Battery Storage Access Interlock for Safe Component Servicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery storage systems in transportation applications pose safety risks and difficulties in maintenance due to the shorter lifespan of auxiliary electrical components and the inherent electrical hazards when servicing these systems, which can expose personnel to dangerous voltages.
Innovation Solution
A battery storage system is designed with mechanically interconnected compartments, each accessible via separate doors and a locking system that requires a specific sequence to access, ensuring electrical components are disconnected from energy sources before maintenance, thereby minimizing electrical risks and allowing safe servicing without protective gear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If auxiliary electrical components are added to battery cells to increase performance and safety, then the reliability and safety of the battery storage system are improved, but the lifespan of these components becomes shorter than the battery cells, requiring frequent replacement and maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery storage system into separate compartments: a battery cell compartment and an auxiliary electrical components compartment. This segmentation allows the auxiliary components to be accessed and replaced independently from the battery cells, addressing the lifespan discrepancy between these components while maintaining system safety and reliability.
2Ease of repair
If service personnel work on battery storage systems, then maintenance and replacement of parts can be performed, but service personnel are exposed to dangerous electrical voltages, creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates auxiliary electrical components into a dedicated compartment that can be accessed independently from the battery cells. This allows service personnel to perform maintenance on auxiliary components without being exposed to the high voltages present in the battery cell compartment, thus enabling easy repair while eliminating electrical hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the auxiliary electrical components from the battery cell environment and places them in a separate compartment. This extraction removes the harmful electrical voltage exposure from the maintenance process, allowing personnel to service these components safely without protective gear while maintaining ease of repair.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a locking system with multiple keys and door locks is implemented, then safety for service personnel is improved, but the complexity of the system increases and access procedures become more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a locking system that segments access control: the auxiliary electrical components compartment has its own separate lock and key independent from the battery cell compartment. This segmentation provides safety by ensuring personnel cannot access auxiliary components while battery cells are energized, while keeping the locking system relatively simple compared to fully integrated multi-lock systems.
4Reliability
If separate compartments with separate doors are used for battery cells and auxiliary electrical components, then safety is improved by preventing access to components on potential, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery storage system into two separate compartments with independent doors: one for battery cells and one for auxiliary electrical components. This segmentation ensures that personnel cannot access auxiliary components that may be energized while opening the battery cell compartment, providing safety while maintaining a relatively simple structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts auxiliary electrical components into a separate compartment from the battery cells. This extraction creates physical separation that prevents accidental access to energized components, improving reliability and safety while adding only minimal structural complexity to the overall system design.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4A
Figure 4B
AI summary
A battery storage system (18) comprises a battery compartment (24) accommodating a plurality of battery cells (52); an electrical component compartment (26) accommodating electrical components (64) electrically connectable with the battery cells (52); and a disconnector compartment (28, 30) accommodating a disconnector (56, 74) for electrically connecting the electrical components (64) to a energy source (20, 52) in a closed position and for electrically disconnecting the electrical components (64) from the energy source (56, 74) in an opened position; wherein the electrical component compartment (26) comprises a door (36) for accessing the electrical components (64); wherein the door (36) comprises a lock (46) openable and closable by a key (62, 82); and wherein the disconnector compartment (28, 30) accommodates a locking mechanism (60, 80) for releasing the key (62, 82), when the disconnector (56, 74) is in the opened position.