Cylindrical Battery Cap-Up Insulating Coating for Short Circuit Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cylindrical secondary batteries are prone to unanticipated discharge and short circuits due to direct contact of the cap-up with external conductors, leading to reduced battery life and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
The cap-up of the cylindrical secondary battery is partially coated with an insulating agent, including a protrusion unit and an edge unit, to prevent unanticipated discharge and short circuits by creating a barrier between the cap-up and external conductors, and between the positive and negative electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cap-up is directly exposed without insulation, then the battery structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the battery is prone to unanticipated discharge and short circuits when contacting external conductors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by coating only specific regions of the cap-up with insulating material. The insulating coating is applied to the edge region and/or protrusion region of the cap-up, while other regions remain exposed. This localized approach provides electrical insulation where it is most needed (at contact points with external devices) while maintaining structural simplicity and avoiding unnecessary complexity in non-critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating coating acts as an intermediary layer between the conductive cap-up and external conductors. This intermediate insulating layer prevents direct electrical contact between the cap-up and external objects, thereby preventing unanticipated discharge and short circuits while allowing the cap-up to maintain its structural function.
2Reliability
If the entire cap-up is coated with insulating material, then protection against discharge and shorts is maximized, but manufacturing complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by restricting the insulating coating to specific high-risk regions of the cap-up (edge region and protrusion region) rather than coating the entire surface. This reduces material consumption, simplifies the coating process, and decreases manufacturing complexity while still providing adequate protection against discharge and shorts at the most vulnerable contact points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by coating only the necessary portions of the cap-up with insulating material. Instead of applying insulation to the entire cap-up surface (excessive action), the coating is limited to the edge and/or protrusion regions where contact with external conductors is most likely to occur, achieving sufficient protection with reduced manufacturing effort and material usage.
3Ease of operation
If the cap-up structure includes multiple units (edge unit, protrusion unit), then contact resistance with external devices is reduced, but the risk of contact-induced discharge increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality through selective insulation. The edge unit and protrusion unit that provide good electrical contact are partially coated with insulating material only in their edge regions. This localized insulation maintains contact effectiveness in the main contact areas while preventing discharge at the peripheral edges where unintended contact is most likely to occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating coating serves as an intermediary that modifies the electrical properties of the cap-up's contact regions. It allows the cap-up to maintain its multi-unit structure for good contact resistance while introducing insulation at critical interfaces to prevent harmful discharge, effectively mediating between the need for electrical contact and the need for discharge prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
A cylindrical secondary battery including a cap-up in which a surface region of the cap-up that is to be connected to an external device is partially coated with an insulating agent. Due to the structure of the cap-up, an unusual discharge caused due to an unusual contact of the cap-up with an external conductor, or a short between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the secondary battery may be prevented.