Underfloor Battery Cooling Layout With Integrated Radiator
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vehicle cooling structures face challenges in mountability and collision performance due to elongated coolant pipes when upsizing battery units in electric vehicles, and they often compromise aerodynamic performance when cooling is unnecessary.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle cooling structure with a heat exchanger integrated near the power supply portion, utilizing introduction holes on the vehicle's bottom face for external air intake, and optionally featuring shutter fins and an inclination mechanism to control airflow and heat exchange efficiency based on traveling direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the battery unit is upsized and placed in the vehicle floor portion, then the power supply capacity is improved, but the coolant pipe length increases causing poor mountability
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is integrated with the battery unit as a single component rather than separate parts. The heat exchanger forms part of the battery unit structure, eliminating the need for separate coolant pipes connecting distant components. This merging resolves the mountability issue by reducing the number of connection points and simplifying installation while maintaining the upsized battery capacity.
2Temperature
If the heat exchanger is placed far from the power supply portion, then cooling capacity is improved, but pipe length increases reducing mountability
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is merged with the power supply portion (battery unit) structure, allowing cooling functionality to be integrated directly at the heat source. This eliminates long coolant pipes while maintaining effective cooling capacity through direct thermal management at the battery location.
3Temperature
If introduction holes are provided on the bottom face for external air intake, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but aerodynamic performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter fins provide dynamic control over the introduction holes, allowing them to open or close based on cooling requirements. When cooling is needed, the holes are open to maximize heat exchange efficiency. When cooling is not needed, the holes are closed to maintain aerodynamic performance. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between heat exchange efficiency and aerodynamic performance.
4Loss of energy
If shutter fins are added to control airflow, then aerodynamic performance is improved when cooling is unnecessary, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter fins are integrated with the heat exchanger structure and battery unit assembly, forming a unified component system. This merging reduces the overall complexity increase that would result from adding separate airflow control mechanisms, as the shutter fins become part of the existing thermal management structure rather than additional independent components.
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 configuration enhances mountability, reduces the risk of collision damage, maintains aerodynamic performance by controlling airflow, and ensures efficient cooling regardless of the vehicle's traveling direction.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger provided near the power supply portion and including a heat-exchanging portion formed into a wall shape, the heat-exchanging portion being configured to perform heat-exchange between coolant for cooling down the power supply portion and external air taken in through introduction holes provided on a bottom face of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A battery provided in a vehicle and configured to supply electric power is cooled down by coolant the heat of which is exchanged with the heat of external air by a radiator. The radiator is provided near the battery and performs heat-exchange between the coolant and the external air taken in through introduction holes provided on a bottom face of the vehicle. Thus, even in a case where the radiator is provided in a vehicle floor portion so that the battery is upsized, it is possible to restrain a coolant pipe from being elongated. This accordingly makes it possible to improve mountability to the vehicle.