Prismatic Battery Flat Plate Electrodes Current Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional elevator backup systems face issues with power loss over time, size, weight, and safety due to the limitations of round bobbin cells, which restrict current delivery and require separate battery or generator storage, making them unreliable and hazardous, especially in flooded conditions during storms.
Innovation Solution
A rechargeable prismatic battery with flat plate electrodes made of manganese and zinc, using compressed metal foam and aligned extensions for efficient current collection, reducing internal resistance and enabling higher power delivery while being compact and safe, with a backup power supply attached to the elevator car to maintain operation during primary power failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If round bobbin cells are used for battery backup, then the battery can be compact, but the current delivery capability is restricted due to high internal resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is divided into multiple flat plate segments stacked together, each contributing to current collection. This segmentation allows current to be collected from multiple parallel paths rather than a single point, reducing internal resistance and improving current delivery capability while maintaining a compact form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from the conventional round bobbin three-dimensional wound structure to a flat plate stacked configuration. This dimensional change enables better current distribution across the electrode surface and facilitates multiple current collection points, thereby reducing internal resistance without significantly increasing the battery's external dimensions.
2Reliability
If conventional battery backup systems are stored in the basement for safety, then they are protected from elevator operations, but they become vulnerable to flooding during storms
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses the flat plate electrode structure to create a battery that is both flood-resistant and high-performance. The sealed flat plate design prevents water ingress while the enhanced current collection capability ensures reliable operation even in extreme weather conditions, converting the storm hazard into an opportunity to demonstrate system resilience.
3Power
If flat plate electrodes are used to reduce internal resistance, then current delivery improves, but the battery size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the flat plate electrode parameters including thickness, area, and stacking arrangement to achieve the desired current delivery capability. By carefully controlling these parameters, the battery delivers high current while minimizing the weight increase compared to conventional round bobbin cells.
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 rechargeable prismatic battery provides improved current density, longer cycle life, better charge retention, and reduced capacity fade, allowing for reliable elevator operation without the need for separate battery storage, while minimizing environmental impact and operational risks.
Implementation Method 1
flat plate electrodes made of manganese and zinc, using compressed metal foam
Implementation Method 2
compressed metal foam and aligned extensions for efficient current collection
Implementation Method 3
moves current from an active material to an external terminal through multiple directions in a manner that is efficient in cost, volume, and weight and current via extensions from electrode plates at multiple (e.g., two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, etc.) locations along a periphery of an electrode stack
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a prismatic battery comprising stacked positive electrode plates, negative electrode plates and separator layers therebetween. The positive and negative electrode plates extend beyond a periphery of the electrode stack. The positive electrode plates are fused to form a positive current collector, and the negative electrode plates are fused to form a negative current collector. Both the positive and negative electrode plates comprise a metal foam and are compressed between about 42 and 45% of the original thickness.