Method for Manufacture of Battery Pouch Terminals

• US 20100281681A1
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Scheuerman, Robert J., Rourke, Rick F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,460,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/623.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0404 Machines for assembling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0413 Large-sized flat cells or batteries for motive or stationary systems with plate-like electrodes
• 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 10/0585 of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/516 by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/46 of flat cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making

Abstract

A manufacturing method for battery pouches enables the subsequent welding together of a stack of battery terminals with an interconnect member to form a battery pack. According to the method, a plurality of pouches containing energy storage medium and having positive terminals and negative terminals extending therefrom are supported side by side in a pouch supporting fixture and lids are lowered to clamp the pouches against movement. The terminals are clamped against movement by clamping the terminals at the bases thereof. Then, the end portions of the terminals are bent by die mechanisms to provide an offset shape in each terminal by which when the pouches are stacked adjacent one another, the positive terminals will contact one another and the negative terminals will contact one another. The clamping and bending are performed in a way that prevents the flow of electrical current between the positive and negative terminals.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing battery pouches for the welding together of a stack of battery terminals with an interconnect member to form a battery pack, comprising:

providing a plurality of pouches containing energy storage medium and each pouch having a positive terminal and a negative terminal extending therefrom, said terminals having a base and a terminal end portion;

supporting the plurality of foil pouches side by side in a pouch supporting fixture;

clamping the terminals against movement by gripping the terminals at the bases;

and bending the end portions of the terminals by a die mechanism to provide an offset shape in each terminal by which when the pouches are stacked adjacent one another the positive terminals will contact one another and the negative terminals will contact one another.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising supporting the plurality of pouches in a pouch supporting fixture by nesting the pouches in nesting fixtures with the terminals projecting outward from the nesting fixtures and closing lids onto the nesting fixtures to support the pouches against movement.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising said nesting fixtures being mounted on slide rails so that the nesting fixtures can be slid between an open position slid away from the lids to enable loading and unloading of pouches from the nesting fixtures and closed positions in which the nesting fixtures are registered with the lids for closing of the lids onto the nesting fixtures.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising said nesting fixtures having thereon lower clamps that support the bases of each of the terminals.

5. The method claim 4 further comprising said lower clamps being of dielectric material.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising said lids having thereon upper clamps that engage with the base portion of the terminals when the lids are closed so that the base portion of the terminals are clamped between the upper clamps and the lower clamps.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising said upper clamps being spring loaded to apply a clamping force against the base portion that is determined by the spring load.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the upper clamps being of dielectric material.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the bending of the end portion of the terminals being performed by upper and lower dies both of which are spaced away from electrical contact with the terminals and then are closed about the terminals to perform the bending.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising separate upper and lower die sets being provided for bending of the positive terminals and bending of the negative terminals, and the die sets for bending the positive terminals being closed about the positive terminals not at the same time that the die sets for the bending of the negative terminals to avoid current flow through the die sets between the positive and negative terminals.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising upper and lower clamps mounted on the pouch supporting fixture and supporting bases of the terminals while the end portions of the terminals extend between the upper and lower dies.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the pouch supporting fixtures having a nesting fixture for nesting the pouches, each nesting fixture having a fixed lower clamp of dielectric material for supporting the base of the terminals and movable upper clamps of dielectric material for clamping the base of the terminals.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising a lid associated with each of the nesting fixtures and being lowered onto the pouches so that the pouches are immovably supported in the nesting fixtures, and the upper clamps are mounted on the lids so when the lids are lowered to support the pouches the upper clamps are also lowered therewith to clamp the bases of the terminals.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the upper clamps being mounted on the lids by springs so that the springs load the upper clamps against the bases of the terminals.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising closing certain of the die dies of the die mechanism to simultaneously bend the positive terminals of all of the plurality of pouches, and, at a separate time, closing certain other dies of the die mechanism to simultaneously bend the negative terminals of all of the plurality of pouches.

16. A method of manufacturing battery pouches for the welding together of a stack of battery terminals with an interconnect member to form a battery pack, comprising:

providing a plurality of pouches containing energy storage medium and each pouch having a positive terminal and a negative terminal extending therefrom;

said terminals having a base and a terminal end portion;

supporting the plurality of pouches side by side in a pouch supporting fixture having a nesting fixture for each pouch;

closing a lid onto each of the pouches to clamp the pouches in the nesting fixtures;

clamping the terminals against movement by gripping the terminals at the bases thereof via fixed lower clamps that support the bases of the terminals and spring loaded upper clamps that are carried by the lids;

and bending the end portions of the terminals by a die mechanism to provide an offset shape in each terminal by which when the pouches are stacked adjacent one another the positive terminals will contact one another and the negative terminals will contact one another.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising said nesting fixtures being mounted on slide rails so that the nesting fixtures can be slid between an open position slid away from the lids to enable loading and unloading of pouches from the nesting fixtures and closed positions in which the nesting fixtures are registered with the lids for closing of the lids onto the nesting fixtures.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising separate upper and lower die sets being provided for bending of the positive terminals and bending of the negative terminals, and the die sets for bending the positive terminals being closed about the positive terminals not at the same time that the dies sets for the bending of the negative terminals to avoid current flow through the die sets between the positive and negative terminals.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising said upper clamps and said lower clamps being of dielectric material to avoid current flow between terminals.

20. A method of manufacturing battery pouches for the welding together of a stack of battery terminals with an interconnect member to form a battery pack, comprising:

providing a plurality of pouches containing energy storage medium and each pouch having a positive terminal and a negative terminal extending therefrom;

said terminals having a base and a terminal end portion;

supporting the plurality of pouches side by side in a pouch supporting fixture having a nesting fixture for each pouch;

closing a lid onto each of the pouches to clamp the pouches in the nesting fixtures;

clamping the terminals against movement by gripping the terminals at the bases thereof via fixed lower clamps of dielectric material that support the bases of the terminals and spring loaded upper clamps of dielectric material that are carried by the lids;

simultaneously bending the end portions of the all of the positive terminals by closing upper and lower die sets to provide an offset shape in each positive terminals by which when the pouches are stacked adjacent one another the positive terminals will contact one another;

simultaneously bending the end portions of all of the negative terminals by closing upper and lower die sets to provide an offset shape in each of the negative terminals by which when the pouches are stacked adjacent one another the negative terminals will contact one another;

and said bending of the end portions of the positive terminals not being performed at the same time of the bending of the negative to avoid the flow of current between positive and negative terminals during the bending.