Battery Module Side Separator Biasing for Cell Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery modules face positional deviations due to battery expansion and vehicle vibrations, leading to potential damage from excessive load or increased positional errors, especially when battery capacity increases, making it challenging to maintain accurate electrical connections.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design incorporating a metal constraining member with a flat surface and insulating side separators that include biasing portions to maintain battery alignment without excessive load, using a constraining member made of metal and side separators with insulating properties to prevent positional deviations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the constraining force generated by the bind bars is increased to suppress positional deviations, then the positional accuracy of batteries is improved, but the load applied to the batteries increases which may damage the batteries
Solution Approach 1:
The constraining function is divided into two independent components: bind bars for stacking direction constraint and side separators with biasing portions for orthogonal direction constraint. This segmentation allows each component to address specific directional deviations without over-constraining the battery in all directions, thereby reducing overall load while maintaining positional accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The side separator incorporates a biasing portion that provides dynamic, elastic constraint force. This allows the constraint to adapt to battery expansion - the biasing portion can deform elastically to accommodate expansion while maintaining constraining force, preventing excessive load during low expansion while still suppressing positional deviations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the size of the bind bar is designed in consideration of increased expansion amount, then the constraint capacity is improved, but positional deviation is more likely to occur when battery expansion is low
Solution Approach 1:
Different components are assigned different constraint characteristics: bind bars provide rigid constraint for stacking direction while side separators with biasing portions provide flexible, elastic constraint for orthogonal directions. This local differentiation allows the system to handle both low and high expansion states effectively without compromising positional accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The side separator's biasing portion changes its constraint parameters (force magnitude, deformation amount) based on battery expansion state. When expansion is low, the biasing portion maintains adequate constraint force; when expansion increases, the biasing portion deforms to accommodate the change while continuing to provide constraint, thus adapting to different expansion conditions.
3Reliability
If the constraining force is suppressed to prevent excessive load from battery expansion, then the battery damage risk is reduced, but positional deviations are more likely to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The side separator acts as an intermediary constraint element between the battery and the rigid bind bar structure. It provides gentle, distributed constraint force through its biasing portions, preventing direct rigid constraint that would cause excessive load, while still maintaining positional accuracy through elastic deformation and continuous contact.
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 design effectively suppresses positional deviations of batteries while minimizing the load applied, ensuring reliable electrical connections and enhanced reliability, especially when mounted on vehicles, and allows for increased battery capacity without increased positional errors.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing portion protruding toward a battery stack from one end portion region of the first portion in a first direction that is an in-plane direction of the flat surface portion and intersecting with the stacking direction, the biasing portion biasing the plurality of batteries toward another end portion region of the first portion in the first direction
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a battery module that can suppress positional deviations of batteries while suppressing an increase in a load applied to the batteries. Battery module (1) includes: battery stack (2) including a plurality of batteries (14); constraining members (12) made of metal and each having flat surface portion (54) extending in stacking direction (X) of batteries (14) along battery stack (2), constraining members (12) sandwiching the plurality of batteries (14) in stacking direction (X); and side separators (10) that insulate constraining members (12) and battery stack (2) from each other. Side separator (10) includes: first portion (50) interposed between battery stack (2) and flat surface portion (54); and biasing portions (53) that protrude toward battery stack (2) from one end portion region of first portion (50) in a first direction that is an in-plane direction of flat surface portion (54) and intersect with stacking direction (X), and bias the plurality of batteries (14) toward the other end portion region of first portion (50) in the first direction.