Arrangement for mounting a battery in a motor vehicle

• US 8,196,691 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2008
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Moine-Picard, Thierry, Mullard, Stephane, Josse, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gurari, Erez
• Application Number:
  US12/668,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20100193271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 180/68.5
• US Class Current: 180/68.5
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/04 Arrangement of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4973 Replacing of defective part

Abstract

An arrangement for mounting an accumulator battery in a motor vehicle that includes a first body structure part that forms an engine compartment, in which the first structure part includes at least two substantially longitudinal and parallel side members and which is positioned to the rear of a second, a transverse structure part that forms the front filler panel of the vehicle, in which the transverse structure part includes at least one front cross member connected to the side members and supporting at its ends a light-projecting member including bulbs that are accessible from the engine compartment via at least one opening, and in which a support accommodating the accumulator battery is located to the rear of this opening. The accumulator-battery support includes a removable part providing access to the opening of the light-projecting member from the engine compartment so that dead bulbs can be changed leaving the support in position.

Claims

1. An arrangement for mounting an accumulator battery in a motor vehicle which comprises:

a first body structure portion forming an engine compartment, wherein the first structure portion comprises at least two generally longitudinal and parallel side members and which is arranged to the rear of a second transverse structure portion forming a front fender of the vehicle, wherein the transverse structure portion comprises at least one front crossmember connected to the side members and supporting at each of its ends a headlight unit of which bulbs are accessible from the engine compartment by at least one opening and in which a compartment accommodating the accumulator battery is located to the rear of this opening, wherein the compartment for the accumulator battery comprises a removable portion allowing access to the opening in the headlight unit from the engine compartment to change dead bulbs while keeping the accumulator battery compartment in place.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compartment for the accumulator battery is generally parallelepipedic in shape, to which is attached an upper cover through the top of the first structure portion forming an engine compartment.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the removable portion is composed of at least one generally vertical face of the accumulator battery compartment.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the removable portion is composed of at least one portion with two faces connected to each other by one edge of the parallelepipedic compartment for the accumulator battery.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removable portion of the compartment for the accumulator battery moves from an engaged position to a disengaged position by a generally vertical sliding movement toward the top of the vehicle and is replaced in position on the accumulator battery compartment by a generally vertical sliding movement toward the bottom of the vehicle.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removable portion is mounted on at least one slide rail supported by one of generally vertical pillars of a fixed portion of the compartment for the accumulator battery.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the compartment for the accumulator battery comprises in its lower portion a groove accepting a profile of the removable portion, the assembly providing the sealing of the accumulator battery compartment when the removable portion is in an engaged position.

8. A method for changing a bulb of a headlight unit in which a compartment for an accumulator battery as claimed in claim 1 is positioned close behind the headlight unit of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

opening the hood of the vehicle;

removing the upper cover of the compartment for the accumulator battery providing sealing of the compartment;

sliding the removable portion of the battery compartment in at least one of slide rails of vertical pillars of the compartment with a generally vertical movement;

unblocking the opening in the headlight unit from the rear of the transverse structure;

changing one of the bulbs in the headlight unit from the opening; and

carrying out all of the preceding operations in reverse order to return to an initial state.