Bus Bar Assembly for Tolerance-Tolerant Battery Tab Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery module assembly processes face challenges in easily positioning electrode tabs in bus bar openings due to tolerance issues, increased manufacturing costs, and reduced structural rigidity, especially when electrode tabs are not uniformly spaced.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring bus bar assemblies with openings that allow electrode tabs to be slidely inserted perpendicular to their draw direction, incorporating insertion portions and support grooves to guide and hold the tabs, maintaining structural rigidity even under external vibrations or shocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrode tabs are inserted into holes formed in a bus bar, then electrical connection is achieved, but insertion difficulty increases when tolerance occurs in tab arrangement interval
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is designed to be movable in the longitudinal direction, allowing dynamic adjustment during assembly. The insertion portions enable the bus bar to slide and adapt to variations in electrode tab positions, transforming a rigid insertion process into a flexible one that accommodates tolerance variations.
Solution Approach 2:
Insertion portions are introduced as intermediary structural features between the electrode tabs and the bus bar holes. These insertion portions facilitate the transition from direct hole insertion to a guided sliding insertion process, making the assembly easier and more tolerant of position variations.
2Strength
If conventional welding process is used to connect case members, then module housing is formed, but manufacturing cost and quality control burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar support is integrated with the module housing as a single unified structure rather than separate components requiring welding. This merging eliminates the welding process entirely, reducing manufacturing complexity and quality control requirements while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated bus bar support structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the housing, positions the bus bars, and maintains spatial relationships between components. This multi-functionality replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate parts and welding operations.
3Ease of operation
If bus bar structure is simplified for easy assembly, then assembly performance improves, but structural rigidity under vibration and shock decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar structure is segmented into multiple functional portions: the main bus bar body for electrical connection, movable sections for assembly flexibility, and the integrated support structure for rigidity. This segmentation allows each portion to optimize for its specific function while working together as a unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar assembly combines different structural elements with complementary properties: conductive materials for electrical performance, support structures for mechanical rigidity, and movable portions for assembly ease. This composite approach achieves multiple performance requirements simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module which includes: a battery stack formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells respectively including electrode tabs on each other; and bus bar assemblies located on sides of the battery stack, from which the electrode tabs are drawn out, to electrically connect the plurality of battery cells to each other through a plurality of electrode tabs, wherein each of the bus bar assemblies includes a plurality of openings configured to hold the plurality of electrode tabs, and each of the plurality of openings includes an insertion portion formed by opening one side thereof so that the electrode tab is slidely inserted in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the electrode tabs are drawn out.