Cylindrical Battery Cell Contacts to Eliminate Housing-Wall Current Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells face challenges in electrical contact-connection, requiring current paths through the housing wall, which increases electrical resistance and can lead to potential short-circuits.
Innovation Solution
The battery cell design features separate electrically conductive contact elements for each polarity, insulated from each other and connected to the same end face of the hollow cylinder, allowing for voltage tapping without a current path through the housing wall, with optional radial spacing and spacer elements for enhanced insulation and prevention of short-circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current path is routed through the housing wall to connect electrodes of the same polarity, then electrical connection is achieved, but electrical resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the current path from the housing wall by providing separate contact elements that extend through the housing wall. This allows the current to be tapped off at the same end face without passing through the housing wall, thereby eliminating the harmful current path through the housing wall and reducing electrical resistance.
2Volume of moving object
If contact elements are arranged close together for compact design, then device size is reduced, but risk of short-circuit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an electrically insulating element as an intermediary between the first and second contact elements. This insulating element prevents electrical contact between contact elements of different polarities, thereby eliminating the risk of short-circuits while allowing the contact elements to be arranged in a compact configuration.
3Loss of energy
If separate contact elements are provided for each polarity on the same end face, then current path through housing wall is eliminated, but insulation between contact elements becomes critical
Solution Approach 1:
The electrically insulating element serves as a mediator between the first and second contact elements, providing necessary electrical insulation. This allows the contact elements to be arranged on the same end face for optimized current paths while maintaining adequate insulation through the insulating element.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex mechanical insulation structures with a simple electrically insulating element that can be easily integrated into the battery cell design. This insulating element provides both electrical insulation and structural support, simplifying the overall design.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell is provided. The battery cell includes an electrode of a first electrical polarity and an electrode of a second electrical polarity opposite to the first polarity, the electrodes of different polarities are separated by a separator; a first electrically conductive contact element which is electrically connected to the electrode of the first polarity and can be contacted as a first terminal of the battery cell from outside the cell housing; a second electrically conductive contact element which is connected to the electrode of the second polarity and can be contacted as a second terminal of the battery cell from outside the cell housing; and the first and the second electrically conductive contact element are electrically insulated from each other and, on a same first end wall of the electrically conductive hollow cylinder, can each be contacted as a respective terminal from outside the cell housing.