ENERGY STORAGE COMPARTMENT

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an energy storage compartment connectable between a pair of longitudinally extending frame rails of a heavy-duty vehicle, the energy storage compartment being arranged to house an energy storage system configured to supply energy to a prime mover of the vehicle for propulsion of the prime mover, wherein the energy storage compartment comprises longitudinally extending portions forming an encircling load absorbing module, the longitudinally extending portions comprising a pair of longitudinally extending side wall portions connectable to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, a longitudinally extending floor portion and a longitudinally extending roof portion, wherein the longitudinally extending portions of the encircling load absorbing module are arranged and configured to, when being subject to a load from the longitudinally extending frame rails, absorb the transversal component of the load.

Claims

1. An energy storage compartment, comprising: longitudinally extending portions forming an encircling load absorbing module, the longitudinally extending portions comprising: a pair of longitudinally extending side wall portions connectable to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, a longitudinally extending floor portion and a longitudinally extending roof portion, wherein the energy storage compartment is arranged to house an energy storage system configured to supply energy to a prime mover of a vehicle for propulsion of the prime mover, wherein the energy storage compartment is configured to connect between a pair of longitudinally extending frame rails of the vehicle, wherein the longitudinally extending portions of the encircling load absorbing module are arranged and configured to, when being subject to a load from the longitudinally extending frame rails, absorb a transversal component of the load.

2. The energy storage compartment of claim 1, wherein the encircling load absorbing module is free from transversal, non-longitudinally extending load absorbing structures.

3. The energy storage compartment of claim 1, wherein the floor portion is, when the energy storage compartment is connected between the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, extending transversally from one of the longitudinally extending frame rails to the other one of the longitudinally extending frame rails.

4. The energy storage compartment of claim 1, wherein the roof portion comprises a horizontal roof section and a pair of inclined roof sections, each inclined roof section extending between the horizontal roof section and a respective one of the side wall portions.

5. The energy storage compartment of claim 4, wherein the side wall portions are arranged to be connected to a vertically lower end portion of the longitudinally extending frame rails.

6. The energy storage compartment of claim 1, wherein the roof portion is, when the energy storage compartment is connected between the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, extending transversally from one of the longitudinally extending frame rails to the other one of the longitudinally extending frame rails.

7. The energy storage compartment of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal extending portions are arranged to extend between a front and a rear wheelbase position of the vehicle when the energy storage system is connected between the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails.

8. The energy storage compartment of claim 1, wherein the encircling load absorbing module houses at least one longitudinally extending energy storage shelf arranged parallel, and vertically above, the floor portion.

9. The energy storage compartment of claim 8, wherein the at least one longitudinally extending energy storage shelf further extends between the pair of longitudinally extending side wall portions.

10. A vehicle frame arrangement for a heavy-duty vehicle, comprising: a pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, and an energy storage compartment, comprising: longitudinally extending portions forming an encircling load absorbing module, the longitudinally extending portions comprising: a pair of longitudinally extending side wall portions connectable to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, a longitudinally extending floor portion and a longitudinally extending roof portion, wherein the energy storage compartment is arranged to house an energy storage system configured to supply energy to a prime mover of a vehicle for propulsion of the prime mover, wherein the side wall portions of the energy storage compartment are connected to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails, wherein the longitudinally extending portions of the encircling load absorbing module are arranged and configured to, when being subject to a load from the longitudinally extending frame rails, absorb a transversal component of the load.

11. The vehicle frame arrangement of claim 10, wherein the energy storage compartment comprises a front end portion and a rear end portion, the longitudinal portions extending between the front and rear end portions.

12. The vehicle frame arrangement of claim 10, wherein the energy storage compartment comprises an energy storage system for supply of energy to the prime mover of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle frame arrangement of claim 11, wherein the energy storage system extends undisruptedly between the front and rear end portions of the energy storage compartment.

14. The vehicle frame arrangement of claim 12, wherein the energy storage system comprises at least one vehicle battery.

15. The vehicle frame arrangement of claim 12, wherein the energy storage system comprises at least one hydrogen tank.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of exemplary embodiments, wherein:

[0034] FIG. 1 is a lateral side view illustrating a heavy-duty vehicle in the form of a truck according to an example embodiment;

[0035] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the longitudinally extending frame rails and an energy storage compartment according to an example embodiment;

[0036] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the energy storage compartment in FIG. 2 according to an example embodiment; and

[0037] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the energy storage compartment in FIG. 2 according to another example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness. Like reference character refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 1 in the form of a truck. The vehicle comprises a cab 5 in which a driver controls operation of the vehicle. The vehicle is preferably propelled by means of one or more electric motors which receives electric power from one or more batteries or one or more fuel cells. The following will describe the vehicle 1 the form of a fuel cell truck which comprises one or more hydrogen tanks arranged to contain hydrogen for operating the fuel cell(s). The vehicle may also, in addition or as an alternative, comprise one or more vehicle batteries.

[0040] As is further illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending frame rails 200 and an energy storage compartment 100 arranged between the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails 200 as seen in the transversal direction of the longitudinal extension of the vehicle 1.

[0041] With reference to FIG. 2, which is a further detailed perspective view illustrating the longitudinally extending frame rails 200 and the energy storage compartment 100 according to an example embodiment. As described above, the energy storage compartment 100 is arranged laterally between the frame rails 200, i.e. arranged between the longitudinally extending frame rails 200 as seen in the transversal direction Y. As can be further observed in FIG. 2, the energy storage compartment 100 houses an energy storage system 300. The energy storage system 300 comprises in FIG. 2, as well as in the following description of FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of hydrogen tanks 302. The hydrogen tanks 302 contains hydrogen for supply to a fuel cell arranged to generate electricity which is supplied to an electric motor (not shown).

[0042] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the energy storage compartment 100 comprises longitudinal portions 400 extending in the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle 1. The longitudinal portions 400 may extend between a front and a rear wheelbase (not shown) of the vehicle and are preferably free from non-longitudinally extending load absorbing structures. By not using e.g. transversally arranged load absorbing structures, the hydrogen tanks 302 positioned within the energy storage compartment 100 can have substantially the same length as the length of the longitudinal portions 400 of the energy storage compartment 100, i.e. extend undisruptedly between front and rear end portions of the energy storage compartment. Furthermore, and as will be described in further detail below, the longitudinally extending portions 400 together form an encircling load absorbing module 150. The longitudinally extending portions 400 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending side wall portions 402, 404 connected to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails 200, a longitudinally extending floor portion 406 and a longitudinally extending roof portion 408, whereby the longitudinally extending portions 400 form an encircling load absorbing module 150. The longitudinally extending portions 400 of the encircling load absorbing module 150 are arranged and configured to absorb transversal loads exposed to the longitudinally extending frame rails 200 during operation of the vehicle. Accordingly, the load is absorbed by the longitudinally extending portions 400 instead of using e.g. transversally extending load absorbing structures.

[0043] In order to describe the energy storage compartment 100 in further detail, reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4 which illustrate a respective example embodiment of the energy storage compartment 300.

[0044] Starting with FIG. 3, which is a cross-sectional view of the energy storage compartment 100 in FIG. 2 according to a first example embodiment. The energy storage compartment 100 comprises, as indicated above, a pair of side wall portions 402, 404 connected to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails 200, a longitudinally extending floor portion 406 and a longitudinally extending roof portion 408, wherein the side wall portions, the floor portion and the roof portion form the encircling load absorbing module 150.

[0045] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the roof portion 408 comprises a horizontal roof section 410, a first inclined roof section 412 and a second inclined roof section 414. The first inclined roof section 412 extends between a first one of the side wall portions 402 and the horizontal roof section 410, while the second inclined roof section 414 extends between a second one of the side wall portions 404 and the horizontal roof section 410. The floor portion 406 extends transversally between the frame rails 200, while the horizontal roof section 410 extends between end portions of the inclined roof sections, a distance from the respective frame rails.

[0046] Further, the energy storage compartment 100 is connected to the longitudinally extending frame rails at a lower end portion 202 of the longitudinally extending frame rails 200 using a suitable connecting arrangement. Also, with the configuration depicted in FIG. 3, at least two layers of longitudinally extending hydrogen tanks 302 can be positioned within energy storage compartment 100. However, further layer of longitudinally extending hydrogen tanks 302 are also conceivable depending on the size of the tanks. Moreover, each layer of longitudinally extending hydrogen tanks 302 may be separated by means of providing a longitudinally extending energy storage shelf 420 within the energy storage compartment 100. The energy storage shelf 420 is thus, as depicted, arranged vertically between the floor portion 406 and the roof portion 408.

[0047] Turning now to FIG. 4 which is a cross-sectional view of the energy storage compartment 100 in FIG. 2 according to a second example embodiment. In a similar vein as the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the energy storage compartment 100 comprises a pair of side wall portions 402, 404 connected to the pair of longitudinally extending frame rails 200, a longitudinally extending floor portion 406 and a longitudinally extending roof portion 408, wherein the side wall portions, the floor portion and the roof portion form the encircling load absorbing module 150.

[0048] The main difference between the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3 and the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 is that the energy storage compartment 100 in FIG. 4 is arranged as a quadratic energy storage compartment 100, i.e. the height of the side wall portions 402, 404 are substantially the same as the width of the roof portion 408 and the floor portion 406. Hereby, both the roof portion 408 as well as the floor portion 406 extends transversally between the longitudinally extending frame rails 200. The energy storage compartment 100 may also be arranged in a rectangular shape where, for example, the height of the side wall portions is larger than the width of the roof portion 408 and the floor portion 406.

[0049] Furthermore, the energy storage compartment 100 is connected to the longitudinally extending frame rails at an upper end portion 203 of the longitudinally extending frame rails 200 using a suitable connecting arrangement.

[0050] Also, the configuration depicted in FIG. 2 comprises three layers of longitudinally extending hydrogen tanks 302 positioned within energy storage compartment 100. However, further layer of longitudinally extending hydrogen tanks 302 are also conceivable depending on the size of the tanks. Moreover, the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 comprises an additional longitudinally extending energy storage shelf 430.

[0051] The additional longitudinally extending energy storage shelf 430 is thus positioned vertically above the first longitudinally extending energy storage shelf 420, whereby the three layers are physically disconnected from each other.

[0052] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.