POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A power supply system, comprising:
- a plurality of power supply units, each having a respective nominal voltage and a pair of terminals, the terminals of at least some of the power supply units being electrically connected to respective terminals of other of the power supply units, thereby forming a group of power supply units having a nominal voltage greater than the nominal voltage of any of the power supply units in the group;
a housing configured to receive the power supply units therein such that at least some of the power supply unit terminals are accessible for making electrical connections; and
a plurality of terminal connectors, each of the terminal connectors being configured to effect an electrical connection between two of the terminals of respective power supply units, and inhibit access to two other of the terminals of respective power supply units, each of the terminal connectors being further configured to facilitate access to the two other of the terminals after the electrical connection between the two terminals is removed, thereby facilitating selective access to the terminals of the power supply units in the group such that less than the nominal voltage of the group of power supply units is seen across any of the terminals access to which is facilitated by the terminal connectors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power supply system includes a number of battery cells connected in rows in an end-to-end fashion to form a battery module. A number of these battery modules are placed into a housing to form a battery brick, which is a basic building block that can be used to create a larger battery assembly. The power supply system may include locators to position individual battery cells within a row, to help ensure proper alignment of battery terminals extending outside the battery housing. Terminal connectors can be used to reduce the magnitude of the voltage seen across exposed terminals. The terminal connectors connect two of the battery terminals, while covering, and inhibiting access to, adjacent battery terminals. The power supply system may also include sensor stations to facilitate use of temperature sensors such that uniformity of airflow around the battery cells is maintained regardless of how many temperature sensors are used.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A power supply system, comprising:
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a plurality of power supply units, each having a respective nominal voltage and a pair of terminals, the terminals of at least some of the power supply units being electrically connected to respective terminals of other of the power supply units, thereby forming a group of power supply units having a nominal voltage greater than the nominal voltage of any of the power supply units in the group; a housing configured to receive the power supply units therein such that at least some of the power supply unit terminals are accessible for making electrical connections; and a plurality of terminal connectors, each of the terminal connectors being configured to effect an electrical connection between two of the terminals of respective power supply units, and inhibit access to two other of the terminals of respective power supply units, each of the terminal connectors being further configured to facilitate access to the two other of the terminals after the electrical connection between the two terminals is removed, thereby facilitating selective access to the terminals of the power supply units in the group such that less than the nominal voltage of the group of power supply units is seen across any of the terminals access to which is facilitated by the terminal connectors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A power supply system, comprising:
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a plurality of power supply units; and a housing configured to receive the power supply units therein, the housing being configured to provide an air flow path around each of the power supply units in the housing, the housing including a plurality of sensor stations, each of which interrupts at least a portion of the airflow around the power supply units, each of the sensor stations being configured to receive a respective sensor therein, such that the respective sensor can contact a respective one of the power supply units to determine a parameter associated with the respective power supply unit, each of the sensor stations being further configured to interrupt the airflow in substantially the same manner whether or not a sensor is received in the sensor station. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A power supply system, comprising:
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a plurality of generally cylindrical power supply units, each of which has a generally circular cross section; and a plurality of housings, each of the housings having an interior and an exterior, and including a plurality of generally tubular compartments configured to receive the power supply units therein, each of the compartments including a circumferential discontinuity forming an open channel along a length of a respective compartment for providing an air flow path across a power supply unit in the respective compartment, each of the housings being configured such that at least one of the channels is oriented toward a respective housing interior, and at least one of the channels is oriented toward a respectively housing exterior, each of the housings being further configured to cooperate with another one of the housings to form a common interior therebetween, one of the exteriorly oriented channels from each of the cooperating housings being oriented toward the common interior. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A power supply system, comprising:
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a plurality of generally cylindrical power supply units, each having two ends disposed opposite each other, each of the power supply units including a terminal disposed at one of the ends, and another terminal disposed at the other end; and a housing including a compartment having two at least partially open ends, the compartment being configured to receive a predetermined number of the power supply units in an end-to-end orientation, such that one of the terminals on one of the power supply units is adjacent one end of the compartment, and one of the terminals on another one of the power supply units is adjacent the other end of the compartment, the compartment including at least one locating device configured to cooperate with at least one of the power supply units in the compartment to position the at least one power supply unit such that each of the terminals adjacent one of the ends of the compartment is within a predetermined distance of its respective compartment end. - View Dependent Claims (22, 24)
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23. The power supply system of claim 23, wherein each of the insulators includes a plurality of rings disposed thereon, the at least one groove in the compartment wall including a plurality of teeth configured to cooperate with the rings on a respective insulator to locate the insulator within the groove.
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25. The power supply system of clam 24, wherein each of the locating devices is disposed along a length of the compartment at a predetermined distance from an adjacent one of the locating devices, thereby inhibiting position error for the two terminals adjacent respective ends of the compartment.
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26. A power supply system, comprising:
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a plurality of generally cylindrical power supply units, each having a generally circular cross section; a plurality of housings disposed adjacent to each other, each of the housings having an interior and an exterior, and including a generally tubular compartment configured to receive a predetermined number of the power supply units therein, the exterior of each of the housings including a channel disposed at a predetermined distance from an end of the compartment, such that respective channels on the adjacently disposed housings are generally aligned with each other; a tie-bar disposed within the channels; and a pair of end plates configured to cooperate with the tie-bar to trap the housings therebetween, thereby forming a group of housings. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification