Battery Stack Insulating Cover With Metal Core Against Warpage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Longer battery stacks in power supply devices for electric vehicles and power storage systems experience warpage and undulation of resin-molded top covers, leading to gaps and potential thermal runaway, air ingress, and safety issues, while dividing the top cover increases component count and cost.
Innovation Solution
A power supply device with an insulating cover featuring a metal core material and fixtures to stabilize the cover's elongated shape, ensuring reliable attachment and preventing warpage, and optionally including a plate-shaped core for enhanced strength and heat dissipation, and rod-shaped core for reduced weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the top cover length is increased to accommodate more battery cells, then the battery capacity is improved, but the warpage and undulation of the resin-molded top cover increases
Solution Approach 1:
The top cover is constructed as a composite structure with a metal core material (aluminum or stainless steel plate) sandwiched between insulating resin layers. This composite design combines the high stiffness and dimensional stability of metal with the insulation properties of resin, preventing warpage in long covers while maintaining electrical insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal core material is strategically positioned at the center of the top cover where it is most needed for structural support. The insulating resin layers are placed on the outer surfaces to provide electrical insulation. This localized allocation of material properties optimizes both structural integrity and insulation performance.
2Quantity of substance
If the top cover is made longer to increase battery stack capacity, then the battery capacity is improved, but the fitting accuracy of screws and claws deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The metal core material provides a rigid, dimensionally stable framework that maintains the precise positioning of screws and claws along the length of the top cover. This prevents the positioning errors that would otherwise occur in long, flexible resin covers.
3Manufacturing precision
If the top cover is divided into multiple parts to reduce warpage, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of dividing the top cover into multiple separate components, the invention uses a single integrated composite structure with a metal core and resin layers. This maintains manufacturing precision through the inherent stiffness of the composite material while avoiding the complexity of multiple parts and assembly steps.
4Stability of the object's composition
If a metal core material is added to the top cover to prevent warpage, then the structural stability is improved, but the weight of the cover increases
Solution Approach 1:
The top cover uses a composite structure with a metal core material (aluminum or stainless steel) sandwiched between insulating resin layers. This composite design provides the necessary structural stability to prevent warpage while the thin profile and efficient material selection minimize the weight increase compared to a solid metal cover.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal core material is positioned only where structural support is most needed at the center of the top cover, with insulating resin layers on the outer surfaces. This localized use of metal minimizes weight while maintaining the stability required to prevent warpage in long covers.
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 solution stabilizes the cover attachment, prevents air ingress, enhances safety, and maintains insulation properties, while reducing the risk of thermal issues and weight increase, even with elongated covers, thus improving the reliability and safety of the battery assembly.
Implementation Method 1
the cover part can include a metal core material. With the above configuration, even when the insulating cover part has an extended elongated shape, warpage and undulation can be suppressed by the metal core material
Implementation Method 2
an insulating cover featuring a metal core material and fixtures to stabilize the cover's elongated shape, ensuring reliable attachment and preventing warpage
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply device includes battery stack having a plurality of battery cells and extended in one direction, and insulating cover part covering one surface of battery assembly extended in one direction. Cover part includes, in the extending direction, a plurality of fixtures for fixing to the upper surface side of battery assembly, and cover part includes metal core material.