JP6720843B2 - Battery heater system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery heater system including a battery heater that heats a battery mounted on a vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle that is used in a very low temperature region, when the battery mounted in the vehicle becomes extremely low temperature (for example, -30° C.), the electrolytic solution in the battery may freeze, so that the vehicle is started. Sometimes you can't. Therefore, a battery heater may be provided in order to heat and raise the temperature of the battery so that the battery can be discharged (see Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2012-221776 A

When operating the battery heater to raise the temperature of the battery that has become extremely cold, it is not possible to supply power from the battery of the vehicle, so it is necessary to supply the battery with the power supplied from an external power source to operate it. .. In that case, a power cable for supplying power to the battery heater needs to be routed to the vehicle, and a connection cable for connecting this power cable to an external power source must be mounted. However, it is not easy to newly secure a mounting space for a power cable for a battery heater, a connection cable, and the like in a vehicle, and if the design of the vehicle body is changed for that reason, the cost will increase significantly.

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery heater system that can install a battery heater that operates with external power at a relatively low cost by using existing equipment.

A battery heater system according to the present invention is installed in an outer surface of a case for accommodating a battery mounted under a rear seat of a vehicle, and a battery heater arranged to supply electric power to the battery heater. A power cable; and an external connection cable electrically connected to the power cable via a connector installed in a front portion of the vehicle and connected to an external power source, wherein the external connection cable is a front of the vehicle . Shared with an external connection cable that supplies power from the external power source to an engine block heater that heats the engine mounted in the engine compartment of the part, and in the power cable, between the connector and the battery heater. The AC/DC converter installed below the front seat in the vehicle compartment is connected to the vehicle .

According to the battery heater system of the present invention, the external connection cable for supplying external power to the battery heater is shared with the connection cable for the engine block heater mounted on the vehicle. It can be installed relatively inexpensively.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the hybrid vehicle carrying the battery heater system which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line in FIG. It is a figure which shows the fixed state of the AC/DC converter contained in a battery heater system. It is a figure which shows the installation position of the AC/DC converter shown in FIG.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this description, specific shapes, materials, numerical values, directions, etc. are examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and can be appropriately changed according to applications, purposes, specifications and the like. Further, when a plurality of embodiments and modifications are included in the following, it is assumed from the beginning that the characteristic portions are appropriately combined and used.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hybrid vehicle 10 equipped with a battery heater system 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the front and right sides of the vehicle are indicated by arrows Fr and RH.

A motor vehicle M is mounted on the hybrid vehicle 10. The motor M is driven by the electric power supplied from the vehicle-mounted battery 12 and outputs driving power. In the present embodiment, the motor M is integrally connected to the engine 16 in the engine compartment 14.

Further, the hybrid vehicle 10 has an engine 16 mounted in an engine compartment 14 located at the vehicle front 11. The engine 16 is, for example, an internal combustion engine that uses gasoline or the like as fuel. The engine 16 can output the driving power of the hybrid vehicle 10. The power of the engine 16 may be used exclusively for driving a generator (not shown), and the electric power generated by this generator may be used for the motor driving power and the battery charging power.

The hybrid vehicle 10 may be a plug-in type hybrid vehicle in which the battery 12 is charged via a charging plug.

The engine 16 is provided with an engine block heater 18. The engine block heater 18 is electrically connected to a connector 20 installed in the vehicle front portion 11 via a power cable and a connector. The connector 20 is connected to the vehicle body 13 at an earth point AP. An external connection cable 22 having a plug 22a at its tip is connected to the connector 20. The external connection cable 22 is stored in the engine compartment 14 when not in use.

When the external connection cable 22 is pulled out from the engine compartment 14 and the plug 22a is connected to the external power supply OP while the hybrid vehicle 10 is parked, external power is supplied via the external connection cable 22 and the connector 20 to the engine block heater. 18 are supplied. As a result, the engine block heater 18 operates to heat the engine block of the engine 16. As a result, it is possible to raise the temperature of the engine 16 that is in a state where it cannot be started and operated due to extremely low temperatures, or to maintain it in an operable temperature range.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery 12 is mounted on the rear portion 15 of the vehicle. As a specific example, the battery 12 is arranged below the rear seat RS. As the battery 12, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery is preferably used.

As shown in FIG. 2, the battery 12 is housed and mounted in, for example, a case 17 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The case 17 is preferably formed of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy. This is because it is necessary to ensure the strength so that the internal battery 12 is not damaged when an external force such as a collision load is applied. The case 17 is fixed to the body bottom portion 13a via a bracket or the like (not shown). A cover member 24 is provided on the front side of the case 17 so that the case 17 is not exposed.

A battery heater 32 is installed on the lower surface (outer surface) of the case 17 accommodating the battery 12. The battery heater 32 has a function of heating the battery 12 housed in the case 17 from the outside of the case 17 to raise the temperature. The battery heater 32 is preferably a thin sheet heater. The battery heater 32 may be attached to the lower surface of the case 17 with, for example, a double-sided tape or an adhesive.

In addition, a flexible heat insulating member 34 is provided between the battery heater 32 and the body bottom portion 13a. The heat insulating member 34 may be integrated with the battery heater 32. By providing the heat insulating member 34 with the body bottom portion 13a, the battery heater 32 can efficiently raise the temperature of the battery 12. Further, heat transfer from the battery 12 to the body bottom portion 13a via the case 17 can be suppressed, and the temperature of the battery 12 can be prevented from easily decreasing. Further, since the heat insulating member 34 has flexibility, it can be deformed according to the surface shape of the uneven body bottom portion 13a, and also has an effect of absorbing vibration when the vehicle is running.

After the hybrid vehicle 10 is manufactured, the battery heater 32 and the heat insulating member 34 can be installed after the hybrid vehicle 10 is manufactured, for example, in order to be used in an extremely low temperature area, so that the battery heater 32 and the heat insulating member 34 can be retrofitted, for example, in accordance with a request of a vehicle owner. For example, the rear seat RS is tilted forward of the vehicle to expose the case 17. Then, the battery heater 32 and the heat insulating member 34 can be installed on the lower surface of the case 17 by temporarily removing the case 17 from the vehicle body 13 or lifting the case 17 so as to rotate the case forward.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, one end of an electric power cable 36 located on the vehicle rear side is connected to the battery heater 32. The other end of the power cable 36 is connected to the AC/DC converter 42. The power cable 36 is provided with a fuse 38 and a connector 40.

The power cable 36 is routed along the lower portion of the side of the vehicle. Cables and signal lines for transmitting and receiving electric power and signals from the battery 12 at the rear of the vehicle to the motor M at the front of the vehicle are routed in this wiring space. Therefore, the power cable 36 for supplying power to the battery heater 32 also uses this wiring space, so that it is not necessary to secure a special wiring space. Further, since the upper part of the wiring space is covered with, for example, a resin cover member, the problem that the power cable 36 is stepped on by an occupant does not occur.

The AC/DC converter 42 has a function of converting AC power supplied from the external power supply OP into DC power for the battery heater 32. In the present embodiment, the AC/DC converter 42 is installed inside the vehicle compartment 19.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a fixed state of the AC/DC converter 42 included in the battery heater system 30. Further, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an installation position of the AC/DC converter 42 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the AC/DC converter 42 is installed under the front seat FS in the vehicle interior 19. A surface fastener (for example, Velcro (registered trademark)) 44 is attached to the lower surface of the AC/DC converter 42, and on the floor carpet 46 laid on the body bottom portion 13a using the surface fastener 44. It is fixed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the AC/DC converter 42 is positioned below the front seat FS even when the front seat FS slidable in the vehicle front-rear direction moves to the foremost position shown by the alternate long and short dash line. It is installed to do. As a result, the AC/DC converter 42 is not exposed even when the front seat FS is at the frontmost position, and the AC/DC converter 42 is not damaged by being kicked by the passenger sitting on the rear seat RS.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the AC/DC converter 42 and the connector 20 of the vehicle front portion 11 are connected by a power cable 48 located on the vehicle front side. The power cable 48 is provided with a plurality of connectors and a fuse 50. The electric power cable 48 is routed from the AC/DC converter 42 to the lower portion on the side of the vehicle. The space above the power cable 48 is also covered by the cover member made of resin, for example, so that the problem of being stepped on by an occupant does not occur. The power cable 48 extends through the through hole formed in the dash panel DP into the engine compartment 14, is routed along the peripheral edge of the engine compartment 14, and is connected to the connector 20.

With such a configuration, in the battery heater system 30 of the present embodiment, the external power supplied from the external power source OP to the hybrid vehicle 10 via the external connection cable 22 is supplied to the power cables 48 and 36 and the AC/DC. It can be supplied to the battery heater 32 via the converter 42. That is, in the battery heater system 30 of this embodiment, the external connection cable 22 is shared by the engine block heater 18 and the battery heater 32.

The battery heater 32, the power cables 36 and 48, and the external connection cable 22 described above correspond to the battery heater, the power cable, and the external connection cable of the present invention.

As described above, according to the battery heater system 30 of the present embodiment, the external connection cable for supplying the external power to the battery heater 32 is also used as the external connection cable 22 for the engine block heater 18 mounted on the vehicle. Therefore, the battery heater system 30 can be installed in the vehicle relatively inexpensively. Further, in the present embodiment, the battery heater system 30 and the engine block heater 18 can be operated simultaneously.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the battery heater 32 is installed on the lower surface of the case 17 of the battery 12, and the power cables 36 and 48 are routed using the routing space on the vehicle lower side, and the AC/DC converter 42 is used. Is disposed below the front seat FS in the vehicle compartment 19, so that the hybrid vehicle 10 can be easily retrofitted.

Further, in this embodiment, the battery heater system 30 can be installed without changing the control program of the vehicle, and the retrofitting to the vehicle can be easily performed.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various changes and improvements are possible within the matters described in the claims of the present application and the equivalent scope thereof. Needless to say.

10 hybrid vehicle, 12 battery, 13 vehicle body, 13a body bottom part, 14 engine compartment, 15 vehicle rear part, 16 engine, 17 case, 18 engine block heater, 19 vehicle compartment, 20, 40 connector, 22 external connection cable, 22 external Connection cable, 22a plug, 24 cover member, 30 battery heater system, 32 battery heater, 34 heat insulating member, 36,48 power cable, 38,50 fuse, 42 AC/DC converter, 44 surface fastener, 46 floor carpet, AP ground Points, DP dash panel, FS front seat, M motor, OP external power supply, RS rear seat.

Claims (1)

A battery heater installed on the outer surface of a case for accommodating a vehicle-mounted battery under the rear seat of the vehicle,
A power cable routed to the vehicle for supplying power to the battery heater;
An external connection cable, which is electrically connected to the power cable via a connector installed in a front portion of the vehicle and is connected to an external power source,
The external connection cable is shared with an external connection cable that supplies power from the external power source to an engine block heater that heats an engine mounted in an engine compartment in a front portion of a vehicle ,
In the power cable, an AC/DC converter installed below a front seat in a vehicle compartment is connected between the connector and the battery heater.
Battery heater system.

Images