Thermal conductor for high-energy electrochemical cells
First Claim
1. An energy storage device, comprising:
- a thin-film electrochemical cell having an anode contact and a cathode contact; and
a conductor coupled to the anode contact or the cathode contact and including a resilient portion for maintaining contact between the conductor and a wall structure disposed adjacent the conductor in the presence of relative movement between the conductor and the wall structure, the conductor conducting current into and out of the electrochemical cell and conducting thermal energy between the electrochemical cell and a thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed between the conductor and the wall structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thermal conductor for use with an electrochemical energy storage device is disclosed. The thermal conductor is attached to one or both of the anode and cathode contacts of an electrochemical cell. A resilient portion of the conductor varies in height or position to maintain contact between the conductor and an adjacent wall structure of a containment vessel in response to relative movement between the conductor and the wall structure. The thermal conductor conducts current into and out of the electrochemical cell and conducts thermal energy between the electrochemical cell and thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed between the conductor and the wall structure. The thermal conductor may be fabricated to include a resilient portion having one of a substantially C-shaped, double C-shaped, Z-shaped, V-shaped, O-shaped, S-shaped, or finger-shaped cross-section. An elastomeric spring element may be configured so as to be captured by the resilient conductor for purposes of enhancing the functionality of the thermal conductor. The spring element may include a protrusion that provides electrical insulation between the spring conductor and a spring conductor of an adjacently disposed electrochemical cell in the presence of relative movement between the cells and the wall structure. The thermal conductor may also be fabricated from a sheet of electrically conductive material and affixed to the contacts of a number of electrochemical cells.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. An energy storage device, comprising:
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a thin-film electrochemical cell having an anode contact and a cathode contact; and a conductor coupled to the anode contact or the cathode contact and including a resilient portion for maintaining contact between the conductor and a wall structure disposed adjacent the conductor in the presence of relative movement between the conductor and the wall structure, the conductor conducting current into and out of the electrochemical cell and conducting thermal energy between the electrochemical cell and a thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed between the conductor and the wall structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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16. An energy storage device, comprising:
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an enclosure including a first wall structure and a second wall structure; a thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed on or adjacent to the first wall structure; a thin-film electrochemical cell disposed between the first and second wall structures; and a conductor, defining one of a positive contact or a negative contact for the electrochemical cell, that maintains engagement with the material disposed on the first wall structure in response to relative movement between the electrochemical cell and the first wall structure, the conductor defining a current path for conducting current between the electrochemical cell and a contact external to the electrochemical cell, and defining a thermal flux path for conducting thermal energy between the electrochemical cell and the thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed on the first wall structure. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of transferring thermal energy and electrical current into and out of a thin-film electrochemical cell, comprising:
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conducting current between the electrochemical cell and a contact external to the electrochemical cell using a resilient conductor defining one of a positive or a negative contact for the electrochemical cell; conducting, using the resilient conductor, thermal energy between the electrochemical cell and thermally conductive and electrically resistive material disposed adjacent the resilient conductor; and maintaining mechanical contact between the resilient conductor and the thermally conductive and electrically resistive material in response to variations in a separation distance between the electrochemical cell and the thermally conductive and electrically resistive material. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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Specification