Battery Module Current Collector Overlap for Tolerance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional current collecting structures in electric power storage modules face challenges in achieving high dimensional accuracy due to increased tolerance in current collector plates produced by bending sheet metal.
Innovation Solution
The electric power storage module employs a simple flat plate-shaped current collector main body with adjacent plates overlapping in the height direction, allowing for precise alignment and reduced tolerance, enabling a current collecting structure with high dimensional accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If current collector plates are produced by bending sheet metal with stepped parts, then electrical connection between batteries is achieved, but manufacturing precision and dimensional accuracy deteriorate due to increased tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The current collector plate is divided into a first flat plate part and a second flat plate part that are positioned at different heights. This segmentation allows each part to be independently manufactured with standard sheet metal bending processes, while the overall structure achieves the desired electrical connection function without requiring complex stepped formations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional stepped structure to a three-dimensional stacked structure where the first and second flat plate parts are positioned at different heights. This dimensional change eliminates the need for complex bending operations while maintaining electrical connection functionality, thereby improving manufacturing precision.
2Reliability
If complex stepped parts are used to connect flat plate parts, then electrical connection structure is formed, but device complexity increases making tolerance control difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the stepped part formation from the current collector plate design, eliminating the need for complex bending operations. The first and second flat plate parts are positioned at different heights through a simpler structural arrangement, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable electrical connection between adjacent batteries.
3Ease of manufacture
If sheet metal bending with stepped parts is used, then current collection function is achieved, but tolerance increases reducing dimensional accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating stepped parts through complex bending operations, the patent inverts the approach by positioning flat plate parts at different heights through a simpler structural arrangement. This inversion eliminates the tolerance accumulation associated with multiple bending operations while maintaining the current collection function.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module includes a plurality of batteries arranged in a row, and a plurality of current collector plates electrically connected to the plurality of electric power storage devices, wherein the plurality of batteries is arranged in a direction orthogonal to a height direction of each battery. The plurality of current collector plates includes a flat plate shaped current collector main body that is inclined with respect to an arrangement direction of the plurality of batteries, and arranged in a row. The plurality of current collector plates includes a first current collector plate and a second current collector plate that are adjacent to each other, and a part of the current collector main body in the first current collector plate overlaps at least a part of the current collector main body in the second current collector plate in the height direction.