Vehicular battery mounting structure

• US 7,424,926 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2004
• Issued: 09/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Takenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLSZEWSKI, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US10/542,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20060096797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 180/68.1, 180/68.2, 180/65.1, 429/99
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• 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: B60R 16/04 Arrangement of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• 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 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A vehicular battery mounting structure for mounting a battery pack above a floor panel while securing a simple structure of cooling passageways. This battery mounting structure is suitably adopted in a vehicle that is equipped with a first battery pack and a second battery pack that has stricter requirements regarding the temperature of the service environment. The first battery pack is mounted in an engine compartment. The second battery pack is disposed below a seat that is mounted on a floor panel as a seat for a vehicle occupant other than a driver. Specifically, a plurality of battery cells of the second battery pack are stacked in the longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle. Cooling passageways are provided between the battery cells, and conduct air supplied by a sirocco fan from a center side to an outer side in the direction of width of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicular battery mounting structure comprising:

a floor panel;

a seat disposed above the floor panel, the seat having a back portion and a bottom portion; and

a battery pack having a plurality of battery unit cells or battery modules in accordance with a performance of a vehicle, the battery pack being disposed between the floor panel and the bottom portion of the seat, the plurality of battery unit cells or battery modules being arranged side-by-side in a longitudinal direction relative to the vehicle, the battery pack further comprising a cooling fan that supplies a cooling medium in a direction of the vehicle width,

wherein the battery pack comprises a battery body formed by the plurality of battery unit cells or battery modules, and a space portion, through which the cooling medium is introduced, that is arranged within the battery pack and adjacent to the battery body, that is provided at a side of the battery body that faces a center line of a width of the vehicle,

wherein the cooling fan is provided at a side of the battery body opposite from the side that faces the center line of the width of the vehicle,

wherein the cooling fan supplies the cooling medium between the battery unit cells, or between the battery modules,

wherein the cooling fan supplies the cooling medium through the battery body from the side that faces the center line of the width of the vehicle to the side opposite from the side that faces the center line of the width of the vehicle, and discharges the cooling medium into a cabin,

wherein the battery pack further comprises a diffusion portion for diffusing the cooling medium discharged from the cooling fan into the cabin, and

wherein the diffusion portion includes a plurality of outlets.

2. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the seat is a seat that does not have a power seat function.

3. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the seat is a passenger seat or a rear seat.

4. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a suction direction of the cooling fan is a direction of a rotating axis of the cooling fan, and a discharge direction of the cooling fan is a circumferential direction relative to the cooling fan.

5. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fan is a sirocco fan.

6. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack is formed by a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery.

7. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the battery pack is disposed between a vehicle side frame member and a vehicle central frame member,

the battery pack, the vehicle side frame member, and the vehicle central frame member being separated from each other.