JP7681553B2 - Vehicle battery housing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery housing case for a vehicle.

Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle lower body structure that includes a battery pack provided below a floor panel.
The battery pack described in Patent Document 1 has a tray, a cover, and a cross member. The tray has an upper opening. The cover has a lower opening and is configured to cover the upper opening of the tray. A plurality of cross member installation sections are provided on the bottom surface of the tray. The plurality of cross member installation sections extend along the vehicle width direction and are provided at intervals from one another in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

Multiple cross members are provided on each of the multiple cross member installation sections. Batteries are placed between adjacent cross members.

JP 2017-226353 A

In the battery pack described in Patent Document 1, the battery is placed between adjacent cross members. As a result, the size of the battery that can be accommodated in the battery pack is limited by the distance between the adjacent cross members, leaving room for improvement.

A battery housing case for a vehicle that solves the above problems includes a peripheral wall having an upper opening and a lower opening and fixed to the vehicle body, an upper cover fixed to the peripheral wall and closing the upper opening, a lower cover fixed to the peripheral wall and closing the lower opening, an upper skeletal member fixed to the lower surface of the upper cover and extending along the lower surface, and a lower skeletal member fixed to the upper surface of the lower cover and extending in the extension direction of the upper skeletal member, and a support surface that supports a battery is provided on the upper surface of the lower skeletal member.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a battery housing case for a vehicle according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle in which the battery housing case of FIG. 1 is mounted. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the battery housing case of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing a battery housing case of a vehicle according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the analysis results of the displacement and load of the upper and lower frame members during a side collision of the vehicle. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the distribution of loads acting on the upper and lower frame members during a side collision of the vehicle.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a battery housing case for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.

In the following description, the fore-aft direction of the vehicle is referred to as the fore-aft direction L, the vehicle width direction is referred to as the vehicle width direction W, and the up-down direction of the vehicle when the vehicle is positioned on a horizontal plane is referred to as the up-down direction Z.
In addition, the front and rear sides in the front-rear direction L will be referred to simply as the "front side" and the "rear side", respectively, and the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction Z will be referred to simply as the "upper side" and the "lower side", respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a battery housing case 20 (hereinafter, referred to as case 20 ) for housing a battery 11 is provided below a floor panel 10 of the vehicle.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the case 20 includes a peripheral wall 30 , an upper cover 50 , an upper frame member 51 , a lower cover 60 , and a lower frame member 61 .

The case 20 of this embodiment has a symmetrical structure in the vehicle width direction W. The case 20 of this embodiment also has a symmetrical structure in the front-rear direction L. For this reason, hereinafter, only the left half of the case 20 as viewed from the front will be described, and a description of the right half may be omitted.

<Peripheral wall 30>
1 and 3, the peripheral wall 30 has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view. The peripheral wall 30 has an upper opening 30a and a lower opening 30b.

The peripheral wall 30 has a pair of side walls 31, a front wall 32, and a rear wall 33. The pair of side walls 31 extend in the fore-and-aft direction L and are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction W. The front wall 32 and the rear wall 33 extend in the vehicle width direction W and connect the pair of side walls 31 to each other. The pair of side walls 31, the front wall 32, and the rear wall 33 are hollow frames having a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

The pair of side walls 31, the front wall 32, and the rear wall 33 are made of metal.
The front wall portion 32 connects the front ends of the side wall portions 31 to each other. It is preferable that both ends of the front wall portion 32 are connected to the side surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 31 by welding.

The rear wall portion 33 connects the rear ends of the side wall portions 31 to each other. It is preferable that both ends of the rear wall portion 33 are connected to the side surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 31 by welding.
A pair of upper and lower through holes 37 are provided in each of the upper and lower walls of the front wall portion 32. A cylindrical collar 38 communicating with the through holes 37 is provided between the upper and lower walls of the front wall portion 32.

A pair of upper and lower through holes 37 are provided in each of the upper and lower walls of the rear wall portion 33. A cylindrical collar 38 that communicates with the through holes 37 is provided between the upper and lower walls of the rear wall portion 33.

It is preferable that the front wall portion 32 and the rear wall portion 33 each have a plurality of through holes 37 and a plurality of collars 38 spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction W. In this embodiment, two through holes 37 and two collars 38 are provided.

The front wall 32 and rear wall 33 of the case 20 are fixed to the floor panel 10 by bolts (not shown) that are inserted through the through holes 37 and the collars 38 .
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the side wall portion 31 has an inner wall portion 31a, an outer wall portion 31b, an upper wall portion 31c, and a lower wall portion 31d.

The inner wall portion 31a and the outer wall portion 31b face each other in the vehicle width direction W.
The upper wall portion 31c and the lower wall portion 31d face each other in the up-down direction Z. The upper wall portion 31c connects upper ends of the inner wall portion 31a and the outer wall portion 31b to each other. The lower wall portion 31d connects lower ends of the inner wall portion 31a and the outer wall portion 31b to each other.

A pair of upper and lower through holes 37 are provided in each of the upper wall portion 31c and the lower wall portion 31d of the side wall portion 31. A cylindrical collar 38 that communicates with the through holes 37 is provided between the upper wall portion 31c and the lower wall portion 31d of the side wall portion 31.

It is preferable that the side wall portion 31 has a plurality of through holes 37 and a plurality of collars 38 spaced apart from one another in the front-rear direction L. In this embodiment, three through holes 37 and three collars 38 are provided.

The side wall portion 31 of the case 20 is fixed to the floor panel 10 by a bolt (not shown) that is inserted through the through hole 37 and the collar 38 .
A bracket 40 is connected to an upper end of the inner wall portion 31a. The brackets 40 are preferably provided at intervals from one another in the front-rear direction L. The brackets 40 are preferably provided at equal intervals in the front-rear direction L. The number of brackets 40 is, for example, six.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the bracket 40 has a pair of connecting pieces 41, a pair of opposing portions 42, and a connecting portion 43.
The pair of connecting pieces 41 are portions that are connected to the inner wall portion 31a, and are provided with a gap between them in the front-rear direction L. The connecting pieces 41 are preferably connected to the inner wall portion 31a by welding.

The pair of opposing portions 42 extend inward in the vehicle width direction W from the connecting piece 41 and oppose each other.
The connecting portion 43 connects the lower ends of the opposing portions 42. The connecting portion 43 is provided with a hole 43a.

The bracket 40 is formed by pressing a metal plate.
A collar 44 is provided above the connecting portion 43. The collar 44 is preferably fixed to the upper surface of the connecting portion 43 by welding.

A nut 49 is provided below the connecting portion 43. The nut 49 is preferably fixed to the lower surface of the connecting portion 43 by welding.
The collar 44, the hole 43a, and the nut 49 are provided on the same axis.

<Upper cover 50>
1 and 3, the upper cover 50 is a rectangular flat plate. The upper cover 50 is preferably made of a metal plate.

The upper cover 50 is fixed to the peripheral wall 30 and closes the upper opening 30a. The upper cover 50 is preferably fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 31, the front wall portion 32, and the rear wall portion 33 by bolts 58 and nuts 59, respectively.

A sealant (not shown) is applied between the upper cover 50 and the pair of side walls 31, the front wall 32, and the rear wall 33. The sealant bonds the upper cover 50 and the peripheral wall 30 and also seals the gap between the upper cover 50 and the peripheral wall 30.

<Upper frame member 51>
3 to 5, the upper skeleton members 51 are fixed to the lower surface 50b of the upper cover 50 and extend along the lower surface 50b. The upper skeleton members 51 preferably extend in the vehicle width direction W. The number of upper skeleton members 51 is, for example, six.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the upper frame member 51 has a pair of legs 52 , a pair of opposing walls 53 , and a connecting wall 54 .
The pair of legs 52 are portions fixed to the lower surface 50b, and are provided at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction L. The legs 52 are preferably connected to the lower surface 50b by welding.

The pair of opposing wall portions 53 extend downward from the pair of leg portions 52, respectively.
The connecting wall portion 54 connects the lower ends of the opposing walls 53 to each other.
The upper frame member 51 is formed by pressing a metal plate.

As shown in FIG. 4 , both end portions 51 c of the upper frame member 51 are connected to the peripheral wall 30 via brackets 40 .
Both end portions 51c of the upper frame member 51 are provided with through holes 57 penetrating in the up-down direction Z. Bolts 48 are inserted through the holes 43a of the upper cover 50, the collar 44 and the bracket 40, and the bolts 48 are screwed into nuts 49.

<Lower cover 60>
3, the lower cover 60 is a rectangular flat plate. The lower cover 60 is preferably made of a metal plate.

The lower cover 60 is fixed to the peripheral wall 30 and closes the lower opening 30b. The lower cover 60 is preferably fixed to the lower surfaces of the pair of side wall portions 31, the front wall portion 32, and the rear wall portion 33 by welding.

A sealant (not shown) is applied between the lower cover 60 and the pair of side walls 31, the front wall 32, and the rear wall 33. The sealant bonds the lower cover 60 to the peripheral wall 30 and also seals between the lower cover 60 and the peripheral wall 30.

<Lower frame member 61>
3 to 5, the lower skeletal member 61 is fixed to an upper surface 60a of the lower cover 60. The lower skeletal member 61 extends in the extending direction of the upper skeletal member 51. In this embodiment, the lower skeletal member 61 extends in the vehicle width direction W. It is preferable that a plurality of lower skeletal members 61 are provided corresponding to the plurality of upper skeletal members 51. The plurality of lower skeletal members 61 are provided directly below the plurality of upper skeletal members 51, respectively. The number of lower skeletal members 61 is, for example, six.

The lower frame member 61 has a configuration in which the upper frame member 51 is turned upside down.
As shown in FIG. 5 , the lower framework member 61 has a pair of legs 62 , a pair of opposing walls 63 , and a connecting wall 64 .

The pair of legs 62 are fixed to the upper surface 60a and are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction L. The legs 62 are preferably connected to the upper surface 60a by welding.

The pair of opposing wall portions 63 extend upward from the pair of leg portions 62, respectively.
The connecting wall portion 64 connects the upper ends of the opposing walls 63 to each other.
The lower frame member 61 is formed by pressing a metal plate.

As shown in FIG. 4, both ends 61c of the lower frame member 61 are directly connected to the peripheral wall 30. It is preferable that both ends 61c of the lower frame member 61 are connected to the inner wall portion 31a of the side wall portion 31 by welding.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , an upper surface 61 a of the lower frame member 61 is provided with a support surface 64 a that supports the lower surface of the battery 11 .
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of brackets 65 are provided on an upper surface 61a of both end portions 61c of the lower frame member 61 at a distance from each other in the vehicle width direction W.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 65 has a first fixing portion 66 that is fixed to the upper surface 61a, and a second fixing portion 67 that extends upward from the end of the first fixing portion 66 opposite the side wall portion 31.

The first fixing portion 66 is preferably fixed to the upper surface 61a by a bolt 68 and a nut 69. The nut 69 is fixed to the lower surface of the connecting wall portion 64 by welding.
The second fixing portion 67 is provided with a bolt hole 67a penetrating therethrough in the vehicle width direction W.

As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the battery 11 is fixed to the case 20 by inserting a bolt into the bolt hole 67a and screwing the bolt into the female thread (not shown) of the battery 11.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
4 and 5 , the battery 11 is supported by the support surface 64a provided on the upper surface 61a of the lower skeletal member 61. Therefore, the battery 11 can be housed in the case 20 in a manner that extends across both sides of the lower skeletal member 61 in the front-rear direction L (above, action 1).

In addition, since both the upper skeletal member 51 and the lower skeletal member 61 are provided, the size of each skeletal member in the vertical direction Z can be made smaller than in a configuration in which only one of the upper skeletal member 51 and the lower skeletal member 61 is provided. This makes it possible to prevent the height dimension of the storage space that stores the battery 11 from being limited by providing both the upper skeletal member 51 and the lower skeletal member 61. As a result, the height dimension of the stored battery 11 is less likely to be limited (above, action 2).

In addition, when the vehicle is involved in a side collision, the collision load is transmitted to both the upper frame member 51 and the lower frame member 61 via the side wall portion 31, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4. This allows the collision load to be transmitted in a balanced manner to the upper and lower sides of the case 20 (above, action 3).

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.
(1-1) The case 20 includes a peripheral wall 30, an upper cover 50, a lower cover 60, an upper skeletal member 51, and a lower skeletal member 61. An upper surface 61a of the lower skeletal member 61 is provided with a support surface 64a that supports the battery 11.

With this configuration, the above-mentioned effect 1 is achieved, and it becomes possible to increase the size of the battery 11 housed in the case 20 in the width direction of the lower frame member 61 .
(1-2) Both end portions 51c of the upper frame member 51 are connected to the peripheral wall 30 via brackets 40. Both end portions 61c of the lower frame member 61 are connected directly to the peripheral wall 30.

With this configuration, when a vehicle collides in the extension direction of the upper skeletal member 51 and the lower skeletal member 61, the collision load is easily transmitted to both the upper skeletal member 51 and the lower skeletal member 61 via the peripheral wall 30. This improves the efficiency of transmission of the collision load.

(1-3) The peripheral wall 30 has a pair of side walls 31, a front wall 32, and a rear wall 33. The pair of side walls 31, the front wall 32, and the rear wall 33 are a hollow frame having a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

With this configuration, the deformation mode of the peripheral wall 30 against the collision load can be stabilized.
Second Embodiment
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, a reinforcement 70 is provided inside each side wall portion 31 and extends in the extension direction of the side wall portion 31. In this embodiment, the reinforcement 70 extends in the front-rear direction L.

The reinforcement 70 preferably has a pair of legs 72 , a pair of opposing walls 73 , and a connecting wall 74 .
The pair of legs 72 are in contact with the inner wall portion 31a of the side wall portion 31, and are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction Z. The pair of legs 72 are preferably fixed to the inner wall portion 31a by welding. The upper leg 72 is provided at a position overlapping with the upper frame member 51 in the vehicle width direction W. The lower leg 72 is provided at a position overlapping with the lower frame member 61 in the vehicle width direction W.

The pair of opposing wall portions 73 extend outward in the vehicle width direction W from the pair of leg portions 72, respectively.
The connecting wall portion 74 connects the ends of the pair of opposing wall portions 73 and is in contact with the outer wall portion 31 b of the side wall portion 31 .

The connecting wall portion 74 is preferably fixed to the outer wall portion 31b by welding.
The reinforcement 70 is made of a metal plate.
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When the vehicle undergoes a side collision, the collision load applied to the outer wall portion 31 b of the side wall portion 31 is transmitted to the inner wall portion 31 a of the side wall portion 31 via the reinforcement 70 .
7 shows the analysis results of the displacement and load of the upper frame member 51 and the lower frame member 61 during a side collision of the vehicle. In Fig. 7, the solid line shows the analysis result of the second embodiment, and the dashed line shows the analysis result of the first embodiment.

Figure 8 also shows the distribution of loads acting on the upper frame member 51 and the lower frame member 61 during a side collision of the vehicle. In Figure 8, the solid line shows the second embodiment, and the dashed line shows the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment, the collision load is more than twice as large as that in the first embodiment.
8, in the first embodiment, the load increases only in the portions of the plurality of upper skeletal members 51 and lower skeletal members 61 that are close to the portion where the collision load is input to the side wall portion 31 in the front-rear direction L. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the load increases in the portions of the plurality of upper skeletal members 51 and lower skeletal members 61 that are close to the portion where the collision load is input to the side wall portion 31 in the front-rear direction L, compared to the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the load also increases in the portions of the plurality of upper skeletal members 51 and lower skeletal members 61 that are distant from the portion where the collision load is input to the side wall portion 31 in the front-rear direction L.

Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.
(2-1) A reinforcement 70 extending in the front-rear direction L is provided inside the side wall portion 31.

According to this configuration, the above-mentioned effects are achieved, and therefore the efficiency of transmission of the collision load can be improved.
<Example of change>
This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

The frames constituting the pair of side walls 31, the front wall 32, and the rear wall 33 are not limited to being hollow, and may be made of plate material or the like.
In the present embodiment, the upper skeleton member 51 and the lower skeleton member 61 are provided to extend in the vehicle width direction W, but the upper skeleton member 51 and the lower skeleton member 61 may be provided to extend in the front-rear direction L. In this case, reinforcements 70 may be provided inside the front wall portion 32 and the rear wall portion 33.

The ends 51c of the upper frame member 51 may be directly connected to the peripheral wall 30 by welding or the like. In this case, the ends 61c of the lower frame member 61 may be connected to the peripheral wall 30 via members such as brackets.

The upper skeletal member 51 may be configured to be connected to the peripheral wall 30 only via the upper cover 50. The lower skeletal member 61 may be configured to be connected to the peripheral wall 30 only via the lower cover 60.

Either the upper cover 50 or the lower cover 60 may be made of a resin plate.
<Additional Notes>
The above embodiment includes the configurations described in the following supplementary notes.

[Note 1] A battery housing case for a vehicle, comprising: a peripheral wall having an upper opening and a lower opening and fixed to a vehicle body; an upper cover fixed to the peripheral wall and closing the upper opening; a lower cover fixed to the peripheral wall and closing the lower opening; an upper skeletal member fixed to the lower surface of the upper cover and extending along the lower surface; and a lower skeletal member fixed to the upper surface of the lower cover and extending in the extension direction of the upper skeletal member, the upper surface of the lower skeletal member being provided with a support surface for supporting a battery.

[Appendix 2] The battery housing case for a vehicle described in [Appendix 1], in which both ends of the upper frame member are connected to the peripheral wall directly or via a member other than the upper cover, and both ends of the lower frame member are connected to the peripheral wall directly or via a member other than the lower cover.

[Appendix 3] A battery housing case for a vehicle described in [Appendix 1] or [Appendix 2], wherein the upper skeletal member and the lower skeletal member extend in the vehicle width direction.
[Appendix 4] A battery housing case for a vehicle described in any one of [Appendix 1] to [Appendix 3], wherein the peripheral wall includes a pair of side wall portions extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle and spaced apart from each other in the vehicle width direction, and a front wall portion and a rear wall portion extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting the pair of side wall portions, and the pair of side wall portions, the front wall portion, and the rear wall portion are hollow frames having a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

[Appendix 5] A battery housing case for a vehicle as described in [Appendix 4], in which a reinforcement extending in the extension direction of the frame is provided inside the frame.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 10...Floor panel 11...Battery 20...Battery housing case 30...Peripheral wall 30a...Upper opening 30b...Lower opening 31...Side wall 31a...Inner wall 31b...Outer wall 31c...Upper wall 31d...Lower wall 32...Front wall 33...Rear wall 37...Through hole 38...Collar 40...Bracket 41...Connecting piece 42...Facing portion 43...Connecting portion 43a...Hole 44...Collar 48...Bolt 49...Nut 50...Upper cover 50b...Lower surface 51...Upper framework member 51c...End 52...Leg 53...Facing wall 54...Connecting wall 57...Through hole 58...Bolt 59...Nut 60...Lower cover 60a...Upper surface 61...Lower framework member 61a...Upper surface 61c...End Reference Signs List 62: Leg 63: Opposing wall 64: Connecting wall 64a: Support surface 65: Bracket 66: First fixing portion 67: Second fixing portion 67a: Bolt hole 68: Bolt 69: Nut 70: Reinforcement 72: Leg 73: Opposing wall 74: Connecting wall

Claims (4)

a peripheral wall having an upper opening and a lower opening and fixed to a vehicle body;
an upper cover fixed to the peripheral wall and closing the upper opening;
a lower cover fixed to the peripheral wall and closing the lower opening;
an upper frame member fixed to a lower surface of the upper cover and extending along the lower surface;
a lower skeletal member fixed to an upper surface of the lower cover and extending in an extending direction of the upper skeletal member,
a support surface for supporting a battery is provided on an upper surface of the lower frame member;
Both ends of the upper frame member are connected to the peripheral wall directly or via a member different from the upper cover,
Both ends of the lower frame member are connected to the peripheral wall directly or via a member different from the lower cover.
Vehicle battery housing. The upper framework member and the lower framework member extend in a vehicle width direction.
The vehicle battery housing case according to claim 1 . the peripheral wall includes a pair of side wall portions extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and spaced apart from each other in a vehicle width direction, and a front wall portion and a rear wall portion extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting the pair of side wall portions to each other,
The pair of side walls, the front wall, and the rear wall are hollow frames having a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
3. A battery housing case for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2 . A reinforcement extending in the extension direction of the frame is provided inside the frame.
The battery housing case for a vehicle according to claim 3 .

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