BATTERIES AND COMPONENTS THEREOF AND METHODS OF MAKING AND ASSEMBLING THE SAME

• US 20090258288A1
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Anderson, Alastair Gordon, Spencer, Steven J., Spacher, Paul F., Weber, Derek R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,465,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/652 characterised by gradients for achieving a desired temperature gradient H01M10/617
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4935 Heat exchanger or boiler making

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment includes a method of sealing battery cooling plates.

Claims

1. A method comprising providing a plurality of battery cooling plates each having a liquid coolant path defined therein communicating with an inlet header hole and an outlet header hole, stacking a plurality cooling plates together so that inlet and outlet header holes of each plate are aligned with the same of adjacent plates, and each of the inlet and outlet header holes of adjacent.

2. A method comprising providing a plurality of battery cooling plates each having a liquid coolant path defined therein communicating with an inlet header hole and an outlet header hole and providing a plurality of frames each comprising an inlet header extension and an outlet header extension, stacking a plurality of sets together wherein each set comprising one of said cooling plate and one of said frames so that inlet and outlet header holes of each plate are aligned with the same of adjacent plates with a frame each plate so that each frame extension is connect to an associated cooling plate at an inlet or outlet header hole, sealing each of the inlet and outlet header holes at the connection of the frame extension with a plate header hole.

3. A battery comprising a battery cell positioned between a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate, a first inlet header extension provided extending in an upward direction and a second inlet header extension may be provided extending in a downward direction from a plane extending through the main portion of the first cooling plate, a first outlet header extension provided extending in an upward direction and a second outlet header may be provided extension extending in a downward direction from a plane extending through the main portion of the second cooling plate, and wherein the inlet and outlet extensions may be provided by at least one of frame, first cooling plate or second cooling plate or a combination thereof.

4. A battery as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a seal positioned to provide one of a plate-to-plate seal or a frame-to-plate seal.

5. A battery as set forth in claim 4 wherein the seal is one of an O-ring or compression seal.

6. A battery as set forth in claim 4 wherein the seal is a one piece seal that wraps around a portion of the frame to provide a frame-to-plate seal between the frame and the first cooling plate and a frame-to-plate seal between the frame and the second cooling plate.