JP2011031778A - Cooling structure of vehicle battery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling structure of a vehicle battery for improving merchantability by disposing an opening at a position not to give uncomfortable feeling to an occupant due to intake noise, to reduce risk of being covered, and to be inconspicuous on appearance. <P>SOLUTION: The cooling structure includes an intake duct 26 connected to a battery unit 21 and supplying air in a vehicle interior 9 to the battery unit 21 as cooling wind, and a cooling fan 30 letting the cooling wind flow to the intake duct 26. The opening 35 for taking in air in the vehicle interior 9 to the intake duct 26 is formed from a front face 42 of a seat cushion attachment part 40 of a rear seat 7 to a side face 43. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular battery cooling structure effective for taking in cooling air for cooling a battery applied to a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

  For example, in a hybrid vehicle, a battery as a drive energy source is mounted in the rear seat back of the rear seat, in the luggage space, or under the floor thereof. Since the battery is a heat-generating component that generates heat when charging and discharging are performed, cooling is required to maintain battery performance. It is desirable to cool the battery efficiently by sending the captured cooling air with a small ventilation resistance, and conventionally, the air in the passenger compartment is taken in by the cooling fan from the position adjacent to the battery near the rear seat, It is known to supply the air as cooling air to a battery (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an air inlet of the battery cooling system described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. In this electric vehicle, in order to supply air in the passenger compartment as cooling air to the battery pack mounted in the luggage space on the rear side of the rear seat 101, the intake side is provided upstream and downstream of the cold air passage of the battery pack. And an exhaust-side duct, and a cooling fan is interposed in the intake-side duct. In this case, the air inlet 103 of the duct on the air intake side opens to an upper portion of the seat side garnish 104 disposed on the side of the seat back 102 of the rear seat 101, and from the air inlet 103 to the interior of the vehicle interior. The air can be taken in.

  FIG. 10 is a front view showing an air inlet of the battery cooling system described in Patent Documents 2 and 3. In this electric vehicle, an air supply pipe 112 is disposed under the seat cushion 111 of the rear seat 110, and an air inlet 113 of the air supply pipe 112 opens into a notch 114 formed at the lower front end of the seat cushion 111. is doing.

Japanese Patent No. 4114478 JP 2007-294290 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-221988

  By the way, in the battery cooling structure described in Patent Document 1, the air inlet 103 is arranged in the seat side garnish 104 provided beside the rear seat 101. On the other hand, an occupant who rides on the rear seat 101 is forced to sit near the air intake 103, and as a result, the occupant's ear is positioned near the air intake 103, and the air intake sound of the room air from the air intake 103 is obtained. May cause discomfort to the passenger. According to Patent Documents 2 and 3, since the air inlet 113 is provided at the lower front end of the seat cushion 111 of the rear seat 110, the air inlet 113 may be blocked by the occupant's legs, which is necessary for cooling. There is a possibility that the amount of intake air to be secured cannot be secured, and there is room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object thereof is less noticeable in appearance and less likely to be clogged with an opening that does not give a passenger discomfort due to the inhalation sound of room air. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling structure for a vehicle battery that can be disposed at a position where the product quality is improved.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a cooling structure for a vehicle battery disposed at the rear of a vehicle body of a vehicle (for example, a vehicle 1 in an embodiment described later),
An intake duct (for example, described later) that is connected to the battery (for example, a battery unit 21 in an embodiment described later) and supplies air in a passenger compartment (for example, a vehicle interior 9 in the embodiment described later) as cooling air to the battery. An intake duct 26) in the embodiment of
A cooling fan (for example, the cooling fan 30 in an embodiment described later) for circulating the cooling air through the intake duct;
With
An opening (for example, an opening 35 in an embodiment described later) for taking air in the vehicle interior into the intake duct is a seat cushion mounting portion (for example, a rear seat 7 in an embodiment described later). It is characterized by being formed from the front surface (for example, the front surface 42 in the embodiment described later) to the side surface (for example, the side surface 43 in the embodiment described later) of the seat cushion mounting portion 40 in the embodiment described later.

In addition to the configuration of claim 1, the invention according to claim 2
The opening is provided along a curved surface (for example, a curved surface 41 in an embodiment described later) formed from the front surface to the side surface of the seat cushion mounting portion.

The invention according to claim 3 includes, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or claim 2,
The opening is disposed above a bottom portion of the seat cushion mounting portion (for example, a bottom portion 44 in an embodiment described later), and is formed from the front surface to the side surface of the seat cushion mounting portion in a vertically standing state. It is characterized by.

The invention according to claim 4 includes, in addition to the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The opening is covered with an intake grill (for example, an intake grill 37 in an embodiment described later) provided with a plurality of intake holes (for example, an intake hole 46 in an embodiment described later) having a dimension of 10 mm or less. It is characterized by that.

The invention according to claim 5 includes, in addition to the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The opening is disposed at the same height as the cooling fan,
The intake duct is formed in a straight line and extends in the horizontal direction.

In addition to the structure of any one of claims 1 to 5, the invention according to claim 6
A gap (for example, a gap 53 in an embodiment described later) is provided between the opening and an inlet (for example, an inlet 32 in an embodiment described later) of the intake duct.

The invention according to claim 7 includes, in addition to the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The gap is defined by a floor panel (for example, a floor panel 11 in an embodiment described later), the seat cushion mounting portion, and a seat cushion (for example, a seat cushion 6 in an embodiment described later) of the rear seat. It is characterized by that.

In addition to the structure of any one of claims 1 to 7, the invention according to claim 8
A fixed-side end portion (for example, a fixed-side end portion 48 in the later-described embodiment) of the rear-seat seat belt (for example, the rear-seat seat belt 47 in the later-described embodiment) disposed in the rear seat is It is fixed to the floor panel in the gap.

The invention according to claim 9 includes, in addition to the structure according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The seat cushion is provided with a sound-absorbing material (for example, a sound-absorbing material 52 in an embodiment described later) at a portion facing the gap.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to cool the battery by reliably taking in the air in the passenger compartment without obstructing the seated person and without causing the opening to be blocked by the leg or the like. Further, since the opening is disposed at a position that is not conspicuous and away from the position of the occupant's ear, the merchantability is improved without causing the occupant to feel uncomfortable.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the opening having excellent design can be disposed at a position that does not obstruct the person who is seated and is not blocked by a leg or the like. .

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the entry of dust and the like from the opening and to cool the battery effectively by taking in the cold air staying in the lower part of the vehicle interior.

  According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as coins from entering from the opening.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the length of the intake duct can be shortened to reduce the pressure loss (ventilation resistance) caused by the intake duct, and the battery can be efficiently cooled.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, moisture condensed in the intake duct can be drained into the gap to prevent adhesion to the battery, and adverse effects on the battery can be eliminated. In addition, the air intake passage can be provided in a narrow vehicle interior by disposing the gap in a portion where it is difficult to provide an intake duct having a size that can secure a sufficient intake amount.

  According to the invention of claim 7, a special member for providing the gap is not necessary, and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the invention of claim 8, the fixed side end of the seat belt for the rear seat can be fixed to the gap that is a part of the intake passage, and the seat belt is fixed without narrowing the intake passage, In addition to securing the intake air amount, a compact design is possible.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the intake sound of the air taken in from the opening by absorbing the sound with the sound absorbing material, thereby making the vehicle interior quiet.

1 is a schematic side view of a hybrid vehicle to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a rear portion of the hybrid vehicle shown in FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing of the cooling structure of the vehicle battery shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the rear seat by which the opening part was arranged at the seat cushion attaching part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rear seat shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the backseat to which a 2nd embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 is a side view of the rear seat shown in FIG. 6. It is a side view of the rear seat to which the third embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the fragmentary perspective schematic diagram which looked at the rear seat part of the conventional motor vehicle from the cabin side. It is a front view of the rear seat part of other conventional vehicles.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals.
(First embodiment)

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes a power unit 2 in which an engine and a motor generator are provided in series, assists driving of the engine with the motor generator, and power from the motor generator when the vehicle is decelerated. It is a hybrid car that can be recovered. The motor generator is, for example, a three-phase AC motor, and the driving force of the engine and the motor generator is transmitted to the front wheels 3 that are driving wheels.

  In such a vehicle 1, an electrical component connected to the power unit 2 via the power cable 8 at the rear portion of the main seat back 5 of the rear seat 7 including the side seat back 4, the main seat back 5, and the seat cushion 6. A box 20 is arranged.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electrical component box 20 includes a battery unit 21, an inverter unit 22, and a DC-DC converter unit 23, and when power is supplied from the battery unit 21 of the DC power source to the motor generator. The inverter unit 22 converts the direct current into alternating current.

  In addition, when the vehicle 1 decelerates or the like, when the engine output or the kinetic energy of the vehicle 1 is converted into electric energy and stored in the battery unit 21, the motor generator functions as a generator to generate a so-called regenerative braking force. Then, the inverter unit 22 converts the alternating current into direct current and stores it in the battery unit 21. Further, since the DC voltage converted by the inverter unit 22 is high voltage, a part of the DC voltage is stepped down by the DC-DC converter unit 23.

  The interior of the electrical component box 20 including the battery unit 21, the inverter unit 22, and the DC-DC converter unit 23 is cooled by the cold air taken from the vehicle interior 9 of the vehicle 1.

  In the electrical component box 20, the battery unit 21, the inverter unit 22, and the DC-DC converter unit 23 are accommodated in a substantially rectangular box-shaped accommodation case 24 having an open surface on one side, and the open surface of the storage case 24 is accommodated. It is closed by a cover 25 screwed to the case 24, and is arranged at the rear part of the main seat back 5 of the rear seat 7.

  The cover 25 is integrally provided with an intake duct 26 at the lower right side in FIG. An exhaust duct 27 communicating with the inside of the storage case 24 is formed on the left side wall 28 of the storage case 24. A cooling fan 30 for blowing air is attached to an exhaust port 29 that is an end portion of the exhaust duct 27. That is, the intake duct 26 is connected to the upstream side of the cold air passage of the electrical component box 20, and the exhaust duct 27 is connected to the downstream side of the cold air passage of the electrical component box 20.

  The intake duct 26 is, for example, a hollow member having a substantially rectangular cross section formed by bending with a synthetic resin. The intake duct 26 extends outward from the electrical component box 20 in the width direction of the vehicle 1, then curves downward, and further in the vehicle forward direction. The bent portion extends from the rear portion of the main seat back 5 to the vicinity of the front end of the seat cushion mounting portion 40 along the floor panel 11 of the vehicle 1 mainly through the lower portion of the seat cushion 6.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the open end 31 of the intake duct 26 extends to the opening 35 provided in the seat cushion mounting portion 40, and the intake 32 that opens to the open end 31 is connected to the opening 35. It arrange | positions so that it may oppose. The opening 35 is provided along a curved surface 41 formed from the front surface 42 to the side surface 43 of the seat cushion mounting portion 40 of the rear seat 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the opening 35 has an intake grille 37 provided with a plurality of intake holes 46 in a vertical wall portion 45 formed above the bottom portion 44 of the seat cushion mounting portion 40 in a state where the opening 35 stands in the vertical direction. It is formed as. Each intake hole 46 has a size of 10 mm or less, which prevents entry of foreign matter such as coins.

  The seat cushion 6 is filled with, for example, a foamed urethane resin, which is a sound absorbing material 52 having a cushion function and a sound absorbing function.

  In the cooling structure configured as described above, when the cooling fan 30 is rotated, the cold air in the passenger compartment 9, in particular, the cold air near the floor panel 11 where cold air is likely to accumulate, is generated in the opening portion of the seat cushion mounting portion 40. 35 (intake grill 37) is blown to the electrical component box 20 through the intake duct 26 to cool the battery unit 21, the inverter unit 22, and the DC-DC converter unit 23, and then is discharged from the exhaust duct 27.

  As described above, according to the cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to the present embodiment, the opening 35 for taking in the air in the passenger compartment 9 into the intake duct 26 is provided on the seat cushion mounting portion 40 of the rear seat 7. Since it is formed from the front surface to the side surface, it does not interfere with the person who sits down, and there is no possibility that the opening 35 is blocked by a leg or the like. The battery unit 21, the inverter unit 22, and the DC-DC converter unit 23 can be cooled. Moreover, since the opening part 35 is arrange | positioned in the position which is distant from the position of a passenger | crew's ear and is not conspicuous, merchantability is improved without giving a passenger discomfort.

  In addition, since the opening 35 is provided along the curved surface 41 formed from the front surface 42 to the side surface 43 of the seat cushion mounting portion 40, the opening 35 with excellent design can be used as an obstacle to the seated person. And can be placed at a position where it is not blocked by a leg or the like, and the merchantability is improved. In addition, since cool air is likely to accumulate in the vicinity of the opening 35 near the floor panel 11 and is not easily heated by sunlight from the window, cold air can be taken in through the intake duct 26 and blown to the electrical component box 20. .

  Further, since the opening 35 is formed from the front surface 42 to the side surface 43 of the seat cushion mounting portion 40 that stands above the bottom portion 44 of the seat cushion mounting portion 40 and in the vertical direction, dust or the like enters from the opening 35. In addition, the cool air staying in the lower part of the passenger compartment 9 is taken in and supplied to the electrical component box 20 as cooling air, so that the battery unit 21, the inverter unit 22, and the DC-DC converter unit 23 are provided. Can be cooled.

  Further, since the opening 35 is covered with an intake grill 37 provided with a plurality of intake holes 46 having a dimension of 10 mm or less, entry of foreign matters such as coins from the opening 35 can be prevented.

(Second Embodiment)
6 and 7 show a cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The intake duct 26 of the present embodiment has an intake port 32 that is spaced apart from the opening 35, and a gap 53 is provided between the intake port 32 and the opening 35. That is, the intake port 32 of the intake duct 26 opens into the gap 53. The gap portion 53 is a space defined by the floor panel 11, the seat cushion mounting portion 40, and the seat cushion 6 of the rear seat 7 with reference to FIG. 5.

  A fixed-side end 48 of the rear seat belt 47 disposed on the rear seat 7 is attached via an anchor 49 fixed to the floor panel 11 in the gap 53 by a bolt 50. As a result, as indicated by a broken line A in the figure, interference between the rear seat belt 47 and the intake duct 26 that occurs when the intake duct 26 is extended to the opening 35 can be avoided, and the space is narrow. The rear seat belt 47 and the intake duct 26 can be disposed without hindrance.

  As described above, according to the cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to the present embodiment, since the air gap 53 is provided between the opening 35 and the air inlet 32 of the air intake duct 26, the air intake duct 26 is provided. Moisture condensed inside is drained into the gap 53 to prevent adhesion to the battery unit 21, inverter unit 22, and DC-DC converter unit 23 built in the electrical component box 20, and these units 21, 22, 23 can be prevented from being adversely affected. Further, by arranging the gap 53 in a narrow part where it is difficult to provide the intake duct 26 having a size that can secure a sufficient intake amount, a large intake amount necessary for cooling can be secured in the narrow vehicle 1. An intake passage can be easily provided.

  Further, since the gap portion 53 is defined by the floor panel 11, the seat cushion mounting portion 40, and the seat cushion 6 of the rear seat 7, a special member for providing the gap portion 53 is unnecessary, and the cost can be reduced. Figured.

  Further, since the fixed side end 48 of the seat belt 47 for the rear seat disposed in the rear seat 7 is fixed to the floor panel 11 in the gap 53, the gap 53 that is a part of the intake passage is formed in the gap 53. The fixed side end 48 of the seat belt 47 for the rear seat can be fixed, the seat belt 47 is fixed without narrowing the intake passage, the intake amount is secured, and a compact design is possible.

  Further, since the sound absorbing material 52 is provided at the portion facing the gap portion 53 of the seat cushion 6, the intake sound of the air taken in from the opening 35 is absorbed by the sound absorbing material 52 and reduced to reduce the inside of the passenger compartment 9. Can be quiet.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 8 shows a cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The electrical component box 20 of the present embodiment is disposed under the floor of the luggage space 10 provided behind the rear seat 7. In this case, the intake duct 26 is provided with a cooling fan 30 in the middle of the duct, is formed in a straight line, extends in the horizontal direction, and is connected to the battery unit 21. The opening 35 is disposed at the same height as the cooling fan 30, and the air inlet 32 opens into a gap 53 provided under the seat cushion 6.

  In the present embodiment, the air inlet 32 may be disposed in close contact with the opening 35 as in the first embodiment without providing the gap 53 between the air inlet 32 and the opening 35. It can change suitably according to the arrangement | positioning space of each member.

  As described above, according to the cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to the present embodiment, the opening 35 is disposed at the same height as the cooling fan 30 and the intake duct 26 is formed in a straight line so as to be horizontal. Therefore, the length of the intake duct 26 is shortened to reduce the pressure loss (ventilation resistance) by the intake duct 26, and the battery unit 21, the inverter unit 22, and the DC-DC converter unit 23 are efficiently processed. Can be cooled.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to each embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. Although the hybrid vehicle has been described as the application vehicle, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an electric vehicle using only a motor as a drive source.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 6 Seat cushion 7 Back seat 9 Cab 11 Front panel 26 Intake duct 30 Cooling fan 32 Inlet 35 Opening 37 Intake grill 40 Seat cushion attaching part 41 Curved surface 42 Front 43 Side 44 Bottom 46 Inlet hole 47 For rear seat Seat belt 48 Fixed side end 52 Sound absorbing material 53 Gap

Claims (9)

A cooling structure for a vehicle battery disposed at the rear of a vehicle body,
An air intake duct connected to the battery and supplying air in the passenger compartment to the battery as cooling air;
A cooling fan for circulating the cooling air through the intake duct;
With
A cooling structure for a vehicle battery, wherein an opening for taking air in the vehicle interior into the intake duct is formed from a front surface to a side surface of a seat cushion mounting portion of a rear seat.   The cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to claim 1, wherein the opening is provided along a curved surface formed from a front surface to a side surface of the seat cushion mounting portion.   The said opening part is arrange | positioned upwards from the bottom part of the said seat cushion attachment part, and is formed from the front surface to the side surface of the said seat cushion attachment part in the state which stood up in the perpendicular direction. The cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to claim 2.   4. The cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to claim 1, wherein the opening is covered with an intake grill provided with a plurality of intake holes having a dimension of 10 mm or less. . The opening is disposed at the same height as the cooling fan,
The cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the intake duct is formed in a straight line and extends in a horizontal direction.   The vehicular battery cooling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a gap is provided between the opening and the air inlet of the air intake duct.   The vehicle battery cooling structure according to claim 1, wherein the gap is defined by a floor panel, the seat cushion mounting portion, and a seat cushion of the rear seat. .   The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a fixed side end portion of a rear seat seat belt disposed in the rear seat is fixed to the floor panel in the gap. Battery cooling structure.   The cooling structure for a vehicle battery according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the seat cushion is provided with a sound absorbing material at a portion facing the gap.

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