Battery assembly with temperature control device

• US 8,846,231 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EnerDel, Inc. (Ener1, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EnerDel, Inc. (Ener1, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buck, Derrick S., Fattig, Robert N., Silk, Bruce J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cano, Milton I
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, JEREMIAH R
• Application Number:
  US12/741,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20100304203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: 429/120, 429/123, 429/158, 429/163, 429/177
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0413 Large-sized flat cells or batteries for motive or stationary systems with plate-like electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0468 Compression means for stacks of electrodes and separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0472 Vertically superposed cells with vertically disposed plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0486 Frames for plates or membranes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/049 Processes for forming or storing electrodes in the battery container
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/38 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/655 Solid structures for heat exchange or heat conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6551 Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6555 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/656 characterised by the type of heat-exchange fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53135 Storage cell or battery

Abstract

A battery module of the present invention is adaptable to be utilized in various configurations including and not limited to an overlapping battery cell packaging configuration and a vertical stack battery cell packaging configuration used in an automotive and non-automotive applications. The battery module has a plurality of battery heatsink assemblies with the cells disposed therebetween. A plurality of rods extend through the each heatsink assemblies to secure the heatsink assemblies and the cell with one another to form the battery module.

Claims

1. A battery assembly comprising:

at least one battery pack;

a plurality of prismatic cells of said at least one battery pack; and

at least one cell retaining element extending between two of said prismatic cells and presenting a pair of mechanical devices with one of said devices mechanically engaging one of said prismatic cells and another of said devices mechanically engaging the other of said prismatic cells thereby locking said prismatic cells with said cell retaining element and forming contact between said at least one cell retaining element and said prismatic cells for manipulating temperature of said prismatic cells through said at least one cell retaining element, wherein the at least one retaining element includes a heat transfer element, a first inner frame, a second inner frame, a first outer frame, and a second outer frame;

the first inner frame and the second inner frame cooperating to hold the heat transfer element;

the heat transfer element extends between a first prismatic cell and a second prismatic cell and is accessible through an open central portion of the first inner frame and the heat transfer element is accessible through an open central portion of the second inner frame, a central portion of the heat transfer element maintains the first prismatic cell and the second prismatic cell in a spaced apart arrangement;

the first outer frame cooperates with the first inner frame to hold the first prismatic cell and the second outer frame cooperates with the second inner frame to hold the second prismatic cell; and

the first prismatic cell is accessible through an open central portion of the first outer frame and the second prismatic cell is accessible through an open central portion of the second outer frame.

2. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of said mechanical devices is further defined by a plate formed from at least one of thermally conductive materials.

3. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the first inner frame and the second inner frame includes a peripheral edge, a plurality of male connectors extending from each of said the first inner frame and the second inner frame, a plurality of female connectors defined in each of the first inner frame and the second inner frame.

4. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of the first inner frame and the second inner frame includes at least one pin extending therefrom to mechanically engage one of said female connectors defined in another of the first inner frame and the second inner frame.

5. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said prismatic cells includes raised portions extending to a peripheral lip portion, a negative terminal and a positive terminal.

6. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 5, wherein each of the first inner frame and the second inner frame includes a pair of studs extending from said peripheral edge of each of the respective one of the first inner frame and the second inner frame to engage at least one positive terminal and/or negative terminal.

7. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the first outer frame and the second outer frame includes a peripheral edge and a plurality of female connectors defined in each of the first outer frame and the second outer frame.

8. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein each of the first outer frame and the second outer frame are mechanically engaged with the respective one of the first inner frame and the second inner frame.

9. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 1, including a device sandwiched between each of said cell retaining elements for allowing expansion and contraction of said prismatic cells during charge and discharge states therefore causing said prismatic cell to maintain intimate contact with said plate for efficient thermal transfer.

10. A battery assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein said device is further defined by a layer of expandable material.

11. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the first outer frame includes a first plurality of mechanical features and the first inner frame includes a second plurality of mechanical features, the first plurality of mechanical features and the second plurality of mechanical features cooperating to couple to the first outer frame to the first inner frame.

12. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of mechanical features includes at least one mechanical feature positioned along each edge of the first prismatic cell.

13. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of mechanical features includes at least one mechanical feature positioned along each edge of the first prismatic cell.

14. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of mechanical features includes at least one hook positioned along each edge of the first prismatic cell and extending towards the first outer frame.

15. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the first outer frame and the first inner frame sandwich a peripheral lip portion of the first prismatic cell and the second outer frame and the second inner frame sandwich a peripheral lip portion of the second prismatic cell.

16. The battery assembly of claim 15, further comprising a first device covering a raised portion of the first prismatic cell through the open central portion of the first outer frame, the first device allows expansion and contraction of the first prismatic cell causing the first prismatic cell to maintain contact with the heat transfer element.

17. The battery assembly of claim 16, wherein the first device is made of an expandable material.

18. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the first outer frame and the first inner frame sandwich a peripheral lip portion of the first prismatic cell and the second outer frame and the second inner frame sandwich a peripheral lip portion of the second prismatic cell.

19. The battery assembly of claim 18, further comprising a first device covering a raised portion of the first prismatic cell through the open central portion of the first outer frame, the first device allows expansion and contraction of the first prismatic cell causing the first prismatic cell to maintain contact with the heat transfer element.

20. The battery assembly of claim 19, wherein the first device is made of an expandable material.