Vehicle and electric storage apparatus

• US 8,960,350 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kosaki, Akihiro, Fukuda, Shigeru, Ozaki, Shigeto, Kumagai, Takanori, Mizuno, Yasutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLEMMONS, STEVE M
• Application Number:
  US13/816,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20130146373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.1, 180/68.5, 180/65.22, 903/907, 429/120
• 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: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 50/51 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 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/11 Passenger cars; Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/66 Heat-exchange relationships between the cells and other systems, e.g. central heating systems or fuel cells
• 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 50/249 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A vehicle includes a floor panel and an electric storage apparatus fixed to a lower face of the floor panel and outputting an energy for use in running of the vehicle. The electric storage apparatus includes a first electric storage stack including a plurality of electric storage elements, an electronic device used to control charge and discharge of the electric storage apparatus and located below the first electric storage stack in the vehicle, and a case accommodating the first electric storage stack and the electronic device and fixed to the lower face of the floor panel.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a floor panel; and

an electric storage apparatus fixed to a lower face of the floor panel, the electric storage apparatus outputting energy for use in running of the vehicle,

wherein the electric storage apparatus includes;

a first electric storage stack extending lengthwise in a first direction and including a plurality of electric storage elements that are placed side by side to form a row that extends in the first direction;

a plurality of second electric storage stacks placed side by side to form a row that extends in the first direction, a portion of each of the plurality of second electric storage stacks being located below the first electric storage stack, each of the plurality of second electric storage stacks extending lengthwise in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and including a plurality of electric storage elements that are placed side by side to form a row that extends in the second direction;

a plurality of ducts connected to the plurality of second electric storage stacks, the plurality of ducts supplying a cooling medium to the plurality of second electric storage stacks, respectively, and being located along the first electric storage stack in spaces between the first electric storage stack and the plurality of second electric storage stacks;

an electronic device used to control charge and discharge of the electric storage apparatus, the electronic device being located below the first electric storage stack in the vehicle; and

a case accommodating the first electric storage stack, the plurality of second electric storage stacks, the plurality of ducts and the electronic device, the case being fixed to and contacting the lower face of the floor panel.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a duct connected to the first electric storage stack and supplying the cooling medium to the first electric storage stack,

wherein the electronic device is located below a portion connecting the first electric storage stack to the duct in the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the floor panel has a tunnel recessed upward in the vehicle, and

at least part of the first electric storage stack is located inside the tunnel.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the tunnel extends in a forward-rearward direction of the vehicle, and

the first direction is the forward-rearward direction.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the tunnel is located between a driver'"'"'s seat and a passenger'"'"'s seat.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

one of the plurality of second electric storage stacks is placed next to the electronic device in the first direction.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second direction is a left-right direction of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first direction is a forward-rearward direction of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a relay switching conduction and non-conduction between the electric storage apparatus and a load.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the case has an upper face disposed between the first electric storage stack and the floor panel.

11. An electric storage apparatus that is configured to be mounted on a vehicle and that outputs energy for use in running of the vehicle, comprising:

a first electric storage stack extending lengthwise in a first direction and including a plurality of electric storage elements that are placed side by side to form a row that extends in the first direction;

a plurality of second electric storage stacks placed side by side to form a row that extends in the first direction, a portion of each of the plurality of second electric storage stacks being placed below the first electric storage stack, each of the plurality of second electric storage stacks extending lengthwise in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and including a plurality of electric storage elements that are placed side by side to form a row that extends in the second direction;

a plurality of ducts connected to the plurality of second electric storage stacks, the plurality of ducts supplying a cooling medium to the plurality of second electric storage stacks, respectively, and being located along the first electric storage stack in spaces between the first electric storage stack and the plurality of second electric storage stacks;

an electronic device used to control charge and discharge of the electric storage apparatus, the electronic device being located below the first electric storage stack in the vehicle; and

a case accommodating the first electric storage stack, the plurality of second electric storage stacks, the plurality of ducts and the electronic device, the case being fixed to and contacting a lower face of a floor panel of the vehicle.

12. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the floor panel has a tunnel recessed upward in the vehicle, and

at least part of the first electric storage stack is located inside the tunnel.

13. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein one of the plurality of second electric storage stacks is placed next to the electronic device in the first direction.

14. The electric storage apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the case has an upper face disposed between the first electric storage stack and the floor panel.