Sealed Battery Rupture Disk for Reliable Current Path Cutoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for sealed batteries with improved safety mechanisms to reliably cut off the current path during abnormalities while reducing costs by simplifying the structure and minimizing parts.
Innovation Solution
A sealed battery design featuring a rupture plate with a first valve part surrounded by a thin portion and a connecting member, where the joint areas between the electrode tab and the projecting portion are positioned to facilitate rotational shear forces that disconnect the current path upon abnormal conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional sealing assembly with metal plate is used, then the battery structure is simple, but the current path cannot be reliably cut off during abnormalities
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing assembly is segmented into multiple functional parts: a rupture plate with valve parts for pressure relief, a connecting member for electrical connection, and a support plate for structural support. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally, ensuring reliable current path cutoff while maintaining manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting member acts as an intermediary between the rupture plate and electrode tab, providing a controlled failure point that reliably cuts off the current path during abnormalities while maintaining structural integrity during normal operation
2Reliability
If safety mechanisms are enhanced to reliably cut off current path, then the reliability improves, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into a single integrated sealing assembly structure that includes the rupture plate, connecting member, and support plate. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components and assembly steps, lowering manufacturing costs while ensuring reliable current path cutoff through the integrated design
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing assembly is designed to automatically cut off the current path through rotational shear forces generated during abnormal conditions, without requiring external control systems or additional safety mechanisms, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost
3Ease of manufacture
If the sealing assembly structure is simplified to reduce cost, then the manufacturing cost decreases, but the safety mechanism becomes less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing assembly employs local quality enhancement by concentrating safety-critical features in specific areas: the valve parts with thin portions for controlled rupture, the connecting member with optimized joint areas for reliable failure, and the support plate for localized structural support. This allows simplified overall structure while maintaining high reliability in critical zones
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 design effectively cuts off the current path during abnormalities while maintaining a simplified and cost-effective structure by utilizing rotational shear forces to break the joint areas, enhancing safety without increasing complexity or cost.
Implementation Method 1
the thin portion has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the rupture plate... the portion surrounded by the thin portion serves as a valve part
Implementation Method 2
at least a part of a joint area between the electrode tab and the projecting portion is located in a plane intersecting the straight-line portion
Data Source
AI summary
A sealed battery as an example of an embodiment is provided with an electrode body to which an electrode tab is connected, a closed-end cylindrical exterior housing can which houses the electrode body, and a sealing body that seals an opening of the exterior housing can. The sealing body includes a rupture disk. The rupture disk has a curved first thin-walled portion and a first valve portion surrounded by a straight-line portion connecting both ends of the first thin-walled portion. The first valve portion has a protruding section protruding toward the electrode body, the electrode tab is joined to a side surface of the protruding section, and at least a part of a joint surface between the electrode tab and the protruding section is disposed on a plane crossing the straight-line portion.