Vacuum-Insulated Battery Housing with Laser-Welded Half-Shells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery housing production faces challenges in providing comprehensive mechanical protection, thermal management, and safe handling due to complex manufacturing requirements and the hazardous nature of high-voltage batteries, which complicates the integration of advanced features like vacuum insulation and thermal conductivity switching.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the production of prefabricated half-shells with integrated insulating molded parts, where the inner and outer walls are connected using laser welds, allowing for easy assembly and evacuation to create a vacuum-insulated battery housing with enhanced thermal management and crash safety, using hydroforming and additional reinforcement for robustness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the battery housing uses a double-walled sandwich construction with insulating material between inner and outer walls, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery housing is divided into separate inner and outer wall components that are manufactured independently and then assembled. The insulating molded parts are also separate components positioned between the walls. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized and manufactured separately, reducing overall complexity despite the multi-layer structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating molded parts are nested between the inner and outer walls, with the inner wall containing the battery, the insulating material providing thermal management, and the outer wall providing structural protection. This nested arrangement achieves multiple functions (thermal insulation, structural integrity, crash safety) within a compact integrated housing without requiring separate systems.
2Temperature
If vacuum insulation is implemented in the battery housing, then thermal management capability is improved, but the manufacturing precision and evacuation process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating molded parts are pre-formed with the correct geometry and positioning features before assembly into the housing. The inner and outer walls are also pre-manufactured with precise mounting features. This preliminary preparation ensures that when components are assembled and evacuated, the vacuum insulation structure maintains its integrity and achieves the required thermal performance without requiring complex in-situ forming processes.
3Ease of operation
If the battery housing is designed for reversible assembly to enable maintenance and replacement, then ease of operation is improved, but the structural strength and crash safety may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system transitions from permanent to reversible based on operational needs. During normal operation, the housing maintains its structural integrity through secure reversible connections. During maintenance, these connections can be easily disconnected and reconnected, allowing dynamic adaptation between operational and maintenance states without compromising either function.
Solution Approach 2:
The reversible connection system combines mechanical joining elements with structural support functions. The same connection mechanisms that provide structural strength for crash safety also enable reversible disassembly for maintenance. This merging of functions allows the housing to achieve both durability and serviceability through integrated design features rather than separate 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
This approach simplifies the assembly process, reduces handling risks, and enables the production of multifunctional battery housings with improved thermal management and crash safety, allowing for efficient thermal conductivity switching and safe transportation of batteries.
Implementation Method 1
the space between the inner and outer walls is filled with a heat-insulating material
Implementation Method 2
the space between these inner and outer walls is formed with a porous backing material... the insulating gap has been evacuated
Implementation Method 3
the inner and outer walls are connected using laser welds
Implementation Method 4
using hydroforming
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a battery housing (1) by producing an intermediate product comprising a lower half-shell (4) and an upper half-shell (3), such that these intermediate products can be joined together at a battery manufacturer in such a way that the battery (2) is inserted into the lower half-shell (4), then the upper half-shell (3) is placed on top, and then the inner wall (7) of the lower half-shell (4) is welded to the inner wall (7') of the upper half-shell (3), and then the outer wall (8) of the lower half-shell (4) is welded to the outer wall (8') of the upper half-shell (3), each with a supported vacuum insulation layer between the inner and outer walls (7, 7' and 8, 8') of the lower and upper half-shells (4 and 3), thereby forming a reversibly sealed battery housing (1) with integrated thermal management for a battery (2).As a result, the invention opens up the possibility of supplying a battery manufacturer with a kit for the uncomplicated production of a battery housing at the battery manufacturer's own facility, thus eliminating the need to transport the battery to the manufacturer of the battery housings.