Unitized EV Battery Array Assembly for Impact Load Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery structures in electric vehicles face challenges in efficiently transferring loads during impact events and optimizing space within the vehicle, particularly for long-distance travel, where structural integrity and compactness are crucial.
Innovation Solution
A battery structure comprising multiple unitized arrays with interlocking walls and ribs, supported by cross beams and energy absorbing structures, which are secured to a battery tray to form a robust and compact assembly capable of transferring loads and absorbing impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If battery arrays are designed with separate individual structures, then manufacturing and assembly are simpler, but structural integrity during impact events is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Adjacent battery arrays are merged into a unitized structure where walls are shared between arrays. The front wall of one array serves as the rear wall of the adjacent array, creating an integrated structural assembly that enhances load transfer capability and structural integrity during impact events while reducing the number of separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery structure is segmented into modular unitized arrays that can be independently manufactured and then assembled. Each unitized structure contains multiple battery pouches arranged in a standardized configuration, allowing for scalable assembly while maintaining structural integrity through the shared wall design.
2Reliability
If battery arrays are designed with extended spacing for safety, then impact protection is improved, but space utilization in the vehicle is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By merging adjacent battery arrays into a unitized structure with shared walls, the design eliminates the need for additional spacing between arrays. The shared walls provide structural reinforcement and impact protection while maximizing space utilization by removing redundant structural elements that would otherwise be required between separately structured arrays.
3Force
If traditional battery array structures are used, then manufacturing processes are simpler, but load transfer during impact events is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The unitized structure merges adjacent battery arrays by sharing walls between them. This integration creates continuous load paths that efficiently transfer impact forces across multiple arrays, preventing localized stress concentrations and improving overall load transfer efficiency during impact events.
Solution Approach 2:
The walls within unitized structures incorporate composite construction with ribs and varying thickness profiles to optimize strength-to-weight ratio. The shared walls are reinforced to handle load transfer between arrays, creating a composite structural system that balances manufacturing feasibility with superior load transfer capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The battery structure for an electric vehicle includes battery arrays. A first battery array includes first walls that are secured to each other to form a first unitized structure that is configured to house a first cell stack. One first wall of the first walls includes a first vertical portion, a first upper portion, and a first lower portion. A second battery array includes second walls that are secured to each other to form a second unitized structure that is configured to house a second cell stack. One second wall of the second walls includes a second vertical portion and a second upper portion. The second vertical portion is spaced apart from the first vertical portion. The second upper portion extends toward the first vertical portion from an upper end of the second vertical portion and is secured to the first upper portion of the first battery array.