EV Battery Pack Under Cover Layout for Road Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles with battery packs beneath floor panels face low ground clearance, making them susceptible to damage from road objects, and existing solutions do not adequately protect the battery packs from such impacts.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle design incorporating a pair of rockers, a floor panel, a battery pack beneath the panel, a bracket connecting the pack to the rockers, and an under cover with a first and second portion that deflects upward to absorb impact, distributing the load to the tray and partitioning plate, thereby protecting the battery cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the battery pack is disposed beneath the floor panel to lower the center of gravity, then the vehicle stability is improved, but the ground clearance is reduced making the battery pack vulnerable to road objects
Solution Approach 1:
An under cover is introduced as an intermediary component between the battery pack and road objects. The under cover has a first portion and a second portion that can deflect upward upon impact, with the second portion positioned beneath the partitioning plate to redirect loads away from the battery cells, thus protecting the battery pack while maintaining the low ground clearance configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The under cover is pre-configured with a specific structure where the second portion is situated on the upper side from the first portion and positioned beneath the partitioning plate. This beforehand cushioning design ensures that when impact occurs, the load is automatically redirected through the partitioning plate to the tray, preventing direct transmission to the battery cells before damage can occur
2Reliability
If an under cover is added to protect the battery pack from impact, then the protection level is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The under cover is segmented into a first portion and a second portion with different functions and positions. The first portion provides general protection, while the second portion positioned beneath the partitioning plate specifically redirects loads away from battery cells. This segmentation allows targeted protection without requiring a completely complex protective structure
Solution Approach 2:
The under cover serves multiple functions: it provides general impact protection through the first portion, redirects specific loads away from battery cells through the second portion, and utilizes the existing partitioning plate as part of the load path. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate protective components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
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 under cover effectively suppresses direct contact between road objects and the battery pack, reducing the load transmitted to the battery cells and enhancing protection during collisions.
Implementation Method 1
When an object on the road surface collides with the first portion or the second portion, the under cover is deflected upward
Data Source
AI summary
Included are a pair of rockers, a floor panel disposed between the rockers, a battery pack disposed beneath the floor panel, a bracket that connects the battery pack to the rockers, and an under cover that covers a lower face of the battery pack. The battery pack includes a tray, a first partitioning plate that is disposed upon the tray and that extends in a front-rear direction, and a plurality of battery cells disposed on both sides of the first partitioning plate upon the tray. The under cover has a first portion and a second portion disposed beneath the tray with a spacing as to the tray. The second portion is situated on an upper side from the first portion. The second portion is disposed beneath the first partitioning plate.