Integrated EV Battery Cavity Layout Without Pack Enclosure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in integrating a high voltage battery system into electric vehicles without a standalone pack enclosure, which requires reducing manufacturing costs and ensuring serviceability without special tools or training, while maintaining safety and structural integration.
Innovation Solution
The implementation involves mounting high voltage battery modules directly into the vehicle body, using electrical interconnects with insulated busbars to connect modules, and a closure that encases the system, allowing for service without exposing high voltage terminals to personnel, thus ensuring safety and structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a standalone pack enclosure is used for the high voltage battery system, then safety and structural integrity are improved, but vehicle mass increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the battery system with the vehicle body structure by integrating electrochemical cells directly into the vehicle body cavity, eliminating the need for a separate standalone pack enclosure. The vehicle body itself serves as the protective enclosure, combining structural support and battery containment functions into a single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle body is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support for the vehicle, defines the cavity space, and simultaneously acts as the protective enclosure for the high voltage battery system. This multi-functional design eliminates redundant components and reduces overall vehicle mass.
2Reliability
If a standalone pack enclosure is used for the high voltage battery system, then safety and structural integrity are improved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is merged with the vehicle body manufacturing process, allowing the electrochemical cells to be installed directly into the vehicle body cavity during assembly. This eliminates the separate manufacturing and assembly of a standalone pack enclosure, reducing manufacturing steps and associated costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery system is divided into modular electrochemical cells that can be independently manufactured and then assembled into the vehicle body cavity. This segmentation allows for flexible assembly processes and reduces the complexity of manufacturing a complete enclosed battery pack.
3Weight of moving object
If the high voltage battery system is integrated into the vehicle body without a standalone enclosure, then vehicle mass is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but serviceability becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is segmented into individual electrochemical cells that are modular and can be accessed separately. The closure can be removed to provide access to the cells, allowing technicians to service individual components without needing to work with a complete enclosed pack, thus improving serviceability despite the integrated design.
4Reliability
If electrical interconnects with insulated busbars are used to connect battery modules, then safety is improved by preventing exposure of high voltage terminals, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Insulated busbars serve as intermediary components between the electrochemical cells, providing electrical connection while preventing direct exposure of high voltage terminals. The insulation acts as a protective mediator that maintains safety while enabling necessary electrical connectivity between battery modules.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle comprises: a vehicle body; a cavity in the vehicle body, the cavity formed by at least one wall of the vehicle body and by an opening in the vehicle body; a closure configured for closing the opening; an electric motor for propulsion of the electric vehicle; and components that comprise a high voltage battery system, the components mounted to the vehicle body inside the cavity, the high voltage battery system including electrochemical cells powering the electric motor, the high voltage battery system being enclosed by the wall of the vehicle body and the closure and having no standalone pack enclosure.