Bracket

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to a bracket for supporting a battery and mounting an electric drive unit in a vehicle, the bracket comprising: a battery receiving recess arranged to receive a battery; a body connection portion for coupling the bracket to a vehicle frame; and an electric drive unit connection portion for coupling to an electric drive unit.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a bracket for supporting a battery and for mounting an electric drive unit in a vehicle; to a front crash structure including the battery; and to a vehicle. BACKGROUND It is known to provide brackets for supporting sources of propulsive torque on vehicle bodies. Further, it is known to provide mountings for non-tractive batteries in a vehicle. A non-tractive or non-traction battery is a battery providing power to devices in the vehicle that are not arranged to propel the vehicle. The non-traction battery is therefore not for driving an electric motor of an electric vehicle powertrain. However, the manufacture and assembly of these separate components can be difficult, expensive and time consuming. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a bracket for supporting a battery, a front crash structure including the battery, a vehicle, and a method of forming a bracket as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a bracket for supporting a battery and mounting an electric drive unit to a vehicle, the bracket comprising: a battery receiving recess arranged to receive a battery; and an electric drive unit connection portion for coupling to an electric drive unit. The bracket may further comprise a body connection portion for coupling the bracket to a vehicle frame. Previously, vehicle batteries, which may be non-traction batteries, also referred to as low-voltage batteries or non-tractive batteries, have been supported by dedicated battery holders. However, this means a further additional part must be formed and assembled into the vehicle. The present inventors have realised that a battery-receiving recess may be formed on a bracket that also acts to support other components of the vehicle and in this way the assembly of the vehicle may be simplified and the number of components in the assembly reduced. The body connection portion may be a flange or may comprise a plurality of flanges, the flanges having holes for receiving bolts or machine screws. The electric drive unit connection portion may be arranged to couple to the electric drive unit indirectly, and may couple to an electric drive unit mount, to which the electric drive unit may be coupled. The electric drive unit connection portion may be a flange with a hole or may comprise a plurality of flanges with holes for receiving bolts or machine screws. The battery receiving recess may comprise a substantially planar battery support surface and a first lip extending partially over the battery support surface. The first lip may engage a corresponding flange on the battery to hold the battery on the battery support surface more resiliently. The battery may therefore be better constrained against movement relative to the battery receiving recess, such as due to movement of the vehicle. The battery support surface may comprise a hole underneath the first lip. In forming the bracket, the first lip may be at least partially formed by a die that contacts the lip from underneath. By providing a hole underneath the first lip, the die may reach the first lip more easily and so manufacturing may be simplified. 1 The battery receiving recess, the body connection portion and the electric drive unit connection portion may be integrally formed. Generally, the bracket may be formed by casting and the bracket may be formed as a single cast piece. The casting may be performed by a plurality of dies, such as three dies. The bracket may therefore be substantially formed of a single piece of metal. The single piece may include the first lip in addition to the above-mentioned features. The bracket may further comprise a second lip extending over the battery support surface. The second lip may further secure the battery in the battery receiving recess. The second lip may extend over the battery support surface in an opposite direction from the first lip, such that the battery may be prevented from movement in another direction. The second lip may be removably coupled to the battery receiving recess. In this way, the battery may be more easily removed from the bracket, so that the battery can be exchanged, and a new battery may be fitted. The second lip may have one or more protrusions protruding toward the battery receiving recess, the protrusions being arranged to engage corresponding recesses in the battery. The protrusions may protrude toward the battery support surface and may act to position the battery correctly on the battery support surface. The protrusions may alternatively be replaced by recesses on the second lip or may define recesses between the protrusions. Generally, the second lip may have a keyed shape to engage with the battery. The bracket may further comprise a strap arranged above the battery support surface for retaining a battery in the battery receiving recess. The strap may retain the battery in the battery receiving recess by engaging an opposite surface of the battery, preventing the battery from being lifted out of the recess, such as by movement of the vehicle. The strap may be removably coupled to the battery receiving portion. The strap may be formed of a single piece of material, extending between two attachment points at which the strap is releasably coupled to the battery receiving recess. The strap may comprise an elastically deformable pad arranged to abut a surface of the battery. The elastically deformable pad may be deformed when a battery is in place to allow a consistent retaining force to be applied to the battery. The deformable pad may also reduce noise production due to movement of the battery against the strap. The electric drive unit connection portion may extend horizontally from the battery receiving recess. By extending horizontally, the bracket may be arranged to couple to an electric drive unit mount and a crash protection frame, with an electric drive unit mount passing downwardly through or around the crash protection frame. This may provide a stronger, lighter arrangement overall. The bracket may further comprise a battery arranged in the battery receiving recess. According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a front crash structure comprising: the bracket of the first-mentioned aspect, and a crash protection frame coupled to the bracket at the electric drive unit connection portion. The crash protection frame may be a substantially flat member that is positioned above an electric drive unit and arranged to abut a dash panel of a vehicle during a collision, to dissipate energy. This may reduce the prospect of intrusion of components into a passenger compartment. An electric drive unit mount may also be coupled to the bracket at the electric drive unit connection portion. The bracket may therefore act to support both the electric drive unit and the crash protection frame. The front crash structure may further comprise a second bracket coupled to the crash protection frame, the second bracket comprising a body connection portion for coupling the bracket to a vehicle frame; and an electric drive unit connection portion for coupling to an electric drive unit. The second bracket may be disposed on an opposite side of the crash protection frame from the first-mentioned bracket. The second backet may have no battery receiving recess as only a single non-traction battery is required for most vehicles. According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame; and the bracket of the first-mentioned aspect or the front crash structure of the further aspect, wherein the bracket is coupled to the vehicle frame at the body connection portion. The vehicle frame may be a unibody, a monocoque or a chassis. The vehicle frame may also be referred to as a body-in-white, which generally includes most structural features of the vehicle. According to a yet still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of forming a bracket for supporting a battery and mounting an electric drive unit in a vehicle, the method comprising: assembling a plurality of dies, the plurality of dies comprising: a first die shaped to form a battery support surface of the bracket and a portion of a lip overhanging the battery support surface; a second die shaped to form an underside of the battery support surface and to pass through a hole in the battery support surface to form a further portion of the lip; and a third die shaped to form a still further portion of the lip; casting the bracket in an interior space between the dies; and removing the dies from the bracket. With such a method, a bracket having a desired shape, which may be the bracket of the first-mentioned aspect, may be formed more easily. Further machining may take place to form required holes for providing coupling portions so that the bracket can be attached to other parts of the vehicle. Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a vehicle to provide context for the invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic view of a front crash structure according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a further schematic view of the front crash structure; Figure 4 shows a cross section of a bracket according to the invention; Figure 5 shows a cross section of a bracket with fixings according to the invention; Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the bracket with fixings; Figure 7 shows a front view of a lip of the bracket; Figure 8 shows a cross section of a bracket with further fixings according to the invention; Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the bracket with further fixings; and Figure 10 shows a cross sectional view of a bracket with a battery. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 1 shows a vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that is powered by electrical power alone and has no internal combustion engine. The vehicle 10 has an electric machine arranged to provide propulsive torque to the wheels of the vehicle. In some cases, the vehicle 10 may have two or more electric machines, such as a first electric machine to provide torque to the front wheels and a second electric machine to provide torque to the rear wheels. The electric machines may be powered by batteries, which may be arranged between the wheels, underneath the passenger compartment. The electric machines may be electric motors or motor-generators and may also be referred to as electric engine. The vehicle 10 has a front crash structure 100, which is arranged to protect the passengers of the vehicle during a frontal collision. A frontal collision is any collision where a force is applied to the front of the vehicle. For instance, this may involve the vehicle driving forwardly into a wall or a barrier, or another vehicle driving into the front of the present vehicle when the present vehicle is stationary. Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of the crash protection structure 100 and Figure 3 shows a schematic side view of the front crash structure 100. Figure 3 shows a vehicle from a right side, such that the front of the vehicle is to the right of the drawing, and a passenger compartment is to the left of the drawing. The front crash structure 100 is coupled to the vehicle frame 12, and in particularto a portion of the body in white adjacent a front wheel well. The front crash structure 100 may be coupled to any part of the vehicle frame 12, which may be a unibody vehicle frame, which is a structure having all permanent structural parts of the vehicle that are either cast together or welded together. The front crash structure 100 has brackets 106, which are bolted to or otherwise coupled to the body in white 12. The brackets 106 are arranged to couple directly to various parts of the front crash structure 100. The brackets 106 may couple to a support structure 102 and to electric drive unit mounts 104. In some cases, the bracket 106, or a portion thereof, may extend through the support structure 102 to mount to the electric drive unit mount 104. Alternatively, the brackets 106 may be coupled to the electric drive unit mounts 104 by bolts which pass through the support structure 102. In this way, one portion of the bracket 106 may couple to both the support structure 102 and the electric drive unit mount 104. The electric drive unit mounts 104 may also include an elastically deformable portion to reduce noise due to relative movement of the bracket 106, support structure 102 and electric drive unit mount 104. The electric drive unit mount 104 may hang down from the brackets 106 and may also be coupled at a bottom end to a subframe 108. There may be two electric drive unit mounts 104, which support the electric drive unit 200, which lies between the electric drive unit mounts 104. The subframe 108 may be coupled to the vehicle body at any location, such as at a deflector plate 16 (shown in Figure 3), or at any other point in the vehicle unit body. The support structure 102 of the crash protection structure 100 is arranged above the electric drive unit 150. The support structure 102, which may also be referred to as a crash protection frame 102 or a tray 102, is arranged to transfer a frontal force acting on the vehicle 10 into a bulkhead 14 (shown in Figure 3) in front of a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The support structure 102 may therefore add significant strength to the front of the vehicle 10 and may be arranged to deform during a collision, such that kinetic energy of the vehicle 10 may be absorbed by deformation of the frame 12. The support structure 102 may provide increased torsional stiffness to the vehicle 10 during ordinary driving as well as improved crash protection. As can be seen in Figure 3, the support structure 102 may be aligned with a reinforced portion 14a of the bulkhead 14, such that the support structure 102, when moved relative to the bulkhead 14 due to deformation of the vehicle 10 during a collision, engages the bulkhead 14 proximate the reinforced portion 14a. The reinforced portion 14a may be identified by a localised increase in strength, leading to an increased resistance to deformation. Visually, the reinforced portion 14a may be recognised by an increase in material thickness or the presence of a box section. Generally, a second moment of area of the bulkhead 14 may increase at the reinforced portion 14a. The crash protection structure 100 may also comprise a tether 110 coupled to the support structure 102 and arranged to provide a vertical force to the support structure to guide the support structure, during a collision, to contact the bulkhead 14 proximate the reinforced portion 14a. The tether 110 may be coupled to the deflection panel 16 or may be coupled elsewhere to the vehicle 10. The tether 110 may be coupled to the support structure 102 at a rear portion of the support structure 102 and generally may be coupled to the support structure 102 proximate a portion of the support structure that is arranged to engage the bulkhead 14. This may improve control of the movement of the support structure 102 during a collision. The support structure 102 may also comprise one or more sound reducing buffers 122 arranged to contact the electrical drive unit 150. The sound reducing buffers 122 may be formed of an elastically deformable material and may be arranged to provide a force to separate metal portions of the support structure 102 from the electrical drive unit 150 where there is relative movement between the two, such as due to movement of the vehicle 10. This may reduce the noise generated by the vehicle 10 when travelling. Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view of the bracket 106. The bracket shown is a left-side bracket 106 shown from the rear, the rear defined as the side of the bracket facing the rear of the vehicle 10 when the bracket 106 is coupled to the vehicle body 12. The bracket 106 is therefore arranged to be fitted to a vehicle such that a centreline of the vehicle is to the right of the bracket in Figure 4, and a wing or outer side of the vehicle is to the left of the bracket 106. The bracket 106 has an electric drive unit connection portion 204 that is arranged to couple to the electric drive unit mount 104 and to the crash protection frame 102. As shown in Figure 5, one or more bolts or machine screws 204a may extend through corresponding bolt holes in the electric drive unit connection portion 204. The bolts 204a may extend through the electric drive unit mount 104 and through the crash protection frame 102 such that the bracket 106 may couple to both at the electric drive unit connection portion 204. The bracket 106 also comprises two body connection portions 208, 210. However, it will be understood that only a single body connection portion is required. Each of the body connection portions 208, 210 are arranged to couple to a part of the vehicle body 12. The body connection portions 208, 210 may each couple to the vehicle body 12 via respective bolts or machine screws 208a, 210a. The bracket 106 has a first body connection portion 208 that extends away from a centreline of the vehicle 10, in an outboard direction. The first body connection portion 208 extends upwardly and outwardly with a flange arranged to abut and couple to a corresponding portion of the vehicle body 12. The bracket 106 also has a second body connection portion 210 which extends downwardly from the bracket 106. The second body connection portion 210 includes a flange that is arranged to abut a corresponding surface of the vehicle body 12 and has one or more bolt holes for receiving bolts to couple to the vehicle body 12. It will be understood that in some cases, only one of the two body connection portions 208, 210 may be provided on the bracket. The electric drive unit connection portion 204 extends horizontally at a level between the first and the second body connection portion 208, 210. The bracket 106 also has one or more strengthening flanges or webs 202. The webs extend vertically to provide resilience against downward deflection of the electric drive unit connection portion 204. The bracket 106 may have any number of webs 202 depending on strength requirements. The webs 202 may be spaced apart to define a battery-receiving recess therebetween. In the present case, two webs 202 are provided on the bracket 106 with a battery receiving recess 207 therebetween. The bracket 106 has a battery support surface 205, which may be an upper surface of the electric drive unit connection portion 204. The battery support surface 205 may be substantially planar and may be horizontal to support a battery on top of it. The battery support surface 205 has a hole 216 therethrough. The hole 216 may allow water to drain out of the battery receiving recess 207 as well as allowing access to lower down components. The bracket 106 has a first lip 212. The first lip 212 may be arranged to overlap the battery support surface 205 and be spaced apart from the battery support surface 205 such that, when a battery is received in the battery receiving recess 207, the first lip 212 may overlap a flange of the battery in order to retain the battery on the battery support surface 205. Underneath the first lip 212, there is a hole 214 in the battery support surface 205. The hole 214 is arranged to allow a die to form an underside of the first lip 212 during manufacturing. This allows solid dies to be used to cast the component, as opposed to more expensive casting methods such as sand casting. The battery may have a substantially flat lower surface that is arranged to sit on the battery support surface 205, such that the hole 214 is covered by the battery in use and does not affect the function of the bracket 106. The bracket 106 may optionally comprise one or more end stops 206. The end stops 206 may be arranged to abut an end of a base of the battery received in the battery receiving recess 207. In this way, the battery may be reliably positioned in the battery receiving recess 207. In particular, the bracket 106 may be adapted for different sized batteries by the positioning of the end stops without a redesign of the basic arrangement of the bracket 106. The end stops 206 may hold the battery in place during normal movement of the vehicle and the battery may be allowed to slide forward during a fronton collision over the end stops, allowing a small amount of movement, to reduce the prospect of the battery being damaged and potentially leaking harmful chemicals. The bracket 106 also comprises a second lip 250, which is shown in a front view in Figure 7. The second lip 250 is removably coupled to the battery support surface 205 such as via bolts 250a. While three bolts 250a are shown in Figure 6, it will be understood that any number of bolts may be used. In some cases, the second lip 250 may be coupled to the battery support surface 205 via one or more clips, and in some cases a combination of interlocking engagement portions and one or more bolts may be used. The second lip 250 extends over the battery support surface 205 and is spaced apart from the battery support surface 205 such that the second lip 250 and the battery support surface 205 are arranged to receive a flange of a battery between them, to secure the battery in place and to prevent the battery from moving away from the battery support surface 205. The second lip 250 may also comprise protrusions 250b, which may define recesses between them. The protrusions 250b are arranged to be received in corresponding recesses in a battery to hold the battery in place and to prevent the battery from sliding in a direction parallel to the second lip 250 due to vehicle vibrations during normal driving. Figures 8 and 9 show the bracket 106 further comprising a strap 270 coupled to the bracket 106. The strap 270 is arranged to extend around a battery received in the battery receiving recess 207 and to abut a top surface of the battery in order to secure the battery to the bracket 106. The strap 270 may exert a compressive force on the battery, to reduce tensile forces in side walls of the battery. Such tensile forces may be present during movement of a vehicle 10 if a battery is held in place only by the first and second lips 212, 250 which couple to a base of the battery. The strap 270 may therefore reduce the chance of the battery being damaged. The strap 270 has an elastically deformable pad 272 that is arranged to abut a top surface of a battery. By providing a deformable pad 272, the strap 270 may engage a top surface of the battery with a more even pressure, reducing the prospect of damage to the battery. Further, the deformable pad may deform as tension in the strap is increased, allowing a particular retaining force exerted on the battery by the strap to be applied more reliably. The strap 270 may have two flanges 274 for coupling the strap 270 to the bracket 106. The flanges 274 are arranged either side of the battery receiving recess 207, such that the bracket 106 is arranged to receive the battery between the flanges 274. The flanges 274 each have holes for receiving bolts 274a, which are arranged to releasably couple the strap 270 to the bracket 106. The strap 270 may be formed of a single piece of metal, which may extend over the battery. By making the strap 270 from a single piece of metal, manufacturing may be simplified. While a single piece of metal may provide a smaller retaining force than a more complex strap, the arrangement of the first and second lips and the end stops may mean that a smaller retaining force is required from the strap, allowing the strap to be simplified. Figure 10 shows a cross section of the bracket 106 including a battery 300. It can be seen that the battery 300 has a base with first and second flanges 302, 304 extending from the base. The first and second flanges 302, 304 are arranged to be received between the first and second lips 212, 250 and the battery support surface 205 respectively. By engagement of the flanges with the lips, the battery may be resiliently held in place. It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A bracket for supporting a battery and mounting an electric drive unit in a vehicle, the bracket comprising:a battery receiving recess arranged to receive a battery;a body connection portion for coupling the bracket to a vehicle frame; and an electric drive unit connection portion for coupling to an electric drive unit.

2. The bracket of claim 1, wherein the battery receiving recess comprises a substantially planar battery support surface and a first lip extending partially over the battery support surface.

3. The bracket of claim 2, wherein the battery support surface comprises a hole underneath the first lip.

4. The bracket of any preceding claim, wherein the battery receiving recess, the body connection portion and the electric drive unit connection portion are integrally formed.

5. The bracket of any preceding claim, further comprising a second lip extending over the battery support surface.

6. The bracket of claim 5, wherein the second lip is removably coupled to the battery receiving recess.

7. The bracket of claim 5 or 6, wherein the second lip has one or more protrusions protruding toward the batteryreceiving recess, the protrusions being arranged to engage corresponding recesses in the battery.

8. The bracket of any preceding claim, further comprising a strap arranged above the battery support surface for retaining a battery in the battery receiving recess.

9. The bracket of claim 8, wherein the strap comprises an elastically deformable pad arranged to abut a surface of the battery.

10. The bracket of any preceding claim, wherein the electric drive unit connection portion extends horizontally from the battery receiving recess.

11. The bracket of any preceding claim, further comprising a battery in the battery receiving recess.

12. A front crash structure comprising:the bracket of any preceding claim, anda crash protection frame coupled to the bracket at the electric drive unit connection portion.

13. The front crash structure of claim 12, further comprising a second bracket coupled to the crash protection frame, the second bracket comprising a body connection portion for coupling the bracket to a vehicle frame; and an electric drive unit connection portion for coupling to an electric drive unit.

14. A vehicle comprising:A vehicle frame; andthe bracket of any one of claims 1 to 11 or the front crash structure of claim 12 or 13, wherein the bracket is coupled to the vehicle frame at the body connection portion.

15. A method of forming a bracket for supporting a battery and mounting an electric drive unit in a vehicle, the method comprising:assembling a plurality of dies, the plurality of dies comprising:a first die shaped to form a battery support surface of the bracket and a portion of a lip overhanging the 5 battery support surface;a second die shaped to form an underside of the battery support surface and to pass through a hole in the battery support surface to form a further portion of the lip; anda third die shaped to form a still further portion of the lip;casting the bracket in an interior space between the dies; and10 removing the dies from the bracket.

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