Energy storage device with gas-tight capacitor chamber

• US 8,780,566 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flextronics International Limited
• Original Assignee: Flextronics International Limited
• Inventors: Stengel, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Jeremy C
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILAKOVICH, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US12/591,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: 361/728, 174/17.GF, 174/17.VA
• US Class Current: 361/728
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1435 at least passing through one of the parts to be joined, i.e. transmission welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/16 Laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1635 at least passing through one of the parts to be joined, i.e. laser transmission welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/542 joining hollow covers or hollow bottoms to open ends of container bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/066 sealed by fusion of the joining parts without bringing material; sealed by brazing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

With the objective of improving an energy storage device comprising a transducer unit and a capacitor module which interacts with the transducer unit so it can be inserted as a physical device into a motor vehicle in particular, it is proposed to provide a housing to accommodate the capacitor cells of the capacitor module, for the housing to comprise a capacitor chamber accommodating the capacitor cells, and for the capacitor chamber to have a gas-tight seal.

Claims

1. An energy storage device comprising:

a transducer unit;

one or more capacitor cells each comprising a cell housing, wherein the one or more capacitor cells are operably coupled with the transducer unit; and

a chamber housing having a structure that forms a capacitor chamber and a circuit chamber such that the capacitor chamber and the circuit chamber are integrated into the structure of the chamber housing, wherein the capacitor chamber accommodates the capacitor cells such that the capacitor cells are coupled within the capacitor chamber and the circuit chamber accommodates the transducer unit such that the transducer unit is coupled within the circuit chamber, and further wherein the capacitor chamber has a gas-tight seal and the circuit chamber is completely separate from and disposed outside of the capacitor chamber.

2. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that a sorption material is arranged in the capacitor chamber for sorption of chemical substances leaking from the capacitor cells.

3. The energy storage device according to claim 2, characterized in that the sorption material is made from an organic polymer.

4. The energy storage device according to claim 2, characterized in that the sorption material is part of a filler material provided in the capacitor chamber.

5. The energy storage device according to claim 4, characterized in that the sorption material is integrated into a filler material padding.

6. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that the chamber housing exhibits a housing shell having a volume, which at least partly accommodates the capacitor chamber, extending inward from an opening in said housing shell.

7. The energy storage device according to claim 6, characterized in that the volume wholly accommodates the capacitor chamber.

8. The energy storage device according to claim 6, characterized in that the opening can be sealed by a cover so as to be gas-tight.

9. The energy storage device according to claim 8, characterized in that the cover is connected to the housing shell by means of an adhesive bond.

10. The energy storage device according to claim 9, characterized in that the cover and the housing shell are welded together.

11. The energy storage device according to claim 9, characterized in that the housing shell or the cover exhibits a meltable bead area for producing the adhesive bond.

12. The energy storage device according to claim 11, characterized in that the cover overlaps the bead area by means of an edge strip and that the edge strip is of a material transparent to radiation for melting the bead area.

13. The energy storage device according to claim 8, further comprising at least one anchoring element positioned in the center of the cover and detachably coupling the center of the cover to the center of the housing shell.

14. The energy storage device according to claim 13, characterized in that the anchoring element is a screw anchor.

15. The energy storage device according to claim 14, characterized in that the screw anchor projects through the cover to seal same.

16. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that the one or more capacitor cells are connected to the transducer unit by means of current contacts.

17. The energy storage device according to claim 16, characterized in that the current contacts lead out of the capacitor chamber in gas-tight manner.

18. An energy storage device comprising:

a transducer unit;

one or more capacitor cells each comprising a cell housing, wherein the one or more capacitor cells are operably coupled with the transducer unit;

a chamber housing comprising;

a capacitor chamber accommodating the capacitor cells such that the capacitor cells are coupled within the capacitor chamber, wherein the capacitor chamber has a gas-tight seal and one or more capacitor retainers that hug the perimeter of each of the capacitor cells such that the capacitor cells are fixed relative to each other; and

a circuit chamber accommodating the transducer unit such that the transducer unit is coupled within the circuit chamber, wherein the circuit chamber is completely separate from and disposed outside of the capacitor chamber; and

a flat bottom cover that seals the capacitor chamber of the chamber housing, wherein the flat bottom cover comprises one or more support ribs that extend radially from the perimeter of the flat bottom cover to a central area of the flat bottom cover.

19. The energy storing device according to claim 18, wherein each capacitor cell is an electrochemical double-layer capacitor cell.