Electrified vehicle battery having cells with internal fusible links

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12080919-B2
Application number	US-202117538055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2021
Priority date	Nov 30, 2021
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

An electrified vehicle battery includes battery cells each having a container including a first jelly roll electrically connected to a second jelly roll by a fusible link with the first and second jelly rolls and the fusible link being disposed within the container and battery terminals electrically connected to the first jelly roll and extending from the container. The fusible link may be formed by a connector having a reduced cross-sectional area, which may correspond to one or more apertures extending through the connector. The fusible link may be coated with a ceramic material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrified vehicle battery including a plurality of battery cells, each comprising:
a container;
a first laminar structure having cathode, separator, and anode layers disposed within the container; and
a second laminar structure having cathode, separator, and anode layers disposed within the container, the second laminar structure connected by a fusible link within the container to the first laminar structure the fusible link comprising a metal conductor with a ceramic or oxide coating.

2. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 1 wherein the first laminar structure includes a first connector, the second laminar structure includes a second connector overlapping and welded to the first connector, and the fusible link defines at least one aperture extending through the overlapping welded portion of the first and second connectors.

3. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 2 further comprising at least one battery terminal connected by a fusible link within the container to the first laminar structure.

4. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 2 wherein the container comprises a rigid prismatic container.

5. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 1 further comprising a third laminar structure having cathode, separator, and anode layers disposed within the container, the third laminar structure connected by a fusible link within the container to the second laminar structure.

6. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 5 wherein the first, second, and third laminar structures comprise jelly rolls connected in parallel.

7. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 1 wherein the first laminar structure includes a conductive connector connected to the laminar structure and wherein the fusible link comprises a portion of the conductive connector having a reduced cross-sectional area.

8. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 7 wherein the reduced cross-sectional area corresponds to at least one aperture extending through the conductive connector.

9. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 7 wherein the portion of the connector having a reduced cross-sectional area is coated with the ceramic or oxide coating material.

10. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 1 wherein the first and second laminar structures are connected in series.

11. The electrified vehicle battery of claim 1 wherein the first and second laminar structures are connected in parallel.

12. A method for manufacturing a battery, comprising:
electrically connecting a first laminar structure by a fusible link having a ceramic or oxide coating to a second laminar structure;
disposing the first laminar structure, the second laminar structure, and the fusible link within a container; and
electrically connecting battery terminals extending from the container to the first laminar structure.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
forming an aperture in a connector that connects the first laminar structure to the second laminar structure to form the fusible link.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
applying the ceramic or oxide around the aperture that connects the first laminar structure to the second laminar structure.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of electrically connecting comprises welding a portion of a connector of the first laminar structure to an overlapping portion of a connector of the second laminar structure, the method further comprising forming an aperture within the overlapping portion to form the fusible link.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising forming the fusible link by reducing a cross-sectional area of a connector electrically connecting the first laminar structure to the second laminar structure.

17. A battery comprising:
a container;
a first jelly roll electrically connected to a second jelly roll by a fusible link having a ceramic or oxide coating, the first and second jelly rolls and the fusible link being disposed within the container; and
terminals electrically connected to the first jelly roll and extending from the container.

18. The battery of claim 17 wherein the fusible link is formed by an aperture extending through a connector connecting the first and second jelly rolls.

19. The battery of claim 17 further comprising a fusible link connecting at least one of the terminals to the first jelly roll.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Gilbert Allen Joseph
• Chikkannanavar Satish B
• Yang Xiao Guang

Classifications

• H01M2200/103

  Fuse · CPC title

• H01M50/20

  Mountings; Secondary casings or frames; Racks, modules or packs; Suspension devices; Shock absorbers; Transport or carrying devices; Holders (structural combination of accumulators with charging apparatus H01M10/46) · CPC title

• H01M10/0431

  Cells with wound or folded electrodes (H01M10/045 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/14 Primary

  for protecting against damage caused by external factors · CPC title

• H01M50/502

  Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing · CPC title