Jelly Roll Battery With Variable Thickness For Irregular Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery pack designs for portable electronic devices inefficiently utilize space due to their rectangular shape and uniform dimensions, which limits the use of non-rectangular and irregularly shaped free space within the devices.
Innovation Solution
A rechargeable battery cell with a jelly roll design featuring multiple thicknesses, achieved by removing material from the cathode or anode layers before winding, allowing for a non-rectangular shape that can accommodate various device shapes and efficiently use space by varying thickness from top to bottom or in a stair-stepped manner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If rectangular cells of the same capacity, size, and dimensions are used in a battery pack, then the battery pack structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the free space in the portable electronic device that is outside of a rectangular space cannot be utilized
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into multiple individual battery cells that can be independently arranged. Each cell can have different dimensions, allowing them to be segmented and positioned to fit irregular spaces within the electronic device, thereby improving space utilization while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
Battery cells with non-uniform dimensions are employed, particularly with varying thickness profiles. This asymmetric design allows the battery pack to conform to irregularly shaped cavities in portable devices, maximizing space utilization while the cells themselves can still be manufactured using standardized processes
2Productivity
If multiple pouches are placed side-by-side within a portable electronic device to form a battery pack, then the packaging efficiency is improved, but the battery pack requires space that is at least the length of each cell, twice the thickness of each cell, and three times the width of each cell
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple thinner battery cells are nested or stacked within a common pouch enclosure rather than placing multiple full-sized pouches side by side. This nesting approach achieves the desired packaging efficiency and capacity while significantly reducing the overall volume and external dimensions of the battery pack, allowing it to fit within tighter device constraints
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of expanding the battery pack in two dimensions by placing multiple pouches side-by-side, the design utilizes the thickness dimension by creating cells with varying thickness profiles. This dimensional approach allows multiple cells to be arranged in a compact configuration that optimizes space utilization without proportionally increasing the overall pack volume
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of a battery cell with multiple thicknesses. This battery cell includes a jelly roll enclosed in a pouch, wherein the jelly roll includes layers which are wound together, including a cathode with an active coating, a separator, and an anode with an active coating. The jelly roll also includes a first conductive tab coupled to the cathode and a second conductive tab coupled to the anode. The jelly roll is enclosed in a flexible pouch, and the first and second conductive tabs are extended through seals in the pouch to provide terminals for the battery cell. Furthermore, the battery cell has two or more thicknesses, wherein the different thicknesses are created by removing material from one or more of the layers before winding the layers together.