Battery Pack Cross-Member Layout for Side-Impact Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles with power supply pack modules, such as batteries or fuel cells, face hazards from side impacts, leading to potential chemical leaks or fires, which restrict design freedom and increase component strength and weight.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle structure with a power supply pack assembly supported by a cross member and a side impact system featuring sacrificial zones that allow lateral displacement of the pack assembly relative to the body portion during a side impact, absorbing impact energy and reducing damage to the pack modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the power supply pack assembly is directly protected from side impacts, then the safety of pack modules is improved, but the vehicle structure complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sacrificial zone as an intermediary element between the impacting object and the power supply pack assembly. This sacrificial zone is designed to deform and absorb impact energy, serving as a mediator that protects the pack modules without requiring direct reinforcement of the pack assembly itself. The sacrificial zone acts as a buffer that dissipates harmful forces before they reach the critical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle structure is segmented into distinct functional zones: a rigid cross member for structural support, a deformable sacrificial zone for energy absorption, and a protected zone for the power supply pack assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function - the cross member provides structural integrity, the sacrificial zone handles impact absorption, and the pack assembly focuses on electrical functionality without excessive structural reinforcement.
2Reliability
If the strength of components is increased to protect pack modules from impact, then the protection of pack modules is improved, but the weight of the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sacrificial zone serves as a weight-efficient intermediary that absorbs impact energy through controlled deformation rather than requiring heavy reinforcement of the power supply pack assembly. Instead of making the pack assembly itself heavier and stronger, the solution uses a separate, lighter sacrificial structure that protects the pack modules by dissipating impact forces before they reach the sensitive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial zone is designed as a consumable, deformable structure that is intended to be damaged or destroyed during impact events. Rather than using expensive, heavy, and durable materials throughout the vehicle structure, the patent employs a lighter, sacrificial element that performs its protective function through controlled deformation, thereby reducing overall vehicle weight while maintaining protection effectiveness.
3Reliability
If the area occupied by pack modules is reduced to meet design constraints, then the protection from impact is improved, but the design freedom is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle structure is divided into distinct functional zones with the sacrificial zone positioned between potential impact sources and the power supply pack assembly. This spatial segmentation creates a protective buffer zone that allows the pack modules to be positioned in areas that would otherwise be structurally vulnerable, thereby expanding design freedom while maintaining protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The sacrificial zone acts as a mediator that decouples the structural protection requirements from the power supply pack assembly design. By introducing this intermediate protective layer, the pack modules can be designed with optimal dimensions and positioning without being constrained by the need for direct structural reinforcement, thereby enhancing design freedom while ensuring impact protection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the likelihood of dangerous damage to power supply pack modules by displacing them laterally during a side impact, absorbing impact energy and protecting them from direct deformation, while allowing for enhanced design flexibility and reduced risk of damage to occupants and vehicle integrity.
Implementation Method 1
in the event of a side impact of sufficient force to the vehicle structure corresponding to the side of the body portion and corresponding side of the power supply pack assembly
Implementation Method 2
absorption of impact energy (e.g. in terms of forces required to create necessary deformations and displacements)
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle structure includes a power supply pack assembly and a body portion. The power supply pack assembly comprises a cross member and one or more pack modules of the power supply pack assembly supported on the cross member. The vehicle structure comprises a side impact system comprising a first sacrificial zone that extends laterally in an inboard direction with respect to the furthest outboard lateral extent of the cross member on a corresponding side of the power supply pack assembly, so that in the event of a side impact of sufficient force to the vehicle structure corresponding to the side of the body portion and corresponding side of the power supply pack assembly, the cross member is impacted prior to any exhaustion of the first sacrificial zone, such that the power supply pack assembly is displaced laterally relative to the body portion.