Breakable support for a lead-acid battery containing a liquid electrolyte

Abstract

The invention relates to a breakable support (100) for a lead-acid battery comprising a liquid electrolyte, characterized in that the breakable support (100) comprises a drainage tray adapted to collect the liquid electrolyte draining from said battery, said breakable support (100) comprising an electronic support adapted to hold a fuse box and an electronic power steering control device, said drainage tray (1) and said electronic support (2) being connected by a break zone (3) adapted to break during a frontal impact. Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising said breakable support (100) and a method for mounting said breakable support (100). Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: Breakable support for a lead-acid battery comprising a liquid electrolyte

[0001] The invention relates to the fixing supports for a lead-acid battery.

[0002] Prior art patent application FR3119580, which describes an electric vehicle equipped with an electronic control unit, is known. The vehicle includes a bracket on which the electronic control unit is mounted. The bracket is itself attached to a side face of a battery tray. The side face has locking devices allowing the bracket to be lowered. The bracket is mounted by sliding it vertically from the top of the vehicle. The side face has hooks arranged in a horizontal plane. The bracket comes into contact with these hooks during its descent. In the event of a frontal impact, the electronic control unit is released from the hooks so as to be extracted from the vehicle. However, some drawbacks remain. First, attaching the bracket from above requires the prior removal of the battery tray. Second, the bracket has only one function, namely that of holding the electronic control unit in place.It is therefore necessary to add more components to meet the other needs of the battery, including the integration of a drain pan to collect fluids draining from the battery and a mounting point for a fuse box, for example. This complicates the assembly and adds weight to the vehicle.

[0003] The objective of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and to present a support allowing the retention of an electronic box and a fuse box, but also their ejection in the event of a frontal impact, while allowing the evacuation of fluids from the battery.

[0004] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes a breakable support for a lead-acid battery comprising a liquid electrolyte, remarkable in that the breakable support includes a drainage tray capable of collecting the liquid electrolyte draining from said battery, the breakable support including an electronic support capable of holding a fuse box and an electronic power steering management device, the drainage tray and the electronic support being connected by a break zone capable of breaking during a frontal impact.

[0005] Thus, in the event of a frontal collision, the fuse box and the electronic power steering control unit separate from said vehicle to avoid a collision with other components of the vehicle.

[0006] Advantageously, said drainage tray is substantially perpendicular to the electronic support.

[0007] In this way, the breakable support conforms to the shape of the battery.

[0008] Advantageously, said breakable support comprises a plastic material.

[0009] Plastic material has an economic advantage because it is inexpensive.

[0010] Advantageously, the rupture zone has a thickness less than the thickness of the drainage tray and the thickness of the electronic support.

[0011] Thus, the rupture zone is more fragile. It is therefore more likely to break easily in the event of a frontal impact.

[0012] Preferably, the electronic support has a contact surface configured to be positioned against said battery and a mounting surface configured to hold said fuse box and said electronic power steering management device.

[0013] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a front running gear and a rear running gear whose points of contact with the ground define a basic plane defined by a first longitudinal direction corresponding to straight-line driving, by a second transverse direction orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction and a third vertical direction orthogonal to the first and second directions and oriented away from the ground, said vehicle comprising a lead-acid battery, a fuse box and an electronic power steering management device, said battery comprising a liquid electrolyte, said battery being configured to drain said liquid electrolyte, said vehicle comprising a breakable support described above, notable in that said drain tray is positioned below said battery along the third direction,said electronic support being positioned laterally against said battery in the second direction, said fuse box and said electronic power steering control device being fixed to said electronic support.

[0014] Preferably, said vehicle includes a battery support comprising a horizontal portion positioned below said battery and a vertical portion positioned laterally to said battery in the second direction, said discharge tray being positioned between said horizontal portion of the battery support and said battery, the electronic support and the vertical portion of the battery support being positioned on either side of said battery.

[0015] Thus, the battery is protected between said battery support and said breakable support.

[0016] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of mounting a breakable support in a motor vehicle previously described, remarkable in that said method comprises a translation step during which said breakable support is translated in the second direction so that said drainage tray is inserted between said horizontal portion of the battery support and said battery.

[0017] Mounting the breakable bracket is then made easier. It is not necessary to remove the battery to mount the breakable bracket.

[0018] The invention will be further detailed by describing non-limiting embodiments, and based on the accompanying figures illustrating variants of the invention, in which: - [Fig.l] schematically illustrates a breakable support intended for a lead-acid battery according to the invention; - [Fig.2] schematically illustrates a battery of a motor vehicle comprising the breakable support according to an embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.3] schematically illustrates the battery shown in [Fig.2] including the breakable support to which a fuse box and an electronic power steering control unit are attached.

[0019] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a breakable support 100 for a lead-acid battery in a motor vehicle. The lead-acid battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses lead and sulfuric acid to produce electricity. This type of battery offers a significant economic advantage because it is inexpensive. The lead-acid battery contains a corrosive acidic liquid electrolyte that must be drained to prevent battery deterioration and thus improve its lifespan. The breakable support 100 includes a drain tray 1 for collecting the liquid electrolyte draining from the battery. In addition, the breakable support 100 includes an electronic support 2 for holding a fuse box 5 and a power steering control unit 6. Preferably, the drain tray 1 and the electronic support 2 are substantially perpendicular to each other.The waste tray 1 and the electronic support 2 are connected by a break zone 3 designed to break upon frontal impact. The breakable support 100 preferably comprises a plastic material. Preferably, the break zone 3 has a thickness less than the thickness of the waste tray 1 and the thickness of the electronic support 2. Thus, the break zone 3 is more fragile and therefore more likely to break upon frontal impact.

[0020] Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a lead-acid battery 4 with a liquid electrolyte. The battery 4 is configured to discharge said liquid electrolyte. The vehicle 100 comprises a front axle and a rear axle whose points of contact with the ground define a basic plane XY defined by a first longitudinal direction X corresponding to straight-line travel, a second transverse direction Y orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction X, and a third vertical direction Z orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y and oriented away from the ground. The vehicle comprises the fuse box 5 and the management device of the electronic power steering 6 as shown in [Fig. 3]. Furthermore, the vehicle includes said breakable bracket 100. The drain tray is positioned below said battery 4 in the third direction Z. The electronic bracket 2 is positioned laterally against said battery 4 in the second direction Y. The fuse box 5 and the electronic power steering control unit 6 are attached to the electronic bracket, on the side opposite the side in contact with said battery 4. Optionally, said electronic bracket 2 has a contact surface configured to be positioned against said battery 4 and a mounting surface configured to retain said fuse box 5 and said electronic power steering control unit 6. Preferably, said vehicle includes a battery bracket configured to retain said battery 4 in said vehicle.The battery support comprises a horizontal portion 7a positioned below said battery 4 and a vertical portion 7b positioned laterally to said battery 4 along the second direction Y. In this case, the drainage tray is positioned between said horizontal portion 7a of the battery support and said battery 4. The electronic support 2 and the vertical portion 7b of the battery support are positioned on either side of said battery 4.

[0021] The invention also relates to a method of mounting said breakable support 100 in the vehicle described above. The method includes a translation step during which said breakable support 100 is translated along the second direction Y. The drainage tray 1 is inserted between said horizontal portion 7b of the battery support and said battery 4.

Claims

Demands

1. Breakable support (100) for a lead-acid battery comprising a liquid electrolyte, characterized in that said breakable support (100) has a drain tray capable of collecting the liquid electrolyte draining from said battery, said breakable support (100) having an electronic support capable of holding a fuse box (5) and an electronic power steering management device (6), said drain tray (1) and said electronic support (2) being connected by a break zone (3) capable of breaking during a frontal impact.

2. Breakable support (100) according to claim 1 characterized in that said discharge tray (1) is substantially perpendicular to the electronic support (2).

3. Breakable support (100) according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that said breakable support (100) comprises a plastic material.

4. Breakable support (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the break zone (3) has a thickness less than the thickness of the discharge tray (1) and the thickness of the electronic support (2).

5. Breakable support (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that said electronic support (2) has a contact surface configured to be positioned against said battery (4) and a fixing surface configured to hold said fuse box (5) and said electronic power steering management device (6).

6. A motor vehicle comprising a front axle and a rear axle whose points of contact with the ground define a base plane (XY) defined by a first longitudinal direction (X) corresponding to straight-line travel, by a second transverse direction (Y) orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction (X), and a third vertical direction (Z) orthogonal to the first direction (X) and the second direction (Y) and oriented away from the ground, said vehicle comprising a lead-acid battery (4), a fuse box (5), and an electronic power steering control device (6), said battery (4) comprising a liquid electrolyte, said battery being configured to discharge said liquid electrolyte, said vehicle comprising a breakable support (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the drainage tray (1) is positioned below said battery (4) in the third direction (Z), the electronic support (2) being positioned laterally against said battery (4) in the second direction (Y), said fuse box (5) and said electronic power steering management device (6) being fixed on said electronic support (2).

7. Vehicle according to claim 6 characterized in that said vehicle comprises a battery support including a horizontal portion (7a) positioned below said battery (4) and a vertical portion (7b) positioned laterally to said battery (4) along the second direction (Y), the discharge tray (1) being positioned between said horizontal portion (7a) of the battery support and said battery (4), the electronic support (2) and the vertical portion (7b) of the battery support being positioned on either side of said battery (4).

8. Method of mounting a breakable support (100) in a motor vehicle according to claim 7 characterized in that said method comprises a translation step during which said breakable support (100) is translated along the second direction (Y) so that the drainage tray (1) is inserted between said horizontal portion (7b) of the battery support and said battery (4).

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