Battery cell system with interconnected frames

• US 8,795,872 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EnerDel, Inc. (Ener1, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EnerDel, Inc. (Ener1, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tople, Tom, Cates, Ed, Wolf, Len, Silk, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Alejandro, Raymond
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCDERMOTT, HELEN M
• Application Number:
  US12/843,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20120021271A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 429 96-100, 429/151, 429/162
• US Class Current: 429/151
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/02 Details of electrodes H01M4/00; of non-active parts H01M50/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0481 Compression means other than compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0486 Frames for plates or membranes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• 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 10/6555 arranged between the cells
• 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

A battery cell assembly includes a plurality of sub-assemblies. Each sub-assembly includes a heat sink and a first frame and a second frame disposed on opposite sides of the heat sink. The sub-assemblies are stacked to form a plurality of cell pockets that receive a battery cell. The battery cell assembly further includes a plurality of tie rods for fixing the plurality of sub-assemblies together. The first frame is formed with a plurality of through holes, and the second frame is formed with a plurality of protrusions with a hole extending therethrough. The frames are brought together such that each protrusion is at least partially received in a respective through hole. The interior surfaces of corresponding protrusions and through holes of the stack of frames form a passage for one of the tie rods to extend through.

Claims

1. A battery assembly comprising:

a plurality of sub-assemblies, each of the sub-assemblies including

a cell support,

a first frame, and

a second frame,

the first frame including an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of holes extending through the first frame from the upper side to the lower side,

the second frame including an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of protrusions extending from the upper side thereof to an outer tip surface, a plurality of holes extending through the second frame from the lower side to a respective one of the outer tip surfaces, each of the plurality of protrusions including a solid wall portion surrounding the respective hole,

the first and second frames being disposed on opposite sides of the cell support such that at least a portion of the cell support is sandwiched between the lower side of the first frame and the upper side of the second frame and such that the solid wall portion of each of the protrusions is at least partially received in a respective one of the holes in the first frame, whereby the first and second frames are interlockingly engaged,

the plurality of sub-assemblies being stacked to form a plurality of cell pockets, each cell pocket being formed between two adjacent sub-assemblies; and

a plurality of elongated fasteners, wherein the plurality of holes in the second frame of each of the sub-assemblies are substantially aligned to collectively form a plurality of passages for receiving the plurality of elongated fasteners therein to fix the plurality of sub-assemblies together.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further including a plurality of battery cells, wherein each battery cell is received in a respective one of the plurality of cell pockets and wherein portions of each battery cell are sandwiched between adjacent sub-assemblies.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the battery cells are lithium-ion battery cells.

4. The assembly claim 1 further including two end plates, the end plates being disposed on opposite ends of the plurality of sub-assemblies such that the plurality of sub-assemblies are sandwiched between the two end plates.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second frames have a substantially rectangular shape and an open middle portion.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the frames have a plurality of corner regions, wherein each hole in the first frame is located in a corner region thereof, and wherein each protrusion of the second frame is located in a corner region thereof.

7. The assembly of claim 5 wherein each of the first frames includes a protrusion for being received into a hole in the second frame of an adjacent one of the plurality of sub-assemblies, wherein the protrusion extends from the upper side of each of the first frames to an outer tip surface, wherein a hole extends through the first frame from the lower side to the outer tip surface, wherein the protrusion is located in one of the corner regions of the first frame.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the cell support is a heat sink.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the protrusions has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein each protrusion has an associated height, wherein the height of each protrusion is less than or equal to the depth of a corresponding through hole into which the protrusion is received.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein, in a first one of the sub-assemblies, the height of at least one of the protrusions of the second frame is greater than the depth of a corresponding through hole into which the protrusion is received such that the at least one of the protrusions extends beyond the upper side of the first frame and into a recess provided in the lower side of the second frame of an adjacent second one of the sub-assemblies.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the elongated fasteners are tie rods.

13. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the solid wall portion of each of the plurality of protrusions of the second frame is a contiguous wall surrounding the respective hole extending from the lower side of the second frame to the respective outer tip surface of the second frame.

14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first frame of each of the plurality of sub-assemblies includes a protrusion extending from the upper side of the first frame, the protrusion of the first frame aligned with one of the plurality of holes extending through the second frame when adjacent ones of the plurality of sub-assemblies are assembled to one another, such that the protrusion of the first frame cooperates with the corresponding hole of the second frame to interlockingly engage adjacent pairs of the sub-assemblies.

15. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the protrusions of the second frame each define a protrusion height that is at least equal to a corresponding depth of the hole of the first frame into which the protrusion is received.

16. A battery assembly comprising:

a plurality of sub-assemblies, each of the sub-assemblies including

a cell support,

a first frame and

a second frame,

the first frame including an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of holes extending through the first frame from the upper side to the lower side,

the second frame including an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of protrusions extending from the upper side thereof to an outer tip surface, a plurality of holes extending through the second frame from the lower side to a respective one of the outer tip surfaces,

the first and second frames being disposed on opposite sides of the cell support such that at least a portion of the cell support is sandwiched between the lower side of the first frame and the upper side of the second frame and such that each of the protrusions is at least partially received in a respective one of the holes in the first frame, whereby the first and second frames are interlockingly engaged,

the plurality of sub-assemblies being stacked to form a plurality of cell pockets, each cell pocket being formed between two adjacent sub-assemblies,

the holes in the second frame of each of the sub-assemblies being substantially aligned so as to collectively form a plurality of passages;

a plurality of battery cells, wherein each battery cell is received in a respective one of the plurality of cell pockets and wherein portions of each battery cell are sandwiched between adjacent sub-assemblies; and

a plurality of elongated fasteners, each elongated fastener being received in a respective one of the passages, whereby the plurality of elongated fasteners fix the plurality of sub-assemblies together,

wherein the nested arrangement of the respective protrusions of the second frame and the respective hole of the first frame of each of the plurality of sub-assemblies provides a physical barrier between the cell pockets and the elongated fasteners.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the elongated fasteners are tie rods.

18. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the cell support is a heat sink.

19. The battery assembly of claim 16, wherein the plurality of protrusions of the second frame completely surround the plurality of holes of the second frame.

20. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the first frame of each of the plurality of sub-assemblies includes a protrusion extending from the upper side of the first frame, the protrusion of the first frame aligned with one of the plurality of holes extending through the second frame when adjacent ones of the plurality of sub-assemblies are assembled to one another, such that the protrusion of the first frame cooperates with the corresponding hole of the second frame to interlockingly engage adjacent pairs of the sub-assemblies.

21. A battery assembly comprising:

a plurality of sub-assemblies, each of the sub-assemblies including

a first frame and

a second frame,

the first frame including an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of holes extending through the first frame from the upper side to the lower side,

the second frame including an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of protrusions extending from the upper side thereof to an outer tip surface, a plurality of holes extending through the second frame from the lower side to a respective one of the outer tip surfaces, each of the protrusions being at least partially received in a respective one of the holes in the first frame,

a plurality of battery cells,

the plurality of sub-assemblies being alternatingly stacked with the plurality of battery cells such that portions of each battery cell are sandwiched between adjacent sub-assemblies,

the holes in the second frame of each of the sub-assemblies being substantially aligned so as to collectively form a plurality of passages; and

a plurality of elongated fasteners, each elongated fastener being received in a respective one of the passages, whereby the plurality of elongated fasteners fix the plurality of sub-assemblies together,

wherein the nested arrangement of the respective protrusions of the second frame and the respective hole of the first frame of each of the plurality of sub-assemblies provides a physical barrier between the cell pockets and the elongated fasteners.

22. The assembly of claim 21 wherein the elongated fasteners are tie rods.

23. The assembly of claim 21 wherein, in a first one of the sub-assemblies, the height of at least one of the protrusions of the second frame is greater than the depth of a corresponding through hole in the first frame into which the protrusion is received such that the at least one of the protrusions extends beyond the upper side of the first frame and into a recess provided in the lower side of the second frame of an adjacent second one of the sub-assemblies.

24. The assembly of claim 21 wherein each protrusion has an associated height, wherein the height of each protrusion is less than or equal to the depth of a corresponding through hole into which the protrusion is received.

25. The battery assembly of claim 21, wherein the plurality of protrusions of the second frame completely surround the plurality of holes of the second frame.

26. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the first frame of each of the plurality of sub-assemblies includes a protrusion extending from the upper side of the first frame, the protrusion of the first frame aligned with one of the plurality of holes extending through the second frame when adjacent ones of the plurality of sub-assemblies are alternatingly stacked, such that the protrusion of the first frame cooperates with the corresponding hole of the second frame to interlockingly engage adjacent pairs of the sub-assemblies.

27. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the protrusions of the second frame each define a protrusion height that is at least equal to a corresponding depth of the hole of the first frame into which the protrusion is received.

28. A battery assembly comprising:

a first frame including an upper side and a lower side and an open middle portion extending from the lower side to the upper side, a plurality of holes extending through the first frame from the lower side to the upper side; and

a second frame including an upper side and a lower side and an open middle portion extending from the lower side to the upper side, a plurality of protrusions extending from the upper side of the second frame and a plurality of holes extending completely through respective protrusions down to the lower side of the second frame, the second frame being positioned relative to the first frame such that the plurality of protrusion of the second frame are received in the plurality of holes of the first frame thereby forming a plurality of passages through the first frame and the second frame, the middle portion of the first frame and the middle portion of the second frame cooperating to form a battery cell pocket;

a battery cell generally disposed in the battery cell pocket; and

a plurality of elongated fasteners which are received in respective passages of the plurality of passages, the plurality of holes of the first frame and the plurality of protrusions of the second frame cooperating to form a physical barrier between the battery cell and the plurality of elongated fasteners, the plurality of elongated fasteners coupling the first frame and the second frame together.

29. The assembly of claim 28, wherein:

the first frame and the second frame cooperate to form a sub-assembly, the battery assembly comprising a plurality of the sub-assemblies;

the first frame includes a protrusion extending from the upper side of the first frame;

the second frame includes a hole extending from the upper side to the lower side thereof; and

the protrusion of the first frame is aligned with one of the plurality of holes extending through the second frame when the first frame is positioned relative to the second frame to form the battery cell pocket,

the protrusion of the first frame cooperating with the corresponding hole of the second frame to interlockingly engage adjacent pairs of the sub-assemblies.

30. The assembly of claim 28, wherein the protrusions of the second frame each define a protrusion height that is at least equal to a corresponding depth of the hole of the first frame into which the protrusion is received.