Energy Storage Device Spacer Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
In energy storage devices, insulating spacers are difficult to stabilize positionally, leading to quality issues due to their placement on soft end surfaces, which affects the stability and efficiency of the device during mass production.
Innovation Solution
An energy storage device configuration that includes a lid plate structure with a current collector connected to the electrode assembly's tab and an insulating member, featuring a first spacer with a locked portion that secures the spacer to the lid plate structure, preventing movement and ensuring electrical insulation, and optionally includes a second spacer for horizontal position regulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a spacer is disposed on a soft end surface formed by aligned end edges of the separator or active material unapplied portion, then the spacer can be placed in the energy storage device, but the spacer is difficult to be stabilized positionally
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is divided into a body portion and a locked portion, where the locked portion is specifically designed to engage with the lid plate structure. This segmentation allows the spacer body to maintain its insulating function while the locked portion provides positional stability through mechanical engagement with the lid plate's recess or groove.
Solution Approach 2:
The locked portion of the spacer is nested within a recess or groove of the lid plate structure, creating a hierarchical arrangement where the spacer's locking feature fits into the lid plate's receiving feature. This nesting relationship secures the spacer's position while maintaining the overall compact structure of the energy storage device.
2Device complexity
If no dedicated component is provided for spacer positional regulation, then the device structure remains simple, but the spacer cannot be stabilized positionally
Solution Approach 1:
The lid plate structure is designed to serve dual functions: it provides the structural closure of the energy storage device and simultaneously contains the recess or groove that locks the spacer in position. By merging the lid plate's structural function with the spacer retention function, no additional dedicated component is needed, maintaining structural simplicity while achieving positional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid plate structure is given multi-functionality by incorporating both the closure function and the spacer retention function. The recess or groove in the lid plate serves as both a structural feature and a locking mechanism for the spacer, allowing a single component to perform multiple roles without increasing overall device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the spacer is not locked to the lid plate structure, then the assembly process is simpler, but the spacer cannot prevent movement of the electrode assembly toward the lid plate
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is segmented into a body portion for insulation and a locked portion for mechanical engagement. This segmentation allows the spacer to simultaneously provide electrical insulation and prevent electrode assembly movement through the locked portion's engagement with the lid plate's recess or groove, maintaining both assembly simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locked portion of the spacer acts as an intermediary mechanical element between the electrode assembly and the lid plate structure. It provides the necessary mechanical constraint to prevent electrode assembly movement toward the lid plate while maintaining the simplicity of the overall assembly process through its straightforward engagement design.
Data Source
AI summary
An energy storage device includes: an electrode assembly; a case accommodating the electrode assembly; a lid plate structure including a lid plate of the case, a current collector electrically connected to a tab provided at the electrode assembly, and an insulating member disposed between the lid plate and the current collector; and a first spacer disposed between an end provided with the tab of the electrode assembly and the lid plate and having a locked portion locked to part of the lid structure.