Vehicle Battery Pyrofuse Compartment for External Service Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle battery modules require significant disassembly and de-energization for servicing high voltage pyrofuses, posing safety risks to technicians and complicating maintenance procedures.
Innovation Solution
A pyrofuse compartment design that allows external access and fingerproof protection, enabling servicing without disassembly, using insulated connectors and compartments with multiple plastic walls to isolate the pyrofuse from high voltage components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pyrofuse is integrated within the battery enclosure interior, then the battery module structure is compact, but servicing the pyrofuse requires significant disassembly and de-energization
Solution Approach 1:
The battery enclosure is segmented into separate compartments: a battery compartment containing the batteries and a pyrofuse compartment containing the pyrofuse. This segmentation allows the pyrofuse to be accessed and serviced independently without requiring disassembly of the entire battery enclosure or disconnection of battery terminals, thus resolving the contradiction between compact structure and servicing ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The pyrofuse is extracted from the battery enclosure interior and placed in a separate pyrofuse compartment that is accessible from the exterior. This extraction allows technicians to service the pyrofuse without accessing the battery interior or de-energizing the system, eliminating the need for complex disassembly procedures while maintaining a compact overall structure.
2Reliability
If the pyrofuse is accessible from the exterior without accessing the battery interior, then servicing can be performed with the module energized, but the compartment structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pyrofuse compartment is nested within or adjacent to the battery enclosure structure, sharing walls and integrating seamlessly into the overall module design. This nesting approach allows exterior access to the pyrofuse while maintaining a compact form factor and minimizing the increase in structural complexity. The compartment utilizes the existing enclosure walls, requiring only minimal additional structural elements.
3Productivity
If multiple compartments are provided for multiple pyrofuses, then each pyrofuse can be serviced independently, but the overall device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pyrofuse compartments are merged into a single integrated pyrofuse compartment structure that can accommodate multiple pyrofuses. This consolidation allows each pyrofuse to be accessed and serviced independently through separate access points or removable panels while sharing common structural elements, mounting mechanisms, and insulation provisions, thus improving maintenance efficiency without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An example vehicle battery module includes a battery enclosure of a vehicle, the battery enclosure including multiple walls defining an interior of the battery enclosure, at least one battery located within the interior of the battery enclosure, the at least one battery configured to provide power for the vehicle, a pyrofuse electrically connected with the at least one battery, and a compartment located on at least one of the multiple walls of the battery enclosure, the compartment defining a space separate from the interior of the battery enclosure. The space defined by the compartment is accessible from an exterior of the battery enclosure without accessing the interior of the battery enclosure, and the pyrofuse is located within the space defined by the compartment.