Battery Cell Vent Layout for Faster Thermal Runaway Venting

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery cells suffer from untimely venting during thermal runaway, leading to poor reliability due to inadequate distribution of vent mechanisms, which hinders efficient discharge of discharge media.

Innovation Solution

The cell design incorporates multiple vent mechanisms along a first direction on the can, dividing the electrode assembly into sub-regions, ensuring each sub-region corresponds to a vent mechanism, facilitating rapid discharge of discharge media during thermal runaway.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple vent mechanisms are arranged along the first direction on the can, then the timeliness of venting is improved and reliability is enhanced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecell reliabilityVSAvoidvent mechanism distribution complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The electrode assembly is divided into multiple sub-regions along the first direction, with each sub-region corresponding to one vent mechanism. This segmentation ensures that thermal runaway in any sub-region can be independently and timely vented through its corresponding vent mechanism, improving overall cell reliability without requiring complex centralized control systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each vent mechanism is locally positioned to correspond with specific sub-regions of the electrode assembly. This local quality approach ensures that venting capacity is distributed where needed most, allowing rapid discharge of discharge media from any sub-region while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Speed

If N vent mechanisms are arranged along the first direction with N≥2, then the discharge medium can be quickly expelled from any sub-region, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveventing speedVSAvoidmanufacturing ease
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The can is divided into multiple sections along the first direction, with vent mechanisms arranged at regular intervals corresponding to sub-regions of the electrode assembly. This segmentation allows for modular manufacturing and assembly, where each vent mechanism can be positioned and configured independently, simplifying the overall manufacturing process despite the increased number of components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4668446A1Battery cell, battery, and electric device
Publication Date: 2025.12.24 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • EP4668446A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4668446A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4668446A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide a cell, a battery, and an electric device. The cell includes a can and an electrode assembly. The can includes a first wall portion, where N vent mechanisms are arranged along a first direction on the first wall portion. The electrode assembly is accommodated in the can. The electrode assembly includes a body portion and a tab. The body portion includes a plurality of sub-regions. Along the first direction, the tab is arranged at at least one end of the body portion. The plurality of sub-regions are consecutively arranged. A length of the body portion is L, and a length of the sub-region is L1, L=L1×N, L≥400 mm, and N≥2. A projection of each vent mechanism along a thickness direction of the first wall portion is correspondingly located in one of the sub-regions. Each vent mechanism can discharge a discharge medium generated by thermal runaway in a corresponding sub-region, and the discharge medium generated by thermal runaway in each sub-region can be quickly discharged through a corresponding vent mechanism, which can effectively improve timeliness of venting of a cell, thereby improving reliability of the cell.