BATTERY TRAY WITH A TOP LID INCLUDING A BULLION

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery tray comprising a battery, an upper cover, and a lower cover, the battery being positioned between said upper cover and said lower cover. Each upper and lower cover has an edge. The edge of the upper cover (1) and the edge of the lower cover (2) are joined by a weld (3). The edge of the lower cover (2) is substantially flat. The tray is characterized in that the edge of the upper cover (1) has a bulge (4) such that said edge of the lower cover (2) and said bulge (4) form a recess (5). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for performing an operation on a battery in such a battery tray. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: BATTERY TRAY WITH A TOP LID INCLUDING A BULGEMENT

[0001] The invention relates to means of intervention on a battery tray of electric or hybrid motor vehicles.

[0002] Prior art patent application CN112075131 is known, describing a housing for electrical components, particularly for a battery, especially for motor vehicles, designed to simplify the assembly and separation of the cover. The housing comprises a basic box-shaped body with a bottom and walls defining a receiving cavity. A portion of the upper wall has a recess, separate from the receiving cavity, which serves to collect chips. This recess is delimited by an outwardly oriented section of the outer wall and an inwardly oriented section of the inner wall, both being connected in a single piece to the housing wall. The ends of the inner and outer walls lie in a common plane, allowing the cover to rest against them to ensure effective fastening.The cutout creates an opening for inserting a cutting tool to remove the cover and access the electrical component. However, there is a drawback. This configuration makes reassembling the housing difficult. Once the cover is removed, the entire housing must be replaced.

[0003] The objective of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and to disassemble and reassemble a battery tray despite a welded joint.

[0004] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes a battery tray comprising a battery, an upper cover and a lower cover, the battery being positioned between said upper cover and said lower cover, the upper cover and the lower cover each having an edge, the edge of the upper cover and the edge of the lower cover together having a welded joint, the edge of the lower cover having a substantially flat shape, remarkable in that the edge of the upper cover has a bulge so that said edge of the lower cover and said bulge form a housing.

[0005] Thanks to the invention, the battery tray is watertight thanks to the welded joint, but it is still possible to easily access the battery to carry out an intervention.

[0006] Advantageously, the bulge has a height of less than 1 cm.

[0007] Preferably, the height is equal to 0.5 cm.

[0008] Thus, it is possible to cut the bulge along several axes, for example along an axis perpendicular or parallel to the edge of the upper cover. Furthermore, this does not prevent the battery tray from being installed in a vehicle.

[0009] Advantageously, the edge of the upper cover has a first predetermined thickness, the bulge having a second predetermined thickness, said second predetermined thickness being less than said first predetermined thickness.

[0010] Advantageously, the first predetermined thickness is between 2 mm and 5 mm and the second predetermined thickness is less than or equal to 2 mm.

[0011] Preferably, the first predetermined thickness is equal to 3 mm and the second predetermined thickness is equal to 2 mm.

[0012] A sufficiently thin bulge makes it easier to cut the edge of the upper cover of the battery tray.

[0013] The invention also relates to an electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising a battery tray described previously.

[0014] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for performing an operation on a battery in a battery tray previously described, remarkable in that said method comprises the following steps: - a dismantling step during which a cutting tool is inserted into said housing so as to cut the bulge, the edge of the upper cover being divided into a first part and a second part, the first part remaining fixed to the edge of the lower cover by the welded joint, the second part being free; - a step in carrying out an operation on said battery; - an assembly step during which the second part of the edge of the upper cover is welded to the edge of the lower cover, thus forming another welded joint.

[0015] Preferably, the welded joint is made by a laser, the other welded joint made during the reassembly step also being made by a laser.

[0016] Laser welding is quick to perform, which further facilitates the process of reassembling the battery tray.

[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 the respective edges of an upper cover and a lower cover of a battery tray according to an embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.2] schematically illustrates the respective edges of the upper lid and the lower cover of the battery tray illustrated in [Fig.1] during the removal of the battery tray; - [Fig.3] schematically illustrates the respective edges of the upper lid and the lower cover of the battery tray illustrated in figures 1 and 2 during reassembly of the battery tray.

[0018] The invention relates to a battery tray, preferably intended for an electric or hybrid motor vehicle. The battery tray comprises a battery, that is, a set of electrochemical cells for storing and distributing electrical energy. The battery tray further comprises an upper cover and a lower cover. The battery is positioned between the upper and lower covers. The battery is thus protected in a sealed manner, thereby reducing the risk of damage. The upper and lower covers each have an edge. Figure 1 shows the respective edges of the upper and lower covers. Each edge extends around the perimeter of the upper and lower covers, respectively.Generally, in the prior art, the edge of the upper cover 1 and the edge of the lower cover 2 are fastened to each other by a plurality of screws, which makes access to the battery particularly difficult for technicians when needed, especially when a partial or complete battery replacement is required. Therefore, in the context of the present invention, the edge of the upper cover 1 and the edge of the lower cover 2 are joined by a weld. The edge of the lower cover 2 is substantially flat. Conversely, the edge of the upper cover 1 has a bulge 4, which can also be called a rib. The edge of the lower cover 2 and the bulge 4 together form a recess 5 suitable for receiving a cutting tool, for example, wire cutters. The bulge advantageously has a height of less than 1 cm, preferably 0.5 cm.This height allows for easy identification of the bulge by a technician, without requiring any changes to the battery tray's arrangement when it is installed in a vehicle. Optionally, the edge of the top cover 1 has a first predetermined thickness, and the bulge 4 has a second predetermined thickness. The second predetermined thickness is less than the first predetermined thickness. In other words, the bulge 4 is thinner than the edge of the top cover 1. This is intended to facilitate cutting the bulge 4 to access the battery if necessary. Advantageously, the first predetermined thickness is between 2 mm and 5 mm, and the second predetermined thickness is less than or equal to 2 mm. Preferably, the first predetermined thickness is 3 mm, and the second thickness is 3 mm. The predetermined thickness is equal to 2 mm. Such thicknesses allow for easy placement of the battery tray in a vehicle.

[0019] The invention also relates to an electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising such a battery tray.

[0020] In addition, the invention relates to a method of performing an operation on a battery in a battery tray previously described. During a disassembly step, a cutting tool is inserted into the housing 5 to cut the bulge 4, thereby opening the upper cover and allowing the technician access to the battery. The cut can be made along at least two axes, illustrated by two dashed lines in [Fig. 1]. Once the cut is made, the battery tray has the configuration shown in [Fig. 2]. The edge of the upper cover 1 is divided into a first part 1a and a second part 1b. The first part 1a includes the welded joint 3 and remains fixed to the edge of the lower cover 2 via this welded joint 3. The second part 1b is then free, allowing the technician to remove the battery from the interior of the tray. During a step in the execution of an operation, the operation necessary for the battery's functioning is carried out. For example, this could involve replacing one or more electrochemical cells of the battery or repairing the interconnection bars typically found in batteries. During the reassembly step, once the operation on the battery is complete, the second part 1b of the edge of the upper cover 1 is welded to the edge of the lower cover 2, thus forming another weld junction 6. The configuration of the battery tray is partially illustrated in [Fig. 3] after the reassembly step has been carried out. The first part remains in place thanks to the weld junction 3, which does not prevent the attachment of the second part 1b to the edge of the lower cover 2. Preferably, the weld junction 3 and the other weld junction 6 are made using a laser. The laser path for forming the other weld junction is illustrated by solid arrows in [Fig. 3].

Claims

Demands

1. Battery box comprising a battery, an upper cover and a lower cover, the battery being positioned between said upper cover and said lower cover, the upper cover and the lower cover each having an edge, the edge of the upper cover (1) and the edge of the lower cover (2) together having a welded joint (3), the edge of the lower cover (2) having a substantially flat shape, characterized in that the edge of the upper cover (1) has a bulge (4) such that said edge of the lower cover (2) and said bulge (4) form a housing (5).

2. Battery tray according to claim 1, characterized in that the bulge (4) has a height of less than 1 cm.

3. Battery tray according to claim 2, characterized in that the height is equal to 0.5 cm.

4. Battery tray according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the edge of the upper cover (1) has a first predetermined thickness, the bulge (4) has a second predetermined thickness, said second predetermined thickness being less than said first predetermined thickness.

5. Battery tray according to claim 4, characterized in that the first predetermined thickness is between 2 mm and 5 mm and the second predetermined thickness is less than or equal to 2 mm.

6. Battery tray according to claim 5, characterized in that the first predetermined thickness is equal to 3 mm and the second predetermined thickness is equal to 2 mm.

7. Electric or hybrid motor vehicle comprising a battery tray according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A method for performing an operation on a battery in a battery tray according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said method comprises the following steps: - a disassembly step during which a cutting tool is inserted into said housing (5) so as to cut the bulge (4), the edge of the upper cover (1) being divided into a first part (1a) and a second part (1b), the first part (la) remaining fixed to the edge of the lower cover (2) by the welded joint (3), the second part (1b) being free; - a step of carrying out an operation on said battery; - a reassembly step during which the second part (1b) of the edge of the upper cover (1) is welded to the edge of the lower cover (2), thus forming another welded joint (6).

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the welded joint (3) is made by a laser, the other welded joint (6) made during the reassembly step also being made by a laser.

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