Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Shiloh Industries, Inc.

Terry A Swartzell

Andrew W White

James A Rochon

Robert N Saje

Charles E Jensen

Warren J Parsons

Mark T Dingman

Robert M Kielbik

Andre T Matsumoto

Huai-yang Chiang

Tyler A Riley

Krishnarao V Yalamanchili

Hari Prasada Reddy Lingala

Jayavardhan Tallapragada

James F Keys

Keith J Saari

John C Johnson

Zohir Molhem

Jonathan W Fisk

Stephen A Fetsko

Jonathan E Rich

Marcel R Cannon

James J Evangelista

Bradley Leier

Travis W Walker

Kevin Stang

Eric A Mathieson

Mohammed N Shaik

Artur Wyszynski

Michael T Quaggiotto

Jungryoung Kim

Luke A Reini

Vikas V Joshi

Darek G Villeneuve

Robert Ristoski

Richard W Douglas

Kenneth D Schmid

Michael D Regiec

James Jenying Wang

Thomas M Siberski

Monte L Taylor

Terry J Short

Yiran Tong

Charles N Kriete

Daniel C Dokter

Kevin J Lindsey

Amit Sharma

Ryan Shannon

Eric J Pierce

Jeffrey R Halonen

David A Saari

An serviceable battery pack and assembly method may include a battery pack having a stanchion extending through a wall of the battery pack, a first battery pack seal between the stanchion and the wall of the battery pack, attachment of the battery pack at the exterior of a floor pan of a vehicle at the stanchion, and a second battery pack seal between the exterior of the floor pan and the wall of the battery pack surrounding the stanchion.

Serviceable battery pack assembly

A battery enclosure, support beam for the battery enclosure and method of providing structural support to the battery enclosure. The battery enclosure includes a base having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall. The support beam extends from the first sidewall to the second sidewall. The support beam includes a body having a first beam end and a through passage. An internal stabilizer disposed within the through passage at the first beam end. The internal stabilizer includes a first stabilizer sidewall extending from a first stabilizer end to a second stabilizer end, a second stabilizer sidewall extending from the first stabilizer end to the second stabilizer end, and a bridge connecting the first stabilizer sidewall to the second stabilizer sidewall at the second stabilizer end.

High voltage battery structural member end stabilizer

Electric vehicle battery enclosures and methods of assembling electric vehicle battery enclosures involve a base portion to hold one or more batteries that provide motive power to an all-electric or hybrid electric vehicle. An electric vehicle battery enclosure includes a cover portion to mate with the base portion to enclose the one or more batteries, and a sealant to create a bond between the base portion and the cover portion around an entire perimeter of the enclosure and to seal the enclosure based on a uniform height of the sealant around the perimeter of the enclosure.

Electric vehicle battery enclosure with sealant and seal bead height maintenance

An apparatus for a vehicle body including a rocker insert is provided. The apparatus includes a vehicle body including a plurality of metallic structure members and a lower portion operable to provide support to a floor surface within a passenger compartment of a vehicle and a rocker insert mounted to an in-vehicle side portion of the lower portion. The rocker insert includes an elongated bar portion including a hollow center portion including internal reinforcing web features. The rocker insert is oriented with respect to the vehicle body such that a longitudinal axis of the elongated bar portion of the rocker insert is parallel to an in-vehicle forward direction of the vehicle body.

Vehicle body apparatus and system including a rocker insert

A system for protecting a battery enclosure of a vehicle, comprising of a structural blocker configured to be fixedly attached to a side portion of the battery enclosure. The side portion faces a lateral direction, extending along a vehicle axis that extends between a front and a rear of a vehicle. The battery enclosure includes at least one cross member oriented along a lateral direction, wherein the structural blocker is configured to be aligned with an end of the cross member and localized to a region of the side portion proximate to the end of the cross member. The structural blocker is configured to transfer a side load from a structural component of the vehicle to the cross member.

Side impact protection of battery enclosures

A battery enclosure, support beam for a battery enclosure and method of manufacturing the support beam. The battery enclosure includes a base and the support beam is securable within the base. The support beam includes a body, a nut channel secured to the body, and a mechanical fastener attached to the nut channel. The nut channel is formed into a u-shaped channel. The mechanical fastener is attached to the nut channel and the nut channel is secured to the body of the support beam.

Battery cross member configuration with structural nut channel

A load impact management system for an automotive vehicle includes a load member extending from a first vehicle frame rail to a second vehicle frame rail and perpendicular to each of the first and second vehicle frame rails and to a vehicle body axis. The load member is coupled to the first vehicle frame rail at two attachment points and coupled to the second vehicle frame rail at two attachment points. The load member defines a load path between a first side of the automotive vehicle to a second side of the automotive vehicle opposite the first side and the load member is forward of a passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Vehicle structure for a cross-vehicle load path

A battery electric vehicle includes a pair of spaced apart and substantially parallel longitudinal members and a floor pan coupled to and above at least a portion of the longitudinal members. A battery pack bay is defined below the floor pan, longitudinally between predefined front and rear limits, and laterally between the longitudinal members. A battery pack may be upwardly disposed within the battery pack bay, the battery pack including a pair of laterally spaced apart sides whereat the first battery pack is removably attached to the respective longitudinal members. The battery pack may be dimensioned longitudinally to occupy less than the entire longitudinal space of the battery pack bay. A closeout structure may be removably attached to the respective longitudinal members and one longitudinal end of the first battery pack.

Reconfigurable battery electric vehicle

An electric vehicle includes a body structure, a forward sub-frame, and a battery pack. The body structure includes first and second side rails. The forward sub-frame includes first and second side supports each having and extending longitudinally between forward and rearward end portions. The first and second side supports are located forward of, and substantially parallel to, the first and second side rails. The battery pack includes a support structure disposed beneath, and engaged to, the body structure between the first and second side rails. The support structure has a plurality of longitudinal components spaced laterally apart from one-another, and disposed parallel to the opposite first and second side rails. The rearward end portions of the first and second side supports are proximate to respective first and second longitudinal components of the plurality of longitudinal components.

Structural enhancements of an electric vehicle

An automotive vehicle includes a vehicle body with a longitudinal axis. The vehicle also includes a rocker inner panel with a first channel having interior and exterior sides. The interior side is secured to the vehicle body. The first channel has a first upper horizontal sidewall, a first lower horizontal sidewall, and a first vertical endwall coupling the first upper and first lower horizontal sidewalls at the interior side. A rocker outer panel is secured to the rocker inner panel. The rocker outer panel includes a second channel, a third channel, and a fourth channel. The second channel is secured to the third channel, and the third channel is secured to the fourth channel. An upper cavity is defined between the second and third channels, an intermediate cavity is defined between the third and fourth channels, and a lower cavity is defined between the second and third channels.

Rocker assembly for an automotive vehicle

An assembly for a vehicle to provide load distribution between the body of the vehicle and a battery contained in the vehicle includes a pair of body rockers, the body rockers being spaced apart and being substantially parallel to each other, a plurality of body cross bars that extend between the pair of body rockers, the plurality of body cross bars being spaced apart, substantially parallel to each other, and substantially perpendicular to the body rockers, and a plurality of battery cross bars that extend between the pair of body rockers, the plurality of battery cross bars being spaced apart, substantially parallel to each other, and substantially perpendicular to the body rockers, portions of the battery being located between adjacent battery cross bars. The plurality of battery cross bars, the plurality of body cross bars and the body rockers are configured to delay initiation of rocker plastic deformation.

Body rocker, battery cross-bar, and body cross-bar configuration for load distribution between vehicle body and under-vehicle battery

A vehicle includes a frame system having a frame rail that extends along and is laterally offset from a longitudinal axis. A body is mounted to the frame system, and includes a rocker panel that extends along the longitudinal axis, and is disposed outboard of the first frame rail. A side load transfer device is positioned between the frame rail and the rocker panel. The side load transfer device is attached to one of the frame rail or the body. The side load transfer device is operable to transfer an applied load from the rocker panel to the frame rail. The applied load being applied to the rocker panel in an inboard direction transverse to the longitudinal axis.

Side load transfer device for a body on frame vehicle

A body-mounted tire blocker assembly can absorb and/or manage energy when a vehicle body assembly is subjected to an external force. This vehicle body assembly may include a vehicle body defining a passenger compartment. The vehicle body further includes a rocker panel defining a first panel end and a second panel end opposite the first panel end. The tire blocker assembly is coupled to the rocker panel and includes a first blocker body and a second blocker body coupled to the first blocker body. The first blocker body is farther from the first panel end than the second blocker body in order to guide a wheel away from the passenger compartment when an external force is applied to the vehicle body.

Body-mounted tire blocker assembly

An attachment for connecting a chassis structure to a hollow beam of a body structure includes a tube nut, a bulkhead, and a bolt. The bulkhead has a cavity surface configured to conform to a cylindrical outer surface of the tube nut. The bulkhead is disposed within the hollow beam and is attached to at least two walls of the hollow beam and to the tube nut. A first portion of the cylindrical outer surface of the tube nut is disposed in close proximity to the cavity surface of the bulkhead. A bottom surface of the tube nut contacts an inner surface of a bottom wall of the hollow beam. The bolt extends from the chassis structure, through a hole formed in the bottom wall of the hollow beam, and into the tube nut to connect the chassis structure to the body structure. The attachment may include a second bulkhead.

Attachment bulkhead for body structures

A vehicle includes a body structure and a frame rail assembly. The frame rail assembly extends forward from the bulkhead along a longitudinal centerline. The frame rail assembly includes a frame rail defining a rail axis and a reinforcing member. The frame rail defines a longitudinally extending seam and the frame rail extends forward from the bulkhead along the longitudinal centerline. The frame rail further defines an end portion. The reinforcing member is secured to the frame rail at the end portion to increase a stiffness of the frame rail at the end portion. The reinforcing member is configured to limit a stress at the seam, transverse to the rail axis, resulting from a load applied to the end portion of the frame rail and laterally offset from the longitudinal centerline.

Automotive frame rail reinforcing member to manage an offset, frontal applied load

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Terry A Swartzell