Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Jennifer Bracey

Wayne Cai

John Patrick Spicer

Jeffrey A Abell

Debejyo Chakraborty

Michael Anthony Wincek

Hui Wang

Teresa J Rinker

Daniel C Hutchinson

Peter W Tavora

Ronald L Reardon

Shawn Utz

Jeffrey S Davis

Blair E Carlson

James R Salvador

Ryan Curtis Sekol

Robert H Dietze

Michelle H Wiebenga

Hua-tzu Fan

Christopher Brady

Cammi L Siu

William Reginald Collin

Ian McLoughlin

Matthew Bondy

Mark E Baylis

Shunyi Zhang

Thomas Alumoottil

Houssen Yang

Kenneth W Mclean

A method for testing a battery component for leakage includes generating a sample from a battery component storing electrolyte using a Fourier Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, comparing absorbance levels of the sample at N predetermined frequencies to N predetermined thresholds, respectively, where N is an integer greater than one; and selectively detecting at least one of an electrolyte leak and generating an electrolyte concentration estimate in response to the comparison. The battery component is selected from a group consisting of a battery cell, a battery module, and a battery pack.

System for detecting electrolyte leaks during battery manufacturing

Disclosed herein is a device for magnetic welding of battery boils comprising a coil holder; where the coil holder comprises one or more electrical coils that are operative to be activated by an electrical current; a foil holding fixture; wherein the foil holding fixture comprises a plurality of arms; wherein each pair of adjacent arms is operative to move towards one another to crimp a plurality of battery foils; and an anvil; wherein the anvil is operative to support a battery tab and the battery foils.

Device for impact welding of battery terminals

A heating system includes a conveying system configured to transport a plurality of vehicle body-in-whites (BIWs) sequentially through an oven room to cure paint applied in a paint room. A preheating system includes one or more robot arms. A heat source is connected to the one or more robot arms. A controller is configured to control the one or more robot arms based on a position of one of the vehicle BIWs on the conveying system and to position the heat source near or in direct contact with one or more inner components of the one of the vehicle BIWs to heat the one or more inner components prior to the one of the vehicle BIWs entering the oven room.

Supplemental and targeted heating of vehicle body-in-white interior components/areas for paint ovens

A method for manufacturing a battery cell having electrode foils protruding from a cell pouch includes positioning the cell pouch in a fixture such that distal end sections of the foils extend outward from the fixture. The method includes clamping the distal end sections in a curvilinear guide clamp to cause the distal end sections to taper into an electrode foil stack, and then translating the clamp a predetermined distance toward the fixture to displace the distal end sections by the predetermined distance. The method also includes trimming the distal end sections using a trim tool, positioning a sonotrode and an anvil adjacent opposite surfaces of the stack, and ultrasonically welding the stack to a conductive lead tab using the sonotrode to thereby form a welded joint within the battery cell. The sonotrode may be multi-sided with different knurl patterns for performing different welding processes.

Method of making a battery cell including clamping, tapering, trimming and ultrasonic welding of electrode foils

A method includes receiving, during a vibration welding process, a set of sensory signals from a collection of sensors positioned with respect to a work piece during formation of a weld on or within the work piece. The method also includes receiving control signals from a welding controller during the process, with the control signals causing the welding horn to vibrate at a calibrated frequency, and processing the received sensory and control signals using a host machine. Additionally, the method includes displaying a predicted weld quality status on a surface of the work piece using a status projector. The method may include identifying and display a quality status of a suspect weld. The laser projector may project a laser beam directly onto or immediately adjacent to the suspect welds, e.g., as a red, green, blue laser or a gas laser having a switched color filter.

Quality status display for a vibration welding process

A system includes a host machine and a status projector. The host machine is in electrical communication with a collection of sensors and with a welding controller that generates control signals for controlling the welding horn. The host machine is configured to execute a method to thereby process the sensory and control signals, as well as predict a quality status of a weld that is formed using the welding horn, including identifying any suspect welds. The host machine then activates the status projector to illuminate the suspect welds. This may occur directly on the welds using a laser projector, or on a surface of the work piece in proximity to the welds. The system and method may be used in the ultrasonic welding of battery tabs of a multi-cell battery pack in a particular embodiment. The welding horn and welding controller may also be part of the system.

A vibration welding system includes vibration welding equipment having a welding horn and anvil, a host device, a check station, and a robot. The robot moves the horn and anvil via an arm to the check station. Sensors, e.g., temperature sensors, are positioned with respect to the welding equipment. Additional sensors are positioned with respect to the check station, including a pressure-sensitive array. The host device, which monitors a condition of the welding equipment, measures signals via the sensors positioned with respect to the welding equipment when the horn is actively forming a weld. The robot moves the horn and anvil to the check station, activates the check station sensors at the check station, and determines a condition of the welding equipment by processing the received signals. Acoustic, force, temperature, displacement, amplitude, and/or attitude/gyroscopic sensors may be used.

Automatic monitoring of vibration welding equipment

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Holly, MI, United States of America

Jennifer Bracey