Vehicle with welded bus bar connections
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsPaul John Bojanowski, Michael Orr, Jo Ann Marie Clarke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a high voltage vehicle electronics system, electronic components having tabs are welded to a bus bar using pulsed laser welding. Each tab is welded to the bus bar with an array of spot welds. Each spot weld includes an inner region formed by laser welding in a keyhole mode and an outer region formed by laser welding in a conduction mode. The energy density applied to the inner region is between ten and twenty times the energy density applied to the outer region.
Claims19
A method of welding flat metal parts, the method comprising:
- placing a first surface of a first part against a first surface of a second part;
- focusing energy from one or more lasers on a second surface of the first part opposite the first surface of the first part, to create an array of spot welds, each spot weld having an inner region surrounded by an outer region, wherein an energy density applied to the inner region exceeds the energy density applied to the outer region by a factor of between ten and twenty.
A power electronics system comprising:
- a bus bar having a first surface and a second surface;
- and
- a plurality of electronic components each having a tab with a third surface adjacent to the second surface, the tabs welded to the bus bar with an array of welds, wherein each weld comprises:
- a first region of altered grain structure penetrating through the bus bar into the tab, the first region having a first cross sectional area at the first surface;
- and
- a second region of altered grain structure penetrating into the bus bar, the second region having a second cross sectional area at the first surface, the second cross sectional area being between five and twenty times the first cross sectional area.
A power electronics system comprising:
- a plurality of electronic components each having a tab with a first surface and a second surface;
- and
- a bus bar having a third surface adjacent to the second surfaces of the tabs, the tabs welded to the bus bar with an array of welds;
- wherein each weld comprises:
- a first region of altered grain structure penetrating through the tab into the bus bar, the first region having a first cross sectional area at the first surface;
- and
- a second region of altered grain structure penetrating into the tab, the second region having a second cross sectional area at the first surface, the second cross sectional area being between five and twenty times the first cross sectional area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.