Battery Cap Protector Prevents Terminal Short-Circuiting
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Solution Overview
Problem
During the assembly of battery assemblies, accidental contact between external terminals and metallic tools can cause short-circuiting, degrading the assembling performance and requiring the use of jigs that complicate the process.
Innovation Solution
A cap with a protector is designed to be positioned adjacent to the external terminal unit, ensuring the protector is farther away than the terminal, preventing unintentional contact while allowing electrical connections without needing to be detached, thus enhancing safety and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a jig is used to prevent short-circuiting during assembly, then safety of assembling work is improved, but assembling performance degrades due to required attachment and detachment processes
Solution Approach 1:
The protector is pre-installed on the cap before the cap is attached to the electric cell. This preliminary action ensures that the protector is already in position to prevent short-circuiting when the cap is mounted, eliminating the need for separate protective jigs during assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap structure itself provides the protective function through the integrated protector. The cap serves dual purposes: sealing the electric cell and preventing short-circuiting of external terminals. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external protective jigs, thereby maintaining assembling performance while ensuring safety.
2Reliability
If a protector is positioned to prevent contact with external terminal unit, then safety is improved, but accessibility for electrical connection may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The protector is positioned locally adjacent to specific portions of the external terminal unit that require protection from metallic tools. The protector does not cover the entire terminal unit but only the vulnerable areas, leaving other areas accessible for electrical connections. This localized protection maintains both safety and operational accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Each of electric cells constituting a battery assembly is provided with external terminals. The upper end of the electric cell is covered with an upper cap surrounding the external terminals whereas the lower end of the electric cell is covered with a lower cap. The electric cell is held between an upper holder and a lower holder via the upper cap and the lower cap. The upper cap includes a protector including ribs projecting along both sides of an inspecting terminal projecting through a terminal opening. The upper ends of the ribs are located above the inspecting terminal. Consequently, a metallic tool or the like cannot be brought into contact with the inspecting terminal, thereby preventing short-circuiting. Thus, it is possible to secure an excellent assembling performance while enhancing the safety of assembling work.