Vehicle structure

Abstract

[Problem] To establish a layout of an intake port and a harness 90 even when the position of a hip point of a front seat is low. [Solution] The present invention comprises: a battery case 50 that is provided below a front seat and above a floor panel; an intake duct that is provided below the front seat and outside the battery case in a vehicle width direction Y; and a floor carpet 20 which is provided below the front seat and above the battery case and the intake duct, and in which an intake port of the intake duct opens. The front seat has a built-in electrical control component and has a harness 90 that electrically couples the electrical control component and the power source of the vehicle body. The floor carpet 20 has an inclined part 25 that is inclined downward from the inside toward the outside in a prescribed region including the intake port 40 in the vehicle width direction, and the harness 90 is disposed below the front seat and above the inclined part 25.

Description

Vehicle structure

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

[0002] In recent years, electric vehicles and hybrid cars have been developed as vehicles with low fuel consumption and exhaust gas emissions. These vehicles are equipped with batteries, which need to be cooled. Conventional battery cooling technology involves placing an exhaust duct between the rear seat and the floor to discharge the air that has cooled the battery.

[0003] International Publication No. 2021 / 240803

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the intake port of the air intake duct is located outside the front seat in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, when a user opens the door while getting in or out of the vehicle on a rainy day, rainwater may enter the intake port directly. To prevent this, if the intake port is located under the front seat, the layout must be such that the intake port and harness are coexisting below the front seat if the front seat is a power seat. Furthermore, in vehicles with a high hip point, such as SUVs, the gap between the battery case and the underside of the seat is large, so the intake port and harness can be arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. However, in vehicles with a low hip point, such as sedans, the gap between the battery case and the underside of the seat must be minimized, making it impossible to place the harness in the area where the seat sinks, making the above layout unworkable. Thus, there is room for consideration regarding how to arrange the intake port and harness in vehicles with a low hip point.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to establish a layout for the air intake and harness even when the hip point of the front seat is low.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle structure having a battery case, an air intake duct, and a floor carpet. The battery case is configured to be located below the front seats and above a floor panel. The air intake duct is configured to be located below the front seats and outside the battery case in the vehicle width direction. The floor carpet is located below the front seats and above the battery case and the air intake duct, and is configured so that an air intake port of the air intake duct is open. The front seats have built-in electrical control components and a harness that electrically connects the electrical control components to a power source of the vehicle body. The floor carpet has an inclined portion that slopes downward from the inside to the outside in a predetermined area in the vehicle width direction that includes the air intake port. The harness is located below the front seats and above the inclined portion.

[0007] According to the above vehicle structure, the layout of the air intake and harness can be established even when the hip point of the front seat is low.

[0008] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the interior of a vehicle with a portion of an outer wall of a vehicle body cut away according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a floor carpet and the like located under the vehicle body. Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between an air intake port and a harness. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the floor carpet near the air intake port. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a battery case located under the floor carpet.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. In the drawings, the size and proportions of each component are exaggerated to facilitate understanding of the embodiments, and may differ from the actual size and proportions.

[0010] In each figure, arrows (coordinate system) represented by X, Y, and Z are used to indicate the orientation of members constituting the vehicle structure according to the embodiment. X indicates the front-rear direction, which is referred to as the front-rear direction X. Y indicates the vehicle width direction, which is referred to as the vehicle width direction Y. Z indicates the vehicle height direction, which is referred to as the up-down direction Z.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the interior of a vehicle with a portion of an outer wall of the vehicle body cut away according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a floor carpet and the like located under the vehicle body. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between an air intake port 40 and a harness 90. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the floor carpet 20 near the air intake port 40. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a battery case 50 located under the floor carpet 20.

[0012] This invention is applicable to vehicles with a relatively low seat hip point, such as sedans and hatchbacks, rather than SUVs, etc. As shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, etc., the vehicle has a vehicle body B, a seat 10, a floor panel fp, a floor carpet 20, a battery 30, an air intake 40, a battery case 50, an exhaust blower 80, and a harness 90. These will be described in detail below.

[0013] (Vehicle Body) The vehicle body B constitutes a framework for carrying passengers and luggage in the vehicle and separating the vehicle interior from the outside. In this embodiment, the vehicle body B of the vehicle is configured as a compact car such as a hatchback, but the vehicle type is not particularly limited as long as it has the same structure as the seats 10, floor, etc. described below.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, a floor panel fp is provided in the lower part of the vehicle body B, on which a battery 30 (described later) can be disposed.

[0015] (Seats) Seats 10 are arranged in multiple rows. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the seats 10 include front seats 11 corresponding to the first row of seats when viewed from the front, and rear seats 12 corresponding to the second row of seats. The front seats 11 are configured to be movable forward and backward using inner seat rails Ri and outer seat rails Ro (see FIG. 3 ) installed on the floor carpet 20. The front seats 11 are provided separately on the left and right, for a driver's seat and a passenger seat. At least one of the left and right front seats 11 is configured so that the fore-and-aft position of the seat and the angle of the backrest can be electrically changed using an electric actuator. The front seats 11 incorporate electric control components such as electric actuators and have a harness 90 that electrically connects the electric control components to the vehicle's power source.

[0016] (Floor Carpet) The floor carpet 20 is located below the seats, including the front seats 11, and above the battery case 50 and the intake duct 41. The floor carpet 20 has an opening through which the intake port 40 of the intake duct 41 opens. As shown in FIG. 4 , most of the floor carpet 20 is formed horizontally. Meanwhile, the floor carpet 20 has an inclined portion 25 formed diagonally downward in the vehicle width direction Y from the inside toward the outside in a predetermined region including the intake port 40 that overlaps with the harness 90 in the vehicle width direction Y. The floor carpet 20 may include a surface material layer that forms a surface, a backing material layer as a backing material, and a buffer material layer made of felt or foam. The floor carpet 20 is divided into two parts, and the boundary between the two parts is located in a position that is difficult for the user to see in the fore-aft direction X, such as under the front seats 11.

[0017] (Battery) The battery 30 is a high-voltage battery capable of supplying power to a drive motor for driving the drive wheels of the electric vehicle. The battery 30 is configured to be installed in the internal space of the battery case 50. The battery 30 includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolyte, a current collector, an exterior body, etc., and is configured to be capable of being charged and discharged. In this embodiment, the battery 30 is configured to be installed near the bottom of the front seat 11 within the seat 10.

[0018] (Air Intake Port) The air intake port 40 is disposed outside the battery case 50 in the vehicle width direction Y and is configured to communicate the interior space of the battery case 50 with the interior space above the floor carpet 20. The air intake port 40 is configured to draw in gas, such as air, used to cool the battery 30. In this embodiment, the air intake duct 41 of the air intake port 40 is configured to be disposed near the bottom of the front seat 11 within the seat 10, outward of the battery 30 in the vehicle width direction Y. As shown in FIG. 4 , the inlet surface of the air intake port 40 is configured to overlap the harness 90 in the vehicle width direction Y and be oblique to the floor carpet 20 in the vehicle width direction Y. This configuration allows the layout of the air intake port and the harness 90 to be established without unnecessarily raising the hip point. Note that a side sill S is disposed outward of the air intake port 40 in the vehicle width direction Y (see FIG. 3 ). In addition, in this specification, the "predetermined area" refers to the area where the harness 90 and the intake port 40 overlap each other vertically in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0019] (Battery Case) The battery case 50 is configured to be located below the front seat 11 and above the floor panel fp. As shown in Figure 6, the battery case 50 is also configured to be located adjacent to the first cross member C1 and the second cross member C2 in the fore-and-aft direction X. The first cross member C1 and the second cross member C2 are provided below the front seat 11 between a pair of left and right side sills, and support the inner seat rail Ri and the outer seat rail Ro.

[0020] The battery case 50 has a lid that isolates the interior space from the outside while housing the battery 30 and other components, and a degassing tube G. The degassing tube G is configured to discharge abnormal gases generated inside the battery case 50 due to a collision or battery abnormality to the outside of the vehicle. The degassing tube G is located within the area of ​​the floor carpet 20, in front of and behind the intake duct in the fore-and-aft direction X. The degassing tube G is connected to the inside of the battery 30 on the side of the battery case and is configured to penetrate the floor panel under the vehicle floor, outside the intake port 40 in the vehicle width direction Y, to communicate with the outside of the vehicle cabin. Within the area of ​​the floor carpet 20, a position 22 corresponding to the intake port 40 is configured to be one step lower than an area 21 corresponding to the degassing tube G (see FIG. 5 ).

[0021] (Exhaust Blower) The exhaust blower 80 generates air that cools the battery 30. For example, the exhaust blower 80 can be configured as a sirocco-type centrifugal fan. The intake port of the exhaust blower 80 can be configured to communicate with the interior space of the battery case 50. Gas downstream of the exhaust blower 80 can flow through the top surface of the floor of the rear seat 12 or the inside of an exhaust duct d below the seat. By operating the exhaust blower 80, indoor air is taken in through the intake port 40 of the battery case 50, the taken-in air cools the battery 30 inside the battery case 50, and the cooled air is then discharged into the exhaust duct d.

[0022] (Harness) The harness 90 is configured to supply power for electrically operating the front seat 11 to move in the front-to-rear direction X or the up-down direction Z, or to change the angle of the backrest. The harness 90 is configured to be disposed above the inclined air intake 40 and floor carpet 20. This configuration allows the layout of the air intake 40 and the harness 90 to be established without unnecessarily raising the hip point of the front seat 11.

[0023] The vehicle body B has a first cross member C1 and a second cross member C2 that are located below a pair of left and right front seats 11 and above a floor panel fp, and that span a pair of left and right side sills S. The second cross member C2 is located rearward of the first cross member C1 at a predetermined distance. Four inner seat rails Ri and outer seat rails Ro extending in the fore-and-aft direction X are attached to the upper surfaces of the first cross member C1 and the second cross member C2. The front portions of the four inner seat rails Ri and outer seat rails Ro are attached to the first cross member C1 and their rear portions are attached to the second cross member C2. The right front seat 11 is attached to the inner seat rail Ri and outer seat rail Ro located on the right side from the center in the vehicle width direction Y. The left front seat 11 is attached to the inner seat rail Ri and outer seat rail Ro located on the left side from the center in the vehicle width direction Y. The front seat 11 is attached above the inner seat rails Ri and the outer seat rails Ro.

[0024] The front seats 11 are electrically powered seats, and the forward / backward and up / down positions of the seat cushions (seat surfaces) and the angle of the seat backs (backrests) can be changed by electric actuators, which are electrically controlled components. A harness 90 is provided to supply power to the electric actuators from a power source provided in the vehicle body B.

[0025] The vehicle body B has a battery 30 that supplies power to the vehicle drive motor, and a battery case 50 that houses the battery 30. The battery case 50 is provided between the floor panel fp and the inner seat rail Ri and the outer seat rail Ro in the up-down direction Z. That is, the battery case 50 is provided below the front seats and above the floor panel fp. The battery case 50 is also provided between the first cross member C1 and the second cross member C2 in the fore-and-aft direction X. The battery case 50 has an intake duct 41 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction Y. The intake duct 41 is provided inside the outer seat rail Ro in the vehicle width direction Y. The intake duct 41 has an intake port 40 that takes in cooling air to cool the battery 30.

[0026] A floor carpet 20 is provided below the front seats 11, inner seat rails Ri, and outer seat rails Ro, and above the floor panel fp, first cross member C1, second cross member C2, battery case 50, and intake duct 41. The floor carpet 20 has mounting holes at positions corresponding to seat rail mounting points provided on the upper surfaces of the first cross member C1 and the second cross member C2. The inner seat rails Ri and outer seat rails Ro are fastened with bolts to the seat rail mounting points on the upper surfaces of the first cross member C1 and the second cross member C2 via the mounting holes in the floor carpet 20. The floor carpet 20 also has an opening through which the intake duct 41 passes, and the intake port 40 of the intake duct 41 opens on the upper surface side of the floor carpet 20.

[0027] The front seats 11 are electrically powered seats, and the fore-aft and up-down positions of the seat cushions (seat surfaces) and the angle of the seat backs (backrests) can be changed by an electric actuator, which is an electrically controlled component. A harness 90 is provided for supplying power to the electric actuators from a power source provided in the vehicle body B. The front seats 11 have a harness connector t below the seat cushion, which connects the electric actuator side harness with the power source side harness, electrically connecting the electric actuators to the vehicle body's power source.

[0028] The floor carpet 20 has an inclined portion 25 that slopes downward from the inside to the outside in a predetermined region including the air intake port 40 of the air intake duct 41 in the vehicle width direction Y. Specifically, the floor carpet 20 is provided below the outer seat rail Ro and has the inclined portion 25 that slopes downward from the inside to the outside of the outer seat rail Ro in the vehicle width direction Y. The air intake port 40 of the air intake duct 41 is provided in the inclined portion 25 of the floor carpet 20 and slopes downward from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction Y. In other words, the air intake port 40 is provided outside the battery case 50 and inside the outer seat rail Ro in the vehicle width direction Y, slopes downward from the inside to the outside, and opens at the inclined portion 25 of the floor carpet 20. It is preferable that the inclination angle of the air intake port 40 be the same as the inclination angle of the inclined portion 25.

[0029] The harness 90 is provided below the front seat 11 and above the inclined portion 25. Specifically, the harness 90 is provided between the underside of the seat cushion (sitting surface) and the inclined portion 25 of the floor carpet 20 in the vertical direction Z, and is provided outward from the inclined portion 25 in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0030] By doing so, it is no longer necessary to provide the harness 90 at a position different from the intake port 40 in the vehicle width direction below the front seat 11, so that the layout of the intake port 40 and the harness 90 can be compatible without raising the hip point of the front seat 11.

[0031] The harness 90 is arranged in a U-shape with a folded portion fb formed therein in a top view to allow for forward and backward movement (sliding) of the front seat 11. The harness 90 is arranged so as to make a U-turn at the folded portion fb in the vertical direction Z. The harness 90 has an upper portion 91 above the folded portion fb and a lower portion 92 below the folded portion fb.

[0032] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the inclined portion 25 has a protrusion 26 that is one step higher in the front-to-rear direction X at a position corresponding to the folded portion fb of the harness than at a position corresponding to the air intake 40. The states shown in Figures 3 and 5 show a state in which the position in the front-to-rear direction X of the front seat 11 is near the rearmost part. As shown in Figure 4, the harness 90 is arranged so that an upper portion 91 contacts the inclined portion 25 above the air intake 40, a lower portion 92 contacts the protrusion 26, and an intermediate portion (including the folded portion fb) of the inclined portion 25 is floating above the air intake 40.

[0033] 5 and 6, the degassing tube G is provided in front of and behind the intake duct 41 in the front-rear direction X. As shown in Fig. 5, the inclined portion 25 extends in the front-rear direction X from a position corresponding to the intake port 40 to a position corresponding to the degassing tube G, and the position corresponding to the intake port 40 has a recessed portion 27 that is one step lower than the position (protruding portion 26) corresponding to the degassing tube.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4 , the front seat 11 is provided with a harness connector t below the seat cushion (seat surface). The harness connector t connects the harness on the electric actuator side to the harness 90 on the vehicle body side, electrically connecting the electric actuator provided in the front seat 11 to a power source provided in the vehicle body B. The seat cushion (seat surface) sinks when a user sits in it, and the sinking position of the underside of the seat cushion is indicated by p1 in FIG. 4 . The harness connector t is located outside of the sinking position p1 of the underside of the seat cushion (seat surface) of the front seat 11. In other words, the harness 90 on the vehicle body side is connected to the electric actuator (electrically controlled component) outside of the sinking position p1 of the underside of the seat cushion (seat surface) of the front seat 11 in the vehicle width direction Y. The harness 90 on the vehicle body side is also located outside of the sinking position p1 of the underside of the seat cushion (seat surface) of the front seat 11 in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0035] The harness 90 is inclined downward in the vehicle width direction Y from the upper portion 91 to the lower portion 92, and the inclination angle of the harness 90 is gentler than the inclination angle of the inclined portion 25. In other words, the angle of the inclined portion 25 in the vehicle width direction is configured to be steeper than the angle of the harness 90.

[0036] When the front seat 11 is moved (slid) forward from the state shown in Figures 3 or 5, the upper portion 91 of the harness 90 slides forward in response to the sliding of the front seat 11, and the folded portion fb also slides forward in response. As the front seat 11 slides forward more, the folded portion fb slides forward to a position where it overlaps with the air intake 40 in a top view. However, by configuring the angle of the inclined portion 25 in the vehicle width direction Y to be steeper than the angle of the harness 90, the middle portion of the harness 90 (including the folded portion fb) is positioned so as to float above the air intake 40 of the inclined portion 25. Therefore, compared to when the folded portion fb is not floating and is in contact with the air intake 40, it is possible to prevent a deterioration in the intake resistance of the air intake 40 and a resulting decrease in battery cooling performance.

[0037] The harness 90 is configured to have a folded portion fb behind the intake port 40 in the front-rear direction X. The shape of the area of ​​the floor carpet 20 near the folded portion fb of the harness 90 (area 21) is configured to be one step higher than the outer side (position 22) of the intake port 40 in the vehicle width direction Y. That is, the inclined portion 25 is formed such that the position corresponding to the folded portion fb of the harness 90 in the front-rear direction X is one step higher than the position corresponding to the intake port 40. This configuration makes it easier for the middle portion of the harness 90 (including the folded portion fb) to float above the intake port 40 at the inclined portion 25, making it easier to prevent a decrease in battery cooling performance.

[0038] Battery case 50 includes degassing tubes G, which are provided in front of and behind intake duct 41 in the front-to-rear direction X. Inclined portion 25 extends in the front-to-rear direction X from a position corresponding to intake port 40 to a position corresponding to degassing tube G, and is formed so that the position corresponding to intake port 40 is one step lower than the position corresponding to degassing tube G. With this configuration, compared to when the position corresponding to intake port 40 and the position corresponding to degassing tube G are at the same height in the front-to-rear direction X, recess 27, which is one step lower, can be used as a water collection space.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4, the harness 90 is configured to be connected to an actuator or other electrical control component outside of a sinking position p1 of the front seat 11 in the vehicle width direction Y when the user is seated. The connection position of the harness 90 on the vehicle body side is the position of the harness connector t shown in Fig. 4. The harness 90 on the vehicle body side is also provided outside of a sinking position p1 of the front seat 11 in the vehicle width direction Y when the user is seated. In this way, by not providing the connection point (harness connector t) and the vehicle body side harness 90 in the gap between the position where the seat 10 sinks when the occupant is seated and the battery case 50, the gap in the seat sinking zone can be reduced, and the hip point can be lowered, thereby lowering the vehicle height. If the harness connector t and the vehicle body-side harness 90 are provided inward in the vehicle width direction Y from the sinking position p1 of the front seat 11 when the user is seated, it becomes necessary to ensure a gap between the underside of the seat cushion and the floor carpet so that the harness connector t and the vehicle body-side harness 90 do not interfere with the underside of the seat cushion (seat surface) of the front seat 11 when the user is seated, which raises the hip point. However, this can be prevented by providing the harness connector t and the vehicle body-side harness 90 outward in the vehicle width direction Y from the sinking position p1 of the front seat 11.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0041] The following embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention: a vehicle structure according to claim 1 having the features of claim 2; a vehicle structure according to claim 1 or claim 2 having the features of claim 3; a vehicle structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3 having the features of claim 4; a vehicle structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 having the features of claim 5; and a vehicle structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4 having the features of claim 6.

[0042] 11 front seat, 20 floor carpet, 21 area (portion in the floor carpet corresponding to the outside of the degassing tube), 22 position (outside the air intake port in the floor carpet in the vehicle width direction), 25 inclined portion, 26 convex portion, 27 concave portion, 30 battery, 40 air intake port, 50 battery case, 90 harness, fb folded portion, G degassing tube, X fore-and-aft direction, Y vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle structure comprising: a battery case located below the front seat and above a floor panel; an air intake duct located below the front seat and outside the battery case in the vehicle width direction; and a floor carpet located below the front seat and above the battery case and the air intake duct, with an air intake port of the air intake duct opening into it; the front seat has an electrically controlled component built in and a harness that electrically connects the electrically controlled component to a power source of the vehicle body; the floor carpet has an inclined portion that slopes downward from the inside to the outside in a predetermined area in the vehicle width direction that includes the air intake port; and the harness is located below the front seat and above the inclined portion.

2. A vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the inclined portion is formed steeper than the angle of the harness.

3. A vehicle structure according to claim 2, wherein the inclined portion is formed such that the position corresponding to the folded-back portion of the harness is one step higher than the position corresponding to the intake port in the longitudinal direction.

4. A vehicle structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the battery case is provided with a degassing tube, the degassing tube is arranged in front of and / or behind the intake duct in the longitudinal direction, the inclined portion extends in the longitudinal direction from a position corresponding to the intake port to a position corresponding to the degassing tube, and the position corresponding to the intake port is formed one step lower than the position corresponding to the degassing tube.

5. A vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the harness is connected to the electrical control component outside the position in the vehicle width direction where the front seat sinks when the user is seated.

6. A vehicle structure according to claim 1, wherein the harness is provided outside the position in the vehicle width direction where the front seat sinks when the user is seated.

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