EV Battery Tray Breakaway Mounting for Side-Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric vehicle battery packs are vulnerable to damage during side impacts, which can lead to thermal runaway due to the collapse of the vehicle's floor structure, causing overheating and potential destruction of the battery pack, and existing solutions to mitigate this add bulk and weight to the vehicle, affecting fuel economy.
Innovation Solution
A side impact battery pack protection system that includes compression load absorption members and breakaway elements allowing the battery pack to shift along the vehicle width or physically separate from the vehicle frame, dissipating external forces and preventing thermal events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If compression load absorption members and breakaway elements are added to protect the battery pack during side impacts, then the battery pack protection is improved, but the vehicle weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protection system is divided into modular components: compression load absorption members positioned at battery pack corners, breakaway elements for controlled separation, and connection members. This segmentation allows targeted protection only where side impact forces are most critical, rather than reinforcing the entire battery pack structure, thereby minimizing weight addition while maintaining protection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Compression load absorption members are pre-installed at the corners of the battery pack, positioned to absorb impact forces before they can damage the battery cells. These members are designed to deform or collapse under impact, providing cushioning protection in advance of any thermal runaway event, thus protecting the battery without requiring heavy reinforcement of the battery housing itself.
2Strength
If the battery pack is made more rigid to prevent deformation during side impacts, then the structural strength is improved, but the ability to absorb impact energy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection members incorporate breakaway elements that allow the battery pack to dynamically separate from the vehicle frame during side impacts. This dynamic response enables the battery pack to move away from the impact zone, absorbing impact energy through controlled separation rather than rigid resistance, thus preventing structural damage without requiring the battery pack itself to be heavily reinforced.
Solution Approach 2:
Connection members act as intermediaries between the battery pack and vehicle frame, providing a controlled interface that allows energy absorption through breakaway mechanisms. These intermediaries absorb impact forces through controlled failure of the breakaway elements, protecting the battery pack from direct impact forces without requiring the battery structure itself to be strengthened.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the battery pack is fixed rigidly to the vehicle frame, then the positional stability is improved, but the damage during side impacts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system transitions from a static rigid fixation to a dynamic system with breakaway elements. During normal operation, the battery pack remains stable and fixed to the vehicle frame. During side impacts, the breakaway elements allow controlled separation, enabling the battery pack to move away from the impact zone and avoid damage, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and impact protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakaway elements allow the battery pack to be extracted or separated from the vehicle frame during side impacts. This controlled extraction removes the battery pack from the impact zone, protecting it from damage while maintaining its fixed position during normal operation. The breakaway mechanism selectively removes the connection only when necessary for protection.
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 reduces damage to the battery pack during side impacts by absorbing and dissipating impact energy, preventing thermal runaway and maintaining the vehicle's structural integrity while minimizing weight and bulk additions.
Implementation Method 1
either of the first or second breakaway elements break, thereby creating a separation between the respective compression load absorption member and connection member, while the compression load absorption member positioned on the opposite side of the battery pack compresses, thereby dissipating the external force transmitted to the battery pack
Implementation Method 2
the compression load absorption member positioned on the opposite side of the battery pack compresses, thereby dissipating the external force transmitted to the battery pack
Implementation Method 3
either of the first or second breakaway elements break, thereby creating a separation between the respective compression load absorption member and connection member
Implementation Method 4
the first and second breakaway elements are in the form of shear pins configured to separate upon the application of a shear force of a defined magnitude
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle including side impact battery pack protection mechanism for reducing damage to a battery pack in the event of a side impact, the electric vehicle including a vehicle frame, a battery pack, and one or more side impact battery pack protection brackets configured to at least of enable the vehicle battery pack to shift along a vehicle width direction or enable physical separation of the battery pack from the vehicle frame.