Vehicle Frame Rail Layout for Protected Battery Cable and Coolant Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicles with electrical energy systems face challenges in efficiently routing and protecting cables and conduits that supply electrical energy to motors and other components, particularly in configurations where space is limited and components are distributed longitudinally and laterally.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle design includes a chassis with longitudinally extending frame rails that support laterally and longitudinally extending cables and conduits, providing a protected pathway for electrical and fluid connections between batteries, motors, and other components, such as radiators and heat exchangers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cables and conduits are routed through the vehicle without structured support, then installation flexibility is maintained, but the risk of damage to cables and conduits increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces frame rails as intermediary structural elements that serve as protected pathways for cables and conduits. These frame rails act as a mediator between the battery and other vehicle components, providing mechanical protection and organized routing without requiring complex dedicated cable management systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame rails serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the vehicle chassis, serve as mounting structures for batteries and other components, and simultaneously function as protected pathways for cable and conduit routing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated protection structures.
2Productivity
If cables extend laterally and longitudinally throughout the vehicle, then electrical energy distribution efficiency is improved, but the vulnerability of cables to damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the three-dimensional space defined by the vehicle's frame rails, routing cables both laterally (across the vehicle width) and longitudinally (along the vehicle length) through protected pathways. This multi-dimensional routing approach optimizes electrical energy distribution efficiency while the frame rail structure provides protection against damage.
3Reliability
If conduits are routed along frame rails, then thermal management reliability is improved, but the structural complexity of the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the thermal management conduit routing with the existing frame rail structure. Instead of creating separate dedicated conduit pathways, the system integrates coolant flow paths along the same frame rails that provide structural support and electrical cable routing, thereby providing reliable thermal management without significantly increasing structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a chassis including a frame rail extending longitudinally, a tractive element coupled to the chassis, a cab coupled to the chassis and configured to support an operator, an electric motor configured to drive the tractive element to propel the vehicle, a battery configured to supply electrical energy to the electric motor, a heat exchanger, a cable electrically coupling the electric motor and the battery, and a conduit fluidly coupling the battery and the heat exchanger. The cable and the conduit extend laterally from the battery to the frame rail, and the cable and the conduit extend longitudinally along the frame rail.