Bottom-Mounted Vehicle Battery Alignment With Tapered Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery replacement systems face issues where the battery-side connector fails to connect properly with the vehicle body-side connector due to misalignment, leading to connection failures.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle is designed with a mounting portion that opens downward and allows batteries to be attached or detached from below, featuring a tapered portion that gradually expands downward, guiding the battery into the correct position and ensuring proper connection, optionally with a cushioning portion to reduce wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery-side connector and vehicle body-side connector are designed with standard straight interfaces, then the manufacturing is simple, but connection failures occur when the connectors misalign during attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The connector interface incorporates a tapered portion with a gradual expansion shape rather than a straight cylindrical interface. This curved/tapered geometry guides the connectors into proper alignment during the attachment process, ensuring that even if initial positioning is slightly off, the connectors self-align as they engage. The tapered shape transforms the connection process from a precise positioning requirement to a self-correcting mechanical guide.
2Ease of operation
If the battery is attached from below the mounting portion, then the battery replacement can be performed from underneath the vehicle body, but connection failures occur when the battery-side connector deviates from the vehicle body-side connector position
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered portion with gradual expansion provides mechanical guidance that compensates for positioning deviations during bottom-up attachment. As the battery is lifted into place from below, the tapered surfaces guide the connectors into proper alignment, ensuring reliable electrical connection even when the initial positioning is not perfectly accurate.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered design anticipates potential misalignment issues by providing a gradual engagement surface. This pre-designed geometric feature cushiones against positioning errors by allowing the connectors to self-align during the attachment process, preventing connection failures before they occur.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes: a vehicle body including a mounting portion which opens downward and in which a battery is mountable; and the battery attachable to and detachable from the mounting portion, from below the mounting portion. At least one of the battery and the mounting portion has a tapered portion having a shape that gradually expands downward.