Battery Pack Nano Coating for Water Intrusion Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery packs face issues with water intrusion through various entry points, leading to potential short circuits, especially when conductive fluids like seawater enter, causing electrical malfunctions and damage.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design incorporating a vapor-deposited coating, such as poly(p-xylylene) polymer (parylene), applied to critical components like the cell module, controller, and terminal surfaces to prevent fluid intrusion and short circuits, along with strategic spacing of weld straps and the use of seals to isolate electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional battery pack designs are used without additional protective coatings, then the device complexity remains low, but the reliability deteriorates due to water intrusion and short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
A vapor-deposited coating is applied as an intermediary protective layer between the conductive components (battery cells, terminals, straps) and the conductive fluid (seawater). This coating acts as a mediator that prevents direct contact between the fluid and electrical components, thereby eliminating short circuits without requiring complex structural modifications to the battery pack design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical protective structures (such as complex sealing mechanisms, physical barriers, or elaborate housing designs) with a vapor-deposited coating. This coating provides equivalent or superior protection against fluid intrusion and short circuits while maintaining simplicity in the overall device design, thus improving reliability without increasing mechanical complexity.
2Reliability
If the spacing between conductive components is increased to prevent short circuits, then the reliability improves, but the volume of the battery pack increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vapor-deposited coating serves as an intermediary protective barrier that allows conductive components to be placed closer together without risking short circuits. The coating provides the necessary electrical insulation, enabling reduced spacing between components while maintaining reliability, thus decreasing the overall volume of the battery pack.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the electrical insulation parameter by applying a vapor-deposited coating with specific dielectric properties. This allows the spacing between conductive components to be reduced while maintaining adequate insulation, thereby reducing the volume of the battery pack without compromising protection against short circuits.
3Reliability
If a vapor-deposited coating is applied to all components, then the protection against conductive fluid improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vapor-deposited coating process is designed to be a universal solution that can be applied to multiple different components (battery cells, terminals, straps, controllers) using the same manufacturing technique. This multi-functional approach simplifies the manufacturing process compared to applying different protective measures to different components, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining comprehensive protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The vapor-deposition process parameters (such as deposition rate, temperature, and coating thickness) are optimized to enable efficient and consistent application across all components. By controlling these parameters, the manufacturing process becomes more straightforward and scalable, reducing the complexity associated with applying protective coatings to multiple components.
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 vapor-deposited coating effectively inhibits short circuits by creating an electrical spacing greater than the physical distance between conductive components, providing corrosion resistance and ensuring the battery pack's operational integrity even when exposed to conductive fluids, while maintaining performance across a range of temperatures and voltages.
Implementation Method 1
a vapor-deposited coating applied to at least a portion of the cell module
Implementation Method 2
The vapor-deposited coating effectively inhibits short circuits by creating an electrical spacing greater than the physical distance between conductive components
Implementation Method 3
The vapor-deposited coating may include a hydrophobic vapor-deposited coating
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack and a method of assembling a battery pack. The battery pack may include an outer housing; a cell module supportable by the outer housing, the cell module including a module housing, a plurality of battery cells supported by the module housing, the battery cells having an energy of at least about 60 Watt-hours, a controller operable to control an operation of the battery pack, a conductive strap electrically connected to at least one of the battery cells, a weld strap connected between the controller and the conductive strap, and a terminal electrically connected to the battery cells and operable to connect the battery cells to an electrical device for power transfer; and a vapor-deposited, hydrophobic nano coating applied to at least a portion of the cell module.