Water-Cooled Battery Layout for Hybrid Vehicle Trunk Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air-cooled battery cooling systems in hybrid vehicles face limitations in uniform cooling, especially for large-capacity batteries, and risk coolant leakage due to incomplete assembly of water-cooled systems, which can lead to reduced performance, noise, and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
The hybrid vehicle features a water-cooled battery layout with a housing positioned on the outdoor rear surface, using an aluminum cooling nipple integrated with the cooling block to prevent coolant leakage, and includes a cooling pipe and monitor units for efficient heat management and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a water-cooled battery layout is used inside the vehicle, then cooling efficiency is improved, but trunk space is reduced and noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is extracted from the interior trunk space and relocated to the exterior rear surface of the vehicle body. This allows the water-cooled cooling system to be implemented without sacrificing interior trunk volume, as the battery and its cooling apparatus are positioned outside the vehicle's interior space.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery mounting position is moved from the interior three-dimensional space to the exterior surface of the vehicle body. This dimensional relocation resolves the space conflict by utilizing the vehicle's exterior surface area rather than interior volume, thereby maintaining trunk space while enabling effective water-cooled battery cooling.
2Ease of manufacture
If a quick connector is used for connecting cooling pipes, then assembly ease is improved, but coolant leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling pipe connection structure is merged with the housing to form an integrated assembly. The cooling pipe is inserted through a through-hole in the housing and secured with a fastening member, creating a unified structure that eliminates the need for separate quick connectors. This integration ensures reliable coolant sealing while maintaining assembly feasibility.
3Manufacturing precision
If aluminum nipple is applied to cooling block, then manufacturing precision is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aluminum nipple is integrated directly into the cooling block structure, forming a unified component. This merging eliminates the need for separate connection pieces and reduces the number of assembly steps, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while actually simplifying the overall assembly process rather than increasing complexity.
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 trunk space utilization, reduces interior noise, and ensures airtight coolant delivery, improving the vehicle's merchantability and safety by preventing coolant leakage and maintaining battery performance.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling block (400) disposed below the battery (300) to discharge the heat generated from the battery (300)
Implementation Method 2
a cooling pipe (500) for supplying coolant to the cooling block (400)
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid vehicle has an improved water-cooled battery layout. The hybrid vehicle includes: a housing positioned in an outdoor space of a vehicle body; a battery for providing an electric driving force to the vehicle and positioned inside the housing; a cooling block disposed below the battery to discharge the heat generated from the battery; a cooling pipe for supplying coolant to the cooling block and formed along an upper portion of the housing; and a cooling nipple formed integrally with the housing to be fastened to the cooling pipe.