Battery Pack Cover Structure for Side-Impact Wire Harness Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle substructures require the wire harness to bypass a hole in the cross member, leading to deformation and impact application above the floor panel when the vehicle receives a side impact, necessitating improved impact prevention.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle with a cross member and a first wire harness attached above a hole, covered by a cover member with a bulging part that covers the wire harness from above, preventing deformation and impact application.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the wire harness is attached to the cross member so as to be located above the hole portion, then the wire harness can be properly positioned for electrical connections, but when the vehicle receives a side impact, the wire harness deforms and bends upward applying impact above the floor panel

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewire harness positioningVSAvoidimpact from side collision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A cover member is introduced as an intermediary protective element between the wire harness and the external environment. The cover member includes a bulging part that specifically covers and protects the wire harness from side impacts, preventing the wire harness from deforming and bending upward during collisions while maintaining its electrical positioning function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If additional restricting members are added to prevent wire harness deformation, then impact protection is improved, but manufacturing costs and device complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact protectionVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cover member is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides impact protection for the wire harness, maintains proper positioning, and integrates with the existing cross member structure. By combining protection and positioning functions into a single component, the need for additional restricting members is eliminated, reducing overall device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The protective function and positioning function are merged into a single cover member component. The cover member with its bulging part simultaneously protects the wire harness from impact and maintains its proper location, eliminating the need for separate restricting members and simplifying the overall structure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4049899B1Electrical equipment
Publication Date: 2025.06.25 SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
  • EP4049899B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4049899B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4049899B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

[Problem to be Solved] To provide an electrical equipment capable of preventing, when an impact is applied to a vehicle in a vehicle width direction, an impact caused by deformation of a wire harness from being applied above a floor panel. [Solution] A battery pack (11) is installed on a vehicle (1) which includes: a front-side cross member (5) formed with a hole portion (5a) and installed above a floor panel (2) so as to extend in a vehicle width direction; and a wire harness (9) attached to the front-side cross member (5) so as to be located above the hole portion, and extending in the vehicle width direction. The battery pack (11) includes a battery (12) installed on the floor panel (2), and a cover member (15) installed on the floor panel (2) so as to cover the battery (12). The cover member (15) includes a front wall (15B) facing the wire harness (9), and a bulging part (16) bulging from a wall surface (15a) of the front wall (15B) toward the wire harness (9), the bulging part (16) covering the wire harness (9) from above.