Vehicle body

Abstract

In the present invention, a vehicle body (10) has a battery case (15) attached to a floor rear surface (12a) of a floor panel, an inclined section (17) that is inclined toward the front and bottom of the vehicle body is provided to the floor rear surface (12a) in front of the battery case (15) in the vehicle body, an abutting section (26) having a shape that conforms to the inclined section (17) is provided to the battery case (15) at a position overlapping at least part of the inclined section (17) when the vehicle body (10) is viewed from the front, and deformation of the battery case (15) as a result of rear-surface collision is thereby suppressed.

Description

body

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle body.

[0002] A vehicle rear structure is known that includes a battery case provided on the underside and rear side of a floor panel of a vehicle, side frames provided on both sides of the battery case in the vehicle width direction, extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and being integral with the battery case, a rear vehicle skeletal member provided behind the battery case, extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and connected to the rear end of the side frame, and a front vehicle skeletal member provided in front of the battery case, extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and connected to the front end of the side frame (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-011616

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional technology, when a vehicle collides from the rear and a load from the rear to the front of the vehicle is input to the rear vehicle frame member, the load is transmitted to the side frame connected to the rear vehicle frame member, causing the battery case integrated with the side frame to deform in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle body that can suppress deformation of a battery case due to a rear-end collision.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by providing a sloped portion on the underside of the floor panel in front of the battery case on the underside of the floor panel, which slopes toward the front and downward of the vehicle, and by providing a contact portion on the battery case that has a shape that follows the sloped portion and is positioned so that it overlaps with at least a portion of the sloped portion when the vehicle is viewed from the front.

[0007] According to the present invention, deformation of the battery case due to a rear-end collision can be suppressed.

[0008] It is a plan view showing an example of a vehicle body according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the inside of the battery case of Figure 2. It is a bottom view of the battery case of Figure 1. It is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 4.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, "front" refers to the front of the vehicle, "rear" refers to the rear of the vehicle, "right" refers to the right side of the vehicle, "left" refers to the left side of the vehicle, "up" refers to the top of the vehicle, and "down" refers to the bottom of the vehicle.

[0010] In the following description, the front side of the vehicle body (front vehicle body), rear side of the vehicle body (rear vehicle body), right side of the vehicle body (right side of the vehicle body), left side of the vehicle body (left side of the vehicle body), upper side of the vehicle body (upper side of the vehicle body), and lower side of the vehicle body (lower side of the vehicle body) correspond to the front, rear, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of the vehicle, respectively. The front side, rear side, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of the vehicle (vehicle body) correspond to the front side, rear side, right side, left side, upper side, and lower side of a passenger riding in the vehicle, respectively. The right side and / or left side of the vehicle body are also referred to as the side of the vehicle body.

[0011] Furthermore, the front side of the engine of a vehicle is defined as the front side, and viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the front side of the engine is referred to as viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the front. Similarly, viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the rear side is referred to as viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the back, viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the right or left side is referred to as viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the side, viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from above is referred to as viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the top, and viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from below is referred to as viewing the vehicle (vehicle body) from the bottom.

[0012] [Vehicle Body Configuration] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a vehicle body according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 includes a frame 11 and a vehicle body 12. The frame 11 is a framework-like structure located below the vehicle body 12 and supporting the vehicle body 12. The frame 11 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body has, for example, a closed bag-like structure. Similarly, the frame 11 extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle body (hereinafter also referred to as the vehicle width direction), and a cross section perpendicular to the vehicle width direction also has, for example, a closed bag-like structure. The frame 11 is manufactured, for example, by joining two plate-like members (steel plates) press-formed into a U-shaped cross section by spot welding or the like.

[0013] The vehicle body 12 is a box-shaped structure (body shell) that forms a passenger compartment, an engine compartment, etc., and also includes doors, a hood, etc. The vehicle body 12 is connected to the frame 11 via cab mounts provided on cab mount brackets 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d. The vehicle body 12 is made of steel plates such as high-tensile steel plates, and is manufactured by joining press-formed members by spot welding.

[0014] An engine 13, an alternator 13a, and a battery 14 are mounted on the frame 11. The alternator 13a generates electricity using the power of the engine 13, which is the vehicle's drive source, and charges the battery 14. The battery 14 is, for example, a lead-acid battery, and supplies power to various devices in the vehicle. Meanwhile, the vehicle body 12 includes a floor panel, which is one of the components that make up the bottom of the vehicle, and a battery case 15 that houses the battery is attached to the underside of the floor panel.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the battery case 15 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the battery case 15 includes a storage section 15a that stores the battery, and a lid section 15b. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of the battery case 15 of Fig. 2, with the lid section 15b of the battery case 15 shown in Fig. 2 removed. As shown in Fig. 3, the storage section 15a has a box shape with an opening 15c on the upper surface above the vehicle body, and stores the battery 21.

[0016] The lid portion 15b is a plate-shaped member that partially or entirely covers the opening 15c shown in Fig. 3. The storage portion 15a and the lid portion 15b are manufactured by, for example, press-forming a steel plate or an aluminum alloy plate. The lid portion 15b is fixed to the storage portion 15a by, for example, bolting. The lid portion 15b shown in Fig. 2 also has an opening 15d. The opening 15d is covered by the floor cover 12b.

[0017] In addition to the battery 21, the housing 15a also houses a wire harness 22 connected to the devices housed in the battery case 15, a fusible link 23 that prevents the wire harness 22 from overheating due to a short circuit, and a circuit breaker 24 that cuts off the connection between the battery 21 and another battery (e.g., battery 14). A terminal 24a used to connect the circuit breaker 24 to another battery is provided on the front side of the vehicle body of the circuit breaker 24. The battery 21 and the circuit breaker 24 are fixed to the bottom surface of the housing 15a by bolting or the like, and one end of the fusible link 23 is attached to the terminal of the battery 21 and the other end is attached to the wire harness 22. The fusible link 23 may also be provided between wire harnesses 22.

[0018] The devices housed in the battery case 15 include the battery 21 and devices other than the battery 21. That is, the wire harness 22 is connected to at least one of the battery 21 and devices housed in the battery case 15 other than the battery 21. The wire harness 22, the fusible link 23, and the circuit breaker 24 are not particularly limited, and known devices can be used as long as they can be housed in the housing portion 15a.

[0019] The battery 21 housed in the battery case 15 is a redundant battery, and is a lithium-ion battery provided separately from the battery 14, which is a lead-acid battery or the like. In the event of an abnormality in the battery 14, the battery 21 of the redundant battery supplies power to a load 16, such as an actuator. Note that although the vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a frame 11 and a vehicle body 12, the vehicle body 12 in this embodiment may be a vehicle 10 having a monocoque body without a frame 11.

[0020] Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the battery case 15 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the battery case 15 is attached to the underside of the floor 12a of the floor panel that constitutes the vehicle body 12. There are no particular limitations on the method of attaching the battery case 15. As an example, the battery case 15 shown in Fig. 4 is fixed to the underside of the floor 12a by bolting at four attachment portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d.

[0021] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, opening 15c of storage section 15a is closed by lid 15b and floor cover 12b, and the inside of battery case 15 is made watertight by a seal (not shown) provided between lid 15b and underside of floor 12a.

[0022] 5, the underside of the floor 12a, which extends in the horizontal direction of the vehicle body 12 (the front-rear and left-right directions of the vehicle body 12), has an inclined portion 17 that slopes downward toward the front of the vehicle body (i.e., slopes toward the front and bottom of the vehicle body). That is, the inclined portion 17 is a surface that forms part of the underside of the floor 12a. The inclined portion 17 is provided on the front side of the battery case 15 (specifically, on the front side of the lid portion 15b). For example, in the underside of the floor 12a shown in FIG. 4, the inclined surface that slopes toward the front of the vehicle, surrounded by a dashed line on the left side of the drawing (the front side of the vehicle), is the inclined portion 17.

[0023] Meanwhile, the battery case 15 has a planar contact portion 26. The contact portion 26 faces the inclined portion 17 and has a shape that conforms to the inclined portion 17. The contact portion 26 is provided in a position that overlaps at least a portion of the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle 10 (vehicle body 12) is viewed from the front. For example, in the lid portion 15b shown in FIG. 2 , the inclined surface that slopes toward the front of the vehicle, surrounded by a dashed line on the left side of the drawing (the front side of the vehicle), serves as the contact portion 26. The distance between the inclined portion 17 and the contact portion 26 (the distance between the surfaces) can be set to an appropriate value within a range in which the inclined portion 17 and the contact portion 26 come into contact with each other in the event of a rear-end collision, and is, for example, 1 to 10 mm.

[0024] The inclination of the inclined portion 17 can be set to an appropriate value within a range in which the abutting portion 26 can move along the inclined portion 17 when the abutting portion 26 moves forward of the vehicle body and comes into contact with the inclined portion 17 during a rear-end collision, and is set so that, for example, the minor angle formed between the main surface of the underside of the floor 12a and the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. As an example, the minor angle formed between the main surface of the underside of the floor 12a and the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side is 10 degrees to 70 degrees.

[0025] The inclination of the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side may be constant or may vary depending on the position in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the inclination of the inclined portion 17 (i.e., the minor angle formed between the main surface of the underside floor 12a and the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side) may increase with increasing distance from the battery case 15 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body, or may be greater at positions farther from the battery case 15 than at positions closer to the battery case 15 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body.

[0026] Regarding the positional relationship of the battery 21, wire harness 22, and fusible link 23 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body, the wire harness 22 may be housed inside the battery case 15, forward of the housing position of the battery 21. Also, the fusible link 23 may be housed forward of the housing position of the battery 21. In this case, the wire harness 22 is housed forward of the fusible link 23. For example, in the battery case 15 shown in Fig. 5, these three devices are housed in the housing portion 15a in the order of the wire harness 22, the fusible link 23, and the battery 21, from the front side of the vehicle body.

[0027] When the battery case 15 includes a storage portion 15a and a lid portion 15b, the abutment portion 26 may be provided on the lid portion 15b as shown in Fig. 5. Furthermore, the wall portion on the front side of the storage portion 15a may be inclined toward the front of the vehicle (i.e., inclined toward the front and upper side of the vehicle). For example, in the storage portion 15a shown in Fig. 5, the wall portion 27 on the front side of the vehicle is inclined upward toward the front of the vehicle.

[0028] The inclination of the wall portion 27 can be set to an appropriate value within a range that allows the wall portion 27 to move rearward of the vehicle body in the event of a rear collision, and is set so that, for example, the minor angle formed between the main surface of the underside of the floor 12a and the wall portion 27 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. As an example, the minor angle formed between the main surface of the underside of the floor 12a and the wall portion 27 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side is 10 degrees to 70 degrees.

[0029] The inclination of the wall portion 27 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side may be constant or may vary depending on the position in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body. Furthermore, the inclination of the wall portion 27 (i.e., the minor angle formed between the main surface of the floor underside 12a and the wall portion 27 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side) may be the same as the inclination of the inclined portion 17 (i.e., the minor angle formed between the main surface of the floor underside 12a and the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the side). In this case, the inclined portion 17 and the wall portion 27 are symmetrical with respect to the horizontal plane of the vehicle 10 (or the vehicle body 12).

[0030] The mounting portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d that mount the battery case 15 to the underside of the floor 12a may be provided rearward of the front end of the battery 21. For example, the mounting portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d shown in Fig. 4 are provided rearward of the center of the storage portion 15a in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 5, the front end 21a of the battery 21 is located forward of the center of the storage portion 15a in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and therefore the mounting portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are located rearward of the end 21a.

[0031] The circuit breaker 24 may be housed inside the battery case 15 on the vehicle body side of the housing position of the battery 21. Furthermore, the terminal 24a of the circuit breaker 24 may be provided in front of the circuit breaker 24 in the vehicle body. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , the terminal 24a of the circuit breaker 24 is provided in front of the circuit breaker 24 in the vehicle body.

[0032] [Function of Battery Case] ​​In a collision in which a force is input from the rear of the vehicle body (a so-called rear-end collision), such as when a vehicle is rear-ended by another vehicle, force F shown in Fig. 5 is input to the vehicle body 12. Force F is a force that flows from the rear of the vehicle body toward the front of the vehicle body, and this force F causes the underside surface 12a of the floor panel to deform toward the front of the vehicle body. As the underside surface 12a deforms, the battery case 15 moves toward the front of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow A1), and the abutting portion 26 comes into contact with the inclined portion 17. The abutting portion 26 that comes into contact with the inclined portion 17 moves along the inclined portion 17 in the direction of arrow A2, and the battery case 15 as a whole moves downward along the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow A3).

[0033] In this way, by moving the battery case 15 downward in the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow A3), it is possible to suppress the effect on the battery case 15 of deformation in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle of the underfloor surface 12a, and as a result, it is possible to suppress deformation in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle of the battery case 15. Furthermore, if the mounting portions 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d are provided rearward of the front end 21a of the battery 21, it becomes easier for the battery case 15 to move along the arrows A2 and A3, and more space can be secured inside the battery case 15 in the front of the vehicle in the event of a rear-end collision.

[0034] If the force F causes the underside of the floor 12a to deform in the direction of arrow A4 and interfere with the battery case 15, the wall 27 rotates in the direction of arrow A5 around the box-shaped corner 27a of the storage section 15a. By tilting the wall 27 toward the front and top of the vehicle body in this way, the deformation mode of the storage section 15a during a rear-end collision can be controlled, and more space can be secured inside the battery case 15 in the front of the vehicle (for example, the distance D between the corner 27a and the fusible link 23 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body).

[0035] By arranging the battery 21, fusible link 23, and circuit breaker 24 inside the battery case 15 and rearward of the wire harness 22 on the vehicle body, it is possible to prevent short circuits from occurring due to interference between the battery case 15 and the battery 21, fusible link 23, and circuit breaker 24. Furthermore, because the amount of deformation of the battery case 15 is suppressed, it is possible to avoid unnecessarily increasing the strength of the battery case 15 itself, and the weight of the battery case 15 can be reduced.

[0036] [Embodiment of the Invention] According to this embodiment, there is provided a vehicle body 12 in which a battery case 15 that houses a battery 21 is attached to the underside of the floor 12a of a floor panel, the underside of the floor 12a being provided in front of the battery case 15 and having an inclined portion 17 that inclines toward the front and downward of the vehicle body, the battery case 15 having a shape that conforms to the inclined portion 17 and having an abutment portion 26 that is provided in a position that overlaps with at least a portion of the inclined portion 17 when the vehicle body 12 is viewed from the front, thereby making it possible to suppress deformation of the battery case 15 due to a rear-end collision.

[0037] In the vehicle body 12 of this embodiment, a wire harness 22 connected to at least one of the battery 21 and a device other than the battery 21 housed in the battery case 15 is housed inside the battery case 15, in front of the vehicle body of the housing position of the battery 21. This makes it possible to prevent the battery case 15 from interfering with the battery 21.

[0038] In the vehicle body 12 of this embodiment, the battery case 15 is box-shaped with an opening 15c on the top surface, and includes a storage section 15a that stores the battery 21 and a lid 15b that closes the opening 15c, the abutment section 26 is provided on the lid 15b, and a wall section 27 of the storage section 15a on the front side of the vehicle body is inclined toward the front and upper side of the vehicle body, thereby making it possible to control the deformation mode of the storage section 15a in the event of a rear-end collision.

[0039] In the vehicle body 12 of this embodiment, a wire harness 22 connected to at least one of the battery 21 and a device other than the battery 21 housed in the battery case 15 is housed inside the battery case 15, forward of the housing position of the battery 21, and a fusible link 23 for preventing overheating of the wire harness 22 is housed inside the battery case 15, forward of the housing position of the battery 21 and rearward of the wire harness 22. This prevents the battery case 15 from interfering with the fusible link 23.

[0040] In the vehicle body 12 of this embodiment, the mounting portions 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d for mounting the battery case 15 to the underside of the floor 12a are provided rearward of the front end 21a of the battery 21. This allows the battery case 15 to be moved more easily downwards in the vehicle body.

[0041] In the vehicle body 12 of this embodiment, a circuit breaker 24 that cuts off the connection between the battery 21 and other batteries is housed inside the battery case 15, to the side of the vehicle body of the housing position of the battery 21, and a terminal 24a used to connect the circuit breaker 24 to the other batteries is provided in the front of the vehicle body of the circuit breaker 24. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of a short circuit due to interference between the circuit breaker 24 and the terminal 24a and the battery case 15 during a rear-end collision.

[0042] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Vehicle 11...Frame 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d...Cab mount bracket 12...Vehicle body 12a...Underfloor surface 12b...Floor cover 13...Engine 13a...Alternator 14...Battery 15...Battery case 15a...Storage section 15b...Cover section 15c, 15d...Opening 16...Load 17...Inclined section 21...Battery 21a...End section 22...Wire harness 23...Fusible link 24...Breaker 24a...Terminal 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d...Mounting section 26...Abutment section 27...Wall section 27a...Corner section A1, A2, A3, A4, A5...Arrows D...Distance F...Force

Claims

1. A vehicle body in which a battery case housing the battery is attached to the underside of the floor panel, The underside of the floor is provided in front of the vehicle body of the battery case and has an inclined portion that slopes toward the front and downward of the vehicle body. The battery case has a shape that conforms to the inclined portion, and the vehicle body has a contact portion that is positioned to overlap with at least a part of the inclined portion when the vehicle body is viewed from the front.

2. The vehicle body according to claim 1, wherein a wire harness connected to at least one of the battery and equipment other than the battery housed in the battery case is housed inside the battery case, in front of the vehicle body at the battery housing position.

3. The battery case has a box shape with an opening on its top surface, and includes a housing portion for housing the battery and a lid portion for closing the opening. The aforementioned contact portion is provided on the lid portion, The vehicle body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wall portion of the housing section on the front side of the vehicle body is inclined toward the front and upward of the vehicle body.

4. A wire harness connected to at least one of the battery and other equipment housed in the battery case is housed inside the battery case, in front of the vehicle body at the battery's housing position. The vehicle body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a fusible link for suppressing overheating of the wire harness is housed inside the battery case, in front of the vehicle body of the battery's housing position and behind the vehicle body of the wire harness.

5. The vehicle body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mounting portion for attaching the battery case to the underside of the floor is provided behind the vehicle body from the front end of the battery.

6. A circuit breaker is housed inside the battery case, on the side of the vehicle body where the battery is housed, to disconnect the battery from other batteries. The vehicle body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a terminal for connecting the circuit breaker to the other battery is provided on the front of the vehicle body of the circuit breaker.