Terraced Battery Cell Feedthroughs for Thin Hermetic Enclosures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery cell feedthroughs are limited in dimension, restricting the thickness of battery enclosures to a minimum due to the need for insulation and hermetic sealing, which hinders the development of thin battery cells with reduced resistance and increased packaging efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The feedthrough is positioned at a terraced region of the enclosure with a reduced thickness, incorporating an annular channel, insulator, and pin, allowing for a larger cross-sectional area and easier welding, thus enabling a hermetic seal and improved electrical connection without throttling current flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional feedthroughs are used in battery enclosures, then hermetic sealing and insulation are achieved, but the enclosure thickness is restricted to a minimum dimension
Solution Approach 1:
The feedthrough is repositioned from a side wall location to a terraced surface location on the enclosure. This dimensional relocation allows the feedthrough to utilize the terraced surface area rather than penetrating through the full enclosure thickness, thereby enabling thin enclosure designs while maintaining hermetic sealing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
A terraced portion is created at a specific location on the enclosure with reduced thickness relative to other portions. This localized thickness reduction is strategically positioned to accommodate the feedthrough, allowing the rest of the enclosure to maintain its structural integrity and full thickness for hermetic sealing.
2Reliability
If conventional feedthroughs are used in battery enclosures, then insulation is provided, but the cross-sectional area is limited and welding becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By moving the feedthrough to the terraced surface, the configuration provides an enlarged cross-sectional area at the terraced portion. This increased area facilitates easier welding operations and improves electrical connection reliability while maintaining adequate insulation through the insulator material positioned within the annular channel.
3Productivity
If enclosure thickness is reduced for thin battery cells, then packaging efficiency increases, but feedthrough installation becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The terraced portion is pre-formed on the enclosure during the enclosure manufacturing process, creating a prepared receptacle for the feedthrough. This preliminary action ensures that when the feedthrough is later installed, there is adequate space and proper alignment, simplifying the installation process even in thin enclosures.
Solution Approach 2:
The terraced surface provides an additional dimensional space on the enclosure surface, allowing the feedthrough to be accommodated without increasing the overall enclosure thickness. This enables thin battery cell designs while maintaining proper feedthrough installation capability.
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 configuration enhances the performance of thin battery cells by reducing impedance, increasing packaging efficiency, and ensuring reliable hermetic sealing, even in enclosures thinner than 2 mm, while preventing electrical shorting.
Implementation Method 1
The insulator may be formed of glass and may be bonded to the inner sidewall of the annular channel
Implementation Method 2
welding an outer ring of the annular channel to the enclosure along a periphery of the opening
Implementation Method 3
sealing the enclosure to hermetically seal the cathode and anode layers
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed technology relates to electrical feedthroughs for thin battery cells. A battery cell enclosure includes a terraced portion having a reduced thickness relative to another portion of the enclosure. The enclosure includes an opening disposed on a horizontal surface of the terraced portion for receiving the electrical feedthrough. Because the feedthrough is disposed on the horizontal surface of the terraced portion, the feedthrough may be over-sized thereby reducing the resistance and impedance of the feedthrough without increasing the height or thickness of the enclosure.