Interleaved Battery Stack With Folded Bridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery stack designs, such as the rolled cell format, are inefficient in space-constrained applications like implantable medical devices, wasting space and requiring complex and costly assembly, while stacked formats require multiple parts and welding, increasing manufacturing complexity.
Innovation Solution
A battery stack design featuring interleaved anode and cathode elements formed as continuous sheets with bridges, minimizing components and welds by folding the elements in alternating directions to create a compact, stacked cell format with reduced manufacturing complexity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a rolled cell format is used, then manufacturing complexity is reduced and cost is lowered, but space efficiency deteriorates and cylindrical shape wastes space in rectangular packages
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is divided into multiple individual cells arranged in a stacked configuration within the housing. Each cell contains alternating anode and cathode assemblies that are independently structured, allowing the battery to adopt a rectangular form factor that efficiently utilizes the available space in IMD devices while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from the traditional two-dimensional rolled cell format to a three-dimensional stacked cell arrangement. Multiple cells are stacked vertically within the housing, maximizing space utilization in the vertical dimension while maintaining a compact rectangular footprint suitable for implantable medical devices
2Volume of moving object
If a stacked cell format is used, then space efficiency is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to multiple parts and welding requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Within each cell, the anode assembly and cathode assembly are merged into a single integrated unit where the anode and cathode are alternately stacked and electrically connected. This merging eliminates the need for separate welding operations between multiple cathode assemblies and multiple anode assemblies, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the space-efficient stacked configuration
Solution Approach 2:
Each cell is designed as a universal module that combines both anode and cathode assemblies in a single integrated structure. This multi-functional cell design performs both storage functions (anode and cathode) within one module, eliminating the need for separate welding operations and reducing overall assembly complexity compared to traditional stacked formats
Data Source
AI summary
A cathode element is formed as a continuous single element with a plurality of cathode leaves connected by cathode bridges. An anode element is similarly formed as a continuous single element with a plurality of anode leaves connected by anode bridges. The cathode element and anode element can be aligned and interleaved at spaces between adjacent leaves. The resulting battery pre-stack can then be folded along its bridges in alternating directions to form a battery stack whose layers alternate between an anode and cathode, and which requires minimal components and minimal or no welds.