Integrated current collector for electric vehicle battery cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10658646-B2
Application number	US-201816118360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2018
Priority date	Sep 12, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods to power an electric vehicle are provided. The system can include a battery pack having a plurality of battery modules, each of the of battery modules can include a plurality of battery blocks. The battery blocks can include a plurality of cylindrical battery cells. An integrated current collector device can be formed in a single structure and coupled with the plurality of cylindrical battery cells. The integrated current collector device can include a first current collector to couple with positive terminals of the cylindrical battery cells at first ends of the cylindrical battery cells and a second current collector to couple with negative terminals of the cylindrical battery cells at the first ends of the cylindrical battery cells. An isolation layer can be disposed between the first current collector and the second current collector to electrically isolate the first current collector from the second current collector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system to power electric vehicles, comprising:
a battery pack to power an electric vehicle, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules;
each of the plurality of battery modules comprising a plurality of battery blocks;
a first battery block of the plurality of battery blocks having a pair of battery block terminals, the first battery block comprising a plurality of cylindrical battery cells;
each of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
an integrated current collector device formed in a single structure, the integrated current collector device comprising:
a first current collector having a conductive layer, the conductive layer of the first current collector coupling the first current collector with the positive terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells at first ends of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells;
a second current collector having a conductive layer, the conductive layer of the second current collector coupling the second current collector with the negative terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells at the first ends of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells; and
an isolation layer disposed between the first current collector and the second current collector, the isolation layer electrically isolates the first current collector from the second current collector, the isolation layer binds the first current collector with the second current collector to form the single structure of the integrated current collector device; and

the integrated current collector device provides structural support to hold the plurality of cylindrical battery cells in place relative to one another when the plurality of cylindrical battery cells are electrically connected with the first current collector and the second current collector.

2. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the integrated current collector device includes a plurality of slots for holding the plurality of cylindrical battery cells in place relative to one another.

3. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
one or more sense lines to connect the first current collector to a battery monitoring unit (BMU), the one or more sense lines to convey information about the plurality of cylindrical battery cells to the BMU.

4. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
one or more sense lines to connect to the second current collector to a battery monitoring unit (BMU), the one or more sense lines to convey information about the plurality of cylindrical battery cells to the BMU.

5. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the integrated current collector includes a battery monitoring unit (BMU) embedded within the isolation layer.

6. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the integrated current collector includes at least one of a temperature sensor, a current sensor or a voltage sensor embedded within the isolation layer.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the isolation layer includes a dielectric material, a plastic material, an epoxy material, a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material, a polypropylene flame retardant and electrically insulating material or a polycarbonate flame retardant and electrically insulating material.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the integrated current collector device coupled with the first ends of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells.

9. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the first current collector having a plurality of apertures aligned with a plurality of apertures defined on the second current collector.

10. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a battery pack that includes a plurality of integrated current collector devices, the integrated current collector devices to spatially maintain the cylindrical battery cells relative to each other to at least meet creepage-clearance requirements for the battery pack to support a voltage of at least 400 volts across a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the battery pack.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of channels in the integrated current collector device, the plurality of channels to vent gaseous release from the plurality of cylindrical battery cells.

12. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the battery pack disposed in the electric vehicle.

13. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
the battery pack disposed in the electric vehicle;
the first current collector coupled with a first busbar of the electric vehicle to provide electric power from the battery pack to the electric vehicle; and
the second current collector coupled with a second busbar of the electric vehicle to provide electric power from the battery pack to the electric vehicle.

14. A method of providing a system to power electric vehicles, the method, comprising:
providing a battery pack to power an electric vehicle, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules comprising a plurality of battery blocks, a first battery block of the plurality of battery blocks having a pair of battery block terminals;
disposing a plurality of cylindrical battery cells in the first battery block, each of the cylindrical battery cells having a positive terminal and a negative terminal;
forming an integrated current collector device via injection molding, the integrated current collector device having a first current collector, a second current collector, and an isolation layer disposed between the first current collector and the second current collector;
electrically isolating, using the isolation layer, the first current collector from the second current collector in the integrated current collector device;
mounting the integrated current collector device, including the first current collector, the second current collector, and the isolation layer, to the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, the integrated current collector device provides structural support to hold the plurality of cylindrical battery cells in place relative to one another;
electrically connecting the first current collector to the positive terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells at first ends of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells, and
electrically connecting the second current collector to the negative terminals of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells at the first ends of the plurality of cylindrical battery cells.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
connecting one or more sense lines to at least one of the first current collector and the second current collector; and
collecting information about the plurality of cylindrical battery cells to convey to a battery monitoring unit (BMU) via the one or more sense lines.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
incorporating a battery monitoring unit (BMU) into the isolation layer during the injection molding.

17. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
incorporating into the isolation layer at least one of a temperature sensor, a current sensor and a voltage sensor during the injection molding.

18. The method of claim 11 , comprising:
aligning a plurality of apertures defined on the first current collector, with a plurality of apertures defined on the second current collector.

19. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
spatially maintaining the cylindrical battery cells relative to each other to at least meet creepage-clearance requirements for the battery pack to support a voltage of at least 400 volts across a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the batte

Assignees

• Sf Motors Inc
• Chongqing Jinkang New Energy Vehicle Co Ltd

Inventors

• Capati Nathalie
• Wang Duanyang
• Heth Jacob
• Chi Binbin

Classifications

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• H01M2/206 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M10/482 Primary

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• B60L50/64

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

• H01M2/1077

  Electricity · mapped topic