Right-Angle Battery Cell Tabs for Dense Pack Layouts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery designs face challenges in accommodating multiple battery cells within a constrained housing volume, leading to space constraints and increased resistance due to the arrangement of current collector tabs, which affects energy density and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The battery design incorporates current collector tabs extending from opposite directions, allowing for a non-uniform spacing and the use of busbars to distribute current efficiently, thereby reducing resistance and accommodating various configurations and sizes while maintaining energy density.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional battery designs arrange current collector tabs in traditional configurations, then the battery structure is simple to manufacture, but the available space for battery cells is reduced and resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by extending tabs from opposite directions (first direction and second direction perpendicular to the first) rather than arranging them in a single plane. This spatial reconfiguration optimizes the use of three-dimensional space within the housing, increasing available volume for battery cells while maintaining electrical connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery design segments the current collector structure into multiple independent tabs extending from opposite directions. This segmentation allows each tab to be independently positioned and connected to terminals, enabling flexible space utilization and reduced interference between electrical components.
2Loss of energy
If conventional battery designs use uniform tab spacing, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the resistance increases and energy density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing non-uniform spacing between tabs extending from the same current collector. This enables optimization of current distribution pathways in different regions of the battery, reducing overall resistance by concentrating tabs where current density is highest rather than distributing them uniformly.
3Productivity
If battery cells are packed densely to increase energy density, then the volume efficiency improves, but the tab arrangement becomes more constrained and resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
By extending tabs from opposite directions in perpendicular dimensions, the design maintains reliable electrical connectivity even when battery cells are densely packed. This three-dimensional tab arrangement prevents interference between tabs from adjacent cells, ensuring stable electrical connections while maximizing cell density.
Data Source
AI summary
Batteries according to embodiments of the present technology may include a housing including a first terminal disposed on a first side of the housing and a second terminal disposed on the first side of the housing. The batteries may include an electrode stack positioned within the housing. The electrode stack may include an anode current collector. The anode current collector may define an anode tab along a second side of the anode current collector, and be electrically coupled with the first terminal. The electrode stack may include a cathode current collector. The cathode current collector may define a cathode tab along a second side of the cathode current collector. The cathode tab and anode tab may extend in a direction normal to a direction facing the first side of the housing. The cathode tab may be electrically coupled with the second terminal.