Vehicle Battery Underbody Insert for Side-Impact Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing arrangement of batteries under motor vehicles is vulnerable to side impacts, leading to potential damage and risk of fire due to the transmission of shock intensity directly to the batteries, and the architectural constraints create an empty space that increases inertia during collisions.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a vehicle body base design with laterally positioned sills, a transverse barrier, and a floor that incorporates a protective device with an insert between the battery assembly and the vehicle's flaps, featuring a deformable hook interface for mounting functional elements, which reduces the empty space and absorbs impact forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery pack is positioned under the vehicle body to maintain loading capacity and road handling, then the vehicle's operational performance is improved, but the battery pack becomes vulnerable to side impacts and impact intensity is transmitted directly to the battery
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device is divided into multiple segments including side skirts positioned laterally, a transverse barrier connecting the skirts, and an insert element positioned between the sill and battery pack. This segmentation allows each component to independently manage different aspects of impact protection while maintaining the battery pack's underbody positioning for optimal vehicle performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert element acts as an intermediary component between the vehicle's structural elements (sill) and the battery pack. It fills the functional space gap, provides a mounting interface for functional elements, and serves as the primary element to absorb and distribute impact forces, preventing direct transmission of impact intensity to the battery pack.
2Ease of operation
If a technical space is maintained between the battery pack and longitudinal edges of the underbody for functional elements, then the operational systems can be properly positioned, but the empty space generates inertia during side impact transmitting impact intensity to the battery pack
Solution Approach 1:
The insert element merges multiple functions into a single integrated component: it fills the functional space gap, provides structural support, offers a mounting interface for functional elements via deformable hooks, and serves as an impact absorption element. This consolidation eliminates the harmful empty space while maintaining ease of operation for functional element installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective device, particularly the insert element, performs multiple functions simultaneously: structural reinforcement, impact absorption, functional element mounting, and space optimization. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by maintaining operational ease while eliminating the inertial effects of empty space during impacts.
3Strength
If the battery pack is positioned with slight vertical projection downwards for underbody mounting, then the battery can be securely positioned, but the projection makes the battery more vulnerable to impact particularly when crossing a curb
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device, including side skirts and the insert element, is positioned beforehand to create a protective barrier around the battery pack before any impact occurs. This cushioning structure absorbs and distributes impact forces from curbs or other obstacles, preventing direct transmission of impact forces to the battery pack while maintaining its secure underbody positioning.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement of a body understructure of a vehicle (1) comprising a device (2) for protecting a set of batteries (20), the body understructure laterally comprising side sills (31), at least one transverse barrier (33) connecting the side sills to one another, as well as a floor (34) arranged to cover the side sills and the barrier, the vehicle comprising at least one functional element (40) extending under the understructure of the vehicle, the protective device (2) comprising at least one insert (10) arranged between a side sill (31) and a lateral edge (23) of the battery assembly (20) along an axis transverse to the vehicle, characterised in that the insert (10) is shaped according to the functional element, in particular by means of at least one recess intended for receiving the functional element (40). The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising such an arrangement.