Vehicle battery mounting structure

• US 8,893,838 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coolman, Travis
• Application Number:
  US13/515,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20120247851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/68.5
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• 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 50/502 Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle battery mounting structure includes a system main relay; a lock pin that fixes the battery to a vehicle main body; an actuation member; an auxiliary battery that supplies electric power to the system main relay and the actuation member; and a switch. The system main relay electrically connects the battery and a motor when the relay is electrified, and electrically disconnects the battery from the motor when the relay is not electrified. The actuation member, when the relay is not electrified, causes a lock pin to fix the battery, and when the relay is electrified, causes the lock pin to discontinue fixation of the battery. The switch switches between a state of electrically connecting the auxiliary battery and the system main relay, and a state of electrically connecting the auxiliary battery and the actuation member.

Claims

1. A vehicle battery mounting structure comprising:

a relay that electrically connects a battery and a motor when the relay is electrified, and that electrically disconnects the battery and the motor from each other when the relay is not electrified;

a lock mechanism that fixes the battery to a vehicle main body;

an actuation member that, when the actuation member is not electrified, causes the lock mechanism to fix the battery, and that, when the actuation member is electrified, causes the lock mechanism to discontinue fixture of the battery;

an electric power source that supplies electric power to the relay and to the actuation member; and

a switch that (1) in a first connection state, switches on the electrification of the relay and off the electrification of the actuation member which, in conjunction with the lock mechanism, results in the fixing of the battery and (2), in a second connection state, switches off the electrification of the relay and on the electrification of the actuation member which, in conjunction with the lock mechanism, results in the discontinuation of the fixture of the battery, wherein

the relay and the actuation member are provided in parallel with each other, with respect to the electric power source.

2. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism includes a lock pin that is made of a magnetic material.

3. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the battery has a pin hole into which the lock pin is inserted to fix the battery to the vehicle main body.

4. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the electric power source is an auxiliary battery.

5. The vehicle battery mounting structure, according to claim 1, wherein the actuation member includes a solenoid.

6. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 1, further comprising a battery housing portion that is provided in an underfloor of the vehicle and that houses the battery, wherein the lock mechanism is provided so as to be able to fix the battery housed in the battery housing portion to the vehicle main body.

7. A vehicle battery mounting structure comprising:

a relay that electrically connects a battery and a motor when the relay is electrified, and that electrically disconnects the battery and the motor from each other when the relay is not electrified;

a lock mechanism that fixes the battery to a vehicle main body;

an actuation member that, when the actuation member is electrified, causes the lock mechanism to fix the battery, and that, when the actuation member is not electrified, causes the lock mechanism to discontinue fixture of the battery;

an electric power source that supplies electric power to the relay and to the actuation member; and

a switch that (1) in a first connection state, switches on the electrification of the relay and off the electrification of the actuation member which, in conjunction with the lock mechanism, results in the fixing of the battery and (2), in a second connection state, switches off the electrification of the relay and on the electrification of the actuation member which, in conjunction with the lock mechanism, results in the discontinuation of the fixture of the battery,

wherein the relay and the actuation member are disposed electrically in series in a drive circuit that is supplied with electric power from the electric power source.

8. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 7, wherein the lock mechanism includes a lock pin that is made of a magnetic material.

9. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 8, wherein the battery has a pin hole into which the lock pin is inserted to fix the battery to the vehicle main body.

10. The vehicle battery mounting structure, according to claim 7, wherein the actuation member includes a solenoid.

11. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 7, wherein the electric power source is an auxiliary battery.

12. The vehicle battery mounting structure according to claim 7, further comprising a battery housing portion that is provided in an underfloor of the vehicle and that houses the battery, wherein the lock mechanism is provided so as to be able to fix the battery housed in the battery housing portion to the vehicle main body.