Battery Module Bus Bar Coupling With Guide-Aligned Cell Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing battery modules often result in damage or deformation of battery cells and cell tabs due to narrow bus bar assembly slots and cumulative stacking tolerances, leading to improper assembly and potential functional failures of hybrid and electric vehicle battery packs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module manufacturing method and apparatus that uses a guide to align and couple cell tabs with a bus bar assembly in a perpendicular direction, allowing the bus bar assembly to push out the guide, thereby minimizing damage and facilitating easy coupling while accommodating cell tabs in grooves and opening portions, ensuring proper alignment and connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the slots on the bus bar assembly are made narrow to improve connection precision, then manufacturing precision is improved, but cell tabs cannot be inserted due to cumulative stacking tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure is introduced as an intermediary component between the cell tabs and the bus bar assembly. The guide includes grooves that receive and align the cell tabs, mediating the connection process. This allows the slots on the bus bar assembly to remain narrow for precision while the guide's grooves provide the necessary alignment tolerance to accommodate cumulative stacking variations during assembly.
2Strength
If force is applied to couple cell tabs with the bus bar assembly, then connection strength is improved, but cell tabs and battery cells are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure serves as a mediator that distributes and redirects the coupling force. Instead of applying force directly to the cell tabs and bus bar assembly connection points, the guide's grooves guide the cell tabs into proper alignment, allowing the bus bar assembly to be coupled in a direction perpendicular to the cell tab protrusion. This indirect force application path prevents damage while achieving secure connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar assembly is coupled in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cell tabs protrude from the battery cells. This dimensional change in the coupling approach allows force to be applied through the guide structure rather than directly to the cell tabs, reducing damage risk while maintaining connection strength.
3Device complexity
If cell tabs are aligned precisely without a guide, then device complexity is reduced, but insertion fails due to cumulative stacking tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The guide structure is a relatively simple intermediary component that provides alignment functionality. It includes grooves that pass through openings in the bus bar assembly, creating a straightforward alignment mechanism. This guide structure accommodates cumulative stacking tolerance by providing physical guidance for cell tab insertion, achieving precise alignment without requiring complex alignment systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module manufacturing method comprising according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: coupling a guide with cell tabs, the guide aligning the cell tabs of each of a plurality of battery cells with the cell tabs; and coupling a bus bar assembly with the cell tabs, in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the cell tabs protrude from the battery cells, the bus bar assembly that electrically connects the cell tabs to each other, wherein, while the bus bar assembly is being coupled with the cell tabs, the bus bar assembly pushes out the guide in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the cell tabs protrude.