Battery pack including fluid resistant over mold

• US 10,263,300 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2013
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A123 Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A123 Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Ciaccio, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crepeau, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/377,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20140356651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/63 Control systems charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 , H01M10/443; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 , H01M10/486
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6554 Rods or plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6568 characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/667 the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/103 Fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/284 with incorporated circuit boards, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/298 characterised by the wiring of battery packs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack for supplying energy to propel a vehicle is disclosed. In one example, a battery pack includes a thermoplastic over mold for providing resistance to liquid is disclosed. The battery pack may have increased resistance to battery pack degradation.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

a plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells comprising two terminals, where a valley extends along a length of the battery pack between the two terminals of each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, the valley positioned at a first side of the battery pack;

a liquid cooling circuit including a liquid heat transfer medium, the liquid cooling circuit in thermal communication with at least one of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells;

electrical circuitry in electrical communication with the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, the electrical circuitry including;

a printed circuit board positioned at an exterior surface of a second side of the battery pack, where the second side of the battery pack is perpendicular to the first side of the battery pack, and where the second side of the battery pack is adjacent to the first side of the battery pack,

a plurality of voltage sensing clips, where the plurality of voltage sensing clips is positioned at the first side of the battery pack, and where the plurality of voltage sensing clips is positioned within the valley, the plurality of voltage sensing clips electrically coupled to the printed circuit board, and

a plurality of wires positioned within the valley, the plurality of wires being conductors, where the plurality of wires extends along the length of the battery pack, and where the plurality of wires further extends between the printed circuit board and the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, the plurality of wires wrapping around the battery pack from the first side of the battery pack to the second side of the battery pack; and

a fluid resistant over mold encapsulating at least a portion of the electrical circuitry away from the liquid heat transfer medium, the fluid resistant over mold encapsulating at least a portion of the plurality of wires that is extended between at least one of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells and the printed circuit board and that is outside a surrounding structure of the battery pack, the fluid resistant over mold providing a buffer between at least the portion of the plurality of the wires and the surrounding structure of the battery pack.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, where the printed circuit board includes a charge monitor and balancing board, and where the fluid resistant over mold encapsulates the charge monitor and balancing board.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the cooling circuit is positioned at a third side of the battery pack, where the third side of the battery pack is opposite the first side of the battery pack.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the cooling circuit is in contact with a housing heat sink, wherein the housing heat sink retains one or more of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells.

5. The battery pack of claim 1, where the fluid resistant over mold is comprised of a thermoplastic.

6. The battery pack of claim 1, where the surrounding structure of the battery pack includes a front end cover at the second side of the battery pack, and where the front end cover is positioned between the printed circuit board and the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells.

7. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising output terminals at the second side of the battery pack.

8. A battery pack, comprising:

a plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells in the battery pack comprising a first terminal and a second terminal,

where the first terminal and the second terminal of each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells are positioned at a first side of the battery pack, where each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells in the battery pack is coupled to a first bus bar and a second bus bar,

where the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells is electrically coupled to a printed circuit board, where the printed circuit board is positioned at an exterior of a surrounding structure at a second side of the battery pack, and

where the second side of the battery pack extends in a plane perpendicular to the first side of the battery pack;

a liquid cooling circuit including a liquid heat transfer medium, the liquid cooling circuit in thermal communication with at least one of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells;

a plurality of voltage sensing clips that are in electrical communication with the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells and the printed circuit board via a group of wires,

where both the plurality of voltage sensing clips and the group of wires are positioned in a valley, the group of wires being conductors, and where the valley extends along a length of the battery pack, the valley formed between the first terminals and the second terminals at the first side of the battery pack, where the group of wires further extends from the valley at the first side of the battery pack to the printed circuit board at the second side of the battery pack, the group of wires wrapping around the battery pack from the first side of the battery pack to the second side of the battery pack; and

a fluid resistant over mold positioned between the group of wires and an exterior surrounding structure of the battery pack, the fluid resistant over mold covering at least a portion of the group of wires that extends between at least one of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells and the printed circuit board and that is outside the surrounding structure of the battery pack, where the fluid resistant over mold is positioned between the group of wires and the liquid heat transfer medium and provides a buffer between the group of wires and the liquid heat transfer medium.

9. The battery pack of claim 8, where the group of wires is bundled into a wiring harness, the wiring harness positioned in the valley, and where the fluid resistant over mold covers at least a portion of the wiring harness.

10. The battery pack of claim 8, further comprising the liquid cooling circuit is positioned at a third side of the battery pack, where the third side of the battery pack is opposite the first side of the battery pack.

11. The battery pack of claim 8, where the fluid resistant over mold provides a threshold distance between adjacent wires.

12. The battery pack of claim 8, where the surrounding structure of the battery pack includes a battery housing.

13. The battery pack of claim 8, further comprising output terminals that are positioned on the second side of the battery pack.

14. The battery pack of claim 13, where the printed circuit board is a charge monitor and balancing board, and where the printed circuit board further includes an output connector for attaching to external circuitry.

15. The battery pack of claim 14, where at least a portion of the charge monitor and balancing board is covered by the fluid resistant over mold.

16. The battery pack of claim 15, where the printed circuit board further includes an input connector, the input connector coupling the printed circuit board and the group of wires.

17. A battery pack, comprising:

a plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells comprising two terminals, where a valley extends a length of the battery pack between the two terminals of each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells, where the two terminals of each of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells are positioned at a first side of the battery pack, and where the valley is positioned at the first side of the battery pack;

a wiring harness positioned in the valley;

a liquid cooling circuit including a liquid heat transfer medium, the liquid cooling circuit in thermal communication with at least one of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells;

a group of wires and a plurality of voltage sensing clips, where the group of wires and the plurality of voltage sensing clips are both positioned in the valley, and where the group of wires and the plurality of voltage sensing clips are both in electrical communication with the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells and a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board positioned at an exterior surface of a second side of the battery pack, the second side of the battery pack extending in a plane perpendicular to the first side of the battery pack, where the second side of the battery pack is adjacent to the first side of the battery pack, and the group of wires being conductors, where the group of wires is positioned in the wiring harness; and

a fluid resistant over mold covering at least a portion of the group of wires, the fluid resistant over mold maintaining positions of at least the portion of the group of wires according to positions of at least a portion of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells,

where the fluid resistant over mold encapsulates at least a section of the group of wires, where the group of wires extends between at least one of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells and the printed circuit board, where the group of wires wraps around the battery pack from the first side of the battery pack to the second side of the battery pack, and where the fluid resistant over mold is outside a surrounding structure of the battery pack, the fluid resistant over mold providing a buffer between at least the section of the group of wires and the surrounding structure of the battery pack.

18. The battery pack of claim 17, where the group of wires is coupled to one or more fuses, and wherein the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells is prismatic battery cells.

19. The battery pack of claim 17, further comprising the liquid cooling circuit, the liquid cooling circuit positioned at a third side of the battery pack, where the third side is opposite the first side of the battery pack.

20. The battery pack of claim 19, wherein the liquid coolant circuit is in contact with a housing heat sink, the housing heat sink comprising metal, where the housing heat sink includes a base and flanged edges, and where the housing heat sink retains one or more of the plurality of non-aqueous electrolyte battery cells.