Battery Case Buffer Structure for Curb Impact Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery case structures fail to effectively mitigate forces acting on battery packs from the lower side, particularly when the vehicle encounters obstacles like curbs, which can damage the battery tray and pack.
Innovation Solution
A battery case structure with a bottom support portion comprising a pair of case support members and a buffer portion, where the buffer portion has lower stiffness than the case support members, is designed to absorb and distribute forces from the road surface interference panel, reducing the impact on the battery pack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the battery case is mounted directly to the vehicle body frame at the lower portion, then the distance to the driving device is shortened and engine room space is increased, but the battery pack is exposed to direct external forces such as vibration and curb impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a battery tray as an intermediary component between the battery pack and the vehicle body frame. This tray absorbs and distributes external forces from the road surface, preventing direct transmission to the battery pack while maintaining the lower mounting position that maximizes engine room space.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery tray is designed with a double-bottom structure and positioning features that provide pre-established protection against external forces. The structure is configured beforehand to cushion impacts from vibrations and curb collisions, reducing the load on the battery pack before these forces can cause damage.
2Temperature
If the battery tray has a double-bottom structure with a middle plate to form a cooling air flow path, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the tray structure becomes more complex and vulnerable to damage from upward forces
Solution Approach 1:
The battery tray employs local quality by creating a double-bottom structure with a middle plate only in specific regions where cooling is most needed. This localized approach maintains cooling efficiency while reducing overall structural complexity and vulnerability to damage from external forces.
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 structure effectively reduces forces acting on the battery pack from the lower side, while also providing a cooling fluid path for air or cooling water, maintaining the battery pack at optimal temperature.
Implementation Method 1
a buffer portion having lower stiffness than each case support member, the buffer portion being disposed between the pair of case support members
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a technique for more effectively reducing a force acting on a battery pack from a lower side. A battery case structure 1 mounted to a vehicle has a bottom support portion 3. In the bottom support portion 3, a top portion 4t of each of case support members 4 extends toward another one of the case support members 4. A buffer portion 5 is disposed between a lower surface of the top portion 4t and an upper surface of a road surface interference panel 8. In the buffer portion 5, an area of a buffer bottom surface 5b facing the road surface interference panel 8 is set to be larger than an area of a buffer top surface 5t facing the top portion 4t.