Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H5/00—Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial or agricultural purposes
  • E04H5/02—Buildings or groups of buildings for industrial purposes, e.g. for power-plants or factories
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60S5/00—Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D63/00—Motor vehicles or trailers not otherwise provided for
  • B62D63/02—Motor vehicles
  • B62D63/025—Modular vehicles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D65/00—Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for
  • B62D65/02—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D65/00—Designing, manufacturing, e.g. assembling, facilitating disassembly, or structurally modifying motor vehicles or trailers, not otherwise provided for
  • B62D65/02—Joining sub-units or components to, or positioning sub-units or components with respect to, body shell or other sub-units or components
  • B62D65/022—Transferring or handling sub-units or components, e.g. in work stations or between workstations and transportation systems
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D29/00—Superstructures, understructures, or sub-units thereof, characterised by the material thereof
  • B62D29/04—Superstructures, understructures, or sub-units thereof, characterised by the material thereof predominantly of synthetic material

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the layout of a low-carbon automotive factory intended for the production of battery-powered vehicles, in which sub-assemblies or modules are received already partially assembled.
• This plant has the particularity of not having a fitting line which generates noise, pollution and vibrations.
• This plant can thus be set up near residential areas and accommodate individuals wishing to buy, rent, refurbish, repair, modify or recycle a vehicle.
• Said plant also includes several buildings, those presenting the greatest risk of incident being separated from the rest of the infrastructure for security and cost reasons.
• Automobile assembly plants are usually giant because they contain a shoeing line several kilometers long. This line is used to unwind sheet metal strips, degrease them, oil them, pre-cut parts (for example bodywork parts) by stamping, stamp them, degrease them again, weld them between them, to phosphate them, to paint them by cataphoresis and finally to bake the paint.
• This line is used to unwind sheet metal strips, degrease them, oil them, pre-cut parts (for example bodywork parts) by stamping, stamp them, degrease them again, weld them between them, to phosphate them, to paint them by cataphoresis and finally to bake the paint.
• the fitting line prevents any modularity, because the first element is the sheet metal shell chassis, the structure on which all the other parts are assembled. This way of manufacturing cars in large series is based on the optimization of steel which has been the same since 1932 and is universally spread all over the planet.
• Battery-powered vehicles require the fitting of propulsion batteries, usually lithium-ion. This assembly is carried out within the assembly line, requiring the presence of said batteries at the heart of the factory. As these factories are generally intended to manufacture internal combustion vehicles, the batteries are added to existing production lines when switching from the production of internal combustion vehicles to the production of electric or hybrid vehicles. In the event of fire, the flammable electrolytes of a battery generate their own oxidizer, this cannot be extinguished. The fire raged and quickly became impossible to contain. Consequently, the fire of a single battery within the assembly line can create considerable damage, since the intensity of the flames and the heat column of more than 800°C over a height of 8m can affect the structure of the building. The fire will last until the electrolyte is completely consumed.
• the smoke from the fire would force the factory to be completely evacuated and to stop all production until decontamination.
• the soot emitted during a battery fire contains large quantities of cobalt oxide, nickel oxide and manganese oxide and so the entire site should be decontaminated before even restarting the the production.
• An object of the invention is therefore to improve the methods and processes for manufacturing vehicles and the means necessary for this purpose, such as in particular the factories.
• Another object of the invention is to minimize, or even eliminate, carbon emissions during the manufacture of vehicles.
• Another object of the invention is to simplify vehicle manufacturing processes and to bring manufacturing plants closer to consumers in order to reduce the need for transport, in particular by road, of the vehicles manufactured.
• the vehicle must preferably include at least one propulsion battery (electric, hybrid or other vehicle), it must be possible to assemble batteries on the vehicle, the assembly of batteries must be done in a separate building, which will be sacrificed in the event of a fire
• the vehicle must have little Embodied Energy.
• the factory should preferably be built nearby or in towns.
• the factory must be "zero" emissions, "zero" water pollution, the assembly center must imperatively be of small dimensions.
• the fitting line must be eliminated from the manufacturing process and the fitting line must be replaced by another process, for example SKD and rotational molding as described in the present application.
• the process and the factory should preferably integrate the services, the showroom, the recycling of the integrated bodywork, the retrofit, the repairs, the change of bodywork while keeping the chassis-propulsion.
• the assembly center should preferably be close to the rail to bring the parts by train, the factory should be equipped with a component delivery platform.
• the invention relates to a factory for the manufacture of electric or hybrid vehicles, said factory comprising on a site at least one assembly space for said vehicles, in which no steel transformation operation is carried out, thus largely eliminating toxic fumes, production of chemical or other waste, noise pollution, vibrations, odors, dust and water consumption so that said plant can be implanted near or in residential areas, for example cities.
• the plant comprises on said site at least one of the following elements: a showroom open to the public and intended for the purchase of vehicles; a retrofit space intended for the renovation of aging vehicles used to give them a second life; a recycling area for recycling end-of-life vehicle components; an after-sales service (after-sales service) space intended for the repair of vehicles in circulation and the replacement of vehicle components; a battery building dedicated to the storage and assembly of propulsion batteries in said vehicles, said battery building being separated from the rest of said factory by one or more fire separation spaces.
• a showroom open to the public and intended for the purchase of vehicles a retrofit space intended for the renovation of aging vehicles used to give them a second life
• a recycling area for recycling end-of-life vehicle components
• an after-sales service (after-sales service) space intended for the repair of vehicles in circulation and the replacement of vehicle components
• a battery building dedicated to the storage and assembly of propulsion batteries in said vehicles, said battery building being separated from the rest of said factory by one or more fire separation spaces.
• the plant may perform polymer car body shredding within its recycling space.
• the factory can carry out a change of bodywork on a vehicle in circulation within its after-sales service area.
• the factory can operate in an SKD ("Semi Knocked Down") system in which sub-assemblies arrive pre-assembled and pre-checked in said factory and these sub-assemblies are then assembled. each other in the assembly space to produce the final vehicle. Assembly may be by bolting or other equivalent method.
• the plant is intended for the assembly of vehicles comprising four modules: a front frame module, a rear frame module, a central frame platform, and a body.
• a front frame module a rear frame module
• a central frame platform a central frame platform
• the bodies are made of polymer(s) and produced on site in the assembly building.
• chassis modules arrive already partially or fully assembled and are assembled together to form the chassis in the assembly building.
• the battery building is a building of small dimensions, rudimentary, thus having a low manufacturing cost and which can be quickly and inexpensively rebuilt or renovated in the event of a disaster.
• the factory comprises at least one space dedicated to mounting a battery tent, separated from the rest of said factory by one or more fire separation spaces, said battery tent being able to carry out the operations provided for in the building. batteries if the latter is not in working condition.
• the factory comprises at least one workshop building separated from the rest of said factory by one or more fire separation spaces, dedicated to adjustment, control, repair, after-sales service, retrofit, recycling or other operations. on vehicles equipped with propulsion batteries.
• the workshop building is a building of small dimensions, rudimentary, thus having a low manufacturing cost and which can be quickly and inexpensively rebuilt or renovated in the event of a disaster.
• the plant comprises at least one space dedicated to setting up a temporary shelter, such as a workshop tent, separated from the rest of said plant by one or more fire separation spaces, said shelter being able to the operations planned in the workshop building if the latter is not in working order.
• a temporary shelter such as a workshop tent
• the invention relates to a method of manufacturing vehicles, in particular battery-powered vehicles, based on the factory layout as described in the present application.
• the process for manufacturing vehicles, in particular battery-powered vehicles comprises the following steps:
• modules or parts of modules intended to form a vehicle are manufactured in dedicated and decentralized factories;
• the modules or parts of them are brought by low or non-polluting means of transport to a centralized assembly plant close to the customers;
• the modules, parts of modules, elements of the vehicle are assembled in dedicated parts of the assembly plant, certain dedicated parts of the plant being intended to be sacrificed if necessary and replaced by equivalent and temporary parts or not in order to prevent stoppages or reduction of production;
• FIG. 1 represents a plan seen from above of the factory
• FIG. 2 shows the exploded view of an example of a vehicle that can be assembled in the factory.
• the invention is not limited to the embodiments or modes of execution described, but may be modified by using means equivalent to those described.
• the invention and its principle therefore relate both to a factory architecture and to a process for manufacturing vehicles, in particular with electric propulsion but which can be hybrid (electricity with gas/gasoline/diesel/hydrogen, etc.).
• the plant 01 comprises an assembly building 10 where most of the assembly operations of a battery-powered vehicle (electric, hybrid or other vehicle comprising at least one propulsion battery) are carried out, a battery building 20 where the propulsion batteries are stored and said batteries are fitted in the vehicle, and a workshop building 30 where various operations are carried out on the vehicles.
• Said factory 01 as described can be used to mount any type of battery-powered vehicle (electric or hybrid). It is particularly suitable for mounting the vehicle 70, shown in Figure 2, in a Semi Knocked Down system/method, also called SKD.
• the SKD system/process consists of producing sub-assemblies or complete modules of pre-assembled vehicles in one or more external factories, then receiving these sub-assemblies in another factory to carry out the final assembly of the modules together.
• Said vehicle 70 given by way of example in figure 2 to illustrate the production process of said factory 01, comprises a front chassis module 71, a rear chassis module 72, a central chassis platform 73 and a body 74.
• a vehicle is described for example in publication WO 2017/109726.
• the plant according to the present invention can also be used for vehicles different from the one illustrated in this publication.
• said chassis modules 71, 72, 73 are preferably entirely manufactured and assembled in external factories, then shipped to said factory 01 where they are received at the component delivery dock 12a, then stored in the warehouse storage components 12.
• subsets of said chassis modules 71, 72, 73 can be manufactured and assembled in external factories, then shipped to said factory 01 where they are received at said component delivery dock 12a, then stored in said component storage store 12.
• Said sub-assemblies are then assembled, for example by bolting or another equivalent method, in said factory 01 to form said frame modules 71, 72, 73.
• Said frame modules 71, 72, 73 then come to supply the assembly line 11 where they are assembled with each other to produce complete vehicle frames 70.
• the fact of not producing the parts of said chassis modules 71, 72, 73 on site in said factory 01 makes it possible to reduce the investments necessary for setting up the factory (fewer machines to implement), and to shorten said assembly line 11 since a smaller number of components are assembled (therefore reducing the size of said factory 01 and the investment for setting it up).
• Said bodywork 74 being made of polymer, its production in said factory 01 does not generate noise, waste, toxic fumes or additional vibrations. Contrary to traditional bodies whose stamping generates a waste rate of 35% of the sheets, all of the material placed in the molds is here used for the molding of said polymer parts, without any loss. Said polymer parts produced on site are dyed in the mass. No painting operation is thus necessary. Once produced, the bodies 74 as well as the other polymer parts produced on site are brought to said assembly line 11 to be mounted on the chassis of said vehicle 70.
• said factory 01 In the architecture of said factory 01 as described and according to the method of the invention, no steel part is produced or transformed. Unlike traditional factories, said factory 01 therefore does not house a degreasing bath, washing bath, phosphating bath, rinsing bath, water-soluble paint bath for cataphoresis, oven for paint polymerization or shoeing line. Only a few polymer processing machines are present in said plant 01, in said parts manufacturing area 13. This results in a considerable reduction in the size of said plant 01, noise and vibrations generated by production, toxic fumes, the production of chemical waste such as solvents, and the consumption of water in the various baths, not to mention the risks of pollution resulting from the presence of these materials.
• the working conditions in said plant 01 are more pleasant (less vibration noise and unpleasant odors) and less harmful to health (no harmful products such as solvents).
• the fact of having little noise, vibrations, toxic fumes and chemical waste in said assembly building 10 of said factory 01 makes it possible to integrate therein other elements not directly involved in production such as offices , a room for meals, a rest room, or other appropriate elements. These elements can be placed in the administrative premises 15 of said assembly building 10 of said plant 01.
• Said factory 01 being small in size and generating little or no pollution, it can be located near residential areas where customers are located and not isolated away from said towns, which would require additional transport of the vehicles produced to at the point of sale (such as a dealership) of the affected vehicles. This way of doing things is all the more illogical since the vehicles transported (in particular by truck) are in fact perfectly capable of driving by themselves, but they have to be brought from the factory to the dealership, two places which are not often found not in the same country.
• individuals can easily come directly to the factory to choose and buy a new vehicle in the showroom 14, rent a vehicle leaving the retrofit space 33, carry out repair operations in the after-sales service space 34, drop off their end-of-life vehicle in the recycling space 32, or simply pay a visit to said assembly building 10, the environment there being healthy.
• said showroom 14 presents the vehicle models produced in said factory 01. Said showroom 14 welcoming external visitors who have come to choose their future acquisition, it is integrated into said assembly building 01, the one presenting less security risks.
• the presence of said factory 01 near residential areas with an integrated showroom 14 makes it possible to reduce the multiplication of points of sale, as well as the pollution due to the transport of the vehicles produced from said factory 01 to the various points of sale. This principle is fundamental because it makes it possible to greatly reduce the embodied energy of transporting completed vehicles.
• said after-sales service space 34 can be likened to a car garage. It accommodates individuals with a model of said vehicle 70. These individuals can bring their vehicle there for various repair and/or maintenance operations, and/or to change their bodywork there. Said vehicle 70 having a modular construction, said body 74 can easily be removed and replaced by another type of body or a body of a different color. Said factory having all the parts constituting said vehicle 70 on site, the time for operations is short, and the fact of not having to transport spare parts from the factory to the various garages and dealerships reduces the carbon footprint of said vehicle 70.
• individuals can deposit their end-of-life vehicle in the recycling space 32.
• the end-of-life vehicles are dismantled and recycled there.
• the polymer parts of said bodies 74 are ground, and the material resulting from this grinding is brought into said parts manufacturing zone 13 where it will be used to manufacture new body parts. Reusing this shredded material to produce new parts reduces the environmental footprint of said parts.
• Other recycling operations are also possible on parts of the vehicle. This is given by way of non-limiting example. Parts still in working order can be brought into said after-sales service space 34 or into said retrofit space 33 to replace defective parts from other vehicles.
• Said retrofit space 33 accommodates vehicles requiring renovation. Obsolete, worn or defective parts are replaced there by new ones or parts from said recycling space 33 in order to give a second life to the vehicles, which, once repaired, are offered on the second-hand vehicle market, or on the short or long-term rental market. Being able to give vehicles a second life reduces their carbon footprint.
• the architecture of the plant and the process according to the invention contribute to the reduction of the gray energy of the vehicle and more generally to the reduction of its carbon footprint and that of the plant: less toxic fumes , less chemical discharges, less production waste, less water consumption for production, limitation of vehicle transport, reduction of transport of spare parts in garages and dealerships, management of the second life of vehicles, the same chassis base that can accommodate several bodies, recycled end-of-life parts, bodies produced according to the principle of the circular economy, a point of sale integrated into the assembly center.
• the distribution of positions and operations is made according to the degree of danger.
• the storage, charging and handling of propulsion batteries represent a danger. Indeed, in the event of fire, the flammable electrolytes of a battery generating their own oxidizer, this cannot be extinguished. The fire raged and quickly became impossible to contain. The fire of a single battery can create considerable damage, because the intensity of the flames and the heat column at more than 800°C over a height of 8m can touch the structure of the building.
• Said assembly building 10 is the largest building of said factory 01. It is the one that represents the largest investment, and requires the most energy and materials to build it. In order to preserve it and according to the principles of the invention, no propulsion battery is stored or handled there. The vehicles exhibited in said showroom 14 therefore do not include a propulsion battery, and the vehicles leaving said assembly building 10 are not yet equipped with a propulsion battery.
• the stations presenting the greatest risk of fire are the storage of the batteries 21, and the assembly of the batteries 22. According to the method and the architecture of the invention, these two stations are made in the battery building 20. Said battery building 20 is exclusively reserved for these two positions. It is therefore preferably of small dimensions. This building 20 is also sacrificed in the event of a fire.
• the workshop building 30 accommodates vehicles leaving the battery building 20 or vehicles already in circulation. Said vehicles are therefore already equipped with propulsion batteries.
• the vehicles are brought into the control and adjustment space 31 of said workshop building 30 for leak test operations, adjusting running gear geometries, testing running gear geometries, control and retouching, these elements being given by way of non-limiting examples.
• the vehicles in which the battery is mounted are charged in the area comprising the chargers 35, the batteries being only partially charged when they are stored before mounting.
• the recycling space 32, retrofit space 33, and after-sales service space 34 accommodate vehicles in circulation, therefore vehicles whose propulsion battery is installed in the vehicle.
• Said battery building 20 is separated from said assembly building 10 by a fireproof separation space 60.
• Said battery building 20 is separated from said workshop building 30 by a fireproof separation space 61.
• Said assembly building 10 is separated from said workshop building 30 by a fireproof separation space 62.
• the width of said fireproof space 60 and 61 varies according to the number of batteries stored in said battery building 20, this number having an impact on the potential range of the explosion or the 'fire. The more batteries stored, the wider the fire separation space should be.
• Said fire separation space 60, 61 and 62 does not contain any flammable element in order to prevent the spread of flames between the buildings 10, 20 and 30 in the event of a fire.
• a track is installed on said fire separation space 60 in order to have said vehicles 70 pass between said assembly building 10 and said battery building 20.
• This track can be a portion of road, a portion of tunnel, a treadmill, a conveyor, or any other element capable of carrying out this transfer function between said buildings 10 and 20.
• These elements are given by way of example.
• the invention is not limited to these elements.
• these elements are made only with non-flammable materials in order to prevent the spread of flames between said battery building 20 and said assembly building 10 in the event of a fire.
• An identical track can be installed on said fire separation space 61 in order to pass said vehicles 70 between said battery building 20 and said workshop building 30.
• Said battery buildings 20 and workshop 30 do not require the use of fire insulation either. If a fire breaks out in one of said two buildings 20 and 30, it cannot spread to other buildings because of said fire separation spaces 60, 61 and 62. They therefore have a architecture that is not particularly fireproof, and thus a low manufacturing cost and a low carbon footprint.
• the operators of said factory 01 may let it burn and continue production activities normally in said assembly 10 and workshop 30 buildings from day after the disaster.
• the activities usually taking place in said battery building 20 can be carried out in a battery tent 40 pending the decontamination, renovation and/or reconstruction of said battery building 20.
• Said battery tent 40 is not erected when said battery building 20 works normally.
• said battery tent 40 can be erected very quickly when said battery building 20 has caught fire.
• a space is provided for the mounting of said battery tent 40 preferably from the factory design.
• the battery tent 40 can be any structure (rigid or non-rigid, semi-rigid, etc.) that is easy to assemble and disassemble which allows the operation of the battery area according to the principles of the present invention.
• the operators of said factory 01 can let it burn and continue production activities normally in said assembly buildings 10 and batteries 20.
• the activities usually taking place in said workshop building 30 can be carried out in a workshop tent 50 pending decontamination, renovation and/or reconstruction of said workshop building 30.
• Said workshop tent 50 is not erected when said workshop building 30 works normally.
• said workshop tent 50 can be mounted very quickly when said workshop building 30 caught fire.
• a space is provided for the assembly of said workshop tent 50 preferably from the design of the factory.
• the workshop tent 50 can be any structure (rigid or not, semi-rigid, etc.) that is easy to assemble and disassemble which allows the operation of the workshop according to the principles of the present invention.
• said battery building 20 is separated from said battery tent 40 by a fireproof separation space 63.
• Said battery tent 40 is separated from said workshop tent 50 by a fireproof separation space.
• -fire 64 Said workshop building 30 is separated from said workshop tent 50 by a fireproof separation space 65.
• the width of said fireproof space 63, 64 and 65 varies according to the number of batteries stored in said battery building 20 and in said battery tent 40, this number affecting the potential range of explosion or fire. The more batteries stored, the wider the fire separation space should be.
• Said fire separation spaces 63, 64 and 65 do not contain any flammable element in order to prevent the spread of flames between said buildings 20 and 30 and said tents 40 and 50 in the event of a fire.
• said battery 20 and workshop 30 buildings can be completely rebuilt or renovated easily in the event of a disaster, without this causing excessive delays or costs. The shortfall will also be limited, thanks to the operation of said battery tent 40 or said workshop tent 50. According to a non-limiting mode of execution of the method and of the architecture of the factory, several battery buildings 20 and/or several workshop buildings 30 can be added to a single assembly building 10.
• the invention also relates to a method of manufacturing vehicles, in particular battery-powered vehicles, based on the factory layout as described above.
• modules or parts of modules intended to form a vehicle are manufactured in dedicated and decentralized factories;
• the modules or parts of them are brought by low or non-polluting means of transport to a centralized assembly plant and close to the customers;
• the modules, parts of modules, elements of the vehicle are assembled in dedicated parts of the assembly plant, certain dedicated parts of the plant being intended to be sacrificed in the event of a problem and replaced by equivalent parts and temporary or not in order to prevent stoppages or reduction of production;
• the parts intended to be sacrificed are in particular the storage area for the propulsion batteries, the areas for mounting the propulsion batteries in the vehicles, and the areas accommodating vehicles already fitted with batteries. propulsion.
• the bodywork and bodywork parts are manufactured in the assembly plant either from raw material delivered for example in the form of powder or granules, or from recycled raw material comprising powders or granules from bodywork dismantled in the assembly plant on existing vehicles, or from a mixture of these raw materials.
• This principle of recycling in the circular economy makes it possible to produce bodywork and bodywork parts (doors, hood, tailgate) with very low energy and CO2 emissions compared to new bodywork.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
• Automobile Manufacture Line, Endless Track Vehicle, Trailer (AREA)
• Arrangement Or Mounting Of Propulsion Units For Vehicles (AREA)
• Vehicle Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, Refitting, And Outriggers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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• 2022
  • 2022-12-23 CN CN202280084381.9A patent/CN118524963A/zh active Pending
  • 2022-12-23 EP EP22847274.2A patent/EP4452730A1/de active Pending
  • 2022-12-23 JP JP2024533100A patent/JP2025500155A/ja active Pending
  • 2022-12-23 US US18/723,252 patent/US20250129628A1/en active Pending
  • 2022-12-23 WO PCT/IB2022/062737 patent/WO2023119246A1/fr not_active Ceased

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