Elastic plates and battery cell assemblies including same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10355304-B2
Application number	US-201514873269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2015
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A battery pack includes a battery housing and electrochemical cells disposed in the battery housing in a stacked configuration. Elastic members are disposed between adjacent cells of a cell stack. Each elastic members is formed as a plate (e.g., a single-thickness sheet) having a curved or wavy contour when seen in cross-section, and is configured to serve as a compression spring that provides a predetermined compression force to adjacent cells while accommodating cell growth during use. The elastic members may include surface features such as strategically shaped and/or located protrusions that are configured to permit compliance and can be tuned to address the requirements of a specific application and permit application of varying stiffness characteristics across a surface of a cell.

First claim

What is claimed, is:

1. A battery stack comprising
a first cell,
a second cell positioned adjacent the first cell in a stacked arrangement with the first cell, the first and second cells each including
a cell housing,
a positive electrode, and
a negative electrode,
the positive electrode and the negative electrode sealed within the cell housing along with an electrolyte, and

an elastic member disposed between the first cell and the second cell, the elastic member comprising
a plate that generally resides within a plane and has
a first side,
a second side opposed to the first side,
corrugations that provide ridges that reside in the plane and grooves that alternate with the ridges, each groove including
an array of first protruding regions where each first protruding region protrudes outwardly from the first side and coincides with a depression formed in the second side, each first protruding region being offset from the plane on the first side of the plate, each first protruding region extending across an entire width of the groove,
an array of second protruding regions where each second protruding region protrudes outwardly from the second side and coincides with a depression formed in the first side, each second protruding region being offset from the plane on the second side of the plate, each second protruding region extending across the entire width of the groove, and
elongated openings that extend across the entire width of the groove,

wherein
each ridge is free of the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

2. The battery stack of claim 1 , wherein the first protruding regions protrude out of the plane in a first direction, the second protruding regions protrude out of the plane in a second direction, and the second direction is opposed to the first direction.

3. The battery stack of claim 1 , wherein the first protruding regions are arranged in a grid pattern defined by rows and columns, and each second protruding region is disposed along the rows and columns so as to alternate with the first protruding regions.

4. The battery stack of claim 1 , wherein the openings are provided between the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

5. The battery stack of claim 4 , wherein the openings are formed on opposed sides of each of the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

6. The battery stack of claim 1 , wherein the elastic member is configured to apply a compression force to a surface of the cell housing of each of the first cell and the second cell.

7. A battery module comprising
a cell support element;
a first cell supported on the cell support element,
a second cell supported on the cell support element, the second cell positioned adjacent the first cell in a stacked arrangement with the first cell, the first and second cells each including
a cell housing,
a positive electrode, and
a negative electrode,
the positive electrode and the negative electrode sealed within the cell housing along with an electrolyte, and

an elastic member disposed between the first cell and the second cell, the elastic member comprising
a plate that generally resides within a plane and has
a first side,
a second side opposed to the first side,
corrugations that provide ridges that reside in the plane and grooves that alternate with the ridges, each groove including
an array of first protruding regions where each first protruding region protrudes outwardly from the first side and coincides with a depression formed in the second side, each first protruding region being offset from the plane on the first side of the plate, each first protruding region extending across an entire width of the groove,
an array of second protruding regions where each second protruding region protrudes outwardly from the second side and coincides with a depression formed in the first side, each second protruding region being offset from the plane on the second side of the plate, each second protruding region extending across the entire width of the groove, and
elongated openings that extend across the entire width of the groove,

wherein
each ridge is free of the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

8. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the plate generally resides within a plane, the first protruding regions protrude out of the plane in a first direction, the second protruding regions protrude out of the plane in a second direction, and the second direction is opposed to the first direction.

9. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the openings are provided between the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

10. A battery pack comprising
a battery pack housing;
a first cell disposed in the housing,
a second cell disposed in the housing, the second cell positioned adjacent the first cell in a stacked arrangement, the first and second cells each including
a cell housing,
a positive electrode, and
a negative electrode,
the positive electrode and the negative electrode sealed within the cell housing along with an electrolyte, and

an elastic member disposed between the first cell and the second cell, the elastic member comprising
a plate that generally resides within a plane and has
a first side,
a second side opposed to the first side,
corrugations that provide ridges that reside in the plane and grooves that alternate with the ridges, each groove including
an array of first protruding regions where each first protruding region protrudes outwardly from the first side and coincides with a depression formed in the second side, each first protruding region being offset from the plane on the first side of the plate, each first protruding region extending across an entire width of the groove,
an array of second protruding regions where each second protruding region protrudes outwardly from the second side and coincides with a depression formed in the first side, each second protruding region being offset from the plane on the second side of the plate, each second protruding region extending across the entire width of the groove, and
elongated openings that extend across the entire width of the groove,

wherein
each ridge is free of the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

11. The battery pack of claim 10 , wherein the plate generally resides within a plane, the first protruding regions protrude out of the plane in a first direction, the second protruding regions protrude out of the plane in a second direction, and the second direction is opposed to the first direction.

12. The battery pack of claim 10 , wherein the openings are provided between the first protruding regions and the second protruding regions.

Assignees

• Bosch Battery Systems Llc
• Bosch Gmbh Robert
• Robert Bosch Battery Systems GmbH

Inventors

• Karditsas Nick
• Kotik Mark

Classifications

• H01M50/211

  adapted for pouch cells · CPC title

• H01M50/291

  characterised by their shape · CPC title

• H01M50/213

  adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M10/0481 Primary

  Compression means other than compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators · CPC title