Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Walter Rex Oswald

John P Stafford

Susan K Ferer

Steven J Stadnick

Robert K Taenaka

Michael Langmack

Patrick B Cooke

Matt H Russell

A battery system includes a battery cell having a cylindrical battery cell housing and a housing support external to the battery cell housing. The housing support is formed of an electrical insulator layer contacting the cylindrical external surface of the battery cell housing, and a heat conductor formed of heat-conducting fibers overlying and contacting the electrical insulator layer and aligned generally parallel to the cylindrical axis of the battery cell housing. The heat-conducting fibers are made of high-thermal-conductivity graphite and have a sink end. A fiber-reinforced composite structural support layer is applied overlying the heat-conducting fibers to force the electrical insulator layer into contact with the battery cell housing without the presence of an adhesive between the electrical insulator and the battery cell housing. A thermal sink is in thermal contact with the sink ends of the plurality of heat-conducting fibers at a first end of the cylindrical battery cell housing. A structural base joined to the structural support layer is positioned at a second end of the cylindrical battery cell housing.

Battery system with a high-thermal-conductivity integral structural

A battery system includes a battery cell having a battery cell housing, and a housing support external to the battery cell housing. The housing support is formed of at least two split shell segments. Each split shell segment includes a heat conductor inner layer having a plurality of heat-conducting fibers with heat sink ends, and a structural support outer layer overlying the heat conductor inner layer. The structural support layer is made of a fiber-reinforced composite material. A layer of a structural adhesive bonds the respective heat conductor inner layer of each split shell segment to the battery cell housing. A thermal sink is in thermal contact with the sink ends of the plurality of heat-conducting fibers of each of the split shell segments, and the structural support outer layer of each split shell segment is joined to a structural base. Preferably, a number of the battery cells and overlying housing supports extend between a single thermal sink at one end and a single structure base at the other end, forming a battery pack.

Battery system with a high-thermal-conductivity split shell structural

Growing community of inventors

Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Walter Rex Oswald