JP7664900B2 - Battery pack mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery pack mounting structure.

The batteries of electric vehicles used in hybrid vehicles, battery EV vehicles, etc. are heavy, so they are mounted on the floor of the vehicle in order to keep the center of gravity of the vehicle as low as possible. (For example, see Patent Document 1.)

JP 2022-92907 A

Various wire harnesses that communicate information and supply power are routed through the vehicle floor. Therefore, when fastening a bracket attached to a battery pack to the vehicle floor, the bracket may come into contact with the wire harness and damage the wire harness. The battery pack mounting structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not mention such interference between the wire harness and the battery pack.

The object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack mounting structure that can prevent contact between a bracket on the battery pack and a wire harness arranged in the vehicle when the battery pack is mounted on the vehicle.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the battery pack mounting structure of the present invention is a battery pack mounting structure for mounting a battery pack to a floor panel of a vehicle, avoiding a wire harness arranged in a frame of the vehicle, and comprises: a bracket installed on a bottom surface of the battery pack and fixing the battery pack to a fixing member provided on the floor panel; and a waterproof tray installed between at least a part of the bottom surface of the battery pack and the floor panel, wherein the height of the side of the waterproof tray is formed higher than the height at which the wire harness is arranged, at least at the position of the bracket, and a protrusion is formed at the upper end of the side of the waterproof tray, protruding toward the side of the wire harness, at least at the position of a first fixing portion that fixes the wire harness to the floor panel .

According to this configuration, when attaching the battery pack to a vehicle, contact between the bracket attached to the battery pack and the wire harness routed in the vehicle can be more reliably prevented, and damage (disconnection) to the wire harness can be prevented.

The battery pack mounting structure according to the present invention further includes a second fixing portion for fixing the wire harness to the upper portion of the protrusion.

With this configuration, the wire harness can be fastened to the waterproof tray as well, thereby reducing the number of fastening points for the wire harness on the vehicle frame. This reduces the number of holes formed in the vehicle frame for fastening the wire harness, improving the rigidity of the frame.

The present invention provides a battery pack mounting structure that can prevent contact between a bracket installed on the battery pack and a wire harness installed in the vehicle when the battery pack is mounted on the vehicle.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery pack being attached to the inside of a waterproof tray attached to the floor of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of a waterproof tray. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mounting structure for a battery pack according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing an example of another embodiment of the waterproof tray.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Summary of battery pack mounting structure)
An outline of a mounting structure for a battery pack 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a battery pack is mounted inside a waterproof tray attached to the floor of a vehicle.

A wire harness 30 is arranged in the floor panel 7 of the vehicle 1. The wire harness 30 performs various information communications and power supply inside the vehicle 1. The wire harness 30 is attached to the front cross member 6F, for example, with a clamp 32 (see FIG. 3) described below.

The battery pack 2 is attached to the inside of a waterproof tray 4a attached to the floor panel 7 of the vehicle 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the battery pack 2 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction). The waterproof tray 4a prevents water from entering the inside of the battery pack 2 when the floor panel 7 becomes submerged in water. The waterproof tray 4a is formed, for example, from a resin member.

Brackets 12a and 12b are formed on the bottom surface of the battery pack 2 at intervals in the left-right direction (along the Y axis) and extend forward (positive side of the X axis) from the front lower end of the battery pack 2. Bolt insertion holes 14 through which bolts can be inserted are formed penetrating in the up-down direction (along the Z axis) in brackets 12a and 12b. Bolts 17 (see FIG. 3) that penetrate the floor panel 7 and the bottom surface 20 of the waterproof tray 4a are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 14 of brackets 12a and 12b, and nuts 16 are screwed onto the bolts 17 to fasten brackets 12a and 12b to the floor panel 7.

In addition, a bracket (not shown in FIG. 1) is integrally formed on the bottom surface of the battery pack 2 at a distance in the left-right direction (direction along the Y axis) and extends rearward (negative side of the X axis) from the rear lower end of the battery pack 2. The bracket is fixed to the floor panel 7 with bolts and nuts, similar to the brackets 12a and 12b described above.

Here, the wiring position of the wire harness 30 is not limited to a position along the front cross member 6F. For example, the wire harness 30 may be attached to the rear cross member 6R, the left side member 5L, or the right side member 5R. In the following description, the front cross member 6F, the rear cross member 6R, the left side member 5L, and the right side member 5R are all considered to be part of the floor panel 7. Furthermore, the installation positions of the brackets 12a, 12b are not limited to the front and rear of the vehicle 1 when the battery pack 2 is installed in the vehicle 1. In other words, the brackets 12a, 12b may be installed on the left and right sides of the vehicle 1 when the battery pack 2 is installed in the vehicle 1.

Note that a portion of the wire harness 30 transmits the power output from the battery pack 2. Therefore, the wire harness 30 is always routed near the battery pack 2, taking into consideration ease of connection.

(Schematic structure of waterproof tray)
The schematic structure of the waterproof tray 4a will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of the waterproof tray.

The waterproof tray 4a is made of a material that is impermeable to moisture, such as a resin member, and contains the battery pack 2 (see FIG. 1) and a cooling blower (not shown). The waterproof tray 4a prevents water from entering the inside of the battery pack 2 if the floor panel 7 of the vehicle 1 becomes flooded, for example, when an occupant of the vehicle 1 spills a drink.

The cooling blower cools the battery pack 2 by blowing air through the battery pack 2. The cooling blower is fastened to the floor panel 7 (see FIG. 1) via through holes 25, 26 formed in the bottom surface 20 of the waterproof tray 4a by bolts inserted into brackets attached to the cooling blower.

The waterproof tray 4a has a side surface 21 that extends from the bottom surface 20 around the periphery of the bottom surface 20. The height of the side surface 21 is at least higher than the height at which the wire harness 30 is routed at the positions of the brackets 12a and 12b formed on the battery pack 2. This will be described in more detail later (see FIG. 3).

A protrusion 22 is formed on the upper end of the side surface 21 at least at the position of the brackets 12a and 12b described above. The protrusion 22 protrudes toward the wire harness 30 at least at the position of the clamp 32 that fixes the wire harness 30 to the floor panel 7, at a position higher than the height at which the wire harness 30 is routed. This will be described in detail later (see FIG. 3). In addition, an upwardly extending rib 23 is formed on the tip side of the protrusion 22.

In addition, the upper end of the side surface 21 has through holes 27, 28 that protrude outward. The waterproof tray 4a is fixed to the floor panel 7 by inserting bolts (not shown) through the through holes 27, 28.

(Battery pack mounting structure)
The mounting structure of the battery pack 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the mounting structure of the battery pack according to the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wire harness 30 is engaged with an insertion hole 38 formed in the front cross member 6F by a clamp 32. The clamp 32 includes a clip 33 that is inserted into the insertion hole 38, and a band portion 34, such as a cable tie, that binds the wire harness 30. The clamp 32 is an example of a first fixing portion in this disclosure. Note that the clamp 32 may have any shape as long as it can be engaged with the insertion hole 38 and fix the wire harness 30.

The height Hb of the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4a is formed to be higher than the height Ha at which the wire harness 30 is routed at least at the position of the bracket 12b and the bracket 12a (not shown in FIG. 3). Therefore, when the battery pack 2 is attached to the waterproof tray 4a attached to the floor panel 7, the tip of the bracket 12b traces a trajectory like the arrow A shown in FIG. 3, and the bolt insertion hole 14 formed in the bracket 12b is guided to the position of the bolt 17 inserted into the floor panel 7. At that time, the tip of the bracket 12b may come into contact with the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4a, but will not come into contact with the wire harness 30.

Although not shown, the bracket 12a is also guided to a predetermined mounting position on the floor panel 7 without coming into contact with the wire harness 30.

In addition, a protrusion 22 is formed on the upper end of the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4a, at least at the position of the clamp 32, protruding toward the outside of the waterproof tray 4a, i.e., toward the wire harness 30.

Therefore, even if the tip of the bracket 12b protrudes beyond the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4a toward the wire harness 30 when the battery pack 2 is attached to the waterproof tray 4a attached to the floor panel 7, the tip of the bracket 12b comes into contact with the protruding portion 22 and does not approach the floor panel 7 any further, so that contact between the bracket 12b and the wire harness 30 is more reliably prevented.

In addition, by forming the side surface 21 and the protruding portion 22, the worker who installs the battery pack 2 can visually confirm the approximate installation position. Therefore, the side surface 21 and the protruding portion 22 serve as visual guides during the installation work.

The wire harness 31 may be routed on the upper surface of the protrusion 22 and fixed to an insertion hole 39 formed on the upper surface of the protrusion 22 by a clamp 35. The wire harness 31 is, for example, a wire harness for supplying power that is connected to the battery pack 2.

In this way, by routing and fixing a part of the wire harness to the protruding portion 22 of the waterproof tray 4a, the number of insertion holes for fixing the wire harness formed in the floor panel 7, side members, or cross members of the vehicle 1 can be reduced. This helps prevent a decrease in the rigidity of the vehicle 1.

The structure of the clamp 35 is the same as that of the clamp 32 described above. That is, the clamp 35 includes a clip 36 that is inserted into the insertion hole 39, and a band portion 37, such as a cable tie, that binds the wire harness 31. The clamp 35 is an example of a second fixing portion in this disclosure. Note that the clamp 35 may have any shape as long as it can be engaged with the insertion hole 39 and fix the wire harness 31.

After mounting the waterproof tray 4a and battery pack 2 and routing the wire harness 31 in this manner, a protective cover (not shown) may be attached to cover the battery pack 2, waterproof tray 4a, and wire harness 31. A rib 23 facing upward (positive direction of the Z axis) is formed at the tip of the protrusion 22, so that the wire harness 31 can be protected when the protective cover is attached and when the protective cover is removed for maintenance.

(Another form of waterproof tray)
Another embodiment of the waterproof tray 4b will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an external perspective view showing an example of another embodiment of the waterproof tray.

The waterproof tray 4b shown in FIG. 4 is a simplified version of the waterproof tray 4a, and is used when high waterproof performance is not required. The waterproof tray 4b has a shape that covers only a part of the side of the battery pack 2.

As with the waterproof tray 4a, the waterproof tray 4b is formed so that the height of the side surface 21 is higher than the height at which the wire harness 30 (see FIG. 3) is routed, at least at the positions of the brackets 12a and 12b. A protrusion 22 is formed on the upper end of the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4b, at least at the position where the clamp 32 (see FIG. 3) is installed, protruding toward the outside of the waterproof tray 4b, i.e., toward the wire harness 30. An upwardly extending rib 23 is formed on the tip side of the protrusion 22.

By installing such a waterproof tray 4b prior to mounting the battery pack 2, contact between the brackets 12a, 12b and the wire harness 30 can be prevented when mounting the battery pack 2.

(Effects of the embodiment)
As described above, the mounting structure of the battery pack 2 according to the embodiment is a mounting structure of the battery pack for mounting the battery pack 2 to the floor panel 7 while avoiding the wire harness arranged on the frame of the vehicle 1, and includes brackets 12a, 12b that are installed on the bottom surface of the battery pack and fix the battery pack to a fixing member provided on the frame of the vehicle, and a waterproof tray 4a that is installed between at least a part of the bottom surface and a part of the side surface of the battery pack 2 and the floor panel 7 of the vehicle, and the height of the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4a is formed to be higher than the height at which the wire harness 30 is arranged at least at the positions of the brackets 12a, 12b. Therefore, when the battery pack 2 is mounted on the vehicle 1, contact between the brackets 12a, 12b installed on the battery pack 2 and the wire harness 30 arranged on the vehicle 1 can be prevented. This can prevent damage (disconnection) of the wire harness 30.

In addition, in the mounting structure for the battery pack 2 according to the embodiment, a protrusion 22 that protrudes toward the wire harness 30 is formed on the upper end of the side surface 21 of the waterproof tray 4a at least at the position of the clamp 32 (first fixing portion) that fixes the wire harness 30 to the floor panel 7. Therefore, when mounting the battery pack 2 to the vehicle 1, contact between the brackets 12a, 12b installed on the battery pack 2 and the wire harness 30 arranged in the vehicle 1 can be more reliably prevented.

The mounting structure for the battery pack 2 according to the embodiment further includes a clamp 35 (second fixing portion) for fixing the wire harness 30 to the upper portion of the protrusion 22. Therefore, by fastening the wire harness 31 to the waterproof tray 4a as well, the number of fastening points for the wire harness on the frame of the vehicle 1 can be reduced. This reduces the number of holes formed in the frame of the vehicle 1 for fastening the wire harness, thereby improving the rigidity of the frame.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-mentioned embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This new embodiment can be embodied in various other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, this embodiment is included in the scope and gist of the invention, and is included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 2 battery pack 4a, 4b waterproof tray 5L left side member 5R right side member 6F front cross member 6R rear cross member 7 floor panel 12a, 12b bracket 14 bolt insertion hole 16 nut 17 bolt (fixing member)
20 Bottom surface 21 Side surface 22 Projection portion 23 Rib 25, 26, 27, 28 Through hole 30, 31 Wire harness 32 Clamp (first fixing portion)
33, 36 Clip 34, 37 Band portion 35 Clamp (second fixing portion)
38, 39 Insertion hole Ha, Hb Height

Claims (2)

A mounting structure for a battery pack, which is mounted on a floor panel of a vehicle while avoiding a wire harness arranged on a frame of the vehicle, comprising:
a bracket disposed on a bottom surface of the battery pack and configured to fix the battery pack to a fixing member provided on the floor panel;
a waterproof tray disposed between at least a portion of a bottom surface of the battery pack and the floor panel,
The height of the side surface of the waterproof tray is formed to be higher than the height at which the wire harness is routed at least at the position of the bracket,
The upper end of the side of the waterproof tray is
a protrusion protruding toward the wire harness is formed at least at a position of a first fixing portion that fixes the wire harness to the floor panel;
Battery pack mounting structure. Further, a second fixing portion for fixing the wire harness to an upper portion of the protrusion is provided.
The battery pack mounting structure according to claim 1 .

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