Battery stack assembly

Abstract

A battery stack assembly (100) is provided, which includes at least a battery stack body (102) for generating electrical energy having a plurality of unit batteries stacked in a stacking direction (104), first and second end plates (106) sandwiching the battery stack body (102), at least one of the end plates (106) having openings (108, 114) on a side surface (110), and at least one compression element (1) configured to compress the battery stack body (102) in the stacking direction (104) between the first and second end plates (106), the at least one compression element (1) including a first mounting element (8) disposed at a first end (4) and a second mounting element (114) disposed at a second end (6). The band element (2) has a first mounting element (8) and a second mounting element (10) having a first end plate (106) and a second ...

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery stack assembly.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a battery stack assembly such as a fuel cell stack includes a stack body in which a plurality of unit cells are stacked in the stacking direction. Each unit cell includes at least two plates, so-called flow field plates, which are arranged on top of each other and have a flow field for reactants on one side and a flow field for a cooling fluid on the opposite side. Therefore, the flow fields of adjacent plates form channels through which the respective fluids flow in.

[0003] In order to prevent fluid leakage of the battery stack and achieve fluid tightness, the stack body is compressed in the stacking direction with the help of compression elements. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a stack assembly in which the stack body is sandwiched between two end plates. Each end plate includes an insertion groove having a recess on the side surface of the end plate and a fixing plate extending parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the end plate from the bottom surface of the insertion groove and protruding into the insertion groove. Compression of the stack assembly is obtained by inserting both ends of a fastening band extending along the side surface of the stack body between the insertion groove of the end plate and the fixing plate, and each end of this fastening band is T-shaped. However, in order to insert the fastening band between the insertion groove of the end plate and the fixing plate, stack compression exceeding the compression of the completed stack assembly is required. That is, during the assembly of the battery stack, it is necessary to compress the stack body more than during normal operation. Therefore, there is a risk that the components of the battery stack assembly are damaged during the attachment of the fastening band.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery stack assembly having an improved compression element for a battery stack assembly that reduces the risk of damage to the battery stack assembly when the compression element is installed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This objective is solved by the battery stack assembly described in claim 1.

[0007] In the following, a battery stack assembly, more particularly a fuel cell stack assembly, is provided, comprising a battery stack body for generating electrical energy having at least a plurality of unit batteries stacked in the stacking direction, preferably, each unit battery being a unit fuel cell comprising a bipolar plate and a membrane electrode assembly. The stack assembly comprises first and second end plates flanking the battery stack body for generating electrical energy, wherein at least one of the end plates further comprises the first and second end plates having side openings and at least one compression element configured to compress the battery stack body between the first and second end plates in the stacking direction.

[0008] The at least one compression element includes a band element having a first end and a second end, the at least one compression element including a first mounting element located at the first end and a second mounting element located at the second end. The first mounting element is an anchor bolt-like element projecting from the compression element perpendicular to the stacking direction, and the second mounting element is either an anchor bolt-like element projecting from the compression element perpendicular to the stacking direction, or a pressure adjusting element configured to adjust the pressure applied in the stacking direction by the at least one compression element, each anchor bolt-like element being formed integrally with the band element or permanently fixed to the band element, and at least one anchor bolt-like element being inserted into the opening provided on the side of the at least one end plate. This has the advantage of preventing over-compression of the stack assembly during the assembly process. More specifically, by compressing the stack to the maximum height of the completed stack assembly during the assembly process, the mounting elements can be inserted into the corresponding openings in the end plates. Thus, the risk of damage to the components of the stack body is reduced. Furthermore, since at least one anchor bolt-like element is permanently fixed to the band element or formed integrally with the band element, the height of the stack assembly can be maintained throughout the lifespan of the stack assembly.

[0009] Preferably, the band element has a predetermined length. Preferably, its length is such that it provides the desired pressure to the stack assembly under operating conditions. This allows the pressure to be determined without risking over-compressing the stack assembly, even when the first and second mounting elements are configured as anchor bolt-like elements. For example, at least one of the compression elements may be made of sheet metal. Preferably, the anchor bolt-like element is welded, bonded, and / or riveted to the band element.

[0010] In a further embodiment, the anchor bolt-like element and / or the pressure regulating element has a bolt-like element having a circular, rectangular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal cross-section, and / or a block, cone, frustocone, or pyramidal shape, and / or at least one chamfered edge. Preferably, the opening formed in the at least one end plate has a shape complementary to the bolt-like element. This has the advantage that the position of the bolt-like element can be defined within the opening. Furthermore, the contact area between the opening and the bolt-like element can be increased, which may lead to increased friction between the opening and the bolt-like element, thus fixing the position of the bolt-like element within the opening.

[0011] Furthermore, the anchor bolt-like element includes at least one position-fixing element configured to fix the position of the anchor bolt-like element. This reduces the risk of the anchor bolt-like element becoming detached from the end plate due to vibration and / or other external forces.

[0012] Preferably, the anchor bolt-like element includes a through hole, the longitudinal axis of the through hole is perpendicular to the stacking direction, and the through hole is configured to accommodate and / or interact with the position-fixing element. This allows the position-fixing element to be inserted through the through hole. For example, the position-fixing element may be permanently fixed to the opening in the end plate, and the anchor bolt-like element may be attached to the position-fixing element and fixed in place by appropriate means such as nuts, adhesives, and / or welding. Alternatively, the position-fixing element may be inserted through the through hole in the anchor bolt-like element and fixed to the end plate.

[0013] In a further embodiment, the pressure adjustment element includes a tension element configured to apply tension in a direction parallel to the stacking direction. Preferably, the tension element is further configured to continuously adjust the pressure applied in the stacking direction. In this way, the tension element can continuously increase or decrease the pressure applied to the battery stack assembly. Furthermore, the pressure adjustment element may also include a through-hole, the longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the stacking direction, and the through-hole is configured to accommodate and / or interact with the tension element.

[0014] Preferably, the position-fixing element and / or the tensioning element are bolts or screws.

[0015] In a further embodiment, the pressure regulating element includes a loop formed at the second end of the band element by folding the band element back into itself and securing the folded end to the band element, and the bolt-like element having the through hole is fixed within the loop. For example, the folded end of the band element may be welded, screwed, bolted, riveted, and / or bonded to the rest of the band element. The bolt-like element may be positioned within the loop and fixed to the band element. Furthermore, the band element may have an opening such as a groove or elongated hole so that the bolt-like element is at least partially accessible even after it is fixed within the loop of the band element. For example, the bolt-like element may be welded, screwed, bolted, riveted, and / or bonded to the loop.

[0016] Further preferred embodiments are provided not only in the specification and drawings but also in the dependent claims. In this regard, elements described or illustrated in combination with other elements may exist alone or in combination with other elements without departing from the scope of protection.

[0017] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in connection with the drawings. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. The scope of protection is defined only by the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view of a compression element according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is an exploded side view of a battery stack assembly provided with the compression element of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of a compression element according to the second embodiment. [Figure 4] It is an exploded side view of a battery stack assembly provided with the compression element of FIG. 3.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, elements having the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a compression element 1 according to the first embodiment. The compression element 1 has a band element 2 having a first end portion 4 and a second end portion 6. The first and second mounting elements 8, 10 are disposed at the first end portion and the second end portion 4, 6, respectively. In FIG. 1, both mounting elements 8, 10 are anchor bolt-like elements 12 that project from the compression element 1 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the band element 2. As can be seen from FIG. 2, since the longitudinal direction of the band element 2 is parallel to the stacking direction 104 of the battery stack assembly 100, when disposed in the battery stack assembly 100, the anchor bolt-like elements 8, 10 project from the compression element 1 perpendicular to the stacking direction 104.

[0021] The band element 2 has a predetermined length and is made of a metal plate. Each anchor bolt-like element 12 is permanently fixed to the band element by welding and is configured to be inserted into an opening (FIG. 2) provided on the side surface of the battery stack assembly 100. However, the anchor bolt-like element 12 can also be adhered and / or riveted to the band element 2, or even integrally formed with the band element 2, for example, by a casting process.

[0022] The anchor bolt-like element 12 includes a bolt-like element 14 having a cylindrical shape with a chamfered upper end 16. Alternatively, the bolt-like element 14 may have other suitable shapes that can be inserted into the opening. For example, the bolt-like element 14 may have a circular, rectangular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal cross-section, and / or may have a block, cone, frustum of a cone, or pyramid shape.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows an exploded side view of the battery stack assembly 100. The battery stack assembly 100 may be a fuel cell stack assembly. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the battery stack assembly 100 includes a battery stack body 102 for generating electrical energy having a plurality of unit cells stacked in the stacking direction 104. The stack assembly 102 also includes first and second end plates 106 sandwiching the battery stack body 102 for generating electrical energy. The battery stack body 102 for generating electrical energy is sandwiched between two terminal plates 118 insulated from the end plates 106 by two insulating plates 120.

[0024] [[ID=1I]] In FIG. 2, both end plates 106 have openings 108 on respective side surfaces 110 having a normal vector perpendicular to the stacking direction 104. The opening 108 has a shape complementary to the bolt-like element 14. This has the advantage of increasing the contact area between the bolt-like element 14 and the opening 108.

[0025] When the stack assembly 100 is assembled, the stack is compressed to a predetermined height, after which the bolt-like elements 14 of the mounting elements 8,10 are inserted into the corresponding openings 108 of the end plate 106. To account for deviations in the dimensions of the parts of the stack assembly 100, for example due to manufacturing tolerances, the stack assembly 100 further includes two spring elements 122 and a compression plate 124. The compression plate 124 is positioned between the upper insulating plate 114 and the upper end plate 106, and the spring elements are positioned between the compression plate 124 and the end plate 106. Since each anchor bolt-like element 12 is permanently fixed to the band element 2 by welding, the position of the mounting elements 8,10 is fixed, and the compression of the stack, and therefore the height of the stack, is maintained throughout the life of the stack assembly 100.

[0026] To fix the position of the mounting elements 8 and 10, both anchor bolt-like elements 12 include through holes 18 through which a screw 20 is inserted, which is screwed into a thread 112 provided in the opening 108 of the end plate 106. Thus, the through hole 18, the screw 20, and the thread 112 form a position-fixing element configured to fix the position of the mounting elements 8 and 10. Alternatively, the position-fixing element may be a bolt permanently fixed to the opening 108 of the end plate 106, and the anchor bolt-like elements 12 may be attached to the position-fixing element and fixed in place by appropriate means such as nuts, adhesive, and / or welding.

[0027] Figure 3 shows a compression element 1 according to a second embodiment. The compression element has a band element 2 with a first end 4 and a second end 6. The first and second mounting elements 8 and 10 are positioned at the first and second ends, respectively. In Figure 3, the first mounting element 8 is the anchor bolt-like element 12 described above. The second mounting element 10 is a pressure adjustment element 24 configured to adjust the pressure applied by the compression element 1 in the stacking direction 104 (Figure 4).

[0028] The pressure regulating element 24 has a bolt-like element 26 having a cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the bolt-like element 26 may have other suitable shapes. For example, the bolt-like element 26 may have a circular, rectangular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal cross-section, and / or a block, cone, frustocone, or pyramidal shape, and / or have at least one chamfered edge. Furthermore, the pressure regulating element 24 includes a loop 28 formed at the second end 6 of the compression element 1 by folding the band element 2 back into itself and securing the folded end to the band element 2. For example, the folded end may be welded, screwed, bolted, riveted, and / or glued. The bolt-like element 26 is positioned within the loop 28 and secured to the band element 2 by welding. In this case, the band element 2 is provided with an elongated hole 30 so that the bolt-like element 26 is at least partially accessible after the bolt-like element 28 is welded to the band element 2.

[0029] Figure 4 shows an exploded side view of the battery stack assembly 100. The battery stack assembly 100 may also be a fuel cell stack assembly. As can be seen in Figure 4, the battery stack assembly 100 includes an electrical energy generation battery stack body 102 having a plurality of unit batteries stacked in the stacking direction 104. The stack assembly 102 also includes first and second end plates 106 that sandwich the electrical energy generation battery stack body 102. The electrical energy generation battery stack body 102 is sandwiched between two terminal plates 118 which are insulated from the end plates 106 by two insulating plates 120. To account for deviations in the dimensions of the components of the stack assembly 100, for example due to manufacturing tolerances, the stack assembly 100 further includes two spring elements 122 and a compression plate 124. The compression plate 124 is located between the upper insulating plate 114 and the upper end plate 106, and the spring elements are located between the compression plate 124 and the end plate 106.

[0030] As can be seen in Figure 4, one end plate 106 has an opening 108 having a shape complementary to the bolt-like element 14 of the first mounting element 8, as described above. The other end plate 106 has an opening 114 suitable for receiving the pressure adjustment element 24 of the second mounting element 10. Furthermore, the other end plate 106 also includes a through hole 116 through which a tension element 32, such as a screw or bolt, can be inserted, and this tension element 32 is configured to cooperate with the hole 34 of the bolt-like element 26.

[0031] When the stack assembly 100 is assembled, the first mounting element 8, which has an anchor bolt-like element 12, is inserted into the corresponding opening 108. The other end can be aligned with the opening 114 of the other end plate 106, and then the tension element 32 can be tightened with the appropriate torque, so that the pressure applied to the stack 100 can be adjusted while maintaining a certain amount of rigidity.

[0032] The tension element 32 is configured to apply tension in a direction parallel to the stacking direction 104. By tightening or loosening the tension element 32, the pressure applied in the stacking direction 104 by the compression element 1 can be continuously adjusted. Therefore, the tension element 32 can continuously increase or decrease the pressure applied to the battery stack assembly 100. The hole 34 may be configured as a through hole, in which case the longitudinal axis of the through hole is parallel to the stacking direction 104.

[0033] In summary, the described compression elements provide compression retention that can be maintained throughout the lifespan of the battery stack assembly. More specifically, embodiments with two anchor bolt-like elements can significantly reduce space and weight while providing rigidity comparable to that of a threaded rod. Furthermore, because the length is completely predetermined, the risk of tilt, force imbalance, and / or other assembly-related problems is eliminated or at least mitigated. In addition, embodiments with pressure adjustment elements provide sufficient rigidity while maintaining an adjustable state to accommodate variations in the height of the battery stack.

[0034] Both embodiments described have the advantage that, because the compression elements are located only on the sides of the battery stack assembly, the top and bottom surfaces of the battery stack assembly are free and can be used for other functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 Compression element 2-band element 4 First end 6 Second end 8. First mounting element 10. Second mounting element 12 Anchor bolt-like elements 14 Bolt-like elements 16 Top 18 Through holes 20 Position fixing elements 24 Pressure regulation elements 26 Bolt-like elements 28 loops 30 Slotted holes 32 Tension Elements 34 Through holes 100 Battery Stack Assembly 102 Battery stack body for generating electrical energy 104 Lamination direction 106 End Plate 108 Opening 110 Side view 112 threads 114 Opening 116 Through hole 118 Terminal Plate 120 Insulating Plate 122 Spring elements 124 Compression Plate

Claims

1. A battery stack assembly (100), An electrical energy generation battery stack body (102) having a plurality of unit batteries stacked in the stacking direction (104), wherein each unit battery is a unit fuel cell including a bipolar plate and a membrane electrode assembly, The first and second end plates (106) sandwich the battery stack body (102) for generating electrical energy, wherein the first and second end plates (106) have openings (108) on their sides (110) which are parallel to the stacking direction (104), At least one compression element (1) configured to compress the electrical energy generation battery stack body (102) in the stacking direction (104) between the first and second end plates (106), Includes, The at least one compression element (1) includes a band element (2) having a first end and a second end (4, 6), The at least one compression element (1) includes a first mounting element (8) located at the first end (4) and a second mounting element (10) located at the second end (6). The first mounting element (8) is an anchor bolt-like element (12) that protrudes from the band element (2) perpendicular to the stacking direction (104), The second mounting element (10) is either an anchor bolt-like element (8) protruding from the band element (2) perpendicular to the stacking direction (104), or a pressure adjustment element (24) configured to adjust the pressure applied in the stacking direction (104) by the at least one compression element (1). Each anchor bolt-like element (12) is formed integrally with the band element (2) or is permanently fixed to the band element (2). A battery stack assembly characterized in that at least one anchor bolt-like element (12) has a tubular shape into which a fixing pin can be inserted and is inserted into the opening (108) provided on the side surface (110) of at least one of the end plates (106).

2. The battery stack assembly according to claim 1, wherein the band element (2) has a predetermined length.

3. The battery stack assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the anchor bolt-like element (12) and / or the pressure regulating element (24) have bolt-like elements (14, 26), the bolt-like elements (14, 26) having a circular, rectangular, elliptical, triangular, or polygonal cross-section, and / or having a block, cone, frustocone, or pyramidal shape, and / or having at least one chamfered edge.

4. The battery stack assembly according to claim 3, wherein the openings (108, 114) formed in at least one of the end plates (106) have a shape complementary to the bolt-like elements (14, 26).

5. The battery stack assembly according to claim 1, wherein the anchor bolt-like element (12) includes at least one position-fixing element (20) configured to fix the position of the mounting elements (8, 10) within the openings (108, 114).

6. The battery stack assembly according to claim 5, wherein the anchor bolt-like element (12) includes a through hole (18), the longitudinal axis of the through hole (18) is perpendicular to the stacking direction (104), and the through hole (18) is configured to accommodate and / or interact with the position-fixing element (20).

7. The battery stack assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pressure adjustment element (24) includes a tension element (32) configured to apply tension in a direction parallel to the stacking direction (104).

8. The battery stack assembly according to claim 7, wherein the pressure regulating element (24) includes a through hole (34), the longitudinal axis of the through hole (34) is parallel to the stacking direction (104), and the through hole (34) is configured to accommodate and / or interact with the tension element (32).

9. The battery stack assembly according to claim 8, wherein the pressure adjusting element (24) includes a loop (28) formed at the second end (6) of the band element (2) by folding the band element (2) back into itself and fixing the folded end to the band element (2), and the bolt-like elements (24, 26) having through holes (34) are fixed within the loop (28).

10. A battery stack assembly in which the position fixing element (20) according to claim 5 and / or the tension element (32) according to claim 7 is a bolt or a screw.

11. The battery stack assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the compression elements (1) is made of a thin sheet.

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