Flat-to-Round Tube Connector for Leak-Tight Battery Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The sealing between a flat tube and a round tube in thermal management systems of batteries is prone to failure at junctions, leading to coolant leakage and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A tube connector with a columnar structure for the round tube and an oblong interface for the flat tube, combined with a weld face and oblong liner plate, ensures a reliable hermetic connection through laser welding, and includes reinforcing ribs to enhance stability and prevent misalignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a tube connector is inserted into a battery housing during battery assembly, then the battery management wire can be routed through the connector, but the insertion process may cause deformation of the tube connector
Solution Approach 1:
The tube connector is pre-installed into the battery housing before the battery management wire is routed through it. This preliminary action allows the connector to be positioned and secured in place, providing a stable structure that can guide and protect the wire during subsequent assembly steps, thereby preventing deformation that might occur if the wire were forced through a loose connector
Solution Approach 2:
The tube connector serves as an intermediary component between the battery housing and the battery management wire. It provides a protected pathway for the wire, isolating the wire from direct contact with other components that might cause damage, while also distributing mechanical stresses away from the wire through its structural design
2Ease of manufacture
If the tube connector has a simple cylindrical structure, then manufacturing is easy, but it lacks protection against external forces and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The tube connector is divided into multiple functional segments: a reinforcement section with increased wall thickness for strength, a connection section for interfacing with the battery housing, and a guide section for wire routing. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturability through standard forming processes
Solution Approach 2:
The tube connector features non-uniform wall thickness with a reinforcement section having greater thickness than other portions. This local quality enhancement provides targeted protection against external forces and deformation at critical areas while maintaining thinner walls in non-critical areas to reduce material usage and manufacturing complexity
3Loss of substance
If the tube connector is made thinner to reduce material usage, then manufacturing cost decreases, but it becomes more susceptible to deformation from external forces
Solution Approach 1:
The tube connector employs variable wall thickness design where the reinforcement section has increased thickness to resist deformation, while other sections maintain thinner walls to minimize material consumption. This local quality differentiation optimizes the balance between structural integrity and material efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is segmented into regions with different thickness requirements, allowing material to be concentrated only where structurally necessary for deformation resistance, rather than uniformly thickening the entire connector
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 provides a stable and reliable hermetic connection between the flat and round tubes, preventing coolant leakage and enhancing the thermal management system's safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first reinforcing section (131) having a greatest wall thickness among wall thicknesses of the second tube connector (130) in the radial direction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
This application discloses a tube connector (30), a thermal management system, a battery box, and a battery. The tube connector (30) includes a body (300). A fluid channel (330) is formed inside the body (300). A first connecting portion (310) configured to be connected to the round tube (20) and a second connecting portion (320) configured to be connected to the flat tube (10) are formed on the body (300). The first connecting portion (310) is a hollow columnar structure (311). The second connecting portion (320) includes an oblong interface (321). A weld face (3211) that fits a shape of the flat tube (10) is formed on an inner sidewall of the interface (321).