Abstract
A vehicle includes a floor and an electric battery placed beneath the floor. The vehicle also includes a layer of sound-deadening foam inserted between the floor and the battery such that the layer has an upper surface that is in contact with the floor and a lower surface that is in contact with the battery. At least one the two surfaces forms at least a seal intended to increase the sound-deadening of the foam between the floor and the battery.
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A vehicle comprising: a floor; an electric battery placed under said floor; and a layer of sound-deadening foam inserted between the floor and said battery so that said layer has an upper surface that is in contact with the floor and a lower surface that is in contact with said battery, wherein at least one of said upper and lower surfaces forms at least one seal configured to increase sound deadening of the foam inserted between the floor and the battery.
12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the upper and lower surfaces forms a seal.
13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the seal is a rib creating a bead projecting from the upper surface or the lower surface.
14. The vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein a cross section of the seal rectangular, and a long side of the cross section is a width of the seal and a short side of the cross section is a height of the seal in relation to the upper surface or the lower surface of the foam from which said seal projects.
15. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the seal is a slot creating a groove in the upper surface or the lower surface of the foam from which said slot is hollowed out.
16. The vehicle as claimed in claim 15, wherein a cross section of the groove forming the seal is rectangular.
17. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the seal extends over an entire periphery of the upper surface or the lower surface of the foam.
18. The vehicle as claimed in claim 17, wherein the seal forms a closed loop on the upper surface or the lower surface of the foam.
19. The vehicle as claimed in claim 18, wherein the loop is rectangular.
20. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the foam is made of polyurethane and has a polyethylene film.
Description
[0017] A detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention is provided below with reference to the following figures:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a side view in a plane XZ of a zone of a vehicle according to the prior art, comprising a floor, a sound-deadening foam, and an electric battery,
[0019] FIG. 2 is a magnified view of a portion of the zone in FIG. 1, showing the foam according to a first embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention,
[0020] FIG. 3 is a magnified view of a portion of the zone in FIG. 1, showing the foam according to a second embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention,
[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a foam of a vehicle according to the invention, showing a seal on an upper surface of said foam.
[0022] With reference to FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 according to the prior art comprises a floor 2 extending in a substantially horizontal plane XY when the vehicle is on horizontal ground, and an electric battery 3 housed in a casing 4. When the battery 3 is mounted in the vehicle, the casing 4 is located under the floor 2 and has a flat upper face 5 extending in a horizontal plane XY when the vehicle 1 is on horizontal ground. Between the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4, there is a gap 6 that is filled with a layer of foam 7, preferably made of polyurethane with a polyethylene film. The upper surface 5 of the casing 4 and the floor 2 have substantially the same dimensions in a horizontal plane XY, and the foam 7 fits between the floor 2 and said upper surface 5 over substantially the entire horizontal surface of these two elements 2, 5. It is advantageously assumed that the floor 2, the upper surface 5 of the casing 4 and the foam 7 have the same dimensions and are rectangular. This foam 7 is compressed between the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4, and serves to deaden all the sounds and noises emitted between said casing 4 and said floor 2 when the vehicle is in a driving phase. However, such a foam layer 7 in fact presents some minor deficiencies in terms of sound deadening.
[0023] With reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a foam 17 of a vehicle 10 according to the invention has improved sound deadening properties, implementing at least one seal 20, 30 intended to be compressed against both the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4. The foam 17 has an upper surface 18 intended to come into contact with the floor 2 and a lower surface 19 intended to come into contact with the upper surface 5 of the casing 4, said two surfaces 18, 19 being parallel and extending horizontally when the vehicle 10 is on horizontal ground.
[0024] With reference to FIG. 2 and according to a first embodiment of a vehicle 10 according to the invention, the upper surface 18 and the lower surface 19 of the foam 17 each have a seal 20 in the form of a rib projecting from said surface 18, 19. The seal 20 of one surface 18, 19 and the seal 20 of the other surface 18, 19 project in two opposite directions along a vertical axis Z, and create an overthickness that tends to widen the foam layer 17. The seals 20 of the two surfaces 18, 19 are identical and have a rectangular cross section, a long side L of this cross section embodying the width of the seal 20 and a short side I of said cross section corresponding to the height of the seal 20, 30 in relation to the surface 18, 19 of the foam 17 on which said seal is placed.
[0025] With reference to FIG. 4, the seal 20 extends over the upper surface 18 or the lower surface 19, forming a rectangular closed loop. The dimensions of this rectangular loop are smaller than the dimensions of the two surfaces 18, 19 of the foam 17 from which the seal 20 projects. In this way, the seal 20 runs along the contour of the surface 18, 19 from which the seal projects, and therefore extends about the periphery of said surface 18, 19. The space between the contour of the surface 18, 19 and the seal 20 is less than 10 cm, and preferably less than 5 cm. In this first embodiment, the seal 20 is made of the same material as the foam 17 and advantageously the foam 17 and the seal 20 form a single part made by molding. According to a variant embodiment, the seal 20 is an attached part fastened to the foam 17.
[0026] In this first embodiment, when the foam 17 is inserted between the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4, said foam is compressed between these two elements and the seal 20 on the upper surface 18 is compressed against said floor 2 and the seal 20 on the lower surface 19 is compressed against said upper surface 5 of the housing 4. The seal 20 therefore helps to improve the sound-deadening properties of the foam 17, and to ensure a good seal between this foam 17 and the two elements constituted by the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4.
[0027] With reference to FIG. 3 and according to a second embodiment of a vehicle 10 according to the invention, the upper surface 18 and the lower surface 19 of the foam 17 each have a seal 30 in the form of a slot hollowed out of said surface 18, 19. The slot embodying the seal 30 in each surface 18, 19 is delimited by a bottom 31 and by two parallel side walls 32, 33, said two side walls 32, 33 being perpendicular to said bottom 31. The slot 30 in one surface 18, 19 and the slot 30 in the other surface 18, 19 are hollowed out along a vertical axis Z, so that the distance between the bottoms 31 of the two slots 30 is the minimum distance between said slots 30. The slots 30 in the two surfaces 18, 19 are identical and each have a rectangular cross section.
[0028] With reference to FIG. 4, the seal 30 extends over the upper surface 18 or the lower surface 19, forming a rectangular closed loop. The dimensions of this rectangular loop are smaller than the dimensions of the two surfaces 18, 19 of the foam 17 from which the slots 30 are hollowed out. In this way, the seal 30 runs along the contour of the surface 18, 19 from which the seal is hollowed out, and therefore extends about the periphery of said surface 18, 19. The space between the contour of the surface 18, 19 and the seal 30 is less than 10 cm, and preferably less than 5 cm.
[0029] For this second embodiment, when the foam 17 is inserted between the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4, said foam is compressed between these two elements 2, 5 and creates a negative pressure in the two slots embodying the seals 30. This negative pressure created in the seals 30 thus helps to improve the contact conditions between the foam 17 and the floor 2, and between the foam 17 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4. These seals 30 therefore help to improve the sound-deadening properties of the foam 17, and to ensure a good seal between this foam 17 and the two elements constituted by the floor 2 and the upper surface 5 of the casing 4.
