Battery Packaging Using Pre-formed Pouch Aperture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packaging methods increase the horizontal dimensions of batteries due to folded edges and empty spaces, limiting their density and compatibility with non-rectilinear device compartments.
Innovation Solution
A pre-formed pouch with a single aperture is used to encase battery cells, which can be sealed and folded, minimizing space requirements, and layers of materials such as plastic and metal are applied directly to the cells to eliminate the need for edge sealing, allowing for non-rectilinear shapes and reduced dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pouch packaging with folded edges is used, then the battery is protected against environmental exposure, but the horizontal dimensions increase and battery density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch is divided into functional zones: a sealed perimeter portion providing environmental protection and an unsealed central aperture for cell insertion. This segmentation allows the protective function to be concentrated at the edges while the center remains compact and space-efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery cells are nested within the pouch aperture, with the pouch walls folded and sealed around the cells. This nesting arrangement minimizes the horizontal space required while maintaining protective sealing, as the pouch conforms closely to the cell assembly.
2Reliability
If sealed and folded edges are used to protect the battery, then environmental protection is improved, but empty space between cell and pouch increases horizontal dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch structure implements local quality by providing sealing and protection only where needed (at the perimeter edges surrounding the cells) while leaving the central aperture area unsealed and closely fitted to the cells. This localized approach eliminates unnecessary empty space in the horizontal dimensions while maintaining protective functionality at the boundaries.
3Device complexity
If traditional pouch packaging is used, then the battery structure is simple, but the battery must be rectilinear and cannot fit non-square device compartments
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch structure is made dynamic and adaptable through its aperture design. The unsealed aperture allows the pouch to conform to various cell shapes and configurations, enabling the battery assembly to adapt to different device compartment geometries including non-rectilinear shapes, while the overall pouch structure remains relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The pouch geometry parameters can be varied to match different device compartment requirements. By adjusting the aperture shape and pouch wall configurations, the same basic pouch structure can accommodate rectangular, rounded, or irregular device compartments without requiring complex packaging designs.
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 approach minimizes packaging contributions to battery dimensions, enabling batteries to fit within smaller spaces and accommodate non-rectilinear device compartments while protecting against environmental factors.
Implementation Method 1
sealing and folding the edges of the pouch sheets
Data Source
AI summary
In a first embodiment, a pre-formed pouch is provided that includes a plurality of walls joined in order to define an aperture. An assembly may be inserted into the aperture, which may then be sealed. Further, the pre-formed pouch may be fitted to the shape or dimensions of the assembly that will be inserted. In a second embodiment, an assembly may be covered in a plurality of layers of material, such as first layer of plastic, a layer of metal, and then a second layer of plastic. Each of the coverings may be formed by dipping the assembly in plastic or metal (or other material), molding layers around the assembly, coating the assembly in the layers, vapor depositing plastic or metal (or other material) onto the assembly, and/or a combination of these operations.