Battery Cell Surface Electrical Contacts for Weldless Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional high-performance battery cells are difficult to install, exchange, and recycle due to their encapsulated nature, leading to high costs and complex disassembly processes, especially in applications where standardization is lacking, resulting in inefficient handling and recycling.
Innovation Solution
A high-performance battery cell design featuring large electrical contacts that cover a significant portion of the cell body's surface, allowing for weldless connections and press-fit structures, enabling simple and cost-effective installation, exchange, and recycling, along with a contact structure for mechanical and electrical interfacing that facilitates direct connections and reduces material shipping and handling efforts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If battery cells are fully encapsulated in modules and packages, then structural stability and protection are improved, but ease of installation and exchange deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The battery cell is segmented into modular components: a cell body with integrated electrical contacts that extend outward. This segmentation allows the electrical contacts to be separated from the main cell body structure, enabling independent connection and exchange operations without requiring complete module or package disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical contacts are extracted from the traditional enclosed terminal structure and extended outward from the cell body surface. This extraction allows the contacts to be accessed and connected independently, facilitating easier installation and exchange while the cell body remains encapsulated for structural stability.
2Strength
If battery cells are encapsulated within modules and packages, then protection and structural integrity are improved, but ease of repair and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is segmented into replaceable cell units with external electrical contacts. This allows individual cells to be identified and replaced independently while maintaining the integrity of the module and package structures, significantly reducing repair complexity compared to complete module replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical contacts are taken out from the enclosed terminal structure and positioned externally on the cell body. This enables direct electrical connection and disconnection without requiring removal of the cell from its encapsulated housing, facilitating rapid replacement operations while preserving structural integrity.
3Reliability
If electrical contacts are welded to battery terminals within modules, then electrical connection reliability is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional welding process is replaced with a mechanical press-fit connection system. The electrical contacts are designed with geometric features that enable direct mechanical insertion and retention in the module terminals, eliminating the need for welding operations while maintaining reliable electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical contact design incorporates specific geometric parameters (shape, size, material properties) that enable press-fit connections to achieve electrical connection reliability comparable to welding. The contacts are shaped to provide inherent mechanical retention and electrical conductivity without requiring thermal processing.
4Stability of the object's composition
If battery cells are permanently fixed in modules by gluing or bonding, then structural stability is improved, but ease of disassembly and recycling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The battery cell is segmented with external electrical contacts that provide a separate connection interface from the mechanical mounting structure. This allows the cell body to remain stably mounted in the module while the electrical contacts can be independently disconnected, facilitating disassembly and recycling without requiring separation of bonded components.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical contacts are extracted from the bonded terminal structure and positioned externally on the cell body. This extraction enables electrical disconnection independent of mechanical bonding, allowing for easy disassembly and recycling of the cell while maintaining structural stability during operation.
5Adaptability or versatility
If modules and packages are highly customized for specific applications, then adaptability is improved, but standardization and manufacturing efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The battery cell design incorporates universal features: standardized cell body dimensions, uniform electrical contact configurations, and generic mounting interface geometries. These universal elements allow the same cell design to be adapted to multiple different module and package configurations for various applications without requiring custom tooling or complex assembly procedures.
Data Source
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AI summary
A high-performance battery cell (20) is provided. The high-performance battery cell (20) comprises a cell body and at least two electrical contacts (30, 32), the cell body comprising at least two side surfaces (22, 24, 26), wherein at least one of the electrical contacts (30, 32) is formed and arranged such that the corresponding electrical contact (30, 32) covers between 10% and 100% of at least one of the side surfaces (22, 24, 26).