Battery Electrode Assembly With Graded Separator Overhangs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rechargeable batteries face challenges in preventing electrical short-circuits between electrode plates, especially when subjected to mechanical stress like drops, due to the lack of effective protection mechanisms in the separator design.
Innovation Solution
The electrode assembly incorporates a unique separator design with protruding spare portions that gradually change in length to surround and protect the electrode plates, combined with taping configurations to enhance buffering and insulation, minimizing the risk of short-circuits and damage from impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional separator design is used without protruding portions, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability is poor due to inability to prevent electrical short-circuits during mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is designed with protruding spare portions that extend beyond the electrode plates in advance, creating a protective buffer zone before any mechanical stress or short-circuit condition occurs. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when drops or impacts happen, the separator already has extended portions ready to prevent electrode contact and maintain electrical isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protruding spare portions of the separator act as a cushioning mechanism that absorbs and distributes mechanical stress from drops or impacts before it can reach the electrode plates. This beforehand cushioning protects the electrode plates from direct impact forces, preventing deformation and maintaining the separator's insulating function even under mechanical stress.
2Reliability
If the separator is designed with uniform protruding length, then the manufacturing precision is easier to control, but the protection effectiveness is reduced due to inability to adapt to different impact zones
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is designed with non-uniform protruding lengths at different locations, where each region has a specific protruding length tailored to its functional requirements. The first and second spare portions have different protruding lengths to optimize protection for different electrode plate regions, creating local quality variations that enhance overall protection effectiveness while managing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator design employs asymmetric protruding lengths on different sides or regions of the separator. This asymmetry allows the separator to provide differentiated protection levels for different electrode plate areas, adapting to varying impact risks and structural requirements at different locations, thereby improving protection effectiveness beyond what a uniform design could achieve.
3Ease of operation
If the uncoated region tabs are drawn out in opposite directions, then the ease of operation for connection is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional routing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode plate structure is segmented into coated portions and uncoated region tabs, with the tabs extending in opposite directions from the main body. This segmentation allows the tabs to be independently positioned and connected to different terminals, improving ease of operation for battery assembly while the separator's protruding portions manage the complexity of routing and positioning these separated elements.
Data Source
AI summary
A rechargeable battery electrode assembly includes a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate in a stacked structure, each of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate including a coated portion and an uncoated region tab, and the uncoated region tab being drawn out, and separators between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, each of the separators including a spare portion protruding beyond the coated portion of each of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, the spare portion surrounding end portions of the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, and a protruding length of the spare portion being gradually changed in a direction of stacking the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate in the stacked structure.