Perforated Cooling Plate for Electric Motorbike Battery Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric motorbike battery supply units suffer from overheating due to inadequate heat dissipation, leading to reduced battery life, and require complex cooling fluid systems that are not practical for lightweight vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A supply unit with a perforated aluminum cooling plate and half-shells that utilize air cooling, where holes in the plate allow air to circulate and dissipate heat dynamically during motorbike operation, eliminating the need for a cooling fluid pump and simplifying manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If batteries are enclosed in a sealed metal case, then battery protection and structural integrity are improved, but heat dissipation deteriorates causing overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous aluminum material for the cooling plate, which provides both mechanical strength for protection and porous structure for heat dissipation. The porous structure allows air circulation through the plate while maintaining structural integrity, thereby resolving the contradiction between protection and heat dissipation.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery enclosure is segmented into multiple functional components: a protective container, a cooling plate with through-holes, and cooling channels. This segmentation allows the container to provide protection while the cooling plate and channels handle heat dissipation, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and thermal management.
2Temperature
If a cooling fluid pump is used to circulate cooling fluid, then heat dissipation is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is designed to be self-service by utilizing natural air convection and the vehicle's movement to drive air flow through the cooling plate and channels. No external pump is needed, as the system automatically circulates air to remove heat from the batteries, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining effective cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cooling fluid pump from the system entirely, replacing it with a passive air cooling mechanism. By removing the pump and using ambient air flow through the porous cooling plate, the system achieves effective heat dissipation without the complexity and weight of active fluid circulation components.
3Temperature
If two sealed containers are coupled to create cooling ducts, then heat dissipation is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling plate and cooling channels into an integrated single-piece structure made of porous aluminum. This eliminates the need to couple two separate containers with precise sealing requirements, thereby reducing manufacturing precision demands and production costs while maintaining effective heat dissipation pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
By using porous aluminum for the cooling plate, the patent creates inherent cooling channels within the material structure itself. This eliminates the need for separate coupled containers to form cooling ducts, significantly reducing assembly tolerance requirements and manufacturing complexity while providing effective heat dissipation.
4Temperature
If a cooling fluid system is implemented, then heat dissipation is improved, but vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling fluid system entirely, replacing it with an air-based cooling mechanism. By removing the cooling fluid and associated pumping infrastructure, the system achieves effective battery cooling without adding significant weight to the vehicle, thereby resolving the contradiction between thermal management and vehicle weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system uses ambient air and natural convection currents to remove heat from the batteries, eliminating the need for heavy cooling fluids and active pumping components. This passive self-service cooling approach effectively manages battery temperature while keeping the vehicle weight low.
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
Effectively prevents battery overheating by enhancing heat dissipation through air circulation, reducing manufacturing costs, and ensuring a lightweight, practical, and efficient cooling solution for electric motorbikes.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling plate (12), made e.g. of aluminum, placed in contact with the batteries (6, 7, 8, 9) and having a plurality of through holes (13), which communicate with the outside and longitudinally cross the cooling plate (12)
Data Source
AI summary
The supply unit (1) for an electric motorbike (2) comprises at least two electric batteries (6, 7, 8, 9) and at least a protection container (10, 11, 12) which contains the batteries (6, 7, 8, 9) and which comprises:a cooling plate (12) placed in contact with the batteries (6, 7, 8, 9) and having:a plurality of through holes (13) which communicate with the outside and which cross the cooling plate (12) in the direction of its width and/or its length, each of the holes (13) having an access on a first perimeter side (12a) of the cooling plate (12) and an exit on an opposite second perimeter side (12b) of the cooling plate (12); andtwo opposite transmission faces (17, 18) in contact with which are placed one or more batteries (6, 7, 8, 9), between the faces (17, 18) being obtained the through holes (13);two cooling half-shells (10, 11), each containing at least one of the batteries (6, 7, 8, 9) and placed in contact with the batteries (6, 7, 8, 9), the half-shells (10, 11) being separated from the cooling plate (12) and joined thereto in correspondence of the transmission faces (17, 18).