STRUCTURE FOR AIR-COOLING VEHICLE-MOUNTED OBJECT

• US 20100193174A1
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nemoto, Atsuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,602,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/202
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00407 for open or convertible vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/003 Component temperature regulation using an air flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/223 specially adapted for convertible cars
• 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: B60K 2001/0416 Arrangement in the rear part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

There is provided an air-cooling structure fop a vehicle-mounted object capable of taking in a sufficient amount of air. The top end of an air suction part 36 is opened extremely near an air deflector 20 behind the air deflector 20. With this, an air flow W4 prevented from flowing to a vehicle compartment space 12 by the air deflector 20 is introduced to the top end of the air suction part 36 and flows into the interior of the air suction part 36. In this manner, the air flow W4 flowing at a speed corresponding to the running speed of a vehicle 10 flows into the interior of the air suction part 36, so that even though the air flow W4 is the outside air, the air flow W4 can effectively air-cool a battery 34 installed in a battery housing part 32.

Claims

1. An air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object applied to a vehicle that has a removable roof portion, the roof portion covering a vehicle compartment space from above, and the vehicle has a mounted object installation space formed in an interior of the vehicle and located at the back of the vehicle compartment space comprising:

an air suction part having one end thereof opened behind a seat disposed along a rear end of the vehicle compartment space and having the other end thereof connected to the mounted object installation space such that, in an open state in which the top of the vehicle compartment space is open by removing the roof portion from the vehicle compartment space, air flows from the one end to the other end through the air suction part; and

an air flow introducing unit disposed in front of the one end of the air suction part and, in the open state, directing an air flow, which has passed above the vehicle compartment space and is flowed forward in the front and rear direction and downward in the upper and lower direction of the vehicle, to the one end of the air suction part.

2. The air-cooling structure for the vehicle-mounted object of claim 1,

wherein the air flow introducing unit is an air deflector that is disposed near the seat disposed along the rear end of the vehicle compartment space, prevents the air flow from flowing into the vehicle compartment space, and directs the air flow to the one end of the air suction part.

5. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object according to claim 1, wherein an other end side of the air suction part is provided to incline farther forward in the front and rear direction and farther downward in the upper and lower direction of the vehicle than a one end side of the air suction part.

6. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object according to claim 1 further comprising a forced air-suction unit that is disposed between the one end and the other end of the air suction part and is operated to intake air via suction at the one end side and send the air to the other end side of the air suction part.

7. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object of claim 6 further comprising:

a roof detecting unit that detects whether or not the roof portion covers the vehicle compartment space and the air suction part from above; and

a control unit that controls the forced air-suction unit on a basis of a signal from the roof detecting unit, and the forced air-suction unit is operated when the roof portion is mounted to cover the vehicle compartment space.

8. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object of claim 6, further comprising a speed detecting unit that detects a speed of the vehicle, and

a control unit that controls the forced air-suction unit on a basis of a signal from the speed detecting unit, and the forced air-suction unit is operated when the speed of the vehicle is smaller than a specified value.

9. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object according to claim 5, further comprising foreign matter trapping channel having a top end portion thereof open between the one end and the other end of the air suction part, such that a foreign matter sliding down along an inclined surface of the air suction part drops into the foreign matter trapping channel.

10. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object of claim 9, wherein the top end portion of the foreign matter trapping channel is provided at the inclined surface of the air suction part and substantially at a position where the top end portion of the foreign matter trapping channel does not overlap a one end portion of the air suction part in the upper and lower direction of the vehicle.

11. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object according to claim 1, wherein the air suction part is provided such that the one end of the air suction part is open at a portion of the vehicle compartment space covered by the roof portion when the roof portion is mounted.

12. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object according to claim 1, further comprising an air exhaust part having one end thereof connected to the mounted object installation space and the other end thereof open near a position where an air flow passes, the air flow flowing along the vehicle separately from the air flow directed to the one end of the air suction part.

13. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object of claim 10, wherein the foreign matter trapping channel has a bottom end portion thereof opened at a side portion or a bottom portion of a vehicle body.

14. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object of claim 10, wherein the foreign matter trapping channel is provided such that an orientation thereof is substantially opposite to an orientation of the air suction part with respect to the vehicle front and rear direction.

3. An air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object applied to a vehicle that has a removable roof portion, the roof portion covering a vehicle compartment space from above, and the vehicle has a mounted object installation space formed in an interior of the vehicle and located at the back of the vehicle compartment space comprising:

an air deflector being disposed near a seat disposed along a rear end of the vehicle compartment space and preventing an air flow, which has passed above the vehicle compartment space and is flowed forward in the front and rear direction and downward in the upper and lower direction of the vehicle, from flowing into the vehicle compartment space; and

an air suction part having one end thereof opened behind the air deflector, and the other end thereof connected to the mounted object installation space, and in an open state in which the top of the vehicle compartment space is open by removing the roof portion from the vehicle compartment space, the air flow prevented from flowing into the vehicle compartment space by the air deflector can flow from the one end to the other end in the air suction part.

4. The air-cooling structure for a vehicle-mounted object of claim 3,

wherein the seats are disposed such that occupants may be seated side by side in a vehicle width direction along the rear end of the vehicle compartment space, and

the air deflector is disposed between a left side seating position and a right side seating position in the vehicle width direction of the seat.