JP2011079411A - Battery cooling structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery cooling structure of a vehicle, which prevents deterioration in the performance and the service life of a battery by efficiently cooling the battery, while securing a sufficient battery capacity in the battery. <P>SOLUTION: In a battery arrangement structure of the vehicle 1, a battery pack 7 is arranged at the center tunnel formed in a vehicle longitudinal direction at the vehicle width direction center of a floor panel 3. In the battery arrangement structure, the battery pack 7 is divided into two of a front part battery pack 7A and a rear part battery pack 7B in the vehicle longitudinal direction to form a space S between both of the battery packs 7A and 7B, and a cooing route is provided to independently cool each battery in the front part battery pack 7A and the rear part battery pack 7B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery cooling structure for a vehicle in which a battery is disposed in a center tunnel portion formed in the vehicle front-rear direction at the vehicle width direction center of a floor panel.

  In an electric vehicle (EV) that uses only an electric motor as a drive source and a hybrid vehicle (HEV) that uses an electric motor and a gasoline engine as drive sources, it is essential to install a battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor.

  By the way, in vehicles, such as an electric vehicle which mounts a battery, arrangement | positioning of a battery becomes a problem, and especially in a hatchback type vehicle, the arrangement space of a battery is small and it is difficult to ensure a required battery capacity.

  For example, if the configuration in which the battery is disposed at the rear seat feet on the floor panel is adopted, the riding posture of the rear occupant becomes tight. In addition, when a configuration in which the battery is arranged in the luggage compartment is adopted, in the case of a hatchback type vehicle having a small luggage compartment capacity due to a short overhang amount from the rear wheel to the rear end, the battery against the collision from the rear side. In addition to the increase in weight and cost due to the need for reinforcement for protecting the cargo, there is a problem that the storage space of the luggage compartment is reduced due to the battery.

  Therefore, a configuration is conceivable in which a battery is disposed in a center tunnel portion formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the center of the floor panel in the vehicle width direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, it is necessary to arrange the battery long in the vehicle front-rear direction in order to ensure the necessary battery capacity.

  By the way, although secondary batteries, such as a nickel cadmium battery (Ni-Cd battery) and a nickel hydride battery which can be charged / discharged repeatedly, are used as a battery, this battery generates heat during charging / discharging. Since the battery is configured by housing the battery cells in a sealed battery case, when the battery generates heat, the temperature becomes considerably high. And if a battery becomes high temperature (for example, 50 degreeC or more), since not only the performance will fall but a lifetime will fall remarkably, this needs to be cooled.

  Regarding the arrangement of the battery in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, for example, Patent Document 2 proposes a configuration in which the battery is disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction between the front seats. A cooling structure in the case of adopting the configuration has been proposed.

  Patent Document 4 proposes a configuration in which the battery is cooled by flowing cooling air from the lower part to the upper part of the battery.

JP 2001-105893 A Japanese Patent No. 4121898 JP 2006-273191 A JP 2002-219949 A

  However, when adopting a configuration in which the battery is arranged in the center tunnel portion as proposed in Patent Document 4, it is necessary to arrange the battery long in the vehicle front-rear direction in order to ensure the necessary battery capacity. A battery that is long in the vehicle front-rear direction is not sufficiently cooled, and there is a problem in that performance and life are likely to be reduced.

  That is, in the case of the battery 107 that is short in the vehicle longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. 6A, the whole is efficiently cooled by the cooling air from the front of the vehicle, but the vehicle longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. In the case of the battery 207 that is long in the direction, the front half is cooled by the cooling air having a low temperature, but the temperature of the cooling air supplied to the cooling increases as it flows toward the rear of the vehicle. There is a problem that the cooling performance is gradually lowered toward the rear of the vehicle, and the cooling performance in the second half is lowered.

  In the configuration proposed in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to reduce the size because the cooling fan is also installed in the center in the vehicle width direction between the front seats in which the batteries are arranged. The configuration proposed in Patent Document 3 The cooling air used for cooling is exhausted to both sides of the vehicle through the underside of the front seat, making it difficult to reduce the size and securing a large space under the front seat. In addition, since the battery is completed in the range up to the back of the front seat, there is a problem that the size of the battery in the vehicle width direction and the height direction becomes large.

  Further, in Patent Document 4, the battery is disposed in the luggage compartment, and the configuration in which the battery is disposed in the center in the vehicle width direction and the cooling structure thereof are not disclosed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is a vehicle that can efficiently cool the battery and prevent a decrease in performance and life while securing a sufficient battery capacity for the battery. It is to provide a battery cooling structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a battery arrangement structure for a vehicle in which a battery pack is arranged in a center tunnel portion formed in the vehicle front-rear direction at the center in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel. The pack is divided into a front battery pack and a rear battery pack in two in the vehicle front-rear direction to form a space between the two, and a cooling path for independently cooling the batteries of the front battery pack and the rear battery pack pack is provided. It is characterized by that.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, an exhaust duct extending from the space to the rear of the vehicle is provided, a cooling fan is provided in the vicinity of an end of the exhaust duct, and the air is sucked by the cooling fan. The cooling air passing through the front battery pack and the rear battery pack is discharged from the space to the atmosphere through the exhaust duct.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a cooling duct extending from the air conditioner mounted on the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle is connected to the space, and the space is passed from the air conditioner through the cooling duct. 2. The battery cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein cold air introduced into the vehicle is passed through the front battery pack and the rear battery pack to cool them.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, a fuel tank and a high-voltage device are disposed on the left and right sides of the battery pack below the rear seat.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the high-voltage device is incorporated in the battery pack, and fuel tanks are disposed on the left and right of the battery below the rear seat. It is characterized by that.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the battery pack is divided into the front battery pack and the rear battery pack in the vehicle front-rear direction to form a space therebetween, and the front battery pack and the rear battery pack are independent of each other. As a result, the battery cooling performance gradually declines toward the rear of the vehicle, unlike the method of sequentially cooling the battery pack long in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the front with the cooling air. The batteries in the short front battery pack and the rear battery pack divided into two in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be efficiently cooled by cooling air having a low temperature, while ensuring a sufficient battery capacity for the battery. The battery can be efficiently cooled to prevent deterioration of its performance and life.

  In addition, since the battery pack is disposed in the center tunnel portion that is highly safe with respect to all directions at the time of a collision, a dedicated reinforcing structure for protecting the battery pack is not required, and weight reduction and cost reduction can be achieved. In addition, the battery pack can be arranged without affecting the posture of the occupant and the luggage space.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the exhaust fan is provided in the vicinity of the end portion of the exhaust duct that extends from the space between the front battery pack and the rear battery pack divided in two to the rear of the vehicle, and is sucked by the cooling fan. The cooling air passing through the front battery pack and the rear battery pack is discharged from the space through the exhaust duct into the atmosphere, so that the front battery pack and the rear battery having a short length divided into two in the vehicle longitudinal direction are separated. The batteries in the pack can be efficiently cooled by the cooling air having a low temperature, and the battery can be efficiently cooled while preventing a decrease in performance and life while securing a sufficient battery capacity.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cool air introduced from the air conditioner through the cooling duct into the space between the front battery and the rear battery divided into two is passed through the front battery and the rear battery to cool them. Therefore, the front battery and the rear battery, which are divided into two in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, can be efficiently cooled by the cool air having a low temperature, and the battery has sufficient battery capacity while ensuring sufficient battery capacity. Can be efficiently cooled to prevent degradation of its performance and life.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, for example, in a hybrid vehicle, the fuel tank and the high-voltage device can be rationally arranged on the left and right sides of the battery pack below the rear seat.

  According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in the hybrid vehicle using the electric motor and the engine as drive sources, the high voltage device is incorporated in the battery pack and the fuel tanks are disposed on the left and right of the battery pack below the rear seat. The capacity of the fuel tank can be doubled to extend the subsequent distance of the vehicle.

1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle including a battery cooling structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a partial top view which shows the arrangement | positioning and cooling structure of a battery of a vehicle provided with the battery cooling structure which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the battery cooling structure which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a partial top view of the vehicle which shows the modification of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic side view of a vehicle provided with the battery cooling structure which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. (A) is a figure explaining the cooling performance of a short battery pack, (b) is a figure explaining the cooling performance of a long battery pack.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle including a battery cooling structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing the arrangement and cooling structure of the battery of the vehicle, and FIG. FIG.
A vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a hybrid vehicle (HEV) having an electric motor and a gasoline engine as drive sources, and a front seat 4 is provided in front of and behind the vehicle on a floor panel 3 constituting the bottom of the passenger compartment 2. The rear sheet 5 is disposed at an appropriate interval.

  In addition, a battery pack 7 that is long in the vehicle front-rear direction extends from the front seat foot to the rear seat 5 in the center tunnel portion 6 (see FIG. 2) formed in the vehicle front-rear direction at the center in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel 3. Electric power is supplied from the battery pack 7 to an electric motor (not shown), and the electric motor is rotationally driven. As the battery 7, a secondary battery such as a nickel cadmium battery (Ni-Cd battery) or a nickel metal hydride battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged is used.

  Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the battery pack 7 is divided into a front battery pack 7A and a rear battery pack 7B in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a space S is formed between them. The front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B are independently cooled.

  That is, the exhaust duct 8 extends rearward from the space S formed between the front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a cooling fan is provided near the rear end of the exhaust duct 8. 9 is provided.

  By the way, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel tank 10 and the high voltage device 11 are distributed to the left and right of the battery pack 7 at the rear of the vehicle 1 (below the rear seat 5). It is arranged.

  Thus, although the battery generates heat during charging / discharging, in this embodiment, the cooling fan 9 is driven during charging / discharging of the battery, and as shown by the arrows in FIGS. Indoor air (cooling air) is sucked from the front of the front battery pack 7A and the rear of the rear battery pack 7B and passes through the front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B, and in the process, The batteries in the rear battery pack 7B are individually cooled. And the cooling wind which cooled these front battery pack 7A and rear battery pack 7B infield battery, and the temperature became high was formed between front battery pack 7A and rear battery 7 pack B in the vehicle front-back direction. The air is discharged from the space S through the exhaust duct 8 into the atmosphere.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the battery pack 7 is divided into the front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B in the vehicle front-rear direction to form the space S therebetween, and the front battery pack 7A Since the rear battery packs 7B are independently cooled, the battery cooling performance gradually decreases toward the rear of the vehicle as in the system in which the battery packs 7 that are long in the vehicle front-rear direction are sequentially cooled from the front by cooling air. (See FIG. 6B), the front battery 7A and the rear battery 7B having a short length divided into two in the vehicle front-rear direction are efficiently cooled by cooling air having a low temperature. Thus, while ensuring a sufficient battery capacity for the battery, it is possible to efficiently cool the battery and prevent its performance and life from deteriorating.

  In the present embodiment, since the battery pack 7 is disposed in the center tunnel portion 6 that is highly safe with respect to all directions at the time of a collision, a dedicated reinforcing structure for protecting the battery pack 7 is unnecessary and light weight. The battery pack 7 can be arranged without affecting the occupant's posture and the cargo space.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel tank 10 and the high voltage device 11 are distributed and arranged on the left and right sides of the battery pack 7 at the rear of the vehicle 1 (below the rear seat 5). Therefore, the fuel tank 10 and the high voltage device 11 can be rationally arranged.

  If the high voltage device 11 is incorporated in the battery pack 7 and two fuel tanks 10 are arranged on the left and right of the battery pack 7 below the rear seat 5 as shown in FIG. In a vehicle (hybrid vehicle) 1 that uses an engine as a drive source, the capacity of the fuel tank 10 can be doubled and the subsequent distance of the vehicle 1 can be extended.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a vehicle provided with a battery cooling structure according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the same elements as those shown in FIG. The re-explanation about them is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, a cooling duct 13 extending rearward from the air conditioner 12 mounted on the front portion of the vehicle 1 is connected to the space S between the front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B, as shown by the arrows in the figure. By flowing the cool air introduced from the air conditioner 12 to the space S through the cooling duct 13 from the space S to the front battery pack 7A toward the front of the vehicle, and by flowing toward the rear battery pack 7B toward the rear of the vehicle, The front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B are individually cooled.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the cold air introduced from the air conditioner 12 through the cooling duct 13 into the space S between the front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B divided into two in the vehicle front-rear direction. These are passed through the front battery pack 7A and the rear battery pack 7B, respectively, so that the front battery 7A and the rear battery pack 7B having a short length can be efficiently cooled by cool air having a low temperature, While securing a sufficient battery capacity for the battery, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained in that the battery can be efficiently cooled to prevent a decrease in performance and life.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, since the battery pack 7 is arranged in the center tunnel portion 6 that is highly safe in all directions at the time of a collision, the battery pack 7 is protected. This eliminates the need for a dedicated reinforcing structure, thereby reducing the weight and cost and providing the effect that the battery pack 7 can be disposed without affecting the posture of the passenger and the space in the luggage compartment.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described with respect to a battery cooling structure mounted on a hybrid vehicle (HEV). However, the present invention is an electric vehicle using only an electric motor as a drive source. Of course, the present invention can be similarly applied to the cooling structure of the battery mounted on (EV).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car compartment 3 Floor panel 4 Front seat 5 Rear seat 6 Floor tunnel part 7 Battery pack 7A Front battery pack 7B Rear battery pack 8 Exhaust duct 9 Cooling fan 10 Fuel tank 11 High voltage apparatus 12 Air conditioner 13 Cooling duct S Space between front battery and rear battery

Claims (5)

In a battery cooling structure for a vehicle, in which a battery pack is arranged in a center tunnel portion formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction at the center of the vehicle width direction of the floor panel,
The battery pack is divided into a front battery pack and a rear battery pack in two in the vehicle front-rear direction to form a space therebetween, and cooling paths for independently cooling the batteries in the front battery pack and the rear battery pack are provided. A battery cooling structure for a vehicle, comprising:   An exhaust duct extending from the space to the rear of the vehicle is provided, a cooling fan is provided in the vicinity of the end of the exhaust duct, and the cooling air sucked by the cooling fan and passed through the front battery pack and the rear battery pack, respectively. The battery cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is discharged from the space to the atmosphere via the exhaust duct.   A cooling duct extending from the air conditioner mounted on the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle is connected to the space, and the cool air introduced from the air conditioner into the space through the cooling duct is transferred to the front battery pack and the rear battery pack. The vehicle battery cooling structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the battery cooling structure is configured to cool these through the vehicle.   The battery cooling structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a fuel tank and a high-voltage device are disposed on the left and right sides of the battery pack below the rear seat. The battery cooling structure for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a high-voltage device is incorporated in the battery pack and fuel tanks are disposed on the left and right of the battery pack below the rear seat. .

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