Battery Safety Vent Assembly for Low-Resistance Gas Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery cover assemblies are complex, prone to damage during welding, and have high contact resistance and restricted gas release, posing safety risks due to excess energy transfer and limited gas passage.
Innovation Solution
A battery safety vent assembly comprising a positive cap, safety vent disk, gasket insulator, and circuit interrupt device, designed for easy assembly, low impedance, and efficient gas release, with a simple construction that includes a disk element with a flange, a safety vent disk with gas release openings, and a gasket insulator with a U-shaped channel to manage gas pressure and prevent leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex battery cover assembly design is used, then electrical conduction and sealing can be ensured, but the assembly becomes prone to damages during welding due to excess energy transfer and has high contact resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The battery cover assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the positive cap for electrical connection, the safety vent disk with weak lines for controlled gas release, the gasket insulator for sealing and insulation, and the circuit interrupt device for safety protection. Each component is optimized independently, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket insulator acts as an intermediary component that provides both sealing and electrical insulation between the positive cap and the safety vent disk. This mediator component simplifies the overall design by combining multiple functions in a single element, reducing the number of parts and welding operations required.
2Reliability
If a complex battery cover assembly design is used, then electrical conduction and sealing can be ensured, but the assembly is prone to damages during welding due to excess energy transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The safety vent disk is extracted as a separate, replaceable component with pre-defined weak lines. This allows the critical safety function to be isolated from the main structural assembly, reducing the risk that welding damage to other components will compromise the safety venting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The weak lines on the safety vent disk are pre-designed to fail at specific pressure thresholds, acting as a cushioning mechanism that prevents excessive pressure buildup. This beforehand preparation ensures that even if welding causes minor damage, the safety vent will activate before catastrophic failure occurs.
3Reliability
If existing cover assemblies are used, then battery safety can be maintained, but gas release is limited due to restricted passage sections
Solution Approach 1:
The safety vent disk incorporates dynamic weak lines that can be activated at predetermined pressure thresholds. This dynamic design allows the gas passage area to expand from a restricted state to a fully opened state when needed, optimizing both normal operation safety and emergency gas release efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The weak lines are designed with specific mechanical properties that allow them to fail at predetermined pressure levels. By changing the physical state of the vent disk from intact to ruptured, the gas passage area increases dramatically, enabling efficient gas release when battery pressure exceeds safe limits.
4Reliability
If existing cover assemblies are used, then battery safety can be maintained, but contact resistance is random and too high
Solution Approach 1:
The positive cap and safety vent disk are designed to be crimp-mounted together in a single operation, merging two components into one integrated assembly. This eliminates multiple welding operations that previously caused variable contact resistance, providing consistent electrical connection quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional welding operations are replaced with a crimping mechanism that provides more consistent electrical contact. The crimping process applies uniform mechanical pressure to create reliable electrical connections without the heat-affected zone and variability associated with welding, thereby reducing contact resistance and improving manufacturing precision.
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 provides a cost-effective, reliable, and efficient battery safety vent assembly that reduces assembly complexity, minimizes internal resistance, and ensures safe gas release, preventing battery damage and leakage by distributing welding energy effectively and allowing controlled gas passage.
Implementation Method 1
an arrangement of weak lines extending under the tip element of the positive cap and forming gas release openings for passage of gas when gas pressure inside the battery casing exceeds a predetermined threshold limit of pressure
Implementation Method 2
a gasket insulator having a peripheral portion snugly fitting into the clamp-like shape of the battery casing and defining an inwardly directed slot receiving the flange of the disk element of the positive cap and the peripheral rim portion of the safety vent disk
Implementation Method 3
a circuit interrupt device having a disk-like shape fitting in the underside recess area, the circuit interrupt device having upright through holes in communication with the central opening of the gasket insulator and being coupled to the button of the safety vent disk
Implementation Method 4
a positive cap having a disk element and a tip element upwardly protruding from the disk element, the tip element having a peripheral wall defining side openings spaced from one another and forming gas exits
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A battery safety vent assembly for a battery casing with an upper surrounding clamp-like shape is disclosed. The assembly has a positive cap, a safety vent disk extending under a disk element of the positive cap, a gasket insulator snugly fitting into the clamp-like shape of the battery casing and providing support to the positive cap, the safety vent disk and a circuit interrupt device embedded in an underside recess area of the gasket insulator. The circuit interrupt device is coupled to a button downwardly projecting from the safety vent disk. Gas release passages, openings and interfaces between parts of the assembly are arranged so that when gas pressure inside the battery casing exceeds a predetermined threshold limit of pressure, weak lines in the safety vent disk allow gas to safely exit the battery casing.