PHEV Floor Layout for Large Battery and Flat Minivan Cabin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minivan-type plug-in hybrid electric vehicles face challenges in arranging high-voltage components to accommodate a large battery while maintaining a low, flat floor and ensuring a spacious passenger compartment.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle design includes an engine compartment forward of the passenger compartment, with power sources like an engine and motor, and high-voltage components such as the vehicle on-board charger and DC/DC converter positioned above the floor panel, allowing a large battery to be mounted under the floor without raising the floor height, and slide rails are positioned to ensure a flat and spacious interior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a large battery is installed in the vehicle, then the electric power storage capacity is improved, but the floor height increases and the passenger compartment space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the battery from the vertical space (above floor panel) to the horizontal space (under floor panel), utilizing the third dimension (depth/thickness of floor panel) to accommodate the battery. This allows the battery to be positioned in the under-floor region rather than raising the floor height, thus maintaining passenger compartment volume while accommodating large battery capacity.
2Volume of moving object
If high-voltage components are arranged under the floor panel with the battery, then the passenger compartment space is improved, but the wire harness length increases causing greater weight and power loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the high-voltage components into two groups: (1) battery, fuel tank, and exhaust pipe positioned under the floor panel, and (2) vehicle on-board charger positioned on the floor panel rearward of the rear wheels. This segmentation allows optimal spatial arrangement while minimizing wire harness length between components, reducing both weight and power loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor panel acts as an intermediary structure that separates and organizes high-voltage components. By positioning the vehicle on-board charger on the floor panel rather than under it, the patent creates an optimal electrical connection path while maintaining the low floor design for passenger comfort.
3Volume of moving object
If the floor panel is kept low and flat to ensure spacious passenger compartment, then the passenger comfort is improved, but the available space for mounting battery and high-voltage components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension (under the floor panel) to accommodate the battery, fuel tank, and exhaust pipe, while keeping the top surface of the floor panel low and flat. This three-dimensional arrangement allows complex component packaging without compromising passenger compartment headroom and vertical space.
Data Source
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AI summary
A minivan-type plug-in hybrid electric vehicle includes a first-row seat, a second-row seat, and a slide rail, which are disposed on a floor panel forming a floor surface of a passenger compartment. In the vehicle front-rear direction, the first-row seat is positioned rearward of the front wheels, and the second-row seat is positioned rearward of the first-row seat and forward of the rear wheels. The second-row seat is slidable along the slide rail on the floor panel in the vehicle front-rear direction. A battery, a fuel tank, and an exhaust pipe are disposed below the floor panel. The vehicle on-board charger is disposed on the floor panel so as to be positioned rearward of the axle of the rear wheels in the vehicle front-rear direction.