Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Patrick Daniel Maguire

Saravanan Paramasivam

Brian Utley

Hyung Min Baek

Douglas X Zhu

Mohammadreza Eftekhari

Rohit Gunna

Jacob Mathews

George Albert Garfinkel

Sarav Paramasivam

Rajaram Subramanian

Thomas Edward Smith

Hari Krishna Addanki

Amar Marpu

Steven F Chorian

Olivia Lomax

Stephen Liptak

Xiao Guang Yang

John Peter Bilezikjian

Giriraj Srinivasan

Kanchana Perumalla

James Matthew Marcicki

Kevin A Montgomery

Theodore James Miller

Keith Kearney

Bob Taenaka

Harold J Haskins

Yi Zhang

John Paul Gibeau

James George Gebbie

Venkateswa Anand Sankaran

Steve Droste

Rodolfo Palma

Jason C Marcath

Stuart Schreiber

OuJung Kwon

Che-Chun Chang

Barry Shepherd

Kenneth James Miller

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam

Henry W Hausler

Bhaskara Rao Boddakayala

Mark G Smith

James Maurice Boileau

Debbi Callicoat

Michael E Reibling

Eid Farha

Yongcai Wang

Masahiro Kimoto

Halim Wijaya

Sai K Perumalla

Conor Daniel Hennessey

Scott J Bell

Edward Popyk

Manan Prafulchandra Sevak

James Castellano

Kyle Krueger

Kanghua Chen

Robert Reiners

Vladimir Vladimirovich Bogachuk

Kevin James Rhodes

Philip Michael Gonzales

Daniel Miller

Neil Robert Burrows

David Crist Gabriel

Josephine S Lee

Kimberley King

Dave Moschet

Yunan Guo

John Jardine

Juil Yum

Ranganathan Madhavan

Liam West

Greg Edward Gauthier

Mladen Marjanovic

Tommy M Gunther

Brock Dunlap

Jeffrey Matthew Haag

Ronald C Elder

Steven Droste

Brent Zapczynski

Edward Vann Decker

Michael Peter Mongeau

James M McManaman

Samir Subba

David Moschet

Vineeth Seshadri Kallur

Renuka Vikram Gokhale

Scott Benedict

J Anthony Lockwood

Patrick Lively Padgett

Bradley Arnold Lammers

Lucas Amber

Stephen W Siu

Melissa Kathryn Christensen

Leann Marie Vernon

Doug G Hughes

Dharmendra Patel

Kristen S Tamm

A battery pack cell stack removal method includes compressing a cell stack with an enclosure structure when the cell stack is received within a cell-receiving opening of the enclosure structure, and pulling a cell stack removal strap to withdrawn the cell stack from the cell-receiving opening of the enclosure structure.

Traction battery pack cell stack removal method and battery pack assembly

A structural assembly for an electric vehicle includes a vehicle frame, a battery structure, a pair of mounting structures, and a plurality of fasteners. The vehicle frame includes opposed longitudinal rails. The battery structure is disposed between the opposed longitudinal rails and includes a battery housing configured to house power storage units. Each mounting structure is secured to a respective side of the battery housing and supports a corresponding longitudinal rail. The plurality of fasteners extend through a corresponding mounting structure of the pair of mounting structures and a corresponding longitudinal rail of the opposed longitudinal rails to secure the vehicle frame and the battery structure to each other. An outer periphery of the corresponding mounting structure is substantially flush with an outer periphery of the corresponding longitudinal rail.

Structural assembly and vehicle having structural assembly

Battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles may include a polymer-based enclosure having features for sealing external joints, retaining components inside the battery pack, securing electrical and coolant lines to the polymer-based enclosure, etc. The proposed designs reduce the number of overall parts in assembly, such as fasteners and brackets, and simplify the overall battery pack manufacturing and assembly processes.

Electrified vehicle battery packs with polymer-based enclosures

Retention assemblies are disclosed for retaining a battery cell stack/matrix relative to an enclosure tray on traction battery packs that include cell-to-pack battery systems. The retention assemblies may be positioned between a cell stack/cell matrix and an interior surface of the enclosure tray. The retention assemblies may include features such as slider panels, clips, adhesive, and/or shims designed for holding the cell stacks down at the cell stack-to-enclosure tray interface.

Retention assemblies for traction battery packs with cell-to-pack battery systems

A battery pack assembly method includes compressing at least one cell stack, inserting the at least one cell stack into a cell-receiving opening of an enclosure structure, and pushing at least one cell of the at least one cell stack out of the enclosure structure using a pusher. Another traction battery pack assembly method includes moving a cell stack into an enclosure structure from a compression fixture that compresses the cell stack. The cell stack includes a plurality of battery cells. After the moving, the method compresses the cell stack using the enclosure structure. The method then includes establishing electrical connections between the battery cells of the cell stack, and testing the electrical connections prior to securing a busbar to the cell stack.

Traction battery pack assembling method

Traction battery packs are disclosed that include cell-to-pack battery systems. A cell stack/cell matrix of the cell-to-pack battery system may be positioned within an irregularly shaped enclosure tray of the traction battery pack. A block insert may be positioned at an interface between the cell stack/cell matrix and an irregularly shaped interior surface of the enclosure tray. The block insert may be configured to facilitate insertion of the cell stack/cell matrix into the enclosure tray, transfer compression loads from the enclosure tray walls to the cell stack/cell matrix, resist battery cell compression loads, etc.

Traction battery packs with cell-to-pack battery systems housed within irregularly shaped enclosures

A structural assembly for an electric vehicle includes a vehicle frame and a battery structure. The vehicle frame is distinct from a vehicle body and includes a front section, a rear section and a mid-section disposed between the front and rear sections. The mid-section includes opposed longitudinal rails. The battery structure is configured to house power storage units and is disposed between the opposed longitudinal rails. The battery structure includes a battery housing secured to the opposed longitudinal rails of the mid-section. The mid-section and the battery housing are combined into a unitized structure that is removably secured to the front and rear sections of the vehicle frame.

Manufacturing processes are disclosed for assembling traction battery packs that include battery systems, such as cell-to-pack battery systems. An exemplary assembly method includes inserting one or more cell stacks of the cell-to-pack battery system into a cell-compressing opening of an enclosure tray. The method may involve the use of slider plates that provide sliding surfaces that facilitate the insertion of the cell stacks into the cell compressing opening.

Methods for assembling traction battery packs

This disclosure details exemplary battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles. Exemplary battery packs may include a polymer-based enclosure assembly having features for thermally managing internal components of the battery pack. In some embodiments, the enclosure assembly may include molded-in fluid channels or molded-in tubing for establishing a cooling circuit of the battery pack. In other embodiments, the enclosure assembly may include molded-in channels that receive tubing for establishing a cooling circuit of the battery pack.

Polymer-based battery pack enclosure assemblies with integrated thermal management features

A battery pack includes an upper sidewall section of an enclosure, a lower sidewall section of the enclosure, and a fastener that moves to a secured position to secure the upper sidewall section to the lower sidewall section. The fastener is configured to be moved to the secured position from within an interior area of the enclosure. The battery pack further includes a gasket seal held between the upper sidewall section and the lower sidewall section at a position outside the fastener relative to an interior area of the enclosure.

Battery pack enclosure having a sectioned sidewall

A traction battery pack assembly includes, among other things, first and second pieces of an enclosure having an interior area. An attachment rim is disposed at a periphery of the first piece. The attachment rim has a stand-off that includes a platform portion and turned flange. The platform portion extends outward from the interior area in a first direction. The platform portion provides an aperture. The turned flange extends away from the platform portion in a second direction and terminates at an end face. The second direction is transverse to the first direction. The aperture is configured to receive a fastener that clamps the end face against the second piece.

Battery pack enclosure with turned flange

This disclosure details exemplary battery pack designs for use in electrified vehicles. An exemplary battery pack assembly process may include supporting one or more components, such as a heat exchanger plate, of the battery pack against deflection during the assembly process. Supporting the heat exchanger plate to keep the plate relatively flat during the battery pack assembly process improves the flow distribution of a thermal interface material (TIM), thereby achieving improved TIM coverage and improved heat transfer between battery cells and the heat exchanger plate of the battery pack.

Electrified vehicle battery packs with improved thermal interface material distribution

A battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a first cell stack including a plurality of battery cells and a structural assembly including a first pocket sized and shaped to receive the first cell stack. The structural assembly is configured to assert a compressive load on the first cell stack and at least partially enclose the first cell stack.

Battery assembly with multi-function structural assembly

An exemplary battery assembly includes, among other things, an enclosure defining an interior, and a frame disposed within a wall of the enclosure. The frame includes at least one retention feature configured to hold a service panel in a position where the service panel covers an opening to the interior. An exemplary method includes, among other things, transitioning a service panel to an engaged position with at least one retention feature to secure the service panel in a position where the service panel covers an opening in an enclosure. The at least one retention feature is provided by a frame disposed within a wall of the enclosure.

Traction battery pack service panel

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Patrick Daniel Maguire