Bipolar Cell Edge Sealing Without Individual Battery Housings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery designs with series-connected electrochemical cells require gas-impermeable housings to prevent short circuits, which increase manufacturing complexity, cost, and reduce efficiency due to the need for insulation and additional materials.
Innovation Solution
A battery design featuring stacked, housing-free electrochemical cells with bipolar plates, solid electrolyte layers, and edge insulating devices that electrically insulate adjacent cells while allowing expansion and contraction, eliminating the need for intervening housings and enhancing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gas-impermeable housings are used to enclose each cell, then short circuits between adjacent cells are prevented, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase, and battery efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple components (housing, insulating structure, and seal) into a single integrated edge insulating device. This eliminates the need for separate gas-impermeable housings around each cell while maintaining electrical insulation and preventing short circuits between adjacent cells, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity without compromising reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The edge insulating device performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical insulation between adjacent cells, prevents short circuits, and acts as a seal when combined with the elastic seal member. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate housing and insulating structures, reducing both device complexity and material usage
2Reliability
If gas-impermeable housings and insulating structures are used, then short circuits are prevented, but battery efficiency is reduced due to additional materials and space
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the insulating and sealing functions into a single edge insulating device that sits between adjacent cells, the patent eliminates the need for separate housing materials and insulating structures. This reduces the total material volume and space occupied by non-active components, thereby improving battery efficiency while maintaining short circuit prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the bulky gas-impermeable housing from the cell structure, retaining only the essential edge insulating device that provides the necessary electrical insulation. This removal of unnecessary materials reduces the proportion of active vs. inactive materials, improving overall battery efficiency
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional cell housings are used, then cell integrity is maintained, but the space and materials used reduce battery efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protective function from the cell body, using a separate edge insulating device with integrated elastic seal to protect cell edges and maintain integrity. This segmented approach eliminates the need for full housing enclosures, reducing material usage and improving battery efficiency while preserving cell integrity through targeted protection at critical edges
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 improves battery efficiency and reduces manufacturing complexity by eliminating the need for additional materials and insulation, while preventing short circuits and maintaining cell integrity during charge cycling.
Implementation Method 1
the elastic seal is disposed between the edge insulating device and the solid electrolyte layer of the adjacent cell... providing a barrier that prevents moisture from contacting the solid electrolyte layer
Implementation Method 2
The solid electrolyte layer is disposed on the second surface so as to encapsulate the second active material layer including the second active material layer peripheral edge
Implementation Method 3
The edge insulating device is disposed between the peripheral edges of the substrates of a given cell and an adjacent cell... physically contacts and is directly secured to the first surface of the given cell
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~2A
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A battery includes a stacked arrangement of electrochemical cells. Each electrochemical cell is free of a cell housing and includes a bipolar plate having a substrate, a first active material layer formed on a first surface of the substrate, and a second active material layer formed on a second surface of the substrate. Each cell includes a solid electrolyte layer that encapsulates at least one of the active material layers, and an edge insulating device that is disposed between the peripheral edges of the substrates of each pair of adjacent cells. Within each cell, an elastic seal is provided between the edge insulating device and the first surface of one cell or the solid electrolyte layer of an adjacent cell.