Battery Module U-Shaped Adaptor for Low Contact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery modules experience high contact resistance and coupling issues due to a small contact area between terminals and conductive connectors, limiting current collecting efficiency and requiring excessive torque that can lead to coupling failures.
Innovation Solution
The battery module design features a terminal contact portion with a planar contact surface and a U-shaped electrically conductive adaptor, coupled using a coupling member like a bolt and nut, which increases the contact area and reduces torque-induced rotation, enhancing current collection efficiency and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nuts are used to couple electrically conductive adaptors to terminals, then the terminals can be electrically connected, but the contact area between terminal and conductor is small resulting in high contact resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The electrically conductive adaptor integrates both electrical connection and mechanical fastening functions into a single component. The adaptor body directly contacts the terminal contact surface while the integrated nut provides fastening, eliminating the need for separate contact elements and thereby increasing the effective contact area between terminal and conductor.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact surface geometry transitions from point or line contact to extensive planar contact. The adaptor contact surface is designed with specific dimensional parameters (length and width) that create a large-area contact interface with the terminal, transforming the contact regime and reducing contact resistance.
2Loss of energy
If sufficient coupling torque is applied to reduce contact resistance, then contact resistance decreases, but the terminal rotates causing coupling failure
Solution Approach 1:
The electrically conductive adaptor combines the electrical connection function with the mechanical fastening function in one integrated component. This merging allows the fastening force to be directly transmitted through the adaptor body to the terminal contact surface, enabling effective contact pressure without requiring high torque that would cause terminal rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction coefficient between the adaptor and terminal is optimized through material selection and surface treatment. By changing the friction parameter to an appropriate range, sufficient contact pressure is achieved to reduce contact resistance while the torque required to achieve this pressure remains below the threshold that causes terminal rotation.
3Productivity
If the contact area between terminal and conductor is increased, then current collecting efficiency improves, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor integrates multiple functions (electrical connection, mechanical fastening, and current collection) into a single component structure. This merging approach increases the effective contact area for current collection without proportionally increasing structural complexity, as the same adaptor body that provides fastening also serves as the current collection element.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrically conductive adaptor serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical connection between terminals, acts as a mechanical fastener through the integrated nut, and serves as the current collection path. This multi-functionality allows improved current collecting efficiency without adding separate components that would increase structural complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery module includes a plurality of unit batteries, each unit battery having a terminal having a terminal contact portion. An electrically conductive adaptor connects the terminals of adjacent unit batteries, the electrically conductive adaptor having an adaptor contact surface. The terminal contact portion has a contact portion contact surface coupled to the adaptor contact surface. The contact portion contact surface and the adaptor contact surface are parallel to a longitudinal axis of the terminal. The electrically conductive adaptor may have a U-shaped cross-section, and the terminal may comprise a slit parallel to the longitudinal axis of the terminal.