Battery Cell Separator With Terminal Projections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion battery modules in xEVs face challenges with electrical and mechanical stability, leading to potential shorts between battery cells due to metallic or polymeric casings, especially in stacked configurations, which can result in reduced performance and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A battery cell separator with a continuous structure and projections is used to electrically isolate the casings and terminals of adjacent battery cells, providing a poka-yoke configuration that ensures only one direction of planar electrical connection is allowed, thereby preventing shorts and enhancing assembly reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If battery cells are stacked in a compact configuration to increase energy density, then productivity and space utilization are improved, but electrical shorts between adjacent cells may occur due to contact between metallic casings or terminals
Solution Approach 1:
An electrically insulating separator is introduced as an intermediary component between adjacent battery cells. The separator includes a body portion positioned between cell casings and protrusion portions extending between terminals, preventing electrical contact while maintaining compact cell spacing for high energy density.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator is segmented into distinct functional portions: a body portion for isolating cell casings and protrusion portions for isolating terminals. This segmentation allows targeted electrical insulation at different locations where shorts could occur, enabling reliable compact stacking.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional separator designs are used without integrated terminal isolation, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but additional insulation components are required increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The separator design merges multiple insulation functions into a single integrated component. The body portion and protrusion portions are formed as one piece from electrically insulating material, eliminating the need for separate terminal insulation components and simplifying manufacturing while reducing overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If protrusion portions extend beyond the separator body to isolate terminals, then electrical insulation reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion portions are pre-formed as integral features of the separator during its fabrication process. By establishing the protrusion geometry and positioning in advance during separator manufacturing, the design ensures proper terminal alignment and insulation without requiring high-precision assembly operations later.
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 battery cell separator effectively prevents electrical shorts, improves mechanical stability, and simplifies assembly by ensuring proper electrical connections, thereby enhancing the performance and reducing costs of lithium-ion battery modules in xEVs.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of walls is configured to electrically insulate the first cell from the second cell... the projection is positioned between a terminal of the first battery cell and a terminal of the second battery cell and is configured to electrically insulate the terminals from one another
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A lithium ion battery module includes a battery cell stack disposed within a housing of the battery module. The stack includes a first battery cell, a second battery cell positioned adjacent to the first battery cell, and a battery cell separator fitted over the first battery cell. The battery cell separator includes a plurality of walls formed from a continuous material and defining a pocket in which the first battery cell is disposed. The plurality of walls is configured to electrically insulate the first cell from the second cell. The separator also includes a projection extending from a wall of the plurality of walls, the projection is positioned between a terminal of the first battery cell and a terminal of the second battery cell and is configured to electrically insulate the terminals from one another.