Bus bar welding solutions for traction battery packs
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMarc Dugas, Robert C. Keeton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Bus bar welding solutions are disclosed for electrically connecting bus bars to battery cell terminals within a battery system. An exemplary method may include performing weld repair operations. The weld repair operations may include creating a repair weld bead at a weld repair zone of the bus bar. The weld repair zone may include an area of the bus bar that is covered by a pressing device during a pressing operation and a primary welding operation of the method.
Claims17
A method of assembling a traction battery pack, comprising:
- performing a primary welding operation on a bus bar of a battery system of the traction battery pack,
- wherein, during the primary welding operation, a primary weld bead is formed on the bus bar;
- performing a secondary welding operation on the bus bar,
- wherein, during the secondary welding operation, a repair weld bead is formed within a weld repair zone of the bus bar,
- wherein the primary weld bead and the repair weld bead do not overlap and are formed at different locations of the bus bar;
- and
- prior to performing the primary welding operation and the secondary welding operation, pressing the bus bar against a terminal of a battery cell of the battery system,
- wherein, during the primary welding operation, a pressing device for performing the pressing is positioned to cover the weld repair zone of the bus bar.
A method for assembling a traction battery pack, comprising:
- pressing a bus bar against a terminal of a battery cell;
- forming a primary weld bead for joining the bus bar to the terminal;
- testing the primary weld bead;
- and
- when the primary weld bead does not pass the testing, forming a repair weld bead adjacent to the primary weld bead,
- wherein the repair weld bead is formed at a weld repair zone of the bus bar that is covered by a pressing tool when forming the primary weld bead.
A method for assembling a traction battery pack, comprising:
- applying a pressing force to press a bus bar against a terminal of a battery cell;
- while maintaining the pressing force, forming a primary weld bead for joining the bus bar to the terminal;
- removing the pressing force after completing the primary weld bead to expose a weld repair zone of the bus bar;
- forming a repair weld bead at the weld repair zone,
- wherein, after forming both the primary weld bead and the repair weld bead, the primary weld bead at least partially surrounds the repair weld bead;
- prior to applying the pressing force, positioning the battery cell within a cell-compressing opening of an enclosure tray of the traction battery pack;
- and
- positioning the enclosure tray on a flat surface of an assembly pallet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.