Capacitor Current Collector Plate Laser Welding and Polarity Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

In capacitor manufacturing, ensuring a robust and reliable connection between current collector plates and external terminals while minimizing internal resistance and simplifying the connection process is challenging, particularly due to stress on current collectors and difficulties in polarity discrimination during assembly.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves providing individual current collector plates between anode and cathode parts and their respective terminal members, with these plates being connected via laser welding to reduce resistance and simplify the connection process, and using the shape or area of electrode protrusions for accurate polarity discrimination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If current collector plates are used to connect external terminals to capacitor elements, then internal resistance is reduced, but connection reliability deteriorates due to stress affecting the connection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinternal resistanceVSAvoidconnection reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A current collector plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the external terminal and the capacitor element. This plate serves as a mediator that distributes mechanical stress away from the fragile connection points, while maintaining low electrical resistance through its conductive material properties and large contact area with both the terminal and the element's current collector foil.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If visual inspection is used for polarity discrimination during assembly, then connection accuracy is maintained, but productivity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepolarity discrimination accuracyVSAvoidassembly speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The current collector plates are provided with polarity identification markings (such as different colors, patterns, or symbols on opposite sides) that enable automated optical inspection systems to quickly and accurately determine the correct polarity orientation without requiring manual visual inspection, thereby maintaining high connection accuracy while dramatically increasing assembly speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

3Strength

If current collector plates cover current collector foil with welding connection, then connection strength is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection strengthVSAvoidconnection structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The current collector plate integrates multiple functions into a single component: it provides mechanical support for the external terminal, creates a low-resistance electrical connection to the capacitor element through contact with the current collector foil, and offers polarity identification features. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall connection structure while maintaining strong and reliable connections.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

This approach results in reduced internal resistance, improved connection reliability, automated polarity discrimination, and efficient manufacturing by ensuring correct polarity connections and enabling the detection of defective capacitor elements, leading to high-speed and cost-effective production.

Implementation Method 1

in a connecting step, the current collector plate is connected to the electrode protrusion part that is drawn from an electrode of a capacitor element to an element end-face of the capacitor element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser welding: Laser Beam Welding

Data Source

PatentEP2608230B1Capacitor, and method and program for manufacturing same
Publication Date: 2020.08.05 NIPPON CHEMI CON CORP
  • EP2608230B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2608230B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2608230B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

It is achieved to reduce resistance of a capacitor, to make the connection structure robust and to simplify the connecting steps by including: an anode part (6) that is an anode body of a capacitor element (4) and is formed over the element end-face; a cathode part (8) that is a cathode body of the capacitor element and is formed over the element end-face; an anode terminal (10) or an anode terminal member (anode connecting plate 62) that includes the anode terminal; a cathode terminal (14) or a cathode terminal member (cathode connecting plate 64) that includes the cathode terminal; an anode current collector plate (12) that is connected to the anode part and the anode terminal or anode terminal member; and a cathode current collector plate (16) that is connected to the cathode part and the cathode terminal or cathode terminal member. Furthermore, the anode side and the cathode side are discriminated, using a shape of the end-face of the anode part or the cathode part as identification information.