Insulation Plate for Secondary Battery Assembly Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries, face issues during assembly and use due to potential scratches and short circuits caused by burrs in the case and deformation of electrode tabs, which can lead to safety hazards and performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
The use of an insulation plate with transverse and longitudinal covering portions that cover transition parts of the electrode assembly, preventing direct contact with the case and ensuring protection during assembly, thereby enhancing safety and electrochemical performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a thin separator is used in the electrode assembly, then the battery structure is compact and energy density is improved, but the separator is easily scratched and damaged by burrs in the case opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-installing an insulation plate at the opening of the case before placing the electrode assembly into the case. This insulation plate covers the burrs in advance, preventing them from scratching the separator during the assembly process. The insulation plate is positioned beforehand to create a protective barrier, which resolves the contradiction between using a thin separator for compactness and maintaining separator integrity against case burrs.
2Reliability
If electrode tabs are made excessively long to ensure proper electrical connection, then electrical conductivity is improved, but the electrode tabs may overlap the case after assembly causing short circuit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an insulation plate as an intermediary element between the electrode tabs and the case. The insulation plate extends to cover areas where electrode tabs might overlap with the case, creating a protective barrier that prevents short circuits. This allows electrode tabs to be sufficiently long for proper electrical connection without the risk of contacting the conductive case, thus resolving the contradiction between electrical connection reliability and short circuit prevention.
3Reliability
If the insulation plate covers more areas of the electrode assembly, then protection against scratches and short circuits is improved, but the space for electrolyte wetting of electrode plates is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the insulation plate with differentiated coverage areas. The insulation plate has a first area that covers the opening of the case to prevent scratches and short circuits, and a second area that is specifically designed to expose the electrode plates for electrolyte wetting. This localized differentiation of function allows the insulation plate to provide maximum protection in critical areas while maintaining necessary exposure for electrolyte penetration, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and wetting efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an insulation plate for a secondary battery, a secondary battery, and a vehicle. The insulation plate includes two side portions and a top portion located between the two side portions. Each of the two side portion includes a transverse covering portion and a longitudinal covering portion that are used to cover a transverse transition part and a longitudinal transition part of an electrode assembly of the secondary battery, respectively. During placing the electrode assembly into a case of the secondary battery, since transition parts of the electrode assembly are covered by the insulation plate, the transition parts of the electrode assembly are prevented from directly contacting the case, thereby reducing the possibility of being scratched and rubbed by the opening of the case. Therefore, electrical connection between negative and positive electrode plates of the electrode assembly is avoided and thus the reliability of the secondary battery is improved.