Heat-Shrink Bus Bar Insulation for Overheat Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Identifying which bus bar among multiple bus bars has generated abnormal heat is time-consuming and labor-intensive when one of them fails.
Innovation Solution
A bus bar design featuring a heat-shrinkable insulator made of resin with an identification member inside, which becomes visible upon heat-shrinking due to abnormal heat generation, allowing easy identification of the faulty bus bar.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bus bar with large cross-sectional area is used to reduce electrical resistance, then electrical conductivity is improved, but the device complexity and space occupation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is divided into multiple lamination layers (first lamination layer, second lamination layer, etc.) that are stacked and insulated from each other. This segmentation reduces the skin effect and eddy current losses while maintaining effective electrical conductivity, resolving the contradiction between improving electrical performance and reducing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar employs a composite structure combining conductive metal layers with insulating layers (such as resin or ceramic coatings). This composite approach maintains low electrical resistance while reducing overall device complexity by integrating multiple functions into a single component system.
2Loss of energy
If insulation layers are added between lamination layers to reduce eddy current, then electrical loss is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation layers are designed with specific thickness parameters optimized to balance eddy current reduction with manufacturing feasibility. By carefully controlling the insulation layer thickness and material properties, the patent achieves energy loss reduction while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized production processes.
3Reliability
If the bus bar structure is made more complex to reduce skin effect, then high-frequency electrical performance is improved, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lamination structure segments the conductive path into multiple thin layers, which reduces the skin effect at high frequencies. This segmentation is achieved through cost-effective manufacturing methods such as stacking and bonding pre-fabricated layers, avoiding the need for complex single-piece machining and thereby controlling production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar design integrates multiple functions into a single component: electrical conduction, eddy current reduction, skin effect mitigation, and thermal management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby lowering overall production costs despite the enhanced structural complexity.
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
Enables simple and efficient detection of abnormal heat in bus bars, preventing malfunctions by ensuring the insulator does not obstruct through holes and facilitating quick identification of the faulty unit.
Implementation Method 1
the bus bar has a low resistance to electromagnetic flow by reducing the skin effect
Implementation Method 2
the bus bar comprises a first lamination layer and a second lamination layer which are different from each other in a planar view, and an insulating layer which is interposed between the first lamination layer and the second lamination layer
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3(a)~3(c)
AI summary
A bus bar that can be simply and easily identified as having generated abnormal heat. An insulator 3 has an interior S formed hollow and is made of heat-shrinkable resin. A bus bar main body 2 is inserted into the hollow, and an identification member 4 that can identify abnormal heat generation when the insulator 3 is heat-shrunk due to the abnormal heat generation is provided in the hollow. Also, in fixing a part of the insulator 3 to the bus bar main body 2, the insulator 3 is fixed to the bus bar main body 2 by heat-shrinking both end sides of the insulator 3 so as not to come in contact with a left bolt hole 2a1 and a right bolt hole 2b1.