Battery Module Insulation Pad Layout for Side Plate Tilt Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In battery modules with a 4-plate structure, the inclination of side plates during cell stack pressing can lead to positional changes of battery cells and bus bar frames, resulting in fatigue at welding portions and potential product failure.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring an insulation pad interposed between the cell stack and side plates, and between bus bar frames and side plates, to prevent side plate inclination through elastic restoring forces, ensuring horizontal pressing of the cell stack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If an insulation pad is used between the cell stack and side plate to prevent inclination, then the side plate stability is improved, but the insulation pad may not be sufficient to perfectly prevent tilting due to gaps created by design tolerance between the bus bar frame and side plate
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation pad is divided into two separate pads: a first insulation pad positioned between the cell stack and side plate, and a second insulation pad positioned between the bus bar frame and side plate. This segmentation allows each pad to independently address specific gap issues at different locations, providing more comprehensive prevention of side plate tilting compared to a single insulation pad.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation pads serve as intermediary elements that fill the gaps between rigid components (cell stack, bus bar frame, and side plate). These elastic intermediaries absorb dimensional variations and prevent direct contact that would cause tilting, thereby improving the reliability of side plate stability without requiring changes to the rigid structural components.
2Manufacturing precision
If the side plate is pressed to accommodate the cell stack, then the cell stack positioning is improved, but the side plate may become inclined due to the soft characteristic of pouch-type battery cells causing electrolyte collection and thickness variation
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation pads are pre-installed between the cell stack/bus bar frame and the side plate before the pressing operation. These pads provide advance cushioning that compensates for the thickness variations in pouch-type battery cells, allowing the side plate to be pressed horizontally without becoming inclined, thus maintaining both positioning precision and structural stability.
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 proposed design effectively prevents side plate inclination, maintaining the intended positional relationship of battery cells and bus bar frames, thereby reducing the risk of product failure and ensuring reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
an insulation pad interposed between a side surface of the cell stack and an inner surface of the housing and between a side surface of one of the pair of bus bar frames and the inner surface of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module includes a cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked; a pair of bus bar frames configured to cover one side and another side, respectively, of the cell stack in a longitudinal direction; a housing configured to accommodate a combined body of the cell stack and the pair of bus bar frames so that the pair of bus bar frames is exposed to an outside of the housing; and an insulation pad interposed between a side surface of the cell stack and an inner surface of the housing and between a side surface of one of the pair of bus bar frames and the inner surface of the housing.