FRAME MEMBER, FRAME ASSEMBLY AND BATTERY CELL ASSEMBLY MADE THEREFROM AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

• US 20100266883A1
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Payne, Josh, Koetting, William, Tom, Kwok
• Granted Patent: US 9,337,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/96
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6555 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6561 Gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/227 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/262 with fastening means, e.g. locks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making

Abstract

A frame member for housing a battery cell, frame assembly and frame/battery cell assembly made therefrom, as well as respective methods of making the same, are disclosed. A frame member for housing a battery cell includes an integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face, and an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein. A pair of frame members having a cooling member placed therebetween and attached to the respective attachment faces comprises a frame assembly. A frame/battery cell assembly includes a pair of frame assemblies having at least one battery cell placed therebetween.

Claims

1. A frame member for housing a battery cell, comprising:

an integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face; and

an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein.

2. The frame member of claim 1, wherein the attachment feature comprises a plurality of attachment features located on the attachment face and the complementary attachment feature comprises a corresponding plurality of complementary attachment features located on the attachment face, each one of the plurality of attachment features having a respective one of the complementary attachment features symmetrically opposed about the plane of symmetry.

3. The frame member of claim 2, wherein at least two of the plurality of attachment features are generally opposite one another along the peripheral wall and the respective at least two complementary attachment features symmetrically opposed about the plane of symmetry are also generally opposite one another along the peripheral wall.

4. The frame member of claim 1, further comprising a protrusion from the attachment surface and a mating recess, the protrusion and recess symmetrically opposed about the plane of symmetry.

5. The frame member of claim 4, wherein the protrusion comprises a plurality of protrusions from the attachment surface and a plurality of mating recesses, the protrusion and recess symmetrically opposed about the plane of symmetry.

6. The frame member of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of protrusions from the attachment surface and a mating recess, each one of the plurality of protrusions having a respective one of the plurality of recesses symmetrically opposed about the plane of symmetry.

7. The frame member of claim 1, wherein one of the attachment feature and the complementary attachment feature comprises an inwardly projecting L-shape arm, and the other of the attachment feature and the complementary attachment feature comprises an outwardly projecting L-shape arm.

8. The frame member of claim 1, further comprising at least two electrode channels formed in the peripheral wall.

9. The frame member of claim 8, wherein two electrode channels are symmetrically opposed about the axis of symmetry.

10. The frame member of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises an engineering plastic.

11. The frame member of claim 1, wherein the engineering plastic comprises a thermoset polymer or a thermoplastic polymer.

12. The frame member of claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall has a shape comprising a polyhedron, circle, semi-circle, ellipse, semi-ellipse chord or other irregularly curved close-form shape.

13. The frame member of claim 12, wherein the frame shape is a polyhedron comprising a rectangle.

14. The frame member of claim 13, wherein the peripheral wall includes a first side wall and an opposed second side wall, an upper wall extending between the respective upper ends of the first side wall and the second side wall, a lower wall extending between the respective lower ends of the first side wall and the second side wall,

15. A frame assembly for housing a battery cell, comprising:

a first integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face, an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the first attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein;

a second integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face, an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the first attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein; and

a cooling member having a first side and a second side, the first side attached to the attachment face of the first frame and covering the first opening, the second side attached to the attachment face of the second frame and covering the second opening.

16. The frame assembly of claim 15, wherein the cooling member has an inlet configured to receive a cooling fluid that extends between the first frame and the second frame, and an outlet configured to exhaust the cooling fluid that extends between the first frame and the second frame.

17. The frame assembly of claim 16, wherein the cooling member comprises a corrugated sheet of a metal or an engineering plastic, and the cooling fluid is a liquid or a gas.

18. The frame assembly of claim 16, wherein the cooling member comprises a thin-wall housing of a metal or an engineering plastic having a passageway fluidly coupled to the inlet and outlet.

19. The frame assembly of claim 15, wherein the cooling member comprises a thermally conductive plate having at least one conductive fin extending outwardly of the peripheral wall of the first frame and the peripheral wall of the second frame.

20. The frame assembly of claim 19, wherein the conductive plate comprises a metal or a thermally conductive polymer, or a combination thereof.

21. The frame assembly of claim 15, further comprising:

a first battery cell disposed in the opening of the first frame; and

a second battery cell disposed in the opening of the second frame.

22. The frame assembly of claim 21 constituting a first frame/battery cell assembly, further comprising:

a second frame/battery cell assembly identical to the first frame/battery cell assembly, wherein the second frame of the first frame assembly is attached to the first frame/battery cell of the second frame/battery cell assembly, the attachment feature of the second frame of the first frame/battery cell assembly attachably engaging the complementary attachment feature of the first frame of the second frame/battery cell assembly, and the complementary attachment feature of the second frame of the first frame assembly attachably engaging the attachment feature of the first frame of the second frame/battery cell assembly, wherein the second battery cell of the first frame/battery cell assembly and the first battery cell of the second frame/battery cell assembly are captured thereby and comprise a battery module.

23. The frame assembly of claim 22, further comprising a further plurality of frame/battery cell assemblies identical to the first frame/battery cell assembly, wherein each of the respective ones of the frame/battery cell assemblies has a prior respective one frame/battery cell assembly attached to the first frame of the respective one frame/battery cell assembly, the attachment feature of the second frame of the prior respective one assembly attachably engaging the complementary attachment feature of the first frame of the respective one assembly, and the complementary attachment feature of the second frame of the prior respective one assembly attachably engaging the attachment feature of the first frame of the respective one assembly, the plurality of frame/battery cell assemblies and battery cells captured therebetween defining the battery module.

24. The battery module of claim 23, wherein the first battery cell of the first frame/battery cell assembly and the second battery cell of a last respective one of the plurality of frame/battery cell assemblies being omitted.

25. A method of making a frame member for housing a battery cell, comprising:

forming an integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face, and an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein forming comprises injection molding an engineering plastic to form the integral frame.

27. A method of making a frame assembly for housing a battery cell comprising:

forming a first integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face, an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the first attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein;

forming a second integral frame having a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having an attachment face and an opposed cooling face, an attachment feature located on the attachment face and a complementary attachment feature located on the attachment face that is symmetrically opposed to the first attachment feature about a plane of symmetry of the frame, the peripheral wall defining an opening that is configured to matingly receive a battery cell therein; and

forming a cooling member having a first side and a second side;

attaching the first side of the cooling member to the attachment face of the first frame, thereby covering the first opening; and

attaching the second side of the cooling member to the attachment face of the second frame, thereby covering the second opening.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein one of attaching the first side of the cooling member and attaching the second side of the cooling member, comprises ultrasonic welding, thermosonic welding, hot-platen welding or adhesive bonding, or a combination thereof.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

making a plurality of frame assemblies;

inserting at least one battery cell between a first one and a second one of the plurality of frame assemblies, the at least one battery cell is located within at least one of the frame openings; and

attachably engaging the attachment feature of the second frame of the first respective one of the frame assemblies to the complementary attachment feature of the first frame of the second respective one of the frame assemblies, and attachably engaging the complementary attachment feature of the second frame of the first respective one of the frame assemblies to the attachment feature of the first frame of the second respective one of the frame assemblies, wherein the at least one battery cell is captured between the first respective one and second respective one of the frame assemblies and the battery cell is thermally coupled to at least one of the cooling members thereof, the first and second ones of the frame assemblies and the at least one battery cell comprising a battery module.