Description:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a battery pack assembly of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure.
A conventional battery pack assembly includes a housing for accommodating battery cell and a cover attached to the top of the housing for forming an enclosure. A sealing means is mounted between the top cover/top cooling plate and housing, preferably at the peripheral surfaces of housing and the cover of the battery pack assembly, to provide a seal against dust and water. The sealing requirement of the battery pack assembly is to be compliant to the Ingress Protection 67 standard. However, with the sealing means provided on the cover, the construction of the sealing means becomes complex, as the sealing means profile is routed around a plurality of bolt holes. Moreover, in case of the battery pack assembly with rubber sealing means, the profile of the rubber sealing means on the top cover is difficult to be matched with the corresponding profile on the housing. Additionally, the sealing means becomes a consumable item during servicing operation of the battery pack assembly, as the sealing means gets destroyed while dismantling the cover from the housing. Still further, the conventional battery pack assembly is unable to maintain a required amount of clearance space between the battery cells and the sidewalls of the housing. This clearance space is required to be maintained for the battery pack assembly to be compliant to crash safety standards of the vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need for a battery pack assembly of a vehicle, that alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies are as follows:
An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack assembly of a vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack assembly of a vehicle that offers compliance to the Ingress Protection 67 standard.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack assembly of a vehicle that offers compliance to the vehicle safety standards.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack assembly of a vehicle that offers an optimized use of battery pack assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack assembly of a vehicle that offers ease of serviceability.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack assembly of a vehicle that offers ease of assembly.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure discloses a battery pack assembly of a vehicle comprising a housing configured to be supported on a surface of a vehicle, and a cover configured to be attached on an operative top of the housing for sealing the housing from dust and water. The housing includes longitudinal members and transverse members configured to be attached together, a plurality of first portions configured on the longitudinal members, a plurality of second portions configured on the transverse members, each of the second portions having a construction corresponding to the construction of each of the first portions, and at least a groove defined by the first portions and the second portions for routing a sealing means in the groove.
In a preferred embodiment, the sealing means is a form-in-place (FIP) gasket.
In a preferred embodiment, the groove is defined by the attachment of the first portions with the second portions for routing the sealing means in the groove.
In a preferred embodiment, the sealing means is a form-in-place (FIP) sealing means, the sealing means formed by dispensing a liquefied/gel type sealant a molten sealing means material into the groove followed by curing of the liquefied/gel type sealing means material.
In a preferred embodiment, the groove is configured to be formed on the peripheral location of the housing.
In another embodiment, the groove has a cross section selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, a square, a circle.
In a preferred embodiment, the sealing means is made of a compressible foam/rubber like material.
In another embodiment, the construction profile of the groove has a cross section selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, circle.
In a preferred embodiment, the assembly has a plurality of battery cells configured to be cooled from the operative top side.
The present disclosure discloses a method of assembling the battery pack assembly comprising the following steps:
• securing a plurality of battery cells in the housing;
• pouring the sealing means in liquefied form into the grooves;
• curing the sealing means to form the sealing means in a solid form; and
• mounting the cover on the housing from the operative top to seal the battery pack assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A battery pack assembly of a vehicle, of the present disclosure, will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a top view of the battery pack assembly with a sealing means provided on the housing, in one embodiment of the prior art;
Figure 2 illustrates a sectional view of the battery pack assembly with the sealing means positioned on the housing, in another embodiment of the prior art;
Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the battery pack assembly with increased clearance between the battery cells and the longitudinal members, in an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view of the battery pack assembly with manufacturing constraints during attachment of the transverse members with the longitudinal members, in an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 illustrates an isometric view of the battery pack assembly, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 illustrates a top view of the Figure 4;
Figure 7 illustrates an isometric view of the housing of the battery pack assembly of the Figure 4;
Figure 8 illustrates a front view of the Figure 4;
Figure 9 illustrates a top view of the Figure 7;
Figure 10 illustrates a detail view of the Figure 7;
Figure 11 illustrates a front view of the transverse member of the battery pack assembly;
Figure 12 illustrates an isometric view of the Figure 4;
Figure 13 illustrates a detail of the Figure 11;
Figure 14 illustrates a sectional view of the battery pack assembly of the present disclosure;
Figure 15 illustrates a view of the battery pack assembly of the Figure 13 with a sealing means formed in place in the groove; and
Figure 16 illustrates a view of the battery pack assembly of the Figure 14 with a sealing means formed in place in the groove and a cover of the battery pack assembly of the Figure 13.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
10 – housing
12 – operative top
14 – operative bottom
20 – longitudinal members
22 – first portions
28 – clearance
30 – transverse members
32 – second portions
40 – groove
50 – cover
60 – sealing means
70 – battery cell packs
100 – battery pack assembly
L – operative longitudinal direction
T – operative transverse direction
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an”, and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including”, and “having”, are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be constructed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to”, or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
Referring to figures 5-16, a battery pack assembly 100 of a vehicle is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery pack assembly 100 spans in an operative longitudinal direction L as well as an operative transverse direction T. The operative longitudinal direction L is same as the direction in which the vehicle travels. The operative longitudinal direction L defines the length of the vehicle. The operative transverse direction T is perpendicular to the operative longitudinal direction L. The operative transverse direction T defines the width of the vehicle. The battery pack assembly comprises a housing 10 configured to be supported on a surface of a vehicle, and a cover/cooling plate 50 configured to be attached on an operative top 12 of the housing 10 for sealing the housing 10 from dust and water. A cooling arrangement is provided on the operative top 12 for cooling the battery pack assembly 100. An operative bottom 14 of the battery pack assembly 100 facilitates attachment of the battery pack assembly 100 to the vehicle surface. The housing includes a plurality of longitudinal members 20 and a plurality of transverse members 30 configured to be attached together. The housing 10 further includes a plurality of first portions 22 configured on the longitudinal members 20, and a plurality of second portions 32 configured on the transverse members 30. The construction profile of each of the second portions 32 corresponds to the construction profile of each of first portions 22. The housing further includes at least one groove 40 defined by the attachment of the first portions 22 and the second portions 32 for routing a sealing means 60 in the groove 40. Due to the corresponding construction profile of the first portions 22 and the second portions 32, manufacturing of the battery pack assembly 100 becomes easy. This is because the attachment process of the first portions 22 and the second portion 32 does not hinder the person positioning the longitudinal members 20 and the transverse members 30, as such during weld attachment process. During attachment operation, the longitudinal members 20 are required to be secured in position so that the first portions 22 and the second portions 32 are aligned together.
Referring to the figures 3 and 4, an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, wherein the challenges in the manufacturing of the present disclosure are depicted. As shown in the Figures 3 and 4 of the present disclosure, the transverse members 30 are inserted or slid inside the longitudinal members 20, followed by holding the transverse members 30 in position to perform the attachment operation such as welding. It can be easily seen that the protruding part of the housing 10 on which the groove 40 is configured obstructs the transverse members 30 from being positioned for attachment operation. The direction of insertion of the transverse members 30 is indicated by the arrow sign. Thus, in the embodiment of the present disclosure as shown in the Figures 3 and 4, the manufacturing of the battery pack assembly 100 becomes difficult. The embodiment of the present disclosure as shown in the figures 5-16 depicts a solution for this manufacturing challenge.
Figure 1 of the prior art depicts the problems of the battery pack assembly 100’. The sealing means 60’ is attached to the cover 50’ and is positioned inside the groove 40’ configured on the transverse member 30’. The sealing means 60’ has to be affixed to the cover 50’, and in case of servicing the sealing means 60’ gets completely destroyed. Thus, the sealing means 60’ gets consumed every instance the battery pack assembly 100’ is serviced, which increases the costs involved therein. Moreover, as shown in the Figure 1 of the prior art, the sealing means 60’ is made of rubber material. Manufacturability of the sealing means 60’ is difficult, as the profile of the sealing means 60’ is intricate.
The present disclosure discloses the sealing means 60 formed on the housing 10 instead of the cover 50 in case of the prior art. Due to this, during servicing operation of the battery pack assembly 100 of the present disclosure, the top cover 50 is removed with ease i.e. without destroying the sealing means 60. This is because in the present disclosure, the sealing means 60 is not glued or affixed to the top cover 50, as in the case of prior art. Hence, serviceability of the battery pack assembly 100 of the present disclosure is enhanced. The battery pack assembly 100 can be serviced by dismantling the top cover 50 from the housing 10 while maintaining the sealing means 60 in the assembled condition. So, replacement of sealing means 60 is avoided and cost involved therein is saved. Moreover, the battery pack assembly 100 is desired to comply with the requirement of maintaining a minimum amount of clearance space 28 as shown in figure 3 of the present disclosure, between the battery cells 70 and the longitudinal members 20. In the prior art of the figure 2, it is observed that the clearance space 28’ left after packaging of the battery pack assembly 100’ is less. The clearance spaces are required to be maintained above a minimum value to prevent damage of the battery pack assembly 100 in the event of a crash. In the event of a crash, there is increased probability of the vehicle catching fire. The present disclosure discloses the battery pack assembly 100 that complies with the minimum required clearance space constraint maintained between the battery pack assembly 100 and the longitudinal members 32 in the operative transverse direction T i.e. along the width of the vehicle.
In the present disclosure, the groove 40 is configured to support the sealing means 60 for sealing the battery pack assembly 100 from dust and water, as required to comply with the IP67 Ingress Protection 67 standard.
In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealing means 60 is a form-in-place (FIP) sealing means. The sealing means 60 is formed by pouring a liquid sealing means material into the groove 40 followed by curing of the molten sealing means material.
In a preferred embodiment, the groove 40 is configured to be formed on the peripheral location of the housing 10.
In a preferred embodiment, the groove 40 has a cross-section profile selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, a square, a circle.
In another embodiment, a plurality of grooves 40 is configured on the peripheral location of the housing 10 to augment the sealing capability of the battery pack assembly.
In another embodiment, the sealing means 60 is made of a foam material.
In another embodiment, the construction profile of the groove 40 has a cross section selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, circle.
In an embodiment, the sealing means 60 is a gasket made of rubber.
In an embodiment, the sealing means 60 is a form-in-place (FIP) gasket.
The present disclosure discloses a method of assembling the battery pack assembly 100 comprising the following steps:
• securing a plurality of battery cells 70 in the housing 10;
• pouring the sealing means 60 in molten form into the grooves 40;
• curing the sealing means 60 to form the sealing means 60 in a solid form; and
• mounting the cover/cooling plate 50 on the housing 10 from the operative top 12 to seal the battery pack assembly 100.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, a battery pack assembly of a vehicle, which:
• offers ease of manufacturing and ease of assembly;
• offers efficient utilization of vehicle space designated for the battery pack assembly; and
• offers increased sealing capability against dust and water.
The disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully revealed the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element or group of elements, but not the exclusion of any other element or group of elements.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art housing or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation. , Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A battery pack assembly (100) of a vehicle, said battery pack assembly comprising:
• a housing (10) configured to be supported on a surface of a vehicle, said housing (10) including:
o longitudinal members (20) and transverse members (30) configured to be attached together;
o a plurality of first portions (22) configured on said longitudinal members (20);
o a plurality of second portions (32) configured on said transverse members (30);
o each of said plurality of second portions (32) having a construction corresponding to the construction of each of said plurality of first portions (22);
o at least a groove (40) defined by said plurality of first portions (22) and said plurality of second portions (32) for routing a sealing means (60) in said groove (40); and
• a cover (50) configured to be attached on an operative top (12) of said housing (10) for sealing said housing (10) from dust and water.
2. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sealing means (60) is a form-in-place (FIP) gasket.
3. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said groove (40) is defined by the attachment of said first portions (22) with said second portions (32) for routing said sealing means (60) in said groove (40).
4. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sealing means (60) is a form-in-place (FIP) sealing means, said sealing means (60) formed by dispensing a liquefied sealing means material into said groove (40) followed by curing of the liquefied sealing means material.
5. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said groove (40) is configured to be formed on the peripheral location of said housing (10).
6. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said groove (40) has a cross-section selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, a square, a circle.
7. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sealing means (60) is made of a foam material.
8. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said groove (40) has a cross-section selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, circle.
9. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said assembly (100) having a plurality of battery cell packs (70) is configured to be cooled from the operative top side (12).
10. A method of assembling said battery pack assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprising the following steps:
• securing a plurality of battery cell cells (70) in said housing (10);
• pouring said sealing means (60) in molten form into said grooves (40);
• curing said sealing means (60) to form said sealing means (60) in a solid form; and
• mounting said cover (50) on said housing (10) from the operative top (12) to seal said battery pack assembly (100).

Dated this 16th day of February, 2023

_______________________________
MOHAN RAJKUMAR DEWAN, IN/PA – 25
of R.K.DEWAN & CO.
Authorized Agent of Applicant

TO,
THE CONTROLLER OF PATENTS
THE PATENT OFFICE, AT MUMBAI