阅读说明：本技术 电池连接装置及其方法 (Battery connecting device and method thereof ) 是由 海纳·费斯 安德里亚斯·特拉克 拉尔夫·迈施 亚历山大·艾希霍恩 约尔格·达马斯克 瓦伦汀 于 2020-02-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：在一实施例中,多单元压紧机构被夹持在与相应电池单元端子(例如,正极和/或负极电池单元端子)对齐的多个接触片上。当被夹持时,接触片通过多单元压紧机构中的相应缺口牢固地焊接到相应的电池端子上。在另一实施例中,多单元压紧机构被夹持在耦接到多个电池单元边缘的导电部件上,所述多个电池单元边缘被配置为负极单元端子。相应的负极接触片通过多单元压紧机构中的缺口焊接到导电部件。在另一实施例中,三个(或更多个)电池单元端子(例如,正极或负极端子)耦接到焊接到汇流条的接触片的导电条。(In one embodiment, the multi-cell compression mechanism is clamped onto a plurality of contact tabs that are aligned with respective cell terminals (e.g., positive and/or negative cell terminals). When clamped, the contact tabs are securely welded to the respective battery terminals through the respective notches in the multi-unit hold-down mechanism. In another embodiment, the multi-cell compression mechanism is clamped on a conductive member coupled to a plurality of cell edges configured as negative cell terminals. The corresponding negative contact tab is welded to the conductive member through the gap in the multi-unit hold-down mechanism. In another embodiment, three (or more) battery cell terminals (e.g., positive or negative terminals) are coupled to conductive strips that are welded to contact tabs of the bus bars.)

1. A battery connection device for a battery module, the battery connection device comprising:

a first battery cell comprising a first terminal;

a second battery cell comprising a second terminal;

at least one bus bar including a first contact pad aligned with the first terminal and a second contact pad aligned with the second terminal;

a multi-unit hold-down mechanism including a first portion clipped onto the first contact pad and a second portion clipped onto the second contact pad;

wherein the first contact tab is welded to the first terminal through a first notch in the first portion of the multi-unit hold-down mechanism, an

Wherein the second contact pad is soldered to the second terminal through a second notch in the second portion of the multi-unit hold-down mechanism.

2. The battery connecting device according to claim 1,

the first terminal and the second terminal are positive terminals; or

The first terminal is a positive terminal and the second terminal is a negative terminal.

3. The battery connection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first contact tab is a multi-terminal contact tab coupled to a negative terminal of the first battery cell and a negative terminal of the second battery cell.

4. The battery connection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multi-unit compression mechanism is formed of an electrically insulating material.

5. The battery connecting device according to claim 1,

the multi-cell compression mechanism includes a plurality of portions aligned with a respective plurality of positive terminals of a respective plurality of battery cells, an

The multi-cell compression mechanism includes a single portion aligned with a respective plurality of negative terminals of a respective plurality of battery cells.

6. A method of assembling a battery module, comprising:

aligning a first contact tab of at least one bus bar with a first terminal of a first battery cell;

aligning a second contact tab of the at least one bus bar with a second terminal of the second battery cell;

clamping a multi-unit hold-down mechanism on the first and second contact pads such that the first and second contact pads are secured to the first and second terminals;

welding the first contact tab to the first terminal through a first notch in a first portion of the multi-cell hold-down mechanism during the clamping; and

during the clamping, welding the second contact tab to the second terminal through a second notch in a second portion of the multi-cell hold-down mechanism.

7. The method of claim 6,

the first terminal and the second terminal are positive terminals; or

The first terminal is a positive terminal and the second terminal is a negative terminal.

8. The method of claim 6,

the first contact strip is a multi-terminal contact strip,

the welding of the first contact tab is welding the first contact tab to a negative terminal of the first battery cell and the second battery cell.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the multi-unit hold-down mechanism is formed of an electrically insulating material.

10. The method of claim 6,

the clamping aligns portions of the multi-cell compression mechanism with respective positive terminals of respective battery cells, an

The clamping aligns a single portion of the multi-cell compression mechanism with a respective plurality of negative terminals of a respective plurality of battery cells.

11. A battery connection device for a battery module, the battery connection device comprising:

a first battery cell comprising a first positive terminal and a first battery cell edge arranged as a first negative terminal;

a second battery cell comprising a second positive terminal and a second battery cell edge arranged as a second negative terminal;

a conductive member coupled to the first cell edge and the second cell edge;

a bus bar including a negative contact piece; and

a multi-unit pressing mechanism clamped on the conductive member,

wherein the negative contact tab is welded to a welding interface of the conductive member exposed through a gap in the multi-unit hold down mechanism.

12. The battery connecting apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a third battery cell comprising a third positive terminal and a third battery cell edge arranged as a third negative terminal,

the conductive member is also coupled to the third cell edge.

13. The battery connecting device according to claim 11,

the conductive member includes a flat portion in direct contact with the first cell edge and the second cell edge, an

The welding interface is arranged as a conductive pin.

14. The battery connection apparatus of claim 13, wherein a portion of the multi-unit compression mechanism wraps around the conductive pin.

15. The battery connecting device according to claim 13,

the flat portion includes a first welding region welded to the first negative terminal exposed by the multi-unit pressing mechanism, and

the flat portion includes a second welding region welded to the second negative terminal exposed by the multi-unit pressing mechanism.

16. The battery connection device of claim 13, wherein the flat portion comprises a metal sheet and the conductive pin comprises aluminum or copper.

17. The battery connection apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the multi-unit compression mechanism is formed of an electrically insulating material.

18. The battery connecting device according to claim 11,

the first positive terminal is surrounded by the first battery cell edge, and

the multi-cell compression mechanism includes a first portion disposed as a wall between the first positive terminal and the first cell edge.

19. The battery connecting device according to claim 18,

the second positive terminal is surrounded by the second battery cell edge, and

the multi-cell compression mechanism includes a second portion disposed as a wall between the second positive terminal and the second cell edge.

20. The battery connecting device according to claim 11, wherein the multi-cell compression mechanism and the conductive member are pre-assembled with the first battery cell and the second battery cell prior to assembling the battery module.

21. A battery connection device for a battery module, the battery connection device comprising:

a first battery cell comprising a first terminal;

a second battery cell comprising a second terminal;

a third battery cell comprising a third terminal;

a conductive member coupled to the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal; and

a bus bar including a contact tab welded to the welding interface of the conductive member.

22. The battery connection device of claim 21, wherein the welding interface is a conductive pin.

23. The battery connecting device according to claim 21,

the first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal are negative terminals; or

The first terminal, the second terminal, and the third terminal are positive terminals.

24. The battery connecting apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein the conductive member comprises a metal sheet.

25. The battery connection device according to claim 21, wherein the conductive member is pre-assembled with the first battery cell, the second battery cell, and the third battery cell prior to assembling the battery module.

26. The battery connection device according to claim 21, wherein the conductive member is pre-assembled with an insulating foil separate from the first battery cell, the second battery cell, and the third battery cell prior to assembly of the battery module.

Technical Field

Embodiments relate to a battery connection device, in particular for batteries arranged in a battery module.

Background

Energy storage systems may rely on battery cells to store electrical power. For example, in certain conventional Electric Vehicle (EV) designs (e.g., all-electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, etc.), a battery housing installed in the electric vehicle houses a plurality of battery cells (e.g., the plurality of battery cells may be individually mounted in the battery housing or alternatively mounted in groups within respective battery modules, each battery module including a group of battery cells, with the respective battery modules being mounted in the battery housing). The battery modules in the battery housing are connected to a Battery Junction Box (BJB) via bus bars to distribute electrical energy to motors that drive the electric vehicle, as well as various other electrical components of the electric vehicle (e.g., radios, consoles, vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, interior lights, exterior lights such as headlights and brake lights, etc.).

Disclosure of Invention

An embodiment relates to a battery connecting device for a battery module, which includes: a first battery cell including a first terminal, a second battery cell including a second terminal, at least one bus bar including a first contact pad aligned with the first terminal and a second contact pad aligned with the second terminal, a multi-unit compression mechanism including a first portion clamped to the first contact pad and a second portion clamped to the second contact pad, wherein the first contact pad is welded to the first terminal through a first gap in the first portion of the multi-unit compression mechanism, and the second contact pad is welded to the second terminal through a second gap in the second portion of the multi-unit compression mechanism.

Another embodiment relates to a method of assembling a battery module including aligning a first contact tab of at least one bus bar with a first terminal of a first battery cell, aligning a second contact tab of the at least one bus bar with a second terminal of a second battery cell, clamping a multi-unit compression mechanism over the first and second contact tabs such that the first and second contact tabs are secured to the first and second terminals, welding the first contact tab to the first terminal through a first notch in a first portion of the multi-unit compression mechanism during clamping, and welding the second contact tab to the second terminal through a second notch in a second portion of the multi-unit compression mechanism during clamping.

Another embodiment relates to a battery connecting device for a battery module, which includes: a first battery cell including a first positive terminal and a first cell edge arranged as a first negative terminal, a second battery cell including a second positive terminal and a second cell edge arranged as a second negative terminal, a conductive member coupled to the first and second cell edges, a bus bar including a negative contact tab, and a multi-cell hold down mechanism sandwiched on the conductive member, wherein the negative contact tab is welded to a welding interface of the conductive member exposed through a gap in the multi-cell hold down mechanism.

Another embodiment relates to a battery connecting device for a battery module, which includes: the battery pack includes a first battery cell including a first terminal, a second battery cell including a second terminal, a third battery cell including a third terminal, a conductive member coupled to the first, second, and third terminals, and a bus bar including a contact tab welded to a welding interface of the conductive member.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent and a full understanding thereof may be obtained by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the following drawings. The drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the drawings:

fig. 1 illustrates an example of a metal-ion (e.g., lithium-ion) battery in which components, materials, methods, other techniques, or combinations thereof described herein may be applied according to various embodiments.

Fig. 2 is a high-level electrical schematic diagram of a battery module in which P-cell groups (parallel-cell groups) 1 … … N are connected in series according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows the battery module after the battery cells are inserted during the assembly process.

Fig. 4A-4C illustrate a general arrangement of contact plates relative to battery cells of a battery module.

Fig. 5 shows an example of the layers of a prior art multilayer touch panel.

Fig. 6 illustrates a battery cell connection structure of a battery module according to an aspect of the present invention.

Fig. 7A to 7C illustrate various finger-shaped bus bars in the battery cell connection structure of fig. 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7D shows an example battery module configuration in which sixteen (16) different bus bar (or finger) types are used, some of which include a single positive contact tab, some of which include two positive contact tabs, and some of which include three positive contact tabs.

Figure 8 illustrates a multi-unit hold down mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 shows a multi-unit hold down mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10A shows a side view depicting a negative contact tab welded to a corresponding negative cell terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10B shows a side view depicting a negative contact tab welded to a corresponding negative cell terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11A shows a hold-down mechanism of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11B shows a three-unit hold down mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11C illustrates an assembly process of the battery module according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12A illustrates a battery cell connection structure of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12B shows a bus bar disposed according to the battery cell connection structure of fig. 12A.

Fig. 12C illustrates a side view of the battery cell connection structure of fig. 12B, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be presented below and in the associated drawings. Alternative embodiments are also contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the description of significant details of the present invention.

Energy storage systems may rely on batteries to store power. For example, in certain conventional Electric Vehicle (EV) designs (e.g., all-electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, etc.), a battery housing installed in the electric vehicle houses a plurality of battery cells (e.g., the plurality of battery cells may be individually mounted in the battery housing or alternatively mounted in groups within respective battery modules, each battery module including a group of battery cells, with the respective battery modules being mounted in the battery housing). The battery modules in the battery housing are connected to a Battery Junction Box (BJB) via bus bars to distribute electrical energy to motors that drive the electric vehicle, as well as various other electrical components of the electric vehicle (e.g., radios, consoles, vehicle heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, interior lights, exterior lights such as headlights and brake lights, etc.).

Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a metal-ion (e.g., lithium-ion) battery in which components, materials, methods, other techniques, or combinations thereof described herein may be applied according to various embodiments. Here, a cylindrical battery cell is shown for illustrative purposes, but other types of batteries including prismatic batteries or pouch cells (sheet type) may also be used as needed. The exemplary battery 100 includes a negative electrode (anode) 102, a positive electrode (cathode) 103, a separator 104 disposed between the anode 102 and the cathode 103, an electrolyte (shown implicitly) impregnating the separator 104, a battery housing 105, and a sealing member 106 sealing the battery housing 105.

Embodiments of the invention relate to various configurations of battery modules that may be deployed as part of an energy storage system. In an example, although not explicitly shown in the figures, a plurality of battery modules according to any of the embodiments described herein can be deployed for an energy storage system (e.g., by providing a higher voltage to the energy storage system in series with one another, or by providing a higher current to the energy storage system in parallel with one another, or a combination thereof).

Fig. 2 is a high-level electrical schematic diagram of a battery module 200 in which P-cell groups (parallel-cell groups) 1 … … N are connected in series according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one example, N may be an integer greater than or equal to 2 (e.g., if N is 2, the middle P battery pack labeled 2 … … N-1 in fig. 1 may be omitted). Each P battery pack includes battery cells 1 … … M connected in parallel (e.g., each battery cell is configured as shown by battery cell 100 of fig. 1). The negative terminal of the first series P-cell stack (or P-cell stack 1) is connected to the negative terminal 205 of the battery module 200, while the positive terminal of the last series P-cell stack (or P-cell stack N) is connected to the positive terminal 210 of the battery module 200. Herein, the battery module may be characterized by the number of P battery packs connected in series therein. Specifically, a battery module having 2P battery packs connected in series is referred to as a "2S" system; a battery module with 3P battery packs connected together in series is called a "3S" system; and so on.

Fig. 3 shows the battery module 300 after the battery cells 305 are inserted during assembly. In some designs, the positive terminal (cathode) and the negative terminal (anode) of the battery cells within the battery module 300 may be disposed on the same side (e.g., top side). For example, the central cell "head" may correspond to the positive terminal, while the cell edge surrounding the cell head may correspond to the negative terminal. In such a battery module, the P battery packs are electrically connected in series with each other via a plurality of contact plates provided above the battery cells 305.

Fig. 4A-4C illustrate a general arrangement of a contact plate relative to a battery cell of a battery module. As shown in fig. 4A-4C, in some designs, contact plates may be disposed on top of the battery cells in close proximity to the positive and negative terminals of the respective battery cells.

There may be a variety of configurations for the contact plate. For example, the contact plate can be constructed as a solid aluminum block or a copper block, wherein the joint connection between the contact plate and the positive and negative terminals of the battery cells is welded by spot welding. Alternatively, a multilayer contact sheet containing an integral cell terminal connection layer may also be used.

Fig. 5 shows an example of the layers of a conventional multilayer contact board. In fig. 5, a multilayer contact plate 500 includes a flexible battery cell terminal connection layer 505 sandwiched between a top conductive plate 510 and a bottom conductive plate 515. In one example, the top conductive plate 510 and the bottom conductive plate 515 may be configured as solid copper or aluminum plates (e.g., copper or aluminum alloys), while the flexible battery cell terminal connection layer 505 is configured as a foil layer (e.g., steel foil or Hilumin (electro nickel diffusion annealed steel) foil). Holes (e.g., hole 520) are punched in the top conductive plate 510 and the bottom conductive plate 515, while portions of the flexible cell terminal connection layer 505 extend out into the holes 520. During assembly of the battery module, a portion of the flexible battery cell terminal connection layer 505 extending into the aperture 520 may then be pressed down into contact with the positive or negative terminal of one or more battery cells disposed below the aperture 520, and then a mechanically stable plate-to-terminal electrical connection is obtained by welding.

Referring to fig. 5, the layers of the multi-layer contact plate 500 may be connected by soldering or brazing (e.g., by solder or braze paste disposed between the layers prior to application of heat) to form soldered or brazed "welds" between the layers. These welds simultaneously achieve: (1) interlayer mechanical connection of the multilayer contact sheet 500; and (2) interlayer electrical connection of the multilayer contact board 500.

Referring to fig. 5, one of the advantages of constructing the flexible battery cell terminal connection layer 505 in a different material (e.g., steel or Hilumin) than the surrounding top conductive plate 510 and bottom conductive plate 515 (e.g., copper, aluminum, or alloys thereof) is that the welding for the battery cell terminal connection can be accomplished with similar metals. For example, battery cell terminals are typically made of steel or Hilumin. However, steel is not a particularly good conductor. Thus, the top conductive plate 510 and the bottom conductive plate 515 are made of a material (e.g., copper, aluminum, or alloys thereof) that is more electrically conductive than steel, which is used in the flexible cell terminal connection layer 505 to avoid welding disparate metals together for connection of the cell terminals.

In an alternative embodiment of the contact plate structure depicted in fig. 5. Unlike the structure in which the terminal connection foil layer is sandwiched between two solid plates, the contact plate (e.g., made of copper, aluminum, or alloys thereof, but the contact plate may also be a multi-layer structure) may be plated with a thin layer of a different metal (e.g., steel or Hilumin) that is suitable for welding to one or more of the cell terminals. The plated contact plate may have a specific portion by a localized stamping or etching process that is (1) flexible to move, or (2) configured to fuse, or (3) adapted to be welded to a battery cell terminal.

Fig. 6 illustrates a battery cell connection structure 600 of a battery module according to an aspect of the present invention. The cell connection structure 600 may be disposed over a battery cell (not shown in fig. 6), similar to the contact plates described above with respect to fig. 4A-4C. Referring to fig. 6, the battery cell connection structure 600 includes a plurality of bus bars 605, 610, and 620, each of which is disposed with (or coupled to) a plurality of positive contact pieces 625 and negative contact piece assemblies (e.g., including washers, pins, and Hilumin metal pieces) 630. In the particular "three-cell" design of fig. 6, each positive contact tab 625 is configured to be directly electrically connected to a respective positive terminal of one particular battery cell (e.g., an internal cell "head" of the top side of the battery cell), and each negative contact tab 630 is configured to be connected to a respective negative terminal of three battery cells (e.g., in contact with a portion of a negative cell "rim" of the top side of the battery cell). Although not shown in fig. 6, not all of the batteries need to be grouped according to a three-cell design (e.g., the battery cells at either end of the bus bar may be grouped differently due to spacing limitations, etc.).

Referring to fig. 6, each of the bus bars 605-620 is arranged as a series of linked "fingers" with all contact pads arranged on the fingers. An insulating layer 635 is also included to help electrically insulate bus bars 605 and 620 from each other and from the underlying battery terminals. As described above, bus bars 605-620 may collectively function to connect P-cell groups of particular parallel-connected cells together in series. In some designs, the various negative contact tabs may correspond to non-sandwiched protruding portions of a "sandwiched" terminal connection layer (e.g., steel or Hilumin) integrated into the respective bus bar. In other words, in this example, the negative contact tab (or negative contact tab assembly) is not welded or secured to the bus bar 605-620, but rather protrudes from a hole defined in the top/bottom clamping plate (e.g., made of copper or aluminum) of the bus bar structure. However, in other designs, the various negative contact tabs may instead be welded or otherwise secured to the bus bar (as opposed to the protruding non-sandwiched portions being integrated into the bus bar as a sandwich).

Fig. 7A-7C illustrate various finger bus bars 605-620 in the battery cell connection structure 600 of fig. 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the number of contact pads may vary based on the type of fingers. The finger type shown in fig. 7 includes two positive contact tabs 700 and a single cell negative contact tab 703, the finger type shown in fig. 7B includes three positive contact tabs 705 and 710 and a single multi-cell negative contact tab 715 configured to connect to the negative terminals of three different battery cells, and the finger type shown in fig. 7C includes a single positive contact tab 720 and a single multi-cell negative contact tab 725 configured to connect to the negative terminals of two different battery cells. In one example, these individual fingers may be electrically connected to each other to maintain substantially the same voltage level in a particular P-cell stack.

It should also be understood that additional finger types may also be used depending on the particular battery module configuration being used. Fig. 7D shows an example battery module configuration in which sixteen (16) different bus bar (or finger) types are used, some of which include a single positive contact tab, some of which include two positive contact tabs, and some of which include three positive contact tabs. Further, the negative contact piece (or negative contact piece assembly) of each bus bar type in fig. 7D may be configured to be connected to a single negative unit terminal, two negative unit terminals, or three negative unit terminals. Thus, the various finger types described herein are non-limiting examples, and a variety of finger type configurations may be used.

Fig. 8 shows a multi-unit hold down mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, one example of a multi-cell compression mechanism 800 is a three-cell compression mechanism that facilitates welding of respective contact tabs to the positive and negative cell terminals of three respective battery cells. More specifically, in the example of fig. 8, the multi-unit pressing mechanism 800 facilitates pressing of the conductive members (e.g., including the flat portions or the sheet metal members and the conductive pins) by applying a clamping force thereto to fix the sheet metal members while welding the negative contact piece of the bus bar to the pins. As shown in fig. 8, it is assumed that the inner cell "head" of each cell corresponds to the positive terminal and the outer cell "edge" of each cell corresponds to the negative terminal, such that the positive and negative terminals are disposed at the same end of the cylindrical cell.

Referring to fig. 8, the multi-cell compression mechanism 800 is arranged with four distinct portions, three outer portions surrounding the positive cell terminals of the three battery cells and an inner portion disposed above the negative cell terminals of the three battery cells. In one example, the inner and outer portions of the multi-unit hold-down mechanism 800 may be formed of an electrically insulating material, such as plastic. Further, each of the three outer portions includes notches, respectively 805, 810 and 815, while the inner pinched portion includes three notches exposing the respective sheet metal part 820. In one example, the notches 805 and 815 can be used to facilitate direct soldering of a positive contact tab (not shown) through the notch to the positive cell terminal. The indentations in the sheet metal part 820 may define welding cavities (or welding areas) for the sheet metal part 820, e.g. the sheet metal part 820 is welded three times (once per cavity), which results in the sheet metal part 820 being welded to the respective negative cell edge. In an example, the welding in the weld chamber may be performed during assembly of the module or alternatively as a pre-assembly process. Each of the three outer portions may surround a corresponding positive cell terminal, which may provide short circuit protection and alignment on the stack (e.g., to hold the positive contact tabs in place during welding). For example, the outer portion of the positive cell terminal surrounding the three battery cells may be disposed higher than the battery header or battery edge, and may serve as a separator (or wall) between the respective positive and negative cell terminals of each battery, e.g., to increase electrical creepage distance, to prevent welding-generated sparking, etc.

As also shown in fig. 8, which illustrates a conductive pin 825 (e.g., made of aluminum or copper in one example) that may be welded to the sheet metal member 820, the conductive pin 825 may be used to improve the electrical connection to the corresponding negative contact pad. As will be described in more detail below, the pin 825 can be welded to the negative contact tab during assembly of the battery module. The sheet metal member and the conductive pin 825 may be collectively referred to herein as a conductive member.

Fig. 9 illustrates a multi-unit hold down mechanism 900 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the multi-unit hold down mechanism 900 is similar to the multi-unit hold down mechanism 800 of fig. 8, except for the interior portion. Wherein the sheet metal part 920 (or the flat portion) is exposed to allow welding to the respective cell edge in the respective welding area without a welding cavity as shown in fig. 8. In fig. 9, the sheet metal member 920 includes a cutout (or slit) to allow clamping by some other mechanism.

Referring to fig. 8-9, the multi-unit compression mechanisms 800 and 900 may be pre-assembled prior to assembly of the battery module such that three battery cells (and their associated multi-unit compression mechanisms) are placed into the battery module as a single pre-assembled assembly. In some designs, the sheet metal members may also be welded to the respective cell edges through indentations in the multi-cell compression mechanisms 800 and 900 prior to assembly of the battery module.

Referring to fig. 8-9, the welding interface between the conductive components (e.g., the flat portion and the pin) is a conductive pin 825. In other designs, the conductive pin 825 may be replaced by a component having a different shape (e.g., other than a pin shape, such as a taper, a curved shape, etc.). In some designs, the welding interface (pin-like or other shape) may generally protrude upward from the flat portion and may be wrapped by a portion of the multi-unit hold-down mechanism 800 and 900, for example, to secure the welding interface in place during welding.

Fig. 8-9 depict examples of three-unit, multi-unit compression mechanisms 800 and 900, and in other designs, the multi-unit compression mechanisms 800 and 900 may be modified to accommodate different numbers of battery cells (e.g., a two-unit, a four-unit, etc.).

Fig. 10A shows a side view depicting a negative contact tab welded to a corresponding negative cell terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 10A, a sheet metal member 1000A (e.g., sheet metal member 820 of fig. 8, or sheet metal member 920 of fig. 9) is welded to a pin 1005A (e.g., an aluminum pin or a copper pin, such as pin 825 of fig. 8-9). although fig. 10A is not shown, three battery cells may be disposed under the sheet metal member 1000A, and the sheet metal member 1000A may be welded to the negative cell edges of the three battery cells. The negative contact piece 1010A of the bus bar is arranged on top of the sheet metal part 1000A, with an insulating layer 1015A in the middle for electrical insulation. In the embodiment of fig. 10A, a hole is defined in the negative contact tab 1010A, into which a pin 1005A protrudes. A washer 1020A is integrated into the negative contact tab 1010A and wound around the pin 1005A for tolerance compensation. In the example shown in fig. 10A, the negative contact tab 1010A is welded to the pin 1005A by welds (W1, W2) across the washer 1020A at the inner and outer portions of the washer 1020A. In an example, although not explicitly shown in the side view of fig. 10A, multiple welds may be applied (e.g., 3 welds, with one weld connected to each weld chamber or unit, 6 welds, with two welds connected to each weld chamber or unit, etc.).

Fig. 10B illustrates a side view depicting a negative contact tab welded to a corresponding negative battery cell terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 10B, a sheet metal member 1000B (e.g., sheet metal member 820 of fig. 8, or sheet metal member 920 of fig. 9) is welded to pin 1005B (e.g., an aluminum pin or a copper pin, such as pin 825 of fig. 8-9). Although not shown in fig. 10B, three battery cells may be arranged below the sheet metal member 1000B, and the sheet metal member 1000B may be welded to the negative cell edges of the three battery cells. The negative contact strip 1010B of the bus bar is arranged on top of the sheet metal part 1000B, with an insulating layer 1015B in the middle for electrical insulation. In the embodiment of fig. 10B, the holes and washers in fig. 10A are not used. Conversely, negative contact tab 1010B is pressed down onto pin 1005B and then welded to pin 1005B by a single weld (W1). A nominal overlap (e.g., 0.3-0.8mm) is defined between pin 1005B and negative contact tab 1010B at the welding location. In some designs, the nominal overlap may be minimized to improve the connection between negative contact tab 1010B and pin 1005B at the welding location.

Fig. 11A illustrates a hold down mechanism 1100A of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 11A. Referring to fig. 11A, depending on the cell arrangement of the battery module, three-cell compression mechanisms 1105A-1110A (which will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 11B) may be deployed with other compression mechanisms (e.g., single-cell compression mechanisms 1115A-1120A, etc.). In fig. 11A, 1115A depicts a positive cell pressing mechanism, while 1120A depicts a negative cell pressing mechanism.

Fig. 11B shows a three-unit hold down mechanism 1100B according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 11B, bus bars 1105B and 1110B are arranged over a set of three battery cells. Bus bar 1105B includes positive contact pads 1115B, 1120B, and 1125B disposed above the set of three battery cells, and bus bar 1110B includes negative contact pad 1130B. The negative contact tab 1130B is disposed above the conductive member 1135B (e.g., a sheet metal member, which may correspond to the exposed portion of the sheet metal member 920 of fig. 9) and is coupled to the negative cell edge 1138B of the same set of three battery cells.

Further depicted is a multi-cell pressing mechanism whereby the multi-cell pressing mechanism includes a first portion 1140B that clips onto the positive contact pad 1115B, a second portion 1145B that clips onto the positive contact pad 1120B, a third portion 1150B that clips onto the positive contact pad 1125B, and a fourth portion 1155B that clips onto the negative contact pad 1130B.

Referring to fig. 11B, portions 1140B-1155B of the multi-unit clamping mechanism include corresponding indentations through which a welding operation may be performed to weld the associated contact tabs to one or more battery cell terminals (not visible in fig. 11B) disposed beneath the contact tabs. The clamping pressure applied by the multi-unit clamping mechanism may help secure the respective contact tabs to the respective battery cell terminals during the welding operation. In some designs, the multi-unit compression mechanism may be removed (at least partially removed) after welding, while in other designs, the multi-unit compression mechanism may remain part of the battery module after welding.

Referring to fig. 11B, describing the design of a multi-unit hold-down mechanism with respect to three units, multi-unit hold-down mechanisms according to other embodiments may include any number of unit arrangements (e.g., single unit, two units, four units, etc.). In an example, the multi-unit compression mechanism depicted in fig. 11B may include an electrically insulating material, such as plastic.

Fig. 11C illustrates an assembly process 1100C of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one example, the battery module assembly process 1100C can be used to produce the module arrangement depicted in fig. 11A-11B.

Referring to fig. 11C, in 1105C, the first contact tab of the at least one bus bar is aligned with the first terminal of the first battery cell. At 1110C, the second contact tab of the at least one bus bar is aligned with the second terminal of the second battery cell. At 1115C, a multi-unit clamping mechanism (e.g., made of an electrically insulating material such as plastic) is clamped over the first and second contact pads such that the first and second contact pads are secured to the first and second terminals. In 1120C, during the clamping of 1115C, the first contact piece is welded (e.g., laser welded, etc.) to the first terminal through a first gap in the first portion of the multi-unit pressing mechanism. In 1125C, during clamping of 1115C, a second contact piece is welded (e.g., laser welded, etc.) to the second terminal through a second indentation in a second portion of the multi-unit hold-down mechanism.

As will be understood from the description of fig. 11A-11B, the first and second terminals may be positive terminals (e.g., disposed below one of the positive contact pieces 1115-1125B, etc.), or the first terminal may be a positive terminal (e.g., disposed below one of the positive contact pieces 1115-1125B, etc.) and the second terminal may be a negative terminal (e.g., disposed below the negative contact piece 1130B, etc.). In some designs, one of the first and second contact tabs may be a multi-terminal contact tab coupled to the negative terminals of the first and second battery cells, e.g., negative contact tab 1130B is indirectly coupled to the three battery cells by being welded to conductive member 1135B. In some designs, the multi-cell compression mechanism includes multiple portions aligned with respective multiple positive terminals of the respective multiple battery cells, and the multi-cell compression mechanism includes a single portion (e.g., 1155B) aligned with respective multiple negative terminals of the respective multiple battery cells.

Fig. 12A illustrates a battery cell connection structure of a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the battery cell connection structure design depicted in fig. 6-11B, a sheet metal member is used to facilitate welding of the negative contact tab to multiple negative cell terminals while each positive contact tab is connected to a single positive cell terminal. In contrast, in the battery cell connection structure of fig. 12A, the multi-cell contact piece structure is applied to both the positive electrode and the negative electrode.

Referring to fig. 12A, a first sheet metal member 1200A is welded to a first pin 1205A for a negative cell terminal connection, similar to fig. 8-10B. Referring to fig. 12A, the second sheet metal member 1210A is also welded to the second pin 1215A for positive cell terminal connection. In an example, the first and second sheet metal members 1200A and 1210A may be integrally formed into the insulating plate 1220A, rather than being pre-assembled with the battery cell.

Fig. 12B shows a bus bar disposed according to the battery cell connection structure of fig. 12A. As shown in fig. 12B, bus bars 1200B are each welded to the positive and negative pins of the respective sheet metal components to achieve P-cell stack interconnection similar to those depicted in fig. 6. One advantage of the battery cell connection structure depicted in fig. 12A-12B is that the bus bar 1200B is shorter than that shown in fig. 6, thereby reducing cost. However, the sheet metal member 1210A includes a relatively long connection between the pin 1215A and the positive cell head of the battery cell, which may result in power loss (e.g., because steel is a poorer conductor than the copper or aluminum used in the bus bar 1200B). As shown in fig. 12B, a gasket 1205B may be used (e.g., similar to the hole and gasket design described above with respect to fig. 10A). Washer 1205B is shown for the negative pin, but in some designs a washer may be similarly used for the positive pin.

Fig. 12C illustrates a side view of the battery cell connection structure of fig. 12B, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 12C, a conductive interconnect structure or "strip" 1200C (e.g., made of aluminum or copper in the example) is welded across the bus bars belonging to a particular P-cell stack, which may facilitate current compensation. Fig. 12C also more clearly shows a washer 1210C used at a "positive" pin connection in addition to the washer 1205B used at a "negative" pin connection in fig. 12B. Battery cell 1215C is also visible in the side view of fig. 12.

In fig. 8-11B, a battery connection device is depicted in which the conductive member includes a flat portion (e.g., constructed of sheet metal) coupled to a plurality of negative cell terminals and includes a welding interface (e.g., a conductive pin comprising aluminum or copper), while each positive contact tab is directly welded to a corresponding positive cell terminal (e.g., cell head). Fig. 12A-12C depict an alternative battery connection device whereby a welded connection between a bus bar and a positive battery terminal is reduced using conductive members (e.g., including a metal plate member 1210A coupled to the respective positive terminal and a pin 1215A that serves as a welding interface to the bus bar) (e.g., the bus bar may be welded to the terminal by a single weld, rather than by three welds). Accordingly, the negative battery connection device described with respect to fig. 8-11B and/or the positive battery connection device described with respect to fig. 12A-12C may be characterized as a battery connection device for a battery module, comprising: a first cell including a first terminal (e.g., a positive terminal or a negative terminal), a second cell including a second terminal (e.g., a positive terminal or a negative terminal), a third cell including a third terminal (e.g., a positive terminal or a negative terminal), a conductive member coupled to the first, second, and third terminals (e.g., 820-825 in fig. 8, or 1210A-1215A in fig. 12A), and a bus bar (e.g., 1010A-1010B, 1200B, etc.) including a contact tab welded to a welding interface of the conductive member.

Any numerical range recited herein with respect to any embodiment of the invention is not only intended to define the upper and lower limits of the relevant numerical range, but also to implicitly disclose the unit or increment of each discrete value within the range, consistent with the level of accuracy in characterizing the upper and lower limits. For example, a numerical distance range from 7nm to 20nm (i.e., precision level in units of 1 or increments) encompasses the set [7, 8, 9, 10.., 19, 20] (in nm) as if the intermediate numbers 8 to 19 in units or increments of 1 were explicitly disclosed. In another example, the range of percentage values from 30.92% to 47.44% (i.e., a level of precision in hundredths or a step size that is graded) encompasses the set [30.92, 30.93, 30.94, … …, 47.43, 47.44] in% as if the median values 30.92-47.44 in percentage units or increments were explicitly disclosed. Thus, any intermediate value encompassed by any range of values disclosed is intended to be understood as meaning that the value is equivalent to what has been explicitly disclosed, and any such intermediate value can therefore itself constitute the upper and/or lower limit of the subrange that it falls within that range of values. Thus, each subrange (e.g., each smaller range having at least one intermediate numerical value of the larger range as an upper and/or lower limit) is intended to be understood as being implicitly disclosed by virtue of the explicit disclosure of the larger range.

The previous description is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and that the invention is not limited to the specific formulations, process steps, and materials disclosed herein. That is, the general principles presented herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.