Battery Pack Interlock Switch for Safe Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs lack a safe and efficient mechanism for disconnecting power to facilitate component replacement, risking accidental electrical shocks and potential damage during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring an interlock switch and opening cover that can be switched between open and closed states, allowing for easy disconnection and reconnection of power, with a grip portion for precise alignment and secure fastening to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the opening cover is opened to access components for replacement, then ease of operation is improved, but electrical safety deteriorates due to risk of accidental shocks
Solution Approach 1:
The interlock switch is activated in advance when the opening cover is removed, cutting off power to the fuse before any component replacement work begins. This preliminary action ensures that the harmful electrical energy is eliminated before the user interacts with exposed components, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlock switch acts as an intermediary mechanism between the opening cover and the power supply system. It mediates the connection by automatically interrupting the electrical circuit when the cover is removed, providing a safety buffer that allows component replacement without direct exposure to live electrical components.
2Reliability
If the interlock switch is positioned on the inner surface of the opening cover, then reliability of power disconnection is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The interlock switch is merged with the opening cover assembly, combining the cover's mechanical function with the electrical switching function. This integration ensures that the same physical action of removing the cover simultaneously achieves both mechanical access and electrical disconnection, improving reliability without adding separate independent components.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening cover serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical protection, enables access when removed, and triggers the interlock switch for electrical disconnection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby improving reliability while minimizing overall device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the grip portion is vertically aligned with the interlock switch, then ease of operation is improved through precise alignment, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The grip portion is positioned at the same vertical level as the interlock switch, creating an equipotential alignment relationship. This positioning ensures that when the user pulls the grip portion vertically, the force is directly transmitted to the interlock switch mechanism without requiring angular adjustment or complex positioning, facilitating ease of operation while using simple vertical alignment geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The grip portion is strategically positioned asymmetrically on the opening cover, specifically vertically aligned with the interlock switch location. This asymmetric positioning creates a natural pulling direction that directly engages the interlock mechanism, making the operation intuitive and easy while requiring only basic vertical positioning precision during manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a housing having an opened top and the housing accommodates at least one battery module and a fuse therein, a housing cover that covers the opened top of the housing and the housing cover includes an opening therein that corresponds to a region of the housing that accommodates the fuse, and an opening cover mountable to the opening of the housing cover and a state of the opening cover is changeable between an opened state and a closed state. The opening cover includes an interlock switch on an inner surface of the opening cover and a grip portion on an outer surface of the opening cover, and the grip portion is arranged along a vertical direction with respect to the interlock switch.