IP Library Granted Patent US 12,049,255
Granted Patent B2
US 12,049,255 · App. 17/670,523 · Granted Jul 30, 2024

Lower structure of electric vehicle

Inventors: Kenji Katayama (Hiroshima, JP); Muneyuki Ohga (Hiroshima, JP); Ryuhei Sumita (Hiroshima, JP); Shuntaro Nakayama (Hiroshima, JP)
Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
B62D21/157B60K1/04B62D25/20H01M50/249B60K2001/0438H01M2220/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,049,255
App. No.
17/670,523
Granted
Jul 30, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

To simultaneously improve battery capacity and protect a battery during a lateral collision without causing a weight increase, a cost increase, and the like, an electric vehicle includes a battery system arranged below a floor panel and arranged between a tunnel side frame and a floor side frame; and an attachment bracket connecting the battery system to the tunnel side frame and the floor side frame.

Claims (55)

1. A lower structure of an electric vehicle, comprising:

a floor panel that is provided with a floor tunnel extending in a vehicle front-rear direction;

a tunnel side frame that is arranged below the floor panel in the vehicle and is arranged in both side portions in a vehicle width direction of the floor tunnel;

a floor side frame that is arranged below the floor panel in the vehicle and is arranged on an outer side in the vehicle width direction of the tunnel side frame;

a battery system including a battery and a junction box, wherein the battery system is arranged below the floor panel in the vehicle and is arranged between the tunnel side frame and the floor side frame in the vehicle width direction; and

an attachment bracket that is formed to extend from the tunnel side frame to the floor side frame along the vehicle width direction and connects the battery system to the tunnel side frame and the floor side frame, wherein

the attachment bracket has:

a lower wall portion that supports a bottom portion of the battery system;

an outer vertical wall portion that extends upward from an end portion on a vehicle outer side of the lower wall portion and is connected to the floor side frame; and

an inner vertical wall portion that extends upward from an end portion on a vehicle inner side of the lower wall portion and is connected to the tunnel side frame; and

a connected position between the inner vertical wall portion and the tunnel side frame is located higher in the vehicle than a connected position between the outer vertical wall portion and the floor side frame,

wherein a width in the vehicle front-rear direction of the inner vertical wall portion is shorter than a width in the vehicle front-rear direction of the outer vertical wall portion.

2. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the inner vertical wall portion has:

a first inner vertical wall portion that is connected to the tunnel side frame; and

a second inner vertical wall portion that is arranged in line with the first inner vertical wall portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and is connected to the tunnel side frame, and

a total length as a sum of a width in the vehicle front-rear direction of the first inner vertical wall portion and a width in the vehicle front-rear direction of the second inner vertical wall portion is shorter than the width in the vehicle front-rear direction of the outer vertical wall portion.

3. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the tunnel side frame has:

a first vertical wall portion that faces a vehicle inner side of the floor tunnel and is inclined inward in the vehicle to the vehicle upper side; and

a second vertical wall portion that faces a vehicle outer side of the floor tunnel and is inclined outward in the vehicle to the vehicle upper side, and

the second vertical wall portion is provided to face a corner on the vehicle inner side in an upper end portion of the battery unit along the vehicle width direction, and is formed to be inclined with respect to a vehicle up-down direction more steeply than the first vertical wall portion.

4. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein

the tunnel side frame has:

a first vertical wall portion that faces a vehicle inner side of the floor tunnel and is inclined inward in the vehicle to the vehicle upper side; and

a second vertical wall portion that faces a vehicle outer side of the floor tunnel and is inclined outward in the vehicle to the vehicle upper side, and

the second vertical wall portion is provided to face a corner on the vehicle inner side in an upper end portion of the battery unit along the vehicle width direction, and is formed to be inclined with respect to a vehicle up-down direction more steeply than the first vertical wall portion.

5. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a floor crossmember that is arranged on the floor panel and is disposed to extend across both side portions in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel, wherein

a vulnerable portion is formed in a vehicle lower side of the floor crossmember, and the vulnerable portion is configured to promote bending of the floor crossmember to the vehicle upper side when a load is input from a side of the vehicle.

6. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a floor crossmember that is arranged on the floor panel and is disposed to extend across both side portions in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel, wherein

a vulnerable portion is formed in a vehicle lower side of the floor crossmember, and the vulnerable portion is configured to promote bending of the floor crossmember to the vehicle upper side when a load is input from a side of the vehicle.

7. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a floor crossmember that is arranged on the floor panel and is disposed to extend across both side portions in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel, wherein

a vulnerable portion is formed in a vehicle lower side of the floor crossmember, and the vulnerable portion is configured to promote bending of the floor crossmember to the vehicle upper side when a load is input from a side of the vehicle.

8. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a floor crossmember that is arranged on the floor panel and is disposed to extend across both side portions in the vehicle width direction of the floor panel, wherein

a vulnerable portion is formed in a vehicle lower side of the floor crossmember, and the vulnerable portion is configured to promote bending of the floor crossmember to the vehicle upper side when a load is input from a side of the vehicle.

9. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein

the vulnerable portion is arranged on the vehicle outer side from the tunnel side frame in the vehicle width direction,

an empty space is formed between the upper end portion of the battery system and a lower surface of the floor panel by notching a corner on the vehicle outer side in the upper end portion of the battery system, and

pipes, each of which extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, are arranged on the vehicle outer side of the empty space.

10. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein

the vulnerable portion is arranged on the vehicle outer side from the tunnel side frame in the vehicle width direction,

an empty space is formed between the upper end portion of the battery system and a lower surface of the floor panel by notching a corner on the vehicle outer side in the upper end portion of the battery system, and

pipes, each of which extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, are arranged on the vehicle outer side of the empty space.

11. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein

the vulnerable portion is arranged on the vehicle outer side from the tunnel side frame in the vehicle width direction,

an empty space is formed between the upper end portion of the battery system and a lower surface of the floor panel by notching a corner on the vehicle outer side in the upper end portion of the battery system, and

pipes, each of which extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, are arranged on the vehicle outer side of the empty space.

12. The lower structure of the electric vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein

the vulnerable portion is arranged on the vehicle outer side from the tunnel side frame in the vehicle width direction,

an empty space is formed between the upper end portion of the battery system and a lower surface of the floor panel by notching a corner on the vehicle outer side in the upper end portion of the battery system, and

pipes, each of which extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, are arranged on the vehicle outer side of the empty space.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 14, 2022
From: KATAYAMA, KENJI; OHGA, MUNEYUKI; SUMITA, RYUHEI; NAKAYAMA, SHUNTARO
To: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058997/0271 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2021-052654 · Mar 26, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220306207A1 · Sep 29, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,337,902