Secondary Battery Interconnected Electrode Tabs Fastening
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing process for lithium secondary batteries is inefficient due to the need for welding of positive and negative electrode tabs, which increases processing time and compromises reliability.
Innovation Solution
A secondary battery design that fastens the positive and negative electrode tabs to the cap plate or external terminal using threaded fasteners instead of welding, eliminating the welding process and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If welding is used to couple electrode tabs to cap plate and terminal plate, then electrical connection is achieved, but process time increases and reliability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the welding process from the battery assembly process and replaces it with a mechanical pressing operation. The electrode tabs are pre-formed with protrusions that engage with corresponding recesses in the cap plate and terminal plate, allowing assembly through simple pressing without welding equipment or procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal-mechanical welding system with a purely mechanical pressing system. The protrusions on electrode tabs mechanically engage with recesses in the cap plate and terminal plate through pressing force, eliminating the need for welding equipment, heat input, and associated process controls.
2Ease of manufacture
If welding is used to couple electrode tabs, then electrical connection is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The welding operation is extracted from the manufacturing process and replaced with a mechanical pressing operation. This simplifies the manufacturing line by removing welding equipment, heat treatment processes, and quality inspection procedures for weld integrity, while improving reliability through consistent mechanical engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the connection mechanism from thermal-mechanical welding to purely mechanical pressing. The protrusion-recess geometry is designed to provide adequate electrical and mechanical connection through pressing force alone, changing the fundamental parameters of the joining process to eliminate welding-related complexities and reliability issues.
3Reliability
If electrode tabs are separated by predetermined distance, then electrical insulation is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical insulation function with the mechanical support structure. The cap plate and terminal plate serve dual purposes: they mechanically support the electrode tabs through protrusion-recess engagement while simultaneously providing electrical insulation between the positive and negative tabs through their insulating material construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap plate and terminal plate are designed as multi-functional components that simultaneously provide mechanical support, electrical insulation, and electrical connection pathways. The insulating plates between the cap plate and electrode assembly provide both structural support and electrical isolation, eliminating the need for separate insulation components.
Data Source
AI summary
A secondary battery is capable of fastening a positive electrode tab and a negative electrode tab to each other without performing welding. The secondary battery comprises an electrode assembly including a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, a positive electrode tab and a negative electrode tab coupled to the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, respectively, a housing accommodating the electrode assembly and having one side open, a plate sealing up the open part of the housing, a fastening unit formed so as to protrude from the plate in a non-penetrating structure, and a first tab terminal inserted into the fastening unit via the positive electrode tab so as to electrically couple the positive electrode tab and the plate to each other.