Battery unit holding device for vehicle

• US 9,630,483 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki
• Inventors: Yamada, Satoshi, Kuno, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLEMMONS, STEVE M
• Application Number:
  US14/557,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20150151624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• 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: B60K 2001/0472 from below
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/01 Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery unit holding device that holds a battery unit in place includes a fixing part, a fixed part, and a positioning part provided between the vehicle body and the battery unit for positioning the battery unit on the vehicle body. The fixed part has a support shaft extending in a first direction that corresponds to one of a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the vehicle body and supports the load acting downwardly on the battery unit. The fixing part is movable along the support shaft while holding the support shaft at a middle position thereof. When a first impact greater than a first preset force is applied to the vehicle body in the first direction, the positioning part permits the fixing part to move in the first direction along the support shaft from the middle position of the support shaft.

Claims

1. A battery unit holding device for a vehicle that holds a battery unit in place in the lower part of a body of the vehicle, comprising:

a fixing part that is provided in one of the vehicle body and the battery unit;

a fixed part that is provided in the other of the vehicle body and the battery unit and to be fixed on the fixing part; and

a positioning part that is to be provided between the vehicle body and the battery unit for positioning the battery unit to the vehicle body, wherein

the fixed part includes a support shaft that extends in a first direction that corresponds to one of a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the vehicle body for supporting load acting downwardly on the battery unit;

the fixing part is movable in the first direction along the support shaft while holding the support shaft at a middle position of the support shaft;

the positioning part is configured to permit the fixing part to move in the first direction along the support shaft from the middle position of the support shaft when a first impact that is greater than a first preset force is applied to the vehicle body in the first direction,

wherein the positioning part includes;

a first bracket having a U-shaped cross section as viewed in the first direction that is fixed on the vehicle body and extended away from the vehicle body and a second bracket having a U-shaped cross section as viewed in the first direction that is fixed on the battery unit and extended away from the battery unit;

a positioning pin that is fixed to one of the vehicle body and the battery unit;

a first positioning hole formed in the first bracket through which the positioning pin is configured to be inserted so that a middle part of the positioning pin is secured into the first positioning hole without free play; and

a second positioning hole formed in the second bracket through which the positioning pin is to be inserted; and

wherein

the positioning part is configured such that, when the first impact is applied to the vehicle body in the first direction, the first bracket moves with respect to the second bracket in the first direction and the first positioning hole deforms into an elongated hole that is elongated in the first direction and at least one of the first positioning hole, the second positioning hole, and the positioning pin is deformed or broken.

2. The battery unit holding device according to claim 1, wherein

the fixed part is a striker device including a base plate to be fixed on one of the vehicle body and the battery unit and a striker that extends from the base plate and part of which is the support shaft;

and

the fixing part is a lock device including a housing, a latch and a pawl, the housing having an insertion hole that permits the support shaft to be inserted therein, the latch being swingably supported in the housing and switchable between an engaging state in which the latch engages with the support shaft in the housing and a release state in which the latch releases the support shaft in the housing, and the pawl being configured to fix the latch.

3. The battery unit holding device according to claim 2, wherein

the striker includes a pair of projecting parts extending from the base plate and the support shaft through which the projecting parts are connected to each other at ends thereof;

and

a dimension between the projecting parts in the first direction is greater as measured at a position that is more distant from the base plate.

4. A battery unit holding device for a vehicle that holds a battery unit in place in the lower part of a body of the vehicle, comprising:

a fixing part that is provided in one of the vehicle body and the battery unit;

a fixed part that is provided in the other of the vehicle body and the battery unit to be fixed on the fixing part; and

a positioning part that is to be provided between the vehicle body and the battery unit for positioning the battery unit to the vehicle body, wherein

the fixed part includes a support shaft that extends in a first direction that corresponds to one of a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the vehicle body for supporting load acting downwardly on the battery unit;

the fixing part is movable in the first direction along the support shaft while holding the support shaft at a middle position of the support shaft; and

the positioning part is configured to permit the fixing part to move in the first direction along the support shaft from the middle position of the support shaft when a first impact that is greater than a first preset force is applied to the vehicle body in the first direction,

wherein

the fixed part is a striker device including a base plate to be fixed on one of the vehicle body and the battery unit and a striker that extends from the base plate and part of which is the support shaft; and

the fixing part is a lock device including a housing, a latch and a pawl, the housing having an insertion hole that permits the support shaft to be inserted therein, the latch being swingably supported in the housing and switchable between an engaging state in which the latch engages with the support shaft in the housing and a release state in which the latch releases the support shaft in the housing, and the pawl being configured to fix the latch, wherein

the striker is supported by the base plate swingably about an axis that is substantially parallel to the first direction; and

the positioning part is configured to permit the striker to swing about the axis when a second impact that is greater than a second preset force is applied to the vehicle body in a second direction that corresponds to the other of the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the vehicle.