Battery Pack Cell Alignment Panel for Weld Strap Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges during assembly, particularly in accurately placing the cell strap on the electric terminals of the battery cells, and maintaining the connection throughout the lifespan of the battery pack.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design that includes a housing with a cell carrier having openings for battery cells, a panel with projections to align and secure the cells, and a weld strap with contact elements to ensure accurate electrical coupling, using ribs and protrusions for support and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If cell straps are welded to electric terminals during battery pack assembly, then electrical connection is established between battery cells, but accurate placement of cell straps on electric terminals is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing a panel with positioning features (protrusions or recesses) that pre-establish the correct spatial relationship between electric terminals and cell strap contact elements. This allows the cell strap to be accurately positioned on the terminals before the welding operation occurs, eliminating the placement difficulty during the welding process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel serves as an intermediary component between the electric terminals and the cell strap. It includes positioning features that engage with both the terminals and the contact elements, mediating their relative positions and ensuring accurate alignment without requiring direct manual positioning during welding.
2Reliability
If cell straps are used to electrically couple battery cells, then electrical connection is maintained, but connection stability throughout the lifespan of the battery pack is compromised due to placement inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
By pre-positioning the cell strap contact elements on the panel at locations that correspond to the electric terminal positions, the invention ensures accurate alignment before welding. This preliminary positioning action guarantees that the cell strap will be correctly placed on all terminals, maintaining connection stability throughout the battery pack's lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel acts as a mediator that ensures precise and stable connection between the cell strap and electric terminals. Its positioning features (protrusions or recesses) guide the contact elements into correct alignment with the terminals, ensuring reliable electrical coupling that maintains stability over the product's lifetime.
3Manufacturing precision
If battery cells are positioned in the cell carrier, then electrical terminals are exposed for connection, but accurate alignment of terminals with cell strap contact elements is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is prepared in advance with positioning features that correspond to the known positions of electric terminals in the cell carrier. This preliminary configuration of the panel allows for automatic or semi-automatic assembly where the battery cells can be placed in the carrier and the cell strap can be positioned on the panel without requiring complex real-time alignment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel serves as an intermediary assembly platform that simplifies the manufacturing process. By incorporating positioning features that engage with both the cell carrier structure and the cell strap, it mediates the alignment between electrical terminals and contact elements, making the assembly process easier and more precise.
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 enhances the precision and durability of electrical connections by aligning and securing battery cells within the battery pack, ensuring stable and reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
The contact elements may be contact resistance welded to the electrical terminals of the battery cells.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack including a housing having an interface for receiving an electronic device. A cell carrier is positioned with the housing. The cell carrier includes a plurality of openings. Each of the openings are configured to receive one of a plurality of battery cells. The battery pack further includes a weld strap having a plurality of contact elements configured to be electrically coupled to an electrical terminal of each battery cell. A panel is positioned between the weld strap and the cell carrier. The panel configured to align the electrical terminals of each battery cell within the respective openings.