Slide-In Battery Pack Flange-Groove Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for space-efficient packaging designs for high voltage battery packs in electrified vehicles due to limited space availability, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack design incorporates a sliding mechanism where a flange on the battery assembly or enclosure engages a groove on the other component, allowing for efficient alignment and retention within the enclosure, with various configurations of flanges and grooves on array plates and enclosure walls to facilitate horizontal sliding and secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If traditional battery pack designs are used, then battery assemblies can be easily installed, but space efficiency is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The battery assembly is divided into modular components with standardized array plates that can be independently manufactured and assembled. The enclosure is segmented into sections with standardized grooves, allowing flexible configuration to maximize space utilization while maintaining ease of assembly through modular construction
Solution Approach 2:
The battery assembly is nested within the enclosure with precise geometric interlocking features. The array plates with protrusions fit into grooves of the enclosure, creating a nested configuration that optimizes space usage while the standardized interface maintains ease of installation and removal
2Volume of moving object
If compact battery pack design is implemented, then space efficiency improves, but alignment precision becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment features such as protrusions and grooves are pre-formed on the array plates and enclosure components during manufacturing. This preliminary action ensures that when components are assembled, the alignment is automatically achieved without requiring high-precision manual positioning, thus maintaining manufacturing precision while achieving compact design
Solution Approach 2:
Specific local features (protrusions and grooves) are designed with precise geometric tolerances at critical alignment points, while other areas of the components can have more relaxed tolerances. This localized precision approach maintains alignment accuracy in compact configurations without requiring overall high-precision manufacturing of entire components
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, an enclosure and a battery assembly retained relative to the enclosure. One of the battery assembly and the enclosure includes a groove configured to receive a flange of the other of the battery assembly and the enclosure as the battery assembly is slid into engagement with the enclosure.