SYSTEM FOR LOCKING/UNLOCKING AN OBJECT ON A STRUCTURE HAVING BEARING AND ALIGNING ELEMENTS BUILT INTO THE TOOLS

• US 20150033537A1
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Mulato, Gilles, Trentin, Stephane, Escande, Bruno, Poillot, Jacques
• Granted Patent: US 9,701,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/428
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0472 from below
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/244 Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/262 with fastening means, e.g. locks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53 Means to assemble or disassemble

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for locking and/or unlocking a power battery under a vehicle chassis, comprising a plurality of tools, each of which includes elements for aligning said tool relative to the battery along a longitudinal axis and along a transverse axis, elements for bearing against the underside of the chassis and enabling balancing, and locking and/or unlocking elements for actuating an attachment bolt between a locked configuration, in which the battery is locked under the chassis, and an unlocked configuration, in which the object is released.

Claims

1. A system for locking and/or unlocking an object, such as a power supply battery of a drive motor of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, below a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, the system comprising a plurality of tools, each tool comprising:

elements for aligning said tool in relation to the object along a longitudinal axis of the structure and along a transverse axis of the structure;

elements for bearing against the underside of the structure, allowing seating of the structure around the longitudinal axis of the structure and/or around the transverse axis of the structure;

locking and/or unlocking elements intended for actuating a fixing bolt between a locking configuration, blocking the object below the structure, and an unlocking configuration, releasing the object in relation to the structure.

2. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bearing elements allow lifting of the structure along a vertical axis to a height independent of the structure.

3. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the alignment elements are configured so as to cooperate with centering elements integrated in the object, the alignment elements being inserted in the centering elements and/or the centering elements being inserted in the alignment elements.

4. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each tool comprises release elements intended for actuating a safety mechanism of the fixing bolt between a blocking configuration, in which the fixing bolt cannot be transferred from one configuration to the other, and a release configuration, in which the fixing bolt can be transferred from one configuration to the other.

5. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bearing elements and/or the release elements are formed by an upper end of at least one of the alignment elements.

6. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the release elements are configured such that contact of the bearing elements against the underside of the structure, on the seating of the structure and where applicable during its lifting, automatically initiates the actuation, via the release elements, of the safety mechanism toward its release configuration.

7. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bearing elements are configured to come into contact, on the seating of the structure and where applicable during its lifting, with a bolt support interposed between the fixing bolt and the structure.

8. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each tool comprises a carrier element designed to support the object after its release by the fixing bolts in relation to the structure.

9. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises lifting elements on which the tools are mounted, the lifting elements being configured to move the tools between:

a lower position arranged substantially next to or below a conveyor ensuring a supply of objects to be mounted on the structure, such as electrically charged batteries, and an evacuation of objects removed from the structure, such as electrically discharged batteries,

and an upper position in which the tools may be in contact with the structure to ensure its seating and where applicable its lifting, and can actuate the fixing bolts.

10. A device for mounting and/or removal of an object, such as a power supply battery for a drive motor of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, below a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, the device comprising a locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, and a plurality of fixing bolts integral with the object and/or the structure, each of which can be actuated between a locking configuration, blocking the object on the structure, and an unlocking configuration, releasing the object in relation to the structure, and arranged such that the locking and/or unlocking elements of each tool of the locking and/or unlocking system actuate one of the fixing bolts to change its configuration.

11. A method for removal of an object, such as a power supply battery of a drive motor of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, below a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, the method comprising:

a step of aligning a plurality of tools in relation to the object carried by the structure along a longitudinal axis of the structure and along a transverse axis of the structure;

a step of seating the structure around the longitudinal axis of the structure and/or around the transverse axis of the structure by bringing the tools to bear against the underside of the structure, and where applicable by lifting the structure along a vertical axis of the structure;

an unlocking step in which each tool actuates a fixing bolt, integral with the object and/or the structure, from a locking configuration, initially blocking the object on the structure, to an unlocking configuration, releasing the object in relation to the structure.

12. A method for mounting an object, such as a power supply battery of a drive motor of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, below a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, the method comprising:

a step of aligning a plurality of tools in relation to the object along a longitudinal axis of the structure and along a transverse axis of the structure;

a step of seating the structure around the longitudinal axis of the structure and/or around the transverse axis of the structure by bringing the tools to bear against the underside of the structure, and where applicable by lifting the structure along a vertical axis of the structure;

a locking step in which each tool actuates a fixing bolt, integral with the object and/or the structure, from an unlocking configuration, initially releasing the object in relation to the structure, to a locking configuration, blocking the object on the structure.