Bipolar Cell Stack Support Frame for Edge Insulation Spacing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery designs with series-connected electrochemical cells face inefficiencies due to the need for gas-impermeable housings and insulating structures, which increase manufacturing complexity and costs while reducing space efficiency and performance.
Innovation Solution
A battery design featuring a stacked arrangement of electrochemical cells with bipolar plates, solid electrolyte layers, and edge insulating devices, where each cell forms a direct series connection without intervening housings, allowing for expansion and contraction during charging and discharging without short circuits, and a support frame that maintains spacing between cells to prevent contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cells are enclosed in gas-impermeable housings with insulating structures, then electrical insulation and protection are ensured, but battery efficiency decreases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional gas-impermeable housings from individual cells, extracting only the essential function of electrical insulation. The edge insulating devices are separate components that provide insulation only where needed at the edges of bipolar plates, eliminating the complexity of enclosing entire cells in housings while maintaining electrical insulation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation function is segmented from the housing structure. Instead of providing continuous housing enclosure, the patent uses discrete edge insulating devices placed only at the edges of bipolar plates where electrical insulation is required. This segmentation reduces material usage and manufacturing complexity while maintaining the essential insulation function.
2Reliability
If cells are enclosed in housings, then structural protection is provided, but space efficiency decreases due to housing volume
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the protective function from comprehensive cell housings and implements it through localized edge insulating devices. These devices provide structural protection and electrical insulation only at the critical edge regions of bipolar plates, eliminating the volume consumed by complete housing enclosures while maintaining necessary protection.
3Device complexity
If cells are connected in series without housings, then space efficiency and manufacturing simplicity improve, but risk of short circuits between adjacent cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces edge insulating devices as intermediary components between adjacent bipolar plates in series-connected cells. These insulating devices act as mediators that prevent direct electrical contact between adjacent cells while maintaining the structural simplicity of housing-free design. The edge insulating devices are positioned at the edges of bipolar plates where electrical insulation is most critical.
4Productivity
If cells are allowed to expand and contract freely, then performance during charging/discharging improves, but risk of cell contact and short circuits increases
Solution Approach 1:
The edge insulating devices serve as intermediary elements that maintain electrical insulation between adjacent cells during expansion and contraction cycles. These devices allow cells to change volume and shape freely during charging and discharging while preventing direct contact between bipolar plates, thus maintaining both performance and short circuit prevention.
Data Source
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. A support frame surrounds the cell stack and is configured to receive and support the outer peripheral edge of the edge insulating device of each cell.