Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Evan J Dawley

Mahmoud H Abd Elhamid

Phillip D Hamelin

Timothy J Fuller

Wayne Cai

Roger Michael Brisbane

Hongliang Wang

Chih-Cheng Hsu

Herman K Phlegm

Sherman H Zeng

Alexander M Bilinski

Andrew P Oury

Edgar P Calderon

Scott Vaubel

Cammi L Siu

Anil Yadav

Lance W Turner

Scott W Lananna

Julian R Sherborne

Neil A Patel

Glenn F Carroll

Evan D Griffith

Adam W Trumbley

Anandakrishnan S

A battery module includes a first battery cell and a neighboring second battery cell, and an insulating member positioned therebetween. The battery module also includes a battery module enclosure surrounded by an external environment and configured to house each of the first battery cell, the second battery cell, and the insulating member. The battery module additionally includes a battery module cover mounted to the battery module enclosure. The battery module cover includes a vent feature configured to expel high temperature gases from the first battery cell and divert the high temperature gases away from the second battery cell directly to the external environment. The cover is thereby configured to minimize transfer of the high temperature gases from the first battery cell to the second battery cell and control propagation of a thermal runaway event in the battery module.

Battery module cover with thermal runaway mitigation

Presented are finger-proof electrical terminals for battery assemblies, methods for making/using such electrical terminals, and vehicles with battery modules having finger-proof electrical terminals for bolted busbar connections. A battery assembly includes one or more electrochemical battery cells and one or more electrical terminals each electrically connected to the battery cell(s) and having a contact face to electrically connect the battery assembly to an electrical connector. A threaded nut attaches each electrical terminal to one of the electrical connectors. An electrically insulating nut cap is attached to each threaded nut. A battery housing, which stores therein the battery cell(s), includes an electrically insulating housing wall with one or more terminal jackets each mounting therein one of the electrical terminals. Each terminal jacket has a jacket window that circumscribes one of the nut caps, spaced therefrom by a predefined clearance sufficient to expose the contact face of the electrical terminal.

Battery modules with finger-proof electrical terminals for bolted busbar connections

A thermal interfacing assembly for use in a power module having at least one battery module and a cooling plate, and corresponding method of forming the thermal interfacing assembly. The thermal interfacing material is deposited over a first surface of the cooling plate such that the thermal interfacing material conforms to the shape of the first surface. The thermal interfacing material is configured to be electrically insulating and thermally conductive. A first embedded heater is positioned adjacent to the thermal interfacing material. The first embedded heater includes an electrically-conductive portion and a resistive portion. The battery module is installed adjacent to the first embedded heater such that the first embedded heater is directly in contact with a first face of the battery module. The first embedded heater is employed to at least partially induce in-place curing of the thermal interfacing material.

Thermal interfacing assembly for a power module with in-place curing

Assemblies and methods are provided for manufacturing a battery. A number of cells each have tabs for coupling the cell in the battery assembly. A housing has an opening through which each tab extends. The tabs are folded to overlie an outer surface of the housing. A bus bar is disposed on an opposite side of the tabs from the housing, with a coupling joint between the bus bar and the cells. The coupling joint may comprise a weld.

Battery assembly and method

A method of manufacturing an interconnect board (ICB) assembly for a battery module, the ICB assembly having a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) and a carrier frame, includes depositing solder paste onto a printed circuit board (PCB) and/or a flexible printed circuit (flex circuit). The flex circuit has a conductive foil substrate coated with insulating material, and defines tabular flying leads radially-projecting from the flex circuit's periphery. The method may include positioning the PCB adjacent to the flex circuit such that the PCB and flex circuit are in direct contact along a flex interface surface of the PCB, and integrally joining the PCB and flex circuit along the interface surface to form the PCBA. The PCBA connects to the carrier frame to construct the ICB assembly. The battery module may be manufactured by connecting the ICB assembly to battery cells of the battery module.

Method of manufacturing battery module and interconnect board assembly with integrated PCB and flex circuit

Configurations for a power module having a flexible circuit assembly and corresponding method. The flexible circuit assembly has at least one electrically conductive portion. A first plurality of cells is placed adjacent to one another to form a first cell layer, the first cell layer being positioned on a first side of the flexible circuit assembly. Each of the first plurality of cells has a respective cell body with at least four respective edges. The first plurality of cells has respective cell tabs, including a respective first tab and a respective second tab both extending from one of the at least four respective edges. The flexible circuit assembly is configured to be aligned with the first cell layer such that a voltage sensing circuit joint is concurrently completed when the respective cell tabs of the first cell layer are joined to respective captured portions of the flexible circuit assembly.

Configurations for power module having an integrated flexible circuit assembly

An interconnect board (ICB) assembly is used with a battery module and a battery controller. The ICB assembly includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) integrally formed from a printed circuit board (PCB) and a flex circuit. The PCB has a component surface populated with electronic components which measure and report parameters of the battery module to the battery controller. The flex circuit is constructed of conductive foil, and defines tabular flying leads that project from a periphery of the flex circuit. A window may be present in the flex circuit. A carrier frame has a support surface flanked by busbars. The PCBA is seated on the support surface, with the flying leads conductively joined to a corresponding busbar. A battery system includes the battery controller and the ICB assembly.

Battery module with interconnect board assembly having integrated cell sense PCB-flex circuit hardware

A connection assembly includes a busbar defining a first hole, and a circuit board defining a second hole that aligns with the first hole. A battery pack assembly includes the connection assembly. The connection assembly includes a pin having a first body portion and a second body portion. The first body portion is disposed in the first hole and the second body portion is disposed in the second hole. The first body portion defines a first eyelet to allow the first body portion to flex as the first body portion engages the busbar inside the first hole. The second body portion defines a second eyelet to allow the second body portion to flex as the second body portion engages the circuit board inside the second hole. A method of assembling the battery pack assembly includes a first material molded to the busbar to form a frame attached to the busbar.

Connection assembly for a battery pack assembly, the battery pack assembly, and a method of assembling the battery pack assembly

A thermal interface member may comprise a substrate having a first surface and an opposite second surface, an electrically conductive layer disposed on the first surface of the substrate, and an electrically resistive layer disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The substrate may comprise a compliant electrically insulating and thermally conductive material including a polymeric matrix phase and a dispersed phase of thermally conductive particles. The conductive layer may be patterned into a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode on the first surface of the substrate. The resistive layer may be in electrical contact with the first and second electrodes of the conductive layer and may comprise a resistive material having a positive resistance temperature coefficient and a resistance that increases with an increase in temperature.

Thermal interface member and method of making the same

A battery assembly includes a battery cell, conductive bus bar, and printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). A cell tab of the battery assembly has a first portion extending from a perimeter edge of a pouch and a second portion arranged orthogonally with respect to the first portion. The bus bar defines a tab slot through which the first portion extends, and has a major surface adjacent to the second portion. The PCBA defines an elongated welding window orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the PCBA. The PCBA is mounted over the bus bar such that surface area of the second portion is exposed through the welding window, and in turn is welded to the bus bar through and within the welding window. A spring element may be positioned between the carrier frame and the PCBA. A method of making the battery assembly is also provided.

Battery assembly having PCBA with cell monitoring and welding assembly features

A battery cell has positive and negative cell tabs protruding from a first edge and a cell stack-up within a pouch. Anode and cathode foils are connected to the cell tabs proximate the first edge, with the anode foils connected to each other proximate a second edge. An outermost current collector of the anode foils exists with respect to a thickness of the cell stack-up. The cathode foils are connected to the positive cell tab proximate the first edge. The anode foils are connected to each other and the negative cell tab proximate the second edge, such that the outermost current collector forms an internal bus bar between the first and second edges. The battery cell has asymmetrical packaging and symmetrical internal current paths. A system includes a battery pack driving a load, with the battery pack having battery cells constructed as set forth above.

Battery pack with battery cells having asymmetrical packaging and symmetrical current flow paths

A prismatic battery stack includes a first lithium-ion battery cell and a second lithium-ion battery cell. The battery stack also includes a first channel disposed around the first lithium-ion battery cell and the second lithium-ion battery cell. The battery stack includes a second channel disposed around the first lithium-ion battery cell and the second lithium-ion battery cell. The first channel and the second channel serve as heat sinks.

Multi-functional cooling channel and busbar for battery cell pack

A battery module includes a battery cell, a bus bar, and a multilayered cell sense flex circuit having a senseline tab containing a portion of a senseline. The flex circuit determines a battery cell voltage. The bus bar has surface projections, possibly with a variable height and/or width, such that the bus bar penetrates into the tab at least as far as the senseline. Adhesive material may be used on the welded joint. A method of manufacturing the battery module includes forming, in the bus bar, one or more surface projections, e.g., multiple projections having the variable height and/or width, positioning a senseline tab of the flex circuit adjacent to such projections, and joining the tab to the surface projections such that the projections penetrate at least partially into the flex circuit at least as far as the senseline.

Battery module with resistance-welded senseline tabs and method of manufacturing the same

A method of assembling a power module includes placing a first plurality of cells adjacent to one another to form a first cell layer. A flexible circuit layer is positioned above the first cell layer, the flexible circuit being electrically conductive. A second plurality of cells is positioned adjacent to one another to form a second cell layer aligned with the first cell layer such that the flexible circuit layer is sandwiched between the first cell layer and the second cell layer. The flexible circuit layer is folded along each of a plurality of axes of rotation such that each one of the first plurality of cells faces another one of the second plurality of cells. Each of the first plurality of cells and the second plurality of cells has respective first and second tabs (extending from their respective short ends) which are welded to the flexible circuit layer.

Method of assembling power module via folding

A method and a test fixture for evaluating a junction between an electrical lead trace and a busbar are described, and include an electric power supply disposed to supply electric power to the electrical lead trace and an electric monitoring device disposed to monitor electrical potential across the junction. A mechanical stress-inducing device is disposed to apply mechanical stress proximal to the junction. The electric monitoring device monitors the electrical potential across the junction of the electrical lead trace coincident with the mechanical stress-inducing device applying mechanical stress proximal to the junction when the electric power supply is supplying electric power to the electrical lead trace. Electrical integrity of the junction is evaluated based upon the monitored electrical potential across the junction.

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Lake Orion, MI, United States of America

Evan J Dawley