Battery Module Sensor Layout for Swelling-Stable Contact

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery module sensors face challenges in maintaining stable and reliable attachment to batteries due to issues like swelling and physical impact, which affects their ability to accurately measure temperature and voltage.

Innovation Solution

A battery module design featuring a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) substrate with folded and extended regions, multiple temperature sensing parts, and a foam member to ensure stable contact with the battery stack, along with side plates and accommodation grooves for secure placement, allowing reliable temperature measurement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a sensor is tightly attached to the battery to ensure reliable temperature measurement, then measurement reliability is improved, but the attachment becomes vulnerable to detachment due to swelling and physical impact

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensor attachment reliabilityVSAvoidsensor contact stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The substrate part is designed as a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) that can elastically deform. This flexibility allows the substrate to adapt to battery swelling and physical impact while maintaining sensor contact, resolving the contradiction between reliable attachment and stability under varying battery conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The substrate part incorporates a folded section that enables dynamic adjustment of the substrate's shape and position. This dynamic structure allows the substrate to move and deform with the battery, ensuring continuous sensor contact despite battery expansion or contraction, thus maintaining both attachment reliability and contact stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Manufacturing precision

If the substrate part is made rigid for structural stability, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the sensor cannot adapt to battery swelling and physical impact

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesubstrate fabrication precisionVSAvoidsubstrate adaptability to battery changes

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The substrate part is designed as a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) that can elastically deform. This flexibility allows the substrate to adapt to battery swelling and physical impact while maintaining sensor contact, resolving the contradiction between reliable attachment and stability under varying battery conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The substrate part incorporates a folded section that enables dynamic adjustment of the substrate's shape and position. This dynamic structure allows the substrate to move and deform with the battery, ensuring continuous sensor contact despite battery expansion or contraction, thus maintaining both attachment reliability and contact stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250385329A1Battery module

Publication Date: 2025.12.18 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

A battery module includes a battery stack including a plurality of batteries stacked along a first axis, and a sensing module coupled to a side of the battery stack. The sensing module may include a substrate part provided above the battery stack, and a temperature sensing part connected to a side of the substrate part and having a side provided to be in contact with the battery stack.