Casting assembly for use in a component of a vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cast assembly (10) for use in a component (101) of a vehicle (100), the assembly (10) comprising a guide (12) configured for guiding the assembly (10) relative to a sleeve (20) when the assembly (10) is positioned inside the component (101) of the vehicle (100), the guide (12) comprises at least one guide structure (14) arranged at a guide side (13) of the assembly (10), the at least one guide structure (14) comprising a circular groove (15) extending at the guide side (13) and a projection (16) directly adjacent to the groove (15) and projecting away from the groove (15), the groove (15) and the projection (16) extend substantially parallel to each other along at least a part of the guide side (13).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a casting assembly for use in a component of a vehicle, a kit of such a component and a sleeve, a component of a vehicle, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In the assembly of vehicle components such as battery packs, a guide system is needed that ensures that the components of the components are correctly assembled with each other. In addition, the guide system needs to enable the respective components to be assembled in a manner that they stay in place during assembly.

[0003] Such guide systems usually use holes and pins, respectively, in the components to be assembled with each other. This solution brings high costs and complexity to the assembly, since it requires designing the components with holes and pins.

[0004] Furthermore, for some vehicle components, there may be special requirements, for example, they may benefit from or even require a fluid-tight structure, such as may be the case with batteries. Introducing holes in the components of such vehicle components to guide their components during assembly will increase the risk of leakage, which may be a critical issue when it comes to the safety of the vehicle and the life of the battery. Summary of the invention

[0005] The above mentioned disadvantages are at least partly alleviated by the subject-matter of the independent claims of the present disclosure, wherein further examples are incorporated in the dependent claims.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an assembly for use in a component of a vehicle. The assembly may include a guide portion configured to guide the assembly relative to a sleeve when positioning the assembly inside the component of the vehicle. The guide portion may include at least one guide structure disposed at a guide side of the assembly. The at least one guide structure may include a groove extending at the guide side and a protrusion adjacent to the groove. The protrusion may protrude away from the groove. The groove and the protrusion may extend substantially parallel to each other along at least a portion of the guide side.

[0007] Thus, the component is provided with a leak-proof guiding capability, since it is not necessary to introduce holes and / or pins in the component. When positioning the component inside the vehicle component, the component can be guided via its guide relative to a sleeve, which can be another component for use in the component of the vehicle. At least one guiding structure having a circular groove and a protrusion provides guidance for the component. In particular, by having the groove adjacent to the protrusion, the tolerances of the guiding portion can be kept very tight, in particular the tolerances between the at least one protrusion and the sleeve, and in particular when the component is a cast component as described below.

[0008] Positioning in the sense of the present disclosure relates to the task of positioning the assembly relative to the sleeve. Guiding relates to a sub-task of the positioning process, assisting positioning by means of the configuration of the guide relative to the sleeve, so that positioning is facilitated. Positioning does not include fixing or attaching the assembly and / or the sleeve to each other and / or other elements of the component, which may be a further step, in particular after positioning has been successfully performed.

[0009] The assembly can be a cast assembly. This has the advantage of low manufacturing cost of the assembly. However, generally, a cast assembly requires a radius between the guide side and the projection. However, this may increase the gap, particularly the gap between the projections of the relative guide structure, thereby producing a greater tolerance for the sleeve guide assembly than desired, which may result in poor guidance. Providing a groove when casting the assembly eliminates the need for an additional manufacturing step (e.g., machining the groove into the assembly) to achieve a tighter tolerance. Otherwise, this additional manufacturing step will further increase the cost of the manufacturing process of the cast assembly. In order to manufacture the cast assembly, a liquid material can be poured into a mold (the mold can contain a hollow cavity of the desired shape of the assembly), and then the liquid material is allowed to solidify. Therefore, the solidified assembly can be ejected or removed from the mold to complete the process and obtain the cast assembly. The material of the assembly can include or be a metal, such as steel or aluminum.

[0010] A protrusion may be directly adjacent to a recess. This may mean that there are no other parts of the component between the recess and the protrusion, e.g., a part that is not part of the protrusion and not part of the recess. Instead, a protrusion and a recess that are part of a component may be (directly) next to each other.

[0011] The groove may be a circular groove. Thus, the groove may be at least partially circular, for example having a partial circle, an ellipse or the like. This is particularly advantageous when casting the component, so that no additional radius needs to be taken into account in the design of the component.

[0012] In an example, the assembly may include at least two guide structures. Thus, a tight tolerance may be provided at the two guide structures, in particular at the space or gap between the two guide structures, wherein the size of the space or gap may correspond to the outer diameter of the sleeve, for example, substantially equal to or only slightly larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve.

[0013] In an example, two of the at least two guiding structures can be arranged parallel to each other. The parallel guiding structures can also be arranged opposite to each other. Thus, the assembly can be guided by the sleeve via the opposite and parallel protrusions of the two guiding structures. When guiding the assembly, the sleeve can be inserted between the at least two guiding structures, in particular between their protrusions.

[0014] In an example, the assembly may comprise at least three guiding structures. This further improves the guiding by adding a further protrusion at the guiding side.

[0015] In an example, one of the guide structures may be arranged substantially transversely (or in other words, orthogonally) to at least one other of the guide structures.Thereby, the sleeve may be introduced between spaces formed between three or more guide structures arranged relative to each other.

[0016] In an example, the assembly may be configured for use in a battery that is a component of a vehicle. For example, the assembly may be a battery assembly of a battery. Such a battery assembly may, for example, be or include a battery cell or module, or be a structural assembly configured to structurally support a battery cell or module within a battery. For example, the assembly may be a bracket configured to connect individual battery cells or battery modules to each other and / or to a structural assembly, such as a battery housing. This has the advantage that, in contrast to a pin and hole guide system, leakage in the battery may be avoided when using the assembly of the present disclosure.

[0017] In an example, the groove and the protrusion may form a substantially S-shaped guide structure. This means that both the protrusion and the groove have a circular shape, resulting in a double circular shape, which can be identified as an S-shape in the broadest sense. However, the protrusion may have an extension in length or protrusion direction that is much greater than the depth of the groove.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a kit is provided, comprising the assembly of the first aspect of the present disclosure and a sleeve. The sleeve may be configured such that when the assembly is positioned in a component of a vehicle, the assembly may be guided relative to the sleeve by means of a guide portion of the assembly.

[0019] The sleeve may comprise or be made of metal, such as steel or aluminium.

[0020] In an example, the sleeve may include a cylindrical body and a hole extending inside the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body including an end side, the guide and the sleeve being configured such that when the assembly is positioned inside a component of a vehicle, the assembly rests with its guide side on the end side. By having the guide side rest on the end side, positioning may be facilitated.

[0021] In an example, the guide and the sleeve can be configured so that when the assembly rests on the sleeve, at least one protrusion is outside the hole. Therefore, at least one protrusion can guide the sleeve from outside the hole and the entire sleeve and thus position the sleeve at the assembly, and vice versa.

[0022] In an example, the assembly may include at least two guide structures that are spaced apart from each other such that the sleeve may be positioned between protrusions of the guide structures for guiding the assembly relative to the sleeve.

[0023] In an example, the space between the protrusions may substantially correspond to the outer diameter of the sleeve. In other words, the space (particularly the gap) between the respective protrusions may be formed to be substantially equal to the outer diameter of the sleeve or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve, so that the sleeve can be inserted into the space substantially free of play. This can be well achieved with the close tolerances of the assembly as described above, and it is not necessary to provide the close tolerances with additional manufacturing steps (e.g., machining the assembly).

[0024] In an example, the sleeve may include steel and the assembly may include aluminum. Specifically, the sleeve may be made of steel and the assembly may be made of aluminum. Therefore, the kit may remain corrosion-free during assembly of the components.

[0025] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a component of a vehicle is provided, the component comprising at least one kit according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a component of the at least one kit being positioned relative to a sleeve of the at least one kit.

[0026] The assembly may also be fixed in its position relative to the sleeve by any fixing means inside the component (e.g., via a screw passing through the sleeve and the assembly). In addition, the sleeve itself may be fixed inside the component.

[0027] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle comprising the components of the third aspect of the present disclosure.

[0028] Note that the above examples can be combined with each other regardless of the aspects involved.

[0029] These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the examples described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the following drawings.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a kit including an assembly and a sleeve;

[0032] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Another perspective view of the components of

[0033] Figure 3 Shows Figure 1 and Figure 2 A bottom view of the kit;

[0034] Figure 4 Shows Figures 1 to 3 A side perspective view of the kit;

[0035] Figure 5Shows Figures 1 to 4 Another side perspective view of the kit;

[0036] Figure 6 Shows Figures 1 to 5 A partial cross-sectional view of a kit;

[0037] Figure 7 Shows Figures 1 to 6 Another partial cross-sectional view of the kit; and

[0038] Figure 8 Shown are the Figures 1 to 7 A schematic diagram of the vehicle with the components of the kit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The drawings are merely schematic representations and serve merely to illustrate examples of the present disclosure. Identical or equivalent elements are in principle provided with the same reference numerals.

[0040] Figure 1 A kit 1 is shown comprising a component 10 and a sleeve 20. Here, the component 10 and the sleeve 20 are positioned relative to each other. Specifically, the component 10 and the sleeve 20 can be assembled with each other. Generally, the kit 1 can have the component 10 and the sleeve 20 as loose elements or positioned relative to each other or even connected to each other, for example, by any fixing means (such as screws).

[0041] The assembly 10 and sleeve 20 may be configured for use in a vehicle 100 (see Figure 8 ) in a component 101 of a battery pack, such as a battery pack. In such an example, the assembly 10 and / or the sleeve 20 may be a battery assembly. For example, the assembly 10 may be a bracket configured to connect individual battery cells or battery modules to a structural assembly, such as a battery housing, specifically via or with the assistance of the sleeve 20.

[0042] The assembly 10 is a cast assembly. Similarly, the sleeve 20 may be a cast sleeve 20. The assembly 10 has an assembly portion 11 and a guide portion 12. The assembly portion 11 may have one or more parts that have the function of an assembly, such as a function of a bracket. Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the component part 11 is simplified and is shown only as a block structure.

[0043] The guide portion 12 is configured for guiding the assembly 10 relative to the sleeve 20 when positioning the assembly 10 inside the component 101 of the vehicle 100. In this example, the guide portion 12 is arranged at an end of the assembly 10. Furthermore, the guide portion 12 is adjacent to the assembly portion 11.

[0044] In order to position the assembly 10 in the component 101, the sleeve 20 may have been arranged in the component 101, in particular fixed therein or thereto. Thus, the sleeve 20 may serve to guide the assembly 10 when positioning the assembly 10 inside the component 101.

[0045] Figure 2 The kit 1 is shown with the assembly 10 viewed in perspective from its end having the guide 12. The guide 12 is provided at a guide side 13 of the assembly 10. The sleeve 20 has a cylindrical body 21 with a bore 22 extending therethrough.

[0046] Figure 3 The kit 1 is also shown, wherein the assembly 10 is viewed from its end having the leading portion 12 (or in other words, from its leading side 13). Figure 3 As can be seen in the example, the assembly 10 of this example comprises three guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3. The guide structures 14.1, 14.2 are arranged relative to each other, and in particular are arranged parallel to each other. The guide structure 14.3 is positioned between the guide structures 14.1, 14.2, and in particular, transversely to the other guide structures 14.1, 14.2. Alternatively, only one or two of the guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 as described herein may be present, for example, only the guide structures 14.1, 14.2 are present.

[0047] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The assembly 10 and sleeve 20 are shown in different side perspective views. Figure 4 The perspective view allows to see the two guide structures 14.1, 14.2, and Figure 5 The perspective view of FIG. 1 makes it possible to see all three guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3. All guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 are arranged at the guide side 13. And each of the guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 comprises a corresponding groove 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 which may be circular (see FIG. 15.2, 15.3). Figure 7 The groove 15.3) and the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 extending from the guide side 13.

[0048] The extension (or in other words, the depth) of the grooves 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 into or within the component 10 at the guide side 13 is opposite to the extension (or in other words, the protrusion) of the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3. In addition, the corresponding grooves 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 and protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 are directly adjacent to each other in each of the guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3.

[0049] By having the grooves 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 in the component 10, the space or gap between the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 can be designed to correspond as closely as possible to the outer diameter of the sleeve 20, so as to have a close tolerance when guiding the component 10 relative to the sleeve 20 using the guide structures 14.1, 14.2, 14.3 of the component 10 (in particular, fitting the sleeve 20 between the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3). Without the grooves 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, the corners or edges between the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 and the guide side 13 would have to be provided with a radius for casting the component 10. However, such a radius requires a larger gap between the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3. The larger gap between the sleeve 20 and the projections 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 does not allow for a play-free positioning, as would be achieved by the recesses 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 adjacent to the projections 16.1, 16.2, 16.3.

[0050] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 (which shows different cross-sectional views of a portion of the assembly 10 and the sleeve 20), the sleeve 20 is positioned between the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3. For illustrative purposes, the gaps between the protrusions 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 and the sleeve 20 may be larger than required. The assembly 10 rests with its guide side 13 on the end side 23 of the sleeve 20.

[0051] Figure 8 A vehicle 100 is shown with a component 101 in which several kits 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 as described above are used. For example, the component 101 may be a battery of the vehicle 100. And the component 10 of each of the kits 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 may be a battery component or a battery-related component, such as a bracket for holding a battery cell or module of a battery.

[0052] As used herein, the phrase "at least one" with respect to a list of one or more entities should be understood to mean at least one entity selected from any one or more entities in the list of entities, but does not necessarily include at least one of each entity specifically listed within the list of entities, and does not exclude any combination of entities in the list of entities. This definition also allows that entities other than the entities specifically identified within the list of entities referred to by the phrase "at least one" may optionally be present, whether related or unrelated to those entities specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, "at least one of A and B" (or equivalently, "at least one of A or B", or equivalently, "at least one of A and / or B") may refer to at least one A, optionally including more than one A, without B (and optionally including entities other than B) in one example; to at least one B, optionally including more than one B, without A (and optionally including entities other than A) in another example; and to at least one A (optionally including more than one A) and at least one B (optionally including more than one B) (and optionally including other entities) in yet another example. In other words, the phrases "at least one," "one or more," and "and / or" are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A, B, and C," "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, or C," and "A, B, and / or C" may mean A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B together; A and C together; B and C together; A, B, and C together, and optionally any of the foregoing in combination with at least one other entity.

[0053] Other variations of the disclosed examples can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed disclosure by studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0054] Reference numerals list

[0055] 1 Kit

[0056] 10 parts

[0057] 11 Components

[0058] 12. Guidance

[0059] 13 Guide side

[0060] 14. Boot structure

[0061] 15 grooves

[0062] 16 protrusions

[0063] 20 sleeve

[0064] 21Cylindrical body

[0065] 22 holes

[0066] 23 End side

[0067] 100 vehicles

[0068] 101 Parts

Claims

1. A casting assembly (10) for use in a component (101) of a vehicle (100), the assembly (10) comprising a guide portion (12) configured to guide the assembly (10) relative to a sleeve (20) when positioning the assembly (10) inside the component (101) of the vehicle (100), the guide portion (12) comprising at least one guide structure (14) provided at a guide side (13) of the assembly (10), the at least one guide structure (14) comprising a circular groove (15) extending at the guide side (13) and a protrusion (16) directly adjacent to the groove (15) and protruding away from the groove (15), the groove (15) and the protrusion (16) extending substantially parallel to each other along at least a portion of the guide side (13).

2. The assembly (10) according to claim 1, comprising at least two guide structures (14).

3. The assembly (10) according to claim 2, two of the at least two guide structures (14) being arranged parallel to each other.

4. Assembly (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least three guide structures (14).

5. The assembly (10) of claim 4, one of the guide structures (14) being arranged substantially transversely to at least another of the guide structures (14).

6. The assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the assembly (10) being configured for use in a battery as the component (101) of the vehicle (100).

7. The assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the groove (15) and the protrusion (16) forming a substantially S-shaped guide structure (14).

8. A kit (1) comprising a component (10) according to any one of the preceding claims and a sleeve (20), the sleeve (20) being configured such that when the component (10) is positioned in the part (101) of the vehicle (100), the component (10) can be guided relative to the sleeve (20) by means of the guide portion (12) of the component (10).

9. The kit (1) according to claim 8, wherein the sleeve (20) comprises a cylindrical body (21) and a hole (22) extending inside the cylindrical body (21), the cylindrical body (21) comprising an end side (23), the guide portion (12) and the sleeve (20) being configured such that when the component (10) is positioned inside the part (101) of the vehicle (100), the component (10) rests with its guide side (13) on the end side (23).

10. The kit (1) according to claim 9, the guide (12) and the sleeve (20) being configured such that when the assembly (10) rests on the sleeve (20), the at least one protrusion (16) is located outside the hole (22).

11. A kit (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the component (10) comprises at least two guide structures (14), which are spaced apart from each other so that the sleeve (20) can be positioned between the protrusions (16) of the guide structures (14) for guiding the component (10) relative to the sleeve (20).

12. Kit (1) according to claim 11, the space between the protrusions (16) substantially corresponding to the outer diameter of the sleeve (20).

13. The kit (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, the sleeve (20) comprising steel and the component (12) comprising aluminium.

14. A component (101) of a vehicle (100), said component (101) comprising at least one kit (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 13, said component (10) of said at least one kit (1) being positioned relative to said sleeve (20) of said at least one kit (1).

15. A vehicle (100) comprising a component (101) according to claim 14.

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