Sealed one piece battery having a prism shape container

• US 6,042,961 A
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 03/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saft Finance Sarl (Totalenergies Se)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Barbotin, Jean-Loup, Verhoog, Roelof
• Primary Examiner(s): Nuzzolillo, Maria
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wills, Monique M.
• Application Number:
  US08/943,314
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 429/120, 429/71, 429/72, 429/176, 429/148, 429/163
• US Class Current: 429/72
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6561 Gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A sealed one-piece battery having a prism-shaped container including:

a tank consisting of a single plastic material,

a member fixed and sealed to the tank and to partitions on the side of the tank opposite the transverse wall to seal the tank,

two flanges fixed and sealed to longitudinal walls defining flow compartments for a heat-conducting fluid,

and two tubes on the transverse wall of the tank forming an inlet and an outlet for fluid common to the compartments.

Claims

1. Sealed one-piece battery having a prism-shaped container (1) including:

a tank (2) comprised of a single plastics material member having two lateral walls (4), two longitudinal walls (5), a transverse wall (6) and at least one vertical partition (8) perpendicular to said longitudinal walls (5) dividing said tank (2) into at least two compartments (7) adapted to receive an electrochemical stack,

a member (3) fixed and sealed to said tank (2) and to said at least one vertical partition (8) on the side of the tank opposite the transverse wall (6), to close the tank,

two flanges (9) each fixed and sealed to a respective one of said longitudinal walls (5) thereby defining a flow compartment (20) for a heat-conducting fluid,

a tube (10) on said transverse wall (6) of said tank (2) and in communication with a passage (21) incorporated in said transverse wall (6), wherein said passage (21) is in communication with both of said compartments (20).

2. One-piece battery according to claim 1, further comprising:

two orifices (11) per compartment (7), opening to the interior of the container, placed side by side on said transverse wall (6) and grouped in a central strip parallel to said longitudinal walls (5), adapted to receive electrical terminals, and

one open orifice (12) per compartment (7) on said transverse wall (6) in a lateral strip parallel to said central strip, on the side opposite said tube (10) and adapted to receive a release valve for venting gas in the event of a pressure rise.

3. One-piece battery according to claim 2 wherein said transverse wall further carries at least one closed cavity (13) adapted to receive temperature measuring means, said cavity being situated between two orifices (12) adapted to receive said valves.

4. One-piece battery according to claim 2 wherein said transverse wall further carries a closed housing (14) situated between said tubes.

5. One-piece battery according to claim 2 wherein the width of said central strip is in the order of half the width of said transverse wall.

6. One-piece battery according to claim 1 wherein all parts of said container are made from plastics material.

7. One-piece battery according to claim 1 wherein the width of said transverse wall is at least equal to 70 mm and at most equal to 180 mm.

8. One-piece battery according to claim 1 wherein the envelope of said transverse wall has a height at most equal to 40 mm.

9. One-piece battery according to claim 1 wherein a cover (35) fixed and sealed to said transverse wall covers said terminals (31, 32) except for two opposite polarity terminals (31'"'"', 32'"'"') adapted to be connected to external connections.

10. One-piece battery according to claim 1 wherein said closure means comprise a generally plane plastics material member each surface portion (40) of which delimited by the periphery of a compartment has a concave side facing towards the outside of said battery.

11. One-piece battery according to claim 9 wherein said cover is welded and sealed around each pair of opposite polarity terminals each belonging to one of two different compartments and electrically connected.

12. One-piece battery according to claim 9 wherein said cover carries means for holding longitudinal wires in place, said means comprising lateral lugs (37) projecting from said cover parallel to said transverse wall.

13. One-piece battery according to claim 9 wherein said cover carries means for guiding transverse wires consisting of transverse channels (38) formed on the surface of the cover.

14. One-piece battery according to claim 1 retained by a chassis comprising two plates (50) disposed in contact with said lateral walls and retained by at least one strap (51).

15. One-piece battery according to claim 14 wherein said plates have a concave side facing towards the outside of said battery.

16. One-piece battery according to claim 15 wherein said lateral walls have a concave side facing outwards that espouses the shape of said plates.

17. One-piece battery according to claim 1 retained by a chassis comprising two plates disposed in contact with said lateral walls and connected by tie-rods.

18. One-piece battery according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second tube (10) on said transverse wall (6) of said tank (2) and in communication with a second passage (21) incorporated in said transverse wall (6), wherein said second passage (21) is in communication with both of said compartments (20).

19. One-piece battery according to claim 18, wherein said tube (10) comprises a fluid inlet, and said second tube (10) comprises a fluid outlet.

20. One-piece battery according to claim 1, wherein said passage (21) is connected to said tube (10) and said compartments (20) such that the fluid flow passage through each compartment (20) is autonomous from that in the other.