VEHICLE BATTERY MOUNTING STRUCTURE

• US 20110300426A1
• Filed: 02/16/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Iwasa, Makoto, Kadota, Hidetoshi, Hashimura, Tadayoshi, Ogata, Shinya, Shigematsu, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 11,059,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/99
• 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 2001/0422 Arrangement under the front seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0433 Arrangement under the rear seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/26 Vehicle weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• 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 50/71 Arrangement of fuel cells within vehicles specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/72 Constructional details of fuel cells specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/20 Floors or bottom sub-units sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11; drip trays F16N31/006
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/2036 the subunits being side panels, sills or pillars B62D21/157 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0413 Large-sized flat cells or batteries for motive or stationary systems with plate-like electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 : adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/244 : Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method
• 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: H01M 50/291 : characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/298 : characterised by the wiring of battery packs
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A vehicle (1) comprises a passenger compartment (2) in which a front seat (32F), a rear seat (32R), and a floor (33) between the front seat (32F) and the rear seat (38R) are provided. A first group (S1) of batteries (3) is mounted under the front seat (32F), a second group (S2) of the batteries (3) is mounted under the floor (33), and a third group (S3) of the batteries (3) is mounted under a rear seat (32R). By setting a height (h2) of the second group (S2) of the batteries (3) to be lower than respective heights (h1, h3) of the first and third groups (S1, S3) of the batteries (3), a battery mounting capacity of the vehicle (1) can be increased without affecting the comfort of the passenger compartment (2).

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A vehicle battery mounting structure for mounting a plurality of batteries under a floor panel of a vehicle, comprising:

a first group of the batteries;

a second group of the batteries disposed to the rear of the first group of the batteries with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction; and

a third group of the batteries disposed to the rear of the second group of the batteries with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction;

wherein a height of the second group of the batteries is set to be lower than a height of the first group of the batteries and a height of the third group of the batteries, and

the height of the third group of the batteries is set to be higher than the height of the first group of the batteries.

19. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 18, wherein the second group of the batteries comprises a plurality of the batteries stacked in a vertical direction and the third group of the batteries comprises a plurality of the batteries stacked in a vehicle transverse direction.

20. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 19, wherein the first group of the batteries comprises a plurality of the batteries stacked in a vertical direction.

21. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 18, further comprising a battery mounting frame in which the first group of the batteries, the second group of the batteries, and the third group of the batteries are fixed in advance as a battery assembly, and the first group of the batteries, the second group of the batteries, and the third group of the batteries are fixed in the vehicle via the battery mounting frame.

22. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 21, wherein the battery mounting frame comprises a rectangular frame having a rectangular planar shape and a reinforcing member fixed to an inside of the rectangular frame.

23. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 22, wherein the rectangular frame comprises a front edge member disposed at a front end thereof with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the reinforcing member comprises a girder fixed to an inside of the rectangular frame in a vehicle transverse direction and a beam connecting a girder and the front edge member, the girder and the beam forming a T-shape in a plan view.

24. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 22, wherein the vehicle comprises a fixed member for fixing the battery mounting frame.

25. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 23, wherein the first group of the batteries and the second group of the batteries are fixed to the rectangular frame in front of the girder with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction and the third group of the batteries is fixed to the rectangular frame to the rear of the girder with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction.

26. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 18, wherein the vehicle comprises a passenger compartment in which a front seat, a rear seat, and a floor located between the front seat and the rear seat are provided, the first group of the batteries is mounted under the front seat, the second group of the batteries is mounted under the floor, and the third group of the batteries is mounted under the rear seat.

27. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 21, further comprising a case formed into a predetermined shape and fixed to the battery mounting frame so as to accommodate the first group of the batteries, the second group of the batteries, and the third group of the batteries.

28. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 18, wherein the first group of the batteries and the second group of the batteries comprise a space in a center part with respect to a vehicle transverse direction, and the batteries in the first group and the second group comprise terminals projecting into the space.

29. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 28, wherein the batteries of the third group comprise terminals projecting frontward with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction.

30. The vehicle battery mounting structure as defined in claim 28, wherein the vehicle comprises a passenger compartment, a front compartment located in front of the passenger compartment with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and an electric equipment comprising an electric motor and a related device as a motive force source for traveling and accommodated in the front compartment, and the vehicle battery mounting structure further comprises a harness for connecting the terminals of the batteries of the first, second, and third groups, and the electric equipment.

31. A battery case fixed in a vehicle for accommodating a stack of batteries, comprising:

a first battery housing part;

a second battery housing part disposed in the rear of the first battery housing part with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction; and

a third battery housing part disposed in the rear of the second battery housing part with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction;

wherein a height of the second battery housing part is set to be lower than a height of the first battery housing part and a height of the third battery housing part, and

the height of the third group of the batteries is set to be higher than the height of the first group of the batteries.

32. A battery mounting space formed in a floor panel of a vehicle to face downward, comprising:

a first recess;

a second recess formed to the rear of the first recess with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction; and

a third recess formed to the rear of the second recess with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction;

wherein a height of a bottom of the second recess is set to be lower than a height of a bottom of the first recess and a height of a bottom of the third recess, and

the height of the third group of the batteries is set to be higher than the height of the first group of the batteries.

33. A battery assembly fixed in a vehicle, comprising:

a first group of batteries;

a second group of the batteries disposed to the rear of the first group of the batteries with respect to a vehicle longitudinal direction; and

a third group of the batteries disposed to the rear of the second group of the batteries with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction;

wherein a height of the second group of the batteries is set to be lower than a height of the first group of the batteries and a height of the third group of the batteries, and

the height of the third group of the batteries is set to be higher than the height of the first group of the batteries.