EP-4737154-A1 - A VEHICLE BATTERY PACK MOUNTING BRACKET

EP4737154A1EP 4737154 A1EP4737154 A1EP 4737154A1EP-4737154-A1

Abstract

A vehicle battery pack mounting bracket, comprising a connecting part configured to be fastened to a supporting structure of a vehicle, and a battery pack receiving part extending from the connecting part. The battery pack receiving part has first, second and third abutment surface portions configured to receive and support respective mating surface portions of a battery pack. The first and second abutment surface portions are located on respective sides of a geometrical plane, wherein in a Cartesian coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis, the first abutment surface portion is facing in a first direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis, the second abutment surface portion is facing in a different second direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis, wherein the third abutment surface portion is spaced apart from the first and the second abutment surface portions along the x-axis.

Inventors

KUMAR, PRAVEEN
Singh, Ranjeet
MANDAL, GOUTAM

Assignees

Volvo Truck Corporation

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20241029

Claims (15)

A vehicle battery pack mounting bracket, comprising: - a connecting part configured to be fastened to a supporting structure of a vehicle, - a battery pack receiving part extending from the connecting part, the battery pack receiving part having: • a top side towards which a battery pack to be received is lowerable, • a bottom side opposite to the top side, • a first abutment surface portion, • a second abutment surface portion, and • at least a third abutment surface portion, wherein the first, the second and the third abutment surface portions are configured to receive and support respective mating surface portions of a battery pack, wherein the first and the second abutment surface portions are located on respective sides of a geometrical plane, wherein in a Cartesian coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis: • the z-axis extends from said bottom side perpendicularly to said top side, • said geometrical plane extends in parallel with the x-axis and the z-axis, and perpendicularly to the y-axis, wherein the first abutment surface portion is facing in a first direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis, wherein the second abutment surface portion is facing in a different second direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis, wherein the third abutment surface portion is spaced apart from the first and the second abutment surface portions along the x-axis.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the first abutment surface portion is facing away from said geometrical plane in said first direction, and wherein the second abutment surface portion is facing away from said geometrical plane in said different second direction.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 1-2, wherein said first direction is oblique to the z-axis, and wherein said second direction is oblique to the z-axis.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of claim 3, wherein said top side is located upwardly of said opposite bottom side with respect to the z-axis, wherein the first abutment surface portion is facing obliquely upwardly with respect to the z-axis, wherein the second abutment surface portion is facing obliquely upwardly with respect to the z-axis.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 1-4, further comprising: a fourth abutment surface portion configured to receive and support a respective mating surface portion of a battery pack, wherein the third and the fourth abutment surface portions are located on respective sides of said geometrical plane, wherein the third abutment surface portion is facing in a third direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis, wherein the fourth abutment surface portion is facing in a different fourth direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of claim 5, wherein the third abutment surface portion is facing away from said geometrical plane in said third direction, and wherein the fourth abutment surface portion is facing away from said geometrical plane in said different fourth direction.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 5-6, wherein said third direction is oblique to the z-axis, and wherein said fourth direction is oblique to the z-axis.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 1-7, wherein said geometrical plane is a first geometrical plane, wherein in relation to a second geometrical plane which is perpendicular to the first geometrical plane, and which extends in parallel with the y-axis and the z-axis, the first and the second abutment surface portions on the one hand and the third and the fourth abutment surface portions on the other hand are located on respective sides of the second geometrical plane.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of claim 8, wherein each one of the first, second, third and fourth abutment surface portions is facing away from said second geometrical plane.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 8-9, further comprising an elongated groove extending along the y-axis in said second geometrical plane.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 1-10, wherein the battery pack receiving part further comprises a housing having an interior volume and at least one spring-loaded plunger arrangement, wherein the spring-loaded plunger arrangement is configured to at least partly absorb an externally generated force which is directed towards the interior volume, and which is exerted on the spring-loaded plunger arrangement.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of claim 11, wherein the spring-loaded plunger arrangement comprises: - an actuator portion which may be pressed by said externally generated force in a direction towards said internal volume, - a plunger operatively connected to the actuator portion and guidable within a cylinder portion which forms part of, or which is connected to the housing, wherein movement of the actuator portion causes the plunger to be moved within said cylinder portion, and - a spring configured to provide a biasing force to at least one of the plunger and the actuator portion, the biasing force being directed away from the interior volume.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of claim 12, wherein said actuator portion is aligned with, such as overlapped by, any one of said abutment surface portions so that said externally generated force is transferable from the abutment surface portion to the actuator portion of the spring-loaded plunger arrangement.
The vehicle battery pack mounting bracket of any of claims 11-13, further comprising an outer shell which envelopes the housing, wherein the outer shell is made of rubber.
A vehicle comprising the vehicle battery pack mounting bracket according to any of claims 1-14.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates generally to a mounting bracket. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to a vehicle battery pack mounting bracket. The disclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle. BACKGROUND Battery packs for heavy-duty electric vehicles are often mounted to the vehicle by means of mounting brackets. In order to counteract lateral movement of the battery packs multiple tie rods are installed. The assembly time is quite long during production, and also the aftermarket time for subsequent service of the electric energy system which includes the battery packs may be quite long. SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a vehicle battery pack mounting bracket, comprising: a connecting part configured to be fastened to a supporting structure of a vehicle,a battery pack receiving part extending from the connecting part, the battery pack receiving part having: a top side towards which a battery pack to be received is lowerable,a bottom side opposite to the top side,a first abutment surface portion,a second abutment surface portion, andat least a third abutment surface portion, wherein the first, the second and the third abutment surface portions are configured to receive and support respective mating surface portions of a battery pack, wherein the first and the second abutment surface portions are located on respective sides of a geometrical plane, wherein in a Cartesian coordinate system having an x-axis, a y-axis and a z-axis: the z-axis extends from said bottom side perpendicularly to said top side,said geometrical plane extends in parallel with the x-axis and the z-axis, and perpendicularly to the y-axis,wherein the first abutment surface portion is facing in a first direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis,wherein the second abutment surface portion is facing in a different second direction obliquely to both the x-axis and the y-axis,wherein the third abutment surface portion is spaced apart from the first and the second abutment surface portions along the x-axis. The first aspect of the disclosure may seek to facilitate installation of a vehicle battery pack to a vehicle, and also facilitate subsequent service related to the vehicle battery pack. A technical benefit may include that by having a first and the second abutment surface portions facing obliquely to both the x-axis and y-axis, and also spaced apart from the third abutment surface portion along the x-axis, not only may undesired longitudinal movement of a received battery pack be counteracted, but also undesired lateral movements may be counteracted, without requiring the provision of a large number of tie rods (enabling at least some of the tie rods to be eliminated compared to traditional mountings, may also reduce the overall weight). In particular, the location of the at least one third abutment surface portion relative to the location of the first and second abutment surface portions may enable a longitudinally restricting structure for a received battery pack, whereas the obliqueness of the first and second abutment surface portions may enable a laterally restricting structure. It should be understood that in this disclosure a "longitudinal direction" is referred to as a direction coinciding with or being parallel with a roll axis of the heavy-duty vehicle to which the vehicle battery pack mounting bracket is, or will be, installed. A "lateral direction" is referred to as a direction coinciding with or being parallel with a pitch axis of the heavy-duty vehicle. A "vertical direction" is referred to as a direction coinciding with or being parallel with a yaw axis of the heavy-duty vehicle. Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the first abutment surface portion may be facing away from said geometrical plane in said first direction, and wherein the second abutment surface portion may be facing away from said geometrical plane in said different second direction. A technical benefit may include that a symmetrical configuration may be achieved with respect to said geometrical plane, which may facilitate self-centering of the battery pack to be received. Furthermore, the lateral forces may become more balanced. Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, wherein said first direction is oblique to the z-axis, and wherein said second direction is oblique to the z-axis. A technical benefit may include that this may provide additional guidance when the battery pack is lowered on to the top surface enabling the battery pack to come into proper engagement more easily. Furthermore, due to the effect of gravity, having the first and second abutment surface portions directed obliquely to the z-axis ma