BOLTLESS BATTERY CELL CONNECTION

• US 20130309537A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Zhao, Weiping
• Granted Patent: US 9,105,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/99
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/50 Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/507 comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules
• 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 50/553 Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/566 by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/185 combined with a U-shaped insulation-receiving portion
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells each having positive and negative cell terminals and a carrier mounted over and spanning across the plurality of battery cells. The carrier has trays with openings therethrough exposing the positive and negative cell terminals. A plurality of buss bars are received in corresponding trays. The buss bars each have a positive plate laser welded to the positive cell terminal of a corresponding battery cell through the corresponding opening and a negative plate laser welded to the negative cell terminal of a different battery cell through the corresponding opening. The buss bars may be bimetal buss bars.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a plurality of battery cells each having positive and negative cell terminals;

a carrier being mounted over and spanning across the plurality of battery cells, the carrier having trays with openings therethrough exposing the positive and negative cell terminals; and

a plurality of buss bars received in corresponding trays, the buss bars each having a positive plate laser welded to the positive cell terminal of a corresponding battery cell through the corresponding opening and a negative plate laser welded to the negative cell terminal of a different battery cell through the corresponding opening.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the trays have pockets receiving corresponding buss bars, the trays having tabs extending into the pockets to secure the buss bars in the pockets.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the buss bars are loaded in the carrier prior to mounting the carrier to the battery cells.

4. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the buss bars are bimetal buss bars.

5. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises flexible hinges between adjacent trays, the hinges allowing relative movement between the trays and corresponding buss bars held by the trays.

6. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the carrier holds a voltage sensing wire harness having a plurality of voltage sensing wires, the voltage sensing wires being terminated to corresponding buss bar to sense a voltage of the buss bars.

7. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein each buss bar comprises a voltage sensing contact extending therefrom, the voltage sensing contact being terminated to voltage sensing wires held by the carrier.

8. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises front trays extending forward from a front of the carrier, the front trays receiving battery terminals coupled to corresponding buss bars.

9. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a positive battery terminal received in the carrier and terminated to a corresponding positive cell terminal and a negative battery terminal received in the carrier and terminated to a corresponding negative cell terminal, the positive and negative battery terminals each having quick connection ends, the battery pack further comprising a module to module terminal connected to the quick connection ends of the positive and negative battery terminals to electrically connect the positive and negative battery terminals.

10. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a positive battery terminal received in the carrier and laser welded to a corresponding positive cell terminal, the battery terminal having a quick connection end for electrical connection to a power terminal

11. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a cover covering the trays and the buss bars.

12. A battery pack comprising:

a first battery cell having positive and negative cell terminals, the positive and negative cell terminals having flat pads;

a second battery cell having positive and negative cell terminals, the positive and negative cell terminals having flat pads; and

a bimetal buss bar electrically connecting the positive cell terminal of the first battery cell to the negative cell terminal of the second battery cell, the buss bar having a positive plate being terminated to the flat pad of the positive cell terminal of the first battery cell and the buss bar having a negative plate being terminated to the flat pad of the negative cell terminal of the second battery cell.

13. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein the buss bar is laser welded to the corresponding flat pads.

14. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein at least one of the positive plate and the negative plate includes a bridge spanning over at least a portion of the other of the positive plate and the negative plate, the bridge defining a bimetal interface between the positive plate and the negative plate.

15. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein the buss bar includes a voltage sensing contact extending therefrom, the voltage sensing contact being configured to be terminated to a voltage sensing wire for sensing a voltage of the buss bar.

16. A battery pack comprising:

a buss bar having a plate and a voltage sensing contact integral with, and extending from, the plate;

the buss bar being terminated between corresponding cell terminals of adjacent battery cells.

17. The battery pack of claim 16, wherein the plate is a bimetal plate having an aluminum positive plate and a copper negative plate, the voltage sensing contact extending from the copper negative plate.

18. The battery pack of claim 16, wherein the voltage sensing contact comprises a crimp barrel configured to be crimped to a voltage sensing wire.

19. The battery pack of claim 16, wherein the voltage sensing contact comprises a wire termination pad configured to receive an end of a voltage sensing wire, the voltage sensing wire being welded to the voltage sensing contact and the wire termination pad.

20. The battery pack of claim 16, wherein the battery pack comprises:

a plurality of the buss bars; and

a wire harness having a plurality of voltage sensing wires terminated to corresponding voltage sensing contacts of the plurality of buss bars.