# US 12,191,054 B2 · Electrical busbar and method of fabricating the same

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- Number: US 12,191,054 B2
- Document ID: US12191054B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/501,118
- Filed: 2023-11-03
- Published: 2024-05-30
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-09
- Assignees: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
- Applicants: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
- Inventors: James Dawson; Jason Degen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191054B2

## CPC

- H01B 5/02: Single bars, rods, wires, or strips
- H01M 50/204: Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
- B60L 50/66: {Arrangements of batteries}
- G06F 30/10: Geometric CAD
- H01B 7/0009: {Details relating to the conductive cores}
- H01B 13/003: {using irradiation}
- H01M 50/249: specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64)
- H01M 50/258: Modular batteries; Casings provided with means for assembling
- H01M 50/503: characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
- H01M 50/505: comprising a single busbar
- H01M 50/507: comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules
- H01M 50/517: by fixing means, e.g. screws, rivets or bolts
- H01M 50/521: characterised by the material
- H01M 50/526: having a layered structure
- H01R 35/02: Flexible line connectors {without frictional contact members}
- G06F 2111/04: Constraint-based CAD
- H01B 5/12: Braided wires or the like
- H01B 13/14: by extrusion {(extrusion in general B29C48/00)}
- H01M 50/51: Connection only in series
- H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- H01R 11/288: {Interconnections between batteries}
- H01R 13/05: Resilient pins or blades (carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15)
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- H01B: CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES (selection for magnetic properties H01F1/00; waveguides H01P {; printed circuits H05K})
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A busbar for use in mechanically and electrically connecting components in a device or system. The busbar includes a plurality of conductors arranged to provide two opposed end portions and an intermediate portion, wherein each of the conductors has a plurality of intermediate extents that traverse the intermediate portion. The intermediate portion including: (A) an unfused segment where no intermediate extents of the conductors are fused together to form a single consolidated conductor, and (B) a fused segment that includes (i) a partial solidification zone where a majority of the intermediate extents of the conductors are fused together to form a partially solidified region that provides a single consolidated conductor, (ii) a full solidification zone where all of intermediate extents of the conductors are fused together to form a fully solidified region that provides a single consolidated conductor, and (iii) an unsolidified region where all of the intermediate extents of the conductors are not fused together.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A busbar for electrically connecting components in a power distribution system, the busbar comprising:
a plurality of conductors with: (i) a first end, (ii) a second end opposite the first end, and (iii) an intermediate portion extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the first end, the second end, and the intermediate portion are integrally formed with one another; and
wherein the intermediate portion includes:
an edge;
a surface;
a partial solidification zone where a majority of the plurality of conductors are fused together using a surface-based fusion process to form a partially solidified region with a surface-based fusion peak, said surface-based fusion peak is positioned a first distance away from the surface of the busbar, and wherein all of the plurality of conductors between the surface and the surface-based fusion peak are fused together to form a single consolidated conductor; and
a fully solidified edge region where the plurality of conductors are fused together using an edge-based fusion process, the fully solidified edge region comprises an interior weld boundary, said interior weld boundary is positioned a second distance away from the edge of the busbar, and wherein all of the plurality of conductors between the edge and the interior weld boundary are fused together to form a single consolidated conductor;
wherein the second distance is less than the first distance.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the second distance is less than 0.4 mm and the first distance is at least five times greater than the second distance.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the second distance is between 0.2 mm and 1 mm, wherein the first distance is between 1.1 mm and 1.8 mm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the partial solidification zone is a first partial solidification zone, and the intermediate portion further includes a first fused segment with the first partial solidification zone.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The busbar of claim 4, wherein the intermediate portion further includes a second fused segment with a second partial solidification zone, and
wherein the first fused segment is configured to have an in-plane bend and the second fused segment is configured to have an out-of-plane bend.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductors are arranged in a vertical stack having an uppermost conductor and a lowermost conductor, and
wherein the partially solidified region: (i) extends between the uppermost conductor and the surface-based fusion peak, and (ii) is formed using a surface weldment process.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductors are arranged in a vertical stack having an uppermost conductor and a lowermost conductor, and
wherein the fully solidified edge region: (i) extends between the uppermost conductor and the lowermost conductor, (ii) extends from the edge of the plurality of conductors to the interior weld boundary, and (iii) is formed using an edge weldment process.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion of the busbar has a stiffness, wherein the partially solidified region and the fully solidified edge region occupies a volume, and wherein increasing the volume of the partially solidified region or the fully solidified edge region increases the stiffness of the intermediate portion of the busbar.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The busbar of claim 1, wherein the intermediate portion lacks a fully solidified region formed using the surface-based fusion process.