Battery Cell Separator Structure for Heat Insulation and Formability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing separators used in power source devices for electric vehicles, which are typically made of resin, face challenges in achieving both high heat insulation performance and formability, leading to increased size and reduced energy density as battery cell capacity increases.
Innovation Solution
A separator configuration incorporating a heat insulation sheet with a fiber material and a thermoplastic resin, which provides improved heat insulation properties and shape stability, allowing for reduced heat transfer between adjacent battery cells while maintaining formability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a separator is formed of resin to achieve high formability, then the separator can be easily shaped, but heat insulation performance is insufficient requiring increased thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The separator uses a composite structure combining a resin base material with a heat insulation layer containing porous particles. This composite approach allows the separator to maintain the formability of resin while adding the heat insulation properties of porous materials, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and heat insulation performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat insulation layer is formed using porous particles that provide excellent thermal insulation properties. The porous structure creates air gaps that reduce heat transfer, enabling the separator to achieve high heat insulation performance without increasing overall thickness, thus maintaining formability while improving thermal protection.
2Temperature
If separator thickness is increased to secure heat insulation performance, then heat insulation improves, but energy density of the power source device is lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The use of porous particles in the heat insulation layer provides high heat insulation performance per unit thickness. The porous structure creates effective thermal barriers with minimal material volume, allowing the separator to achieve required insulation levels without increasing thickness, thereby maintaining energy density.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure concentrates heat insulation functionality in a thin specialized layer rather than requiring uniform thickness throughout the separator. This allows optimal heat insulation performance with minimal overall thickness, preserving energy density while ensuring thermal protection.
3Temperature
If a heat insulation sheet with porous particles is used to achieve high heat insulation performance, then thermal protection improves, but the material is difficult to form into shapes other than sheets
Solution Approach 1:
The separator combines a resin base material with porous particles to create a composite that inherits the formability of the resin while incorporating the heat insulation properties of porous materials. This allows the separator to be formed into complex three-dimensional shapes including cooling flow paths, unlike pure porous particle sheets.
Solution Approach 2:
The resin base material acts as an intermediary matrix that binds the porous particles together, providing a continuous phase that can be easily formed and shaped. This intermediary resin allows the porous particles to maintain their heat insulation function while the overall structure gains the formability needed for complex geometries.
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 proposed separator configuration effectively reduces heat transfer between battery cells, preventing thermal runaway and maintaining energy density, thus enhancing the performance and safety of power source devices.
Implementation Method 1
a heat insulation sheet including a fiber material and a heat insulation material having higher heat insulating properties than the fiber material
Data Source
AI summary
To achieve both formability and heat insulating properties, separator according to an aspect of the present invention insulates adjacent battery cells. Separator includes heat insulation sheet including a fiber material and a heat insulation material including higher heat insulating properties than the fiber material, and formed member including higher shape stability than the heat insulation sheet. This enables shape of heat insulation sheet including high flexibility to be maintained using formed member formed into a predetermined shape.