Sealing Plug Tapered Shaft for Battery Installation Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sealing plugs for secondary batteries face instability during installation, leading to compromised manufacturability due to poor positioning and increased contamination risks during contact with the through hole and rim.
Innovation Solution
A sealing plug design featuring a main shaft with a thick portion and a side surface portion that decreases in size from the base to the tip, allowing for stable insertion and provisional fixing without the need for additional fixing processes, such as low-output laser welding, while minimizing contamination through a varying outer circumference and exposed flange for easy alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional sealing plug with a smooth curved surface is used, then contamination is reduced, but installation stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The base is divided into a thick portion and a side surface portion with different functions. The thick portion provides stable engagement with the through hole for reliable installation, while the side surface portion with decreasing outer edge facilitates smooth insertion and reduces contamination contact.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the base have different geometric properties: the thick portion has a larger outer edge for stable positioning and engagement, while the side surface portion has a gradually decreasing outer edge for smooth insertion. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between stable installation and reduced contamination.
2Reliability
If additional fixing processes like laser welding are used, then installation stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug's base structure itself provides the fixing function through its geometric design. The thick portion with the largest outer edge automatically engages with the through hole to provide stable positioning and provisional fixing, eliminating the need for additional laser welding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing function is extracted from the sealing plug body and implemented through the specific geometric configuration of the base (thick portion with largest outer edge). This geometric feature alone provides sufficient stability without requiring separate fixing mechanisms or processes.
3Reliability
If the outer edge of the base is made larger for better engagement, then installation stability is improved, but insertion difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base is segmented into portions with different outer edge dimensions. The side surface portion has a gradually decreasing outer edge from the thick portion toward the tip, allowing easy insertion. The thick portion with the largest outer edge then engages with the through hole to provide stable installation, resolving the contradiction between insertion ease and engagement stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The base transitions from a uniform cross-section to a varying cross-section along its length. This dimensional variation allows the insertion end to be smaller for easy entry, while the thick portion provides larger engagement dimensions for stable installation, effectively resolving the contradiction through spatial differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sealing plug (10) which seals a through-hole (210) formed in a wall (200) comprising a main shaft (14) which is placeable in the through-hole (210). The main shaft (14) includes: a base (12); and a tip (13) connected to a leading end of the base (12) and having a cross section having an outer edge that is smaller than or equal to an outer edge of a cross section of the leading end of the base, the cross sections each being in a plane perpendicular to an axial direction of the main shaft. The base (12) includes: a thick portion (12a) having, in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the main shaft (14), a cross section having a largest outer edge; and a side surface portion (12b) having an outer edge which decreases in size from the thick portion (12a) towards the tip (13).