Electric Vehicle Battery Bracket for Collision Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electric powered vehicles, the battery unit is vulnerable to damage from a subframe that moves rearward during a frontal collision, and increasing the body's strength to ensure fracture at the secured portion between the subframe and the body leads to increased weight.
Innovation Solution
The battery unit is secured to the rail mount portion of the body with a bracket, allowing the rear end of the side rail to separate from the body upon collision without requiring a robust structure, thus distributing collision loads effectively and preventing damage to the battery unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the strength of the body is increased to ensure fracture at the secured portion between the rear end of the side rail and the body upon collision, then the reliability of collision protection is improved, but the weight of the body increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves as an intermediary component that is secured to both the rail mount portion of the body and the battery unit. This intermediary structure distributes collision loads from the subframe through the bracket to the body, protecting the battery unit without requiring the body itself to have increased strength or weight. The bracket acts as a load path mediator that resolves the contradiction between protection reliability and body weight.
2Strength
If the body has a robust structure to increase strength at the rail mount portion, then the strength to withstand plastic deformation is improved, but the weight of the body increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collision load bearing function is segmented from the body structure and assigned to the separate bracket component. The bracket is specifically designed to bear collision loads and is secured to the rail mount portion, while the body maintains its original lightweight structure. This segmentation allows the strength requirement to be met without increasing body weight, as the bracket handles the strength-critical functions.
3Ease of operation
If the secured portion between the rear end of the side rail and the body is designed to fracture upon collision, then the ease of subframe separation is improved, but the strength of the body at the secured portion must be high
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves as an intermediary that absorbs and distributes collision loads, allowing the secured portion between the side rail and body to fracture easily as intended while preventing body plastic deformation. The bracket's presence changes the load path so that the body does not need to have high strength at the secured portion, resolving the contradiction between ease of separation and body strength requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric powered vehicle including a traction motor is disclosed. The vehicle may further include a body including a cabin and a front body; a subframe mounted at a lower portion of the front body and supporting a suspension along with the front body; and a battery unit mounted a t a lower portion of the cabin and configured to supply electric power to the traction motor. The subframe may include a side rail extending in front-rear directions of the electric powered vehicle and is secured to a rail mount portion of the body at a rear end of the side rail. The battery unit may include a bracket projecting in a front direction of the front-rear directions and is secured to the rail mount portion of the body at the bracket.