Battery Pack Reinforcement Assembly for Impact Load Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrified vehicle battery packs are susceptible to damage from impact loading events due to the direct transfer of forces, which can be damaging to the sensitive internal components such as battery cells.
Innovation Solution
A reinforcement assembly comprising a beam and a bracket is mounted to the enclosure assembly of the battery pack, configured to redirect and absorb impact loads during vehicle impact events, minimizing the transfer of these loads into the interior of the battery pack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the battery pack enclosure is made simple and lightweight, then manufacturing cost and weight are reduced, but the enclosure becomes more susceptible to impact damage
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement assembly is divided into separate components: a beam component and a bracket component. The beam is attached to the enclosure assembly, and the bracket connects the beam to the mounting bracket, creating a segmented reinforcement structure that protects internal components without requiring a completely reinforced enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement assembly is pre-installed on the battery pack enclosure before final assembly. The beam and bracket are attached in advance to create a protective load path structure that will deflect impact loads away from internal components during impact events.
2Reliability
If reinforcement structures are added to protect internal components, then impact resistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement function is segmented into discrete components (beam and bracket) that can be independently manufactured and assembled, rather than creating a single complex reinforced enclosure structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam acts as an intermediary structural element between the enclosure assembly and the mounting bracket. It creates a load path that redirects impact forces away from internal components, serving as a mediator that protects sensitive elements without requiring direct reinforcement of the entire enclosure.
3Reliability
If the beam spans the entire length of the enclosure, then protection coverage is maximized, but material usage and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The beam is positioned to provide reinforcement at the specific location where impact protection is most needed, rather than uniformly reinforcing the entire enclosure length. This localized approach maintains protection effectiveness while minimizing material usage and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam provides sufficient reinforcement coverage at the critical impact zone without extending unnecessarily along the entire enclosure length. The reinforcement is applied partially where most needed, avoiding excessive material usage while maintaining adequate protection.
Data Source
AI summary
Reinforcement assemblies and associated methods are provided for reinforcing a battery pack of an electrified vehicle. An exemplary battery pack may include a battery internal component (e.g., a battery array), an enclosure assembly for housing the battery internal component, and a reinforcement assembly secured to the enclosure assembly. The reinforcement assembly may include a beam and a bracket secured to the beam. The reinforcement assembly may be positioned at expected high impact load locations of the enclosure assembly and is configured for absorbing and transferring energy during vehicle impact loading events, thereby minimizing transfer of the impact loads inside the battery pack where relatively sensitive battery internal components are housed.