaded into the crimp nut and fastens the flange portion of the cover. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10...Floor panel 11...Battery stack 20...Battery housing case (case) 30...Upper plate 31...Placement section 33...Bolt 34...Through hole 35...Communication hole 36...Entrance hole 37...Exit hole 40...Lower plate 41…Cooling groove 41a...Introduction 41b…Cooling area 41c...Discharge section 42...Drain hole 42a...Main body 42b...extension part 44...Through hole 45...Communication hole 46…Joint part 47…General section 48...Weak part 49...Mounting hole 50...Cover 51...Upper wall 52...Peripheral wall 53...Flange 55...Communication hole 61...Crimped nut 62...volts 70...Cover fastening member 71...Crimped nut 72...volts 80…Fixed part 81...Bracket 90...Sealing material

Claims

1. an upper plate having a mounting portion on which the battery is mounted; a lower plate overlapping a lower surface of the upper plate and joined to the upper plate; a cover that covers the battery and is fixed to the upper plate; a cooling groove through which a cooling liquid flows is provided on at least one of the lower surface of the upper plate and the upper surface of the lower plate; the cover has the top wall, a peripheral wall extending downward from the entire periphery of the top wall, and a flange portion provided around the entire periphery of the lower end of the peripheral wall and fixed to the upper plate, a fixing portion for fixing the battery is attached to an upper surface of the upper plate; The lower plate is provided with a drain hole that penetrates in the vertical direction, a joint portion joining the upper plate and the lower plate includes a general portion and a weak portion located between the cooling groove and the drain hole and weaker than the general portion; Vehicle battery housing case.

2. A through hole through which a plate fastening member for fastening the upper plate and the lower plate is inserted and the drain hole are provided on the outside of the cooling groove in the upper plate and the lower plate and on the inside of the flange portion, the plate fastening member is a crimp nut that crimps and fixes the upper plate and the lower plate together, the fixing portion includes a bracket fixed to the battery and a bolt threaded into the crimp nut to fasten the bracket to the crimp nut; a distance between the cooling groove and the drain hole is smaller than a distance between the cooling groove and the through hole; The vehicle battery housing case according to claim 1 .

3. The placing section is provided in plurality at intervals from each other, The drainage hole is provided between the mounting portions in the arrangement direction of the mounting portions. The vehicle battery housing case according to claim 1 .

4. The lower plate is formed of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the upper plate. The vehicle battery housing case according to claim 1 .

5. An upper plate having a mounting portion on which a battery is mounted; a lower plate overlapping a lower surface of the upper plate and joined to the upper plate; a cover that covers the battery and is fixed to the upper plate; a cooling groove through which a cooling liquid flows is provided on at least one of the lower surface of the upper plate and the upper surface of the lower plate; the cover has the top wall, a peripheral wall extending downward from the entire periphery of the top wall, and a flange portion provided around the entire periphery of the lower end of the peripheral wall and fixed to the upper plate, a fixing portion for fixing the battery is attached to an upper surface of the upper plate; the flange portion of the cover, the upper plate, and the lower plate have communication holes through which cover fastening members for fastening the flange portion, the upper plate, and the lower plate are inserted; Vehicle battery housing case.

6. The cover fastening member has a crimp nut attached to the communicating hole of the upper plate and the communicating hole of the lower plate, which crimps and fixes the upper plate and the lower plate, and a bolt threaded into the crimp nut and fastens the flange portion of the cover. The vehicle battery housing case according to claim 5 .

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