MOTOR VEHICLE FEATURING A HEADLIGHT CAPABLE OF BEING EJECTED TO ACCESS A FILLER DUCT

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric or hybrid motor vehicle (100) comprising a battery, said vehicle (100) comprising a filling conduit attached to said battery, said filling conduit comprising an opening, said filling conduit being intended to receive and guide a fluid to said battery, said vehicle (100) comprising at least one housing (1) configured to contain a headlight (2), said opening being accessible from said housing (1), characterized in that said vehicle (100) comprises at least one ejection means configured to eject said headlight (2) from said housing (1). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for ejecting the headlight (2) from the housing of the electric or hybrid motor vehicle (100). Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING A HEADLIGHT CAPABLE OF BEING EJECTED TO ACCESS A FILLING DUCT

[0001] The invention relates to means of cooling or flooding batteries of electric or hybrid motor vehicles.

[0002] Prior art patent application FR3093864 is known, describing a housing containing a motor vehicle battery and a method for introducing a fire extinguishing fluid into said housing. The housing comprises an outer casing and a rupture device. Furthermore, the housing includes a firefighter access device providing access to the interior of the housing. The rupture device includes a rupture flap. The rupture flap ruptures in the event of overpressure exerted on the external surface of said flap, thus introducing the fire extinguishing fluid. The fire extinguishing fluid is then guided into said housing via the firefighter access device. The rupture device is directly accessible from outside the vehicle. However, a drawback remains. The position of the rupture device is likely to cause damage to the rupture flap because the latter is exposed to the outside.For example, debris on the road can be dislodged by the movement of a nearby vehicle, causing it to collide with the rupture seal and break. This leaves the casing open, allowing debris to enter and potentially damage the battery.

[0003] The objective of the present invention is to remedy these disadvantages and to reduce the risks of battery fire following a traffic accident or thermal runaway of said battery while protecting the battery from debris from the outside.

[0004] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes an electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising a battery, said vehicle comprising a filling conduit attached to said battery, said filling conduit comprising an opening, said filling conduit being intended to receive and guide a fluid towards said battery, said vehicle comprising at least one housing configured to contain a headlight, said opening being accessible from said housing, notable in that said vehicle comprises at least one ejection means configured to eject said headlight out of said housing.

[0005] Thanks to the invention, the headlight is automatically ejected during a traffic accident or a thermal runaway of the battery so that firefighters can flood said battery as quickly as possible, and thus prevent it from catching fire.

[0006] Advantageously, said ejection means comprises a pyrotechnic actuator and a bag capable of inflating when said pyrotechnic actuator is activated.

[0007] The bag inflates rapidly so as to generate sufficient thrust to extract said headlight.

[0008] Advantageously, said ejection means comprises a mechanical actuator, a spring and a stop, said spring comprising an end, said stop being positioned at said end of the spring.

[0009] A mechanical actuator does not require any energy source such as electricity for example.

[0010] Preferably, said opening includes a lid capable of breaking when a force is exerted on said lid.

[0011] The operculum has the role of preventing debris from entering said filling conduit.

[0012] The invention also relates to a method of ejecting a headlight from a housing of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle previously described, remarkable in that said method comprises an actuation step of the ejection means during which said headlight is ejected from said housing, said opening of the filling conduit being accessible via said housing.

[0013] Preferably, said vehicle includes a controller and a deceleration sensor, said controller being configured to communicate with said ejection means and said deceleration sensor, said method including a shock detection step prior to said ejection step during which said shock is detected by the deceleration sensor when the deceleration sensor measures a deceleration greater than a predetermined deceleration threshold value, a signal being transmitted from the deceleration sensor to said ejection means via said controller.

[0014] A strong deceleration is a good indicator of the occurrence of a major impact during a traffic accident.

[0015] Alternatively, said vehicle includes a controller, said battery including a temperature sensor, said controller being configured to communicate with said ejection means and said temperature sensor, said method including a thermal runaway detection step prior to said ejection step during which said thermal runaway is detected by the temperature sensor when the temperature sensor measures a temperature above a predetermined temperature threshold value, a signal being transmitted from the temperature sensor to said ejection means via said controller.

[0016] Thus, the headlight ejection is implemented only when the battery has an abnormally high temperature.

[0017] 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. 1] schematically illustrates a housing comprising a headlight of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle according to a first embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.2] schematically illustrates the housing after the ejection of the headlight from the motor vehicle according to the first embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.3] schematically illustrates a housing comprising a headlight of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle according to a second embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.4] schematically illustrates the housing after the ejection of the headlight of the electric or hybrid motor vehicle according to the second embodiment.

[0018] The invention relates to an electric or hybrid automobile 100 comprising at least one housing 1. Housing 1 is configured to contain a headlight 2. Headlight 2 is a light-emitting projector that can be positioned, in particular, at the front or rear of the vehicle 100. In addition, the vehicle 100 comprises a filling channel including an opening. The filling channel is configured to circulate a fluid. The filling channel is connected to the battery such that, when the fluid is introduced at the opening, the fluid flows through the filling channel to the battery. In this way, the battery can be easily flooded with the fluid to prevent or extinguish a fire in the battery. The opening is directly accessible from housing 1, opposite headlight 2. In this way, the opening is protected by headlight 2.This reduces the risk of debris entering the filling conduit. The presence of debris in the filling conduit can reduce the efficiency of battery cooling by fluid injection, or even clog the filling conduit. Preferably, the opening has a flap designed to rupture when force is applied to it. The flap is a membrane whose role is to seal the opening. The presence of a flap further reduces the risk of debris entering the filling conduit. The presence of headlight 2 protects the flap, making it less likely to rupture in any way other than through fluid injection by firefighters.

[0019] Furthermore, said vehicle 100 includes at least one ejection means configured to eject said headlight 2. In a first embodiment illustrated in [Fig. 1] and In [Fig. 2], the ejection means comprises a pyrotechnic actuator 3 and a bag 4 configured to inflate when the pyrotechnic actuator 3 is activated. The pyrotechnic actuator 3 is an activatable pyrotechnic charge capable of rapidly releasing a quantity of gas. The pyrotechnic charge is a quantity of combustible material designed to burn rapidly and produce a controlled explosion. The gas is then directed to the bag, causing it to rapidly inflate. The rapid inflation of the bag 4 thus generates a force enabling the headlight 2 to be ejected from the vehicle 100 and out of the housing 1.

[0020] In a second embodiment illustrated in [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 4], the ejection means comprises a mechanical actuator, a spring 5, and a stop 6. The spring 5 has one end. The stop 6 is positioned at said end of the spring 5. The mechanical actuator can be activated manually or by an electrical signal. For example, the mechanical actuator is a lever or a solenoid. Initially, the mechanical actuator acts as a lock by holding the spring 5 in a compressed state. When the mechanical actuator is activated, the spring 5 is unlocked, causing it to expand, and consequently a force is exerted in the direction of the headlight 2 to propel it out of said housing 1.

[0021] The invention also relates to a method for ejecting the headlight 2 from the vehicle 100. The risk of battery fire is particularly high during a traffic accident. Indeed, in the event of a collision, the battery of the vehicle 100 is likely to be damaged, which increases the risk of fire. To reduce the risk of fire, it is necessary to cool the battery by flooding it with a fluid. For example, this fluid is water. Furthermore, in the event of thermal runaway of the battery, it is necessary to cool it as quickly as possible by flooding it to reduce the risk of the battery catching fire. The method includes a step of activating the ejection means during which the headlight 2 is ejected from the housing 1. Thus, the opening is easily accessible to firefighters without requiring the vehicle 100 to be moved.The firefighter can thus insert a fire hose into the opening without any further manipulation being necessary. When the opening has a flap, the firefighter can easily break the flap remotely by applying pressure to the flap with the fire hose or with the fluid from the fire hose. In the first embodiment illustrated in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 2], the ejection means comprises the pyrotechnic actuator 3 and the bag. When the pyrotechnic actuator is triggered, a gas is released so that the bag 4 inflates. This exerts pressure on the nozzle 2 so that it is extracted from the housing 1. In the second embodiment illustrated in [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 4], the ejection means comprises the mechanical actuator, the spring 5, and the stop 6. The impact triggers the release. of the mechanical actuator, thereby releasing the spring 5. The stop 6 then exerts a force on said headlight 2. The headlight 2 is then extracted from said housing 1. The headlight 2, initially positioned in said housing 1 as shown in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 3], must therefore be ejected to allow firefighters to flood said battery through said opening accessible from said housing 1, said opening being covered by said headlight 2. Preferably, said vehicle 100 includes a controller and a deceleration sensor. The controller is configured to communicate with said ejection means and said deceleration sensor. In this case, the method includes a shock detection step prior to said ejection step. The shock is detected during the detection step when the deceleration measured by the deceleration sensor is greater than a predetermined deceleration threshold value.A signal is transmitted from said deceleration sensor to said ejection means via said controller. Alternatively, said battery includes a temperature sensor. Vehicle 100 includes a controller configured to communicate with said temperature sensor and said ejection means. Thermal runaway is detected by the temperature sensor when the battery temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold. A signal is transmitted from the temperature sensor to said ejection means via the controller. Furthermore, the method includes.

Claims

Demands

1. Electric or hybrid motor vehicle (100) comprising a battery, said vehicle (100) comprising a filling conduit attached to said battery, said filling conduit comprising an opening, said filling conduit being intended to receive and guide a fluid to said battery, said vehicle (100) comprising at least one housing (1) configured to contain a headlight (2), said opening being accessible from said housing (1), characterized in that said vehicle (100) comprises at least one ejection means configured to eject said headlight (2) out of said housing (1).

2. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1 characterized in that said ejection means comprises a pyrotechnic actuator (3) and a bag (4) capable of inflating when said pyrotechnic actuator (3) is activated.

3. Vehicle (100) according to claim 1 characterized in that said ejection means comprises a mechanical actuator, a spring (5) and a stop (6), said spring (5) comprising an end, said stop (6) being positioned at said end of the spring (5).

4. Vehicle (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that said opening comprises a lid capable of breaking when a force is exerted on said lid.

5. Method of ejecting a headlight (2) from a housing (1) of an electric or hybrid motor vehicle (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said method comprises an actuation step of the ejection means during which said headlight (2) is ejected from said housing (1), said opening of the filling conduit being accessible via said housing (1).

6. A method according to claim 5 characterized in that said vehicle (100) comprises a controller and a deceleration sensor, said controller being configured to communicate with said ejection means and said deceleration sensor, said method comprising a shock detection step prior to said ejection step during which said shock is detected by the deceleration sensor when the deceleration sensor measures a deceleration greater than a deceleration threshold value predetermined, a signal being transmitted from the deceleration sensor to said ejection means via said controller.

7. A method according to claim 5 characterized in that said vehicle (100) comprises a controller, said battery comprising a temperature sensor, said controller being configured to communicate with said ejection means and said temperature sensor, said method comprising a thermal runaway detection step prior to said ejection step during which said thermal runaway is detected by the temperature sensor when the temperature sensor measures a temperature above a predetermined temperature threshold value, a signal being transmitted from the temperature sensor to said ejection means via said controller.

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