Battery Rivet With Variable Thickness For Reliable Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery sealing technologies face challenges in reliably sealing around the through hole of a battery case due to inadequate pressure transmission and elastic restoration issues with hollow rivets, leading to inconsistent sealing and potential base portion fusion during high current flow.

Innovation Solution

A battery design featuring a rivet with a tubular portion that increases in thickness from one end to the other, allowing for effective pressure distribution and reduced elastic restoration, combined with a manufacturing method that includes using a puncher to form a recessed tubular portion in the rivet, ensuring reliable sealing and preventing base portion fusion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If a solid rivet is used with a long distance from one end to central portion, then the rivet can be inserted through the through hole, but the applied pressure cannot be transmitted to the central portion effectively, preventing sufficient expansion of the central portion diameter

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedistance from one end to central portion of rivetVSAvoidsealing reliability around through hole
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The rivet is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring a thicker first portion and a thinner second portion. This local quality variation allows the thicker first portion to effectively transmit swaging pressure to expand the central portion diameter for reliable sealing, while the thinner second portion facilitates easier insertion through the through hole and reduces material usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Force

If a hollow rivet is used to expand the central portion diameter, then pressure can be transmitted, but the expanded diameter becomes smaller due to elastic restoring force of the hollow tubular portion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepressure transmission capabilityVSAvoidsealing reliability around through hole
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The rivet employs a non-uniform thickness design with a thicker first portion that provides sufficient material density to resist elastic restoration, maintaining the expanded central portion diameter for reliable sealing. The thinner second portion remains hollow to allow pressure transmission during swaging while reducing overall material usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The rivet combines solid and hollow structural elements in a composite design, where the thicker first portion acts as a solid core for maintaining expansion against elastic restoration, while the thinner hollow second portion facilitates pressure transmission and insertion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Ease of operation

If a hollow rivet with even and thin tubular portion thickness is used, then the rivet can be inserted easily, but the base portion can be fused when high current flows through the rivet

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of insertionVSAvoidbase portion fusion under high current
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rivet features a non-uniform thickness design where the first portion is thicker to serve as a robust base that can dissipate high current without fusion, while the second portion is thinner to facilitate easy insertion through the through hole. This local quality variation resolves the contradiction between ease of insertion and resistance to high current effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 achieves reliable sealing around the battery case through enhanced pressure distribution and reduced elastic restoration, maintaining a sealed state even under high current conditions while preventing base portion fusion.

Implementation Method 1

as a distance from the one end of the rivet 21 to a central portion 21A in the axial direction (a length of an arrow in Fig. 7A) is long and the applied pressure may not easily be transmitted to the central portion 21A of the rivet 21 in the axial direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure transmission: Pressure Increase

Implementation Method 2

the diameter of the central portion 27D in the axial direction that is once expanded can become smaller due to an elastic restoring force of a lower tubular portion 27A

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic restoration: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

reduced elastic restoration, maintaining a sealed state even under high current conditions

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic restoration reduction: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2388849B1Battery and method of manufacturing the same
Publication Date: 2015.02.25 GS YUASA INT LTD
  • EP2388849B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP2388849B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP2388849B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

The present invention provides a battery including a rivet either inserted into a through hole defined in a lid of a battery case with gaskets and interposed therebetween, the rivet connecting a current collector connected to a power generating element within the battery case and an external terminal. One end of the rivet in the axial direction is connected to the current collector, and provided with a tubular portion recessed in the axial direction, the tubular portion is defined in one of such manners that a bottom surface of the tubular portion reaches the lid of the battery case and that the bottom surface is positioned on a side of the other end beyond the lid of the battery case, and a thickness of the tubular portion increases from the one end toward the other end.