Electric Vehicle Battery Pack Service Plug Water Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery pack designs for electric vehicles, where the service plug is mounted on the upper surface and exposed to water, lead to electrical leakage and maintenance challenges, particularly when the vehicle travels in rain or on water-covered roads, and are not versatile for different vehicle body structures.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design with a second case extending upward from the first case, featuring an opening for the power shut-off mechanism accessible from the outside, positioned to prevent water exposure and allowing easy access from within the cabin, decoupling the service plug from the vehicle structure for easy removal and adaptation to various vehicle shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the service plug is mounted on the upper surface of the battery pack, then maintenance access is facilitated, but the service plug becomes exposed to water causing electrical leakage
Solution Approach 1:
A waterproof box is introduced as an intermediary structure to house the service plug. This mediator allows maintenance personnel to access the service plug through a waterproof cover while preventing direct water exposure to the electrical components, thus resolving the contradiction between accessibility and water protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The service plug is nested within a waterproof box that is itself mounted on the battery pack. This nested structure allows the service plug to be accessible while being protected by the waterproof enclosure, eliminating the direct exposure to water while maintaining maintenance accessibility.
2Ease of manufacture
If the battery pack is integrated with the vehicle structure, then assembly is simplified, but removal and adaptation to different vehicles becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is segmented into modular components including the battery modules, waterproof box with service plug, and mounting structure. This segmentation allows the battery pack to be easily assembled and disassembled, facilitating both simple assembly and adaptation to different vehicle models without complex integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack is designed with universal mounting features and standardized interfaces that allow it to be adapted to different vehicle models. The modular design with clear separation of components enables the same battery pack design to serve multiple vehicle applications while maintaining assembly simplicity.
3Reliability
If a waterproof seal is attached to the service plug lid, then water protection is improved, but the lid becomes prone to breakdown from repeated wetting
Solution Approach 1:
The waterproof box serves as an intermediary protective structure that prevents water from directly contacting the service plug lid. By housing the lid within the waterproof enclosure, the lid is protected from repeated wetting cycles that would otherwise degrade it, while the waterproofing function is maintained through the box's sealed structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle has a battery pack under a floor panel. The battery pack includes battery modules having an electricity storage function, a first case holding the battery modules therein, and a power shut-off mechanism temporarily interrupting the electric power of the battery modules. The floor panel includes an access port communicating between the inside and outside of a cabin. The battery pack further includes a second case extending upward from an upper surface of the first case adjacent to the floor panel and including the power shut-off mechanism therein. The second case has an opening for allowing the access to the power shut-off mechanism from the outside of the second case, the opening being oriented in an access direction where the power shut-off mechanism is accessed from the access port toward the opening.