Underbody structure and seat structure for electric vehicles

Abstract

To provide a vehicle understructure of an electric vehicle and a seat structure for vehicles making it possible to suppress the height in the vehicular vertical direction compared with a case where a seat rail is disposed in the compartment, and expand the compartment space.SOLUTION: A vehicle understructure 10 of an electric vehicle includes a drive battery pack 20 mounted on the vehicular lower side of a floor 12 of the vehicle, and at least one seat rail 26 which is disposed on a wall 23 in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack 20 on the vehicular lower side of the floor 12 or located at a position opposite to the wall and with which a slide member 58 included in a vehicle seat 30 can be engaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle underbody structure and a vehicle seat structure of an electric vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle in which a drive battery is disposed below the floor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, due to the presence of the battery, a seat rail is provided on the floor corresponding to the upper position of the battery, and there is room for improvement in the living space of the occupant in the vehicle height direction.

[0005] In consideration of the above facts, the present invention aims to obtain a vehicle underbody structure and a vehicle seat structure of an electric vehicle that can expand the living space of an occupant in the vehicle height direction compared with the case where a seat rail is arranged on the floor in the vehicle interior.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle underbody structure of an electric vehicle according to the present invention described in claim 1 includes a drive battery pack mounted on the lower side of the vehicle floor of the vehicle, and a slide member disposed on the vehicle seat is engageable, and at least one seat rail provided on the lower side of the vehicle of the floor and at a position in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack or a position facing the wall portion. The seat rail is provided on the outside of the vehicle seat in the vehicle width direction and on the inside of the wall portion of the drive battery pack. is provided.

[0007] In the vehicle understructure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1, at least one seat rail is provided on the underside of the vehicle floor, and is located on the wall portion in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack, or opposite to the wall portion, to which a sliding member disposed on the vehicle seat can engage. Therefore, the installation position of the vehicle seat can be lowered compared to when the seat rail is placed on the vehicle floor, thereby expanding the passenger living space in the vehicle height direction.

[0011] Also, Claim 1 In the vehicle understructure of the electric vehicle according to the present invention described herein, the seat rail is provided on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle seat and on the inside of the wall portion of the drive battery pack. Therefore, since there is no need to provide additional space for the seat rail on the outside of the drive battery pack, an increase in the installation space in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed.

[0012] Claim 2 The vehicle seat structure according to the present invention described in claim 1 The vehicle includes the vehicle understructure described above, a seat cushion on which an occupant sits, a pair of seat legs extending downward toward the vehicle on both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction and arranged overlapping the side surface of the vehicle floor, and a sliding member provided on at least one of the pair of seat legs corresponding to the seat rail and moving along the seat rail.

[0013] Claim 2 The vehicle seat structure according to the present invention, as described above, has a pair of seat legs that extend downward toward the vehicle on both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction and are arranged overlapping with the side surface of the vehicle floor. As a result, a space corresponding to the height of the pair of seat legs is created between the pair of seat legs on the vehicle floor, so that the living space at the feet of an occupant seated in the rear vehicle seat can be expanded, for example.

[0014] Claim3 The vehicle seat structure according to the present invention described in claim 2 In the configuration described above, the sliding member is provided on the side of at least one of the seat legs that faces the other seat leg.

[0015] Claim 3 In the vehicle seat structure according to the present invention described herein, at least one seat leg is provided with a sliding member on the side facing the other seat leg, so that the sliding member does not come into contact with the seat leg, thus improving the appearance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, the vehicle understructure and vehicle seat structure of the electric vehicle according to the present invention have the excellent effect of expanding the passenger living space in the vehicle height direction compared to the case in which seat rails are arranged on the floor of the passenger compartment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view from the left-diagonal direction of the underside of a vehicle to which the underbody structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a left side view of the lower part of the vehicle. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example corresponding to Figure 3. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view showing another modified example corresponding to Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] A vehicle underbody structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The arrows FR, UP, and LH appropriately marked in each figure indicate the front direction, upward direction, and left direction of a vehicle to which the vehicle underbody structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, respectively. Hereinafter, when simply explaining using the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions, unless otherwise specified, it shall indicate the front and rear in the vehicle front-rear direction, the up and down in the vehicle up-down direction, and the left and right when facing the front direction.

[0019] The vehicle to which the vehicle underbody structure 10 of the present embodiment is applied is, for example, an electric vehicle that travels using an electric motor (motor) not shown in the drawings as a driving source, a gasoline hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell hybrid vehicle, etc. A drive battery pack 20 that stores electric power supplied to the electric motor is disposed on the lower side of the vehicle of the floor panel 12 that constitutes the floor of the vehicle.

[0020] (Configuration of the vehicle underbody structure) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the vehicle underbody 10 to which the vehicle underbody structure according to the present embodiment is applied, the floor panel 12 extends along the vehicle width direction and the vehicle front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, this floor panel 12 constitutes the floor that is the floor surface of the vehicle. In addition, rockers 14 extend along the vehicle front-rear direction at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel 12. In each figure, only the rocker 14 on the left side in the vehicle width direction is shown, and the illustration of the rocker 14 on the right side is omitted. Hereinafter, the rocker 14 on the left side in the vehicle width direction will be described, and since the rocker 14 on the right side has the same configuration as the rocker 14 on the left side, the description here will be omitted.

[0021] The rocker 14 is a skeletal member that constitutes the skeleton of the lower part of the vehicle body on the side of the vehicle body, and extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the rocker 14 includes an outer portion 15 disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, an inner portion 16 disposed on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and a rocker reinforcement 17 disposed between the outer portion 15 and the inner portion 16. The outer portion 15 and the inner portion 16 are reinforced by the rocker reinforcement 17. In FIG. 3, the rocker 14 is schematically illustrated. The rocker 14 is formed of a metal such as an aluminum alloy, for example, and the outer portion 15, the inner portion 16, and the rocker reinforcement 17 are joined by welding or the like. Note that the rocker 14 may be integrally formed by casting, extrusion, drawing, or the like of the outer portion 15, the inner portion 16, and the rocker reinforcement 17.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the outer surface of the vehicle of the rocker 14 is covered with a rocker mold 18 which is a design part made of resin or the like. The rocker mold 18 includes a cover portion 18A formed along the vertical direction in a cross-sectional shape cut along the vehicle width direction. Further, the rocker mold 18 includes an upper cover portion 18B provided above the cover portion 18A and inclined upward as it goes toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, the rocker mold 18 includes a lower cover portion 18C extending toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The upper cover portion 18B includes an upper end portion 18D bent substantially at a right angle toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction at the upper end in a part in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a cover insertion hole 18E through which a leg frame 56 described later is inserted is formed by the upper end portion 18D.

[0023] The floor panel 12 includes a flat portion 12A formed in a flat shape, and bevel portions 12B extending obliquely outward downward from both ends of the flat portion 12A. The bevel portions 12B are formed so as to be inclined at the same angle as the upper cover portion 18B when the floor panel 12 is placed on the rocker mold 18.

[0024] Furthermore, the cover insertion hole 18E is formed extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In this embodiment, after the leg frame 56, which will be described later, is inserted through the cover insertion hole 18E, the floor panel 12 and the rocker molding 18 are joined together by bolts or the like. Note that the floor panel 12 and the rocker molding 18 are fixed together in a location where the cover insertion hole 18E is not formed, as shown in Figure 1. Also, Figure 3 is a schematic representation. For example, in Figure 3, the rocker 14 and the rocker molding 18 are shown separately, but in reality, the rocker molding 18 is fixed in contact with the rocker 14.

[0025] Returning to Figure 1, a vehicle seat 30 is positioned on the upper surface of the floor panel 12. Although only the front vehicle seat 30 located on the left side in the vehicle width direction is shown in each figure, in reality, a front vehicle seat 30 is also positioned on the right side in the vehicle width direction. Furthermore, a rear vehicle seat (not shown), such as a bench seat, is positioned on the rear side of the vehicle behind the front vehicle seat 30. The rear vehicle seat may be provided only in the second row, or in both the second and third rows. Moreover, the rear vehicle seat is not limited to a bench seat, and seats of known structures can be provided.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, a center console 40 is provided on the upper surface of the floor panel 12, between the left and right front vehicle seats 30. The center console 40 is provided continuously with the center of the instrument panel (not shown) in the vehicle width direction, and is provided so that both ends in the vehicle width direction are located to the sides of the left vehicle seat 30 and the right vehicle seat 30, respectively. The upper surface of the center console 40 may be provided with, for example, a cup holder, an operating section for operating vehicle electronic equipment such as a car navigation system or audio equipment, or a console box, although this is not shown. If a console box is provided, an armrest extending in the vehicle front-rear direction may be placed on top of the console box so as to cover the top of the console box. In this case, the rear end or side end of the armrest is provided so as to be rotatable relative to the console box, and the armrest functions as a lid for opening and closing the console box.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, a drive battery pack 20 is positioned on the underside of the floor panel 12 of the vehicle as a drive force supply device for supplying power to power units such as motors. The drive battery pack 20 consists of a battery pack case 22 that forms its outer shell and a battery 24 positioned inside the battery pack case 22.

[0028] The battery pack case 22 comprises a battery upper case 22A that covers the battery 24 from above the vehicle and a battery lower case 22B that covers the battery 24 from below the vehicle. The battery 24 is housed in the battery pack case 22 so as to be covered from above and below the vehicle by the battery upper case 22A and the battery lower case 22B. The battery pack case 22 extends in the vehicle width direction between the rockers 14 on both the left and right sides in the vehicle width direction and is located below the left and right vehicle seats 30 on the front side of the vehicle. The battery pack case 22 also extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction so as to include at least the left and right vehicle seats 30 on the front side of the vehicle.

[0029] The battery upper case 22A is, for example, made of light metal or steel plate, and the battery lower case 22B is, for example, made of steel plate. On the outside of the walls 23 on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the battery upper case 22A, and on the rocker 14 side, there are seat rails 26 that are substantially elongated with the vehicle's front-rear direction as their longitudinal direction, and the seat rails 26 are, for example, fastened to the upper surface of the rocker 14 by bolts or the like. The seat rails 26 may be formed integrally with the rocker 14. The seat rails 26 are configured to be engageable with the sliding members 58 of the vehicle seat 30, which will be described later. The seat rails 26, for example, have a lower surface portion that extends substantially horizontally in a longitudinal view, and side wall portions that extend upward from both ends of the lower surface portion in the vehicle width direction, and have a substantially C-shaped open cross section that is open to the upper side of the vehicle. That is, the upper side of the vehicle is open and has a recess 26A that extends in the vehicle's front-rear direction.

[0030] The battery 24 is comprised of a plurality of battery pack modules (not shown). Each battery module consists of, for example, a battery stack made up of many battery cells stacked on top of each other, a metal case housing the battery stack, and various electrical components arranged on top of the battery stack. The battery cells are rechargeable secondary batteries, such as lithium-ion secondary batteries. The metal case is made of a light metal, such as aluminum.

[0031] The battery modules (not shown) are mounted on the lower battery case 22B in a unidirectional arrangement with a certain spacing between them. The upper battery case 22A covers the top surface of the battery modules arranged on the lower battery case 22B. An upper cross member (not shown), which forms the vehicle's frame, is attached to the top surface of the upper battery case 22A, and a lower cross member (not shown), which forms the vehicle's frame, is attached to the bottom surface of the lower battery case 22B.

[0032] The battery lower case 22B is fastened to the rocker 14 by bolts or the like via a shock-absorbing section (not shown), for example. Furthermore, if a shock-absorbing structure is provided inside the rocker 14, the battery lower case 22B is fastened to the rocker 14 by bolts or the like. Note that known structures, such as those formed in a ladder-like cross-section, can be used as the shock-absorbing section and shock-absorbing structure.

[0033] (Configuration of vehicle seat structure) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle seat 30 according to this embodiment includes a seat cushion 32 on which the occupant sits (supporting the occupant's buttocks and thighs), a seat back 34 that supports the occupant's back and constitutes a backrest, and a headrest 36 that supports the occupant's head. The seat back 34 is erected from the rear end of the vehicle of the seat cushion 32 and has a reclining function that allows it to rotate relative to the seat cushion 32. As known technology can be used for the reclining function, a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0034] Furthermore, the vehicle seat 30 is equipped with a pair of seat legs 50. The pair of seat legs 50 consists of an outer seat leg 50A on the outside in the vehicle width direction and an inner seat leg 50B on the inside. The outer seat leg 50A and the inner seat leg 50B extend downward toward the vehicle on both sides of the seat cushion 32 in the vehicle width direction and are arranged overlapping with the side surface of the floor panel 12, as shown in Figure 2. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the outer seat leg 50A and the inner seat leg 50B are arranged so that their lower ends 52 in the vehicle downward direction cover the cover insertion holes 18E provided in the rocker molding 18 described above. In this embodiment, as an example, the floor panel 12 has an opening (not shown) on the side of the center console 40 that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the inner seat leg 50B is inserted into this opening and is arranged overlapping with the side surface that forms the opening of the floor panel 12.

[0035] As shown in Figure 3, the pair of seat legs 50 (outer seat legs 50A) are fitted with leg moldings 54, which are decorative components made of resin or the like, that cover their outer surfaces. The lower end of the leg molding 54 covering the outer seat legs 50A on the underside of the vehicle is positioned to cover the cover insertion hole 18E of the rocker molding 18 described above. That is, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in areas where the leg molding 54 is not present, the cover insertion hole 18E is visible from the outside of the vehicle.

[0036] Furthermore, the outer seat leg portion 50A is connected to the outside in the vehicle width direction of the seat pan (not shown) which forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 32, and is equipped with a leg frame 56 which forms the skeleton of the outer seat leg portion 50A. The leg frame 56 is made of stainless steel as an example and is equipped with an upper frame 56A which extends from the lower end of the seat pan toward the underside of the vehicle, an intermediate frame 56B which extends from the lower end of the upper frame 56A toward the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a lower frame 56C which extends downward from the end of the intermediate frame 56B.

[0037] A sliding member 58 is provided at the lower end of the lower frame 56C of the outer seat leg 50A, which engages with the recess 26A of the seat rail 26 described above. In other words, the sliding member 58 provided on the outer seat leg 50A is provided on the surface corresponding to the inner seat leg 50B via the intermediate frame 56B and the lower frame 56C.

[0038] The sliding member 58 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is shorter than the recess 26A of the seat rail 26. For example, the sliding member 58 is configured to slide relative to the seat rail 26 by providing a ball bearing or the like between the sliding member 58 and the seat rail 26. That is, the sliding member 58 moves along the seat rail 26. Note that known technologies can be used for the sliding structure, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0039] The inner seat leg portion 50B is connected to the inside of the seat pan (not shown) in the vehicle width direction, which forms the skeleton of the seat cushion 32, and is equipped with a leg frame that forms the skeleton of the inner seat leg portion 50B. The leg frame is made of stainless steel, for example, and extends from the lower end of the seat pan toward the underside of the vehicle, with a sliding member 58 provided at the lower end. In this embodiment, for example, a seat rail having a recess 56A that engages with the sliding member 58 on the inner seat leg portion 50B side is provided on the upper surface of the battery upper case 22A located at the lower end of the opening of the floor panel 12 described above, although it is not shown.

[0040] (Function and effect of the vehicle's understructure) Next, the operation and effects of the vehicle understructure 10 and vehicle seat 30 structure according to this embodiment will be described.

[0041] In the vehicle understructure 10 of the electric vehicle according to this embodiment, the seat rail 26 on the outside in the vehicle width direction is capable of engaging with a sliding member 58 disposed on the vehicle seat 30, and is provided on the underside of the vehicle floor panel 12 and is positioned opposite the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20 in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the installation position of the vehicle seat 30 can be lowered compared to when the seat rail 26 is placed on the vehicle floor panel 12, thereby expanding the passenger living space in the vehicle height direction.

[0042] Furthermore, in the vehicle understructure 10 of the electric vehicle according to this embodiment, the seat rail 26, which is provided on the outside in the vehicle width direction, is located outside the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20 and on the rocker 14 side. Therefore, by providing the seat rail 26 on the outside of the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20, it is easier to ensure insulation from the battery 24. In addition, by providing the seat rail 26 on the upper surface of the rocker 14, the space on the rocker 14 side of the drive battery pack 20 can be utilized both as a space to suppress load transmission to the battery 24 and as a space for arranging the seat rail 26.

[0043] Furthermore, in the structure of the vehicle seat 30 according to this embodiment, a pair of seat legs 50 extend downward toward the vehicle on both sides of the seat cushion 32 in the vehicle width direction and are arranged overlapping with the side surface of the vehicle's floor panel 12. As a result, a space corresponding to the height of the pair of seat legs 50 is created between the pair of seat legs 50 on the vehicle's floor panel 12, which can expand the living space at the feet of an occupant seated in the rear vehicle seat 30, for example.

[0044] Furthermore, in the structure of the vehicle seat 30 according to this embodiment, the outer seat leg portion 50A is provided with a sliding member 58 on the side facing the inner seat leg portion 50B, so that the sliding member 58 is not exposed from the outer seat leg portion 50A. This improves the appearance.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the seat rail 26 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction is provided at a position facing the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. Here, Figure 4 shows a modified example corresponding to Figure 3, and Figure 5 shows another modified example corresponding to Figure 3. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the seat rail 26 may be provided on the outer side surface of the wall portion 23 of the drive battery pack 20. In this case, the seat rail 26 is fastened to the wall portion 23 by bolts or the like, for example. In this case, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0046] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the seat rail 26 may be provided inside the wall portion 23B of the battery lower case 22B of the drive battery pack 20. In this case, a through hole 59 is provided in the battery upper case 22A located on the upper side of the vehicle above the seat rail 26, through which the lower frame 56C is inserted, and the sliding member 58 is inserted through the through hole 59. The through hole 59 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0047] In the modified vehicle understructure 10, the seat rail 26 is provided inside the wall portion 23B of the drive battery pack 20. Therefore, there is no need to create additional space on the outside of the drive battery pack 20 to accommodate the seat rail 26, thus suppressing an increase in the installation space in the vehicle width direction.

[0048] (Supplementary information for this embodiment) In the embodiments described above, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the recess 26A of the seat rail 26 is arranged so that its upper side is open, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, The recess 26A of the seat rail 26 may be arranged so that the outer side in the vehicle width direction is open.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as an example, the seat rail having a recess 56A that engages with the sliding member 58 on the inner seat leg portion 50B side is provided on the upper surface of the battery upper case 22A located at the lower end of the vehicle at the opening of the floor panel 12 described above, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, if a plurality of drive battery packs 20 are arranged in a row in the vehicle width direction, the seat rail on the inner seat leg portion 50B side can be configured in the same way as the seat rail 26 on the outer seat leg portion 50A.

[0050] Although an example of an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above. One embodiment and various modifications may be used in appropriate combinations, and it goes without saying that the invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10. Vehicle understructure 12. Floor panel (vehicle floor) 14 Rocka 20 Power Battery Packs 23 Wall 23B Wall section 26 Seat Rails 30 Vehicle seats 50 pairs of seat legs 50A Outer seat leg (one of the seat legs) 50B Inner seat leg (other seat leg) 58 Sliding member

Claims

1. The drive battery pack is mounted on the underside of the vehicle's floor, A sliding member disposed on a vehicle seat is engageable with at least one seat rail provided on the underside of the floor of the vehicle and on the wall portion in the vehicle width direction of the drive battery pack, or at a position opposite to said wall portion, Equipped with, The seat rail is provided on the outside in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle seat, and the undercarriage structure of the electric vehicle is provided on the inside of the wall portion of the drive battery pack.

2. The vehicle understructure according to claim 1, The seat cushion on which the occupants sit, A pair of seat legs are provided, which extend downward toward the vehicle on both sides of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction and are arranged to overlap with the side surface of the vehicle floor, A sliding member is provided on at least one of the pair of seat legs that corresponds to the seat rail, and moves along the seat rail, A vehicle seat structure equipped with the following features.

3. The vehicle seat structure according to claim 2, wherein the sliding member is provided on the side of at least one of the seat legs that faces the other seat leg.

Images