Bracket Attachment Structure With Fault Folds

• US 20170084890A1
• Filed: 09/17/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Subramanian, Rajaram, MARPU, Amar, Paramasivam, Saravanan, Marjanovic, Mladen, Jardine, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2306/01 Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A vehicle underbody includes a tray structure, a battery pack having a plurality of footers and a bracket; and an enclosure surrounding the battery pack. The bracket has a wall attached to the enclosure, a ledge attached to the footers, and a stepped deformation region between the wall and ledge. The stepped deformation region deforms in response to impact to absorb energy associated with the impact.

Claims

1. A tray structure for a vehicle battery comprising:

an enclosure for the battery;

a plurality of footers attached to the battery; and

a bracket interconnecting the enclosure and footers, and defining a wall extending along an inner surface of the enclosure, a ledge attached to the footers, and a channel therebetween configured to deform during impact such that the wall moves toward the ledge to reduce impact energy transfer to the battery.

2. The tray structure of claim 1, wherein the channel is U-shaped in cross-section.

3. The tray structure of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the bracket is uniform through the wall, channel and ledge.

4. The tray structure of claim 1, wherein the bracket has a thickness sufficient to maintain a rigid connection between the enclosure and battery.

5. The tray structure of claim 1, wherein the wall and ledge are formed perpendicular to each other.

6. A vehicle underbody comprising:

a tray structure;

a battery pack having a plurality of footers and a bracket; and

an enclosure surrounding the battery pack, wherein the bracket has a wall attached to the enclosure, a ledge attached to the footers, and a stepped deformation region therebetween configured to deform in response to impact to absorb energy associated with the impact.

7. The underbody of claim 6, wherein the stepped deformation region defines a fold line and wherein deforming in response to impact includes folding of the bracket along the fold line.

8. The underbody of claim 6, wherein the stepped deformation region is further configured such that the wall displaces diagonally toward the ledge during deformation.

9. The underbody of claim 6, wherein the stepped deformation region has a same thickness as the wall and ledge.

10. The underbody of claim 6, wherein the deformation region is defined at an angle from the wall to the ledge.

11. The underbody of claim 6, wherein the wall and ledge are formed perpendicular to each other.

12. A vehicle comprising:

a traction battery arrangement having a base;

an enclosure surrounding the traction battery arrangement and attached to a tray structure of the vehicle; and

a bracket having a ledge attached to the base, a wall attached to the enclosure, and an intermediate portion disposed therebetween configured to, in response to an impact force being applied perpendicular to the wall, fold such that the wall displaces at an angle relative to the force toward the ledge to absorb energy associated with the impact.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the intermediate portion has a stepped configuration.

14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the intermediate portion defines a fold line and wherein the intermediate portion folds along the fold line.

15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the bracket has as uniform thickness.

16. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the wall is orthogonal to the ledge.

17. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the wall is perpendicular to the ledge.