Vehicular battery retainer and shield

• US 5,086,860 A
• Filed: 06/04/1990
• Issued: 02/11/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: Saturn (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Krentz, Richard H., Francis, Laurie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAMBY, RICHARD M
• Application Number:
  US07/532,769
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5, 248/503, 248/505, 248/507, 248/508, 248/510, 224/42.38, 224/42.39, 224/902
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/04 Arrangement of batteries
• 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 motor vehicle having a battery supported on a cantilevered tray within the vehicle'"'"'s engine compartment wherein the vibrations otherwise experienced by the unsecured distal end of the tray is dampened by a substantially rigid bracket which engages the distal end of the tray, overlies the battery so as to retain it in the tray and also engages a vehicle body member. The damper-retaining bracket is preferably integral with an enclosure which encompasses the battery and shields the battery from engine compartment heat. The enclosure will preferably comprise hollow walls for also insulating the battery from such heat.

Claims

1. In a motor vehicle including a body member in part defining an engine compartment and a tray secured to, and cantilevered from, said body member for supporting an electric storage battery in said compartment wherein said tray has a mounting end engaging said body member at a first site and a distal end opposite said mounting end which is susceptible to vertical oscillations different from said body member when the vehicle is in motion, the improvement comprising a combined damper and retention means overlying said battery for reducing the amplitude of said distal end'"'"'s oscillations and for retaining said battery in said tray, said damper and retention means comprising a rigid bracket having a first end secured to said distal end of said tray, a second end rigidly secured to said body member at a second site above said first site and a retainer section intermediate said first and second ends, said retainer section being rigidly coupled to said second end such as to suppress vertical movement of said first end of said bracket relative to said second end and contiguously overlying said battery for holding said battery securely in said tray, and means for securing said retainer section to said tray so as to compress said battery between said tray and said section.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 wherein said second site is below the top of the battery.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said strap includes a substantially rigid arm intermediate said retainer section and said second end for bridging the distance between said retainer section and said body member.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said retainer section includes a rigidifying rib extending substantially the length of said section.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said retainer section includes a pair of upstanding flanges extending along its longitudinal edges.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 wherein said flanges each include a wing-like extension projecting laterally from said flange in a plane lying substantially parallel to the principle plane of said retainer section.

7. The vehicle according to claim 2 wherein said arm includes a pair of rigidifying flanges extending substantially normal to the principle plane of said arm along the longitudinal edges of said arm for stiffening said strap against bending.

8. In a motor vehicle including a body member in part defining an engine compartment and a tray secured to, and cantilevered from, said body member for supporting an electric storage battery in said compartment wherein said tray has a mounting end engaging said body member at a first site and a distal end opposite said mounting end which is susceptible to vertical oscillations when the vehicle is in motion, the improvement comprising a combined damper, retention and shield means overlying said battery for reducing the amplitude of said distal end'"'"'s oscillations, for anchoring said battery in said tray and for shielding the battery from heat in said compartment, said damper, retention and shield means comprising a rigid bracket having a first end secured to said distal end of said tray, a second end rigidly secured to said body member at a second site above said first location such as to suppress vertical movement of said first end of said bracket relative to said second end and a retainer section intermediate said first and second ends and contiguously overlying said battery for holding said battery securely in said tray, means for securing said anchoring section to said tray so as to compress said battery between said tray and said section, and enclosure means integral with said bracket for shielding said battery from heat in said engine compartment and adapted for concurrently removal and replacement along with said bracket when servicing said battery or vehicle, said enclosure means comprising a plurality of walls surrounding said battery.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8 wherein said walls each comprise a pair of opposed panels separated one from the other so as to provide an insulative air space therebetween to insulate the battery encompassed thereby from engine compartment heat.