Traction Battery Module Holding Frames for Tolerance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of electric HV traction battery modules faces challenges due to large manufacturing tolerances in metal extrusion profiles, leading to undefined spatial positioning of cell element stacks within the housing, which increases the requirement for heat conducting mass to ensure thermal connection, making the installation process awkward and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A traction battery module design featuring a monolithic metal profile body with end walls forming a hermetically closed housing, where separate holding frames with elastic spring arrangements maintain a consistent distance between the cell element stack and the housing walls, allowing for precise thermal connection with reduced heat conducting mass, and simplifying the installation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If extrusion profiles are used for the housing body, then manufacturing is simplified and cost is reduced, but manufacturing tolerances are large leading to undefined spatial positioning of the cell element stack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces holding frames as intermediary components between the cell element stack and the housing body. These holding frames have spring arrangements that actively compensate for the large manufacturing tolerances of extrusion profiles, maintaining precise spatial positioning without requiring high-precision extrusion manufacturing.
2Manufacturing precision
If elastic spring elements are used to secure the cell element stack, then tolerance compensation is achieved, but installation becomes awkward and spatial positioning becomes undefined
Solution Approach 1:
The holding frames with spring arrangements are pre-assembled with the cell element stack before installation into the housing body. This preliminary assembly defines the spatial positioning in advance, and the springs are designed to automatically engage with the housing body during installation, making the process straightforward despite the compliance provided by the springs.
3Manufacturing precision
If large distances are maintained between the cell element stack and cooled side wall, then tolerance variation is accommodated, but heat conducting mass requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holding frames act as intermediary components that actively maintain a defined, minimal distance between the cell element stack and the cooled side wall. The spring arrangements provide tolerance compensation while constraining the distance to be as small as possible, thereby minimizing the amount of heat conducting mass required while still accommodating manufacturing variations.
4Manufacturing precision
If rigid spacer elements are used to maintain distance, then precise positioning is achieved, but tolerance compensation is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic spring arrangements in the holding frames instead of rigid spacers. These springs provide the necessary elasticity to compensate for manufacturing tolerances while maintaining a defined minimal distance between the cell element stack and the housing walls. The system adapts to tolerance variations through the elastic deformation of the springs rather than requiring rigid, fixed-distance components.
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 design ensures a reliable and efficient thermal connection with minimal heat conducting mass, simplifies the installation of the cell element stack, and reduces production costs by using a monolithic profile body and plastic holding frames with integrated spring elements.
Implementation Method 1
Each holding frame has an elastic spring arrangement on its spring side facing a side wall... the holding frame is pressed by the spring arrangement onto the inner side of the side wall of the housing
Implementation Method 2
a heat conducting mass is introduced which thermally connects, for example, the lower side of the cell element stack to the adjacent side wall
Data Source
AI summary
A traction battery module has a housing body having four side walls and two end walls, and a plurality of cell elements which are arranged in the housing body, are arranged parallel to one another and parallel to two of the four side walls and are combined to form a cell element stack. A respective holding frame is positioned at the two end-side longitudinal ends of the cell element stack, on which holding frame the longitudinal ends of the cell elements are held such that the cell element stack is spaced apart in all four transverse directions from the four side walls. Each holding frame has a spring arrangement on its spring side facing a side wall and does not have a spring arrangement on its fixed side opposite the spring side. The holding frame is pressed by the spring arrangement onto the side wall assigned to the fixed side.