Accumulator Cell Assembly With Expandable Retaining Spacer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing accumulator production methods risk damaging accumulator cells due to improper loading and prestressing during assembly, and current solutions increase production costs with high-slip surfaces or complex handling.
Innovation Solution
A mutable intermediate piece that changes thickness states after accumulator cells are in place, allowing for simplified assembly and reduced risk of damage by prestressing only when cells are fully positioned, using a deformable envelope and filler for expansion, and potentially incorporating heat-conductive materials for efficient cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the intermediate piece is inserted jointly with the accumulator cells into the housing, then the assembly process is simplified, but the accumulator cells are loaded against the housing walls and against one another before reaching their end position, causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate piece is designed as a mutable element that can change its thickness dynamically. During assembly, it has a first thickness that allows easy insertion with the accumulator cells. After insertion, it transforms to a second, greater thickness to provide the necessary prestress and retention force, resolving the contradiction between ease of assembly and prevention of cell damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece undergoes a parameter change in its thickness dimension. It transitions from a first thickness state during insertion to a second thickness state after insertion, enabling it to fulfill both the ease of assembly requirement and the damage prevention requirement at different stages of the process.
2Ease of manufacture
If the accumulator cells are displaced in the housing to insert the intermediate piece, then the intermediate piece can be installed, but the accumulator cells are again loaded and can be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The mutable intermediate piece eliminates the need to displace accumulator cells during installation. Its ability to change thickness allows it to be inserted in the first thickness state without interfering with the cells, and then transform to the second thickness state to provide retention, avoiding the harmful loading that would occur with traditional rigid intermediate pieces.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece is prepared in its first thickness state before insertion, allowing it to be installed together with the accumulator cells without causing damage. The transformation to the second thickness state occurs after proper positioning, ensuring that the retention function is activated only when the cells are correctly in place.
3Ease of manufacture
If the intermediate piece is introduced into the housing first, then it is ready to retain the cells, but it acts on the accumulator cells upon insertion, causing loading and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The mutable intermediate piece is introduced in its first thickness state, allowing it to be positioned in the housing without exerting harmful forces on the accumulator cells. After the cells are properly inserted and positioned, the intermediate piece transforms to its second thickness state to provide the necessary retention and prestress, eliminating the contradiction between early positioning and damage prevention.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the intermediate piece is made with a reduced-friction surface such as Teflon to reduce damage during assembly, then damage risk is reduced, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mutable intermediate piece provides a cost-effective alternative to expensive low-friction materials like Teflon. By changing its thickness dynamically, it reduces assembly forces and damage risk without requiring specialized materials, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece uses parameter change (thickness transformation) instead of material substitution (Teflon coating) to achieve damage reduction. This approach maintains production simplicity and cost-effectiveness while fulfilling the protective function during assembly.
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 approach simplifies the assembly process, reduces damage to accumulator cells and intermediate pieces, and lowers production costs while ensuring secure retention and efficient thermal management.
Implementation Method 1
a filler is introduced into the envelope in such a way that the envelope is expanded
Implementation Method 2
potentially incorporating heat-conductive materials for efficient cooling
Data Source
AI summary
An accumulator may include a housing with at least two mutually opposite housing walls, accumulator cells arranged between the housing walls and following one another in a stacking direction, and at least one intermediate piece arranged in the housing between at least one of the accumulator cells and one of the housing walls and that retains the accumulator cells in the housing. At least one intermediate piece may be configured as a mutable intermediate piece in such a way that the mutable intermediate piece may be changeable between a first state having a first thickness extending in a spacing direction between the associated housing wall and the associated at least one of the accumulator cells, and a second state having a second thickness extending in the spacing direction, wherein the second thickness may be greater than the first thickness. In the state in which the mutable intermediate piece and the accumulator cells may be arranged in the housing, the mutable intermediate piece may be changed into the second state.