Battery Module Safety Duct for Overcharge Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium ion secondary batteries in hybrid and electric vehicles lack effective safety mechanisms to prevent overcharge and puncture, which can lead to safety risks due to the lack of rapid charge or discharge path cutoff.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring a duct system with safety vents, a membrane, and a short-circuit plate that bypasses overcharge current through a duct, ensuring uniform pressure across all cells and reducing the risk of explosion by releasing gases and creating a short circuit when internal pressure exceeds a threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety device is added to each battery cell to prevent overcharge and puncture, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the safety functions of multiple battery cells into a single centralized safety device located in the duct. This safety device serves all battery cells simultaneously, eliminating the need for individual safety devices at each cell, thus reducing overall device complexity while maintaining safety coverage across the entire battery module.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized safety device in the duct performs multiple safety functions including overcharge protection, puncture prevention, and gas collection for all battery cells through a single structure. This multi-functional design improves safety coverage without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Reliability
If individual safety devices are installed in each battery cell, then overcharge protection is improved, but manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual safety devices into one centralized safety device that protects all battery cells. This reduction in component count directly improves manufacturing efficiency by reducing assembly steps, while the centralized design ensures comprehensive overcharge protection coverage for the entire battery module.
3Stress or pressure
If safety vents are sealed individually for each battery cell, then pressure control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual safety vent sealing mechanisms into a single centralized sealing system in the duct. This unified sealing structure controls pressure for all battery cells simultaneously, reducing the number of sealing components and simplifying the overall device while maintaining effective pressure control across the battery module.
4Productivity
If a centralized duct system is used to collect gases from all battery cells, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but the duct must handle higher overall pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The duct acts as an intermediary structure that collects gases from multiple battery cells at controlled pressure points. By designing the duct with appropriate pressure distribution and venting mechanisms, it handles the cumulative pressure from all cells without requiring excessive structural reinforcement, thus maintaining manufacturing efficiency while managing pressure loads.
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 design enhances safety by preventing overcharge damage and ensuring uniform pressure across the battery module, reducing the risk of explosion and improving manufacturing efficiency with fewer components.
Implementation Method 1
When the battery module is overcharged, the membrane may be inverted due to an increase in the internal pressure of the duct to then be electrically short circuited to the short-circuit plate
Implementation Method 2
When the battery module is overcharged, the safety vent of each of the battery cells may be opened due to an increase in the internal pressure of the battery cell to release internal gases to the duct
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module, which can improve safety against overcharge and puncture on a module basis. The battery module includes a plurality of battery cells arranged in a row, each of the plurality of battery cells including terminals and a safety vent, a plurality of bus bars connecting the plurality of battery cells, a duct mechanically coupled to the plurality of battery cells to seal the safety vent, an extension plate electrically connected to a first battery cell among the plurality of battery cells and extending toward the duct, and a short-circuit plate electrically connected to a second terminal of a second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells and extending toward the duct, wherein the duct is electrically connected to the extension plate and is spaced apart from the short-circuit plate.