SYSTEM FOR LOCKING / UNLOCKING AN OBJECT UNDER A STRUCTURE HAVING A HOOK FOR DRAWING AND SUPPORTING SAME

• US 20150063897A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ampere SAS
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Poillot, Jacques, Mulato, Gilles, Trentin, Stephane, Escande, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 9,662,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/20
• 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: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• 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 50/264 for cells or batteries, e.g. straps, tie rods or peripheral frames
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

A system is provided for locking and/or unlocking an object, such as a power battery of a drive engine of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, under a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, including a plurality of locks ensuring the attachment of the object under the structure. The locks are secured to the object and/or structure and each include a hook configured for drawing the object to the structure by compressing an elastically deformable member inserted between the object and the structure and for supporting the object relative to the structure at the end of the approximation travel, as well as a transmission device driving the hook during the drawing travel and configured such as to be actuated by an actuation tool that is separate from the structure and the object.

Claims

1. A system for locking and/or unlocking an object, such as a power battery of a drive engine of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, under a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of locks ensuring the fixing of the object under the structure, the locks being secured to the object and/or the structure and each comprising on the one hand a hook configured to draw the object in the direction of the structure by compressing a resiliently deformable means inserted between the object and the structure and to support the object relative to the structure at the end of the drawing travel, and on the other hand a transmission device driving the hook during the drawing travel and configured to be actuated by an actuation tool that is separate from the structure and the object.

2. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hook is configured so as to vary between a locking configuration supporting the object under the structure and an unlocking configuration releasing the object relative to the structure, and so as to exert a drawing force of the object relative to the structure when passing into the locking configuration so as to implement said drawing over the drawing travel, the drawing force progressively deforming the resiliently deformable means over all or part of the drawing travel and the resiliently deformable means exerting a return force equal to and opposite the drawing force.

3. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each lock comprises a security mechanism varying between a blocking configuration in which the passing of the lock from one configuration to the other is inhibited and an unblocking configuration in which the passing of the lock from one configuration to the other is permitted.

4. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission device comprises a worm screw and a pinion engaged with the worm screw, the hook being formed integrally with the pinion.

5. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the worm screw comprises a head accessible from a side opposite the structure, under the lock, by screwing and/or unscrewing elements belonging to the actuation tool.

6. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the security mechanism comprises blocking elements configured so as to prevent an accidental rotation of the worm screw.

7. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, it wherein the system further comprises at least three locks, each lock comprising bearing elements (25) to cooperate by contact with bearing elements belonging to the actuation tool so as to level the structure about a longitudinal axis of the structure and/or about a transverse axis of the structure and to lift the structure along a vertical axis of the structure to an independent height of the structure.

8. The locking and/or unlocking system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each lock cooperates with hooking elements secured to the object, in particular at a battery support secured to the drive battery, and configured so as to cooperate with the hook of the lock in a manner allowing the application by the hook on the hooking elements of the drawing force of the object in the direction of the structure and the support of the object by the hook at the end of the drawing travel.

9. A device for mounting and/or dismounting an object, such as a power battery of a drive engine of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, under 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 actuation tools that are separate from the structure and the object, each actuation tool being configured to actuate the transmission device of a given lock of the system in order to drive the hook thereof so as to draw the object in the direction of the structure by compressing a resiliently deformable means inserted between the object and the structure and to support the object relative to the structure at the end of the drawing travel.

10. The mounting and/or dismounting device as claimed in claim 9, wherein each actuation tool comprises elements selected from the following:

elements for screwing and/or unscrewing the worm screw belonging to the transmission device of the lock,

bearing elements to cooperate by contact with bearing elements secured to the lock for the leveling and possibly the lifting of the structure,

elements for unblocking the security mechanism of the lock,

elements for aligning the actuation tool relative to the object along the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis of the structure.

11. A method for mounting or dismounting an object, such as a power battery of a drive engine of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle, under a structure such as a chassis of the vehicle, comprising:

the use of a locking and/or unlocking system comprising a plurality of locks ensuring the fixing of the object under the structure, the locks being secured to the object and/or the structure and each comprising on the one hand a hook configured to draw the object in the direction of the structure by compressing a resiliently deformable means inserted between the object and the structure and to support the object relative to the structure at the end of the drawing travel, and on the other hand a transmission device driving the hook during the drawing travel and configured to be actuated by an actuation tool that is separate from the structure and the object; and

a mounting and/or dismounting device and a plurality of actuation tools that are separate from the structure and the object, each actuation tool being configured to actuate the transmission device of a given lock of the system in order to drive the hook thereof so as to draw the object in the direction of the structure by compressing a resiliently deformable means inserted between the object and the structure and to support the object relative to the structure at the end of the drawing travel.

12. (canceled)