Traction battery enclosure and load directing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11380958-B2
Application number	US-202016736920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2020
Priority date	Jan 8, 2020
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

A battery pack assembly includes, among other things, a first battery component, a different, second battery component and an enclosure that has a cover secured to a tray to provide an interior. The first and second battery components are disposed within the interior. The cover has a first area that is disposed directly above the first battery component. The cover has a second area that is disposed directly above the second battery component. The battery pack assembly further includes a rib of the cover. The rib extends into the interior from the first area. The rib is configured to contact the first battery component to inhibit relative movement of the second area toward the second battery component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack assembly, comprising:
a first battery component of a battery array;
a different, second battery component of the battery array, the second battery component a sense lead connector assembly of the battery array;
an enclosure having a cover secured to a tray to provide an interior, the first and second battery components disposed within the interior, the cover having a first area that is disposed directly above the first battery component, the cover having a second area that is disposed directly above the second battery component; and
a rib of the cover, the rib extending into the interior from the first area, the rib configured to contact the first battery component to inhibit relative movement of the second area toward the second battery component.

2. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rib is spaced a distance away from the first battery component and is configured to contact the first battery component after relative movement of the first area and the rib toward the first battery component.

3. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rib extends vertically downward from the first area of the cover.

4. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cover is secured to the tray at an interface that extends circumferentially continuously about a perimeter of the enclosure, wherein an entirety of the rib is spaced a distance from the interface.

5. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second battery component extends vertically past a vertically uppermost surface of the first component.

6. The battery pack assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first and second battery components are components of a common battery array.

7. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first battery component is a side plate of a battery array, the rib spaced a distance away from the side plate and configured to contact the side plate after relative movement of the first area and the rib toward the side plate.

8. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rib inhibits the relative movement of the second area toward the sense lead connector by contacting the first battery component to direct a load around the sense lead assembly.

9. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein a first horizontal end portion of the rib is configured to contact the first battery component of a first battery array, and an opposite second horizontal end portion of the rib is configured to contact a battery component of a second battery array.

10. The battery pack assembly of claim 9 , wherein the rib spans across a gap between the first battery array and the second battery array when the first horizontal end portion of the rib is contacting the first battery component of the first battery array and when the second horizontal end portion of the rib is contacting the battery component of the second battery array.

11. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rib, the first area, and the second area are portions of the same continuous and monolithic cover.

12. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cover is a sheet molded compound.

13. The battery pack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rib is a first rib, and further comprising at least one second rib extending into the interior from the first area, the at least one second rib configured to contact the first battery component or a third battery component to inhibit relative movement of the second area toward the second battery component, the third battery component different than both the first and the second battery components.

14. A battery pack assembly, comprising:
a battery array having a sense lead connector assembly and a plurality of battery assemblies, the sense lead connector assembly disposed within the battery array at a position that is vertically above the plurality of battery assemblies;
a cover of an enclosure;
a tray of the enclosure, the tray secured to the cover to provide an interior that houses the battery array, the enclosure disposed vertically beneath a floor of a vehicle; and
at least one rib of the cover that contacts a component of the battery array other than the sense lead connector assembly to direct a load around the sense lead connector assembly.

15. The battery pack assembly of claim 14 , wherein the load is a load applied to the vehicle that causes the floor of the vehicle to buckle and move the enclosure cover relatively closer to the battery array.

16. The battery pack assembly of claim 15 , wherein the at least one rib extends vertically downward from the cover into the interior, wherein the cover is secured to the tray at an interface that extends circumferentially continuously about a perimeter of the enclosure, wherein all portions of the at least one rib are spaced a distance from the interface.

17. A battery pack assembly of an electrified vehicle, comprising:
first and second battery arrays each having a plurality of battery cells and a sense lead connector assembly, the first battery array spaced a distance from all portions the second battery array;
an enclosure having a tray and a cover, the tray secured to the cover to provide an interior that houses the first and second battery array; and
a rib of the cover, the rib disposed vertically above the first battery array, the rib spaced a distance from all portions of the first and second battery arrays, the rib configured to move to contact a component of the first battery array other than the sense lead connector assembly of the first battery array to direct a load around the sense lead connector assembly of the first battery array.

18. The battery pack assembly of claim 17 , wherein the battery cells are held within respective frames, wherein the sense lead connector assemblies are disposed vertically above the frames.

19. The battery pack assembly of claim 17 , wherein the load is a load applied to the vehicle that causes a floor of the vehicle to buckle and move the enclosure cover relatively closer to the battery array.

20. The battery pack assembly of claim 19 , wherein the first and second battery arrays are spaced from each other to provide a gap, wherein the rib is configured to move to contact the component of the second battery array other than the sense lead connector assembly of the second battery array to direct the load around the sense lead connector assembly of the second battery array.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Farha Eid
• Khandelwal Himanshu
• Cardoso Jesus
• Shen Jingmei
• Moschet Dave
• Christ Jeffery

Classifications

• B60L50/64 Primary

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

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M50/249

  specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) · CPC title

• H01M50/291

  characterised by their shape · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title