Vehicular battery mounting structure

• US 9,027,684 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Araki, Kosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hau
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, BRYAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/344,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20140291046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 180/65.1, 180/58, 180/60, 180/311
• 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 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

Abstract

A vehicular battery mounting structure (10) includes a floor panel (14), a battery frame (30) arranged below the floor panel (14), and a bracket (40) provided on both left and right sides of a vehicle, interposed between the floor panel (14) and the battery frame (30). The bracket (40) includes a bottom wall portion (42), an inside flange portion (48) that is on an inside in a vehicle width direction, and an outside flange portion (50) that is on an outside in the vehicle width direction. A shape of the bracket is a generally hat-shape opening upward in the sectional view taken along the vehicle width direction. The battery frame (30) is indirectly or directly fixed to the bottom wall portion (42). The inside and outside flange portions (48, 50) are joined to the floor panel (14) such that a joint strength between the outside flange portion (50) and the floor panel (14) is greater than a joint strength between the inside flange portion (48) and the floor panel (14).

Claims

1. A vehicular battery mounting structure comprising:

a floor panel that forms a vehicle body floor;

a battery frame that is arranged below the floor panel and supports a battery; and

a bracket that is provided on both left and right sides of a vehicle, each bracket interposed between the floor panel and the battery frame, each bracket includes a bottom wall portion, an inside flange portion that is on an inside in a vehicle width direction, and an outside flange portion that is on an outside in the vehicle width direction, a sectional shape of each bracket opens upward in a sectional view taken along the vehicle width direction, wherein

the battery frame is indirectly or directly fixed to the bottom wall portions,

the inside flange portions and the outside flange portions are joined to the floor panel, and

a joint strength between the outside flange portions and the floor panel is greater than a joint strength between the inside flange portions and the floor panel.

2. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing member is joined to a lower surface of the floor panel, and the outside flange portions are arranged sandwiched between the floor panel and the reinforcing member.

3. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the inside flange portions and the floor panel are overlapped to form a two-layered portion and spot welded together at the two-layered portion, and the reinforcing member, the outside flange portions, and the floor panel are overlapped to form a three-layered portion and spot welded together at the three-layered portion.

4. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein a bent portion that is bent substantially downward from an end portion on the inside, in the vehicle width direction, of the outside flange portions are formed on each bracket;

and an end portion on the inside, in the vehicle width direction, of a portion of the reinforcing member that overlaps with the outside flange portions are arranged in a position adjacent to the bent portion.

5. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the inside flange portions and the outside flange portions are spot welded to the floor panel such that a number of spot weld points where the outside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together is greater than the number of spot weld points where the inside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together.

6. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the inside flange portions and the outside flange portions are spot welded to the floor panel such that a number of spot weld points where the outside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together is greater than the number of spot weld points where the inside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together.

7. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 3, wherein the inside flange portions and the outside flange portions are spot welded to the floor panel such that a number of spot weld points where the outside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together is greater than the number of spot weld points where the inside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together.

8. The vehicular battery mounting structure according to claim 4, wherein the inside flange portions and the outside flange portions are spot welded to the floor panel such that a number of spot weld points where the outside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together is greater than the number of spot weld points where the inside flange portions and the floor panel are spot welded together.