Patent ID: 12240311

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS.1and2jointly illustrate, each in a perspective view, an accident situation which can also represent a test situation, between on the one hand a motor vehicle battery34according to the prior art and on the other hand a disruptive body28, which can represent any accident opponent or test body, which upon impact on this motor vehicle battery34in a direction referred to as disruptive body movement direction30, exerts a mechanical force introduction6on the motor vehicle battery34and its motor vehicle battery attachment parts in a direction referred to as force direction13, seeFIG.2. In the process, the disruptive body28pending the reaching of a certain counterforce enters the motor vehicle battery34, seeFIG.2, wherein a motor vehicle battery attachment part arranged on this motor vehicle battery34is mechanically overloaded and driven into a housing of this motor vehicle battery34. Thus, this housing is penetrated so that possible safety-relevant internal components of the motor vehicle battery34are damaged, which is undesirable.

FIGS.3to8illustrate different exemplary embodiments of a motor vehicle battery according to the invention as a whole marked with the reference number1for a motor vehicle15merely indicated in a greatly simplified manner which can be moved on a surface31in a travelling direction16indicated by means of an arrow. The motor vehicle battery1can be used in such a motor vehicle15, which can be for example an electrically driven motor vehicle, in order to feed either electrical consumers of the motor vehicle15and/or an electric drive of the motor vehicle15with electric energy. For this purpose, the motor vehicle battery1for example is releasably fixed via holders2on motor vehicle structural parts17of the motor vehicle15.

With reference toFIGS.3and4, it is possible to recognise in two perspective views an accident situation that is comparable with the accident situation illustrated inFIGS.1and2, wherein however a disruptive body28now strikes a motor vehicle battery1according to the invention in a disruptive body movement direction30, see in particularFIG.3. When the disruptive body28impacts the motor vehicle battery1, a mechanical force introduction6is exemplarily brought about on the motor vehicle battery1and its motor vehicle battery attachment parts, which are exemplarily realised by a single holder2, seeFIG.4. Here, the disruptive body28enters the motor vehicle battery1until a certain counterforce is reached. The said holder2, which is initially in a starting state32, which inFIG.3is indicated with continuous lines of the holder2, is bent over by the said force introduction6at a bending portion3of the holder2and placed flush into a plane29oriented parallel with respect to a flat side shell surface12of a housing9of the motor vehicle battery1, which inFIGS.3and4is merely indicated in the form of an extract with dotted lines, so that the holder2can support itself flat on the housing9of the motor vehicle1, which is referred to as bent-over state33and inFIGS.3and4indicated in each case with dotted lines of the holder2. Because of this, a mechanical overloading of the holder2and/or of the housing9as well as a penetration of the holder2into the housing9of the motor vehicle battery1can be prevented, so that safety-relevant internal components of the motor vehicle battery1are not damaged and the rising demands on the accident safety of a motor vehicle battery can be satisfied.

In order to be able to technically achieve the functionality with a holder2described above, it is initially provided again making reference toFIGS.3and4that the holder2, with respect to the motor vehicle battery1and/or its housing9, forms a separate unit. The holder2has a bending portion marked with reference number3, which for example materially joins a first holding portion4and a second holding portion5, wherein it is arranged quasi sandwich-like between the two holding portions4,5, so that a contiguous one-piece holder2is present. Practically, the bending portion3is ductile and makes possible, upon a force introduction6exerted by the disruptive body28at the holding portions4,5in a force direction13a bending7of at least one holding portion4,5transversely to the force direction13about a bending axis8of the bending portion3. Here it is practical when the bending axis8of the bending portion3is defined for example by an imaginary section line between the surfaces of the holding portions4,5or by the main extension direction of the bending portion3.

InFIGS.3and4it is noticeable, further, that the first holding portion4of these two holding portions4,5is fixed on the side shell surface12of the housing9of the motor vehicle battery1and the second holding portion5of these two holding portions4,5is fixed on the motor vehicle structural part17of the motor vehicle15. Furthermore, it is readily noticeable at least inFIG.3that in the starting state32of the holder2the first holding portion4is oriented at approximately 90°, i.e. orthogonally relative to the second holding portion5, while inFIGS.3and4it is noticeable, that in the bent-over state33of the holder2the first holding portion4is oriented at approximately 180° relative to the second holding portion5, so that the two holding portions4,5lie in the said plane29and touchingly against the side shell surface12of the housing9.

Again making reference toFIGS.3and4it still needs to be explained that the first holding portion4comprises a fixing portion10, which defines a flat equipping surface11. Here, the first holding portion4is supported via the equipping surface11over the full surface area directly on the side shell surface12of the housing9of the motor vehicle battery1oriented orthogonally with respect to the travelling direction16of the motor vehicle15and fixed, for example welded or bonded. The second holding portion5has a further fixing portion23which comprises a fixing means24and defines a flat further equipping surface25, wherein the second holding portion5is arranged and fixed on the motor vehicle structural part17via the further equipping surface25supported over the full surface area directly on a mounting surface19of the motor vehicle structural part17of the motor vehicle15and with the help of the fixing means24.

The bending portion3and the two holding portions4,5, i.e. the entire holder2, are exemplarily produced from a ductile monolithic material of identical material, so that in particular the bending portion3upon bending7of at least one holding portion4,5about the bending axis8of the bending portion3does not fail through a brittle fracture.

FIG.5shows in a lateral view an alternative embodiment of a motor vehicle battery1according to the invention, wherein the holder2there is presented in a starting state32and a bent-over state33indicated by dotted line. The second holding portion5of the holder2has, at a free front portion26that is distant from the bending portion3facing away with respect to the side shell surface12of the housing9of the motor vehicle1, a chamfer27which, with respect to the illustrated force introduction6or the force direction13of the force introduction6, is configured angularly tilted so that upon a force introduction6on the second holding portion5caused by the disruptive body28, the second holding portion5can slide off over the sliding surface or the chamfer27on the disruptive body28in a predetermined direction and realise a desired bending7round about the bending portion3.

FIG.6shows in a lateral view an alternative further embodiment of a motor vehicle battery1according to the invention, wherein the holder2there is presented, as inFIG.5, in a starting state32and in a bent-over state33indicated by dotted line. As in the preceding exemplary embodiment, the holder2or the holding portion5of the holder2has a chamfer27on a free front portion26that is distant from the bending portion3facing away with respect to the side shell surface12of the housing9of the motor vehicle battery1. In contrast with the preceding exemplary embodiment, the present chamfer27however is realised by a wall thickness of the second holding portion5of the holder2decreasing from the housing9of the motor vehicle battery1towards the front portion26. Thus, this holding portion5is thinner at its free end than at its housing-side root.

Furthermore,FIG.7shows in a lateral view an alternative further embodiment of a motor vehicle battery1according to the invention, wherein the holder2there is indicated in a starting state32and a bent-over state33indicated by dotted line. The holder2or the holding portion5of the holder2has a chamfer27at a free front portion26distant from the bending portion3facing away with respect to the housing9of the motor vehicle battery1. In contrast with the preceding exemplary embodiments, this chamfer27however is oriented transversely with respect to the illustrated force introduction6or the force direction13of the force introduction6.

Finally,FIG.8shows in a lateral view the embodiment according toFIG.7, however with the distinction that there a bending portion3of the holder2is shown with a radius r or in the form of an ellipse e, which is shown inFIG.7in an extract framed by a dotted line, or in the form of an involute ev, which inFIG.7is shown in a further extract framed by a dotted line, merges from the first holding portion4of the holder2into the second holding portion5of the holder2or vice versa.