Battery pack manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12119466-B2
Application number	US-202017267694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2020
Priority date	Jan 10, 2019
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

A battery pack manufacturing method includes (a) stacking battery cells to form a cell stack, (b) coupling the cell stack and a U-frame to each other, (c) measuring the volume of the space between a flat plate coupled to the U-frame and the cell stack, and (d) applying a polymer resin corresponding in amount to the volume measured in step (c).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack manufacturing method comprising:
(a) stacking battery cells to form a cell stack;
(b) coupling the cell stack and a U-frame to each other;
(c) measuring a volume of a space bounded in a height dimension by a lower surface of the cell stack and a flat plate coupled to free ends of opposing sidewalls of the U-frame, the space bounded in a width dimension by the opposing sidewalls of the U-frame, and the space bounded in a length dimension by end plates coupled to opposing ends of the U-frame in the length dimension; and
(d) applying an amount of a polymer resin to fill the volume measured in step (c).

2. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein step (d) comprises applying the polymer resin to an inner surface of the flat plate.

3. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises determining a contour of the lower surface of the cell stack using a fluoroscopic imaging apparatus.

4. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 3 , wherein step (c) comprises:
(i) capturing positions of a maximum protrusion and a minimum protrusion of the lower surface of the cell stack; and
(ii) calculating a protruding length tolerance between the maximum protrusion and the minimum protrusion.

5. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises measuring a length from a determined contour of the lower surface of the cell stack to the free ends of the U-frame.

6. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises:
(i) measuring a plurality of lengths between the flat plate and the lower surface of the cell stack to calculate a correction length (Z′); and
(ii) multiplying the correction length (Z′) by an area of the lower surface of the cell stack.

7. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 6 , wherein the correction length (Z′) is an average of a maximum value and a minimum value calculated by using a tolerance range based on the plurality of lengths between the flat plate and the lower surface of the cell stack, defined by the following formula:
Z′ =( M 0+ M 1− M 2)

wherein M 0 indicates a distance between a maximum protrusion and a minimum protrusion of the lower surface of the cell stack, M 1 indicates a length from the maximum protrusion of the lower surface of the cell stack to the free ends of the opposing sidewalls of the U-frame, and M 2 indicates a dimension between a portion of the flat plate opposed to the lower surface of the cell stack, to which the polymer resin is applied, and a portion of the flat plate to which the free ends of the U-frame are coupled,
wherein, when M 0 and M 1 have a minimum tolerance according to the tolerance range and M 2 has a maximum tolerance according to the tolerance range, Z′ indicates the minimum value, and
wherein, when M 0 and M 1 have a maximum tolerance according to the tolerance range and M 2 has a minimum tolerance according to the tolerance range, Z′ indicates the maximum value.

8. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein step (b) comprises:
(i) coupling the U-frame and the cell stack to each other such that the U-frame wraps around an upper surface and a side surface of the cell stack, and
(ii) disposing the cell stack coupled to the U-frame such that a base of the U-frame faces a ground surface.

9. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , further comprising (e) welding the U-frame and the flat plate to each other.

10. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 9 , wherein the welding is performed with the flat plate disposed in contact with the free ends of the U-frame by pushing the flat plate downwards.

11. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 10 , wherein the pushing of the flat plate downwards comprises compressing the U-frame in a direction in which a first sidewall and a second sidewall of the opposing sidewalls of the U-frame face each other.

12. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer resin is a thermally conductive polymer resin.

13. The battery pack manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein step (c) comprises determining a contour of the lower surface of the cell stack.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd
• Lg Energy Solution Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Gwan Woo

Classifications

• H01M10/6551

  Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings · CPC title

• H01M50/209

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

• H01M50/293

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• G06T7/60

  Analysis of geometric attributes · CPC title

• G01B11/02

  for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B11/08 takes precedence) · CPC title