Battery pack arrangements
First Claim
1. An arrangement for stabilizing in an electric or hybrid electric vehicle at least one rectangular battery pack, wherein the battery pack includes an array of separate battery modules and has four side surfaces, a bottom surface and a top surface, the arrangement comprising:
- a rectangular frame having four beams, each beam engaging one of the four sides of the battery pack at a location adjacent to the bottom surface of the battery pack;
four corner connectors disposed at ends of each beam to couple at right angles one beam to another; and
tensioners for positively connecting each corner connector to two beams and for drawing the beams toward the corner connectors to clamp the battery modules in the battery pack against one another.
13 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Battery packs are retained by frames which are comprised of plastic beams and aluminum corner connectors that peripherally surround the battery packs. The plastic beams are tension by tensioning bolts which pass through the aluminum corner connectors and thread into threaded pin inserts laterally seated in the beams. As the tensioning bolts are advanced into the inserts the beams are axially tensioned. Damping pads are disposed between the separate battery modules of the battery packs, as well as at the corners of the frames, to both absorb vibrational and spike impacts. The damping pads frictionally engage the outer surfaces of the battery cases so that the batteries will not move in the Z-axis direction, thus minimizing the risk that battery interconnections will be damaged. The frames rest on a supporting surface, such as the surfaces of a battery pack tray. The bottoms of the battery modules are spaced from the tray so that the battery packs are vertically supported by the frames only around the peripheries of the battery packs.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An arrangement for stabilizing in an electric or hybrid electric vehicle at least one rectangular battery pack, wherein the battery pack includes an array of separate battery modules and has four side surfaces, a bottom surface and a top surface, the arrangement comprising:
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a rectangular frame having four beams, each beam engaging one of the four sides of the battery pack at a location adjacent to the bottom surface of the battery pack;
four corner connectors disposed at ends of each beam to couple at right angles one beam to another; and
tensioners for positively connecting each corner connector to two beams and for drawing the beams toward the corner connectors to clamp the battery modules in the battery pack against one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification