BATTERY COOLING AIR INTAKE STRUCTURE

• US 20100276220A1
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kubota, Shinya, Nakamura, Yoshinori, Kikuchi, Hirobumi, Kosaka, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,905,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/68.1
• 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 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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: B60R 13/02 Internal Trim mouldings ; Internal Ledges; Wall liners for passenger compartments; Roof liners B60R13/01 takes precedence ; padded linings for the vehicle interior B60R21/04; arrangements or adaptations of floor mats or carpets in vehicles B60N3/04; internal lining for trains B61D17/18
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0237 Side or rear panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0015 Back-rests
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2013/0287 integrating other functions or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/643 Cylindrical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• 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: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

In a battery cooling air intake structure, in which a trunk side lining (35) of a vehicle body side part is disposed so as to be continuous with a side part of a seat back (32) of a seat for a passenger to sit on, and a battery is cooled using, as cooling air, air within a vehicle compartment taken in via an intake port (36) provided in a front face (35a) of the trunk side lining (35), since a seat belt (38) is disposed so that at least part thereof in a non-used state overlaps the intake port (36) when viewed in the vehicle body fore-and-aft direction and a predetermined gap (b) is formed between the intake port (36a) and at least part of the seat belt (38) when viewed in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to prevent interference with the intake of cooling air due to the intake port (36) being blocked by the seat belt (38), while disposing the seat belt (38) as far toward the outside in the vehicle width direction as possible so that it does not overlap the seat back (32).

Claims

1. A battery cooling air intake structure in which an intake port (36) for taking from within a vehicle compartment, as cooling air, air for cooling a battery (22) is provided in an interior member (35), in a vehicle body side part, continuous with a side part of a seat back (32) of a seat (33) for a passenger to sit on,

characterized in that the structure is arranged so that at least part of a seat belt (38) in a non-used state overlaps the intake port (36) and a predetermined gap (b) is formed between the intake port (36) and a rear face of the seat belt (38).

2. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1, wherein a width (Wi) of the intake port (36) in the vehicle width direction is larger than a width (Wb) of the seat belt (38) in the vehicle width direction.

3. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the predetermined gap (b) is formed by offsetting a front face (35a) of the interior member (35) on which the intake port (36) is provided further toward the rear of the vehicle body than a front face (32a) of the seat back (32).

4. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the predetermined gap (b) is formed by projectingly providing a gap-forming member (35e, 35f), which abuts against a rear face of the seat belt (38), on the front face (35a) of the interior member (35) on which the intake port (36) is provided, to thus allow the seat belt (38) in a non-used state to be lifted from the intake port (36) toward the front of the vehicle body.

5. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 4, wherein an extremity portion of the gap-forming member (35e) abutting against the rear face of the seat belt (38) is positioned further toward the front of the vehicle body than the front face (32a) of the seat back (32).

6. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the intake port (36) is inclined so that the lower it is the further it is positioned toward the front of the vehicle body, and is inclined so that the further inside it is in the vehicle width direction the further it is positioned toward the rear of the vehicle body.

7. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a lower face of an inlet portion (19a) of an intake duct (19) extending to the rear of the vehicle body from the intake port (36) is inclined so that the side to the rear of the vehicle body is higher.

8. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a rear face of the door (34) disposed to one side of the seat (33) is disposed so that, when viewed in the vehicle body fore-and-aft direction, the rear face overlaps part of the intake port (36) on the outer side in the vehicle width direction and, when viewed in the vehicle width direction, a predetermined gap (d) is formed between the rear face and the intake port (36).

9. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an auxiliary intake port (40) communicating with the intake duct (19) extending toward the rear of the vehicle body from the intake port (36) is provided on a portion of the interior member (35) facing a side face of the seat back (32).

10. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined gap (b) is formed by projectingly providing a gap-forming member (35e, 35f), which abuts against a rear face of the seat belt (38), on the front face (35a) of the interior member (35) on which the intake port (36) is provided, to thus allow the seat belt (38) in a non-used state to be lifted from the intake port (36) toward the front of the vehicle body.

11. The battery cooling air intake structure according to claim 10, wherein an extremity portion of the gap-forming member (35e) abutting against the rear face of the seat belt (38) is positioned further toward the front of the vehicle body than the front face (32a) of the seat back (32).