Battery Module Tray Assembly for Serviceable Cell Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules in electric or hybrid vehicles face challenges in assembly, requiring specific cell designs for housing compatibility and making electrical connections, which complicates servicing and optimization of power-to-weight ratio.
Innovation Solution
A method for assembling battery modules involving a cell tray with protruding cell terminals, where electrical connections are made before casing attachment, using busbars and casings welded to the tray, with optical alignment and automated welding for precise connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If cells are inserted into a housing with terminals located at one end for electrical connections, then the battery module structure is simplified, but the cell design becomes constrained and servicing becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module is divided into multiple cell trays, each holding a specific number of cells (e.g., 12 cells per tray). This segmentation allows for modular assembly and servicing, where individual trays can be removed or replaced without affecting the entire battery module, thus improving cell design flexibility while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Cell trays are pre-assembled with cells in a controlled environment before being installed into the final battery module housing. This preliminary action allows for optimized cell arrangement and electrical connections to be made before the cells are constrained by the final housing structure, thereby maintaining both structural simplicity and design flexibility.
2Reliability
If cells are enclosed in a housing after electrical connections are made, then the battery module is protected, but servicing and optimization of power-to-weight ratio becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module uses multiple removable cell trays instead of a single enclosed housing. Each tray can be independently removed from the housing, allowing for easy servicing, inspection, and replacement of cells without disassembling the entire battery module, thus maintaining protection while improving ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The cell trays are designed to be dynamically removable and reinsertable into the housing, transforming the static enclosed structure into a dynamic, serviceable system. This allows the battery module to maintain its protective enclosure during operation while enabling easy access for servicing by simply removing the required tray.
3Productivity
If multiple cell trays are used to hold cells with protruding terminals, then assembly efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Cell trays serve as intermediary components between the cells and the final battery module assembly. The trays provide pre-defined alignment features and positioning mechanisms that ensure precise terminal alignment during assembly, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling efficient modular assembly of multiple cell trays.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex mechanical alignment systems with simplified tray-based positioning mechanisms. The cell trays incorporate built-in alignment features such as guide rails, positioning pins, or keyed interfaces that automatically ensure precise terminal alignment when trays are inserted into the housing, reducing the need for high-precision manual alignment and improving assembly efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for efficient assembly and servicing of battery modules, optimizing power-to-weight ratio by enabling flexible cell design and efficient cooling, enhancing performance and durability.
Implementation Method 1
providing a cell tray defining a plurality of cell holes for holding cells
Implementation Method 2
attaching a first casing to a first side of the cell tray to enclose the cell ends protruding from the first side
Implementation Method 3
The cell holes may extend through the cell tray along a first direction, the first casing may be attached to the first side of the cell tray substantially in the first direction, and the second casing may be attached to the second side of the cell tray substantially opposite to the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A method for assembling a battery module, the method comprising: providing a cell tray defining a plurality of cell holes for holding cells; inserting cells into respective cell holes so that the cells each protrude from the cell tray at each end of the cell; attaching a first casing to a first side of the cell tray to enclose the cell ends protruding from the first side; and attaching a second casing to a second side of the cell tray to enclose the cell ends protruding from the second side.