Battery Control Unit Sealing Wall for Flammable Gas Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing motor vehicle traction battery assemblies face challenges with flammable gases escaping from battery modules, which pose ignition and fire hazards due to the bulky gas-tight encapsulation required for contactor switches, leading to a less compact battery control unit design.
Innovation Solution
A motor vehicle traction battery assembly with degassing openings in battery modules, a gas-tight rail tunnel, and a sealing wall using a plastic body with a mechanical stiffening element to prevent gas entry into the battery control unit, eliminating the need for separate gas-tight encapsulation of contactor switches and allowing for a more compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If gas-tight encapsulation is provided for contactor switches to prevent flammable gas entry, then fire hazard is reduced, but the battery control unit becomes bulky and less compact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sealing function into two separate locations: (1) the rail tunnel is sealed against the environment by a tunnel lid to contain flammable gases, and (2) a separate sealing wall seals the connection opening between the rail tunnel and battery control unit housing. This segmentation allows the contactor switches to remain ungas-tightly-encapsulated (reducing volume) while still preventing gas entry through the sealed connection opening (maintaining fire safety).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tunnel lid and sealing wall as intermediary sealing elements between the flammable gas source (battery modules) and the battery control unit. These intermediaries create a gas-tight barrier without requiring gas-tight encapsulation of individual contactor switches, thus reducing overall volume while maintaining protection.
2Reliability
If contactor switches are gas-tightly encapsulated to protect against flammable gases, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented and relocated from individual contactor switch encapsulation to centralized sealing structures (tunnel lid and sealing wall). This reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for complex gas-tight encapsulation around each contactor switch while maintaining reliable protection against flammable gases through the sealed connection opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is extracted from the contactor switch housing and implemented as a separate sealing wall at the connection opening. This extraction simplifies the contactor switch structure (removing the need for gas-tight encapsulation) while maintaining protection through the dedicated sealing wall, thus reducing device complexity while preserving reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If separate gas-tight encapsulation is provided for each contactor switch, then fire hazard is reduced, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function into centralized structures (tunnel lid and sealing wall) rather than providing separate gas-tight encapsulation for each contactor switch. This consolidation simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of sealing components and assembly steps while maintaining fire hazard protection through the sealed connection opening that prevents gas entry into the battery control unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is extracted from individual contactor switch manufacturing and implemented as a separate sealing wall component. This extraction simplifies manufacturing processes by allowing contactor switches to be assembled without complex gas-tight encapsulation, while the sealing wall provides the necessary fire protection at the connection point.
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 solution effectively prevents the entry of flammable gases into the battery control unit, reducing the risk of ignition and fire hazards while enabling a more compact and efficient battery control unit by using a sealing wall to seal the connection opening between the rail tunnel and the battery control unit housing.
Implementation Method 1
the connection opening is fluidly sealed by a separate sealing wall, so that no gases from the rail tunnel can enter the housing body interior of the battery control unit
Implementation Method 2
a mechanical stiffening element embedded in the plastic body
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle traction battery assembly has a battery control unit and battery modules. Each battery module includes a degassing opening. A plurality of busbars is arranged in a rail tunnel, to which the battery modules are electrically connected. The rail tunnel is fluidly shielded by a tunnel lid. The battery control unit includes an interior having a gas-tight battery control unit housing body in which connection rails and an electronic battery controller are accommodated. The electrical connections between the busbars and the connection rails are formed by vertical contact bodies, which pass through a connection opening lying in the horizontal plane between the rail tunnel and the battery control unit interior. The connection opening is fluidly sealed by a sealing wall, through which the contact bodies pass in a fluid-tight manner.