Insulated Current Collector Assembly to Prevent Battery Cell Shorts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery cells face safety risks due to potential short circuits and fires caused by overlapping current collectors, especially when they are positioned on the same side of the electrode assembly, leading to increased vulnerability during vibration or collision.
Innovation Solution
A current collecting component with an insulator and limiting structure is used to insulate and restrict current collectors from separating, preventing overlap and short circuits by ensuring they remain connected via an insulator with a limiting structure that restricts movement in the width direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If current collectors are positioned on the same side of the electrode assembly to improve space utilization, then energy density is improved, but the risk of overlapping and short circuit increases during vibration or collision
Solution Approach 1:
An insulator is introduced as an intermediary component between two current collectors positioned on the same side of the electrode assembly. The insulator includes a limiting structure that physically restricts the current collectors from overlapping during vibration or collision, thereby preventing short circuits while allowing both current collectors to be positioned on the same side for improved energy density
Solution Approach 2:
The insulator is segmented into multiple parts including a limiting structure with multiple limiting portions that independently restrict different current collectors. This segmentation allows each current collector to be positioned on the same side while maintaining individual restriction against overlapping, resolving the contradiction between space utilization and safety
2Reliability
If a limiting structure is added to the insulator to restrict current collector movement, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The limiting structure is merged with the insulator as an integrated component rather than a separate assembly. The limiting portions are formed as part of the insulator's structure, which simplifies the overall device by reducing the number of separate components while still providing the necessary restriction against current collector overlapping
Solution Approach 2:
The insulator is designed with local quality variations - specific limiting portions are added only at critical locations where current collector overlapping could occur, rather than making the entire insulator complex. This allows safety improvement with minimal increase in overall structural complexity
3Reliability
If the insulator is made larger to better restrict current collectors, then safety is improved, but the volume of the battery cell increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulator is designed with localized limiting structures only at the specific positions where current collector restriction is needed, rather than uniformly increasing the insulator's size throughout. This allows the insulator to provide adequate restriction functionality while maintaining a compact overall volume that does not significantly increase the battery cell size
Solution Approach 2:
The limiting structure utilizes the thickness dimension of the insulator to restrict current collector movement in the width direction. By effectively using the available thickness dimension, the insulator provides adequate limiting functionality without needing to increase the insulator's area in the plane, thus avoiding significant volume increase
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of this application provide a current collecting component, a battery cell, a battery, and an electric device, pertaining to the field of battery technologies. The battery cell has two output poles with opposite polarities for outputting electrical energy. The current collecting component includes two current collectors, an insulator, and a limiting structure. The two current collectors are arranged opposite each other along a width direction of the current collecting component and are configured to connect to the two output poles respectively. The insulator is configured to connect the two current collectors and is located at least partially between the two current collectors in the width direction to insulate the two current collectors from each other. The limiting structure is configured to restrict the current collectors from leaving the insulator in the width direction. The two current collectors in the current collecting component are connected by the insulator, and the two current collectors are insulated from each other by the insulator. The limiting structure restricts the current collecting component from leaving the insulator in the width direction of the current collecting component, so that the two current collectors are not easily separated from the insulator, reducing the risk of the two current collectors overlapping with each other and causing a short circuit inside the battery cell, thus improving safety of the battery cell.