Electrical device cooling structure in vehicle

• US 20070040418A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Takedomi, Harumi, Koike, Eiji, Kawata, Masao, Ohkuma, Kanae
• Granted Patent: US 7,396,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/15
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3068 in a longitudinal-transversal plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3075 stowed in recess B60N2/3079 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/363 characterised by provisions for enhancing the cargo floor surface, e.g. elements closing gaps or enlarging the back-rest surface

Abstract

A rear seat is foldable by moving downward a seat cushion and folding forward a seat back. A power source unit is disposed below a rear floor to the rear of the rear seat. When the rear seat is in an unfolded state, cooling air can be introduced from inside a vehicle compartment, through a space between a lower surface of the seat cushion and an upper surface of an underseat floor, into a cooling-air introduction port in the power source unit. When the rear seat is in a folded state, the cooling air is introduced from inside the vehicle compartment, through cooling-air introduction passages, into the cooling-air introduction port. Thus, the power source unit can be cooled irrespective of whether the rear seat is in the folded state, without reducing the foldability of the rear seat.

Claims

1. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle, comprising:

a rear seat including a seat cushion and a seat back, the rear seat being foldable by moving downward the seat cushion and folding forward the seat back so that an upper surface of the folded seat back becomes substantially flatly continuous to a rear floor which is located to the rear of the seat back; and

a cooling-air introduction port provided in an electrical device which is disposed under the rear floor to drive a motor for driving the vehicle, cooling air being introduced into the cooling-air introduction port through a space between a lower surface of the seat cushion of the rear seat in an unfolded state and an upper surface of an underseat floor,

wherein when the rear seat is in a folded state a cooling-air introduction passage is formed for introducing the cooling air from the vehicle compartment into the cooling-air introduction port in the electrical device.

2. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cooling-air introduction passage is formed between the lower surface of the seat cushion of the rear seat in the folded state and the upper surface of the underseat floor.

3. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a fuel tank is disposed below a front seat located in front of the rear seat.

4. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a hollow cross member disposed below the rear seat to interconnect left and right side frames, and wherein the cooling-air introduction passage passes through the inside of the cross member.

5. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a bridge plate is pivotally supported at a front end of the rear floor so that the bridge plate covers a gap formed between the folded seat back and the rear floor.

6. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electrical device is at least one of a battery and a motor control device.

7. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a fan for drawing cooling air into the cooling-air introduction port.

8. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a fuel tank is disposed below a front seat located in front of the rear seat.

9. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a hollow cross member disposed below the rear seat to interconnect left and right side frames, and wherein the cooling-air introduction passage passes through the inside of the cross member.

10. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a bridge plate is pivotally supported at a front end of the rear floor so that the bridge plate covers a gap formed between the folded seat back and the rear floor.

11. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the electrical device is at least one of a battery and a motor control device.

12. An electrical device cooling structure in a vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a fan for drawing cooling air into the cooling-air introduction port.