KR102703743B1 - Vehicle battery mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle battery mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a pair of side sills spaced apart from each other at a lower portion of a vehicle body; a battery case coupled to the pair of side sills, in which battery cells are mounted; a cover covering an upper portion of the battery case; and a battery assembly having a plurality of cross members extending along a width direction of the battery case within the battery case; wherein each cross member has two protrusions individually protruding from both ends thereof toward the outside of the battery case, and each protrusion can be coupled to each side sill through a fastening hole.

Description

{VEHICLE BATTERY MOUNTING STRUCTURE}

The present invention relates to a battery mounting structure for a vehicle, and more specifically, to a battery mounting structure for a vehicle capable of firmly mounting a battery assembly to the floor of a vehicle.

Recently, as awareness of the crisis of the environment and depletion of petroleum resources has increased, research and development on eco-friendly vehicles such as electric vehicles (EVs) have been highlighted. Electric vehicles include PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), and FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles).

An electric vehicle has a high-voltage battery assembly mounted on a body, and the high-voltage battery assembly includes one or more battery cells (or battery modules), electrical components related to one or more battery cells, a battery case in which the battery cells and electrical components are mounted, and a cover covering an upper portion of the battery case. A plurality of cross members are fixed to the inside of the battery case, and the rigidity or strength of the battery case is reinforced by the plurality of cross members. The high-voltage battery assembly is mounted on a floor panel of the body.

A pair of side sills are mounted on both sides of the floor panel, and each side sill includes an inner side sill and an outer side sill, and a side reinforcement made of aluminum extrusion is mounted on the inside of each inner side sill. A pair of side flanges are provided on both sides of the battery case, and each side flange is connected to each side sill by means of bolts and cylindrical nuts (pipe nuts), so that a high-voltage battery assembly is mounted on each side sill.

However, in the conventional battery mounting structure, the cross member of the battery case is not connected to each side sill because it is disconnected by the side wall of the battery case, and this has limitations in strengthening the overall rigidity or strength of the vehicle body.

The information contained in this background section has been prepared to promote understanding of the background of the invention and may include matters that are not prior art already known to those skilled in the art.

The present invention has been conceived in consideration of the above points, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle battery mounting structure in which a cross member of a battery case penetrates the side wall of the battery case and is directly connected to each side sill through a fastening hole or the like, so that a battery assembly can be firmly mounted to each side sill of a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above purpose, a vehicle battery mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided.

A pair of side sills spaced apart from each other on the lower part of the body; and

A battery assembly comprising a battery case coupled to the pair of side sills and having battery cells mounted thereon, a cover covering the upper portion of the battery case, and a plurality of cross members extending along the width direction of the battery case within the battery case;

Each cross member has two protrusions protruding individually from both ends toward the outside of the battery case, and each protrusion can be connected to each side sill through a fastening hole.

Each protrusion can protrude from each end of the cross member through the side wall of the battery case and toward each side sill.

The side wall of the battery case has a through-hole through which the protrusion penetrates, and a portion where the cross member and the protrusion are connected can be joined to the side wall of the battery case by welding.

The above side sill may have a receiving groove for receiving at least a portion of the protrusion.

The above-mentioned receiving home can be opened toward the lower part of the body and the battery case.

The above cross member may have a closed cross section in which one or more cavities are formed.

The above protrusion has a first through-hole into which a screw portion of the above fastener is inserted, the side sill has a second through-hole aligned with the first through-hole, and the screw portion of the above fastener can be inserted into and fastened through the first through-hole of the protrusion and the second through-hole of the side sill.

According to the present invention, a protrusion of a cross member that reinforces the rigidity of a battery case is directly connected to a side sill of a vehicle body through a fastening hole, thereby increasing not only the rigidity of the battery assembly but also the overall rigidity of the vehicle body, thereby significantly improving the driving performance and NVH performance of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, since the protrusion of the cross member is coupled in a direction perpendicular to the side sill, deformation of the side sill can be minimized when the vehicle is subjected to a side collision, thereby preventing the side sill from intruding into the interior space.

According to the present invention, since the protrusion of the battery cross member can be directly connected to the side sill and thus be integrated into the skeletal structure of the vehicle body, not only the static rigidity but also the dynamic rigidity performance can be improved.

According to the present invention, since the protrusion of the cross member is directly connected to the side sill, the side flange of the existing battery assembly can be omitted, and the mounting locations of other battery assemblies can be significantly reduced compared to the existing ones, so there is a very advantageous advantage in reducing weight and cost.

FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a battery mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a bottom view illustrating the bottom of a vehicle.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of Figure 1.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross member of a battery mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a cross member of a battery mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention penetrates the side wall of a battery case.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a side sill of a battery mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a process in which a battery assembly is loaded from the top to the bottom of a vehicle body in a battery mounting structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are given the same numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, when describing embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known configuration or function hinders understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In describing components of embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this application.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle battery mounting structure (1) of the present invention may include a pair of side sills (10) spaced apart from each other at the lower portion of the vehicle body, and a battery assembly (20) coupled to the pair of side sills (10).

A pair of side sills (10) may be arranged on the left and right sides of the lower portion of the vehicle body, and the pair of side sills (10) may be spaced apart along the width direction of the vehicle. Each side sill (10) may include an inner side sill (11) and an outer side sill (12), and the inner side sill (11) and the outer side sill (12) may extend along the length direction of the vehicle. The inner side sill (11) may have an upper flange (11a) and a lower flange (11b), and the outer side sill (12) may have an upper flange (12a) and a lower flange (12b). The upper flange (11a) of the inner side sill (11) and the upper flange (12a) of the outer side sill (12) can be joined by welding, a fastener, etc., and the lower flange (11b) of the inner side sill (11) and the lower flange (12b) of the outer side sill (12) can be joined by welding, a fastener, etc. Each side sill (10) can have a matching flange (15) extending from the inner side sill (11) toward the center of the vehicle. The inner side sill (11) can be composed of an extruded material having a closed cross-section shape and having a plurality of ribs (11c) therein. In addition, the inner side sill (11) can be made of various materials such as aluminum, steel, etc.

According to an example, a pair of side sills (10) can be joined to the left and right sides of the floor panel (5). The left and right edges of the floor panel (5) can be joined to the matching flange (15) of each side sill (10) by welding or the like.

A battery assembly (20) may include one or more battery cells (or battery modules), electrical components related to one or more battery cells, a battery case (21) in which the battery cells and electrical components are mounted, and a cover (22) covering the upper portion of the battery case (21).

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the battery assembly (20) may include a plurality of cross members (25) fixed to the internal space of the battery case (21). Each cross member (25) may extend along the width direction of the battery case (21). In particular, the plurality of cross members (25) may be spaced apart from each other along the length direction of the battery case (21) in the internal space of the battery case (21). The rigidity and/or strength of the battery case (21) are reinforced by the plurality of cross members (25). The width and height of the cross members (25) may be variously changed to reinforce the rigidity and/or strength, etc., depending on the structure and size of the battery case (21).

As shown in FIG. 4, the cross member (25) may be composed of an extruded material having various shapes of closed cross sections. For example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the cross member (25) may have a rectangular closed cross section having one cavity (25a) formed therein. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the cross member (25) may have a rectangular closed cross section having two cavities (25a, 25b) divided vertically by horizontal bulkheads. As shown in FIG. 4(c), the cross member (25) may have a rectangular closed cross section having three cavities (25a, 25b, 25c) divided vertically by horizontal bulkheads. As shown in Fig. 4(d), the cross member (25) may have a rectangular closed cross-section in which four cavities (25a, 25b, 25c, 25d) are divided along the vertical direction by horizontal bulkheads. As shown in Fig. 4(e), the cross member (25) may have a rectangular closed cross-section in which two cavities (25e, 25f) are divided along the horizontal direction by vertical bulkheads.

The battery case (21) may have a front wall (31) facing the front of the vehicle, a rear wall (32) facing the rear of the vehicle, and a pair of side walls (33) facing the left and right sides of the vehicle. Each side wall (33) of the battery case (21) may be composed of an aluminum plate, an extruded material having a cross section, or the like.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, each cross member (25) may have two protrusions (26) protruding individually from both ends thereof toward the outside of the battery case (21). The two protrusions (26) may extend along the axis of the cross member (25), and in particular, the axis of each protrusion (26) may coincide with the axis of the cross member (25).

Each protrusion (26) can protrude from each end of the cross member (25) through each side wall (33) of the battery case (21) and toward each side sill (10). Each protrusion (26) can be connected to the inner side sill (11) of each side sill (10) through a fastener (40) such as a bolt. The side wall (33) of the battery case (21) can have a through-hole (34) through which each protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) passes, and the through-hole (34) can be configured with a size and structure corresponding to each protrusion (26).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the battery assembly (20) may be mounted on a pair of side sills (10) so as to be arranged below the floor panel (5). Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, each side sill (10) may have a plurality of receiving grooves (13), and at least a portion of a protrusion (26) of a cross member (25) may be received in the receiving grooves (13). The receiving grooves (13) may be formed at a portion of the side sill (10) facing the battery assembly (20). The protrusion (26) may have a first through-hole (27) into which a screw portion of a fastener (40) is inserted, and each side sill (10) may have a second through-hole (17) aligned with the first through-hole (27). The second through hole (17) is positioned above the receiving groove (13), so that the second through hole (17) can directly communicate with the receiving groove (13), and the screw portion of the fastening member (40) can be inserted into the first through hole (27) of the protrusion (26) and the second through hole (17) of each side sill (10) to be fastened. A cylindrical nut or a cylindrical bush, etc. may be mounted in the first through hole (27) and the second through hole (17).

In particular, the receiving groove (13) can be configured to open from the lower part of the inner side sill (11) of the side sill (10) toward the lower part of the vehicle body and the battery case (21). Accordingly, the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) can be loaded from the lower part of the vehicle body toward the upper part of the vehicle body and received in the receiving groove (13), and the fastening work of the fastening member (40) that connects the protrusion (26) and the side sill (10) can be performed from the lower part of the vehicle body, so that the mounting work of the battery assembly (20) can be performed easily.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of receiving grooves (13) may be arranged spaced apart from each other along the length direction of the inner side sill (11) on the interior side wall of the inner side sill (11) of each side sill (10). When the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) is received in the receiving groove (13) of the side sill (10), the protrusion (26) is coupled to the inner side sill (11) of each side sill (10) by the fastener (40), so that the battery case (21) can be very firmly fixed to the side sill (10). In particular, the axis of the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) may be orthogonal to the axis of the side sill (10), and thus the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) may be coupled orthogonal to the side sill (10). In addition, a separate reinforcing material or bracket (not shown) may be attached to the receiving groove (13) to reinforce the rigidity or strength of the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) coupled to the receiving groove (13) of the side sill (10).

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the portion where the cross member (25) and the protrusion (26) are connected while the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) penetrates the through hole (34) can be joined to the indoor side of the side wall (33) through an indoor side weld (51) and can also be joined to the outdoor side of the side wall (33) through an outdoor side weld (52).

For example, when the side wall (33) and the cross member (25) are made of the same material, such as aluminum, the portion where the cross member (25) and the protrusion (26) are connected can be joined to the interior and exterior sides of the side wall (33) through MIG welding.

In another example, when the side wall (33) and the cross member (25) are made of different materials, the portion where the cross member (25) and the protrusion (26) are connected can be joined to the interior and exterior sides of the side wall (33) through mechanical welding such as SPR (Self Piercing Rivets), FDS (Flow Drill Screws), etc.

As described above, the present invention enables the battery case (21) to be more firmly fixed to a pair of side sills (10) by directly connecting the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) to each side sill (10) through the fastening hole (40).

According to one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of side flanges (35) may protrude from a side wall (33) of a battery case (21) toward a side sill (10), and the plurality of side flanges (35) may be configured to be positioned between the protrusions (26) so as not to interfere with the protrusions (26) of the cross member (25) as illustrated in FIG. 1. The plurality of side flanges (35) may be coupled to the side sill (10) through fasteners or the like, and thereby the battery case (21) may be more firmly fixed to the pair of side sills (10).

In another embodiment, multiple side flanges (35) may be omitted.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the battery assembly (20) may be loaded from the upper portion of the vehicle body toward the lower portion and mounted on a pair of side sills (10). To correspond to this, an accommodating groove for accommodating a protrusion of the cross member may be formed on the upper portion of the inner side sill of each side sill, and the accommodating groove may be configured to be open toward the upper portion of the vehicle body. Accordingly, as the battery assembly (20) is loaded from the upper portion of the vehicle body toward the lower portion, the protrusion of the cross member may be received in the accommodating groove, and the fastening operation of the fastener that joins the protrusion and the side sill may be performed on the upper portion of the vehicle body.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the floor panel (5) may be omitted, and the cover (22) of the battery assembly (20) may replace the floor panel (5). In particular, the cross member (25) of the battery case (21) may be configured to penetrate the cover (22) and protrude to the upper portion of the cover (22), and thus the cross member (25) may replace an existing seat cross member, so that the existing seat cross member may be omitted.

The present invention, as described above, can increase not only the rigidity of the battery assembly (20) but also the overall rigidity of the vehicle body by directly connecting the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) that reinforces the rigidity of the battery case (21) to the side sill (10) of the vehicle body by the fastener (40), thereby significantly improving the driving performance and NVH performance of the vehicle.

In addition, since the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) is coupled in a direction perpendicular to the side sill (10), deformation of the side sill (10) can be minimized in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, thereby preventing the side sill (10) from intruding into the interior space.

Meanwhile, since an electric vehicle equipped with a high-voltage battery assembly does not have a tunnel in the central part of the center floor, the static rigidity (bending) performance of the body may be reduced by 50% or less compared to a vehicle with a tunnel. However, when the battery mounting structure of the present invention is applied, the protrusion (26) of the battery cross member (25) is directly connected to the side sill (10), thereby being integrated into the frame structure of the body, so that not only the static rigidity but also the dynamic rigidity performance can be improved.

In addition, since the protrusion (26) of the cross member (25) is directly connected to the side sill (10), the side flange of the existing battery assembly can be omitted, and the mounting locations of other battery assemblies can be significantly reduced compared to the existing ones, so there is a very advantageous advantage in reducing weight and cost.

The above description is merely an example of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

1: Vehicle battery mounting structure 5: Floor panel
10: Side sill 11: Inner side sill
12: Outer side sill 15: Matching flange
20: Battery assembly 21: Battery case
22: Cover 25: Crossmember
26: Protrusion 31: Front wall
32: Rear wall 33 Side wall
34: Through hole 35: Side flange
51: Indoor side weld 52: Outdoor side weld

Claims (7)

A pair of side sills spaced apart from each other on the lower part of the body; and
A battery assembly comprising a battery case coupled to the pair of side sills and having battery cells mounted thereon, a cover covering the upper portion of the battery case, and a plurality of cross members extending along the width direction of the battery case within the battery case;
Each cross member has two protrusions protruding from each end toward the outside of the battery case, and each protrusion is connected to each side sill through a fastening hole.
Each protrusion protrudes from each end of the cross member through the side wall of the battery case and toward each side sill,
The side wall of the battery case has a through-hole through which the protrusion penetrates, and the part where the cross member and the protrusion are connected while the protrusion of the cross member penetrates the through-hole.
A vehicle battery mounting structure, which is joined to the indoor side of the side wall through an indoor side weld portion and to the outdoor side of the side wall through an outdoor side weld portion. delete delete In claim 1,
A vehicle battery mounting structure in which the side sill has a receiving groove that receives at least a portion of the protrusion. In claim 4,
The above-mentioned receiving home is a vehicle battery mounting structure that opens toward the lower part of the vehicle body and the above-mentioned battery case. In claim 1,
The above cross member is a vehicle battery mounting structure having a closed cross section in which one or more cavities are formed. In claim 1,
A vehicle battery mounting structure in which the protrusion has a first through-hole into which a screw portion of the fastener is inserted, the side sill has a second through-hole aligned with the first through-hole, and the screw portion of the fastener is inserted into the first through-hole of the protrusion and the second through-hole of the side sill and fastened.

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