Motor vehicles – Power – Battery mountings and holders
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-02
2001-05-08
Swann, J. J. (Department: 3611)
Motor vehicles
Power
Battery mountings and holders
C180S065100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227322
ABSTRACT:
The contents of Application No. TOKUGANHEI 9-337398 filed on Dec. 8, 1997 in Japan is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric vehicle structure.
In the electric vehicle, a vehicle-equipped battery occupies a considerable weight and an installation space. Therefore, in the related art, as disclosed in Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) Hei 9-104241, for example, a battery frame having an exclusive rigid structure is provided on a bottom surface of a floor of the vehicle body, and a plurality of batteries are installed in the battery frame.
The battery frame has an outer frame made of lightweight structure material such as aluminum extrusion material, etc. An upper surface of the outer frame is coupled opposedly to a floor frame member which is welded to a bottom surface of a floor panel, and then fastened/fixed thereto by bolts and nuts.
A waterproof battery cover for covering the battery compartment is provided onto the battery frame. The waterproof battery cover is made of synthetic resin material.
The outer frame of the battery frame has a flange standing upright on its upper side inner peripheral portion. The flange has a horizontal flange surface extending outward. The battery cover has a horizontal flange surface extending outward on a lower edge of its peripheral wall. These flange surfaces are superposed with each other, and sponge-like elastic material are interposed between the flange surfaces. Mutual flange surfaces are clamped/fitted by a fitting means such as a clip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Both flange surfaces of the battery frame and the battery cover are extended outward horizontally, and mutual flange surfaces are superposed along the vertical direction and then fixed. Therefore, the flange is positioned in close to an inner peripheral wall of the floor frame member. As a result, when the battery frame is mounted to the vehicle body, the flange is apt to contact with the floor frame member.
To avoid such contact to the flange of the battery frame with the floor frame member, needs to expand the distance between the flange and the floor frame member. However, such structure need to use a reduced sectional width of the floor frame member, or a reduced opening area of the battery frame for the battery compartment. As a result, the reduced sectional width faces a lack of floor rigidity, and the reduced opening area makes a lack of the vehicle-equipped battery capacity.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery frame structure of an electric vehicle, which is capable of avoiding contacts to the floor frame member and the flange of the battery frame, without reduction in the sectional width of the floor frame member and reduction in the opening area of the battery frame for the battery compartment, and also capable of fitting the flange and the battery cover in a watertight manner to be improved.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided an electric vehicle structure of the present invention, comprising:
a floor frame member;
a floor panel on the floor frame member;
a battery frame including,
an outer frame having side portions connected with the floor frame member on right and left sides and transverse portions connected with the side portions on front and rear sides, the outer frame partitioning a battery compartment; and
a flange extending from an inner peripheral portion of the outer frame and having an upwardly inwardly inclined flange wall;
a battery cover over the battery compartment having a cover wall faced to the flange wall, the walls separable fitted to each other;
a sealing member between the flange and the cover waterproofing between the walls,
fixing member connecting the cover to the flange; and
at least one of batteries in the battery compartment.
According to the above structure, the flange has an upwardly inwardly inclined flange wall and the cover wall is faced to the flange wall. The flange wall and the cover wall are taper-fitted and then fixed by the fixing member. The sealing member for waterproofing between the flange and cover walls is provided between the flange and the cover.
Therefore, since no outward-extended element is provided on the flange, a degree of contacts to the flange and the inner peripheral wall of the floor frame member positioned below the floor panel can be reduced when the battery frame is mounted onto the bottom surface of the floor of the vehicle body.
As a consequence, contacts to the inner peripheral wall of the floor frame member and the flange of the battery frame can be avoided, nevertheless reduction in a sectional width of the floor frame member and reduction in an opening area of the battery frame for the battery compartment are not caused.
As a result, installing operability of the battery frame can be improved without reduction in floor rigidity and lack of the battery capacity.
In addition, since the flange and cover walls are taper-fitted and the sealing member for waterproofing between the flange and cover walls is provided between the flange and the cover, the waterproof property of the battery frame can be improved.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5392873 (1995-02-01), Masuyama et al.
patent: 5501289 (1996-03-01), Nishikawa et al.
patent: 5534364 (1996-07-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 5555950 (1996-09-01), Harada et al.
patent: 5585204 (1996-12-01), Oshida et al.
patent: 5620057 (1997-04-01), Klemen et al.
patent: 5918692 (1999-07-01), Sekita et al.
patent: 5948298 (1999-09-01), Ijaz
patent: 2253873 (1974-05-01), None
patent: 194930 (1974-05-01), None
patent: 7-186733 (1995-07-01), None
patent: 9-104241 (1997-04-01), None
McClellan James S.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
Swann J. J.
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