Battery Assembly Structure for Low-Resistance Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery assemblies face challenges in manufacturability and heat dissipation due to design complexities, such as reduced strength around counterbores, increased man-hours for fixation, and elevated thermal resistance caused by protruding screws and backlash between components, which can be mitigated by optimizing the thickness and configuration of the metal plate and plastic material.
Innovation Solution
The battery assembly incorporates a metal plate with an insulating layer, a plastic material compressively deformed to fill irregularities, and an adhesive system that bonds cells to the resin case and metal plate, ensuring efficient heat transfer and reduced thermal resistance, while using a thinner metal plate to maintain assembly size and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the depth of the counterbores in the resin case is increased to prevent flat head screws from protruding, then the flat head screws do not protrude from the cooling plate side surface, but the thickness of the metal plate needs to be made relatively thicker, which increases the size and weight of the battery assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic counterbore structure from the resin case and replaces it with through-holes. The flat head screws are eliminated by using bolts with hexagonal heads that do not protrude, thereby removing the source of the problem rather than accommodating it through deeper counterbores and thicker metal plates.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of designing counterbores to accommodate protruding flat head screws, the invention inverts the approach by using through-holes with bolts whose heads are designed to not protrude. This reverses the traditional fastening method and eliminates the need for deep counterbores and thick metal plates.
2Strength
If counterbores are provided in the resin case for flat head screws, then the cells can be fixed to the metal plate, but the strength around the counterbores is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the counterbore structure from the resin case design and replaces it with simple through-holes. This eliminates the stress concentration and strength reduction associated with deep counterbores while maintaining the fixation functionality through bolts inserted through the through-holes.
3Ease of manufacture
If flat head screws are inserted into counterbores and bolts into through-holes, then the components can be fixed together, but more man-hours are required for the fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the fixation function into a single through-hole structure that accommodates bolts, eliminating the need for separate counterbore operations. This combines what were previously two distinct fastening methods (flat head screws in counterbores and bolts in through-holes) into a single, more efficient process.
4Reliability
If the heads of the flat head screws protrude from the contact surface, then the fixation is secure, but backlash or wobbling occurs between the cooling plate, metal plate, and plastic material, thus increasing contact thermal resistance
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of allowing screw heads to protrude to ensure fixation security, the invention inverts the approach by using bolt heads that are designed to not protrude from the cooling plate surface. This eliminates the backlash and wobble that cause increased thermal resistance while maintaining secure fixation through the bolt structure.
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 manufacturability, reduces thermal resistance, and improves heat dissipation performance, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective battery assembly with improved stiffness and reduced size and weight.
Implementation Method 1
The plastic material is compressively deformed so as to fill irregularities
Implementation Method 2
a metal plate provided with an insulating layer is provided on the underside of the cells to dissipate the heat through the metal plate
Implementation Method 3
an adhesive is configured to bond the bottom plate of the resin case to the insulating layer
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
According to one embodiment of a battery assembly (1), a resin case (5) contains cells (12) arranged in parallel while interposing separators (13) between the cells. The battery assembly includes a metal plate (21) whose upper surface (212) faces a bottom plate (55) of the resin case and bottom surfaces (125) of the cells. An adhesive retaining agent (47) bonds the bottom surfaces of the cells to the bottom plate (55) of the resin case. An adhesive (49) bonds the bottom plate of the resin case to an insulating layer (214) provided on the metal plate. A plastic material (41) is inserted in a frame hole (554) penetrating the bottom plate of the resin case. The plastic material (41) is closely in contact with the bottom surfaces (125) of the cells and the insulating layer (214) while being compressed between the bottom surfaces of the cells and the insulating layer.