Battery Pack Protection Plate Layout for Ground Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery pack protection plates in vehicles are heavy, reducing the range and performance of electric vehicles and often lower the ground clearance due to their thickness, while insufficiently addressing the need for energy absorption against road debris and impact.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack assembly featuring a frame, cooling plate, cross members, reinforcement members, and a protection plate with energy-absorbing and bonded portions, where the energy-absorbing material is strategically positioned between the top and bottom sheets to distribute impact forces without extending below the reinforcement members, maintaining ground clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solid protection plates are used to protect battery packs, then protection against road debris and impact is improved, but weight increases reducing vehicle range and performance
Solution Approach 1:
The protection plate uses a composite structure combining a rigid outer shell with an energy-absorbing core material. This composite design provides sufficient impact protection while significantly reducing the overall weight compared to solid metal plates, thereby improving vehicle range and performance without compromising battery pack safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection plate features varying material properties and thickness distribution - with reinforced areas at high-impact zones and thinner sections in lower-risk areas. This localized quality optimization ensures adequate protection where needed while minimizing overall weight, resolving the contradiction between protection reliability and vehicle performance.
2Reliability
If thicker protection plates are used to provide sufficient protection, then energy absorption capability is improved, but ground clearance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The protection plate employs a thin-walled structured design with strategic reinforcement rather than uniform thickness. The thin film-like structure maintains adequate ground clearance while the engineered reinforcement patterns provide necessary energy absorption capability, resolving the contradiction between protection and clearance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing protection in the vertical dimension (thickness), the design transitions to optimizing protection in horizontal dimensions through strategic placement of reinforcement members and energy-absorbing materials. This dimensional shift maintains ground clearance while achieving sufficient impact protection.
3Strength
If heavier protection plates are used to increase strength, then impact resistance is improved, but vehicle performance and range are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The protection plate utilizes composite materials that provide high strength-to-weight ratio. The combination of rigid structural elements with energy-absorbing materials delivers superior impact resistance without the excessive weight that would penalize vehicle range, effectively resolving the contradiction between strength and energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The design optimizes material parameters and structural geometry to achieve maximum impact resistance with minimum mass. By carefully selecting material properties and structural configurations, the protection plate provides adequate strength while minimizing weight-induced range reduction, balancing impact resistance with vehicle performance.
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 solution provides effective energy absorption while maintaining vehicle rigidity and strength, preventing damage to the battery pack without reducing ground clearance, thus enhancing the performance and range of electric vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
The energy absorbing portions include a top sheet, a bottom sheet, and an energy absorbing material positioned between the bottom sheet and the top sheet
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack assembly includes a frame, a cooling plate, a plurality of cross members, a plurality of reinforcement members, and a protection plate. The frame includes a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls. The plurality of cross members extend between the pair of side walls and is coupled to the cooling plate. The plurality of reinforcement members positioned below and coupled to the cooling plate are aligned with the plurality of cross members. The protection plate includes energy absorbing portions and bonded portions. The energy absorbing portions positioned between the plurality of reinforcement members include a top sheet, a bottom sheet, and an energy absorbing material positioned between the bottom sheet and the top sheet. The bonded portions positioned below and coupled to the plurality of reinforcement members include the top sheet and the bottom sheet without the energy absorbing material.