Battery Pack Fuse Strap Isolation for Pouch Cell Short Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges in ensuring safe and reliable electrical connections and preventing electrical short circuits between cell terminals, particularly in high-performance lithium-based pouch cell configurations.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack design incorporates a control circuit board, cells, fuses, straps, and insulative walls with ribs and taps to securely and electrically isolate cell terminals, using traces and taps to transmit voltage and current signals while preventing short circuits through strategically positioned ribs and encapsulated fuses that protect against overheating and overcurrent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cells are directly connected at interfaces, then electrical connection is achieved, but electrical short circuits may occur between terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces electrically insulative walls with terminal holes and ribs as intermediary structures between cell terminals. These walls provide controlled pathways for electrical connections while preventing direct contact between adjacent terminals, thus eliminating short circuit risks while maintaining connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack is segmented into discrete cell units with individual terminal management. Each terminal passes through dedicated terminal holes in insulative walls, creating spatial separation and controlled electrical pathways that prevent unintended connections between adjacent terminals.
2Reliability
If fuses are positioned close to cells for protection, then overcurrent protection is improved, but electrical isolation from other cells becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse assembly combines conductive fuse elements with electrically insulative molded straps or encapsulation materials. This composite structure provides overcurrent protection through the fuse while the insulative portion prevents electrical interference with adjacent cells, resolving the contradiction between protection effectiveness and electrical isolation.
3Volume of moving object
If terminals are closely positioned for compact design, then space efficiency is improved, but risk of electrical short circuits increases
Solution Approach 1:
Electrically insulative walls with precisely positioned terminal holes serve as mediators that enable compact terminal positioning while preventing short circuits. The walls provide necessary electrical isolation in the limited space, allowing compact design without compromising safety.
4Reliability
If insulative structures are added to prevent short circuits, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulative walls combine multiple functions: structural support for cell positioning, electrical isolation between terminals, and guidance for terminal alignment. By merging these functions into a single integrated component, the design improves safety without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall structure serves multiple purposes simultaneously: providing mechanical support, ensuring electrical isolation, guiding terminal positioning, and facilitating fuse installation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a control circuit board, a first cell, a second cell, a fuse, and a strap. The first cell has a first terminal electrically coupled to the control circuit board. The second cell is electrically coupled to the first cell and has a second terminal. The fuse electrically couples the second terminal to the control circuit board. The fuse is positioned between the second terminal and the control circuit board. The strap is electrically insulative and molded to the fuse. The strap electrically isolates the fuse from the first cell.