Secondary Battery Retainer Venting for Side Cap Assemblies
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries with cap assemblies on both sides of the case face challenges in securing a degassing passage for gas discharge due to the cap assemblies' location on left and right sides of the case.
Innovation Solution
A secondary battery design featuring a hexahedral case with vents on the side surfaces and a retainer system that includes degassing holes, allowing for efficient gas discharge while maintaining insulation and improving space utilization by positioning the negative and positive electrode tabs at opposite ends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cap assemblies are disposed at both sides of the case, then electrical connection is improved, but gas discharge becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is divided into multiple parts: a main body portion covering the electrode assembly and multiple extension portions that extend toward the cap assemblies. This segmentation allows the retainer to provide electrical insulation between the cap assemblies and electrode assembly while maintaining structural integrity and enabling gas discharge pathways through its design
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer acts as an intermediary component positioned between the cap assemblies and the electrode assembly. It provides electrical insulation while allowing gas to pass through, thus mediating between the electrical connection function and the gas discharge requirement
2Reliability
If retainers are added for insulation, then electrical insulation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical insulation between conductive components, maintains the positional relationship between cap assemblies and electrode assembly, and enables gas discharge through its extension portions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer combines the insulation function with the structural support function and gas discharge function into a single integrated component, rather than using separate parts for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A secondary battery includes: a case having a hexahedral shape with opposite ends in a longitudinal direction being open; an electrode assembly accommodated in the case and including a negative electrode tab at one end thereof in the longitudinal direction and a positive electrode tab at an opposite end thereof in the longitudinal direction; a pair of cap assemblies respectively electrically connected to the negative electrode tab and the positive electrode tab and respectively coupled to the open opposite ends of the case; and a retainer between the electrode assembly and the case and on a side surface area of the electrode assembly at where the negative electrode tab and the positive electrode tab are not formed.