Fabric composite support or enclosure for an automotive battery pack
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
H01M-002/10
H01M-002/02
H01M-002/04
출원번호
US-0434904
(2012-03-30)
등록번호
US-9331321
(2016-05-03)
발명자
/ 주소
Berger, Elisabeth J.
Sonta, Kestutis A.
Shah, Bhavesh
출원인 / 주소
GM Global Technology Operations LLC
대리인 / 주소
Reising Ethington P.C.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
2인용 특허 :
5
초록
A battery enclosure comprising a support and a cover fabricated from a thermoset or thermoplastic polymer reinforced by at least a woven fabric reinforcement is described. In an embodiment the reinforcement is a woven glass fabric.
대표청구항▼
1. An assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle, the enclosure comprising: a one-piece, molded, lower battery support and a one-piece, molded cover, each of the cover and the support having a thickness and stiffening ribs and each of the cover and
1. An assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle, the enclosure comprising: a one-piece, molded, lower battery support and a one-piece, molded cover, each of the cover and the support having a thickness and stiffening ribs and each of the cover and support being formed of a molded polymer impregnating one or more layers of coextensive woven fiber reinforcements extending throughout the support and cover and, optionally, additional, like-impregnated, reinforcing fibers in preselected locations, the assembled support enclosure defining a shaped volume bounded by a support base with a continuous, upwardly-extending support wall and by a cover face with a continuous, downwardly-extending cover wall, the shaped volume being suitable for receiving and accommodating the battery pack;each of the stiffening ribs comprising like-impregnated, added reinforcing fibers;the support and cover walls having flanges, each of the support and cover flanges having a length and at least one of such flanges comprising an elastomeric seal, the flanges being positioned at the upper extremity of the upwardly extending support wall and at the lower extremity of the downwardly-extending cover wall;the cover and support flanges being complementary along their lengths and having aligned openings suitable for receiving mechanical fasteners for securing the cover to the support to thereby form the enclosure,the support flange further comprising additional reinforced features adapted and configured to support the weight of the enclosure and an associated battery pack during transport and handling of the enclosure and its associated battery pack. 2. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the support and cover are single-walled and one of the support and cover is of variable thickness. 3. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the support and cover each have a length, and each of the support and cover have a first height over a first portion of their length, each of the support and cover have a second height over a second portion of their length and each of the support and cover have a progressively changing height over the remaining portions of their length so that a portion of the mating flange comprises a ramp. 4. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the support comprises a first polymer and the cover comprises a second polymer. 5. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the support comprises a first reinforcement and the cover comprises a second reinforcement. 6. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the mechanical fasteners are bolts, rivets or clamps. 7. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the stiffening ribs are linear. 8. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 further comprising one or more of an electrically conductive material and a magnetically conductive material molded into the enclosure. 9. The assembled support enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 1 in which the enclosure, in plan view, has the general shape of a “T”. 10. A reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle, the enclosure comprising: a one-piece molded support and a one-piece molded cover, the support having a base with a base perimeter and the cover having a face with a face perimeter;the support having an upstanding support wall extending from the base perimeter and the cover having a downstanding cover wall extending from the face perimeter;the support wall terminating in an outwardly-extending support flange elevationally spaced apart from the base, and the cover wall terminating in an outwardly-extending cover flange elevationally spaced apart from the face, the entirety of the support flange being adapted to mate with the entirety of the cover flange;the cover being stacked atop the support with the face overlying the base and the cover and support being secured together by mechanical fasteners along a joint line corresponding to the line of contact of the mating support and cover flanges, one or both of the mating flanges incorporating an elastomeric seal;both of the support and cover comprising one or more woven fiber layer reinforcements extending throughout the support and/or cover and impregnated by vinyl ester resin-based polymer, at least one of which woven fiber layers is a coarse strand, woven glass cloth, and, supplementary like-impregnated, woven or non-woven fiber reinforcement layers comprising like-impregnated, added reinforcing fibers, formed in preselected regions of the support and cover; and,the enclosure comprising a cavity shaped and proportioned to receive and retain the high voltage battery pack, the support and cover cooperating to retain and restrain the battery pack during vehicle operation. 11. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 10, the enclosure further comprising ribs or corrugations, each of the ribs or corrugations comprising additional, like-impregnated, fiber reinforcements. 12. A reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle, the enclosure comprising: a one-piece molded support and a one-piece molded cover, the support having a base with a base perimeter and the cover having a face with a face perimeter, each of the base and face perimeters having a leg portion and an arm portion, transverse to the leg portion, the arm and leg portions being arranged so that the face and base perimeters form the shape of a letter ‘T’;the support having an upstanding support wall extending from the base perimeter and the cover having a downstanding cover wall extending from the face perimeter;the support wall terminating in an outwardly-extending support flange elevationally spaced apart from the base and the cover wall terminating in an outwardly-extending cover flange elevationally spaced apart from the face, each of the support flange and cover flange having a ramped portion, the entirety of the support flange being adapted to mate with the entirety of the cover flange;the cover being stacked atop the support with the face overlying the base and the cover and support being secured together by mechanical fasteners along a joint line corresponding to the line of contact of the mating support and cover flanges, one or both of the mating flanges incorporating an elastomeric seal;each of the support and cover being unitary structures formed of one or more woven fiber layer reinforcements extending throughout the support and cover and impregnated by a thermoset or a thermoplastic polymer, the cover having two planar portions connected by a ramped portion, a first planar portion comprising the arm of the ‘T’, and a second planar portion comprising the leg of the ‘T’, the ramped cover portion having longitudinal stiffening ribs oriented parallel to the leg portion and the first planar cover portion having molded-in, radially-extending stiffening ribs and molded-in transverse stiffening ribs oriented parallel to the arm portion, the stiffening ribs incorporating like-impregnated, woven or non-woven fiber reinforcement, the rib reinforcements being additional to the through-extending woven fiber layer reinforcements to provide additional reinforcement; and,the enclosure comprising a cavity shaped and proportioned to receive and retain the high voltage battery pack, the support and cover cooperating to retain and restrain the battery pack during vehicle operation. 13. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 12 in which the woven fiber is one of the group consisting of glass fibers, carbon fibers and aramid fibers. 14. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 12 further comprising reinforced attachment means attached to, or embedded in, the enclosure to support the weight of the enclosure and a battery pack to enable lifting and transporting the enclosure, and the battery pack, during installation of the enclosure in a vehicle. 15. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 12, the support further comprising a molded-in low density material. 16. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 12 in which the polymer is a thermoplastic. 17. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 16 in which the thermoplastic polymer is one or more of polyamide and polyphenylene sulfide. 18. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 12 in which the polymer is a cured thermosetting resin. 19. The reinforced polymer enclosure for a high voltage battery pack for an electric or hybrid vehicle recited in claim 18 in which the thermosetting resin is one of epoxy and vinyl ester.
Waters John E. (Fishers IN) Harris Brent A. (Alexandria IN) Gresley Ross A. (Anderson IN) Boys William E. (Anderson IN) Brouns Daniel R. (Indianapolis IN), Electric vehicle battery pack.
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