Battery Pack Housing with Flexible Resilient Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs for lithium-ion cells face issues with physical shock susceptibility and complex assembly due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to improper fitting and increased assembly time.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack housing with flexibly resilient internal dividing walls and a unitary moulded design that accommodates varying cell sizes through interference fits, ensuring snug fitting and easier assembly by using a single, integral thermoplastic element with adaptable holes and slots for secure positioning of lithium-based cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid support frame with fixed recesses is used, then structural stability is improved, but cells with manufacturing tolerances cannot fit properly and are prone to rattling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible resilient portions within the housing that can deform to accommodate battery cells of varying sizes within manufacturing tolerances. These flexible sections act as adaptive interfaces between the rigid housing structure and the variable-cell-size problem, allowing the housing to maintain structural stability while adapting to different cell dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing design incorporates parameters that can change - specifically, the flexible resilient portions have variable stiffness and deformation capabilities. This allows the housing to change its effective dimensions and shape locally to accommodate cells within the specified tolerance range (e.g., ±0.5mm), resolving the contradiction between rigid structure and size adaptability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate parts are used to accommodate varying cell sizes, then adaptability to manufacturing tolerances is improved, but assembly complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the housing structure with integrated flexible resilient portions into a single unitary component. This combination eliminates the need for separate adjustment mechanisms or multiple parts that would be required to accommodate cell size variations, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining adaptability to manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed as a universal structure that inherently accommodates cells within a range of sizes through its flexible resilient portions. This multi-functional design allows the same housing to fit cells at the lower, middle, and upper ends of the manufacturing tolerance spectrum without requiring different components or assembly procedures.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If rigid housing is used, then protection against physical shocks is improved, but cells with size variations cannot be secured properly
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible resilient portions serve as shock-absorbing elements within the rigid housing structure. When physical shocks occur, these flexible sections can deform to absorb impact energy while maintaining the secure fit of battery cells, thus providing both protection against shocks and proper securing of cells with size variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible resilient portions are pre-designed to provide cushioning effect before shocks occur. Their elastic properties allow them to deform under impact loads, absorbing shock energy and protecting the battery cells from damage while maintaining their securing function across different cell sizes.
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 solution provides enhanced protection against physical shocks and simplifies assembly by ensuring all cells within a manufacturing tolerance range fit securely, reducing assembly complexity and increasing the battery pack's durability.
Implementation Method 1
A battery pack housing (24) for holding a plurality of battery cells (23). The battery pack housing comprises a first hole (32b, 32c) for receiving a first battery cell (23b, 23c) and a second hole (32d, 32e) for receiving a second battery cell (23d, 23e). The battery pack housing further comprises a flexibly resilient portion (41)
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A battery pack comprises a first battery cell and a second battery cell; the first and second battery cells each have a size within a manufacturing tolerance. A housing comprises at least one wall defining a first hole and a second hole each for receiving one of the first or second battery cells, each hole having a size corresponding to a minimum size within the manufacturing tolerance. There is a flexibly resilient portion moveable between a rest position and a clamping position whereby the flexibly resilient portion clamps against the first and / or second battery cell when the first and / or second battery cell has a size greater than the minimum size within the manufacturing tolerance.