Battery air dryer, battery system and electric vehicle battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10978764-B2
Application number	US-201916382716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2019
Priority date	Apr 12, 2018
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A battery air dryer for drying air within a battery housing of an electric vehicle battery has a support structure for dryer material. The support structure has a first fixing element coupling with a first coupling element of the battery housing and a second fixing element coupling with a second coupling element of the battery housing. The first and second fixing elements are arranged on different sides of the support structure such that a first distance between the first fixing element and a reference plane differs from a second distance between the second fixing element and the reference plane. The reference plane is a plane cutting the support structure horizontally when the battery air dryer is mounted in the battery housing in a designated orientation. Only the first fixing element or only the second fixing element is arranged in a first fixing plane parallel to the reference plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery air dryer for drying air within a battery housing of an electric vehicle battery, comprising:
a support structure as an air dryer housing enclosing a reception chamber in the interior of the housing, the air dryer housing comprising: a receptacle having:
a back surface forming a back wall of the receptacle, the back surface;
an upper surface forming an upper side wall of the receptacle, the upper side wall connected to the back wall of the receptacle;
a bottom surface forming a bottom side wall of the receptacle, the bottom side wall connected to the back wall of the receptacle;
a left surface forming a left side wall of the receptacle, the left side wall connected to the back wall of the receptacle;
wherein the upper side wall and the bottom side wall are connected respectively to opposite ends of the left side wall;
a right surface forming a right side wall of the receptacle, the right side wall connected to the back wall of the receptacle;
wherein the upper surface and the bottom surface are connected respectively to opposite ends of the right side wall;
a lid arranged on and extending across the reception chamber on an open front side of the receptacle, the lid removably attached to the receptacle by an attaching element, the lid having:
a plurality of openings extend through the lid from the reception chamber to an exterior of the air dryer housing;
wherein the lid, back surface, upper surface, bottom surface, left surface and right surface cooperate to surround the reception chamber in the interior of the air dryer housing;
a drying material adapted for drying air within the battery housing, the drying material arranged within the reception chamber of the air dryer housing;
a first fixing element formed the left side wall and projecting outwardly away from the reception chamber to the exterior, the first fixing element configured to couple with a corresponding first coupling element of the battery housing;
a second fixing element formed the right side wall and projecting outwardly away from the reception chamber to the exterior, the second fixing element configured to couple with a corresponding second coupling element of the battery housing;
a first distance measured between the first fixing element and a reference plane is different from a second distance measured between the second fixing element and the reference plane,
wherein the reference plane is a plane cutting the support structure horizontally when the battery air dryer is mounted in the battery housing in a designated orientation;
wherein only the first fixing element or only the second fixing element is arranged in a first fixing plane that is parallel to the reference plane.

2. The battery air dryer according to claim 1 , having
a cylindrical hole extending through first fixing element and/or the second fixing element at the exterior of the air dryer housing, the cylindrical hole having a longitudinal axis,
wherein the longitudinal axis is arranged at the exterior of the air dryer housing.

3. The battery air dryer according to claim 2 , wherein
the support structure further comprises
at least one rib arranged on an exterior surface of the receptacle and projecting in a direction outwardly away from the reception chamber.

4. The battery air dryer according to claim 3 , wherein
the at least one rib of the support structure is arranged on and projects outwardly from the first fixing element and/or from the second fixing element.

5. The battery air dryer according to claim 4 , wherein
the at least one rib of the support structure protrudes in a radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical hole.

6. The battery air dryer according to claim 1 , wherein
the receptacle and the lid is integrally formed.

7. The battery air dryer according to claim 2 , wherein
the cylindrical hole is a screw hole configured to be aligned with a screw hole of the corresponding first or second coupling element for fastening a screw through the aligned screw holes.

8. The battery air dryer according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the first fixing element and the second fixing element comprises
a pin configured to be inserted in an opening of the corresponding first or second coupling element.

9. The battery air dryer according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the first fixing element and the second fixing element comprises
a clamp configured to clamp to a portion of the corresponding first or second coupling element.

10. The battery air dryer according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the first fixing element and the second fixing element comprises
a portion configured to be clamped by a clamp provided on the corresponding first or second coupling element.

11. A battery system comprising:
a battery housing configured to accommodate an electric vehicle battery, the battery housing having a first coupling element and a second coupling element; and
a battery air dryer for drying air according to claim 1 within the battery housing, the battery air dryer comprising a support structure and dryer material arranged in the support structure, wherein the support structure comprises:
a first fixing element coupled with the first coupling element of the battery housing and
a second fixing element coupled with the second coupling element of the battery housing,
wherein the reference plane is a plane cutting the support structure horizontally when the battery air dryer is mounted in the battery housing in a designated orientation;
wherein only the first fixing element or only the second fixing element is arranged in a first fixing plane that is parallel to the reference plane.

12. The battery system according to claim 11 , wherein
only the first coupling element or only the second coupling element is arranged in a first coupling plane that is parallel to the reference plane.

13. The battery system according to claim 11 , wherein a distance between the first coupling element of the battery housing and the reference plane is different from a distance between the second coupling element of the battery housing and the reference plane when the battery air dryer is mounted in the battery housing in the designated orientation.

14. The battery system according to claim 11 , wherein the first fixing element couples to the corresponding first coupling element and the second fixing element couples to the corresponding second coupling element only when the battery air dryer is mounted in the designated orientation.

15. The battery system according to claim 11 , wherein
the support structure of the battery air dryer further comprises
at least one rib protruding outwardly from the support structure,
wherein the at least one rib is located such that the at least one rib collides with a portion of the battery housing when the battery air dryer is mounted in the battery housing in an orientation different from the designated orientation.

16. The battery system according to claim 15 , wherein
the at least one rib of the support structure protrudes from the first fixing element and/or from the second fixing element.

17. The battery system according to claim 11 , wherein
wherein the lid is removeably attached to the receptacle by an attaching element,
wherein the attaching element is visible, when the battery air dryer is mounted at the battery housing in the designated orientation, by a person mounting the battery air dryer at the battery housing or controlling whether the battery air dryer is mounted at the battery housin

Assignees

• Mann & Hummel Gmbh

Inventors

• Bauditsch Peter
• Paul Kallumgal Basil

Classifications

• H01M50/262

  with fastening means, e.g. locks · CPC title

• H01M50/271

  Lids or covers for the racks or secondary casings · CPC title

• B01D53/26 Primary

  Drying gases or vapours · CPC title

• B60L1/00

  Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles (circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00) · CPC title

• B60L50/64 Primary

  Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title