Fire-Resistant Underride Guard for EV Battery Hot Gas Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing protective measures for battery storage devices in electric vehicles do not effectively address the risk of hot gas escape and potential fires, particularly in areas where underrun protection is required.

Innovation Solution

A plastic component with a base plate and support sections, integrated with a material-locking flat fire protection textile, designed to cover and protect vehicle components, including battery storage devices, where the textile can be arranged as strips or in a grid pattern to cover degassing openings, made from non-combustible fibers like glass, carbon, or basalt fibers, and manufactured using injection molding or extrusion processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a plastic component is used for underride protection in electric vehicles, then mechanical protection is provided, but fire protection against hot gas escape from battery cells is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefire protection capabilityVSAvoidhot gas escape risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The plastic component integrates a fire-resistant textile (containing mineral fibers such as glass, carbon, or basalt fibers) with the plastic base plate through bonding. This composite structure combines the mechanical strength of the plastic with the fire resistance of the textile, enabling the component to withstand hot gas escape from battery cells while maintaining structural integrity for underride protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If fire-resistant textile is integrated into the plastic component, then fire protection is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefire resistanceVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The fire-resistant textile is bonded directly to the plastic base plate during or after the molding process, merging two separate protective functions into a single integrated component. This eliminates the need for separate fire protection layers or additional assembly steps, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining fire resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the fire-resistant textile covers the entire base plate, then fire protection coverage is maximized, but material cost and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefire protection coverageVSAvoidcomponent weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The fire-resistant textile is positioned specifically in areas where hot gas escape is most likely to occur, such as beneath or adjacent to battery cell locations. This localized placement provides fire protection where it is most needed while minimizing the total amount of textile material used, thereby reducing weight and cost compared to full-coverage approaches.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4259464B1Plastic component, in particular underride protection, with fire protection textile for an at least partially electrically propelled vehicle
Publication Date: 2024.07.24 AUDI AG
  • EP4259464B1 patent drawingFigure 1A)~1D)
  • EP4259464B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The invention relates to a plastic component (10), in particular an underride guard (20), for an at least partially electrically driven motor vehicle (100), having a baseplate (12) made of a first plastic material and a plurality of support portions (14) projecting from the baseplate (14) which are designed to support the plastic component (10) on a vehicle element (22), in particular a battery storage device (22), that is to be protected by the plastic component (10). According to the invention, the plastic component (10) has at least one planar fire-resistant textile (16) which is arranged between projecting support portions (14) and is integrally bonded to the baseplate (12).