Mid-span Battery Pack Attachment and Sealing Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing attachment and sealing systems for battery packs in electrified vehicles fail to effectively secure the battery packs to the vehicle frame, particularly at mid-span locations, leading to durability issues and potential noise, vibration, and harshness problems due to large spans between mounting points.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an attachment and sealing assembly that includes a pass-through component extending through the battery internal structure and enclosure assembly, a fastener received by the pass-through component, and a seal to establish mid-span attachment points, allowing for secure mounting and sealing of the battery pack to the vehicle frame, with options for either a bottom-up or top-down fastener positioning and various configurations of pass-through components and seals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional attachment systems are used with large spans between mounting points, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to durability issues and potential noise, vibration, and harshness problems
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is segmented into multiple mounting points including peripheral attachment points and mid-span attachment points. This segmentation distributes mechanical loads across multiple locations, improving reliability by preventing stress concentration at any single point while maintaining a manageable device complexity through modular attachment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mid-span attachment points that extend into the third dimension through the battery pack enclosure thickness. This dimensional approach allows attachment fasteners to engage with the battery internal structure at multiple depths, creating a more robust three-dimensional attachment system that enhances reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If mid-span attachment points are added to the battery pack, then reliability improves through better securing, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment function and sealing function are merged into a single integrated assembly. The seal is positioned to work in conjunction with the mid-span attachment points, creating a combined attachment and sealing assembly that improves mounting security while reducing overall system complexity by eliminating separate sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The mid-span attachment points are designed with multi-functionality, serving both as structural mounting points for securing the battery pack and as integration points for sealing components. This universal design allows a single structural feature to fulfill multiple functions, improving mounting security without adding separate dedicated sealing structures.
3Reliability
If the pass-through component extends through the battery internal structure, then attachment reliability improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pass-through component is designed with pre-formed features such as integrated seals and positioning elements that are created during the component manufacturing process. This preliminary action ensures proper alignment and sealing capability before assembly, reducing the manufacturing precision requirements during final assembly while maintaining high attachment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The pass-through component acts as an intermediary element that bridges the battery internal structure and the external attachment mechanism. It includes integrated sealing features and positioning elements that mediate between the structural requirements for reliable attachment and the manufacturing capabilities, allowing for tolerance accumulation without compromising attachment security.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If sealing is integrated at mid-span points, then protection against water and debris ingress improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the mid-span attachment structure. The seal is integrated into the pass-through component or the attachment assembly itself, creating a unified attachment and sealing system. This approach improves protection against water and debris ingress by eliminating gaps at attachment points while avoiding the complexity of separate sealing systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The mid-span attachment assembly is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a structural mounting point and as a sealing barrier. The same components that provide mechanical attachment also provide environmental sealing, preventing water and debris ingress at the attachment points without requiring additional dedicated sealing components.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure details electrified vehicles that are equipped with one or more attachment and sealing assemblies for securing a battery pack to the vehicle. An exemplary attachment and sealing assembly may establish a mid-span attachment point of the battery pack and may include a pass-through component, a fastener, and a seal. The fastener may be positioned relative to the pass-through component using either a bottom-up or top-down approach. The seal may radially seal between a portion of a battery pack enclosure assembly and the pass-through component.