Battery Current Collector Guide Structure for Precise Bending

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Solution Overview

Problem

The current collecting structure in batteries often experiences crease offset and tilt during bending, leading to installation difficulties and potential damage, which compromises battery performance.

Innovation Solution

A current collecting structure with a guide member featuring a weakened portion to guide the bending process, ensuring the bending occurs at a specific location, reducing offset and tilt, and including a conductive or insulating guide member to manage overcurrent and weight.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If bending treatment is performed on the current collecting structure to connect tabs and electrode terminals, then the current collecting structure can be installed into the battery shell, but crease offset occurs during the bending process making installation difficult and potentially damaging the structure

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveInstallation easeVSAvoidBending axis precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the current collecting structure and the bending tool. The guide member includes a weakened portion that corresponds to the bending portion of the current collecting structure, guiding the bending process to occur at the correct location and preventing crease offset, thus solving both the installation ease and bending precision requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide member is pre-positioned on the current collecting structure before bending occurs. The weakened portion of the guide member is预先 configured to match the bending portion, so when bending is applied, the structure is already guided to bend at the precise location without offset, eliminating installation difficulties

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Strength

If the current collecting structure is made thicker and harder to reduce deformation during bending, then structural strength is improved, but the bending process becomes more difficult and crease offset increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveStructural strengthVSAvoidBending ease
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member is designed with non-uniform thickness, featuring a weakened portion with smaller thickness than other portions. This local quality variation allows the guide member to be easily bent at the weakened portion while maintaining sufficient strength in other areas, resolving the contradiction between overall structural strength and local bending ease

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If forced installation is used to install the current collecting structure into the battery shell, then installation is completed, but the current collecting structure, tabs, and electrode terminals are damaged compromising battery performance

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveInstallation efficiencyVSAvoidComponent integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member acts as a mediator that ensures proper alignment and controlled bending during installation. By guiding the bending portion to follow the weakened portion of the guide member, the installation process becomes smooth and controlled, eliminating the need for forced installation and preventing damage to the current collecting structure, tabs, and electrode terminals

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP4683094A1Current-collecting structure, battery and electric device
Publication Date: 2026.01.21 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • EP4683094A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4683094A1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4683094A1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

This application provides a current collecting structure, relating to the technical field of lithium-ion battery manufacturing. The current collecting structure includes: a current collecting member, where the current collecting member includes a first connection end, a second connection end, and a bending portion, and the bending portion connects the first connection end and the second connection end; and a guide member, where the guide member is provided with a weakened portion, the bending resistance strength of the weakened portion is less than the bending resistance strength of other portions of the guide member except the weakened portion; the guide member cooperates with the current collecting member, the weakened portion corresponds in position to the bending portion, and the guide member is configured to guide the bending portion to bend at a position of the weakened portion. Since the bending resistance strength of the weakened portion is less than the bending resistance strength of other regions of the guide member, in the process of bending the current collecting member, the guide member bends at the weakened portion. Since the weakened portion corresponds in position to the bending portion, the guide member guides the current collecting member to bend at the position of the bending portion.