Linked Battery Module Structure for Lighter High-Power Packs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs require significant labor to attach battery modules to a housing, leading to increased housing size and weight, especially when high electric power is required, and necessitate robust housings to prevent short circuits during vehicle collisions.
Innovation Solution
A linked battery module and pack design that integrates battery modules using linking units with restraint members and end plates, allowing for easy attachment and reducing weight and size by eliminating the need for separate housing support, while ensuring secure electrical connections and impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If battery modules are separately bolted to the bottom plate of the housing, then the battery pack can support high electric power requirements, but the housing size and weight increase due to the need for robust support structure
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into multiple battery modules that are linked together. Each module is a self-contained unit with its own restraint members and end plates, allowing the system to support high power requirements through modular scaling without requiring a monolithic heavy housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple battery modules are linked together using linking units that connect the end plates of adjacent modules. This merging of modules creates a unified high-power battery pack while distributing the structural support requirements across all modules, eliminating the need for a separate heavy bottom plate housing.
2Reliability
If the housing is made more rigid to prevent short circuits during vehicle collisions, then safety is improved, but the housing size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Restraint members are installed on the battery modules before they are linked together. These restraint members pre-position the battery cells and maintain their structural integrity during impact events, providing collision protection without requiring a heavy rigid housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The linking units and restraint members are designed to absorb and distribute impact forces before they can cause short circuits. This beforehand cushioning mechanism protects the electrical connections during vehicle collisions without needing excessive housing rigidity.
3Power
If multiple battery modules are separately attached to the housing, then high electric power can be achieved, but the attachment process requires significant labor
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple battery modules are merged into a single linked assembly using linking units that connect the end plates. This combining approach allows the entire multi-module assembly to be installed as one unit, dramatically reducing attachment labor compared to separately mounting each module to the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The linking units serve multiple functions: they mechanically connect adjacent battery modules, provide structural support, enable impact force distribution, and facilitate electrical connections. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components and attachment steps required.
Data Source
AI summary
A linked battery module includes a first battery module and a second battery module having a same configuration. The first battery module includes: a battery stack that includes rectangular batteries stacked in a row in a thickness direction; a restraint member on one side that restrains one side, in a Y direction, of the battery stack; a restraint member on the other side that restrains the other side, in the Y direction, of the battery stack; an end plate on one side that restrains one side, in an X direction, of the battery stack; and an end plate on the other side that restrains the other side, in the X direction, of the battery stack. A linking unit links the end plate on one side of the first battery module to the end plate on the other side of the second battery module.