Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
  • H01M10/61—Types of temperature control
  • H01M10/613—Cooling or keeping cold
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
  • H01M10/62—Heating or cooling; Temperature control specially adapted for specific applications
  • H01M10/625—Vehicles
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
  • H01M10/64—Heating or cooling; Temperature control characterised by the shape of the cells
  • H01M10/643—Cylindrical cells
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
  • H01M10/65—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells
  • H01M10/655—Solid structures for heat exchange or heat conduction
  • H01M10/6556—Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange
  • H01M10/6557—Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange arranged between the cells
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
  • H01M10/65—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells
  • H01M10/656—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells characterised by the type of heat-exchange fluid
  • H01M10/6561—Gases
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
  • H01M10/65—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells
  • H01M10/656—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells characterised by the type of heat-exchange fluid
  • H01M10/6561—Gases
  • H01M10/6566—Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/50—Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
  • H01M50/502—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing
  • H01M50/503—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/50—Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
  • H01M50/502—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing
  • H01M50/509—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing characterised by the type of connection, e.g. mixed connections
  • H01M50/51—Connection only in series
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/50—Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
  • H01M50/502—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing
  • H01M50/521—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing characterised by the material
  • H01M50/522—Inorganic material
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/42—Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells
  • H01M10/46—Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M2200/00—Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
  • H01M2200/10—Temperature sensitive devices
  • H01M2200/103—Fuse
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/20—Mountings; Secondary casings or frames; Racks, modules or packs; Suspension devices; Shock absorbers; Transport or carrying devices; Holders
  • H01M50/204—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
  • H01M50/207—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells characterised by their shape
  • H01M50/213—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells characterised by their shape adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/50—Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
  • H01M50/502—Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing
  • H01M50/514—Methods for interconnecting adjacent batteries or cells
  • H01M50/517—Methods for interconnecting adjacent batteries or cells by fixing means, e.g. screws, rivets or bolts
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
  • Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
  • Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Definitions

• the invention relates to electrochemical storage batteries. These can for example be used in the field of electric and hybrid transport or embedded systems.
• An electrochemical accumulator usually has a nominal voltage of the following order of magnitude:
• Lithium-ion type batteries are well suited for transport applications by their ability to store a large amount of energy in a low mass.
• iron phosphate batteries offer a high level of intrinsic safety compared to lithium-ion batteries based on cobalt oxide, to the detriment of a slightly lower specific energy.
• lithium-ion batteries also have a minimum voltage below which a battery can be damaged.
• the design involves in particular the choice of the type of accumulator, the choice of a number of accumulator stages connected in series, and the choice of a number of branches connected in parallel.
• the battery manufactured must meet a number of constraints, including mechanical resistance, safety against heating, the appearance of short circuits or the presence of foreign bodies, losses electric as small as possible, a bulk and a cost as low as possible.
• the housing comprises a plurality of parallel cylindrical tubes for receiving the accumulators.
• the tubes make it possible to wedge the accumulators transversely.
• the tubes also isolate the accumulators from each other to prevent the overheating of an accumulator from propagating to adjacent accumulators. Accumulators with less efficient insulating sleeves, or even accumulators without sleeves, can thus be used.
• the housing forms an axial stop at a first end of the tubes.
• the connection between the accumulators is made at a second end of the tubes.
• each accumulator has an electrical connector secured to its first terminal (terminal disposed at the first end of the tube) and extending to the second end of the tube.
• the accumulators are then connected together in a suitable circuit so as to form several stages and branches and to connect a supervision circuit.
• EP1 109237 discloses a battery module including accumulators.
• the accumulators are held between two supports vis-à-vis and having housings receiving the ends of the accumulators.
• the supports are secured by trees and screws.
• At the support one end of the accumulator is pressed against a first face of the support.
• Electrical connectors are arranged against a second face of the support for connecting adjacent accumulators in series.
• a power connector must be implemented to connect two terminals of the modules in series.
• the section of this connection must be important, which is to the detriment of the overall size of the battery.
• housing such a combination of modules is also not optimal in terms of size.
• the invention aims to solve one or more of these disadvantages.
• the invention thus relates to a storage battery comprising:
• first electrochemical accumulators having first and second axial ends at which first and second electrical connection terminals are respectively formed
• second electrochemical accumulators having first and second axial ends at which first and second electrical connection terminals are respectively formed
• each support comprising a plurality of housings and passages arranged between each housing and housing adjacent to it;
• the second support comprising a plurality of housings formed in a first face and a plurality of housings formed in a second face, the housings of the first and second faces being in facing relation and communicating through through bores,
• the first axial end of said first accumulators being placed in a respective housing of the first support, the second axial end of the first accumulators being placed in a respective housing of the second support, the first axial end of said second accumulators being placed in a respective housing of the second face of the second support, the second axial end of said second accumulator being placed in a respective housing of the third support,
• housings being configured to clamp the axial and transverse movements of the accumulators and to keep the accumulators separated by an air gap, each support having lateral walls clamping the transverse movements of the accumulators in the housings, wherein said passages between adjacent housings; are formed by grooves passing through said sidewalls;
• At least one second electrical connector passing through one of said passages of the third support and electrically connecting in series two adjacent accumulators among the second accumulators;
• the first accumulators comprising at least a first stage of accumulators connected electrically in parallel
• the second accumulators comprising at least a second stage of accumulators connected electrically in parallel
• each accumulator of the first stage being connected in series to a second-stage accumulator by a third separate electrical connector through a through bore.
• said supports are devoid of flanges surrounding the middle part of the accumulators.
• the median portions of two adjacent accumulators are only separated by an air gap.
• each support comprises at least one through orifice extending parallel to the accumulators and disposed between the housing of the support so as to open in an air gap between accumulators.
• each support comprises at least one passage extending transversely between a housing and the periphery of the support.
• the first accumulators comprise at least two accumulator stages electrically connected in series, said two stages each comprising at least two accumulators connected electrically in parallel, said first electrical connector being a metal plate connecting in series said stages and connecting in parallel said accumulators of the two stages, said metal plate having a fuse section forming the connection in parallel and passing through said passages between adjacent housing.
• the fuse section is sized to open the electrical connection between two of said accumulators in parallel when one of these accumulators is in short circuit.
• the fuse section is sized to conduct current when one of said accumulators connected in parallel forms an open circuit.
• the battery comprises a charging and load balancing circuit connected to the terminals of each of the stages connected in series.
• the passages between adjacent housings extend substantially to half the thickness of the supports.
• the housing of a support is arranged in the form of a matrix by forming lines and columns.
• each of said first accumulators is connected in series with one of said second accumulators via a third separate electrical connector.
• FIG 1 is a perspective view of a battery according to an embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a view of an external face of an end support of the battery of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is a view of an internal face of the end support illustrated in FIG. 2;
• FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the end support illustrated in FIG. 2;
• FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the end support of FIG. 2;
• FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the battery of FIG. 1 at the level of an end support
• FIG. 7 is a view of a first face of an intermediate support of the battery of FIG. 1;
• FIG 8 is a view of a second face of the intermediate support of Figure 7;
• FIG 9 is a perspective view of the intermediate support of Figure 7.
• FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the intermediate support of FIG. 7;
• FIG 1 1 is a partial cross sectional view of the battery of Figure 1 at an intermediate support
• FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate support of FIG. 7;
• FIG 13 is a cross sectional view of the battery of Figure 1 at the intermediate support
• FIG. 14 diagrammatically represents the electrical connections in the battery of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 15 is a side view schematically showing the arrangement and the connection of the accumulators in the battery of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 16 is a front view schematically showing the arrangement of the accumulators in the battery of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 17 is a front view of a first type of foil providing an electrical connection between accumulators of the battery of FIG. 1;
• FIG 18 is a front view of a second type of foil providing an electrical connection between accumulators of the battery of Figure 1.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of battery 1 according to the invention.
• the battery 1 comprises several electrochemical accumulators 2 having first and second axial ends.
• First and second electrical connection terminals are provided respectively at the first and second axial ends of the accumulators 2.
• the accumulators 2 are advantageously of cylindrical shape and their axes are parallel.
• the accumulators 2 are in this case arranged in rows and columns.
• the battery 1 comprises a load balancing circuit 7 connected to the accumulators 2.
• the circuit 7 is housed in a frame 71 having an opening 72.
• this chassis can be used as a radiator to cool the battery or its components.
• thermal conduction paste on the circuit 7 to create a thermal bridge between this circuit 7 and the frame receiving the battery 1.
• the battery 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises four segments S1 to S4 of accumulators 2 held by five supports.
• the battery 1 comprises first and second supports 400 at its axial ends.
• the first and second supports 400 are electrically insulating.
• the insulating supports 400 are illustrated more specifically in FIGS. 2 to 4.
• the battery 1 furthermore comprises three intermediate supports 450.
• the supports 450 are also electrically insulating.
• the supports 450 are illustrated more precisely in FIGS. 7 to 9.
• the attached shafts 100 secure the assembly of the supports 400 and 450.
• the attached shafts 100 extend over the length of the battery and are held by means of nuts. 101 screwed on the threaded ends of the shafts 100 and coming into contact against the outer faces of the supports 400.
• the supports 400 and 450 are arranged vis-a-vis and are independent mechanical elements.
• the supports 400 comprise a plurality of housings 41 1 intended to receive a respective end of an accumulator 2. Passages 404 and 405 are formed between each housing 41 1 and the housings 41 1. adjacent dwellings.
• FIGS. 7 to 9 show an example of an intermediate support 450 that can be used to form the battery of FIG. 1.
• the intermediate support 450 comprises housings 475 and housing 485 formed vis-à-vis. The openings of these housings are intended to receive the ends of accumulators 2 respective.
• the accumulators of the segments S1 and S4 are thus held between a support 400 and an intermediate support 450, the accumulators of the segments S2 and S3 being held between intermediate supports 450.
• Each accumulator 2 thus extends axially between two supports.
• the accumulators of the segments S1 and S4 each have an axial end placed in a respective housing 41 1 of a support 400 and their other axial end placed in a housing 475 or 485 of an intermediate support 450.
• the accumulators of the segments S2 and S3 each have an axial end placed in a housing 475 of a support 450 and their other axial end placed in a housing 485 of another intermediate support 450.
• Reported shafts 100 solidarize all of the supports 400 and 450, as will be detailed later.
• the reported shafts 100 extend along the axis of the accumulators 2 and allow to exert a holding force between the supports 400 along this axis.
• intermediate supports 450 reinforces the modularity of the design of the battery 1.
• battery components comprising two supports 400
• reported shafts 100 simplifies the design of the battery 1. Indeed, the same support model 400 and the same support model 450 can be used for different battery models, including separate battery lengths. This difference in length can be managed by using separate trees 100 of different lengths for these different models of batteries. Moreover, the use of reported shafts 100 facilitates assembly. Indeed, access to the terminals of the accumulators 2 is available before assembling the supports 400 and 450. Thus, it is possible to make the electrical connection of the terminals of an accumulator at its two ends. It is not necessary to use a wiring that would bring the connection of the two terminals at the same end, which would increase the cost of the battery.
• the housings 41 1, 475 and 485 are configured to clamp the axial and transverse movements of the accumulators 2.
• the accumulators 2, thus held along the different axes by the supports 400 and 450, are separated by an interval of air 102.
• Such a air gap 102 avoids the formation of thermal bridges between the accumulators 2, which could lead to a chain destruction during the failure of one of them.
• Such an air gap 102 forms an excellent thermal and electrical insulator and makes it possible to use accumulators 2 having an insulating sleeve of lesser resistance or to use accumulators without an insulating sleeve.
• the air gap 102 formed between the accumulators 2 may for example have a thickness of between 1 and 4 mm. As is more specifically illustrated in FIGS.
• each recess 41 1 has a bottom wall 406 forming an axial abutment for an accumulator 2.
• the wall 406 has a bore 402 in its middle part.
• the bores 402 make it possible to provide access to the connection terminals of the accumulators 2.
• the bores 402 make it possible, in particular, to have protective insulating caps on the fixing screws 103 that plumb the electrical connectors 300 onto the connection terminals 201.
• Each housing 41 1 also has side walls 410 which clamp the transverse movements of the accumulators 2.
• the supports 400 have through bores 401. These bores 401 are intended to be traversed by the mounted shafts 100. These through bores 401 are advantageously arranged at the periphery of the support 400.
• the supports 400 also comprise through bores 403 extending axially and arranged next to the housings 41 1.
• the bores 403 allow an axial flow of air between the accumulators 2 optimizing their cooling.
• the bores 403 particularly favor the cooling of the accumulators 2 placed in the heart of the battery 1 and which intrinsically have less cooling compared to the accumulators 2 arranged at the periphery.
• FIGS. 5 and 6 are sectional views of constructive details of a support 400, respectively in the absence and in the presence of accumulators 2.
• an electrical connector 300 is attached to a connection terminal 201 of a battery 2.
• a screw 103 is screwed into the connection terminal 201 and plates the electrical connector 300 against the connection terminal 201.
• the electrical connector 300 extends through the passages 404 of the same line to connect the terminals 201 of the accumulators 2 arranged along the same line.
• the accumulators of this line are connected in parallel.
• the same support 400 will form batteries 1 having configurations very different electrical connection, since it can accommodate electrical connectors of very different configurations.
• the supports 400 will allow for example to connect all the accumulators 2 of a segment in parallel or to perform several stages in series in a segment, depending on the configuration of the connectors 300.
• the walls 410 are perforated at the housing level
• passages 407 are formed at the periphery of the support 400 and allow a transverse air flow optimizing the cooling of the terminals of the accumulators 2.
• the supports 400 have a groove 412 formed at their periphery.
• the supports 400 also have grooves 408 formed at their periphery and extending in a transverse plane between the groove 412 and orifices (not referenced) opening into housings 41 1.
• the combination of the groove 412, the grooves 408 and these orifices makes it possible to make electrical connections between the connectors 300 and the outside, for example to carry out voltage measurements or temperature measurements. These electrical connections can be made by means of conductive wires housed in the grooves 408 and opening into the groove 412.
• the supports 400 have threaded bores 409 at their periphery. These threaded bores 409 make it possible to fix the battery 1 on a frame, for example on a chassis of a motor vehicle. The threaded bores 409 may also be used during assembly of the battery 1 for ease of handling.
• the supports 400 are identical, which reduces the number of component references needed to build a battery.
• the housings 41 1 are arranged in a matrix form forming rows and columns, which makes it possible to optimize the compactness of the battery 1 for a given number of accumulators 2.
• the housings 41 1 of the same line are connected by passages 404.
• the housings 41 1 of the same column are connected by passages 405.
• the passages 404 and 405 are sufficiently deep so that an electrical connector is well protected from external aggression.
• the passages 404 and 405 may have a depth approximately equal to half the thickness of the support 400, so that the electrical connectors are maintained in the heart of the support 400. Deep passages 404 and 405 also make it possible to house a connector.
• power supply such as a current collector parallel to the end of the battery 1.
• the passages 404 and 405 are formed of grooves open towards the inner face of the support 400, in order to facilitate the installation of the electrical connectors between the terminals of the accumulators 2.
• the passages 404 and 405 may have a width at least equal to half the diameter of a housing 41 1, so that these passages can be crossed either by power connectors (serial connection) or by connectors balancing and protection (parallel connection).
• Figures 12 and 13 are sectional views of constructive details of a support 450. As shown in Figure 10, a housing 475 and a housing 485 vis-à-vis are separated by a wall 480 of the support 450. wall 480 has a through bore 452 formed in its middle part. The bores 452 make it possible to make an electrical connection between two adjacent segments of the battery 1.
• An intermediate support 450 has a first face in which the housings 475 are formed.
• the wall 480 delimits an axial abutment 456 in the bottom of a housing 475.
• This axial abutment 456 makes it possible to clamp the axial movements of an accumulator, one end of which is housed in the housing 475.
• Each housing 475 also has sidewalls 460 clamping transverse movements of accumulators 2.
• Passages 454 and 455 are provided between each housing 475 and the dwellings adjacent thereto. Due to the presence of passages 454 and 455 between a housing 475 and each of the adjacent housings, different electrical connection configurations can be made at the supports 450. Thus, the same support 450 will form batteries 1 having different configurations. very different electrical connection, since it can accommodate electrical connectors between the accumulators 2 very different configurations.
• the passages 454 and 455 are deep enough for an electrical connector to be well protected from external aggressions.
• the passages 454 and 455 may have a depth approximately equal to half the thickness of the support 450, so that the electrical connectors are maintained in the heart of the support 450.
• the passages 454 and 455 may have a width at less than half the diameter of a housing 475 or 485, so that these passages can be crossed either by power connectors (series connection) or by balancing and protection connectors (parallel connection) .
• the passages 454 and 455 are formed of grooves open towards the inside face of the support 450, in order to facilitate the installation of the electrical connectors between the terminals of the accumulators 2.
• the intermediate support 450 has a second face in which the housing 485 are formed.
• the wall 480 delimits an axial abutment 466 in the bottom of a housing 485.
• This axial abutment 466 makes it possible to clamp the axial movements of an accumulator, one end of which is housed in the housing 485.
• Each housing 485 also has side walls 470 clamping transverse movements of accumulators 2.
• the axial abutments 456 and 466 are advantageously inclined with respect to the transverse plane of the support 450, in order to adapt more easily to geometrical dispersions of the accumulators 2, in particular on the dispersions between the axial bearing surface of the accumulator 2 and a connection terminal 201.
• Figure 1 1 is a sectional view illustrating the electrical connection between two accumulators 2 belonging to two adjacent segments, for example S1 and S2.
• Two accumulators 2 whose ends are respectively housed in a housing 475 and in a housing 485 of the intermediate support 450, are aligned.
• the terminal 202 of one accumulator 2 is connected to the terminal 201 of the other accumulator 2 by means of a screw 340.
• the screw 340 has a shoulder coming into contact on the one hand with the terminal 202 and on the other hand with a connector 300.
• the screw 340 keeps the connector 300 in contact with the terminal 201 to optimize the current flow section.
• the body of the screw 340 provides an optimized current flow section between the terminal 201 and the terminal 202.
• the shoulder of the screw 340 in contact with the terminal 202 also makes it possible to optimize the current flow section.
• Such an electrical connection by screw 340 also makes it possible to reduce the weight of the connections by conducting the current directly from one accumulator to another.
• the connector 300 passes through the passage 454 to connect the connector 201 to the connector 201 of an adjacent accumulator.
• the supports 450 have through bores 451. These bores 451 are intended to be traversed by the mounted shafts 100. These through bores 451 are advantageously arranged at the periphery of the support 450.
• the supports 450 also comprise throughbore holes 453 extending axially and arranged between housings 475 or 485.
• the bores 453 allow axial air flow between the accumulators 2, optimizing their cooling.
• the bores 453 particularly favor the cooling of the accumulators 2 placed in the heart of the battery 1 and which intrinsically have less cooling compared to the accumulators 2 arranged at the periphery.
• the walls 460 are perforated at the housings 475 at the periphery of the support 450.
• passages 457 are formed at the periphery of the support 450 and allow a transverse air flow optimizing the cooling of the terminals of the accumulators 2.
• the walls 470 are perforated at the housing 485 at the periphery of the support 450.
• passages 467 are formed at the periphery of the support 450 and allow a transverse air flow optimizing the cooling of the terminals of the accumulators 2.
• passages 474 are formed between adjacent housing 485. These passages 474 are aligned with passages 467 and thus make it possible to produce a transverse air flow through the support 450 to optimize the cooling of the terminal connections of the accumulators 2.
• the housings 475 and 485 are arranged in rows and columns in a matrix.
• the housings 475 and 485 and the bores 451 and 453 of an intermediate support 450 have the same transverse positioning as the housings 41 1 and the bores 401 and 403 of an end support 400.
• Bores 464 extend transversely between bores 452 and an edge of support 450. Bores 464 traverse transversely through walls 480 and open into grooves 458 formed at the periphery of support 458. Grooves 458 extend from a bore 464. respective to a groove 462. The groove 462 extends axially on an edge of the plate 450.
• the combination of the groove 462, the grooves 458 and the bores 464 makes it possible to make electrical connections between the connectors 300 and the circuit 7, for example to carry out voltage measurements or temperature measurements. These electrical connections can be made by means of conductive wires housed in the grooves 458 and opening into the groove 462.
• the intermediate support 450 further has a bore 463 extending transversely for communicating a bore 453 with an edge of the support 450.
• This bore 463 opens into a groove 461.
• the groove 461 extends on a peripheral wall of the support 450 between the groove 462 and the bore 463.
• the bore 463 is traversed by a wire 105.
• This wire 105 passes through a bore 453 to reach the air gap 102 between two accumulators 2.
• This wire 105 is connected on the one hand to a temperature sensor 107 and on the other hand to the circuit 7.
• the temperature sensor 107 is held in contact with a battery 2 by via a glue chip 106.
• the intermediate support 450 has threaded bores 459 on its periphery for fixing the battery on a chassis or the attachment of the circuit 7 to the support 450.
• the battery 1 is advantageously devoid of peripheral flange integral with one of the supports 400 or 450.
• the supports 400 and 450 can easily be manufactured by molding without requiring complex shape.
• these supports 400 and 450 can be used for a large number of separate batteries, reducing the design and manufacturing time of each new battery model.
• the use of reported shafts 100 makes it possible to release at the maximum the middle section of the accumulators 2 between the supports 400 and the supports 450. The cooling of the accumulators is then optimized.
• the adjacent accumulators 2 disposed between supports 400 or 450 are separated only by the air gap 102 and no wall of material is interposed between these accumulators.
• the circulation of air between the accumulators 2 is favored, which optimizes the cooling of the battery 1.
• the weight and the size of the battery 1 can be reduced.
• FIG 14 shows the electrical connections in a battery 1 according to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention.
• the battery 1 has a positive terminal P and a negative terminal N.
• the accumulators 2 of the battery 1 are arranged in five branches Br1 to Br5. An index j will then correspond to the branch ⁇ .
• Each branch ⁇ comprises twelve accumulators E connected in series.
• Branch ⁇ includes accumulators E ⁇ , E 2 , i, E 3 , i, E 4 and E 5 .
• An index i will subsequently correspond to a stage And, including five accumulators respectively belonging to each of the branches.
• a breaker is generally designated by an electrical protection switch to prevent or limit very strongly (for example by a factor of 100) the passage of the electric current and making this interruption in case of overload in order to protect the components to which it is connected.
• the sizing of the circuit breakers of the illustrated example will be detailed later.
• the EI accumulators of the first stage Eti are connected in parallel.
• the EI accumulators are connected by their positive terminal to the P terminal of the battery 1.
• the connection of these positive terminals to the terminal P is advantageously carried out by connectors of large section, such as a metal collector bar 330 (detailed later) because this connection has a function of collecting the parallel currents of the different branches.
• the negative terminals of the accumulators EI of the first stage Eti are connected together via circuit breakers.
• the circuit breaker D 2, i connects the negative terminal of the accumulator E i, i to the negative terminal of the accumulator
• the accumulators E 2 j of the second stage Et 2 are also connected in parallel. Accumulators of the same stage i are in practice connected in parallel. For each of the intermediate stages, the positive terminals of the accumulators of the same stage are connected together via circuit breakers and their negative terminals are also connected together via circuit breakers.
• each circuit breaker is used for a parallel connection for two adjacent stages (two stages sharing connection nodes).
• the circuit breaker D 2, i is used to connect in parallel the accumulators E 1 and E 1 , 2 but also to connect the accumulators E 2 , i and E 2 , 2 in parallel.
• connection of the negative terminals of the last stage (not shown) to the terminal N is advantageously carried out by connectors of large section, such as a collector metal bar 330.
• the charging and load balancing circuit 7 is connected to the terminals of each of the stages. Those skilled in the art will determine a suitable circuit 7 for balancing the voltages of the accumulators of each stage and manage the charge of each of the accumulators.
• the current flowing through an accumulator E, j is denoted li.
• the current flowing through a circuit breaker D, j is denoted lt, j.
• the voltage across a stage i is noted Ui.
• the current exchanged by the positive terminals of a stage i with the charging and balancing circuit 7 is denoted leq ⁇ .
• Preferred lithium-ion-type accumulators 2 based on iron phosphate, for their resistance to overvoltages and for the great operational safety provided.
• the circuit-breakers have a cutoff threshold lower than the maximum charge or discharge current tolerated for a battery.
• the breaking threshold of the circuit breakers is sized to conduct current when one of said accumulators forms an open circuit.
• the battery 1 comprises twelve stages connected in series. Each stage comprises five accumulators 2 connected in parallel. The battery 1 thus comprises five branches connected in parallel.
• the accumulators 2 are arranged in three superimposed layers C1, C2 and C3, four segments S1, S2, S3 and S4 aligned and five columns Co1 to Co5 contiguous.
• At least two stages belonging to adjacent segments are connected in series.
• the accumulators of these series connected stages are connected by separate electrical connectors.
• each accumulator of the segment S4 and of the layer C1 is connected by a threaded screw 340 specific to an accumulator of the segment S3 and of the layer C1.
• each accumulator of a segment is connected in series by a separate electrical connector to an accumulator of an adjacent segment.
• each accumulator of a layer is connected to the accumulator of the same layer but of an adjacent segment by means of a threaded screw 340 which is its own.
• metal foils 310 and 320 provide the electrical connection in series between two adjacent stages. Metal foils 310 and 320 also provide the electrical connection in parallel of the different branches. Metal bars 330 form power collectors at each end of the battery 1.
• the metal foils 310 are intended to connect two stages in series at an end support 400.
• the foils 310 have elongate sections 31 1 enabling two stages to be connected in series arranged in layers stacked on the battery 1.
• Each accumulator is connected in series by a separate elongated section 31 1 to an accumulator of the other stage.
• the resistances induced in the series connection of the stages in the same segment are thus limited, while benefiting from an optimal distribution of the current between the accumulators of the same stage. It also avoids the use of a current collection component having a large footprint due to a large section.
• the elongated sections 31 1 are interconnected by fusible sections 312.
• the fusible sections 312 have a reduced width.
• Bores 313 are provided at the ends of the elongate sections to allow the passage of the connecting screws 601. The series current between two stages is conducted through the elongated sections 31 1.
• the metallic foils 320 an example of which is illustrated in FIG.
• the foils 320 have contact plates 321 for connecting two stages in series arranged in the same layer of the battery 1.
• the contact plates 321 are interconnected by fusible sections 322.
• the fusible sections 322 are obtained having a reduced width.
• Bores 323 are provided in the contact plates 321 to allow passage of the threaded connection screws 340.
• the series current between two stages is conducted through the thickness of the contact plates 321.
• the foil 310 has a thickness of 0.1 mm, and is made of copper. It follows that a width of 1 mm fuse sections 312 and 322 meets these conditions of fusion.
• a Li-ion accumulator 2 having the ability to provide a current of 60 A continuously and having an internal resistance between 5 and 15 ⁇ is used.
• a maximum resistance of 0.5 ⁇ can be set across the elongate section 31 1.
• the foil 310 has a thickness of 0.1 mm, is made of copper and has a distance of 45 mm between the bores 313 of an elongate section 31 1, the following relation allows to deduce that an elongated section 31 1 having a width of 16 mm satisfies the maximum fixed resistance threshold:
• R being the resistance of the elongated section 31 1
• L the distance between the bores 313, p the resistivity of the copper and S the passage section of the elongate section 31 1.
• the metal foils 310 and 320 can easily be made by die cutting of metal foils, for example copper or aluminum foils.
• foils 310 and 320 are particularly advantageous since it limits the number of welds to be made in a battery 1 comprising a very large number of accumulators 2.
• the battery 1 can be made at a cost relatively small with high reliability of electrical connections.
• Such a foil can be made at a very low cost and can limit the number of electrical connection parts between the different floors and the different branches of the battery 1.
• foils for connecting two accumulator stages in series and for connecting the different branches in parallel has been described, it is also conceivable to form these connections by any other appropriate means. In particular, it is possible to envisage making these connections by using printed circuits passing through the passages between the housings or by using metal tracks reported on the supports 400 and 450.
• the various characteristics favoring the cooling of the accumulators 2 in the heart of the battery 1 make it possible to reduce the temperature difference between the different accumulators 2.
• the electrical properties of the different accumulators 2 are more homogeneous, which makes it possible to reduce the differences in charge and discharge between the different accumulators 2 and thus increase the effective capacity of the battery 1. In addition, it also reduces the differences in life between the different accumulators.
• These characteristics are particularly advantageous for batteries comprising at least three segments, three columns and three layers, at least one accumulator 2 then being enclosed between other accumulators 2.
• an insulating material suitable for constituting the supports 400 and 450 In addition to its electrical insulation properties, such a material must have a modulus of elasticity and a coefficient of thermal expansion compatible with the stresses induced by the battery 1: to support the accumulators 2 with reduced deformations, to present a limited deformation during a heating or to support the forces applied by the reported shafts 100.
• the supports 400 and 450 may for example be made of PEEK (for polyetheretherketone) or in PPS (for Polyfensulfide) belonging to the flammability class V0.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
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• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Connection Of Batteries Or Terminals (AREA)
• Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
• Secondary Cells (AREA)

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• 2010
  • 2010-07-29 FR FR1056280A patent/FR2963485B1/fr active Active
• 2011
  • 2011-07-25 JP JP2013521098A patent/JP2013532890A/ja active Pending
  • 2011-07-25 WO PCT/EP2011/062769 patent/WO2012013641A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2011-07-25 CN CN201180037093XA patent/CN103038916A/zh active Pending
  • 2011-07-25 EP EP11737947.9A patent/EP2599143A1/de not_active Withdrawn
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