Segmented Bus Bar Structure for Selective End Plating
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bus bar designs require extensive plating, increasing costs due to the need for masking and higher material usage, especially when forming a single member along the wiring pathway.
Innovation Solution
A bus bar design featuring consecutively arranged plate-shaped connection members and a conductive member, where only the connection members are plated, reducing material usage and masking requirements, and connected using laser joining to form bent portions along the wiring pathway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If plate processing is performed on the entirety of the bus bar to improve electrical connection reliability, then the electrical connection reliability is improved, but the used amount of plating material increases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is divided into multiple sections: plated connection portions at the ends and non-plated intermediate portions in the middle. This segmentation allows plating to be applied only where electrical connection reliability is critical, reducing overall plating material usage while maintaining necessary reliability at connection points.
Solution Approach 2:
Different surface treatments are applied to different portions of the bus bar: the connection portions receive plating to ensure reliable electrical connection, while the intermediate portions remain non-plated. This local differentiation optimizes both reliability at critical points and material efficiency overall.
2Quantity of substance
If plate processing is performed only on connection portions by masking other portions to decrease plating material usage, then the used amount of plating material decreases, but masking work is required and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is designed with distinct plated and non-plated sections from the outset, allowing the plating process to be applied selectively to connection portions without requiring complex masking operations. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for masking while still reducing plating material usage.
3Device complexity
If a single member is formed along the wiring pathway to simplify structure, then the structural complexity is reduced, but the entire bus bar requires plating and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining a relatively simple single-member structure along the wiring pathway, the bus bar incorporates plated and non-plated sections. This allows the overall structure to remain simple and easy to manufacture, while selectively applying plating only to connection portions to reduce material usage and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The bus bar structure maintains simplicity overall but incorporates local plating at connection portions. This local quality differentiation allows the structure to remain simple and easy to manufacture while reducing plating material usage by treating only the necessary portions.
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 lowers manufacturing costs by minimizing plating material usage and eliminating the need for masking, while maintaining electrical connection reliability through targeted plating of connection members and efficient laser joining.
Implementation Method 1
a laser beam is moved a plurality of times along the abutted portion to melt an end portion of the aluminum member so as to form a linear fused portion along the abutted portion
Implementation Method 2
plate processing is performed as surface treatment in order to improve the electrical connection reliability of connection portions for electrical input-output
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A bus bar (1) includes members (9) made from a conductive material and consecutively arranged to form a plate shape defining a wiring pathway (7). The members (9) adjacent to each other are connected to each other by laser joining. The members (9) include connection members (11) arranged at both ends of the wiring pathway (7) and having connection portions (19) for electrical input-output, and a conductive member (13) arranged between the connection members (11). In the members (9), only the connection members (11) are plated.