Battery Pack Movable Contacts for Safe Air Transport Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Batteries with high energy capacities, such as lithium batteries exceeding 100WAh, pose safety risks during air transport, necessitating costly compliance measures due to potential short-circuits or inadvertent activations.
Innovation Solution
A battery design featuring a movable contact mechanism that allows for electrical disconnection or connection between battery cells, enabling safe handling and transport by defaulting to a lower energy state and switching to a higher power state upon engagement with an electrical device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional batteries are used for electric vehicles, then energy storage capacity can be increased, but safety risks increase due to thermal runaway and fire hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into multiple independent battery packs, each enclosed in its own fire-resistant container. This segmentation isolates thermal runaway events to individual packs, preventing propagation to the entire battery system while maintaining high overall energy storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
Fire-resistant barriers and thermal insulation materials are introduced as intermediary layers between battery packs and within the battery structure. These intermediaries absorb and block heat transfer, preventing thermal runaway propagation while allowing the battery system to maintain high energy density.
2Reliability
If battery protection structures are added to prevent thermal runaway, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire-resistant container is integrated directly into the battery pack structure, combining the protective function with the structural housing. This merging approach provides thermal protection without adding separate complex protection systems, maintaining structural simplicity while improving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support, thermal insulation, fire resistance, and structural integrity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protection components, simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining high safety standards.
3Reliability
If fire-resistant barriers are introduced to stop thermal propagation, then safety is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Fire-resistant materials with specific thermal properties are selected and applied in standardized thicknesses and configurations. By optimizing material parameters such as thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thickness, the barriers achieve effective thermal protection while maintaining compatibility with standard manufacturing processes and reducing production complexity.
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
Enables safe transportation of high-capacity batteries by maintaining a lower energy state during transit and transitioning to full power capacity when engaged, ensuring compliance and reducing transport costs.
Implementation Method 1
Each battery pack is surrounded by a fire-resistant barrier designed to prevent the spread of heat and flame
Implementation Method 2
The fire-resistant barrier is integrated into the battery pack structure, forming a fire-resistant container that physically contains the battery cells
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
A battery includes a housing, a plurality of battery cells, a first part, and a second part. The plurality of battery cells is disposed in the housing. The first part includes a first contact. The first contact has a first connection to at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells. The second part includes a second contact. The second contact has a second connection to at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells. The second part is movable to a first position to provide electrical separation between the second contact and the first contact such that the plurality of battery cells is disconnected from each other. In addition, the second part is movable to a second position to provide electrical connection between the second contact and the first contact such that the plurality of battery cells is connected to each other.