Composite Battery Terminals for Welding and Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing secondary battery modules face challenges in efficient electrical coupling and welding of terminals due to material differences and thermal issues during the assembly process, which affect bond strength and ease of welding.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates terminals made from different materials (aluminum and copper) with integrated collectors and guides, and bus bars formed from the same material as the terminals, allowing for precise alignment and high bond strength during welding, and includes insulators to prevent heat transfer and thermal deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If terminals are made from different materials (aluminum and copper) to match electrode plate materials, then electrical coupling efficiency is improved, but welding difficulty increases due to material incompatibility
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is constructed as a composite structure with a first terminal plate (aluminum) electrically coupled to the first electrode plate and a second terminal plate (copper) electrically coupled to the second electrode plate. This composite material approach allows each terminal plate to be made from the same material as its corresponding electrode plate, optimizing electrical coupling efficiency while avoiding the need to weld dissimilar materials together, thus resolving the welding difficulty issue.
2Reliability
If bus bars are welded to terminals during module assembly, then electrical connection is achieved, but thermal deformation occurs affecting bond strength
Solution Approach 1:
An insulator is introduced as an intermediary component positioned between the terminal and the bus bar. This insulator serves multiple functions: it provides electrical insulation, acts as a thermal barrier to prevent heat transfer during welding that would cause thermal deformation, and maintains proper spacing. By using this intermediary, the welding process can proceed without causing thermal deformation to the terminal, thereby preserving bond strength while achieving reliable electrical connection.
3Stability of the object's composition
If insulators are added between terminals and cap plate, then thermal stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulator serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides thermal insulation to maintain thermal stability during welding, provides electrical insulation between the terminal and cap plate, and acts as a spacing element to maintain proper geometric relationships. By combining multiple functions into a single component, the insulator adds thermal stability without proportionally increasing device complexity, as it replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate components.
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 design enhances the ease of welding and increases bond strength between bus bars and terminals, improving the efficiency and reliability of secondary battery module assembly while maintaining thermal stability.
Implementation Method 1
a first insulator between the first terminal plate and the cap plate defining a first gap between the first insulator and the first terminal plate
Data Source
AI summary
A secondary battery of a secondary battery module includes an electrode assembly including a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator between the first and second electrode plates, a case accommodating the electrode assembly, a cap plate coupled to the case, and first and second terminals each having a flat shape and each coupled to the cap plate. The first terminal may include a first terminal plate electrically coupled to the first electrode plate and formed of a first material. The second terminal may include a second terminal plate electrically coupled to the second electrode plate and further including a first part formed of a second material different from the first material, and a second part formed integrally with the first part and formed of the first material.