Battery Cell Tab Bending Structure to Prevent Inversion Short Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery cells are less safe when inverted due to the tab being prone to forking and inserting into the main body part, leading to potential short circuits, fires, or explosions.
Innovation Solution
A battery cell design that includes an electrode assembly with a main body part and a tab, where the tab is bent around a support member. The support member provides additional support to the tab, preventing it from forking and inserting into the main body part, even when the cell is inverted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery cell is inverted, then the weight of the main body part is transmitted to the tab, but the tab becomes prone to forking and inserting inside the main body part, compromising safety
Solution Approach 1:
The tab is pre-bent around the support member before the battery cell is inverted, creating a predetermined deformation path that prevents forking and inserting during inversion. This preliminary shaping ensures the tab maintains its structural integrity when weight is transmitted during inverted operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A support member is introduced as an intermediary element between the main body part and the tab. This support member provides a stable surface for the tab to bend around, distributing the mechanical stress and preventing the tab from deforming into forked or inserted configurations that would compromise safety.
2Reliability
If the tab is bent around the support member, then the safety is improved by preventing forking and inserting, but the device complexity increases due to additional support member
Solution Approach 1:
The support member serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support to prevent tab deformation, defines the bending geometry of the tab, and acts as a structural anchor point. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving improved safety.
3Reliability
If the fixed area is located on the side of the support member facing away from the main body part, then the tab is better supported during inversion, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design specifies that the fixed area be located on the side of the support member facing away from the main body part, changing the spatial parameter of tab attachment. This parameter change optimizes the support effect during inversion by positioning the fixed area where it can be better stabilized by the support member geometry, while the patent provides tolerance ranges to accommodate manufacturing variations.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell includes an electrode assembly, a support member, and a conductive member. The electrode assembly has a main body part and a tab, and along first direction, the tab protrudes from one end of main body part. The tab is bent around the support member. In second direction, the tab includes a bent part located on one side of support member, and second direction is perpendicular to first direction. The conductive member is connected to the tab. The tab also includes a fixed area connected to the conductive member. In first direction, the fixed area is located on the side of support member facing away from the main body part. Along second direction, the support member has a first end face facing the bent part, and the first end face is located between the fixed area and the bent part