JPH08310256A - Battery frame structure for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a battery frame having a cooling air introducing structure without infiltrating a splash further with a duct layout simplified. CONSTITUTION: A suction port 12 and an exhaust port 13 are provided in a rear end part of a battery frame 1, to right/left partition inside the battery frame 1 into a forward path 15 and a return path 16 by a partitioning wall 14, also to provide a communication path space 17 in a front side part, and a turn flow passage 18 of the outside air is formed. From the suction port 12 in the rear end part where no direct hit of a splash is generated, the outside air is taken in to make a turn flow in the battery frame 1, to be discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 13. In this way, infiltrating a splash is avoided, and a battery B can be well cooled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery frame structure for an electric vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electric vehicle, an on-vehicle battery occupies a considerable weight and a mounting space. Therefore, conventionally, a dedicated rigid battery frame is arranged on the lower side of a vehicle body floor, and the battery frame is mounted on the battery frame. A plurality of batteries are mounted and the batteries are hermetically stored between the vehicle body floor and the battery frame.

In this way, when a plurality of batteries are hermetically stored between the battery frame and the vehicle body floor, the batteries generate heat and the battery function deteriorates. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 193376 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-1973, cooling air is introduced from the front of the battery frame and discharged from the rear of the battery frame to cool the battery.

[0004]

Since the cooling air is taken in from the front side of the battery frame which is most susceptible to splash during traveling, the seal structure for avoiding splash intrusion into the battery frame is complicated. It is undeniable that the number of parts will increase and the cost will be disadvantageous.

Further, when the suction duct is extended to the inside of the motor room in order to surely avoid the splash intrusion into the battery frame, the duct layout and the passenger compartment are ensured in order to secure the cross-sectional area of the suction duct. The effect on the space will be increased.

Therefore, the present invention provides a battery frame structure for an electric vehicle, which has a simple structure and can introduce cooling air without intrusion of splash into the battery frame.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an intake port is provided at a rear end portion of a battery frame which is hermetically accommodated in a plurality of batteries and is fastened and fixed to a floor frame member on a lower surface of a vehicle body floor. An exhaust port is provided, and the inside of the battery frame is divided into a forward path connected to the intake port and a return path connected to the exhaust port by a partition wall, and a communication path space between the forward path and the return path is provided on the front side of the battery frame. Is provided to form a turn flow passage for the outside air, and an outside air introduction fan is provided at least at one of the intake port and the exhaust port.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the outward cross-sectional area of the turn flow passage according to the first aspect is set to be larger than the backward cross-sectional area.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that turn guide inclined portions are provided at corners on both left and right sides of the communication passage space of the turn flow passage according to the first and second aspects.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the intake port according to any one of the first to third aspects is communicated with the closed cross section of one side member that constitutes the skeletal member in the front-rear direction on both sides of the lower surface of the vehicle body floor, and the exhaust port is provided. Is connected to the closed cross section of the side member on the other side.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the communication connection portion between the intake port and the exhaust port according to the fourth aspect and the side member is formed by vertically offsetting the side member at the kick-up portion. It is characterized by being set in the high ground clearance area.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cooling air flows from the intake port at the rear end of the battery frame into the outward path of the turn flow path to cool the battery in the outward path, and then in the communication path space at the front side of the battery frame. After being deflected and flowing into the return path, the battery in the return path is cooled, and then discharged from the battery frame through the exhaust port adjacent to the intake port.

As described above, since the cooling air is taken in from the intake port at the rear end of the battery frame, which is less likely to be directly hit by the splash when traveling, the sealing structure for preventing the splash intrusion is simple, and the layout of the intake duct is also designed. It can be done easily.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the outward air flowing in the fresh outside air has a large cross-sectional area, so that the flow velocity of the cooling air is slow, and the returning air passage has a small cross-sectional area. The flow velocity is accelerated on this return path.

As a result, it is possible to eliminate the uneven cooling of the battery in the forward and return paths of the turn flow passage, and to uniformly cool the battery in the battery frame as a whole.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the turn guide inclined portions are provided at the left and right corners of the communication passage space at the front side of the battery frame that connects the forward and return paths of the turn flow passage, the forward and return paths are provided. The cooling air has a smooth turn flow, and the cooling effect can be further improved.

According to the fourth aspect, the closed cross section of the side member can be effectively utilized as an air duct, the duct layout is easy, and the number of parts can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of weight and cost.

According to the fifth aspect, since the intake port and the exhaust port are connected to the portion of the side member having a high ground clearance,
Water that has entered the side member does not enter the battery frame through the intake port and the exhaust port, and it is possible to take thorough waterproofing measures.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a bottomed battery frame on which a plurality of batteries B are mounted. The frame main body 2 includes front and rear frames 3 and 4, left and right frames 5 and 6, and a bottom plate 7, and a frame. The battery cover 8 covers the plurality of batteries B housed in the main body 2.

The battery frame 1 is fastened and fixed to a floor member on the lower surface of the vehicle body floor 9 by a bolt and nut (not shown) via a sealing material, and the battery B is hermetically stored between the battery frame 1 and the vehicle body floor 1. Specifically, the left and right frames 5 and 6 are superposed on the lower surfaces of the side members 10 and 10 that form a skeleton member in the front-rear direction of the floor member, and the front and rear frames 3 and 4 are skeletons in the vehicle width direction of the floor member. The cross members 11, 11 constituting the member are superposed on the lower surface and fastened and fixed by bolts and nuts.

An intake port 12 and an exhaust port 13 are provided adjacent to each other on the rear frame 4 of the frame body 2.

Further, the inside of the battery frame 1 is provided with a partition wall 14 and a forward path 15 communicating with the intake port 12 and an exhaust port 1.
A return flow passage 18 for the outside air is formed by dividing the left and right sides of the return passage 16 connected to the third passage 3 and providing a communication passage space 17 between the forward passage 15 and the return passage 16 on the front side.

In this embodiment, an intake fan 19 is provided at the intake port 12 and an exhaust fan 20 is provided at the exhaust port 20.
Is provided so that the outside air is positively introduced into the battery frame 1.

The cross-sectional area of the outward path 15 of the turn flow passage 18 is set to be larger than the cross-sectional area of the return path 16, and the outward path 1
In Fig. 5, the flow velocity of the cooling air is low, and in the return route 16, the flow velocity of the cooling air is high.

Further, turn guide inclined portions 21 and 21 are provided at the left and right corners of the communication passage space 17 so that the turn flow of the cooling air from the outward path 15 to the return path 16 can be smoothly performed.

Both the intake port 12 and the exhaust port 13 are connected to the closed cross sections of the side members 10, 10 via air ducts 22, 22 to effectively utilize the side members 10, 10 as intake ducts or exhaust ducts. Is done.

The rear end openings (not shown) of the side members 10, 10 substantially serve as an intake port and an exhaust port for the outside air for cooling, but these rear end openings are hidden by a rear bumper (not shown). Therefore, there is no problem in appearance.

Further, in particular, the communication connecting portions between the air ducts 22 and 22 and the side members 10 and 10 are such that the side members 10 and 10 are kick-up portions 10a along the connecting portions of the front floor 9a and the rear floor 9b. 10a
A portion having a high ground clearance formed by offsetting in the vertical direction with the boundary as the boundary, for example, a ground clearance of approximately 450 mm as in the rear portions of the side members 10 and 10 does not flood even when a 300 mm submerged road running test is performed. Kick-up unit 10a,
It is set on the upper side of 10a.

According to the structure of the above embodiment, the intake fan 1
By driving 9 and the exhaust fan 20, the fresh outside air sucked from the rear end opening of the one side member 10 passes through the side member 10 and the air duct 22 from the intake port 12 to the inside of the battery frame 1. It flows into the outward path 15 of the turn flow path 18.

Since the outward passage 15 has a larger cross-sectional area than the return passage 16, the flow velocity of the cooling air is relatively slow.
Battery B in 5 is cooled sufficiently.

The cooling air flowing in the outward path 15 is deflected in the communication path space 17 on the front side of the battery frame 1 as shown by the arrow in FIG.

At this time, since turn guide inclined portions 21 and 21 are provided at the left and right corners of the communication passage space 17,
The turn flow of the cooling air from the outward path 15 to the return path 16 is smoothly performed, and the cooling air does not stay in the communication passage space 17.

The cooling air flowing into the return path 16 has already been heated in the outward path 15 by receiving heat from the battery B in the outward path 15, but since the cross-sectional area of the return path 16 is smaller than the sectional area of the outward path 15, the cooling air is cooled. Has a high flow velocity, positively cools the battery B in the return path 16, and is discharged to the outside from the rear end opening of the side member 10 via the air duct 22 and the side member 10 on the other side from the exhaust port 13. It

In this way, the outward path 1 through which fresh outside air flows
5, the flow velocity is slow, and the flow velocity is increased in the return route 16 through which the cooling air whose temperature has risen due to heat reception flows. Therefore, uneven cooling of the battery B can be eliminated in the forward route 15 and the return route 16 of the turn flow passage 18, The battery B in the battery frame 1 can be cooled uniformly throughout.

The cooling air is not easily hit by the splash while the vehicle is running.
Since it is taken in through the intake port 12 provided in the above, the sealing structure for preventing splash intrusion becomes simple, and the layout of the intake duct, that is, the air duct 22 in this embodiment can be easily performed.

In particular, in this embodiment, the air duct 2
2, 22 are connected to the closed cross sections of the side members 10, 10 on both sides, and these side members 10, 10 are effectively used as air ducts for intake and exhaust, and each side is hidden by a rear bumper (not shown). Since the outside air is taken in and discharged from the rear end openings of the members 10 and 10, the duct layout becomes easier, and the number of parts can be reduced, which is very advantageous in terms of weight and cost. Becomes

The air ducts 22 and 22 are provided on the kick-up portion 10 of the side members 10 and 10 having a high ground clearance.
Since it is connected to the upper side of a, 10a, the intake port 1
2 and the exhaust port 13 can be prevented from being flooded between the spot welding points of the side members 10 and 10 and the vehicle body floor 9 and the lower surface of the side members 10 and 10 for positioning the frame body 2 for attachment. Water that flows into the side members 10 and 10 through the locate holes is taken into the intake port 12.
Also, it is possible to prevent the gas from flowing into the exhaust port 13, and it is possible to thoroughly implement waterproofing measures.

Further, as described above, since the communication passage space 17 of the turn flow passage 18 is provided in the front side portion of the battery frame 1 and the battery B is arranged apart from the front frame 3, the vehicle It is also possible to prevent the damage from spreading to the battery B even if the front frame 3 is damaged to some extent during a frontal collision.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cooling air is taken in through the intake port at the rear end of the battery frame which is less likely to be directly hit by the splash during traveling, and is used as the outward path of the turn flow passage defined by the partition wall in the battery frame. In order to circulate to the return path and discharge it to the outside from the exhaust port adjacent to the intake port,
Since the seal structure for preventing splash intrusion is simple and the layout of the suction duct can be easily performed, a significant cost reduction can be realized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the outward flow path of the fresh flow air of the turn flow path is increased to slow down the flow velocity, and the return air flow path through which the cooling air which has been heated by the battery and whose temperature has risen flows. Since the area is reduced and the flow velocity is increased, it is possible to eliminate the uneven cooling of the battery in the forward path and the return path, and to uniformly cool the battery in the battery frame as a whole.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the turn guide inclined portions provided at both corners of the communication passage space of the turn flow passage can smoothly perform the turn flow of the cooling air from the outward path to the return path. The battery cooling effect can be further improved.

According to the fourth aspect, since the closed cross section of the side member can be effectively used as an air duct, the duct layout is easy and the number of parts can be reduced, so that it can be obtained in terms of weight and cost. .

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the intake port and the exhaust port are connected to the high-height portion of the side member, the water that has entered the side member is introduced into the battery frame through the intake port and the exhaust port. You can take thorough waterproofing measures without invading.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

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

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a side member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Battery Frame 9 Body Floor 10 Side Member (Floor Frame Member) 11 Cross Member (Floor Frame Member) 12 Intake Port 13 Exhaust Port 14 Partition Wall 15 Forward Route 16 Return Route 17 Communication Passage Space 18 Turn Flow Passage 19, 20 Outside Air Introducing Fan 21 Turn guide slope

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An intake port and an exhaust port are provided at a rear end portion of a battery frame that is hermetically housed in a plurality of batteries and is fastened and fixed to a floor frame member on a lower surface of a vehicle body floor, and the inside of the battery frame is partitioned. The wall is divided into a forward path connected to the intake port and a return path connected to the exhaust port to the left and right, and a communication path space for the forward path and the return path is provided in the front side portion of the battery frame to form a turn flow path for the outside air, And,
A battery frame structure for an electric vehicle, wherein an outside air introduction fan is provided at least at one of the intake port and the exhaust port. 2. The battery frame structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a forward cross-sectional area of the turnflow passage is set larger than a return cross-sectional area. 3. The battery frame structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein turn guide inclined portions are provided at corners on both left and right sides of the communication passage space of the turn flow passage. 4. The air intake port communicates with a closed cross section of one side member that constitutes a front-back direction skeletal member on both sides of the lower surface of the vehicle body floor, and the exhaust port communicates with a closed cross section of the other side member. The battery frame structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the battery frame structure is a battery frame structure. 5. The communication connecting portion between the intake port and the exhaust port and the side member is set to a high ground clearance portion formed by the side member being vertically offset with the kick-up portion as a boundary. 5. The battery frame structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 4.