Structural Battery Assembly Using Solid Electrolyte Coatings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing structural batteries for vehicles require a liquid electrolyte injection process, which is costly and complex, and do not provide adequate mechanical strength, limiting their integration as both a battery and a load-supporting vehicle structure.
Innovation Solution
A structural battery design that eliminates the liquid electrolyte injection process by using solid electrolytes coated on the side surfaces of electrode layers and carbon fiber current collecting layers, with structure reinforcement layers formed from carbon fiber prepreg, allowing electrical connection between terminals and improving inter-layer mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If liquid electrolyte injection process is used, then battery charging and discharging function is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the liquid electrolyte injection process entirely from the manufacturing procedure. Instead of injecting liquid electrolyte through injection tubes requiring sealing processes, the invention uses solid electrolyte layers that are directly stacked between electrode layers during cell assembly, eliminating the complex injection and sealing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the electrolyte from liquid to solid form. This parameter change fundamentally alters the manufacturing approach, allowing solid electrolyte layers to be handled and positioned like other solid components during stacking, without requiring injection equipment or post-injection sealing
2Ease of manufacture
If liquid electrolyte injection process is used, then battery function is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the sealing process requirement by removing the injection tube inlet that would otherwise need to be sealed. The solid electrolyte layer approach uses a closed stacking process where all components are assembled in sequence without requiring post-assembly sealing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simpler, less expensive manufacturing equipment and materials by replacing complex injection systems with basic stacking operations. The solid electrolyte layers are handled as discrete components similar to electrode layers, using standard battery assembly equipment rather than specialized injection machinery
3Strength
If structure reinforcement layers are added for mechanical strength, then load support function is improved, but battery weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses carbon fiber prepreg as structure reinforcement layers, which are composite materials combining carbon fibers with a polymer matrix. These composite layers provide high mechanical strength and stiffness while maintaining low density, achieving load support functionality without significant weight penalty
Solution Approach 2:
The structure reinforcement layers serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide mechanical strength for load support, act as protective outer layers for the battery cells, and contribute to the overall structural integrity of the battery pack. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate structural components that would add weight
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
This design reduces manufacturing costs, enhances mechanical strength, and enables room-temperature manufacturing, allowing the structural battery to function both as a battery and a vehicle body frame, thereby reducing vehicle weight and increasing cruising distance.
Implementation Method 1
side surfaces of the positive electrode active material and the first carbon fiber current collecting layer, and side surfaces of the negative electrode active material and the second carbon fiber current collecting layer are coated with solid electrolytes
Implementation Method 2
a positive electrode layer formed by sequentially stacking a first carbon fiber current collecting layer and a positive electrode active material from top to bottom, a negative electrode layer formed under the positive electrode layer by sequentially stacking a negative electrode active material and a second carbon fiber current collecting layer from top to bottom
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment structural battery for a vehicle includes a positive electrode layer including a first carbon fiber current collecting layer and a positive electrode active material sequentially stacked from top to bottom, a negative electrode layer under the positive electrode layer and including a negative electrode active material and a second carbon fiber current collecting layer sequentially stacked from the top to bottom, upper and lower structure reinforcement layers stacked as outermost upper and lower layers above and below the positive and negative electrode layers, respectively, and solid electrolytes coating a boundary between the positive and negative electrode active materials and coating side surfaces of the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer, wherein the structural battery is formed by electrical connection between a positive electrode terminal connected to the positive electrode layer and a negative electrode terminal connected to the negative electrode layer.