Battery cluster

Abstract

To improve the scalability, modularity, and cost-effectiveness of high-power and high-capacity battery systems. [Solution] The battery packs include at least one first type of battery pack having a pack-level battery management circuit 300 and a high-voltage switching circuit in the high-voltage power path, and at least one second type of battery pack that does not include a pack-level battery management circuit but includes a cell monitoring circuit 305. The first type of battery pack and the second type of battery pack are interconnected such that the same high-voltage power path extends through both of them, and the current flowing through the high-voltage power path is interrupted by opening the high-voltage switching circuit of the first type pack. The pack-level battery management circuit communicates with the cell monitoring circuit via a signal cable in a vertical wall channel 0230 to acquire measurement information and at least control the high-voltage switching circuit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications This application is a partial continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 211,417, filed on June 19, 2023. Further, this application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 735,305, filed on December 17, 2024. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to an assembly of battery cells configured as a device capable of both storing and releasing electrical energy. Specifically, this disclosure generally relates to a machine assembled from battery cells in which all battery cells are immersed in a thermal management fluid during operation, and to the control circuit of the machine.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Electrical energy is widely used to power modern machines. Storing energy temporarily and then releasing it as needed is important and necessary at various stages of the life cycle of electrical energy, such as generation, distribution, and consumption.

[0006] A rechargeable battery cell is a device that stores electrical energy by converting electrical energy into chemical energy (i.e., during the charging process) and then converting it back into electrical energy (i.e., during the discharging process). Depending on the application, battery cells are assembled in various ways to meet the required electrical performance parameters.

[0007] A battery cell assembly, or a collection of battery cells, is typically considered a subsystem of an electrical device. In this disclosure, the term “electrical device” may refer to an electric motor, a vehicle equipped with an electric motor as a prime mover, or an electrical energy storage system electrically connected to a piping network or power plant, or a computing machine (e.g., a server equipped with IT gear, circuit boards and / or integrated circuit components configured to perform computing or information processing functions). Therefore, it is also important to consider the integration of the battery cell assembly with the electrical device.

[0008] Furthermore, it is well known that integrating battery cells involves incorporating thermal management systems and battery management systems.

[0009] Given the design considerations mentioned above, optimizing the integration of battery cells and other functional elements (such as control circuits) becomes a crucial challenge. [Overview of the project]

[0010] In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to a battery cluster 2000 comprising a plurality of battery packs 3030 configured to be electrically coupled to each other and to be electrically coupled to an external electrical device 6000. Each battery pack 3030 comprises a charge / discharge circuit 0040 having at least one battery module, a low-voltage interface 4101 and a high-voltage interface 4102. In certain embodiments, the plurality of battery packs 3030 comprises at least one type 1 battery pack and at least one type 2 battery pack. The type 1 battery pack comprises a pack-level battery management circuit 300 and a high-voltage switching circuit 4079 arranged in a high-voltage power path between the charge / discharge circuit 0040 of the type 1 battery pack and the corresponding high-voltage interface 4102. The type 2 battery pack does not include the pack-level battery management circuit 300, but instead comprises a cell monitoring circuit 305 having at least one cell monitoring unit (CMU) 0260, 4002 configured to perform cell-level measurement and / or balancing operations. In some embodiments, the charge / discharge circuits 0040 of the Type 1 battery pack and the charge / discharge circuits 0040 of the Type 2 battery pack are electrically connected such that the same high-voltage power path extends through both the Type 1 and Type 2 battery packs. The high-voltage switching circuit 4079 of the Type 1 battery pack is configured to interrupt the current flowing through the high-voltage power path when open. The pack-level battery management circuit 300 of the Type 1 battery pack is coupled to the cell monitoring circuit 305 of the Type 2 battery pack via a low-voltage interface 4101 and is configured to receive measurement information from the cell monitoring circuit 305 and to control the operation of at least the high-voltage switching circuit 4079. In some embodiments, the charge / discharge circuits 0040 of the Type 1 and Type 2 battery packs are connected in series to form at least a portion of the battery string of the battery cluster 2000. The battery cluster 2000 may include a pair of main busbars 2088 and a plurality of battery strings connected in parallel between the pair of main busbars 2088, each of which includes one of the Type 1 battery packs and at least one Type 2 battery pack, with the charge / discharge circuit 0040 connected in series with each other along the corresponding high-voltage power path.In some cases, the first battery string includes a Type 1 battery pack further comprising a cluster-level interface 5001 configured to communicate battery management information with an external electrical device 6000, and at least one other battery string includes a Type 1 battery pack that does not include the cluster-level interface 5001 but is configured to communicate with the cluster-level interface 5001 via a low-voltage interface 4101. In additional embodiments, each battery pack 3030 includes at least one battery module subassembly. The battery module subassembly includes a battery cell assembly (BCA) 0010 having a plurality of mechanically and electrically integrated battery cells BC0020, a liquid-limiting casing (LLC) 0080 defining a liquid-tight housing 4099, and one or more lids. The liquid-tight housing 4099 is configured to house at least the battery cell assembly 0010 and a thermal management fluid for immersing and cooling the battery cells, and at least a portion of the cell monitoring circuit 305 is arranged within the liquid-tight housing 4099. In a particular embodiment, each battery module subassembly includes at least one sealed electrical interface 4066 configured to allow low-voltage electrical conductors coupled to the cell monitoring circuit 305 to pass between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing 4099 while maintaining liquid-tightness. Each sealed electrical interface 4066 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first surface exposed to the internal volume of the liquid-tight housing 4099 as a wet surface 4068 and a second surface exposed to the outside of the liquid-limiting casing 0080 as a dry surface 4069, and one or more liquid-tight electrical feedthroughs 4067 extending between the wet surface 4068 and the dry surface 4069. In this way, electrical connections between electrical components located inside the liquid-tight housing 4099 and electrical components located outside the liquid-tight housing 4099 are provided while maintaining fluid isolation between the internal volume and the outside. In some embodiments, the liquid-tight housing 4099 includes a wall structure of a liquid-limiting casing 0080, and each sealed electrical interface 4066 is housed within a connector opening structure 4081 formed within the wall structure.The connector opening structure 4081 may include a cylindrical channel structure 4082 having a rounded inner opening at its edge facing the internal volume, which defines a through-hole extending from the inner surface of the wall structure toward a shoulder region 4085 located between the inner and outer surfaces of the wall structure. The shoulder region 4085 may define a substantially planar annular surface surrounding the cylindrical channel structure 4082. In a further embodiment, at least a portion of the PCB is inserted into the connector opening structure 4081 from the outer surface of the wall structure. An O-ring receiving gap 4084 is provided between the planar annular surface of the shoulder region 4085 and the surface of the PCB facing the shoulder region 4085, and an O-ring is positioned within the O-ring receiving gap 4084 so as to be sandwiched between the wall structure and the PCB to improve the sealing and positioning stability of the PCB relative to the wall structure. The annular groove 4065 may be formed in at least one of the planar annular surface of the shoulder region 4085 and the surface of the PCB facing the shoulder region 4085, and an O-ring is at least partially received within the annular groove 4065 to further improve the liquid-tight sealing and axial positioning of the PCB. In some embodiments, the connector opening structure 4081 further includes a square channel structure 4083, which has a substantially square cross-section configured to define a through-hole extending from the shoulder region 4085 to the outer surface of the wall structure and to accommodate a portion of the PCB. Thereafter, the PCB may be axially positioned by contact with the planar annular surface of the shoulder region 4085 and circumferentially positioned by the square channel structure 4083. Thus, certain embodiments provide a modular battery cluster kit in which only the type 1 battery pack includes a pack-level battery management circuit 300 and a high-voltage switching circuit 4079, and the type 2 battery pack provides cell-level monitoring via a cell monitoring circuit 305 and is controlled via a low-voltage interface 4101. This allows for a reduction in the number and complexity of pack-level battery management units and high-voltage switching stages, while maintaining granular cell monitoring and high-voltage protection on shared power paths.Simultaneously, the immersion-cooled battery module subassembly, comprising a liquid-tight housing 4099 and a sealed electrical interface 4066 using a PCB-based liquid-tight feedthrough, can improve the integration of sensing and control electronics in an immersion environment while maintaining strong sealing, mechanical stability, and manufacturability.

[0011] Advantages of a specific embodiment

[0012] Certain embodiments of this disclosure may provide one or more of the following advantages individually or in combination. In some embodiments, the disclosed battery cluster architecture allows for the distinction of multiple battery packs 3030 within a battery cluster 2000 into Type 1 and Type 2 battery packs based on their functional roles in battery management. Only Type 1 battery packs include a pack-level battery management circuit 300 and a high-voltage switching circuit 4079 arranged in a high-voltage power path between the corresponding charge / discharge circuit 0040 and a high-voltage interface 4102. In contrast, Type 2 battery packs do not include a pack-level battery management circuit 300, but instead include a cell monitoring circuit 305 with cell monitoring units 0260, 4002. As a result, the number of relatively complex and expensive pack-level battery management units and high-voltage switching stages within the cluster can be reduced while Type 2 battery packs still provide cell-level measurement and / or balancing capabilities. This helps reduce the overall system cost, number of components, volume, and wiring complexity while still allowing for fine-grained cell monitoring within the battery cluster. The charge / discharge circuits 0040 of the Type 1 and Type 2 battery packs can be electrically connected so that the same high-voltage power path extends through both types of battery packs, and the high-voltage switching circuit 4079 of the Type 1 battery pack is arranged to interrupt the current flowing through such a high-voltage power path, so that certain embodiments can provide string-level or path-level protection using switching elements located only in the Type 1 battery pack. In some embodiments, at least one Type 1 battery pack is further configured to monitor and / or control the cell monitoring circuits 305 and / or high-voltage switching circuits 4079 of multiple battery packs 3030 connected along the same high-voltage power path via its pack-level battery management circuit 300 and low-voltage interface 4101. This allows a single Type 1 battery pack to function as a head controller for a group of battery packs, thereby establishing a hierarchical control structure that supports both local protection and coordinated control of multiple battery packs along a shared high-voltage power path.In a particular configuration, the charge / discharge circuits 0040 of the Type 1 and Type 2 battery packs are connected in series to form a battery string that is further connected in parallel between a pair of main busbars 2088. At least one of the Type 1 battery packs may further include a cluster-level interface 5001 configured to communicate battery management information with an external electrical device 6000, while one or more other Type 1 battery packs communicate with the cluster-level interface 5001 via a low-voltage interface 4101. Such a topology can facilitate modular scaling of the battery cluster in terms of voltage, capacity, and power by adding or removing battery strings while aggregating the cluster-level communication interfaces in selected Type 1 battery packs. This can simplify system integration with external power electronics or monitoring controllers and can support flexible configurations with different cluster sizes and performance levels using a limited number of standardized battery pack types. In some embodiments, each battery pack 3030 includes at least one battery module subassembly having a battery cell assembly 0010 and a heat management fluid housed in a liquid-tight housing 4099 defined by a liquid-restricting casing 0080 and one or more lids. At least a portion of the cell monitoring circuit 305 is arranged within the liquid-tight housing 4099. Immersion of the battery cell assembly 0010 in the heat management fluid can improve heat transfer from the battery cells BC0020, improve temperature uniformity, and mitigate temperature gradients that could degrade cell life or performance. Integrating the cell monitoring circuit in an immersion environment can reduce the length of internal wiring and improve measurement accuracy while still maintaining the necessary electrical isolation and environmental protection. In further embodiments, each battery module subassembly includes at least one sealed electrical interface 4066 configured to allow low-voltage electrical conductors coupled to the cell monitoring circuit 305 to pass between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing 4099 while maintaining liquid tightness.The sealed electrical interface 4066 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first surface exposed to the internal volume of the liquid-tight housing 4099 as a wet surface 4068 and a second surface exposed to the outside of the liquid-limiting casing 0080 as a dry surface 4069, and one or more liquid-tight electrical feedthroughs 4067 extending between the wet surface 4068 and the dry surface 4069. Such a PCB-based sealed electrical interface allows electrical components within the liquid-tight housing 4099 to be electrically connected to components outside the housing while maintaining fluid isolation, thereby enabling the compact integration of detection circuits, control circuits and communication circuits in close proximity to the battery cell BC0020 without degrading immersion sealing performance. Furthermore, the liquid-tight housing 4099 may include a wall structure of the liquid-limiting casing 0080 with a connector opening structure 4081 for housing the sealed electrical interface 4066. The connector opening structure 4081 may include a cylindrical channel structure 4082 and a shoulder region 4085 that define a through-hole shape to facilitate insertion of the PCB from the outer surface of the wall structure. An O-ring receiving gap 4084 may be provided between the planar annular surface of the shoulder region 4085 and the opposing surface of the PCB, and the O-ring is placed within the gap 4084 and optionally at least partially received within the annular groove 4065. Such features allow the O-ring to be sandwiched between the wall structure and the PCB in a manner that improves the liquid-tight sealing and positioning stability of the PCB. In some embodiments, the connector opening structure 4081 further includes a square channel structure 4083, which has a substantially square cross-section configured to accommodate a portion of the PCB, which helps to position the PCB circumferentially and resist rotation. At the same time, these geometric features can improve the mechanical robustness, assembly repeatability and long-term reliability of the sealed electrical interface 4066 under thermal circulation and vibration. Overall, by combining a hierarchical battery cluster architecture with distinct pack types, a shared high-voltage power path, and immersion-cooled battery module subassemblies incorporating PCB-based sealed electrical interfaces, certain embodiments can improve the scalability, modularity, and cost-effectiveness of high-power and high-capacity battery systems.At the same time, these embodiments can provide improved thermal performance, robust high-voltage protection, and reliable electrical connections between immersed components and external circuits.

[0013] These and other objects of the present invention will become undoubtedly apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments shown in various figures and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1A] This is a conceptual circuit diagram showing a charge / discharge circuit (0040) including a battery cell assembly (0010), a battery cell (0020), and a battery cell string (0030).

[0015] [Figure 1B] This is a system function block circuit diagram of a battery pack (3030) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] [Figure 2A] This is a perspective view of one embodiment of a battery cell assembly (0010). [Figure 2B] This is a perspective view of one embodiment of a battery cell assembly (0010), and is an exploded view showing the cell holder (0050), the cell receiving structure (0060), and the electrode surface (0024).

[0017] [Figure 2C] This is an exploded perspective view of a battery cell assembly (0010) showing the battery cell connecting member (0026) and the cell holder (0050).

[0018] [Figure 2D] This is a detailed diagram showing the plate hole (0029) of the battery cell connecting member (0026) that engages with the vertical limiting structure (0070) of the cell holder (0050).

[0019] [Figure 3A] This is a conceptual perspective view showing two battery cell assemblies (0010) arranged in a stacked configuration. [Figure 3B] It is a conceptual perspective view showing two battery cell assemblies (0010) arranged in a parallel configuration.

[0020] [Figure 4A] It is a top view of a tube-shaped liquid confinement casing (0080) having a peripheral wall (0090). [Figure 4B] It is a top view of a tube-shaped liquid confinement casing (0080) having a peripheral wall (0090). [Figure 4C] It is a top view of a tube-shaped liquid confinement casing (0080) having a peripheral wall (0090).

[0021] [Figure 5A] It is a perspective view of a battery cell assembly (0010) arranged within a liquid confinement casing (0080). [Figure 5B] It is a vertical exploded view showing a top opening (0094), a bottom opening (0095) and two cell holders (0050).

[0022] [Figure 6A] It is a top view of a rectangular liquid confinement casing (0080) having side walls (0091) shown by an east side wall (0096), a south side wall (0097), a west side wall (0098) and a north side wall (0099).

[0023] [Figure 6B] It is a view of a liquid confinement casing (0080) showing an inner wall surface (010), an outer wall surface (0106), inner corners (0120), outer corners (0125), corner posts (0130) and side walls (0091).

[0024] [Figure 6C] It is a view of a peripheral wall (0090) assembled from two partially enclosing walls.

[0025] [Figure 6D] It is a view of a peripheral wall (0090) assembled from four independent side walls (0091).

[0026] [Figure 7A] This is a top view of a liquid-restricting casing (0080) showing the inner surface of the peripheral wall (0090) and a cell holder retaining structure (0140) extending inward from the inner boundary (0141). [Figure 7B] This is a top view of a liquid-restricting casing (0080) showing the inner surface of the peripheral wall (0090) and a cell holder retaining structure (0140) extending inward from the inner boundary (0141). [Figure 7C] This is a top view of a liquid-restricting casing (0080) showing the inner surface of the peripheral wall (0090) and a cell holder retaining structure (0140) extending inward from the inner boundary (0141), and showing a battery cell assembly (0010) having a cell holder (0050) and a cross-sectional line A-A'.

[0027] [Figure 7D] This is a vertical cross-sectional view along line A-A' in Figure 7C, showing the relative positions of the peripheral wall (0090), the cell holder retaining structure (0140), and the space above and below the retaining structure.

[0028] [Figure 7E] This is a diagram of a liquid-restricting casing (0080) showing individual cell holder retaining structures (0140) on the inner north face (0105) of the north side wall (0099).

[0029] [Figure 8A] This is a top view showing the cell holder fixing structure (0150) inside the liquid limiting casing (0080), and the fixing structure (0150) having fastening holes (0151). [Figure 8B] This is a top view showing the cell holder fixing structure (0150) within the liquid limiting casing (0080), and a cell holder (0050) having a fixing fastener (0152). [Figure 8C] This is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B' showing the cell holder fixing structure (0150) within the liquid limiting casing (0080), the cell holder (0050), the retaining structure (0140), and the fixing fastener (0152).

[0030] [Figure 9A] This is a perspective view showing two stacked battery cell assemblies (0010). [Figure 9B] This is a perspective view showing two stacked battery cell assemblies (0010).

[0031] [Figure 10A] This is a diagram of a liquid-restricting casing (0080) showing the top wall surface (0160), bottom wall surface (0170), top surface interlocking structure (0180), and bottom surface interlocking structure (0190).

[0032] [Figure 10B] This figure shows two liquid-limiting casings (0080) stacked with interlocking structures (0180, 0190) engaged.

[0033] [Figure 11A] The sealing features at the interface between the liquid-restricting casings (0080) are shown, along with the sealing member housing structure (0220) and the sealing member positioning structure (0210). [Figure 11B] The sealing features at the interface between liquid-restricting casings (0080) are shown, and sealing members (0200), such as O-rings, are shown arranged within the housing structure.

[0034] [Figure 12A] This figure shows a vertical wall channel (0230) having a PCB of a cell monitoring device (0260) related to a battery cell connecting member (0026).

[0035] [Figure 12B] This figure shows a vertical wall channel (0230) having a conductor rod (0280).

[0036] [Figure 13] This is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack (3030) including a battery module (3010), a terminal module (3040), an interface module (3050), and an interface. [Figure 14A] This is a conceptual diagram of a battery pack architecture, showing multiple battery modules (3010) stacked between a first interface module and a second interface module (3050a, 3050b), with electrical energy interface modules (3060a, 3060b) and a high-voltage interface connector (3063) provided at the opposite vertical end. [Figure 14B] This is a conceptual diagram of a battery pack architecture, showing a battery module positioned between a terminal module (3040) and an interface module (3050), with an electrical energy interface module (3060) and two high-voltage interface connectors (3063) located at the same vertical end, and a vertical wall channel (0230) sealed to form a vertical through-hole for housing a conductor rod (0280).

[0037] [Figure 15A] This is a conceptual diagram showing the direction relative to the gravity vector. [Figure 15B] This is a conceptual diagram showing the direction relative to the gravity vector.

[0038] [Figure 16A] This is a conceptual side view of a battery pack, illustrating the flow field and stacked architecture.

[0039] [Figure 16B] This is a conceptual diagram showing the detailed configuration of the battery module.

[0040] [Figure 17] This is a conceptual diagram showing the physical configuration of a battery pack (3030) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] [Figure 18A] A perspective view of BP3030 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0042] [Figure 18B]Figure 18A shows the electronic connection structure of the cell monitoring circuit (3110 and 3120) as an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] [Figure 19] Figures 18A and 18B show schematic diagrams of BC(0020), the cell monitoring circuit (3110), and the cell detection circuit (3111) according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] [Figure 20] An LLC (0080) configured to be assembled with a sealed electrical interface (4066) is shown.

[0045] [Figure 21A] The design of the sealed electrical interface (4066) is shown.

[0046] [Figure 21B] The design of the sealed electrical interface (4066) is shown.

[0047] [Figure 22] This is a schematic diagram showing the logical topology of a battery cluster 2000 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] [Figure 23] This is a schematic perspective view showing the physical configuration of an energy storage system.

[0049] [Figure 24] This is a schematic diagram showing the internal electronic configuration of the BP3030 within the battery cluster.

[0050] [Figure 25] This is a circuit diagram showing the detailed connections and internal circuit configuration of the battery cluster.

[0051] [Figure 26] This is a circuit diagram showing the detailed connections and internal circuit configuration of the battery cluster. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0052] Before describing this disclosure in more detail, it should be noted that, where appropriate, reference numbers may be repeated between figures to indicate corresponding or similar elements that may have similar characteristics.

[0053] To facilitate the explanation of this disclosure, directional terms (e.g., front, back, left, right, top, bottom, etc.) may be used in this specification and in the claims to describe parts of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specifically defined, these definitions of directions are for the purpose of describing and claiming this disclosure and are not intended to limit it.

[0054] The following contains specific information relating to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. The drawings and accompanying detailed disclosures are only for illustrative embodiments of this disclosure. However, this disclosure is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will be able to conceive of other variations and embodiments of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, identical or corresponding elements in the drawings may be indicated by the same or corresponding reference numerals. Also, the drawings and illustrations of this disclosure are generally not to scale and do not correspond to actual relative dimensions.

[0055] For the sake of consistency and ease of understanding, similar features are identified by numbers in the illustrative figures (although not shown in some examples). However, features in different embodiments should not be narrowly limited to those shown in the figures, as they may differ in other respects.

[0056] References to “one embodiment,” “embodiment,” “exemplary embodiment,” “various embodiments,” “several embodiments,” and “embodiments of the Disclosure” may indicate that embodiments of the Disclosure may include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but not all possible embodiments of the Disclosure necessarily include certain features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an exemplary embodiment,” or “embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may refer to the same embodiment. Also, any use of phrases such as “embodiment” in relation to “the Disclosure” should be understood not as meaning that all embodiments of the Disclosure must include certain features, structures, or characteristics, but rather as meaning that “at least some embodiments of the Disclosure” include the described certain features, structures, or characteristics. The term “combination” is defined as a direct or indirect connection by intervening parts, and is not necessarily limited to a physical connection. The term “includes,” when used, means “includes, but is not necessarily limited to,” specifically indicating an open-ended inclusion or membership in the disclosed combinations, groups, series, and equivalents.

[0057] Furthermore, for the sake of non-exclusive explanation, specific details such as functional entities, technologies, protocols, and standards are included to provide an understanding of the disclosed technology. In other instances, detailed disclosures such as well-known methods, technologies, systems, and architectures are omitted so as not to obscure the disclosure with unnecessary details.

[0058] Figure 1A is a conceptual circuit diagram of a charge / discharge circuit 0040. In Figure 1A, the charge / discharge circuit includes a "battery cell assembly" 0010 (hereinafter referred to as BCA). The BCA0010 is configured to meet required electrical performance, such as the required target output voltage, amperes, or power. To meet these requirements, battery cells can be mechanically and electrically integrated into the BCA0010, for example, by being assembled to provide collective performance.

[0059] As shown in Figure 1A, in some embodiments, the BCA0010 may include one or more battery cell strings 0030 (hereinafter referred to as BCS) electrically connected in parallel. The number of parallel-connected BCS0030 determines the overall current output of the BCA0010. Furthermore, each BCS0030 may include one or more battery cells 0020 (hereinafter referred to as BC) electrically connected in series. The number of series-connected BC0020 within each BCS0030 determines the overall voltage output of the BCS0030 and BCA0010.

[0060] The charge / discharge circuit 0040 may be connected to an energy source such as a charging station to charge the BCA0010. The charge / discharge circuit may also be connected to an energy consumption device such as the engine of an electric vehicle to supply power to the engine.

[0061] In some embodiments (not shown in Figure 1A), the charge / discharge circuit 0040 may include two or more BCAs 0010 to satisfy specific design considerations, such as the manufacturing and / or assembly process of the charge / discharge circuit 0040 itself, or design considerations relating to the assembly of the charge / discharge circuit 0040 with electrical equipment.

[0062] Referring back to Figure 1A, depending on the technology used, the BC0020 may have different specifications in aspects such as shape, electrical performance (output voltage, current, power, charging speed, discharging speed, or operating temperature, etc.), material, and other properties. For example, the BC0020 can be enclosed in various forms such as cylindrical, prismatic, or pouch. Unless otherwise specifically specified, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical features disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to any particular type of BC0020.

[0063] BC0020 is configured as a basic component for converting electrical energy to chemical energy or vice versa, and may include 1) a charge / discharge circuit 0040 to which BC0020 is connected, and 2) a positive electrode and a negative electrode as interfaces between the cathode material and anode material enclosed in BC0020.

[0064] Furthermore, BC0020, which constitutes the basic energy storage construction block of BCA0010 and the charge / discharge circuit 0040, must be electrically connected. Regardless of whether BC0020 is cylindrical, prismatic, or pouch-shaped, the electrodes of BC0020 are typically located at the top, bottom, or both ends of the body of BC0020, respectively. In such cases, since BC0020 is typically mechanically aligned, each electrode of BC0020 may be aligned in substantially the same plane. As a result, the body of BCA0010 may include at least one electrode surface 0024 on which the electrodes of BC0020 are located and distributed.

[0065] In some embodiments, BCA0010 may include a battery cell connecting member 0026 (hereinafter referred to as BCCM), which is an electrical conductor configured to connect to the electrodes of BC0020. The BCCM0026 connects BC0020 electrically in parallel or in series. For example, planar conductive plates may be arranged on the electrode surface 0024 to connect to the electrodes of BC0020.

[0066] In this disclosure, the term “Battery Pack” (hereinafter, BP) 3030 refers to an energy storage system designed, assembled, manufactured, and enclosed to be integrated into an electrical device (e.g., an EV, BESS, or other) powered by electrical energy discharged from the BP 3030. This is typically produced as a separate product by an entity supplying the final device to an original equipment manufacturer (hereinafter, OEM). The BP 3030 is mechanically stable to ensure its integrity during transport and of the final device. For example, the integration and assembly processes may be those of an EV assembly process. Furthermore, the BP 3030 features standardized interfaces to facilitate electrical and mechanical integration with systems larger than the system to which it is installed. The spatial dimensions of the BP 3030 are also designed to take into account the available space for the electrical device below.

[0067] Figure 1B is a system function block diagram of a BP3030 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1B, thick solid lines represent the high-voltage loop of the BP3030, thin dashed lines represent the communication paths for low-voltage control signals or detection signals, and thin solid lines represent the low-voltage power supply paths. As shown in Figure 1B, the BP3030 includes a charge / discharge circuit (CDC) 0040 consisting of at least one battery cell assembly (BCA) 0010, and other function blocks configured to control or manage the CDC 0040, such as a battery management circuit 300.

[0068] In some embodiments, BP3030 may be electrically connected to a power supply 301. The power supply 301 is configured to supply operating electrical energy to the battery management circuit 300. In one embodiment, the power supply 301 is an external power source independent of the battery pack (e.g., a 12V power supply from the vehicle). For example, the power supply 301 may supply operating electrical energy to the battery management circuit 300 via a connector (e.g., a 32-pin connector). Furthermore, the power supply 301 also supplies operating electrical energy to the pump 302 and pulse width modulation (PWM) control 303 via a low-voltage power supply path.

[0069] The battery management circuit 300 is configured to control the high-voltage switching circuit 4079. In one embodiment, the battery management circuit 300 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having an electronically controlled integrated circuit (IC) configured as a computing core, called a battery management unit (BMU). The BMU is generally a microcontroller having computing and memory functions. In addition to the BMU, the PCB of the battery management circuit 300 may further include communication circuits, voltage and current detection circuits, power-related circuits, drive-related circuits (e.g., relays for driving contactors) or other functional circuits. The battery management circuit 300 may internally receive signals from the CDC0040, the cell monitoring circuit 305, and the high-voltage switching circuit 4079. The battery management circuit 300 may externally receive signals from the power supply 301 and the energy source or energy consumption device 304. Based on the calculation results, the battery management circuit 300 internally transmits control signals to control the operation of the cell monitoring circuit 305 and the high-voltage switching circuit 4079, and externally transmits and / or receives signals to the energy source or energy consumption device 304.

[0070] The cell monitoring circuit 305 may be configured to detect the operating status at the level of the BCA0010 or at the level of the battery cell. For example, the cell monitoring circuit 305 monitors parameters such as temperature, voltage, and current of the object under test, performs open-circuit / short-circuit diagnostics, collects health information (e.g., metrics required for State of Charge (SoC) / State of Health (SOH)) and sends it back to the battery management circuit 300. In one embodiment, the cell monitoring circuit 305 includes one or more PCBs located near the battery cells, each PCB including a cell monitoring IC or analog front-end (AFE) configured as a measurement core. The cell monitoring IC or AFE is also called a cell monitoring unit (CMU). The cell monitoring circuit 305 may further include necessary communication circuits, isolated power supply circuits, and protection circuits. The cell monitoring circuit 305 may be internally and directly connected to each BCA0010. The cell monitoring circuit 305 may be externally interconnected with the battery management circuit 300 via isolated communication to return measurement / diagnostic data and receive measurement setting and balance commands. The power for the cell monitoring circuit 305 may be supplied by the battery management circuit 300 or an independent isolated power supply. With respect to the control path, the cell monitoring circuit 305 schedules measurements and balancing based on the strategy of the battery management circuit 300. If the cell monitoring circuit 305 detects an overvoltage, undervoltage, open circuit, or detection anomaly, it can immediately report the anomaly and locally stop protective operations such as balancing.

[0071] Pump 302 may be configured to drive the flow of thermal management fluid within the battery pack to regulate the temperature of the BCA0010. In one embodiment, pump 302 is an electric pump powered from power supply 301 via a low-voltage (e.g., 12V) power supply path. Pump 302 may be hydraulically connected to the fluid circulation loop of the battery pack. For example, pump 302 may be positioned at the inlet or outlet of the fluid limiting casing of the BCA0010 to circulate the thermal management fluid through the battery cells. The operation of pump 302, such as the start timing or flow rate, is controlled by PWM control 303.

[0072] The PWM control 303 may be configured to generate a pulse-width modulated signal that drives the pump 302. The PWM control 303 may be electrically connected to a power supply 301 to receive operating power and signal-connected to a battery management circuit 300 to receive control signals. Based on the control signals from the battery management circuit 300 (for example, based on temperature readings returned by the cell monitoring circuit 305), the PWM control 303 modulates the duty cycle of the pulse-width modulated signal. By adjusting the duty cycle, the rotational speed of the pump 302 is adjusted linearly or dynamically, thereby controlling the flow rate of the thermal management fluid and achieving precise thermal management.

[0073] The high-voltage switching circuit 4079 may include a contactor (POS) 307, a contactor (PRE) 309, a resistor (PRE) 310, a contactor (NEG) 312, a current shunt 311, a fuse 308, and a high-voltage interlocking loop (HVIL) 306.

[0074] The contactor (POS) 307 may be considered a switch for determining whether the positive terminal of the CDC0040 is electrically connected to an external circuit. In one embodiment, the contactor (POS) 307 includes a commercially available contactor component which is a high-voltage switch whose switching can be controlled by a small current. With regard to high-voltage circuit connections, the contactor (POS) 307 may be internally connected to the positive terminal of the CDC0040, then externally connected to a fuse 308 (optional), then to the positive terminal of a battery system (e.g., a battery pack) (e.g., a high-voltage interface connector (HVIC) 3063), and then indirectly connected to an energy source or energy consumption device 304. With regard to low-voltage circuit connections, the contactor (POS) 307 may be connected to a battery management circuit 300 to receive control signals and return an operating status.

[0075] The contactor (PRE) 309 may be considered a switch for determining whether the positive terminal of the CDC0040 is electrically connected to an external circuit. PRE stands for pre-charge. In one embodiment, the contactor (PRE) 309 includes a commercially available contactor component. During pre-charging, the CDC0040 releases electrical energy to the energy consumer 304 with a smaller current. The pre-charge step is essential. In particular, if there is a large voltage difference between the entire CDC0040 and the energy consumer 304, a large inrush current may be generated if the contactor (POS) 307 is used directly to discharge to the energy consumer 304, potentially damaging the circuitry of the energy consumer 304. Regarding high-voltage circuit connections, the contactor (PRE) 309 may be internally connected to the positive terminal of CDC0040, then externally connected to resistor (PRE) 310, then to fuse 308 (optional), then to the positive terminal of the battery pack (e.g., HVIC3063), and then indirectly connected to the energy source or energy consumption device 304. Regarding low-voltage circuit connections, the contactor (PRE) 309 may be connected to the battery management circuit 300 to receive control signals and return operating status.

[0076] The fuse 308 provides overcurrent power-off protection. In the event of an overcurrent, the fuse 308 may blow to disconnect the contactor (POS) 307 from the downstream energy source or energy consumption device 304. In some embodiments, the fuse 308 is integrated into a manual service disconnect (MSD) component. With respect to high-voltage circuit connections, the fuse 308 may be internally connected to the contactor (POS) 307 or the resistor (PRE) 310. The fuse 308 may first be externally connected to the positive terminal of the battery pack (e.g., HVIC 3063) and indirectly connected to the energy source or energy consumption device 304. With respect to low-voltage circuit connections, the fuse 308 is internally connected to HVIL 306 and loops back to the battery management circuit 300.

[0077] HVIL306 may be a low-voltage signal loop (for logic / monitoring) configured to signally connect to various high-voltage interfaces that may be exposed to high voltage (high potential energy) or accidentally opened, for example, these high-voltage interfaces may be MSD, maintenance cover switch, high-voltage connector, contactor box cover, charging port, etc. The BMU may continuously monitor HVIL306. If HVIL306 opens or has an abnormal resistance value, the system provides a request to disconnect the main contactors (e.g., contactor (POS) 307 and contactor (NEG) 312) and prevents power-on. Regarding low-voltage circuit connections, HVIL306 is connected to fuse 308 / MSD and HVIC3063 for detection, and the detection signal is returned to the battery management circuit 300.

[0078] The contactor (NEG) 312 may be considered a switch for determining whether the negative terminal of CDC0040 is electrically connected to an external circuit. In one embodiment, the contactor (NEG) 312 may include a commercially available contactor component. With regard to high-voltage circuit connections, the contactor (NEG) 312 is internally connected to the current shunt 311 and then to the negative terminal of CDC0040. The contactor (NEG) 312 may first be externally connected to the negative terminal of the battery pack (e.g., HVIC3063) and then indirectly connected to the energy source or energy consumption device 304. With regard to low-voltage circuit connections, the contactor (NEG) 312 may be connected to the battery management circuit 300 to receive control signals and return an operating status.

[0079] The current shunt 311 may be configured to measure high-voltage current values ​​and provide them to the battery management circuit 300 for calculation and control. The current shunt 311 may include a low-resistance, high-precision resistor and may be configured to convert the current to a voltage for measurement. The battery management system (BMS) or current sensing amplifier reads the load voltage and calculates the current flowing through the load. With respect to high-voltage circuit connections, the current shunt 311 may be arranged before or after the contactor, and is generally arranged at the terminals of the contactor (NEG) 312. Taking Figure 1B as an example, the current shunt 311 may be arranged between the contactor (NEG) 312 and the CDC0040. With respect to low-voltage circuit connections, the current shunt 311 may be configured to provide the measurement signal to the battery management circuit 300 for calculation and control.

[0080] In this disclosure, when referring to direction, the terms “lateral” and “laterally” refer to the direction on the plane in which the electrodes of BCA0010 and BC0020 are arranged, and the direction parallel to the lines on the plane in which the BC0020 of BCA0010 are distributed in parallel. In the figures of this disclosure, the lateral direction is marked as the direction parallel to the lines on the yz plane. The term “top view” means a cross-section viewed from the positive x direction toward the negative x direction.

[0081] In this disclosure, the terms “vertical” and “vertically” mean a direction orthogonal to any “lateral direction,” not “lateral direction.” By this definition, the electrodes of the BC0020 are typically located at at least one vertical end of the body of the BC0020. In the figures of this disclosure, the vertical direction refers to the direction along the x-direction.

[0082] For example, see Figures 2A and 2B, which are perspective views of an embodiment of BCA0010 (not all parts of BCA0010 are shown), where Figure 2B is an exploded view of Figure 2A. In Figures 2A and 2B, the body of BC0020 may extend vertically (along the x-direction). Furthermore, the vertical axis of BC0020 is parallel to the x-direction, and BC0020 is aligned along the yz-plane.

[0083] To mechanically or structurally integrate the BC0020s, in some embodiments, the BCA0010 may include at least one cell holder 0050 which may have the primary function of restricting the position of each BC0020 in a particular configuration. For example, the restriction of the position of the BC0020s may be 1) restricting the relative position of a particular BC0020 to any other BC0020 belonging to the same BCA0010, and 2) restricting the relative position of a particular BC0020 to the body of the BCA0010. For example, in Figure 2A, a portion of the body of each BC0020 is placed within the corresponding cell receiving structure 0060 of the cell holder 0050. The cell receiving structure 0060 is periodically distributed along the lateral direction. Therefore, once the BC0020s are placed within the cell receiving structure 0060, these BC0020s may be arranged laterally in such a periodic spatial distribution.

[0084] In some embodiments, the cell holder 0050 may include a vertical limiting structure 0070 that restricts the vertical movement of the BC0020. All the bodies and electrodes of the BC0020 of the BCA0010 may be aligned in the same vertical position and may be formed as electrode surfaces 0024 of the BCA0010. For example, in Figure 2A, the BCA0010 includes two electrode surfaces 0024 on both sides in the x-direction.

[0085] In some embodiments, adhesive may be used to provide a displacement limiting function. For example, after BC0020 is placed in the support hole of the cell holder 0050, adhesive may be further introduced to fix BC0020 in place.

[0086] In some embodiments, to electrically integrate BC0020, BCA0010 may include BCCM0026 located on the electrode surface 0024. Furthermore, BCA0010 may include mechanical means configured to maintain the relative position between the electrode surface 0024 and BCCM0026 in a stationary state. For example, if BC0020 is mechanically fixed to the cell holder 0050, BCCM0026 may be mechanically connected to the cell holder 0050.

[0087] For example, in Figure 2C, an exploded perspective view of an exemplary BCA0010 (BC and some components are not shown), the BCA0010 includes a cell holder 0050 and a BCCM0026. The BCCM0026 is a conductive material formed in a plate shape. The BCCM0026 is positioned in the cell holder 0050 and is also configured to be positioned on the electrode surface 0024 of the BCA0010.

[0088] In some embodiments, the BCCM0026 may include a cell contact plate 0027 and a current transport plate 0028.

[0089] The cell contact plate 0027 may be configured to make direct contact with the electrodes of BC. Connection processes such as welding, crimping, fastening, or the use of conductive adhesives may be used to connect the cell contact plate 0027 to the electrodes of BC. Furthermore, in some cases, the cell contact plate 0027 may include a molten weld structure 0025 configured to melt when the current becomes overloaded.

[0090] The current transport plate 0028 may be configured to transport the combined current of multiple BC0020s. For this purpose, the current transport plate 0028 may have a greater thickness than the cell contact plate 0027. Furthermore, the current transport plate 0028 may have a higher conductivity than the cell contact plate 0027. For example, the cell contact plate 0027 may be a nickel plate, and the current transport plate 0028 may be a copper plate.

[0091] In some embodiments, the BCCM0026 may include structures configured to position the BCCM0026 on the cell holder 0050. For example, the BCCM0026 may include protrusions or projections configured to engage with hollow structures on the cell holder 0050. In another example, the BCCM0026 may include holes configured to engage with protrusions or projections on the cell holder 0050. For example, in Figures 2C and 2D, the BCCM0026 includes a plate hole 0029 that engages with a vertical limiting structure 0070 of the cell holder 0050. The vertical limiting structure 0070 penetrates the plate hole 0029 of the BCCM0026 and limits the relative movement of the BCCM0026 with respect to the cell holder 0050. For example, the lateral and vertical relative movement of the BCCM0026 with respect to the cell holder 0050 may be limited. In various embodiments, mechanical engagement may be achieved by interlocking features such as interlocking fits, snap-fits, fasteners, or arrangements of holes and posts as described herein.

[0092] Figures 3A and 3B are conceptual perspective views of two BCA0010 assemblies. Depending on the available space for mounting the BCA0010 in electrical equipment, the BCA0010 may be assembled in a stacked or parallel configuration. For example, in Figure 3A, the BCA0010 is assembled in a stacked configuration and is suitable for arrangement in narrow, long spaces such as the front and rear compartments of a passenger car. In another example, in Figure 3B, the BCA0010 is assembled in a parallel configuration and is suitable for arrangement in spaces that are wide but have limited height, such as the floor space under a cabinet in a passenger car.

[0093] In this disclosure, the terms “vertical” and “vertically” also refer to the stacking direction of the stacked BCA. For example, in Figure 3A, the stacked BCA is stacked vertically and along the x-direction.

[0094] To prevent thermal runaway events, the operating temperatures of BCA0010 and BC0020, or both, are maintained. It is known that BC0020 is brought into direct contact with the heat management fluid so that the heat management fluid can transport heat to maintain the operating temperature of BC0020 within a predetermined range or prevent combustion reactions. For example, BCA0010 or BC0020 may be partially or completely immersed in the heat management fluid. If the entire BCA0010 is immersed, BCA0010 and several other components integrated into BCA0010 may be in direct contact with the heat management fluid, thereby providing a higher level of thermal management.

[0095] To immerse BCA0010 in a heat management fluid, BCA0010 may be contained in a liquid-restricting casing 0080 (hereinafter, LLC). LLC0080 may be configured to restrict the movement of the heat management fluid. For example, in a space described by a Cartesian coordinate system, a particular volume of heat management fluid may have a displacement or velocity that can be described by a vector containing components obtained by multiplying the unit vectors in the x, y, or z directions by coefficients, respectively. To maintain the relative position between BCA0010 and the heat management fluid while BCA0010 is immersed in the heat management fluid, LLC0080 may include means to restrict the movement of the heat management fluid in at least some of those six directions.

[0096] In some embodiments, the waterproofing material may be used to form a specific structure that completely seals or partially covers the heat management fluid, thereby restricting the movement of the heat management fluid in all or some directions. For example, LLC0080 may be formed as a tube shape having two openings, such as a triangular tube, a square tube, or a circular tube. The tube-shaped LLC0080 may include a circumferential wall 0090 (i.e., a circumferential wall).

[0097] In some embodiments, the peripheral wall of LLC0080 may include a water-impermeable film to restrict the movement of the heat management fluid.

[0098] In some embodiments, LLC0080 may include rigid structures such as watertight walls to restrict the movement of the heat management fluid.

[0099] For example, Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C show a conceptual LLC0080 in a tube structure shown in a top view. In other examples, the side view (i.e., top view) of the tube structure may have an asymmetric geometric shape. In Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C, each of the LLC0080 shown includes a peripheral wall 0090 that encloses the space laterally. In Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C, the peripheral wall 0090 may extend vertically, i.e., along the x-direction. Thus, the three-dimensional space enclosed by the LLC0080 may be used to house a heat management fluid, a BCA0010, and several components that are accumulated in the BCA0010. Due to the watertightness of the peripheral wall 0090, the heat management fluid housed within the LLC0080 can only move vertically.

[0100] Figures 5A and 5B are perspective views of an exemplary embodiment of BCA0010, and not all components of BCA0010 are shown in order to clearly specify the means for immersing BCA0010 in the heat management fluid. For example, BC0020 is not shown in Figures 5A and 5B.

[0101] Figure 5B is a vertical exploded perspective view of Figure 5A. In the embodiments of Figures 5A and 5B, BCA0010 includes two cell holders 0050 integrated into BC0020 (BC0020 is not shown in Figures 5A and 5B). Several other unshown components integrated into the cell holders 0050, BC0020, and BCA0010 may be arranged within the space enclosed by LLC0080.

[0102] In embodiments where LLC0080 is formed in a tubular shape, the peripheral wall 0090 may be formed as a material extending vertically between a top vertical position 0092 and a bottom vertical position 0093. At the top vertical position 0092, the inner edge of the peripheral wall 0090 may define a top opening 0094 of LLC0080, and at the bottom vertical position 0093, the inner edge of the peripheral wall 0090 may define a bottom opening 0095 of LLC0080. The top opening 0094 and the bottom opening 0095 may be configured as entrances or exits to the space enclosed by the peripheral wall 0090. Components such as BC0020, cell holders 0050, and other components arranged within LLC0080 may be arranged within the internal space of LLC0080 through at least one of the top opening 0094 and the bottom opening 0095.

[0103] For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 5B, the peripheral wall extends between the top vertical position 0092 and the bottom vertical position 0093. The vertical length (i.e., height) of LLC0080 is equal to the vertical distance H1 between the top vertical position 0092 and the bottom vertical position 0093. The two cell holders are positioned within the space enclosed by the peripheral wall 0090 through the top opening 0094 and the bottom opening 0095.

[0104] In some embodiments in which LLC0080 is formed in a rectangular tubular shape, the circumferential wall 0090 of LLC0080 may further include four planar side walls 0091 arranged circumferentially around a vertical axis and parallel to the vertical axis. For example, Figure 6A shows an exemplary top view of LLC0080. LLC0080 includes four side walls 0091: an east side wall 0096, a south side wall 0097, a west side wall 0098, and a north side wall 0099, arranged circumferentially around a vertical axis.

[0105] In some embodiments, LLC0080 may be manufactured by an integral molding process such as injection molding or die casting. Alternatively, a turning process may be used to manufacture LLC0080.

[0106] Referring to Figures 6A to 6B, in some embodiments in which LLC0080 is formed in a rectangular tube shape, the peripheral wall 0090 of LLC0080 may include four inner corners 0120 and four outer corners 0125. The four inner corners 0120 may further include an inner northeast corner 0121, an inner southeast corner 0122, an inner southwest corner 0123, and an inner northwest corner 0124. The four outer corners 0125 may further include an outer northeast corner 0126, an outer southeast corner 0127, an outer southwest corner 0128, and an outer northwest corner 0129.

[0107] In some embodiments, each side wall may include an inner wall surface 0101 and an outer wall surface 0106. The outer wall surface 0106 of each side wall 0091 may be an outer plane that extends between one of the two outer corners of the corresponding side wall 0091. For example, in Figure 6B, the east side wall 0096 includes an outer east surface 0107 extending between the outer northeast corner 0126 and the outer southeast corner 0127, the south side wall 0097 includes an outer south surface 0108 extending between the outer southeast corner 0127 and the outer southwest corner 0128, the west side wall 0098 includes an outer west surface 0109 extending between the outer southwest corner 0128 and the outer northwest corner 0129, and the north side wall 0099 includes an outer north surface 0110 extending between the outer northwest corner 0129 and the outer northeast corner 0126.

[0108] Furthermore, the inner wall surface 0101 of each side wall 0091 may be an inner plane extending between one of two adjacent inner corners of the lower side wall 0091. For example, in Figure 6B, the east side wall 0096 includes an inner east surface 0102 extending between the inner northeast corner 0121 and the inner southeast corner 0122, the south side wall 0097 includes an inner south surface 0103 extending between the inner southeast corner 0122 and the inner southwest corner 0123, the west side wall 0098 includes an inner west surface 0104 extending between the inner southwest corner 0123 and the inner northwest corner 0124, and the north side wall 0099 includes an inner north surface 0105 extending between the inner northwest corner 0124 and the inner northeast corner 0121.

[0109] In some embodiments, the perimeter wall 0090 may be assembled from separate components. For example, in Figure 6B, LLC 0080 includes four corner columns 0130, which are independent components assembled with side walls 0091 (i.e., east side wall 0096, south side wall 0097, west side wall 0098, and north side wall 0099) to form the perimeter wall 0090. In another example, referring to Figure 6C, the perimeter wall 0090 may be assembled from two partially enclosing walls. In yet another example, referring to Figure 6D, the perimeter wall 0090 may be assembled from four independent side walls 0091.

[0110] In some embodiments, LLC0080 may include a structure configured for the integration of the cell holder 0050 and LLC0080. If LLC0080 is tubular in shape as shown in Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C, the cell holder 0050 may be positioned in the space enclosed by LLC0080 through one of the top openings 0094 and bottom openings 0095 located at the two vertical ends of the tubular structure. LLC0080 may include at least one cell holder retaining structure 0140 extending from one of the inner surfaces of the peripheral wall 0090 and extending inward along the lateral direction.

[0111] The vertical relative position on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 0090, and the vertical size of the cell holder retaining structure 0140 define the vertical depth (vertical range) that the cell holder 0050 can vertically reach within the space enclosed by the LLC. Thus, such a lateral structure (i.e., the cell holder retaining structure 0140) can restrict the vertical movement of the cell holder 0050 by providing a vertical force to the cell holder 0050. Such a vertical force counteracts the vertical movement of the cell holder 0050 within the space enclosed by the peripheral wall 0090.

[0112] For example, Figures 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D, and 7E are conceptual diagrams of an exemplary BCA0010. Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C are top views of an exemplary BCA0010. In Figure 7A, BCA0010 (hidden in Figure 7A) is integrated into LLC0080, which includes a perimeter wall 0090. The perimeter wall includes four side walls 0091. LLC0080 further includes two cell holder retaining structures 0140 extending laterally inward from the inner surface of the perimeter wall 0090. Each of the two cell holder retaining structures 0140 may include an inner boundary 0141. A lateral cross-sectional view (top view) of the inner boundary 0141 may be a line on a lateral plane. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7A, each of the inner boundaries 0141 is a plane parallel to the side wall on which the cell holder retaining structure 0140 is located, and the lateral cross-sectional view of the inner boundary 0141 is a straight line along the y-direction. In Figure 7A, the maximum distance between the inner boundary 0141 and the inner surface of the side wall 0091 on which the cell holder retaining structure 0140 is located is a constant, for example, in Figure 7A, such a constant distance is equal to W2.

[0113] In other embodiments, the inner boundary 0141 does not have to be a plane; that is, the distance between the inner boundary 0141 and the inner surface of the side wall 0091 on which the cell holder retaining structure 0140 is located does not have to be a constant. For example, in Figure 7B, the inner boundary 0141 is a curved surface, and the lateral cross-sectional view of the inner boundary 0141 is a curve on a lateral plane.

[0114] Furthermore, the inner wall surface 0101 of the peripheral wall 0090 may be a curved surface whose shape conforms to the curved outer circumference of the cell holder 0050 or the curved outer circumference of the battery cell 0020. Because the inner wall surface 0101 is a curved surface that fits the curved outer circumference of the cell holder 0050 or the battery cell 0020, the volume of the battery module can be reduced. The curved inner wall surface 0101 can also function as a guide structure when the cell holder 0050 is placed in the LLC 0080 during the assembly process of the battery module.

[0115] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 7B, the curved inner boundary 0141 of the cell holder retaining structure 0140 may provide additional space for accommodating components of the BCA0010, such as BC0020. In some cases, the curved portion of the inner boundary 0141 may include a lateral cross-sectional view in which the curve has a radius of curvature greater than or equal to the radius viewed from the lateral cross-section of the BC. Thus, BC0020 may be positioned within a space partially enclosed by the curved portion of the inner boundary 0141 of the cell holder retaining structure 0140.

[0116] Figure 7C shows an exemplary BCA0010. BCA0010 includes a cell holder 0050 located within the space enclosed by the peripheral wall 0090 of LLC0080. The dashed line A-A' is marked with respect to the cross-section shown in Figure 7D.

[0117] Figure 7D shows a vertical cross-sectional view along the dashed line A-A' in Figure 7C. BCA0010 is integrated into LLC0080, which further includes a peripheral wall 0090. LLC also includes two cell holders 0050 and two cell holder retaining structures 0140 (only one is shown). The cell holder retaining structures 0140 are located on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 0090. Vertically, the center of the cell holder retaining structure 0140 aligns with the center of the peripheral wall 0090.

[0118] In some embodiments, the vertical length (hereinafter referred to as height) of the cell holder retaining structure 0140 is smaller than the height of the peripheral wall 0090, so the difference between the height of the cell holder retaining structure 0140 and the height of the peripheral wall 0090 can provide space for accommodating the cell holder 0050. For example, in Figure 7D, the height of the cell holder retaining structure 0140 is equal to H4, and the height of the peripheral wall 0090 is equal to H1. The difference between H1 and H4 is equal to twice H3. Therefore, the cell holder 0050 may be accommodated in the space between the top opening 0094 of the LLC 0080 and the cell holder retaining structure 0140, such a space having a height equal to H3, and the cell holder 0050 may also be accommodated in the space between the bottom opening 0095 of the LLC 0080 and the cell holder retaining structure 0140, such a space having a height equal to H3.

[0119] In some embodiments, LLC0080 may include individual cell holder retaining structures 0140 located on the inner surface of the side wall 0091. For example, referring to Figure 7E, LLC0080 includes a north side wall 0099 and two cell holder retaining structures located on the inner north surface 0105.

[0120] In some embodiments, the LLC0080 may include at least one cell holder fixing structure 0150 that provides mechanical means to restrict the displacement of the cell holder in any direction. For example, referring to Figure 8A, the LLC0080 in a top view includes four cell holder fixing structures 0150 extending from the inner wall surface 0101 of the peripheral wall 0090. In this embodiment, the cell holder fixing structure 0150 includes fastening holes 0151 that use fastening devices to restrict the relative movement between the LLC0080 and the cell holder 0050. In some embodiments, the cell holder fixing structure 0150 and the cell holder fixing structure may differ in several embodiments, such as shape, lateral position and vertical position.

[0121] Referring to Figure 8B, a top view of LLC0080 is shown. In Figure 8B, the cell holder 0050 is positioned within the space enclosed by the peripheral wall of LLC0080. LLC0080 includes four fasteners 0152 inserted perpendicularly to the cell holder 0050 and the cell holder fixing structure 0150 (not shown in Figure 8B).

[0122] Referring to Figure 8C, Figure 8B shows a cross-sectional view of LLC0080 along the dashed line B-B'. As shown, the cell holder 0050 is fixed to LLC0080 by being secured vertically by the cell holder retaining structure 0140 and fastening the cell holder 0050 to LLC0080 with the fixing fastener 0152.

[0123] Refer to Figures 9A and 9B for a perspective view of the stack of two BCAs (in which LLC0080 is integrated).

[0124] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 10A, the LLC0080 may include a top wall surface 0160 and a bottom wall surface 0170, which are the vertical end surfaces of the LLC0080 and extend along the lateral direction.

[0125] In some embodiments, the top wall surface 0160 and the bottom wall surface 0170 may include complementary interlocking features configured to resist lateral shear when stacked vertically. For example, as shown in Figure 10A, the top wall surface 0160 may include at least one top interlocking structure 0180, and the bottom wall surface 0170 may include at least one bottom interlocking structure 0190. The top interlocking structures 0180 and the bottom interlocking structures 0190 may be located in specific lateral positions so that when two LLCs 0080 are stacked vertically (as shown in Figure 10B), the combination of the top interlocking structures 0180 and the bottom interlocking structures 0190 provides a lateral force that limits the relative displacement of the two stacked LLCs 0080. For example, the pair of top interlocking structures 0180 and the bottom interlocking structures 0190 may be a projection structure and a receiving structure.

[0126] Referring to Figures 11A and 11B, in some embodiments, at least one of the top wall surface 0160, the bottom wall surface 0170, or both thereof may include at least one sealing member housing structure 0220 configured to provide a space for housing a sealing member that is arranged at the interface of two LLCs 0080 to prevent liquid leakage from the interface of the two LLCs. For example, the sealing member 0200 may be an O-ring or an adhesive material. In some embodiments, the bottom wall surface 0170 or both thereof may further include at least one sealing member positioning structure 0210 configured to restrict the lateral movement of the sealing member 0200. For example, in Figures 11A and 11B, the sealing member positioning structure 0210 is a gap configured to provide a lateral force that restricts the lateral movement of the sealing member 0200. As shown in Figure 11B, the sealing member 0200 can be filled into the space provided by the sealing member housing structure 0220 to provide a sealing effect.

[0127] In some embodiments, the peripheral wall 0090 may include a vertical wall channel 0230, which is a hollow space within the peripheral wall 0090. The vertical wall channel 0230 may be a through-hole that penetrates the peripheral wall 0090 vertically. The vertical wall channel 0230 may be used to house the PCB of a cell monitoring device 0260 signalably connected to the BCCM 0026 of the BCA 0010, as shown in Figure 12A. The vertical wall channel 0230 may be used to house a conductor rod 0280 used to position both the positive electrode 0271 and the negative electrode 0272 at the same terminal of the BCA 0010, as shown in Figure 12B.

[0128] As disclosed in application '417 (i.e., application number 18 / 211,417), the vertical wall channel 0230 may be used to provide a vertical fluid channel that can direct liquid flow vertically. For example, the vertical wall channel 0230 may refer to the “inlet channel” and “outlet channel” disclosed in application '417.

[0129] In some embodiments, the BCA0010 may be integrated with components to form a battery module (hereinafter referred to as BM) 3010. For example, the BM3010 may be an assembly comprising the BCA0010 and other components such as the LLC0080, thermal control components such as heat dissipation components, a battery cell monitoring circuit, and other components. The manufacture of the BM3010 is typically an intermediate step in the production of the entire system. That is, the BM3010 can be considered an intermediate building block that forms a higher level of energy storage system, while the BM3010 is also integrated with the BC0020, which is a more basic building block. Therefore, the BM3010 may also include a modular interface configured to integrate the BM3010 with other BM3010s and / or other modules of a larger energy storage system below. For example, the BM3010 may include a modular electrical energy interface (hereinafter referred to as MEEI) 3020 configured to provide electrical connections for the transfer (charging or discharging) of electrical energy stored or released within the BM3010. MEEI3020 may be an electrode or connector positioned on the BM3010. For example, MEEI3020 may be a conductor that directly contacts one of the current transport plates 0028 of the first BM3010 and also directly contacts one of the current transport plates 0028 of the second BCA0010. Such MEEI3020 functions as an electrical connector between the two BM3010s.

[0130] For example, BM3010 may include interfaces for thermal control components such as liquid connectors into which thermal control fluid flows and out of BM3010 to flow into another liquid container or channel, for example, top opening 0094 and bottom opening 0095 of LLC0080. For example, BM3010 may also include interfaces for mechanical connection to another BM and / or other modules, for example, top interlocking structure 0180 and bottom interlocking structure 0190.

[0131] In this disclosure, the term “Battery Pack” (hereinafter, BP) 3030 refers to an energy storage system designed, assembled, manufactured, and enclosed to be integrated into an electrical device (e.g., an EV, BESS, or other) powered by electrical energy discharged from the BP 3030. This is typically produced as a separate product by an entity supplying the final device to an original equipment manufacturer (hereinafter, OEM). The BP 3030 is mechanically stable to ensure its integrity during transport and of the final device. For example, the integration and assembly processes may be those of an EV assembly process. Furthermore, the BP 3030 features standardized interfaces to facilitate electrical and mechanical integration with systems larger than the system to which it is installed. The spatial dimensions of the BP 3030 are also designed to take into account the available space for the electrical device below.

[0132] Refer to Figure 13, a conceptual cross-sectional view of BP3030. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 13, BP3030 may include two BM3010 assembled together in a stacked manner. In other cases, BP3030 may include only one BM3010 or two or more BM3010. BP may also include a terminal module (hereinafter, TM) 3040 that functions as a cover for BP3030. TM3040 provides electrical insulation so that BC0020 (not shown in Figure 13) is electrically isolated from the outside of BP3030. BP3030 may also include an interface module (hereinafter, IM) 3050. IM3050 functions not only as a cover but also as an interface for BP3030. Note that each of the BM3010 in Figure 13 may be formed (assembled) from LLC0080 and BCA0010 previously disclosed.

[0133] In some embodiments, since BP3030 is liquid-tight, the BCA0010 of BM3010 surrounded by BP3030 may be immersed in a thermal management fluid. For example, the LLC0080, TM3040, and IM3050 of each BM3010 may be assembled to form a liquid-tight "battery pack housing" (hereinafter, BP housing) 3031. In such an example, the BP housing 3031 is assembled by an LLC0080 that provides a lateral fluid barrier and a lid at the vertical end that provides a vertical fluid barrier. For example, the lid may be TM3040 or IM3050. These lateral and vertical fluid barriers define a "battery pack space" (hereinafter, BP space) 3032 surrounded by the BP housing 3031 (which is also surrounded by these lateral and vertical fluid barriers).

[0134] In some embodiments, the BP enclosure 3031 is electrically insulated so that the circuitry enclosed inside the BP enclosure 3031 does not leak to the outside. For example, the LLC0080 and the lid may be formed from an electrically insulating material and each may contain at least one layer of electrically insulating material.

[0135] In some embodiments, TM3040 and IM3050 may also include mechanical interfaces for mating, connecting, or sealing to the corresponding BM3010 or the corresponding LLC0080. For example, TM3040 may include a top interlocking structure 0180, and IM3050 may include a bottom interlocking structure 0190. For example, TM and IM may include sealing members, sealing member housing structures 0220, as described above in this disclosure.

[0136] As shown in Figure 13, BP3030 may also include an "Electrical Energy Interface Module" (EEIM) 3060. The EEIM 3060 may include an EEIM casing 3062 that encloses or surrounds an EEIM space 3061 (not shown in Figure 13) configured to house a battery management circuit, a high-voltage circuit (e.g., a circuit that relays the high-voltage electrical energy of BP3030 to a downstream load such as an EV), or both. The EEIM casing 3062 may be integrally molded or formed from a plurality of EEIM walls 3065. For example, the EEIM walls 3065 may be part of an integrally molded EEIM casing 3062 or they may be independent parts. The EEIM 3060 may be placed in IM3050 by an assembly process.

[0137] In some embodiments, the IM3050 may include an IM casing 3052 that surrounds or encloses an IM space 3054 (not shown in Figure 13) configured to house components configured to connect the BM3010 and the EEIM3060.

[0138] In some embodiments, IM3050 may further include an IM bus 3053 (not shown in Figure 13). One terminal of the IM bus 3053 is configured to be electrically connected to the MEEI 3020 of BM3010, and the other terminal of the IM bus 3053 is configured to be electrically connected to a high-voltage circuit arranged in the EEIM space 3061. EEIM3060 may include a "high-voltage interface connector" (hereinafter, HVIC) 3063, which may be arranged in the EEIM casing 3062 or in the BP housing 3031. The HVIC 3063 is configured to directly contact the high-voltage circuit arranged in the EEIM space 3061, thereby allowing the HVIC 3063 to function as a high-voltage circuit interface between the charge / discharge circuit 0040 and the electrical equipment. Thus, the HVIC 3063 can be considered as a terminal of the charge / discharge circuit 0040.

[0139] In this disclosure, the interface module 3050 and the terminal module 3040 (which function as vertical covers and are collectively referred to as “cover modules”) may each include at least one “cover electrical interface” configured to provide an internal electrical connection path. The cover electrical interface is electrically connected between the HVIC 3063 and the MEEI 3020 of the battery module. In some embodiments, the cover electrical interface may be implemented as a rigid busbar (e.g., IM busbar 3053), a flexible busbar, a wire cable, a conductive trace on a PCB, or other suitable conductive material capable of transmitting high-voltage electrical energy.

[0140] In some embodiments, the EEIM space 3061 and the BP space 3032 are continuous via a hydraulic system, so that components in the EEIM space 3061 may be immersed in a heat management fluid.

[0141] In other embodiments, the EEIM space 3061 and the BP space 3032 may be separated by hydraulic means. In such cases, the IM 3050 may include at least one IM electrical channel 3051 (not shown) configured to provide a channel between the EEIM space 3061 and the BP space 3032. For example, the IM channel 3051 may be a through-hole located in the side wall of the IM 3050. In some embodiments, an IM busbar 3053 (not shown) is located within the IM electrical channel 3051 and extends into the EEIM space 3061 and the BP space 3032 to provide electrical connections between components in these two housing spaces. In some embodiments, to prevent liquid from passing through the IM electrical channel 3051, the IM 3050 may further include at least one sealing member, such as an O-ring, arranged within the IM channel 3051 and tightly coupled to both the inner wall of the IM electrical channel 3051 and the IM busbar 3053.

[0142] In some embodiments, the BP3030 may include at least one liquid interface 3034 for introducing liquid into and / or out of the BP3030. For example, the liquid interface may be a liquid connector located in the BP housing 3031. For example, the liquid interface 3034 may be located in the wall of the IM3050 or the wall of the TM3040 as an inlet and / or outlet. In some embodiments, the BP3030 may include a first liquid interface 3034(a) as an inlet to the BP housing 3031 and a second liquid interface 3034(b).

[0143] In some embodiments, the liquid interface 3034 may be configured to connect to an external liquid circulation system, such as a liquid circulation system equipped with a liquid source or pump.

[0144] Figures 14A, 14B, 15A, and 15B are conceptual diagrams of an embodiment of the BP3030.

[0145] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 14A, the BP3030 may include a plurality of vertically stacked BM3010s. The BP3030 may further include and be assembled with a first IM3050(a) configured as a first vertical lid and a second IM3050(b) configured as a second vertical lid, located at the opposite vertical end of the stacked BM3010. The BP3030 may further include a first EEIM3060(a) and a second EEIM3060(b). The first EEIM3060(a) is positioned on the first IM3050(a), and the second EEIM3060(b) is positioned on the second IM3050(b). The first EEIM3060(a) may further include a first HVIC3063(a) located at one of the two vertical ends of the BP3030, and the second EEIM3060(b) may further include a second HVIC3063(b) located at the other vertical end of the BP3030. Such a configuration is set up to connect to a downstream load having separately located terminals.

[0146] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 14B, the BP3030 may include a plurality of vertically stacked BM3010s. The BP3030 may further include and be assembled with a TM3040 configured as a first vertical cover and an IM3050 configured as a second vertical cover, located at the opposite vertical end of the stacked BM3010. The BP3030 may further include an EEIM3060. The EEIM3060 is positioned on the IM3050. The EEIM3060 may further include two HVIC3063s positioned at the same end of the two opposite vertical ends of the BP3030. Such a configuration is configured for connection to a downstream load with closely spaced terminals. The LLC0080 may further include vertical wall channels 0230. The vertical wall channels 0230 of each LLC0080 may be sealed together to form a vertical through-hole that vertically penetrates the entire assembly of the stacked BM3030. The BP3030 may further include a conductor rod 0280 configured such that both the first and second electrodes of the circuit formed by all the series-connected and / or parallel-connected battery cells are located at the second vertical end of the entire assembly of the stacked BM3030.

[0147] In some embodiments, the conductor rod 0280 may be connected to the first electrode of a circuit formed by electrically connecting all BC0020 in series and / or parallel via BCCM0026 and MEEI3020 at a first vertical end adjacent to TM3040 of the entire assembly of the laminated BM3030. The conductor rod may be arranged within a vertical through hole, extend vertically along a vertical through hole that vertically penetrates the entire assembly of the laminated BM3030, or protrude from a second vertical end adjacent to IM3050 of the entire assembly of the laminated BM3030. Thus, both the first and second electrodes of the circuit formed by all the series-and- / parallel-connected battery cells are located at the second vertical end of the entire assembly of the laminated BM3030.

[0148] In some embodiments, the HVIC3063 of the BP3030 may be arranged on the same vertical end of the stacked BM3020, while the HVIC3063 of the BP3030 may be arranged on the same vertical end of the stacked BM3020. Such arrangement facilitates system integration because both the liquid connection to the external coolant channel and the electrical connection to the downstream load can be realized on the same side of the battery pack. This not only reduces the complexity of installation and maintenance but also improves the compactness and reliability of the battery pack assembly.

[0149] Refer to Figure 16A, a conceptual perspective view of a cross-sectional view of the BP3030. Parts described in both this embodiment and the previously described embodiments, or parts with similar reference numerals, represent parts having similar structure or function, and related explanations are omitted here. Note that Figures 16A and 16B are not precise cross-sectional views of the BP3030. Figure 16A shows several structural features of the BP3030 that can be observed from the cross-sectional view. These structural features are shown as being on the same plane, but this does not mean that these technical features must be located in the same xy cross-section. Furthermore, the term "lateral" refers to any vector on the yz plane in Figures 16A and 16B. For example, a lateral liquid flow may be a liquid flow moving only in the z direction on the yz plane, and a lateral channel may be a channel located on the yz plane and extending only in the z direction.

[0150] In some embodiments, BP3030 may communicate with a circulating heat exchange system 3080 to form a closed-loop liquid circulation system. The closed-loop liquid circulation system is filled with liquid, and when pressure is applied by a pump to operate the liquid circulation, a liquid flow is generated accordingly.

[0151] Generally, a battery pack is assembled from multiple BMs and lid modules. For example, as shown in Figure 16A, four BMs 3010 (but not limited to, the number of BMs 3010 may vary depending on the actual application of the BP 3030) and two lid modules 3090(a) and 3090(b) are stacked to form a BP 3030, where the lid modules 3090(a) and 3090(b) may be the aforementioned IMs or TMs, or other types of lid modules. In some embodiments, the BMs 3010 and lid modules 3090(a) and 3090(b) may be assembled together with the BP space 3032 to form a liquid-tight BP housing. By introducing a thermal management fluid into the BP space 3032, the relevant BP components within the BP space 3032 can be immersed in the thermal management fluid for heat dissipation. For example, as shown in Figure 16A, each BM 3010 includes a liquid-tight LLC 0080 that provides a lateral fluid barrier (i.e., a peripheral wall 0090). The BM3010s are stacked together to form a BM stack, and the peripheral walls 0090 are also stacked together to form a stacked peripheral wall. The lid modules 3090(a) and 3090(b) are used as vertical lids to form a liquid-tight BP housing together with the stacked peripheral wall. Any two stacked BM3010s can use the aforementioned sealing design to prevent liquid leakage from the interface between the two stacked BM3010s, and the relevant explanation can be inferred from Figures 11A and 11B, so it is omitted here.

[0152] As shown in Figure 16A, BP3030 is in communication with a circulating heat exchange system 3080 via a liquid circulation pipe 3081, and each lid module may include at least one "interface liquid connector" (hereinafter, ILC) 3091 connected to the liquid circulation pipe 3081. The circulating heat exchange system 3080 drives the heat management fluid to flow into BP3030 from one ILC 3091 in the inflow direction F1, and then out of BP3030 from another ILC 3091 in the outflow direction F2, passing through the entire BP space 3032. The circulating heat exchange system 3080 may include other means of regulating the temperature of the heat exchanger or heat management fluid so that the temperature can be adjusted before entering the next circulation for inflow into BP3030.

[0153] More specifically, referring to Figure 16A, the BP3030 may include several structural features that guide the flow of the heat management fluid. As shown in Figure 16A, each lid module includes a lid vertical channel 3092, which is a vertically extending through-hole, thereby allowing the heat management fluid to flow vertically through the through-hole. In some embodiments, the lid vertical channel 3092 communicates directly with the ILC3091 and the BP space 3032, thereby allowing the heat management fluid to flow into or out of the BP space 3032 via the lid vertical channel 3092.

[0154] After the thermal management fluid flows into the BP space 3032 via the lid vertical channel 3092, the area that the thermal management fluid can reach or arrive at may be vertically divided into a lid module zone 3093 and a battery module zone 3011. Specifically, the lid module zone 3093 refers to a zone of the BP space 3032 covered within each lid module. For example, the lid module 3090(a) in Figure 16A may include an inner lid surface 3094. The lid module zone 3093 may be defined by the portion of the BP space 3032 extending from the module interface reference line 3012 between the lid module 3090(a) and BM3010 to the inner lid surface 3094. Specifically, the battery module zone 3011 refers to the portion of the BP space 3032 covered within the peripheral wall 0090 of LLC0080. Because the lid module 3090(a) and BM3010 are tightly sealed to prevent liquid leakage, the thermal management fluid can flow from the lid module zone 3093 to the battery module zone 3011, passing through the module interface reference line 3012. The aforementioned liquid flow from the tubular opening of LLC0080 across the laminated BM3010 is referred to in this disclosure as LLC liquid flow0081.

[0155] Refer to Figure 16B, a conceptual perspective view of the cross-section of BP3030. Some reference numerals shown in Figure 16A but not in Figure 16B can also be used in Figure 16B.

[0156] Referring to Figure 16B, in some situations, components or structures within the BP space 3032 may generate flow resistance. For example, BCA0010 may include at least (but not limited to) cell holders 0050, BC0020, and BCCM0026 (not shown in Figure 16B). LLC0080 may also include cell holder retaining structure 0140 or other structures assembled to cell holder 0050. These structures or components may generate vertical flow resistance or localized vortices, affect the uniformity of the flow field distribution, and create overheating points within the BP space 3032, thus leading to heat dissipation problems.

[0157] Furthermore, since the heat management fluid enters the BP space 3032 and flows through each BM3010 sequentially, the heat dissipation conditions of the first BM3010 and the last BM3010 are different. For example, in each circulation, the temperature of the heat management fluid after leaving the heat exchanger is at its initial state. The longer the distance the heat management fluid travels, the greater the temperature deviation from the initial state. In the entire flow loop, the BM3010 closest to the pump outlet 3082 is called the closest BM3010 (i.e., the first BM3010), and the BM3010 furthest from the pump outlet 3082 is called the furthest BM3010 (i.e., the last BM3010). The temperature of the closest BM3010 is closest to a predetermined target temperature, or has the smallest variation from the predetermined target temperature. On the other hand, the temperature of the furthest BM3010 is the largest difference from the predetermined target temperature, or has the largest variation from the predetermined target temperature.

[0158] As shown in Figure 16B, in this disclosure, the portion of the BP space 3032 extending vertically between the two cell holders 0050 within the BM3010 may be defined as the cell zone 0051, and the portion of the BP space 3032 extending from the two cell holders 0050 to the tubular openings at the top and bottom ends of the LLC0080 may be defined as the edge zone 0052. As described above, the flow resistance from the edge zone 0052 to the cell zone 0051, or from the cell zone 0051 to the edge zone 0052, is relatively large because the cell holders 0050 and other components such as the BCCM0026 connected to the cell holders 0050 may generate flow resistance.

[0159] Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the physical configuration of a battery pack 3030 according to one embodiment of the present invention. This diagram shows how the circuit components, functional blocks, and connection interfaces described in Figure 1B are physically arranged and integrated within the mechanical structure of the battery pack 3030.

[0160] In the embodiment shown in Figure 17, the battery pack 3030 includes a plurality of vertically stacked battery modules 3010. The battery pack 3030 further includes a first electrical energy interface module (EEIM) 3060a located at a first vertical end (e.g., the top end) of the stacked battery modules 3010, and a second electrical energy interface module (EEIM) 3060b located at a second vertical end (e.g., the bottom end) opposite the first vertical end.

[0161] As shown in Figure 17, the high-voltage switching circuit 4079 in Figure 1B is physically divided into a first circuit module 3001 and a second circuit module 3002 based on their functions and connection relationships.

[0162] The first circuit module 3001 is housed within the first EEIM 3060a. The first circuit module 3001 includes components associated with the positive terminal of the battery pack 3030. Specifically, the first circuit module 3001 includes a contactor (POS) 307, a contactor (PRE) 309, a resistor (PRE) 310, and an HVIL 306. A positive high voltage interface connector (HVIC(+)) is also arranged in the first EEIM 3060a to electrically connect the first circuit module 3001 to an external load.

[0163] The second circuit module 3002 is housed within the second EEIM 3060b. The second circuit module 3002 includes components associated with the negative terminal of the battery pack 3030. Specifically, the second circuit module 3002 includes a contactor (NEG) 312 and a current shunt 311. A negative high voltage interface connector (HVIC(-)) is also arranged in the second EEIM 3060b to electrically connect the second circuit module 3002 to an external load.

[0164] In this distributed architecture, where the first circuit module 3001 (positive switching side) and the second circuit module 3002 (negative switching side) are physically separated at the opposite vertical end of the battery pack 3030, efficient space utilization and improved thermal management are possible by separating the heat sources.

[0165] In some embodiments, the spaces within the first EEIM3060a and the second EEIM3060b are hydrodynamically isolated from the battery pack space in which the battery cells are immersed, thereby preventing the first circuit module 3001 and the second circuit module 3002 from being immersed in the thermal management fluid. However, in other embodiments, these spaces may be configured to be hydrodynamically continuous with the battery pack space in order to allow immersion cooling of the first circuit module 3001 and the second circuit module 3002.

[0166] The battery pack 3030 further utilizes the vertical wall channel 0230 of the LLC0080 of the battery module 3010 to accommodate signal cables and interfaces. As shown in Figure 17, the vertical wall channel 0230 of the stacked battery module 3010 forms a continuous vertical passage. Signal cables (represented by connecting wires within the channel) are arranged within this vertical passage to establish signal connections between the battery management circuit 300 (which may be externally located or connected via connectors) and components located in different layers of the battery pack 3030.

[0167] For example, a cell monitoring circuit 305 is positioned physically close to each battery cell in each battery module 3010 to perform accurate measurements. The cell monitoring circuit 305 is signal-connected to a signal cable in the vertical wall channel 0230 via a signal interface. Measurement data from each cell monitoring circuit 305 can be transmitted upward to the battery management circuit 300 through this vertical signal backbone. Similarly, control signals from the battery management circuit 300 can be transmitted downward through the vertical wall channel 0230 to control the contactor (NEG) 312 and receive data from the current shunt 311 located in the second circuit module 3002 within the second EEIM 3060b.

[0168] Regarding the high-voltage loop (represented by the thick line), electrical energy flows from the battery module 3010 to HVIC(+) via the contactor (POS) 307 and pre-charge circuit (309, 310) of the first circuit module 3001, and then flows from the battery module 3010 to HVIC(-) via the current shunt 311 and contactor (NEG) 312 of the second circuit module 3002.

[0169] With respect to the low-voltage loop (represented by thin wires), the battery management circuit 300 is powered by an external power source or the battery pack itself and is signal-connected to the pump 302 to control liquid circulation. The battery management circuit 300 is connected via a connector to a signal cable in the vertical wall channel 0230. This configuration allows the battery management circuit 300 to centrally manage the first circuit module 3001, the second circuit module 3002, and the cell monitoring circuit 305, which are distributed throughout the battery pack 3030.

[0170] Figure 18A shows a perspective view of BP3030 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 18B shows the electronic connection structure of the cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 shown in Figure 18A, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0171] Parts described in both this embodiment and the previously described embodiment, or parts with the same reference numeral, represent parts having similar structure or function, and related descriptions are omitted here.

[0172] Referring to Figure 18A, in some embodiments, each of the BM3010 may include corresponding cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 (i.e., cell monitoring device 0260 shown in Figure 12A) mounted within the corresponding BM3010. In some embodiments, cell monitoring circuit 3110 may be electrically connected to cell monitoring circuit 3120 to transmit monitoring data or control signals. In some embodiments, the electrical connector of cell monitoring circuit 3110 may be mounted on the BM3010 or exposed to LLC0080. The electrical connector of cell monitoring circuit 3120 may be mounted on the BM3010 or exposed to LLC0080. When the BM3010s are connected to each other, the electrical connector of cell monitoring circuit 3110 may be directly or electrically connected to the electrical connector of cell monitoring circuit 3120. Therefore, when the BMs are connected to each other, the electrical connectors of cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 do not need to be exposed outside the BM3010.

[0173] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 18A and 18B, BM3010 may further include at least one PCB for a particular function. Such a functional PCB may be arranged within the BP space 3032 and may be located in the vertical wall channel 0230 as previously disclosed (see Figure 12A and its description), or in both of the aforementioned spaces.

[0174] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 18B, BM3010 may further include at least one FPC component for a particular function. Such a functional FPC component may be arranged within the BP space 3032 and may be located in the vertical wall channel 0230 as previously disclosed (see Figure 12A and its description) or in both of the aforementioned spaces.

[0175] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 18B, the BM3010 may further include at least one PCB-FPC interface 3163 configured to electrically or signally connect the PCB and the FPC. In some embodiments, the PCB-FPC interface 3163 may be a pair of interconnectable connectors arranged on the PCB and the FPC, respectively.

[0176] For example, as shown in Figure 18B, each of the BM3010 of BP3030 includes a PCB arranged in a vertical wall channel 0230 (not shown in this figure) and two FPC components arranged in both another vertical wall channel (or the same vertical wall channel in which the PCB is arranged) and BP space 3032. The PCB-FPC interface 3163 is arranged in the vertical wall channel and the PCB.

[0177] As shown in Figure 18B, each of the two FPC components includes a first portion in a vertical wall channel and a second portion in BP space 3032. In the vertical wall channel, the first portions of the two FPC components are signal- or electrically connected to the PCB-FPC interface 3163 and the PCB. In the vertical wall channel, each body of the first portion of the FPC component extends vertically to the vertical position of the vertical wall channel, so that in such a vertical position, each body of the FPC extends continuously along the z-direction and enters BP space 3032 (which is considered the second portion of the FPC).

[0178] In some embodiments, the second portion of the FPC may extend laterally within the BP space 3032 and be directly mounted in any later direction of the BCA0010 to form electrical and / or signal connections to the BCA0010.

[0179] For example, as shown in Figure 18B, the second portion of the FPC extends along the positive y-edge (along the z-direction) of BCA0010 and directly connects to and contacts each BCCM0026.

[0180] For example, as shown in Figure 18B, the second portion of the FPC may further include a branch that extends from the positive y-edge of BCA0010 along the negative y-direction of BCA0010, reaching a specific lateral position of BCA0010, and directly connecting and contacting BCCM0026 at such a specific lateral position.

[0181] In some embodiments, the functional purpose of the PCB and FPC circuit configuration may be cell monitoring. For example, the PCB may be a cell monitoring device 0260 including a processor, controller, and driver used to control sensors that detect the status of BC0020 or BCA0010. Such sensors and connections for detection may be arranged on the FPC components, forming a loop to the PCB where the cell monitoring device 0260 is arranged.

[0182] In some embodiments, the functional purpose of the PCB and FPC circuit configuration may be BP heating. For example, the PCB may be a cell heating device including a processor, controller, and driver used to control heaters that generate heat to warm the BP space 3032. Such heaters and connections for heating may be arranged in the FPC components and form a loop to the PCB where the cell monitoring device 0260 is arranged.

[0183] In some embodiments, each BM3010 may include a plurality of BC0020s. In some embodiments, the first BM3010 may further include a plurality of BCCM0026(a) and a plurality of BCCM0026(b), and each of the BC0020s of the first BM3010 may be electrically connected to one of the BCCM0026(a) and one of the BCCM0026(b). In some embodiments, the last BM3010 may further include a plurality of BCCM0026(c) and a plurality of BCCM0026(d), and each of the BC0020s of the last BM3010 may be electrically connected to one of the BCCM0026(c) and one of the BCCM0026(d). In some embodiments, multiple BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b), BCCM0026(c), and BCCM0026(d) may be used to electrically connect the BC0020 to one another. Furthermore, the BC0020 may be electrically connected to one another in series or in parallel by multiple BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b), BCCM0026(c), and BCCM0026(d). Referring to Figure 18A, in some embodiments, one of the multiple BCCM0026(a) may be electrically connected to the HVIC3063 of the lid module 3090(a), and one of the multiple BCCM0026(d) may be electrically connected to the HVIC3063 of the lid module 3090(b). Furthermore, one of the multiple BCCM0026(b) may be electrically connected to one of the multiple BCCM0026(c). Therefore, power may be released from or stored in BC0020 via the HVIC3063 of lid module 3090(a) and the HVIC3063 of lid module 3090(b).

[0184] In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuit 3110 may be electrically connected to BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b) and a plurality of cell detection circuits 3111. The cell detection circuit 3111 may be electrically connected to at least one of BCCM0026(a) and at least one of BCCM0026(b). In some embodiments, BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b) and the cell detection circuit 3111 may be housed in the BP space 3032 of the BM3010, thereby immersing BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b) and the cell detection circuit 3111 in a heat management fluid contained in the BM3010 for heat dissipation of BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b) and the cell detection circuit 3111. In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuit 3120 may be electrically connected to BCCM0026(c) and BCCM0026(d) via a plurality of cell detection circuits 3121. The plurality of cell detection circuits 3121 may be electrically connected to BCCM0026(c) and BCCM0026(d). In some embodiments, BCCM0026(c), BCCM0026(d) and the cell detection circuit 3121 may be immersed in a heat management fluid contained in BM3010 for heat dissipation of BCCM0026(c), BCCM0026(d) and the cell detection circuit 3121. In some embodiments, the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 may be flexible printed circuits (FPCs).

[0185] In some embodiments, cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 may be used to measure the voltage and temperature of BCCM0026(a), BCCM0026(b), BCCM0026(c), and BCCM0026(d) and provide the measurement results to cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120. In some embodiments, cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 may control the temperature of the thermal management fluid by controlling the temperature and voltage of BC0020 and the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 based on the measurement results. For example, cell monitoring circuit 3110 may control / use cell detection circuit 3111 to convert the power of BC0020, which is electrically connected to BCCM0026(a) and BCCM0026(b), into heat, thereby controlling the voltage and temperature of BC0020. In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 control the temperature and voltage of the BC0020, and the operation of the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 is further controlled through programmable drive signals. For example, the management circuit 3110 may generate switching control signals, current limiting commands, or pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signals to pass a control current through the heating components in the BC0020 or the cell detection circuit 3111. Due to the internal resistance of the BC0020 or the heating components in the cell detection circuit 3111, this control current is converted into heat, thereby increasing or stabilizing the temperature of the BC0020 or the thermal management fluid. Similarly, voltage regulation is achieved by adjusting the magnitude, duration, or duty cycle of the current supplied through the cell detection circuit 3111, thereby controlling the voltage level of the BC0020.

[0186] In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuit 3120 may control / use the cell detection circuit 3121 to convert the power of BC0020 into heat and control the voltage and temperature of BC0020. Therefore, if the cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 control the temperature of the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121, the power of BC0020 may be used directly to heat the heat management fluid and BC0020 to improve the temperature of the heat management fluid. Thus, the voltage control and temperature control functions of the cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 eliminate the need to install additional heating devices in the BM3010. Furthermore, since the cell monitoring circuits 3110, 3120 and the cell detection circuits 3111, 3121 are mounted inside the BM3010 without being exposed outside the BM3010, the possibility of component damage is reduced and the durability of the components can be improved. In some embodiments, the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 may include heating traces that generate heat when current flows through the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 under the control of the cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120. Thus, the resistance loss generated by the cell detection circuits 3111 and 3121 is dissipated as thermal energy, which is then transferred from the cell monitoring circuits 3110 and 3120 to the heat management fluid. In this way, the temperature of the heat management fluid can be increased without requiring additional heating components.

[0187] Figure 19 shows a schematic diagram of BC0020, the cell monitoring circuit 3110, and the cell detection circuit 3111 shown in Figures 18A and 18B, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0188] Parts described in both this embodiment and the previously described embodiment, or parts with the same reference numeral, represent parts having similar structure or function, and related descriptions are omitted here.

[0189] Referring to Figures 18B and 19, in some embodiments, BM3010 may further include one or more switches 3130 and a heating module 3140. In some embodiments, one or more switches 3130 may be electrically connected to BC0020, a cell monitoring circuit 3110, and a heating module 3140. In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuit 3110 may transmit switch signals to control one or more switches 3130 to be turned on or off. In some embodiments, if one or more switches 3130 are turned off by the cell monitoring circuit 3110, the current in BC0020 may not flow through the heating module 3140. Therefore, the heating module 3140 does not convert the power of BC0020 into heat. In some embodiments, if one or more switches 3130 are turned on by the cell monitoring circuit 3110, the current in BC0020 may flow through the heating module 3140. Therefore, the heating module 3140 converts the power of BC0020 into heat to heat the heat management liquid contained in BC0020 and BM3010. In some embodiments, the heating module 3140 may be a heating copper trace. In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuit 3110 may control one or more switches 3130 by generating drive signals such as gate control voltage, base current, or pulse width modulated signals, depending on the type of switch 3130 (e.g., MOSFET, BJT, or other semiconductor switching device). These drive signals may selectively drive one or more switches 3130 to an off or on state. In actual applications, BM3010 may include at least two of the cell monitoring circuit, cell detection circuit, and heating module.

[0190] In some embodiments, the BM3010 may further include an electrical safety device 3150 electrically connected to one or more switches 3130 and a heating module 3140. In some embodiments, the electrical safety device 3150 may include a wire or soluble metal strip that melts or interrupts the circuit when the current exceeds a threshold current. Thus, if the current in the heating module 3140 exceeds the threshold current, the electrical safety device 3150 can interrupt the current and stop heating the heat management fluid and BC0020. In some embodiments, if the electrical safety device 3150 melts due to excessive current, the conductive path between one or more switches 3130 and the heating module 3140 may be physically disconnected. As a result, the electrical connection supplying current to the heating module 3140 is interrupted, stopping the heating module 3140 from receiving power. Thus, the heating module 3140 can stop heating the heat management fluid and BC0020 by immediately stopping heat generation.

[0191] In some embodiments, the heating module 3140 may further include a temperature sensor 3141 electrically connected to the cell monitoring circuit 3110. The cell monitoring circuit 3110 may control the temperature sensor 3141 to monitor the temperatures of the heat management fluid and BC0020. In some embodiments, the cell monitoring circuit 3110 may control the temperature sensor 3141 by providing a detection control signal that activates the temperature measurement function of the temperature sensor 3141. For example, the cell monitoring circuit 3110 may periodically transmit a reference voltage or current to the cell monitoring circuit 3110 so that the temperature sensor 3141 can generate a temperature detection signal. The cell monitoring circuit 3110 can then receive the temperature detection signal and determine the temperatures of the heat management fluid and BC0020. The functional purpose of the cell detection circuit described above still includes temperature detection, and the cell detection circuit and temperature sensor 3141 detect the temperatures of different components within the BP3030.

[0192] Therefore, the power of BC0020 may be used directly to heat the heat management fluid and BC0020. The voltage control and temperature control functions of the cell monitoring circuit 3110 eliminate the need to install additional heating equipment on BM3010. Furthermore, since the cell monitoring circuit 3110, one or more switches 3130 and heating module 3140 are all mounted inside BM3010 without being exposed outside of BM3010, the possibility of damage to the cell monitoring circuit 3110 and cell detection circuit 3111 is reduced, and the durability of the cell monitoring circuit 3110 and cell detection circuit 3111 can be improved.

[0193] In some embodiments, the cell detection circuit 3111 increases the temperature of the heat management fluid because the heating module 3140 (e.g., a heated copper trace or a resistive element) generates heat when current flows through it. When the cell monitoring circuit 3110 turns on one or more switches 3130, current passes through the heating module 3140, and the resistive losses generated by the heating module 3140 are converted into thermal energy. Thus, the thermal energy is transferred to the heat management fluid, thereby increasing the temperature of the heat management fluid.

[0194] In some embodiments, the PCB (e.g., cell monitoring circuit 3110) may further include a vertical stack connector 3160 located at the vertical end of at least one battery module.

[0195] The vertical stack connector 3160 may be configured to be a signal interface between the PCB of the lower BM3010 (e.g., cell monitoring circuit 3110) and another PCB of the adjacent BM3010 (e.g., cell monitoring circuit 3110). The vertical stack connector 3160 may also electrically couple two adjacent BMs (i.e., BM3010 directly stacked with each other).

[0196] In some embodiments, two vertically stacked connectors 3160 configured to connect to each other may be configured to achieve blind mating (or auto-mating). This blind mating feature means that the connectors automatically align mechanically when the BM3010 is vertically stacked, ensuring a fast and reliable electrical connection. This feature significantly improves the efficiency and automation level of the battery pack manufacturing process.

[0197] In some embodiments, a PCB (e.g., a cell monitoring circuit 3110) located within a module wall vertical channel 3098 may further include a vertical interface connector 3162 located at its vertical end.

[0198] The vertical interface connector 3162 is configured to electrically connect the circuit board to a corresponding connector located on one of the two lid modules 3090 when the BM3010 and lid module 3090 are assembled vertically. The primary purpose of this connection is to transmit state information (e.g., voltage, temperature, or current) collected by the circuit board to the main electronic control unit located in the lid module 3090.

[0199] Specifically, the EEIM3060, located in one of the two cover modules 3090, is configured to house or be electrically coupled to a battery management circuit for further processing or control.

[0200] In some embodiments, the vertical stack connector 3160 and the vertical interface connector 3162 may be implemented as a single physical connector located on the circuit board, the single connector consisting of separate pins or contact points that perform both the functions of inter-module stacking and module-to-EEIM signaling interfaces.

[0201] Therefore, the vertical interface connector 3162 is configured to electrically connect the circuit board 3110 to the battery management circuit located within the EEIM3060. This arrangement facilitates direct, modular transmission of accurate cell data to the battery management circuit for control and protection purposes, thereby substantially improving the modularity and maintainability of the BP3030.

[0202] In some embodiments, to meet the various power, voltage, and energy capacity requirements of different types of electrical equipment, such as large electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems, it is necessary to electrically and mechanically integrate multiple BP3030s into a BP3030 cluster (hereinafter referred to as a "battery cluster") so that the BP3030s interoperate collectively to supply power to the electrical equipment.

[0203] In some embodiments, the battery cluster 2000 may include multiple BP3030s. In the battery cluster 2000, the number, function, connection topology, or other design considerations of the BP3030s may be determined according to specific design considerations or application requirements.

[0204] Referring to Figure 1A, BP3030 may include CDC0040 which includes at least one BCA0010. As described elsewhere in this disclosure, BCA0010 may include a plurality of mechanically and electrically integrated BC0020s, at least one cell holder 0050, and at least one BCCM0026. In some embodiments, BCA0010 may also be assembled with a cell monitoring device 0260.

[0205] Referring to Figures 3A and 3B, the BCA0010 may be stacked or side-by-side with at least one other BCA0010 to increase the overall power and / or charging capacity.

[0206] As further described in this disclosure, BCA0010 may also be integrated with LLC0080 to provide immersion cooling to BCA0010 and other components assembled with BCA0010, such as cell monitoring device 0260.

[0207] In one type of assembly, as shown in Figure 13, BCA0010 and LLC0080 are assembled to form BM3010, which functions as a building block for BP3030.

[0208] In another type of integration, for example, in one embodiment disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 939487, a single LLC0080 may be integrated with a plurality of BCA0010s. For example, the LLC0080 may be realized as an extruded tubular casing. Along the extrusion direction, the inner surface of the tubular casing may include at least one BCA receiving rail, which is a protruding structure extending along the extrusion direction and may be formed during the extrusion process. The BCA receiving rail may be configured to receive one or more BCA0010s laterally, i.e., the BCA0010s may be inserted into and fixed to the extruded tubular LLC0080. A liquid-tight housing 4099 may be formed to provide immersion cooling to the BCA0010s by sealing by attaching two lids to the opposite ends of the extruded tubular LLC0080.

[0209] In the embodiment shown in Figure 13, at least one LLC0080 of each BM3010 is also part of the BP enclosure 3031, which functions as the boundary, housing, and exterior of the BP3030. In this configuration, each BM3010 may be integrated with other modules, such as a lid module and an EEIM3060 that includes and surrounds the battery management circuitry, in order to realize the BP3030.

[0210] In other embodiments, LLC0080 functions solely as a liquid-limiting casing configured to limit the volume of liquid in which the BCA0010 is immersed. In such cases, BP3030 may include a BP housing 3031 that is independent of LLC0080 and configured to house and contain the components of BP3030 (e.g., including, but not limited to, at least one LLC0080 and at least one BCA0010). Such a configuration is used regardless of whether each LLC0080 is associated with a single BCA0010 or multiple BCA0010s. In such embodiments, BM3010 may be assembled from at least one BCA0010 and at least one LLC0080, and BP3030 may be assembled from at least one BM3010, a battery management circuit, and a BP housing 3031 that is independent of LLC0080 and configured to house and contain the components of BP3030.

[0211] In the embodiments described above, regardless of whether each LLC0080 is associated with a single BCA0010 or multiple BCA0010s, at least one BCA0010 is placed within an internal volume defined by the LLC0080 and the lid attached thereto, and is at least partially immersed in the liquid limited within the internal volume.

[0212] Furthermore, in such embodiments, the LLC0080 may define a liquid-tight housing 4099, together with a lid attached thereto, which is provided with at least one sealed electrical interface 4066. The sealed electrical interface 4066 may include one or more liquid-tight electrical feedthroughs 4067. Each sealed electrical interface 4066 may have a PCB having a first surface (i.e., a wet surface 4068) configured to be exposed to the internal volume and a second surface (i.e., a dry surface 4069) configured to be exposed to the outside of the LLC0080, and may be configured to provide electrical connections between electrical components located inside the liquid-tight housing 4099 and electrical components outside the liquid-tight housing 4099 while maintaining fluid isolation between the internal volume and the outside.

[0213] For example, the sealed electrical interface 4066 may be implemented by a through-hole located in the liquid-tight housing 4099 and configured to provide a channel between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing 4099, or by a busbar such as a rigid busbar (e.g., an IM busbar 3053), a flexible busbar, a wire cable, a conductive trace on a PCB, or any other suitable conductive member capable of transmitting high voltage electrical energy, which is located within such a through-hole and relays high voltage electrical energy between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing 4099, or by at least one sealing member such as an O-ring arranged within the through-hole and tightly coupled to both the inner wall of the through-hole and the IM busbar 3053 to prevent liquid from passing through the through-hole between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing 4099.

[0214] Referring to Figures 20, 21A, and 21B, for example, in some embodiments, at least one LLC0080 or lid may include a wall structure having at least one connector opening structure 4081 that provides space for mounting a sealed electrical interface 4066. In some embodiments, the connector opening structure 4081 may be realized as a through-hole extending from the inner surface facing the BCA space 3120 of the wall structure to the outer surface of the wall structure in order to accommodate the electrical connector interface device.

[0215] The through-hole may include a cylindrical channel structure 4082 and a square channel structure 4083. The cylindrical channel structure 4082 may define a through-hole portion extending from the inner surface of the wall structure to a shoulder region located in the middle of the wall structure. This through-hole portion has a rounded inner opening at the edge facing the inside of the liquid-tight housing 4099 and a rounded intermediate opening at the edge facing the outer surface of the assembled LLC 0080 and its lid. Such a rounded opening at the edge is suitable for mounting an O-ring and can improve sealing performance compared to other shapes of openings.

[0216] The shoulder region may define a substantially planar annular surface where the cylindrical channel structure 4082 ends and the square channel structure 4083 extends. The O-ring receiving gap 4084 may be formed in the planar annular surface 6086 of the shoulder region 4085. In some embodiments, a corresponding annular groove 4065 may also be formed on the surface of the PCB facing the shoulder region. When the O-ring is positioned between the planar annular surface and the PCB, portions of the O-ring may be received simultaneously in the O-ring receiving gap 4084 of the wall structure and in the corresponding annular groove 4065 of the PCB, thereby sandwiching the O-ring between the wall structure and the PCB to improve sealing and positioning stability. In other embodiments, the O-ring receiving gap may be provided only in the shoulder region or only on the PCB surface, as long as the O-ring is sandwiched between the wall structure and the PCB to provide the desired sealing effect.

[0217] The square channel structure 4083 may define a through-hole extending from the shoulder region to the outer surface of the wall structure and may have a substantially square cross-section suitable for housing a square device such as a printed circuit board (PCB). In some embodiments, the PCB may be inserted into the square channel structure 4083 from the outside and abut against the planar annular surface of the shoulder region, thereby positioning the PCB axially within the connector opening structure 4081. When the electrical connector interface device, the PCB and one or more O-rings are properly mounted in the connector opening structure 4081, the cylindrical channel structure 4082, the O-ring receiving gap 4084, and / or the corresponding annular groove 4065 of the PCB and the electrical connector interface device may cooperate to form a liquid-tight electrical feedthrough between the wet surface inside the liquid-tight housing 4099 and the dry surface outside the liquid-tight housing 4099.

[0218] In some embodiments, the battery cluster 2000 may implement a hierarchical configuration in which various types of BP3030 interoperate in a hierarchical connection. In such a hierarchical connection, various types of BP3030 may interoperate to perform one or more operational control functions of the battery cluster 2000, such as controlling the charging and discharging processes of the battery cluster 2000.

[0219] A hierarchical configuration may allow the battery cluster 2000 to include multiple functional types of BP3030. For example, the battery cluster 2000 may include a type 1 BP3030 configured to operate as a central control unit and a type 2 BP3030 configured to operate as a local BP3030 controlled by the first type BP3030. Such a hierarchical configuration may be called a centralized control configuration or a master-slave control configuration.

[0220] In some conventional embodiments of hierarchical battery clusters, the battery management circuit 300 is provided as a separate, independent device from the battery pack 3030, so that the independent battery management device can be easily connected to and control multiple BP3030s. However, configuring the battery management circuit 300 as an independent device increases the overall system complexity and may require additional mounting space within the battery cluster 2000.

[0221] This disclosure provides a battery cluster 2000 having a hierarchical configuration without a separate battery management device. Instead of relying on a separate battery management device, the hierarchical configuration is achieved through the interoperability of multiple functional types of BP3030 that perform different functions in the hierarchical configuration, while sharing the same battery module platform, such as BM3010, which includes immersion-cooled BCA0010, LLC0080, and CMU. By achieving hierarchical control using functional types of BP3030 based on a common module platform, the battery cluster 2000 can be simplified and stabilized compared to a configuration with a separate battery management device.

[0222] In some embodiments, each BP3030 within a battery cluster 2000 consists of one or more BM3010s. Each BM3010 may include at least one BCA0010, at least one cell monitoring device 0260 coupled to the BCA0010 for cell level measurement and / or equilibration, and at least one LLC with one or more lids, the LLC0080 and lids defining a liquid-tight internal volume for containing the at least one BCA0010, the at least one cell monitoring device 0260, and a thermal management fluid for immersing and cooling the at least one BCA0010 and the at least one cell monitoring device 0260. The BM3010 may further include one or more standardized interface parts, such as high-voltage and low-voltage electrical interfaces and mechanical mounting interfaces, configured to selectively couple the BM3010 to different types of higher-end circuits or housings.

[0223] By providing such a standardized interface, the same BM3010 platform can be used for different functional types of BP3030 within a battery cluster 2000. For example, the BM3010 may be combined with a pack-level battery management circuit and a cluster interface circuit, thereby allowing the BP3030 to function as a primary pack. In another example, the BM3010 may be combined with a pack-level battery management circuit but not with a cluster interface circuit, thereby allowing the BP3030 to function as a peripheral pack. In yet another example, the BM3010 may be used without any pack-level battery management circuit, thereby allowing the BP3030 to function as a terminal pack providing the capacity of immersion-cooled cells under the control of other packs.

[0224] Therefore, multiple functional types of BP3030 within the same battery cluster 2000 can share the same BM3010 platform and be configured by selectively adding or omitting pack-level and cluster-level circuits. This modular, configurable architecture facilitates the reuse of the same immersion-cooled module platform between different pack roles, reducing the number of separate hardware variants designed and manufactured, and contributing to a simplified, robust cluster-level system design.

[0225] In some embodiments, the Type 1 BP3030 may further include a battery management circuit 300 compared to the Type 2 BP3030. For example, as shown in Figure 13, the BP3030 may include a battery management circuit 300 located within an EEIM3060, where the LLC0080 of each BM3010 is also part of the BP housing 3031, and the EEIM3060 is also integrated with the lid module. In another example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 939487, the BP3030 may include a BP housing 3031 housing at least one BM and the battery management circuit 300, where the BP housing 3031 is a casing independent of the LLC0080 of the BM3010.

[0226] In a hierarchical configuration, the battery management circuit 300 of type 1BP3030 may be configured to control not only at least one BM3010 in type 1BP3030, but also at least one BM3010 in type 2BP3030. Thus, type 1BP3030 and type 2BP may include a signal interface that provides a signal connection between the battery management circuit 300 of type 1BP3030 and at least one BM3010 in type 2BP3030.

[0227] In some embodiments, a Type 1BP3030 may be signal-connected to multiple Type 2BP3030s to realize a one-to-many control relationship called a control group. The CDC0040 (i.e., high-voltage power lines) of these BP3030s may be connected in series or in parallel. In a control group, the battery management circuit 300 of a Type 1BP3030 may be configured to control (or manage or drive) all BM3010s within the same control group. For example, the battery management circuit 300 of a Type 1BP3030 may be configured to control the cell monitoring device 0260, cell heating device, or high-voltage switching circuit 4079 of all BM3010s within the same control group.

[0228] In some embodiments, the battery cluster 2000 may include multiple control groups. In such cases, the battery cluster 2000 may include a first type 1BP3030 of the first control group and a second type 1BP3030 of the second control group. For interoperability, the battery management circuits 300 of the first type 1BP3030 and the second type 1BP3030 may also be signal-connected to each other via the signal interfaces of these types 1BP3030.

[0229] In some embodiments, the battery cluster 2000 may further include a primary signal interface for communicating a collective signal from all Type 1BP3030s within the battery cluster 2000 to a device independent of the battery cluster 2000, such as a vehicle controller or a power conversion unit of an energy storage system.

[0230] In some embodiments, the primary signal interface may be located within the first type 1BP300. Thus, in such a battery cluster 2000, the first type 1BP3030 can be considered as the primary pack PA, the second type 1BP3030 as the peripheral pack PB, and the type 2BP3030 as the terminal pack PC.

[0231] BP3030 may include at least one BM3010, each BM3010 may include at least one BCA0010 and at least one cell monitoring device 0260 configured to monitor the electrical state of the BCA0010 or BC0020 within the BM3010 or to perform cell level measurement and / or balancing operations.

[0232] In some embodiments, the primary pack PA may include a pack-level battery management circuit 300 coupled to a cell monitoring device 0260 of the BM3010 within the primary pack PA. The primary pack PA may further include at least one signal interface connector (as shown in Figure 17) configured to communicate with external devices such as a vehicle control unit or a power distribution network control system or other BP3030. The primary pack PA may be configured to function as a cluster-level controller for the battery cluster 2000 to aggregate battery management information from the battery management circuit 300 and / or cell monitoring device 0260 within the battery cluster 2000 and to provide the battery cluster 2000 with a sole or primary external communication interface.

[0233] In some embodiments, the peripheral pack PB may also include a pack-level battery management circuit 300 coupled to the cell monitoring device 0260 of the BM3010 within the peripheral pack PB. Because the peripheral pack PB includes its own pack-level battery management circuit 300, the peripheral pack is selectively configured to act as a local controller in a hierarchical configuration to control or coordinate the operation of CMUs located in one or more terminal packs PC associated with the peripheral pack PB, for example. The peripheral pack PB may further include at least one signal interface connector (as shown in Figure 17) configured to communicate with external devices such as a vehicle control unit or a power distribution network control system or other BP3030s.

[0234] In some embodiments, the terminal pack PC may not include the battery management circuit 300. Each BM3010 of the terminal pack PC may include its own cell monitoring device 0260, but the cell monitoring device 0260 of the terminal pack PC may be configured to operate under the control of a pack-level battery management circuit 300 located in the primary pack PA or peripheral pack PB. In such embodiments, the primary pack PA and peripheral pack PB function as a centralized pack-level controller, while the terminal pack PC functions as a local unit that provides cell-level detection and operation under commands issued by the primary pack and / or peripheral pack via the CMU. The terminal pack PC may further include at least one signal interface connector (as shown in Figure 17) configured to communicate with external equipment such as a vehicle control unit or a power distribution network control system or other BP3030.

[0235] In some embodiments, a pack-level battery management circuit 300 located within a primary pack PA or peripheral pack PB may be configured to control its own high-voltage switching circuit 4079 and the high-voltage switching circuit 4079 of a connected terminal pack PC.

[0236] For example, multiple BP3030s can be strongly integrated into a unified battery cluster through a hierarchical architecture of the battery cluster (e.g., the types of primary battery packs, peripheral battery packs, and terminal battery packs in a hierarchical configuration) and specific mechoelectric interface configurations such as signal interface units and high-voltage connection paths.

[0237] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram showing the logical topology of a battery cluster 2000 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 22, the battery cluster 2000 may include a plurality of BP3030s. In some embodiments, the plurality of BP3030s may be logically arranged in a matrix configuration in which columns P0 to Pn represent parallel strings and rows S0 to Sm represent series positions. Such a matrix configuration is a logical representation and does not necessarily correspond to a physical arrangement of the BP3030s. Figure 20 shows a specific number of BP3030s for clarity, but it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the embodiments shown, the battery cluster 2000 includes N parallel strings (represented by columns P0 to Pn), each of the N parallel strings includes M BP3030s connected in series (represented by rows S0 to Sm), where N and M are integers of 1 or greater.

[0238] In some embodiments, the battery cluster 2000 may implement a hierarchical control configuration. In a hierarchical control configuration, the battery cluster may include multiple types of BP3030, such as primary packs, peripheral packs, and terminal packs, each having different functions.

[0239] The primary pack PA may be located at the beginning of the first string (e.g., column P0). The primary pack functions as the central control unit of the battery cluster 2000 and serves as the sole external interface for high-voltage connections to external loads or the power distribution network and for external communication. The primary pack also functions as the central control unit of the first string.

[0240] Peripheral packs PB may be located at the beginning of each subsequent parallel string (e.g., rows P1 to Pn). Each peripheral pack PB may include a peripheral battery management unit. Peripheral packs function as central control units for their respective subsequent parallel strings. Peripheral packs PB may receive commands (report data) from primary packs via an internal signaling interface, rather than communicating directly with external loads or the power distribution network.

[0241] The terminal pack PC is located downstream of the N parallel strings. The terminal pack does not necessarily have a battery management unit. The terminal pack PC may include a cell monitoring device 0260 or a detection circuit and may function as a control target of the central control unit. The terminal pack PC can transmit upstream data to the central control units of the lower parallel strings (i.e., the primary pack of the first string P0 and the peripheral packs of the subsequent parallel strings P1 to Pn).

[0242] Regarding the electrical connections shown in Figure 22, the vertical lines represent high-voltage series connections that increase the voltage of each of the N parallel strings. The horizontal lines represent high-voltage parallel buses that connect the N parallel strings in parallel to increase the total capacity of the battery cluster 2000. By utilizing the hierarchical configuration, the battery cluster 2000 can be configured in various sizes simply by assembling the BP3030s by assigning different functional types (i.e., primary packs, peripheral packs, or terminal packs) without changing the basic design of the individual BP3030s.

[0243] Figure 23 is a schematic perspective view showing the physical configuration of an energy storage system comprising a plurality of battery clusters 2000 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure shows how the logical control hierarchy described in Figure 22 is implemented in the physical battery rack. As shown, the energy storage system comprises a plurality of independent battery clusters represented as PC1, PC2, PC3, and PC4. Each of the battery clusters PC1 to PC4 has the same or similar modular architecture. Specifically, each battery cluster (e.g., PC1) includes at least one primary pack PA, at least one peripheral pack PB, and a plurality of terminal packs PC.

[0244] BP3030s are distinguished by their functional type and are represented as PA, PB, and PC. BPs named PA correspond to primary packs. In each battery cluster (e.g., PC1), the primary pack PA is located at the top of a particular battery string. The primary pack PA acts as the central control unit for a particular battery cluster, handling the cluster's external high-voltage connections and cluster-level communication. BPs named PB correspond to peripheral packs. Similar to primary pack PAs, peripheral pack PBs are located at the top of other parallel strings within the same battery cluster. Peripheral pack PBs manage terminal packs PC within their own strings and report to the primary pack PA of the same cluster. BPs named PC correspond to terminal packs. Terminal packs PC constitute the majority of the energy storage capacity of each battery cluster. Terminal packs PC are arranged vertically below the primary pack PA or peripheral pack PB.

[0245] Figure 23 shows that battery clusters PC1 to PC4 can be independent operating units. By using this standardized cluster architecture, the total capacity of the energy storage system can be linearly expanded by adding additional battery clusters (e.g., adding PC2, PC3, and PC4) based on power requirements. Each added battery cluster has its own primary pack PA, ensuring that the control functions expand in proportion to the energy capacity.

[0246] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram showing the internal electronic configuration of a BP3030 within a battery cluster (e.g., pack cluster PC1) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This figure provides a detailed definition of the hardware components and interfaces associated with the functional types described in Figure 23. As shown in Figure 24, the battery cluster includes a primary pack PA, a peripheral pack PB, and a terminal pack PC. The BP3030 comprises specific electronic units for each of its functional roles.

[0247] The primary pack PA comprises a battery management unit 4001 and a cell monitoring unit 4002. The primary pack PA further includes a cluster-level interface 5001. The cluster-level interface 5001 is configured to electrically connect the primary pack PA to a downstream or upstream circuit or system 6000 (e.g., an electric vehicle or a power grid). The cluster-level interface 5001 may also be a communication interface for high-voltage power transmission and signal communication. Furthermore, the primary pack PA includes a low-voltage interface 4101 and a high-voltage interface 4102 for internal connections to other BP3030 within the battery cluster 2000.

[0248] The peripheral pack PB includes a battery management unit 4001 and a cell monitoring unit 4002. Unlike the primary pack PA, the peripheral pack PB does not have a cluster-level interface 5001. The peripheral pack PB includes a low-voltage interface 4101 and a high-voltage interface 4102. The peripheral pack PB uses the low-voltage interface 4101 to communicate with the primary pack PA and terminal pack PC, and uses the high-voltage interface 4102 for high-voltage series or parallel connections.

[0249] The terminal pack PC includes a cell monitoring unit 4002 but does not include a battery management unit 4001. The terminal pack PC includes a low-voltage interface 4101 and a high-voltage interface 4102. The terminal pack PC is configured to monitor the cell status via the cell monitoring unit 4002 and transmit the monitoring data to the battery management unit 4001 of the primary pack PA or peripheral pack PB via the low-voltage interface 4101.

[0250] The low-voltage interface 4101 functions as a signal transmission channel for daisy-chaining monitoring and interlock signals between BP3030s. The high-voltage interface 4102 functions as a power transmission channel for establishing the high-voltage circuit of the battery cluster. By standardizing the low-voltage interface 4101 and the high-voltage interface 4102 across all functional types, the BP3030 can be flexibly assembled within a battery cluster while maintaining a specific control hierarchy defined by the presence or absence of the battery management unit 4001 and the cluster-level interface 5001.

[0251] Figures 25 and 26 are schematic diagrams showing the detailed connections and internal circuit configuration of the primary pack PA, peripheral pack PB, and terminal pack PC within a battery cluster 2000 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 25 and 26 show how low-voltage (dashed lines in Figure 25) and high-voltage communication lines (dashed lines in Figure 26) are wired between BP3030s of different functional types.

[0252] As shown in Figures 25 and 26, the primary pack PA may include a battery management unit 4001 (also called a BCU) and a high-voltage switching circuit 4079. The high-voltage switching circuit 4079 may include a positive contactor, a negative contactor, a pre-charge contactor, and a pre-charge resistor. The battery management unit 4001 of the primary pack PA is configured to control the high-voltage switching circuit 4079 to manage the connection between the high-voltage bus (not shown in Figure 25) of the battery cluster 2000 and an external load. Furthermore, the primary pack PA is electrically connected to an external power supply (e.g., a 12V power supply not shown in Figure 25) and a thermal management system 3070 (labeled as a pump not shown in Figure 25). The battery management unit 4001 of the primary pack PA may be configured to directly control the thermal management system 3070 to regulate the temperature of the battery cluster 2000. The primary pack PA may also include an external signal interface connector for communication with a vehicle control unit or an external system controller.

[0253] The peripheral pack PB may include a battery management unit 4001 and a high-voltage switching circuit 4079. In one embodiment, the peripheral pack PB may include the high-voltage switching circuit 4079. The high-voltage switching circuit 4079 may include a positive contactor, a negative contactor, a pre-charge contactor, and a pre-charge resistor. The peripheral pack PB communicates with the primary pack PA via an inter-pack communication bus between two signal interface connectors. The peripheral pack PB does not have to directly control the thermal management system 3070 or communicate with an external system controller.

[0254] The terminal pack PC may include a cell monitoring unit 4002 and a high-voltage switching circuit 4079, but does not include a battery management unit 4001. The terminal pack PC relies on a low-voltage interface 4101 (referred to as a signal interface connector in Figures 25 and 26) to transmit monitoring data to the battery management unit 4001 of the primary pack PA or peripheral pack PB.

[0255] As shown in Figures 25 and 26, each liquid-tight housing 4099 may further include at least one sealed electrical interface 4066 for relaying low-voltage or high-voltage currents between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing 4099.

[0256] Figure 26 shows the specific physical high-voltage connections of the battery cluster 2000. Each BP is connected to the main busbar 2088 of the battery cluster 2000 via the high-voltage interfaces 4102 (not shown in Figures 25 and 26) of BPPA, PB, and PC. This configuration establishes parallel electrical connections between battery strings with the primary pack PA leading and battery strings with the peripheral pack PB leading.

[0257] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 25, the low-voltage connection lines (dashed lines in Figure 25) may pass through the liquid-tight housing 4099 via the sealed electrical interface 4066, or they may pass through the BP housing 3031 via signal interface connectors to facilitate connections between circuits within the two BP3030s.

[0258] For example, the interlock wire originates from the battery management unit 4001 of type 1BP3030 (i.e., PA or PB), passes through the signal interface connector, and extends into the terminal pack PC. Within the terminal pack PC, to detect physical connections, the interlock wire is routed through detection points of the fuse and high-voltage interface 4102. The interlock wire then loops back to the battery management unit 4001. This allows any physical disconnection or fuse failure in the terminal pack PC to be detected by the type 1BP3030.

Claims

1. It includes a plurality of battery packs (3030) that are electrically coupled to each other and configured to be electrically coupled to an external electrical device (6000), and each of the plurality of battery packs (3030) is A charge / discharge circuit (0040) including at least one battery module, It includes a low-voltage interface (4101) and a high-voltage interface (4102), The aforementioned multiple battery packs (3030) are At least one Type 1 battery pack comprising a pack-level battery management circuit (300) and a high-voltage switching circuit (4079) arranged in a high-voltage power path between the charge / discharge circuit (0040) of the Type 1 battery pack and the high-voltage interface (4102) of the Type 1 battery pack, The present invention includes at least one Type 2 battery pack, which does not include a pack-level battery management circuit (300), and includes at least one cell monitoring circuit (305) which includes at least one cell monitoring unit (CMU0260, 4002) configured to perform cell level measurement and / or balancing operations, The charge / discharge circuit (0040) of the Type 1 battery pack and the charge / discharge circuit (0040) of the Type 2 battery pack are electrically connected such that the same high-voltage power path extends through both the Type 1 battery pack and the Type 2 battery pack, and the high-voltage switching circuit (4079) of the Type 1 battery pack, when open, interrupts the current flowing through the high-voltage power path. The pack-level battery management circuit (300) of the type 1 battery pack is coupled to the cell monitoring circuit (305) of the type 2 battery pack via the low-voltage interface (4101), and is configured to receive measurement information from the cell monitoring circuit (305) and to control the operation of at least the high-voltage switching circuit (4079), in a battery cluster (2000).

2. The battery cluster according to claim 1, wherein the charge / discharge circuit (0040) of the type 1 battery pack and the charge / discharge circuit (0040) of the type 2 battery pack are connected in series to form at least a portion of the battery string of the battery cluster (2000).

3. The battery cluster according to claim 2, further comprising a pair of main busbars (2088) and a plurality of battery strings connected in parallel between the pair of main busbars (2088), wherein each of the plurality of battery strings includes one of the Type 1 battery packs and at least one of the Type 2 battery packs, with a charge / discharge circuit (0040) connected in series with respect to a corresponding high-voltage power path.

4. The battery cluster according to claim 3, wherein the first battery string further includes a type 1 battery pack comprising a cluster-level interface (5001) configured to communicate battery management information with the external electrical equipment (6000), and at least one other of the battery strings comprises a type 1 battery pack that does not include the cluster-level interface (5001) but is configured to communicate with the cluster-level interface (5001) via the low-voltage interface (4101).

5. Each battery pack (3030) includes at least one battery module subassembly, and the battery module subassembly is A battery cell assembly (BCA0010) including multiple mechanically and electrically integrated battery cells (BC0020), A liquid-restricting casing (LLC0080) and one or more lids define a liquid-tight housing (4099) configured to house at least the battery cell assembly (BCA0010), A heat management liquid for immersing and cooling the aforementioned battery cell, The battery cluster according to claim 1, comprising at least a portion of a cell monitoring circuit (305) arranged within the liquid-tight housing (4099).

6. The battery cluster according to claim 5, wherein each battery module subassembly includes at least one sealed electrical interface (4066) configured to allow a low-voltage electrical conductor coupled to the cell monitoring circuit (305) to pass between the inside and outside of the liquid-tight housing (4099) while maintaining liquid-tightness.

7. Each sealed electrical interface (4066) comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) having a first surface exposed to the internal volume of the liquid-tight housing (4099) as a wet surface (4068) and a second surface exposed to the outside of the liquid-limiting casing (LLC0080) as a dry surface (4069), and one or more liquid-tight electrical feedthroughs (4067) extending between the wet surface (4068) and the dry surface (4069) and configured to provide electrical connections between electrical components located inside the liquid-tight housing (4099) and electrical components located outside the liquid-tight housing (4099), while maintaining fluid isolation between the internal volume and the outside, according to claim 6.

8. The liquid-tight housing (4099) includes the wall structure of the liquid-limiting casing (LLC0080), and each sealed electrical interface (4066) is housed within a connector opening structure (4081) formed within the wall structure, and the connector opening structure (4081) is A cylindrical channel structure (4082) is provided, which defines a through-hole extending from the inner surface of the wall structure toward a shoulder region (4085) located between the inner surface and outer surface of the wall structure, and has a rounded inner opening at the edge facing the internal volume. The battery cluster according to claim 7, further comprising: a shoulder region (4085) defining a substantially planar annular surface surrounding the cylindrical channel structure (4082).

9. The battery cluster according to claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the PCB is inserted into the connector opening structure (4081) from the outer surface of the wall structure, an O-ring receiving gap (4084) is provided between the planar annular surface of the shoulder region (4085) and the surface of the PCB facing the shoulder region (4085), and an O-ring is positioned in the O-ring receiving gap (4084) so ​​as to be sandwiched between the wall structure and the PCB to improve the sealing and positioning stability of the PCB with respect to the wall structure.

10. The battery cluster according to claim 9, wherein the annular groove (4065) is formed in at least one of the planar annular surface of the shoulder region (4085) and the surface of the PCB facing the shoulder region (4085), and the O-ring is sandwiched between the wall structure and the PCB by being at least partially received within the annular groove (4065) to further improve the liquid-tight sealing effect and axial positioning of the PCB.

11. The battery cluster according to claim 8, wherein the connector opening structure (4081) further includes a square channel structure (4083), the square channel structure (4083) having a substantially square cross-section configured to define a through-hole extending from the shoulder region (4085) to the outer surface of the wall structure and to accommodate a portion of the PCB, thereby positioning the PCB axially by contact with the planar annular surface of the shoulder region (4085) and circumferentially by the square channel structure (4083).

12. The battery cluster according to claim 1, wherein at least one Type 1 battery pack is configured to control cell monitoring circuits (305) and / or high-voltage switching circuits (4079) of a plurality of battery packs (3030) connected along the same high-voltage power path via its pack-level battery management circuit (300) and the low-voltage interface (4101).

13. The battery cluster according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the Type 2 battery packs further includes a high-voltage switching circuit (4079) arranged within a local high-voltage connection section in the Type 2 battery pack, the local high-voltage connection section being configured to be monitored and / or controlled by the pack-level battery management circuit (300) of the Type 1 battery pack via the low-voltage interface (4101).

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