CN213520115U - Battery unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a battery unit, it possesses the battery tray that includes the free battery module of battery and supports battery module from the below, in this battery unit, is provided with cooling channel and cavity to battery tray's thickness has been reduced. The battery unit (10) has at least one battery module (36) each including at least one battery cell (34), and a battery tray (38) that supports the battery module from below, and the battery tray includes a flat plate-shaped plate section (44) that is provided on the lower side of the battery module, and a cooling section (90) that constitutes a cooling passage (80) through which a coolant for cooling the battery module flows, and a hollow section (92) that forms a space (S) inside the plate section, the cooling section being provided in parallel in a predetermined direction.

Description

Battery unit

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a battery unit with battery module, battery module includes battery monomer.

Background

A battery unit that houses a battery module for a vehicle is known in which a battery tray that supports the battery module from below is provided with a cooling cavity that is a cavity for cooling and a buffer cavity that is a cavity for shock buffering (for example, patent document 1). The battery tray of the battery unit of patent document 1 includes a rectangular plate-shaped base plate and mounting beams arranged around the base plate. The substrate includes upper, middle and lower three sub-substrates. The cooling cavity is provided between the upper and middle sub-substrates, the buffer cavity is provided between the middle and lower sub-substrates, and the cooling cavity and the buffer cavity are arranged in the thickness direction of the substrates. The cooling cavity is internally provided with a cooling pipe dividing a cooling passage, and the buffering cavity divides a space therein to prevent an impact from the outside from being transmitted to the cooling duct.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document 1: japanese Kohyo publication 2019-531955

In a battery tray having a cooling passage, a cavity for mounting components or insulating heat may be provided. Therefore, it is considered that the cavity is formed to be laminated in the thickness direction with respect to the cooling passage, as in the battery tray described in patent document 1. However, when the cooling passages and the cavities are stacked in the thickness direction, there is a problem that the thickness of the battery tray increases and the battery module becomes larger, as compared with the case where no cavities are provided.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery unit having a battery module including a battery cell and a battery tray supporting the battery module from below, a cooling passage and a cavity, and to reduce the thickness of the battery tray.

In order to solve the above problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery unit 10 including: at least one battery module 36, which respectively includes at least one battery cell 34; and a battery tray 38 that supports the battery module from below, the battery tray including a flat plate-like plate portion 44 provided on a lower side of the battery module, a cooling portion 90 constituting a cooling passage 80 and a hollow portion 92 forming a space S therein being provided in parallel in a predetermined direction inside the plate portion, the cooling passage 80 being configured to allow a coolant for cooling the battery module to flow therethrough.

According to this aspect, the cooling passage and the space for isolating the cooling passage are provided in parallel in the predetermined direction of the plate portion. This can reduce the thickness of the battery tray as compared with a case where the cooling passages and the spaces are stacked in the thickness direction. Further, since the cooling passage is formed inside the plate portion, it is not necessary to separately provide a cooling pipe for circulating the refrigerant. In addition, a mounting portion for a vehicle body or a fixing portion for a battery may be provided in the hollow portion. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be improved. In addition, the battery tray can be made to have a simple structure, and can further have a cooling function.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that the predetermined direction is a second direction perpendicular to a first direction which is a stacking direction of the battery cells, and the cooling portions and the cavity portions are alternately arranged along the second direction.

According to this aspect, since the cooling portion can be disposed so as to prevent close contact, heat is easily dissipated from the battery tray.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that the cooling passages include: a pair of linear passages 82 extending in a first direction that is a stacking direction of the battery cells; a pair of inlet and outlet portions 84 connected to the linear passages at first ends in the first direction; and a return passage 86 that connects the paired straight passages to each other at a second end in the first direction.

According to this aspect, the refrigerant is injected from the inlet and outlet provided at the end portion on the first direction side of the linear passage, flows from the first end to the second end in the linear passage, flows into the paired linear passages via the return passage, flows from the second end to the first end of the linear passage, and is discharged from the inlet and outlet. Thereby, the refrigerant flows so as to reciprocate on the first end side and the second end side of the plate portion. In this way, by circulating the refrigerant in a reciprocating manner between the first end side and the second end side of the plate portion, the temperature of the battery tray can be made more uniform than in the case where the refrigerant flows from the first end side to the second end side and is discharged. This enables the battery to be cooled more uniformly. Further, the flow path of the cooling water can be shortened and sized as compared with the case where the refrigerant is caused to flow between the base end side portion and the extension end side portion of the first flow path so as to reciprocate a plurality of times.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that a partition wall 58 that divides the inside into two sub passages 82L, 82R is provided in each of the pair of linear passages.

According to this aspect, the rigidity of the portion constituting the linear passage can be improved. By changing the thickness of the partition wall, the flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing through the linear passage can be appropriately set.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that the partition wall has a thickness different from that of the wall body 54 partitioning the adjacent straight passages.

According to this aspect, the rigidity of the portion constituting the linear passage can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the partition wall, and the flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing through the linear passage can be set.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that the plate portion includes: a flat plate-like plate body 48 having a plurality of through holes 56 defining the linear passage and the space therein, respectively; and a cover member 50 provided at both ends of the through hole and covering the through hole at least from the first direction.

According to this aspect, it is not necessary to assemble a plurality of cooling pipes to the plate portion, and the manufacturing process of the plate portion is simplified.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that the inlet and outlet portions are respectively provided at positions overlapping each other when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

According to this aspect, since the inlet and the outlet can be connected to each other through the pipe extending in the second direction, the connection to the inlet and the outlet is facilitated.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that a fixing member 74F for fixing the battery tray is provided on a wall body defining one end side of the through hole constituting the space, the entrance/exit portion is formed by through holes 66A and 66B of the plate main body penetrating in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the entrance/exit portion adjacent to the fixing member is provided at a position offset to the adjacent fixing member side.

According to this aspect, the rigidity of the wall body defining the through hole constituting the space can be improved by coupling the fixing member. Further, since the inlet/outlet portion adjacent to the fixing member is provided close to the fixing member, the rigidity of the battery tray in the vicinity of the inlet/outlet portion can be improved.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that the plate portion includes: a pair of horizontal walls 52 arranged horizontally and vertically opposite to each other; and a vertical wall 54 connecting the horizontal walls up and down and parallel to the first direction, the through-hole that partitions the linear passage being defined by a pair of the horizontal walls and a pair of the vertical walls that face each other with one of the vertical walls interposed therebetween, a cutout portion 60F, 60R being provided in a portion of one of the pair of the horizontal walls that corresponds to at least one end of the through-hole that partitions the two linear passages, the lid member having: plate-like vertical portions 62V, 64V extending vertically and connected to the other edge of the pair of horizontal walls and the edge of the vertical wall defining the two through holes; and plate-shaped horizontal portions 62H and 64H extending in a direction perpendicular to the vertical portion and fixed to the edge of the cutout portion.

According to this aspect, since the amount of projection of the lid member in the first direction can be suppressed, the battery tray can be downsized.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that a sectional area of the space in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and a sectional area of the linear passage in a direction perpendicular to the first direction are different from each other.

According to this aspect, the degree of freedom in designing the space and the cooling passage is improved as compared with the case where the two cross-sectional areas are equal.

In the above aspect, it is more preferable that a sectional area of the space in a direction perpendicular to the first direction is larger than a sectional area of the linear passage in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

According to this aspect, the heat insulating performance by the space can be improved as compared with the case where the two cross-sectional areas are equal.

Effect of the utility model

With the above configuration, the battery unit includes the battery module including the battery cells and the battery tray supporting the battery module from below, and the thickness of the battery tray can be reduced while the cooling passages and the cavities are provided in the battery unit.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a bottom view of a vehicle provided with a battery unit including a battery tray of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a battery unit including a battery tray according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the battery tray of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the battery tray of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a front view of the battery tray of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional perspective view of the front portion of the battery tray of the present invention cut in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 7 is a sectional perspective view of the battery tray of the present invention when the rear portion is cut in the front-rear direction.

Description of the reference symbols

10: a battery cell;

32: a bracket;

34: a battery cell;

36: a battery module;

38: a battery tray;

44: a plate portion;

50: a cover member;

52: a horizontal wall;

54: a vertical wall;

56: a through hole;

58: a partition wall;

60F: a front cutout portion (cutout portion);

60R: a rear cutout portion (cutout portion);

62H: a front horizontal portion (horizontal portion);

62V: a front vertical portion (vertical portion);

64H: a rear horizontal portion (horizontal portion);

64V: a rear vertical portion (vertical portion);

66A: a through hole;

66B: a through hole;

74F: front fixed part (fixed part)

78A: first piping (piping)

78B, a step of: a second pipe (piping);

80: a cooling passage;

82: a straight line path;

82L: a secondary passage;

82R: a secondary passage;

84: an inlet and outlet part;

86: a return channel;

90: a cooling section;

92: a hollow portion;

s: an isolated space (space).

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the battery unit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, a battery unit 10 (also referred to as a battery pack or a power supply device) is mounted on a vehicle 12. The battery unit 10 may supply electric power to drive the vehicle 12, and the vehicle 12 may be, for example, a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the direction is determined according to the front-rear direction of the vehicle 12.

The battery unit 10 is supported by being coupled to a vehicle body 14 of the vehicle 12, and more specifically, by being coupled to any one of members constituting the vehicle body 14. The components constituting the vehicle body 14 include: a pair of left and right front side members 16 provided at the front portion thereof, a pair of left and right side members 18 provided at the center portion thereof, and a pair of left and right rear side members 20 provided at the rear portion thereof.

The left and right front side members 16 are bilaterally symmetrical and extend forward and backward, respectively. An end portion of a front cross member 22 extending in the left-right direction is coupled to a front end of each of the front side members 16.

The left and right side members 18 are also left-right symmetrical and extend forward and backward, respectively. The front portions of the side members 18 are connected to each other by intermediate cross members 26 extending left and right, respectively. The left and right front side members 16 are connected at their rear ends to a center cross member 26. Thus, the left and right front side members 16 are connected to the left and right side members 18 via the center cross member 26, respectively. In the present embodiment, the vicinity of the rear end of each front side member 16 is also joined to the front end of the corresponding side member 18 by the left and right brackets 27. The rear ends of the side members 18 are coupled to the front ends of the corresponding rear side members 20.

The left and right rear side members 20 are also left-right symmetrical and extend forward and backward, respectively. The left and right rear side members 20 are joined at rear ends to left and right extending rear cross members 28. The intermediate portions of the left and right side members in the front-rear direction are also joined to a rear cross member 30 extending left and right. Thus, the vehicle body 14 includes and is constituted by the front side member 16, the side members 18, the rear side member 20, the front cross member 22, the center cross member 26, the rear cross members 28, 30, and the like. The vehicle 12 is provided with four wheels 31, which are supported by the vehicle body 14 via suspensions (not shown).

The battery unit 10 is disposed at a lower portion of the vehicle body 14, and more preferably, at a lower side of a floor that partitions a vehicle compartment. However, the floor panel may be formed by the upper surface of the battery cell 10. The battery unit 10 is fastened at the front edge to the middle cross member 26 and at the rear edge to the rear cross member 30 via a bracket 32. The battery cells 10 are fastened to the lower surfaces of the corresponding side members 18 at the left and right edges, respectively.

Next, the details of the battery unit 10 will be described. As shown in fig. 2, the battery unit 10 includes: a battery module 36 including at least one battery cell 34; a battery tray 38 provided on the lower side of the battery module 36; and a battery cover 40 that covers the battery module 36 from above. In the present embodiment, a plurality of battery cells 34 are provided in each battery module 36. The battery cells 34 are arranged in the front-rear direction and housed in a battery module 36. In other words, the stacking direction (also referred to as the arrangement direction) of the battery cells 34 is set to the front-rear direction (first direction). The battery unit 10 has a plurality of battery modules 36 (8 in the present embodiment).

The battery tray 38 is coupled to components that constitute the vehicle body 14. The battery module 36 is placed on the upper surface of the battery tray 38, and the battery tray 38 supports the battery module 36 from below. That is, the battery tray 38 constitutes a battery support structure 42 for supporting the battery cells 34 (or, the battery modules 36). The battery tray 38 includes a plate-shaped plate portion 44 and a frame 46 provided along the outer periphery of the plate portion 44.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the plate portion 44 is formed in a flat plate shape having a horizontal surface facing in the vertical direction. The plate portion 44 includes a plate-shaped plate body 48 and a plurality of cover members 50 provided at front and rear edge portions of the plate body 48.

The plate body 48 has a vertically oriented surface and is formed in a rectangular shape extending in the front-rear direction. The plate main body 48 is made of an extrusion molded product (i.e., an extrusion material) of a metal (aluminum in the present embodiment) whose extrusion direction is the front-rear direction. The plate main body 48 may be formed of a single extrusion molded product, or may be formed by combining a plurality of extrusion molded products. In the present embodiment, the plate main body 48 is configured by arranging two flat plate-like extrusion molded articles on the left and right sides and combining them, but is not limited to this embodiment.

As shown in fig. 5, the plate body 48 has a pair of upper and lower horizontal walls 52 and a plurality of vertical walls 54 connecting the horizontal walls 52 up and down. The horizontal walls 52 are each formed in a horizontal plate shape, and in a planar view, are formed in a rectangular shape extending in the front-rear direction. Vertical walls 54 are provided side by side in the left-right direction. Thus, a plurality of through holes 56 defined by a pair of upper and lower horizontal walls 52 and a pair of left and right vertical walls 54 are provided in the plate body 48 in a left-right direction. The through holes 56 extend in the front-rear direction (first direction), respectively, and have a rectangular cross section. The vertical walls 54 that separate the through holes 56 are substantially equal in thickness, and the through holes 56 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the left-right direction (second direction). Hereinafter, the upper horizontal wall 52 is referred to as an upper horizontal wall 52U, and the lower horizontal wall 52 is referred to as a lower horizontal wall 52L. The upper horizontal wall 52U and the lower horizontal wall 52L respectively define upper and lower edges of the through-hole 56, and the vertical wall 54 respectively defines left and right edges of the through-hole 56.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, partition walls 58 extending in the front-rear direction are provided in the through holes 56, respectively. As shown in fig. 4, the partition walls 58 pass through substantially the center of the through hole 56 in the front-rear direction, and reach the vicinity of the front end and the vicinity of the rear end of the plate main body 48. The through hole 56 is thereby divided into two left and right holes 56L, 56R, respectively. As shown in fig. 5, the partition wall 58 has a different thickness from the vertical wall 54. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 58 is thinner than the vertical wall 54.

As shown in fig. 4, the cover member 50 is provided so as to straddle the front ends of the two adjacent through holes 56 (hereinafter, referred to as adjacent through hole pairs 56P) or the rear ends of the two adjacent through holes 56. Hereinafter, the through hole 56 positioned on the left side of the adjacent pair of through holes 56P is referred to as a first through hole 56A, and the through hole 56 positioned on the right side is referred to as a second through hole 56B. The lid member 50 provided so as to straddle the front edges of the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B is referred to as a front lid member 50F, and the lid member 50 provided so as to straddle the rear edges of the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B is referred to as a rear lid member 50R.

As shown in the enlarged view on the left side of fig. 4, the front end of the partition wall 58 of the first through-hole 56A and the front end of the partition wall 58 of the second through-hole 56B are partially cut out rearward and are positioned rearward of any one of the front end of the vertical wall 54 provided between the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B, the front end of the vertical wall 54 defining the left edge of the first through-hole 56A, and the front end of the vertical wall 54 defining the right edge of the second through-hole 56B. A front cutout 60F formed by partially cutting out the rear is provided in a portion corresponding to the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B at the front edge of the lower horizontal wall 52L.

The front cover member 50F is a metal member, and is formed in an L-shape in a side view (in a left-right direction) as shown in fig. 6. The front cover member 50F includes a plate-shaped front vertical portion 62V extending in the vertical direction, and a plate-shaped front horizontal portion 62H extending rearward from a lower end of the front vertical portion 62V and formed substantially horizontally. The front vertical portion 62V has a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the opening portions of the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B when viewed in the front-rear direction. The front vertical portion 62V is joined to the upper horizontal wall 52U at the upper edge, and is joined to the front ends of the vertical walls 54 defining the left and right outer edges of the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B at the left and right ends. The front vertical portion 62V integrally covers the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B from the front. The front vertical portion 62V is in contact with the front end of the vertical wall 54 dividing the left edge of the first through-hole 56A, the front end of the vertical wall 54 provided between the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B, and the front end of the vertical wall 54 dividing the right edge of the second through-hole 56B at the rear surface, and the gap therebetween is sealed (refer to an enlarged view on the left upper side of fig. 4). As shown in fig. 6, the front horizontal portion 62H is formed in a shape corresponding to the front cutout portion 60F, and is fixed to the lower horizontal wall 52L (more specifically, in the vicinity of the edge portion of the front cutout portion 60F) at the rear portion thereof. Thus, the front notch portion 60F is covered from below by the front horizontal portion 62H, and is sealed by the front horizontal portion 62H.

As shown in the enlarged view on the upper right of fig. 4, the rear end of the partition wall 58 of the first through-hole 56A, the rear end of the partition wall 58 of the second through-hole 56B, and the rear end of the vertical wall 54 provided between the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B are partially cut forward, and are positioned forward of any one of the vertical wall 54 dividing the left edge of the first through-hole 56A and the rear end of the vertical wall 54 dividing the left and right outer edges of the second through-hole 56B. A rear cutout portion 60R formed by partially removing forward is provided at a portion corresponding to the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B at the rear edge of the lower horizontal wall 52L.

The rear cover member 50R is a metal member, and is formed in an L-shape in a side view (in a left-right direction) as shown in fig. 7. The rear cover member 50R includes a plate-shaped rear vertical portion 64V extending in the vertical direction, and a plate-shaped rear horizontal portion 64H extending forward from a lower end of the rear vertical portion 64V and forming a substantially horizontal plane. The rear vertical portion 64V has a surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and has a substantially rectangular shape corresponding to the opening portions of the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B when viewed in the front-rear direction. The rear vertical portion 64V is joined to the upper horizontal wall 52U at the upper edge, and is joined to the rear edge of the vertical wall 54 defining the left edge of the first through-hole 56A and the rear end of the vertical wall 54 defining the left edge of the second through-hole 56B at both the left and right ends. The rear vertical portion 64V integrally covers the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B from the rear. A gap 65 is provided between the front surface of the rear vertical portion 64V and the rear end of the vertical wall 54 provided between the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B (see the enlarged view on the upper right in fig. 4). The rear horizontal portion 64H is formed in a shape corresponding to the rear cutout 60R, and is fixed to the lower horizontal wall 52L at the front portion (more specifically, in the vicinity of the edge of the rear cutout 60R). Thus, the rear notch portion 60R is covered from below by the rear horizontal portion 64H, and is sealed by the rear horizontal portion 64H.

As shown in the enlarged view at the upper left of fig. 4 and fig. 6, through holes 66A and 66B are provided in the upper horizontal wall 52U at positions corresponding to the front portions of the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B, respectively (hereinafter, the through hole provided at the position corresponding to the front portion of the first through hole 56A is referred to as a through hole 66A, and the through hole provided at the position corresponding to the second through hole 56B is referred to as a through hole 66B). The through holes 66A, 66B penetrate the upper horizontal wall 52U in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction (first direction) and the left-right direction (second direction) of the plate main body 48, that is, in the up-down direction, and are connected to the front portions of the corresponding first through holes 56A or second through holes 56B. The through holes 66A, 66B are provided at positions overlapping each other when viewed from the left-right direction (when viewed from the second direction). In the present embodiment, the through holes 66A and 66B are formed in substantially the same shape and are provided on a straight line extending in the left-right direction. The through holes 66A, 66B are connected to corresponding nozzle portions 68A, 68B, respectively.

As shown in fig. 5, a plurality of adjacent pairs of through holes 56P are provided in the plate main body 48. One through hole 56 (hereinafter, referred to as a third through hole 56C) that penetrates in the front-rear direction is provided between the adjacent pair of through holes 56P and the adjacent pair of through holes 56P that are adjacent to each other. In other words, the adjacent pairs of through holes 56P and the third through holes 56C are alternately arranged. The third through hole 56C is a hollow, and defines a space (hereinafter referred to as an isolation space S) therein for isolating the adjacent pair of through holes 56P. The third through hole 56C is also divided into two left and right holes 56L, 56R by a partition wall 58 extending in the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, four adjacent pairs of through holes 56P and three third through holes 56C are provided in the plate portion 44.

The first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B have the same cross-sectional area (hereinafter, referred to as cross-sectional area) in the lateral direction (left-right direction), and the third through-hole 56C has the cross-sectional area different from the cross-sectional areas of the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B. In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (the cross-sectional area of the second through-hole 56B).

As shown in fig. 3, the frame 46 is formed as a substantially rectangular frame body provided along the front and rear edges and the left and right edges of the plate main body 48. The frame 46 includes: a pair of mounting brackets 70 provided on both left and right edges of the panel body 48, a pair of front and rear cross members 72 provided along the front and rear edges of the panel body 48 and connecting the left and right mounting brackets 70, and a fixing member 74 for connecting the cross members 72 to the vehicle body 14 and fixing the battery unit 10 to the vehicle body 14.

In the present embodiment, the frame 46 further includes an auxiliary cross member 76, and the auxiliary cross member 76 extends between the front and rear cross members 72 in the left-right direction and is coupled to the mounting brackets 70 at both ends.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the mounting brackets 70 are coupled to the left and right edges of the plate main body 48 and extend laterally outward. As shown in fig. 1, the mounting brackets 70 are fastened to the respective members that constitute the vehicle body 14, more specifically, to the lower surface of the side member 18. In the present embodiment, the mounting bracket 70 is also an aluminum extrusion molded product, but is not limited to this embodiment.

As shown in fig. 3, the cross member 72 is a prismatic member formed to extend in the left-right direction, and is joined at both ends to the front end or the rear end of the mounting bracket 70, respectively. The cross members 72 are disposed such that their lower surfaces contact the upper surface of the plate main body 48, and are welded to the upper surface of the plate main body 48.

Two fixing members 74 are provided on the front side cross member 72 (hereinafter referred to as a front cross member 72F) and the rear side cross member 72 (hereinafter referred to as a rear cross member 72R), respectively. As shown in fig. 6, the fixing members 74 (hereinafter, referred to as front fixing members 74F) provided on the front cross member 72F are provided at positions that overlap the front edges of the third through holes 56C in the vertical direction, respectively. The front fixing member 74F is welded to the front surface of the front cross member 72F and projects forward from the front edge of the plate main body 48. In the present embodiment, the front fixing member 74F is fixed by welding to the upper surface of the portion of the upper horizontal wall 52U that defines the front end side of the third through hole 56C. This improves the rigidity of the portion of the upper horizontal wall 52U that constitutes the third through hole 56C. However, the front fixing member 74F is not limited to this embodiment, and may be fixed by welding to the lower surface of the portion of the lower horizontal wall 52D defining the front end side of the third through hole 56C. As shown in fig. 1, the front fixing members 74F are fastened to the members constituting the vehicle body 14, more specifically, the center cross member 26.

The through holes 66A and 66B adjacent to the front fixing member 74F are provided at positions shifted from the opening portions of the corresponding through holes 56 toward the front fixing member 74F. More specifically, the through hole 66A provided at a position corresponding to the front portion of the first through hole 56A adjacent to the front fixing member 74F is provided at a position shifted toward the front fixing member 74F side (left side) with respect to the center line of the opening portion of the first through hole 56A in the left-right direction (width direction). The through hole 66B provided at a position corresponding to the front portion of the second through hole 56B adjacent to the front fixing member 74F is provided at a position shifted toward the front fixing member 74F side (right side) with respect to the center line of the opening portion of the second through hole 56B in the left-right direction (width direction). In this way, by providing the through holes 66A, 66B at positions offset to the portions where the rigidity is increased by fixing the front fixing member 74F, the rigidity of the portions near the through holes 66A, 66B of the upper horizontal wall 52U can be increased.

As shown in fig. 7, two fixing members 74 (hereinafter, referred to as rear fixing members 74R) are provided on the rear cross member 72R. The rear fixing members 74R are provided on the rear surface of the rear cross member 72R in a bilaterally symmetrical manner. As shown in fig. 1, the rear fixing member 74R is welded to the rear surface of the rear cross member 72R so as to protrude rearward from the rear edge of the plate main body 48. As shown in fig. 1, brackets 32 are fastened to the rear fixing members 74R, the brackets 32 are fastened to the rear cross member 30, and the rear cross member 30 connects the central portions in the front-rear direction of the left and right rear side members 20.

A first pipe 78A (see an enlarged view of fig. 3) extending in the left-right direction is connected to a mouth portion 68A of the through hole 66A provided in the first through hole 56A. A second pipe 78B extending in the left-right direction is connected to the mouth portion 68B of the through hole 66B provided in the second through hole 56B. The first pipe 78A and the second pipe 78B are connected to an electric pump (not shown) via a predetermined radiator or the like. The electric pump sucks the refrigerant in the second pipe 78B and supplies the refrigerant to the first pipe 78A. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant is water, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

As shown in the enlarged view at the left of fig. 4, the refrigerant supplied to the first pipe 78A enters the first through hole 56A through the through hole 66A. The refrigerant having entered the first through hole 56A enters two left and right holes partitioned by the partition wall 58. Thereafter, the refrigerant flows rearward linearly along the first through-hole 56A, and reaches the rear end of the first through-hole 56A. At this time, since the gap between the front cover member 50F and the vertical wall 54 between the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B is closed, the refrigerant can be prevented from entering the second through hole 56B from the first through hole 56A.

As shown in the enlarged view on the upper right of fig. 4, the refrigerant that has reached the rear end of the first through-hole 56A passes through the vertical wall 54 provided between the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B and the gap 65 between the rear cover member 50R, and enters the second through-hole 56B. The refrigerant having entered the second through hole 56B enters two left and right holes partitioned by the partition wall 58. Thereafter, as shown in the enlarged view at the left of fig. 4, the refrigerant flows straight forward along the second through-holes 56B and reaches the distal ends of the second through-holes 56B. The refrigerant that has reached the tip of the second through hole 56B enters the second pipe 78B through the through hole 66B provided at the tip of the second through hole 56B, and returns to the electric pump.

In this way, the cooling medium flows through the plate main body 48 and the lid member 50 inside the plate portion 44 as shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 3, thereby forming a cooling passage 80 that cools the battery module 36. A plurality of cooling passages 80 are provided in parallel along the left-right direction (second direction) of the plate portion 44. The cooling passages 80 respectively include: a pair of linear passages 82 extending in the front-rear direction, a pair of inlet and outlet portions 84 connected to the linear passages 82 at the front ends thereof, respectively, and a return passage 86 connecting the rear ends of the pair of linear passages 82 to each other. The pair of linear passages 82 are formed inside the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B, respectively. The linear passage 82 formed in the first through hole 56A is a flow passage (first flow passage 82A) through which the refrigerant flows backward, and the linear passage 82 formed in the second through hole 56B is a flow passage (second flow passage 82B) through which the refrigerant flows forward. The partition wall 58 extends forward and rearward through the center in the forward and rearward direction in the linear passage 82. The linear passage 82 is divided by the partition wall 58 into two sub passages 82L, 82R disposed on the left and right. The return passage 86 is formed between the vertical wall 54 between the first through hole 56A and the second through hole 56B and the back cover member 50R. The inlet and outlet portions 84 are defined by the through holes 66A and 66B, respectively. The adjacent cooling passages 80 are isolated from each other by an isolation space S formed inside the third through hole 56C in which the cavity is formed.

That is, as shown in fig. 3 and 5, the adjacent pair of through holes 56P, the front cover member 50F, the rear cover member 50R, and the through holes 66A and 66B function as the cooling portion 90 constituting the cooling passage 80 through which the refrigerant flows. The third through hole 56C functions as a hollow portion 92 that forms the isolation space S therein. As shown in fig. 3, the cooling portion 90 and the cavity portion 92 are arranged in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the cooling portions 90 and the cavity portions 92 are alternately arranged in the left-right direction.

In the present embodiment, four cooling passages 80 are provided in the plate portion 44. In each cooling passage 80, the first flow passage 82A is provided on the left side of the second flow passage 82B.

Next, the effects of the battery cell 10 configured as described above will be described. As shown in fig. 3 and 5, the cooling portion 90 and the cavity portion 92 are provided in parallel on the left and right. This allows cooling portion 90 and cavity portion 92 to be provided, and also allows battery tray 38, more specifically plate portion 44, to be thinner than when both are stacked in the thickness direction of plate portion 44, i.e., in the vertical direction.

Cooling portions 90 and hollow portions 92 are alternately arranged in the left-right direction on plate portion 44. Since cooling portion 90 can be prevented from being arranged in close contact at plate portion 44, heat is easily dissipated from battery tray 38. Further, the heat transfer between the refrigerants flowing through the cooling passages 80 is blocked by the isolation space S, and the two cooling passages 80 are insulated by the isolation space S. This suppresses heat transfer between the refrigerant that has flowed into the first flow path 82A from the inlet and the refrigerant that is to be discharged from the second flow path 82B facing the isolation space S. That is, the heat of the refrigerant on the high temperature side is less likely to be transferred to the refrigerant immediately after flowing into the first flow path 82A from the inlet, and the refrigerant can be suppressed from being heated by the heat, so the battery module 36 can be cooled more efficiently. Therefore, the cooling performance of the battery cell 10 can be improved. Further, since the front cover member 50F is not provided in the portion of the upper horizontal wall 52U that defines the front end of the third through hole 56C forming the separation space S, the front fixing member 74F can be easily coupled to the plate main body 48. Further, by forming a through hole in the portion of the upper horizontal wall 52U that defines the tip of the third through hole 56C, the front fixing member 74F can be fastened to the upper horizontal wall 52U by a fastener such as a bolt that passes through the through hole. By providing the third through-hole 56C constituting the hollow portion 92 in the plate portion 44 in this way, a portion to which the front fixing member 74F can be easily coupled can be provided in the battery tray 38.

The refrigerant flows through the plate body 48 inside the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a cooling pipe in the plate main body 48. Therefore, the number of components of the battery tray 38 can be reduced. Further, in a case where the cooling pipe is provided separately from the battery tray 38 in order to cool the battery module 36, it may be difficult to arrange the components constituting the vehicle 12 at a desired position due to the cooling pipe. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a cooling passage 80 is provided inside the battery tray 38. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate cooling pipe, and it is possible to prevent the components and the like constituting the vehicle 12 from being unable to be arranged due to the cooling pipe, and thus it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in designing the vehicle body. Further, the hollow portion 92 may be provided with an attachment portion for attaching to a vehicle body and a fixing portion for fixing the battery. This allows the battery tray 38 to be configured easily, and to have a cooling function, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in design. Further, since a step of providing a cooling pipe to the plate main body 48 is not required, the manufacturing process of the battery cell 10 can be simplified.

As shown in the enlarged view of fig. 5, the cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C is different from the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (and the cross-sectional area of the second through-hole 56B). That is, the cross-sectional area of the isolation space S in the left-right direction is different from the cross-sectional area of the straight passage 82 constituting the cooling passage 80 in the left-right direction. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the cooling passage 80 and the isolation space S is improved as compared with the case where both cross-sectional areas are equal. Further, in the present embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (second through-hole 56B). That is, the cross-sectional area of the isolation space S in the left-right direction is larger than the cross-sectional area of the straight passage 82 constituting the cooling passage 80 in the left-right direction. This can improve the heat insulating performance of the insulating space S, compared to a case where the cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C is equal to the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (the second through-hole 56B).

As shown in fig. 3, each of the cooling passages 80 includes: a straight passage 82 through which the refrigerant flows rearward, a straight passage 82 through which the refrigerant flows forward, and a return passage connecting rear ends of the straight passages 82 to each other. Thus, the refrigerant flows through the inside of the plate portion 44 from the front edge of the plate portion 44 to the rear edge and returns to the front edge. Therefore, compared to a case where the refrigerant is injected from the front end and flows rearward inside the plate main body 48, and is discharged from the rear end, it is possible to prevent a temperature gradient from occurring in the plate main body 48 in the front-rear direction. This allows the battery tray 38 to have a more uniform temperature, and the battery modules 36 to be cooled more uniformly. Further, the cooling passage 80 can be made shorter and the size can be made smaller than in the case where the refrigerant reciprocates a plurality of times back and forth inside the plate body 48, and the cooling passage 80 can be simplified.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the partition walls 58 are provided inside the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B, respectively. Thus, the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B are not easily deformed against a load in the vertical direction. In addition, the partition wall 58 has a different thickness from the vertical wall 54. In this way, since the flow rate of the cooling water flowing through the inside of the corresponding through hole 56 can be changed by changing the thickness of the partition wall 58, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the cooling passage 80 can be appropriately set by adjusting the thickness of the partition wall 58.

As shown in fig. 3 and 6, the through holes 66A and 66B are provided at positions overlapping each other when viewed from the left-right direction. Thus, by providing the pipes 78A and 78B (see the broken lines in fig. 3) so as to extend in the left-right direction, the pipes 78A and 78B connected to the nozzles 68A and 68B can be provided so as to extend in the left-right direction. This simplifies the structure of the pipes 78A and 78B up to the through holes 66A and 66B.

As shown in fig. 4, the lower horizontal wall 52L is provided with a front cutout 60F and a rear cutout 60R formed by cutting out a portion of the lower horizontal wall inward in the front-rear direction at positions corresponding to the front ends and the rear ends of the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B, respectively. The front horizontal portion 62H of the front cover member 50F and the rear horizontal portion 64H of the rear cover member 50R are fixed to the edge of the cutout portion. By providing the cutout in the lower horizontal wall 52L and coupling the lid member 50 to this portion in this manner, the amount of protrusion of the lid member 50 in the front-rear direction can be suppressed, and therefore, the battery unit 10 can be downsized.

The above description of the specific embodiments has been completed, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be widely modified. In the above embodiment, the first through hole 56A, the second through hole 56B, and the third through hole 56C are configured to extend in the front-rear direction in the plate main body 48, but the present invention is not limited to this extending direction. For example, the first through-hole 56A, the second through-hole 56B, and the third through-hole 56C may extend in the left-right direction.

The cavity 92 is formed by dividing the isolation space S by the third through hole 56C, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a recessed strip extending in the front-rear direction between the first through-hole 56A and the second through-hole 56B may be formed in the plate portion 44, and the recessed strip may be recessed upward (or downward) in the lower surface of the plate portion 44, and may function as a hollow portion 92 defining the separation space S.

In the above embodiment, the partition wall 58 is provided in each of the first through hole 56A, the second through hole 56B, and the third through hole 56C, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The partition wall 58 may be provided in at least one of the first through hole 56A, the second through hole 56B, and the third through hole 56C.

In the above embodiment, the front cutout 60F and the rear cutout 60R are provided in the lower horizontal wall 52L, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The front cutout portion 60F and the rear cutout portion 60R may also be provided on the upper horizontal wall 52U. At this time, the cover member 50 may have vertical walls 54 extending up and down and horizontal walls 52 extending horizontally from upper edges of the vertical walls 54 and connected to edge portions of the front or rear cutout portions 60F and 60R, respectively.

In the above embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (the second through-hole 56B), but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C and the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (second through-hole 56B) may be designed as appropriate in accordance with the rigidity of the plate portion 44, the flow velocity of the refrigerant, and the heat insulating performance of the isolation space S to be secured, and the cross-sectional area of the third through-hole 56C may be set to be different from the cross-sectional area of the first through-hole 56A (second through-hole 56B).

In the present embodiment, the first flow path 82A is provided on the left side of the second flow path 82B in each cooling path 80, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The adjacent cooling passages 80 may be formed as mirror images of each other with the isolation space S therebetween. The battery cells 34 are arranged in a front-rear direction inside the battery module 36 (i.e., the stacking direction is set to the front-rear direction), but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the battery cells 34 may be stacked vertically inside the battery module 36. The battery cells 34 may be arranged inside the battery module 36 in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the through-hole 56 may be provided to extend in the horizontal direction. However, when the battery cells 34 are arranged in the vehicle width direction, the through-holes 56 preferably extend along the stacking direction (arrangement direction) of the battery cells 34.

In the above embodiment, the fixing member 74 is provided on the upper horizontal wall 52U, but is not limited to this embodiment. The fixing member 74 and the through holes 66A, 66B may be provided on the lower horizontal wall 52L, respectively. In this case, the through holes 66A, 66B adjacent to the fixing member 74 may be formed at a position closer to the fixing member 74, and the entrance 84 may be provided at a position biased toward the adjacent fixing member 74 side.

In the above embodiment, the plate main body 48 is formed of a metal extrusion molded product, but is not limited to this embodiment. The plate body 48 may be manufactured in any manner and, in addition, the plate body 48 may be composed of a material other than metal.

In the above embodiment, the notch 60 is provided in the portion corresponding to the front end and the rear end of the through hole 56, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, it may be such that: the notch 60 is provided only in one of the portions corresponding to the front end and the rear end of the through hole 56, and the other of the portions corresponding to the front end and the rear end of the through hole 56 is sealed by a predetermined member.

Claims (11)

1. A battery cell, comprising: at least one battery module including at least one battery cell, respectively; and a battery tray that supports the battery module from below,

the battery tray includes a flat plate-shaped plate portion provided on a lower side of the battery module,

cooling portions that constitute a cooling passage through which a coolant for cooling the battery module flows and a cavity portion that forms a space therein are arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction inside the plate portion.

2. The battery cell of claim 1,

the prescribed direction is a second direction perpendicular to a first direction that is a stacking direction of the battery cells,

the cooling portions and the cavity portions are alternately arranged along the second direction.

3. The battery cell of claim 1,

the cooling passages respectively include: a pair of linear passages extending in a first direction that is a stacking direction of the battery cells; a pair of inlet and outlet portions connected to the linear passages at first ends in the first direction; and a return passage that connects the pair of the straight passages to each other at a second end in the first direction.

4. The battery cell of claim 3,

the pair of linear passages are provided with partition walls for dividing the interior thereof into two sub-passages.

5. The battery cell of claim 4,

the partition wall has a thickness different from a wall separating adjacent ones of the linear passages.

6. The battery cell according to any one of claims 3 to 5,

the plate portion includes: a flat plate main body having a plurality of through holes that define the linear passage and the space therein, respectively; and a cover member provided at both ends of the through hole and covering the through hole at least from the first direction.

7. The battery cell of claim 6,

the inlet and outlet portions are respectively provided at positions overlapping each other when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The battery cell of claim 7,

a fixing member for fixing the battery tray is provided on a wall body defining one end side of the through hole constituting the space,

the inlet and outlet portion is formed by a through hole of the plate main body penetrating in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction,

the inlet and outlet portions adjacent to the fixing member are provided at positions biased toward the adjacent fixing member side.

9. The battery cell of claim 6,

the plate portion includes: a pair of horizontal walls which are horizontally and vertically opposite; and a vertical wall connecting the horizontal wall up and down and parallel to the first direction,

the through hole that partitions the linear passage is defined by a pair of the horizontal walls and a pair of the vertical walls that are opposed to each other with one of the vertical walls interposed therebetween,

a cutout portion is provided in a portion of one of the pair of horizontal walls corresponding to at least one end of the through hole defining the two linear passages,

the cover member has: a vertically extending plate-shaped vertical portion connected to the edge of the other of the pair of horizontal walls and the edge of the vertical wall defining the two through holes; and a plate-shaped horizontal portion extending in a direction perpendicular to the vertical portion and fixed to an edge of the cutout portion.

10. The battery cell of claim 3,

a sectional area of the space in a direction perpendicular to the first direction and a sectional area of the linear passage in a direction perpendicular to the first direction are different from each other.

11. The battery cell of claim 10,

a sectional area of the space in a direction perpendicular to the first direction is larger than a sectional area of the linear passage in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

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