IP Library Granted Patent US 12,286,019
Granted Patent B2
US 12,286,019 · App. 17/938,956 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Vehicle-body structure with a battery cover for improved aerodynamic performance

Inventors: Takuma Inami (Hiroshima, JP); Nobuyuki Nakayama (Hiroshima, JP); Hiroyuki Baba (Hiroshima, JP); Hiroshi Tanaka (Hiroshima, JP)
Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
B60L50/66B60K1/04B62D25/20B62D35/02B60K2001/0438
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,286,019
App. No.
17/938,956
Granted
Apr 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle-body structure both protects a battery and provides a routing member below a floor panel that improves underfloor aerodynamic performance. Embodiments of a vehicle-body structure may include: a routing member that extends in a vehicle front-rear direction on a vehicle-width-direction outer side of a battery frame below a floor panel; a cover member that extends from a lower side of a battery to a lower side of the routing member; battery-frame fixation portions that fix the battery frame to side sills; and cover-member fixation portions that fix a vehicle-width-direction end portion of the cover member to the side sills. The routing member and the battery-frame fixation portions may be positioned on a vehicle-width-direction inner side of the cover-member fixation portions.

Claims (29)

1. A vehicle-body structure provided in an electric vehicle comprising a traveling motor, the vehicle-body structure comprising:

a floor panel constituting a floor of an occupant space comprising a seat on which a passenger sits;

a pair of right and left side sills extending in a vehicle front-rear direction at respective ones of both vehicle-width-direction end portions of the floor panel;

a battery that comprises a battery frame and supplies electric power to the traveling motor, the battery frame being arranged between the pair of right and left side sills and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction;

a routing member that extends in the vehicle front-rear direction on a vehicle-width-direction outer side of the battery frame below the floor panel;

a cover that extends from a lower side of the battery unit to a lower side of the routing member;

battery-frame fixation portions that fix the battery frame to the side sills; and

cover fixation portions that fix vehicle-width-direction end portions of the cover to the side sills,

wherein the routing member and the battery-frame fixation portions are positioned on a vehicle-width-direction inner side of the cover fixation portions.

2. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 1 , wherein

a protrusion portion that protrudes downward and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided at a part separated outward from a vehicle-width-direction inner end portion on a lower side of each of the side sills, and

the routing member is provided on a vehicle-width-direction inner side of the protrusion portion.

3. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 2 , wherein

each of the battery-frame fixation portions is provided on the vehicle-width-direction inner side of the protrusion portion on the lower side of the corresponding side sill.

4. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 3 , wherein

the cover fixation portions are provided at the protrusion portions.

5. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a sealing member provided between a lower surface of the battery frame and an upper surface of the cover,

wherein the battery unit comprises a battery arranged on a vehicle-width-direction inner side of the battery frame.

6. A vehicle-body structure provided in an electric vehicle comprising a traveling motor and a battery unit that comprises a battery frame and supplies electric power to the traveling motor, the battery frame extending in a vehicle front-rear direction, the vehicle-body structure comprising:

a floor panel constituting a floor of an occupant space comprising a seat on which a passenger sits;

a pair of right and left side sills extending in a vehicle front-rear direction at respective ones of both vehicle-width-direction end portions of the floor panel;

a battery housing space that is provided between the pair of right and left side sills below the floor panel and in which the battery unit is housed;

a routing-member housing space that is provided between a vehicle-width-direction outer side of the battery frame and each of the side sills below the floor panel and in which a routing member extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is housed;

a cover that covers the battery housing space and the routing-member housing space from below; and

cover fixation portions that fix the cover to the side sills.

7. The vehicle-body structure according to claim 6 , further comprising:

a sealing member provided between a lower surface of the battery frame and an upper surface of the cover,

wherein the battery unit comprises a battery arranged on a vehicle-width-direction inner side of the battery frame.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 7, 2022
From: INAMI, TAKUMA; NAKAYAMA, NOBUYUKI; BABA, HIROYUKI; TANAKA, HIROSHI
To: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061008/0557 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2021-161834 · Sep 30, 2021 · national
JP 2021-183335 · Nov 10, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230101665A1 · Mar 30, 2023
References Cited (22)
US 8939246B2 · Yamaguchi · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 9809101B2 · Ikeda · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 10800459B2 · Ayukawa · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10967912B2 · Toyota · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 11801742B2 · Yaita · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 12134312B2 · Kamei · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20220227215A1 · Ishizaki · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20220379962A1 · Kamei · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230101665A1 · Inami · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230264561A1 · Kamemoto · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240109594A1 · Iemura · 2024 [cited by examiner]
JP 200541395A · 2005 [cited by applicant]
JP 2009101815A · 2009 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017226353A · 2017 [cited by examiner]
JP 2018158688A · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019123461A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019177831A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 202135789A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
KR 100299618B1 · 2001 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2021070288A1 · 2021 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2021166337A1 · 2021 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2024084590A1 · 2024 [cited by examiner]