Battery system with a cell connecting unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11005144-B2
Application number	US-201716345162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2017
Priority date	Jan 6, 2017
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

The present invention refers to a battery system (300) which comprises a cell stack (20), wherein at least two battery cells (10) of the cell stack (20) are electrically interconnected via a battery cell connector (90). The battery system (30) comprises a printed circuit board, PCB (150), and a cell connecting unit, CCU (140). The battery cell connector (90) is accommodated in the CCU (140), the CCU (140) being fixed onto the cell stack (20) and comprising one first flexible bracket (145) that is inserted into a corresponding mounting hole (151) of the PCB (150). According to the invention, the first flexible bracket (145) of the CCU (140) comprises a member (146) configured to fix the PCB (150) to the CCU (140) after the member (146) has been molten in a state in which the first flexible bracket (145) was inserted into the corresponding mounting hole (151).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery system, comprising:
a cell stack comprising a plurality of battery cells, wherein at least two battery cells of the cell stack are electrically interconnected via a battery cell connector;
a battery management system comprising a printed circuit board (PCB); and
a cell connecting unit (CCU), wherein the battery cell connector is accommodated in the CCU, the CCU being fixed onto the cell stack and comprising at least one first flexible bracket that is inserted into a corresponding mounting hole of the PCB,
characterized in that the first flexible bracket of the CCU comprises a member configured to fix the PCB to the CCU after the member has been molten in a state in which the first flexible bracket was inserted into the corresponding mounting hole.

2. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein the battery cell connector is realized as a bus bar that is molded into the CCU.

3. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein the member of the first flexible bracket is adapted to be molten via a hot staking procedure.

4. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein the CCU comprises an elastic material which is adapted to reversibly deform, allowing for the CCU to reversibly adjust to a deformation of the cell stack that is due to a charging or a discharging of at least one battery cell of the cell stack.

5. The battery system of claim 4 , wherein the first flexible bracket comprises an elastic material which is adapted to reversibly deform, allowing for the first flexible bracket to reversibly compensate for an arising change in the position of the PCB relative to the CCU due to a reversible deformation of the CCU.

6. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein the CCU has a substantially plate shaped body portion, wherein the first flexible bracket comprises a base part and wherein the member protrudes from the base part.

7. The battery system of claim 6 , wherein the base part has the shape of a cuboid, wherein at least one edge of the cuboid extends into a direction which is perpendicular to the substantially plate shaped body portion of the CCU and wherein the member has the shape of a cylinder which protrudes from the base part into a direction that is parallel to the at least one edge of the cuboid, forming a prolongation of the cuboid shaped base part.

8. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein the cell stack has a primary direction of deformation along which it deforms most during a charge and/or a discharge of at least one of the battery cells of the cell stack, wherein the stiffness of the first flexible bracket is smallest in a direction which is parallel to the primary direction of deformation.

9. The battery system of claim 7 , wherein the base part of the first flexible bracket has two opposing first quadrilateral faces and two opposing second quadrilateral faces, wherein the first and second quadrilateral faces are arranged substantially perpendicularly to the substantially plate shaped body portion of the CCU, and wherein the first quadrilateral faces each have an area that is larger than the area of one of the second quadrilateral faces respectively, the second quadrilateral faces extending along a direction that is parallel to the primary direction of deformation of the cell stack.

10. The battery system of claim 9 , wherein the PCB comprises at least one bonding pad and wherein the CCU comprises a second bracket, adapted to physically support the bonding pad.

11. The battery system of claim 10 , wherein in a fully assembled state of the battery system, a first surface of the PCB faces towards the CCU and a second surface of the PCB faces away from the CCU, wherein the bonding pad is arranged on the second surface of the PCB and wherein the second bracket extends from the CCU towards an area (A) of the first surface directly opposing the bonding pad.

12. The battery system of claim 10 , wherein in a fully assembled state of the battery system, the second bracket contacts the PCB to support the bonding pad.

13. The battery system of claim 10 , wherein the first flexible bracket and the second bracket are positioned next to each other.

14. The battery system of claim 10 , wherein the second bracket has the shape of a cuboid, wherein one surface of the cuboid at least in part is in contact with the PCB.

15. The battery system of claim 10 , wherein the second bracket has two opposing first quadrilateral faces and two opposing second quadrilateral faces,
wherein the first and second quadrilateral faces are arranged substantially perpendicularly to the substantially plate shaped body portion of the CCU, and
wherein the first quadrilateral faces each have a surface area that is larger than the surface area of one of the second quadrilateral faces respectively, wherein the first quadrilateral faces of the second bracket extend in a plane that is parallel to the second quadrilateral faces of the first flexible bracket respectively.

Assignees

• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hammerschmied Helmut
• Apolloner Peter

Classifications

• H01M10/425 Primary

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title

• H01M50/505

  comprising a single busbar · CPC title

• H01M50/284

  with incorporated circuit boards, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB] · CPC title

• H01M50/209

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2010/4271

  Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing · CPC title