Expandable Tape Battery Module Structural Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery module housings for electric vehicles are large, heavy, and costly due to the use of thick plastic or metal for structural rigidity, and the injection process for foam safety structures is complex, time-consuming, and error-prone, leading to issues with uniform foam distribution and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module using expandable tape as a structural support system, which expands to fill gaps between cells, providing impact resistance, thermal insulation, and electrical insulation, and is simpler and faster to manufacture, reducing the need for multiple personnel and equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thick plastic or metal is used for housing to provide structural rigidity, then strength is improved, but weight increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses foam material as a composite structural support within the housing to provide rigidity and impact resistance. The foam acts as an internal reinforcement structure, allowing the housing to maintain strength while using thinner, lighter outer walls compared to traditional thick plastic or metal constructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam structural support is strategically placed in specific locations within the housing where structural reinforcement is needed most. This localized approach provides rigidity and impact resistance at critical points without requiring the entire housing to be made of heavy materials, thus reducing overall weight while maintaining necessary strength.
2Strength
If foam injection process is used for safety structures, then impact resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pre-formed foam blocks or foam sheets that can be easily inserted into the housing, replacing the complex injection molding process. These foam components are simple to manufacture and install, significantly reducing manufacturing process complexity while still providing the necessary impact resistance and structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam structural support is divided into separate, modular components that can be independently manufactured and then assembled into the housing. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing each foam component to be produced using straightforward methods, avoiding the need for complex injection molding equipment and processes.
3Strength
If foam injection process is used for safety structures, then impact resistance is improved, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foam structural support components are pre-formed and prepared in advance before being installed in the housing. This preliminary preparation allows the foam elements to be ready for quick insertion and assembly, eliminating the time-consuming injection molding process during final assembly and significantly reducing overall manufacturing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses simple, pre-manufactured foam components that require minimal processing and installation time. These straightforward foam elements can be quickly cut, shaped, and inserted into the housing, dramatically reducing manufacturing time compared to the complex, multi-step foam injection process while maintaining adequate impact resistance.
4Strength
If conventional housing design is used, then structural support is provided, but gravimetric energy density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates foam material as a lightweight composite structural support within the housing. This foam provides necessary structural reinforcement and impact resistance while having much lower density than traditional thick plastic or metal housings, thereby improving the battery module's gravimetric energy density by reducing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam structural support is strategically positioned in specific areas where structural reinforcement is needed, rather than using heavy materials throughout the entire housing. This localized approach provides adequate structural support and impact resistance while minimizing the total weight of the housing, thus improving gravimetric energy density.
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 use of expandable tape results in a lightweight, safer, and more cost-effective battery module with improved thermal and electrical properties, enhanced impact resistance, and increased gravimetric energy density, while simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing material usage.
Implementation Method 1
An expandable material adhered, by an adhesive backing, to at least a portion of a side surface area of one or more of the energy storage cells, wherein the expandable material, in an expanded state, expands within the specified distance
Implementation Method 2
an expandable material adhered, by an adhesive backing, to at least a portion of a side surface area of one or more of the energy storage cells
Data Source
AI summary
An energy storage device and structure for energy storage cells is provided that includes a plurality of energy storage cells, each of the energy storage cells having side surface areas. The plurality of energy storage cells are arranged in a pattern with each energy storage cell being spaced a specified distance apart from one another. An expandable material is adhered, by an adhesive backing, to at least a portion of the side surface areas of one or more of the energy storage cells, and the expandable material expands within and at least part of the specified distance.