Curved Battery Cell Thickness Layout for Shape Retention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Batteries designed for portable electronic devices with curved form factors face challenges in maintaining their curved shape due to residual stress and strain in the electrode materials, leading to deflection and loss of curvature.

Innovation Solution

The battery design involves an anode and cathode substrate with specific curvatures and thicknesses, where the substrate with the larger curvature has a greater thickness, and a separator is placed between the anode and cathode to maintain the curved geometry.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Shape

If the battery is designed with a curved form factor to match portable electronic devices, then the battery can achieve desired packaging size and form factor compatibility, but residual stress and strain in electrode materials cause the battery to deflect and lose its curved shape

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecurved form factorVSAvoidshape retention
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different thicknesses to different substrates within the battery assembly. Specifically, when the anode substrate has a first curvature and the cathode substrate has a second curvature, the substrate with the larger curvature is made thicker. This local variation in thickness compensates for residual stresses differently across the battery structure, allowing the curved shape to be maintained without uniform thickness constraints.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the thickness parameter of substrates based on their curvature characteristics. By making the substrate with larger curvature thicker, the design adjusts physical parameters to balance internal stresses. This parameter modification allows the battery to maintain its curved form factor while compensating for the deflection caused by residual stresses in electrode materials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If uniform thickness is used for all substrates in the battery, then manufacturing is simplified, but the battery cannot effectively compensate for residual stress and strain, leading to shape deflection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesubstrate fabricationVSAvoidshape stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of uniform thickness, the patent implements local quality by varying substrate thickness according to curvature requirements. The substrate experiencing greater curvature is made thicker to provide additional structural support and stress compensation. This approach maintains manufacturing feasibility while significantly improving shape stability and reducing deflection from residual stresses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3504742B1Variable layer thickness in curved battery cell
Publication Date: 2025.02.12 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3504742B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3504742B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3504742B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to curved batteries. One example provides a battery comprising an anode arranged on an anode substrate, a cathode arranged on a cathode substrate, the anode substrate being curved at a first curvature and the cathode substrate being curved at a second curvature, and a separator between the anode and the cathode. A thickness of the anode substrate and a thickness of the cathode substrate are determined based on the curvature of the respective substrate, such that the one of the anode substrate and the cathode substrate with a larger curvature has a larger thickness.