The present invention relates to an electrical connector for connecting terminals of battery units in a battery pack.
Electrical connector for connecting terminals of battery units in a battery pack are already known. The electrical connector is generally welded by spot welding to the terminals of the battery units.
When currents generated in the spot welding process pass through the various parts of the electrical connector, there might be a chance of blackening or even melt-through at a part or position of the electrical connector or at the periphery thereof. Some electrical connector are provided with a fuse or fusible part for cutting off excessively high currents. Because the fuse or fusible part has a very small cross section, it is quite common for blackening or even melt-through to occur when the fuse or fusible part is undergoing the spot welding process.
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure may eliminate or at least reduce local blackening or even melt-through caused by the high temperatures that occur when an electrical connector is welded. The electrical connector comprises a body made of an electrically conductive material. Each body at least has a first body part and a second body part, and at least one terminal connection part provided by the first body part or the second body part, for connecting to the terminal of the battery unit. The terminal connection part comprises at least one connection component, each connection component comprising a contact part for contacting the terminal of the battery unit. The terminal connection part further comprises at least one stem connecting the contact part to the first body part or the second body part. Multiple bodies are connected to each other by at least one connection part. Each connection part has at least one fusible part, which has a smaller cross section than the stem 8 and is used as a fuse for cutting off an excessively high current.
According to one embodiment, the at least one terminal connection part comprises a first connection component and a second connection component which are two in number and spaced apart, and which are respectively connected to the body via respective said stems.
According to one embodiment, the at least one connection part is provided with a locally narrow part as the at least one fusible part.
According to one embodiment, an opening is provided in the at least one connection part to form the at least one fusible part.
According to one embodiment, the opening is a through-hole.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector for connecting terminals of battery units in a battery pack is provided, comprising a body made of an electrically conductive material, the body at least having a first body part and a second body part; and at least one terminal connection part provided by the first body part or the second body part, for connecting to the terminal of the battery unit. The at least one terminal connection part comprises a first connection component and a second connection component which are at least two in number and spaced apart; and each of the connection components comprises a contact part for contacting the terminal of the battery unit, and a stem connecting the contact part to the body. The stem has a smaller cross section than the contact part, and the stem is used as a fuse for cutting off an excessively high current.
According to one embodiment, the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component extend in the same direction, or extend in different directions relative to each other.
According to one embodiment, the contact part of the first connection component is connected to the body by the stem via a strip.
According to one embodiment, the strip has an outwardly projecting first end connected to the body, and the strip has a second end as a far end, which is connected to the stem.
According to one embodiment, the strip extends along a partly circular or approximately semicircular path.
According to one embodiment, the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component are arranged adjacent (close) to each other.
According to one embodiment, the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component have respective straight edges, which extend together in parallel on two opposite sides of the gap.
According to one embodiment, the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component have shapes that are substantially mirror images of each other.
According to one embodiment, the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component are configured to form a substantially circular or disk-like combined shape.
According to one embodiment, the angle at which the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component extend in different directions relative to each other is 90°-270°.
According to one embodiment, the angle at which the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component extend in different directions relative to each other is in the range of 170°-190°.
According to one embodiment, the angles at which the contact parts of the first connection component and the second connection component extend in different directions relative to each other differ by approximately 180°.
According to one embodiment, the respective positions of the stems of the first connection component and the second connection component are radially opposite each other.
According to one embodiment, the electrical connector further comprises two said terminal connection parts; the terminal connection part is provided by the corresponding first body part or second body part, and used for connecting to a corresponding terminal of a battery unit adjacent to said battery unit.
According to one embodiment, the electrical connector further comprises a circuit connection part provided by the first body part or the second body part, for connecting to an operating circuit of the battery pack.
Before explaining any embodiment of the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the applications of the present invention are not limited to the structural details and component arrangements expounded in the following description or shown in the drawings. The present invention can have other embodiments and can be implemented or executed in various ways. Similarly, it should be understood that the words and terms used herein are intended to describe, and should not be regarded as limiting. General terms, terms relating to extent, such as “substantially” or “about” are to be understood as indicating a suitable range outside a given value, for example a general tolerance associated with the manufacture, assembly and use of the embodiment described. In addition, the use of “comprises”, “provided with” or “has” and variants thereof herein is intended to encompass the subsequently listed items and their equivalents and additional items.
As shown in
Each terminal connection part 104 has at least one connection component 105. According to one or more embodiments, each terminal connection part 4 has two connection components, i.e. a first connection component 105 and a second connection component 106. The first connection component 105 and second connection component 106 are arranged individually. The second connection component 106 and the first connection component 105 are located in substantially the same plane, and are configured to adjoin a surface of the terminal 10 of the battery unit or to be biased towards the surface of the terminal 10 of the battery unit. The first connection component 105 and second connection component 106 may be offset towards the terminal of the battery unit in relation to the second body part 102b, in order to weld the terminal connection part 104 to the terminal of the battery unit. The terminal connection part 104 further comprises a stem 108 connecting the contact part 107 to the first body part 102a. The first connection component 105 and second connection component 106 are spaced apart by a certain distance and extend in the same direction. The first connection component 105 and second connection component 106 are respectively connected to the second body part 102b by their respective stems 108. The stem 108 is the only connection path connecting each connection component 105, 106 to the second body part 102b. The stem 108 has a smaller cross section than the contact part 107. As shown in
The multiple bodies 102 are connected to each other by at least one connection part 110. As shown in
The second body part 202b of each body 202 is configured to be electrically connected to an end of a battery unit. As shown in
Each terminal connection part 204 has a first connection component 205 and a second connection component 206 which are at least two in number. The first connection component 205 and second connection component 206 are arranged individually. The second connection component 206 is located in substantially the same plane as the first connection component 205. The first connection component 205 and second connection component 206 are in the form of semicircles facing each other, and are configured to adjoin a surface of the terminal of the battery unit, or to be biased towards the surface of the terminal 20 of the battery unit. The first connection component 205 and second connection component 206 may be offset towards the terminal of the battery unit in relation to the second body part 202b, as shown in
Each connection component 205, 206 comprises a contact part 207 for contacting the terminal 20 of the battery unit, and a stem 208 connecting the contact part 207 to the remainder of the body 202. The stem 208 is the only connection path connecting each connection component 205, 206 to the second body part 202b. Specifically, the stem 208 has a smaller cross section than the contact part 207. According to
According to
The contact parts 207 of the first connection component 205 and second connection component 206 are in the form of semicircles facing each other, and have respective straight edges 222; the two straight edges 222 define the abovementioned gap 209, and extend together in parallel on two opposite sides of the gap 209. The gap 209 causes the contact part 207 of the first connection component 205 to be substantially independent of the contact part 207 of the second connection component 206, and the contact parts 207 of the first connection component 205 and second connection component 206 have shapes that are substantially mirror images or reversed mirror images of each other. Alternatively, the angle at which the contact parts 207 of the first connection component 205 and the second connection component 206 extend in different directions relative to each other may be 90°-270°, i.e. at least 90° clockwise or anticlockwise. Alternatively, the angle at which the contact parts 207 of the first connection component 205 and the second connection component 206 extend in different directions relative to each other may also be reduced to the range of 170°-190°. Advantageously, the positions of the respective stems 208 of the first connection component 205 and the second connection component 206 are radially opposite each other, as shown in
The contact parts 207 of the first connection component 205 and the second connection component 206 may be configured to have a substantially circular or disk-like combined shape. If it is desired to form the abovementioned shape, a process step of forming a through-hole 225 of a specific shape in the second body part 202b will generally be required. Alternatively, the contact parts 207 of the first connection component 205 and the second connection component 206 may be connected to the second body part 202a or remainder via the stems 208 directly, thus avoiding the process step of forming the through-hole 225 and saving the material forming the strip 221.
Similarly to one or more of the above embodiments, multiple bodies 202 are connected to each other by at least one connection part 210. Specifically, as shown in
The electrical connector 300, 400 described above each comprise the body 302, 402 made of an electrically conductive material, the body having a first body part 302a, 402a and a second body part 302b, 402b, and the first body part 302a, 402a being provided with a circuit connection part 303, 403 for connecting to the operating circuit of the battery pack. The electrical connector 300, 400 also have at least one terminal connection part 304, 404 provided by the second body part 302b, 402b, for connecting to the terminal of the battery unit. The terminal connection part 304, 404 has a first connection component 305, 405 and a second connection component 306, 406 which are spaced apart and at least two in number.
Each of the connection components comprises a contact part 307, 407 for contacting the terminal of the battery unit, and the terminal connection part 304, 404 also has a stem 308, 408 connecting the contact part 307, 407 to the first body part 302a, 402a, each stem 308, 408 having a smaller cross section than the contact part 307, 407 thereof or any other part, so that the stem 308, 408 is used as a fuse for cutting off an excessively high current. The remaining features of the first connection components 305, 405, the second connection components 306, 406, the contact parts 307, 407 and the stems 308, 408 have already been described in detail above, so are not described again here.
According to the process step of assembling the battery pack to which one or more embodiments of the present invention relates, when the electrical connector is connected to a battery unit, spot welding will generally be used to weld the first connection component 305, 405 and the second connection component 306, 406 to an end of the battery unit. According to one or more embodiments, to facilitate the electric welding process, welding depressions are provided at specific positions on the surfaces of the first connection component 305, 405 and the second connection component 306, 406, e.g. at positions close to the middle, in order to guide a welding tool to the specific positions to perform spot welding.
In the process of spot welding, the welding current first flows from the welding head through the respective contact parts 307, 407 of the first connection component 305, 405 and second connection component 306, 406, and then flows through the stems 308, 408 towards the second body part 302, 402. The stems 308, 408 are the only paths leading to the second body part 302, 402, and the stems 308, 408 have a smaller cross section than the contact parts 307, 407; consequently, when the current passes through the stems 308, 408, a higher temperature will be generated than at other positions.
As shown in
As stated above, an electrical connector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention for connecting terminals of battery units in a battery pack provides an improvement compared with an existing electrical connection apparatus, reducing the chance that a high temperature will arise when current passes through a particular position, especially a position used as a fuse, during welding, thus effectively reducing blackening or even melt-through at the stem (i.e. the part used as a fuse) or the periphery thereof.
Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and/or amendments may be made to the present invention shown in the particular embodiments, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as broadly described. Thus, the embodiments described in the present invention should be regarded as illustrative and non-limiting in all respects.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202111240246.2 | Oct 2021 | CN | national |