Electric Storage Device with Cutout Case and Integrated Electrode
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric storage devices are limited in reducing thickness and achieving non-rectangular shapes, which are necessary for smaller electronic devices, due to constraints in electrode assembly design and spacer placement.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a case with cutout portions and an integrated electrode body with higher bending strength than the case walls, joined by specific bonding layers and tapes to reduce deformation and facilitate electrolyte flow, allowing for a thinner, non-rectangular shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the case wall thickness is reduced to achieve a thinner device, then the device thickness is reduced, but the structural strength and deformation resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode body is integrated with the case structure through direct joining of the first electrode to the first main wall, creating a combined structural unit that reinforces the thin case wall while maintaining reduced device thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The case is constructed from composite materials with different mechanical properties, where the electrode body (having higher bending strength) is joined to the case wall, creating a composite structure that provides both thin profile and adequate strength
2Manufacturing precision
If spacers are provided on both sides of the electrode assembly to adjust gaps, then the gap adjustment is achieved, but the device complexity and number of parts increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer function is extracted and integrated into the case structure itself through the cutout portion design, eliminating the need for separate spacer components while maintaining gap adjustment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The gap adjustment function is merged with the case structure by designing the cutout portion geometry, combining the case and gap control into a single integrated component
3Stability of the object's composition
If the electrode body bending strength is made higher than the case wall bending strength, then the structural stability is improved, but the manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode body is designed with locally enhanced bending strength at specific regions where it joins the case wall, providing structural stability only where needed rather than uniformly throughout the entire device
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical storage device includes a case having first and second opposed main walls which face one another and at least one side wall coupled the first and second main walls. The case having a generally rectangular shape with outer corners and includes a cutout part having inner corners. An integrated electrode body is located in the case and is joined to the first main wall. The integrated body includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator disposed between the first and second electrodes. The electrode body has a bending strength which is higher than a bending strength of the first main wall. An electrolyte fills the case.