Battery Terminal Housing Segmentation for Overpressure Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery systems lack effective mechanisms to safely disconnect electrical contacts during overpressure events, risking external short circuits and leakage currents, particularly when gases form inside defective batteries, which can endanger living beings and objects.
Innovation Solution
A lithium-ion battery system with terminals arranged on a housing area that can detach under pressure, utilizing predetermined breaking points such as perforations or embossed areas, and an additional breaking point for the current collector, ensuring controlled detachment and increased electrical isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If predetermined breaking points are formed on the housing area with terminals, then the area can detach under pressure to prevent electrical contact, but the structural integrity of the housing is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into a first area (containing terminals) and a second area, connected by predetermined breaking points. This segmentation allows the first area to detach independently under pressure, ensuring electrical isolation while maintaining the overall housing structure intact through the remaining second area.
Solution Approach 2:
Predetermined breaking points are pre-formed in the housing structure at specific locations between the first and second areas. These pre-prepared weak points ensure that when pressure occurs, the detachment happens at controlled locations rather than random structural failures, maintaining predictable safety behavior.
2Reliability
If the housing area with terminals detaches under pressure, then electrical contact is prevented, but the sealing of the battery system is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure is segmented to match the housing segmentation. Sealing elements are positioned to seal between the first and second areas, and are designed to detach with the first area when pressure occurs, ensuring that sealing failure occurs simultaneously with electrical isolation rather than independently compromising the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The detachment mechanism combines both electrical isolation and sealing functions into a single action. When the predetermined breaking points fail, both the electrical connection and the sealing are simultaneously compromised together, ensuring that electrical isolation is achieved while the sealing loss is coordinated with the safety-critical electrical disconnection.
3Reliability
If multiple breaking points are used for controlled detachment, then the detachment process is more reliable, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The predetermined breaking points are localized to specific regions of the housing where they are least likely to compromise overall structural integrity. The breaking points are concentrated in the area between the first and second areas, allowing controlled detachment while maintaining strength in critical load-bearing regions of the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The predetermined breaking points are designed as sacrificial, disposable structural features that are intentionally created as weak points. These breaking points are simple geometric features (such as reduced thickness zones or pre-formed cracks) that are easy to manufacture and serve their purpose once during an overpressure event, after which the housing is replaced anyway.
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
This design effectively prevents unwanted electrical effects by ensuring safe disconnection of terminals during overpressure, reducing the risk of external short circuits and leakage currents, thereby enhancing safety for both living beings and objects around defective batteries.
Implementation Method 1
the area of the housing on which the at least one terminal is arranged is suitable for detaching from another area of the housing under the influence of pressure
Implementation Method 2
the area of the housing on which the at least one terminal is arranged is connected to the other area of the housing by a predetermined breaking point and in particular by a perforated or embossed area of the housing
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a battery system (BS), in particular a lithium-ion battery system, with at least one terminal (T) suitable for electrically contacting the battery system (BS) with another system, wherein the at least one terminal (T) is arranged on a region (B) of a housing (G) of the battery system (BS), wherein the region (B) of the housing (G) on which the at least one terminal (T) is arranged is suitable for detaching from another region of the housing (G) under pressure.