Battery Box Floor with Deformation Cavity for Crash and Thermal Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery box floors for electric vehicles face challenges in providing adequate crash protection and independent cooling from environmental conditions, with complex and costly cooling solutions and high risk of damage from underbody impacts.

Innovation Solution

A battery box floor design featuring an aluminium alloy extruded part with a deformation inner cavity and inner ribs, which provides improved crash performance and thermal insulation for cooling channels, reducing the risk of damage and enhancing cooling efficiency by stabilizing the temperature of the cooling fluid.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If cooling channels are arranged outside the battery box, then cooling performance is improved, but thermal protection and crash performance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling performanceVSAvoidthermal and crash protection
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling channels are nested within the battery box floor structure itself, with the floor forming the upper wall of the channels. This integrates the cooling function into the structural component, allowing external placement while maintaining protection through the battery box enclosure and underbody protection elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling channels are positioned in the vertical dimension below the battery pack supporting panel, utilizing the space between the battery box floor and underbody protection. This three-dimensional arrangement achieves external cooling while maintaining structural protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If cooling channels are arranged inside the battery box, then thermal protection is improved, but cooling performance dependent on environment temperature worsens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal protectionVSAvoidcooling performance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling channels are nested within the battery box floor structure, with the floor forming the upper wall. This integration provides thermal protection through the battery box enclosure while maintaining cooling effectiveness by positioning channels where they can be externally cooled.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Reliability

If underbody protection is added to protect cooling channels, then crash protection is improved, but device complexity worsens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrash protectionVSAvoidcooling system assembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The underbody protection is merged with the battery box floor structure, forming an integrated assembly. The cooling channels are positioned within this combined structure, eliminating the need for separate protection components and reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The battery box floor serves multiple functions: it supports the battery pack, forms the upper wall of cooling channels, and provides structural protection when combined with underbody protection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional dedicated components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Reliability

If aluminium alloy extruded part with deformation inner cavity is used, then crash performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity worsens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecrash performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The deformation inner cavity and cooling channel geometry are pre-formed during the extrusion process itself. The extrusion die is designed to create the complex three-dimensional cavity shape and cooling channel pathways in a single manufacturing step, avoiding subsequent complex machining or assembly operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design enhances crash protection and cooling performance, minimizing the risk of battery damage and fluid leakage, while simplifying manufacturing and reducing environmental temperature's impact on cooling efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

a plurality of lower cooling channels (4) for containing a cooling fluid, said plurality of lower cooling channels being arranged adjacent to and below said battery pack supporting panel such that they can cool said battery cells

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

a deformation inner cavity (8) arranged between said plurality of lower cooling channels (4) and said underbody protection (6)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3659205B1Battery box floor for electric vehicles and corresponding vehicle body
Publication Date: 2022.09.07 AUTOTECH ENG SL
  • EP3659205B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP3659205B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6
  • EP3659205B1 patent drawingFigure 7~8

AI summary

A battery box floor (1) for electric vehicles for being arranged at the lower part of a vehicle body (100). The battery box floor (1) comprises a battery pack supporting panel (2) for supporting a plurality of battery cells (102), a plurality of lower cooling channels (4) for containing a cooling fluid, a plurality of lower cooling channels (4) being arranged adjacent to and below the battery pack supporting panel (2) such that they can cool the battery cells (102) and an underbody protection (6) arranged below the lower cooling channels (4). The battery box floor (1) further comprises a deformation inner cavity (8) between said plurality of lower cooling channels and said underbody protection (6). Additionally, the battery box floor (1) is integrally formed from a metallic material. Also a vehicle body comprising the battery box floor (1) is disclosed.