Busbar assemblies for joining battery cells of traction battery packs
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsGuangchun Quan, Yuyuan Wang, Paul John Bojanowski, Brian Utley, Michael Orr, Yinong Shen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Busbars are provided for electrically connecting battery cells within a traction battery pack. An exemplary busbar may include features for locating and positioning a tab terminal of a battery cell. For example, the busbar may include a slot and a bent portion. The tab terminal may be received within the slot such that at least a portion of the tab terminal is positioned on an opposite side of the busbar from a housing of the battery cell. The tab terminal may be secured (e.g., welded) to the bent portion at a section of the busbar that is exposed within the slot.
Claims10
A traction battery pack, comprising:
- a busbar including a slot and a bent portion;
- a busbar frame secured to the busbar;
- a battery cell including a housing and a tab terminal extending from the housing;
- wherein the tab terminal is received within the slot such that at least a portion of the tab terminal is positioned on an opposite side of the busbar from the housing and is positioned against an upper surface of the bent portion;
- and
- the busbar frame includes an elastic guide comprising a flexible clip-like feature having a curved body configured to resiliently urge the tab terminal into the slot and bias the tab terminal against the upper surface of the bent portion.
A traction battery pack, comprising:
- a busbar module including a busbar and a busbar frame secured to the busbar;
- the busbar including a first slot and a first bent portion;
- a first battery cell including a first tab terminal that extends through the first slot;
- the busbar frame including an elastic guide that contacts an upper surface of the first tab terminal to urge the first tab terminal into the first slot and a support surface that contacts a lower surface of the first tab terminal to support the first tab terminal as it is urged into the first slot via the elastic guide;
- and
- a weld that secures the first tab terminal to the first bent portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.