Manufacturing systems and processes for the optimized curing of structural adhesive materials for battery modules

Abstract

Intelligent manufacturing systems for the optimized curing of adhesives for battery assemblies, methods for manufacturing / using such systems, and stored instructions for automating the operation of such systems are presented. One method for assembling a battery module involves aligning a stack of battery cells on a workpiece carrier and compressing the cell stack to a predefined length. Module housing side plates are positioned on opposite lateral sides of the compressed cell stack, and a thermosetting structural adhesive (SAM) is injected between the side plates and the lateral sides of the cell stack. A conductive heating system heats the module housing side plates to cure the SAM. While the side plates are heating, a cell thermal conditioning system cools a selected surface of the compressed cell stack.After determining that a monitored curing time has reached a predefined curing time, the system interrupts the heating of the side plates and the cooling of the battery cells.

Description

Introduction

[0001] This description generally concerns electrochemical devices. In particular, aspects of this description relate to manufacturing systems and processes for the optimized curing of adhesive materials for rechargeable battery modules.

[0002] Modern motor vehicles, such as the contemporary automobile, are inherently equipped with a powertrain that propels the vehicle and supplies power to its onboard electronics. In automotive applications, the vehicle powertrain is generally characterized by a drive motor that delivers drive torque through an automatic or manually engaged power transmission to the vehicle's final drive system (e.g., differential, axles, corner modules, road wheels, etc.). Historically, automobiles were powered by internal combustion engines (ICEs) due to their easy availability, relatively low cost, light weight, and overall efficiency. Such engines include, as a few non-limiting examples, compression-ignition (CCI) engines.Compression-ignited (CI) diesel engines, spark-ignited (SI) gasoline engines, two-, four- and six-stroke architectures, and Wankel rotary engines. Hybrid electric and fully electric vehicles (collectively, "electrically powered vehicles"), on the other hand, use alternative energy sources to power the vehicle, thus minimizing or eliminating dependence on a fossil fuel-based engine for traction power.

[0003] A full-electric vehicle (FEV) – colloquially referred to as an "electric car" – is a type of electric-powered vehicle configuration that completely omits an internal combustion engine and associated peripheral components from the powertrain system, relying instead on a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a traction motor for propulsion. The engine assembly, fuel delivery system, and exhaust system of an ICE-based vehicle are replaced by one or more traction motors, rechargeable battery cells, and battery cooling and charging hardware in a battery-based FEV. Hybrid electric vehicle (FEV)Hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) powertrains, in contrast, use multiple sources of traction power to propel the vehicle, most commonly an internal combustion engine assembly in conjunction with a battery-powered or fuel cell-powered traction motor. Because electric-hybrid vehicles are able to derive their power from sources other than the engine, HEV engines can be switched off completely or partially while the vehicle is propelled by the electric motor(s).

[0004] There are four primary types of batteries used in electric vehicles: lithium-class batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, ultracapacitor batteries, and lead-acid batteries. Within the lithium-class design category, lithium-metal and lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries constitute the majority of commercial lithium battery (LiB) configurations, with Li-ion batteries being favored in automotive applications due to their superior stability, energy density, and rechargeable capabilities. A standard lithium-ion cell generally consists of at least two conductive electrodes, an electrolyte material, and a permeable separator, all enclosed in an electrically insulated package. One electrode acts as the positive (cathode) electrode, and the other acts as the negative (anode) electrode during cell discharge.The separator – often a microporous polymer membrane – is positioned between each pair of working electrodes to prevent electrical short circuits while allowing the transport of ionic charge carriers. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries operate by reversibly transferring lithium ions back and forth between the negative and positive working electrodes.

[0005] Many commercially available hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles use a rechargeable traction battery pack to store and supply the energy required to operate the powertrain's traction motor unit(s). To generate traction power with sufficient vehicle range and speed, a traction battery pack is significantly larger, more powerful, and has a higher capacity (ampere-hour, Ah) than a standard 12-volt starting, lighting, and ignition (SLI) battery. Modern traction battery packs, for example, group stacks of battery cells (e.g., 12–75 cells / group) into individual battery modules (e.g., 10–40 modules / pack) that are mounted to the vehicle chassis by a battery pack housing or support shell. Stacked electrochemical battery cells can be connected using an electrical interconnect plate (EIP).The electrical interconnect board (ICB) and a front-end DC busbar are electrically connected. During the assembly of a traction battery module, a stack of prismatic battery cells can be nested with cell-to-cell separator films and placed on a heat sink plate resting on the base plate of the module housing. End plates of the module housing are placed at the front and rear ends of the cell stack, and housing side plates are placed on the lateral sides of the stack; the end and side plates are then welded or crimped together. A structural adhesive material (SAM) can be injected into the gap between the battery cells and the side plates to provide additional structural reinforcement and to dampen shock and vibration forces on the cells. Description

[0006] The following sections describe intelligent manufacturing systems with control logic for the optimized curing of adhesives for battery assemblies, methods for manufacturing and operating such systems, and stored instructions for automating their operation. As an example, and not a limitation, one manufacturing control process provides rapid in-situ curing of an epoxy-, acrylic-, or polyurethane-based structural adhesive material using elevated temperatures during the assembly of a lithium-class battery module. Lead station cooling hardware provides real-time thermal cell conditioning to prevent elevated cell temperatures from exceeding a threshold temperature limit (e.g., 55–85 degrees Celsius). oC)). Proportional-integral derivative (PID) controllers use closed-loop cell temperature feedback at multiple cell locations (e.g., two at the top and two at the bottom of the cell stack) to automate actively modulated cell cooling. Accelerated adhesive curing—compared to conventional ambient curing and low-temperature convective curing techniques—can be provided by targeted conductive heating at the module housing side panels, while simultaneously extracting heat from the cell bottoms using an indirect liquid cooling (ILC) active thermal management (ATM) system.

[0007] Second-order enablers for rapid in-situ SAM curing can include cell-to-cell crowding, which reduces the overall SAM volume and increases the wetted thermal interface, and continuous cell temperature monitoring with PID feedback control, which minimizes the risk of cell degradation. Cell crowding can provide a consistent energy and time curing effort by helping to minimize variations in SAM thickness. Real-time, closed-loop temperature feedback from target points at the top and bottom of selected cell packages enables precise activation and modulation of cold-plate conditioning to maintain the highest possible curing temperature without exceeding a threshold temperature limit.Associated benefits for at least some of the described concepts include battery module manufacturing systems and processes that reduce production cycle times while providing higher curing precision with minimal cell heating temperature limits. The described manufacturing processes and procedures can also help reduce capital investment by eliminating the need for expanded storage space, high pallet volumes, and transportation for long-term module processing. Other associated benefits may include achieving adequate bond strength while reducing SAM volumes through side crowding to ensure a more precise gap.

[0008] Aspects of this description focus on manufacturing system control protocols, system control logic, and stored instructions for the optimized curing of battery adhesives. An example presents a method for constructing a battery assembly, such as a vehicle battery module containing a stack of lithium-class prismatic battery cells. This representative method involves, in any order and in any combination with any of the options and features described above and below: aligning, for example, using an automated cell pressing station, a stack of battery cells with a reference datum (e.g., Y-direction edge datum) on a workpiece carrier (WPC); compressing, for example, using the automated cell pressing station, a stack length of the cell stack to a predefined "final" stack length; applying, for example,via an automated adhesive injection machine, of beads of a thermally cured SAM onto inner surfaces of first and second module housing side plates; positioning, e.g., via an automated side plate positioning robot, of the module housing side plates with the thermally cured SAM against opposite lateral sides of the compressed cell stack; heating, e.g., using a conductive heating system, of the module housing side plates for a monitored curing time to cure the SAM; cooling, e.g., using a cell thermal conditioning system, simultaneously with heating the side plates, of a selected surface of the cell stack to extract thermal energy from the compressed stack of battery cells; and, in response to a determination that the monitored curing time has reached a predefined curing time, interrupting the heating of the side plates and the cooling of the battery cells.

[0009] Aspects of this description also extend to computer-readable media (CRM) containing control-executable instructions that provide optimized curing of battery adhesives. In one example, a non-volatile CRM stores instructions that can be executed by a system controller (e.g., a programmable logic controller (PLC), a station control module, an integrated circuit (IC), or a network of controllers / modules / devices) of a manufacturing system to assemble a battery module. The battery module comprises a stack of battery cells (e.g., lithium-class prismatic cells) and a battery module housing (e.g., an electrically insulated stamped metal housing).When executed, the CRM-stored instructions cause the control system to perform operations, including: directing an automated cell pressing station to align the stack of battery cells with a reference point on a workpiece carrier; directing the automated cell pressing station to compress a stack length of battery cells to a predefined stack length to create a compressed stack of battery cells; directing an automated adhesive injection machine to inject a heat-cured SAM onto the inner surfaces of the first and second side plates of a battery module housing; directing an automated side plate positioning robot to apply the heat-cured SAM to the first and second side plates against the outer surfaces of the first and second side plates, respectively.to position the second lateral sides of the compressed stack of battery cells; to instruct a conductive heating system to heat the first and second side plates of the battery module for a monitored curing time in order to cure the thermally cured SAM; to instruct a cell thermal conditioning system to cool a lower stack surface of the compressed stack of battery cells in order to extract thermal energy from the battery cells simultaneously with the heating of the first and second side plates; and to instruct the conductive heating system to stop heating the first and second side plates and the cell thermal conditioning system to stop cooling the selected stack surface of the compressed stack of battery cells in response to a determination that the monitored curing time is equal to or exceeds a predefined curing time.

[0010] Additional aspects of this description are directed toward automated inline battery manufacturing systems for assembling a battery module, such as rechargeable battery modules for vehicle battery packs. As used herein, the terms "vehicle" and "motor vehicle" can be used interchangeably and synonymously to include any relevant vehicle platform, such as passenger cars, commercial vehicles, industrial vehicles, tracked vehicles, off-road and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, agricultural equipment, watercraft, aircraft, spacecraft, etc. For non-automotive applications, disclosed concepts can be implemented for any logically relevant use, including portable power plants, photovoltaic systems, pumping equipment, wind turbines, server systems, etc.In one example, a battery module manufacturing system includes an automated cell pressing station, an automated side plate positioning robot, an automated adhesive injection machine, a conductive heating system, and a cell thermal conditioning system, each of which can be a standalone inline workstation or can be combined to form one or more group workstations.

[0011] Continuing the discussion of the preceding example, the manufacturing system includes a control system programmed to instruct the cell press station to align the cell stack with a reference point on a workpiece carrier and, once aligned, to compress the cell stack to a predefined stack length. The control system also instructs the adhesive injection machine to apply a heat-cured SAM to internal surfaces of module housing side panels and, once the SAM is applied, instructs the side panel positioning robot to position the side panels with the SAM on opposite lateral sides of the compressed cell stack.The control system then instructs the conductive heating system to heat the casing side plates for a monitored curing time to cure the SAM. While the side plates are being heated, the control system instructs the cell thermal conditioning system to cool a selected surface or surfaces of the compressed cell stack to extract thermal energy from the battery cells. After determining that the monitored curing time has reached a predefined duration, the control system responds by instructing the conductive heating system to stop heating the side plates and the cell thermal conditioning system to stop cooling the battery cells.

[0012] For each of the disclosed systems, methods, and CRMs, heating the module housing side panels may involve placing conductive heating elements of the conductive heating system against the side panels and, once placed, activating the two conductive heating elements. Prior to activating the two conductive heating elements, it may be desirable to press a pair of side panel clamps against the module housing side panels. As another option, cooling the battery cells may involve placing a cooling plate against a bottom or top surface of the cell stack and, once placed, circulating a cooling fluid over the cooling plate. The system controller may monitor the curing time during which the side panels are conductively heated and actively determine when the monitored curing time equals or exceeds the predefined curing time.

[0013] For each of the disclosed systems, methods, and CRMs, the control system can communicate with a networked array of temperature sensors thermally coupled to the compressed cell stack to receive sensor signals indicating a real-time cell stack temperature during side-plate heating. Upon determining that the cell stack temperature reaches or exceeds a threshold temperature limit, the control system can temporarily halt side-plate heating while cooling of the compressed cell stack continues. After halting side-plate heating, the control system can communicate with the temperature sensor array to receive new sensor signals indicating a new cell stack temperature.After determining that the new cell stack temperature is below the threshold temperature limit, the control system can, in response, resume heating the side plates while continuing to cool the battery cells. Alternatively, the control system can actively modulate a real-time thermal output from the conductive heating system based on sensor signals received from the temperature sensors. In this case, the control system can actively coordinate a real-time cooling output from the cell thermal conditioning system with the real-time thermal output of the conductive heating system.

[0014] For each of the disclosed systems, methods, and CRMs, compressing the stack length of the stacked battery cells can involve positioning a pair of module housing end plates at opposite longitudinal ends of the cell stack and, once positioned, using an automated cell pressing station to press the end plates together. After compressing the cell stack with the two end plates and then positioning the two side plates on the lateral sides of the cell stack, opposite longitudinal end segments of each side plate can be welded, crimped, and / or attached to lateral end segments of the two end plates. Prior to joining the module housing side plates to the module housing end plates, inner surfaces of the two side plates can be pressed against the lateral sides of the compressed cell stack.In tandem, base flanges projecting orthogonally from the lower edges of the two side plates can be pressed against a bottom surface of the compressed cell stack. After the two side plates have been heated and the compressed cell stack has cooled, the resulting module pre-assembly—consisting of the compressed cell stack mounted on the workpiece carrier, with the hardened SAM bonding the cell stack to the module housing side plates—is transferred to a cooling buffer station. Following transfer, the module pre-assembly is cooled in the cooling buffer station for a predefined cooling time. The module pre-assembly can then be transferred to another station to complete the battery module assembly.

[0015] The foregoing summary does not represent every embodiment or aspect of the present description. Rather, it merely provides a summary of some of the novel concepts and features set forth herein. The foregoing features and advantages, as well as other features and concomitant advantages of this description, will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrated examples and representative modes of implementation of the description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. Furthermore, this description expressly includes all combinations and subcombinations of the elements and features presented above and below. Brief description of the drawings Fig. Figure 1 is a partially schematic side view of a representative motor vehicle powered by an electrified powertrain and driven by a traction battery pack containing several rechargeable battery modules with which aspects of this description can be implemented. Fig. Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a representative electrochemical device with which aspects of this description can be implemented. Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a representative intelligent manufacturing system for active cell cooling and high-temperature conductivity curing of a structural adhesive material in a battery module according to aspects of the present description. Fig. Figure 4 is a flowchart that represents a representative manufacturing control process and a representative manufacturing control procedure for the inline automation of conductivity SAM curing for a battery module, which may correspond to stored instructions that can be executed by a resident or remote microcontroller, programmable logic circuit, control module or other integrated circuit (IC) device or a network of circuits / modules / microcontrollers / devices (collectively, "system control") according to aspects of the disclosed concepts.

[0016] The present description is accessible for various modifications and alternative forms, and some representative embodiments of the description are shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail herein. It is understood, however, that the novel aspects of this description are not limited to the specific forms illustrated in the drawings listed above. Rather, this description encompasses all modifications, equivalents, combinations, permutations, groupings, and alternatives that fall within the scope of this description, as defined, for example, by the attached claims. Detailed description

[0017] This description is open to embodiments in many different forms. Representative embodiments of the description are shown in the drawings and are described in detail herein, it being understood that these embodiments are provided as an illustration of the disclosed principles and not as limitations of the broad aspects of the description. To this extent, elements and limitations described, for example, in the sections Abstract, Introduction, Summary, Brief Description of Drawings, and Detailed Description, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims individually or collectively by conclusion, inference, or otherwise. Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., is recommended.The terms are not used per se in the description or the claims to establish a serial or numerical limitation; unless expressly stated otherwise, these designations may be used to facilitate reference to similar features in the description and the drawings and to distinguish between similar elements in the claims.

[0018] For the purposes of this description, unless expressly excluded: the singular includes the plural and vice versa (e.g., indefinite articles "ein / r / s" and "eine / r / s" should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more"); the words "und" and "oder" are to be understood as both subjunctive and disjunctive; the words "beirgendige" and "alle" are to be understood as meaning "any" and "all"; and the words "klusiv," "mittending," "umfassend," "aufgebenden," and the like are to be understood as meaning "inclusive without limitation." Finally, directional adjectives and adverbials, such as front, rear, inside, outside, starboard, port, vertical, horizontal, upward, downward, forward, backward, left, right, etc., may refer to a motor vehicle, such as a motor vehicle's direction of travel when the vehicle is operationally oriented on a horizontal road surface.

[0019] Referring to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals in the different views refer to the same features, it is stated in Fig. Figure 1 shows a representative motor vehicle, generally designated 10, which is presented herein for discussion as an electrically powered, sedan-style automobile. The automobile 10 shown—hereinafter also referred to simply as the “motor vehicle” or “vehicle”—is merely an exemplary application with which aspects of this description can be implemented. Likewise, the incorporation of the present concepts into the presented battery manufacturing system for assembling vehicle battery modules containing lithium-class prismatic battery cells should be considered a non-restrictive implementation of disclosed features.It is understood that aspects and features of this description can be incorporated into other manufacturing system architectures, used to design any logically relevant type of battery assembly, and applied to both automotive and non-automotive applications. Furthermore, only selected components of the vehicle, the manufacturing system, and the battery cell are shown and described in detail here. Nevertheless, the vehicles, systems, and cells discussed below may include numerous additional and alternative features and other available peripheral hardware for executing the various procedures and functions described.

[0020] The representative vehicle 10 from Fig. 1 is originally equipped with a vehicle telecommunications and information unit (“telematics” unit) 14 that communicates wirelessly, e.g., via a cellular network, satellite service, wireless modem, etc., with a remotely located or “outside the vehicle” cloud computing host service 24 (e.g., OnStar®). Some of the other vehicle hardware components 16 that are in Fig. The components shown in Figure 1 include, as non-limiting examples, a video display device 18, a microphone 28, one or more audio speakers 30, and various user input controls 32 (e.g., buttons, knobs, switches, touchscreens, etc.). These components 16 partially function as a human-machine interface (HMI), enabling a user to communicate with the telematics unit 14 and other components located both inside and outside the vehicle 10. For example, the microphone 28 provides occupants with a means of inputting verbal commands; the vehicle 10 uses embedded audio filtering, processing, and analysis modules to process the commands. Conversely, the speaker 30 provides audible output for vehicle occupants and can be either a standalone speaker or part of an audio system 22.The audio system 22 is connected to a network connection interface 34 and an audio bus 20 to receive analog information via one or more loudspeaker components and to reproduce it as sound.

[0021] Communicatively coupled to the telematics unit 14 is a network connection interface 34, suitable examples of which include fiber optic Ethernet switches, parallel / serial communication buses, interfaces for a local area network (LAN), interfaces for a controller area network (CAN), and the like. The network connection interface 34 enables the vehicle hardware 16 to send and receive signals with each other and with various systems both on board and outside the vehicle body 12. This enables the vehicle 10 to perform various vehicle functions, such as modulating the powertrain output, activating friction and regenerative braking systems, controlling the vehicle steering, and other automated functions. For example, the telematics unit 14 can send signals to a powertrain control module (PCM) 52, an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), or a computer with adaptive cruise control (CCS).: advanced driver assistance system - ADAS) module 54, an electronic battery control module (EBCM) 56, a steering control module (SCM) 58, a brake system control module (BSCM) 60 and various other vehicle ECUs, such as a transmission control module (TCM), an engine control module (ECM), a sensor system interface module (SSIM), etc.

[0022] With further reference to Fig. 1 The telematics unit 14 is an onboard computing device that provides a mix of services both individually and through its communication with other networked devices. This telematics unit 14 can generally consist of one or more processors 40, each of which can be implemented as a discrete microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a dedicated control module. The vehicle 10 can offer centralized vehicle control via a central processing unit (CPU) 36, which is operationally coupled with a real-time clock (RTC) 42 and one or more electronic storage devices 38, each of which can be in the form of a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, an IC device, a solid-state drive (SSD), or a hard disk drive (HDD).: hard disk drive (HDD) memory, flash memory, semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM), etc.

[0023] Long-range communication (LRC) capabilities with remote, off-vehicle devices can be provided by one, more, or all of a cellular chipset / component, a navigation and location chipset / component (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) transceiver), or a wireless modem, all of which together provide 44 in Fig. 1. Wireless short-range connectivity can be provided via a short-range communication (SRC) device 46 (e.g., a Bluetooth® unit or a near-field communication (NFC) transceiver), a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) component 48, and / or a dual antenna 50. The communication devices described above can provide data exchange as part of a periodic broadcast in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication system or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system.

[0024] The CPU 36 receives sensor data from one or more sensing devices, which may employ, for example, photodetection, radar, laser, ultrasound, optical, infrared, or other suitable technology to perform automated driving (AV / ADAS) operation or vehicle navigation services. According to the example shown, the automobile 10 may be equipped with one or more digital cameras 62, one or more area sensors 64, one or more vehicle speed sensors 66, one or more vehicle dynamics sensors 68, and any necessary filtering, classification, fusion, and analysis hardware and software for processing raw sensor data. The type, placement, number, and interoperability of the distributed array of in-vehicle sensors can be individually or collectively adapted to a given vehicle platform to achieve a desired level of automated vehicle operation.

[0025] To power the motor vehicle 10, an electrified powertrain can be operated to generate traction torque and deliver it to one or more of the vehicle's drive wheels 26. The powertrain is in Fig. 1 is represented by an electric traction motor (M) 78, which is operatively connected to a rechargeable, chassis-mounted traction battery pack 70. The traction battery pack 70 generally consists of one or more battery modules 72, each containing a cluster of battery cells 74, such as lithium-class or organosilicon-class cells of the pouch, prismatic, or cylindrical type. One or more electric machines, such as traction motor / generator (M) units 78, draw electrical power from the battery pack 70 and optionally supply electrical power to it. A power inverter module (PIM) 80 electrically connects the battery pack 70 to the motor(s) 78 and modulates the transfer of electrical current between them. The battery pack 70 may include an integrated electronics package, such as a wireless cell monitoring unit (CMU).: cell monitoring unit, CMU) 76, include, which enables module management, cell detection and module communication functionality.

[0026] In Fig. 2 is an exemplary electrochemical device in the form of a rechargeable lithium-class battery 110, which can power a desired electrical load, such as the motor 78 of Fig. 1. The battery 110 comprises a series of electrically conductive electrodes, namely a first (negative or anode) working electrode 122 and a second (positive or cathode) working electrode 124, which are stacked or rolled and packaged within a protective outer casing 120 (hereinafter also referred to as the "cell casing"). Referring to either the working electrode 122 or 124 as the "anode" or "cathode," or in this context as "positive" or "negative," does not restrict the electrodes 122 or 124 to a specific polarity, since the system polarity may change depending on whether the battery 110 is operating in a charging or discharging mode. The device casing 120 may be cylindrical, pouch-shaped, or prismatic, and may be made of aluminum, nickel-plated steel, ABS, PVC, or another suitable material.A metal casing can be coated with a polymer coating to insulate the metal from internal cell elements and from neighboring cells. Although... Fig. Figure 2 shows a single galvanic mono-cell unit enclosed within the cell housing 120. It is understood that the housing 120 can store a stack or a roll of mono-cell units (e.g., five to 500 cells or more).

[0027] The anode electrode 122 can be made with an active anode electrode material capable of integrating lithium ions during a battery charging process and releasing lithium ions during a battery discharging process. For at least some designs, the anode electrode 122 is made wholly or partially of a lithium metal, such as lithium-aluminum (LiAl) alloy materials with a Li / Al atomic ratio (as specified by an atomic percentage (at%) of one type of atom relative to a total number of atoms) in the range of 0 at% ≤ Li / Al < 70 at% and / or aluminum alloys with an Al atomic ratio > 50 at% (e.g., molten lithium metal). Additional non-restrictive examples of suitable active anode materials include carbon-containing materials (e.g., graphite, hard or soft carbon, etc.), silicon, silicon-carbon composites (silicon-graphite composites), and Li₄Ti₅O₄.12 , transition metals (alloy types, e.g. Sn), metal oxides / sulfides (e.g. SnO2, FeS and the like) etc.

[0028] The cathode electrode 124 can be made with an active cathode electrode material capable of supplying lithium ions during a battery charging process and integrating lithium ions during a battery discharging process. The cathode material 124 can be, for example, lithium transition metal oxide, phosphate (including olivine), or silicate, such as LiMO₂ (M = Co, Ni, Mn, or combinations thereof); LiM₂O₄ (M = Mn, Ti, or combinations thereof); LiMPO₄ (M = Fe, Mn, Co, or combinations thereof); and LiM x M' 2-x O4 (M, M' = Mn or Ni). Additional non-restrictive examples of suitable active cathode materials include lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium nickel cobalt manganese aluminum oxide (NCMA), and other lithium transition metal oxides.

[0029] Inside the cell casing 120 of Fig. An electrically insulating porous separator 126 is arranged between each paired working electrode 122, 124. The separator 126 can be in the form of an electrically non-conductive, ion-transporting microporous or nanoporous polymer separator film. The separator 126 can be a film-like structure consisting of a porous polyolefin membrane, e.g., with a porosity of about 35% to about 65%. Electrically non-conductive ceramic particles (e.g., silicon dioxide) can be coated onto the porous membrane surfaces of the separators 126. The porous separator 126 can include a non-aqueous fluid electrolyte composition, a solid electrolyte composition and / or a quasi-solid electrolyte composition, collectively designated 130, which may also be present in the negative electrode 122 and the positive electrode 124.The porous separator 126 can function as both an electrical insulator and a mechanical support structure by being positioned between the two electrodes 122 and 124 to prevent the electrodes from physically touching and thus causing a short circuit. In addition to providing a physical barrier between the electrodes 122 and 124, the separator 126 can provide a minimal resistance path for the internal passage of lithium ions (and related anions) during the lithium ion cycle, thereby facilitating the operation of the battery 110.

[0030] A negative electrode current collector 132 of the electrochemical battery cell 110 can be positioned on or near the negative electrode 122, and a positive electrode current collector 134 can be positioned on or near the positive electrode 124. The negative electrode current collector 132 and the positive electrode current collector 134 collect and move free electrons to and from an external circuit 140, respectively. An interruptible external circuit 140 with a load 142 is connected to the negative electrode 122 by its respective current collector 132 and the negative electrode tab 136, and to the positive electrode 124 by its respective current collector 134 and the positive electrode tab 138.

[0031] The battery 110, operating as a rechargeable energy storage device, generates electrical current that is transferred to one or more electrical loads 142 operatively connected to the external circuit 140. While the load 142 can be any number of devices, some non-limiting examples of power-consuming devices include electric traction motors for hybrid electric and fully electric vehicles, photovoltaic cell arrays, stand-alone power plants and portable power packs, server systems, wind turbines, etc. The battery cell 110 can include a variety of other components, including fluid seals, terminal caps, cell end pieces, tabs, battery connectors, cooling hardware, charging hardware, and other commercially available components that may be located on or within the battery 110.Furthermore, the size, shape and operating characteristics of the 110 battery may vary depending on the specific application for which it is designed.

[0032] During the construction of a rechargeable battery module containing a stack of battery cells, a structural adhesive material (SAM) can be injected into the battery module housing to form a load-bearing, shock-absorbing structural connection that secures the cells to the module housing. Instead of applying the SAM during curing, which can cause spider web formation with a simultaneous reduction in the resulting shear strength of the adhesive, it may be desirable to inject the entire module-calibrated adhesive volume and cure the SAM while it is in the module housing (i.e., in situ). Structural adhesives can require a long curing time at ambient (room) temperatures; therefore, it may be desirable to introduce a thermal catalyst to significantly reduce the time required for the SAM to cure (e.g., by using a thermal catalyst).Targeted heating at 80 °C can reduce the curing time from four (4) hours to less than ten (10) minutes. This can provide substantial cost savings with a significantly reduced capital investment. However, applying heat to the battery module housing for extended periods can expose the battery cells to undesirably high temperatures. To maintain the highest possible curing temperature without driving cell temperatures to undesirable levels (e.g., exceeding ~55-60 °C), an active thermal management system can be employed to balance the heating of the module housing with the heat dissipation from the battery cells. Temperature gradients can be monitored at selected times, for example, by using upper and lower cell temperature monitoring.

[0033] A cell reference point strategy can be employed to crowd and compress the battery cells in the transverse (X or cell width) and longitudinal (Y or stack length) directions to minimize cell-to-cell and cell-to-stack spacing variations and maintain consistent adhesive gaps, enabling complete curing consistently and in the shortest possible time on the crowded side. The stacked cells can be crowded on one side of the module housing to force tolerance onto the opposite side of the stack; housing side panels are then pressed into place on both sides. Clamps can be placed on both module housing side panels to ensure adequate wetting and hold for curing. Reducing cell variation on the uncrowded sides facilitates complete adhesion, given the largest cell and thinnest adhesive.Variations in shear strength can be minimized to achieve a minimum allowable safe handling strength by reducing cell-to-cell SAM variations. Conductive module case heating and conductive battery cell cooling can be controlled and tuned by a single central controller (as shown) or by a network of dedicated control modules. Cell and sideplate temperatures can be monitored throughout the curing process and adjusted in real time via a proportional-integral derivative (PID) controller to ensure that cells do not exceed a threshold temperature limit (e.g., 55–85 °C).

[0034] Fig. Figure 3 schematically represents a non-restrictive example of an intelligent battery manufacturing system 200 for the automated assembly of a battery module 210. According to the example shown, the intelligent battery manufacturing system 200 includes a compression and weld (C&W) workstation 202, which contains an automated cell pressing substation 204, an automated side plate positioning robot substation 206, and an automated adhesive injection substation 208. On the same inline of the manufacturing system 200, e.g., downstream of the C&W workstation 202, there is a heating buffer workstation 212, which contains a conductive heating subsystem 214 and a cell thermal conditioning subsystem 216. It is understood that the intelligent battery manufacturing system 200 may have more or fewer workstations than those shown in Figure 3. Fig. The system can include the three shown, for example, to provide additional or alternative manufacturing functionality. As a further option, the individual workstations 202, 212 of the manufacturing system 200 can include additional or fewer substations or, if desired, be broken out so that one or more of the individual substations are configured as separate workstations. For example, the cell press substation 204 can be part of a standalone compress & crowd (C&C) station, and the adhesive injection substation 208 can be part of a standalone weld & clamp (W&C) station.

[0035] With further reference to Fig. 3. A central control unit 220 can control the automated cell pressing substation 204 to align a stack 222 of individual battery cells 221 (collectively, a "cell stack") with a reference datum point (e.g., Y-direction edge datum point) on a workpiece carrier (WPC) 224. After the cells are aligned, the central control unit 220 can also control the automated cell pressing substation 204 to produce a stack length L. S1to compress the cell stack 222 to a predefined stack length, which can be calibrated to the specific design parameters and associated constraints of the intended battery module application. Once the cells are compressed, the central system controller 220 can command the side plate positioning robot substation 206 to position a pair (first and second) side plates 226A and 226B of a battery module housing 226 on opposite (first and second) lateral sides of the compressed stack 222 of battery cells 221. Before, simultaneously with or after positioning the side plates and / or welding the side plates to a pair (first and second) end plates 228A and 228B, the central system control 220 can control the adhesive injection substation 208 to inject beads of a heat-cured SAM 240 onto inward-facing surfaces of the module housing side plates 226A, 226B.Additional details regarding the initial assembly procedures for preparing the battery cells 221 and the module housing 226 for adhesive curing are discussed below in the discussion of . Fig. 4 provided.

[0036] Once the thermosetting SAM 240 has been injected and the side plates 226A, 226B are properly positioned, the module WPC 224 is transferred to the heating buffer workstation 212. The stack 222 of battery cells 221 can then be placed on a fluid-cooled conductive cooling plate 230, which is supported on pallet rails 232 of a mobile support pallet 234. As shown, the thermal conditioning subsystem 216 can be an indirect liquid-cooled (ILC) active thermal management (ATM) system, in which the cooling plate 230 acts as a heat sink, extracting thermal energy from the battery cells 221 to a liquid coolant via conductive heat transfer. A nylon-covered metal handling bracket 236 with clamps can then be used to secure the WPC 224 in place.The handling bracket 236 can hold the side plates 226A, 226B and apply an inward force across each side plate 226A, 226B during the heating and curing processes. A pair of (first and second) electrically or fluid-activated heating coil elements 238A and 238B, which may be integrated into the handling bracket 236, are pressed against the outer surfaces of the side plates 226A, 226B.

[0037] The central control unit 220 can then control the conductive heating subsystem 214 to press against the two module housing side plates 226A and 226B, heating them for a monitored curing time to cure the SAM. Simultaneously with this heating, the central control unit 220 can control the cell thermal conditioning subsystem 216 to cool a lower stack surface of the compressed cell stack 222, extracting thermal energy from the battery cells. Cell cooling can be actively modulated throughout the curing process based on closed-loop cell temperature feedback – the controller automatically increases / decreases cooling in real time. SAM heating can also be actively modulated or, alternatively, set to a module-calibrated setpoint and selectively switched on and off throughout the curing process.When the monitored curing time reaches a predefined curing time (e.g., approximately 4–10 minutes), the central control unit 220 can deactivate the conductive heating subsystem 214 to interrupt further heating of the side plates 226A, 226B, and simultaneously deactivate the cell thermal conditioning subsystem 214 to interrupt further cooling of the cell stack 222. Additional details regarding the parallel heating of the module housing 226 and cooling of the battery cells 221 for curing the SAM 240 are discussed below. Fig. 4 provided.

[0038] Referring to the flowchart of Fig. 4 describes an improved method or workflow process for the thermally conductive curing of a structural adhesive for a battery assembly, such as traction battery pack modules 72 of Fig. 1, using an intelligent manufacturing system, such as an automated inline battery manufacturing system 200 of Fig. 3, generally described at 300 according to aspects of the present description. Some or all of the in Fig. The processes shown in 4 and described in more detail below can be representative of an algorithm that corresponds to non-volatile, processor-executable instructions, which are stored, for example, in main, auxiliary, or remote memory (e.g., resident system memory 242 of Fig. 3 and / or remote cloud computing database 24 of Fig. 1) are stored. These instructions can be stored, for example, by an electronic controller, a processing unit, a dedicated control module, a logic circuit, or another module or device or network of controllers / modules / devices (e.g., central system controller 220 of Fig. 3 and / or networked workstation control modules) to perform one or all of the functions described above and below that are associated with the disclosed concepts. It should be recognized that the order of execution of the presented operation can be changed, an additional operation can be added, and some of the operations described here can be modified, combined, or eliminated.

[0039] Procedure 300 begins at terminal start block 301 of Fig. 4 with stored, processor-executable instructions for initializing an automated battery module assembly protocol. The terminal block 301 can be initialized in response to a user command prompt (e.g., via line-side workstation computer input controllers 244), in response to a request from a resident control unit (e.g., from the central control unit 220), and / or in response to a sensor signal indicating that a new battery assembly has entered the workstation. As a non-restrictive example, a predefined number of battery cells, such as thirty-six (36) lithium-class prismatic battery cells 221, is used. Fig. 3, stacked in an opposing relationship to each other; an electrically insulating separator plate or a thermal runaway barrier (TRB) frame may be nested between each pair of adjacent cells. Cell insulator plates may optionally be placed between outer faces of the frontmost (first) and rearmost (last) cells and inner faces of the module housing end plates, such as end plates 228A, 228B of Fig. 3. The stacked cells with nested separator plates, TRB frames, and insulator plates can then be placed on a support plate, such as the WPC 224 from Fig. 3, loaded and transferred to the next module assembly workstation, such as C&W workstation 202. After completion of some or all of the in Fig. In the 4 control processes shown, the procedure 300 can advance to the terminal end block 315 and temporarily end, or it can optionally loop back to the terminal start block 301 and run in a continuous loop.

[0040] Moving from terminal block 301 to the "CROWD AND COMPARE" process block 303, procedure 300 of Fig. 4. The stack of battery cells is aligned with one or more reference points on the workpiece carrier and, once aligned, compressed to a stack length from front to back (e.g., in the Y-direction of). Fig. 3) of the cell stack to a predefined “final” stack length. Continuing with the discussion of the example of Fig. 3. The module WPC 224 – including the cell stack 222 supported on it – is conveyed to the C&W workstation 202; the WPC 224 is then lifted into the automated cell pressing substation 204 and secured therein. The WPC 224 can secure the cell stack 222 between a fixed end wall and a sliding end wall, the latter being secured in place by a locking or braking mechanism that prevents unintentional cell movement, e.g., both before and after the cells 221 are compressed. After the WPC 224 is loaded into the cell pressing substation 204, the locking / braking mechanism on the sliding end wall can be released, allowing the cells 221 to be aligned (or “crowded”) along a side-edge reference point (e.g., in the Y-direction) on the WPC 224.If it is recognized that the individual battery cells 221 may have slightly different widths due to manufacturing tolerance variations, the cell stack 222 can, for example, be pressed against a flat reference bar supported on the WPC 224 and located on one side of the cell stack 222. This reference bar can be machined to a precision tolerance to ensure that all cells 221 in the stack 222 can sit flush against the bar.

[0041] After stacking and crowding the battery cells, the cell stack can be controllably compressed to a module-calibrated final stack length. In a non-restrictive example, a front and a rear end plate 228A and 228B, respectively, of the battery module housing 226 can be placed at a front (first) and rear (second) longitudinal end of the cell stack 222, as is best shown in Fig. Figure 3 shows a pneumatically, hydraulically, or electromechanically driven ram 204A of the cell pressing substation 204. This ram can be positioned against the movable end wall of the WPC 224 and then activated to push the front end plate 228A, and thus the foremost cell 221, toward the rearmost cell 221 and the rear end plate 228B. To prevent unintended expansion of the cell stack 222 after the cells 221 have been compressed, the locking / braking mechanism on the movable end wall of the WPC 224 can be re-engaged.

[0042] Before, simultaneously with, or after the compression of the cell stack, a port (first) and a starboard (second) side plate of the battery module housing can be placed on a port (first) and a starboard (second) lateral side of the compressed cell stack, respectively. For example, vacuum-type robot grippers 206A and 206B of the side plate positioning robot substation 206 grasp and load the two side plates 226A, 226B into the module pre-assembly unit. After loading, the side plates 226A, 226B can be indexed in a transverse direction (X-direction), e.g., to sit against a side plate clamping unit and press the inner surfaces of the side plates 226A, 226B against the lateral sides of the compressed cell stack 222. At the same time, the side plates 226A, 226B can be indexed in a vertical (Z) direction, e.g.to press the inwardly projecting base flanges of the side plates 226A, 226B against an underside surface of the compressed cell stack 222. At this connection point, the side plates 226A, 226B can be held in place by the clamping unit and the vacuum grippers 206A, 206B. For system architectures in which the cell pressing substation 204 is separate from the adhesive injection substation 208, the compressed cell stack 222, the side plates 226A, 226B, the end plates 228A, 228B and the module WPC 224 can be moved synchronously from one substation 204 to the next substation 208.

[0043] With further reference to Fig. 4 continues the process 300 with the welding and clamping process block 305 to structurally connect the battery module housing side plates with the housing end plates and the compressed cell stack. The central system control 220 of Fig. For example, 3 can coordinate with the adhesive injection substation 208 to activate a pair of adhesive dispensing applicators 208A and 208B to inject beads of a thermo-cured SAM based on acrylic, polyurethane, or epoxy onto the inner surfaces of the module housing side plates 226A, 226B, so that the SAM is positioned between the side plates 226A, 226B and the lateral sides of the compressed cell stack 222. After injection, the system controller 220 can initiate an adhesive open time (OT) test and simultaneously start an OT timer on a real-time clock 246 to ensure that the module subassembly with the injected SAM is transferred to the heating buffer workstation 212 before the adhesive strength of the adhesive begins to break down (e.g., approximately 10 minutes after application of the SAM).The "adhesive open time" of the SAM can be defined as a manufacturer-defined time frame during which the SAM can be applied and manipulated before the adhesive begins to harden and form a skin that prevents bonding.

[0044] At this connection point, the side plate clamping units can directly align and press the side plates 226A and 226B over the WPC 224 in the X-direction and against the cell stack 222. The module housing side plates 226A and 226B can also be pressed onto the stack 222 in the Y-direction and the Z-direction. After alignment and pressing, opposite longitudinal end ends of each side plate 226A and 226B can be welded to corresponding opposite lateral edges of each end plate 228A and 228B. Once welding is complete, the side plate clamps can be released, the WPC locking / braking mechanism can be closed, and the WPC with the stack can be placed on a conveyor system for transfer to the next workstation.

[0045] An inline inspection can be performed to examine the side plate welds.

[0046] The process 300 continues from the welding and clamping process block 305 to the clamping and application process block 307 to prepare the stacked battery cells, the module housing, and the thermosetting SAM for heat treatment. After the module WPC 224 is connected to the heating buffer workstation 212 by Fig. Once the WPC 224 arrives, the clamps of the handling bracket 236 can be used, for example, to secure it in place. The clamps of the handling bracket 236 increase the surface moisture removal of the SAM 240, which in turn facilitates the connection of the side plates 226A, 226B to the battery cells 221. The WPC 224 can then be removed, and the conductive cooling plate 230 of the cell thermal conditioning subsystem 216 can subsequently be pressed against the underside surfaces of the stacked cells 221. The heat coil heating elements 238A and 238B are then pressed together against the outer lateral surfaces of the module housing side plates 226A, 226B. At this connection point, the central system control 220 can begin cell conditioning by coordinating with the thermal conditioning subsystem 216 to activate the cooling plate 230 and begin cooling the battery cells 221.

[0047] The procedure 300 of Fig. 4 can then proceed with the “CURRING AND CONTROL” process block 309 to begin the coordinated heating of the module housing and cooling of the battery cells. The central system controller 220 of Fig. For example, control unit 4 can command the heating buffer workstation 212 to activate the heat coil heating elements 238A and 238B, thereby conductively heating the two module housing side plates 226A and 226B and simultaneously heat-curing the SAM 240. At the same time, the control unit 220 can start a curing timer on the real-time clock 246 to monitor the curing time during which the side plates 226A and 226B and the SAM 240 are convectively heated. Parallel to the heat curing, the central control unit 220 can command the thermal conditioning subsystem 216 to activate the fluid-cooled conductive cooling plate 230, or, if already activated, to modulate it, to cool one or more selected stack surfaces of the cell stack 222, thereby extracting thermal energy from the battery cells 221. This is released and then the module is directed to the hardening station.

[0048] During the coordinated heating of the module housing and cooling of the battery cells, a closed-loop PID control system can aggregate, process, and evaluate cell temperature feedback data at multiple cell locations to actively modulate cell cooling. For this purpose, a thermal PID characterization analysis can be performed on each battery module pre-assembly using a networked array of temperature sensors 248 and other accompanying instruments. This PID characterization can generate a real-time heating / cooling curve that represents the average cell temperature across the battery cells 221 as a function of heat transfer to and from the cell stack 222.It may be desirable for the battery manufacturing system 200 to use between six and ten thermistors or thermocouples, with three to five sensor devices placed at several discrete locations on top of the cell stack 222 and three to five sensor devices placed at several discrete locations on the bottom of the cell stack 222. Based on the temperature measurements taken at these locations, an average cell temperature across the cells 221 can be calculated from thermal PID characterization data.

[0049] Procedure 300, if Fig. 4. can provide precise activation and modulation of cold plate conditioning and, if desired, side plate convection to optimize the heat curing temperature without exceeding a threshold temperature limit. Using the temperature sensors 248 from Fig.Using the cell temperature data provided, the central control unit 220 can, for example, actively monitor real-time cell temperatures to determine whether the cell stack temperature exceeds a threshold temperature limit (e.g., approximately 55 °C). In response to a determination that the cell stack temperature exceeds the threshold temperature limit, the control unit 220 can temporarily suspend the heating of the module housing side panels 226A, 226B; however, cell conditioning and cooling of the cell stack 222 can be maintained and, if desired, actively adjusted using PID control to bring the cell temperatures back within the permissible range. The central control unit 220 can also suspend the hardening timer on the real-time clock 246 while convective heating is suspended.

[0050] The central control unit 220 can then collect and analyze new cell temperature data from the temperature sensors 248 to actively monitor the cell stack temperature after the heating of the side plates 226A and 226B is interrupted. After determining that the cell stack temperature has fallen below the threshold temperature limit, the central control unit 220 can, in response, resume heating the side plates 226A and 226B and the SAM 240. Simultaneously, the central control unit 220 can restart the curing timer on the real-time clock 246 when convective heating resumes. The aforementioned PID-controlled battery heating and conditioning steps can be repeated until a specific curing time is reached.This means that the control unit 220 can interrupt both the convective heating of the side plates 226A, 226B and the SAM 240 and the convective cooling of the bottom surface of the compressed cell stack 222 in response to the determination that the monitored curing time is equal to or exceeds the predefined curing time.

[0051] After completion of the heat curing of the SAM, process 300 transfers to the cooling buffer process block 311 to detach, cool, and release the battery module pre-assembly for further processing. The central system controller 300 can command the heating buffer workstation 212 to detach the convective heating elements 238A, 238B from the housing side plates 226A, 226B and simultaneously detach the cooling plate 230 from the battery cells 221. At the same time, the clamps of the handling bracket 236 can be released, and the WPC 224 with the battery module pre-assembly 210 can be transferred to a cooling buffer station. The WPC 224 and the battery module pre-assembly 210 can be passed through a cooling tunnel in the cooling buffer station for a predetermined buffer time.Following this final cooling stage, the WPC 224 and the battery module pre-assembly 210 can be directed to one or more subsequent battery module assembly workstations on an assembly line to continue and complete the processing of the module per normal process, as specified in the “RESUME PROCESSING” process block 313.

[0052] Aspects of this description can, in some embodiments, be implemented by a computer-executable program of instructions, such as program modules, commonly referred to as software applications or application programs, which are executed by any controller or the control variations described herein. Software, in non-limiting examples, may include routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform specific tasks or implement specific types of data. The software may provide an interface to enable a computer to respond according to an input source. The software may also interact with other code segments to initiate a variety of tasks in response to data received in conjunction with the source of the received data.The software can be stored on any of a variety of storage media, such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types of RAM or ROM).

[0053] Furthermore, aspects of this description can be implemented with a wide variety of computer system and computer network configurations, including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframes, and the like. Additionally, aspects of this description can be implemented in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by resident and remote processing devices connected by a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can reside in both local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices. Therefore, aspects of this description can be implemented in conjunction with various hardware, software, or a combination thereof in a computer system or other processing system.

[0054] Each of the methods described herein may include machine-readable instructions for execution by: (a) a processor, (b) a controller, and / or (c) any other suitable processing device. Each algorithm, software, control logic, protocol, or method disclosed herein may be executed as software stored on a tangible medium, such as flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD), hard disk drive (HDD), CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD), or other storage devices.The entire algorithm, control logic, protocol, or procedure, and / or parts thereof, can alternatively be executed by a device other than a controller and / or implemented in firmware or dedicated hardware in an available manner (e.g., implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable logic device (FPLD), discrete logic, etc.). While specific algorithms can be described with reference to flowcharts and / or workflow diagrams presented herein, many other methods can also be used to implement the exemplary machine-readable instructions.

[0055] Aspects of the present description have been described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown; however, the person skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications can be made without deviating from the scope of the present description. The present description is not limited to the precise construction and composition disclosed herein; all modifications, changes, and variations apparent from the foregoing descriptions fall within the scope of the description as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the present concepts expressly include all combinations and subcombinations of the foregoing elements and features.

Claims

[1] Method for assembling a battery module, the method comprising: Aligning a stack of battery cells with a reference point on a workpiece carrier; Compressing a stack length of the stack of battery cells to a predefined stack length; Application of a heat-cured structural adhesive material (SAM) to a first and a second side plate of a battery module housing of the battery module; Positioning the first and second side plates with the heat-cured SAM against a first and a second lateral side of the compressed stack of battery cells, respectively; Heating, using a conductive heating system, the first and second side plates of the battery module for a monitored curing time to harden the SAM; Cooling, using a cell thermal conditioning system simultaneously with heating the first and second side plates, a selected stack surface, to extract thermal energy from the compressed stack of battery cells; and Interrupting the heating of the first and second side plates and the cooling of the selected stack surface of the compressed stack of battery cells in response to a determination that the monitored curing time is equal to or exceeds a predefined curing time. [2] Method according to claim 1, comprising heating the first and the second side plate: Placing a first and a second conductive heating element of the conductive heating system against the first and second side plates of the battery module, respectively; and Activate the first and second conductive heating elements. [3] Method according to claim 2, further comprising pressing a first and a second side plate clamp against the first and the second side plate before activating the first and the second conductive heating element. [4] Method according to claim 1, wherein cooling the selected stack surface comprises: Placing a cooling plate against the underside of the stack of battery cells; and Circulating a cooling fluid across the cooling plate. [5] Method according to claim 1, further comprising: Monitor, via a control panel, the curing time during the heating of the first and second side plates; and Determine, via the system control, when the monitored curing time equals or exceeds the predefined curing time. [6] Method according to claim 1, further comprising: Received, via a control system from a multitude of temperature sensors thermally coupled to the compressed stack of battery cells, sensor signals indicating a cell stack temperature during the heating of the first and second side plates; and Interrupt, via the system control in response to a determination that the cell stack temperature exceeds a threshold temperature limit, the heating of the first and second side plates and resumption of cooling of the selected stack surface of the compressed stack of battery cells. [7] Method according to claim 6, further comprising: Received, via the system control, from the multitude of temperature sensors after the interruption of heating, from new sensor signals indicating a new cell stack temperature, after the interruption of heating of the first and second side plates; and Resuming, via the system control in response to a determination that the new cell stack temperature is below the threshold temperature limit, heating the first and second side plates while continuing to cool the selected stack surface. [8] Method according to claim 6, wherein the heating of the first and second side plate comprises the system control actively modulating a real-time thermal output of the conductive heating system based on the sensor signals received from the plurality of temperature sensors. [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein the cooling of the compressed stack of battery cells comprises the system control actively coordinating a cooling output of the cell thermal conditioning system with the thermal real-time output of the conductive heating system. [10] Method according to claim 1, wherein the compression of the stack length of the stack of battery cells comprises: Positioning a first and a second end plate of the battery module housing at a first and a second longitudinal end of the stack of battery cells, respectively; and Pressing, using an automated cell pressing station, the first end plate towards the second end plate.

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