JP2018187976A - Electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric vehicle that can improve safety on the side collision and maintainability while contributing to reduction in vehicle weight.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle can travel with power that is output from a motor. In the electric vehicle, a holding part 8 for holding a power supply part 7 for supplying power to the motor is provided between a cab bridge 11 and a reinforcement cross member 6a as well as between a pair of side rails 5. Thus, the electric vehicle can improve safety on the side collision and maintainability while contributing to reduction in vehicle weight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric vehicle including an electric motor that can be driven by electric power as a driving power source.

  From the viewpoint of reducing environmental load, electric vehicles such as hybrid vehicles (HEV) using an engine and an electric motor as a driving power source and electric vehicles (EV) using only an electric motor as a driving power source are widely used. The popularization of electric vehicles has been mainly passenger cars, but in recent years, the development of commercial vehicles such as trucks has also progressed.

  In commercial vehicles such as trucks, a frame structure is adopted for the vehicle body. This type of frame structure is typically a ladder frame structure including, for example, a pair of side frames extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and a plurality of cross members connecting the pair of side frames. Patent Document 1 discloses a layout in which an electric power supply device (including a battery) for supplying electric power to an electric motor is arranged outside a pair of side frames in an electric vehicle having such a frame structure.

JP 2004-142593 A

  In a commercial vehicle such as a truck, when the power supply device is arranged outside the pair of side frames as in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent the battery module from being damaged at the time of a left or right turn or a side collision of the vehicle, The strength of the battery holding unit is strengthened, or a battery protection device for protecting the battery is separately provided in the battery holding unit. Such a battery holding unit and a battery protection device cause a vehicle weight to increase, and there is a concern that the running performance and fuel consumption performance of the vehicle may be reduced.

  In order to eliminate such a concern, it is conceivable to arrange the battery module inside the pair of side rails. However, in such a layout, it becomes difficult to access the battery module during maintenance, and thus the maintainability may be deteriorated.

  At least one embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electric vehicle capable of improving safety and maintainability in a side collision while contributing to vehicle weight reduction. .

(1) In order to solve the above problems, an electric vehicle according to at least one embodiment of the present invention is an electric vehicle that can be driven by power output from the electric motor, and is capable of supplying electric power to the electric motor. A pair of side rails extending along the front-rear direction, a cab disposed on the pair of side rails, a plurality of cross members connecting the pair of side rails to each other, and behind the cab, The electric power between the cab bridge spanned in an arch shape between the pair of side rails and the pair of side rails, and between the cab bridge and the cross member having the highest rigidity among the plurality of cross members. A holding unit that holds the supply unit.

  According to the configuration of (1) above, the power supply unit is held between the cab bridge and the reinforcing cross member among the pair of side rails. Since the cab bridge and the reinforced cross member are highly rigid members, the power supply unit can be well protected during a side collision. Along with this, the strength required for the holding member for holding the battery can be set low, and weight reduction such as simplification or elimination of the reinforcing member can be achieved, which is effective in reducing the vehicle weight. is there.

  In addition, the position where the power supply unit is held (that is, the region between the pair of side rails surrounded by the cab bridge and the reinforcing cross member) is conventionally used in a vehicle including an internal combustion engine as a driving power source. This is a typical position where a transmission provided on the side is arranged. Therefore, it is advantageous in that access during maintenance is good and that changes from the conventional vehicle design are reduced.

(2) In some embodiments, in the configuration of the above (1), the reinforcing cross member is a cross disposed behind the cab bridge and closest to the cab bridge among the plurality of cross members. Is a member.

  According to the configuration of (2) above, since the reinforcing cross member is disposed at the rear of the cab bridge and at the position closest to the cab bridge, the power supply unit is held at a position close to the wheels of the electric vehicle. Therefore, a large ramp angle of the vehicle can be ensured, and the bottom of the vehicle can be prevented from interfering with the road surface when the electric vehicle passes through unevenness such as a step on the road surface.

(3) In some embodiments, in the configuration of the above (1) or (2), the front end portion of the power supply unit is located in front of the cab bridge.

  According to the configuration of (3) above, the front end of the power supply unit held by the holding unit positioned between the cab bridge and the reinforcing cross member is positioned in front of the cab bridge. Therefore, by tilting the cab disposed on the pair of side frames in the vicinity of the cab bridge, it becomes possible to easily access the power supply unit, and good maintainability can be obtained.

(4) In some embodiments, in the configuration of the above (3), a charge / discharge terminal of the power supply unit is provided at the front end.

  According to the configuration of (4) above, the power supply unit is electrically connected to the power supply unit and a peripheral device that cooperates during charging and discharging at the front end portion of the power supply unit positioned in front of the cab bridge. A charge / discharge terminal is provided. As described above, by disposing the charge / discharge terminal at the front end portion that is easily accessible when the cab is tilted, the work of attaching and detaching the electrical wiring to the charge / discharge terminal can be facilitated.

(5) In some embodiments, in the configuration of (3) or (4), a cooling water introduction outlet of the power supply unit is provided at the front end.

  According to the configuration of (5) above, the front end portion of the power supply unit located in front of the cab bridge has a cooling water circuit provided inside the power supply unit to cool the power supply unit. Then, a cooling water introduction outlet for introducing and removing the cooling water is provided. As described above, by disposing the cooling water introduction outlet at the front end portion that is easily accessible when the cab is tilted, it is possible to easily attach and detach the piping to the cooling water introduction outlet.

(6) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (5), the holding unit includes a holding bracket that holds the power supply unit, and the holding bracket is used as the pair of side rails. A connecting bracket connected via a connecting portion, and the connecting portion is disposed below the pair of side rails in the vehicle height direction.

  According to the configuration of (6) above, when attaching and detaching the holding bracket from the lower side of the electric vehicle with the power supply portion held by the holding bracket, the connecting portion is disposed below the side rail in the vehicle height direction. Therefore, access to the connecting portion is facilitated. Further, with such a configuration, maintenance work can be performed in a relatively wide space below each side rail.

(7) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (6), the power supply unit includes a plurality of battery modules mounted along the vehicle height direction.

  According to the configuration of (7) above, it is possible to mount a power supply unit including more batteries using a limited space between the pair of side rails, and effectively extend the cruising distance of the electric vehicle. .

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric vehicle capable of improving safety and maintainability in a side collision while contributing to vehicle weight reduction.

It is the schematic which shows the electric vehicle which concerns on at least 1 embodiment of this invention from the side. It is the schematic which shows the electric power supply part of FIG. 1 transparently from upper direction with a chassis frame. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is an enlarged view which expands and shows the road surface vicinity of FIG. It is a modification of FIG.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in the embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples. Absent.
For example, expressions expressing relative or absolute arrangements such as “in a certain direction”, “along a certain direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “center”, “concentric” or “coaxial” are strictly In addition to such an arrangement, it is also possible to represent a state of relative displacement with an angle or a distance such that tolerance or the same function can be obtained.
In addition, for example, expressions representing shapes such as quadrangular shapes and cylindrical shapes not only represent shapes such as quadrangular shapes and cylindrical shapes in a strict geometric sense, but also within the range where the same effect can be obtained. A shape including a chamfered portion or the like is also expressed.
On the other hand, the expressions “comprising”, “comprising”, “comprising”, “including”, or “having” one constituent element are not exclusive expressions for excluding the existence of the other constituent elements.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an electric vehicle 1 according to at least one embodiment of the present invention from the side. The electric vehicle 1 is a truck vehicle in which a van body (packing box) 3 and a cab 4 are mounted on a chassis frame 2. The chassis frame 2 has a ladder frame structure, and as will be described later, a pair of side rails 5 extending in the front-rear direction and a plurality of cross members 6 that connect the pair of side rails 5 to each other (FIG. 2). For example).

  The electric vehicle 1 includes an electric motor (not shown) as a driving source for traveling, and is equipped with a power supply unit 7 for supplying electric power for driving to the electric motor. The power supply unit 7 includes a high voltage battery in which electrical energy is stored. The high voltage battery is, for example, a lithium ion battery, and is formed as a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells (not shown) are connected to each other. The power supply unit 7 is held on the chassis frame 2 by a holding unit 8.

  The power supply unit 7 supplies electric energy to the electric motor by being controlled based on a control signal from an electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) (not shown). The rotating shaft of the electric motor is connected to the drive wheels via a predetermined power transmission mechanism (not shown), and traveling of the electric vehicle 1 is realized by the power output from the electric motor (the electric vehicle 1 in this embodiment). Is a rear wheel drive type that includes a front wheel 9 and a rear wheel 10, and the rear wheel 10 is driven).

  2 is a schematic view transparently showing the power supply unit 7 of FIG. 1 together with the chassis frame 2 from above, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  The pair of side rails 5 constituting the chassis frame 2 has a U-shaped cross section that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction, and each extends along the front-rear direction. Between the pair of side rails 5, a plurality of cross members 6 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the front-rear direction. Each cross member 6 has both ends connected to inner side surfaces 5a (see FIG. 3) of the pair of side rails 5 to form a ladder frame structure.

  Such a frame structure is designed according to the specifications of the electric vehicle 1. The plurality of cross members 6 include cross members having different rigidity depending on the design contents of the frame structure. In FIG. 2, a second cross member 6a (hereinafter referred to as “reinforced cross member”) 6a from the front is provided. Has the greatest rigidity.

  In the following description, the case where the second cross member of the plurality of cross members 6 has the greatest rigidity is illustrated, but the same applies to the case where the other cross members are the cross members having the greatest rigidity. Technical ideas can be applied. In FIG. 2, the cross member 6 a having the highest rigidity is distinguished by having a wider configuration than the other cross members 6, but the difference in rigidity between the cross members 6 is different in shape. It may be a difference or a material difference.

  The electric vehicle 1 is a cab-over type truck, and a cab bridge 11 for supporting a rear end portion of the cab 4 is provided on the chassis frame 2. The cab bridge 11 is arranged with left and right side bridge members that are fixed to the pair of side rails 5 and extending upward and extending in the vehicle width direction. A center bridge member fixed to the upper end portion of the side bridge member, and the entire front shape is stretched in an arch shape (in other words, the cab bridge 11 has a reverse U-shape or a gate shape). .

  The holding unit 8 that holds the power supply unit 7 is disposed in the installation region 12 defined between the pair of side rails 5 and between the cab bridge 11 and the reinforced cross member 6 a in the chassis frame 2. . Specifically, the installation area 12 is an area behind the cab bridge 11 and ahead of the end of the reinforced cross member 6a on the vehicle rear side. Both the cab bridge 11 and the reinforcing cross member 6a are made of a highly rigid member. Therefore, by providing the holding portion 8 in the installation area 12, it is possible to suitably protect the power supply portion 7 held by the holding portion 8 even when the electric vehicle 1 collides.

  By holding the power supply unit 7 in the installation area 12 in this way, there is no need to separately provide a battery protection device that takes into account a side collision. In addition, since the required strength required for the holding member for holding the battery can be set low, it is possible to achieve weight reduction such as simplification or elimination of the reinforcing member, and as a result, the weight of the electric vehicle 1 is reduced. it can.

  The installation region 12 where the power supply unit 7 is held corresponds to a region where a transmission, which is one of the engine power transmission mechanisms, is arranged in a conventional vehicle including an engine as a driving power source. In the conventional vehicle, the frame design is made to cope with such a layout of the power transmission mechanism. In this embodiment, by providing the holding portion in the installation area 12 where the transmission is arranged in the conventional vehicle, the design change can be reduced from the frame structure of the conventional vehicle, and the development cost can be suppressed.

  Further, in the conventional vehicle frame structure, access to the transmission at the time of maintenance is considered, and thus the holding portion 8 is provided at the time of maintenance by providing the holding portion in the installation region 12 where the transmission is arranged in the conventional vehicle. For example, it is possible to secure maintenance such as loading and unloading such as replacement of the power supply unit 7.

  In the conventional vehicle, the center of gravity of the vehicle body is located in the vicinity of the transmission, but the electric power supply unit 7 including the high-voltage battery, which is a heavy object, is also held in the installation region 12 in the electric vehicle 1 of the present embodiment. Therefore, the change from the conventional vehicle can be suppressed also from the viewpoint of the weight balance of the entire vehicle body, which is effective in reducing development costs.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the holding unit 8 includes a holding bracket 13 that holds the power supply unit 7, and a connecting bracket 15 that connects the holding bracket 13 to each side rail 5 via a connecting unit 14.

  As a whole, the holding bracket 13 can support the power supply unit 7 while preventing the power supply unit 7 from dropping off, and has rigidity and strength capable of withstanding an impact caused by vibration during traveling of the electric vehicle 1. . Specifically, the holding bracket 13 is composed of metal members such as an upper side bracket 16, a lower side bracket 17, a connecting frame 18, and a lower cover 19, and is formed by joining them by welding or bolt fastening. .

  The power supply unit 7 includes an upper battery 7A and a lower battery 7B, which are a plurality of battery modules mounted along the vehicle height direction. The upper battery 7A and the lower battery 7B are connected to each other by an electrical wiring (not shown), and are configured to be electrically connected to an external charge / discharge target.

  The upper side bracket 16 is composed of, for example, two side panels 16a extending in the front-rear direction, and the side panels 7A1 facing the vehicle width direction of the upper battery 7A included in the power supply unit 7 are formed by the side panels 16a. The upper battery 7A is supported by being sandwiched. Specifically, the upper side bracket 16 supports the upper battery 7A above the connecting portion 14 in the vehicle height direction.

  The lower side bracket 17 is composed of two side panels 17a extending in the front-rear direction. Both side surfaces 7B1 of the lower battery 7B included in the power supply unit 7 are opposed to each other in the vehicle width direction by the side panels 17a. The lower battery 7B is supported by being sandwiched. Specifically, the lower side bracket 17 supports the lower battery 7B below the connecting portion 14 in the vehicle height direction.

  The connecting frame 18 is composed of two horizontal frames 18a extending in the vehicle width direction (only one horizontal frame 18a is shown in FIG. 3), and each side frame described above is disposed on the upper surface of each horizontal frame 18a. The panel 16a is erected in the vehicle height direction, and each side panel 17a described above is erected in the vehicle height direction on the lower surface of each horizontal frame 18a. Engaging portions 20 that are engaged with the connecting portions 14 described above are formed at both ends of each horizontal frame 18a in the vehicle width direction.

  For the engagement and disengagement of the engagement portion 20 with respect to the connection portion 14, various structures that enable the connection and release of the holding bracket 13 with respect to the connection bracket 15 are assumed. The lower cover 19 is a protective plate that covers the lower surface of the lower battery 7B. On the other hand, the connection bracket 15 includes two inner frames 15a in which the above-described connection portions 14 are respectively formed, and two outer frames 15b coupled to outer ends in the vehicle width direction of the inner frames 15a. . The outer end of each outer frame 15 b is coupled to the inner surface 5 a of the side rail 5.

  In this way, the holding portion 8 is configured to support the power supply portion 7 held by the holding bracket 13 with the side rail 5 via the connection bracket 15. Then, the holding bracket 13 is connected and disconnected at the connecting portion 14 of the connecting bracket 15, whereby the upper battery 7 </ b> A and the lower battery 7 </ b> B that are stacked in two stages are held in the holding bracket 13. The holding bracket 13 is detachable from the lower side. Thus, the space between the pair of side rails 5 can be used to mount the power supply unit 7 including the upper battery 7A and the lower battery 7B, which are a plurality of battery modules, and the cruising distance of the electric vehicle 1 can be effectively reduced. Can be extended to

  Here, each connecting portion 14 of the connecting bracket 15 is disposed below each side rail 5 in the vehicle height direction. Thereby, since the connection part 14 is arrange | positioned below each side rail 5 in a vehicle height direction, the access to the connection part 14 becomes easy. Further, when the electric power supply unit 7 is held by the holding bracket 13 and attached to and detached from the lower side of the electric vehicle 1 together with the holding bracket 13, that is, the engaging portion 20 is engaged with and released from the connecting portion 14. When performing, the work can be performed in a relatively wide space below each chassis frame 2.

Therefore, compared with the case where the work is performed by accessing from the upper side of the chassis frame 2 on which the bodywork such as the van body 3 and the cab 4 is arranged, or when the work is performed in a narrow space between the side rails 5. Maintainability such as replacement of the supply unit 7 can be greatly improved.
In the holding unit 8 according to the present embodiment, the holding bracket 13 is detachable from the lower side of the electric vehicle 1 in a state where the power supply unit 7 is held by the holding bracket 13. Can be used to mount a large-capacity power supply unit and extend the cruising range.

  Here, the reinforcing cross member 6 a is a cross member disposed behind the cab bridge 11 and closest to the cab bridge 11 among the plurality of cross members 6. Therefore, the power supply unit 7 held by the holding unit 8 arranged in the installation area 12 is located near the front wheel 9 of the electric vehicle 1.

4 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the road surface in FIG. In the electric vehicle 1, the power supply unit 7 is held by the holding unit 8 arranged in the installation area 12. Here, a line segment PQ passing through the point P on the bottom (lower cover 19) of the power supply unit 7 and the grounding point Q of the front wheel 9, and a point P on the bottom of the power supply unit 7 and the grounding point of the rear wheel 10. A ramp angle θ is defined as an angle formed by a line segment PR passing through R.
Incidentally, the point P or the point P ′ is appropriately determined at the lowest point of the mounted parts between the foil bases.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the holding unit 8 that holds the power supply unit 7 is disposed in the installation region 12 near the front wheel 9 of the electric vehicle 1. Therefore, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 4, the lamp angle θ can be ensured larger than that in the case where the holding portion 8 is disposed on the rear side of the installation region 12 (that is, θ> θ ′). Therefore, when the electric vehicle 1 passes through unevenness such as a step on the road surface, the power supply unit 7 is less likely to interfere with the road surface, and good traveling performance is obtained.

FIG. 5 is a modification of FIG. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the entire power supply unit 7 held by the holding unit 8 is accommodated in the installation region 12. In this modification, the front end of the power supply unit 7 held by the holding unit 8 is used. The difference is that the portion 21 is located in front of the cab bridge 11.
In the following description, components corresponding to the above-described embodiment will be denoted by common reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate.

  The bodywork of the chassis frame 2 mounted below the cab 4 can be accessed by tilting the cab 4 forward during maintenance. The front end 21 of the power supply unit 7 disposed between the pair of side rails 5 is disposed so as to reach the front of the cab bridge 11, so that the cab 4 is tilted with respect to the front end 21. Can be easily accessed.

  In FIG. 5, the front end portion 21 of the power supply unit 7 is electrically connected to the high voltage batteries (the upper battery 7 </ b> A and the lower battery 7 </ b> B) included in the power supply unit 7 via an electrical wiring (not shown). Connectable charging terminal 22a and discharging terminal 22b are provided. The charging terminal 22a and the discharging terminal 22b are connected to a power supply source (an electric motor that performs regenerative power generation, an external charging connector when the electric vehicle 1 is a plug-in hybrid vehicle, etc.) Each of the discharge wirings to the electric motor is configured to be connectable. Therefore, the operator can easily access the front end portion 21 from the outside by tilting the cab 4 during maintenance, and smoothly perform the work of detaching the charging wiring and the power feeding wiring to the charging terminal 22a and the discharging terminal 22b. be able to.

  The front end 21 of the power supply unit 7 is provided with a cooling water inlet 25a and a cooling water discharge port 25b through which cooling water can be introduced into and discharged from a cooling water circuit provided inside the power supply unit 7. Yes. The cooling water introduction port 25a and the cooling water discharge port 25b are typically connected to a cooling water circuit (not shown) including a radiator installed in front of the power supply unit 7 via a cooling water pipe (not shown). It is configured to be possible. Therefore, during maintenance, the operator can tilt the cab 4 to access the front end portion 21 from the outside, and smoothly perform the work of detaching the cooling water pipes from the cooling water inlet 25a and the cooling water outlet 25b.

  As described above, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the holding unit 8 that holds the power supply unit 7 is provided between the pair of side rails 5 and between the cab bridge 11 and the reinforcing cross member 6a. Thus, it is possible to provide an electric vehicle capable of improving safety and maintainability at the time of a side collision while contributing to a reduction in vehicle weight.

  The present invention is applicable to an electric vehicle including an electric motor that can be driven by electric power as a driving power source.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric vehicle 2 Chassis frame 3 Body 4 Cab 5 Side rail 6 Cross member 6a Reinforcement cross member 7 Electric power supply part 8 Holding part 9 Front wheel 10 Rear wheel 11 Cab bridge 12 Installation area 13 Holding bracket 14 Connecting part 15 Connecting bracket 16 Upper side Bracket 17 Lower side bracket 18 Connecting frame 19 Lower cover 20 Engaging portion 21 Front end 22a Charging terminal 22b Discharging terminal 25a Cooling water inlet 25b Cooling water outlet

Claims (7)

An electric vehicle capable of traveling with power output from an electric motor,
A power supply unit capable of supplying power to the motor;
A pair of side rails extending along the front-rear direction;
A cab disposed on the pair of side rails;
A plurality of cross members connecting the pair of side rails to each other;
A cab bridge that is arched around the pair of side rails behind the cab,
A holding part that holds the power supply part between the pair of side rails and between the cab bridge and the reinforced cross member having the highest rigidity among the plurality of cross members;
Including electric vehicles.   2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reinforced cross member is a cross member disposed at a position behind the cab bridge and closest to the cab bridge among the plurality of cross members.   The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a front end portion of the power supply unit is located in front of the cab bridge.   The electric vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a charge / discharge terminal of the power supply unit is provided at the front end portion.   The electric vehicle according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a cooling water introduction outlet of the power supply unit is provided at the front end portion. The holding part includes a holding bracket for holding the power supply part, and a connecting bracket for connecting the holding bracket to the pair of side rails via a connecting part,
The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connecting portion is disposed below the pair of side rails in a vehicle height direction. The electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the power supply unit includes a plurality of battery modules mounted along a vehicle height direction.

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