Aseptic Battery Assembly with Removable Cell Cluster
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aseptic battery assemblies for surgical environments are large in size and require custom chargers due to their complex cell cluster designs, which complicates sterilization and charging processes, and can be damaged by autoclaving.
Innovation Solution
A compact aseptic battery assembly with a removable cell cluster and a housing that can withstand sterilization, featuring a seal between the housing body and cover to minimize size and a charger-compatible head design for sterilizable batteries, allowing the battery pack to be charged like a sterilizable unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If batteries are autoclaved for sterilization, then the sterile field requirement is met, but the cells are damaged by heat exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is divided into two separable parts: a sterilizable housing containing the battery pack, and a removable cell cluster. The housing can be autoclaved for sterilization while the cell cluster is protected from heat exposure by being removed or shielded, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving sterilization and preventing cell damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cell cluster is extracted as a separate removable component from the housing. This allows the housing to be subjected to autoclave sterilization without the heat-sensitive cells present, while the cells can be charged and stored separately, eliminating heat damage to the cells during sterilization.
2Ease of operation
If custom fixtures or sockets are provided for attaching cell clusters to chargers, then charging functionality is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack head is designed with a universal interface that can be received in the same charger socket as sterilizable batteries. This single charger socket design can accommodate both sterilizable batteries with integral cell clusters and non-sterilizable battery packs with removable cell clusters, eliminating the need for multiple specialized chargers and reducing device complexity.
3Volume of moving object
If seal between housing body and cover is added to minimize size, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible seal member is incorporated between the housing body and cover to create a hermetic seal. This flexible sealing solution allows for minor variations in manufacturing tolerances while still achieving an effective seal, minimizing the need for extremely tight manufacturing precision while maintaining compact size.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery assembly with a housing that contains a removable battery pack. The housing, which is sterilzable, has a head designed to couple to a power consuming device. The battery pack, which is not sterlizable, contains at least one rechargeable cell. The battery pack has a head dimensioned to fit the same charger socket that can receive a sterlizable battery. The battery pack has contacts that abut charger contacts. The housing has internal contacts. Collectively, the housing and battery pack are shaped so that, when the battery pack seats in the housing, the battery pack contacts abut the housing internal contacts. The housing internal contacts are connected to the housing external contacts for supply power to the power consuming device. A cover selectively holds the battery pack in the housing chamber.