Battery Cover Cushion Layer for Protrusion Fitting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional battery covers face difficulties in fitting smoothly over batteries with protruding portions, leading to potential catching and hindered attachment.

Innovation Solution

A battery cover design featuring a side wall with a first surface layer in contact with the battery, a cushion layer between the first surface layer and a heat insulating layer, allowing the cushion layer to deform and facilitate smooth fitting even over protrusions, while ensuring reliable contact and minimizing heat conduction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a battery cover is provided with a side wall including a porous layer having heat insulating properties and protective layers, then heat insulating properties are improved, but the battery cover may be caught in protruding portions on the battery side surface, hindering fitting

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat conduction to batteryVSAvoidfitting smoothness

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The side wall is segmented into multiple functional layers: a first surface layer for contact, a cushion layer for deformation, a heat insulating layer for thermal protection, and a second surface layer for protection. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its specific function, resolving the contradiction between heat insulation and fitting smoothness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A cushion layer is disposed between the first surface layer and the heat insulating layer to provide beforehand cushioning. This cushion layer deforms when encountering protruding portions on the battery side surface, preventing the battery cover from being caught and enabling smooth fitting while maintaining the heat insulating properties of the heat insulating layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a rigid heat insulating layer is used to prevent heat conduction, then heat insulation is improved, but the battery cover cannot deform to accommodate protruding portions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat conductionVSAvoidadaptability to battery surface variations

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Different parts of the side wall are given different local qualities: the cushion layer has high deformability to adapt to surface variations, while the heat insulating layer maintains rigid heat insulating properties. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between heat insulation and adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The side wall uses composite material structure combining a cushion layer (foam-based or fiber-based material) with a heat insulating layer (porous layer). This composite structure integrates the deformability of the cushion layer with the heat insulating properties of the porous layer, simultaneously achieving adaptability and heat insulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Ease of operation

If a cushion layer with low compressive hardness is used to enable easy deformation, then fitting ease is improved, but the heat insulating properties may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefitting easeVSAvoidheat conduction

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The side wall is segmented into distinct cushion layer and heat insulating layer, allowing the cushion layer to have low compressive hardness for easy deformation during fitting, while the heat insulating layer maintains high heat insulating properties. This segmentation resolves the contradiction between fitting ease and heat insulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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

Enables seamless fitting of the battery cover to batteries with protrusions, suppresses air inflow, and effectively reduces heat conduction to the battery through the use of a cushion layer and heat insulating materials.

Implementation Method 1

the cushion layer disposed at the inside (between the first surface layer and the heat insulating layer) of the side wall is deformed in accordance with the protruding portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

a heat insulating layer disposed between the first surface layer and the second surface layer in the thickness direction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentUS20230058984A1Battery cover

Publication Date: 2023.02.23 NITTO DENKO CORP

AI summary

A battery cover 1 includes a side wall 2 covering a side surface S3 of a battery 100. The side wall 2 includes a first surface layer 11 in contact with the side surface S3 of the battery 100, a second surface layer 12 disposed on an opposite side of the side surface S3 of the battery 100 with respect to the first surface layer 11 in a thickness direction of the side wall 2, a heat insulating layer 13 disposed between the first surface layer 11 and the second surface layer 12 in the thickness direction, and a cushion layer 14 disposed between the first surface layer 11 and the heat insulating layer 13 in the thickness direction.