Sealed Battery Current Breaker With Thin Inversion Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealed batteries face challenges in achieving high capacity due to increased dead space caused by thick current breaking mechanisms, which lead to heat generation and degradation of resin members during high current charging/discharging, affecting airtightness and insulating properties.
Innovation Solution
A sealed battery design with a reduced thickness current breaking mechanism, featuring a thin plate-like conductive plate with an outer peripheral connection to the collector member and an inner peripheral connection to the conductor member, allowing the inner peripheral portion to protrude and separate upon pressure increase, accommodated by a recess in the collector member, thereby reducing dead space and heat generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional current breaking mechanism with sufficient thickness is used to ensure structural integrity and reliable current cutoff, then the mechanism provides adequate mechanical strength and reliability, but the dead space inside the battery case increases, reducing volumetric efficiency and battery capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by using a thin-walled fragile portion in the collector member and a thin plate-like partition wall in the current breaking mechanism. These thin film structures are sufficient to achieve current cutoff functionality while minimizing dead space. The thin-walled portion breaks under overcharge conditions to disconnect the current path, and the thin partition wall provides isolation without occupying excessive volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The current breaking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a thin plate-like partition wall for current isolation, a thin-walled fragile portion for breakage-based cutoff, and an accommodating recess for the broken portion. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while minimizing overall thickness and dead space.
2Volume of stationary object
If the current breaking mechanism thickness is reduced to minimize dead space and improve volumetric efficiency, then battery capacity increases, but the mechanical strength and reliability of the current cutoff function may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled fragile portion is designed with controlled thickness to achieve reliable breakage at overcharge pressures while maintaining structural integrity during normal operation. The thin plate-like partition wall similarly provides sufficient isolation functionality without excessive thickness, balancing reliability and space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin-walled fragile portion acts as an intermediary element that transforms pressure changes into mechanical breakage, thereby triggering current cutoff. This intermediary mechanism allows the thin partition wall to remain in place for isolation while the fragile portion provides the reliability-critical breakage function.
3Device complexity
If multiple members are disposed in an overlapping manner between the lid member and electrode assembly to achieve compact arrangement, then the structural compactness improves, but the overlapping dimension increases, creating large dead space that reduces battery capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The current breaking mechanism is merged with the collector member by integrating the thin-walled fragile portion directly into the collector member structure. The partition wall is also integrated with the collector member, eliminating the need for separate mounting structures and reducing overlapping dimensions. The accommodating recess is formed directly in the collector member, further consolidating the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
By using thin-walled and thin-plate structures for the fragile portion and partition wall, the overlapping dimension in the thickness direction is minimized. This allows the multiple functional members to be arranged compactly without creating excessive dead space, thereby improving volumetric efficiency.
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 reduced thickness of the current breaking mechanism minimizes dead space, allowing for higher battery capacity, reduces heat generation-related degradation, and maintains airtightness and insulating properties during quick charging and high-load discharge.
Implementation Method 1
upon increase in the pressure inside the battery, the inner peripheral portion becomes displaced so as to be separated from the conductor member
Data Source
AI summary
A sealed battery with a current breaking mechanism, and a conductor member that is, inside the battery, electrically connected to the current breaking mechanism, and that is, outside the battery, electrically connected to the positive electrode external terminal. The current breaking mechanism includes a thin plate-like inversion plate in which an outer peripheral portion thereof is connected to the positive electrode collector member, and an inner peripheral portion thereof is connected to the conductor member. The inversion plate is, upon an increase in pressure inside the battery, capable of having the inner peripheral portion become displaced so as to be separated from the conductor member. An accommodating recess that receives the inner peripheral portion of the inverted collector member separated and displaced from the conductor member is formed in the positive electrode collector member and in a thickness direction of the positive electrode collector member.