Battery Cell Separators With Integrated Cooling Channels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Simple prismatic battery cell designs lack features to retain, support, separate, and isolate cells, necessitating redesigns or additional interfacing components to facilitate cooling and prevent conductive surface interactions.

Innovation Solution

The development of battery cell separators with alternating stackable and cartridge-style designs, featuring insulating ribs and thermally conductive bodies with specific cross-sectional patterns, that support cells, create fluid flow paths for cooling, and prevent conductive contact between adjacent cells.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If simple prismatic battery cell designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the cells lack features to retain, support, separate, and isolate themselves, requiring additional interfacing components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecell structure complexityVSAvoidcell self-retention and separation capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The separator is merged with retention and support features into a single integrated component. The separator body combines electrical insulation, mechanical support, and fluid flow channel functions, eliminating the need for separate interfacing components while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The separator performs multiple functions simultaneously: it electrically isolates adjacent cells, mechanically supports and retains cells, provides thermal management through fluid flow paths, and prevents conductive surface interactions. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by adding capabilities without increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Device complexity

If cells are placed adjacent to one another without separators, then device complexity is reduced, but cooling efficiency deteriorates due to lack of fluid flow paths

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseparator structure complexityVSAvoidcell cooling efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The separator incorporates hydraulic cooling channels that allow fluid flow between adjacent cells. These embedded channels provide efficient thermal management by enabling direct fluid contact with cell surfaces, resolving the cooling efficiency issue without adding external cooling components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

Solution Approach 2:

The fluid flow channels are nested within the separator body structure itself. The cooling pathways are integrated into the separator's cross-sectional geometry, allowing thermal management functionality to be embedded within the existing structural component rather than added as a separate system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Ease of manufacture

If cells are placed directly adjacent to one another, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but conductive interactions between cells cannot be prevented

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidelectrical isolation between cells

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The separator acts as an intermediary component between adjacent cells, providing electrical insulation through its dielectric material properties. This mediator prevents conductive interactions while maintaining simple assembly, as the separator is a single piece that fits between cells without requiring complex assembly steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The separator is manufactured as a homogeneous single-piece structure with uniform dielectric properties throughout. This homogeneity ensures consistent electrical isolation across the entire separator surface, providing reliable prevention of conductive interactions while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through single-piece construction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

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 separators effectively hold and separate battery cells, enhance cooling efficiency by creating fluid flow paths, and prevent conductive interactions, thereby improving the performance and reliability of battery modules.

Implementation Method 1

the body may include a dish section to trap moisture... the body may be a single piece of an electrical insulator or a single piece of plastic... the body may include columns extending between the front and rear sides of the body. In this case, the body may be a single piece of an electrical insulator and the columns are thermal conductors

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

The insulator is positioned against the rear side of the body for being stacked between another battery cell and the rear side of the body... the separator may be a single piece of an electrical insulator

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrical insulation: Electrical Resistance

Data Source

PatentUS9537190B2Battery cell separators

Publication Date: 2017.01.03 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC

AI summary

A battery cell separator includes a body having front and rear sides for being stacked against respective battery cells. The body has a cross-section between the front and rear sides. The cross-section may have a saw-wave pattern, a square-wave pattern, or a sine-wave pattern.