Battery Backplane Rack for Hot-Pluggable Cell Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing lithium-ion battery pack assembly process is costly and inefficient, requiring extensive protective and fixing apparatuses, leading to increased production cycles and maintenance challenges due to the need for assembling battery cells into packs before installation with a battery management system.
Innovation Solution
An energy storage system that integrates battery cells directly into a subrack with a backplane, featuring plug-in power terminals, integrated power, sampling, and equalizer circuits, and a battery management system, allowing for hot-pluggable installation and automatic bypass of failed cells, reducing assembly complexity and maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If battery cells are assembled into packs with protective and fixing apparatuses, then structural protection and stability are improved, but device complexity and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the battery cell assembly with the rack structure by directly installing battery cells into the rack, eliminating the need for separate protective and fixing apparatuses. The rack itself provides both structural support and protection, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the intermediate pack structure from the traditional battery system architecture. By eliminating the pack as a separate component, the design reduces the number of protective and fixing apparatuses needed, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining structural integrity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If battery cells are assembled into packs before installation, then structural stability is improved, but production cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the battery system into individual cell-level installations within the rack, allowing for modular assembly. This enables production to proceed in smaller, parallel units rather than requiring complete pack assembly before installation, thereby reducing production cycle time while maintaining structural stability through the rack's design.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack is pre-configured with mounting structures and circuit board connections before battery cells are installed. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming on-site assembly of protective apparatuses and electrical connections, significantly reducing production cycle time while ensuring structural stability.
3Reliability
If extensive protective and fixing apparatuses are configured, then system reliability is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rack structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: providing structural support, offering protection for battery cells, enabling electrical connections through integrated circuit boards, and facilitating thermal management. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate protective and fixing apparatuses, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of protective apparatuses, fixing mechanisms, and electrical connection systems into the integrated rack structure. By merging these previously separate components into a single unified system, the design reduces the total number of parts needed, lowering manufacturing costs while preserving system reliability.
4Productivity
If battery cells are directly connected to backplane without packs, then installation efficiency is improved, but ease of repair may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the battery system into individually accessible cells within the rack, each with its own circuit board connection. This modular design allows for efficient installation by enabling parallel assembly of multiple cells while also facilitating easy repair by allowing individual cell replacement without affecting other cells, thus resolving the apparent contradiction between installation efficiency and ease of repair.
Data Source
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AI summary
An energy storage system is provided to simplify production of lithium battery packs, improve installation efficiency of lithium batteries, and reduce costs. The energy storage system includes battery cells (201), a subrack (202), a backplane (203), and a battery management system BMS (204). The subrack (202) reserves a plurality of battery cell slots (2021), the battery cells (201) are connected to the backplane (203) through the battery cell slots (2021). The backplane (203) is installed in the subrack(202), a first power terminal (2031) is reserved at a position corresponding to the battery cell slot (2021) on the backplane (203), and a plug-in power terminal is formed by a second power terminal (2011) of the battery cell (201) together with the first power terminal (2031). A power circuit, a sampling circuit, and an equalizer circuit are integrated into the backplane (203), and the power circuit, the sampling circuit, and the equalizer circuit are connected after the second power terminal (2011) is plugged and docked with the first power terminal (2031). The BMS (204) is connected to the backplane (203) for managing the energy storage system.