Low-Melting Electrode Tab Structure for Battery Short-Circuit Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery electrode tabs lack reliable short-circuit protection without increasing physical dimensions or costs, and current solutions like PTC materials are costly, voluminous, and have poor cost performance, while structural modifications like punching can cause damage and are not standardized.
Innovation Solution
An electrode tab design featuring a metal connector with a low melting point, integrated with a reinforcing structure and tab glue tape, which acts as a fuse-link to disconnect the circuit during a short circuit, maintaining the battery's shape and size while providing effective protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If PTC material is used for overcurrent protection, then the electrode tab can protect against short circuits, but the internal resistance increases and power density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from PTC (positive temperature coefficient) to low melting point metal, fundamentally altering the protection mechanism from resistive to fusible. This parameter change maintains protection functionality while eliminating the resistance increase that degraded power density.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the protection function from the PTC material layer and implements it separately through a dedicated low melting point metal layer, allowing the main electrode tab material to maintain its optimal electrical properties for high power density while the separate layer provides protection.
2Reliability
If PTC material is used for overcurrent protection, then short-circuit protection is achieved, but the volume increases occupying battery space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protection function into the electrode tab structure itself by adding a thin low melting point metal layer directly to the tab, rather than using a bulky PTC material block. This integration achieves protection while minimizing volume increase.
3Reliability
If punching is used to create overcurrent self-breaking function, then short-circuit protection is achieved, but the electrode tab structure is damaged and bending/breaking occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of metal softening at high temperature into a beneficial protection mechanism. The low melting point metal layer is designed to melt and break the circuit under short-circuit conditions, while the reinforcing structure ensures the tab remains strong during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite electrode tab structure combining the low melting point metal layer with a reinforcing structure, where each material performs its specialized function: the low melting point metal provides protection while the reinforcing material maintains structural integrity.
4Reliability
If punching is used to create overcurrent self-breaking function, then short-circuit protection is achieved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the protection mechanism from aperture-based (punching) to material-property-based (low melting point), eliminating the need for precise aperture size control and replacing it with simpler material selection and deposition parameters.
5Reliability
If low melting point metal layer is added to electrode tab, then short-circuit protection is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The low melting point metal layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the short-circuit protection element, provides a bonding interface between the electrode tab and external circuit, and can serve as a soldering layer for assembly. This multi-functionality justifies the added manufacturing step.
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
The solution effectively prevents short-circuit-induced fires without altering the battery's dimensions or increasing costs, ensuring high reliability, low cost, and ease of assembly and transportation, while maintaining high power density and safety standards.
Implementation Method 1
An electrode tab design featuring a metal connector with a low melting point, integrated with a reinforcing structure and tab glue tape, which acts as a fuse-link to disconnect the circuit during a short circuit
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to electrode tabs and batteries. The electrode tab includes a first metal strip and a metal connector connected to the first metal strip. A melting point of the metal connector is lower than a melting point of the first metal strip, or a solidus temperature of the metal connector is lower than a solidus temperature of the first metal strip, or a liquidus temperature of the metal connector is lower than a liquidus temperature of the first metal strip. The electrode tab has the advantages of regular shape, which are not only easy to install and assemble, saving assembly costs, but also not easy to be damaged in the process of assembly, transportation and storage. The electrode tab does not affect an overall size of the battery, is more suitable for use in scenarios such as small miniature batteries and power batteries.