Battery Enclosure Structural Blocker Side Impact Load Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing effective battery enclosures for electric vehicles that protect batteries from side impacts, such as side pole impacts, is challenging as existing solutions fail to adequately transfer side loads away from the battery compartments, potentially leading to damage and reduced battery module size due to insufficient crush space.
Innovation Solution
A structural blocker system is fixedly attached to the side portion of the battery enclosure, aligned with cross members, to transfer side loads from the vehicle's structural components to these cross members, thereby protecting the batteries and maximizing crush space by angling the side surfaces inwardly to accommodate deformation without intruding into the battery space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery enclosure is designed with sufficient crush space for side impact protection, then the protection level improves, but the battery module size decreases due to space constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The battery enclosure is segmented into functional zones: a crushable front portion that absorbs impact energy, a protected middle section containing battery modules, and a structural rear portion. This segmentation allows the enclosure to provide side impact protection through controlled deformation of the front portion while preserving battery module size in the protected middle section.
Solution Approach 2:
A structural blocker is introduced as an intermediary component between the side impact source and the battery modules. This blocker is configured to engage with lateral crushing members during side impacts, transferring and distributing impact forces away from the battery compartments, thereby protecting battery module size while providing crush space.
2Strength
If structural blockers are added to transfer side loads to cross members, then the load transfer effectiveness improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The structural blockers are merged with the existing cross members and lateral crushing members of the battery enclosure. The blockers utilize the same structural framework and load paths as the original enclosure design, integrating side load transfer functionality into existing components rather than adding entirely separate structural systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross members are designed to serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the enclosure, act as load transfer paths during side impacts, and engage with the structural blockers to distribute lateral forces. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated side impact protection structures, reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for protecting a battery enclosure of a vehicle, comprising of a structural blocker configured to be fixedly attached to a side portion of the battery enclosure. The side portion faces a lateral direction, extending along a vehicle axis that extends between a front and a rear of a vehicle. The battery enclosure includes at least one cross member oriented along a lateral direction, wherein the structural blocker is configured to be aligned with an end of the cross member and localized to a region of the side portion proximate to the end of the cross member. The structural blocker is configured to transfer a side load from a structural component of the vehicle to the cross member.