Inflatable Battery Protection Element for Crash Impact Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric and hybrid vehicles require effective protection for their large and powerful energy storage batteries, which are at risk of short circuits and fires during accidents, as existing protection systems are inadequate in distributing impact forces efficiently.
Innovation Solution
An energy storage module with an inflatable element placed between the battery cells and the casing, which inflates upon detecting a crash severity exceeding a predetermined threshold, distributing impact forces over a larger surface area to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If battery cells are closely packed to reduce battery size, then the volume of the energy storage module is reduced, but the risk of damage to cells during impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
An inflatable protective element is pre-positioned between the battery cells and the casing. Upon detection of a crash event, this element inflates rapidly to create a cushioning barrier that distributes impact forces across multiple cells, preventing concentrated damage that would occur in closely packed arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable protective element serves as an intermediary component inserted between the battery cells and the external environment. This mediator absorbs and distributes impact energy, protecting the closely packed cells from direct impact forces while maintaining the compact battery design.
2Reliability
If an air-bag system is arranged outside the battery module to absorb impact, then the module has protection capability, but the impact force is not efficiently distributed to avoid cell damage
Solution Approach 1:
The protective element is positioned as an intermediary directly between the battery cells and the casing, rather than outside the module. This intermediate position enables the inflatable structure to directly intercept and distribute impact forces across the cell array, improving force distribution efficiency compared to external air-bag systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective element extends across multiple dimensions within the battery module architecture, creating a distributed protection network that spans across several cells. This multi-dimensional arrangement ensures that impact forces are dispersed over a larger area rather than concentrated at a single point.
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 inflatable element effectively reduces the risk of damage to energy storage cells by efficiently distributing impact forces, potentially preventing short circuits and fires during vehicle crashes.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable element arranged between the casing and the energy storage cell and to at least partly cover a surface portion of the energy storage cell; and an inflating unit in communication with a detection unit arranged to determine a crash severity in the event of an accident for the vehicle, wherein the inflating unit is arranged to inflate the inflatable element when the crash severity exceeds a predetermined threshold
Data Source
AI summary
An energy storage module arranged in a vehicle comprises an energy storage cell arranged in a casing, an inflatable element arranged between the casing and the energy storage cell and to at least partly cover a surface portion of the energy storage cell, and an inflating unit in communication with a detection unit arranged to determine a crash severity in the event of an accident for the vehicle. The inflating unit is arranged to inflate the inflatable element when the crash severity exceeds a predetermined threshold.