Clamp Configured for Compressing a Section of a Battery Module
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsRobert J. Scheuerman, Rick F. Rourke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A clamp is configured for compressing a section of a battery module. The clamp includes a body, an arm, a first jaw, and a second jaw. The first jaw is operatively connected to the body. The arm is operatively connected to the body. The second jaw is operatively connected to the arm. Each jaw is configured to engage opposing ends of the battery module. The arm is slidably attached to the body to allow linear movement of the arm relative to the body along an axis. The second jaw moves with the arm a clamping distance between an extended position, for releasing the section of the battery module, and a compressed position, for holding the section of the battery module in compression between the jaws.
Claims15
A clamp configured for compressing a section of a battery module, said clamp comprising:
- a body;
- a first jaw operatively connected to said body;
- an arm operatively connected to said body;
- a second jaw operatively connected to said arm;
- wherein each of said jaws are configured for engaging opposing ends of the section of the battery module;
- wherein said arm is slidably attached to said body to allow linear movement of said arm relative to said body along an axis;
- wherein said second jaw moves with said arm a clamping distance between an extended position, for releasing the section of the battery module, and a compressed position, for holding the section of the battery module in compression between said jaws.
A method of operating a clamp to compress a section of a battery module to a desired compression load, said method comprising:
- aligning a pair of opposing jaws of a clamp with opposing ends of the section of the battery module when the clamp is in an extended position;
- moving the opposing jaws of the clamp from an extended position to a compressed position such that the opposing jaws move linearly toward one another along an axis to hold the section of the battery module in compression to the desired compression load.
A method of preparing a battery module to remove one of a plurality of sections of a battery module, said method comprising:
- providing a pair of clamps that correspond to a pair of corresponding sides for each of the plurality of sections;
- aligning a pair of opposing jaws of each clamp with opposing ends of one of the sides of the respective section of the battery module when the clamp is in an extended position;
- moving the opposing jaws of each of the clamps from the extended position to a compressed position such that the opposing jaws move linearly toward one another along an axis to hold the side of the respective section of the battery module in compression to a desired compression load;
- removing at least one rod that extends through each of the plurality of sections to opposing ends of the battery module such that the compression load of each of the plurality of sections is maintained by the respective pair of clamps in the compressed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.