Vehicle Battery Cooling Duct Layout to Avoid Seat Leg Obstruction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing battery cooling structure in vehicles, where the duct is disposed below the rear seat opening forward, often gets obstructed by the occupant's legs, leading to inadequate cooling air intake and reduced battery cooling performance.
Innovation Solution
A battery cooling structure with a cooling air duct positioned below a seat or duct-top-seat that opens toward one side, allowing air from the vehicle cabin to be supplied to the battery while preventing obstruction by the occupant's legs, utilizing a seat or duct-top-seat disposed in front of the battery in the vehicle's front-rear direction and above the cooling air duct.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the duct is disposed below the rear seat opening forward to supply cooling air to the battery, then the battery can be cooled by air from the vehicle cabin, but the opening of the duct may be covered by the legs of an occupant sitting on the rear seat, reducing cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The duct opening direction is changed from forward (longitudinal direction) to lateral (width direction), redirecting the air intake path away from the occupant's leg area while still supplying cooling air to the battery effectively
2Device complexity
If the duct opens forward below the rear seat, then the structure is simple and easy to implement, but the legs of an occupant can block the opening, preventing sufficient cooling air from entering
Solution Approach 1:
The duct opening is reoriented from the longitudinal direction to the width direction, allowing cooling air to be drawn from the lateral side of the vehicle cabin where it is not blocked by occupant legs, thereby maintaining sufficient air flow rate without significantly increasing structural complexity
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
This configuration ensures effective cooling of the battery by maintaining sufficient air intake, utilizing vehicle cabin air, and preventing obstruction, thus enhancing the battery's cooling performance.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling air duct inside which cooling air to be supplied to the battery flows
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A vehicle equipped with a battery 20 is provided with a cooling air duct 15A inside which cooling air to be supplied to the battery 20 flows, and a duct-top-seat 3A on which an occupant can sit, the duct-top-seat 3A being disposed in front of the battery 20 in a vehicle front-rear direction and above the cooling air duct 15A. An upstream end 110A of the cooling air duct 15A opens below the duct-top-seat 3A toward one side in a width direction of the duct-top-seat 3A.