Variable Thickness Bus Bars for Battery Pack Current Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges in efficiently managing high current flows and heat generation due to the concentration of current in series-connected portions, leading to voltage drops and increased material costs from thicker bus bars in parallel-connected areas.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack design incorporates bus bars with varying thicknesses, where thicker bus bars are used in series-connected portions to reduce resistance and heat generation, while thinner bus bars in parallel-connected portions minimize material costs without compromising performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thicker bus bars are used in series-connected portions to reduce resistance and heat generation, then electrical performance is improved, but material costs and device weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar structure implements different thicknesses in different regions: thicker sections in series-connected portions to handle high current, and thinner sections in parallel-connected portions. This local differentiation optimizes electrical performance where needed while reducing overall material usage and weight.
2Temperature
If thicker bus bars are used throughout the battery pack, then heat generation is reduced, but material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar is designed with variable thickness where thicker sections are positioned only in series-connected portions that generate more heat, while parallel-connected portions use thinner sections. This localized approach reduces heat generation in critical areas without unnecessarily increasing material costs throughout the entire battery pack.
3Ease of manufacture
If thinner bus bars are used to minimize material costs, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but resistance and voltage drops increase in series-connected areas
Solution Approach 1:
The bus bar structure uses thicker sections in series-connected portions to maintain low resistance and stable voltage, while using thinner sections in parallel-connected portions to reduce material costs. This selective thickness distribution ensures voltage stability where it matters most while optimizing material usage efficiency overall.
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 effectively reduces resistance and heat in series-connected areas, preventing voltage drops and optimizing material usage by selectively thickening bus bars in high-current regions.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of bus bars, each of the bus bars electrically connecting one of the secondary batteries to a neighboring one of the secondary batteries
Implementation Method 2
thicker bus bars are used in series-connected portions to reduce resistance and heat generation
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a plurality of secondary batteries and a plurality of bus bars. The secondary batteries are connected to each other in series and in parallel. Each of the secondary batteries includes first and second electrode terminals. Each of the bus bars electrically connects one of the secondary batteries to a neighboring one of the secondary batteries. The bus bars include a first bus bar having a first sectional area and a second bus bar having a second sectional area different from the first sectional area.