Battery Cell Separator Rib Pockets and Snap-Over Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Simple prismatic battery cell designs lack features to retain, support, separate, and isolate cells, leading to redesigns or additional interfacing components being necessary to facilitate cooling and prevent conductive surface contact.
Innovation Solution
The development of battery cell separators with rib supports and ribs forming pockets to receive cells, providing fluid flow paths for cooling and featuring snap-over mechanisms for secure cell retention, along with rib configurations that ensure proper alignment and prevent cell movement, to create a stackable and cartridge-style separator design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
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
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is merged with retention ribs and support features integrated into a single component. The separator simultaneously performs multiple functions: electrical isolation between cells, mechanical support for cells, retention through snap-over ribs, and alignment guidance, eliminating the need for separate interfacing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator is designed as a multi-functional component that performs electrical isolation, mechanical support, cell retention, alignment guidance, and cooling channel provision. This universal design allows a single component to replace what would traditionally require multiple separate parts.
2Reliability
If additional interfacing components are added to retain and support cells, then cell retention and support are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Retention ribs with snap-over features are integrated directly into the separator structure. These ribs extend from the separator and provide mechanical retention of cells through elastic deformation and engagement with cell features, combining retention functionality with the separator itself rather than using separate retention mechanisms.
3Temperature
If cells are physically separated to facilitate cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the risk of cell movement and misalignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separator acts as an intermediary structure between cells, providing fixed reference features (ribs, pockets, and engagement structures) that guide cell placement and maintain precise alignment. These intermediary features ensure cells remain properly positioned while maintaining the necessary separation for cooling fluid flow.
4Reliability
If separators are designed with retention features, then cell retention is improved, but separator complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retention ribs are designed with elastic flexibility, allowing them to deform during cell insertion and then snap back to engage with cell features. This flexibility enables simple snap-over retention mechanisms without requiring complex mechanical structures, fasteners, or adjustable components.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell separator includes rib supports and ribs connected between the rib supports. The rib supports and the ribs form a cartridge pocket configured to receive a battery cell with the rib supports and the ribs each forming a respective side of the cartridge pocket. In another battery module, the rib supports and the ribs form respective pockets fore and aft of the ribs with each pocket being configured to receive a battery cell.