Battery Cell Protective Layer for Thermal Runaway Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries can generate heat, leading to events such as high temperature gas and fire, which can cause a chain reaction affecting adjacent cells, posing safety risks in battery modules and packs.
Innovation Solution
A battery cell design featuring a protective layer with varying thickness regions and materials, including a support surface with holes and grooves, and a cap assembly with safety vents, to manage heat and prevent fire spread.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective layer is added to the battery cell, then thermal safety and stability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective layer is designed with varying thickness across different regions: a first thickness in a first region and a second thickness in a second region. This local quality variation allows the protective layer to provide enhanced thermal protection where most needed while reducing material usage and complexity in less critical areas, thereby improving thermal safety without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the protective layer thickness is increased, then heat and flame transmission is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective layer implements different thickness values in different regions rather than using a uniform thickness throughout. This approach allows thicker sections to be placed specifically in areas requiring superior thermal protection, while thinner sections are used in areas with lower thermal risk, thereby reducing overall heat transmission without requiring high-precision control of the entire layer at a single thickness value.
3Temperature
If a support surface with holes and grooves is implemented, then thermal management is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective layer incorporates a support surface with holes and grooves that create a porous structure. This porous design facilitates thermal management by allowing heat dissipation through the holes and grooves while maintaining the protective function of the layer. The porous structure achieves improved thermal management through passive heat dissipation mechanisms rather than requiring complex active cooling systems.
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 design enhances thermal safety and stability by reducing heat and flame transmission between cells, preventing chain reactions and improving the reliability of battery modules and packs.
Implementation Method 1
a protective layer disposed on the cap assembly and on a side of the case... the support surface comprises regions of different thicknesses
Implementation Method 2
the support surface comprises a hole overlapping the first terminal and the second terminal and a groove overlapping the safety vent
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell with improved safety is disclosed. The battery cell is capable of preventing high temperature heat or flames from being transferred to an adjacent battery cell when an event of the battery cell occurs A battery module including the battery cell, and a battery pack including the battery cell are also disclosed. The battery cell comprises a case; an electrode assembly accommodated inside the case; a cap assembly disposed on the case; and a protective layer disposed on the cap assembly and on the sides of the case. The electrode assembly includes a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate. The protective layer comprises a support surface and a plurality of sides bent from the support surface, and the support surface comprises regions of different thicknesses.