Stepped Electrode Assembly for Irregular Battery Shapes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lithium secondary batteries are unsuitable for modern mobile devices with varied shapes due to their fixed shapes, leading to inefficiencies in space utilization and capacity, as they often result in dead space and cannot be easily adapted to fit the contours of devices.
Innovation Solution
An electrode assembly with a stepped portion is developed by stacking unit cells of varying sizes, allowing for the formation of stepped shapes that can be tailored to fit specific device designs, incorporating alternately stacked negative and positive electrodes with separators, and optionally featuring single electrodes or different electrode configurations to enhance capacity and adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If batteries are shaped according to the shapes of devices in which the batteries will be accommodated, then dead space can be minimized to efficiently use the interior space of devices, but device complexity increases due to the need for stepped shapes and varied configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode assembly is divided into multiple unit cells with different footprints, where each unit cell contains electrodes and separators. By stacking these segmented unit cells in a stepped configuration, the battery can be shaped to fit device contours while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional electrode layouts to three-dimensional stepped stacking arrangements. Unit cells are stacked in multiple layers with varying footprints, creating stepped portions that utilize vertical space and enable the battery to conform to device shapes while minimizing dead space
2Quantity of substance
If unit cells with different footprints are stacked to form stepped portions, then battery capacity can be increased by reducing dead space, but manufacturing complexity increases due to varied unit cell configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is segmented into standardized unit cells that can be manufactured using consistent processes. Each unit cell contains electrodes and separators in a modular format, allowing for simplified mass production of individual cells while the varied stacking arrangement is achieved through assembly rather than complex manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
Unit cells with smaller footprints are nested within the overall stacked structure formed by larger unit cells. This nesting approach allows smaller cells to be positioned in upper layers or adjacent positions, creating stepped portions that maximize capacity while using a limited set of standardized cell components
3Adaptability or versatility
If stepped portions are formed by stacking unit cells of different sizes, then adaptability to various device shapes is improved, but structural complexity increases due to multiple electrode configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode assembly is segmented into modular unit cells that can be independently configured with different footprints. This segmentation allows the same basic unit cell design to be adapted for various device shapes by simply changing the stacking arrangement and number of cells, rather than redesigning the entire structure
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized unit cell design serves multiple functions: it can be arranged in different quantities and configurations to create various battery shapes, maintaining structural simplicity through reuse of the same basic component while achieving high adaptability to different device form factors
Data Source
Figure 1~1C
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AI summary
There is provided an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly includes a stack of unit cells respectively including at least one negative electrode and at least one positive electrode, alternately stacked, wherein at least one separator is placed on each of both sides of the electrodes, and at least one of the unit cells has an area different from that of an adjacent unit cell to form at least one stepped portion on the electrode assembly. In addition, there are also provided a battery cell, a battery pack, and a device that include the electrode assembly.