Battery Pack Interlock Structure via Bus Bar Shielding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs for electric vehicles require complex designs due to the use of ready-made service plugs for interlock structures, complicating the structure and increasing the risk of inadvertent access to high-voltage circuits.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack with an interlock structure that utilizes a bus bar unit with a shielding portion to prevent the case cover from being removed unless the bus bar unit is also removed, eliminating the need for a ready-made service plug and simplifying the configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a ready-made service plug is used for the interlock structure, then the high-voltage circuit can be switched on/off, but the structure of the battery pack becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the interlock function with the bus bar unit by integrating a shielding portion into the bus bar unit structure. This merging eliminates the need for a separate service plug while maintaining the interlock functionality that prevents cover removal when the battery module is electrically connected.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar unit is given multiple functions: it serves as both the electrical connection component and the interlock mechanism through its shielding portion. This multi-functionality reduces the overall component count and simplifies the battery pack structure while maintaining safety requirements.
2Reliability
If a service plug is used for interlock, then the cover cannot be removed when high-voltage circuit is on, but it requires designing the interior according to the service plug shape and dimension
Solution Approach 1:
The interlock function is merged into the bus bar unit structure through the shielding portion, eliminating the need to design the battery pack interior around a separate service plug component. This provides greater design flexibility while maintaining the safety function of preventing cover removal when electrically connected.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack having an interlock structure includes a plurality of battery modules, a case that includes a case main body accommodating the plurality of battery modules and a case cover covering the case main body, and a bus bar unit that electrically conducts two battery modules among the plurality of battery modules. The case cover includes a cover connecting portion connected to an accommodation item accommodated in the case or the case main body, and the bus bar unit includes a shielding portion that blocks the cover connecting portion from being removed from the accommodation item or the case main body.