Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100247996 | SAFETY VENTING MECHANISM FOR BATTERIES - A battery comprises a battery cell having two voltage terminals and a flexible sidewall; a wall structure against which the battery cell is located, the wall structure including a sidewall that is adjacent to the sidewall of the battery cell; and a tooth structure that extends away from the sidewall of the wall structure and towards the sidewall of the battery cell, wherein the tooth structure includes a distal end sufficiently sharp to puncture the flexible sidewall of the battery cell when the flexible sidewall of the battery cell is forced up against the tooth structure due to a build up of excess pressure inside the battery cell. | 09-30-2010 |
20100247997 | STRUCTURE OF PRISMATIC BATTERY MODULES WITH SCALABLE ARCHITECTURE - A battery system comprises a plurality of battery subunits arranged in a stack, wherein each battery subunit among the plurality of battery subunits comprises a first battery cell, a heatsink, a second battery cell, and a compliant pad in that order with the heatsink between and in thermal contact with the first and second battery cells and with the compliant pad abutting the second battery cell. | 09-30-2010 |
20100247998 | BUSBAR SUPPORTS AND METHODS OF THEIR USE FOR BATTERY SYSTEMS - A battery system comprises a plurality of battery subunits, each subunit comprising a heatsink and at least one battery cell with a positive terminal and a negative terminal; where each heatsink has a respective busbar support mounted to it, and each busbar support includes first and second slots through which, respectively, a positive and a negative terminal of the at least one battery cell for that subunit passes, wherein a first busbar is located above and held at least in part by the first busbar support and is electrically connected to the negative terminal passing through the first slot in the first busbar support; and a second busbar is located above and held at least in part by the first busbar support and electrically connected to the positive terminal passing through the second slot in the first busbar support. | 09-30-2010 |
20100247999 | Prismatic Battery Module with Scalable Architecture - A battery system including: a plurality of subunits each of which has a heatsink and a battery cell and two voltage terminals symmetrically positioned with respect to a centerline of that battery cell, wherein all of the battery cells are arranged so that their voltage terminals are aligned along two rows; a plurality of identical busbar supports equal in number to the plurality of subunits, each having two slots and mounted on a corresponding different one of the subunits with each of the terminals of the battery cell extending up through the two slots; and a plurality of bimetallic busbars, each one supported by a different corresponding subset of the busbar supports and electrically connected directly to either a first or second terminal of each of the battery cells of each of the modules on which those busbar supports are mounted. | 09-30-2010 |
20100248010 | BI-METALLIC BUSBAR JUMPERS FOR BATTERY SYSTEMS - A battery system comprises a plurality of battery cells arranged in a sequence, each battery cell having a first voltage terminal and second voltage terminal, wherein the first voltage terminals of the plurality are arranged in a row; and a bimetallic busbar having a first segment joined to a second segment, the first segment made of a first metal and the second segment made of a second metal that is different from the first metal, wherein the first segment includes a first u-shaped bend defining a first channel into which the first terminal of one of the plurality of battery cells is positioned, and wherein the second segment includes a second u-shaped bend defining a second channel into which the first terminal of another one of the plurality of battery cells is positioned. | 09-30-2010 |
20100248029 | METHODS OF WELDING BATTERY TERMINALS - A method of manufacturing a battery including: supplying a busbar having a U-shaped portion defining a channel and characterized by a bend corner at one end of the U-shaped portion, wherein the busbar has a reduced-reflectivity treatment at least in the vicinity of the bend corner; positioning a single battery terminal in the channel formed by the U-shaped portion so that the top end of the terminal is proximate to the bend corner; directing a laser beam at the bend corner of the U-shaped portion; and with the laser beam, melting the busbar at the bend corner and forming a metallurgical bond between the busbar and the top end of the single terminal. | 09-30-2010 |
20100255351 | FUSE FOR BATTERY CELLS - A battery system comprises a battery cell having a cell body and a voltage terminal extending out of the cell body and having first and second terminal edges; a busbar to which an upper end of the voltage terminal is electrically connected; and a zipper fuse formed in a portion of the terminal between the cell body and the busbar, wherein the zipper fuse comprises an array of perforations through the voltage terminal and extending across the voltage terminal from the first edge to the second edge. | 10-07-2010 |
20120196170 | PRISMATIC BATTERY MODULE WITH SCALABLE ARCHITECTURE - A battery system including: a plurality of subunits each of which has a heatsink and a battery cell and two voltage terminals symmetrically positioned with respect to a centerline of that battery cell, wherein all of the battery cells are arranged so that their voltage terminals are aligned along two rows; a plurality of identical busbar supports equal in number to the plurality of subunits, each having two slots and mounted on a corresponding different one of the subunits with each of the terminals of the battery cell extending up through the two slots; and a plurality of bimetallic busbars, each one supported by a different corresponding subset of the busbar supports and electrically connected directly to either a first or second terminal of each of the battery cells of each of the modules on which those busbar supports are mounted. | 08-02-2012 |
20120286739 | System and Method for Estimating a State of a Battery Pack - A method for estimating the state of a battery having multiple cells is disclosed. In one embodiment, strain gauges are coupled to battery binding bands that hold cells of the battery together. The strain measured by the gauges may be related to the electrical charge stored by the battery. The method may improve estimates of battery state of charge during conditions when battery voltage changes little and the battery continues to accept charge. | 11-15-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080311438 | FUEL CELL HUMIDITY CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD - A control system for controlling the amount of water in at least one fluid stream that is passed through a fuel cell stack comprises a humidifier arrangement, a sensor and a controller. The humidifier arrangement is operable to humidify the fluid stream. The sensor is disposed downstream of the humidifier arrangement and configured to measure at least one characteristic of the fluid stream. The at least one characteristic of fluid stream is indicative of the amount of water in the fluid stream. The controller is configured to receive a signal from the sensor and to use the signal to determine a difference between an amount of water in the fluid stream and a target amount of water. The controller is operable to control the humidifier arrangement to control the amount of water in the fluid stream based on the difference. | 12-18-2008 |
20090047552 | HUMIDITY GAS CONDITIONER - A system and method for conditioning the temperature of at least one fluid stream that is passed through a fuel cell stack is provided. The system comprises a system module, at least one inlet and a conditioning device. The system module is operable to humidify the fluid stream to a reach a predetermined humidity level that corresponds to a predetermined temperature. The one inlet of the fuel cell stack receives the fluid stream at a first temperature that is different from the predetermined temperature. The fuel cell stack includes at least one outlet operable to present coolant having a temperature that is different from the first temperature of the fluid stream. The conditioning device is operable to receive the fluid stream and the coolant and present the fluid stream to the coolant to change the first temperature of the fluid stream to be equal to the predetermined temperature. | 02-19-2009 |
20090255323 | PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELL HUMIDITY SENSOR - A humidity sensing device for determining the amount of humidity in at least one primary fluid stream that is passed to a fuel cell stack is provided. The sensing device includes an outer housing and an inner housing. The outer housing is positioned within at least one conduit such that the outer housing and the conduit coact with each other to generate at least one secondary fluid stream from the primary fluid stream. The inner housing is positioned within the outer housing such that the inner housing is configured to receive the secondary fluid stream and to measure an amount of water present in the secondary fluid stream to determine the amount of humidity in the primary fluid stream. | 10-15-2009 |
20120171568 | PRISMATIC BATTERY CELL WELDING - A prismatic battery cell is provided. The prismatic battery cell includes a plurality of electrode films conducting electricity in the prismatic battery cell, a terminal welded to the plurality of electrodes, and a buffer film welded to the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of electrodes interposing the terminal and the buffer film. | 07-05-2012 |