Modular Cooling Plate With Access Recesses for Battery Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling plates in electric or hybrid vehicles are designed to provide stone chip protection and cooling, making them larger than necessary, which restricts access to components underneath, leading to difficult and costly maintenance due to their integration with battery cells.
Innovation Solution
A modular cooling plate design featuring two connected plates with embossed channels and recesses, allowing for easy access and maintenance by a releasable cover element, which can be unscrewed or detached without removing the entire plate, ensuring protection from dirt and moisture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cooling plate is designed to cover the entire battery area for stone chip protection and cooling, then protection and cooling performance are improved, but access to components underneath becomes difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate is divided into multiple independent sections corresponding to different battery cell modules. Each section can be individually removed or accessed, allowing maintenance personnel to reach components underneath specific areas without removing the entire cooling plate. This segmentation maintains protection where needed while providing access where required.
2Reliability
If the cooling plate is glued to the battery cells for secure attachment, then connection reliability is improved, but maintenance becomes extremely time-consuming and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate is segmented into removable sections that are not permanently glued to the battery cells. These sections can be easily detached for maintenance and reattached afterward, avoiding the need to dismantle the entire cooling plate and its adhesive bonds. This reduces maintenance time and costs significantly while maintaining secure attachment during operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If components are installed directly next to battery cells for functional reasons, then system integration is improved, but accessibility for maintenance becomes significantly more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate is divided into modular sections that can be selectively removed to access components installed next to the battery cells. Each segment corresponds to a specific maintenance zone, allowing technicians to access nearby components without removing the entire cooling plate. This maintains functional integration while improving maintenance accessibility.
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
Facilitates simplified maintenance and reduced costs by allowing access to components without disassembling the entire cooling plate, maintaining thermal efficiency and protection against environmental factors.
Implementation Method 1
The first plate (4) has cooling channels (6) formed as embossments, while the second plate (5) is designed as a flat cover plate
Implementation Method 2
a first recess (7) in a first plate (4) and a second recess (8) in a second plate (5)
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling plate for a cooling device is disclosed. The cooling plate includes a first plate and a second plate connected tightly thereto, and cooling channels defined between the first plate and the second plate. A first recess is provided in the first plate and a second recess in the second plate, which are arranged substantially aligned with one another when the cooling plate is mounted. A cover element is provided, which is releasably connected to the first plate and covers the first recess, or which is releasably connected to the second plate and covers the second recess.