Lithium Battery Cell Holding Fixture With Expansion Circuit Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lithium battery cell production methods require forming processes to be performed outside controlled-atmosphere environments, leading to increased costs, potential cell explosions due to trapped gases, and the need for additional degassing steps, which complicates the production process and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A device and method for holding and moving lithium battery cells that allows forming to be safely conducted outside controlled-atmosphere environments by using an expansion circuit to manage gases and enable safe displacement, eliminating the need for temporary sealing and re-piercing, and facilitating degassing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If forming process is performed outside controlled-atmosphere environments, then production costs are reduced and productivity is improved, but gas accumulation occurs leading to cell explosion risk and requiring additional degassing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the cell handling system into separate functional modules: a holding device with multiple bays for simultaneous cell processing, a movable sealing wall that segments the internal volume, and an expansion circuit with dedicated gas collection chambers. This segmentation allows forming to be performed on multiple cells in parallel outside controlled environments while managing gas accumulation systematically through dedicated pathways to collection chambers, preventing explosions and eliminating the need for separate degassing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion circuit acts as an intermediary system between the cell inner volume and the external environment. It includes expansion chambers that receive and contain gases produced during forming, and a discharge conduit that safely removes these gases. This intermediary structure prevents direct contact between accumulated gases and the cell, eliminating explosion risks while enabling continuous forming operations outside controlled-atmosphere environments.
2Ease of manufacture
If cells are sealed before forming, then gas accumulation is prevented, but additional degassing steps are required and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary sealing of cell access ports with seals before forming begins, but incorporates expansion chambers that are pre-configured to receive and collect gases as they are produced during forming. The movable sealing wall is pre-positioned to allow controlled expansion into designated chambers. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for post-forming degassing steps, as gas collection is built into the forming process itself, reducing both process complexity and production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion circuit enables continuous gas collection throughout the entire forming process. As cells are formed, gases are continuously directed into expansion chambers rather than being trapped or requiring interruption for degassing. The system maintains continuous operation from cell insertion through forming to final sealing, eliminating idle degassing time and simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Reliability
If access ports remain open during forming, then gas venting is enabled, but cell integrity is compromised and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device implements a nested structure where seals are inserted into access ports to create internal expansion chambers within the cell structure. The expansion chambers are nested within the cell body but separated by movable sealing walls. This nested configuration allows gases to be contained in the inner expansion chambers while the outer cell structure remains intact and protected, preventing both contamination and explosion risks simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses flexible seals and movable sealing walls that can dynamically adjust during forming. These flexible elements seal the access ports to protect cell integrity while simultaneously allowing controlled expansion into designated chambers for gas collection. The flexibility enables the system to maintain cell integrity while managing gas accumulation, preventing both contamination and pressure buildup.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for holding and moving lithium battery cells (2), in particular during a forming step, comprising a supporting base (9) with a plurality of bays (11) for the cells, a holding member (10) which can be bound to the supporting base (9) above said bays (11) and an expansion circuit (25) configured to receive, in use, gaseous substances emitted from access ports (4) of the cells (2) when the holding member (10) is in the working configuration. The expansion circuit (25) comprises a connecting inlet (26) at each bay (11), configured to couple gas-tight to the access port (4) of the cell (2) located in the bay (11). The expansion circuit (25) also comprises one or more expansion chambers (29) and each connecting inlet (26) is fluidly connected with at least one of the expansion chambers (29).