Aircraft Battery Module Cell Tubes for Thermal Runaway Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The development of electric and hybrid aircraft faces challenges due to the need for unique design elements and stringent certification standards, which have hindered commercial viability and increased production costs and time, particularly in managing the safety risks associated with battery systems that can overheat or catch fire.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring cell tubes that isolate individual battery cells, a conductive plate with wire-bonding for electrical connections, and an exhaust channel to divert fires away from other cells, along with thermal and electrical spacers for heat management, reduces the risk of fire propagation and enhances safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If battery cells are enclosed by cell holders along their whole length, then safety and reliability are improved, but weight and bulk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery cell enclosure is divided into two distinct parts: cell holders that enclose the lateral surfaces and end caps that seal the ends. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - cell holders provide structural support and lateral protection, while end caps provide end sealing and thermal management, reducing overall weight compared to a single comprehensive enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
The function of enclosing and protecting battery cells is extracted from a single comprehensive cell holder design and distributed between separate cell holders and end caps. This extraction allows the end caps to be specifically optimized for thermal management and sealing functions, reducing the weight and bulk of the overall structure compared to traditional full-length cell holders.
2Reliability
If extensive testing is conducted to meet certification standards, then safety and reliability are improved, but time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module employs preliminary protective measures through its structural design - cell holders with integrated thermal management features, end caps with sealing mechanisms, and predefined failure isolation zones are built into the structure before operation. This preliminary action reduces the need for extensive post-manufacturing testing to verify safety under various failure conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates beforehand cushioning through thermal management features in cell holders and end caps that prevent thermal runaway propagation, as well as mechanical isolation structures that contain potential failure modes. These pre-built protective measures cushion against potential failures, reducing the need for extensive certification testing to prove safety margins.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If battery cells are isolated individually, then fire propagation risk is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module segments the enclosure into cell holders for individual cell lateral protection and separate end caps for end sealing. This segmentation creates natural fire isolation zones between cells while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that avoids the complexity of fully independent enclosures for each cell.
Solution Approach 2:
The design merges the functions of thermal management, sealing, and fire isolation into the end cap structures that are shared between adjacent cells. Instead of providing separate complete enclosures for each cell, the end caps are merged structures that simultaneously perform multiple protective functions for multiple cells, reducing overall device 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 design simplifies certification, reduces production costs, and minimizes the risk of catastrophic failures by isolating and managing heat from individual battery cells, thereby ensuring safer and more efficient electric power systems for aircraft.
Implementation Method 1
a first conductive plate consisting of a printed circuit board and comprising a first conductive layer and an isolating layer, said isolating layer comprising at least one blind hole for wire-bonding said conductive layer
Implementation Method 2
at least one blind hole for wire-bonding said conductive layer
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 2
AI summary
A battery module (800), comprising: a plurality of battery cells (8120); a plurality of cell tubes (812, 813, 814) configured to accommodate the plurality of battery cells (8120) within the plurality of cell tubes so that individual of the plurality of battery cells are positioned within individual of the plurality of cell tubes, each battery cell having a first electric pole and a second electric pole, a first conductive plate (306, 362, 862) consisting of a printed circuit board and comprising a first conductive layer (8620) and an isolating layer (8621), said isolating layer comprising at least one blind hole (868) for wire-bonding said conductive layer (8620) to said battery cell (812).