Integrated Frame Battery Cell with Insulated Metal Foil
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Portable computing device battery designs face challenges in balancing energy density, form factor, and durability, where packaging increases mass and volume, affecting energy density and requiring efficient packaging to minimize weight and volume while maintaining functionality.
Innovation Solution
A battery housing assembly with a rigid frame and metal foil pouch that includes a plastic laminate layer for insulation and bonding, along with integrated safety circuitry and electrical connector pads, to prevent electrolyte leakage and damage, and allows for efficient electrolyte injection and diffusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional battery packaging is used, then durability is improved, but mass increases reducing energy density per mass
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite packaging structure consisting of a flexible pouch with integrated rigid frame elements. The pouch material provides baseline containment and flexibility, while strategically placed rigid frames (made from materials like aluminum or reinforced plastic) provide structural strength and durability. This composite approach achieves the required durability without the excessive mass of fully rigid packaging, thereby improving energy density per mass.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging is segmented into functional zones: flexible pouch sections for containment, rigid frame sections for structural support, and integrated electrolyte injection ports. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function - the flexible portions minimize mass while the rigid portions provide necessary durability - resolving the contradiction between overall durability and total mass.
2Reliability
If traditional battery packaging is used, then durability is improved, but volume increases reducing energy density per volume
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible pouch with integrated rigid frames achieves durability without the bulk of traditional fully rigid packaging. The flexible portions conform closely to the battery cell geometry, minimizing wasted space, while the rigid frames provide structural integrity with minimal volume addition. This resolves the contradiction by achieving durability through a space-efficient composite structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible pouch material serves as the primary containment structure, allowing the packaging to conform tightly to the battery cell shape and minimize volume. The thin film structure provides adequate protection while occupying minimal space, with rigid frames added only where structurally necessary, thereby maintaining high energy density per volume while ensuring durability.
3Weight of moving object
If packaging mass is reduced to improve energy density per mass, then energy density per mass is improved, but durability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of flexible pouch with integrated rigid frames provides durability without excessive mass. The rigid frames are strategically placed only where structural support is needed, minimizing mass addition while maintaining durability. The flexible pouch material is optimized for strength-to-mass ratio, providing containment with minimal weight, thus resolving the contradiction between reduced mass and maintained durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging is segmented so that only critical structural areas use rigid materials, while non-critical areas use lighter flexible materials. This segmentation allows the overall mass to be reduced while maintaining durability at the necessary locations, resolving the contradiction between mass reduction and durability preservation.
4Volume of moving object
If battery cell volume is reduced to improve energy density per volume, then energy density per volume is improved, but packaging efficiency is constrained by form factor requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible pouch allows the battery cell to be manufactured in optimized volume configurations without the constraints of rigid packaging. The flexible material can be folded, sealed, and formed into space-efficient shapes that maximize energy density per volume. The integrated rigid frames provide minimal structural support needed while maintaining the flexible form factor advantages, resolving the contradiction between compact volume and manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging structure is segmented into modular components that can be assembled efficiently. The flexible pouch can be manufactured separately and then integrated with the rigid frames and electrolyte injection ports, allowing for efficient manufacturing processes while achieving compact, space-optimized form factors that improve energy density per volume.
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 solution provides a durable, lightweight, and efficiently packaged battery that maintains performance during operational cycling, reducing manufacturing time and costs by enabling faster electrolyte assimilation and assembly, while preventing shorts and structural damage.
Implementation Method 1
the plastic can serve as an insulator to prevent shorts between the metal foil and the electrode
Implementation Method 2
the plastic, via a thermal bonding method, can be melted to bond the metal foil to the rigid frame
Implementation Method 3
allows for efficient electrolyte injection and diffusion
Data Source
AI summary
An electrolyte containment structure for an electrode jelly roll and electrolyte in a portable power source is described. The electrolyte containment structure comprises metal foil, such as metal foil sleeve, coupled to and partially surrounding a rigid frame. The rigid frame can protect the electrode jelly roll edges from crush events. To prevent shorts, the metal foil can be coated in plastic, which can insulate the metal foil from the electrode jelly roll. Further, the plastic can serve as a bonding and sealing agent. For instance, the metal foil can be coupled to the rigid frame using a thermal bonding method involving melting of the plastic. The rigid frame can provide a platform for connector pads and safety circuitry associated with the portable power source. The connector pads and safety circuitry can be assembled as modular components, which can simplify the assembly process The containment structure provides features associated with a pouch cell battery design, such as a light-weight metal foil pouch, but can be utilized in a portable computing device without being enclosed in a hard casing traditionally associated with pouch cell battery designs.