Battery Module Structure With Upper-Plate Mounting and Insulating End Plates
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery modules face issues with breakage at module mounting portions due to stress concentration, leading to potential short circuits and structural deformation, and require complex structures with metal end plates that are heavy and prone to breakage.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring a frame with multiple module mounting portions on the upper plate, an insulating end plate, and a U-shaped lower frame, along with a integrated heat sink, to enhance rigidity, simplify structure, and improve cooling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If module mounting portions are formed by protruding from the end plate, then the battery module can be mounted, but stress concentrates on the mounting portion causing breakage and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The end plate is divided into a body portion and separate mounting portions that protrude from the body. This segmentation allows the mounting portions to be optimized for attachment functionality while the body portion maintains structural integrity and distributes stress across a larger area, preventing concentration at single points.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting portions are designed with different local properties than the end plate body - they protrude outward to provide mounting surfaces while the body portion maintains thickness for structural strength. This local differentiation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally without compromising overall structural integrity.
2Strength
If a metal end plate is used, then structural strength is improved, but weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end plate is constructed as a composite structure combining a metal body portion for structural strength with separate mounting portions that may use different materials or configurations. This composite approach maintains the necessary structural integrity while reducing overall weight compared to a solid metal end plate, and simplifies manufacturing by allowing separate fabrication and assembly of components.
3Strength
If a complex multi-component structure is used, then structural integrity is improved, but manufacturing complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting portions are integrated as part of the end plate assembly rather than being completely separate components. They protrude from the end plate body and can be formed in the same manufacturing process or attached through simplified procedures, combining the end plate structural function with the mounting function into a unified structure that reduces overall component count and assembly complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a battery module that secures the rigidity and simplifies the structure, and a battery pack including the same. The battery module according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; a lower frame for housing the battery cell stack; an upper plate for covering an upper surface of the battery cell stack; and an end plate for covering the front and rear surfaces of the battery cell stack, wherein module mounting portions are formed at both ends of the upper plate.