Finger-Proof Bus Bar Connector Assembly for Battery Module Terminals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery module connections pose a shock hazard and lack safety features for technicians during assembly and disassembly, as they do not effectively prevent accidental contact with exposed electrical terminals.
Innovation Solution
A bus bar assembly with a nonconductive terminal cap and shroud that encloses a conductive bus bar, featuring a U-shaped perimeter wall and post configuration to create a 'finger-proof' gap, along with attachment features that securely engage and enclose the bus bar end with the terminal, ensuring safe electrical connection and disconnection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional cable or bus bar connections are used to electrically connect battery cells, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but shock hazard increases due to exposed terminals
Solution Approach 1:
A non-conductive terminal cap is introduced as an intermediary component between the exposed terminal and the environment. This cap completely encloses the terminal, preventing direct contact while maintaining electrical connectivity through the bus bar connection. The terminal cap serves as a mediator that eliminates shock hazard without compromising electrical functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal cap functions as a protective shell that encloses the terminal. This shell structure provides physical barrier protection while allowing the electrical connection to function through the bus bar that contacts the terminal through or alongside the cap structure.
2Ease of operation
If traditional bus bar connections with exposed terminals are used, then assembly is simple, but finger protection is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal cap is pre-installed on the terminal before the bus bar connection is made. This preliminary action ensures that the terminal is already protected when assembly begins, eliminating the need for complex protective measures during the assembly process itself. The cap is in place before any potential finger exposure risk occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal cap acts as an intermediary protective element that simplifies assembly by providing built-in protection. Rather than requiring technicians to manually protect exposed terminals during assembly, the pre-installed cap provides automatic protection, making the assembly process both simpler and safer.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If terminal caps and shrouds are added to enclose terminals and bus bars, then finger protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal cap and bus bar shroud are designed to work together as an integrated protective system. The shroud on the bus bar aligns with and complements the terminal cap, creating a unified protective enclosure. This merging of components provides comprehensive protection while minimizing the number of separate parts that would increase complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure is segmented into two functional parts: the terminal cap that protects the terminal, and the bus bar shroud that protects the bus bar. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific protective function while maintaining overall system simplicity. The modular nature of segmented protection makes assembly and maintenance more manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A bus bar assembly includes, among other things, a nonconductive terminal cap that is configured to at least partially surround an electrically conductive terminal. The terminal cap has a perimeter wall that is configured to circumscribe at least a portion of the terminal to provide a gap that is configured to expose the terminal. The terminal cap includes a first attachment feature. The terminal cap also includes a bus bar that has an end that is configured to mechanically and electrically engage the terminal in an assembled condition. The terminal cap further includes a nonconductive shroud that encloses the bus bar. The shroud includes a second attachment feature that is configured to removably engage the first attachment feature in the assembled condition to secure the shroud to the terminal cap.