Tiveni Mergeco, Inc.

Tesla Motors, Inc.

Nuvomedia, Inc.

Audi Ag

Volkswagen Ag

American Battery Solutions, Inc.

Slt Logic, LLC

Atieva, Inc.

Inevit LLC

Gemstar-tv Guide International, Inc.

Wyse Technology Inc.

Seurat Technologies, Inc.

Tiveni Mergedco, Inc.

Martin F Eberhard

Heiner Fees

Alexander Eichhorn

Andreas Track

Ralf Maisch

Jörg Damaske

Marc E Tarpenning

Scott Ira Kohn

Eugene Michael Berdichevsky

Jeffrey Brian Straubel

Lance Uyehara

Weston Arthur Hermann

Van L Jacobson

Kurt Russell Kelty

Craig Bruce Carlson

Bob Felderman

Andrew Gregory Simpson

Rob Sweney

David Frederick Lyons

Jessica Riley

Mary Ruberry

Jaime Camhi

Paul DeWitt Frey

Thomas E Colson

Malcolm Sloan Smith

Archibald L Cobbs

Michael John Miskovsky

James A DeMuth

Erik Toomre

Ian Wright

Steven Diamond

Brian Ng

Olaf Brandt

Robert R Ferber

Alexander Barke

Reinhard Hofmann

Tobias Steiner

Ania Mitros

Fadhly A Bey

Penelope C Yao

Manfred Ammler

Brennan Campbell

Darren J Croke

Steve Diamond

An embodiment is directed to a hybrid contact plate arrangement in a battery module that includes a plurality of contact plates configured to be arranged on a given side of a set of battery cells in the battery module, at least one insulation layer configured to provide insulation between each of the plurality of contact plates, wherein the set of battery cells includes a plurality of groups of battery cells, and wherein the plurality of contact plates each include a set of bonding connectors, the sets of bonding connectors being configured to connect to the positive and negative terminals of the plurality of groups of battery cells so as to connect battery cells in each of the plurality of groups of battery cells in parallel with each other, and to connect the plurality of groups of battery cells in series with each other.

Multi-layer contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds to battery cells in a battery module

Embodiments are directed to establishing a direct electrical bond between a bonding connector of a contact plate and a battery cell in a battery module. In a first embodiment, an oscillating laser is used to weld the bonding connector to a battery cell terminal over a target area over which the bonding connector makes non-flush contact. In a second embodiment, the bonding connector is flattened to reduce a gap between the bonding connector and the target area on the battery cell terminal, and then laser-welded (e.g., using an oscillating or non-oscillating laser). In a third embodiment, at least one hold-down mechanism is applied over the bonding connector to secure the bonding connector to the battery cell terminal, after which the bonding connector is laser-welded to the battery cell terminal.

Methods of welding a bonding connector of a contact plate to a battery cell terminal

In an embodiment, a battery module is configured for insertion into a battery module compartment of an energy storage system. The battery module includes a first exterior plate configured with a male joining section, a second exterior plate that is adjacent to the first exterior plate and configured with a female joining section, wherein the first and second exterior plates are joined together via the male and female joining sections without welding. In an example, by joining the first and second exterior plates (e.g., and optionally, other exterior plates of the battery module as well) without welding, problems associated with heat from a welding process as well as spatters and dirt accumulation at battery cells of the battery module can be reduced or avoided.

Non-welding joinder of exterior plates of a battery module

A battery management system and method that allows a battery bank to be composed of battery modules that can be heterogeneous with respect to each other. A battery bank composed of modules that support the battery management system allows for any subset of modules to be easily replaced with modules of different electrochemical characteristics. Each of the modules may also have a controller that manages cells of the module. The bank level controller and module level controller may operate to virtualize the hardware under their management to reduce or eliminate the heterogeneous features of the underlying cells and modules.

System and method for management of heterogeneous battery modules

An additive manufacturing system including a two-dimensional energy patterning system for imaging a powder bed is disclosed. The two-dimensional energy patterning system may be used to control the rate of cooling experienced by each successive additive layer. Accordingly, the system may be used to heat treat the various additive layers.

Additive manufacturing, spatial heat treating system and method

An embodiment is directed to a contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds between battery cells in a battery module, including at least one primary conductive layer, and a set of bonding connectors that are configured to provide direct electrical bonds between the contact plate and terminals of a group of battery cells, the set of bonding connectors being configured to connect the group of battery cells in parallel with each other, wherein at least one bonding connector in the set of bonding connectors is configured with a higher fuse rating than each other bonding connector in the set of bonding connectors so as to contain arcs among the set of bonding connectors to the at least one bonding connector.

Bonding connector with fuse section and battery module with insulative P-group separator

An embodiment is directed to a multi-layer contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds to battery cells in a battery module. The multi-layer contact plate includes two or more primary conductive layers (e.g., Al, Cu, etc.), and a cell terminal connection layer (e.g., steel, Al, Cu, etc.) that is joined with, and sandwiched by, the two or more primary conductive layers. A portion of the cell terminal connection layer is configured to form a set of bonding connectors (e.g., bonding ribbons) to provide a direct electrical bond between the multi-layer contact plate and terminals (e.g., positive terminals, negative terminals, or a combination thereof) of at least one group of battery cells (e.g., a single group of battery cells, two groups of battery cells that are connected in series, etc.).

Embodiments are directed to contact plates configured to establish electrical bonds between battery cells in a battery module. In a first embodiment, the contact plate includes at least one primary conductive layer including a hole that is aligned with two or more terminals of two or more battery cells in a group of battery cells that are configured to be connected in parallel with each other, and a bonding connector configured to provide direct electrical bonds between the contact plate and the two or more terminals of the two or more battery cells. In a second embodiment, a contact plate includes at least one primary conductive layer and a set of bonding connectors made from at least one material that is selected to match at least one material used for the terminals of the at least one group of battery cells.

Contact plate including at least one bonding connector configured to establish electrical bonds to terminals of at least one group of battery cells in a battery module

Contact plate including at least one higher-fuse bonding connector for arc protection

Embodiments are directed to a contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds between battery cells in a battery module. In a first embodiment, the contact plate includes at least one primary conductive layer, wherein the contact plate is configured to exchange current with at least one group of battery cells in the battery module, and wherein a thickness of the at least one primary conductive layer scales with a current expectation at different portions of the contact plate. In a second embodiment, the contact plate includes at least one primary conductive layer, and a set of bonding connectors that is configured to provide direct electrical bonds between the contact plate and terminals of at least one group of battery cells, wherein the set of bonding connectors is pre-assembled with the contact plate before the contact plate is installed into the battery module.

Contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds to battery cells in a battery module

Embodiments are directed to a center contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds between battery cells in a battery module. In an embodiment, the center contact plate includes at least one primary conductive layer including a first set of holes formed within the at least one primary conductive layer that are aligned with positive terminals of a first group of battery cells that are configured to be connected in parallel with each other, and a second set of holes formed within the at least one primary conductive layer that are aligned with negative terminals of a second group of battery cells that are configured to be connected in parallel with each other, wherein the first and second sets of holes are each clustered together on different sides of the at least one primary conductive layer.

Center contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds to different groups of battery cells in a battery module

In an embodiment, a module-side optical transceiver is configured to exchange optical signals with a battery module controller (BMC)-side optical transceiver coupled to a BMC. The optical signals are transported inside of a tunnel space between the BMC and the battery module. In one embodiment, the optical signals are transported via a light tube, a deflection element such as a mirror, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, the optical signals are transported via a cable harness coupled to a plurality of BMC-side optical transceivers in the tunnel space and configured to support optical line of sight (LoS) links to various module-side optical transceivers.

Optical communications interface for battery modules of an energy storage system

Hybrid contact plate arrangement configured to establish electrical bonds to battery cells in a battery module

Growing community of inventors

Woodside, CA, United States of America

Martin F Eberhard