Preloaded Battery Module Safety Plugs for Collision Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage batteries in electrified vehicles face safety challenges during accidents, as mechanical loads can cause electrical contact between battery modules and other conductive components, potentially leading to short circuits and increased risk of electrical shock or fires.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a positive locking mechanism between electrical contacts of adjacent battery modules, which are biased away from each other in normal conditions and move into a protective position within their housings upon relative movement, ensuring electrical disconnection in the event of a collision, thus preventing short circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical contacts are permanently connected between battery modules, then electrical connection reliability is improved, but safety in case of accident deteriorates due to risk of short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical contacts are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically change position between connected and disconnected states based on mechanical conditions, resolving the contradiction between maintaining reliable connection during operation and preventing short circuits during accidents
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element pre-biases the electrical contacts toward disconnection, creating a preliminary counter-force that must be overcome to establish connection. In case of accident, this pre-biased mechanism automatically acts to disconnect the contacts before short circuit damage can occur
2Ease of operation
If electrical contacts are permanently connected, then ease of operation is improved, but safety in case of mechanical load deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connection mechanism transitions from static permanent connection to dynamic conditional connection, where the movable contacts automatically adapt to mechanical conditions, providing both ease of operation during normal use and safety under mechanical load during accidents
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-biased movable contact system is self-actuating, automatically disconnecting when mechanical displacement occurs during accidents without requiring external intervention, while maintaining easy connection during normal operation through the same automatic mechanism
3Reliability
If electrical contacts are made movable to enable disconnection, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element and electrical contact are merged into a single integrated component, where the spring provides both the biasing force for automatic disconnection and structural support for the contact, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining safety functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element serves multiple functions simultaneously: providing mechanical biasing force, enabling movable connection, and facilitating automatic disconnection. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, offsetting the complexity introduced by the movable contact mechanism
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
This solution effectively prevents electrical connections between battery modules and other conductive components during accidents, enhancing safety by ensuring the contacts are fully enclosed within their housings, thereby reducing the risk of high-voltage short circuits and electrical hazards.
Implementation Method 1
The first and second electrical contacts are biased away from one another in a first direction
Implementation Method 2
the first and second electrical contacts are held together by a positive locking arrangement in the normal operating condition
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to safety plugs for a battery of an electrified vehicle. An example battery includes a first battery module adjacent a second battery module, with each battery module having a respective housing. Further, the first battery module includes a first electrical contact and the second battery module includes a second electrical contact configured to electrically connect to the first electrical contact in a normal operating condition. The first and second electrical contacts are biased away from one another in a first direction, and the first and second electrical contacts are held together by a positive locking arrangement in the normal operating condition. Additionally, the first and second electrical contacts are configured to move out of contact with one another upon relative movement of the first and second battery modules in a second direction transverse to the first direction.