Battery Cell Cover Terminal Short Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional battery modules for electric vehicles are large, heavy, and costly due to their design, which includes thick plastic or metal housings and external safety structures, making them inefficient in terms of size, weight, and cost, and they lack effective distribution of impact forces in crash scenarios.

Innovation Solution

A unified battery module design using integrated structural foam, adhesive, and interconnecting carrier halves to provide impact resistance, thermal insulation, and dielectric barriers, with a staggered battery cell arrangement and tapered busbars to optimize space and weight, and redundant connection studs for improved reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If thick plastic or metal housings and external safety structures are used, then impact resistance and safety are improved, but weight and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpact resistanceVSAvoidbattery module weight

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated housing structure that provides both mechanical protection and electrical isolation. The housing integrates safety structures and terminal isolation features directly into its design, eliminating the need for separate thick protective components while maintaining impact resistance and reducing weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite material construction for the housing, combining materials with different properties to achieve both strength and weight reduction. The housing uses composite structures that provide impact resistance without requiring thick single-material walls, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Ease of manufacture

If conventional battery module design with separate components is used, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidstructural complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple structural elements into a single integrated housing component that performs multiple functions simultaneously: mechanical protection, electrical isolation, and structural support. This integration reduces the number of separate parts and assembly steps while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides impact protection, thermal insulation, dielectric barriers, and structural support. This universal design approach reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for separate dedicated components for each function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If conventional terminal isolation methods are used, then electrical safety is maintained, but device size and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterminal isolation effectivenessVSAvoidbattery cell weight

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent integrates terminal isolation features directly into the battery cell cover structure, combining electrical isolation functionality with the mechanical cover component. This integration eliminates the need for separate isolation components, reducing weight while maintaining effective terminal isolation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing provides localized electrical isolation at specific terminal areas through integrated dielectric barriers and isolation features, rather than requiring uniform thick walls throughout the entire structure. This localized approach maintains reliability where needed while minimizing overall weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10892465B2Battery cell cover including terminal short isolation feature

Publication Date: 2021.01.12 NIO TECH ANHUI CO LTD

AI summary

A battery module cell cover is provided including a number of features configured to orient, capture, and isolate battery cell interconnections relative to battery cell locations in an array of battery cells. Isolation features may block a negative terminal battery cell interconnect from moving out of an orientation receptacle aligned with a negative terminal of a battery cell and into contact with a positive terminal of the battery cell, or vice versa. The battery module cell cover can include a number of structural connection features protruding from a planar surface into a battery cell containment cavity, between battery cell locations, that provide a number of surfaces for curing to structural adhesive of the battery module. These structural connection features, in conjunction with the structural adhesive, can assist in forming a unified strengthened structure of the battery module.