Stacked Battery Container Assembly Using Continuous Fastening Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric energy storages for motor vehicles face challenges in achieving a modular, scalable, and cost-effective design with efficient assembly and disassembly, while ensuring robustness against component tolerances and thermal expansion, and providing safe operation under various loads.
Innovation Solution
A modular energy storage system comprising elongate fastening elements that pass through frame-shaped containers, allowing for a freely scalable design with reduced weight and cost, and featuring a lattice bar cage for robustness and even force distribution, along with additional safety measures like sealing and centring elements to ensure secure assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple short fastening elements are used to connect adjacent containers, then assembly is simpler, but the number of screw connections increases, leading to higher weight and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate fastening elements into a single continuous fastening element that extends through all containers. This merging reduces the total number of fastening components needed, thereby reducing weight, cost, and assembly complexity while maintaining connection integrity across all containers in the stack.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple short fastening elements are used to connect adjacent containers, then assembly is simpler, but the number of screw connections increases, leading to higher cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate fastening elements into a single continuous fastening element that extends through all containers. This merging reduces the total number of fastening components needed, thereby reducing weight, cost, and assembly complexity while maintaining connection integrity across all containers in the stack.
3Ease of manufacture
If short fastening elements are used for adjacent containers, then local stress is concentrated, but assembly is simpler
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate fastening elements into a single continuous fastening element that extends through all containers. This merging reduces the total number of fastening components needed, thereby reducing weight, cost, and assembly complexity while maintaining connection integrity across all containers in the stack.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of fastening element length from short (local) to long (continuous across all containers). This parameter change distributes bolting forces more evenly across all containers and sealing elements, reducing local stress concentrations and enhancing robustness against component tolerances, thermal expansion, and operational loads.
4Ease of manufacture
If a fixed non-modular design is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but adaptability to different applications is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the energy storage system into modular containers that can be stacked in various configurations. Each container is a self-contained module that can be independently manufactured and then assembled into different system sizes and geometries. This segmentation enables free geometric design and scalability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardization of individual modules.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an electric energy storage (10) for a motor vehicle. A plurality of battery module groups (14) each comprise a plurality of battery modules (20) each of a plurality of battery cells. A plurality of containers (12) are stacked and each comprise a substantially frame-shaped container outer wall (18), wherein one of the plurality of battery module groups (14) is arranged in each of the plurality of containers (12). A plurality of fastening elements (16), which are elongated, extend through the container outer walls (18) of the plurality of containers (12) and fasten the containers (12) to one another. The elongated fastening elements (16) passing through all the containers (12) are advantageous in that they enable a modular, freely scalable design of the electric energy storage (10) with a free geometric configuration, low weight and costs, as well as simple, quick assembly and disassembly.