Fuse Control Enclosure for Electric Vehicle Base Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Motor vehicles with electric or hybrid traction lack protection and reliable access to circuit breaker control devices, posing safety and security risks due to unauthorized access and potential leaks, especially for repair personnel and firefighters.
Innovation Solution
An enclosure system with a housing and removable cover forms a Faraday cage to isolate the circuit breaker control device, providing secure access and sealing, with a locking mechanism ensuring electrical continuity and structural integration into the vehicle frame for enhanced protection and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the circuit breaker control device is installed in an accessible location for repair personnel, then the ease of operation is improved, but the security against unauthorized access (especially by children) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is divided into a removable cover portion and a fixed base portion. The cover can be removed by authorized personnel (firefighters, repair workers) to access the circuit breaker, while the fixed base with child-resistant fasteners prevents casual access by children. This segmentation allows different access levels for different user groups.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure acts as an intermediary structure between the circuit breaker control device and the external environment. It provides a controlled access interface where authorized personnel can deliberately open it (via removable cover) while children cannot easily access the device inside. The enclosure mediates between security requirements and operational accessibility.
2Ease of operation
If the circuit breaker control device is exposed for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the protection against environmental factors and physical damage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit breaker control device is pre-installed within the protective enclosure during vehicle assembly, before any operational need arises. The enclosure is pre-configured with appropriate sealing, fastening mechanisms, and structural protection. This preliminary protective action ensures the device is already shielded from environmental factors and physical damage while maintaining authorized access capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure serves as an intermediary protective barrier between the vulnerable circuit breaker control device and harmful external factors (water, dust, physical impact). It allows authorized access while maintaining continuous protection during normal vehicle operation and storage.
3Ease of operation
If a removable cover is used for access to the circuit breaker control device, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of sealing and tightness over time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible sealing element (gasket or seal) is incorporated between the removable cover and the fixed base of the enclosure. This flexible film maintains reliable sealing and tightness over time while allowing the cover to be repeatedly removed and reinstalled for authorized access. The flexible seal compensates for minor dimensional variations and wear over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing system is designed to maintain its sealing parameters (tightness, sealing force) over time despite repeated opening/closing operations. The fastening mechanism and seal are configured to preserve sealing effectiveness across the operational lifecycle, ensuring reliability is maintained even with periodic access by authorized personnel.
4Strength
If the enclosure is integrated into the vehicle base structure, then the structural integrity is improved, but the ease of manufacture and assembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is segmented into a fixed base portion that integrates with the vehicle base structure and a removable cover portion. This segmentation allows the fixed base to be manufactured and installed as part of the vehicle structure, providing structural integrity, while the removable cover can be separately manufactured and attached, simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixed base of the enclosure is merged with the vehicle base structure through integration, creating a unified structural assembly that benefits from the vehicle's overall structural strength. This merging approach maintains structural integrity while allowing the removable cover to be added as a separate functional component.
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
The solution enhances protection and accessibility of the circuit breaker control device, preventing unauthorized access while ensuring reliable sealing and structural integrity, addressing safety and security concerns and maintaining operational reliability over time.
Implementation Method 1
the enclosure forms, in a first configuration of the cover, a Faraday cage inside which said circuit breaker control device is placed and isolating said passenger compartment from a magnetic field emitted by said circuit breaker control device
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement (10) for an electric traction or hybrid motor vehicle, which includes: at least one portion (A) of the passenger compartment of said vehicle, a mechanical base structure (11) defining the bottom of said passenger compartment portion (A), and an electrical device (12) for controlling a fuse, configured such as to be combined with a power supply battery that supplies electrical power to an electric traction engine of said vehicle. The mechanical base structure (11) includes a recess (13) accessible from said passenger compartment portion (A). The arrangement includes an enclosure (14) that contains said device (12) for controlling a fuse and is attached in said recess (13) such that said device (12) for controlling a fuse is accessible from said passenger compartment portion (A).