Modular Busbar Assembly with Perpendicular Bends for Compact Cabinets

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional busbar assemblies for server cabinets are costly due to material redundancy and require extensive bending and tailoring, leading to increased manufacturing costs and scrap material, while also facing challenges in accommodating high power density and compact layouts.

Innovation Solution

A busbar assembly design featuring elongated, uniformly wide busbars with reduced bending, allowing for efficient processing and assembly, with a bent structure perpendicular to the lengthwise direction, reducing material waste and fabrication costs by eliminating the need for extensive cutting and tailoring.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional copper busbars are bent and tailored to fit compact server cabinet spaces, then adaptability to compact layouts is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and material waste increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to compact layoutsVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The busbar is divided into multiple modular segments that can be independently manufactured with standard bending operations. Each segment maintains uniform width and can be assembled in different configurations, eliminating the need for complex tailoring while adapting to various compact cabinet layouts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of bending and tailoring busbars to fit spaces, the invention inverts the approach by designing standardised busbar segments with uniform width that are assembled to accommodate space constraints. This reverses the conventional manufacturing sequence and eliminates costly post-bending tailoring operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Adaptability or versatility

If conventional copper busbars are bent and tailored to fit compact server cabinet spaces, then adaptability to compact layouts is improved, but material waste increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to compact layoutsVSAvoidmaterial waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The busbar is divided into multiple modular segments that can be independently manufactured with standard bending operations. Each segment maintains uniform width and can be assembled in different configurations, eliminating the need for complex tailoring while adapting to various compact cabinet layouts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The modular segment design allows for standardised production where excess material from bending operations can be recovered and reused for other segments, significantly reducing material waste compared to conventional tailoring of each individual busbar.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

3Power

If large area copper plates are used for conventional busbars, then current transmission capability is improved, but device complexity increases and assembly difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecurrent transmission capabilityVSAvoidassembly difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The busbar is divided into multiple modular segments that can be independently manufactured with standard bending operations. Each segment maintains uniform width and can be assembled in different configurations, eliminating the need for complex tailoring while adapting to various compact cabinet layouts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from two-dimensional large area copper plates to a three-dimensional modular segment structure. By stacking and arranging uniform-width segments vertically and horizontally, the design achieves equivalent current transmission capability while reducing assembly complexity and improving adaptability to compact spaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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 design enables efficient electrical conductivity and reduced manufacturing costs by minimizing scrap and optimizing the use of metal plate material, while accommodating high current transmission in compact spaces.

Implementation Method 1

a busbar assembly for transmitting an input current of a power supply unit

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentUS10355459B2Busbar assembly and cabinet having the same

Publication Date: 2019.07.16 LITE ON ELECTRONICS (GUANGZHOU) LTD

AI summary

In a busbar assembly, a first busbar subassembly includes a first transmission unit having a first transmission busbar with a uniform width, and a first output unit having a first output busbar with a uniform width. One of the first transmission unit and the first output unit has a bent structure with a bend line perpendicular to a line of a lengthwise direction thereof. A second busbar subassembly includes a second transmission unit having a second transmission busbar with a uniform width, and a second output unit having a second output busbar with a uniform width. One of the second transmission unit and the second output unit has a bent structure with a bend line perpendicular to a line of a lengthwise direction thereof.