Mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle

Abstract

A mounting structure (100) for mounting a battery pack (304) in a vehicle comprises a vehicle floor (200) having a plurality of cross members (100) provided on an underside of the vehicle floor (200). The cross members (100) comprise: an upper portion (102) secured to the underside of the vehicle floor (200), and a lower portion (110) configured in vertically slidable engagement with the upper portion (102) such that the lower portion (110) experiences upward movement upon contact with the battery pack (304) of the vehicle, thereby allowing the battery pack (304) to be housed between the vehicle floor (200) and a battery tray (302), thereby accommodating variations in the dimensions of the battery pack (304).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to the technical field of vehicle mounting structures. In particular, it is a simple, compact and efficient mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle.BACKGROUNDBattery packs of electric vehicles are typically housed under the vehicle floor. To mount the battery pack under the floor, a battery tray is mounted to the vehicle floor from a bottom of the vehicle floor, and the battery pack is positioned on a top of the battery tray such that the battery pack is supported between the vehicle floor and the battery tray, wherein a top of the battery pack contacts cross beams of the vehicle floor that protrude under the floor.There are problems due to tolerances in the size of the battery pack and cross members. When the heights of the battery pack and the cross members are higher, the battery pack and the battery pack may not be properly attached by the intersection between the battery pack and the cross members. If the height of the battery rack is decreased to overcome the interference under extreme conditions, the top of the battery pack may not contact the cross members, at least if the height of the battery pack is on a lower side.Patent document CN112829837 A discloses reinforcing plates for a vehicle, wherein the provided reinforcing plates are divided into a first reinforcing plate and a second reinforcing plate which are independent of each other. The first reinforcing plate includes a first fixing part and a first connecting part connected to each other. Moreover, the first fixing part is connected to the outer plate of the upper cover. The second reinforcing plate includes a second fixing part and a second connecting part connected to each other. The second fixing part is connected to the outer plate of the upper cover. The relative height of the first mounting part and the second fixing part is adjusted by adjusting the relative position of the first connecting part and the second connecting part so that the reinforcing plate of the upper cover beam can fit to any position of the outer plate of the upper cover.As can be seen, the cited reference discloses a solution with respect to the attachment of a reinforcing plate to a roof, wherein the attachment points of the roof for the attachment of the reinforcing plate may have different positions, and does not provide a solution to the above mentioned problem related to the attachment of battery packs.OBJECT OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSUREA general object of the present disclosure is to overcome the problems associated with existing mounting arrangements by providing a simple, compact and efficient cross-member assembly for a vehicle.Another object of this disclosure is to provide an arrangement of cross members that simplifies manufacturing by reducing the complexity of their parts.Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an adjustable cross member assembly for battery attachment to reduce tolerance problems.Another object of the present disclosure is to eliminate the need for additional manual effort in battery assembly and thereby support a fully automatic production line for assembling adjustable cross members.Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an adjustable cross member assembly that does not interfere with seat attachment points.SUMMARYAspects of the present disclosure generally relate to the technical field of vehicle mounting structures. In particular, it is a simple, compact and efficient mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle.In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle. The attachment structure includes a vehicle floor having a plurality of cross members. The plurality of cross members are provided on an underside of the vehicle floor. A battery tray configured to be attachable to the vehicle floor from a bottom of the vehicle floor. The battery pack is disposed on an upper surface of the battery carrier. The battery pack is supported between the vehicle floor and the battery carrier. The top of the battery pack is in contact with the cross members of the vehicle floor. The cross members include an upper portion fixed to the underside of the vehicle floor of a vehicle. A lower portion configured in vertically slidable engagement with the upper portion. The lower portion contacts the battery of the vehicle. The lower portion undergoes an upward movement upon contact. The upward movement allows the battery pack to be accommodated between the vehicle floor and the battery tray. The upward movement compensates for variations in the dimensions of the battery.In an embodiment, the attachment structure may include a top portion. The upper portion may include a pair of L-shaped brackets. The L-shaped brackets may be secured to the floor. The L-shaped brackets may be spaced apart in a parallel arrangement. Each L-shaped bracket may have a horizontal leg. Each L-shaped bracket may be fixed to the floor. Each L-shaped bracket may have a vertical leg. The vertical leg may include a plurality of slots.In another embodiment, the attachment structure may include a lower portion. The lower portion may have a U-shaped cross section. The U-shaped cross section may comprise two parallel legs. Moreover, the U-shaped cross section may include a base portion. The base portion may connect the lower ends of the parallel legs.In another embodiment, the parallel legs of the lower portion may have free ends. The free ends may comprise a plurality of hook-shaped engagement means. The hook-shaped engaging means is engageable with the plurality of slits for vertical sliding movement. The vertical sliding movement may be performed between the upper portion and the lower portion.In another embodiment, the plurality of slots may have a particular size. The size of the slots may allow vertical movement of the lower portion. The vertical movement may be to an extent of 3 mm.In another embodiment, the base portion of the lower portion may include a downward protrusion. The protrusion may be configured to form a contact surface. The contact surface may be for the top of the battery pack.In one application, the upper portion may be made of sheet metal parts. The lower section can consist of sheet metal parts.Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the subject invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals represent like components.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings serve to further understand the present disclosure and form part of this description. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. The diagrams are for illustrative purposes only and thus do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. FIG. 1A shows an example perspective view of a cross member of the proposed mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1B shows an example cross-sectional view of the cross-member of FIG. 1A, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows an example perspective view of a floor having a plurality of cross members for use as a mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is an exploded exemplary view illustrating positioning of the battery pack between the floor and a battery tray in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are so detailed as to clearly convey the disclosure. However, it is not intended to limit the predictable variations of embodiments with the particularity provided; on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.The embodiments discussed herein relate to a simple, compact, and efficient mounting structure for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle. In one aspect, the proposed mounting structure is capable of compensating for dimensional variations in the height of the battery pack and other related dimensions of the battery tray and the floor. In one embodiment, the floor includes cross members of adjustable height so that they automatically adapt to accommodate the variations in the corresponding dimensions.Referring to FIGS. 1A-3, in one aspect, the proposed mounting structure (collectively referred to herein as 300) for mounting a battery pack in a vehicle is disclosed. In an embodiment, the attachment structure 300 may include at least one vehicle floor 200 having a plurality of cross beams 100 attached to a floor panel 202 of the floor 200 and a battery tray 302. Each of the cross members 100 may include an upper portion 102 and a lower portion 110. The upper portion 102 and the lower portion 110 may be sheet metal parts.The upper portion 102 may include a pair of L-shaped brackets. The two L-shaped holders can be fastened to the underside of the base in parallel and at a distance from one another.The lower portion 110 may have a U-shaped cross section. The U-shaped cross-section may include two parallel legs 112A, 112B that may engage the two L-shaped brackets of the upper portion 102 to form a complete cross-member 100. The parallel legs 112A, 112B of the lower portion 110 may have free ends. The lower portion 110 may further include a base portion 114 that connects the two parallel legs 112A to each other at the lower ends of the two parallel legs 112A. The base portion 114 may include a downward protrusion 116 to provide a seating surface for the battery pack 304 (see FIG. 3 ).In one aspect, the vehicle floor 200 includes a plurality of cross members 100. The plurality of cross members 100 are provided on an underside of the vehicle floor 200. The battery carrier 302 is configured to be attachable to the vehicle floor 200 from a bottom of the vehicle floor 200. The battery pack 304 is disposed on an upper surface of the battery carrier 302. The battery pack 304 is supported between the vehicle floor 200 and the battery carrier 302. The top of the battery pack 304 abuts the protrusion 116 on the cross members 100 of the vehicle floor 200. In another aspect, the upper portion 102 of the cross members 100 is secured to the underside of the vehicle floor 200.In another aspect, the lower portion 1 is configured in vertically slidable engagement means with the upper portion 102. The lower portion 110 may undergo an upward movement upon contact with the battery pack 304. The upward movement allows the battery pack 304 to be accommodated between the vehicle floor 200 and the battery carrier 302 with greater height, thereby accommodating variations in the dimensions of the battery pack 304 and other associated attachment structure dimensions.In one embodiment, the L-shaped brackets may be secured to the vehicle floor 200. The L-shaped brackets may be spaced apart in a parallel arrangement. Each of the L-shaped brackets may include a horizontal leg 102A. The horizontal leg 102A may be secured to the vehicle floor 200. Each L-shaped bracket may include a vertical leg 102B. The vertical leg 102B may include a plurality of slots 108A, 108B.In another embodiment, the U-shaped cross-section of the bottom portion 110 may include a base portion 114. The base portion 114 may be connected to the lower ends of the parallel legs 112A, 112B.In another embodiment, the free ends of the parallel legs 112A, 112B of the lower portion 110 may include a plurality of hook-shaped engagement means 118A, 118B on each of the two parallel legs 112A and 112B. The hook-shaped engagement means 118A, 118B may engage the plurality of slots 108A, 108B for vertical sliding movement. The vertical sliding movement may occur between the upper portion 102 and the lower portion 110.In another embodiment, the plurality of slots 108A, 108B may be elongated in a vertical direction to allow vertical movement of the lower base portion 110. The vertical movement can range up to a displacement of about 3 mm.While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, variations, or examples included to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person of ordinary skill in the art.ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention overcomes the problems associated with existing mounting arrangements by providing a simple, compact and efficient cross member assembly for a vehicle.The present invention provides a cross member assembly that simplifies manufacturing by reducing the complexity of its parts.The present invention provides an adjustable cross member assembly for battery mounting to reduce tolerance problems.The present invention eliminates the additional manual effort involved in the arrangement of the battery, so that a fully automatic production line for the installation of adjustable cross members is possible.The present invention provides an adjustable cross member assembly that does not interfere with seat attachment points.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedCN 112829837

[0004]

Claims

A mounting structure (300) for mounting a battery pack (304) in a vehicle, the structure (300) comprising: a vehicle floor (200) having a plurality of cross beams (100) provided at a lower side of the vehicle floor (200); a battery bracket (302) configured to be attachable to the vehicle floor (200) from a lower side of the vehicle floor (200), the battery pack (304) being positioned on an upper side of the battery bracket (302) such that the battery pack (304) is held between the vehicle floor (200) and the battery bracket (302), wherein an upper side of the battery pack (304) is in contact with the cross beams (100) of the vehicle floor (200); wherein the cross members (100) comprise: an upper portion (102) secured to the bottom of the vehicle floor (200); a lower portion (110) configured in vertically slidable engagement with the upper portion (102) such that upon contact with the vehicle battery pack (304), the lower portion (110) undergoes an upward movement that allows the battery pack (304) to be received between the vehicle floor (200) and the battery carrier (302).The mounting structure (300) of claim 1, wherein the upper portion (102) comprises a pair of L-shaped brackets secured to the vehicle floor (200) in a spaced parallel arrangement, each of the L-shaped brackets having a horizontal leg (102A) secured to the vehicle floor (200) and a vertical leg (102B) comprising a plurality of slots (108A, 108B).The mounting structure (300) of claim 2, wherein the lower portion (110) has a U-shaped cross-section with two parallel legs (112A, 112B) and a base portion (114) connecting the lower ends of the parallel legs (112A, 112B).The mounting structure (300) of claim 3, wherein the free ends of the two parallel legs (112A, 112B) of the lower portion (110) comprise a plurality of hook-shaped engagement means (118A, 118B) engaging the plurality of slots (108A, 108B) for vertical sliding movement between the upper portion (102) and the lower portion (110).The mounting structure (300) of claim 3, wherein the plurality of slots (108A, 108B) allow vertical movement of the bottom portion (110) to an extent of 3 mm.The mounting structure (300) of claim 4, wherein the base portion (114) of the lower portion (110) includes a downward protrusion (116) configured to form a contact surface for the top surface of the battery pack (304).The mounting structure (300) of claim 4, wherein the upper portion (102) and the lower portion (110) are sheet metal parts.

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