Onboard Battery Heater Positioning for Cold Weather Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing onboard batteries for vehicles, especially in cold conditions, face reduced output performance due to inefficient heating and potential damage to heaters from the weight and vibrations of battery cells, as the heater is often positioned outside the cell accommodation unit.
Innovation Solution
The onboard battery design features an accommodation case with disposition depressions for heaters below the battery modules, allowing for efficient heating without direct contact and reducing the risk of damage by positioning heaters in cavities with heat-insulating materials and increasing the heat generation area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the heater is disposed outside the cell accommodation unit, then the heater can be installed separately, but the heating efficiency to the battery cell is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat-conductive adhesive as an intermediary substance between the heater and the battery cell. This adhesive fills the gap between the heater disposed outside the cell accommodation unit and the cell surface, enabling efficient heat transfer while maintaining the installation flexibility of having the heater separate from the cell housing structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If the heater is disposed outside the cell accommodation unit, then the heater can be installed separately, but the battery cell weight applies load to the heater via the cell accommodation unit causing potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heater from the cell accommodation unit structure, disposing it separately on the outer surface of the housing. This separation removes the mechanical load path from the battery cell through the accommodation unit to the heater, preventing damage while maintaining installation ease.
3Loss of energy
If the heater is disposed close to the battery cell, then heating efficiency is improved, but the heater may contact the battery cell causing short circuit or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The heat-conductive adhesive serves as a mediator that maintains a minimal gap between the heater and battery cell while enabling thermal contact. This intermediary layer prevents electrical short circuits and physical damage from contact while maximizing heating efficiency through the adhesive's thermal conductivity.
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 enhances heating efficiency, prevents heater damage, and maintains high power storage performance by positioning heaters below the battery cells, ensuring effective heat distribution and reduced structural complexity.
Implementation Method 1
a heater (12) that heats the battery cell (15)
Data Source
AI summary
An onboard battery includes an accommodation case that has a hollow cross section formed with multiple cavities 9a, and at least one battery module that has at least one battery cell and is accommodated in the accommodation case. At least one disposition depression that communicates with one of the multiple cavities and is opened upward is formed in a portion positioned below the at least one battery module in the accommodation case, and at least one heater that heats the at least one battery cell is disposed in the at least one disposition depression so as not to be in contact with the at least one battery cell.