Busbar Frame Support Structure for Battery Module Molding Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
As battery modules increase in size to accommodate more battery cells, injection molding defects such as unmolded sections occur in components, which can lead to increased weight, thermal resistance, and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design that includes a busbar frame with a support part featuring an extension region and protrusion regions. These protrusion regions are strategically placed to reinforce the thickness of the busbar frame, preventing unmolded sections and maintaining a thin profile to minimize weight and thermal resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the battery module size is increased to accommodate more battery cells, then the capacity and power are improved, but molding defects such as unmolded sections occur in the busbar frame component
Solution Approach 1:
The busbar frame is designed with variable thickness, featuring a first thickness in the main body and a second thickness (greater than the first) at the connection portion where battery cells are connected. This local quality enhancement ensures adequate material flow and molding quality at the connection portion without increasing the overall size of the busbar frame, thereby preventing unmolded sections while maintaining compact dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The busbar frame is designed in advance with a thicker connection portion at the location where battery cells will be connected. This preliminary design consideration ensures that when injection molding is performed, sufficient material reaches the connection portion before the molding process completes, preventing unmolded sections from occurring at this critical location.
2Manufacturing precision
If the busbar frame size is increased to prevent molding defects, then the molding quality is improved, but the weight and thermal resistance increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing the busbar frame thickness throughout, the design applies localized thickness enhancement only at the connection portion where battery cells are connected. This ensures adequate molding quality at the critical connection area while maintaining a thin profile in other areas, thereby minimizing overall weight and thermal resistance of the busbar frame.
3Manufacturing precision
If the busbar frame size is increased to prevent molding defects, then the molding quality is improved, but the thermal performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The busbar frame design implements variable thickness with a thicker connection portion only where battery cells are connected, maintaining thin dimensions in other regions. This localized approach ensures adequate material flow and molding quality at the connection portion while preserving low thermal resistance in the overall structure, as the majority of the busbar frame remains thin and does not impede heat dissipation.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module includes a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, and a busbar frame located on a front surface or a rear surfaces of the battery cell stack, the busbar frame includes a support part surrounding at least a portion of a bottom surface of the battery cell stack, and the support part includes an extension region extending from the busbar frame in a lengthwise direction of a battery cell of the plurality of battery cells, and a protrusion region on the extension region.