Lipped retention member for retaining a battery array and retention method using lipped retention member

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11539096-B2
Application number	US-202016983972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Aug 3, 2020
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A battery assembly includes, among other things, an enclosure having a floor, and battery cell frames disposed along an axis within the enclosure. Each of the battery cell frames includes a frame foot that projects laterally outward. An endplate is at an axial end of the battery cell frames. The endplate includes an endplate retention flange that projects laterally outward to laterally overlap with a portion of the retention member. A retention member extends axially alongside the battery cell frames. The retention member includes a lip that projects laterally inward across the frame feet such that the frame feet are held between the lip and the floor. An axial end portion of the retention member is secured directly to the endplate retention flange.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery assembly, comprising:
an enclosure having a floor;
a plurality of battery cell frames disposed along an axis within the enclosure, each battery cell frame including a frame foot that projects laterally outward;
a retention member extending axially alongside the plurality of battery cell frames;
an endplate at an axial end of the plurality of battery cell frames, the endplate including an endplate retention flange that projects laterally outward to laterally overlap with a portion of the retention member,
the retention member including a lip that projects laterally inward across the frame feet such that the frame feet are held between the lip and the floor, the retention member including an axial end portion that is secured directly to the endplate retention flange; and
a mechanical fastener that extends axially through an aperture in the endplate retention flange and is at least partially received within a bore provided by the retention member,
wherein the bore opens to an axially facing surface of the retention member, the axially facing surface facing axially along the axis of the plurality of battery cell frames, the endplate retention flange positioned against the axially facing surface.

2. The battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bore is a threaded bore.

3. The battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retention member is an extruded retention member.

4. The battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the battery cell frames each hold at least a portion of a battery cell.

5. The battery assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of first fasteners that each extend vertically downward through a respective retention member bore in the retention member to engage a respective second fastener that is secured relative to the floor, the first fasteners engaging the second fasteners to secure the retention member to the floor.

6. The battery assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second fasteners are each a weld nut.

7. The battery assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second fasteners are each secured relative to the floor by a floor retention member.

8. The battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the endplate is a first endplate at a first axial end of the plurality of battery cell frames and further comprising a second endplate at an opposite, second axial end of the battery cell frames, the retention member extending from the endplate retention flange of the first endplate to an endplate retention flange of the second endplate, the retention member secured directly to the endplate retention flange of the second endplate.

9. The battery assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a tensioning rod that extends from the first to the second endplate to compress the battery cells frames axially between the first and second endplates, wherein the lip projects laterally inward to laterally overlap with at least a portion of the tensioning rod.

10. The battery assembly of claim 9 , wherein the tensioning rod extends through apertures in the frame feet of the plurality of battery cell frames.

11. A method of retaining, comprising:
providing a plurality of battery cell frames disposed along an axis within an enclosure, each frame within the plurality of frames including a frame foot that projects laterally outward;
holding the plurality of battery frames relative to a floor of the enclosure using a retention member extending axially alongside of the plurality of battery frames, the retention member including a lip that projects laterally inward across the frame feet such that the frame feet are held between the lip and a floor of the enclosure;
securing an axial end portion of the retention member directly to an endplate retention flange of an endplate that is disposed at an axial end of the plurality of battery cell frames, the endplate retention flange projecting laterally outward to laterally overlap with a portion of the retention member; and
securing the endplate retention flange directly to the axial end portion of the retention member using a mechanical fastener that extends through an aperture in the endplate retention flange to engage a bore provided by retention member, the bore opening to an axially facing surface of the retention member, wherein the axially facing surface faces axially along the axis of the plurality of battery cell frames.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the retention member is an extruded retention member.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the battery cell frames each hold at least a portion of a battery cell.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the endplate is a first endplate at a first axial end of the plurality of battery cells frames, and further comprising using a tensioning rod to axially compress the battery cell frames between the first endplate and a second endplate that is at a second, opposite axial end of the battery cell frames.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising securing the retention member directly to both the endplate retention flange of the first endplate and an endplate retention flange of the second endplate.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the lip projects laterally inward to laterally overlap with at least a portion of the tensioning rod.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the tensioning rod extends through apertures in the frame feet of the plurality of battery cell frames.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Syed Shamsuddin A
• Subramanian Rajaram
• Grace Ihab
• Boileau James Maurice

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M50/249

  specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) · CPC title

• H01M50/244 Primary

  Secondary casings; Racks; Suspension devices; Carrying devices; Holders characterised by their mounting method · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

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

• H01M50/264

  for cells or batteries, e.g. straps, tie rods or peripheral frames · CPC title