Collapsible Auxiliary Battery Rack for Electrified Vehicles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electrified vehicles face challenges in optimizing storage space while extending their range, as conventional battery racks do not efficiently utilize storage compartments when additional battery support is needed.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible auxiliary battery rack with a configurable frame that occupies less volume in a storage compartment, allowing for the support of auxiliary batteries when needed and collapsing to save space when not in use, featuring a DC-to-DC converter to increase voltage and thermal management for efficient power supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a conventional fixed battery rack is installed to support auxiliary batteries, then the vehicle range is extended, but the storage compartment volume is permanently occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The battery rack employs a collapsible frame structure that can transition between an extended configuration for supporting auxiliary batteries and a collapsed configuration for minimizing storage compartment occupancy. This dynamic adaptability allows the same structure to serve two opposing needs: providing battery support when needed and preserving storage space when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery rack is divided into multiple collapsible sections or segments that can be folded or reconfigured. This segmentation enables the rack to reduce its overall volume by collapsing individual sections, thereby maintaining the ability to support batteries when required while minimizing the space occupied during normal storage operations.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If auxiliary batteries are added to extend range, then the vehicle can operate longer, but the storage space for other items is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible battery rack provides dynamic volume adjustment, allowing the system to maximize battery support capability during extended operations while minimizing the space occupied during normal storage conditions, thus balancing operational duration needs with available storage space.
3Volume of stationary object
If a collapsible frame is used to reduce storage compartment volume, then storage efficiency is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is segmented into multiple collapsible sections that can be folded independently. This segmentation allows the complex collapse function to be achieved through simpler, modular components rather than a single complex mechanism, making the overall structure more manageable and potentially easier to manufacture and maintain.
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
This solution balances the need for extended vehicle range with efficient storage use by allowing the battery rack to collapse, reducing volume when not in use, and providing a flexible and thermally managed power system for auxiliary batteries.
Implementation Method 1
a DC-to-DC converter configured to increase the voltage provided by the auxiliary battery and supply the increased voltage to the battery pack
Implementation Method 2
the second plate is a thermal exchange plate
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to an electrified vehicle with an auxiliary battery rack, which has a collapsible frame, and a corresponding method. In particular, the auxiliary battery rack is located at least partially within a storage compartment of the electrified vehicle. The auxiliary battery rack includes a frame configurable in a support position and a collapsed position in which the frame occupies less volume in the storage compartment than when in the support position.