JP3284878B2 - Battery frame structure for electric vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a battery frame structure for an electric vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electric vehicle, a vehicle-mounted battery occupies a considerable weight and a mounting space. Therefore, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-115357, a dedicated battery is provided below a floor panel. And a plurality of batteries are mounted on the battery frame, and the batteries are sealed and stored between the floor panel and the battery frame.

[0003] The battery frame includes a pair of left and right front-rear frames, a pair of front and rear vehicle width direction frames, and a bottom plate, and is formed in a planar square shape. It is housed in a close and orderly manner.

Each of the front-rear direction frame and the vehicle width direction frame forms a skeleton of a battery frame, and is formed by extruding a lightweight metal material such as aluminum into a substantially rectangular closed cross section.

Each of the batteries mounted on the battery frame is electrically connected within the battery frame by a high-power harness, and is connected to a controller in a motor room separated from the front of the vehicle body via the high-power harness drawn out of the battery frame. A junction box having a relay function, an electric cutoff function, and the like is provided in the middle of the power supply path.

The junction box may be mounted in the motor room together with the controller. However, since the space occupied by the motor unit and the controller is large, the junction box is generally formed at the center of the floor panel by swelling toward the passenger compartment. It is arranged inside the tunnel.

[0007]

Since a propeller shaft and other functional parts under the floor are disposed in the floor tunnel, a junction box must be provided in addition to these functional parts in order to provide a junction box. It is necessary to increase the amount of bulging toward the passenger compartment, so that the living space of the passenger compartment is narrowed, and this goes against the need for flat floor panels.

Further, when the junction box is disposed in the floor tunnel, not only does the connection work between the battery housed in the battery frame attached to the lower surface of the floor panel and the junction box deteriorate, but also the connection between the battery and the junction box decreases. A slack will inevitably occur in the strong electric harness connecting the box and the box, which is disadvantageous in terms of security.

For this reason, it has been attempted to dispose the junction box together with the battery in the battery frame. However, in this case, the presence of the junction box restricts the battery mounting space in the battery frame.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a battery frame structure of an electric vehicle on which a junction box can be mounted without reducing the living space of the vehicle compartment or the space for mounting the battery of the battery frame.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a pair of left and right front-rear frames, a pair of front and rear vehicle width-direction frames having a closed cross-section structure, and a bottom plate, and a plurality of batteries mounted on the bottom plate. In a battery frame fixed to the lower side of the floor panel, a junction box electrically connected to the battery and electrically connected to a controller in the motor room is provided in a closed cross section of the front-rear direction frame of the battery frame. It is stored and fixed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the junction box according to the first aspect is a positive junction box electrically connected to the positive electrodes of a plurality of batteries, and a negative electrode electrically connected to the negative electrodes of the plurality of batteries. The junction box on the positive electrode side and the junction box on the negative electrode side are separately arranged on the left and right front and rear frames.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the junction box according to the first and second aspects has an electric shut-off function, and a cut-off switch knob is provided on one side. A switch operation port is formed at a position corresponding to the cutoff switch knob, and the switch operation port is covered with a removable cover.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a junction box fixed to the front wall of the front vehicle width direction frame according to the first and second aspects in a closed section of the front and rear direction frame and a controller in the motor room. The invention is characterized in that an electrically connected circuit breaker is fixed, and the circuit breaker is covered and a cover is detachably attached.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the junction box according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is stored and fixed in a closed cross section of a front side portion of the front and rear direction frame, and the junction box has a front end opening of the front and rear direction frame at its front end. A lid for closing the portion is provided integrally.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, on the inner peripheral wall of the front-rear frame according to the first to fifth aspects, a guide rib for fixing the junction box apart from the inner peripheral wall is integrally formed in the front-rear direction. Features.

[0017]

According to the first aspect, the junction box is stored and fixed in the closed cross section of the front and rear direction frame by effectively utilizing the closed cross section of the left and right front direction frame. There is no need to reduce the space, and it is not necessary to bulge the housing for mounting the junction box on the floor panel toward the cabin, so that the living space of the cabin is not narrowed.

Further, since the junction box is stored and fixed in the closed section of the front-rear frame, the front-rear frame itself functions as a protector for the junction box, and the junction box can be hermetically sealed in the front-rear frame. There is no need for a protector member or a complicated sealing structure, and the cost can be advantageously obtained.

Furthermore, since the junction box can be sub-assembled to the battery frame, the process of assembling the battery frame to the floor panel does not involve the connection work between the junction box and the battery, thus greatly reducing the number of assembly steps. In addition to being able to greatly reduce the cost, it is possible to greatly contribute to cost reduction, and it is not necessary to give a slack to the strong electric harness for connecting the junction box and the battery for connection work, so that the security is excellent.

According to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, since the junction box is made independent of the junction box on the positive electrode side and the junction box on the negative electrode side, the junction box can be downsized. Therefore, without increasing the size of the battery frame due to an increase in the closed cross-sectional area of the left and right longitudinal frames for storing and fixing these junction boxes, it is possible to obtain not only cost but also structural and weight advantages. it can.

According to the third aspect, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, when checking a controller, which is a high-voltage component in the motor room, etc., the cover of the switch operation port is provided from the side of the front-rear direction frame. The operator can easily perform the operation of shutting off the power to the controller by operating the shutoff switch knob and removing the controller, and the inspection work of the controller can be performed safely.

According to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first and second aspects, since the circuit breaker is provided on the front wall of the front vehicle width direction frame, the controller is a strong electric component in the motor room. In the inspection or the like, the operation of shutting off the power supply to the controller by the circuit breaker can be performed more easily in front of the battery frame having a relatively large working space.

According to the fifth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects, the junction box is inserted into a closed cross section of the front-rear direction frame and fixed to the front-rear direction frame, so that the end of the junction box is formed. Since the front end opening of the front-rear direction frame can be closed by the lid, assembling of the junction box and work of front terminal processing of the front-rear direction frame can be performed at the same time, and the man-hour for assembling the battery frame increases. Can be avoided.

According to the sixth aspect, in addition to the effects of the first to fifth aspects, when the junction box is slid in the front-rear direction within the closed cross section of the front-rear frame, the junction box is moved forward and backward by the guide ribs. The junction box can be easily inserted and arranged in the closed cross section by lightly pushing the junction box without surface contact with the inner peripheral surface of the directional frame, thereby improving the workability of assembling the junction box. Can be.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a battery frame fixedly provided below the floor panel. The battery frame 1 includes a pair of left and right front-rear frames 2 and a pair of front and rear vehicle width-direction frames 3. , 3 and a bottom plate 4 are formed in a flat rectangular shape.

Each of the front-rear direction frame 2 and the vehicle width direction frame 3 is formed by extruding a lightweight metal material such as aluminum into a rectangular closed cross section, and the front-rear direction frame 2 is brought into contact with the end face of the vehicle width direction frame 3. They are joined.

On the upper surface of the bottom plate 4, the front and rear frames 2, 2
An intermediate frame (not shown) having a low height is joined and arranged in a grid pattern over the vehicle width direction frames 3 and 3, and a plurality of batteries 5 are placed on the intermediate frame in a state of close contact in the front-rear and left-right directions. It is housed neatly.

The batteries 5 are fastened and fixed at their corners to the above-described intermediate frame and the shelf edge 7 integrally formed on the lower inner edges of the front-rear direction frame 2 and the vehicle width direction frame 3 by bolts and nuts 6. It is.

Adjacent batteries 5, 5 have outer terminals 5a, 5a protruding from one side of the upper surface thereof connected in series, for example, by a bus bar (not shown).

A battery cover 8 made of, for example, a resin material is mounted on the battery frame 1 so as to cover the battery 5, and the battery 5 is housed in the battery frame 1 in a sealed state.

An air intake 9 for connecting an intake duct (not shown) is formed in the front vehicle width direction frame 3F, and outside air is supplied from the air intake 9 into the battery frame 1 as cooling air. Battery 5 in battery frame 1
Is to be cooled.

The battery frame 1 abuts against the lower surface of the floor frame member 11 joined to the lower surface of the floor panel 10 and is firmly fixed by bolts and nuts (not shown).

Front and rear frame 2 of battery frame 1
Has a junction box 13 that is electrically connected to the battery 5 and electrically connected to a controller (not shown), which is a high-power component in the motor room, in its closed section.

The junction box 13 has a relay function and an electric cutoff function. In this embodiment, the junction box 13 is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the series circuit of the battery 5 and is disposed in the front side of the right front-rear frame 2R. The separated junction box 13P on the positive electrode side and the junction box 13M on the negative electrode side electrically connected to the negative electrode terminal of the series circuit of the battery 5 and arranged in the front side of the front-rear frame 2L on the left side.

Each junction box 13P, 13M
A cut-off switch knob 14 is disposed on the outer side surface of each vehicle in the vehicle width direction, and a lid 15 for closing the front end opening 2a of the front-rear direction frame 2 is integrally formed at each front end.

The junction boxes 13P, 13
A strong electric harness 16 is drawn from M through the lid 15 and is electrically connected to the controller in the motor room through the strong electric harness 16.

On the other hand, a switch operation port 17 is formed at a position corresponding to the shut-off switch knob 14 on each outer wall of the front and rear direction frames 2R and 2L. 19 detachably attached.

Further, a plurality of guide ribs 20 are integrally formed in the front and rear direction on the inner peripheral surfaces of the front and rear frames 2R and 2L, specifically, on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower walls and the inner surface of the outer wall. 13P and 13M are brought into sliding contact with these guide ribs 20, and the junction box 13
P and 13M are set apart from the inner peripheral wall.

Around the disposing portion of the cover 18, screw insertion holes 21 are formed through four portions, that is, upper, lower, front and rear, in the portion where the guide rib 20 is formed. To secure it.

According to the structure of the above embodiment, the junction box 13 is stored and fixed in the closed cross section of the front and rear direction frame 2 by effectively utilizing the closed cross section of the left and right front and rear direction frame 2. The battery housing space of the frame 1 is not narrowed, and unlike the conventional structure in which the junction box is housed and arranged in the floor tunnel, the floor tunnel is mounted on the floor panel 10 so that the junction box is mounted on the vehicle side. It is not necessary to form a large bulge toward the vehicle, so that the living space of the passenger compartment is not narrowed.

Further, since the junction box 13 is stored and fixed in the closed cross section of the front-rear frame 2, the front-rear frame 2 itself functions as a protector for the junction box 13, and the junction box 13 is connected to the front-rear frame. Since it can be hermetically sealed in the housing 2, there is no need for a dedicated protector member or a complicated sealing structure, and the cost can be advantageously obtained.

Further, since the junction box 13 can be sub-assembled to the battery frame 1, the process of assembling the battery frame 1 to the floor panel 10 does not involve the work of connecting the junction box 13 and the battery 5, and the assembly work Man-hours can be greatly reduced, which can greatly contribute to cost reduction.

Unlike the case where the junction box 13 is mounted on the floor panel 10, the junction box 13 is stored and fixed in the closed cross section of the front-rear direction frame 2 of the battery frame 1, and the junction box 13 and the battery Since the harness connection with the cable 5 can be performed in a free space when the sub-assembly of the junction box 13 is performed, there is no need to provide an extra slack for the connection work in the high-power harness, and there is an advantage that the security is excellent.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the junction box 13 is connected to the junction box 13 on the positive electrode side.
P and the junction box 13M on the negative electrode side are independent of each other and are separately disposed on the left and right front-rear frames 2R and 2L.
Therefore, it is not necessary to particularly increase the closed cross-sectional area of the left and right longitudinal frames 2R and 2L for storing and fixing the junction boxes 13P and 13M, so that the battery frame 1 may be increased in size. However, it is possible to obtain not only cost but also structural and weight advantages.

On the other hand, when inspecting the controller, which is a high-voltage component in the motor room, it is necessary to cut off the power supply to the controller for safety. In this case, the front and rear frames 2 and the floor panel A cover 1 that covers a switch operation port 17 on an outer wall of the front-rear frame 2 in a space between the side sill 12 of the front-rear frame member.
8, the cutoff switch knob 14 of the junction box 13 can be operated from the switch operation port 17 to easily perform the power cutoff operation.

When assembling the junction box 13 to the battery frame 1, the junction box 13 is inserted into the closed section through the front end opening 2 a of the front-rear direction frame 2, and
Is fixed to the outer wall of the front-rear direction frame 2 with screws 22, so that the front end opening 2 a of the front-rear direction frame 2 can be closed by the lid 15 at the front end of the junction box 13. At the same time, the terminal processing of the front end opening 2a can be performed, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the number of assembling work steps of the battery frame 1.

Moreover, this junction box 13
Is inserted into the closed cross section of the front-rear frame 2 by sliding behind the front end opening 2a, since the junction box 13 does not come into surface contact with the inner peripheral surface of the front-rear frame 2 by the guide ribs 20. By lightly pushing the junction box 13, it can be easily inserted and arranged in the closed cross section, and the workability of assembling the junction box can be improved.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The junction box 13P on the positive electrode side is housed and disposed in the closed front section of the front-rear frame 2R on the right, and the junction box 13M on the negative electrode is placed on the left. Is similar to that of the first embodiment except that the junction boxes 13P and 13M do not have an electric shutoff function, and therefore, the front vehicle A dedicated circuit breaker 23 is fixed to the center of the front wall of the width direction frame 3F, and the junction boxes 13P and 13M are connected to the circuit breaker 23 by a harness.
The breaker 23 and a controller in the motor room are connected by a harness.

A cover 24 for entirely covering the circuit breaker 23 is detachably attached to the vehicle width direction frame 3F.

Therefore, according to the structure of this embodiment, when inspecting the controller in the motor room as described above, there is no vehicle body structural material such as the side sill 12 which serves as a blind spot for the operator, and the working space is reduced. The cover 24 is removed in front of the relatively wide battery frame 1, so that the circuit breaker 23 can more easily perform the operation of cutting off the power supply to the controller.

Although the junction box 13 is fastened and fixed to the outer wall of the front-rear frame 2 in the above-described embodiment, the junction box 13 may be fastened and fixed to the bottom wall of the front-rear frame 2. Alternatively, the lid 15 may be fastened and fixed to the peripheral edge of the front end opening 2 a of the front-rear direction frame 2.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an overall plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an overall plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery frame 2 Front-back direction frame 3 Vehicle width direction frame 3F Front vehicle width direction frame 4 Bottom plate 5 Battery 10 Floor panel 13 Junction box 13P Positive side junction box 13M Negative side junction box 14 Lid switch knob 15 Lid 17 Switch operation Mouth 18 Switch operation cover 20 Guide rib 23 Circuit breaker 24 Circuit breaker cover

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60K 1/04 B60R 16/02 B60R 16/04

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vehicle comprising a pair of left and right front-rear frames, a pair of front and rear vehicle width-direction frames having a closed cross-sectional structure, and a bottom plate, wherein a plurality of batteries are accommodated on the bottom plate and fixed below a floor panel. A battery for an electric vehicle, wherein a junction box electrically connected to a battery and electrically connected to a controller in a motor room is stored and fixed in a closed cross section of a front-rear direction frame of the battery frame. Frame structure. 2. A junction box comprising a positive junction box electrically connected to positive poles of a plurality of batteries and a negative junction box electrically connected to negative poles of a plurality of batteries. 2. The battery frame structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the junction box on the negative electrode side is arranged separately in left and right front and rear frames. 3. The junction box has an electric shut-off function, and has a shut-off switch knob on one side.
The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a switch operation port is formed at a position corresponding to the shutoff switch knob on an outer wall of the front-rear direction frame, and the switch operation port is covered with a removable cover. Battery frame structure. 4. A circuit breaker electrically connected to a junction box housed and fixed in a closed cross section of the front-rear direction frame and a controller in a motor room is fixedly mounted on a front wall of the front vehicle width direction frame. 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said cover is detachably mounted on said container.
The battery frame structure of the electric vehicle according to the above description. 5. The junction box is stored and fixed in a closed cross section of a front side portion of the front-rear direction frame, and the junction box is integrally provided with a lid for closing a front end opening of the front-rear direction frame at a front end thereof. The battery frame structure for an electric vehicle according to claim 1. 6. The guide frame according to claim 1, wherein guide ribs for fixing the junction box apart from the inner peripheral wall are integrally formed on the inner peripheral wall of the longitudinal frame in the longitudinal direction. Battery frame structure for electric vehicles.