Battery Pack Support Bracket Layout for Side-Impact Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs for passenger cars have low load-bearing strength, which is inadequate for commercial vehicles like trucks that may experience high impact loads during side collisions, leading to a need for increased stiffness and weight in support devices, compromising the cruising range and load capacity of electric trucks.
Innovation Solution
A support device for vehicular battery packs featuring a battery-side bracket with a patterned opening unit containing multiple holes arranged in a predetermined pattern, which absorbs impact loads and reduces the load transmitted to the battery pack, while also providing mounting space for on-board devices, thereby enhancing protectability and mountability without increasing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery pack is arranged under the ladder frame in a commercial vehicle, then the protectability against side collision is improved, but the mounting spaces for on-board devices are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support device is divided into a battery-side bracket and a frame-side bracket, creating modular mounting interfaces. The battery-side bracket includes an opposing plate with multiple holes arranged in a predetermined pattern, providing multiple mounting positions for on-board devices while maintaining the protective structure under the ladder frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery-side bracket serves multiple functions: it supports the battery pack, provides protective structure against side collision, and offers mounting spaces for on-board devices through the patterned opening unit. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction between protection and mountability.
2Reliability
If the battery pack protrudes outward further than the ladder frame in the vehicle width direction, then the safety against side collision is improved, but the weight of the support device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support device uses local reinforcement only where needed - the battery-side bracket provides localized protection at the battery pack position without requiring the entire support structure to be heavy. The opposing plate with patterned openings provides protection only in the critical side collision zones while maintaining overall weight efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the geometric parameters of the support device by extending the battery pack position outward beyond the ladder frame, improving side collision safety. The patterned opening unit optimizes the weight-strength ratio by creating a lightweight structure with appropriate stiffness for protection.
3Strength
If a rigid metal such as steel is used to increase the stiffness of the support device, then the protectability is improved, but the total weight of the support device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support device employs composite construction with the battery-side bracket and frame-side bracket forming a composite structure that achieves high stiffness-to-weight ratio. The patterned opening unit creates a lightweight yet stiff opposing plate that provides necessary structural strength without using excessive heavy materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The design optimizes material parameters and structural geometry to achieve the required stiffness with minimized weight. The patterned opening configuration provides structural reinforcement where needed while removing material where not required, optimizing the strength-to-weight ratio of the support device.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the opposing plate is provided with multiple holes for mounting on-board devices, then the mountability is improved, but the strength of the opposing plate may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The opposing plate features local reinforcement around the holes and strategic placement of holes in areas that minimize stress concentration. The patterned opening unit is designed so that holes are positioned to provide mounting functionality while maintaining structural integrity through appropriate hole distribution and spacing.
Solution Approach 2:
The holes are pre-positioned in a predetermined pattern during manufacturing, allowing for optimized structural design that anticipates loading conditions. This preliminary design of hole placement ensures that the opposing plate maintains sufficient strength while providing necessary mounting capabilities for on-board devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A support device for a vehicular battery pack that is mounted under side rails constituting a ladder frame of a vehicle and that includes a pair of battery side-faces each of which faces outward in a vehicle width direction and is located outside in the vehicle width direction further than the side rails. The support device includes a battery-side bracket that includes an opposing plate facing one of the battery side-faces and receives the vehicular battery pack. A frame-side bracket couples the battery-side bracket to one of the side rails. A patterned opening unit is provided with a plurality of holes formed on the opposing plate of the battery-side bracket and mounts an on-board device on the battery-side bracket via at least one of the plurality of holes, the plurality of holes being arranged in a predetermined pattern.