Patents Examined by James J Triggs
  • Patent number: 11794564
    Abstract: A body structure for an electrically operated vehicle has an installation space for a traction battery which is downwardly open in the vehicle vertical direction and upwardly delimited by a floor sheet-metal part forming the vehicle floor. The traction battery is inserted into the installation space from below the vehicle. A free installation gap is formed between a battery ceiling wall and the floor sheet-metal part and a spacer is supported between the battery ceiling wall and the floor sheet-metal part. The spacer is formed in two parts, namely, a buffer made from an elastic, flexible, soft component and a base made of a component-stiff hard component. In an undeformed production state, the installation height of the spacer is greater than the gap size of the installation gap. In an installation position, the spacer is supported between the floor sheet-metal part and the battery ceiling wall, elastically deforming the buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Denis Dupper
  • Patent number: 11794812
    Abstract: An electric-vehicle frame includes a mid-section and an end section. The mid-section has first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a first distance along a cross-vehicle axis defining a battery compartment therebetween. The end-section has first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a second distance along the cross-vehicle axis smaller than the first distance. A first connector is fixed to the first frame rail of the mid-section and to the first frame rail of the end-section. A second connector is fixed to the second frame rail of the mid-section and to the second frame rail of the end-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ajay Kumar Gupta, Leonard Anthony Shaner, Yu Liu, John Wesley Stanley, Yu-Kan Hu, Fungtai Charles Ko, Petros Frantzeskakis
  • Patent number: 11794562
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a chassis having an upper frame plate and a lower frame plate. Between the upper frame plate and the lower frame plate there is provided a traction battery pack arrangement comprising one or more battery modules, and a hydrogen tank structure comprising one or more hydrogen tanks. The hydrogen tank structure is vertically tightened to the traction battery pack arrangement, so that one of the hydrogen tank structure and said traction battery pack arrangement is located on top of the other. At least one of the hydrogen tank structure and the traction battery pack arrangement is tightened to one of the upper and lower frame plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Jan Hendriks, Anders Olsson
  • Patent number: 11787677
    Abstract: A working machine including a machine body having an operator cab, a ground engaging propulsion structure to permit movement of the machine over the ground, a load handling apparatus coupled to the machine body and moveable by a movement actuator with respect to the machine body, and an electric energy storage unit for providing power to the working machine. The working machine includes a longitudinal axis, wherein the operator cab is positioned towards a first side of the working machine with respect to the longitudinal axis, and the electric energy storage unit is positioned towards a second side of the working machine with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the first and second sides are located opposite each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: J. C. Bamford Excavators Limited
    Inventors: Tom Rushton, Richard Brooks
  • Patent number: 11780310
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a traction battery module which has a hermetically sealed module housing in which at least one cell stack pair including a left-hand-side and a right-hand-side cell stack including, in each case, at least two battery cells is accommodated. The traction battery module is arranged in the vehicle floor and extends symmetrically in relation to the vehicle center (M) in the vehicle transverse direction (X). The traction battery module has a bottom wall in a horizontal plane. A gas space is formed in the module housing in the vehicle center (M) and between the left-hand-side cell stack and the right-hand-side cell stack with respect to the vehicle transverse direction (X). The module bottom wall has a degassing element centrally in the vehicle in the region of the gas space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Inventors: Philipp Kellner, Sascha Mostofi, Christopher Volkmer, Immanuel Vogel, Adrian Starczewski, Dieter Schiebel, Ralf Keller, Maximilian Müller
  • Patent number: 11772737
    Abstract: A battery attaching/detaching structure for a saddle-type vehicle including: a plurality of substantially rectangular parallelepiped batteries for supplying electric power to a power source of the saddle-type vehicle; a battery case in which the batteries are stored; battery-side terminals provided on lower surfaces of the batteries; and case-side terminals engaged with the battery-side terminals, comprises terminal holders that support the case-side terminals such that the case-side terminals are movable between a connected position where the case-side terminals are connected to the battery-side terminals and a retracted position where the case-side terminals are separated from the battery-side terminals. Between the case-side terminals and the terminal holders, springs for urging the case-side terminals in a direction of pressing the battery-side terminals are disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sadataka Okabe, Akira Sato, Shunichi Nakabayashi
  • Patent number: 11772192
    Abstract: A battery carrier for an electric vehicle that has a trough with a frame and/or struts running in the trough. The frame and/or the struts are produced from hollow profiles, such as extruded lightweight metal profiles, which are connected by means of materially bonded joining. At least one lightweight metal profile has been geometrically calibrated at one end portion, which has a chamfer on a top side, wherein the thermal joining seam is arranged in the chamfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: BENTELER AUTOMOBILTECHNIK GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Handing, Frode Paulsen
  • Patent number: 11777168
    Abstract: A battery protection member includes a main body portion and a fixation portion, wherein the battery protection member is connected with a bottom portion of a vehicle via the fixation portion, and the battery protection member is disposed at a front-end side of a battery pack and to be apart from the battery pack. At least a part of a front-end portion of the battery pack is in a range with the fixation portion as a center and having a rotation radius of the battery protection member as a radius. An inclination surface is formed at the front-end side of the main body portion to extend from an upper side toward a rear side and a lower side, and when the inclination surface receives a collision, the angle between the inclination surface and a horizontal direction is decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zeming Chen, Kiyohiko Matsuoka, Chunlang Liang
  • Patent number: 11766925
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a battery module support arrangement for supporting a battery module to a longitudinally extending frame rail of an electrified heavy vehicle; the battery module support arrangement comprising a pair of triangularly shaped support brackets spaced apart from each other, each of the triangularly shaped support brackets comprising a rail attachment portion for connecting the triangularly shaped support bracket to the longitudinally extending frame rail, and an angled portion extending downwardly between the rail attachment portion and a lower end portion of the triangularly shaped support bracket, wherein a first one of the triangularly shaped support brackets comprises at least one battery module support portion positioned along the angled portion of the first support bracket, and a second one of the triangularly shaped support brackets comprises a pair of battery module support portions positioned along the angled portion of the second support bracket, wherein the battery modu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Sondre Landvik, Mikael Boisen, Guilherme Selbach, Krister Andersson
  • Patent number: 11766926
    Abstract: A battery pack case and a vehicle having the battery pack case are provided. The battery pack case includes a beam disposed in the battery pack case and a connection column connected to the beam. A first chamber extending in a length direction of the beam is disposed inside the beam, and the first chamber penetrates through the beam. The connection column penetrates through a side wall of the first chamber. In an extending direction of the first chamber, two sides of the first chamber located at the connection column are provided with blocking portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: CALB Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tiebo Ma
  • Patent number: 11760184
    Abstract: A pipe connection portion of a damper case has an opening opened toward the rear side. In an end surface around the opening in the pipe connection portion, a recess is formed in an inner diameter portion. The recess is recessed to the front side as compared to another portion of the end surface. In an end surface of a pipe member, a groove portion is formed in an outer diameter portion. The groove portion is recessed to the rear side as compared to another portion of the end surface. A first seal member and a second seal member are interposed between the end surface of the damper case and the end surface of the pipe member, and the damper case and the pipe member are sealed by the seal members in a liquid-tight manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu Oshida, Hideaki Uchise, Yuya Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 11760181
    Abstract: An assembly for securing a vehicle battery on a body of a motor vehicle, includes a securing device releasably secured on a body part of the vehicle body and an adhesive material. The adhesive material is arranged between a housing of the vehicle battery and the securing device in order to connect the housing to the securing device by way of a material bond. The adhesive material is arranged over a retention element portion of a retention element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Semi Ben Salah, Josef Braun, Martin Spaeth
  • Patent number: 11760183
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a drive battery unit including a battery unit case, a pair of left and right battery side frames, and a plurality of fixing members. The drive battery unit is fixed to the vehicle. The battery unit case includes a left side wall and a right side wall. One of the pair of left and right battery side frames is disposed on a left side of the left side wall of the battery unit case. Another of the pair of left and right battery side frames is disposed on a right side of the right side wall of the battery unit case. Each of the fixing members is fixed to the pair of left and right battery side frames, and a length of each of the fixing members in the front-rear direction is longer than a length thereof in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wataru Yamamoto, Chihiro Sakurada, Ryo Fukuyama, Yuki Matsushima
  • Patent number: 11760399
    Abstract: Consumer wagons are provided for carrying seated children and/or household cargo. In some embodiments, the wagons have a footwell for children carried in the wagon to place/rest their feet, and the footwell is repositionable between use position lowered relative to the wagon base and a collapsed/storage position closer to the wagon base. And in some embodiments, the wagons have a pull-handle that can be moved between different positions and that is lockable in multiple of the different positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Veer Gear LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Bowman, Brady Schroeder
  • Patent number: 11757277
    Abstract: A system including a vehicle having a motive electrical power path, and a power distribution unit having a current protection circuit disposed in the motive electrical power path. The current protection circuit includes a first leg of the current protection circuit comprising a thermal fuse, a second leg of the current protection circuit comprising a solid state switch, and wherein the first leg and the second leg are coupled in a parallel arrangement. The system further includes a controller that includes a current detection circuit structured to determine a current flow through the motive electrical power path, and a fuse management circuit structured to provide a switch activation command in response to the current flow, wherein the solid state switch is responsive to the switch activation command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
    Inventor: Robert Stephen Douglass
  • Patent number: 11752885
    Abstract: An electric vehicle includes an electrical power converter including a case that has electrical conductivity, a cable that connects the electrical power converter and a battery, a high voltage connector that is provided at an end portion of the cable, and that is detachably mountable to the electrical power converter, a resin cover that is fixed to the case, and that protects the cable, a bracket that is fixed to the case, and that fixes the electrical power converter to a vehicle body of the electric vehicle, a metal plate that conducts with the vehicle body via the case and the bracket, and that is fixed on the resin cover, and a ground line that links the high voltage connector and the metal plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taisuke Warashina
  • Patent number: 11752852
    Abstract: A traction battery module has a housing body having four side walls and two end walls, and a plurality of cell elements which are arranged in the housing body, are arranged parallel to one another and parallel to two of the four side walls and are combined to form a cell element stack. A respective holding frame is positioned at the two end-side longitudinal ends of the cell element stack, on which holding frame the longitudinal ends of the cell elements are held such that the cell element stack is spaced apart in all four transverse directions from the four side walls. Each holding frame has a spring arrangement on its spring side facing a side wall and does not have a spring arrangement on its fixed side opposite the spring side. The holding frame is pressed by the spring arrangement onto the side wall assigned to the fixed side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Inventors: Philipp Kellner, Dieter Schiebel, Immanuel Vogel, Sascha Mostofi, Christopher Volkmer, Adrian Starczewski
  • Patent number: 11752851
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body provided with each of a pair of rockers on each side of a floor panel in a right-left direction, a battery pack that stores electric power to be supplied to a traction motor, and a pair of fixing members that fixes the battery pack to the rockers. The battery pack and the fixing members are joined by a plurality of adhesion members. The adhesion members are intermittently laid out along a vehicle length direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Takahashi, Takuya Hirota, Shunji Shibata
  • Patent number: 11752853
    Abstract: Included are a pair of rockers, a floor panel disposed between the rockers, a battery pack disposed beneath the floor panel, a bracket that connects the battery pack to the rockers, and an under cover that covers a lower face of the battery pack. The battery pack includes a tray, a first partitioning plate that is disposed upon the tray and that extends in a front-rear direction, and a plurality of battery cells disposed on both sides of the first partitioning plate upon the tray. The under cover has a first portion and a second portion disposed beneath the tray with a spacing as to the tray. The second portion is situated on an upper side from the first portion. The second portion is disposed beneath the first partitioning plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shin Inoue, Katsuya Oshima
  • Patent number: 11752854
    Abstract: A battery protection apparatus provided under a side sill of a vehicle and provided at least in a side surface of a battery pack under the vehicle, includes a protection apparatus main body, wherein a protrusion portion extending downwardly is formed in the side sill of the vehicle, the protrusion portion is positioned between the protection apparatus main body and the battery pack, and in a vertical direction, the highest point of the protection apparatus main body is higher than the lowest point of the protrusion portion with respect to the horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ozawa, Yusuke Okamoto, Shoshi Hidaka