Unified Cell Holder Vent Tray for Clear Battery Pack Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing battery pack venting systems for electric vehicles face challenges in ensuring that thermal runaway gas can vent properly without being blocked by potting resin, which is used for electrical isolation, structural performance, and thermal insulation.
Innovation Solution
A mid-pack channel system is introduced, which creates a closed volume for thermal runaway gas venting. This system includes a channel tray with vent openings connected to each battery cell and the pack vent, ensuring that the venting path is not obstructed by potting material. The vent openings are covered with rupture-resistant materials that can open during a thermal event.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If potting resin is used to encapsulate battery cells for electrical isolation and structural support, then electrical isolation and structural performance are improved, but the venting path for thermal runaway gas may be blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is segmented into distinct functional zones: a venting volume enclosed by the channel tray that remains free of potting resin, and the surrounding potting resin regions that provide electrical isolation. This segmentation allows the venting path to remain clear while maintaining electrical isolation in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel tray extracts and isolates the venting function from the potting resin system. By creating a separate enclosed volume specifically for gas venting that is physically separated from the potting resin, the harmful blocking effect is eliminated while preserving the beneficial electrical isolation properties of the potting resin in its designated areas.
2Device complexity
If a traditional vent system is used without a dedicated enclosed volume, then the structure is simpler, but the venting path cannot be protected from potting resin blockage
Solution Approach 1:
The channel tray acts as an intermediary structure between the battery cells and the external environment. It creates an enclosed venting volume that mediates the conflict between needing a clear venting path and using potting resin for structural support, allowing both requirements to coexist without direct interference.
3Strength
If foam expansion is allowed to occur freely, then the potting material fills gaps and provides structural support, but the baseline system becomes incompatible with foam potting due to variability in expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The venting volume is extracted from the foam expansion zone. By defining a specific enclosed space for venting that is physically separated from the areas where foam expands, the system accommodates foam potting's structural benefits while preventing foam variability from affecting venting path 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 mid-pack channel system effectively allows thermal runaway gases to vent without interference from potting resin, enhancing safety and reliability by ensuring that gases can escape during a thermal event, thereby reducing the risk of further cell damage.
Implementation Method 1
the vent covers are configured to rupture in response to a thermal event of the battery cells
Implementation Method 2
The rest of the pack is commonly filled with potting resin (foamed or non-foamed) for electrical isolation, structural performance and thermal insulation
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack for a vehicle includes a housing including at least one pack vent between an interior and an exterior of the housing. A plurality of battery cells are contained within the housing. A channel tray includes channel arrays having a plurality of vent openings each positioned in connection with a vent on each of the plurality of battery cells. The channel arrays are in connection with the at least one vent of the housing, wherein the channel system is enclosed from the rest of the volume of the pack and the plurality of vent openings are each provided with a vent cover.