Watertight fastening structure of the case body

Abstract

To provide a water-stop fastening structure of case body which is excellent in water-stop performance by providing a fastening hole in a case body even if the case body is directly fastened to a support member.SOLUTION: A water-stop structure of case body comprises a case body with water-stop performance and a support member for supporting the case body. The case body has a fastening hole, and the case body is fastened to the support member by use of a bolt member and a cap nut member via the fastening hole. A seal material for sealing a circumferential part of the fastening hole that is at least one side fastening part of the bolt member and the cap nut member is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastening structure of a case body that can directly fix the case body to a support member while achieving water stoppage inside the case body.

Background Art

[0002] In the fields of electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., secondary batteries are mounted as drive sources, and in recent years, the capacity has been increasing in order to meet the requirement of longer cruising range. In order to mount these secondary batteries and electronic devices for controlling them on a vehicle, it is necessary to sufficiently prevent water from entering from the outside. In particular, when storing these batteries, electronic devices, etc. in a case body and mounting them outside the vehicle compartment, it is essential to have a water stoppage function. Hitherto, it has been considered to fix and support the case body to the vehicle body side through brackets or the like by attaching brackets to the outside of the case body by welding or the like. However, in such a structure, when receiving loads such as impact and vibration from the outside, the input load concentrates on the welded part or fastening part of the bracket, and there is a risk that the support strength of the case body becomes insufficient. As a result of studying whether the case body can be directly fastened to the support member, the present inventor has arrived at the present invention.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a screw hole is provided in a housing when attaching a component to the housing, and the screw hole is sealed with a screw and a blind nut via an O-ring, but the case body cannot be directly sealed and fastened to the support member. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for connecting a flange portion of a modulator housing with a blind nut via a stat bolt fixed to the inner surface of the housing of an actuator, but it cannot be applied to the water stoppage fastening structure of the case body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japan Utility Model Publication No. 5-89939 [Patent Document 2] Japan Utility Model Publication No. 5-64032 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a watertight fastening structure for a case body that offers excellent watertightness even when the case body is directly fastened to a support member by providing fastening holes in the case body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The watertight fastening structure for a case body according to the present invention comprises a case body having watertight properties and a support member that supports the case body, the case body has fastening holes, and the case body is fastened and supported to the support member using a bolt member and a cap nut member through the fastening holes, and a sealing material is provided on at least one side of the fastening portion of the bolt member and cap nut member to seal the area around the fastening hole.

[0007] Here, "case" refers to a device that houses multiple secondary batteries (battery modules, battery packs) and various electronic devices, and requires waterproofing. Support members refer to members used to fasten and support the case body. When the case body is mounted on a vehicle, this refers to the structural members that make up the vehicle and the various support members connected to these structural members.

[0008] In this invention, the term "bolt member" is not limited to so-called screws or bolts, as long as it has a male threaded portion, and the term "cap nut member" is not limited to so-called hexagonal cap nuts or circular cap nuts, as long as it has a bottomed female threaded hole.

[0009] When fastening a case to a support member using fastening holes provided in the case, it is sufficient if at least one of the fastening portions, either a bolt or a cap nut, has a sealing member to seal the area around the fastening hole in the case. In this case, if at least one of the fastening portions of the bolt or cap nut has a flat surface, and the flat surface has a mounting portion with an O-ring pre-installed, then alignment of the O-ring during fastening becomes unnecessary.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present invention, the support member may have an insertion hole for the cap nut member, and the cap nut member may be pre-inserted and held in the insertion hole. This method allows the cap nut to be held in place by the support member beforehand, making the installation of the case body easier.

[0011] In the present invention, as a specific watertight fastening structure, the O-ring may be placed on a flat surface provided on a cap nut member, the outer support surface of the case body may be placed on a support member into which the cap nut member is inserted and held, a fixing member may be placed on the inside of the case body, and a bolt member may be fastened to the cap nut member from the fixing member side so as to sandwich the area around the fastening hole of the case body between the fixing member and the support member. In this way, the case body is fastened and supported by being sandwiched between the fixing member and the support member, so the input load from the outside is also distributed, and the fastening and support strength of the case body is improved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the watertight fastening structure for a case body according to the present invention, even if fastening holes are directly provided in the case body, the watertightness of that portion is excellent. This eliminates the need to attach brackets to the outside of the case body, and since there are no mounting members on the outside of the case body, it saves space in the mounting area of ​​the case body. Furthermore, welding work to attach these brackets is unnecessary, and the risk of external forces concentrating on welded parts, which generally have weaker joint strength, is eliminated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] An example of a water-stopping fastening structure according to the present invention is shown. [Figure 2] Examples of a support member and a fixing member for fastening and supporting a case body are shown. [Figure 3] An example of a bag nut member according to the present invention is shown.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] As an example of the water-stopping fastening structure of the case body according to the present invention, an example of fastening the battery case shown in FIG. 2 to the support member on the vehicle side will be described. However, as long as it is a case body that requires water-stopping performance, there is no limitation to the purpose and structure of the case body, such as various electronic devices.

[0015] The example shown in FIG. 2 is an example of fastening and supporting a case body 1 that houses a plurality of secondary batteries and their control electronic devices inside with a plurality of support members 3 on the outer side of the bottom of the vehicle. The case body 1 has a peripheral wall portion 1c and a bottom plate 1a that closes the bottom thereof, and the inside of the case body 1 is also water-stopped by a lid body or the like (not shown) at the upper part of the opening. The bottom plate 1a of the case body 1 has a plurality of fastening holes 1b. The example of the support member 3 shown in FIG. 2 is connected with a plurality of support members 3 and a plurality of panel members 4, and also has a function of protecting the case body 1 from an input load applied from the bottom side of the vehicle. The support member 3 is a frame material having a hollow cross-sectional shape. Since a plurality of batteries or the like are to be fixedly housed inside the case body 1, this is an example in which the case body 1 is fastened and supported to the support member 3 using a fixing member 2 that also serves as a function of fixing the batteries or the like. The fixing member 2 is an example in which it is a frame material having a hollow cross-sectional shape.

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the water-stopping fastening portion of the case body 1 (bottom plate 1a). In the hollow frame-shaped support member 3, an opening 3b and an insertion hole 3a are formed. An insertion portion 11b of the nut member 11 shown in the perspective view in Fig. 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 3a, and the nut member 11 is press-fitted and held by the press-fitting portion 11c. In the example where the fixing member 2 is also formed in a hollow frame shape, a fixing opening 2b for inserting the bolt member 13 and a fixing hole 2a are formed.

[0017] The nut member 11 has a circular outer shape, and the upper surface of the cylindrical insertion portion 11b is a flat fastening portion 11a. A seal member 12 made of an O-ring is attached to a ring groove-shaped mounting portion 11d formed in this fastening portion. A screw portion 11e formed of a bottomed female screw hole is formed at the center of the upper surface of the nut member 11. The bolt member 13 consists of a head portion 13a with a relatively large outer shape and a shaft portion 13b with a smaller outer diameter than that. A screw portion 13c is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 13b.

[0018] The case body 1 is arranged so that the fastening hole 1b of the case body 1 coincides with the screw portion 11e of the nut member 11 press-fitted and held on the support member 3. Further, the fastening hole 1b and the fixing hole 2a of the fixing member 2 are aligned from the inside of the case body 1. The screw portion (male screw portion) 13c of the bolt member 13 is inserted through the fixing hole 2a and tightened to the screw portion (female screw portion) 11e of the nut member 11, thereby achieving a water-stop fastening. In this embodiment, a gap d is formed between the support member 3 and the bottom surface of the case body 1, which is an example of improving the drainage property of this part.

Industrial Applicability

[0019] The water-stop fastening structure of the case body according to the present invention can be widely used as an attachment structure of various case bodies to a support member that requires water-tightness inside.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0020] 1 Case body 1b Fastening hole 2 Fixing member 2a Fixing hole 2b Fixed opening 3. Support member 3a Insertion hole 3b opening 11 Nut component 11a Fastening section 11b Insertion section 11c Press-fit section 11d Mounting area 11e Screw part 12 sealing member 13 Bolt Members 13a head 13b Shaft 13c threaded section

Claims

[Claim 1] It comprises a case body having watertight properties and a support member that supports the case body, The case body has fastening holes, and the case body is fastened and supported to the support member using bolt members and cap nut members through the fastening holes. The support member has an insertion hole for the cap nut member, The aforementioned cap nut member has a flat upper surface and a cylindrical insertion portion. The aforementioned insertion portion is pre-inserted and held in the insertion hole of the support member. An O-ring is placed on the upper surface of the insertion portion of the aforementioned cap nut member. The outer support surface of the case body is positioned on the upper surface of the insertion portion of the cap nut member. A fixing member is placed inside the case body, A watertight fastening structure for a case body, characterized in that a bolt member is fastened to the cap nut member from the fixing member side so as to sandwich the portion of the case body surrounding the fastening hole between the fixing member and the support member.

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