Battery pack for electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9812685-B2
Application number	US-201214440578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2012
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A battery pack comprises a plurality of batteries which store electric power for activating an electric utility vehicle; a battery case which accommodates the plurality of batteries therein; and an external frame unit which is provided on an outer surface of the battery case and supports the batteries from below, wherein the external frame unit includes a lower support section placed on a lower surface of the battery case, an upper support section placed on an upper surface of the battery case, and a coupling section which couples the lower support section and the upper support section to each other. This allows the battery case to ensure a required stiffness while providing insulation between the batteries and an outside of the batteries, without increasing a thickness of the battery case.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack for an electric vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of batteries which store electric power for activating the electric vehicle;
a single battery container which is made of an insulating resin and accommodates the plurality of batteries therein;
an external frame unit which surrounds a portion of an outer surface of the battery container and supports the battery container from below;
an internal frame unit which couples the plurality of batteries to each other to accommodate the batteries coupled to each other into the battery container,
wherein the external frame unit includes a lower support section placed on a lower surface of the battery container, an upper support section placed on an upper surface of the battery container, and a coupling section which is a flat plate member placed to conform in shape to a side surface of the battery container and coupling the lower support section and the upper support section to each other,
wherein the internal frame unit includes a retaining section which couples the plurality of batteries to each other and retains the plurality of batteries coupled to each other, and a battery support section placed on a lower surface of a battery assembly including the plurality of batteries coupled to each other by the retaining section to support the battery assembly from below,
wherein the battery support section is in surface contact with a bottom surface of an interior of the battery container in a plurality of locations.

2. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the external frame unit includes a second fastening section attached with a fastening member used to fasten the external frame unit to a vehicle body frame of the electric vehicle.

3. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the battery container has an opening which is in communication with an interior of the battery container and a lid section which closes the opening, in a region which is not covered with the external frame unit, and
wherein a service plug, which cuts off an electric power supply from the battery placed in the interior of the battery container, is placed in a vicinity of the opening, in the interior of the battery container.

4. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the upper support section of the external frame unit includes a mounting section used to removably mount, on the upper support section, a suspending unit for suspending the battery pack.

5. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the battery container includes:
a case body section which is opened upward, and has an accommodating space of the batteries inside thereof;
a case lid section which closes an opening of the case body section; and
a fastening member by which an edge portion of the case lid section and an edge portion of the case body section, the edge portions overlapping with each other, are fastened to each other, and
wherein the battery container has a vertically dividable structure in which the case lid is provided over the case body section.

6. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 5 ,
wherein the case body section has:
a groove section which is recessed downward so as to surround an outer periphery of a bottom surface of the case body section, and
a drain port which is formed in a portion of the groove section and through which water accumulated in an interior of the battery container is discharged outside.

7. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the upper support section of the external frame unit includes:
a plurality of elongated rod members extending in parallel with a lengthwise direction of the battery container; and
a plurality of reinforcement members placed between the plurality of elongated rod members to couple the elongated members to each other, and

wherein the upper support section has a ladder shape in which the plurality of reinforcement members are spaced a specified distance apart from each other.

8. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 7 ,
wherein the upper support section includes a plurality of protruding members placed to be spaced apart from each other, and protruding outward, in a forward and rearward direction of a vehicle body, from the elongated rod members.

9. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 8 ,
wherein each of the plurality of protruding members includes a first fastening section which is provided at a tip end portion thereof to couple the upper support section to the coupling section, and causes a hook of a suspending device for suspending the battery pack to be engaged with the upper support section.

10. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of batteries are placed at an upper side and a lower side,
wherein the retaining section includes a coupling/retaining section which couples the batteries arranged horizontally to each other,
wherein the coupling/retaining section includes:
a first frame member covering the batteries placed at the upper side; and
a second frame member covering the batteries placed at the lower side, and

wherein the second frame member has a strength higher than that of the first frame member.

11. The battery pack for the electric vehicle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the retaining section includes an upper battery support section which is placed on upper surfaces of the plurality of batteries placed at an upper side, has a plurality of apertures, and couples the batteries placed at the upper side, in a location above the batteries placed at the upper side.

12. A battery pack for an electric vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of batteries which store electric power for activating the electric vehicle;
a single battery container which is made of an insulating resin and accommodates the plurality of batteries therein; and
an external frame unit which surrounds a portion of an outer surface of the battery container and supports the battery container from below,
wherein the external frame unit includes a lower support section placed on a lower surface of the battery container, an upper support section placed on an upper surface of the battery container, and a coupling section which is a flat plate member placed to conform in shape to a side surface of the battery container and coupling the lower support section and the upper support section to each other,
wherein the upper support section of the external frame unit includes:
a plurality of elongated rod members extending in parallel with a lengthwise direction of the battery container; and
a plurality of reinforcement members placed between the plurality of elongated rod members to couple the elongated members to each other, and
wherein the upper support section has a ladder shape in which the plurality of reinforcement members are spaced a specified distance apart from each other.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd
• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nozaki Takuma
• Sano Kouichirou
• Igaki Katsunori

Classifications

• B60K1/04 Primary

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• H01M10/6563

  with forced flow, e.g. by blowers · CPC title

• B60K2001/0466

  from above · CPC title

• H01M10/625

  Vehicles · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title