Modular Battery Pack With Integrated Ballast and Removable Cells
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lithium-ion battery cells lack integrated counterweights, necessitating separate addition, which complicates design and manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A modular battery design incorporating lithium-ion cell modules, a battery management system (BMS), and optional ballast elements within a casing, allowing individual insertion and removal of cells without interconnection, enabling customizable counterweight distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If counterweights are added separately to lithium-ion battery cells, then the equipment can achieve required weight distribution, but the design and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the counterweight function with the battery cell structure by incorporating ballast elements directly into the battery assembly. The ballast elements are positioned within the battery housing and integrated with the cell modules, eliminating the need for separate counterweight components and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery housing serves multiple functions: it contains the lithium-ion cell modules, provides structural support, and incorporates ballast elements for weight distribution. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate dedicated counterweight structures, simplifying both design and manufacturing processes.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional battery cells are used without integrated counterweights, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but separate counterweight addition is required
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process benefits from merging the counterweight function into the battery cell assembly. The ballast elements are incorporated during battery manufacturing rather than added separately, streamlining the production process and eliminating additional assembly steps for counterweight installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The ballast elements are pre-positioned and integrated into the battery housing during the manufacturing process. This preliminary action ensures that counterweight requirements are satisfied before the battery is installed in equipment, eliminating the need for separate counterweight addition and simplifying the overall manufacturing workflow.
3Ease of repair
If modular battery design with individual cell insertion is used, then maintenance and replacement are easier, but the structural design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is segmented into modular cell assemblies that can be independently removed and replaced. Each cell module is designed as a discrete unit with standardized interfaces, allowing individual cells to be accessed and replaced without disassembling the entire battery structure, thus simplifying maintenance while managing structural complexity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design incorporates dynamic accessibility, where cell modules can be quickly inserted and removed through standardized interfaces. This dynamic capability enables easy maintenance and replacement operations while the underlying structural design manages complexity through consistent modular architecture and standardized connection mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular battery is provided. The modular battery includes a casing having sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior cavity. The modular battery also includes a plurality of energy cells disposed within the interior cavity, and each energy cell of the plurality of energy cells includes at least one lithium ion cell module. Further, the modular battery includes at least one battery management system (BMS) cell disposed within the interior cavity, and the at least one BMS cell is configured to coordinate input of electrical energy into and output of electrical energy from the plurality of energy cells. A wiring harness electrically connects the plurality of energy cells and the at least one BMS cell. In the modular battery, each energy and BMS cell is individually insertable and removable from the interior cavity without insertion or removal of any other energy or BMS cell.