Vehicle-mounted battery pack

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle-mounted battery pack with which it is possible to secure a larger vehicle cabin space for occupants. A battery pack (1) is disposed below the floor surface of seats (DS, PS) that are adjacent to one other on the left and right of the vehicle cabin. The battery pack (1) comprises: an accommodating case (20) that opens in an upper portion thereof and that internally accommodates a plurality of battery modules (10R, 10L); and a case cover (21) that covers the upper opening of the accommodating case (20). The accommodating case (20) has: a pair of left and right accommodating sections (20R, 20L) that accommodate the battery modules (10R, 10L); and an accessory chamber (23) that is provided between the pair of left and right accommodating sections (20R, 20L) in the left-right center of the vehicle cabin and in which an accessory (30) including an SDSW (11) is accommodated. The case cover (21) has a through-hole (21h) that penetrates vertically through the center of the case cover (21), and the accessory chamber (23) is disposed so as to penetrate through the through-hole (21h).

Description

Automotive battery pack

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for arranging an in-vehicle battery pack having a plurality of battery modules, and more particularly to an in-vehicle battery pack arranged under the floor surface of adjacent seats on the left and right sides of a vehicle compartment.

[0002] For example, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, a battery pack has multiple battery modules arranged under the floor of the seat, and in the technology described in the same document, some of the accessories, including the battery control unit, are located under the seat surface, leaving a space above the battery modules that is equal to the space occupied by the accessories.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-153107

[0004] However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, the seat surface is raised by the amount of space occupied by the auxiliary equipment above the battery module, resulting in a problem of reduced passenger compartment space. The present invention has been made in response to this problem, and aims to provide an in-vehicle battery pack that can ensure a larger passenger compartment space.

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the present invention provides an automotive battery pack that is placed under the floor of adjacent seats on the left and right sides of a vehicle cabin, and includes a storage case that opens at the top and stores multiple battery modules inside it, and a case cover that covers the top opening of the storage case.The storage case has a pair of left and right storage compartments that store the battery modules at positions below the adjacent seats inside the storage case, and an auxiliary equipment chamber that is provided between the pair of left and right storage compartments and stores auxiliary equipment including at least a service disconnect switch (SDSW).The case cover has a through hole that runs vertically through its center, and the auxiliary equipment chamber passes through the through hole and is placed in the center of the pair of left and right storage compartments.

[0006] According to the present invention, a larger passenger compartment space can be secured.

[0007] 3(a)-3(b) are schematic explanatory views of an embodiment of a vehicle interior according to an aspect of the present invention, showing a portion of the interior of the vehicle interior and a battery pack (broken line) according to an embodiment of the present invention disposed under the floor of the vehicle interior in a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 3(a)-3(b) are schematic plan views illustrating the layout of an embodiment of a battery pack according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 3(a)-3(b) are explanatory views of a battery pack according to an aspect of the present invention, where FIG. 3(a) is a schematic perspective view and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3(a). FIG. 3(b) is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a battery pack according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 3(b) is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a bracket portion in an accessory compartment of a battery pack according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 3(b) is a schematic perspective view illustrating a bracket portion. FIG. 3(b) is an explanatory view of a comparative example of a battery pack according to an aspect of the present invention, showing a schematic cross section corresponding to FIG. 3(b).

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle of this embodiment is, for example, an electric vehicle. The electric vehicle is equipped with a charging path from an external power source and is configured to receive power from the charging path and store electricity in the battery pack of this embodiment via a charger that charges the battery pack. The drawings are schematic. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationship between thickness and planar dimensions, ratios, etc., differ from the actual relationship. The drawings also include portions where the relationship between dimensions and ratios differ. Furthermore, the embodiments described below exemplify devices and methods embodying the technical concept of the present invention. However, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments in terms of the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of component parts.

[0009] [Overview of Vehicle Compartment] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle compartment CR of this embodiment includes floor panels Fp that form the floor surface F of the vehicle compartment CR. The left and right floor panels Fp are provided horizontally on both sides in the vehicle width direction and form the floor surfaces of the driver's seat DS and passenger seat PS, which are adjacent to each other on the left and right in the vehicle width direction. The center of the floor panel Fp has a reinforcing structure that is formed in an upwardly convex shape and extends in the vehicle length direction. A center console box CB, which is formed in an upwardly convex shape, is disposed between the adjacent seats DS and PS in a position that covers the reinforcing structure in the center of the floor panel Fp.

[0010] [Battery Pack Layout] As shown by the dashed lines in Fig. 1 , the battery pack 1 of this embodiment is placed under the floor surface F of adjacent seats DS and PS on the left and right of the vehicle compartment CR. As shown in Fig. 3 , the battery pack 1 includes a housing case 20 that houses multiple battery modules 10R and 10L therein, and a case cover 21 that covers the upper opening of the housing case 20.

[0011] In consideration of collision safety, the left and right battery modules 10R, 10L of the battery pack 1 are disposed below the floor panels Fp of the left and right seats DS, PS shown in Fig. 1, in left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L of the storage case 20 shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L of the storage case 20 are integrally formed (e.g., die-cast) from metal (e.g., aluminum alloy) so as to straddle the central reinforcing structure. The storage case 20 may also be formed by press molding or a combination of press molding and welding.

[0012] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 1, the battery pack 1 of this embodiment has an auxiliary equipment chamber 23 located between the left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L and inside the center console box CB. As shown in Fig. 3(b), in a front view, a lower surface 24b of the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 that houses the auxiliary equipment 30 protrudes downward below the upper ends 10u of the battery modules 10R, 10L. In addition, a lower surface 25m of the support legs of the brackets 24 that define the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 is positioned higher than the upper ends 10u of the battery modules 10R, 10L.

[0013] As shown in Figures 2 to 3(b), the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 accommodates auxiliary equipment 30 such as an SDSW (Service Disconnect Switch) 31, a contactor 32, and a fuse 35. At least the SDSW 31 is arranged in the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 at the center of the pair of left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L together with the other auxiliary equipment 30. The other auxiliary equipment 30 includes a battery controller (BCU) 34, which is located above the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 and is accommodated in an appropriate position within the auxiliary equipment chamber cover 26 as shown in Figure 3.

[0014] [Battery Pack Configuration] As shown in Fig. 3(b), each battery module 10R, 10L has a plurality of battery cells 10m stacked horizontally in an installed position and connected in series. The battery cells 10m are composed of, for example, nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries, lithium-ion secondary batteries, all-solid-state batteries, etc.

[0015] 2, one end of each battery module 10R, 10L is connected to one end of a corresponding contactor 32. An SDSW 31 that breaks the electrical circuit between the battery modules 10R, 10L is mounted between the battery modules 10R, 10L. Auxiliary equipment 30 such as the SDSW 31, fuse 35, and contactor 32 are housed inside the auxiliary equipment chamber 30 provided in the center of the pair of left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L.

[0016] As shown in a schematic perspective view of the main part in Fig. 6, the SDSW 31 has a socket (fitting portion) 31s, into which an electrically conductive member is manually detachably fitted by an operator, and can interrupt the high-voltage line by switching the circuit between conduction and interruption in response to manual operation from outside the battery pack 1 during maintenance or repair of the battery pack 1. As shown in Fig. 2, one end of the SDSW 31 is connected to the other end of the battery module 10L, and the other end of the SDSW 31 is connected to the other end of the battery module 10R via a fuse 35 that protects the electrical circuit from currents exceeding the rated current.

[0017] The battery controller 34 is a low-voltage unit that is driven at a lower voltage than the battery modules 10R, 10L, and has the function of monitoring and controlling the battery modules 10R, 10L. As shown in FIG. 3 , the battery controller 34 is disposed at a high position on the rear side of the vehicle, spaced apart from the SDSW 31 in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the other end of each contactor 32 is connected to a main power supply terminal 36, which is connected to an external charge / discharge path. When mounted on a vehicle, the main power supply terminal 36 is electrically connected to a vehicle body connector provided on the vehicle body via a connection cable. This allows power output from the secondary battery of the battery pack 1 to be supplied to the vehicle's drive means. The relays of the contactors 32 are normally turned off under the monitoring of the battery controller 34, preventing large currents from flowing from the battery modules 10R, 10L to the main power supply terminal 36.

[0019] [Structure of Main Components of the Auxiliary Equipment Chamber] The structure of the main components of the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 will be described in more detail below. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 includes a bracket 24 for arranging the auxiliary equipment 30 in a central portion of the cover. The bracket 24 includes a support leg 25 that protrudes downward so as to be attachable to the housing case 20, and two front and rear bracket holders 25 b, 25 b to which the support leg 25 is connected. The two bracket holders 25 b, 25 b are placed and fixed to a holder mounting surface 20 m formed on the central upper surface of the housing case 20, and the bracket 24 is fixed above the bracket holder 25 b via the support leg 25. As shown in FIG. 4 , a rectangular through-hole 21 h is formed in the left-right center of the case cover 21. As a result, in this embodiment, the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 is configured to extend downward from above through the through-hole 21 h inside the central center console box CB shown in FIG. 1 .

[0020] 5 and 6, the bracket 24 also has a rectangular through-hole 24h formed in its approximate center. In this embodiment, the auxiliary components 30 housed inside the auxiliary component chamber 30 are connected to external devices through the through-hole 21h in the center of the case cover 21 via a harness (not shown) including high-voltage wiring and low-voltage wiring. Similarly, the necessary harnesses are routed from the through-hole 24h of the bracket 24 to the auxiliary components 30 located above the bracket 24.

[0021] 3 and 4, the present embodiment also includes an auxiliary equipment chamber cover 26 that covers from above the auxiliary equipment 30 arranged in the auxiliary equipment chamber 23. As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary equipment chamber cover 26 has an operation hole 26h on its side surface on the front side of the vehicle that allows an operator to manually access the SDSW 31.

[0022] The SDSW 31 is a manually operated switch. Therefore, in this embodiment, the SDSW 31 is provided in a location that is easy for an operator to operate, for example, in the auxiliary equipment compartment 23 at the center of the top surface of the housing case 20, on the front surface of the center console box CB in the vehicle interior CR, as shown in Fig. 3(a). In addition, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, in the auxiliary equipment compartment 23, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the SDSW 31 does not overlap the other auxiliary equipment 30 (particularly the battery controller 34) vertically in a plan view, but is positioned in a mutually front-to-rear direction of the vehicle.

[0023] 5 and 6, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the SDSW 31 has a fixing portion 31k that is fixed to the bracket 24. The fixing portion 31k is attached to a position closer to the front of the vehicle relative to the bracket 24 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The fixing portion 31k of this embodiment is attached at an angle facing left or right, and further, the fixing portion 31k of the SDSW 31 is attached facing upward.

[0024] [Operational Effects] Next, the operational effects of the battery pack 1 of this embodiment will be described. For example, in a battery pack 100 of a comparative example shown in Fig. 7, the left and right battery modules 110R, 110L are disposed under the seats DS, PS in the vehicle compartment CR shown in Fig. 1, but many of the auxiliary components 130a, 130b, in addition to the central auxiliary component 130c, are disposed on the upper surfaces of the battery modules 110R, 110L. Therefore, in the comparative example shown in the same figure, the seat height of the occupant is increased by the height occupied by the auxiliary components 130a, 130b in the vertical direction of the vehicle compartment CR. This requires further consideration, particularly in terms of ensuring sufficient headroom for the occupant.

[0025] In response to this problem, the inventors of the present application focused on the layout of the battery modules 10R, 10L and the auxiliary equipment 30 in relation to the living space within the vehicle compartment CR, and in particular, solved the problem of ensuring a larger living space within the vehicle compartment CR by effectively utilizing the protruding space within the center console box CB. That is, in order to address the problem of ensuring a larger vehicle compartment space, the battery pack 1 of this embodiment employs a configuration including a housing case 20 having a pair of left and right housing compartments 20R, 20L for distributing the battery modules 10R, 10L to the left and right, and a case cover 21 for covering the top opening of the housing case 20, as shown in Fig. 4. As a result, with the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the battery modules 10R, 10L can be accommodated in the housing compartments 20R, 20L and allocated and disposed under the left and right seats DS, PS, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0026] In the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, as described above, an auxiliary chamber 23 is provided between the pair of left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L, and the case cover 21 has a through hole 21h that penetrates vertically in its center, and the auxiliary chamber 23 passes through the through hole 21h and is positioned in the center of the pair of left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L.

[0027] According to the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 is located in the center of the pair of left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L. As a result, the auxiliary equipment 30 other than the battery modules 10R, 10L can be centrally arranged in the convex space within the center console box CB in the center of the vehicle interior CR, with the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 passing through the through-hole 21h, as shown in Figure 3(b). In particular, because the case cover 21 is provided with the through-hole 21h and the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 is disposed in the through-hole 21h, space efficiency is improved (the height of the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 in the Z direction within the center console box CB does not need to be increased). Therefore, the battery pack 1 of this embodiment can effectively utilize the space within the center console box CB while ensuring a larger vehicle interior space for occupants [Invention 1].

[0028] Furthermore, according to the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, a pair of storage compartments 20R, 20L are provided under the seat on each side of the vehicle interior CR, and the battery modules 10R, 10L are allocated and arranged in each storage compartment 20R, 20L, so that in the event of a collision or the like, the protective function of the battery pack 1 can be enhanced without affecting the occupants, the battery modules 10R, 10L, or the battery controller 34. Furthermore, by concentrating and arranging the accessories 30 in the central accessory compartment 23, there are no unnecessary parts in the cooling path, which allows for a more efficient cooling path and improves the cooling performance of the battery modules 10R, 10L.

[0029] 5 and 6 , the battery pack 1 of this embodiment employs a configuration in which the central auxiliary equipment chamber 23 has a bracket 24 for arranging the auxiliary equipment 30 in the center of the case cover 21, and the bracket 24 has support legs 25 that extend downward so as to be attachable to the upper part of the storage case 20. As a result, the battery pack 1 of this embodiment is suitable for arranging the battery modules 10R, 10L in the left and right storage compartments 20R, 20L inside the storage case 20, while compactly arranging the auxiliary equipment 30, including the SDSW 31, at a position higher than the upper surfaces of the storage compartments 20R, 20L of the battery modules 10R, 10L in the central auxiliary equipment chamber 23 located in the center console box CB [Invention 2].

[0030] 3, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the SDSW 31 and other auxiliary devices 30 are arranged in a front-to-rear positional relationship in the vehicle longitudinal direction in the auxiliary device compartment 23 so as not to overlap vertically in a plan view, but are arranged in a front-to-rear positional relationship in the vehicle longitudinal direction. As a result, with the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the SDSW 31, through which a large current flows, does not overlap vertically with the other auxiliary devices 30 in a plan view, and is arranged in a front-to-rear positional relationship in the vehicle longitudinal direction. This is advantageous for reducing the height of the auxiliary device compartment 23 that stores the auxiliary devices 30 in a central position, and for configuring the occupied space in the center console box CB more compactly while arranging the SDSW 31, through which a large current flows, separately from the auxiliary devices 30 including the other low-voltage systems [Invention 3].

[0031] 5 and 6, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the SDSW 31 has a fixing portion 31k that is fixed to the bracket 24, and the fixing portion 31k is attached to the bracket 24 at a position closer to the front of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, with the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, by moving the SDSW 31, through which a large current flows, closer to the end (front) of the battery pack 1, the heat-generating portion (i.e., the SDSW 31) can be more reliably separated from the auxiliary equipment 30, including other low-voltage systems, and the battery modules 10R, 10L. This is therefore more suitable for improving the cooling of the battery modules 10R, 10L [Invention 4].

[0032] Furthermore, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the fixing portion 31k of the SDSW 31 is attached to the bracket 24 at an angle facing left or right in the left-right direction of the vehicle, which is suitable for improving the workability when operating the SDSW 31 [Invention 5].

[0033] Furthermore, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the fixing portion 31k is attached to the bracket 24 facing upward in the vertical direction of the vehicle, which is advantageous in terms of tilting the angle of the SDSW 31 upward and improving the operability of operating the SDSW 31 [Invention 6].

[0034] 3(b), in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the lower surfaces 25m of the support legs of the brackets 24 that define the auxiliary equipment chamber 23 are positioned higher than the upper ends 10u of the battery modules, which makes it difficult for heat generated in the auxiliary equipment 30 to be transmitted to the battery modules 10R, 10L. This is therefore suitable for improving the cooling performance of the battery modules 10R, 10L [Invention 7].

[0035] 3 and 4, the battery pack 1 of this embodiment has an auxiliary equipment chamber cover 26 that covers the auxiliary equipment 30 arranged in the auxiliary equipment chamber 23, and the auxiliary equipment chamber cover 26 is provided with an operation hole 26h that allows an operator to manually access the SDSW 31, as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, according to the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, an operator can easily manually access the SDSW 31 through the operation hole 26h. This allows the SDSW 31 to be operated more reliably and quickly, which is preferable for improving the operability of the SDSW 31 [Invention 8].

[0036] As described above, the vehicle battery pack 1 of this embodiment effectively utilizes the space within the center console box CB, ensuring a larger vehicle interior space for occupants. The vehicle battery pack according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0037] 1 Battery pack 10R, 10L Battery module 10u Upper end (of battery module) 10m Battery cell 20 Storage case 20R, 20L Storage compartment 21 Case cover 21h Through hole 23 Auxiliary equipment compartment 24 Bracket 24b Underside of bracket (underside of auxiliary equipment compartment) 24h Through hole 25 Support leg 25m Underside of support leg 25b Bracket holder 26 Auxiliary equipment compartment cover 26h Operation hole 30 Auxiliary equipment 31 SDSW (Service Disconnect Switch) 31s Socket (fitting portion) 31k Fixing portion 32 Contactor 33 Terminal block 34 Battery controller (BCU) 35 Fuse 36 Main power terminal CR Vehicle compartment S Living space DS, PS Seats (driver's seat, passenger seat) S Seat surface F Floor surface Fp Floor panel CB Center console box

Claims

1. An in-vehicle battery pack positioned on the floor of the driver's seat and passenger's seat, adjacent to each other in the left-right direction in the width of the vehicle, It comprises a housing case with an opening at the top that houses multiple battery modules inside, and a case cover that covers the top opening of the housing case, The aforementioned housing case comprises a pair of left and right housing compartments for housing the battery modules at positions below the adjacent driver's seat and passenger's seat within the housing case, and an accessory compartment located in the internal space of the center console and provided between the pair of left and right housing compartments, for storing accessory equipment including at least a service disconnect switch (SDSW). The vehicle battery pack is characterized in that the case cover has a through hole that penetrates vertically through its central part, and the accessory compartment penetrates the through hole and is positioned in the center of the pair of left and right housing compartments.

2. The accessory compartment has a bracket in the center of the case cover for arranging the accessories, The vehicle battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the bracket has support legs that extend downward so as to be attachable to the upper part of the housing case.

3. The vehicle-mounted battery pack according to claim 2, wherein in the accessory compartment, the SDSW and other accessories are arranged in a front-to-back positional relationship with each other in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, without overlapping vertically in a plan view.

4. The SDSW has a fixing portion that is fixed to the bracket, The vehicle-mounted battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the fixing portion is attached to the bracket at a position closer to the front of the passenger compartment in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle-mounted battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the fixing portion is attached to the bracket at an angle to the left or right in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle-mounted battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the fixing portion is mounted upward on the bracket in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

7. The in-vehicle battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the lower surface of the support leg of the bracket is positioned higher than the upper end of the battery module.

8. The system further includes an accessory chamber cover that covers the accessories arranged in the accessory chamber, The vehicle battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the accessory compartment cover is provided with an operating hole that allows the operator to manually access the SDSW.