Battery Pack Bus Bar Layout for Lower Cell Voltage Differences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges in efficiently managing high voltage differences between battery cells, leading to increased risks of electrical shorts and reduced safety, particularly when configuring bus bars along the column direction rather than the row direction.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design with bus bars arranged in a zigzag configuration along the row direction, intersecting the lengthwise direction of the cells, and incorporating a circuit board with escape holes exposing protruding connection pieces to minimize overlapping with solid portions, enhancing electrical connections and reducing potential differences between adjacent cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the number of battery cells is increased to meet power and capacity requirements, then output voltage and output current increase, but voltage differences between adjacent cells increase leading to higher risk of electrical shorts
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board connects adjacent battery cells at the same potential through escape holes that expose protruding connection pieces of bus bars. This equipotential connection minimizes voltage differences between adjacent cells, preventing electrical shorts while allowing high-voltage configurations with increased power output
2Power
If battery cells are connected in high-voltage configurations (64-cell, 72-cell), then power and capacity requirements are met, but potential differences between cells can exceed 200V increasing safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board design with escape holes exposes protruding connection pieces that create equipotential connections between adjacent cells. This reduces potential differences to safe levels even in 64-cell and 72-cell high-voltage configurations, eliminating the harmful effect of excessive voltage differences while maintaining required power output
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional battery pack design is used, then manufacturing is simpler, but heat dissipation is insufficient leading to reduced safety and performance
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board serves multiple functions: electrical connection between cells and heat dissipation through escape holes. This multi-functional design improves heat dissipation without adding separate cooling components, maintaining ease of manufacture while enhancing thermal management safety and performance
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 zigzag arrangement of bus bars and circuit board design reduces maximum voltage differences between adjacent cells, improving safety and reducing the risk of electrical shorts, while maintaining high energy density and compatibility with various cell configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a cell holder with hollow protrusions for cooling flow paths, reducing potential differences and enhancing safety by minimizing electrical interference and improving heat dissipation
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack including a plurality of battery cells; a plurality of bus bars, each bus bar electrically connecting two different battery cells among the plurality of battery cells, and including coupling pieces at opposite ends thereof that are coupled to the two different battery cells, and a protruding connecting piece at a center of the bus bar that connects the coupling pieces at the opposite ends; and a circuit board on the plurality of bus bars and electrically connected to at least a portion of the plurality of battery cells, the circuit board having escape holes that expose the protruding connection piece of each bus bar.