Battery assembly reinforcement member

• US 10,020,475 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2014
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Maguire, Patrick Daniel, Gibeau, John Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Cullen, Sean P
• Application Number:
  US14/295,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20150357615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 429156
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/271 Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/291 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/293 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a tray, a battery array mounted to the tray, a cover positioned about the battery array and a reinforcement member disposed between the cover and the battery array.

Claims

1. A battery assembly, comprising:

a tray;

a battery array atop said tray;

a cover positioned about said battery array; and

a foam reinforcement member disposed between said cover and said battery array, wherein said foam reinforcement member is T shaped and extends between said cover and said battery array and between said battery array and a second battery array.

2. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, comprising a plurality of reinforcement members positioned between said cover and said battery array.

3. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said foam reinforcement member is made of an expandable foam.

4. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said foam reinforcement member is mounted to at least one of said cover and said battery array.

5. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said foam reinforcement member is mounted to said cover but spaced from said battery array.

6. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said foam reinforcement member is a loosely fitted structure positioned between said cover and said battery array.

7. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said foam reinforcement member is at least as wide as said battery array.

8. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the foam reinforcement member extends across a width that spans both said battery array and said second battery array.

9. The battery assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein a leg of said foam reinforcement member extends a distance between said battery array and said second battery array, and said distance is less than a total height of said battery array and said second battery array.

10. A battery assembly, comprising:

a first battery array;

a second battery array axially adjacent to the first battery array;

a cover received over said first battery array and said second battery array; and

a reinforcement member disposed between said cover and each of said first battery array and said second battery array and extending across a width that spans both said first battery array and said second battery array;

wherein the reinforcement member includes a leg extending a distance between the first battery array and the second battery array, and the distance is less than a total height of the first battery array and the second battery array.

11. A battery assembly, comprising:

a tray;

a battery array received on said tray;

a cover positioned over said battery array;

an expandable bag attached to said cover; and

an expandable foam received within said expandable bag, wherein said expandable bag and said expandable foam together establish a reinforcement member between said battery array and said cover.

12. A battery assembly, comprising:

a first battery array;

a second battery array;

a cover positioned about said first battery array and said second battery array;

a first foam reinforcement member disposed axially between said first battery array and said second battery array;

a separate second reinforcement member disposed between said cover and said first battery array; and

a separate third reinforcement member disposed between said cover and said second battery array.

13. The battery assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein said first foam reinforcement member is positioned along a centerline of said first battery array and said second battery array.

14. The battery assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein said first foam reinforcement member includes a first portion that extends between said first battery array and said second battery array, and a second portion that extends between said cover and at least one of said first battery array and said second battery array.

15. The battery assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of said second reinforcement member and said third reinforcement member is made of foam.

16. The battery assembly as recited in claim 12, wherein said first foam reinforcement member is T-shaped and said second and third reinforcement members are each L-shaped.

17. A method, comprising:

positioning a reinforcement member such that a first portion of the reinforcement member extends between a side wall of a cover and a battery array and a second portion of the reinforcement member extends between a top wall of the cover and the battery array; and

positioning a second reinforcement member axially between the battery array and a second battery array;

wherein the second reinforcement member is separate from the reinforcement member.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the positioning step occurs after the cover is mounted over the battery array.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, comprising injecting a material into an expandable bag attached to the cover after the cover is mounted over the battery array to form the reinforcement member.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the reinforcement member is a foam reinforcement member.