Battery Case Holding Plate with Localized Thickness Gradient
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery cases with stainless steel holding plates face challenges in reducing weight and providing sufficient resistance to vibration, especially when battery cells have small expansive forces, leading to uneven pressure distribution and potential mechanical and environmental issues.
Innovation Solution
A battery case design featuring a chassis and a holding plate that partially contacts the second main surface of the battery cell, made of aluminum alloy with protrusion portions and relief areas, allowing for consistent pressing force and reduced weight, while securing the cell irrespective of expansive force magnitude and enhancing vibration resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a stainless steel holding plate covers the entire cell body to provide spring-like properties, then the battery cell can be secured against expansive force, but the holding plate thickness must be about 1 mm which increases weight and limits weight reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The holding plate is designed with varying thickness where the central portion has a smaller thickness than the peripheral portion. This local quality variation allows the plate to provide sufficient spring-like properties at the periphery while reducing material usage and weight in the central area, resolving the contradiction between securing reliability and weight reduction.
2Reliability
If a holding plate covers the entire cell body, then the battery cell can be held, but the pressing force is distributed unevenly over the first main surface and second main surface which reduces vibration resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The holding plate features a thickness gradient with the central portion being thinner than the peripheral portion. This creates localized stiffness variations that improve pressure distribution uniformity across the battery cell surfaces, enhancing vibration resistance while maintaining reliable cell holding.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding plate introduces asymmetric thickness distribution (thinner center, thicker periphery) to optimize the mechanical properties. This asymmetric design corrects the uneven pressure distribution issue while maintaining the overall holding function, thereby improving vibration resistance.
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
The design achieves a lightweight battery case that securely holds battery cells with varying expansive forces and provides superior resistance to vibration, minimizing deformation and weight while maintaining effective pressing force.
Implementation Method 1
a stainless steel holding plate that can be regarded as an elastic body is pressed against the entire second main surface of the battery body so as to secure the battery cell by using a repulsive force against the expansive force
Data Source
AI summary
A battery case accommodates therein a battery cell that has a first main surface and a second main surface opposite the first main surface. The battery case includes a chassis with which the first main surface of the battery cell comes into contact, and a holding plate that comes into partial contact with the second main surface of the battery cell and presses against the battery cell.