The invention relates to the domain of connections on battery modules.
The object of the invention is more particularly a battery module cover provided with an electrical connection clip.
In the domain of batteries, a battery module generally comprises a plurality of cells. Each of these cells generally comprises two connection terminals allowing said cells to be connected in series and/or in parallel.
Such batteries can, for example, be used in the domain of motor vehicles.
In order best to manage the battery module, it can be advantageous to monitor the behavior of one cell in particular (or several cells), and preferably that of each of the cells, for example by measuring a voltage at a chosen location of the battery module.
In that sense, the prior art discloses that the cells can be electrically connected together in series and/or in parallel by a connection unit 1 (
Such a solution necessitates an intervention on each of the connection units one wishes to connect to the BMS. This results in the existence of a multitude of parts to assemble, low compactness, low robustness of quality of a safety function and a high manual assembly cost.
The aim of this invention is to propose a sol ion that remedies all or some of the disadvantages listed above.
One moves towards this aim thanks to a cover for a battery module, said cover comprising an inner face whereon at least one electrical connection clip is mounted, said clip being designed to cooperate electrically with a corresponding measurement terminal of the battery module when the cover is coupled to the battery module.
In particular, the cover can comprise an electrical connector electrically connected to said at least one electrical connection clip, said electrical connector being placed on an outer face of the cover.
For example, said at least one electrical connection clip is connected to said electrical connector by an electrically conducting track printed on the inner face or enclosed in the wall of the cover between the inner and outer faces.
The cover preferably comprises, at said at least one electrical connection clip, at least one opening designed for passing a tool allowing said electrical connection clip to be varied between a closed configuration of the electrical connection clip and an open configuration of the electrical connection clip.
The electrical connection clip can be formed so as to have a return motion force constantly pulling said electrical connection clip towards its closed configuration.
According to one embodiment, said a least one electrical connection clip comprises:
The invention also relates to a device comprising a battery module equipped with at least one measurement terminal and a cover such as described, said at least one electrical connection clip of the cover clipping said at least one corresponding measurement terminal when the cover is coupled to the battery module.
The device can comprise an assembly or disassembly configuration of the cover, wherein said at least one electrical connection clip is held open, in particular by an appropriate tool, at least one part of which passes through the cover, while said at least one corresponding measurement terminal is inserted into a clipping zone of said at least one electrical connection clip, and while no contact is made between said at least one electrical connection clip and said at least one corresponding measurement terminal.
The battery cells can be connected in series and/or in parallel by connection units, each connection unit that contributes to a series connection of the electric connections scheme of the battery module cells being equipped with a measurement terminal, and the cover comprises as many electrical connection clips as the battery module has measurement terminals, each of the electrical connection clips clipping a single corresponding measurement terminal.
The invention also relates to an assembly process of a device such as that described and comprising the following steps:
The coupling step preferably comprises the following successive steps:
The process can furthermore comprise a step of using a tool making it possible to implement the activation step of said at least one electrical connection clip, said tool comprising units mounted to be mobile one relative to the other so as to have variable bracing, and the step of using the tool comprises the following steps:
The invention also relates to a process for using a device such as that described comprising a step for measuring a physical parameter of the battery module, in particular a voltage, using said at least one electrical connection clip.
The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a device such as that described and a system for monitoring the battery module electrically connected to said at least one electrical connection clip. The vehicle can comprise a coupled electric motor for driving at least one wheel of the vehicle, said motor being electrically powered by the battery module.
Further advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the description that will follow of particular embodiments of the invention given as non-limitative examples and illustrated on the attached drawings, wherein:
The invention described below differs from the prior art particularly in that it proposes a cover for a battery module equipped with a clip judiciously arranged.
As
The cover 100 is therefore understood to comprise means capable of cooperating with the battery module in order to assemble the cover 100 to the battery module, in particular to a housing of the battery module.
Each electrical connection clip 102 is preferably fixed to the cover 100 by means of snap head rivets or compound-filled in the cover 100 if the latter is in a plastic material.
In particular, the cover 100 comprises, as the example of
The battery module 103 can comprise a plurality of cells 104 connected together in series and/or in parallel, particularly by using connection units 105 (or bus bars). Each cell then forms a unit for storing energy configured so as to return it (or to recover some of it) on demand. The electrical scheme of the connections between the cells makes it possible to obtain a compromise among the parameters voltage/current/capacity of the battery module.
According to the particular example of
In other words, the device is understood to comprise a battery module with several cells interconnected in series and/or in parallel, and at least one, or several, measurement terminals 106. Connection units, in particular welded to the terminals of the battery module cells, preferably make electrical connections in series and/or in parallel. Each measurement terminal is advantageously integrated with a corresponding connection unit. Each measurement terminal is preferably flat of the TAB type. The device furthermore comprises the cover 103 equipped on its inner face 101 with at least one electrical connection clip 102. Each connection clip 102 is placed on the inner face 101 of the cover such that, when the cover is in the coupled position, the clip is situated opposite a corresponding measurement terminal 106, and as soon the cover 100 is closed over the battery module, said electrical connection clip 102 clips said corresponding measurement terminal 106.
According to a particular embodiment, the battery cells are connected in series and/or in parallel by connection units 105, each connection unit 105 that contributes to a series connection of the electric connections scheme of the battery module cells being equipped with a measurement terminal 106, and the cover 100 comprises as many electrical connection clips 102 as the battery module 103 has measurement terminals 106, each of the electrical connection clips 102 clipping a single corresponding measurement terminal 106.
The cover 100 preferably comprises an electrical connector 107 electrically connected to said at least one electrical connection clip 102, said electrical connector 107 being placed on an outer face 108 of the cover 100. In other words, the electrical connector 107 can comprise male and/or female pins via the outer face 108. This makes it possible, once the cover is in place, to have only one connection unit between the electrical connector 107 and a battery module management unit or BMS (not illustrated). Of course, in a case where the cover 100 comprises a plurality of electrical connection clips 102, each one can be connected to a separate pin of the electrical connector 107. This makes it possible in particular to improve compactness and the number of parts to handle compared with the prior art.
According to one embodiment (
In order to facilitate holding each electrical connection clip 102 in position on the associated measurement terminal 106, the electrical connection clip 102 is formed so as to have a return motion force constantly pulling said electrical connection clip 102 towards its closed configuration. When the electrical connection clip 102 is in a configuration of clipping an associated measurement terminal 106, the return motion force still exerts a force tending to press the electrical connection clip 102 onto the measurement terminal 106.
Each electrical connection clip 102 can be formed so as to open when it is pressed against the associated measurement terminal 106 and when the cover 100 converges with the battery module. In this case, each measurement terminal 106 has a penetrating shape complementing the electrical connection clip 102 such that the convergence of the cover 100 and the battery module 103 induces, via the interaction of the penetrating shape with the electrical connection clip 102, an opening of the electrical connection clip 102.
Alternatively, in order to facilitate the opening and closing of an electrical connection clip 102, the cover 100 can comprise, at said at least one (and preferably at each) electrical connection clip 102, at least one opening 110, (preferably two openings 110a, 110b), designed for passing a tool 111 (
According to a preferred embodiment illustrated on
More particularly, for each electrical connection clip 102, the openings 109a, 109b associated with said electrical connection clip 102 are formed on either side of a zone of the cover 100 accommodating the base 102a of the connection clip 102.
It is therefore understood that in a general manner, in the context of the device, the latter comprises an assembly or disassembly configuration of the cover 100, wherein said at least one (and preferably each) electrical connection clip 102 is held open, in particular by an appropriate tool 111 (
When the cover 100 comprises a plurality of electrical connection clips 102 mounted on the inner face 101 of the cover and each one designed to cooperate with a corresponding measurement terminal 106, all the clips 102 are preferably held open simultaneously. This makes it possible substantially to facilitate the coupling of the cover 100 with the battery module 103.
The invention also relates to an assembly process of a device such as that described, said process comprising a step of procuring the battery module 103 as described, a step of procuring a cover 100 as described, and a step of coupling said cover 100 to said battery module 103 such that at the end of the coupling step, said at least one electrical connection clip 102 provides an electrical contact with said at least one corresponding measurement terminal 106.
The result of what has been said previously, in particular preferably when the electrical connection clip is constantly pulled towards its closed position, is that the coupling step preferably comprises the following successive steps:
In particular, the process comprises a step of using a tool 111 (
When the cover 100 comprises a plurality of electrical connection clips 102, the tool 111 preferably comprises a plurality of couples of units 111a, 111b configured so as to interact simultaneously with all or some (at least two) of the clips 102 of the plurality of clips. Said couples of units are connected together such that the variation of the bracing of one of the couples of units results in the same variation for all the other couples of units.
Resulting from all that has been said above are the following advantages,
The use of the disclosures described makes it possible to generate savings with regard to manufacturing the device in terms of raw materials and in terms of assembly steps.
The invention also relates to a process for using a device such as that described. The process comprises a step for measuring a physical parameter of the battery module, in particular a voltage, using said at least one electrical connection clip 102. The measured physical parameter is preferably representative of a measurement taken at the terminals of a single cell of the battery module 103 or at the terminals of a subassembly of cells of the battery module 103. From then on, it is understood that depending on the utilization of the battery module, the specialist will place the connection clips 102 and measurement terminals 106 at locations appropriate to the utilization requirements.
A motor vehicle can furthermore comprise a device such as that described and a system (BMS) for monitoring the battery module, said system being connected to said at least one electrical connection clip with a view to using it for taking a measurement of a physical parameter of the battery module. The vehicle comprises in particular a coupled electric motor in order to drive at least one wheel of the vehicle, said motor being electrically powered by the battery module.
Each cell of the battery module can be a cell comprising lithium.
In this description, a battery module with a single cover has been described. This embodiment is not limitative and the device can comprise several covers of the same type, arranged for example on different faces of the battery module such that each cover is equipped with at least one electrical connection clip, clipping, on the corresponding face, a corresponding measurement terminal.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1453262 | Apr 2014 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/FR2015/050789 | 3/27/2015 | WO | 00 |