CN-122008829-A - Spare wheel and tire assembly for a vehicle having a battery

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a "vehicle spare wheel and tire assembly with battery". A vehicle including a spare wheel and tire assembly is disclosed. The spare wheel and tire assembly may include a tire and a wheel. The vehicle may further include a battery cell mounted in the wheel and tire assembly. The battery cells may store and provide power. In some aspects, the battery cells may be removably mounted in the spare wheel and tire assembly. In other aspects, the battery cells may be integrally formed with the spare wheel and tire assembly.

Inventors

• Keith weston
• John Robert van Vermeersch
• Stewart C. Salt
• T. Ansbach
• David selinsk
• F. Lolo

Assignees

• 福特全球技术公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20251030

Priority Date

20241111

Claims (15)

1. 1. A vehicle, comprising: A wheel and tire assembly having a tire and a wheel, and A battery cell mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the battery cell is configured to provide or store electrical power.
2. 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the battery cells are removably mounted with the wheels.
3. 3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the battery cell is part of a battery pack having a battery pack hub interface, and wherein the battery pack hub interface is configured to connect the battery pack to a wheel hub interface of the wheel.
4. 4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the wheel hub interface comprises a spindle configured to engage with the battery pack hub interface, and wherein the spindle is configured to engage with a fastener to secure the battery pack within the wheel.
5. 5. A vehicle as in claim 3, wherein the wheel hub interface comprises a first set of apertures configured to engage a vehicle hub and a second set of apertures configured to engage the battery pack hub interface.
6. 6. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the wheel includes a bead lock ring configured to engage the battery pack and connect the battery pack to the wheel.
7. 7. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the wheel and tire assembly and the battery pack are separately connected to a vehicle component, and the wheel and tire assembly and the battery pack are configured to be separately removed from the vehicle component.
8. 8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the vehicle component includes a retaining mechanism that retains the battery pack on the vehicle component when the wheel and tire assembly is removed from the vehicle component without the battery pack.
9. 9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the wheel and tire assembly and the battery pack are connected together as a single entity to the vehicle component, and the wheel and tire assembly and the battery pack are configured to be removed together from the vehicle component.
10. 10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the tire is a pneumatic tire.
11. 11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the tire is a non-pneumatic tire.
12. 12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the battery cells are integrally formed in the tire.
13. 13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the battery cells are molded into the tire.
14. 14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the battery cells are surrounded by a ring, and wherein the ring is disposed between the battery cells and the tire.
15. 15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the tire includes one or more fluid or air channels to maintain the temperature of the battery cells.

Description

Spare wheel and tire assembly for a vehicle having a battery Technical Field The present disclosure relates to vehicles, and more particularly, to wheel and tire assemblies for vehicles. Background As the number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) increases, the EV field is rapidly developing. EV operates on electrical energy, and vehicle users need to charge the vehicle battery periodically to ensure uninterrupted vehicle operation. Typically, land hazards involve unexpected excessive energy consumption, which may lead to reduced range of the EV and may create range anxiety among vehicle users. Fear of being trapped in a vehicle that has no power and cannot access the charging facility may cause anxiety in range. In some scenarios, the vehicle user may require additional power/energy in the vehicle to complete the work/adventure. In addition, land hazards may require one or more spare wheel and tire assemblies. The spare wheel and tire assembly is typically positioned in the vehicle (e.g., in or below the truck cargo bed or on a liftgate). Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure describes a spare wheel and tire assembly for a vehicle having one or more battery cells mounted in the spare wheel and tire assembly. The spare wheel and tire assembly may include a wheel and tire. In some aspects, the battery cells may be removably mounted in the spare wheel and tire assembly. For example, the battery cells may be removably mounted in the wheel. Alternatively, the battery cells may be integrally formed in the spare wheel and tire assembly. For example, the battery cells may be removably integrated with the tire. In aspects, the battery cells may be assembled in a battery pack, which may be removably mounted in the wheel. The battery pack may be a round pack in which battery cells may be uniformly distributed. The battery pack diameter may be smaller than the wheel diameter, which may enable a user to easily insert the battery pack into the wheel. In some aspects, a battery pack may include a battery hub interface that may be engaged with a wheel hub interface associated with a wheel to secure the battery pack with the wheel. Similar to the wheel hub interface, the battery hub interface may include a central portion and a plurality of lug holes surrounding the central portion. The battery pack may be removably connected to the wheel in different ways, which may enable a user to remove the battery pack from the spare wheel tire assembly and further enable the user to remove the spare wheel tire assembly from the vehicle component without the battery pack. The vehicle component may be, for example, a vehicle cargo box, a vehicle bracket, or a channel at a vehicle back portion (e.g., a vehicle tailgate), a vehicle bottom portion (e.g., near a vehicle chassis), etc. Such a connection may enable a user to connect the spare wheel tire assembly to a vehicle hub (which connects the wheel to the vehicle axle) without a battery pack (i.e., like a conventional/standard spare wheel tire assembly without a battery pack). Alternatively, the spare wheel tire assembly with the belt pack may be connected to the vehicle hub as a single unit. In some aspects, the vehicle component described above may include a retaining mechanism that may enable a user to retain the battery pack on the vehicle component when the user removes the spare wheel tire assembly from the vehicle component. For example, a spare wheel tire assembly may be attached to the vehicle component using a first set of bolts and the battery pack may be attached to the vehicle component using a second set of holes. To remove the spare wheel tire assembly from the vehicle component without the battery pack, the user may disengage only the first set of bolts and not the second set of bolts. In this way, a user may remove the spare wheel tire assembly from the vehicle component without the battery pack while still maintaining the battery pack with the vehicle component. In a further aspect, as described above, the battery cells may be integrally formed to the tire. For example, the battery cells may be molded inside the tire. In this case, the electrical conductors associated with the battery cells may also be molded into the tire. In further aspects, the tire and electrical communicator may also be 3D printed around the battery cells. In additional aspects, the spare wheel tire assembly may include a protective element (e.g., a ring) that may surround the battery cell to protect the battery cell (e.g., when the spare wheel tire assembly is in use or connected to the vehicle hub). In further aspects, the tire may include a plurality of fluid or air channels that may cool the battery cells. In some aspects, the battery pack (or battery cells) may transfer power/energy to the vehicle main battery or any other vehicle component. In some aspects, the battery pack (or battery cell) may provide power to the vehicle main battery (or other vehicle component) via a cable or connector