Vehicle

A vehicle includes: a power equipment unit including a power equipment, a cooling mechanism for cooling the power equipment, and a case for accommodating the power equipment and the cooling mechanism; and an exhaust duct disposed on a floor panel, wherein the cooling mechanism discharges air, which has cooled the power equipment, into a passenger compartment through the exhaust duct. One end of the exhaust duct is connected to a duct connection portion of the case, and the other end of the exhaust duct is connected to a treading guard member which faces the floor panel to form a channel of air.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-164011 filed on Aug. 24, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle mounted with a power equipment unit which houses power equipment such as a vehicle driving battery.

BACKGROUND ART

A battery (battery module) is mounted on a hybrid vehicle which travels using an engine and a motor in combination, an electric vehicle which travels only using a motor, and the like to store electric power and supply the electric power to the motor.

In order to prevent performance degradation of the power equipment such as the battery due to abnormal temperature rise, these types of vehicles are provided with a cooling mechanism which maintains a temperature of the power equipment within an appropriate range. For example, a vehicle is disclosed in Patent Literature 1 in which power equipment disposed under a front seat is cooled with cooling air introduced from a passenger compartment and the cooling air after the cooling is exhausted to the passenger compartment.

In the vehicle disclosed in Patent Literature 1, an air introduction duct is connected to a battery case, which is located below the front seat, from a side step on one side, and an air discharge duct is connected to a side step on the other side from the battery case.

PRIOR ART LITERATURE

Patent Literature

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problem that the Invention is to Solve

A plurality of harnesses are arranged on a floor panel of a vehicle, and when the battery case and the side step are directly connected to each other by the duct member as in the vehicle disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the harness can hardly be routed in a front and rear direction. Further, when an end of the duct member is arranged in front of a connection destination in order to route the harness, the harness can be routed in the front and rear direction, but cracking, deformation, or the like may occur in the duct member when the end of the duct member is trodden by an occupant.

The invention provides a vehicle capable of routing a harness on a floor panel and suppressing cracking and deformation of an end of an exhaust duct.

Means for Solving the Problem

The present invention provides following aspects.

A first aspect is a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle1in embodiment) including:

a power equipment unit (e.g., a power equipment unit20in embodiment) including a power equipment (e.g., a battery50in embodiment), a cooling mechanism (e.g., a cooling mechanism in embodiment) for cooling the power equipment, and a case (e.g., a case30in embodiment) for accommodating the power equipment and the cooling mechanism; and

an exhaust duet (e.g., an exhaust duct70in embodiment) disposed on a floor panel (e.g., a floor panel9in embodiment), wherein

the cooling mechanism discharges air, which has cooled the power equipment, into a passenger compartment through the exhaust duct,

one end of the exhaust duct is connected to a duct connection portion (e.g., a duct connection portion32in embodiment) of the case, and

an other end of the exhaust duct is connected to a treading guard member (e.g., a treading guard member80in embodiment) which faces the floor panel to form a channel of air.

A second aspect is a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle1in embodiment) including:

a power equipment unit (e.g., a power equipment unit20in embodiment) including a power equipment (e.g., a battery50in embodiment), a cooling mechanism (e.g., a cooling mechanism in embodiment) for cooling the power equipment, and a case (e.g., a case30in embodiment) for accommodating the power equipment and the cooling mechanism;

a floor panel (e.g., a floor panel9in embodiment) having a power equipment containing portion (e.g., a power equipment unit containing portion10in embodiment) that houses the power equipment unit;

a slide door (e.g., a slide door14in embodiment);

a step (e.g., a step15in embodiment) that is disposed on the floor panel to be adjacent to the slide door; and

a rail accommodating portion (e.g., a rail accommodating portion S2in embodiment) that is located below the step and provided with a rail (e.g., a rail18in embodiment) for guiding slide movement of the slide door, wherein

the cooling mechanism discharges air, which has cooled the power equipment, into a passenger compartment through the exhaust duct,

an exhaust path for exhausting air, which has cooled the power equipment, includes: a first exhaust path extending in a left and right direction from the case; and a second exhaust path connected to an interior of a passenger compartment from an under-step space (e.g., an under-step space S1in embodiment) provided below the step through the rail accommodating portion,

the first exhaust path is constituted by an exhaust duct (e.g., an exhaust duct70in embodiment) disposed on the floor panel,

one end of the exhaust duct is connected to a duct connection portion of the case, and

an other end of the exhaust duct is connected to a treading guard member (e.g., a treading guard member80in embodiment) which faces the floor panel to form a channel of air.

A third aspect is the vehicle according to the first or second aspect, wherein

the treading guard member is provided, on a surface facing the floor panel, with a baffle plate (e.g., a baffle plate85in embodiment) configured to allow air to flow in a specific direction or a shielding plate (e.g., a rear surface82in embodiment) configured not to allow air to flow in a specific direction.

A fourth aspect is the vehicle according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein

the exhaust duct is provided with an intra-channel reinforcing portion (e.g., an intra-channel reinforcing portion75in embodiment) that connects an upper surface (e.g., an upper surface70U in embodiment) and a lower surface (e.g., a lower surface70D in embodiment) in the channel to each other in a height direction.

A fifth aspect is the vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein

the exhaust duct is integrally provided with an out-of-channel reinforcing portion (e.g., an out-of-channel reinforcing portion76in embodiment) separated from the channel.

A sixth aspect is the vehicle according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein

a resin pad is provided around the exhaust duct.

A seventh aspect is the vehicle according to the second aspect, wherein

a height of the treading guard member is set to be substantially same as a height of the exhaust duct and a height of the step.

Advantage of the Invention

According to the first aspect, when the end of the exhaust duct is positioned on a motion line of a passenger, since cracking and deformation of the end of the exhaust duct can be prevented by the treading guard member, a blocking of the exhaust duct and an increase in pressure loss can be prevented. In addition, since the treading guard member faces the floor panel to form the channel, there is no need to extend the exhaust duct, and the harness can be routed on the floor panel to cross the exhaust path using the space located below the treading guard member.

According to the second aspect, since the air, which has cooled the power equipment, is exhausted to the rail accommodating portion which is the lowermost portion of the passenger compartment, the exhaust flow and the exhaust temperature can be smoothed, and the exhaust gas can be dispersed and gently introduced into the passenger compartment. Thereby, uncomfortable feeling to the occupant can be suppressed. Further, since the rail accommodating portion is the lowermost portion of the passenger compartment and is a portion having the lowest temperature in the passenger compartment because of being close to the slide door, the heat exchange efficiency is also improved by the exhaust to the rail accommodating portion.

In addition, when the end of the exhaust duct is positioned on a motion line of a passenger, since cracking and deformation of the end of the exhaust duct can be prevented by the treading guard member, a blocking of the exhaust duct and an increase in pressure loss can be prevented. In addition, since the treading guard member faces the floor panel to form the channel, there is no need to extend the exhaust duct, and the harness can be routed in a limited interior space of the passenger compartment to cross the exhaust path.

According to the third aspect, it can be prevented that the exhaust gas, which has cooled the power equipment, makes the passenger feel uncomfortable and it can be also prevented that the exhaust gas keeps discharging against a specific place and then the place is heated. Further, the exhaust gas can be made to flow smoothly in a desired direction, leading to a reduction in pressure loss.

According to the fourth aspect, since intra-channel reinforcing portion is provided in the channel of the exhaust duct, even when the exhaust duct is disposed on the motion line of the passenger, the blocking and the deformation of the exhaust duct can be suppressed, and the exhaust gas from the battery can smoothly flow in the direction of the slide door.

According to the fifth aspect, the strength of the exhaust duct can be further improved.

According to the sixth aspect, even if the exhaust leakage occurs, the exhaust can be relieved by the resin pad.

According to the seventh aspect, since the height of the treading guard member is set to be substantially the same as the height of the exhaust duct and the height of the step, the irregularities of the floor surface can be flattened.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Incidentally, the drawings are viewed in directions indicated by reference numerals. In the following description, a front and rear side, a right and left side, and a vertical side follow directions in which a driver views. In the drawings, the front side of the vehicle is indicated by Fr, the rear side is indicated by Rr, the left side is indicated by L, and the right side is indicated by R, the upper side is indicated by U, and the lower side is indicated by D.

FIG. 1is a perspective view of a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a left rear side, andFIG. 2is a schematic side view of the hybrid vehicle illustrated inFIG. 1.

The vehicle1is mounted with a power unit3in which an engine3aand a motor generator3bare installed in series in an engine room2at the front of the vehicle. For example, the motor generator3bis a three-phase AC motor. The vehicle1is a hybrid vehicle which is driven by the engine3aand/or the motor generator3b, and is capable of recovering electric power from the motor generator3bduring vehicle deceleration and the like.

In the vehicle1, a driving force of the engine3aand the motor generator3bis transmitted to a front wheel16which is a driving wheel. A rear wheel17is a driven wheel. In addition, when the driving force is transmitted from the front wheel16to the motor generator3bduring deceleration of the vehicle1and the like, the motor generator3bfunctions as a generator to generate a so-called regenerative braking force so that kinetic energy of the vehicle1is recovered as electric energy. The recovered electric energy is charged in a battery50(seeFIG. 3) through an electric power converter such as an inverter included in a high-voltage device to be described below.

At the rear side of the engine room2, a passenger compartment8is provided in which a front seat5, a middle seat6, and a rear seat7are arranged.

Front side doors12are openably/closably supported in front door installation openings11formed in both sides of the front seat5, and slide doors14are openably/closably provided in rear door installation openings13formed in both sides of the middle seat6. The slide door14is slidably supported on a vehicle body by arms (only lower arm LA is illustrated inFIG. 8) provided on an upper part, a central part, and a lower part thereof.

In the rear door installation opening13, a step15is provided on a floor panel9so as to be adjacent to the slide door14, and a rail accommodating portion S2provided with a rail18(seeFIG. 18) for guiding the lower arm LA provided at the lower part of the slide door14is provided below the step15.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, a power equipment unit containing portion10is provided in a recessed manner below the front seat5(driver's seat and passenger's seat) of the floor panel9, and a power equipment unit20is housed in the power equipment unit containing portion10. The power equipment unit20is a unit including the battery50, a high-voltage device and a power distribution component (not illustrated) for controlling an electric power delivery of the battery50, a main switch (not illustrated) for the battery50, and a case30that houses these components, and is connected to the power unit3via a power cable (not illustrated).

The case30of the power equipment unit20has a box shape, and houses the battery50, the high-voltage device, the power distribution component (high-voltage power distribution component) and the like.

Although not illustrated in detail, the battery50is provided in a state where a plurality of battery cells are bundled together. In addition, the high-voltage device is power equipment including an inverter having an inverter and a DC/DC converter. Power equipment such as ECU is also provided in the high-voltage device. Due to the function of the high-voltage device, direct current is obtained from the battery50, the direct current is converted into three-phase alternating current, the current is supplied to the motor generator3bto drive it, and regenerative current from the motor generator3bis converted into direct current, thereby enabling the battery50to be charged.

A cooling mechanism is provided inside the power equipment unit20to cool down the battery50and the high-voltage device provided inside the case30. The cooling mechanism introduces an air in the passenger compartment into the inside of the case30from a pair of air intake grills41, which are provided at left and right sides of an upper surface of the case30, using a cooling fan (not illustrated). After the air has cooled the battery50and the high-voltage device, the cooling mechanism exhausts the air into the passenger compartment from the other end of the exhaust duct70one end of which is connected to a duct connection portion32positioned at a center of a rear end of the power equipment unit20.

The exhaust duct70is disposed along the floor panel9under the feet of the occupant sitting on the middle seat6. The exhaust duct70branches from a branch portion71connected to the duct connection portion32into a left duct72extending leftward toward the left slide door14of the vehicle1and a right duct portion73extending rightward toward the right slide door14of the vehicle E A resin pad (not illustrated) such as felt is provided around the exhaust duct70, and is covered with a carpet4, together with the exhaust duct70.

Referring also toFIGS. 4 and 5, the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73each have substantially a rectangular cross-sectional shape, which has a transverse width longer than a height dimension, and is formed with an exhaust channel therein. Further, a plurality of upper and lower coupling portions74are provided in the left duct portion72, the right duct portion73, and the branch portion71along the channel direction to connect an upper surface7015and a lower surface70D in the channel to each other in a height direction. The upper and lower coupling portion74configures an intra-channel reinforcing portion75so that the exhaust channel is not deformed even when being trodden by the occupant.

In addition, the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73are integrally provided with out-of-channel reinforcing portions76separated from the exhaust channel. The out-of-channel reinforcing portions76are provided substantially at centers in the left and right direction of the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73, respectively, and have a height dimension larger than that of the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73. The out-of-channel reinforcing portion76is configured such that the toe of the occupant sitting on the middle seat6is located, and also functions as a footrest. The out-of-channel reinforcing portion76is also provided with upper and lower coupling portions77that connects the upper surface70U and the lower surface70D in the height direction.

As illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4, treading guard members80are attached to tip portions of the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73respectively. The treading guard member80is a reinforcing member having a U-shaped cross section in which a front surface81and a rear surface82are coupled to each other by an upper surface83, thereby preventing the tip portions of the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73from being deformed and cracked when being trodden by the occupant. Since a lower surface of the treading guard member80is not provided and the upper surface83thereof faces the floor panel9, a harness19is allowed to be arranged in the U-shaped space. Reference numeral84denotes a harness opening formed in the front surface81of the treading guard member80. A height of the treading guard member80is set to be substantially the same as the height of exhaust duct70and the height of the step15.

As illustrated inFIG. 6, the tip portion of the treading guard member80is disposed so as to face a front part of the slide door14(rear door installation opening13), that is, a front part of the step15in a vehicle width direction. InFIG. 6, reference numeral92denotes a seat rail of the front seat5, and reference numeral93denotes a seat rail of the middle seat6.

Subsequently, the flow of the air exhausted from the power equipment unit20will be described with reference toFIG. 3andFIGS. 6 to 8.

The air exhausted from the power equipment unit20is divided into the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73at the branch portion71of the exhaust duct70, and flows in the channels formed between the treading guard members80and the floor panel9through the channels formed in the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73.

Two baffle plates85are extend downward from the upper surface83between the front surface81and the rear surface82of the treading guard member80. Two baffle plates85are inclined from the front side to the rear side outward in the vehicle width direction so as to be continuous from baffle portions78formed at the tip portions of the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73, and the left and right exhaust channels branches into a front channel86and a rear channel87, respectively, which are directed toward the rear door installation opening13located rearward from the exhaust duct70.

A panel protrusion portion90(a hatched portion inFIG. 6) is formed on an area of the floor panel9a part of which is covered with the tip portion of the treading guard member80. The panel protrusion portion90is inclined from the front side to the rear side of the vehicle outward in the vehicle direction. The front channel86is guided to the rear side of the vehicle and the outside in the vehicle width direction (to the rear door installation opening13) by the front surface81of the treading guard member80, an inward wall90aof the panel protrusion portion90, and the front baffle plate85F. Further, a seal member91is provided on the carpet4covering the exhaust duct70, the treading guard member80, and the floor panel9along the contour of the step15to abut against the panel protrusion portion90, thereby preventing the exhaust flow to an under-step space S1. Therefore, as illustrated inFIG. 7, the exhaust flowing in the front channel86does not flow into the under-step space S1in the area where the seal member91is provided. The under-step space S1is integrally formed on the back surface of the step15and is formed by a step support portion15cabutting against the floor panel9, as illustrated inFIG. 8.

The harness19disposed on the floor panel9is routed such that the harness19enters from the harness opening84formed in the front surface81of the treading guard member, passes below the treading guard member80along the inward wall90aof the panel protrusion portion90, and exits from a tip outlet88toward the rear side.

The rear channel87is guided to the rear side of the vehicle and the outside in the vehicle width direction (to the rear door installation opening13) by the rear surface82of the treading guard member80and the rear baffle plate85R. The rear surface82of the treading guard member80functions as a baffle plate and also functions as a shielding plate with respect to the seat rail93.

As illustrated inFIGS. 6 and 8, the exhaust gas guided to the front channel86and the rear channel87is discharged from a rearward wall90b, which is a rear end of the panel protrusion portion90, to the rail accommodating portion S2through the under-step space S1which is a space partitioned by the back surface15aof the step15and the floor panel9. The rail accommodating portion S2has a larger volume than the under-step space S1, and the exhaust gas is diffused in the rail accommodating portion S2. The air staying in the rail accommodating portion S2returns to the passenger compartment through a gap S3formed between the front surface15aof the step15and an inside surface14aof the slide door14when the slide door14is closed. In this way, the exhaust gas diffuses by passing through the rail accommodating portion S2, and the exhaust having no directivity returns to the passenger compartment.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the end of the exhaust duet70is positioned on a motion line of a passenger, since cracking and deformation of the end of the exhaust duct70can be prevented by the treading guard member80, a blocking of the exhaust duct70and an increase in pressure loss can be prevented. In addition, since the treading guard member80faces the floor panel9to form the channel, there is no need to extend the exhaust duct70, and the harness19can be routed on the floor panel9to cross the exhaust path using the space below the treading guard member80.

In addition, since the air, which has cooled the battery50, is exhausted to the rail accommodating portion S2which is the lowermost portion f the passenger compartment, the exhaust flow and the exhaust temperature can be smoothed, and the exhaust gas can be dispersed and gently introduced into the passenger compartment. Thereby, uncomfortable feeling to the occupant can be suppressed. Further, since the rail accommodating portion S2is the lowermost portion of the passenger compartment and is a portion having the lowest temperature in the passenger compartment because of being close to the slide door14, the heat exchange efficiency is also improved by the exhaust to the rail accommodating portion S2.

Further, since the treading guard member80is provided, on the surface facing the floor panel9, with the baffle plate85configured to allow air to flow in a specific direction and the shielding plate (rear surface821configured not to allow air to flow in a specific direction, it can be prevented that the exhaust gas, which has cooled the battery50, makes the passenger feel uncomfortable, and it can be also prevented that the exhaust gas keeps discharging against a specific place and then the place is heated. Further, the exhaust gas can be made to flow smoothly in a desired direction, leading to a reduction in pressure loss.

In addition, since the exhaust duct70is provided with the intra-channel reinforcing portion75that connects the upper surface70U and the lower surface70D in the channel to each other in the height direction, even when the exhaust duct70is disposed on the motion line of the passenger, the blocking and the deformation of the exhaust duct70can be suppressed, and the exhaust gas from the battery50can smoothly flow in the direction of the slide door.

Further, since the exhaust duct70is integrally provided with the out-of-channel reinforcing portion76separated from the channel, the strength of the exhaust duct70can be further improved.

In addition, since the resin pad is provided around the exhaust duct70, even if the exhaust leakage occurs, the exhaust can be relieved by the resin pad.

Further, since the height of the treading guard member80is set to be substantially the same as the height of the exhaust duct70and the height of the step15, the irregularities of the floor surface can be flattened.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be changed or improved properly.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the power equipment unit containing portion10housing the power equipment unit20is provided below the front seat5. However, the power equipment unit containing portion10may be provided below the middle seat6or below the rear seat7as well as below the front seat5.

In addition, the battery50is exemplarily illustrated as power equipment. However, the power equipment is not limited to the battery, and may be an inverter, a DC/DC converter, and the like. In the power equipment unit, these components may be accommodated singly or in a combined form in a case.

In addition, the hybrid vehicle is exemplarily illustrated as the vehicle1. However, the vehicle1is not limited thereto, and may be an electric vehicle, a fuel battery vehicle, and the like.

In addition, the power equipment unit20, the exhaust duct70, and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may adopt any configuration. For example, as illustrated in a modified example ofFIG. 9, an air intake grill41is provided only on the right side of the upper surface of a case30. In a power equipment unit20in which a duct connection portion32is provided on the left rear end of the power equipment unit20, it may be configured to exhaust air into a passenger compartment after cooling a battery50and a high-voltage device from the other end of the exhaust duct70one end of which is connected to the duct connection portion32of the power equipment unit20.

The exhaust duct70branches from a branch portion71connected to a duct connection portion32into a left duct72extending leftward toward a left slide door14of a vehicle1and a right duct portion73extending rightward toward a right slide door14of a vehicle1, and treading guard members80are attached to the tip portions of the left duct portion72and the right duct portion73, respectively.

Further, the right duct portion73is integrally provided with a plurality of intra-channel reinforcing portions75and two out-of-channel reinforcing portions76separated from the exhaust channel.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND CHARACTERS