Bidirectionally Flexible Battery with Zigzag Laminate
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batteries face challenges in incorporating multiple desirable features such as long life, flexibility, and high capacity within limited device enclosures, which restricts their performance and user experience in mobile electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A flexible battery design with a zigzag or accordion-shaped laminate configuration that allows for bidirectional bending, minimizing structural stress and enabling increased charge capacity without increasing the battery's size, by accommodating layers that move freely within a pouch, thereby optimizing space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the battery size is increased to hold more charge, then the charge capacity is improved, but the device enclosure size is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The battery laminate is folded into a zigzag configuration, transforming the battery from a flat two-dimensional structure into a three-dimensional accordion-shaped structure. This dimensional transformation allows the battery to occupy more effective volume within the same device enclosure, increasing charge capacity without exceeding the device's physical boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The zigzag folded battery laminate is nested within a pouch enclosure, with the folded portions containing the active battery layers while the pouch provides structural containment. This nesting arrangement maximizes space utilization by efficiently packing the battery structure within the available device volume.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the battery is made flexible to allow bending, then the adaptability is improved, but the structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The battery laminate is divided into multiple folded segments forming a zigzag pattern. Each segment can independently flex and move, distributing the mechanical stress across multiple sections rather than concentrating it in a single location. This segmentation maintains structural integrity while enabling bidirectional bending flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery is enclosed in a flexible pouch that accommodates the zigzag laminate structure. The pouch acts as a flexible shell that protects the internal battery components while allowing the battery to bend in multiple directions without compromising the structural strength of the battery itself.
3Quantity of substance
If the battery laminate is folded into zigzag shape to increase capacity, then the charge capacity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery laminate is pre-folded into the zigzag configuration during the manufacturing process before being enclosed in the pouch. This preliminary folding action simplifies the overall manufacturing by creating the complex three-dimensional structure in a single preparatory step, rather than requiring complex assembly operations later.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding process combines multiple manufacturing operations into one integrated step, where the laminate is simultaneously folded, shaped, and prepared for enclosure. This merging of operations reduces the number of discrete manufacturing steps and lowers overall manufacturing complexity despite the intricate final structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for a flexible battery. The systems, methods, and computer-readable media described herein may improve user experiences and prolong the battery's life. In an example embodiment described herein, a flexible battery may include a battery laminate comprising a cathode layer having a first surface coated with an active material and a second surface coated with inactive material, wherein the second surface comprises a first segment oriented in a first orientation and a second segment connected to the first segment and oriented in a second orientation different from the first orientation.