Battery Pack PCM Vertical Mounting and Asymmetric Top Case
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In battery packs with thin battery cells, the conventional arrangement of protective circuit modules (PCMs) is limited by the cell thickness, leading to reduced volume utilization and design constraints due to the PCM's width being greater than the cell's thickness, which hinders efficient packaging and increases material costs.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a top case with an opening corresponding to the broad width area of the PCM, allowing it to be mounted vertically, with a label covering the opening to protect the PCM, and varying the PCM's width based on component size, thereby optimizing space usage and reducing material requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the PCM is arranged horizontally on the battery cell, then the PCM can be easily mounted, but the width of the battery pack increases and volume utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the PCM arrangement from horizontal (parallel to battery cell length) to vertical (perpendicular to battery cell length), utilizing the thickness dimension of the battery cell. This dimensional change allows the PCM to be mounted on the top surface extending vertically, reducing the battery pack's width while improving volume utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The top case is designed with an asymmetric opening configuration that matches the asymmetric width profile of the vertical PCM arrangement. The opening width varies along the vertical direction, being wider at the base and narrower at the top, which optimizes the fit for the vertical PCM while minimizing overall pack width.
2Ease of manufacture
If the PCM has a uniform width structure, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the volume utilization is reduced due to excessive width in areas where large components are not mounted
Solution Approach 1:
The PCM is designed with variable width along its vertical direction, matching the local component distribution. The width is larger at the base where large components like capacitors are mounted and smaller at the top where only small components are present. This local quality variation optimizes space utilization without significantly complicating manufacturing.
3Reliability
If the top case fully covers the PCM, then the PCM is protected, but the volume utilization decreases and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The top case design extracts the covering function from the entire PCM area and applies it only to the necessary regions. The opening in the top case is strategically positioned to expose the broad width area of the vertical PCM while covering other areas, reducing material usage and improving volume utilization while maintaining adequate protection.
4Volume of moving object
If the PCM is arranged vertically with opening in top case, then the volume utilization is improved and material cost is reduced, but the PCM structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The PCM structure is segmented into distinct width zones along its vertical direction, with the broad width area positioned at the base and the narrow width area at the top. This segmentation allows the top case opening to be precisely positioned to match the broad width area, optimizing volume utilization while keeping the structural complexity manageable through clear zonal division.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes at least one battery cell; a protective circuit module mounted on a first surface of a battery cell of the at least one battery cell; and a top case covering a first end of the battery cell where the protective circuit module is mounted, and the protective circuit module includes a broad width area and a narrow width area, and an opening is formed on the top case corresponding to the broad width area of the protective circuit module.