Battery cell carrier

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed at a cell carrier, a stack that includes multiple cell carriers, and a method for assembling the stack. The cell carrier has a rigid backing and bus bar supports that are rigidly mounted to the rigid backing. The bus bar supports have sockets positioned to receive fasteners for securing bus bars to the bus bar supports. A battery cell that has electrodes in the form of pliable tabs can be secured to the cell carrier by, for example, adhering the cell body to the rigid backing. The cell tabs are secured between the bus bars and the bus bar supports when bus bars are fastened to the bus bar supports, and the rigidly mounted supports help prevent relative motion between the cell body and tabs. This helps prevent the cell tabs from ripping or tearing when the battery cell is subjected to vibrations during use.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A cell carrier, comprising:
 (a) a rigid backing; and   (b) bus bar supports rigidly mounted to the rigid backing, the bus bar supports having sockets positioned to receive fasteners for securing bus bars to the bar supports.   
     
     
         2 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising a raised edge coupled to the rigid backing, the rigid backing and the raised edge delimiting a compartment for receiving a cell. 
     
     
         3 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the raised edge comprises the bus bar supports. 
     
     
         4 . A cell carrier as claimed  claim 2  wherein the raised edge is coupled continuously along its length to the rigid backing. 
     
     
         5 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the raised edge is coupled intermittently along its length to the rigid backing. 
     
     
         6 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 4  further comprising a vent between the rigid backing and a side of the raised edge that extends parallel to the side of the raised edge. 
     
     
         7 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising an alignment guide coupled to the rigid backing, the alignment guide comprising one of a protrusion and recess on a front side of the carrier against which the cell is to be placed and the other of the protrusion and recess on a rear side of the carrier opposed to the front side, the protrusion and recess matably couplable to each other and positioned such that in a stack comprising multiple cell carriers the protrusion from one of the cell carriers in the stack is fitted within the recess of an adjacent one of the cell carriers in the stack, wherein the protrusion and recess are shaped such that an interference fit results when the protrusion is inserted into the recess. 
     
     
         8 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising an alignment guide coupled to the rigid backing, the alignment guide comprising a protrusion and a recess (“front side protrusion and recess”) on a front side of the carrier against which the cell is to be placed and an additional protrusion and an additional recess (“rear side protrusion and recess”) on a rear side of the carrier opposed to the front side, the front side protrusion and recess respectively matably couplable to the rear side recess and protrusion such that in a stack comprising multiple cell carriers the front and rear side protrusions of one of the cell carriers in the stack are respectively fitted within the rear and front side recesses of an adjacent one of the cell carriers in the stack. 
     
     
         9 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the protrusions and recesses are shaped such that an interference fit results when the front side protrusion is inserted into the rear side recess and when the rear side protrusion is inserted into the front side recess. 
     
     
         10 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 9  wherein at least one of the recesses and protrusions comprises ridges positioned to enhance the interference fit. 
     
     
         11 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 9  further comprising a raised edge coupled to the rigid backing, the rigid backing and the raised edge delimiting a compartment for receiving a cell, and wherein the front and rear side protrusions and recesses comprise part of the raised edge. 
     
     
         12 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 11  further comprising a slot positioned to allow the raised edge to flex into the slot when the front side protrusion and recess are respectively matably coupled to the rear side recess and protrusion of the adjacent one of the cell carriers in the stack. 
     
     
         13 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the front side protrusion and rear side protrusion each comprises a series of spaced protrusions, and wherein the front side recess and the rear side recess each comprises a series of spaced recesses. 
     
     
         14 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the alignment guide further comprises an orientation guide comprising orientation protrusions and orientation recesses positioned to allow one of the cell carriers in the stack to be fitted to the adjacent one of the cell carriers in the stack in only one orientation. 
     
     
         15 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the orientation protrusions comprise a pair of front side orientation protrusions located on diagonally opposed corners of the front side and a pair of rear side orientation protrusions located on diagonally opposed corners of the rear side, and wherein the orientation recesses comprise a pair of front side orientation recesses located on diagonally opposed corners of the front side and a pair of rear side orientation recesses located on diagonally opposed corners of the rear side. 
     
     
         16 . A cell carrier as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising a dowel hole positioned such that in a stack comprising multiple cell carriers the dowel holes of the cell carriers in the stack align to form a dowel channel extending through the stack. 
     
     
         17 . A stack, comprising:
 (a) battery cells comprising tabs; and   (b) multiple cell carriers attached together, each of the cell carriers comprising:
 (i) a rigid backing to which one of the battery cells is adhered; 
 (ii) bus bar supports rigidly mounted to the rigid backing, the bus bar supports having sockets positioned to receive fasteners for securing bus bars to the bar supports; and 
 (iii) an alignment guide coupled to the rigid backing, the alignment guide comprising one of a protrusion and recess on a front side of the carrier against which the cell is to be placed and the other of the protrusion and recess on a rear side of the carrier opposed to the front side, the protrusion and recess matably couplable to each other and positioned such that in a stack comprising multiple cell carriers the protrusion from one of the cell carriers in the stack forms an interference fit with the recess of an adjacent one of the cell carriers in the stack. 
   
     
     
         18 . A stack as claimed in  claim 17  further comprising heat conductive sheets, each of which contacts one of the cells and has a portion contained within the stack that is coplanar with the rigid backing of the compartment in which the one of the cells is located, the heat conductive sheets extending out of the stack. 
     
     
         19 . A stack as claimed in  claim 18  wherein at least one of the cell carriers further comprises a vent between the rigid backing and a side of the raised edge that extends parallel to the side of the raised edge, wherein at least one of the heat conductive sheets extends out through the vent. 
     
     
         20 . A stack as claimed in  claim 17  wherein one of the cells is contacted on one side by one of the heat conductive sheets and is contacted on an opposing side by another of the heat conductive sheets. 
     
     
         21 . A stack as claimed in  claim 17  wherein each of the cell carriers further comprises a dowel hole positioned such that the dowel holes align to form a dowel channel extending through the stack when the stack is assembled, and further comprising a dowel extending through the dowel channel and a clamp located at the end of the dowel that secures the cell carriers together. 
     
     
         22 . A method for assembling a stack, the method comprising:
 (a) assembling multiple cell carrier assemblies, each of the cell carrier assemblies comprising:
 (i) a battery cell comprising tabs; and 
 (ii) a cell carrier, comprising:
 (1) a rigid backing to which the cell is adhered; 
 (2) bus bar supports rigidly mounted to the rigid backing, the bus bar supports having sockets positioned to receive fasteners for securing bus bars to the bar supports; and 
 (3) an alignment guide coupled to the rigid backing, the alignment guide comprising one of a protrusion or recess on a front side of the carrier against which the cell is to be placed and the other of the protrusion or recess on a rear side of the carrier opposed to the front side, the protrusion and recess matably couplable to each other and positioned such that in the stack comprising multiple cell carriers the protrusion from one of the cell carriers in the stack forms an interference fit with the recess of an adjacent one of the cell carriers in the stack; and 
 (4) a dowel hole positioned such that the dowel holes of the cell carriers in the stack align to form a dowel channel extending through the stack; 
 
   (b) aligning the cell carrier assemblies together;   (c) inserting a dowel through the dowel channel; and   (d) securing the stack in place by clamping the stack along the dowel.   
     
     
         23 . A method as claimed in  claim 22  wherein assembling each of the cell carrier assemblies further comprises laying a heat conductive sheet against the cell, wherein the heat conductive sheet extends out of the stack when the stack is assembled.