Electric vehicle having motor shield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12545089-B2
Application number	US-202318366416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2023
Priority date	Aug 7, 2023
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes a pair of opposed brackets, an attachment structure, a plate, and bushings. The pair of opposed brackets are configured to be secured to a motor of the electric vehicle. The attachment structure includes a cross bar and a pair of lower legs. The cross bar extends in a transverse direction of the electric vehicle. The pair of lower legs extend in a longitudinal direction from the cross bar and are secured to the pair of opposed brackets. The plate is secured to the cross bar and the pair of lower legs. The bushings are secured to the pair of opposed brackets and are configured to be mounted to a frame of the electric vehicle. The bushings allow the motor, the pair of opposed brackets, and the attachment structure to move upward in response to a certain applied load exceeding a predetermined threshold to the plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electric vehicle comprising:
a pair of opposed brackets configured to be secured to a motor of the electric vehicle; an attachment structure including a cross bar and a pair of lower legs, the cross bar extending in a transverse direction of the electric vehicle, the pair of lower legs extending in a longitudinal direction from the cross bar and secured to the pair of opposed brackets; a plate secured to the cross bar and the pair of lower legs and configured to cover a portion of the motor; and a plurality of bushings secured to the pair of opposed brackets and configured to be mounted to a frame of the electric vehicle, wherein the bushings allow the motor, the pair of opposed brackets, the attachment structure, and the plate to move in an upward direction in response to an applied load exceeding a predetermined threshold to the plate.

2 . The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cross bar has a square shaped cross-section.

3 . The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the plate includes a plurality of stiffening beads spaced apart in the transverse direction of the electric vehicle.

4 . The electric vehicle of claim 3 , wherein one or more stiffening beads of the plurality of stiffening beads extend in the longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle, and wherein one or more stiffening beads of the plurality of stiffening beads extend in an oblique direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle.

5 . The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the attachment structure further includes a pair of upper legs extending in an oblique direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle and secured to the pair of opposed brackets.

6 . The electric vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the pair of lower legs extend further in a forward direction of the electric vehicle than the pair of upper legs.

7 . The electric vehicle of claim 5 , wherein each of the pair of lower legs includes an attachment wall engaging a respective bracket of the pair of opposed brackets, and wherein the attachment wall is flat.

8 . The electric vehicle of claim 5 , wherein each of the pair of upper legs includes a flat attachment wall engaging a flat wall of a respective bracket of the pair of opposed brackets.

9 . The electric vehicle of claim 8 , wherein each flat attachment wall includes a hook that hooks onto the flat wall of the respective bracket to inhibit movement of the attachment structure relative to the pair of opposed brackets.

10 . The electric vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising fasteners extending through the pair of opposed brackets and the bushings, and configured to extend through the motor to secure the pair of opposed brackets and the bushings to the motor.

11 . The electric vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the plate includes a lower portion and an upper portion, and wherein the lower portion extends horizontally and the upper portion extends upward at an angle from the lower portion, the upper portion welded to the cross bar.

12 . The electric vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the lower portion of the plate includes a plurality of stiffening beads spaced apart in a transverse direction of the electric vehicle.

13 . An electric vehicle comprising:
a pair of opposed brackets configured to be secured to a motor of the electric vehicle; an attachment structure including a cross bar and a pair of lower legs, the cross bar extending in a transverse direction of the electric vehicle, the pair of lower legs extending in a longitudinal direction from the cross bar and secured to the pair of opposed brackets; a plate secured to the cross bar and the pair of lower legs and configured to cover a portion of the motor, the plate includes a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion extends horizontally and the upper portion extends upward at an angle from the lower portion, the upper portion welded to the cross bar; a plurality of bushings secured to the pair of opposed brackets and configured to be mounted to a frame of the electric vehicle; and a plurality of first fasteners extending through the pair of opposed brackets and the bushings, and configured to extend through the motor to secure the pair of opposed brackets and the bushings to the motor, wherein the bushings allow the motor, the pair of opposed brackets, the attachment structure, and the plate to move in an upward direction in response to an applied load exceeding a predetermined threshold to the upper portion of the plate.

14 . The electric vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the cross bar has a square shaped cross-section.

15 . The electric vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the lower portion of the plate includes a plurality of stiffening beads spaced apart in the transverse direction of the electric vehicle.

16 . The electric vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the attachment structure further includes a pair of upper legs extending in an oblique direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle and secured to the pair of opposed brackets.

17 . The electric vehicle of claim 16 , wherein:
each of the pair of lower legs includes a first flat attachment wall engaging a first flat wall of a respective bracket of the pair of opposed brackets; and each of the pair of upper legs includes a second flat attachment wall engaging a second flat wall of a respective bracket of the pair of opposed brackets.

18 . The electric vehicle of claim 17 , further comprising:
second fasteners extending through the first flat attachment walls of the pair of lower legs and the first flat walls of the pair of opposed brackets to secure the attachment structure to the pair of opposed brackets; and third fasteners extending through the second flat attachment walls of the pair of upper legs and the second flat walls of the pair of opposed brackets to further secure the attachment structure to the pair of opposed brackets.

19 . The electric vehicle of claim 16 , wherein a respective lower leg of the pair of lower legs, a respective upper leg of the pair of uppers legs and a wall of a respective bracket of the pair of brackets cooperate to form a triangular shape.

20 . An electric vehicle comprising:
a pair of opposed brackets configured to be secured to a motor of the electric vehicle; an attachment structure including a cross bar, a pair of lower legs, and a pair of upper legs, the cross bar having a square shape cross-section and extending in a transverse direction of the electric vehicle, the pair of lower legs extending in a longitudinal direction from the cross bar and secured to the pair of opposed brackets, the pair of upper legs extending in an oblique direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle and secured to the pair of opposed brackets; a plate partially wrapped around the attachment structure and secured to the cross bar and the pair of lower legs, the plate includes a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion extends horizontally and the upper portion extends upward at an angle from the lower portion, the upper portion welded to the cross bar; a plurality of bushings secured to the pair of opposed brackets and configured to be mounted to a frame of the electric vehicle; and a plurality of fasteners extending through the pair of opposed brackets and the bushings, and configured to extend through the motor to secure the pair of opposed brackets and the bushings to the motor, wherein the bushings allow the motor, the

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Scholtes Duncan
• Sykes Matthew
• Charters Daniel
• Kiani Morteza
• Powell Tyler

Classifications

• H02K5/22 Primary

  Auxiliary parts of casings not covered by groups H02K5/06-H02K5/20, e.g. shaped to form connection boxes or terminal boxes · CPC title

• B60K2001/001

  one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle · CPC title

• B60K1/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title