Battery Module Restraining Structure for Gas Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules struggle with efficient discharge of generated gas, as seen in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-82407 (JP 2021-82407 A).
Innovation Solution
A restraining member with interposing, pressurizing, and pressing portions is used to facilitate gas discharge by creating overlapping pressurized and low pressurized areas, allowing gas to move from high-pressure to low-pressure regions, while maintaining structural integrity and reducing weight and heat capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a pressurizing mechanism is added to press the stacked body, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing portions and pressurizing portions are integrated into a single restraining member structure, combining the functions of mechanical pressing and pressurization into one component. This reduces device complexity while maintaining structural stability through the unified design that directly contacts the power storage module.
Solution Approach 2:
The restraining member is divided into distinct functional segments: pressing portions for applying force and pressurizing portions for creating pressure differentials. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function efficiently while being part of an integrated structure, resolving the contradiction between stability and complexity.
2Productivity
If pressurizing portions are arranged in a row with spacing, then gas discharge is facilitated, but structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The pressurizing portions are strategically positioned at specific locations where gas accumulation is most likely to occur, creating local pressure relief zones. This localized approach facilitates gas discharge while maintaining structural integrity in other critical areas of the restraining member.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressurizing portions extend in the third direction (perpendicular to both stacking direction and arrangement direction), creating a three-dimensional pressurization structure. This dimensional extension allows gas to be discharged through multiple pathways without compromising the two-dimensional structural integrity of the restraining member.
3Productivity
If pressurizing portions have extended dimension in third direction, then gas discharge is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressurizing portions are designed as thin-walled structures that extend in the third direction, providing sufficient surface area for gas discharge while minimizing material usage. This thin-film approach allows the structure to achieve the required functional dimension without proportionally increasing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
By extending the pressurizing portions in the third direction rather than increasing their cross-sectional dimensions, the design achieves enhanced gas discharge capability with minimal weight penalty. The extended dimension provides volume and surface area for gas interaction without requiring additional material in the denser cross-sectional directions.
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 effectively discharges gas generated in the power storage module, reducing bending stress and ensuring secure restraint of the module, thereby enhancing gas evacuation and structural stability.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the interposing portions includes a pressurized area overlapping each of pressurizing portions in the first direction and a low pressurized area not overlapping the pressurizing portions in the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A restraining member includes a pair of interposing portions, a plurality of pressurizing portions, and a pair of pressing portions. Each pressurizing portion has the shape of which a dimension in a third direction perpendicular to both a first direction and a second direction is longer than a dimension in the first direction and a dimension in the second direction and is in contact with the interposing portion and the pressing portion. Each interposing portion includes a pressurized area overlapping each pressurizing portion in the first direction and a low pressurized area not overlapping the pressurizing portion in the first direction.