Fuel Cell Vehicle Subframe Segmentation for Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fuel cell vehicles face challenges in increasing the power generation capacity and protecting the fuel cell from impact forces due to structural limitations and potential collisions with drive motor and gear box components.
Innovation Solution
A fuel cell vehicle design where the fuel cell is housed in a case with intake and exhaust ducts, positioned within a cage-shaped subframe that supports the drive unit, allowing for increased width extension and protection from impact forces by mounting devices on the vehicle body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the fuel cell is mounted on the vehicle with the drive motor and gear box in front, then the structure is compact, but the fuel cell width cannot be increased due to structural limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle front structure is divided into two separate platforms: a first platform for mounting the fuel cell and a second platform for mounting the drive motor and gear box. This segmentation allows the fuel cell to be extended in width without interfering with the drive train components, as each component group has its own dedicated mounting space on the vehicle body.
2Power
If the fuel cell width and height are increased to increase power generation, then the power generation amount increases, but the fuel cell may collide with the drive motor and gear box when impact force acts from the front
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the fuel cell mounting (first platform) from the drive motor and gear box mounting (second platform), the invention creates spatial isolation between these components. This segmentation ensures that even when the fuel cell is enlarged in width and height, there is sufficient clearance between the fuel cell and drive train components, preventing collision during front impacts while allowing increased power generation capacity.
3Volume of moving object
If the fuel cell is extended in vehicle width direction, then the power generation amount increases, but the fuel cell may hit the drive motor and gear box during impact
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the vehicle front into two separate mounting platforms positioned at different locations on the vehicle body. The fuel cell is mounted on the first platform while the drive motor and gear box are mounted on the second platform. This spatial segmentation allows the fuel cell to be extended in width without encroaching on the space occupied by the drive train components, thereby increasing power generation capacity while preventing collision during front impacts.
Data Source
AI summary
In a fuel cell vehicle, the power generation amount of a fuel cell into which air is introduced from a front side of a vehicle and from which air is discharged to a rear side of the vehicle is increased while the fuel cell is protected when an impact force acts on the vehicle. A fuel cell case (24) is arranged in a cage-shaped sub frame (32) surrounding a front, rear, left, and right side portions of the fuel cell case (24), a drive unit (7) formed by coupling a drive motor (5) and a gear box (6) to each other is joined to a rear side portion of the sub frame (32), and left and right end portions of the sub frame (32) and the drive unit (7) are supported on a vehicle body (15) respectively by mounting devices (33, 34, 35).