JP2819927B2 - Battery holder for electric vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery holding device for an electric vehicle, and more particularly to a battery holding device for an electric vehicle having a battery tray for holding a battery at a lower portion of a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, electric vehicles have been put to practical use as pollution-free vehicles free of exhaust gas and noise. Many of these electric vehicles use a DC motor and a battery as power sources, and one example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-146724.
No. in the official gazette.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this electric vehicle, a battery tray 74 is mounted below a seat 72 of a vehicle body 70, and a block-shaped battery 76 is provided on the bottom 74 of the battery tray 74. As shown in FIG. 7, they are mounted vertically and horizontally.

[0004]

However, in these battery holding devices for electric vehicles, since it is generally necessary to make the mounting space for the batteries 76 compact,
The gap 80 in the vehicle length direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 7) and the gap 82 in the vehicle width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 7) are narrow, and
As shown in FIG. 8, the batteries 76 are arranged substantially vertically with the terminal 76A facing upward, and are densely arranged on the bottom 74 of the battery tray 74. Each battery 76 is cooled by natural heat radiation or wind from the front of the vehicle body 70.

Therefore, in the battery holding device of this electric vehicle, the bottom 74 of the battery tray 74 is compared with the cooling performance of the battery 76 provided on the outer periphery on the bottom 74A of the battery tray 74.
A battery 76 provided at a substantially central portion on A has poor cooling performance,
Further, compared to the cooling performance of the battery 76 provided at the front of the battery tray 74, the battery 7 provided at the rear of the battery
Since the cooling performance of the battery 6 is poor, the temperature variation among the batteries is large. Therefore, the instantaneous performance such as the output voltage between the batteries 76 varies, and the life between the batteries 76 also varies. As a result, not only the power performance of the vehicle body cannot be sufficiently obtained, but also the replacement frequency of the entire battery unit increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a battery holding device for an electric vehicle that can uniformly cool a plurality of batteries held in a battery tray.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery holding device for an electric vehicle, wherein the battery is held by a battery tray provided at a lower portion of a vehicle body. The shape of the bottom portion is a corrugated plate formed of a plurality of inclined surfaces that are inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle body to the lower rear side of the vehicle body and are substantially parallel to each other, and a connecting surface that connects the plurality of inclined surfaces to each other. The battery is mounted on the inclined surface along the inclined surface, and a plurality of ventilation holes are provided on the inclined surface and the connection surface.

[0008]

In the battery holding device for an electric vehicle according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the electric vehicle runs or when wind is blowing from the front of the vehicle body, part of the wind flowing into the lower part of the vehicle body is reduced. The battery is cooled through a plurality of ventilation holes formed in the bottom of the battery tray. In this case, since the inclined surface at the bottom of the battery tray is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle body to the lower rear side of the vehicle body, wind from the front side of the vehicle body can easily enter the battery tray through the ventilation holes. Furthermore, since the battery is mounted on the inclined surface in an inclined state along the inclined surface, and a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in both the inclined surface and the connection surface, the ventilation holes provided in the connection surface are provided. The wind that has entered the battery tray from above mainly passes between adjacent batteries in the front-rear direction,
It flows substantially along the direction of inclination of each battery. In addition, the wind that has entered the battery tray from the ventilation holes provided on the inclined surface mainly passes between the adjacent batteries in the left-right direction and flows substantially along the inclined direction of each battery.

Accordingly, the plurality of batteries held at the bottom of the battery tray can be uniformly and efficiently cooled. As a result, there is no variation in temperature between the batteries, whereby the instantaneous performance between the batteries can be made uniform, the life of each battery can be made uniform, and the power performance of the vehicle body can be sufficiently obtained. In addition, the replacement frequency of the entire battery is reduced.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a battery holding device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the drawings, an arrow FR indicates a forward direction of the vehicle body, and an arrow UP indicates an upward direction of the vehicle body.

[0011] As shown in FIG.
A pair of rockers 11 are disposed along the vehicle length direction at the lower portions of both ends in the vehicle width direction of 0, and a battery tray 12 is disposed between the pair of rockers 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the battery tray 12 is a rectangular box whose upper side is opened and whose longitudinal direction is the vehicle length direction, and in which a battery as a power source of an electric vehicle is stored. ing. Side 12A of battery tray 12
A bracket 14 having a horizontal portion 14A extending in the vehicle width direction is fixed to each of the vicinity of the front end portion and the vicinity of the rear end portion.
A circular through hole 16 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 5, a bolt 1 with a washer is inserted into a through hole 16 of a bracket 14 from below the vehicle body 10.
8 has been inserted. Further, a circular through hole 22 is formed in a lower wall portion 20A of the rocker inner panel 20 which forms an inner portion in the vehicle width direction of the rocker 11, and a lower wall portion 20A is formed.
A weld nut 24 is provided coaxially with the through hole 22 on the upper surface of the
Is welded. A bolt 18 with a washer which penetrates through the through hole 16 of the bracket 14 from below is screwed into the weld nut 24, and thereby, the battery tray 12
Are supported by the rocker 11 via the bracket 14.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom 12B of the battery tray 12 is corrugated. That is, a plurality of inclined surfaces 28 which are inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle body (upper left in FIG. 1) to the lower rear side of the vehicle body (lower right in FIG. 1) and are parallel to each other, and a reverse connection which connects these inclined surfaces 28. The surface 30 has a wavy shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the battery 32 has a slope 2
8, a gap 34 having a predetermined width W is provided in the vehicle width direction. Further, a stopper portion 19 protruding upward along the vehicle width direction is formed at a position approximately one third of the width of the inclined surface 28 from the rear end of the inclined surface 28.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the battery 32 is engaged with the stopper 19, the
3 attached to the inclined surface 28, and each battery 3
2 is inclined to the rear side of the vehicle body along the inclined surface 28. The terminals 33 of the batteries 32 are connected to the power cable 2.
9 are connected. A circular through hole 3 is provided at a predetermined interval in the vehicle width direction at a portion of the inclined surface 28 on the rear side of the stopper portion 19.
5 are drilled.

As shown in FIG. 2, a circular ventilation hole 36 is formed at a predetermined interval in the vehicle length direction at a portion of the inclined surface 28 facing the gap 34, and a connection is provided in front of the ventilation hole 36. A circular ventilation hole 38 is also formed in the area of the surface 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front end of the bottom portion 12B of the battery tray 12 is formed as an inclined surface 40 connected to the inclined surface 28 by a connecting surface 30 and parallel to the inclined surface 28. At 40, circular ventilation holes 42 are formed at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the wind (arrow A in FIG. 1) flowing into the battery tray 12 from the ventilation hole 42 of the inclined surface 40 flows obliquely upward along the front surface 32A of the battery 32, and once passes through the ventilation hole 38 to the battery tray. 1
After flowing out of the battery 2, it flows again into the battery tray 12 from the ventilation hole 36 of the inclined surface 28, and flows obliquely upward along the side surface 32 </ b> B of the battery 32. Similarly, the wind (arrow B in FIG. 1) flowing into the battery tray 12 from the through hole 35 at the rear of the inclined surface 28 obliquely extends along the rear surface 32C and the front surface 32A of the battery 32 adjacent in the vehicle length direction. While flowing upward, the battery tray 12
After flowing out, it flows again into the battery tray 12 from the ventilation hole 36 of the inclined surface 28, and flows obliquely upward along the side surface 32 </ b> B of the battery 32.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the battery holding device for an electric vehicle according to the present embodiment, when the electric vehicle is traveling or when wind is blowing from the front of the vehicle body 10, a part of the wind flowing into the lower part of the vehicle body 10 12. Ventilation holes 42 and 35 formed in bottom 12B of 12
And the battery 32 is cooled. In this case, the battery tray 1
Since the inclined surface 28 of the bottom 12B of the second body is inclined from the upper front side of the vehicle body to the lower rear side of the vehicle body, wind from the front of the vehicle body (arrows A and B in FIG. 1) easily passes through the ventilation holes 42 and 35. It can enter the battery tray 12. Further, the batteries 32 are mounted on the inclined surface 28 in a state of being inclined rearward along the inclined surface 28, and a plurality of batteries 32 are provided on both the inclined surface 28 and the connection surface 30 corresponding to the gap between the batteries 32. Ventilation holes 35, 36, 38 are formed.

For this reason, from the ventilation hole 42 of the inclined surface 40,
The wind (arrow A in FIG. 1) flowing into the battery tray 12 is:
After flowing obliquely upward along the front surface 32A of the battery 32 and once flowing out of the battery tray 12 through the ventilation hole 38, it flows again into the battery tray 12 through the ventilation hole 36 of the inclined surface 28, and the side surface of the battery 32 It flows diagonally upward along 32B. Also, from the through hole 35 at the rear of the inclined surface 28,
The wind (arrow B in FIG. 1) flowing into the battery tray 12
Rear surface 32C and front surface 32A of battery 32 adjacent in the vehicle length direction
Flows obliquely upward along with
After flowing out of the battery tray 12 from the battery tray 12, the battery flows into the battery tray 12 again through the ventilation holes 36 of the inclined surface 28, and
It flows obliquely upward along the second side surface 32B.

Therefore, the plurality of batteries 32 held on the bottom 12B of the battery tray 12 can be forcibly cooled uniformly and efficiently. For this reason, there is no variation in temperature between the batteries 32, whereby the instantaneous performance between the batteries 32 can be made uniform, the life of each battery 32 can be made uniform, and the power performance of the vehicle body can be sufficiently improved. And the frequency of replacement of the entire battery is reduced.

In this embodiment, since the bottom portion 12B of the battery tray 12 is corrugated, the strength of the battery tray 12 is improved as compared with the case where the bottom portion has a flat plate structure, and there is no need to provide a special reinforcing member. Therefore, the weight of the battery tray 12 can be reduced. Further, in the present embodiment, since the batteries 32 are inclined, the distance L between the front and rear adjacent batteries 32 (see FIG. 1) is smaller than the case where the batteries 32 are vertically arranged in the same plane in a plan view. Can be widely used to improve cooling performance. Further, in this embodiment, when an impact load acts on the vehicle body 10 from the front, the corrugated plate-shaped bent portion P (see FIG. 1) of the bottom portion 12B of the battery tray 12 becomes a starting point of deformation, and the battery tray 12
The battery tray 12 can be used as an energy absorber against an impact load from the front since the battery tray 12 is compressed and deformed in the front-rear direction.

By increasing the number or opening area of each through-hole provided in the bottom portion 12B of the battery tray 12 gradually from the front to the rear of the battery tray 12,
The cooling performance of the battery 32 can be made more uniform.

[0024]

In the battery holding device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention, the shape of the bottom of the battery tray is inclined from the upper part on the front side of the vehicle body to the lower part on the rear side of the vehicle body so as to be substantially parallel to each other. The inclined surface was formed into a corrugated plate composed of a connecting surface that connects to each other. The battery was mounted on the inclined surface in an inclined state along the inclined surface, and a plurality of ventilation holes were provided on the inclined surface and the connecting surface. Therefore, there is an excellent effect that the plurality of batteries held at the bottom of the battery tray can be cooled uniformly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a part of the battery holding device of the electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a battery tray of the battery holding device of the electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from obliquely front upper side.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body to which the battery holding device of the electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, as viewed from the lower rear side of the vehicle diagonally;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a vehicle body to which a battery holding device for an electric vehicle according to a conventional example is applied.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a battery holding device for an electric vehicle according to a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a battery holding device of an electric vehicle according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Body 12 Battery tray 12B Bottom part 28 Inclined surface 30 Connecting surface 32 Battery 34 Gap 35 Through hole 36 Ventilation hole 38 Ventilation hole 42 Ventilation hole

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A battery holding device for an electric vehicle which holds a battery with a battery tray provided at a lower portion of a vehicle body, wherein a shape of a bottom portion of the battery tray is inclined from a front upper side of the vehicle body to a rear lower side of the vehicle body so as to be substantially parallel to each other. A plurality of inclined surfaces and a connecting surface for connecting the plurality of inclined surfaces to each other, and a battery is mounted on the inclined surfaces in an inclined state along the inclined surfaces, and the inclined surfaces and A battery holding device for an electric vehicle, wherein a plurality of ventilation holes are provided on a connection surface.