Battery Spacer Rib Structure for Cell Swelling Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery sub-assemblies for electric vehicles face challenges in minimizing complexity and weight, managing thermal propagation, and preventing irreversible deformation due to swelling of electrochemical cells, which can lead to premature aging and damage.
Innovation Solution
A battery sub-assembly design featuring a spacer with a flat body and projecting ribs, where the inner region absorbs greater volume expansions and applies a constant force to counteract cell swelling, ensuring reliable compression and thermal isolation between cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If battery cells are stacked at predetermined intervals with gaps to remove heat, then thermal management is improved, but the housing is subjected to pressure forces from cell swelling that may lead to irreversible deformation
Solution Approach 1:
A swelling compensator is introduced as an intermediary component between the battery cells and the housing. This compensator absorbs the swelling forces generated by the cells during charging, preventing these forces from being transmitted to the housing. The compensator acts as a buffer that mediates between the expanding cells and the rigid housing structure, thereby protecting the housing from deformation while allowing effective heat dissipation gaps to be maintained between cells.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the housing is made rigid to prevent deformation, then structural stability is improved, but the housing cannot accommodate cell swelling which leads to premature aging of cells
Solution Approach 1:
The swelling compensator serves as a protective intermediary that absorbs swelling forces before they reach the cells. By positioning the compensator between the cells and the housing structure, it prevents direct contact between the expanding cells and the rigid housing walls, thereby avoiding mechanical stress on the cells that would cause premature aging while maintaining the necessary structural rigidity of the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The swelling compensator provides beforehand cushioning by being pre-installed in the housing to accommodate future cell swelling. The compensator is designed with material properties that allow it to compress and expand, creating a cushioning effect that absorbs swelling forces before they can damage the cells. This preventive measure ensures cells are protected from mechanical stress throughout their operational life.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a swelling compensator is introduced to prevent housing deformation, then housing stability is improved, but the complexity of the battery sub-assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The swelling compensator is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it absorbs swelling forces, maintains thermal management gaps between cells, and provides mechanical support. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components for each function, thereby minimizing the overall increase in complexity while achieving housing stability and cell protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The swelling compensator is implemented as a flexible component that can be integrated into the existing housing structure. Its flexible nature allows it to conform to the available space between cells and housing walls, eliminating the need for complex rigid mechanical structures. This approach maintains simplicity in the overall design while effectively managing cell swelling.
4Quantity of substance
If cells are placed close together to maximize energy density, then space utilization is improved, but thermal propagation between cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The swelling compensator acts as a thermal intermediary by maintaining optimized gaps between cells. These gaps, preserved by the compensator's presence, serve as thermal barriers that limit heat propagation between closely spaced cells. The compensator ensures that even when cells are positioned close together for high energy density, sufficient thermal isolation is maintained to prevent runaway thermal events.
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 solution maintains a constant length of the battery sub-assembly over time, prevents dilatation within the casing, and extends the lifespan of the spacer and battery cells by evenly distributing compression forces, while maintaining thermal isolation and compactness.
Implementation Method 1
the spacer comprises a flat body and a plurality of ribs projecting from the flat body toward the first and/or second battery cell... the inner region absorbs greater volume expansions and applies a constant force to counteract cell swelling
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Battery module, battery subassembly and spacer for swelling compensation, wherein the spacer adapted to be arranged between a first and a second battery cell and comprises a flat body (20) and a plurality of ribs (22) projecting from the flat body toward the first and/or second battery cell, and wherein the surface covered by the ribs in the outer region of the spacer is greater than the surface covered by the ribs in the inner region of the spacer.