Electric vehicle battery case

• US 8,852,794 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battchange, LLC
• Original Assignee: Battchange, LLC
• Inventors: Laitinen, Ernest W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Ben
• Application Number:
  US13/353,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20130183561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 429/136, 429148-149, 429153-154, 429/159, 429/163, 429167-168, 429/176
• US Class Current: 429/163
• 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 2001/0461 from the side
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0494 with arrangements for sliding
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/227 Organic material
• 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 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• 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: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 : Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to an apparatus for a battery system for electric vehicles and, more particularly, to removable modular batteries and a battery case to store the batteries.

Claims

1. A vehicle battery case comprising:

a housing at least partially enclosing a cavity to receive one or more vehicle batteries substantially along an axial direction of said cavity, an internal surface of said housing including one or more slides comprising elongate ridges that extend inward of said cavity and substantially in parallel to said axial direction of said cavity, wherein said elongate ridges comprise raised portions of said internal surface of said housing, wherein said raised portions have a shape that is at least partially convex with respect to said cavity, and said one or more slides to at least partially support weight of said one or more vehicle batteries.

2. The vehicle battery case of claim 1 , wherein said housing is incorporated within a non-gas-powered vehicle.

3. The vehicle battery case of claim 2, wherein said non-gas-powered vehicle comprises a hybrid-powered vehicle or an all-electric vehicle.

4. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, wherein said internal surface of said housing includes one or more channels having a shape that is at least partially concave with respect to said cavity.

5. The vehicle battery case of claim 4, and further comprising said one or more vehicle batteries, wherein an external surface of said one or more vehicle batteries includes one or more elongate battery ridges corresponding to said one or more channels.

6. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, and further comprising said one or more vehicle batteries, wherein an external surface of said one or more vehicle batteries includes one or more elongate battery ridges corresponding to said one or more slides of said internal surface of said housing.

7. The vehicle battery case of claim 6, wherein said one or more elongate battery ridges extend substantially parallel to said axial direction of said cavity if said one or more vehicle batteries are received in said cavity.

8. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises polyethylene.

9. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, and further comprising said one or more vehicle batteries, wherein said elongate ridges of said housing have a coefficient of friction with respect to an external surface of said one or more vehicle batteries so that said one or more vehicle batteries slide relatively easily on said elongate ridges.

10. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, and further comprising said one or more vehicle batteries, wherein a coefficient of friction between said one or more slides and said one or more vehicle batteries is less than approximately 0.20.

11. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, and further comprising said one or more vehicle batteries, wherein said housing further includes an electrical plug on said internal surface to connect to said one or more vehicle batteries.

12. The vehicle battery case of claim 1, and further comprising said one or more vehicle batteries, wherein an external shape of said one or more batteries corresponds at least approximately to a shape of an internal surface of said cavity of said housing.

13. A method comprising:

placing a vehicle battery onto one or more slides disposed inside a cavity of a battery housing; and

sliding said vehicle battery into said cavity while weight of said vehicle battery is at least partially supported by said one or more slides comprising elongated ridges that extend inward of said cavity and substantially in parallel to said axial direction of said cavity, wherein said elongate ridges comprise raised portions of said internal surface of said housing, wherein said raised portions have a shape that is at least partially convex with respect to said cavity.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising sliding another vehicle battery behind said vehicle battery into said cavity.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising connecting said vehicle battery to electrical cabling via a plug disposed on said battery housing.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said electrical cabling comprises electrical cabling incorporated in a non-gas powered automobile, boat, or airplane.

17. A method of manufacturing a vehicle battery case, the method comprising:

forming a housing that at least partially encloses a cavity to receive one or more vehicle batteries substantially along an axial direction of said cavity, wherein said housing includes one or more slides comprising elongate ridges that extend inward of said cavity and substantially in parallel to said axial direction of said cavity, wherein said elongate ridges comprise raised portions of said internal surface of said housing, wherein said raised portions have a shape that is at least partially convex with respect to said cavity, and said one or more slides to at least partially support weight of said one or more vehicle batteries.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said forming said housing comprises extruding polyethylene.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said forming said housing comprises molding polyethylene.

20. A vehicle battery case for a non-gas powered vehicle, the vehicle battery case comprising:

a polyethylene material formed into a housing including sides and an end-cap;

a cavity formed as part of said case at least partially enclosed by said sides, a size of said cavity to receive two or more vehicle batteries; and

one or more slides comprising elongate ridges disposed on at least one of said sides inside said cavity, wherein an elevated portion of said one or more slides project inward of said housing cavity, wherein said one or more slides extend substantially parallel to an axial direction of said housing, wherein at least one of said one or more slides comprises a contoured portion of said polyethylene material on an internal surface of said housing, wherein said contoured portion has a shape that is at least partially convex with respect to said housing, and said one or more slides to at least partially support weight of said two or more vehicle batteries.