Salvage Container Structure for EV Battery Fire Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery fires in hybrid or electric vehicles pose a significant risk due to their inability to be extinguished, requiring extensive space for storage and posing challenges for recovery and repair due to space requirements and safety concerns, as well as the inability to extinguish fires once they start.
Innovation Solution
A salvage container designed with a trough-like structure, featuring a rear wall that can be adjusted for opening and closing, a towing opening, and a ramp for easy vehicle insertion, allowing for containment and cooling of damaged vehicles, with features like a fire-resistant tarpaulin and liquid-tight design to manage battery fires and reduce space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If damaged hybrid or electric vehicles are stored in a quarantine area with a 15-meter radius restriction, then safety is ensured, but space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the quarantine function into two levels: individual liquid-tight containers for each damaged vehicle, and a larger quarantine area for the container itself. This segmentation allows vehicles to be stored closer together while maintaining safety, reducing the overall space requirement from a 15-meter radius per vehicle to a much smaller area when multiple containers are clustered
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid-tight container acts as an intermediary barrier between the damaged vehicle and the external environment. By containing potential fire hazards and coolant within the container, the dangerous radius is reduced from 15 meters to the container dimensions, allowing safer and more compact storage arrangements
2Ease of operation
If a damaged vehicle is pulled into the container using a towing device, then ease of operation is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The container design incorporates universal features that work with standard towing equipment: a towing opening positioned at standard heights, reinforcement elements that accommodate various hitch types, and a liquid-tight seal system that maintains integrity during towing operations. This multi-functionality allows the same container structure to be used with different towing devices without adding complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed with the towing opening positioned at ground level, creating an equipotential interface with the towing vehicle's hitch point. This eliminates the need for complex lifting mechanisms or angled approaches, allowing the vehicle to be pulled in horizontally at the same elevation, simplifying both the container structure and the towing operation
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rear wall is made adjustable for opening and closing, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rear wall is designed as a dynamic element that can transition between open and closed positions. This is achieved through a hinge connection at the bottom edge and a latch mechanism at the top, allowing the wall to be opened for vehicle loading and closed for liquid-tight containment. The dynamic design provides versatility without requiring multiple separate wall panels or complex actuation systems
Solution Approach 2:
The closing function is extracted as a separate, simple latch mechanism rather than integrating it into the wall structure itself. This allows the rear wall to remain a simple hinged panel while the latch mechanism provides the closing and sealing function, reducing overall structural complexity while maintaining versatility
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 safe storage and recovery of damaged vehicles by containing and cooling battery fires without spreading, reducing space needs and enabling efficient handling of vehicles with potentially ignitable batteries.
Implementation Method 1
a burning battery or a damaged hybrid or electric vehicle is cooled by pouring or spraying a coolant, typically water, over the damaged vehicle and especially its battery or battery modules
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a salvage container 1, 1.1 for receiving a wrecked hybrid or electric vehicle, in particular with a damaged, burning, or potentially igniting battery, comprising a trough 7 formed from a base 2, two side walls 3, 4, a front wall 5, and a rear wall 6, wherein the side walls 3, 4 are longer than the front wall 5 and the rear wall 6, wherein the rear wall 6 is fully or partially adjustable for opening and closing the trough 7, and wherein the trough 7 is liquid-tight when the rear wall 6 is closed. A particular feature is that the front wall 5 has a towing opening 11, which can be closed by a flap 12, through which the connection point, e.g., a hook of a towing device not fixed to the salvage container 1, e.g., a winch, can be passed, and a wrecked hybrid or electric vehicle can be pulled into the trough 7 by means of the towing device.