Interlocking frame system for lithium-polymer battery construction
First Claim
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1. A battery comprising:
- a stack of planar battery cells; and
a plurality of interlocking frames, said plurality of interlocking frames adapted to restrict the planar battery cells from slipping with respect to each other;
the interlocking frames including a first frame with a ledge in a first plane, the first frame including an upwards projection and a downwards projection out of the ledge;
the interlocking frames including a second frame with a ledge in a second plane, said second plane being parallel to the first plane, said second frame including an upwards projection and a downwards projection out of the ledge, wherein some of the cells in said stack of cells are located between the ledges of the first and second frames and wherein one of the projections from the first frame is located behind one of the projections of the second frame such that the movement of the first and second frames within the planes of the ledges is restricted, and wherein the thickness of said some of the cells between the ledges is such that the one of the projections from the first frame does not contact the ledge of the second frame and the one of the projections of the second frame does not contact the ledge of the first frame.
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Abstract
Frames for batteries which are constructed of planar battery cells prevent the planar battery cells from shifting while the batteries are vacuum sealed. These frames do not add to the thickness of the batteries but have the advantage of increasing the rigidity of the battery, reducing the shifting of the battery cells during assembly, and preventing vulnerable edges which result in non-uniformities and low energy density. The interlocking frame design allows cells to be stacked onto a battery with relatively tight alignment, high volumetric efficiency and improved safety.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A battery comprising:
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a stack of planar battery cells; and a plurality of interlocking frames, said plurality of interlocking frames adapted to restrict the planar battery cells from slipping with respect to each other;
the interlocking frames including a first frame with a ledge in a first plane, the first frame including an upwards projection and a downwards projection out of the ledge;
the interlocking frames including a second frame with a ledge in a second plane, said second plane being parallel to the first plane, said second frame including an upwards projection and a downwards projection out of the ledge, wherein some of the cells in said stack of cells are located between the ledges of the first and second frames and wherein one of the projections from the first frame is located behind one of the projections of the second frame such that the movement of the first and second frames within the planes of the ledges is restricted, and wherein the thickness of said some of the cells between the ledges is such that the one of the projections from the first frame does not contact the ledge of the second frame and the one of the projections of the second frame does not contact the ledge of the first frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of forming a battery comprising the steps of:
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placing a stack of at least one planar battery cell on a frame, the first frame including a horizontal ledge, and an upwards projection and a downwards projection out of the ledge; placing a second frame with a horizontal ledge and an upwards projection and downwards projection out of the ledge onto the stack so as to interlock with the first frame and restrict the horizontal shifting of the stack, one of the projections from each of the first and second frame being positioned to prevent the relative horizontal movement of the first and second frames, the placing steps being such that the stack of at least one planar battery cell contacts the ledges of the first and second frames and said one of the projections from the first frame does not contact the ledge of the second frame and the one of the projections of the second frame does not contact the ledge of the first frame; and vacuum sealing the stack of at least one battery cell and first and second frame. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification