# US 12,015,176 B2 · Battery module including a housing with integrated bus bar > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,176 B2 - Document ID: US12015176B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/771,270 - Filed: 2018-11-14 - Published: 2020-12-03 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2018-01-24 - Assignees: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Helmut Rath; Matthias Pucher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015176B2 ## CPC - H01M 50/529: Intercell connections through partitions, e.g. in a battery casing - H01M 10/613: Cooling or keeping cold - H01M 10/625: Vehicles - H01M 10/647: Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells - H01M 10/653: characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials - H01M 10/6551: Surfaces specially adapted for heat dissipation or radiation, e.g. fins or coatings - H01M 10/6554: Rods or plates - H01M 50/503: characterised by the shape of the interconnectors - H01M 50/505: comprising a single busbar - H01M 50/516: by welding, soldering or brazing - H01M 50/522: Inorganic material - H01R 11/288: {Interconnections between batteries} - H01M 50/209: adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) - H01M 50/227: Organic material - H01M 50/55: on the same side of the cell - H01M 50/553: Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells - H01M 50/566: by welding, soldering or brazing - H01M 50/567: by fixing means, e.g. screws, rivets or bolts - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract The present invention refers to a battery module comprising a plurality of battery cells, each battery cell including a first terminal and a second terminal spaced apart and electrically isolated from one another, a housing including an upper housing part and a lower housing part assembled together to completely surround the plurality of battery cells, and a plurality of bus bars integrated in the upper housing part, wherein each of the plurality of bus bars is connected to one of the first and second terminals of at least two battery cells. The present invention further refers to a method of manufacturing the battery module, which is fast and easy and has a high tolerance for fluctuations in the battery cells height. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A battery module, comprising: a plurality of battery cells, each of the plurality of battery cells including a bottom side and a top side opposite to each other, the top side having a first terminal and a second terminal spaced apart and electrically isolated from one another; a housing including an upper housing part and a lower housing part assembled together to enclose the plurality of battery cells, the bottom side of each of the plurality of battery cells facing the lower housing part, and the top side of each of the plurality of battery cells facing the upper housing part; and a plurality of bus bars embedded inside the upper housing part and electrically connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of battery cells, a top portion of the upper housing part being a single and integral structure that continuously and integrally surrounds and covers an entirety of each of the plurality of bus bars, wherein each of the plurality of bus bars is connected to one of the first and second terminals of at least two of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the top portion includes penetrating openings at least partially exposing the plurality of bus bars, and wherein the first terminal and the second terminal of each of the plurality of battery cells are contacted with bus bars exposed by the penetrating openings and are welded to each other. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein: the upper housing part has a shape of a rectangular hexahedron including four side portions extending from four edges of the top portion, and the top side of each of the plurality of battery cells faces the top portion of the upper housing part, the plurality of bus bars being embedded inside the top portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The battery module of claim 2, wherein the upper housing part further includes partition walls separating the plurality of battery cells inside the battery module. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, further comprising: a heat exchange member between the plurality of battery cells and the lower housing part, the heat exchange member to cool down the plurality of battery cells; and a thermally conductive layer between the plurality of battery cells and the heat exchange member, the thermally conductive layer to ensure a thermal contact between the plurality of battery cells and the heat exchange member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bus bars are metallic plates embedded in the upper housing part, the upper housing part covering surfaces of the plurality of bus bars that face away from the plurality of battery cells. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A vehicle including a battery module according to claim 1. ### Claim 7 A method of manufacturing a battery module, the method comprising: providing an upper housing part with embedded bus bars therein, the upper housing part having a shape of a rectangular hexahedron with an open side, a top portion of the upper housing part being a single and integral structure that continuously and integrally surrounds and covers an entirety of each of the plurality of bus bars, and the top portion including penetrating openings at least partially exposing the plurality of bus bars; inserting a plurality of battery cells into the upper housing part through the open side so that first and second terminals of each of the plurality of battery cells extend downwards to contact the bus bars, each of the plurality of battery cells including a bottom side and a top side opposite to each other, the top side having a first terminal and a second terminal spaced apart and electrically isolated from one another, and each of the bus bars exposed by the penetrating openings being connected to one of the first and second terminals of at least two of the battery cells to electrically connect adjacent ones of the plurality of battery cells; and assembling a lower housing part on the upper housing part to form a housing enclosing the plurality of battery cells, such that the bottom side of each of the plurality of battery cells faces the lower housing part, and the top side of each of the plurality of battery cells faces the upper housing part. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein: the upper housing part includes four side portions extending from four edges of the top portion, and the bus bars are embedded in the top portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the upper housing part is formed by injection molding a plastic material, and wherein the bus bars are metallic plates embedded in the upper housing part. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the bus bars are welded to corresponding first and second terminals of the plurality of battery cells through the openings. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: providing a heat exchange member for cooling the plurality of battery cells on a first surface of the lower housing part before assembling the lower housing part to the upper housing part; and assembling the lower housing part on the upper housing part so that the heat exchange member faces the plurality of battery cells. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: providing a thermally conductive layer on the heat exchange member after inserting the plurality of battery cells into the upper housing part and before assembling the lower housing part to the upper housing part. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of bus bars includes a first surface and a second surface opposite each other, the first surface facing and directly contacting the upper housing part, and the second surface facing and directly contacting one of the first and second terminals. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The battery module of claim 2, wherein the top portion of the upper housing part covers at least first surfaces of the plurality of bus bars that face away from the plurality of battery cells, each of the plurality of bus bars being between one of the first and second terminals and a surface of the top portion that faces the plurality of battery cells. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The battery module of claim 14, wherein: the top portion of the upper housing part further covers side surfaces of the plurality of bus bars, the side surfaces extending directly from the first surfaces, and the surface of the top portion of the upper housing part that faces the plurality of battery cells is coplanar with surfaces of the plurality of bus bars that face the plurality of battery cells. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The battery module of claim 1, wherein an entire bottom surface of each of the plurality of bus bars that faces the plurality of battery cells is flat, the entire bottom surface of each of the plurality of bus bars being coplanar with a surface of the top portion of the upper housing part facing the plurality of bus bars.