Busbar Connecting Element With Resilient Contact Webs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connecting elements for busbars in the automotive industry are complex, requiring high clamping forces and long production cycles due to insufficiently defined contact points, which is undesirable for industries requiring short production times.
Innovation Solution
A connecting element with a housing and a contact element that divides the interior space into receiving spaces for busbars, using bearing points projecting from a side wall to limit movement, allowing easy insertion and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If screw connections with contact lamellas are used to connect busbars, then electrical contact quality is improved, but device complexity and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the housing and contact element into a single integrated component that is stamped as one piece. The contact element is formed directly within the housing structure, eliminating the need for separate screw connections and contact lamellas. This merging reduces assembly steps while maintaining reliable electrical contact between busbars.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical screw connection system with a stamped metallic housing that provides both structural support and electrical contact functionality. The metallic housing itself serves as the contact path, substituting complex mechanical fastening systems with a simpler monolithic structure that achieves both mechanical retention and electrical connection.
2Reliability
If multiple bearing points are used to support the contact element, then movement limitation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The metallic housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, acts as the electrical contact path, and integrates the bearing points as inherent features of the stamped structure. The bearing points are not separate components but are formed directly in the housing during the stamping process, making the housing a multi-functional element that simplifies manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the housing into functional zones during the stamping process, creating bearing points as distinct but integrated features within the monolithic structure. These bearing points are formed as separate recesses or features in the stamped housing, allowing precise movement limitation while maintaining the simplicity of single-piece manufacturing.
3Reliability
If bearing points protrude from side walls into the interior, then movement limitation robustness is improved, but housing strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the geometric parameters of the bearing points and their integration into the housing structure. The bearing points are designed with specific dimensions, depths, and distributions that provide adequate movement limitation while minimizing the impact on overall housing strength. The stamped metal structure allows for parameter optimization to balance local feature requirements with global structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The metallic housing utilizes the inherent properties of stamped metal to create a composite-like structure where the bearing points are integrated features of the same material. The monolithic metallic construction ensures uniform material properties throughout, allowing the bearing points to provide robust movement limitation without creating weak points, as the entire structure is formed from the same high-strength metallic material.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A connecting element (1) serves to establish electrical contact between two busbars. The connecting element (1) comprises a housing (2) with an interior (20) and a contact element (3) which is mounted in the interior (20). The contact element (3) comprises at least one resilient contact web (32) and defines a substantially flat plane (39). The contact element (3) divides the interior (20) along the plane (39) into at least a first receiving space (21) for receiving a first busbar (4) and a second receiving space (22) for receiving a second busbar (5), wherein the contact element (3) establishes electrical contact between the first busbar (4) and the second busbar (5) by way of the at least one contact web (32).