JP2009083656A - Electric automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric automobile for surely connecting a boots member arranged in a battery case to a boots connection hole of a floor panel. <P>SOLUTION: A battery unit 14 is arranged under the floor panel 70. A cooling air introducing port 86 is arranged in an upper part of the battery unit 14. The boots member 88 is installed in the cooling air introducing port 86. The non-circular boots connection hole 420 is formed in a position opposed to the cooling air introducing port 86 in the floor panel 70. The boots member 88 has a bellows part 440 and a lip part 490. A core metal ring 431 is embedded in a tip part 88a of the boots member 88. The core metal ring 431 is formed in a shape corresponding to the boots connection hole 420. The core metal ring 431 continues in the peripheral direction of the boots member 88. A cutout part 491 having no lip part 490 is formed in a part in the peripheral direction of the tip part 88a of the boots member 88. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vehicle that runs by a motor that uses a battery as a power source.

A battery unit used in an electric vehicle includes a battery module and a battery case that houses the battery module. When the battery module is rapidly charged, the battery module becomes hot, and thus the battery module needs to be cooled. For this reason, the battery case is provided with a cooling air inlet for supplying cooling air into the battery case. An air duct is connected to the cooling air inlet. Cold air supplied from the air conditioner is supplied into the battery case through the air duct and the cooling air inlet. The air supplied into the battery case is discharged outside the battery case after the battery module is cooled. (For example, see Patent Document 1 below)
Japanese Patent No. 3050051

  A cylindrical boot member is used to connect the cooling air inlet and the air duct. When the battery unit is disposed below the floor panel and the air duct is disposed above the floor panel, the boot member is inserted into a boot connection hole formed in the floor panel. For this reason, the boot connection hole of the floor panel is generally a perfect circle corresponding to the cylindrical shape of the boot member. However, depending on the shape of the floor panel and the like, a boot connection hole other than a perfect circle may be desired. Further, in order to obtain a larger flow path cross-sectional area, a boot connection hole other than a perfect circle may be desired.

  However, when a boot member other than a true circle is connected to a boot connection hole other than a true circle, the connection between the boot connection hole and the boot member may not be successful. For example, it is relatively difficult to position the boot member in the circumferential direction with respect to the boot connection hole. Further, if the connection state between the boot connection hole and the boot member is incomplete, the sealing performance deteriorates, and there is a concern that cooling air sent from the air duct may leak or rainwater outside the vehicle may enter the inside of the boot member. was there.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle capable of reliably connecting a boot member provided at a cooling air introduction port of a battery case to a boot connection hole of a floor panel.

  The present invention is an electric vehicle having a battery unit disposed under a floor panel of a vehicle body, the battery unit containing a battery module and having an air circulation part therein, and the battery case A cooling air introduction port that is provided and communicates with the air circulation portion; and an extendable boot member attached to the cooling air introduction port, and is connected to the boot at a position facing the cooling air introduction port of the floor panel. A hole is formed, and a metal core ring having a shape corresponding to the boot connection hole is embedded in the front end portion of the boot member, and the front end portion of the boot member is embedded in the floor panel. An electric vehicle characterized by being connected to the boot connection hole.

In one form of this invention, the said boot connection hole is shapes other than a perfect circle, and the said metal core ring is formed in shapes other than a perfect circle corresponding to the said boot connection hole.
An example of the boot member includes an accordion portion that can be expanded and contracted in the axial direction of the boot member, and a lip portion formed at a distal end portion of the boot member, and the lip portion extends the distal end portion of the boot member When connecting to the boot connection hole, the boot connection hole has a shape that can be grasped with a finger from the passenger compartment side.

Preferably, a notch portion that does not have the lip portion is formed in a portion of the tip portion of the boot member in the circumferential direction where cooling air flowing from the cooling air introduction port into the battery case passes. .
The boot member may be provided with a shape holding member that can hold the boot member in a state of being contracted in the axial direction.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a shutter that can be opened and closed is provided at the cooling air inlet, and the shutter is opened when cooling air is supplied from the cooling air inlet into the battery case. Closed.
Further, a convex portion is formed on a part of the floor panel by pressing, and a mounting base member having a flat portion is fixed to an opening formed in the convex portion, and the boot connection is made to the flat portion of the mounting base member. A hole may be formed.

  According to the present invention, in an electric vehicle in which the battery unit is disposed below the floor panel and the air duct is disposed on the floor panel, the boot member provided at the cooling air inlet of the battery case is The boot connection hole can be securely connected to the boot connection hole, and the seal between the boot connection hole and the boot member can be surely made. For this reason, the cold wind supplied from a ventilation duct can be reliably sent in in a battery case. Further, water outside the vehicle can be prevented from entering the inside of the boot member from the cooling air inlet.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an electric vehicle 10. The electric vehicle 10 includes a traveling motor 12 and a charging device 13 disposed at the rear of the vehicle body 11, a battery unit 14 disposed under the floor of the vehicle body 11, and the like. A heat exchange unit 15 for cooling and heating is disposed at the front of the vehicle body 11.

  The front wheel 20 of the automobile 10 is supported on the vehicle body 11 by a front suspension (not shown). The rear wheel 21 is supported on the vehicle body 11 by a rear suspension (not shown). An example of a rear suspension is a trailing arm type rear suspension.

FIG. 2 shows a frame structure 30 forming a skeleton below the vehicle body 11 and the battery unit 14 attached to the frame structure 30.
The frame structure 30 includes a pair of left and right side members 31, 32 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 11, and cross members 33, 34, 35 extending in the width direction of the vehicle body 11. The cross members 33, 34, 35 are fixed to predetermined positions of the side members 31, 32 by welding.

  Suspension arm support brackets 40 and 41 are provided at the rear portions of the side members 31 and 32. The suspension arm support brackets 40 and 41 are fixed to predetermined positions of the side members 31 and 32 by welding, respectively. A pivot portion 42 is provided on the suspension arm support brackets 40 and 41. A front end portion of the trailing arm is attached to the pivot portions 42.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the battery unit 14 includes a battery case 50. The battery case 50 includes a tray member 51 located on the lower side and a cover member 52 located on the upper side.

  The tray member 51 is integrally formed of an electrically insulating resin, and a reinforcing metal insert member (not shown) is embedded therein. The resin as the material of the tray member 51 is obtained by reinforcing a base material made of, for example, polypropylene with short glass fibers having a length of about several mm to several cm.

  The tray member 51 has a front wall 51a, a rear wall 51b, a pair of left and right side walls 51c and 51d, a bottom wall 51e, and a partition wall 51f, and is formed in a box shape having an open upper surface. The front wall 51 a is located on the front side of the vehicle body 11. The rear wall 51 b is located on the rear side of the vehicle body 11.

  A front battery storage 55 is formed in the front half of the battery case 50. A rear battery housing portion 56 is formed in the rear half of the battery case 50. Between the front battery storage 55 and the rear battery storage 56, a central battery storage 57, an electric circuit storage 58, and the like are formed.

  A plurality of battery modules 60 (only a part thereof is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) are stored in the battery storage portions 55, 56, and 57, respectively. The battery module 60 is supported by the bottom wall 51 e of the tray member 51. An example of the battery module 60 is obtained by connecting a plurality of cells made of lithium ion batteries in series.

  The electrical circuit storage 58 stores electrical components 61 (schematically shown in FIG. 3) that control the monitor and control for detecting the state of the battery module 60 and the like. The electrical component 61 is electrically connected to the battery module 60.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the battery unit 14 is disposed on the lower surface side of a sheet metal floor panel 70. The floor panel 70 extends in the front-rear direction and the width direction of the vehicle body 11 and constitutes a floor portion of the vehicle body 11. The floor panel 70 is fixed to a predetermined position of the frame structure 30 including the side members 31 and 32 by welding.

  A front seat 71 (shown in FIG. 1) and a rear seat 72 are arranged above the floor panel 70. A front battery storage 55 of the battery unit 14 is disposed below the front seat 71 with the floor panel 70 interposed therebetween. Below the rear seat 72, a rear battery storage portion 56 of the battery unit 14 is disposed with the floor panel 70 interposed therebetween. A recess 70 a of the floor panel 70 formed between the front battery storage 55 and the rear battery storage 56 is located near the foot space of the passenger seated on the rear seat 72.

  A cover attachment surface 80 (shown in FIG. 3) is formed on the peripheral edge of the tray member 51 of the battery case 50. The cover attachment surface 80 is continuous over the entire circumference of the tray member 51. A waterproof sealing material 81 is provided on the cover mounting surface 80. Embedded nuts 83 and embedded bolts 84 are provided at predetermined intervals at a plurality of locations on the cover mounting surface 80.

  The cover member 52 of the battery case 50 is made of an integrally molded product of synthetic resin reinforced with fibers. A service plug opening 85 and a cooling air inlet 86 are formed at the front of the cover member 52. A bellows-like boot member 87 is attached to the service plug opening 85. A bellows-like boot member 88 is also attached to the cooling air inlet 86. The boot member 88 will be described in detail later. The service plug opening 85 is closed from above the floor panel 70 by a cap member 89 (shown in FIG. 4).

  On the upper surface of the cover member 52, a bypass flow path portion 90 for allowing a part of the cooling air to flow, a cooling fan accommodating portion 91, and the like are provided. An exhaust fan 92 such as a sirocco fan is accommodated in the cooling fan accommodating portion 91. An exhaust port 93 of the exhaust fan 92 opens to the outside of the cover member 52.

  A flange portion 95 is formed on the peripheral edge portion of the cover member 52. The flange portion 95 is continuous over the entire circumference of the cover member 52. When the tray member 51 and the cover member 52 are fastened together, the cover mounting surface 80 and the flange portion 95 are overlapped. Then, by screwing the bolt member 96 shown in FIG. 3 into the embedded nut 83 and screwing the nut member 97 into the embedded bolt 84, the tray member 51 and the cover member 52 are fixed to each other in a watertight manner via the sealant 81. The

  A plurality of (for example, four) girder members 101, 102, 103, 104 are provided on the lower surface side of the tray member 51. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the beam members 101, 102, 103, and 104 have beam bodies 111, 112, 113, and 114 that extend in the width direction of the vehicle body 11, respectively. The girder members 101, 102, 103, 104 are made of a metal material (for example, a steel plate) having sufficient strength to support the load of the battery unit 14.

  Fastening portions 121 and 122 are provided at both ends of the first girder body 111 from the front. Fastening portions 123 and 124 are provided at both ends of the second girder body 112 from the front. Fastening portions 125 and 126 are provided at both ends of the third girder body 113 from the front. Fastening portions 127 and 128 are provided at both ends of the fourth (last) girder body 112 from the front. A pair of left and right front support members 130 and 131 are provided at the front end of the battery unit 14.

  Bolt insertion holes 143 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the fastening portions 121 and 122 provided at both ends of the first girder member 101 from the front. Battery unit mounting portions 145 and 146 having nut members are provided at portions 31 a and 32 a extending in the horizontal direction of the side members 31 and 32 at positions facing the fastening portions 121 and 122. A bolt 147 (shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5) is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 143 from below the fastening portions 121 and 122, and the bolt 147 is screwed into a nut member of the battery unit mounting portions 145 and 146. By fastening, the fastening portions 121 and 122 of the first girder member 101 are fixed to the side members 31 and 32.

  Bolt insertion holes 153 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the fastening portions 123 and 124 provided at both ends of the second beam member 102 from the front. Battery unit mounting portions 155 and 156 having nut members are provided at positions facing the fastening portions 123 and 124 in the portions 31a and 32a extending in the horizontal direction of the side members 31 and 32, respectively. A bolt 157 (shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5) is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 153 from the lower side of the fastening portions 123 and 124, and the bolt 157 is screwed into the nut members of the battery unit mounting portions 155 and 156. By tightening and tightening, the fastening portions 123 and 124 of the second beam member 102 are fixed to the side members 31 and 32.

  Bolt insertion holes 163 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the fastening portions 125 and 126 provided at both ends of the third beam member 103 from the front. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, load transmitting members 170 and 171 are fixed to the side members 31 and 32 by bolts 172. These load transmission members 170 and 171 are provided above the fastening portions 125 and 126 of the third girder member 103 from the front. One load transmission member 170 is welded to one suspension arm support bracket 40. The other load transmission member 171 is welded to the other suspension arm support bracket 41.

  That is, the load transmission members 170 and 171 are coupled to the side members 31 and 32 and the suspension arm support brackets 40 and 41. These load transmission members 170 and 171 form a part of the frame structure 30. The load transmission members 170 and 171 are provided with battery unit attachment portions 175 and 176 having nut members.

  The bolt 177 is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 163 from the lower side of the fastening portions 125 and 126, and the bolt 177 is screwed into the nut members of the battery unit mounting portions 175 and 176 to be tightened. Fastening portions 125 and 126 are fixed to side members 31 and 32 via load transmission members 170 and 171.

  Bolt insertion holes 193 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the fastening portions 127 and 128 of the fourth beam member 104 from the front. Extension brackets 194 and 195 are provided on the side members 31 and 32 at positions facing the fastening portions 127 and 128, respectively. The extension brackets 194, 195 extend below the kick-up portions 31b, 32b of the side members 31, 32. The extension brackets 194 and 195 form a part of the frame structure 30. The extension brackets 194 and 195 are provided with battery unit mounting portions 196 and 197 having nut members.

  A bolt 198 (shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5) is inserted into the bolt insertion hole 193 from below the fastening portions 127 and 128, and the bolt 198 is inserted into the battery unit mounting portions 196 and 197 of the extension brackets 194 and 195. Then, the fastening portions 127 and 128 of the fourth girder member 104 are fixed to the side members 31 and 32 via the extension brackets 194 and 195, respectively.

  The front support members 130 and 131 located at the front end of the battery unit 14 protrude in front of the first girder member 101 from the front. The front support members 130 and 131 are coupled to the beam member 101. As shown in FIG. 2, the fastening portions 210 and 211 provided on the front support members 130 and 131 are fixed to the battery unit mounting portions 213 and 214 of the cross member 33 by bolts 212.

  As described above, in the electric vehicle 10 of this embodiment, the girder members 101, 102, 103, 104 are provided between the left and right side members 31, 32, and the side members 31 are formed by these girder members 101, 102, 103, 104. , 32 are joined together. For this reason, the girder members 101, 102, 103, 104 of the battery unit 14 can function as a rigid member corresponding to the cross member.

  An under cover 220 is disposed below the battery unit 14. The upper surface of the under cover 220 is opposed to the lower surfaces of the beam members 101, 102, 103, 104. An example of the material of the under cover 220 is a synthetic resin reinforced with glass fibers. The under cover 220 is fixed to at least a part of the frame structure 30 and the girder members 101, 102, 103, and 104 from below the vehicle body 11 with bolts (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 6, a blower duct 255 is connected to a cooling air inlet 86 provided at the front portion of the battery case 50 via a boot member 88. The air duct 255 communicates with a heat exchange unit 15 (shown in FIG. 1) of an air conditioner (so-called on-vehicle air conditioner). Inside the battery case 50, an air circulation portion 260 is formed between the cooling air inlet 86 and the exhaust fan 92. The cooling air inlet 86 communicates with the air circulation unit 260. When the battery module 60 is cooled, cold air flows through the air circulation unit 260.

  For example, when the battery module 60 becomes hot and needs to be cooled, such as when the battery module 60 is rapidly charged, the cold air supplied from the heat exchange unit 15 is sent to the air duct 255, and this cold air is It is sent into the battery case 50 through the cooling air inlet 86. At this time, the exhaust fan 92 is activated, whereby the air inside the battery case 50 is discharged from the exhaust port 93 to the outside.

  Cold air Q1 (shown in FIG. 6) introduced into the battery case 50 from the air duct 255 through the cooling air inlet 86 flows through the air circulation portion 260 and the like near the front battery storage portion 55 as indicated by an arrow Q2, for example. The front battery module 60 is cooled. A part of the cool air Q1 passes through the bypass channel 90 toward the rear battery storage 56 and flows, for example, through the air circulation part 260 near the rear battery storage 56 as indicated by an arrow Q3. The battery module 60 on the side is cooled. The warm air in the battery case 50 is discharged from the exhaust port 93 to the outside of the battery case 50 by the exhaust fan 92.

  The cooling air introduction port 86 is provided with a shutter 270 (shown in FIG. 6) that can be opened and closed. An example of the shutter 270 is made of a fire-resistant material (for example, metal). The shutter 270 is disposed inside the battery case 50 and can open and close the cooling air inlet 86 by an actuator 271 such as a motor or a solenoid. When the battery module 60 is cooled, the shutter 270 is opened by operating the actuator 271 based on a signal output from an in-vehicle computer (not shown), and the cooling air sent from the air duct 255 is cooled by the cooling air. It is supplied into the battery case 50 through the introduction port 86.

  When the battery module 60 is not cooled, the cooling air inlet 86 can be closed by closing the shutter 270. For this reason, even if some abnormality occurs in the battery case 50, it is possible to prevent the influence from directly reaching the vehicle interior. Even if water droplets or the like are likely to enter from the vehicle interior side, the shutter 270 is closed except when the battery module 60 is cooled, so that water droplets or the like immediately enter the battery case 50. Can be suppressed. The shutter 270 may be provided on the passenger compartment side of the floor panel 70.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a convex portion 70 b that is convex upward is formed on a part of the floor panel 70 by pressing. A front seat 71 (shown in FIG. 1) is disposed above the convex portion 70b. The front battery storage portion 55 of the battery unit 14 is disposed on the lower surface side of the convex portion 70b.

  An opening 401 is formed by punching out a part of the front wall 400 of the convex portion 70b of the floor panel 70 with a press. An attachment base member 410 (made of sheet metal, for example) is attached to the periphery of the opening 401 by a method such as welding so as to close the opening 401. The mounting base member 410 constitutes a part of the floor panel 70. A flat portion 411 having a flat shape is formed on the mounting base member 410. A boot connection hole 420 is formed in the flat portion 411. The boot connection hole 420 is formed at a position facing the cooling air inlet 86 of the battery case 50.

  As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A, the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420 is composed of a large-diameter semicircular portion 420a and a small-diameter semicircular portion 420b, and has a major axis d1 and a minor axis d2. It has a slightly longer side shape. By forming such a non-round boot connection hole 420 in the flat surface portion 411 of the mounting base member 410, the opening area of the boot connection hole 420 is made to correspond to the shape of the flat surface portion 411. It became possible to make it wider.

  Depending on the shape of the flat portion 411 formed in the mounting base member 410, for example, an oval boot connection hole 420 having a major axis d1 and a minor axis d2 as schematically shown in FIG. Alternatively, an elliptical boot connection hole 420 as schematically shown in FIG. 9C may be employed. Moreover, shapes other than these may be sufficient and, in short, the boot connection hole 420 should just be a substantially round shape (non-perfect circle) other than a perfect circle.

  A boot member 88 (shown in FIGS. 8 and 10 and the like) is attached to a cooling air inlet 86 formed in the front portion of the cover member 52 of the battery case 50. The boot member 88 has a bellows shape and can be expanded and contracted. As shown in FIG. 10, the boot member 88 has a non-true circle shape corresponding to the boot connection hole 420 when viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the front end portion 88a of the boot member 88, that is, the open end, is inserted into the boot connection hole 420 of the mounting base member 410 provided on the floor panel 70 from the lower side and protrudes toward the passenger compartment. . The blower duct 255 is connected to the front end 88 a of the boot member 88.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the boot member 88 includes an elastically deformable rubber portion 430 made of, for example, synthetic rubber, and a cored bar ring 431 embedded in the rubber portion 430. The rubber portion 430 can be expanded and contracted in the direction of the axis X of the boot member 88 and can also be deformed in the radial direction. A synthetic resin having rubber elasticity such as an elastomer may be used as the material of the rubber part 430.

  The metal core ring 431 is made of a material (for example, metal or hard resin) that is harder and has a higher bending rigidity than the rubber portion 430. The metal core ring 431 is a non-true circle having a shape corresponding to the boot connection hole 420, and is continuous in the circumferential direction of the boot member 88.

  A bellows portion 440 formed in a bellows shape (bellows shape) is formed in an intermediate portion of the boot member 88 in the axis X direction. The bellows portion 440 is extendable in the direction of the axis X of the boot member 88. A shape holding member 441 capable of plastic deformation is embedded in the bellows portion 440. An example of the shape holding member 441 is made of a metal wire that has a spiral shape and does not have springiness. The shape holding member 441 can be plastically deformed so that the boot member 88 can be held in a contracted state when a load in the axis X direction is applied to the bellows portion 440.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12, this boot member 88 can extend the bellows portion 440 in the direction of the axis X and maintain the length H1. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 13, the bellows part 440 can be contracted in the direction of the axis X, and can be maintained in the state of the length H2. Depending on the structure of the bellows part 440, the bellows part 440 can be held in a contracted state without using the shape holding member 441. In that case, the shape holding member 441 can be omitted.

  A flange 450 is formed on a base portion which is one end side of the boot member 88. A metal pressing plate 451 is overlaid on the flange 450. Bolts 461 (shown in FIG. 8) are provided on the boot mounting portion 460 of the battery case 50. The presser plate 451 is overlaid on the boot mounting portion 460 and the nut 462 is screwed into the bolt 461, whereby the flange 450 at the base of the boot member 88 is fixed to the boot mounting portion 460 of the battery case 50. A hole 463 (shown in FIG. 10) into which the bolt 461 is inserted is formed in the flange 450 and the pressing plate 451. The boot member 88 is attached to the battery case 50 in advance before attaching the battery unit 14 to the vehicle body 11.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the battery unit 14 of the present embodiment can shrink the bellows portion 440 of the boot member 88. Therefore, when the battery unit 14 is attached to the vehicle body 11 from the lower side of the vehicle body 11 (in the direction indicated by the arrow Z in FIG. 13), the tip end portion 88a of the boot member 88 collides with the attachment base member 410 of the floor panel 70. , Can avoid rubbing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the boot member 88 from being damaged when the battery unit 14 is assembled to the vehicle body 11.

  A seal portion 480, a groove 481, and a lip portion 490 that are annularly continuous over the entire circumference are formed at the distal end portion 88 a of the boot member 88. The boot member 88 is inserted into the boot connection hole 420 from the lower surface side of the floor panel 70. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, by fitting the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420 into the groove 481, the tip end portion 88 a of the boot member 88 is fixed to the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420.

  That is, when the groove 481 of the boot member 88 is fitted to the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420, the finger is inserted into the boot connection hole 420 from the passenger compartment side of the floor panel 70, and the lip portion 490 is grasped. pull. Then, the seal portion 480 is brought into contact with the back surface of the mounting base member 410, and the groove 481 is fitted into the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420, whereby the tip end portion 88 a of the boot member 88 is attached to the mounting base member 410 of the floor panel 70. Fixed.

  For example, in the case of the electric vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1, in the state where the left door 16 is opened and the front seat 71 is fully slid rearward, the lip portion 490 is grasped from the passenger compartment side and pulled to the passenger compartment side. The groove 481 can be fitted into the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420.

  The boot connection hole 420 has a shape other than a perfect circle (for example, an oval shape) in order to increase the opening area of the cooling air introduction port 86 as much as possible. Therefore, if the core member ring 431 is not provided on the boot member 88, the tip end portion 88a of the boot member 88 is easily elastically deformed, and the groove 481 of the tip end portion 88a is fitted into the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420. Work becomes difficult. However, in the present embodiment, a highly rigid cored bar ring 431 is embedded in the tip end portion 88 a of the boot member 88, and the cored bar ring 431 has a non-round shape corresponding to the shape of the boot connection hole 420. Yes. For this reason, the circumferential position of the tip end portion 88a of the boot member 88 with respect to the boot connection hole 420 can be easily regulated.

  Therefore, when the groove 481 of the boot member 88 is fitted into the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420, the relative positioning in the circumferential direction between the boot connection hole 420 and the boot member 88 is facilitated, and the groove 481 of the boot member 88 is connected to the boot. The work of fitting into the edge 421 of the hole 420 can be easily performed. In addition, the space between the boot member 88 and the boot connection hole 420 can be reliably sealed.

  A cutout portion 491 that does not have the lip portion 490 is formed in a part in the circumferential direction of the distal end portion 88 a of the boot member 88. That is, the lip portion 490 is formed in a region of more than half of the boot member 88 in the circumferential direction, and the notch portion 491 is formed in the remaining portion in the circumferential direction. Since a notch 491 is formed in the circumferential lower portion of the distal end portion 88a of the boot member 88, when the groove 481 of the boot member 88 is fitted into the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420, the lower portion of the distal end portion 88a is It is impossible to grab with fingers.

  However, in the present embodiment, a metal core ring 431 that is highly rigid and difficult to deform is embedded in the tip end portion 88 a of the boot member 88, and the metal core ring 431 is continuous in the circumferential direction of the boot member 88. In addition, the metal core ring 431 has a shape corresponding to the boot connection hole 420. For this reason, the groove 481 near the notch 491 can also be fitted into the edge 421 of the boot connection hole 420 by grasping the lip 490 near the notch 491 and pulling it toward the passenger compartment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the lip portion 490 of the boot member 88 protrudes toward the passenger compartment. And the ventilation duct 255 is connected to the front-end | tip part 88a of the boot member 88. FIG. Cooling air is sent from the heat exchange unit 15 to the air duct 255 when the battery module 60 becomes hot and needs to be cooled, such as during rapid charging of the battery module 60.

  The air duct 255 rises upward along the floor panel 70 and is connected to the tip end portion 88 a of the boot member 88. Therefore, the cooling air Q (shown in FIG. 12) from the air duct 255 toward the boot member 88 changes in the horizontal direction while rising from the lower side of the boot member 88 and flows into the battery case 50.

  In the boot member 88 of the present embodiment, a notch 491 is formed at the lower portion of the tip end portion 88 a of the boot member 88, that is, at a location K where the air flowing from the air duct 255 toward the boot member 88 first hits the boot member 88. Is formed. At this location K, the direction of air flow changes greatly, turbulence is likely to occur, and pressure loss is also likely to occur. By forming a notch 491 at this location K to facilitate the flow of air, it is possible to reduce the pressure loss of the cooling air that is pumped from the air duct 255 through the boot member 88 to the cooling air inlet 86. Thus, it becomes possible to supply more cooling air into the battery case 50.

  As described above, in the electric vehicle 10 of the present embodiment, the battery unit 14 is disposed below the floor panel 70, and the air duct 255 is disposed on the floor panel 70. The cooling air inlet 86 formed in the upper part of the battery case 50 and the boot connection hole 420 formed in the floor panel 70 are connected by a rubber boot member 88 having waterproofness. A blower duct 255 is connected to the tip end 88 a of the boot member 88. For this reason, rainwater or the like can be prevented from entering the inside of the battery case 50 from the cooling air inlet 86.

  The boot member 88 can be freely bent in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the like. Moreover, since the boot member 88 is waterproof, it absorbs variations in the mounting position of the battery unit 14 with respect to the floor panel 70, that is, relative displacement between the cooling air inlet 86 and the boot connection hole 420. Can do.

  In addition, although the said embodiment demonstrated the electric vehicle by which the driving motor was mounted in the vehicle body rear part, this invention is applicable also to the electric vehicle by which the driving motor is arrange | positioned at the vehicle body front part. In carrying out the present invention, the structure and arrangement of the components of the invention including the motor, battery unit, cooling air inlet, floor panel, boot connection hole, boot member, and cored bar ring are appropriately changed. Needless to say, you can.

1 is a perspective view of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a frame structure and battery unit of the electric vehicle shown in FIG. 1. The perspective view of the tray member of the battery unit shown in FIG. 2, a cover member, and a girder member The side view of the frame structure and battery unit of the electric vehicle which were shown by FIG. The top view which looked at the frame structure and battery unit of the electric vehicle shown by FIG. 1 from upper direction. Sectional drawing of the battery case of the electric vehicle shown by FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a part of the floor panel of the electric vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a part of the floor panel and a boot member shown in FIG. 7. (A) is a front view of the boot connection hole of the floor panel shown in FIG. 8, (B), (C) is a front view showing another example of the boot connection hole. The front view of the boot member shown by FIG. The perspective view which shows the state by which the boot member shown by FIG. 8 was connected to the boot connection hole of a floor panel. Sectional drawing which shows a part of boot member and floor panel shown by FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state immediately before the boot member shown by FIG. 12 is connected to a boot connection hole.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electric vehicle 11 ... Car body 14 ... Battery unit 50 ... Battery case 60 ... Battery module 70 ... Floor panel 86 ... Cooling air inlet 88 ... Boot member 255 ... Air duct 420 ... Boot connection hole 431 ... Core metal ring 440 ... Bellows 441 ... Shape retaining member 490 ... Lip part 491 ... Notch

Claims (7)

An electric vehicle having a battery unit disposed under a floor panel of a vehicle body,
The battery unit is
A battery case that houses the battery module and has an air circulation part therein;
A cooling air inlet provided in the battery case and communicating with the air circulation part;
A telescopic boot member attached to the cooling air inlet,
A boot connection hole is formed at a position facing the cooling air inlet of the floor panel,
A cored bar ring that is continuous in the circumferential direction of the boot member is embedded at the tip of the boot member,
An electric vehicle characterized in that the tip of the boot member is connected to the boot connection hole of the floor panel.   The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the boot connection hole has a shape other than a perfect circle, and the core metal ring is formed in a shape other than a perfect circle corresponding to the boot connection hole.   The boot member has a bellows portion that is extendable in the axial direction of the boot member, and a lip portion formed at a tip portion of the boot member, and the lip portion has a shape that can be grasped with fingers. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle.   The electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a notch portion that does not have the lip portion is formed in a part in a circumferential direction of a tip portion of the boot member.   The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the boot member is provided with a shape holding member capable of holding the boot member in a state of being contracted in the axial direction.   The cooling air introduction port is provided with an openable / closable shutter, and the shutter is opened when cooling air is supplied from the cooling air introduction port into the battery case, and the other is closed. The electric vehicle according to claim 1.   A convex portion is formed on a part of the floor panel by pressing, and a mounting base member having a flat portion is fixed to an opening formed in the convex portion, and the boot connection hole is formed in the flat portion of the mounting base member. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is formed.

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