Rechargeable Battery Insulator Alignment Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing rechargeable battery modules face mis-alignment issues during assembly due to the lack of precise connection mechanisms for electrode terminals, leading to potential improper connections and reduced reliability.

Innovation Solution

The rechargeable battery module incorporates a unique joining unit system, including protrusions and grooves on insulators and bus bars, which ensures proper alignment and connection of positive and negative electrode terminals, preventing mis-assembly by utilizing distinct structures and positions for each terminal type.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If repeated labor by workers is used to assemble unit cells with bus bars, then the battery module can be assembled, but mis-alignment of electrode terminals occurs leading to reduced reliability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection reliabilityVSAvoidassembly difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The insulator serves as an intermediary component between the bus bar and the electrode terminals. It includes guiding protrusions that fit into corresponding grooves on the bus bar, creating a mechanical interface that automatically aligns the electrode terminals with the bus bar connection points, thereby preventing mis-alignment during assembly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The insulator is pre-equipped with guiding protrusions that define the correct positioning of electrode terminals relative to the bus bar. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when assembly occurs, the alignment is already predetermined, eliminating the need for precise manual positioning during the assembly process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If simple connection structures are used for assembling unit cells, then manufacturing is easier, but mis-alignment of electrode terminals occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterminal alignment precisionVSAvoidconnection structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The insulator incorporates asymmetric guiding protrusions with different shapes and positions for positive and negative terminals. The guiding protrusions have distinct geometries that correspond to specific electrode terminals, ensuring that each terminal aligns precisely with its designated bus bar connection point. This asymmetric design prevents incorrect alignment while maintaining relatively simple overall structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The connection structure is segmented into distinct functional components: the insulator with guiding protrusions, the bus bar with receiving grooves, and the electrode terminals. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with standard processes, while the combination of these segmented parts creates the precise alignment function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8623540B2Rechargeable battery and rechargeable battery module

Publication Date: 2014.01.07 SAMSUNG SDI CO LTD

AI summary

A rechargeable battery and rechargeable battery module, the rechargeable battery including a case housing an electrode assembly, a cap plate sealing the case, at least one first insulator disposed on an outer surface of the cap plate, a pair of electrode terminals penetrating the cap plate and the first insulator, and a bus bar coupled to one of the electrode terminals, wherein the cap plate and first insulator include a first joining unit coupling the first insulator and the cap plate and the first insulator and bus bar include a second joining unit selectively coupling the first insulator and the bus bar.