EV Battery Pack Locking Layout for Thin Battery Swapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing battery packs for electric vehicles are heavy and complex, leading to increased thickness, which limits the number of packs that can be stored and charged on a single charging rack, resulting in a larger volume for the battery swapping station and low energy storage density, making it difficult and costly to set up, especially in space-constrained areas like cities.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design for electric vehicles featuring a cabinet with accommodating cabinets arranged in intervals to form clearances, equipped with a locking matching mechanism that reduces the overall thickness, allowing for more efficient storage and swapping without the need for sunken spaces or elevated vehicles, utilizing a locking shaft and ejector rod mechanism for secure and space-efficient mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the battery pack uses a traditional solid structure without clearances, then the structural strength is improved, but the thickness increases and storage density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack cabinet is divided into multiple accommodating cabinets (first accommodating cabinet, second accommodating cabinet, etc.) that are arranged at intervals with clearances between them. This segmentation allows the locking matching mechanism to be positioned in the clearances, reducing overall thickness while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed cabinet framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking matching mechanism is positioned in the clearance space between accommodating cabinets arranged in the width direction, rather than stacking components in the height direction. This spatial reorganization reduces the thickness dimension of the battery pack, allowing more packs to be stored vertically on charging racks.
2Quantity of substance
If the battery pack thickness is reduced, then the storage density of battery swapping station is improved, but the locking structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking matching mechanism serves multiple functions: it provides structural support between accommodating cabinets, enables secure mounting to the vehicle body longitudinal beam, and facilitates battery pack identification and positioning. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, managing complexity while achieving thin-profile design.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking matching mechanism acts as an intermediary component positioned in the clearance between accommodating cabinets, mediating the connection between the battery pack and the vehicle body longitudinal beam. This intermediary structure distributes mechanical loads and simplifies the overall locking system by providing a centralized interface for mounting and securing operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If the battery pack is thick, then the locking structure is simplified, but the battery swapping station requires sunken spaces or pits increasing construction cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is segmented into multiple accommodating cabinets with clearances, allowing the locking matching mechanism to be positioned optimally for ground-level swapping operations. This segmentation enables a thinner profile that eliminates the need for sunken spaces or pits, reducing construction complexity while maintaining adequate locking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking matching mechanism is designed to enable self-aligned mounting between the battery pack and vehicle body longitudinal beam, reducing the need for complex adjustment mechanisms or specialized installation infrastructure. The clearance-based design allows natural positioning during the swapping operation.
4Productivity
If the battery pack thickness is reduced by arranging accommodating cabinets at intervals, then the storage efficiency is improved, but the structural rigidity may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The cabinet is divided into multiple accommodating cabinets arranged at intervals with clearances between them. This segmentation reduces battery pack thickness while maintaining structural rigidity through the distributed framework of multiple cabinets that share mechanical loads, preventing deformation despite the reduced overall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple accommodating cabinets are merged into a single integrated cabinet structure that functions as a unified load-bearing framework. The clearances between individual accommodating cabinets do not compromise overall rigidity because the cabinets are structurally connected through the cabinet framework, creating a composite structure that is both thin and rigid.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a battery pack for an electric vehicle and an electric vehicle comprising the same, and the battery pack for an electric vehicle comprises: a cabinet, at least two accommodating cabinets for accommodating the battery modules are provided within the cabinet, and the two accommodating cabinets are arranged at intervals to form a clearance; a locking matching mechanism arranged in the clearance, and a locking point of the locking matching mechanism and the locking mechanism on a vehicle body longitudinal beam is lower than an upper end of the accommodating cabinet. When the battery pack is mounted on the vehicle, it leaves more height space for a battery swapping device, so that the cost, time and difficulty of building the battery swapping station are reduced, the requirements of the construction site to build a station is reduced, and the efficiency of battery swapping is improved.