Deployable Battery Tray Brace for EV Side-Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery-electric vehicles lack effective mechanisms to manage deformation and distribute impact forces during side collisions, particularly around the battery compartment, which can compromise the structural integrity of the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A deployable vehicle brace system is integrated into the battery tray, featuring a track and pyrotechnic actuators that slide braces along the track from an undeployed to a deployed position, creating space between the impacting object and the battery tray to manage deformation and distribute impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a deployable brace system is added to the battery tray, then impact force distribution and deformation management are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The brace structure transitions from a static configuration to a dynamic deployable system. The brace remains compact during normal operation and only deploys when a side collision is detected, allowing the structure to adapt its geometry and mechanical properties based on operational conditions. This dynamic transformation enables the brace to provide structural support when needed while maintaining a compact form factor during normal vehicle operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace system is divided into multiple independent components including the battery tray, the brace structure itself, pyrotechnic actuators, and track guides. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and facilitates the deployment mechanism where the brace can slide along the track to its deployed position. The segmented design also enables selective deployment of braces based on the location and severity of detected impacts.
2Speed
If pyrotechnic actuators are used to deploy braces, then deployment speed and impact response time are improved, but manufacturing complexity and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical deployment systems (such as spring-loaded mechanisms or motor-driven systems) with pyrotechnic actuators. This substitution enables extremely rapid deployment of the brace structure in response to side collisions, as pyrotechnic actuators can generate high-speed motion almost instantaneously upon activation. The pyrotechnic system converts chemical energy directly into mechanical motion, eliminating the need for complex mechanical linkages, motors, or power transmission systems that would slow down the deployment process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If braces are made slideable along tracks, then adaptability to impact locations is improved, but structural stability during normal operation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The brace structures are pre-positioned within the battery tray assembly, slideably engaged with tracks that guide their deployment paths. This preliminary positioning ensures that when a side collision occurs, the braces can rapidly deploy to the appropriate location along the track to provide structural support. The pre-established track-guided mechanism eliminates the need for complex real-time positioning calculations or active control systems during the actual impact event.
Solution Approach 2:
The track structure serves as an intermediary element between the fixed battery tray and the movable brace components. The tracks provide guided pathways that constrain the brace motion to specific trajectories, ensuring that the braces deploy in a controlled manner while maintaining structural integrity. This intermediary mechanism allows the braces to be slideable and adaptable during deployment while the track system itself provides the structural stability needed during normal vehicle operation.
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 system effectively manages deformation and distributes impact forces, maintaining the structural integrity of the battery compartment and vehicle frame during side collisions, thereby protecting the battery compartment and enhancing safety.
Implementation Method 1
a pyrotechnic actuator operatively coupled to the brace to slide the brace along the track from the undeployed position to the deployed position
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly including a vehicle battery tray. The assembly includes a track fixed relative to the vehicle battery tray. The track is elongated along a cross-vehicle axis. The assembly includes a brace slideably engaged with the track. The brace is slidable along the track relative to the vehicle battery tray along the cross-vehicle axis in a vehicle-outboard direction from an undeployed position to a deployed position. The assembly includes a pyrotechnic actuator operatively coupled to the brace to slide the brace along the track from the undeployed position to the deployed position.