Rigid Flexible Bus Bar Tolerance Accommodation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The miniaturization of electrical components poses mechanical design constraints, leading to issues with bus bar sizing and tolerance, which can result in electrical shortages and performance compromises, as existing solutions are costly and insufficient in addressing mechanical and electrical property considerations.
Innovation Solution
A bus bar system incorporating a rigid body portion with flexible connectors having a lower modulus of elasticity, which can be thinner, made of different materials, or manufactured through specific processes like brazing, to accommodate tolerance differences and maintain structural integrity while passing high-voltage testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If bus bar size is reduced to accommodate miniaturization of electrical components, then space utilization improves, but manufacturing precision and tolerance control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is divided into multiple segments with different rigidity characteristics. The first bus bar portion has higher rigidity for structural support, while the second bus bar portion has lower rigidity to accommodate tolerance variations. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the bus bar are assigned different mechanical properties (rigidity values) based on their functional requirements. The connection area uses lower rigidity to absorb tolerance differences, while the structural portions maintain higher rigidity for strength and stability.
2Strength
If bus bar rigidity is increased to maintain structural integrity, then strength improves, but adaptability to tolerance differences deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar structure is segmented into high-rigidity portions for structural support and low-rigidity portions for tolerance accommodation. This allows the system to simultaneously achieve both strength and adaptability through spatial distribution of different mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar exhibits non-uniform rigidity distribution, with locally optimized properties: high rigidity where structural strength is needed, and low rigidity where tolerance compensation is required. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between strength and adaptability.
3Manufacturing precision
If manufacturing methods are adjusted to improve bus bar precision, then manufacturing precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adjusting manufacturing processes to achieve precise tolerances, the design changes the mechanical parameter (rigidity) of the bus bar itself. This allows the bus bar to passively compensate for manufacturing variations through its mechanical properties, avoiding complex manufacturing adjustments.
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 flexible bus bar connectors effectively accommodate tolerance differences, ensuring reliable electrical connections and structural integrity, reducing the risk of electrical creep and shorting, while simplifying manufacturing and improving mechanical and electrical performance.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible bus bar body portion extending from the rigid bus bar body portion and having a lower modulus of elasticity than the rigid bus bar body portion
Data Source
AI summary
A system that may include a rigid bus bar body portion having one or more first conductive pathways, and a flexible bus bar body portion extending from the rigid bus bar body portion and having a lower modulus of elasticity than the rigid bus bar body portion, the flexible bus bar body portion including one or more second conductive pathways. The one or more first conductive pathways and the one or more second conductive pathways may be configured to be conductively coupled with a first electronic device to form a conductive connection between the first electronic device and at least a second electronic device.