Solid-State Battery Module Layout for Low-Height Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery modules face challenges in reducing height, improving arrangement flexibility, and enhancing cooling efficiency due to electrode terminal placement and binding forces, which restrict lamination direction and cooling area.
Innovation Solution
The battery module design features solid-state batteries with electrode terminals protruding from lateral faces, allowing parallel arrangement, flat plate-shaped terminals and bus bars for reduced height, and a wide cooling area, with optional orthogonal lamination and integrated bus bars for efficient electrical connections and cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If electrode terminals are arranged on the upper surface of the battery cell, then electrical connection is simplified, but the height of the battery module increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by placing electrode terminals on lateral faces instead of the upper surface, and arranging battery cells in parallel rather than stacking them vertically. This inversion resolves the contradiction by achieving electrical connection through lateral bus bars while maintaining low height.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from vertical stacking (z-dimension) to parallel arrangement (x-y plane), utilizing another dimension for cell organization. This allows electrical connection while keeping the height dimension minimal.
2Reliability
If binding force is applied to suppress expansion of battery cells, then interval widening is prevented, but the lamination direction of electrode layers is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar serves multiple functions: it provides electrical connection between cells and simultaneously acts as a binding structure to suppress cell expansion. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate binding components and allows freedom in cell arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the electrical connection function and the mechanical binding function into a single integrated structure (bus bar), allowing both connection stability and arrangement flexibility to be achieved simultaneously.
3Device complexity
If cooling medium channel is arranged at the bottom surface of the battery cell, then cooling structure is simplified, but the cooling area is restricted and cooling efficiency is poor
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of cooling from the bottom surface (conventional approach), the patent implements cooling from the lateral faces where electrode terminals are located. This inversion places the cooling medium channel at the heat source location, dramatically improving cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral face of the battery cell acts as an intermediary surface that facilitates direct heat transfer from the electrode terminals to the cooling medium channel, improving the efficiency of the cooling process.
Data Source
AI summary
This battery module is provided with a plurality of battery cells each comprising an all-solid battery having laminated therein a positive electrode layer, a negative electrode layer, and a solid electrolyte layer. Each of the battery cells has a pair of electrode terminals protruding from opposing lateral faces of the battery cell. The plurality of battery cells are arranged so as to be parallel to the lamination planes of the positive electrode layer, the negative electrode layer, and the solid electrolyte layer and in such a manner as to have the respective electrode terminals of different battery cells arrayed in parallel to each other. The electrode terminal and the electrode terminal of battery cells adjacent in the array direction are electrically connected by a bus bar.