Battery Module Hinge Coupling for Stable Bus-Bar Frame Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery modules face issues with the separation of bus-bar frames and upper plates during assembly or movement, leading to damage of flexible printed circuit boards and internal cell assemblies due to unnecessary pivoting of the bus-bar frame.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring a hinge pin and hinge coupling portion with a coupling protrusion and groove system that allows the bus-bar frame to be pivotably coupled to the upper plate, preventing separation and enabling precise assembly by limiting pivoting to a right angle, thus protecting the flexible printed circuit board and facilitating easy assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bus-bar frame and upper plate are assembled conventionally, then the assembly process is simple, but the bus-bar frame may separate from the upper plate during movement or assembly, causing damage to the flexible printed circuit board and internal cell assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling structure is divided into distinct functional elements: a coupling protrusion on the bus-bar frame and a corresponding coupling groove on the upper plate. This segmentation allows each component to have a specific function - the protrusion provides mechanical engagement while the groove receives and secures it, preventing separation without requiring a complex integrated structure
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling groove is designed to receive and nest the coupling protrusion, creating a nested configuration where the protrusion fits into the groove. This nesting arrangement ensures that the bus-bar frame and upper plate are securely interconnected, preventing separation during movement while maintaining a compact overall structure
2Ease of manufacture
If the bus-bar frame is rigidly fixed to the upper plate, then separation is prevented, but the assembly process becomes difficult and requires high skill level
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling structure employs asymmetric geometry where the coupling protrusion has a specific shape that corresponds to the coupling groove. This asymmetric design provides directional guidance during assembly, allowing the components to be easily engaged in the correct orientation without requiring high precision or skill, while still achieving a secure fixed connection
3Ease of operation
If the bus-bar frame can pivot freely, then assembly flexibility is improved, but unnecessary pivoting occurs during movement causing damage to internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling groove is designed with features that preliminarily prevent excessive pivoting before it can occur during movement. The geometric constraints of the groove and protrusion arrangement limit the pivoting range to a controlled amount during assembly, while preventing harmful excessive pivoting that would damage the flexible printed circuit board or cell assembly during operation
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module according to the present disclosure includes: a cell assembly that includes at least one battery cell; an upper plate that covers one side of the cell assembly, and includes a hinge pin adjacent at least one corner thereof; and a bus-bar frame that covers a neighboring side of the one side of the cell assembly, covered by the upper plate, and coupled to the upper plate by including a hinge coupling portion that is coupled with the hinge pin, wherein the hinge coupling portion comprises a hinge pin receiving portion where the hinge pin is received and a hinge pin cover portion that covers the hinge pin, and one of the hinge pin and the hinge coupling portion comprises a coupling protrusion portion, and the other comprises a coupling groove portion corresponding to the coupling protrusion portion.