Bus Bar Terminal Assembly for Low-Resistance Laser Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical assemblies face challenges in achieving low resistance connections between bus bars and terminals, while also ensuring complex assembly processes are simplified and fasteners are minimized.
Innovation Solution
The electrical assembly incorporates a bus bar with an aperture and a slot, allowing for flexible alignment and laser welding with the terminal, which reduces resistance and eliminates the need for separate fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional mechanical fastening methods are used to connect bus bars and terminals, then the connection is secure and reliable, but the assembly process becomes complex and requires multiple fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar and terminal are merged into a single integrated component where the terminal is formed as an extension of the bus bar. This eliminates the need for separate fasteners and simplifies the assembly process, as the connection is made through laser welding of the integrated structure rather than mechanical fastening of separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical fastening system (bolts, nuts, clips) is replaced with a thermal joining system using laser welding. The laser welding process directly fuses the bus bar and terminal materials together, eliminating the need for mechanical fasteners and reducing assembly complexity while maintaining connection reliability.
2Reliability
If bus bars and terminals are connected using traditional mechanical fastening, then the connection is reliable, but the electrical resistance at the connection point is higher
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical fastening connection is replaced with a metallurgical bond through laser welding. This creates a continuous electrical path between the bus bar and terminal with lower contact resistance compared to mechanical interfaces, while maintaining connection reliability through the strength of the welded joint.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection method is changed from mechanical (discrete contact points) to thermal fusion (continuous material bond). This parameter change in the joining process results in improved electrical conductivity at the connection interface by eliminating contact resistance inherent in mechanical fastening systems.
3Strength
If multiple fasteners are used to secure the bus bar and terminal, then the connection is secure, but the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fastening operations are merged into a single laser welding process. The integrated bus bar-terminal structure requires only one welding operation to secure the connection, eliminating the sequential fastening steps needed for multiple fasteners and significantly reducing assembly time while maintaining connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-step mechanical fastening process is replaced with a single-pass laser welding operation. This substitution eliminates the time required to install, position, and secure multiple fasteners, while the laser welding process provides rapid heating and cooling cycles that create strong joints in a single operation.
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 configuration results in lower resistance connections and a less complex assembly process, as the bus bar and terminal are securely joined through laser welding, eliminating the need for additional fasteners.
Implementation Method 1
laser welding with the terminal
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical assembly comprises a body, an electrical terminal connected to the body and a bus bar electrically connected to the electrical terminal. The bus bar includes an aperture in which the electrical terminal is partially disposed. The bus bar includes a slot extending from the aperture. A second electrical terminal can be connected to the body. A second bus bar can be electrically connected to the second electrical terminal.