Structure of Hybrid Vehicle

• US 20080164081A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hosokawa, Toshiyuki, Watanabe, Ko
• Granted Patent: US 7,823,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/004 for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/003 Component temperature regulation using an air flow
• 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: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/08 Other arrangements or adaptations of exhaust conduits pipes, joints or supports therefor in general F16L; collecting or removing exhaust gases of vehicle engines in workshops B08B15/00, on highways E01C1/005
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2340/04 characterised by the arrangement of an exhaust pipe, manifold or apparatus in relation to vehicle frame or particular vehicle parts
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/10 by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust by using other chemical processes, chemical aspects of catalytic conversion, e.g. using specified catalysts, B01D53/34
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/106 Auxiliary oxidation catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers H01M10/6565 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A structure of a hybrid vehicle includes a battery pack arranged on a floor panel and an exhaust pipe extending from an engine, passing below the floor panel, to an exhaust port. The battery pack has a secondary battery constituted by a plurality of battery cells stacked in a vehicle traveling direction for supplying electric power to a motor, and an intake chamber provided adjacent to the secondary battery in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction along which the plurality of battery cells are stacked for supplying cooling air between each of the plurality of battery cells. The exhaust pipe is provided so that it passes immediately below the battery pack and passes a position displaced from a position immediately below the intake chamber. With such a configuration, a structure of a hybrid vehicle that suppresses reduction in the efficiency of cooling a secondary battery without placing a great limit on routing of an exhaust pipe is provided.

Claims

1. A structure of a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a motor, comprising:

a battery pack that has a secondary battery constituted by a plurality of battery cells stacked in a vehicle traveling direction for supplying electric power to said motor, and an intake chamber provided adjacent to said secondary battery in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction along which said plurality of battery cells are stacked for supplying cooling air between each of said plurality of battery cells, and that is arranged on a vehicle floor; and

an exhaust passage having an exhaust port and extending from said internal combustion engine, passing below said vehicle floor, to said exhaust port, wherein

said exhaust passage is provided so that it passes immediately below said battery pack and passes a position displaced from a position immediately below said intake chamber.

2. The structure of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of battery cells include a first battery cell region positioned relatively near to said intake chamber, and a second battery cell region positioned relatively far from said intake chamber, and

said exhaust passage is provided so that it passes immediately below said first battery cell region.

3. A structure of a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a motor, comprising:

a battery pack that has a secondary battery constituted by a plurality of battery cells stacked in a vehicle width direction for supplying electric power to said motor, an intake chamber provided adjacent to said secondary battery in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction along which said plurality of battery cells are stacked for supplying cooling air between each of said plurality of battery cells, and an exhaust chamber arranged opposite to said intake chamber relative to said secondary battery for exhausting the cooling air from between each of said plurality of battery cells, and that is arranged on a vehicle floor;

an exhaust passage having an exhaust port and extending from said internal combustion engine, passing below said vehicle floor, to said exhaust port

a catalyst portion provided on a route of said exhaust passage for purifying exhaust gas, wherein

said exhaust passage is provided so that it passes immediately below said battery pack, and said catalyst portion is arranged at a position displaced from a position immediately below said intake chamber.

4. A structure of a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a motor, comprising:

a battery pack that has a secondary battery Constituted by a plurality of battery cells stacked in one of a vehicle traveling direction and a vehicle width direction for supplying electric power to said motor, an intake chamber provided adjacent to said secondary battery in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction along which said plurality of battery cells are stacked for supplying cooling air between each of said plurality of battery cells, and an exhaust chamber arranged opposite to said intake chamber relative to said secondary battery for exhausting the cooling air from between each of said plurality of battery cells, and that is arranged on a vehicle floor;

an exhaust passage having an exhaust port and extending from said internal combustion engine, passing below said vehicle floor, to said exhaust port; and

a catalyst portion provided on a route of said exhaust passage for purifying exhaust gas, wherein

said exhaust passage is provided so that it passes immediately below said battery pack, and said catalyst portion is arranged at a position displaced from a position immediately below said battery pack.

5. The structure of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

said secondary battery is constituted by a plurality of battery cells stacked in a vehicle traveling direction,

said plurality of battery cells includes a first battery cell region positioned relatively near to said intake chamber, and a second battery cell region positioned relatively far from said intake chamber, and

said exhaust passage is provided so that it passes immediately below said first battery cell region.

6. A structure of a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a motor, comprising:

a battery pack that has a secondary battery constituted by a plurality of battery cells stacked in a vehicle width direction for supplying electric power to said motor, an intake chamber provided adjacent to said secondary battery in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction along which said plurality of battery cells are stacked for supplying cooling air between each of said plurality of battery cells, and an exhaust chamber arranged opposite to said intake chamber relative to said secondary battery for exhausting the cooling air from between each of said plurality of battery cells, and that is arranged on a vehicle floor; and

an exhaust passage having an exhaust port and extending from said internal combustion engine, passing below said vehicle floor, to said exhaust port, wherein

said intake chamber and said exhaust chamber each include one end and the other end separated in a direction along which said plurality of battery cells are stacked, and extend from said one end to said other end,

when the cooling air is introduced from said one end of said intake chamber and exhausted from said other end of said exhaust chambers, said exhaust passage is provided to pass immediately below said battery pack at a position nearer to said other end than to said one end, and

when the cooling air is introduced from said one end of said intake chamber and exhausted from said one end of said exhaust chamber, said exhaust passage is provided to pass immediately below said battery pack at a position nearer to said one end than to said other end.