Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Thomas Alan Wagner

Ronald David Brost

Shinichi Hirano

Jingmei Shen

Ahteram Khan

Nicholas Braeseker

Ihab Grace

Daniel Edward Wilkosz

Jesus Cardoso

Jason C Marcath

Amar Marpu

Beth Ann Dalrymple

Hsiao-An Hsieh

Keith Kearney

David Hayes

Afif Sabbagh

Ying Zhao

This disclosure details exemplary battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include an enclosure assembly, one or more battery internal components (e.g., battery arrays, battery electronic components, or both) inside the enclosure assembly, and a structural brace outside of the enclosure assembly. The battery internal component may be mechanically coupled to the structural brace while also being mechanically decoupled from the enclosure assembly.

Mounting solutions for electrified vehicle battery packs

A vehicle underbody includes a battery pack surrounded by an enclosure, and a bracket. The bracket has first and second flanges disposed in a parallel arrangement, and includes a plate having a wall configured to, in response to an impact, rupture at a trigger to allow the enclosure to move away from an impact direction and deform the first flange. The wall is disposed at angle relative to the flanges, and defined such that impact energy is absorbed by the wall and first flange. The first flange, during an impact, moves toward the second flange, which maintains attachment to the vehicle underbody to absorb energy.

Bracket attachment structure having an internal plate

An exemplary traction battery securing assembly includes, among other things, a platform to support a battery pack, and a bracket supporting the platform in a position spaced from a vehicle structure. The bracket moves from a less elongated position to a more elongated position in response to a load to permit movement of the platform and the traction battery relative to the vehicle structure. An exemplary traction battery securing method includes, among other things, elongating a bracket in response to a load to permit a traction battery to move relative to a vehicle structure.

Traction battery securing assembly and method

A battery assembly includes a housing defining a plenum having an inlet, and a row of battery cells disposed within the housing. Each adjacent pair of the cells defines a gap in fluid communication with the plenum. The gaps proximate to the inlet are narrower than the gaps distant from the inlet to promote generally equalized flow of fluid through the gaps.

Vehicle battery system with non-uniformly spaced cells

A fuel cell stack includes a membrane electrode assembly and a bipolar plate. The bipolar plate has a corrugated portion defined by an adjacent pair of proximal and distal peak portions and a sidewall segment connecting the peak portions. The sidewall segment and membrane electrode assembly at least partially define a flow channel. The sidewall segment includes a shoulder portion defining a step spaced away from the peak portions.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell with stepped channel bipolar plate

A fuel cell system may include a fuel cell stack having a header and active area in fluid communication with the header. The fuel cell system may also include a wedge disposed within the header and configured to alter the cross-sectional area of the header along the length of the stack such that, during operation of the stack, a flow velocity of gas through the active area is generally constant.

Fuel cell header wedge

A vehicle battery assembly includes a housing defining a plenum having an inlet, and a plurality of battery cells disposed within the housing. The plenum has an effective cross-sectional area that decreases as a distance from the inlet increases and is arranged to promote development of generally uniform pressure within the plenum.

Traction battery assembly with plenum arranged to promote development of more uniform pressure therein

A power generating system may include a plurality of bipolar plates stacked to form a fuel cell assembly having an inlet side, a non-inlet side, an inlet header extending from the inlet side to the non-inlet side, an active area, and an inlet transition area. The inlet transition area may be in fluid communication with (i) the inlet header via feed passageways formed in each of the plates and (ii) the active area. The feed passageways of the plates located proximate to the inlet side may be generally smaller and/or fewer in number than the feed passageways of the plates located proximate to the non-inlet side such that, during operation of the fuel cell assembly, a flow velocity of gas through the active area is generally constant.

Fuel cell stack that promotes generally uniform flow therein

An interior body trim assembly includes a trim panel and a closure member. The trim panel has an indented panel portion with an outline of part of an outer boundary of a passage. The closure member meets the trim panel with a portion of the closure member extending over the indented panel portion. The portion of the closure member and the indented panel portion complete the outer boundary of the passage and thereby form the passage.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Thomas Alan Wagner