Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam

Bhaskara Rao Boddakayala

Rajaram Subramanian

Kanchana Perumalla

Saravanan Paramasivam

Mark J Ferrel

Milos Milacic

Dave Moschet

Mohammadreza Eftekhari

Jason C Marcath

Victor Dobrin

Patrick Daniel Maguire

John Paul Gibeau

James Maurice Boileau

Philip Michael Gonzales

Neil Robert Burrows

James George Gebbie

Micah Smith

John Sturza

Shamsuddin A Syed

Abdul Lateef

Hilde Anne Heremans

Do Young Chung

Falko Berg

Jordan John Masters

John Marshall

Douglas Raymond Martin

Richard E Soltis

Steven Joseph Szwabowski

Brian Utley

Daniel Miller

Ihab Grace

Debbi Callicoat

John Robert Grabowski

William Frederick Sanderson

Alexander Timofeevich Zaremba

Kurt David Osborne

John Peter Bilezikjian

Chelliah Madasamy

Masahiro Kimoto

Amar Marpu

John Jardine

Mike Popovski

Theodore Joseph Filippi

LeeAnn Wang

Sai K Perumalla

Di Zhu

Anil Reddy Pullalarevu

Craig Winfield Peterson

Nondo G Basoukeas

John Richard Blankenship

Brent Zapczynski

Afif Sabbagh

David Fabricatore

Lawrence M Rose

Richard Allen Scholer

Suma Rani Das

Sean Brady

Stephanie Singer

John Marshall Penney

Wayne Haider

Charles Honick

Vijay Pachore

Chuck Honick

Wayne Michael Thompson

Brian D Bishop

Robert Joseph Bartz

Leslie James Lindeman

Michael Brown

Scott Aaron Black

Afzal Mohammed

Michael M Magoulick

Hui Chang

Anthony G Grabowski

Arun Kumar Jaura

Charles Moore

Battery pack designs are provided for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include a battery array that includes one or more interconnected array frames. A split thermal fin may be held within the one or more array frames. The proposed designs of the split thermal fin enable a reduction of the amount of thermal interface material required between the thermal fin and a support structure (e.g., a heat exchanger plate) of the battery pack.

Battery array frames with split thermal fin designs for reducing thermal interface material usage

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

This disclosure details exemplary traction battery pack venting systems for use in electrified vehicles. An exemplary traction battery pack system may include a venting system having one or more vent ducts for expelling battery vent byproducts from a battery pack. The vent ducts may include a thermal barrier configured to block heat emitted by the battery vent byproducts during cell venting events. In some embodiments, the thermal barrier includes a thermal barrier coating. In other embodiments, the thermal barrier includes both a thermal barrier coating and a thermal barrier layer. In still other embodiments, a second thermal barrier may be applied to vehicle components located near the battery pack for improving the thermal barrier properties.

Thermal barriers for traction battery pack venting systems and nearby vehicle components

A traction battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes a traction battery, an electric machine, an electrical harness assembly, a protrusion adjacent the electrical harness assembly. The protrusion is configured to move from a first position to a second position in response to a loading event. When the protrusion is in the first position, the electric machine is electrically coupled to the traction battery through the electrical harness assembly. When the protrusion is in the second position, the electric machine is electrically decoupled from the traction battery.

Traction battery circuit interrupter assembly and interruption method

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

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 vehicle includes a body including a first frame rail and a second frame rail and a cross-brace directly connected to the first frame rail and the second frame rail. A powertrain-electrification component is supported by the cross-brace. A vehicle subframe is directly connected to the cross-brace. A vehicle-steering gear is connected to the subframe. The direct connection of the subframe to the cross-brace dampens vibration, e.g., road vibration and noise, in the subframe to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness transferred to a vehicle occupant through the vehicle-steering gear.

Vibration dampening vehicle subframe

An electrified vehicle assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a brace assembly that extends from a passenger side frame rail of a vehicle to a driver side frame rail of the vehicle, and at least one electrified vehicle powertrain module supported by the brace assembly.

Electrified vehicle module brace assembly and supporting method

This disclosure relates to an access cover detection circuit for an electrified vehicle component and a corresponding method. An exemplary component of an electrified vehicle includes an access cover configured to selectively open and close relative to the component, and a circuit configured to indicate whether the access cover is open. The circuit includes a light sensitive electronic component.

Access cover detection circuit for electrified vehicle component and corresponding method

This disclosure details exemplary battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include a battery array that includes one or more interconnected array frames. A split thermal fin may be held within the one or more array frames. The proposed designs of the split thermal fin enable a reduction of the amount of thermal interface material required between the thermal fin and a support structure (e.g., a heat exchanger plate) of the battery pack.

An apparatus and method, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery pack having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, a coolant source to cool the battery pack, and a proportional valve in communication with the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet, and in communication with the coolant source. A battery control module controls the proportional valve such that a direction of flow is switchable at the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet based on temperatures at the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet to provide bi-directional cooling flow through the battery pack. The battery control module directly connects the coolant outlet to the coolant inlet via the proportional valve to bypass the coolant source in response to a predetermined condition.

Bi-directional switchable cooling flow for traction battery

An electrified vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a traction battery, and at least one shield extending longitudinally and having a portion that is vertically beneath the traction battery. The shield is removably fastened directly to the traction battery.

Traction battery protection assembly and method

A method of operating a fuel cell. The method includes closing a cathode inlet valve upstream of an inlet of a cathode of the fuel cell to prevent air from entering the fuel cell through the cathode inlet during a shutdown period and a soak period of the fuel cell. The method includes maintaining an anode outlet valve downstream of an outlet of the anode in a closed state to prevent air from leaking into the fuel cell through the anode outlet during the shutdown period and the soak period of the fuel cell.

Method of operating a fuel cell during a soak time period

This disclosure describes manual release systems for electrified vehicle charge port locks. In some embodiments, a vehicle key may be used to manually override a position of the charge port lock. In other embodiments, a pull button and cable arrangement may be used to manually override the position of the charge port lock. The pull button may be packaged under a vehicle hood and, in some embodiments, may be mounted to either a cooling system component or a grille support structure.

Manual release systems for electrified vehicle charge port locks

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

Growing community of inventors

Westland, MI, United States of America

Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam