Sand cast aluminum battery tray

Abstract

A battery housing for an automobile includes a lower tray and an optional upper tray disposed on at least a portion of the lower tray (if the upper tray is present). At least one of the lower tray or the upper tray is formed as a one-piece sand cast component. In a preferred arrangement, both of the lower tray and the upper tray of the battery housing are each formed as one-piece sand cast components to provide a sealed design for the resultant battery housing.

Description

SAND CAST ALUMINUM BATTERY TRAYCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This PCT International Patent Application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 528,451, filed July 24, 2023, titled “Sand Cast Aluminum Battery Tray,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery housing for an automobile and a method of manufacturing same.2. Related Art

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] Automobiles are the subject of a continuing effort to move away from internal combustion engines towards electrified vehicles, to reduce their dependency on fuel, improve emissions and increase fuel efficiency. Thus, this desire to increase fuel efficiency is both economically and environmentally motivated and has led to advanced internal components in automobiles as evidenced by developments in batteries, particularly in electrified automobiles. Unlike traditional automobiles that operate entirely with fossil fuels, electrified automobiles include a range of technologies that rely on electric energy. Even though electric energy is a more economical and environmentally friendly option over relying completely on fossil fuels, batteries are heavy, expensive, and relatively fragile compared to neighboring mechanical components. As such, the packaging of batteries, particularly within electrified automobiles, requires a number ofdesign considerations including weight distribution, temperature regulation, and serviceability. In terms of serviceability, there is a growing need, particularly with electrified automobiles, for the batteries to be stowed in such a manner to be charged and maintained without removal.

[0005] To meet the above minimum requirements, batteries have traditionally been packaged in protective battery housings. However, in some cases, these traditional battery housings include an upper tray and / or a lower tray each formed from multiple extruded or stamped components welded or otherwise joined together (e.g., a welded structure comprised of multiple extruded parts or discrete stampings joined together). However, these multi-piece structures for the upper and or lower tray are prone to leaks along each of the welded areas that join the components. The welded upper and or lower tray in the prior art designs also have some distortion in the final part due to localized stresses and loss of strength due to heat affected zone (HAZ) in the welded areas. Furthermore, the prior art upper and lower trays have limited mechanical properties (e.g., ductility), and are not optimized for manufacturability of the battery housing 10 (e g., leak paths in the resultant parts, large floor space required etc.). Accordingly, there remains a continuing need for improved battery housing designs which reduce or eliminate their reliance on multiple parts, such as extrusions and stampings, for manufacturing components of the battery housing.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The subject disclosure is directed to a battery housing including at least an upper tray or a lower tray component formed as a one-piece sand cast component. In a preferred embodiment, both the upper tray and the lower tray of the battery housing are each formed as one- piece sand cast components to provide a sealed design (i.e., one devoid of welded seams that are prone for leakage) for the resultant battery housing. Sand casting these components of the batteryhousing provides a less complex and more cost effective manufacturing method, namely because it eliminates the need to separately manufacture and then connect multiple discrete components to form the lower tray and / or upper tray. Put another way, the sand cast lower tub and / or upper cover provides for a significant part count reduction that maximizes stiffness and reduced weight for the resultant components. Additionally, boundary conditions for bending are stiffer for the sand cast upper and / or lower tray components as compared to the prior art stamped and welded components, while providing enhanced battery tray leak performance, noise, vibration and hardness (NVH), etc. The battery housing including at least one of the lower tray or the upper tray being a one- piece sand cast component is also a flexible design that can be quickly adapted to multiple platforms.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] These and other advantages of the present disclosure will be more readily understood by reference to the following description in combination with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lower tray formed as a one-piece sand cast component in accordance with the subject disclosure;

[0009] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an upper tray formed as a one-piece sand cast component in accordance with the subject disclosure; and

[0010] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a battery housing including the upper tray disposed on at least a portion of the lower tray.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject embodiments are directed to a battery housing for an automobile and a method of manufacturing same. However, the example embodiments are onlyprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0012] As illustrated in Figures 1-3, a battery housing 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment includes an upper tray 20 which can be stacked or disposed on a lower tray 22 to collectively define the battery housing 10. However, the battery housing 10 is not limited to this specific arrangement, and could include only a single tray (e.g., just a lower tray 22) without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. Each of the upper and lower trays 20, 22 define at least one, and preferably a plurality of battery cavities 24, and as best shown in Figure 3, at least one battery module 25 is disposed in each of the battery cavities 24 to seal and isolate the battery modules 25 from an environment of the battery housing. At least one of the upper tray 20 or the lower tray 22 is formed as a one-piece sand cast component, preferably from aluminum, to integrate all of the discrete stamped and / or extruded components from the prior art designs into a single piece casting. Put another way, at least one of the upper tray 20 or the lower tray 22 is formed as an integral one-piece sand cast component. In a preferred embodiment, both the upper tray 20 and the lower tray 22 of the battery housing (such as in a design where both are present) are each sand cast to form the integral one-piece sand cast components. Use of a one-piece sand cast lower tray 22 and upper tray 20 eliminates the presence of any leak paths in these components (because a weld is not present and required to form the individual components), and thus providesan improved seal design over the prior art designs which require multiple pieces to form the lower tray and / or the upper tray. Use of sand casting to form one-piece components for the lower tray 22 and / or the upper tray 20 also provides improved mechanical properties over conventional casting alloys, and provides a lightweight design at lower cost.

[0013] As best illustrated in Figure 1, the lower tray 22 includes a base surface 26 and a lower sidewall 28 extends upwardly from a peripheral lower edge 30 of the base surface 20. As best illustrated in Figure 2, the upper tray 20 includes a bottom surface 32 which is designed to overlay at least a portion of the lower tray 22 when the upper tray 20 is present and stacked thereon. The lower tray 22 includes a plurality of lower cross members 34 extending transversely between opposing sides of the lower sidewall 28, and the upper tray 20 includes a plurality of upper cross members 36 each extending upwardly from the bottom surface 32. Although not expressly shown, the plurality of upper and lower cross members 34, 36 are preferably disposed between adjacent rows of a plurality of battery modules to provide support for and absorb side-to-side movement of the battery modules during operation of the battery housing. The plurality of lower cross members 34 can also be designed to provide support for the battery housing for crash performance.

[0014] Although not expressly shown, at least one cooling plate can be disposed within the upper tray 20 and / or the lower tray 22 and extend underneath and preferably in contact with the plurality of battery modules for cooling the battery modules during operation. Although not expressly illustrated, the cooling plate can be connected to a coolant system of the automobile to introduce coolant to the at least one cooling plate. Although not expressly shown, a lower tray reinforcement (such as a reinforcement plate) can extend along the base surface 26 (either inside or outside of the lower tray 22) to protect the at least one cooling plate and the plurality of battery modules from a lower impact.

[0015] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A battery housing for an automobile comprising: a lower tray defining at least one battery cavity; at least one battery module disposed in said at least one battery cavity; and said lower tray being formed as a one-piece sand cast component.

2. The battery housing as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said lower tray is comprised of aluminum.

3. The battery housing as set forth in Claim 1, further comprising an upper tray disposed on at least a portion of said lower tray, and wherein said upper tray is also formed as a one-piece sand cast component.

4. The battery housing as set forth in Claim 3, wherein said upper tray is comprised of aluminum.

5. The battery housing as set forth in Claim 4, wherein said lower tray includes a base surface and a lower sidewall extending upwardly from a peripheral lower edge of said base surface, and said upper tray includes a bottom surface disposed in overlaying relationship with a portion of said lower tray.

6. The battery housing as set forth in Claim 5, wherein said lower tray includes a plurality of lower cross members extending transversely between opposing sides of said lower sidewall, and said upper tray includes a plurality of upper cross members each extending upwardly from said bottom surface.

7. A method of manufacturing a battery housing, comprising: sand casting a lower tray as a one-piece, integral component having at least one battery cavity for housing a battery module.

8. The method of manufacturing the battery housing of Claim 7, wherein the sand cast lower tray is comprised of aluminum.

9. The method of manufacturing the battery housing of Claim 8, further comprising the step of sand casting an upper tray as a one-piece, integral component, and disposing the sand cast upper tray on at least a portion of the sand cast lower tray.

10. The method of manufacturing the battery housing of Claim 8, wherein the sand cast upper tray is comprised of aluminum.

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