Battery Thermal Management Assembly With Integrated Bottom Impact Cushioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
New energy vehicle battery systems face challenges in protecting against impacts from the bottom during travel, leading to potential damage and safety issues such as deformation or fire, as existing solutions require strong bottom structures that increase production costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management assembly with fluid collecting tubes and fluid channels, where an energy-absorbing structure with lower stiffness is integrated on one side of the fluid channels to absorb impact forces, protecting the battery cell and reducing the need for additional reinforcing components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a strong bottom structure is used to protect against impact, then safety performance is improved, but production cost and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates an energy-absorbing structure with lower stiffness than the fluid channel directly into the thermal management assembly before impact occurs. This pre-positioned cushioning structure is designed to deform preferentially under impact loads, absorbing energy and protecting the battery cell and fluid channel from damage, thereby resolving the contradiction between safety and structural complexity.
2Reliability
If additional reinforcing components are added to protect against impact, then safety performance is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the energy-absorbing protective function with the existing thermal management assembly by integrating the energy-absorbing structure into the same component that contains the fluid channel. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate reinforcing components, reducing part count and production cost while maintaining safety performance.
3Strength
If the stiffness of the protective structure is increased, then impact resistance is improved, but thermal management efficiency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a stiffness gradient within the thermal management assembly: the energy-absorbing structure has lower stiffness to deform and absorb impact energy, while the fluid channel maintains its structural integrity for thermal management. This localized differentiation of mechanical properties allows the structure to provide impact protection without compromising thermal management efficiency.
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 energy-absorbing structure effectively absorbs impact forces, enhancing the battery system's ability to withstand bottom impacts without compromising the thermal management function, thereby reducing production costs and improving safety while maintaining efficient heat dissipation.
Implementation Method 1
the stiffness of the energy-absorbing structure is less than that of the fluid channels, when the bottom is subjected to a collision/impact, the energy-absorbing structure will be damaged first to absorb and buffer the impact force generated by the impact on the bottom
Implementation Method 2
the fluid channels are used to accommodate fluid for thermal management, so as to enable the thermal management assembly to realize a thermal management function of the battery system
Data Source
AI summary
The present application belongs to the technical field of batteries and provides a thermal management assembly, a battery, and an electrical apparatus. Among them, the thermal management assembly comprises: at least two fluid collecting tubes, and several fluid channels disposed side by side between the fluid collecting tubes wherein the fluid channel comprises two side faces disposed opposite to each other, one of the side faces being used for carrying the battery cell and for heat exchange with the battery cell, and the other one of the side faces being provided with an energy-absorbing structure, with the stiffness of the energy-absorbing structure being less than that of the fluid channels. When the bottom is subjected to an impact, the energy-absorbing structure will be damaged first to absorb and buffer the impact force generated by the impact on the bottom, so as to play the role of protecting the fluid channels.