Battery Spacer With Segmented Retaining Ribs For Size Compatibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional battery spacers lack adequate retention ability, leading to batteries accidentally popping out due to size variations among different manufacturers or types, and fail to properly fit batteries with outside diameters outside the preset range.

Innovation Solution

A battery spacer design featuring a cylindrical body with anode-side and cathode-side catching pieces having engagement hooks that engage with the battery's outer surface, providing a secure hold regardless of the battery's diameter, and an anode exposure hole for partial negative terminal exposure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional battery spacers use fixed-size retaining structures, then they can retain batteries of a specific size, but they fail to accommodate batteries with different outside diameters from different manufacturers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery size compatibilityVSAvoidbattery retention ability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining ribs are designed with varying heights (first, second, and third retaining ribs with different heights) to accommodate batteries of different outside diameters. Each retaining rib creates a retaining space adapted to specific battery sizes, allowing the same spacer structure to reliably retain batteries with different dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If battery spacers are designed for a specific battery size, then they provide stable retention, but they cannot be used with batteries of other sizes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery retention stabilityVSAvoidbattery size range
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining structure is segmented into multiple retaining ribs (first, second, third retaining ribs) with different heights, creating distinct retaining spaces. This segmentation allows the spacer to provide stable retention for different battery sizes simultaneously, as each segmented retaining space is optimized for specific battery dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If battery retaining structures use uniform design, then they are simple to manufacture, but they cannot accommodate size variations in batteries from different manufacturers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespacer manufacturing simplicityVSAvoidbattery diameter accommodation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining ribs are designed with varying heights (first, second, and third retaining ribs with different heights) to accommodate batteries of different outside diameters. Each retaining rib creates a retaining space adapted to specific battery sizes, allowing the same spacer structure to reliably retain batteries with different dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Adaptability or versatility

If battery spacers use multiple retaining structures for different battery sizes, then they improve versatility, but they increase structural complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery size compatibilityVSAvoidretaining structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple retaining ribs (first, second, third retaining ribs) with different heights are merged into a single integrated spacer body. This combining of multiple retaining functions into one unified structure achieves versatility for different battery sizes while maintaining manufacturing simplicity and avoiding excessive structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3506384B1Battery spacer
Publication Date: 2023.01.18 FDK CORP
  • EP3506384B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3506384B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3506384B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A battery spacer 2 comprises: a cylindrical case body 4 into which a battery 3 is inserted; a bottom wall portion 8 with which an anode-side end of the battery 3 is to come into contact, the bottom wall portion 8 having an anode exposure hole 12 from which a negative terminal 13 of the battery 3 is partially exposed; an annular top wall member 6 that is located opposite to the bottom wall portion 8 and has a central opening 54 into which the battery 3 is inserted; a plurality of anode-side catching pieces 34 and 36 that have anode-side engagement hooks 40 and 42 extending from the circumference of the anode exposure hole 12 toward the interior of the case body 4 and engaging with an anode-side outer peripheral surface of the battery 3, and hold the anode side of the battery 3; and a plurality of cathode-side catching pieces 58, 60, and 62 that have cathode-side engagement hooks 64, 66, and 68 extending from the circumference of a central opening 54 toward the interior of the case body 4 and engaging with a cathode-side outer peripheral surface of the battery 3, and hold the cathode side of the battery 3.