Modular EV Frame Battery Compartments With Removable Side Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty vehicles face limited space between longitudinal frame rails, restricting the capacity of battery packs, and existing frames do not facilitate easy mounting, service, and protection of battery modules.
Innovation Solution
A frame module with a central partition wall and transverse battery storage compartments, allowing easy access and mounting of battery modules via side walls, integrated cooling conduits, and protection features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If traditional longitudinal frame rails with transverse beams are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but battery storage space is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into modular components: a central partition wall structure with separate battery storage compartments on either side. This segmentation allows the battery modules to be mounted laterally between the frame rails rather than requiring longitudinal space, thereby increasing storage volume while preserving the overall frame structure
Solution Approach 2:
The battery modules are mounted in the transverse dimension between the frame rails rather than along the longitudinal direction. The central partition wall creates lateral compartments that utilize the transverse space more effectively, transforming the storage orientation from longitudinal to transverse arrangement
2Ease of operation
If battery modules are mounted in traditional frame structures, then structural strength is maintained, but ease of mounting and service is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls of the battery storage compartments are made movable or removable rather than fixed, allowing dynamic access to the battery modules. This enables easy mounting by sliding modules in and out laterally, and facilitates service by allowing quick removal of side walls to access individual modules without disassembling the entire frame structure
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are extracted as removable components from the fixed structure, allowing them to be taken off for access and then reattached for protection. This separation of access function from structural function enables easy mounting and service while maintaining structural integrity when walls are in place
3Quantity of substance
If more battery modules are stored to increase energy capacity, then driving range is improved, but access for service becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery storage system is segmented into multiple independent compartments separated by the central partition wall, with each compartment accessible via removable side walls. This allows individual modules to be accessed and serviced independently without requiring access to the entire battery pack, facilitating maintenance even as the total number of modules increases
Solution Approach 2:
The removable side walls serve multiple functions: they provide structural enclosure for protection, enable easy access for mounting, and facilitate service operations. This multi-functionality allows the same structural element to support both increased storage capacity and improved serviceability
Data Source
AI summary
A frame module and a modular frame of an electric vehicle extend along a longitudinal direction. The frame module has a longitudinally extending central partition wall, a front wall and a rear wall, a battery storage structure having first and second battery storage compartments provided on opposite sides of the central partition wall, each battery storage compartment being configured to receive at least one battery module and being delimited by the central partition wall and longitudinally extending first and second side walls of the frame module, respectively. The first and second side walls are releasably mounted to the battery storage structure to enable opening of the first and second battery storage compartments, respectively.