Battery Cell Side-Wing Sealing Structure Against Cavity Collapse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery cells are prone to cavity collapse under external forces, leading to safety risks such as short circuits and electrolyte spills due to slanted tabs and potential seal breaks, which degrade their safety performance.
Innovation Solution
The battery cell design incorporates a side wing with a first and second sealing structure, where the second sealing structure extends beyond the first, occupying space previously for tabs, providing resistance to the electrode assembly and enhancing sealing strength, thus reducing the risk of collapse and improving safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the cavity is designed with sufficient space to accommodate tabs, then the tabs can be properly positioned, but the cavity becomes prone to collapse under external force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a side wing structure that extends from the sealing edge of the housing into the cavity space. This side wing occupies the space previously allocated for tabs, thereby reducing the cavity volume while providing structural support to prevent collapse under external forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is segmented into multiple functional zones: the sealing edge, the side wing extending into the cavity, and the remaining cavity space. This segmentation allows the side wing to provide structural reinforcement without compromising the overall cavity functionality.
2Strength
If the sealing width is increased to improve sealing strength, then the sealing performance improves, but the overall length of the battery cell increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing sealing width in the planar direction, the patent extends the sealing structure into the third dimension by creating a side wing that protrudes into the cavity. This allows the sealing edge to overlap with the side wing, effectively increasing the sealing width without increasing the overall battery cell length.
Solution Approach 2:
The side wing is nested within the cavity space, utilizing the existing internal volume of the battery cell. This nesting approach allows the sealing structure to extend into the cavity without adding to the external dimensions of the battery cell.
3Strength
If the cavity space is reduced to prevent collapse, then the structural strength improves, but the tabs may not be properly accommodated
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity space is functionally segmented into two zones: the side wing region that provides structural support and prevents collapse, and the remaining cavity space that accommodates the tabs and electrode assembly. This segmentation allows both requirements to be satisfied simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The side wing acts as an intermediary structure between the housing wall and the cavity contents. It provides structural reinforcement to prevent collapse while leaving sufficient space for tab accommodation, effectively mediating between the conflicting requirements of structural strength and space availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell, including an electrode assembly and a housing accommodating the electrode assembly. The housing includes a cavity and a cover covering the cavity. The cavity includes a flange extending along a border of an opening of the cavity. Periphery of the cover is connected to the flange to form a side wing to seal the cavity. The battery cell further includes a tab sandwiched between the side wings and extending out of the housing along the side wings. The side wing has a first sealing structure and a second sealing structure. A direction from an edge, away from the border, of the side wing to the border is defined as a first direction, and the second sealing structure exceeds the first sealing structure in the first direction.