EV Battery Pack Unlocking Mechanism for Shorter Swap Stroke
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric vehicle battery swapping systems face challenges with unlocking mechanisms that are inefficient and unreliable due to long unlocking strokes and poor alignment accuracy when the unlocking position is near the top of the battery pack, leading to increased space occupation and complexity.
Innovation Solution
An electric vehicle design where the unlocking mechanism is integrated into the battery pack, allowing it to unlock the locking mechanism under external driving force, reducing the unlocking stroke, improving alignment precision, and simplifying the external driving mechanism by shortening its height and reducing occupied space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the unlocking position is close to the top of the battery pack, then the battery pack can be locked securely, but the unlocking rod needs higher telescopic length which increases device complexity and occupied space
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the unlocking mechanism outside the battery pack acting inward, the patent inverts the arrangement by placing the unlocking mechanism inside the battery pack acting outward. The unlocking rod is integrated into the battery pack structure and extends through the side surface to engage with the locking mechanism on the vehicle body, thereby eliminating the need for long telescopic unlocking rods from external devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The unlocking mechanism is nested within the battery pack structure. The unlocking rod is housed inside the battery pack body and only extends outward when needed for unlocking operations. This nesting approach minimizes the occupied space and reduces the apparent complexity of the unlocking system while maintaining full functionality.
2Reliability
If the unlocking rod has sufficient telescopic length to reach the unlocking position, then unlocking can be achieved, but the moving path becomes long which prolongs unlocking time and reduces alignment accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional unlocking approach by having the unlocking rod extend from inside the battery pack outward to the locking mechanism, rather than having an external rod reach inward. This inversion significantly shortens the moving path of the unlocking rod, reducing unlocking time and improving alignment accuracy between the unlocking rod and the locking groove.
3Reliability
If the unlocking rod has sufficient telescopic length, then unlocking can be achieved, but the occupied space increases which may increase the overall height of the external device
Solution Approach 1:
The unlocking rod is nested within the battery pack structure, housed inside the battery pack body and only extending outward when needed. This nesting approach minimizes the occupied space of the unlocking mechanism while maintaining full unlocking functionality, thereby avoiding increases in the overall height of the external device.
Solution Approach 2:
The unlocking mechanism is merged with the battery pack structure itself, rather than being a separate external component. The unlocking rod is integrated into the battery pack housing, sharing the same structural space and reducing the total volume required for the unlocking system.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle (1), comprising a battery pack (10) and a locking mechanism (40), wherein the locking mechanism (40) is mounted on the electric vehicle (1) and is configured to lock the battery pack (10); and an unlocking mechanism (20) is provided in the battery pack (10), and the unlocking mechanism (20) is configured to unlock the locking mechanism (40) under an external driving force. The unlocking mechanism is arranged in the battery pack and is configured to unlock the locking mechanism under the external driving force. Compared with a method whereby a locking mechanism is directly unlocked by means of an external driving mechanism, an unlocking distance stroke can be shortened, so that not only can the unlocking efficiency be increased, but the alignment precision of the unlocking mechanism on the locking mechanism during unlocking can also be improved, thereby enhancing the unlocking reliability.