Elastic Bolt Guide Structure for Vertical Battery Pack Bolting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Bolts in medium and large-sized battery packs often become inclined during coupling, leading to mechanical damage, gaps, or unnecessary loads, which can cause fatigue and quick damage under external impacts.

Innovation Solution

A bolting device with a guide part having an inclined inner surface that gradually decreases in diameter, an elastic part to support the guide part, and sensors to measure verticality, ensuring the bolt is maintained vertically during coupling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a bolt is coupled without a guide part, then the coupling process is simple and quick, but the bolt becomes inclined leading to mechanical damage, gaps, or unnecessary loads

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveverticality of boltVSAvoidstructure of bolting device
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide part acts as an intermediary component between the bolt and the object to be bolted. It provides a guiding channel with an inclined inner surface that gradually decreases in diameter, forcing the bolt to follow a vertical path during insertion. This mediator component ensures proper alignment without requiring complex external alignment mechanisms, thus improving manufacturing precision while keeping the device structure relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide part is divided into an upper body and a lower body that are separated by a cut portion. This segmentation allows the guide part to be elastically opened when the bolt is moved downward, enabling the bolt to pass through while maintaining guidance. The segmented structure provides flexibility and ease of manufacture while ensuring the bolt maintains verticality during coupling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If the guide part has a rigid structure, then it maintains bolt verticality effectively, but it cannot adapt to slight misalignments or variations in bolt position

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to bolt position variationVSAvoidverticality of bolt
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The guide part transitions from a completely rigid structure to a dynamic structure with elastic properties. The cut portion allows the guide part to elastically open and close, enabling it to adapt to slight variations in bolt position while still maintaining guidance. This dynamic characteristic provides adaptability without sacrificing the ability to maintain bolt verticality, as the elastic deformation is controlled and reversible.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Manufacturing precision

If the guide part internal diameter is constant, then manufacturing is simpler, but the bolt cannot be guided vertically during insertion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveverticality of boltVSAvoidguide part geometry
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide part features a non-uniform internal diameter that varies along its length, with the upper body having a larger diameter and the lower body having a smaller diameter. This local variation in geometry creates the inclined inner surface that guides the bolt vertically during insertion. While this requires more complex manufacturing than a constant diameter, it can still be achieved through standard machining processes, and the benefit of ensuring bolt verticality justifies the increased manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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

Secures the verticality of bolts during coupling, preventing mechanical damage and maintaining structural integrity of battery packs.

Implementation Method 1

an elastic part in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the guide part to elastically support a surrounding portion of a cut portion of the guide part

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4129573B1Bolting device
Publication Date: 2025.07.23 LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD
  • EP4129573B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4129573B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4129573B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Provided is a bolting device including an operation part disposed on a table and including a screwdriver bit, a jig part disposed on the table to contact an object to be bolted in which a bolt hole is defined and including a through-hole for guiding a bolt to the bolt-hole, a guide part inserted to the through-hole, having a hollow shape to accommodate the bolt therein, having an inclined inner surface with a shape having an internal diameter that gradually decreases in a downward direction to maintain verticality of the bolt, and having a portion cut in a movement direction of the bolt so that the inner surface is elastically opened when the bolt is moved downward, and an elastic part in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the guide part to elastically support a surrounding portion of a cut portion of the guide part in order to secure verticality of the bolt with respect to the object to be bolted.