Electric vehicle battery thermocouple

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9583798-B2
Application number	US-201314056204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2013
Priority date	Oct 17, 2013
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

An example electric vehicle battery thermocouple includes a temperature sense lead of a first material, and an electric vehicle battery component of a second material different than the first material. In an exemplary embodiment, the electric vehicle battery component includes a voltage sense lead and a bus bar. In another exemplary embodiment, the electric vehicle battery component includes a voltage sense lead and a terminal. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the electric vehicle battery component includes a voltage sense lead.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electric vehicle battery thermocouple, comprising:
a temperature sense lead of a first material; and
an electric vehicle battery component of a second material different than the first material, wherein the first material and the second material provide portions of a thermocouple.

2. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the electric vehicle battery component comprises a voltage sense lead and a bus bar.

3. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the electric vehicle battery component comprises a voltage sense lead and a terminal.

4. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the electric vehicle battery component comprises a voltage sense lead.

5. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 4 , wherein the voltage sense lead is welded to the temperature sense lead.

6. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 5 , wherein the voltage sense lead and the temperature sense lead are welded to a bus bar.

7. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sense lead is welded to the electric vehicle battery component.

8. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , including a ring terminal of the temperature sense lead, the ring terminal clamped to the electric vehicle battery component to couple the temperature sense lead to the electric vehicle battery component.

9. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sense lead is aluminum and the electric vehicle battery component is copper.

10. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sense lead is constantan and the electric vehicle battery component is copper.

11. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the electric vehicle battery component comprises a bus bar, a terminal, or both, and the bus bar is welded to the terminal.

12. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the electric vehicle battery component comprises a bus bar, a terminal, or both, and the bus bar is secured to the terminal with a mechanical fastener.

13. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , including a coating of a third material at a junction between the temperature sense lead and the electric vehicle battery component, the third material different than both the first material and the second material, the third material separating the first material from the second material.

14. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 4 , wherein the temperature sense lead is welded to the electric vehicle battery component.

15. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 4 , including a ring terminal of the temperature sense lead, the ring terminal clamped to the electric vehicle battery component to couple the temperature sense lead to the electric vehicle battery component.

16. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 4 , wherein the temperature sense lead is aluminum or constantan, and the electric vehicle battery component is copper.

17. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 4 , wherein the electric vehicle battery component comprises a bus bar, a terminal, or both, and the bus bar is secured to the terminal.

18. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 4 , including a coating of a third material at a junction between the temperature sense lead and the electric vehicle battery component, the third material different than both the first material and the second material, the third material separating the first material from the second material.

19. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 1 , wherein the first material interfaces with the second material at a junction, and the thermocouple is configured to provide a temperature at the junction.

20. The electric vehicle battery thermocouple of claim 19 , further comprising a controller electrically coupled to the first material and the second material, wherein a first voltage is developed across the first material due to a temperature differential between the junction and the controller, and a different, second voltage is developed across the second material due to a temperature differential between the junction and the controller, the controller configured to calculate the temperature at the junction based on at least a difference between the first voltage and the second voltage.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Turgeon Thomas Joseph
• Kimoto Masahiro

Classifications

• H01M10/48 Primary

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H01M2220/20

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

• G01K2217/00

  Temperature measurement using electric or magnetic components already present in the system to be measured · CPC title

• G01K13/00

  Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• G01K7/08

  the object to be measured forming one of the thermoelectric materials, e.g. pointed type · CPC title