INTERCONNECTION WASHER ASSEMBLY FOR A BATTERY ASSEMBLY

• US 20100062329A1
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarios Advanced Solutions GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions, LLC. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Muis, Pascal
• Granted Patent: US 8,313,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/158
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/203 Resistors used for electric measuring, e.g. decade resistors standards, resistors for comparators, series resistors, shunts resistors in general H01C; microwave or radiowave terminations H01P1/26; coupling devices H01R
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• 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 10/48 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 Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/517 by fixing means, e.g. screws, rivets or bolts
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/522 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/55 on the same side of the cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/559 Terminals adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round, elliptic or button cells H01M50/553 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/566 by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A storage battery assembly for vehicles includes a plurality of battery cells. Each battery cell includes a closed housing and at least one terminal extending from the housing. Conductive bars are mounted on dedicated terminals. The conductive bars electrically connect the battery cells. At least one circuit board comprises electronic circuitry configured for at least one of monitoring and controlling the battery cells. The terminals have electrically conductive interconnection washers mounted thereon. The interconnection washers extend to a dedicated circuit board and are connected with electronic circuitry on the respective circuit board. The circuit is board connected to at least one interconnection washer located adjacent to the at least one terminal to which the at least one interconnection washer is connected.

Claims

1. A storage battery assembly for vehicles comprising:

a plurality of battery cells, each battery cell comprising a closed housing and at least one terminal extending from the housing;

conductive bars mounted on dedicated terminals, the conductive bars electrically connecting the battery cells; and

at least one circuit board comprising electronic circuitry configured for at least one of monitoring and controlling the battery cells;

wherein the terminals have electrically conductive interconnection washers mounted thereon, wherein the interconnection washers extend to a dedicated circuit board and are connected with electronic circuitry on the respective circuit board, and wherein the circuit board connected to at least one interconnection washer is located adjacent to the at least one terminal to which the at least one interconnection washer is connected.

2. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one interconnection washer is elastic.

3. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one circuit board is located between a respective battery cell housing and the conductive bars.

4. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein an insulation layer is provided between the at least one circuit board and at least one of the adjacent battery cell housing and the adjacent conductive bar.

5. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one circuit board comprises holes corresponding to the locations of the terminals of the battery cells, wherein the terminals extend through the respective holes of the circuit board.

6. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one circuit board is on top of at least one of the housings with terminals extending through the at least one circuit board, wherein the interconnection washers are mounted to the terminals and include elastic legs having a height greater than a gap between an upper surface of the circuit board to which the interconnection washer is connected and a connection position of the interconnection washer and a respective terminal, the elastic legs being spring biased to the circuit board when connecting the respective interconnection washer to the dedicated terminal.

7. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one circuit board is flexible.

8. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the interconnection washers is welded or soldered to a conductor path on a dedicated circuit board.

9. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the interconnection washers are on top of a free end of a dedicated terminal and the conductive bars are on top of a respective interconnection washer, wherein the terminals include internal threads and the interconnection washers and conductive bars comprise respective openings, wherein the terminal, interconnection washer, and conductive bar are coupled together by a screw extending through the openings of the conductive bar and the interconnection washer and screwed into the internal thread of the terminal.

10. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the interconnection washer includes a metal cap comprising a base plate, a side wall circumferentially surrounding the base plate, and a foot plate extending from the side wall to the outside at the lower edge on the opposite side of the base plate forming a rest for a circuit board, wherein the base plate is located at an upper edge of the side wall and spring legs extending from the side wall toward the rest and away from the cap are provided on the cap having a length adapted to spring bias the circuit board resting on the rest.

11. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the interconnection washers are formed by an upper metal ring and a lower metal ring and a metal plate extending from the lower metal ring to the upper metal ring and integrally formed with the upper metal ring and the lower metal ring, wherein the lower metal ring is mounted on a cell terminal and the upper metal ring is mounted on a circuit board.

12. The storage battery assembly of claim 11, wherein the lower metal ring has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the upper metal ring, wherein the metal plate is helically curved with a diameter increasing from a connection point with the lower metal ring to a connection point with the upper metal ring.

13. The storage battery assembly of claim 12, wherein the metal plate extends from an inner edge of the upper metal ring to an outer edge of the lower metal ring.

14. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one temperature sensor electrically and thermally coupled to a respective battery cell by connecting a first terminal of the temperature sensor to a conductor path of a dedicated circuit board connected to a cell terminal of the respective battery cell and by connecting a second terminal of the temperature sensor for electronic circuitry provided on the circuit board.

15. The storage battery assembly of claim 14, wherein a voltage at the cell terminal to which the first terminal of the temperature sensor is connected forms a ground reference voltage for the electronic circuitry provided for temperature measurement.

16. The storage battery assembly of claim 14, wherein the temperature sensors are surface mountable devices placed on the surface of the dedicated circuit board and are soldered to copper tracks provided on the circuit board.

17. The storage battery assembly of claim 1, further comprising a shunt integrated into at least one of the conductive bars.

18. A battery module having a washer assembly comprising:

a plurality of electrochemical cells each comprising at least one terminal;

a circuit board including a plurality of apertures, each of the apertures configured for receiving a terminal of one of the plurality of electrochemical cells; and

a plurality of washers coupled to the circuit board, an inner diameter of each of the washers being aligned with a central axis of each of the apertures of the circuit board and configured to receive the associated terminal, wherein the circuit board is configured to allow the plurality of washers to be substantially simultaneously conductively coupled to the terminals of the plurality of electrochemical cells.

19. The battery module of claim 18, wherein the circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.

20. The battery module of claim 18, wherein the plurality of washers are flexible washers.

21. The battery module of claim 18, wherein the plurality of washers are made from a copper alloy.

22. The battery module of claim 21, wherein the plurality of washers include a tin plating on at least one surface of the washer.

23. The battery module of claim 18, wherein the plurality of washers are soldered to the circuit board along at least a portion of an edge of the apertures of the circuit board.

24. The battery module of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of washers comprises at least one flat edge along an outer circumference of the washer configured to provide clearance between adjacent washers.

25. The battery module of claim 18, further comprising a bus bar assembly coupled to the terminals of the electrochemical cells.

26. The battery module of claim 25, wherein the bus bar assembly comprises a plurality of bus bars, each one of the plurality of bus bars including an aperture at both ends thereof, each of the apertures of the bus bars being aligned with the inner diameter of each of the washers, each of the plurality of bus bars configured to conductively connect a terminal of a first cell to a terminal of a second cell.

27. A battery module comprising:

a plurality of electrochemical cells, each of the electrochemical cells comprising at least one terminal projecting from an end thereof; and

a member having a plurality of conductive members coupled thereto, each of the conductive members including an aperture aligned with a terminal of one of the plurality of electrochemical cells, wherein each of the conductive members is conductively coupled to one terminal of an electrochemical cell to aid in measuring the voltage of the electrochemical cell.

28. The battery module of claim 27, wherein the conductive member is a generally flat washer.

29. The battery module of claim 28, wherein the washer comprises an outer circumference having a flat edge to provide clearance between adjacent washers.

30. The battery module of claim 28, wherein the washer is soldered to a copper pad provided on the member.

31. The battery module of claim 30, wherein the member is a circuit board.

32. The battery module of claim 31, wherein the circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.