Vehicle battery mounting structure

Abstract

To facilitate attachment / detachment of a battery in a vehicle.SOLUTION: In a vehicle battery mounting structure, a battery 12 is mounted in an underfloor space of a vehicle 10. The battery mounting structure includes a battery support member 14 for supporting the battery 12. The battery support member 14 includes: an inclined upper surface 16 on which the battery 12 is placed; a V-shaped groove 18 which is provided at a part of the upper surface 16 and receives a corner part of the battery 12 so that the battery 12 is placed temporarily when the battery 12 is attached or detached; and a recessed part 22 which is provided on a lower surface 20, receives a plurality of wires 24, and is recessed inward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery mounting structure for a vehicle, and more particularly to a structure for mounting a battery under the floor of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] An electric vehicle mounts a battery and supplies the power of the battery to a driving motor. The battery is disposed, for example, under the floor of the vehicle. Some electric vehicles mount a battery that can be detached from the vehicle body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a vehicle, it is desired to facilitate the detachment of the battery.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery mounting structure that facilitates the detachment of a battery in a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The battery mounting structure for a vehicle according to the present invention is a structure for mounting a battery under the floor of the vehicle, comprising a battery support member for supporting the battery, the battery support member including an inclined upper surface on which the battery is placed, a V-shaped groove provided in a part of the upper surface for receiving a corner portion of the battery so that the battery can be temporarily placed when the battery is detached, and a recess recessed inward provided on a lower surface for receiving a plurality of wires.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the upper surface of the battery support member is inclined, causing a portion of the battery to be raised. This allows a worker to easily remove and install the battery by grasping the raised portion. Furthermore, when removing or installing the battery, a worker can temporarily place the battery in the V-shaped groove on the upper surface of the battery support member, facilitating battery removal and installation. In addition, multiple wires can be routed in the recess on the lower surface of the battery support member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the vehicle according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the undercarriage of the vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In all drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. In each figure, the arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle, the arrow UP indicates the top of the vehicle, and the arrow LH indicates the left side of the vehicle.

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view of vehicle 10 according to an embodiment. Vehicle 10 is an automated vehicle (cart) for transporting people. Vehicle 10 can drive automatically without driver operation. Vehicle 10 may be a small mobility vehicle for transporting people, for example, in urban areas, on sidewalks, indoors, etc., and is designed for passengers to stand. Such a vehicle 10 is configured to have a relatively small body size for driving in urban areas, etc.

[0011] Vehicle 10 is equipped with a deck 38 on which the occupants stand. Vehicle 10 is a low-floor vehicle with a deck 38 height of several tens of centimeters (approximately 30 cm for example) from the ground. The underside of vehicle 10 is equipped with front wheels 52F and rear wheels 52R. Vehicle 10 is equipped with motors (not shown) that drive the front wheels 52F and rear wheels 52R, and a battery 12 (see Figure 2) that supplies power to the motors.

[0012] On deck 38, there are support columns 60 on both the front and rear left and right sides. A beam 62 is stretched between the front left and right support columns 60. Similarly, a beam 62 is stretched between the rear left and right support columns 60. The space between the front and rear support columns 60 is open, so crew members can freely board and disembark from deck 38 from there. Near the center of deck 38, there is a small table 64 supported by a single leg.

[0013] Vehicle 10 is equipped with various sensors (e.g., LiDAR, cameras, etc., not shown). Vehicle 10 performs autonomous driving based on the detection results of these sensors and information received via wireless communication from a control server (not shown).

[0014] Vehicle 10 is equipped with a floor panel 40 and a battery cover 42. Below the floor panel 40 is a metal frame 30, which serves as a skeleton to support the load of the occupants. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the understructure of vehicle 10, with the floor panel 40 and battery cover 42 of Figure 1 removed. Below the battery cover 42 (see Figure 1) (under the floor) is the battery 12. The battery 12 is mounted in a position surrounded by the metal frame 30. The battery 12 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0015] Vehicle 10 is configured to allow for the replacement of the battery 12. That is, when the remaining charge (charge amount) of battery 12 runs out or decreases, a worker opens (for example removes) the battery cover 42 and removes the battery 12 from the vehicle body. The worker then installs a new battery 12 (a fully charged battery 12) into the vehicle body and closes the battery cover 42. This configuration prevents the vehicle from being stopped for battery charging and improves the operational rate of vehicle 10.

[0016] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows a floor panel 40, a battery cover 42, and a cover 50 (a cover positioned around the metal frame 30), which are not shown in Figure 2. The metal frame 30 forms a closed cross-section on the left and right sides of the vehicle 10 and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The metal frame 30 is also located below the battery support member 14, and this metal frame 30 also extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The battery support member 14 and the battery 12 are located between the left and right metal frames 30.

[0017] The vehicle 10 is equipped with a battery support member 14 that supports the battery 12. The battery support member 14 is, for example, a battery fixing component for securing the battery 12. The battery support member 14 has a constant cross-sectional shape in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (the direction that penetrates the plane of the paper in Figure 3).

[0018] The battery support member 14 has a sloped shape. That is, the battery support member 14 has an inclined upper surface 16 on which the battery 12 is placed. The battery support member 14 also has a V-shaped groove 18 provided on a part of the upper surface 16. The groove 18 is configured to receive the corners of the battery 12 so that the battery 12 can be temporarily placed when attaching or detaching it. The dashed line in Figure 3 shows the outer position of the battery 12 when the battery 12 is temporarily placed in the groove 18.

[0019] In addition, the battery support member 14 has a recess 22 provided on the lower surface 20. The recess 22 is recessed inward so as to be able to receive the wire harness 24 (a plurality of wires). The wire harness 24 is configured to include, for example, wiring (a plurality of wires for power supply and signal communication) that connects between electrical devices mounted on the vehicle 10.

[0020] Next, the operation and effect of the battery mounting structure in the present embodiment will be described.

[0021] According to the embodiment described above, since the battery support member 14 has a slope shape, an operator can easily remove and assemble (battery replacement) the heavy battery 12. That is, since the upper surface 16 of the battery support member 14 is inclined, a part of the battery 12 (the left side of the battery 12 in FIG. 3) is lifted, so that, for example, by an operator gripping there, the removal and assembly of the battery 12 can be easily performed.

[0022] Also, according to the embodiment described above, when the battery 12 is detached (during battery replacement), the operator can temporarily place the heavy battery 12 in the V-shaped groove 18 on the upper surface 16 of the battery support member 14, so that the removal and assembly of the battery 12 can be easily performed.

[0023] Also, according to the embodiment described above, since the recess 22 is provided on the lower surface 20 of the battery support member 14, a space for passing the wire harness 24 can be secured at the lower part of the battery support member 14. That is, the wire harness 24 can be arranged in the recess 22. For example, when there is no recess 22, it is necessary to arrange the wire harness 24 so as to bypass the battery 12, but according to the embodiment described above, such a situation can be avoided.

[0024] The vehicle 10 described above was configured to replace the battery 12 with a new one when its charge level decreased. However, the vehicle 10 may also be configured such that the battery 12 is charged while it remains mounted on the vehicle body. Even in such a vehicle 10, if the battery 12 malfunctions or deteriorates and needs to be replaced, the battery support member 14 can easily replace the battery.

[0025] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 described above was a small mobility vehicle for passenger transport. However, the embodiment described above can also be applied to other vehicles (such as automobiles). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0026] 10 Vehicle, 12 Battery, 14 Battery support member, 16 Top surface, 18 Groove, 20 Bottom surface, 22 Recess, 24 Wire (wire harness), 30 Metal frame, 38 Deck, 40 Floor panel, 42 Battery cover, 50 Cover, 52F Front wheel, 52R Rear wheel, 60 Column, 62 Beam, 64 Table.

Claims

[Claim 1] The vehicle has a structure in which the battery is mounted under the floor, The battery is provided with a battery support member that supports the aforementioned battery, The aforementioned battery support member is The inclined upper surface on which the aforementioned battery is mounted, A V-shaped groove is provided on a part of the upper surface to receive the corners of the battery so that the battery can be temporarily placed when the battery is being attached or detached, The lower surface includes an inwardly recessed area that receives multiple wires, A vehicle battery mounting structure characterized by the following features.

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