Battery Module Partition Walls for Cell Compression and Cooling
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing accumulator battery modules with flexible cells face challenges in maintaining cell stability and electrical connections due to thickness variations, leading to potential weld breakage under vibrations and overheating issues, with complex and costly assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of partition walls with conduction plates and guiding and locking mechanisms between adjacent cells allows for simple and cost-effective immobilization and compression, ensuring stable electrical connections and efficient cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If cylindrical rods are used to immobilize cells in the casing, then cell stability is improved, but assembly complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the immobilization function and thermal conduction function into a single integrated partition wall structure. The partition wall includes conduction plates that directly contact the cells, eliminating the need for separate cylindrical rods. This integration simplifies the assembly process while maintaining cell stability and providing thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it immobilizes the cells, conducts heat away from the cells, and provides structural support. The conduction plates are designed to contact the cells directly, providing both mechanical constraint and thermal pathways, replacing the single-function cylindrical rods with a multi-functional component.
2Stability of the object's composition
If cells are compressed to immobilize them, then cell stability is improved, but overheating problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall with conduction plates acts as an intermediary between the compressed cells and the heat dissipation system. The conduction plates provide dedicated thermal pathways that allow heat to escape from the compressed cells, preventing overheating while maintaining the compression necessary for cell stability and immobilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the battery module into sections with partition walls between adjacent cells. Each partition wall with its conduction plates creates localized thermal management zones, allowing heat to be dissipated from each cell group independently. This segmentation prevents heat accumulation that would occur with uniform compression across all cells.
3Reliability
If cells are subjected to vibrations and thickness variations, then electrical connection stability deteriorates, but simple immobilization structures are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall integrates mechanical constraint features with electrical connection stabilization. The conduction plates are designed to maintain constant contact with the cells despite thickness variations, providing both immobilization and stable electrical pathways. This eliminates the need for complex separate immobilization mechanisms while protecting weld integrity under vibration.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple elements are used to lock cells, then cell immobilization is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall combines multiple immobilization functions into a single manufactured component. Rather than assembling multiple separate elements (cylindrical rods, locks, supports), the partition wall is produced as one integrated part that provides all necessary constraint functions, reducing both part count and assembly complexity while lowering manufacturing costs.
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 solution effectively immobilizes and cools the cells, preventing weld breakage during vibrations and extending cell lifetime by maintaining consistent thickness and distributing compression evenly, while simplifying the assembly process.
Implementation Method 1
the accumulator cells are also well cooled by conduction via these partition walls of the module
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a battery module (1), which includes: a plurality of battery cells (20); a housing (100) which accommodates said battery cells and which comprises two opposite walls (110, 140), one of which compresses said battery cells along a compression axis (X) perpendicular to said mid-planes (P2, P3), against the other one of said opposite walls. According to the invention, the module comprises a plurality of partitions (200) for separating two adjacent cells, each of which comprise: a conduction plate (201) with which the two adjacent battery cells engage; a means (220) for translatably guiding the conduction plate along said compression axis within the housing, said means engaging with a complementary guide means provided on the housing so as to enable a relative movement of the separating partitions relative to the opposite walls of the housing; and a means (241, 245, 251, 255) for immobilizing at least the first of the two adjacent battery cells on an axis perpendicular to the compression axis.