Method for manufacturing electric vehicle battery case and electric vehicle battery case

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12401078-B2
Application number	US-202017753729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2020
Priority date	Oct 11, 2019
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case includes: preparing a frame configured to define a through space inside and a flat plate made of resin; superposing and disposing the flat plate on the frame; and applying pressure to the flat plate from an opposite side from the frame to press the flat plate against the frame to cause the flat plate to swell in the through space, thereby deforming the flat plate into a tray having a bathtub shape including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall provided at a peripheral edge of the bottom wall and configured to define an opening portion, and joining by press-fitting the tray to the frame.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case, the method comprising:
preparing a frame configured to define a space inside and a member to be formed made of resin;
superposing and disposing the member to be formed on the frame; and
applying pressure to the member to be formed from an opposite side from the frame to press the member to be formed against the frame to cause the member to be formed to swell in the space, thereby deforming the member to be formed into a tray having a bathtub shape including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall provided at a peripheral edge of the bottom wall and configured to define an opening portion, and integrating the tray with the frame.

2. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , wherein the tray further includes a flange provided at a tip of the peripheral wall.

3. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , wherein the resin constituting the member to be formed has thermoplasticity,
the method further comprising heating the member to be formed when pressure is applied to the member to be formed from an opposite side from the frame.

4. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 3 , wherein the heating the member to be formed is performed by at least any one of heating the member to be formed itself and heating the frame.

5. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , wherein the member to be formed has a flat plate shape.

6. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , further comprising primarily molding the member to be formed including a bottom wall, a peripheral wall provided at a peripheral edge of the bottom wall, and a flange provided at a tip of the peripheral wall.

7. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 6 ,
wherein the resin is fiber-reinforced resin, and
wherein the primary molding of the member to be formed is injection molding.

8. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 6 ,
wherein the resin is fiber-reinforced resin, and
wherein the primary molding of the member to be formed is a hot press of SMC.

9. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , wherein the frame is made of metal.

10. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , wherein applying pressure to the member to be formed from an opposite side from the frame is performed by a pressure forming method.

11. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 10 , wherein the applying pressure to the member to be formed from the opposite side from the frame includes:
preparing a hydraulic transfer elastic body configured to be elastically deformed using pressure of liquid,
superposing and disposing the hydraulic transfer elastic body on the member to be formed superposed and disposed on the frame, and
applying pressure to the member to be formed via the hydraulic transfer elastic body.

12. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 1 , wherein when the applying pressure to the member to be formed from the opposite side from the frame to deform the member to be formed into the tray is performed, negative angle forming of forming a negative angle at least partially from the bottom wall toward the opening portion of the tray is performed.

13. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 12 ,
wherein the frame has a negative angle portion in which a negative angle is formed in advance, and
wherein the negative angle forming is performed by pressing the member to be formed against the negative angle portion of the frame when the applying pressure to the member to be formed from the opposite side from the frame to deform the member to be formed into the tray is performed.

14. The method for manufacturing an electric vehicle battery case according to claim 12 , wherein the negative angle forming is performed by integrally deforming the frame and the member to be formed to form the negative angle when the applying pressure to the member to be formed from the opposite side from the frame to deform the member to be formed into the tray is performed.

15. An electric vehicle battery case comprising:
a frame made of metal configured to define a space inside; and
a tray made of resin and having a bathtub shape, the tray including a bottom wall positioned in the space, a peripheral wall provided around the bottom wall and configured to define an opening portion on an opposite side from the bottom wall, and a flange provided at a tip of the peripheral wall, the tray being integrated with the frame,
wherein a negative angle portion in which a negative angle directed at least partially inward from the bottom wall toward an opening portion of the tray is provided.

16. The electric vehicle battery case according to claim 15 , wherein the tray is made of fiber-reinforced resin.

17. The electric vehicle battery case according to claim 15 , wherein the frame is made of an aluminum alloy extruded product, an aluminum alloy cast product, a magnesium alloy extruded product, a magnesium alloy cast product, or a combination of them.

18. The electric vehicle battery case according to claim 15 , wherein the frame is made of a steel plate roll form material, a steel plate press component, or a combination of them.

19. The electric vehicle battery case according to claim 15 , wherein the frame includes a cross member.

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Ishitobi Hideki

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

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

• B29L2031/7146

  Battery-cases · CPC title

• B29K2105/0863

  SMC, i.e. sheet moulding compound · CPC title

• B29K2101/12

  Thermoplastic materials · CPC title

• B29C70/46

  using matched moulds, e.g. for deforming sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or prepregs · CPC title