Battery Connecting Element With Alloy Bridge For Overcurrent Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secondary battery protection circuits face inefficiencies due to the need for separate space and increased load on microcontrollers for overcurrent detection and the potential for malfunction, which can lead to unsafe conditions if an overcurrent occurs.
Innovation Solution
A connecting element for secondary batteries, comprising a lead-free alloy bridge with a melting point of 100°C to 250°C, made of tin, copper, and zinc, which can rapidly break and interrupt overcurrents without relying on a protection circuit, ensuring safety and minimizing resistance increase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protection circuit with microcontroller is used for overcurrent detection, then overcurrent protection function is provided, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the overcurrent protection function from the complex microcontroller-based protection circuit and implements it through a simple fuse element with a specific melting point. This separates the safety-critical overcurrent detection function from the control system, providing a passive, reliable protection mechanism that does not require power, programming, or complex electronics.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse element provides self-service overcurrent protection by automatically melting and interrupting the circuit when excessive current flows, without requiring external control signals, microcontroller intervention, or power supply. The protection action is inherent to the fuse element's physical properties and occurs autonomously under overcurrent conditions.
2Speed
If a fuse element with low melting point alloy is used, then overcurrent interruption speed is improved, but resistance increase occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by using a low melting point alloy only in the bridge portion of the fuse element, while the terminal electrodes remain as separate components. This localized application of the low melting point material enables rapid response to overcurrent at the critical interruption point without requiring the entire fuse element to have low melting point properties, thus maintaining better overall electrical characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse element employs composite material construction by combining the low melting point alloy (containing bismuth, lead, tin, and copper) with terminal electrode materials. This composite structure leverages the low melting point alloy for rapid overcurrent response while the overall fuse element design maintains acceptable resistance characteristics through the integration of different materials with complementary properties.
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 connecting element effectively interrupts overcurrents, ensuring safety and maintaining low resistance, even with a relatively thick design, by rapidly breaking when an overcurrent occurs, thus preventing potential battery explosions.
Implementation Method 1
a lead-free alloy bridge (13) with a melting point of 100°C to 250°C
Implementation Method 2
If an overcurrent flows, the lithium secondary battery generates Joule's heat and thus an internal temperature of the battery rapidly increases
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
A connecting element for a secondary battery is installed on a path of current flowing through a secondary battery to electrically connect components and includes a first metal plate having a first protrusion formed to protrude at one side end thereof from the center portion of the thickness direction thereof, a second metal plate located spaced apart from the first metal plate with a gap being formed therebetween and having a second protrusion formed to protrude at one side end thereof from the center portion of the thickness direction thereof and face the first protrusion, and an alloy bridge made of alloy material having a melting point lower than those of the first metal plate and the second metal plate and formed to fill the gap. The connecting element may ensure the safety of the secondary battery in use, minimize the increase of resistance caused by applying the connecting element, and be rapidly broken even though the connecting element is applied as a part with a relatively great thickness.