Battery Module Bus Bar Fuse Segmentation for Overcurrent Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rechargeable battery modules lack effective overcurrent protection, particularly when currents of lower intensity continuously flow, leading to potential safety hazards due to unmelting fuses and increased internal temperatures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a bus bar with a fuse part that melts at a lower operation current than the current collecting fuse, and utilizing a heat insulating member to manage heat dissipation and prevent arc contact with electrolyte solutions, ensuring safe overcurrent blocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only a current collecting fuse part is provided in the battery module, then the device complexity is reduced, but the overcurrent protection reliability is insufficient because the fuse does not melt at lower intensity continuous overcurrents
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse function is segmented into two distinct parts: a bus bar fuse part with a first melting current and a current collecting fuse part with a second melting current. This segmentation allows each fuse part to handle different overcurrent scenarios, with the bus bar fuse part responding to lower intensity continuous overcurrents and the current collecting fuse part handling higher intensity overcurrents, thereby improving overall protection reliability without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the melting current parameter of the bus bar fuse part to be lower than that of the current collecting fuse part. This parameter differentiation enables the bus bar fuse part to melt first under continuous overcurrent conditions, providing reliable protection for the battery module while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
2Ease of manufacture
If the bus bar fuse part is exposed without insulation, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the safety is compromised due to potential arc contact with electrolyte solutions
Solution Approach 1:
A heat insulating member is introduced as an intermediary between the bus bar fuse part and the electrolyte solution. This heat insulating member prevents direct contact and potential arc formation while maintaining the simplified manufacturing process, as the heat insulating member can be integrated into the existing battery module structure without adding complex assembly steps
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the current collecting fuse part is used alone for overcurrent protection, then the device complexity is low, but the harmful effects increase due to inability to block lower intensity continuous overcurrents leading to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar fuse part is designed to act preliminarily by melting first under continuous overcurrent conditions before the current collecting fuse part would be affected. This preliminary action blocks lower intensity continuous overcurrents that would otherwise cause overheating and potential explosion, while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through the dual-fuse design
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 solution effectively blocks overcurrents by melting the bus bar fuse before the current collecting fuse, enhancing safety by preventing continuous overcurrent states and reducing the risk of explosion or ignition.
Implementation Method 1
An operation current at which the bus bar fuse part is melted is less than an operation current at which the current collecting fuse part is melted
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a heat insulating member to manage heat dissipation and prevent arc contact with electrolyte solutions
Implementation Method 3
the current collecting member including a current collecting fuse part
Implementation Method 4
a bus bar electrically connecting the rechargeable batteries
Data Source
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AI summary
A rechargeable battery module includes a plurality of rechargeable batteries (101), each of the rechargeable batteries (101) including an electrode assembly (10) including a positive electrode (12) and a negative electrode (11), and a first electrode terminal (21) and a second electrode terminal (22) connected to the electrode assembly (10), and a bus bar (71) electrically connecting the rechargeable batteries (101), the bus bar (71) including a bus bar fuse part (71d, 71e, 73c, 73d, 73e, 75b, 75c). The first electrode terminal (21) is connected to and installed with a current collecting member(51) that connects the electrode assembly (10) and the first electrode terminal (21). The current collecting member (51) includes a current collecting fuse part (514, 515). An operation current at which the bus bar fuse part (71d, 71e, 73c, 73d, 73e, 75b, 75c) is melted is less than an operation current at which the current collecting fuse part (514, 515) is melted.