Offset-Tip Welding Horn for Thin Battery Tab Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of reducing dead space within secondary batteries to enhance safety while maintaining lightweight and high energy density has not been adequately addressed, particularly in the welding process for electrode assemblies.
Innovation Solution
A welding horn with a specific design, including a body portion and an extension portion with curved corners and protrusions, is used to pressurize and ultrasonically weld electrode components, minimizing damage and ensuring precise contact for efficient welding in small spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If materials are made thinner to reduce battery weight, then weight is reduced, but safety and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The welding horn uses ultrasonic vibration at specific frequencies to weld thin battery components, changing the physical state and bonding mechanism to achieve strong joints without increasing material thickness or compromising safety
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical fastening or adhesive bonding with ultrasonic welding, using high-frequency mechanical vibrations to create strong bonds in thin materials while maintaining safety and structural integrity
2Quantity of substance
If dead space is reduced to enhance safety and energy density, then battery efficiency improves, but welding precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The welding horn features a tip portion with specific geometric characteristics (offset from center, specific dimensions) that concentrate ultrasonic energy precisely at the welding location, enabling accurate welding in the reduced dead space while maintaining high energy density
Solution Approach 2:
The extension portion protrudes from the main body in a direction toward the electrode assembly, creating a three-dimensional configuration that allows precise positioning and contact with the welding object in the constrained space of thin batteries
3Manufacturing precision
If welding precision is improved for thin batteries, then weld quality improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The welding horn is divided into distinct functional segments: a body portion for structural support and an extension portion with tip portion for precise welding contact, allowing each segment to be optimized independently while maintaining overall simplicity
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
This design allows for effective welding of electrode components in thin secondary batteries, reducing damage and ensuring strong welds in minimal space, thereby enhancing battery safety and performance.
Implementation Method 1
a welding horn configured to apply ultrasonic waves while pressurizing an overlapping surface of the lead tab and the strip terminal arranged on the anvil
Implementation Method 2
apply ultrasonic waves while pressurizing an overlapping surface
Data Source
AI summary
A welding horn includes a body portion extending in a first direction; and an extension portion extending in a second direction crossing the first direction from an end of the body portion, and is configured to pressurize a welding object connected to an electrode assembly, the extension portion including a lower surface facing the welding object; a first corner portion connected to one end of the lower surface and facing the electrode assembly; a first side surface extending from the first corner portion to the body portion; and a tip portion protruding from the lower surface and contacting the welding object, the tip portion being offset from a center of the lower surface toward the first corner portion.