Patent ID: 12202538

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

FIG.2is a perspective view of a chassis crossmember200attached to chassis rails202A,202B. The chassis crossmember200includes a body204generally extending perpendicularly between the left chassis rail202A and the right chassis rail202B (may be referred to generally as chassis rails202). Further, the body204is rigidly attached to the chassis rails202by upper brackets206A,206B, and lower brackets208A,208B. In particular, left upper bracket206A and left lower bracket208A are attached to a left inner surface210A of the left chassis rail202A, and right upper bracket206B and right lower bracket208B are attached to a right inner surface210B of the right chassis rail202B. Accordingly, the chassis crossmember200is rigidly attached to the chassis rails202to increase a stiffness of a chassis of a vehicle.

FIG.3is a perspective view of a chassis crossmember assembly300attached to chassis rails202A,202B. The chassis crossmember assembly300includes a chassis crossmember302configured to support a battery and increase a stiffness of a chassis of a vehicle (e.g., truck). The chassis crossmember302generally extends perpendicularly between and is rigidly attached to the left chassis rail202A and the right chassis rail202B. The chassis crossmember302is attached to a left inner surface210A of the left chassis rail202A, and the right inner surface210B of the right chassis rail202B. Accordingly, the chassis crossmember302is rigidly attached to the chassis rails202to increase a stiffness of a chassis of a vehicle, while also supporting and/or housing a battery. In certain embodiments, a height of the chassis crossmember302is less than a height of the chassis rails202A,202B.

FIGS.4A-4Bare views of the chassis crossmember assembly300ofFIG.3. The chassis crossmember assembly300includes the chassis crossmember302and vehicle batteries400(1),400(2) (may be referred to as vehicle batteries400). The chassis crossmember302includes a battery support402configured to increase a stiffness of a chassis of a vehicle (e.g., truck), and mounting brackets404A-406B to attach the chassis crossmember302to the chassis rails202. In particular, the chassis crossmember302includes an upper left mounting bracket404A and/or a lower left mounting bracket406A, which are configured to rigidly mount a left side of the battery support402to a left inner surface210A of the left chassis rail202A of the chassis. The chassis crossmember302further includes an upper right mounting bracket404B and/or a lower right mounting bracket406B, configured to rigidly mount a right side of the battery support402to a right inner surface210B of the right chassis rail202B of the chassis.

In certain embodiments, the battery support402includes a battery tray408and a steppable cover410removably attached to the battery tray408. The battery tray408is configured to extend between a left rail202A and a right rail202B of the chassis. The battery tray408and steppable cover410define an interior412with the vehicle batteries400mounted and housed therein. In this way, the vehicle batteries400are protected from the environment, and the battery support402may be stood on by a user without damaging the vehicle batteries400.

The vehicle batteries400include a first vehicle battery400(1) and a second vehicle battery400(2), although in certain embodiments, more or fewer vehicle batteries400may be used. The vehicle batteries400are installed on the battery support402. In particular, the chassis crossmember302includes battery hold downs414A,414B removably fixing the vehicle batteries400to the battery support402. Each of the first vehicle battery400(1) and the second vehicle battery400(2) have a rectangular shape with two long sidewalls416and two short sidewalls418. One of the two long sidewalls416of the first vehicle battery400(1) is positioned adjacent to one of the two long sidewalls416of the second vehicle battery400(2). The battery hold downs414A,414B (between a front and back of the battery support402) extend across a width of both the vehicle batteries400.

In certain embodiments, the chassis crossmember assembly300includes an electronic brake system (EBS) module420mounted to a rear side of the battery support402. Such a configuration maintains the position of the EBS module420relative to the chassis crossmember200, which facilitates retroactive integration of the chassis crossmember assembly300into existing truck configurations. In other embodiments, additional and/or alternative modules may be mounted to the chassis crossmember assembly300.

FIG.5is a perspective view of the battery tray408and mounting brackets404A-406B of the chassis crossmember assembly300ofFIG.4A. The battery tray408includes a center portion500, left side plate502A, and/or right side plate502B. The center portion500includes a floor504, a front sidewall506, and a rear sidewall508. In certain embodiments, the front sidewall506, and the rear sidewall508are integrally connected to the floor504. The side plates502A,502B (may be referred to generally as side plate502) extend between the front sidewall506and the rear sidewall508. In certain embodiments, the battery tray408includes the center portion500but not the side plates502.

Right side plate502B includes a plate body512B with a front flange514B extending generally perpendicularly from a front edge of the plate body512B, a rear flange516B extending generally perpendicularly from a rear edge of the plate body512B, an upper flange518B extending generally perpendicularly from an upper edge of the plate body512B, and/or a lower flange520B extending generally perpendicularly from a lower edge of the plate body512B. Each of the flanges514B,516B,518B,520B, includes a plurality of holes522for fastening the right side plate502B to the center portion500. The front flange514B includes a non-overlap portion524B, an upper overlap portion526B, and a lower overlap portion528B. In particular, the lower overlap portion528B is at a generally perpendicular angle relative to the non-overlap portion524B. The plate body512B, non-overlap portion524B, and lower overlap portion528B form a drainage hole530. The overlaps reinforce corners of the battery support402, thereby providing further strength and rigidity to the battery support402.

The upper overlap portion526B includes a similar configuration as the lower overlap portion528B. Further, the rear flange516B includes a similar configuration as the front flange514B. Still, further, the left side plate502A includes a similar configuration as the right side plate502B. Accordingly, the battery support402includes a drainage hole530in each bottom corner of the battery support402. These drainage holes530prevent the accumulation of dust, debris, water, etc. within an interior412of the battery support402.

In certain embodiments, the right side plate502B includes a cable aperture532to route one or more cables from an interior412to an exterior of the battery support402. In particular, one or more cables may be routed from the vehicle batteries400within the interior412of the battery support402to an exterior of the battery support402.

As noted above, the chassis crossmember assembly300includes the upper left mounting bracket404A and/or a lower left mounting bracket406A. The lower left mounting bracket406A, and lower right mounting bracket406B are attached to a bottom of the battery support402. The upper left mounting bracket404A and upper right mounting bracket404B are attached to a top of the battery support402.

The upper left mounting bracket404A is spaced from the lower left mounting bracket406A to provide a mounting gap534A therebetween, and the upper right mounting bracket404B is spaced from the lower right mounting bracket406B to provide a mounting gap534B therebetween. These mounting gaps534A,534B provides space for other components that may be mounted or positioned at the interior surface or exterior surface of the chassis rails202.

The upper left mounting bracket404A includes a horizontal portion536A and a vertical portion538A. The horizontal portion536A includes holes540configured to align with holes522of the upper left flange518A and/or overlap portions526A of the flanges514A,516A (e.g., see discussion above of upper right flange518B). The vertical portion538A includes a plurality of rivet holes542extending linearly between a front and back of the battery support402for mounting the upper left mounting bracket404A to the left chassis rail202A. In certain embodiments, the vertical portion538A includes more than ten rivet holes542(e.g., thirteen rivet holes542). Further, the upper left mounting bracket404A is devoid of a gusset to facilitate assembly of the upper left mounting bracket404A to the left chassis rail202A (as discussed in more detail below).

The lower left mounting bracket406A includes a horizontal portion544A, a vertical portion546A, and front and rear gussets548A therebetween. Similar to the upper left mounting bracket404A, the horizontal portion544A includes holes that are configured to align with holes522of the lower left flange520A and/or overlap portions528A of the flanges514A,516A (e.g., see discussion above of upper right flange518B). The vertical portion546A includes a plurality of rivet holes550extending linearly between a front and back of the battery support402for mounting the lower left mounting bracket406A to the left chassis rail202A. In certain embodiments, the vertical portion546A includes more than ten rivet holes550(e.g., thirteen rivet holes550). The lower left mounting bracket406A includes gussets548A to increase rigidity and support of the lower left mounting bracket406A as most of the weight of the battery support402is carried by the lower mounting brackets406A,406B. Further, in certain embodiments, the lower left mounting bracket406A includes drainage holes552in front and rear corners defined by the horizontal portion544A, vertical portion546A, and gusset548A. These drainage holes552prevent the accumulation of dust, debris, water, etc. within the lower left mounting bracket406A. It is noted that a drainage path is formed from the interior412through drainage hole530onto the lower mounting bracket406A and then through drainage hole552.

The upper right mounting bracket404B includes a similar configuration as the upper left mounting bracket404A, and/or the lower right mounting bracket406B includes a similar configuration as the lower left mounting bracket406A.

FIGS.6A-6Care views of mounting the chassis crossmember assembly300to chassis rails202. Referring toFIG.6A, the left lower mounting bracket406A, is attached to the left inner surface210A of the left chassis rail202A. In particular, the vertical portion546A of the left lower mounting bracket406A is attached to the left inner surface210A. Similarly, the right lower mounting bracket406B is attached to the right inner surface210B of the right chassis rail202B. In particular, the vertical portion546B of the right lower mounting bracket406B is attached to the right inner surface210B.

Referring toFIG.6B, the battery support402is dropped between the chassis rails202onto the left and right lower mounting brackets406A,406B. In particular, the floor504of the center portion500of the battery tray408of the battery support402contacts and is attached to the horizontal portions544A,544B of the left and right lower mounting brackets406A,406B. In certain embodiments, the width W1of the battery support402is less than a width W2of a gap between the chassis rails202to vertically move the battery support402between the chassis rails202.

Referring toFIG.6C, left and right upper mounting brackets404A are attached to the chassis rails202and the battery support402. In particular, the horizontal portion536A of the left upper mounting bracket404A is fed between an angled gap600A (e.g., L-shaped gap) defined between the left chassis rail202A and the battery support402. The vertical portion538A of the left upper mounting bracket404A is attached to the interior surface210A of the left chassis rail202A. The horizontal portion536A of the left upper mounting bracket404A is attached to the top of the battery support402. Similarly, the horizontal portion536B of the right upper mounting bracket404B is fed between an angled gap600B (e.g., L-shaped gap) defined between the right chassis rail202B and the battery support402. The vertical portion538B of the right upper mounting bracket404B is attached to the interior surface210B of the right chassis rail202B. The horizontal portion536B of the right upper mounting bracket404B is attached to the top of the battery support402.

It is noted that the left and right upper mounting brackets404A,404B are devoid of gussets, which facilitates positioning of the left and right upper mounting brackets404A,404B between the battery support402and the chassis rails202.

FIG.7is a cross-sectional front view of the chassis crossmember assembly300ofFIG.4Amounted to chassis rails202. The chassis crossmember assembly300includes a chassis crossmember302mounted to chassis rails202and vehicle batteries400housed within the chassis crossmember302. In particular, the battery support402of the chassis crossmember302is mounted to the chassis rails202by the mounting brackets404A-406B and rivets700and extends between the left chassis rail202A and the right chassis rail202B. The rigid attachment of the battery support402to the chassis rails202and/or vertical orientation of the front sidewall506(see, e.g.,FIG.5) and rear sidewall508increases a stiffness of the chassis. As shown, mounting gaps534A,534B provide space for other components that may be mounted or positioned at the interior surface or exterior surface of the chassis rails202.

In certain embodiments, the vehicle batteries400are rigidly mounted to and held within the battery support402. In particular, vehicle batteries400are mounted to the battery tray408by battery hold downs414A,414B and contained within the battery tray408by steppable cover410. Drainage holes530prevent the accumulation of dust, debris, water, etc. within an interior of the battery support402, and/or drainage holes552prevent the accumulation of dust, debris, water, etc. within the lower mounting brackets406A,406B. In certain embodiments, drainage holes530,552prevent stress concentration in the corners.

FIG.8is a perspective view of a contour plot illustrating the maximum stress of the chassis crossmember assembly300when subjected to various loads (e.g., torsion, acceleration, etc.) during an endurance test. In certain embodiments, the chassis crossmember assembly300is configured for similar stress loads and stiffness as the chassis crossmember200(see, e.g.,FIG.2). In certain embodiments, the chassis crossmember assembly300is configured for a maximum stress value of 316.9 MPa. In other embodiments, the chassis crossmember assembly300is configured for a maximum stress value of 350 MPa. In other embodiments, the chassis crossmember assembly300is configured for a maximum stress value of 400 MPa.

In certain embodiments, the battery tray402(e.g., center portion500, left side plate502A, and/or right side plate502B include 4 mm, grade 50, 380 MPa yield structural steel. In certain embodiments, the upper mounting brackets404A,404B and/or lower mounting brackets406A,406B include 7 mm. Grade 70, 500 MPa yield structural steel.

FIG.9is a perspective view of a truck900with a chassis crossmember200attached to chassis rails202. In particular, the truck900includes a cab902and a chassis904. The chassis904includes the chassis rails202with the chassis crossmember200extending therebetween. The truck900includes a wheelbase WB defined between the front axle906and the center of rear axle hub908.

FIGS.10A-10Care views of a truck900′ with a chassis crossmember assembly300with a battery support402attached to and extending between the chassis rails202. Referring toFIG.10A, as illustrated, the chassis crossmember assembly300is configured to replace the chassis crossmember200. As a result, the wheelbase WB′ between the front axle906and the center of rear axle hub908is reduced relative to the truck900ofFIG.9and without needing to reduce the size of the fuel tank1000. As noted above, such a configuration reduces the gap between the cab902and a trailer (not shown), thereby reducing drag force and/or increasing fuel efficiency. It is noted that although a truck900′ is illustrated, the chassis crossmember assembly300may be used in other types of vehicles.

Referring toFIGS.10B-10C, the chassis crossmember assembly300(including the chassis crossmember302) is positioned between the left chassis rail202A and the right chassis rail202B, between a top and bottom of the chassis rails202, and between a gearbox1002and a fifth wheel1004of the truck900′. In certain embodiments, the chassis crossmember assembly (including the chassis crossmember302) is positioned between the gearbox1002and the differential1006of the truck900′. The position of the chassis crossmember assembly300is advantageous in reducing accelerations on the vehicle batteries400, especially compared to the extremities of the chassis902(e.g., the front and rear of the chassis902). For example, accelerations are greater at the back of the truck900′. Positioning the chassis crossmember assembly300in a center of the chassis902instead of the rear of the chassis reduces the accelerations on the vehicle batteries400, which may improve battery performance and/or reduce battery failure. As a result, the chassis crossmember assembly300is devoid of cushioning for the vehicle batteries400, as such cushioning is not required to reduce vibrations and/or accelerations.

It is noted that the EBS module420is mounted to the rear sidewall508of the battery tray408to maintain the EBS module420in the same position as that of the truck900ofFIG.9. Additional and/or alternative components could also be mounted to the battery tray408.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.