BATTERY TAB CONFIGURATION

• US 20200136121A1
• Filed: 04/18/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: A123 Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A123 Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Allen, David W., Dawson, James
• Application Number:
  US16/606,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20200136121A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/242 adapted for protecting batteries against vibrations, collision impact or swelling
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/289 characterised by spacing elements or positioning means within frames, racks or packs spacing elements inside cells other than separators, membranes or diaphragms H01M50/471
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/505 comprising a single busbar
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/516 by welding, soldering or brazing
• 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 50/562 characterised by the material
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for constructing and assembling a battery are provided. A battery, may comprise a cell tab support and a plurality of stacked battery cells, where a portion of the cells extends through the cell tab support and is folded over on top of the cell tab support. Each of the plurality of stacked battery cells may comprise two oppositely charged electrode tab terminals bent in opposite directions below the cell tab support, and bent in the same direction over the top of the cell tab support.

Claims

1. A battery cell, comprising:

a first electrode terminal, bent in a first direction below a cell tab support, and rolled over a top of the cell tab support in the first direction; and

a second electrode terminal, bent in a second direction, opposite the first direction, below the cell tab support, and rolled over the cell tab support in the first direction.

2. The battery cell of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrode terminals comprise four sections, defined by bends in the terminals, where first sections of the electrode terminals are parallel to one another and extend from a body of the cell along a common plane up to first bends, and where second sections of the electrode terminals are angled with respect to the first sections and extend from the first bends up to second bends, and where third sections of the electrode terminals are positioned are parallel to the first sections and extend from the second bends to third bends, where the first, second, and third sections are positioned below the cell tab support, and where fourth sections of the cell tab support extend from the third bends to top edges of the terminals and are positioned above the cell tab support, and where the fourth sections are the only sections of the terminals that are rolled over the cell tab support.

3. The battery cell of claim 1, wherein the second electrode terminal is more bent below the cell tab support than the first electrode terminal such that a section of the second electrode terminal is offset farther from the common plane than a section of the first electrode terminal.

4. The battery cell of claim 1, wherein first and third bends of the first electrode terminal are in the same direction and are opposite the direction of a second bend of the first electrode terminal, and where second and third bends of the second electrode terminal are in the same direction and are opposite the direction of a first bend of the second electrode terminal.

5. A battery, comprising:

a cell tab support; and

a plurality of stacked battery cells, each of the plurality of stacked battery cells comprising two oppositely charged electrode tab terminals bent in opposite directions below the cell tab support, and comprising protruding portions which protrude through the cell tab support and are bent in the same direction over the cell tab support.

6. The battery of claim 5, wherein a first electrode tab terminal of each of the plurality of stacked battery cells is bent in a first direction towards a front of the battery, and a second electrode tab terminal of each of the plurality of stacked battery cells is bent in a second direction opposite the first direction below the cell tab support, and where the second electrode tab terminal is more bent than the first electrode tab terminal.

7. The battery of claim 5, wherein a more bent electrode tab terminal of each of the plurality of stacked battery cells is in face sharing contact with a less bent electrode tab terminal of an adjacent cell in the plurality of stacked battery cells.

8. The battery of claim 5, wherein tab terminals of adjacently stacked cells are in face sharing contact with one another when the tab terminals are not folded over the cell tab support.

9. The battery of claim 5, wherein the tab terminals of adjacently stacked cells are in face sharing contact with one another when the terminals are folded over the cell tab support.

10. The battery of claim 5, wherein the tab terminals are bent in a first direction over the cell tab support.

11. The battery of claim 5, wherein the tab terminals of adjacently stacked cells are in face sharing contact and are laser welded together after the tab terminals are bent over the cell tab support, such that the protruding portion of a first electrode tab terminal folds over the protruding portion of a second electrode tab terminal, where the second electrode tab terminal is positioned between the first electrode tab terminal and the cell tab support.

12. The battery of claim 11, where the second electrode tab terminal is wider than the first electrode tab terminal.

13. The battery of claim 5, further comprising, end cells positioned at either end of the stacked battery cells, the end cells comprising at least one electrode tab terminal that is bent differently than the electrode tab terminals of the stacked battery cells.

14. The battery of claim 13, wherein both electrode tab terminals of the end cells are bent in the same direction.

15. The battery of claim 13, wherein the electrode tab terminals of the end cells are bent in a second direction, away from the front of the battery.

16. The battery of claim 13, further comprising, bus bars positioned between the end cells and the cell tab support, the bus bars electrically coupling the end cells to terminals of the battery.

17. A method for electrically coupling battery cells, comprising:

prior to stacking the cells;

bending a first electrode tab of each of the cells in a first direction;

bending a second electrode tab of each of the cells in an opposite second direction;

stacking the cells; and

rolling the electrode tabs of the cells in the first direction over a cell tab support.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, bending the second electrode tab more than the first electrode tab.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein stacking the cells comprises abutting a more bent tab of each of the cells with a less bent tab of an adjacent cell.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising, bending both electrode tabs of end cells positioned at either end of the stacked cells in the second direction, and rolling the tabs of the end cells over the cell tab support in the first direction.