Switch structure and power supply device

Abstract

A switch structure (SS) comprises: a cutoff switch (14) capable of cutting off a battery module (12) from a drive system (40) by means of a manual operation; and a console box (13) disposed between a driver seat (D) and a passenger seat (P). The cutoff switch (14) is disposed on the passenger seat (P)-side in the interior of a console box (70).

Description

Switch structure and power supply device

[0001] The present invention relates to a switch structure and a power supply device, and more particularly to a mounting structure for a service disconnect switch that manually disconnects a battery from a high-voltage system.

[0002] An automobile is equipped with a service disconnect switch (SD switch) that is manually operated to mechanically disconnect the battery high-voltage circuit (see Patent Document 1). This SD switch can be manually switched on and off when inspecting, repairing, or replacing parts of a high-voltage module, inverter, etc.

[0003] In this prior art, the SD switch is located under the vehicle floor. To operate the SD switch, an operator must remove the center console box from inside the vehicle, then remove the cover covering the lever operation hole in the vehicle floor, and operate the SD switch under the vehicle floor through the lever operation hole (see paragraph

[0041] , Figures 10 and 11 of Patent Document 1).

[0004] JP 2012-240476 A

[0005] In such a conventional technique, the SD switch is located under the vehicle floor, making it difficult for an operator to operate the SD switch, resulting in poor workability.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a switch structure and a power supply device that can improve workability.

[0007] The present invention solves the above problem by arranging the cutoff switch inside the console box on the passenger seat side.

[0008] According to the present invention, the shutoff switch is disposed inside the console box on the passenger seat side, thereby improving workability.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a vehicle frame, battery pack, and steering mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vehicle frame, floor panel, and console box according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the floor panel and console box have been removed from the vehicle of FIG. 2, and is a perspective view showing a vehicle body, battery pack, DCDC converter, and cooling mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a cross section taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a cross section taken along line VV in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a cutoff switch of a switch structure according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of a switch portion of the cutoff switch when a lever portion of the cutoff switch is operated as shown in FIG. 6.

[0010] A vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a frame 50, a battery pack 10, and a steering mechanism 80 of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the frame 50, a carpet 60, and a console box 70 of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the vehicle 1 of FIG. 2 with the carpet 60 and the console box 70 removed, and is a perspective view showing the frame 50, the battery pack 10, the DCDC converter 20, and the cooling mechanism 30 of the vehicle 1. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a cross section taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a cross section taken along line VV in FIG. 3.

[0011] In this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is, for example, an electric vehicle. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle 1 includes a frame 50, a carpet 60, a console box 70 (see Figure 2), a steering mechanism 80, and a floor panel 90. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the frame 50 includes at least a side sill 51 and a plurality of cross members 52 fixed to the side sill 51.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 2, the carpet 60 forms the floor surface of the vehicle interior. The carpet 60 is disposed on the cross member 52 of the frame 50 and extends along the vehicle width direction (the left-right direction in the figure) of the vehicle 1 inside the side sill 51. As shown in Fig. 4, the carpet 60 has an opening 61 formed in the center in the vehicle width direction, spanning between the driver's seat D side and the passenger seat P side.

[0013] The driver's seat is the seat on the side where a steering mechanism 80 including a steering wheel (not shown), an accelerator pedal (not shown), and a brake pedal (not shown) are provided in the vehicle cabin, as shown in Fig. 1, and the passenger seat is the seat next to the driver's seat. In this embodiment, the left front seat of the vehicle 1 is the driver's seat, but this is not limiting. The right front seat may also be the driver's seat, and the left front seat may also be the passenger seat.

[0014] 2 and 4, a console box 70 is disposed between the driver's seat D and the passenger seat P so as to cover the opening 61. The lower portion of the console box 70 is detachably fixed to the carpet 60 by fasteners (not shown). In this embodiment, the console box 70 opens downward.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3 , the vehicle 1 further includes a power supply device PS that includes a battery pack 10 , a DC-DC converter 20 , and a cooling mechanism 30 .

[0016] As shown in Fig. 4, the battery pack 10 is disposed under the floor of the vehicle compartment (below the carpet 60), and more specifically, a lower member 111 of the battery pack 10 is disposed below the carpet 60, and an upper member 112 of the battery pack 10 is disposed inside the console box 70. Furthermore, the battery pack 10 is disposed on the floor panel 90, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

[0017] The battery pack 10 includes a module case 11 , a plurality of battery modules 12 , a junction box 13 , a cutoff switch 14 , and a battery controller 15 .

[0018] The module case 11 is a case for mounting the components that make up the battery pack 10. The module case 11 is provided with a plurality of battery modules 12, a junction box 13, a cutoff switch 14, and a battery controller 15.

[0019] The module case 11 has a lower member 111, an upper member 112, and multiple brackets 113. The lower member 111 is a hollow housing that houses multiple battery modules 12 and a junction box 13. The module case 11 has an opening 111a in the approximate center region of the top surface.

[0020] An upper member 112 is disposed so as to cover this opening 111a. The upper member 112 is located inside the console box 70 and is a plate-like member that protrudes upward following the shape of the console box 70. The upper member 112 forms part of the upper surface of the module case 11. The upper member 112 in this embodiment corresponds to an example of the "protrusion" in the present invention.

[0021] The cutoff switch 14 is disposed in an opening 112 a on the side surface of the upper member 112 , while the battery controller 15 is disposed in an opening 112 b on the top surface of the upper member 112 .

[0022] 1 , multiple brackets 113 extend from the side of the module case 11 so as to overlap with the cross member 52. These brackets 113 are fixed to the cross member 52 with fasteners such as bolts (not shown), thereby fixing the battery pack 10 to the cross member 52.

[0023] 4, a plurality of battery modules 12 are mounted inside the lower member 111 of the module case 11. Although not specifically shown, in this battery module 12, a plurality of battery cells are stacked on top of each other, and adjacent battery cells are electrically connected to each other via bus bars or the like.

[0024] The multiple battery modules 12 are electrically connected to the junction box 13 via wiring 121. The junction box 13 is disposed between the multiple battery modules 12, and is disposed inside the lower member 111 and below the upper member 112. The junction box 13 is a device for electrically branching the wiring 121 of the battery modules 12.

[0025] 4 and 5, the junction box 13 is electrically connected to the cutoff switch 14 via a wire 131. As shown in Fig. 4, the cutoff switch 14 is provided in an opening 112a on the side surface of the upper member 112 on the passenger seat P side. As a result, the cutoff switch 14 is disposed on the passenger seat P side inside the console box 70.

[0026] The cutoff switch 14 constitutes a switch structure SS and can be manually operated by an operator to disconnect the battery module 12 from high-power electronic components (the drive system 40 in FIG. 5 ) during assembly of the vehicle 1, maintenance of the vehicle 1, emergency, etc. In this embodiment, the cutoff switch 14 cuts off the electrical connection between the junction box 13 and the battery controller 15, thereby electrically disconnecting the battery module 12 from the high-power electronic components. The high-power electronic components correspond to the DCDC converter 20 and / or the drive system, etc., electronic components electrically connected to the battery module 12.

[0027] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the cutoff switch 14 of the switch structure SS of this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of the switch portion 142 when the lever portion 141 of the cutoff switch 14 is operated as shown in Fig. 6.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 6, the cutoff switch 14 in the switch structure SS has a lever portion 141 and a switch portion 142. The lever portion 141 is a movable portion that is directly operated by an operator. In this embodiment, the lever portion 141 is set to be movable in the vertical direction, and is arranged to extend upward in the initial position (ON position) as shown in the upper diagram of Fig. 6.

[0029] The switch portion 142 is a portion that switches the electrical connection ON / OFF in conjunction with the operation of the lever portion 141. The switch portion 142 includes a lever-side switch portion 143 and a circuit-side switch portion 144.

[0030] Lever-side switch section 143 is physically connected to lever section 141 and operates in conjunction with the operation of lever section 141. As shown in the lower diagram of Fig. 6, lever-side switch section 143 in this embodiment is configured to rise upward, opposite to lever section 141, when lever section 141 is tilted downward.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7 , the lever-side switch unit 143 includes an intervening portion 143a and a connecting portion 143b. The intervening portion 143a is a portion interposed between the lever portion 141 and the connecting portion 143b and is made of a non-conductive material. The connecting portion 143b is disposed at the tip of the intervening portion 143a and is made of a conductive material such as metal. As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 7 , the connecting portion 143b in this embodiment has, but is not limited to, a substantially U-shaped configuration. When the lever portion 141 is in the ON position, the connecting portion 143b contacts both a battery-side conductor 144a and a controller-side conductor 144b of the circuit-side switch unit 144 (described below) to electrically connect them.

[0032] The circuit-side switch section 144 includes a battery-side conductor 144 a and a controller-side conductor 144 b. In this embodiment, the battery-side conductor 144 a is electrically connected to the wiring 131 on the junction box 13 side, and the controller-side conductor 144 b is electrically connected to the wiring 151 on the battery controller 15 side.

[0033] As shown in the upper diagrams of FIGS. 6 and 7 , when the lever portion 141 is in the ON position, the connection portion 143b contacts both the battery-side conductor 144a and the controller-side conductor 144b of the circuit-side switch portion 144, electrically connecting them. On the other hand, when the lever portion 141 is moved downward to place the lever portion 141 in the OFF position, the lever-side switch portion 143 rises upward in conjunction with the lever portion 141, and the connection portion 143b separates from the battery-side conductor 144a and the controller-side conductor 144b. This disconnects the battery-side conductor 144a from the controller-side conductor 144b, and thus disconnects the junction box 13 from the battery controller 15. As a result, the battery module 12 is disconnected from the high-voltage electronic components.

[0034] In this embodiment, the battery module 12 can be disconnected from high-voltage electronic components by moving the lever portion 141 from above to below, so that an operator can operate the lever portion 141 to turn off the cutoff switch 14 simply by lowering his / her hand from the initial position of the lever portion 141. With a vehicle 1 having such a cutoff switch 14, the operator does not need to extend his / her hand further to, for example, pull the lever portion 141 from the back side to the front side, thereby improving operability.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1 , the lever portion 141 of the cutoff switch 14 is inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction (left-right direction in the drawing) of the vehicle 1 and with respect to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 in a plan view, and extends toward the passenger seat P side door. That is, the lever portion 141 is located between the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1 in a plan view, and the extension direction of the lever portion 141 is not parallel to either the vehicle width direction or the front-rear direction on the passenger seat P side, but is inclined toward the passenger seat door. Because the lever portion 141 is inclined toward the passenger seat door and not parallel to the vehicle width direction in a plan view, the lever portion 141 does not interfere with the seat rails on which the seat is positioned, thereby improving operability. Furthermore, because the lever portion 141 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction in a plan view and extends toward the passenger seat door, an operator can easily operate the lever portion 141 from the passenger seat side, where the operator is not interfered with by the steering wheel or pedals, thereby improving operability.

[0036] 4, the battery controller 15 is connected to the cutoff switch 14 via a wire 151. The battery controller 15 is provided in an opening 112b in the top surface of the upper member 112 of the module case 11. The battery controller 15 is a computer (ECU) that controls the charging and discharging of the battery module 12.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, at least a portion of the battery controller 15 is exposed to the outside of the module case 11 through the opening 112b and is electrically connected to the DC-DC converter 20 located outside the module case 11 via wiring 152.

[0038] The DC-DC converter 20 is a device for converting direct current into direct current. The DC-DC converter 20 is electrically connected to a drive system 40 including an inverter, a motor, etc. Although not particularly limited, the inverter, drive motor, etc. are disposed on the hood at the front of the vehicle.

[0039] 5, a cooling mechanism 30 is provided behind the upper member 112 of the module case 11. The cooling mechanism 30 cools the junction box 13 and the DCDC converter 20.

[0040] The cooling mechanism 30 has a fan 31, an upper duct 32, and a lower duct 33. The fan 31 is provided behind the upper member 112 of the module case 11, and blows air into the upper duct 32 and the lower duct 33.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 3 , the upper duct 32 is provided above the upper member 112 and the battery controller 15, and extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 1. The upper duct 32 is a hollow cylindrical member, and blows air from the fan 31 to the DCDC converter 20. As shown in Fig. 3 , inside the console box 70, the battery controller 15 and the upper duct 32 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction, which allows the cutoff switch 14 to be arranged in the space below the battery controller 15 and the upper duct 32, thereby reducing the space occupied by the battery controller 15, the upper duct 32, and the cutoff switch 14 inside the console box 70.

[0042] 5 , the lower duct 33 is provided to enter the interior of the module case 11 and extends along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 1. The lower duct 33 is a hollow cylindrical member, and sends air from the fan 31 to the junction box 13.

[0043] As described above, in the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the shut-off switch 14 is located inside the console box 70 on the passenger seat P side, thereby improving the workability when an operator operates the shut-off switch 14.

[0044] 1...Vehicle PS...Power supply device 10...Battery pack 11...Module case 111...Lower member 112...Upper member 113...Bracket 12...Battery module 121...Wiring 13...Junction box 131...Wiring SS...Switch structure 14...Shutoff switch 141...Lever portion 142...Switch portion 143...Lever side switch portion 143a...Interposition portion 143b...Connection portion 144...Circuit side switch portion 144a...Battery side conductor 144b...Controller side conductor 15...Battery controller 151, 152...Wiring 20...DC-DC converter 30...Cooling mechanism 31...Fan 32...Upper duct 33...Lower duct 40...Drive system 50...Frame 51...Side sill 52...Cross member 60...Carpet 61...Opening 70...Console box 80...Steering mechanism 90...Floor panel

Claims

1. A cutoff switch is provided that can manually cut off the battery module from high-voltage electronic components. the cutoff switch is disposed on the passenger seat side inside a console box disposed between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle, A switch structure in which a lever portion of the cutoff switch is inclined toward the passenger door when viewed from above.

2. 2. The switch structure according to claim 1, The cutoff switch has a lever portion that is movable in a vertical direction, The lever portion moves from above to below, whereby the cutoff switch cuts off the battery module from the high-voltage electronic components.

3. 3. The switch structure according to claim 2, A switch structure in which the lever portion is not parallel to the vehicle width direction and not parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle in a plan view.

4. 2. A power supply device having the switch structure according to claim 1, A battery controller that controls the battery module; A DC-DC converter; A duct for blowing air to the DC-DC converter is further provided, A power supply device in which the battery controller and the duct are arranged vertically inside the console box.

5. 5. The power supply device according to claim 4, the power supply device further includes a module case in which the battery module is mounted; an upper surface of the module case has a protrusion located inside the console box; The cutoff switch is provided on a side surface of the protrusion.

6. A power supply device having a switch structure, The switch structure includes a cutoff switch that can manually cut off the battery module from high-voltage electronic components, the cutoff switch is disposed on the passenger seat side inside a console box disposed between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle, The power supply device is A battery controller that controls the battery module; A DC-DC converter; A duct for blowing air to the DC-DC converter; A module case for mounting the battery module therein, Within the console box, the battery controller and the duct are arranged side by side along a vertical direction, an upper surface of the module case has a protrusion located inside the console box; The cutoff switch is provided on a side surface of the protrusion.

7. A power supply device having a switch structure, The switch structure includes a cutoff switch that can manually cut off the battery module from high-voltage electronic components, the cutoff switch is disposed on the passenger seat side inside a console box disposed between a driver's seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle, the power supply device includes a module case in which the battery module is mounted, an upper surface of the module case has a protrusion located inside the console box; The cutoff switch is provided on a side surface of the protrusion.