Battery Terminal Protrusion for Adhesion and Short Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing secondary batteries face challenges in maintaining internal airtightness and preventing electrical shorts, which affect their durability and reliability due to the contact between metallic components.

Innovation Solution

A secondary battery design featuring a cap assembly with a protrusion on the terminal plate to improve adhesion and prevent electrical shorts, combined with a hexahedral can made of aluminum or aluminum alloy and a jelly-roll electrode assembly structure, ensures internal airtightness and enhanced reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a terminal plate with a protrusion is used to improve adhesion between the electrode pin and terminal plate, then the contact resistance decreases and reliability improves, but the device complexity increases due to the additional structural feature

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal plate incorporates a protrusion at the specific location where it contacts the electrode pin. This localized structural modification concentrates the adhesion enhancement function at the critical contact interface, improving reliability without requiring complex changes to the entire terminal plate structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The protrusion on the terminal plate is designed to preliminarily engage with the electrode pin during assembly, establishing optimal contact geometry before final tightening or sealing operations. This preliminary action ensures proper alignment and contact pressure from the outset, reducing contact resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If multiple metallic components are used in the cap assembly to ensure electrical connectivity, then the electrical conductivity improves, but the risk of electrical shorts increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical conductivityVSAvoidelectrical shorts
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal plate acts as an intermediary component between the electrode pin and the cap plate. The protrusion on the terminal plate provides a dedicated contact interface that mediates the electrical connection, ensuring controlled conductivity while preventing direct contact between other metallic components that could cause shorts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Metallic components are strategically positioned with localized contact areas. The protrusion creates a defined contact zone that ensures electrical connectivity where needed while maintaining insulation or spacing in other areas, preventing unintended electrical paths and shorts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Weight of moving object

If the can is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy to reduce weight, then the weight decreases and mobility improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to the softness of aluminum

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveweightVSAvoidmanufacturing precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention specifies aluminum or aluminum alloy materials with controlled compositional parameters to optimize both weight and manufacturability. By selecting appropriate alloy compositions and thickness parameters, the design achieves weight reduction while maintaining sufficient rigidity for precise manufacturing and assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The terminal plate and cap assembly are designed with preliminary positioning features that accommodate the tolerances inherent in aluminum forming processes. The protrusion and corresponding recesses provide self-aligning characteristics that compensate for minor variations in aluminum can dimensions, reducing the stringency of manufacturing precision requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2985808B1Battery terminal pin connection system and its manufacturing
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 SAMSUNG SDI CO LTD
  • EP2985808B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2985808B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2985808B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Provided is a secondary battery including: an electrode assembly including a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator disposed between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate; a can housing the electrode assembly and including an opening at one end of the can, wherein the electrode assembly is inserted into the can via the opening; a cap plate sealing the opening of the can and including a first terminal through hole; an insulating plate disposed on a lower surface of the cap plate and including a second terminal through hole; and a terminal plate disposed on a lower surface of the insulating plate and including a third terminal through hole and a protrusion formed on a neighboring portion of the third terminal through hole.