Battery module bus bar carrier having guide extensions system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016197329-A1
Application number	US-201514634516-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 27, 2015
Priority date	Jan 5, 2015
Publication date	Jul 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a battery module having a stack of electrochemical cells that includes terminals, a housing that receives the stack of electrochemical cells, and a bus bar carrier disposed over the stack of electrochemical cells such that bus bars disposed on the bus bar carrier interface with the terminals of the stack of electrochemical cells. The bus bar carrier includes opposing first and second guide extensions, the stack of electrochemical cells is disposed between the opposing first and second guide extensions, and the opposing first and second guide extensions physically contact a first outer electrochemical cell and a second outer electrochemical cell, respectively, of the stack of electrochemical cells to guide the terminals of the stack of electrochemical cells toward corresponding ones of the bus bars disposed on the bus bar carrier.

First claim

1 . A battery module, comprising:
a stack of electrochemical cells having terminals; a housing that receives the stack of electrochemical cells; a bus bar carrier disposed over the stack of electrochemical cells such that bus bars disposed on the bus bar carrier interface with the terminals of the stack of electrochemical cells, wherein the bus bar carrier comprises opposing first and second guide extensions, wherein the stack of electrochemical cells is disposed between the opposing first and second guide extensions, and wherein the opposing first and second guide extensions physically contact a first outer electrochemical cell and a second outer electrochemical cell, respectively, of the stack of electrochemical cells to guide the terminals of the stack of electrochemical cells toward appropriate ones of the bus bars disposed on the bus bar carrier.

2 . The battery module of claim 1 , comprising an additional stack of electrochemical cells having additional terminals, wherein the housing receives the additional stack of electrochemical cells, wherein the additional stack of electrochemical cells is disposed adjacent to, and aligned with, the stack of electrochemical cells, wherein the bus bar carrier comprises opposing third and fourth guide extensions, wherein the additional stack of electrochemical cells is disposed between the opposing third and fourth guide extensions, and wherein the opposing third and fourth guide extensions physically contact a third and a fourth outer electrochemical cell, respectively, of the additional stack of electrochemical cells to guide the additional terminals of the additional stack of electrochemical cells toward appropriate ones of the bus bars disposed on the bus bar carrier.

3 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the stack of electrochemical cells comprises three electrochemical cells.

4 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the stack of electrochemical cells comprises prismatic, lithium-ion (Li-ion) electrochemical cells.

5 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second outermost electrochemical cells of the stack of electrochemical cells comprises a pair of terminals and the first and second guide extensions of the bus bar carrier physically contact the first and second outermost electrochemical cells, respectively, between the terminals of the pair.

6 . The battery module of claim 1 , comprising the bus bars, wherein the bus bars are fixed to the bus bar carrier.

7 . The battery module of claim 6 , wherein the bus bar carrier comprises a first side facing the stack of electrochemical cells, a second side opposite to the first side, and a thickness between the first and second sides, wherein the bus bars are fixed to the bus bar carrier on the second side of the bus bar carrier.

8 . The battery module of claim 7 , wherein certain of the bus bars contact the terminals of the stack of electrochemical cells through openings in the bus bar carrier, wherein certain of the bus bars extend outside a perimeter of the bus bar carrier to contact the terminals of the stack of electrochemical cells, or a combination thereof.

9 . The battery module of claim 6 , wherein the bus bar carrier comprises snap-in features to receive the bus bars to fix the bus bars to the bus bar carrier.

10 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the first and second guide extensions comprise inner surfaces that contact the first and second outermost electrochemical cells, respectively, of the stack of electrochemical cells, wherein the first and second guide extensions comprise outer surfaces opposite to the inner surfaces, and wherein the outer surfaces are tapered inward toward the inner surfaces from proximal ends to distal ends of the first and second guide extensions.

11 . The battery module of claim 10 , wherein the inner surfaces of the first and second guide extensions are tapered outwardly toward the outer surfaces of the first and second guide extensions from the proximal ends to the distal ends of the first and second guide extensions.

12 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each electrochemical cell of the stack of electrochemical cells comprises a terminal end having a pair of the terminals, wherein each terminal end comprises a first length, and wherein each of the first and second guide extensions comprises a second length that is at least half of the first length.

13 . The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the bus bar carrier comprises snap-in features and/or openings configured to interface with corresponding openings and/or snap-in features of the housing to couple the bus bar carrier to the housing over the stack of electrochemical cells.

14 . The battery module of claim 1 , comprising sensors disposed on the bus bars, fixed or coupled to the bus bar carrier, or a combination thereof.

15 . A battery module, comprising:
electrochemical cells disposed in a stack such that a plurality of terminals extends from the electrochemical cells proximate to an end of the stack; bus bars configured to interface with the plurality of terminals; and a bus bar carrier disposed adjacent to the end of the stack and having the bus bars disposed thereon, wherein the bus bar carrier comprises a first guide extension that physically contacts a first electrochemical cell disposed on a first side of the stack, wherein the bus bar carrier comprises a second guide extension that physically contacts a second electrochemical cell disposed on a second side of the stack opposite to the first side, and wherein the first and second guide extensions compress the electrochemical cells of the stack together such that the plurality of terminals are aligned with corresponding ones of the bus bars.

16 . The battery module of claim 15 , wherein the first and second guide extensions extend from or proximate to opposing sides of a perimeter of the bus bar carrier.

17 . The battery module of claim 15 , wherein the electrochemical cells are prismatic, lithium-ion (Li-ion) electrochemical cells, wherein the first and second guide extensions physically contact first and second lateral sides of the first and second outermost electrochemical cells, respectively, of the stack, and wherein the first and second sides of the stack and the first and second lateral sides of the first and second outermost electrochemical cells extend substantially perpendicular to the end of the stack.

18 . The battery module of claim 15 , wherein the first and second guide extensions comprise inner surfaces that contact the first and second outermost electrochemical cells, respectively, wherein the first and second guide extensions comprise outer surfaces opposite to the inner surfaces, and wherein the outer surfaces are tapered inward toward the inner surfaces from proximal ends to distal ends of the first and second guide extensions.

19 . The battery module of claim 18 , wherein the inner surfaces of the first and second guide extensions are tapered outwardly toward the outer surfaces of the first and second guide extensions from the proximal ends to the distal ends of the first and second guide extensions.

20 . The battery module of claim 15 , comprising a housing having an open side configured to receive the electrochemical cells such that the electrochemical cells are disposed in the stack on an inside of the housing, wherein the bus bar carrier is disposed in the open side of the housing such that the bus bars disposed on the bus bar carrier interface with the terminals of the electrochemical cells.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Mack Robert J
• Trester Dale B
• Dekeuster Richard M
• Czarnecki Jennifer L
• Fuhr Jason D

Classifications

• H01M10/052 Primary

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M10/482

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M50/524

  Organic material · CPC title

• H01M50/503

  characterised by the shape of the interconnectors · CPC title

• H01M50/209

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