Vehicle Battery Pack Buffer Structure for Rigid Yet Separable Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power storage devices face challenges in achieving high rigidity against loads from above while maintaining ease of disassembly for maintenance, particularly when integrated into vehicle compartments.
Innovation Solution
A power storage device design featuring a buffer portion with a starting point for separation and a separable upper plate, utilizing a buffer portion with features like openings, cavities, or slits, and varying bonding strengths to facilitate easy disassembly and enhance rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the power storage device is designed with increased rigidity structure to resist load from above, then the rigidity against load input is improved, but the ease of disassembly for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The power storage device is divided into multiple independent modules, each comprising cells, buffer portions, and upper plate portions. This modular segmentation allows individual modules to be disassembled and reassembled independently, maintaining structural rigidity while enabling easy maintenance through module-level replacement or repair without requiring complete disassembly of the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer portion incorporates a separable design with a starting point portion that enables controlled separation when tensile stress occurs in the up-down direction. This dynamic separability allows the upper plate portion to be easily removed from the cells during maintenance while maintaining rigid connection during normal operation, thus resolving the contradiction between rigidity and ease of disassembly.
2Quantity of substance
If the power storage device is disposed close to or integrated with the floor panel to achieve higher energy density, then the energy density is improved, but the rigidity against load from above deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The power storage device employs a composite structure combining buffer portions made of resin material with reinforcing ribs and upper plate portions. This composite design provides both the space efficiency needed for high energy density when integrated with the floor panel and the structural rigidity to resist loads from above, as the resin buffer portions with rib structures offer both compact form factor and mechanical strength.
3Ease of manufacture
If the buffer portion is designed as a single integrated structure to simplify manufacturing, then the manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the ease of maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
While the buffer portion is manufactured as an integrated single piece with molded-in rib structures and starting point portions for ease of production, it is designed with separable interfaces between the upper plate portion and cells. This segmentation at the interface level enables easy disassembly for maintenance while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through single-piece buffer portion molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer portion is pre-formed during manufacturing with integrated rib structures and starting point portions that facilitate future separation. This preliminary action during manufacturing creates built-in separation features that enable easy maintenance later without requiring complex assembly or disassembly procedures, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and maintenance accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A power storage device is mountable on a vehicle, and includes: a plurality of cells; a buffer portion; and an upper plate portion. The plurality of cells are arranged in a first direction, the first direction being a direction along a horizontal direction. The buffer portion is joined to an upper portion of each of the plurality of cells. The buffer portion extends in the first direction. The upper plate portion is disposed above the buffer portion. The upper plate portion is joined to the buffer portion. The buffer portion is separable in an up-down direction when a tensile stress in the up-down direction occurs. The buffer portion includes a starting point portion. The starting point portion serves as a starting point of separation of the buffer portion at an end edge in the first direction.