Battery module

• Main Authors: Tyler, Matthew R, Dinkelman, John P
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.08.2022
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; ELECTRICITY; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A battery module that includes a stack of battery cells, where each battery cell has a terminal, and the terminal has a first alloy of a metal. The battery module has a bus bar that includes a body having a second alloy of the metal, nickel plating on at least a portion of the body, and an indentation disposed on the body, where a thickness of the nickel plating is between 0.2% and 20% of an overall thickness of the body, and a weld physically and electrically coupling the respective terminal to the bus bar. The indentation has a depth between 10% and 90% of the overall thickness, an area of the indentation is between 5% and 20% of an overall area of the body, and the nickel plating enables the weld to be stronger than a weld between the first and second alloys.