Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Kanchana Perumalla

Mohammadreza Eftekhari

Saravanan Paramasivam

Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam

Patrick Daniel Maguire

Rajaram Subramanian

Dave Moschet

James Maurice Boileau

Thomas Edward Smith

Neil Robert Burrows

Rohit Gunna

Amar Marpu

Tom M Gunther

Bhaskara Rao Boddakayala

Hyung Min Baek

Daniel Miller

Hari Krishna Addanki

Kimberley King

Keith Kearney

Liam West

Afzal Mohammed

Michael M Magoulick

Battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles may include a polymer-based enclosure having features for sealing external joints, retaining components inside the battery pack, securing electrical and coolant lines to the polymer-based enclosure, etc. The proposed designs reduce the number of overall parts in assembly, such as fasteners and brackets, and simplify the overall battery pack manufacturing and assembly processes.

Electrified vehicle battery packs with polymer-based enclosures

Protection and load distribution strategies are disclosed for electrified vehicle traction battery packs. Exemplary battery protection structures may include a corrugated portion and at least one flat sheet portion that are joined together. The battery protection structure may be integrated as part of an outer enclosure assembly of the traction battery pack or could embody a skid plate design that is a separate structure from the outer enclosure assembly. The battery protection structures may be configured for absorbing and transferring energy during vehicle loading events, thereby minimizing the transfer of loads inside the battery pack where relatively sensitive battery internal components are housed.

Traction battery pack protection and load distribution strategies

Electrified vehicles may be powered by traction battery packs. An exemplary traction battery pack may include an enclosure assembly having a tray and a cover. One or more hinged locking plate assemblies may be utilized to secure the cover to the tray of the enclosure assembly. The hinged locking plate assemblies may be configured to exert a clamping or compression force across an interface between the cover and the tray, thereby enhancing retention and providing a leak-proof joint.

Attachment concepts for traction battery pack enclosure assemblies

This disclosure details exemplary battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include a polymer-based enclosure assembly having features for thermally managing internal components of the battery pack. In some embodiments, the enclosure assembly may include molded-in fluid channels or molded-in tubing for establishing a cooling circuit of the battery pack. In other embodiments, the enclosure assembly may include molded-in channels that receive tubing for establishing a cooling circuit of the battery pack.

Polymer-based battery pack enclosure assemblies with integrated thermal management features

An article, such as a battery pack system, includes a battery pack that is comprised of a plurality of battery cells. An external housing covers at least a portion of the battery pack. A silicate-based thermal barrier coating is configured to block heat emitted from the battery pack.

Battery pack with thermal barrier

A traction battery pack assembly includes, among other things, a foam section of a battery pack enclosure. The foam section provides a recessed area that at least partially receives a traction battery array. A substructure assembly is partially disposed within the foam section. An attachment point is provided by the substructure assembly. The attachment point is outside the foam section.

Battery pack assembly having foam enclosure and method of supporting a foam battery pack enclosure

This disclosure relates to thermal event detection for battery packs of electrified vehicles. An example electrified vehicle includes a battery assembly including an enclosure assembly surrounding at least one battery array, and a controller configured to receive information associated with the battery assembly and detect a thermal event based on the information. The controller is configured to issue a plurality of corrective action commands following detection of the thermal event.

Thermal event detection for battery packs

This disclosure relates to thermal event mitigation for battery packs of electrified vehicles. An example electrified vehicle includes a battery assembly with an enclosure assembly surrounding at least one battery array and a bag configured to selectively release nitrogen. The electrified vehicle further includes a controller configured to issue a plurality of corrective action commands in response to a detected thermal event. One of the corrective action commands includes instructing the bag to generate and release nitrogen within the enclosure assembly. Among other benefits, which will be appreciated from the below description, the disclosed arrangement promptly mitigates a thermal event of the battery assembly and takes additional corrective actions, such as providing various prompts and status indicators to the user.

Thermal event mitigation for battery packs

This disclosure details battery assemblies for electrified vehicles. An exemplary battery assembly may employ one or more compression limiters that maintain the integrity and positioning of a plurality of battery arrays housed inside the battery assembly. The compression limiters may include a body and an attachment head near an end of the body. The attachment head is configured to engage a portion of a support structure of a battery array.

Compression limiters for electrified vehicle battery assemblies

A battery pack according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, an enclosure including a monolithic body with at least a first sidewall and a base connected to the first sidewall and a fluid channel extending inside of at least one of the first sidewall and the base.

Battery pack enclosure including integrated fluid channel

An exemplary support assembly includes, among other things, a hoop bracket coupling a battery pack to a vehicle body structure, and a tuned bracket within an open area of the hoop bracket. The tuned bracket is configured to control a collapse of the hoop bracket in response to a load above a threshold level to reduce a transfer of the load to the battery pack. An exemplary supporting method includes coupling a battery pack to a vehicle body structure using a hoop bracket disposed alongside the battery pack. The hoop bracket includes an open area that receives a tuned bracket. The tuned bracket is configured to control a deformation of the hoop bracket in response to a load above a threshold level to reduce a transfer of the load to the battery pack.

Collapsible battery pack support assembly and supporting method

A battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a compression limiter including a body and an attachment head near a first end of the body and configured to engage a structural member of the battery assembly.

An assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a cold plate including a cooling circuit, a first end cap attached to the cold plate and a first manifold inside the first end cap and configured to fluidly connect a first fluid channel and a second fluid channel of the cooling circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Kanchana Perumalla