Secondary Battery Fuse Part Design for Short Circuit Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries are prone to explosions or fires due to overcharge or internal/external short circuits, which poses a significant safety risk.
Innovation Solution
A secondary battery design incorporating a fuse part formed by welding the extension part of the electrode terminal and the terminal plate, located on an insulation member, which melts and disconnects in case of an external short circuit, thereby cutting off electrical connection and enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secondary battery is designed without a fuse mechanism, then the device complexity is reduced and manufacturing is simpler, but safety reliability deteriorates due to risk of explosion or fire from overcharge or short circuit
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse function is merged into the terminal plate structure itself. The terminal plate includes a fuse part formed by welding the extension part of the electrode terminal to the terminal plate, located on the insulation member. This integration eliminates the need for separate fuse components while providing safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse part acts as an intermediary safety mechanism between the electrode terminal and the terminal plate. When an external short circuit occurs, the fuse part melts and cuts off the electrical connection, preventing direct contact between the electrode terminal and terminal plate, thus mediating the safety risk.
2Reliability
If a fuse part is added to the terminal plate, then safety reliability is improved by cutting off electrical connection during short circuit, but device complexity increases due to additional components and welding processes
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse function is merged into the terminal plate structure itself. The terminal plate includes a fuse part formed by welding the extension part of the electrode terminal to the terminal plate, located on the insulation member. This integration eliminates the need for separate fuse components while providing safety functionality.
3Manufacturing precision
If the terminal plate has uniform thickness, then manufacturing precision is easier to maintain, but the fuse part cannot be properly formed requiring different thickness areas
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal plate is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring a first area at the center with smaller thickness and a second area outside the first area with greater thickness. This local variation in thickness enables the formation of the fuse part at the first area while maintaining structural integrity at the second area, balancing manufacturing considerations with functional requirements.
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 design effectively prevents explosions or fires by interrupting electrical flow during a short circuit, thereby improving the safety of the secondary battery.
Implementation Method 1
the fuse part is melted and cut to then cut off an electrical connection between the first electrode terminal and the first terminal plate
Implementation Method 2
a fuse part defined by a portion of the extension part and the terminal plate that are welded to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A secondary battery includes an electrode assembly; a case accommodating the electrode assembly; a cap plate coupled to a top portion of the case; an electrode terminal electrically connected to the electrode assembly and including a terminal pillar passing through the cap plate, and an extension part extending horizontally from a top end of the terminal pillar; a terminal plate electrically connected to the electrode terminal; an insulation member between the terminal plate and the cap plate; and a fuse part defined by a portion of the extension part and the terminal plate that are welded to each other and located on the insulation member.