Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Heiko Landsmann

Shekar Prabhakar Erasala

Abdelmonaam Sassi

Courtney L'Arrivée

Steven Michael Lutowsky, Jr

Christopher Holland

Binyamin Qamruzzaman

Daniel Berry

The present disclosure is directed to a slider bar to protect a battery pack of a vehicle. The battery pack is housed on an underbody in between the vehicle's front and rear axles. The battery pack protrudes towards the ground. The battery pack can optionally be covered by a shield that has a slot through which the slider bar extends outwards towards the ground. The slider bar is coupled to the underbody near the battery pack. The slider bar is positioned lower than the battery pack such that in an event of the vehicle bottoming out, the impact will be absorbed by the slider bar instead of the battery pack. Thereby, the slider bar protects the battery pack from scraping/scratching the ground.

Battery protection in an electric vehicle

This disclosure details rigid linkages for mounting traction battery packs to portions of a vehicle frame. The rigid linkages are designed to allow the traction battery pack to articulate away from deforming structures of the vehicle frame as part of an energy distribution system. During the articulation, the rigid linkage is capable of conserving its integrity to push the traction battery pack away from the deforming structures, thereby preventing the deforming structures from contacting the traction battery pack.

Rigid linkages for battery packs

A method and an apparatus, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery pack supported by at least one vehicle frame member, a side frame member positioned adjacent to an edge of the battery pack, and a cross-member extending away from the side frame member and above the battery pack. The cross-member is spaced from the battery pack by a gap. At least one bracket is mounted to at least one of the side frame member and cross-member within the gap such that in response to an impact load, the bracket prevents the cross-member from direct contact with the battery pack.

Passive structural stopper bracket

Growing community of inventors

Cologne, Germany

Heiko Landsmann