ELECTRIC BATTERY FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abstract

An electric battery (1) for an electrically or partially electrically driven motor vehicle, movable or stationary unit has a battery housing (5) and a plurality of battery cells (2) arranged therein. According to the invention, the battery housing (5) is made from a material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone to produce such an electric battery (1) with a minimum of economic and technical design effort while ensuring said battery is still highly operationally reliable.

Claims

1. An electric battery for an electrically or partially electrically driven motor vehicle or for a movable or stationary unit, the battery comprising: a battery housing and a plurality of battery cells therein, the battery housing is being made of a material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone.

2-3. (canceled)

4. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing and/or a holder for the battery cells and further battery components, e.g. sensor parts, are made of an expanded or formed plastic and/or of the material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone and/or entirely of silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone.

5-6. (canceled)

7. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein plus and minus poles extend through the battery housing to the exterior.

8. The electric battery according to claim 7, wherein further electrical interfaces, electronic interfaces, mechanical interfaces and/or thermal interfaces extend through the battery housing to the exterior.

9. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing err is made of the material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone and/or entirely of silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone covering and surrounding a battery-cell pack formed of the plurality of the battery cells of the electric battery.

10. The electric battery according to claim 9, wherein the battery cells are joined together by a belt into the battery-cell pack.

11. The electric battery according to claim 10, wherein the belt surrounding the battery-cell pack is a adhesive tape or mesh.

12. The electric battery according to claim 9, wherein the battery cells are joined together to form the battery-cell pack by electric cell connectors that serve for electrical connection to each other.

13. The electric battery according to claim 9, wherein the battery-cell pack can be secured by a temporary fixing device.

14. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing has passages that are formed as cooling, stiffening and/or reinforcing passages.

15. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing has shapes formed on its outer side that connect together a plurality of electric batteries of this type or battery housings into a stack.

16. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing has a latch on its outer side that secure a plurality of electric batteries of this type or battery housings together or to one another.

17. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the material of the battery housing has a high gas content and contains a flame-retardant, energy absorbing and smoke/gas/pollutant-binding material.

18-19. (canceled)

20. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing or the battery-cell pack is surrounded by a safety shell and/or safety elements are introduced into one or several cavities that are formed by the battery housing or battery-cell pack.

21. (canceled)

22. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the silicon is a two-component-silicon.

23. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the silicon is designed as TFC silicon-rubber type 3.

24. The electric battery according to claim 1, wherein the silicon contains as a base silicon type A and as a catalyst silicon type B.

25. A method of making and assembling an electric battery for an electrically or partially electrically driven motor vehicle or a movable or stationary unit in which a plurality of battery cells is provided in a battery housing err, wherein the battery housing is made of a material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone and/or entirely of silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone, that covers and entirely surrounds the battery-cell pack and that is cured there.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the battery-cell pack is fixed during installation and curing of the battery housing by a belt by an adhesive tape or a mesh surrounding the battery-cell pack or is held by cell connectors during assembly and curing of the battery housing or is fixed by a temporary fixing device during installation and curing of the battery housing.

27-28. (canceled)

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the battery-cell pack is used in an installation space of the motor vehicle or unit and is provided there with the battery housing.

Description

[0031] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to embodiments shown in a drawing in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a group of battery cells of an embodiment of an electric battery according to the invention;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a battery-cell pack made up of the battery cells shown in FIG. 1;

[0034] FIG. 3 is the battery-cell pack shown in FIG. 2 with a belt surrounding it;

[0035] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery housing of the electric battery according to the invention;

[0036] FIG. 5 is the battery housing shown in FIG. 4 holding the battery-cell pack shown in FIG. 2 or 3;

[0037] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the battery housing shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 with a cover;

[0038] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the battery housing shown in FIG. 6 with a cover, a side wall of the battery housing being cut away in order to show the battery-cell pack inside the battery housing;

[0039] FIG. 8 is a housing shell including cover for receiving the battery-cell pack that is to be provided with a battery housing;

[0040] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the battery-cell pack in the housing shell shown in FIG. 8;

[0041] FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 9, where the cover of the housing shell is omitted;

[0042] FIG. 11 is a view of the battery-cell pack comprising a cover assigned to the housing shell; and

[0043] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cover shown in FIG. 11 that is assigned to the housing shell.

[0044] An electric battery 1 that will be described in more detail below on the basis of embodiments shown in the drawing, for an electrically or partially electrically driven motor vehicle or for a movable or a stationary unit has battery cells 2 shown in FIG. 1. The number of the battery cells 2 is arbitrary. Eight battery cells 2 are illustrated in FIG. 1 that belong to the embodiment of the electric battery 1 that will be described in more detail below.

[0045] The battery cells 2 are joined together to form a battery-cell pack 3, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0046] It is important to point out that with respect to the shape of the battery cells 2, other prismatic cells than those shown in FIG. 2 are also possible, e.g. round cells or pouch cells.

[0047] In the illustrated embodiment, the battery cells 2 that are joined together to form the battery-cell pack 3 are fastened to one another by a belt 4 surrounding the battery-cell pack 3, as follows in particular from FIG. 3.

[0048] Instead of a fastening of the battery-cell pack 3 by the belt 4, technical solutions are also possible in which the solid battery-cell pack 3 is realized by cell connectors that are not illustrated in the drawing, or in which a temporary fixing device is provided.

[0049] The battery-cell pack 3 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is in a battery housing 5, as shown by way of example in FIG. 4. The battery housing 5 is made of a material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone or entirely of silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone. The battery-cell pack 3 is shown in the battery housing 5 in FIG. 5. The poles of the battery-cell pack 3 in the battery housing 5 are accessible through connecting passages 6 provided on the housing. Connection of further electrical interfaces, electronic interfaces, mechanical interfaces and/or thermal interfaces can thereby also extend through the battery housing 5 to the exterior. On its upper face, the battery housing 5 can be closed by a cover 7, as shown in FIG. 6. The cover 7 is here made of the same material as the remaining battery housing 5.

[0050] Instead of the battery housing 5 or in addition to the battery housing 5, a holder can be provided that serves the purpose of hold the battery cells 2 as well as further battery components, such as sensor parts, etc. A holder of this type is not shown in the drawing and can also be made of the material containing silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone or entirely of silicon and/or calcium and/or rubber and/or silicone.

[0051] The silicon can be a two-component silicon, preferably a TFC silicon-rubber type 3. The silicon can contain as a base silicon type A and as a catalyst silicon type B.

[0052] The battery housing 5 on which the cover 7 fits and this holder, insofar as the above-mentioned holder is provided, can be of multi piece construction.

[0053] FIG. 7 shows the electric battery shown in FIG. 6 with a side wall omitted in order to show how the battery-cell pack including the belt 4 are received by the battery housing 5 and the cover 7.

[0054] The battery housing 5 can have further passages that are not shown in the drawing that can be formed as cooling, stiffening and/or reinforcing passages.

[0055] In the case of a further embodiment of the electric battery according to the invention, a production process is provided in which, e.g. the housing shell 8 shown in FIG. 8 is used, to which a cover casing 9 belongs. The battery-cell pack 3 is introduced into the assembly of the housing shell 8 and cover casing 9.

[0056] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the battery-cell pack 3 rests on a support 10 that is part of the housing shell 8.

[0057] The cover casing 9 shown in FIG. 12 has casing parts 11, 12, 13 that project toward the battery-cell pack 3 lie between the actual cover casing 9 and the upper face of the battery-cell pack 3, as follows best from FIG. 11. The material forming the battery housing 5 is introduced into the space between the housing shell 8 and the cover casing 9 on the one hand, and the battery-cell pack 3 on the other hand, completely surrounds the battery-cell pack 3, and is cured. It goes without saying that further structural parts can be provided before the introduction and curing of the material of the battery housing 5, so the passages, hollow spaces, etc. that are required for the electric battery 1, can be formed.

[0058] It goes without saying that fixation of the battery-cell pack 3 in the assembly shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 can also take place with help of the belt 4, but can also be realized differently. On its outer surface, the battery housing 5 of the electric battery 1 can be designed arbitrarily. It can have its outer faces formations that can join a plurality of electric batteries 1 of this type together in a stack. Latching of the electric batteries 1 to their battery housings 5 is also conceivable.

[0059] The material forming the battery housing 5 as well as optionally the cover 7 can have a high gas content. The material of the battery housing 5 furthermore contains a flame-retardant or self-extinguishing, energy-absorbing and smoke/gas/pollutant-binding material. Reservoirs or cavities that are not illustrated in the FIGS. and in which substances, such as PyroBubbles, are stored, can be formed within the battery housing 5.

[0060] The battery housing 5 and/or the battery-cell pack 3 can be surrounded by a safety shell that is not illustrated in the drawing. Safety elements can furthermore be introduced into one or several cavities that are formed by the battery housing 5 or by the battery-cell pack 3.

[0061] A design of the electric battery 1 according to the invention is generally also possible, in which the battery-cell pack 3 of the electric battery 1 is inside the motor vehicle or another unit, at the installation site and is provided there with the battery housing 5, and the battery housing 5 is realized by introduction and curing of the material forming the battery housing 5.