Battery Cell With Integrated Short Circuit Test Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety tests for battery cells are compromised by artificially inducing short circuits, which alters the natural cell state and reduces test validity, as they often require material introduction or cell opening, making it difficult to predict and assess short-circuit risks effectively.
Innovation Solution
A battery cell design featuring a layered anode, cathode, and separator layers with a switching element directly connected to the anode or cathode conductor elements, allowing for a realistic imitation of short-circuit formation, enabling targeted safety measures by mimicking natural short-circuit behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If material is introduced into the cell or the cell is opened to induce short circuits, then short-circuit behavior can be investigated, but the state of the battery cell during the artificial initiation of a short circuit differs significantly from the natural state, reducing test validity
Solution Approach 1:
Conductive elements are pre-introduced into the anode and cathode during cell assembly, positioned to enable future short-circuit induction without requiring subsequent material introduction or cell opening. The switching element is also pre-positioned between the conductive elements, ready to establish a short circuit when activated.
Solution Approach 2:
Switching elements (such as pins or conductive bridges) serve as intermediaries that can be activated to establish a short circuit between the anode and cathode through the separator layer, eliminating the need for direct material introduction or cell opening during the test procedure.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional safety test methods are used requiring material introduction or cell opening, then short circuits can be induced, but the structural complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
All necessary components (conductive elements, switching elements, and their connections) are integrated into the cell structure during initial assembly. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for complex post-assembly modifications, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling realistic short-circuit testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive elements serve dual purposes: they function as normal current collectors during regular cell operation and as contact points for inducing controlled short circuits during safety testing. The switching element similarly serves as both a structural component and a test activation mechanism.
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
This design provides meaningful information about natural short-circuit behavior, allowing for effective safety enhancements in battery cells and modules by simulating short-circuit conditions in a lifelike manner, improving test validity and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a switching element for generating a short circuit between the anode and the cathode is arranged between the anode leakage element and the cathode leakage element. The battery cell according to the invention is characterized in that the switching element is directly connected to the anode leakage element and/or the cathode leakage element
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of separator layers for electrically insulating the anode and/or the cathode
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a
AI summary
Battery cell (2) for carrying out a safety test, comprising at least one layered anode (6), at least one layered cathode (8), a plurality of separator layers (4) for electrical insulation of the anode (6) and/or the cathode (8), wherein an anode discharge element (10) is arranged within the at least one anode (6) and a cathode discharge element (12) is arranged within the at least one cathode (8), wherein a switching element (14) for generating a short circuit between the anode (6) and the cathode (8) is arranged between the anode discharge element (10) and the cathode discharge element (12), wherein the switching element (14) is directly connected to the anode discharge element (10) and/or the cathode discharge element (12).