Battery Module Swelling Partition and Tab Short-Circuit
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium secondary battery modules face safety risks due to potential internal short-circuits and swelling, which can lead to fires and explosions, and existing safety measures like safety vents and PTC devices may leak electrolytes and fail to uniformly manage pressure.
Innovation Solution
The battery module design involves bending electrode tabs to form perpendicular welding parts, which are then welded using top-hat-type or Gaussian-type laser beams in lap or butt welding schemes, and includes a swelling partition to guide and concentrate physical forces, allowing for controlled short-circuiting of electrode tabs during swelling events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If safety vents, PTC, or CID devices are used to secure battery cell safety, then the risks of fire, combustion, and explosion are minimized, but the damaged region of the battery cell is irregularly formed causing internal electrolyte to leak to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful swelling force generated during battery cell failure into a beneficial short-circuiting action. When swelling occurs, the upward force bends the electrode tabs to contact each other, creating a short circuit that stops the chemical reaction. This transforms the harmful mechanical expansion into a protective electrical failure mode that prevents electrolyte leakage and fire.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using traditional safety devices that create irregular damage and electrolyte leakage, the patent inverts the approach by designing a system where the battery cell's own swelling force is used to create a controlled short circuit. The electrode tabs are positioned and configured so that swelling naturally causes them to contact, reversing the conventional safety mechanism from active intervention to passive self-protection.
2Quantity of substance
If battery cells are connected in a module to increase capacity, then energy output is improved, but the module size increases and safety management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a multi-functional electrode tab design that serves both electrical connection and safety protection functions. The same vertical welding structure that establishes electrical connectivity also enables short-circuiting during swelling. This universal design eliminates the need for separate safety devices in each cell, simplifying the overall safety management system while maintaining high battery capacity through modular connection.
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 design effectively suppresses swelling progression by short-circuiting electrode tabs, preventing electrical connections and minimizing chemical reactions, thus enhancing safety without external blocking units, and allowing for more cells to be connected within the same size module.
Implementation Method 1
performing a spot welding on the welding parts in a lap welding scheme or a butt welding scheme using a top-hat-type laser beam or a Gaussian-type laser beam
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a battery module having improved safety by disconnecting an electrical connection due to short-circuit of electrode tabs by bending the electrode tabs upwardly extended to form welding parts having welding surfaces in a direction perpendicular to the battery module, performing a spot laser welding on the welding parts in a lap welding scheme using a top-hat-type laser beam or a Gaussian-type laser beam, and including a swelling partition to adjust a swelling position when a swelling increasing a volume due to a problem in a battery cell occurs and to short-circuit the electrode tabs.