Vehicle Battery Console Bracket with Channeled Retention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery console designs for vehicles are costly, space-consuming, and cumbersome due to the need for rigid clamps and spacers, which are dimensioned to withstand forces during travel, leading to limited accessibility and safety concerns during mounting and dismounting.

Innovation Solution

A compact battery console with a clamping member and channeled sections that allow for easy mounting and retention of batteries, featuring a bracket with downwardly protruding flanges for anchoring and integrally formed wiring attachment points, along with a spacer adaptor for reduced-length batteries, all made from a single piece of plate steel to reduce weight and cost.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If rigid clamps and spacers are used to fix the battery, then the battery can be securely retained during vehicle travel, but the packaging space requirements increase and accessibility for mounting/dismounting deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery retention securityVSAvoidpackaging space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The battery console is divided into functional zones: channeled sections in the rear wall for battery insertion guidance and retention, a bracket at the front for clamping, and sidewalls for lateral support. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function efficiently without requiring excessive overall dimensions, resolving the contradiction between secure retention and compact space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The channeled sections extend vertically along the rear wall, utilizing the vertical dimension to provide retention without increasing the horizontal footprint. The bracket uses downwardly protruding flanges that engage with the battery base, converting vertical space utilization into effective clamping force, thereby maintaining compact packaging while ensuring secure retention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If rigid clamps and spacers are used to fix the battery, then the battery can be securely retained during vehicle travel, but the accessibility for mounting/dismounting deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery retention securityVSAvoidmounting/dismounting accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The channeled sections are pre-formed in the rear wall to guide the battery into the correct position during insertion. The bracket with downwardly protruding flanges is pre-positioned to automatically engage with the battery base. This preliminary configuration of retention elements eliminates the need for complex adjustment operations during mounting/dismounting, improving accessibility while maintaining security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The bracket incorporates upwardly protruding flanges that can flex or adjust during battery installation, allowing the battery to be easily inserted and then securely retained once in position. This dynamic characteristic enables easy mounting/dismounting operations while ensuring reliable retention during vehicle travel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the bracket is dimensioned to withstand considerable forces during vehicle travel, then the battery retention security improves, but the bracket becomes more space-consuming and costly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery retention securityVSAvoidbracket dimensions and material
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bracket is designed with localized reinforcement only where needed: downwardly protruding flanges at the clamping points and upwardly protruding flanges at the engagement points. The rest of the bracket structure uses standard thickness material. This local quality approach provides sufficient strength for force resistance while minimizing overall material usage and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The battery console assembly combines the bracket (for clamping forces), channeled sections in the rear wall (for vertical retention), and sidewalls (for lateral support) to create a composite retention system. Each component handles specific force vectors, allowing the use of lighter, simpler materials in each part while collectively withstanding considerable forces during vehicle travel.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP2527205B1Battery console for a vehicle
Publication Date: 2015.10.14 VOLVO CAR CORP
  • EP2527205B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2527205B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2527205B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Embodiments herein relate to a battery console (1) for a vehicle comprising: a battery compartment comprising a floor (2), a rear wall (3), and respective left (4) and right (5) sidewalls. A bracket (6) is provided for fixation of a battery (10a, 10b) to the battery compartment. The bracket (6) is attachable to the floor (2) of the battery compartment and has a retaining flange (6c) for at least partially clamping a bottom flange of a battery (10a, 10b) placed in the battery compartment. The respective left (4) and right (5) sidewalls adjacent to the rear wall (3) has a respective channeled section (4a, 5a) for partially receiving the bottom flange of a battery (10a, 10b) placed in the battery compartment.