Integrated Battery Terminal Assembly With Welded Insulators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional direct-coupled terminals in secondary batteries face high failure probabilities due to difficulty in ensuring proper adhesion between the current collector and terminal plate, making it challenging to check if they are correctly attached, which can lead to welding defects and increased resistance.
Innovation Solution
An integrated terminal design featuring a terminal assembly with a terminal insulator and cap insulator that are welded along a welding groove, eliminating the need for inter-metal welding and reducing production costs through inter-plastic welding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct-coupled terminal is used with welding of current collector and terminal plate, then electrical connection is achieved, but welding quality is poor due to difficulty in ensuring proper adhesion and checking attachment correctness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an integrated terminal body that serves as an intermediary component between the current collector and terminal plate. This terminal body includes a terminal plate portion and a current collector portion integrated into a single structure, eliminating the need for direct welding between separate components. The integrated terminal body ensures proper adhesion and electrical connection while allowing for easier inspection of attachment correctness, thereby resolving the welding quality and inspection difficulty contradictions.
2Strength
If current collector and terminal plate are closely attached, then adhesion strength is improved, but probability of welding failure increases due to tilting or inclination in manufacturing process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the terminal plate and current collector into a single integrated terminal body structure. This integration ensures that the terminal plate portion and current collector portion are pre-aligned and attached correctly during manufacturing, eliminating the risk of tilting or inclination that occurs when attaching separate components. The integrated structure maintains strong adhesion while preventing welding failures due to misalignment.
3Device complexity
If terminal plate covers current collector after insertion, then terminal structure is complete, but ability to check proper attachment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary attachment verification by designing the integrated terminal body to be pre-assembled with visible external features that indicate correct attachment. The terminal plate portion and current collector portion are integrated in advance with proper alignment, allowing inspection of attachment correctness before the terminal is inserted into the battery assembly. This preliminary action ensures attachment verification capability is maintained while achieving complete terminal structure.
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
Prevents welding failures by ensuring proper adhesion and reduces production costs by avoiding inter-metal welding processes, while maintaining structural integrity and reducing the risk of alien substance introduction.
Implementation Method 1
The terminal insulator and the cap insulator may be welded and coupled along the welding groove
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an integrated terminal, a secondary battery including the same, and a method of manufacturing the same. The integrated terminal may include a terminal assembly including a terminal member disposed to adjoin a sub-plate electrically connected to an electrode assembly of a secondary battery and a terminal insulator surrounding a side of the terminal member and a cap insulator formed along a through hole in a cap plate coupled to a case accommodating the electrode assembly and in which the through hole into which the terminal assembly is inserted is formed. When the terminal assembly is inserted into the through hole, the terminal insulator and the cap insulator may adjoin one another. A welding groove may be formed in a portion at which the terminal insulator and the cap insulator adjoin each other. The terminal insulator and the cap insulator may be welded and coupled along the welding groove.