Battery tray assembly and method for making a battery tray assembly

Abstract

A method for making a battery tray assembly includes providing a planar blank with four edges and four blank corners. The method also includes trimming a generally square or rectangular shaped recess into each of the blank corners to define four projections each along one of the edges of the blank between two of the recesses. Each of the recesses terminates at a recess corner. The method also includes creating a plurality of notches each extending linearly into the blank at one of the recess corners. The method also includes folding each of the projections in a first direction along a wall line aligned with two of the recess corners to define four walls, where the walls each extend perpendicularly to the plane of the blank. Four linear gaps are each defined between two of the walls for receiving a weld, and a compartment of the tray assembly is defined between the walls.

Description

BATTERY TRAY ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR MAKING A BATTERY TRAY ASSEMBLYCROSS-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 / 568,806, filed March 22, 2024, titled “Battery Tray Assembly And Method For Making A Battery Tray Assembly”, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE1. Field of the Disclosure

[0002] The present disclosure relates to battery tray assemblies for holding and protecting batteries of electric vehicles.2. Related Art

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

[0004] Electric vehicles often include battery tray assemblies for holding and protecting batteries. Battery tray assemblies typically have a flat base surrounded by upwardly projecting walls to define a compartment for holding the batteries. Current battery tray assemblies are typically configured as deep drawn single piece tubs or multi-piece tubs. Both have certain drawbacks, notably in that they require relatively complex and expensive assembly processes. Furthermore, the drawing stamping process used to form deep drawn tubs is limited to the use of blanks made of steel, and multi-piece tubs are prone to leaking at joints between components, especially given that a large number of joints are used. Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements to battery tray assemblies and methods for making the same.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0005] According to an aspect of the disclosure, a method for making a battery tray assembly includes providing a blank extending along a base plane and having four edges and four blank corners. The method also includes trimming a generally square or rectangular shaped recess into each of the blank corners of the blank to define four projections each along one of the edges of the blank between two of the recesses. Each of the recesses terminates at a recess comer. The method also includes creating a plurality of notches each extending linearly into the blank at one of the recess corners. The method also includes folding each of the projections in a first direction along a wall line aligned with two of the recess corners to define four walls, where the walls each extend perpendicularly to the plane of the blank. Four linear gaps are each defined between two of the walls for receiving a weld, and a compartment of the tray assembly is defined between the walls.

[0006] According to another aspect of the disclosure, a battery tray assembly includes a base. At least one pair of walls extend upwardly from the base and have edges positioned adjacent to one another. At least one linear gap is defined between the edges of the at least one pair of walls and extends along a length of the at least one pair of walls. The base defines at least one notch aligned with the at least one linear gap at a corner region between the base and the at least one pair of walls for reducing compression between the at least one pair of walls and the base during folding of the at least one pair of walls during assembly of the battery tray assembly.

[0007] The subject assembly and method provide a cost-effective design and manufacturing process to create a battery tray that is made with a series of simple, easily repeatable, quick to execute and controllable process steps that utilize a single piece of material. The battery tray may be made of a single blank of various materials, such as steel and aluminum,and is not prone to leaking, particularly due to the presence of few sealed / welded joints. The notches at the corners of the base and walls eliminate compression at a region of the corners of the walls during folding, which provides consistent, leak-tight welds across a welding gap in the comers.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] 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:

[0009] FIG. l is a perspective, top view of a battery tray assembly according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective, bottom view of the battery tray assembly;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a top view of a blank use to make the battery tray assembly;

[0012] FIG. 3A is a side cross-sectional view of waves that may be formed in the blank of the battery tray assembly;

[0013] FIG. 4 is top view of the blank of the battery tray assembly, illustrating a trimming operation;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the blank of the battery tray assembly, illustrating a flange forming operation;

[0015] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the blank of the battery tray assembly, illustrating a wall forming operation;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the battery tray assembly after flange and wall forming operations;

[0017] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the battery tray assembly positioned in a fixture during a welding operation;

[0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective, top view of the battery tray assembly, illustrating a gap and notch at a corner portion prior to welding the comer portion;

[0019] FIG. 10 is a perspective, bottom view of the battery tray assembly, illustrating the gap and notch at the comer portion prior to welding the comer portion; and

[0020] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of making a battery tray assembly.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject embodiments are directed to battery tray assemblies 20 and methods of making the same. However, the example embodiments are only provided 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.

[0022] Referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, embodiments of a tray assembly 20 for holding batteries, and methods for making the tray assembly 20 are shown. According to the preferred embodiment, the tray assembly 20 is used for holding and protecting batteries in electric vehicles, such asautomobiles, but could be used for holding batteries in other applications. The tray assembly may be made of various materials, including steel and aluminum.

[0023] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the tray assembly 20 includes a planar base 22 that has a rectangular or square shape with a front edge 24, a rear edge 26 opposite the front edge 24, and a pair of side edges 28 that extend between the front and rear edges 24, 26. The tray assembly 20 could have other shapes without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. A front wall 30 extends from the front edge 24 perpendicularly to the base 22, a rear wall 32 extends from the rear edge 26 perpendicularly to the base 22, and a pair of side walls 34 each extend from one of the side edges 28 perpendicularly to the base 22. The side walls 34 each extend between the front wall 30 and the rear wall 32 in spaced and parallel relationship with one another. Together, the walls 30, 32, 34 define a compartment 35 for holding the batteries. A rim 36 is defined at a peak of the front, rear and side walls 30, 32, 34. A flange 38 extends parallel to the base 22 from the rim 36 around the front, rear and side walls 30, 32, 34. A weld 40 is located at a gap 41 (shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 9) at corners regions 44 of each of the front and rear walls 30, 32 with the side walls 34 to sealingly connect the walls 30, 32, 34 to one another. As shown in FIGS. 9-10, prior to welding and while positioned in a fixture 61, the gap 41 at the corner region 44 is a consistent 1mm across a length of the gap 41 between the base 22 and the flange 38. The collective flange 38 on all sides of the battery tray assembly 20 serves as a sealing surface of the tray assembly 20 once mounted to a component of a battery assembly of the vehicle, such as a lower sealing plate, lower tub, or lower cap.

[0024] As best shown in FIGS. 9-10, during assembly, a notch 42 is formed at the corner region 44 of each of the walls 30, 32, 34 beneath the gap 41, and extends linearly into the base 22. As will be discussed in further detail below, the notch 42 eliminates compression in thecomer region 44 during forming / bending of the walls 30, 32, 34, which configures the tray assembly 20 to have a consistent, leak-tight welds in the comer region 44 of the tray assembly 20 to connect the walls 30, 32, 34 to one another. As shown in FIG. 1, after welding, the weld 40 extends along a full length of the gap 41 and notch 42 to seal the tray assembly 20. The notch 42 may have various shapes and sizes.

[0025] FIG. 11 presents a flow diagram of a method 100 for making a battery tray assembly 20 in accordance with the present disclosure. This method 100 may be carried out in a tandem press line using a series of very simple cutting, forming and welding steps. More particularly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the method initially includes 102 providing a rectangular or square shaped blank 46 that has four blank edges 48 and four blank comers 50. As shown in FIG. 3A, a degree of stretch may be introduced into the blank 46 by forming waves into the blank 46, which when flattened during assembly increases an overall size of the blank 46.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, the method also includes 104 trimming a generally square or rectangular shaped recess 52 into each of the blank corners 50 of the blank 46 to define four projections 54, each along one of the edges 48 of the blank 46 between two of the recesses 52. Each of the projections 54 has a pair of triangular-shaped wings 56 that each extend into one of the blank recesses 52 along each of the blank edges 48. According to the preferred embodiment, trimming is conducted with a laser trimmer, but other trimming method could be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. At this point, the method may also include 106 piercing any necessary holes or additional formed features into the blank 46. At this point, the method may include defining the notch 42 at each of the corners 44 linearly into the base 22. Each of the notches 42 extends at an angle such that the notch 42 is oriented toward another of the notches at a diagonally opposite recess 52.

[0027] A wing line 58 is defined along each of the projections 54 between a bottom each of each of the wings 56 of the projection 54. As illustrated in FIGS. 6, the method continues with 108 folding each of the projections 54 along a wing line 58 in a first direction to form a flange 38 along an edge of each of the projections 54. At this point, the flanges 38 each extend generally perpendicularly to the plane of the blank 46. The flanges 38 serve as a sealing surface of the tray assembly 20 during use once mounted on the vehicle. This folding movement may be executed via a forming assembly 59 (e.g., schematically shown in FIG. 6). The forming assembly 59 may have various holding components, e.g., fixtures, clamps, and forming components, e.g., hydraulic actuators and associated pressing members, for providing desired folding / bending. The forming assembly 59 may be part of a blanking die and / or a laser cutting cell.

[0028] As further shown in FIGS. 5-6, each of the projections 54 further defines a wall line 60 that spans between the comer regions 44 of the two recesses 54 of the projection 54. As shown in FIGS. 6-7, the method continues with 110 folding each of the projections in a second direction that is opposite the first direction along the wall line 60 to define the four walls 30, 32, 34 and compartment 35. As shown in FIG. 7, at this point, the walls 30, 32, 34 extend generally perpendicular to the plane of the base 22, and the flange 38 extends parallel to the base 22. This folding movement may be conducted with the forming assembly 59, to form the front / rear walls 30, 32 and side walls 34, respectively. FIG. 7 illustrates a degree of spring back of the walls 30, 32, 34 after folding that may initially be present.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 8, the method also includes coupling the tray assembly 20 to a fixture 61 of the forming assembly 59 in order to close and maintain a consistent gap 41 between the walls 30, 32, 34 at the corner regions 44 during welding. The fixture 61 includes a planar plate 62, upon which the base 22 of the battery tray assembly 20 lies. Furthermore, a series ofpanels 64, 66 extend upwardly from the plate 62. The panels include a front panel 64 and a rear panel (not shown) that are arranged parallel with one another, and a pair of side panels 68 that extend perpendicularly to the front and rear panels 64 between the front and rear panels 64 to define a fixture cavity 70 between the front, rear and side panels 64, 68. A fixture gap 72 is located between each of the panels 64, 68 such that the corner regions 44 and gaps 41 of the tray assembly 20 are accessible for welding. As shown, the panels 64, 68 of the fixture 61 hold the walls 30, 32, 34 of the tray assembly 20 in an upright arrangement, at least substantially perpendicularly to the base 22, with no spring back. This maintains a constant gap 41 at the comer regions 44 during welding. The method continues with 114 welding the walls 30, 32, 34 at the gap 41 and notch 42 to connect the walls 30, 32, 34 to one another. According to the preferred embodiment, a TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding method is used, but other manners of welding may be used, notably seam welding methods, without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure. For example, MIG (metal inert gas) welding, MAG (metal active gas) welding, laser hybrid welding and combinations thereof may be used, with or without filler metals.

[0030] As previously noted, the notch 42 eliminates compression at the corner region 44, providing consistent, leak-tight welds in the corners of the tray assembly 20 by reducing the gap 41 in the region of the weld, e.g., to 1.0 mm, at a consistent width across the gap 41, with no overlap of the walls 30, 32, 34. The weld 40 may extend along the length of the walls 30, 32, 34 at the comer 44 and wrap around to the base 22. Furthermore, a corner treatment could be applied prior to welding to help close the gap 41 a desired amount, thus providing a thermomechanical joining method. For example, a rolling process could be used to close the gap 41.

[0031] The flange 38 of the completed tray assembly 20 may be joinable to a lower sealing plate, lower tub, or lower cap or other component of the battery assembly to form a leak tight assembly. For example, a sealant, adhesive, thermal joining method, or mechanical fasteners may be used to provide this sealing connection. Furthermore, the flange 38 may be flattened, e.g., via a machining process, to further contribute to providing a good seal.

[0032] The subject assembly and method provide a cost-effective design and manufacturing process to create a battery tray assembly 20 that is made with a series of simple, easily repeatable, quick to execute and controllable process steps. The battery tray assembly 20 may be made of a single blank 22 of various materials, such as steel and aluminum, due to the simple assembly method. This is beneficial relative to prior single piece battery tray assemblies 20 which were limited to steel materials. Furthermore, the battery tray assembly 20 is not prone to leaking, particularly due to the presence of few sealed / welded joints. Furthermore, the notch 42 eliminates compression at the corner regions 44 of the walls 30, 32, 34 during folding, which provides consistent, leak-tight welds across the welding gap 41 at the comer regions 44.

[0033] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility.

[0034] Clearly, changes may be made to what is described and illustrated herein without, however, departing from the scope defined in the accompanying claims. The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, whereapplicable, are interchangeable and can be used in any embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

[0035] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed

[0036] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," “engaged to,” "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," “directly engaged to,” "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent”versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.

[0038] Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the example term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for making a battery tray assembly, comprising: providing a blank extending along a base plane and having four edges and four blank comers; trimming a generally square or rectangular shaped recess into each of the blank comers of the blank to define four projections each along one of the edges of the blank between two of the recesses, and wherein each of the recesses terminates at a recess comer; creating a plurality of notches each extending linearly into the blank at one of the recess comers; and folding each of the projections in a first direction along a wall line aligned with two of the recess corners to define four walls, the walls each extending substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the blank, wherein four linear gaps are each defined at between two of the walls, and wherein a compartment of the tray assembly is defined between the walls for receiving batteries.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further including welding the walls along each of the linear gaps and the notches to seal the walls and base to one another.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further including providing a fixture including a plate being planar and a plurality of panels extending upwardly from the platr, the panels including a front panel and a rear panel being parallel with one another, and a pair of side panelsextending perpendicularly to the front and rear panels and parallel with one another to define a fixture cavity between the front, rear and side panels; and positioning the blank in the fixture cavity prior to welding the walls at each of the linear gaps with the front wall positioned against the front panel, the rear wall positioned against the rear panel, and the side walls each positioned against one of the side walls for holding the front, rear and side walls in an upright position during welding at the linear gaps.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein a fixture gap is defined between each of the front and rear panels and the side panels to provide space for welding the corner regions.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein welding the walls along each of the linear gaps includes welding along a total length of each of the linear gaps.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein prior to welding the walls along each of the linear gaps, each of the linear gaps has a substantially continuous width along a length of the linear gaps.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein prior to folding each of the projections in the first direction, each of the projections has a pair of wings having a triangular shape each extending into one of the recesses along each of the edges, and wherein the method further includes folding each of the projections along a line extending between a bottom of each of the wings in a second direction opposite the first direction to define a flange at the edge of each of the walls, wherein the flanges each extend perpendicularly to the plane of the blank.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the blank has a square or rectangular shape.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein trimming the blank includes laser cutting the blank.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein welding includes seam welding.

11. A battery tray assembly, comprising: a base; at least one pair of walls extending upwardly from the base and having edges positioned adjacent to one another; at least one linear gap defined between the edges of the at least one pair of walls and extending along a length of the at least one pair of walls; and the base defining at least one notch aligned with the at least one linear gap at a comer region between the base and the at least one pair of walls for reducing compression between the at least one pair of walls and the base during folding of the at least one pair of walls during assembly of the battery tray assembly.

12. The battery tray assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein a weld is located along the notch and linear gap to seal the base and the at least one pair of walls to one another.

13. The battery tray assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein the linear gap has a consistent width along the length of the at least one pair of walls prior to welding.

14. The battery tray assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein the at least one pair of walls have a rim opposite the base, and wherein a flange extends outwardly from the rim substantially parallel to the base.

15. The battery tray assembly as set forth in claim 11, wherein the base has one of a rectangular or a square shape, wherein the at least one pair of walls includes a front wall, a rear wall opposite the front wall, and a pair of side walls extending between the front and rear walls and defining a compartment therebetween, wherein the at least one linear gap includes four linear gaps each located between edges of the front wall, the rear wall and the side walls, and wherein the at least one notch includes four notches each located on the base in alignment with one of the linear gaps.

Images