DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING A MOTOR VEHICLE BATTERY CHARGER

Description

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application No. 2102479 filed on 12.03.2021, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The invention applies to the mounting of the battery charger on the body of motor vehicles.

[0003] More specifically, the invention relates to an improved device intended to provide the interface between, respectively, the battery charger, its support and the vehicle body.

[0004] The battery charger fitted to motor vehicles is a relatively heavy (around ten kilograms) and bulky component housed in a bracket fixed under the vehicle's body. This bracket is generally a cradle in which the charger sits, equipped with vertical tabs that connect it to the vehicle's body.

[0005] Due to vibrations from the casing and the inertia of the magazine, the support is subjected to rocking motions. These stresses eventually lead to deformations that can cause the support to break and the magazine to fall. Consequently, currently available support interfaces do not offer sufficient durability.

[0006] Patent EP1479567B1 describes a support for receiving high-voltage electrical equipment and for suspending it from the structure of a motor vehicle. This support is hollowed out to allow ventilation of the high-voltage equipment.

[0007] Patent EP2767428B1 describes a suspended charger support, provided with a reinforcement element and a guide element, allowing the assembly consisting of the support and the charger to be stiffened in the mounting position on the body of a vehicle.

[0008] However, none of these earlier documents discloses a technical solution that allows for both stiffening and securing the loader support without increasing the bulk and without using an additional element, and mounting the loader in a position as close as possible to the body or at least in the immediate vicinity of the "Mechanical Tooling Plate" (known as POM) intended for mounting the various components on the vehicle chassis.

[0009] In this context, the invention aims to overcome the technical problems raised by previous solutions by proposing an improved charger support device in which the assembly interfaces with the charger are added and now horizontal and separate from the cradle.

[0010] This new configuration allows the support to be positioned and mounted as close as possible to the vehicle body before placing the loader on the cradle, while still providing easy access to the assembly elements between the support and the loader.

[0011] This goal is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a battery charger support device for mounting under the body of a motor vehicle, said device comprising a cradle on which rests a box containing said charger and at least two vertical arms attached to the cradle and ensuring its suspension under the body, characterized in that the box has at least one protruding tab ensuring assembly with an L-shaped spacer which, on the one hand, rests against the side wall of said box and whose upper face, on the other hand, is fixed under the body parallel to the vertical connecting arms.

[0012] According to an advantageous feature, the leg is designed to come into contact with a corresponding opening provided on the spacer for the placement of components intended for their mutual assembly.

[0013] Where applicable, this leg is provided with at least one hole intended to align with a corresponding hole provided on the spacer for the installation of assembly screws.

[0014] According to another advantageous feature, the ends of the spacer are provided with lateral holes for the installation of a fixing element under the body.

[0015] Preferably, the side holes of this spacer are located on either side of the assembly hole with the bracket of the box.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the device of the invention, the lateral openings are provided through bosses extending in a plane located above the upper face of the box.

[0017] According to another variant, the spacer is fitted with feet ensuring the connection with the cradle.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment of the device of the invention, the box carries two parallel horizontal legs.

[0019] Preferably, the box is fixed to the cradle on the lower edge of its side wall located on the side opposite the spacer.

[0020] The invention also provides that the spacer includes at least one cavity intended to receive and wedge the assembly tab of the box.

[0021] Another object of the invention is a motor vehicle equipped with a battery charger support device having the characteristics mentioned above.

[0022] The device of the invention therefore consists of modifying the position of the interfaces between the cradle and the loader, which makes it possible to stiffen their connection, to strengthen the assembly and to guarantee a reliable and stable mounting of the loader under the body over time, even in the presence of vibrations or significant stresses (shocks, ...).

[0023] Thus, the device of the invention makes it possible to solve the mechanical problem of the low endurance of previous technical solutions while placing the charger as close as possible to the body and, in particular, to the mechanical tooling plate, without adding material and therefore without increasing the weight of the vehicle.

[0024] The invention thus makes it possible, with the same material, or even with thinner sheet metal, to have a more rigid charger / charger support assembly.

[0025] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description that follows, with reference to the attached and detailed drawings below. [ Fig. 1A ] is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the charger support device according to the invention. Fig. 1B ] is a side view of the device of the figure 1A . [ Fig. 1C ] is a top view of the device figures 1A et 1B . [ Fig. 2 ] is a perspective view of another embodiment of the charger support device according to the invention.

[0026] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference symbols in the description and on the figures.

[0027] Naturally, the embodiments of the device of the invention illustrated by the figures presented above and described below are given only as non-limiting examples. It is explicitly intended that different embodiments may be proposed and combined to create others.

[0028] The invention relates to the integration of the battery charger into the structure of a motor vehicle and, more specifically, the mounting of the support for this charger under the body of the vehicle.

[0029] The battery charger fitted to motor vehicles is a relatively heavy component, weighing around ten kilograms, and is housed in a bracket fixed under the vehicle's body. This bracket generally consists of a cradle on which rests a housing containing the charger, and at least two vertical arms attached to this cradle to provide suspension under the vehicle's body.

[0030] The invention aims to stiffen the support / loader assembly to prevent detrimental rocking of the cradle. To this end, and as illustrated by the figures 1A, 1B And 1C Representing a preferred embodiment, the invention provides that the loader's casing 1 has, in its upper part, at least one, and here two, parallel tabs 11a, 11b projecting in a substantially horizontal plane. These tabs ensure assembly with a right-angled spacer 2 which, on the one hand, rests against the side wall 1a of the casing 1 and, on the other hand, is fixed, by its upper face, under the body C parallel to the two vertical arms 31 connecting the cradle 3 to the body C, as illustrated in particular by the figure 1B .

[0031] The legs 11a, 11b of the box 1 are each provided with at least one hole 10 intended to align with a corresponding hole 20 provided on the spacer 2 for the installation of screws 4 ( figure 1B ) intended for the vertical assembly of the box 1 with the spacer 2. The holes 20 of the spacer 2 are made in the bottom of one or more cavities 22 intended to receive and wedge the tabs 11a, 11b.

[0032] The ends of the spacer 2 are, for their part, provided with lateral openings 21 for the installation of a fixing element (not shown) under the body C of the vehicle.

[0033] Preferably, these lateral openings 21 are made through bosses 24 extending in a plane located above the upper face 1b of the box 1 and are located on either side of the openings 20 intended for assembly with the tabs 11a, 11b.

[0034] In the implementation of the figure 2 The spacer 2 is fixed horizontally rather than vertically. To this end, the spacer's openings 20 are made through its side wall and receive the tabs 11a, 11b, which are supported opposite each other by the side wall 1a of the housing 1. These tabs are, for example, bolted through the openings 20. A stop 12 supported by the upper edge of the housing 1 ensures that the spacer 2 is held in place by upward support. The spacer 2 can then be positioned and assembled onto the housing 1, held in place by tabs 13.

[0035] The box 1 is fixed to the cradle 3 on the lower edge of its side wall 1c located on the side opposite the face 1a against which the spacer 2 rests, while the spacer 2 is fitted with feet 23 ensuring the connection with the cradle 3 ( figure 1B ).

[0036] The mounting method proposed by the invention allows the assembly consisting of the cradle 3 and the loader housing 1 to be positioned as close as possible to the vehicle body C and ensures satisfactory stability even in the presence of vibrations or shocks to the vehicle. Furthermore, the support device of the invention allows for easy mounting of the loader under the vehicle body C. This mounting is carried out by first placing the housing 1 containing the loader onto the cradle 3, via a lateral access located near the mechanical tooling plate (POM). The next step consists of positioning and assembling the spacer 2 to the tabs 11a, 11b of the housing 1, thus closing the lateral access to the cradle 3. The final assembly is completed by inserting the screws vertically through the holes 20 in the spacer 2 into the threaded holes (not shown) provided for this purpose under the vehicle body C.

Claims

1. Device for supporting the battery charger for its mounting under the body (C) of a motor vehicle, said device comprising a cradle (3) on which rests a box (1) containing said charger and at least two vertical arms (31) integral with the cradle and ensuring its suspension under the body, characterized in that said box (1) carries at least one protruding tab (11a, 11b) ensuring assembly with a right-angled spacer (2) coming, on the one hand, to bear against the side wall (1a) of said box (1) and the upper face of which comes, on the other hand, to be fixed under the body (C) parallel to the vertical connecting arms (31).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said tab (11a, 11b) is intended to come into view with a corresponding orifice (20) provided on said spacer (2) for the installation of members intended for their mutual assembly.

3. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ends of said spacer (2) are provided with lateral orifices (21) for installing fixing elements under the body (C).

4. Device according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the lateral orifices (21) of said spacer (2) are located on either side of the orifice (20) for assembly with the tab (11a, 11b) of the box (1).

5. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said lateral orifices (21) are formed through bosses (24) extending in a plane located above the upper face (1b) of the box (1).

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said spacer (2) is provided with feet (23) ensuring the connection with the cradle (3).

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the box (1) carries two horizontal and parallel legs (11a, 11b).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said box (1) is fixed to the cradle (3) on the lower edge of its side wall (1c) located on the side opposite said spacer (2).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said spacer (2) comprises at least one cavity (22) intended to receive and wedge said leg (11a, 11b) for assembling the box (1).

10. Motor vehicle equipped with a battery charger support device according to one of the preceding claims.