Bus bar assembly including biased bus bar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016372733-A1
Application number	US-201514744455-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 19, 2015
Priority date	Jun 19, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a plurality of battery cells and a bus bar assembly received over the plurality of battery cells. The bus bar assembly comprises a housing, a bus bar received within the housing and a retention device disengageable from the bus bar to move the bus bar between a first position and a second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An assembly, comprising:
a plurality of battery cells; a bus bar assembly received over said plurality of battery cells, said bus bar assembly comprising:
a housing;
a bus bar received within said housing; and
a retention device disengageable from said bus bar to move said bus bar between a first position and a second position.

2 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bus bar is connectable to a terminal of a first battery cell and a terminal of a second battery cell in said second position.

3 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said housing is made of a first material and said bus bar is made of a second, different material.

4 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said retention device includes a first retention feature configured to engage a second retention feature of said bus bar to retain said bus bar in said first position.

5 . The assembly as recited in claim 4 , wherein said first retention feature is a tab or an aperture and said second retention feature is the other of said tab and said aperture.

6 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bus bar includes a body and a first leg and a second leg that protrude from said body.

7 . The assembly as recited in claim 6 , wherein each of said first leg and said second leg includes a slot.

8 . The assembly as recited in claim 7 , wherein a bottom of said slot abuts a battery cell terminal in said second position.

9 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said bus bar includes a first bus bar portion and a second bus bar portion separate from said first bus bar portion.

10 . The assembly as recited in claim 9 , wherein each of said first bus bar portion and said second bus bar portion include a first opening configured to receive said retention device and a second opening configured to receive a portion of a battery cell terminal.

11 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said retention device includes an arm that is integral with said housing.

12 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein said retention feature includes an arm that is attached to said housing.

13 . The assembly as recited in claim 1 , comprising at least one biasing member configured to move said bus bar toward said second position upon disengaging said retention feature from said bus bar.

14 . The assembly as recited in claim 13 , wherein said at least one biasing member is a spring.

15 . The assembly as recited in claim 13 , wherein said at least one biasing member is a flexible portion of said housing.

16 . A method, comprising:
positioning a bus bar within a bus bar assembly to locate the bus bar in a first position relative to a battery cell terminal; holding the bus bar in the first position; and moving the bus bar from the first position to a second position.

17 . The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the moving step includes moving a first bus bar portion and a second bus bar portion in opposite directions from one another.

18 . The method as recited in claim 16 , comprising disengaging a retention device of the bus bar assembly from the bus bar to move the bus bar from the first position toward the second position.

19 . The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the holding step includes retaining the bus bar in the first position with a retention device.

20 . A bus bar assembly, comprising:
a housing; a bus bar received within said housing; and a retention device disengageable from said bus bar to move said bus bar between a first position and a second position relative to said housing.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Benedict Scott
• Gunther Tom M
• Schreiber Stuart
• Fernandez Francisco

Classifications

• H01M50/227 Primary

  Organic material · CPC title

• H01M50/522

  Inorganic material · CPC title

• H01M50/507

  comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules · CPC title

• H01M50/209 Primary

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

• H01M2220/20

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