Adjustable Spring Plate Battery Compression for Cell Swelling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery designs face challenges in consistently applying a compressive force to battery cells, particularly as their state of charge changes, which can affect assembly and longevity due to variations in cell size and potential issues like lithium plating/dendrites.
Innovation Solution
A battery design featuring a housing with an adjustable spring plate made of carbon fibers that provides a biasing force through a top plate, allowing the radius of curvature to change with the state of charge, ensuring a dynamic compressive force throughout charging and discharging cycles, and facilitating easy assembly by adjusting tension from outside the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a rigid compression structure is used to apply force to battery cells, then the compressive force can be maintained, but the assembly space is limited and adjustment is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The spring plate replaces a rigid compression structure with a dynamic elastic element that can deform and adjust its shape. This allows the spring plate to provide consistent compressive force while accommodating variations in battery cell dimensions during charging and discharging cycles, and enables tension adjustment from outside the housing during assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The spring plate's radius of curvature changes in response to variations in battery cell state of charge. As cells expand during charging and contract during discharging, the spring plate dynamically adjusts its curvature to maintain optimal compressive force, resolving the contradiction between maintaining force and adapting to dimensional changes
2Device complexity
If the spring plate tension is fixed during assembly, then the structure is simple, but the compressive force cannot be adjusted as state of charge changes
Solution Approach 1:
The spring plate serves dual functions: it provides the necessary compressive force structure and simultaneously adapts to state of charge variations through its elastic deformation. The structure is simple because no additional adjustment mechanisms are needed - the spring plate's inherent elasticity enables both force application and dynamic adaptation
Solution Approach 2:
The spring plate's physical parameters, specifically its radius of curvature, change in response to battery cell state of charge. This allows the same simple structure to provide adaptability across different charging states without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
3Ease of manufacture
If the spring plate has a fixed radius of curvature, then the manufacturing is simple, but the compressive force varies significantly during charging and discharging
Solution Approach 1:
The spring plate transitions from a static, fixed-curvature design to a dynamic structure that can change its radius of curvature. This dynamic capability allows the plate to maintain more consistent compressive force during charging and discharging cycles while remaining manufacturable as a single elastic component
Solution Approach 2:
The spring plate is made of carbon fiber composite material, which provides the necessary combination of stiffness and elasticity. This composite material enables the plate to maintain structural integrity while allowing controlled deformation and radius of curvature changes, achieving both manufacturing simplicity and force consistency
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 ensures a consistent compressive force across varying states of charge, preventing lithium plating/dendrites and enhancing battery longevity, while simplifying assembly by allowing for adjustable tension and space creation within the housing.
Implementation Method 1
a spring plate providing a biasing force against the plurality of battery cells; wherein the spring plate is configured such that a tension of the spring plate may be adjusted from outside of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A battery including a housing, a plurality of battery cells in the housing, and a spring plate providing a biasing force against the plurality of battery cells. The spring plate is configured such that a tension of the spring plate may be adjusted from outside of the housing.