Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack with strength and water proofness secured.SOLUTION: A case 12 of a battery pack 10 has a cover 26 for covering a high-voltage component storage unit 16 for storing a high-voltage component 14 from the above. The cover 26 includes a waterproof cover 30 for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component storage unit 16 and a protective cover 40 for protecting the battery pack 10 from external force. The waterproof cover 30 covers the high-voltage component storage unit 16 from the above and the protective cover 40 covers a part of the waterproof cover 30 from the above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack. The case of this battery pack includes a tray and a cover.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when the above-described battery pack is mounted under the floor of a vehicle, a load is applied to the cover, so the strength of the cover is required. In addition, waterproofness is also required for the portion of the cover that covers the high-voltage components.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack that ensures both strength and waterproofness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A battery pack according to a first aspect is a battery pack mounted under the floor of a vehicle, the battery pack including a battery body, high-voltage components, and a case that houses the battery body and the high-voltage components, the case including a cover that covers, from above, a high-voltage component housing portion that houses the high-voltage components, the cover being a waterproof cover for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing portion, the waterproof cover covering the high-voltage component housing portion from above, and a protective cover for protecting the battery pack from external forces, the protective cover covering a part of the waterproof cover from above.

[0007] This embodiment relates to a battery pack mounted under the floor of a vehicle. In this embodiment, the battery pack comprises a battery body, a high-voltage component, and a case that houses the battery body and the high-voltage component. The case includes a cover that covers the high-voltage component housing section that houses the high-voltage component from above.

[0008] By the way, when such a battery pack is mounted under the vehicle floor, the cover is subjected to a load. Therefore, the cover needs to be strong. Furthermore, the cover also needs to be waterproof. To ensure the strength of the cover, one might consider forming it from a material like high-tensile steel. However, such materials are difficult to mold and it is challenging to ensure waterproofing.

[0009] Therefore, in this embodiment, the cover comprises a waterproof cover for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing and a protective cover for protecting the battery pack from external forces. The waterproof cover covers the high-voltage component housing from above, and the protective cover covers a portion of the waterproof cover from above. In other words, since the waterproof cover and the protective cover are provided separately, the waterproof cover and the protective cover can be formed from materials suitable for their respective functions. As a result, a battery pack that ensures both strength and waterproofness can be realized. Furthermore, since the protective cover is designed to cover only a portion of the waterproof cover rather than the entire thing, the battery pack can be made lighter.

[0010] In the second embodiment of the battery pack, the protective cover comprises a fastening portion that is fastened together with the waterproof cover and an outer fastening portion that is fastened separately from the waterproof cover, wherein the outer fastening portion is provided further outward in the vehicle width direction than the fastening portion.

[0011] In this embodiment, the protective cover comprises a fastening portion that is fastened together with the waterproof cover, and an outer fastening portion that is fastened separately from the waterproof cover. The outer fastening portion is provided further outward in the vehicle width direction than the fastening portion. This distributes the load applied to the protective cover to the fastening points, thereby reducing the external force on the waterproof cover.

[0012] In the third embodiment of the battery pack, the protective cover has ribs formed to connect the outer fastening portion and the jointly fastened portion, as in the second embodiment.

[0013] In this embodiment, the protective cover has ribs formed to connect the outer fastening portion and the jointly fastened portion. Therefore, the load applied to the protective cover can be effectively distributed to the outer fastening portion and the jointly fastened portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a battery pack that ensures both strength and waterproofness can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a part of the battery pack of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view of the first cover that covers the high-voltage component housing from above. [Figure 3] This is a top view showing a part of the battery pack of this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The following describes an embodiment of the battery pack according to the present invention. In the figures, arrows FR indicate the front side in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, arrows OUT indicate the outside side in the vehicle's width direction, and arrows UP indicate the top side in the vehicle's vertical direction.

[0017] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a part of the battery pack 10 according to this embodiment.

[0018] The battery pack 10 comprises a case 12, a battery body (not shown) housed in the case 12, and a high-voltage component 14 (see Figure 4) housed in the case.

[0019] The battery body is composed of a plurality of battery modules. A battery module is formed by connecting a plurality of single cells in a modularized manner.

[0020] The high-voltage components 14 include a battery ECU, a fuse, a junction box, etc. These high-voltage components 14 are collectively arranged in the high-voltage component housing portion 16 in the case 12. The case 12 has a shape with the vehicle width direction as the longitudinal direction, and the high-voltage component housing portion 16 is provided at the outer end in the vehicle width direction (specifically, the left end of the vehicle) inside the case 12.

[0021] The case 12 includes a tray 18 and a cover 20 that covers the upper side of the tray 18.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the tray 18 includes a tray body 22 and a plurality of brackets 24. The tray body 22 has a bottom wall portion 22A and a peripheral wall portion 22B. That is, the tray body 22 has a shape that covers the object to be housed in the case 12 from below and from the side. The bracket 24 is formed separately from the tray body 22 and is attached to the tray body 22. The bracket 24 functions to support the object to be housed in the case 12. Note that the bracket 24 is fastened to the frame of the vehicle (not shown, specifically, a frame extending in the vehicle width direction).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 20 includes a first cover 26 that covers the high-voltage component housing portion 16 from above and a second cover 28 that covers the other parts from above. The first cover 26 corresponds to the "cover that covers the high-voltage component housing portion from above" of the present invention. Hereinafter, the first cover 26 may be simply referred to as the cover 26. The battery body is mainly arranged below the second cover 28. The first cover 26 is configured to be detachable from the tray 18 while the second cover 28 is attached to the tray 18.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a top view of the periphery of the first cover 26 in the battery pack 10.

[0025] The battery pack 10 is mounted under the floor of the vehicle. Specifically, a carpet (not shown) is provided between the battery pack 10 and the passenger compartment located above it, but no floor panels or the like are provided. As a result, the cover 20, including the first cover 26, is subjected to loads from the occupants' feet, etc.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the first cover 26 can be understood as being divided into the first cover front part 26A and the first cover rear part 26B. Of these, the first cover rear part 26B overlaps with the external force input area. The external force input area is the area where external forces are easily applied to the battery pack 10 from above. Specifically, the first cover rear part 26B corresponds to the floor in front of the rear seats of the vehicle, and load is applied from the feet of occupants using the rear seats. In other words, load is easily applied to the first cover rear part 26B, while load is less easily applied to the first cover front part 26A. The first cover front part 26A is located below the front seats (specifically the passenger seat).

[0027] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first cover 26.

[0028] The first cover 26 includes a waterproof cover 30 to prevent water from entering the high-voltage component housing 16, a protective cover 40 to protect the battery pack 10 from external forces, and an SP cover 50 that covers openings 36 and 46 for accessing the service plug 15.

[0029] The waterproof cover 30 is provided to cover the entire high-voltage component housing 16 and covers the entire or almost entire high-voltage component housing 16 from above. On the other hand, the protective cover 40 is provided to cover a part of the high-voltage component housing 16 and covers a part of the waterproof cover 30 from above.

[0030] The waterproof cover 30 and the protective cover 40 are manufactured by pressing or otherwise forming a metal (e.g., steel) plate. The material of the protective cover 40 is a plate with a thickness greater than (e.g., twice or more) than the plate used for the waterproof cover 30, from the viewpoint of ensuring strength. For example, the plate used for the waterproof cover 30 has a thickness of 1.0 mm or less, while the plate used for the protective cover 40 has a thickness of 2 mm or more. Furthermore, the protective cover 40 is formed from high-tensile steel plate from the viewpoint of ensuring strength. On the other hand, the waterproof cover 30 is formed from a plate material other than high-tensile steel plate from the viewpoint of ensuring the formability of the waterproof cover 30. In this specification, high-tensile steel plate means a steel plate with a tensile strength of 340 MPa or more.

[0031] (Waterproof cover 30) As shown in Figure 2, the waterproof cover 30 has a first surface portion 31. The first surface portion 31 has a flat plate shape with its thickness direction oriented vertically. The first surface portion 31 is formed at a position corresponding to the front portion 26A of the first cover, but not at a position corresponding to the rear portion 26B of the first cover. The first surface portion 31 is approximately triangular in top view, and its dimensions in the vehicle width direction decrease as it moves towards the rear of the vehicle.

[0032] The waterproof cover 30 has a second surface portion 32. The second surface portion 32 has a flat plate shape with its thickness direction oriented vertically. The second surface portion 32 is located below the first surface portion 31 in the vertical direction.

[0033] The waterproof cover 30 has an inner joint portion 33. The inner joint portion 33 is joined to the inner joint portion 43 of the protective cover 40 by resistance spot welding or the like. The inner joint portion 33 has a flat plate shape with its thickness direction oriented vertically. In the vertical direction, the inner joint portion 33 is located below the first surface portion 31 and above the second surface portion 32.

[0034] The inner joint portion 33 has a first extending portion 33A that extends in a direction inclined with respect to the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and a second extending portion 33B that extends in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The rear end of the first extending portion 33A and the front end of the second extending portion 33B are connected. The first extending portion 33A is located at the front portion 26A of the first cover, and the second extending portion 33B is located at the rear portion 26B of the first cover.

[0035] The waterproof cover 30 has an outer flange 34. The outer flange 34 has a flat plate shape with its thickness direction oriented vertically. The outer flange 34 is located at the outer end of the waterproof cover 30 in the vehicle width direction and extends in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. In the vertical direction, the outer flange 34 is located below the second surface portion 32.

[0036] The waterproof cover 30 has an outer joint 35 that connects the second surface 32 and the outer flange 34. The outer joint 35 connects the second surface 32 and the outer flange 34 in a direction that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. In other words, the thickness direction of the outer joint 35 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction of the vehicle.

[0037] The waterproof cover 30 has an opening 36 that allows access to the service plug 15 (see Figure 4). The opening 36 is formed near the rear end of the waterproof cover 30. A bulge 37 is formed around the periphery of the opening 36, bulging upwards and surrounding the opening 36. The formation of the bulge 37 prevents water that falls on the upper surface of the waterproof cover 30 (particularly the upper surface of the second surface portion 32) from entering the case 12 through the opening 36.

[0038] The waterproof cover 30 has a front fastening portion 38A and a rear fastening portion 39A.

[0039] The front fastening portion 38A is formed in the front flange 38. Specifically, a through hole for bolt insertion is formed in the front flange 38, and the area near this through hole constitutes the front fastening portion 38A. The front flange 38 is formed on the front side of the first surface portion 31 and extends in the front-rear direction. The front flange 38 is located below the first surface portion 31 in the vertical direction.

[0040] The rear fastening portion 39A is formed in the rear flange 39. Specifically, a through hole for bolt insertion is formed in the rear flange 39, and the area near this through hole constitutes the rear fastening portion 39A. The rear flange 39 is formed at the rear end of the waterproof cover 30, on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. In the vertical direction, the rear flange 39 is located below the second surface portion 32.

[0041] (Protective cover 40) The protective cover 40 covers a portion of the waterproof cover 30 from above. Specifically, it covers almost the entire portion of the waterproof cover 30 other than the first surface portion 31 and the front flange 38 from above.

[0042] The inner edge 40A of the protective cover 40 in the vehicle width direction extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction on the rear side of the vehicle, and extends in a direction inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction on the front side of the vehicle. As a result, the protective cover 40 does not cover a part of the waterproof cover 30 (the first surface portion 31 and the front flange 38).

[0043] The protective cover 40 has an inner joint 43 that is joined to the inner joint 33 of the waterproof cover 30 by spot resistance welding or the like. In other words, the inner joint 43 has a first extending portion 43A that extends in a direction inclined with respect to the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and a second extending portion 43B that extends in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The inner joint 43 extends along the inner edge 40A of the protective cover 40 in the vehicle width direction.

[0044] The protective cover 40 has an outer joint portion 45 which is joined to the outer joint portion 35 of the waterproof cover 30 by spot resistance welding or the like.

[0045] The protective cover 40 has an outer flange 44. The outer flange 44 extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the outer joint 45. The outer flange 44 covers a portion of the outer flange 34 of the waterproof cover 30 from above.

[0046] The protective cover 40 has a plurality (three) of ribs 48. Each rib 48 extends along the inner edge 40A of the protective cover 40 in the vehicle width direction. Specifically, each rib 48 has a portion that extends along the first extension 43A of the inner joint 43 and a portion that extends along the second extension 43B of the inner joint 43.

[0047] Multiple ribs 48 are positioned on the upper side of the second surface portion 32 of the waterproof cover 30. As shown in Figure 4, the vertices of the ribs 48 are located in the same position as the inner joint portion 43 in the vertical direction. This prevents the ribs 48 from protruding upward relative to the rest of the protective cover 40.

[0048] The protective cover 40 has outer fastening portions 47A and 47B located on the outside in the vehicle width direction, and an inner fastening portion 49A located on the inside in the vehicle width direction.

[0049] The outer fastening portions 47A and 47B are provided as a first outer fastening portion 47A formed near the front end of the first cover 26 and a second outer fastening portion 47B formed near the rear end of the first cover 26. Both the first outer fastening portion 47A and the second outer fastening portion 47B are fastened to the vehicle frame (not shown, specifically a frame extending in the vehicle width direction).

[0050] The inner fastening portion 49A is provided near the rear end of the first cover 26, but not near the front end of the first cover 26. The inner fastening portion 49A is fastened to the bracket 24 and the second cover 28 together with the rear fastening portion 39A of the waterproof cover 30. Hereinafter, the inner fastening portion 49A of the protective cover 40 may be referred to as the shared fastening portion 49A.

[0051] The protective cover 40 has an opening 46 for accessing the service plug. The opening 46 is located near the rear end of the protective cover 40. The opening 46 of the protective cover 40, together with the opening 36 of the waterproof cover 30, forms openings 36, 46 for accessing the service plug 15.

[0052] The protective cover 40 has an engagement hole 42A into which the hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 engages. The hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 is inserted into the engagement hole 42A. This holds the hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 in place of the protective cover 40. The engagement hole 42A is an elongated hole extending in the vehicle width direction and is located on the front side relative to the opening 46.

[0053] The protective cover 40 has a connecting portion 42B which is connected to the clip portion 53 of the SP cover 50 by a clip 61. The connecting portion 42B is oriented so that its thickness direction is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. An insertion hole is formed in the connecting portion 42B for inserting the clip 61. The connecting portion 42B is located on the rear side with respect to the opening 46.

[0054] (SP Cover 50) The SP cover 50 has a main body portion 51, a hook portion 52, and a clip portion 53.

[0055] The main body 51 covers the opening 36 of the waterproof cover 30. A watertight seal 62 (see Figure 4) is provided on the lower side of the main body 51. The watertight seal 62 is provided in an annular shape so as to surround the opening 36. The watertight seal 62 contacts the periphery of the opening 36 of the waterproof cover 30.

[0056] To install the SP cover 50, first insert the hook portion 52 of the SP cover 50 into the engagement hole 42A of the protective cover 40, and then connect the clip portion 53 of the SP cover 50 to the connecting portion 42B of the protective cover 40 with the clip 61. To remove the SP cover 50, perform the reverse procedure. Since the front end of the SP cover 50 is held by the protective cover 40 without using a clip, the operation of releasing the connection with the clip 61 only needs to be done on the rear end of the SP cover 50. Therefore, the installation and removal of the SP cover 50 is easy.

[0057] <Effects and Effects> Next, the effects and advantages of this embodiment will be described.

[0058] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the battery pack 10 comprises a battery body (not shown), a high-voltage component 14, and a case 12 that houses the battery body and the high-voltage component 14. The case 12 includes a cover 26 that covers the high-voltage component housing section 16 that houses the high-voltage component 14 from above.

[0059] By the way, when such a battery pack 10 is mounted under the vehicle floor, a load is placed on the cover 26. Therefore, the cover 26 needs to be strong. In addition, the cover 26 also needs to be waterproof. To ensure the strength of cover 26, it might be considered to form cover 26 from a material such as high-tensile steel. However, such materials are difficult to mold and it is difficult to ensure waterproofing.

[0060] Therefore, in this embodiment, the cover 26 includes a waterproof cover 30 for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing 16, and a protective cover 40 for protecting the battery pack 10 from external forces. The waterproof cover 30 covers the high-voltage component housing 16 from above, and the protective cover 40 covers a portion of the waterproof cover 30 from above. In other words, since the waterproof cover 30 and the protective cover 40 are provided separately, the waterproof cover 30 and the protective cover 40 can be formed from materials suitable for their respective functions. As a result, a battery pack 10 that ensures both strength and waterproofness can be realized.

[0061] In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the protective cover 40 is provided so as to cover only a part of the waterproof cover 30, rather than the entirety of it. This makes it possible to reduce the weight of the battery pack 10.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the protective cover 40 includes a joint fastening portion 49A that is fastened together with the waterproof cover 30, and external fastening portions 47A and 47B that are fastened separately from the waterproof cover 30. The external fastening portions 47A and 47B are provided further outward in the vehicle width direction than the joint fastening portion 49A. Therefore, the load applied to the protective cover 40 is distributed to the fastening points, and the external force on the waterproof cover 30 is suppressed.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the protective cover 40 has ribs 48 formed to connect the outer fastening portion 47A and the jointly fastened portion 49A. Therefore, the load applied to the protective cover 40 can be effectively distributed to the outer fastening portion 47A and the jointly fastened portion 49A.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the second surface portion 32 of the waterproof cover 30 is recessed relative to the inner joint portion 33, and the ribs 48 of the protective cover 40 are positioned above the second surface portion 32. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the vertical dimension of the battery pack 10.

[0065] [Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment] Although preferred embodiments of the battery pack of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto. The following explanation is for clarification purposes only.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the fastening portion 49A is fastened to the bracket 24 and the second cover 28, but the fastening portion of the protective cover of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fastening portion does not have to be fastened to the second cover.

[0067] In the above embodiment, multiple (three) ribs 48 are formed, but the invention is not limited to this, and there may be only one rib. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 10 battery packs 12 cases 14 High-voltage components 16 High-voltage component housing 20 Covers 26. First cover (cover) 30 Waterproof Covers 40 protective covers 47A First outer fastening part (outer fastening part) 47B Second outer fastening part (outer fastening part) 48 Ribs 49A Inner fastening section (shared fastening section)

Claims

1. A battery pack mounted under the floor of a vehicle, The aforementioned battery pack is The battery itself, High-voltage components and The battery body and the case housing the high-voltage components, Equipped with, The case includes a cover that covers the high-voltage component housing section, which houses high-voltage components, from above. The aforementioned cover is A waterproof cover for preventing water from entering the high-voltage component housing, comprising the waterproof cover covering the high-voltage component housing from above, A protective cover for protecting the battery pack from external forces, comprising a protective cover that covers a portion of the waterproof cover from above, Equipped with, The aforementioned protective cover is A fastening portion that is fastened together with the aforementioned waterproof cover, An outer fastening portion that is fastened separately from the aforementioned waterproof cover, Equipped with, The aforementioned outer fastening portion is provided further outward in the vehicle width direction than the aforementioned joint fastening portion. Battery pack.

2. The protective cover has ribs formed to connect the outer fastening portion and the jointly fastened portion. The battery pack according to claim 1.

Images