Battery Pack Tab Positioning via Spacer Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing methods for battery packs face challenges in ensuring precise positioning of electrode tabs with respect to bus bars, leading to potential displacement and reduced joining quality due to variations in battery cell thickness, which affects the electrical connection and overall performance.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method and device that involves positioning the electrode tabs at predetermined locations using spacers, allowing for precise alignment before joining the bus bar to the electrode tabs, ensuring consistent and high-quality electrical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If laser welding is carried out in a state in which electrode tabs are inserted into bent portion of bus bar, then joining can be performed, but position displacement occurs due to variation in battery cell thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is moved in one direction in advance to position the electrode tabs at predetermined positions before the bus bar is joined to the electrode tabs, ensuring accurate positioning is achieved prior to the joining process
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer acts as an intermediary component that facilitates positioning of the electrode tabs relative to the bus bar, enabling precise alignment through its movement capability
2Reliability
If electrode tabs are inserted into bent portion of bus bar, then electrical connection is established, but joining quality is reduced due to position displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode tabs are positioned at predetermined positions by moving the spacer before the bus bar is joined to the electrode tabs, ensuring accurate positioning is achieved prior to the joining process to maintain both reliability and precision
Solution Approach 2:
The position of the spacer is changed by moving it in one direction to adjust the positioning of electrode tabs, allowing optimization of joining quality while maintaining electrical connection reliability
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
This approach enhances the joining quality by maintaining precise alignment and reducing variations, thereby improving the electrical connectivity and reliability of the battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
an electrode tab positioning step for positioning joining portions of the electrode tabs to the bus bar at predetermined positions in a movement direction of the spacers by moving the spacers in one direction
Implementation Method 2
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2012-515418 (referred to herein as Patent Document 1) discloses a method of carrying out laser welding in a state in which the electrode tabs of each unit cell are inserted into a bent portion of the bus bar
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing method of manufacturing a battery pack that includes: a cell group obtained by stacking unit cells in a stacking direction, and a bus bar electrically connecting the unit cells. Each of the unit cells has a cell body, an electrode tab and a spacer. The electrode tabs protrude out from the cell bodies, and are supported by the spacers. The method includes positioning joining portions of the electrode tabs to the bus bar at predetermined positions in a movement direction of the spacers by moving the spacers in one direction in a state in which the unit cells and the spacers are stacked, before the bus bar is joined to the electrode tabs. In addition, the method includes joining the bus bar to the electrode tabs in a state in which the joining portions of the electrode tabs are positioned at the predetermined positions.