Battery assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9184424-B2
Application number	US-201313936556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2013
Priority date	Jul 8, 2013
Publication date	Nov 10, 2015
Grant date	Nov 10, 2015

Abstract

A battery assembly includes a first battery frame assembly having a first plastic frame member and a first thermally conductive plate. The first plastic frame member has a rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall and a plurality of cross-members. The battery assembly further includes a first thermally conductive plate having peripheral edges encapsulated within the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall. The plate further includes exposed portions configured to contact air passing through a first plurality of channels in the peripheral wall and past the first thermally conductive plate and through a second plurality of channels in the peripheral wall. The battery assembly further includes a first battery cell configured to contact the first thermally conductive plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery assembly, comprising:
a first battery frame assembly having a first plastic frame member and a first thermally conductive plate;
the first plastic frame member having a first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall and a first plurality of cross-members; the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall having first, second, third and fourth wall portions defining a first central space, the first plurality of cross-members extending between the first and second wall portions and extending across the first central space, the first plurality of cross-members defining a first plurality of open spaces therebetween in the first central space; the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall further having a first plurality of channels extending into the first wall portion proximate to the first plurality of open spaces, and a second plurality of channels extending into the second wall portion proximate to the first plurality of open spaces;
the first thermally conductive plate having first, second, third and fourth peripheral edges being disposed and encapsulated within the first, second, third and fourth wall portions, respectively, of the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall, the first thermally conductive plate having first and second sides, the first plurality of cross-members being disposed directly on an contacting the first side of the first thermally conductive plate, the first thermally conductive plate further having exposed portions on the first side thereof disposed in the first plurality of open spaces configured to contact air flowing through the first plurality of channels and past the first side of the first thermally conductive plate and through the second plurality of channels to extract heat energy from the first thermally conductive plate;
a first battery cell being disposed directly on and contacting the second side of the first thermally conductive plate;
a second battery cell being disposed directly on and contacting the first battery cell;
a second battery frame assembly being coupled to the first battery frame assembly such that the first and second battery cells are disposed between the first and second battery frame assemblies, the second battery frame assembly having a second plastic frame member and a second thermally conductive plate, the second thermally conductive plate having first, second, third and fourth peripheral edges disposed and encapsulated within the second plastic frame member, the second thermally conductive plate having first and second sides, the first side of the second thermally conductive plate being disposed directly on and contacting the second battery cell such that the first and second battery cells are disposed directly between the first and second thermally conductive plates; and
a second plurality of cross-members of the second plastic frame member being disposed directly on and contacting the second side of the second thermally conductive plate.

2. The battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the first and second battery cells are further disposed between the first battery frame assembly and the second battery frame assembly, the first plastic frame member being coupled to the second plastic frame member.

3. The battery assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second plastic frame member further includes a second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall; the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall having first, second, third and fourth wall portions defining a second central space, the second plurality of cross-members extending between the first and second wall portions of the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall and extending across the second central space, the second plurality of cross-members defining a second plurality of open spaces therebetween in the second central space, the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall further having a first plurality of channels extending into the first wall portion thereof proximate to the second plurality of open spaces, and a second plurality of channels extending into the second wall portion thereof proximate to the second plurality of open spaces.

4. The battery assembly of claim 3 , wherein the second thermally conductive plate further having exposed portions disposed in the second plurality of open spaces configured to contact air passing through the first plurality of channels in the first wall portion of the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall and past the second thermally conductive plate and through the second plurality of channels in the second wall portion of the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall to extract heat energy from the second thermally conductive plate.

5. The battery assembly of claim 3 , further comprising:
a first bus bar having a first tab portion, a second tab portion, and a first central body; the first central body of the first bus bar being disposed between the first and second tab portions of the first bus bar; and
the first central body of the first bus bar being disposed within the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall, the first tab portion of the first bus bar extending outwardly from the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall in a first direction, and the second tab portion of the first bus bar extending outwardly from the first substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first tab portion of the first bus bar being electrically coupled to a first electrical terminal of the first battery cell;
a second bus bar having a first tab portion, a second tab portion, and a first central body; the first central body of the second bus bar being disposed between the first and second tab portions of the second bus bar; and
the first central body of the second bus bar being disposed within the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall, the first tab portion of the second bus bar extending outwardly from the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall in the first direction, and the second tab portion of the second bus bar extending outwardly from the second substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall in a third direction opposite of the second direction, the first tab portion of the second bus bar being electrically coupled to a second electrical terminal of the second battery cell.

6. The battery assembly of claim 3 , further comprising:
a third battery frame assembly having a third plastic frame member and a third thermally conductive plate;
the third plastic frame member having a third substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall and a plurality of cross-members; the third substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall having first, second, third and fourth wall portions defining a central space, the plurality of cross-members of the third plastic frame member extending between the first and second wall portions of the third substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall and extending across the central space thereof, the plurality of cross-members of the third plastic frame member defining a plurality of open spaces therebetween in the central space of the third substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall,
the third substantially rectangular ring-shaped peripheral wall further having a third plurality of channels extending into the first wall portion thereof proximate to the plurality of open spaces defined by the plurality of cross-members of the third plastic frame member, and a fourth plurality of channels extending into the second wall portion thereof proximate to the pl

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Arena Anthony
• Sanderson Daniel

Classifications

• H01M10/0486 Primary

  Frames for plates or membranes · CPC title

• H01M10/6561

  Gases · CPC title

• H01M10/613

  Cooling or keeping cold · CPC title

• H01M10/6557 Primary

  arranged between the cells · CPC title

• H01M10/6555

  arranged between the cells · CPC title