Electric Three-Wheeled Vehicle Battery Case Layout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric three-wheeled vehicles face challenges with large battery case sizes due to the housing of large electric components like the PDU and battery control devices, which generate heat, necessitating additional cooling components and increasing vehicle size.
Innovation Solution
The batteries are housed in a battery case on the rear body frames, with the PDU and contactor located outside the case, allowing for a smaller battery case size and improved cooling through wind exposure, reducing the need for electric fans and simplifying the body structure by relocating components for better heat radiation and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the PDU and battery control device are housed in the battery case, then the battery case can accommodate all electric components, but the battery case size becomes large and requires additional cooling components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery case into an upper battery case and a lower battery case, with the PDU housed in the upper battery case and the battery control device housed in the lower battery case. This segmentation allows each case to be optimized independently, reducing the overall size requirements while maintaining functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by stacking the upper and lower battery cases vertically, with the PDU positioned above the battery control device. This three-dimensional arrangement efficiently packs multiple components into a compact space, reducing the horizontal footprint while accommodating all necessary electric components.
2Device complexity
If the PDU is located inside the battery case, then all components are integrated, but heat radiation becomes difficult and requires additional cooling components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the PDU from the lower battery case and positions it in the upper battery case, creating a vertical separation that improves heat radiation. The PDU's positioning in the upper portion allows heat to dissipate more effectively away from the battery components below, reducing thermal accumulation without requiring additional active cooling systems.
3Device complexity
If the contactor is located inside the battery case, then component count is reduced, but the battery case size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the contactor with the PDU housing structure, integrating it into the upper battery case assembly. This merging of components maintains functional integration while optimizing space utilization, as the contactor shares the housing space with the PDU rather than requiring a separate dedicated space.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration results in a more compact battery case, reduced component count, shorter high-voltage harnesses, and enhanced heat radiation efficiency, while maintaining stable operation and assembly convenience.
Implementation Method 1
the PDU is located outside the battery case and at the front of the rear body, the PDU is easily cooled by a wind during a run
Implementation Method 2
the down regulator (53) for decreasing the voltage of the external power supply to charge the batteries (BF, BR)
Data Source
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AI summary
To provide an electric three-wheeled vehicle in which a battery case (48) located on a rear body can be small and the number of components can be decreased. A rear body (12) includes rear body frames (19) attached in a vertically swingable manner with respect to a body frame (2) and a chassis (17) attached to the rear body frames (19) by a pivot shaft (16) on a vehicle forward side in a vertically swingable manner. At least front and rear batteries (BF and BR) are located on the rear body frames (19) and a motor and rear wheels (WR) are supported on the chassis (17). The front and rear batteries (BF and BR) are housed in a battery case (48) fixed on the rear body frames (19), a PDU (37) as a battery control device is located on a vehicle forward side of the battery case (48). A contactor having a function to open and close the connection between the front and rear batteries (BF and BR) and the PDU (37) is located on a lateral face of the battery case (48).