Flexible Laminate Battery Module Segregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery packs face challenges in improving energy density, reducing mass, complexity, and costs, while also being difficult to integrate into existing internal combustion engine vehicle designs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module housing formed of flexible laminate material, segregating space into individual cavities for single electrochemical cells with a stacked electrode assembly, eliminating the need for traditional cell housings and allowing for complex geometries, which reduces material usage and enhances integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rigid cell housings are used, then structural strength and sealing are improved, but mass and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional rigid metal or plastic cell housings with flexible laminate materials that form thin-film protective layers around electrode assemblies. This flexible shell approach maintains necessary structural integrity and sealing while dramatically reducing the mass compared to conventional rigid housings, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the housing function from traditional pre-assembled cells and integrates it into the module-level structure. By removing individual cell housings and using the module housing itself to provide structural support and segmentation, the overall mass and complexity are reduced while maintaining necessary structural strength through the module-level architecture.
2Device complexity
If multiple cells are integrated into a single housing, then complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the module interior into multiple cavities within a single housing structure, with each cavity designed to receive and precisely position one electrode assembly. This segmentation approach reduces overall device complexity by integrating multiple cells into one housing while maintaining manufacturing precision through dedicated cavity designs that guide and constrain electrode assembly placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The module housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, creates individual cavities for each electrode assembly, provides sealing, and facilitates thermal management. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, lowering complexity while the standardized cavity design ensures consistent manufacturing precision across multiple cells.
3Weight of moving object
If flexible laminate material is used for housing, then mass and adaptability are improved, but structural strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible laminate materials composed of multiple layers with different properties (metal foils, polymers, adhesives) bonded together. This composite structure provides the necessary structural strength through the combined properties of layers while maintaining low mass and flexibility, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible laminate material forms thin-film protective layers that provide structural integrity through their multi-layer composite construction. These thin films maintain necessary strength for structural support and sealing while keeping mass minimal, overcoming the limitation of single-material flexible housings.
4Loss of substance
If individual cell housings are eliminated, then material usage and cost are reduced, but reliability and protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective housing function from the cell level to the module level. Instead of each electrode assembly having its own housing, the module housing with its segmented cavities provides the protective enclosure for multiple electrode assemblies simultaneously. This consolidation reduces material usage while maintaining protection through the integrated module-level structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The module housing performs multiple protective functions: it shields electrode assemblies from environmental factors, provides structural support, enables thermal management, and facilitates electrical connections. This multi-functionality ensures that eliminating individual cell housings does not compromise reliability, as the module housing assumes all necessary protective roles.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module includes a battery module housing that defines an interior space. The battery module housing includes at least one interior wall that segregates the interior space into at least two cavities. The battery module housing and the at least one interior wall are formed of a flexible laminate material, and an electrochemical cell is disposed in one of the at least two cavities. The cell may include a housing formed of a flexible laminate material, or alternatively may be housing-free.