BEV Truck Skirt Assembly for Emergency HV Interrupter Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The high voltage interrupter in BEV trucks is difficult to reach, posing a challenge in preventing unwanted activation and ensuring safety.
Innovation Solution
A skirt assembly with a bracket and a high voltage circuit interrupter, where the skirt has a break zone that exposes the interrupter for easy access in emergency situations, made from composite materials like RTM for ease of breaking, and a manual switch for controlled interruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the high voltage interrupter is placed in a protected location to prevent unwanted activation, then safety is improved, but accessibility for emergency use deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle body structure is segmented into a permanent protective portion and a removable skirt portion. The skirt can be detached to provide access to the high voltage interrupter, while the permanent structure maintains protection during normal operation. This segmentation allows the system to switch between protected and accessible states as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective covering transitions from a static enclosed structure to a dynamic system where the skirt can be removed or opened. This dynamic characteristic allows the interrupter to be concealed during normal operation for safety, yet easily accessible when needed for emergency intervention.
2Loss of time
If the high voltage interrupter is made easily accessible, then emergency response time is improved, but the risk of unwanted activation increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the body structure into permanent and removable portions, the system provides quick access through simple skirt removal rather than requiring complex mechanisms. This reduces emergency response time while the permanent structure maintains protection against accidental activation during normal vehicle operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable skirt acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the need for protection and the need for access. During normal operation, it provides protection; during emergencies, it can be quickly removed to expose the interrupter, thus mediating the contradiction between safety and accessibility.
3Ease of operation
If a removable skirt is used to provide access to the interrupter, then accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The body is divided into simple permanent and removable segments rather than requiring complex mechanical systems. This segmentation approach provides accessibility through straightforward skirt removal while avoiding the need for complex latches, motors, or control systems that would increase device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The skirt is designed as a simple, easily replaceable component rather than a permanent structural element. This allows for simple construction with minimal fastening mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the ability to provide quick access to the interrupter when needed.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Battery electric vehicle truck comprising a skirt assembly, wherein the skirt assembly comprises a bracket comprising a plurality of mounting surfaces and wherein the bracket is arranged to be fixed to a chassis of the truck; a skirt attached to a first mounting surface via a skirt connecting arrangement; a high voltage circuit interrupter arranged to, when activated, interrupt current flowing through a high voltage circuit of the truck, the high voltage cut-loop provided on a second mounting surface; and wherein the skirt comprises a break zone that once broken exposes the high voltage circuit interrupter.