Separable Bus Bar for Energy Storage Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional energy storage apparatuses with bus bars connected to electrode terminals face challenges in maintaining a state where electricity cannot be inputted or outputted from specific portions of the battery cells, particularly due to the risk of affecting gas-tightness when using bolts for connection, and the inability to easily disable electrical flow during mounting or transportation.
Innovation Solution
An energy storage apparatus design featuring a bus bar with a conductive path that includes a separable or interrupting middle portion, allowing for the separation of conductive surfaces to prevent electrical input or output, while also incorporating a mounting member and insulation plate to control the conductive state, ensuring reliable contact and preventing torque transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the bus bar is connected to the electrode terminal by bolts, then the bus bar can be removed from the electrode terminal, but there is a possibility that gas-tightness of the battery cell is affected when torque is applied frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is divided into a first bus bar and a second bus bar that can be separately connected to and removed from the electrode terminals. This segmentation allows the bus bar to be disconnected without affecting the battery cell's gas-tightness, while still enabling electrical connectivity when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A mounting member is introduced as an intermediary component between the bus bar and the electrode terminal. The mounting member facilitates the connection and disconnection of the bus bar without requiring direct bolting to the electrode terminal, thereby preventing torque transmission that could compromise gas-tightness.
2Reliability
If the bus bar is connected to the electrode terminal by laser welding or arc welding, then the bus bar cannot be easily removed, but electricity can always be inputted to or outputted from the terminals even when unnecessary
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the bus bar and electrode terminal is made dynamic rather than fixed. The mounting member enables the bus bar to be connected when electrical input/output is needed and disconnected when it is not, allowing the system to adapt its electrical connectivity state based on operational requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the conductive path is made separable, then electricity can be prevented from being inputted or outputted, but the complexity of the bus bar structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive path is segmented into multiple parts (first bus bar, second bus bar, mounting member) that can be independently positioned. This segmentation enables the system to achieve a disconnected state by simply separating these components, providing adaptability without excessive complexity.
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 effectively enables the energy storage apparatus to be brought into a state where electricity cannot be inputted or outputted, while maintaining conductive integrity and preventing stress on the bus bar connections, thus addressing the challenges of electrical flow management and gas-tightness.
Implementation Method 1
a bus bar configured to make the external terminals of the different energy storage devices conductive with each other, wherein the bus bar includes at least a first member connected to the external terminal of a predetermined energy storage device among the plurality of energy storage devices, and a second member connected to the external terminal of another energy storage device among the plurality of energy storage devices, the first member and the second member form a conductive path by being directly or indirectly conductive with each other
Data Source
AI summary
Provides is an energy storage apparatus which includes: a plurality of energy storage devices disposed in a row in a first direction, and a bus bar configured to connect external terminals of energy storage devices to each other, wherein the bus bar includes a first member having a first connection portion connected to the external terminal of one energy storage device and a first extension portion extending from the first connection portion; and a second member having a second connection portion connected to the external terminal of another energy storage device and a second extension portion extending from the second connection portion, and the first extension portion has a first conductive surface, and the second extension portion has a second conductive surface which is made to overlap with the first conductive surface in a separable manner in a state where the second conductive surface faces the first conductive surface.