Vehicle Lower Structure for Modular Battery Space and Side Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle designs face challenges in ensuring consistent space for mounting batteries across different vehicle types due to variations in rocker sizes, leading to the need for customized battery case sizes.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lower part structure featuring a side frame and side member with closed cross-sections, fastened by a fastening member, which can accommodate batteries with high versatility and protect them during side collisions by absorbing collision loads through energy-absorbing members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the battery case is extended up to the rockers to ensure mounting space, then space for mounting the battery can be ensured, but the size of the battery case needs to be changed for every vehicle type due to variations in rocker sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The framework is divided into modular components: side frames with standardized interfaces and separate side members that can be exchanged. This segmentation allows the battery mounting structure to be decoupled from vehicle-specific framework variations, enabling a standardized battery case design across different vehicle types while maintaining adaptability through modular framework components.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the side frame is positioned closer to the battery to protect it during side collisions, then collision protection is improved, but space for mounting the battery in the vehicle width direction is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The side member acts as an intermediary protective element between the side frame and the battery. It provides collision protection by absorbing impact forces while maintaining an optimal distance from the battery, thus protecting the battery without requiring the side frame to be positioned immediately adjacent to it, preserving mounting space.
3Length of moving object
If the floor reinforcement is disposed spaced apart from the rocker to reduce size between floor reinforcements, then structural compactness is improved, but space for mounting the battery cannot be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The battery mounting structure utilizes the vertical dimension and the space between framework components rather than only the horizontal dimension. By positioning the battery case to utilize available space in multiple dimensions and configuring the side frames and side members to create an optimized spatial arrangement, sufficient mounting space is achieved without increasing the distance between floor reinforcements.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle lower part structure includes a side frame having a closed cross-section structure, the side frame extending in a vehicle front and rear direction on an outer side of a battery in a vehicle width direction, the side frame being provided at a location where the side frame overlaps at least part of the battery in a vehicle side view, and a side member having a closed cross-section structure, the side member being disposed on an outer side of the side frame in the vehicle width direction, the side member being provided at a location where the side member overlaps at least part of the side frame in a vehicle side view, the side member being fastened to the side frame by a fastening member.