Modular design of a 48-volt li-ion battery for ease of assembly and disassembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10454077-B2
Application number	US-201515524355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2015
Priority date	Nov 4, 2014
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery that includes a plurality of serially connected battery cells. The battery includes an upper housing and a lower housing. The battery comprises: a wire harness assembly; a middle housing that includes a plurality of cell chambers for accommodating the top sections of the plurality of serially connected battery cells. The lower housing includes a plurality of cell chambers for accommodating the bottom sections of the plurality of serially connected battery cells 102; and the middle housing has a top surface for installing the wire harness assembly (1106) and the plurality of cell chambers beneath the top surface (1102) of the middle housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery including a plurality of serially connected battery cells, the battery comprising:
an upper housing;
a lower housing directly engaged with the upper housing;
a wire harness assembly; and
a middle housing that includes a plurality of top cell chambers, with each of the plurality of top cell chambers accommodating a top section of a corresponding one of the plurality of serially connected battery cells;
wherein the lower housing includes a plurality of bottom cell chambers, with each of the plurality of bottom cell chambers for accommodating a bottom section of a corresponding one of the plurality of serially connected battery cells;
wherein the middle housing has a top surface configured to allow installation of the wire harness assembly and the plurality of top cell chambers beneath the top surface of the middle housing and wherein the middle housing is contained within the upper housing and the lower housing;
wherein the wire harness assembly includes a bus-bar assembly and a voltage-sense-wire harness; and
wherein the bus-bar assembly and voltage-sense-wire harness are installed on the top surface of the middle housing.

2. The battery according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of cell chambers has a pair of installation holes for accommodating a pair of positive terminal and negative terminals of the battery cell.

3. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the bus-bar assembly includes a plurality of bus bars connecting the positive terminals or the negative terminals of a pair of adjacent battery cells; and
wherein the voltage-sense-wire harness includes a plurality of voltage sense wires for connecting the positive terminals.

4. The battery according to claim 3 ,
wherein each of the plurality of bus bars has a pair of installation holes connecting the positive terminals or the negative terminals of a pair of adjacent battery cells; and
wherein each of the voltage sense wires has an installation hole on its distal end for connection with the positive terminals.

5. The battery according to claim 1 ,
wherein the middle housing has means for attaching at least one temperature sensor so that the at least one temperature sensor can contact one of the 13 battery cells to measure the operation (working) temperature of the battery cell.

6. The battery according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the cell chambers has a plurality of position slabs, the plurality of position slabs forms a circular contour, which matches the external cylindrical shape of the battery cells, for positioning a respective cells into the desirable position in the assembling process of the battery.

7. The battery according to claim 1 ,
wherein, after of the plurality of the battery cells is installed into the plurality of the cell chambers of the lower housing, there are a plurality of rooms between the bottoms of the plurality the battery cells and the bottom surfaces of the plurality of the cell chambers.

8. The battery according to claim 7 ,
wherein each of the plurality of rooms has a through-hole on it; and
wherein all of the plurality of rooms are fluidly-connected with each other via the through-hole to a channel leading to an outlet on the lower housing.

9. The battery according to claim 1 ,
wherein the lower housing has an internal housing;
wherein the middle housing has a first lateral side wall and a second lateral side wall with each of the first lateral side wall and the second lateral side wall having a plurality of ears;
wherein each of the plurality of ears has an open pocket; and
wherein the internal housing has a first lateral side wall and a second lateral side wall with each of the first lateral side wall and the second lateral side wall having a plurality of wings.

10. The battery according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a PCB board that is installed on the top surface of the middle housing.

11. The battery according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a connection housing that is attached onto the lateral side of the middle housing.

12. The battery according to claim 11 , comprising:
a positive post that is connected to the wire harness assembly and attached onto the top surface of the middle housing; and
a negative post that is connected to the wire harness assembly and attached onto the top surface of the connection housing.

13. The battery according to claim 1 ,
wherein the top housing has 4 edges defining an opening of the top housing, each of the 4 edges having a plurality of clips; and
wherein the lower housing has 4 edges defining an opening of the lower housing, each of the 4 edges having a taper flange.

14. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of top cell chambers is cylinder-shaped, and wherein each of the plurality of bottom cell chambers is cylinder-shaped.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Cps Tech Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Sun Qiong
• Yu George
• Zhong Xiaolong
• Qu Wei
• Li Rui
• Song Peng
• Fan Binbin
• Yu Yang

Classifications

• B60L2240/547

  Voltage · CPC title

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/4207

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• B60L50/64

  Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• H02J2105/37

  exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] · CPC title