Battery mounting structure of electromotive vehicle

• US 8,733,487 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Usami, Ikuo, Kita, Hirokazu, Nomura, Hiroyuki, Mitobe, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASSIDY, BRIAN L
• Application Number:
  US13/276,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20120097466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 429/83
• 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: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 21/11 with resilient means for suspension , e.g. of wheels or engine; sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions

Abstract

A battery unit comprises plural side connection portions which are provided at its both-side end portions in a vehicle width direction and connected to said vehicle-body member, and these connection portions are connected to a high rigidity portion of a vehicle-body member, concretely, to the vehicle-body member at a specified position where floor cross members integrally connected to a vehicle floor panel are located, to the vehicle-body member at a specified position where a torque box is located, or to the vehicle-body member at a specified position where a kick-up portion of the vehicle floor panel is located. Accordingly, the torsional rigidity of the vehicle body can be increased by utilizing the battery unit mounted below the vehicle body floor (vehicle floor panel).

Claims

1. A battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle having a front end, a rear end, a left side and a right side as viewed from the rear end toward the front end of the vehicle, comprising:

a floor panel constituting a vehicle floor;

a pair of side sills provided at both left and right side portions of the floor panel and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

at least one floor cross member having a substantially inverse U-shaped cross section and extending in a vehicle width direction, the at least one floor cross member being jointly provided at an upper face of the floor panel and connected to the pair of side sills at both end portions thereof;

a pair of front floor frames extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the front floor frames being integrally connected to a lower face of the floor panel, wherein the floor panel, the pair of side sills, and the at least one floor cross member constitute a vehicle-body structure; and

a battery unit mounted on the vehicle-body structure, the battery unit comprising a battery module, a support member to support the battery module, and plural pairs of side connection portions for mounting the battery unit on the vehicle-body structure which are provided at left and right side portions of the support member, in the vehicle width direction,

wherein at least one pair of said plural pairs of side connection portions of the battery unit are connected to respective lower faces of said pair of front floor frames by a fixing member which penetrates the side connection portion of the battery unit, the front floor frame, and the floor panel at a specified position which is located right below said floor cross member or in the vicinity of the floor cross member, respectively.

2. A battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle having a front end, a rear end, a left side and a right side as viewed from the rear end toward the front end of the vehicle, comprising:

a floor panel constituting a vehicle floor;

a pair of side sills provided at both left and right side portions of the floor panel and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction;

a pair of front floor frames extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the front floor frames being integrally connected to a lower face of the floor panel;

a pair of front side frames extending forward continuously from front end portions of the pair of front floor frames;

a pair of torque boxes being provided to interconnect rear end portions of the pair of front side frames and front end portions of the pair of side sills, respectively, wherein the floor panel, the pair of side sills, the pair of front floor frames, and the pair of front side frames constitute a vehicle-body structure; and

a battery unit mounted on the vehicle-body structure, the battery unit comprising a battery module, a support member to support the battery module, and plural pairs of side connection portions for mounting the battery unit on the vehicle-body structure which are provided at left and right side portions of the support member, in a vehicle width direction,

wherein at least one pair of said plural pairs of side connection portions of the battery unit are connected to respective lower faces of said pair of front side frames at a specified position which is located in the vicinity of said torque box.

3. A battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle having a front end, a rear end, a left side and a right side as viewed from the rear end toward the front end of the vehicle, comprising:

a floor panel constituting a vehicle floor;

a pair of front floor frames extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the front floor frames being integrally connected to a lower face of the floor panel, wherein the floor panel and the pair of front floor frames constitute a vehicle-body structure;

a battery unit mounted on the vehicle-body structure, the battery unit comprising a battery module, a support member to support the battery module, and plural pairs of side connection portions for mounting the battery unit on the vehicle-body structure which are provided at left and right side portions of the support member,

wherein said support member of the battery unit comprises a pair of longitudinal extension frame members which extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction at left and right side portions of said battery unit, in the vehicle width direction,

at least one pair of said plural pairs of side connection portions of the battery unit are provided at outside faces of said pair of longitudinal extension frame members of the support member of the battery unit, and said at least one pair of the side connection portions provided at the pair of longitudinal extension frame members are connected to respective lower faces of said pair of front floor frames,

wherein each of front end portions of said pair of longitudinal extension frame members of the support member of the battery unit is connected to a suspension cross member supporting front suspension arms.

4. The battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle of claim 3, wherein a power unit to drive the electromotive vehicle, said suspension cross member, and said battery unit are arranged in order from a vehicle front to a vehicle rear to overlap each other in a vertical direction.

5. The battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle of claim 4, wherein said power unit is connected to said suspension cross member.

6. The battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a pair side sills provided at both left and right side portions of the floor panel and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction,

wherein said battery unit comprises a first part which is provided below a front floor portion of the vehicle floor and a second part which is provided in back of said first part to be continuous from the first part and below a rear floor portion of the vehicle floor,

said support member of the battery unit further comprises a lateral extension frame member which is provided at a connection portion of said first part and said second part and extends in the vehicle width direction, projecting outward, in the vehicle width direction, beyond said pair of longitudinal extension frame members,

at least another pair of said plural pairs of side connection portions of the battery unit are provided at both end portions of said lateral extension frame member of the support member of the battery unit, and said at least another pair of the side connection portions provided at the both end portions of the lateral extension frame member are connected to said pair of side sills at a specified position which is located in the vicinity of a kick-up portion of said floor panel.

7. The battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle of claim 3, wherein said battery unit comprises a first part which is provided below a front floor portion of the vehicle floor and a second part which is provided in back of said first part to be continuous from the first part and below a rear floor portion of the vehicle floor, a width, in the vehicle width direction, of said second part is greater than that of said first part, and said pair of longitudinal extension frame members of the support member of the battery unit is provided at left and right side portions, in the vehicle width direction, of the first part and extends forwardly from a front end portion of the second part.

8. The battery mounting structure of an electromotive vehicle of claim 3, wherein said pair of front floor frames are configured such that a lateral distance, in the vehicle width direction, of the front floor frames decreases gradually toward a vehicle rear direction.