Cross-Beam Battery Pack Structure for Faulty Cell Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cell-to-pack battery structures are difficult to decompose and maintain, leading to potential cell breakage and electrolyte leakage during removal, making it challenging to replace individual faulty cells without discarding the entire battery pack.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design with side frames fixed to a cross beam, allowing easy removal of problematic cells through non-overlapping support blocks and a snap-fit clip band system, using an unhardened gap filler to prevent cell breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If battery cells are directly assembled into the battery pack without modularization structure to improve space utilization rate, then space utilization rate is improved, but maintenance difficulty increases and cell replacement becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is segmented into multiple battery cell assemblies, where each assembly contains a specific number of battery cells (e.g., 5 cells per assembly). This segmentation allows individual assemblies to be independently removed and replaced without disassembling the entire battery pack, thus maintaining high space utilization while enabling easy maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
Battery cells are pre-assembled into complete battery cell assemblies with all necessary components (side frames, support blocks, insulation plates) before installation into the battery pack. This preliminary assembly simplifies maintenance operations, as entire functional units can be quickly swapped out rather than working with individual cells during maintenance.
2Device complexity
If thermal resin is used to fix battery cell assemblies to the base plate to simplify structure, then structural complexity is reduced, but cell breakage risk increases during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing structure is segmented into discrete support blocks positioned at specific locations beneath each battery cell assembly. These support blocks provide localized attachment points that allow for controlled removal without requiring the entire base plate structure to be disassembled, reducing the risk of cell breakage during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
Insulation plates are introduced as intermediary components between the battery cell assemblies and the base plate. These plates distribute mechanical stresses and provide a protective interface that prevents direct contact forces from transferring to the battery cells during assembly and removal operations, thereby reducing breakage risk.
3Volume of moving object
If side frames of adjacent battery cell assemblies are stacked and fixed to base plate to omit pack cross beam, then space utilization is improved, but decomposition becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The side frames of adjacent battery cell assemblies are designed with separate, non-overlapping support blocks that attach to distinct locations on the base plate. This segmentation allows each battery cell assembly to be independently accessed and removed without requiring the disassembly of neighboring assemblies, significantly reducing maintenance time while maintaining compact space utilization.
4Reliability
If battery pack is designed as integrated unit to improve reliability, then overall reliability is improved, but adaptability for cell replacement decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack employs a segmented architecture where battery cells are organized into modular assemblies that maintain reliable electrical and mechanical connections within each assembly. The segmentation boundaries are designed with standardized interfaces that enable easy replacement of individual assemblies, thus achieving both high reliability through integrated design and high adaptability through modular replaceability.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack may include a base plate, a side plate coupled to the base plate along a periphery of the base plate to form an accommodated space therein, a cross beam coupled to the base plate to transversely divide the accommodated space on the base plate, and a plurality of battery cell assemblies mounted in the accommodated space divided by the cross beam. In addition, the battery cell assemblies may have side frames fixed to the cross beam, and the side frames of adjacent battery cell assemblies along a longitudinal direction may share an upper surface of the cross beam located therebetween.