CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[001] The disclosure claims the benefits of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent No. 63/208,790, filed on June 9, 2021 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[002] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for disposing cells.

BACKGROUND [003] Current automotive batteries use a ‘Russian doll’ concept, with a structural battery bolted into a void in the vehicle. But note that the contribution of the battery structure to the vehicle structural performance is compromised by the bolted interface. The protection offered by the battery structure is less than the vehicle could provide if the structure was part of the sill and vehicle floor. SUMMARY

[004] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for disposing cells. The method may include disposing an assembly of cells comprising a plurality of battery cells of a battery onto a baseplate. One or more gaps may be disposed between the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the battery assembly does not have side walls. The method may include disposing bus bars, power, and/or power or coolant transmission systems being routed to lie substantially proximate to the baseplate where the gaps are disposed. The method may include disposing a non-structural cover over the assembly of cells. The method may include forming one or more inner surfaces of sills of the vehicle to provide longitudinal bridging structures against which the one or more channels are formed. [005] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for disposing cells. The system may include one or more hardware processors and at least one non transitory computer readable storage medium that, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations for disposing cells. The operations may cause the system to dispose an assembly of cells comprising a plurality of battery cells of a battery onto a baseplate.

The baseplate may extend across the plurality of battery cells. One or more gaps may be disposed between the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the battery assembly does not have side walls. The operations may cause the system to dispose bus bars, power, and/or power or coolant transmission systems be routed to lie substantially proximate to the baseplate where the gaps are disposed. The operations may cause the system to dispose a cover over the assembly of cells. The cover may be non-structural. The operations may cause the system to form one or more inner surfaces of sills of the vehicle to provide longitudinal bridging structures against which the one or more channels are formed.

[006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for disposing cells. The method may include disposing an assembly of cells comprising one or more cells of a battery of a vehicle onto or more cooling plates prior to assembly of the vehicle. The method may include disposing lateral and longitudinal cross members and longitudinal bridging structures within a body of the vehicle. The method may include disposing the cooling plates having the one or more cells disposed thereon into the body of the vehicle such that they are substantially proximate a floor of the vehicle body, the one or more cells being configured to hang down from the cooling plates, the vehicle body, or any combination thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[007] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate multiple embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the presently disclosed subject matter; and, furthermore, are not intended in any manner to limit the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter.

[008] FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured for disposing cells.

[009] FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates a method for disposing cells.

[010] FIGS. 3A-3D illustrates a method for disposing cells. [011 ] FIGS. 4A-4B are diagrams illustrating an integrated battery configuration according to some embodiments.

[012] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an integrated battery configuration according to an embodiment.

[013] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an integrated battery configuration according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[014] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, some examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[015] To facilitate an understanding of the principles and features of the invention, various illustrative embodiments are explained below. In particular, the presently disclosed subject matter is described in the context of systems and methods for disposing cells.

[016] FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured for disposing cells, in accordance with one or more embodiments. In some cases, system 100 may include one or more computing platforms 102. The one or more remote computing platforms 102 may be communicably coupled with one or more remote platforms 104. In some cases, users may access the system 100 via remote platform(s) 104. Computing platforms may be configured to operate one or more actuators for assembly of a vehicle or a battery assembly within a vehicle.

[017] The one or more computing platforms 102 may be configured by machine- readable instructions 106. Machine-readable instructions 106 may include logics. The logics may be implemented as one or more of functional logic, hardware logic, electronic circuitry, software logic, and the like. The logics may include a assembly disposing logic 108 and/or other logic.

[018] Assembly disposing logic 108 may be configured to dispose an assembly of cells comprising a plurality of battery cells of a battery onto a baseplate. For example, one or more actuators may be used to dispose the assembly of cells. The baseplate may be configured to be installed in a vehicle through the use of one or more actuators. One or more gaps may be disposed between the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the battery assembly may not have side walls. [019] Assembly disposing logic 108 may be configured to dispose bus bars, power, and/or power or coolant transmission systems be routed to lie substantially proximate to the baseplate where the gaps are disposed. For example, one or more actuators can be configured to install bus bars, power, and/or power or cooling systems onto or next to the baseplate. Assembly disposing logic 108 may be configured to dispose a cover over the assembly of cells. The cover may be non-structural. The one or more gaps may correspond to one or more channels. The battery may be configured to be disposed within a vehicle. An underbody of the vehicle may be configured to receive cross bars received within the one or more channels, and wherein the cross bars may be configured to be fastened to the underbody. Assembly disposing logic 108 may be configured to use one or more inner surfaces of sills of the vehicle to provide longitudinal bridging structures against which the one or more cooling channels can be formed. For example, one or more actuators may be configured to install the battery assembly near or next to inner surfaces of sills to be used as structures and where cooling channels can be formed.

[020] In some cases, the baseplate may be bonded to the underbody to increase structural benefit. Bonding may comprise adhesively sealing and the disposition of the assembly of cells may be configured to enable servicing of electronic components comprising at least the battery.

[021 ] Assembly disposing logic 108 may be configured to dispose the battery management unit (BMU) and/or the battery disconnect unit (BDU) in a compartment as a line replaceable unit. For example, an actuator may be configured to install the BMU and BDU in the compartment and connect the BMU and BDU to the installed battery assembly. The compartment may be separate from the battery cells. The compartment may be accessible without removal of the baseplate and/or a portion of the battery assembly. [022] In some cases, the one or more computing platforms 102, may be communicatively coupled to the remote platform(s) 104. In some cases, the communicative coupling may include communicative coupling through a networked environment 118. The networked environment 118 may be a radio access network, such as LTE or 5G, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or wireless LAN (WLAN), for example. It will be appreciated that this is not intended to be limiting, and that the scope of this disclosure includes implementations in which one or more computing platforms 102 and remote platform(s) 104 may be operatively linked via some other communication coupling. The one or more one or more computing platforms 102 may be configured to communicate with the networked environment 118 via wireless or wired connections. In addition, in an embodiment, the one or more computing platforms 102 may be configured to communicate directly with each other via wireless or wired connections. Examples of one or more computing platforms 102 may include, but is not limited to, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, laptop computers, desktop computers, Internet of Things (loT) device, or other mobile or stationary devices. In an embodiment, system 100 may also include one or more hosts or servers, such as the one or more remote platforms 104 connected to the networked environment 118 through wireless or wired connections. According to one embodiment, remote platforms 104 may be implemented in or function as base stations (which may also be referred to as Node Bs or evolved Node Bs (eNBs)). In other embodiments, remote platforms 104 may include web servers, mail servers, application servers, etc. According to certain embodiments, remote platforms 104 may be standalone servers, networked servers, or an array of servers.

[023] The one or more computing platforms 102 may include one or more processors 120 for processing information and executing instructions or operations.

One or more processors 120 may be any type of general or specific purpose processor. In some cases, multiple processors 120 may be utilized according to other embodiments. The one or more processors 120 may include one or more of general- purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture, as examples. In some cases, the one or more processors 120 may be remote from the one or more computing platforms 102, such as disposed within a remote platform like the one or more remote platforms 120 of Fig. 1.

[024] The one or more processors 120 may perform functions associated with the operation of system 100 which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain/phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming a communication message, formatting of information, and overall control of the one or more computing platforms 102, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[025] The one or more computing platforms 102 may further include or be coupled to a memory 122 (internal or external), which may be coupled to one or more processors 120, for storing information and instructions that may be executed by one or more processors 120. Memory 122 may be one or more memories and of any type suitable to the local application environment, and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or nonvolatile data storage technology such as a semiconductor-based memory device, a magnetic memory device and system, an optical memory device and system, fixed memory, and removable memory. For example, memory 122 can consist of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable media. The instructions stored in memory 122 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by one or more processors 120, enable the one or more computing platforms 102 to perform tasks as described herein.

[026] In some embodiments, one or more computing platforms 102 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas for transmitting and receiving signals and/or data to and from one or more computing platforms 102. The one or more antennas may be configured to communicate via, for example, a plurality of radio interfaces that may be coupled to the one or more antennas. The radio interfaces may correspond to a plurality of radio access technologies including one or more of LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), radio frequency identifier (RFID), ultrawideband (UWB), and the like. The radio interface may include components, such as filters, converters (for example, digital-to-analog converters and the like), mappers, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) logic, and the like, to generate symbols for a transmission via one or more downlinks and to receive symbols (for example, via an uplink).

[027] Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate an example flow diagram of a method 200, according to one embodiment. The method 200 and/or 210 may be carried out by system 100. The method 200 may include disposing an assembly of cells comprising a plurality of battery cells of a battery onto a baseplate of a battery at block 202. At block 202, one or more gaps may be disposed between the plurality of battery cells. In some embodiments, the battery assembly may not have side walls. The method 200 may include disposing bus bars, power, and/or power or coolant transmission systems being routed to lie substantially proximate to the baseplate with the gaps being disposed at block 204. The method 200 may include disposing a non-structural cover over the assembly of cells at block 206, the one or more gaps corresponding to one or more channels, and wherein the battery may be configured to be disposed within a vehicle, and wherein an underbody of the vehicle may be configured to receive cross bars received within the one or more channels, and wherein the cross bars may be configured to be fastened to the underbody. The method 200 may include forming one or more inner surfaces of sills of the vehicle to provide longitudinal bridging structures against which the one or more channels are formed at block 208.

[028] In Fig. 2B, the method 200 may be continued at 210, and may further include disposing the battery in a separate compartment as a line replaceable unit at block 212.

[029] In some cases, the method 200 may be performed by a system comprising one or more hardware processors, such as the processors 120 of Fig. 1 , configured by machine-readable instructions, such as the machine readable instructions 106 of Fig. 1 . In this aspect, the method 200 may be configured to be implemented by the logics, such as the assembly disposing logic 108 discussed above in Fig. 1 . [030] Figs. 3A, 3B, 3C and/or 3D illustrate an example flow diagram of a method 300, according to one embodiment. The method 300 may include disposing an assembly of cells comprising one or more cells of a battery of a vehicle onto or more cooling plates prior to assembly of the vehicle at block 302. The method 300 may include disposing lateral and longitudinal cross members and longitudinal bridging structures within a body of the vehicle at block 304, the longitudinal bridging structures being configured to be substantially proximate an outer sill which being configured to crushed during lateral impacts of the vehicle, wherein the longitudinal bridging structures being formed as a part of an inner wall of each outer sill. The method 300 may include disposing the cooling plates having the one or more cells disposed thereon into the body of the vehicle such that they are substantially proximate a floor of the vehicle body. The one or more cells may be configured to hang down from the cooling plates, the vehicle body, or any combination thereof at block 306.

[031 ] In Fig. 3B, the method 300 may be continued at 308, and may further include inverting the body during assembly and placing the cooling plates and the cargo of cells into spaces defined by neighboring cross members at block 310.

[032] In Fig. 3C, the method 300 may be continued at 312, and may further include bonding a baseplate to the body of the vehicle at block 314.

[033] In Fig. 3D, the method 300 may be continued at 316, and may further include disposing the battery in a separate compartment as a line replaceable unit at block 318.

[034] In some cases, the method 300 may be performed by one or more hardware processors, such as the processors 122 of Fig. 1 , configured by machine- readable instructions, such as the machine-readable instructions 106 of Fig. 1 . In this aspect, the method 300 may be configured to be implemented by the logics, such as the logics 108, 110, 112, 114, 116 and/or 118 discussed above in Fig. 1 . [035] In some cases, battery cells are assembled onto the baseplate of the battery, with no side walls. Gaps between the cells form part of their array where longitudinal or lateral cross members may be found in traditional battery structures, and any bus bars or other power or coolant transmission systems are routed so as to lie close to the baseplate where these gaps are located. A non-structural cover may be placed over the assembly of cells, with channels across it corresponding to the gaps in the cell groups. The body-in-white or underbody of the vehicle incorporates the cross members directly, bracing to the vehicle structure. Furthermore, the inner surfaces of the vehicle sills are structured to provide the stiff longitudinal bridging structures against which the outer sill will be crushed during lateral impacts. During final vehicle assembly the battery system is brought up to the underside of the vehicle, the body-in-white cross members lying in the channels formed in the arrays of cells and their covers. The baseplate is adhesively sealed to the underbody of the vehicle for maximum structural benefit. [036] In the present disclosure, the electrical and electronic content of the battery alone may be serviceable. The electrical and the electronic content can be provided in a separate compartment as a ‘line replaceable unit’. To implement this configuration consideration may need to be given to those regulatory expectations that deal with battery system tests as a discrete item (not installed in the vehicle). Most of these will be readily achieved with this non-structural assembly.

[037] Structural members are part of the body-in-white - they will be more effective there both in contributing stiffness and crashworthiness. Because of the structure described herein, the specific energy density of the system may be significantly higher than conventional systems. Eliminating the bolted interface of the battery to the car (or, at least, augmenting it with a bonded interface) will increase the structural significance of the baseplate - although this is at the cost of potential battery serviceability

[038] The extra efficiency created by relocating the structure in this manner gives the opportunity for more cell volume to be installed, or the same cell volume in a smaller footprint.

[039] In some embodiments, a concept for a non-structural fully-integrated battery is disclosed. In these embodiments, the cells of the battery are pre-assembled with one or more cooling plates and brought to the vehicle assembly line. The vehicle body-in-white incorporates all the usual structures that are more customarily found in the battery housing itself: in particular, lateral and longitudinal cross members, and the stiff longitudinal bridging structures against which the outer sill will be crushed during lateral impacts, formed as part of the inner wall of each sill. The cooling plates carrying the groups of cells are inserted into the body-in-white with the cooling plates close to the floor of the vehicle and the cells hanging down from them. This could also be accomplished by inverting the body-in-white during assembly and placing the cooling plates and the cargo of cells into the spaces between the cross members. The appropriate bus and sense connections are then made between the cell groups, with these communication and connection features lying at the electrode end of the cells, at the opposite end of the cell from the occupant floor. Finally, the baseplate is bonded to the vehicle to complete the battery assembly.

[040] In this concept, the electrical and electronic content of the battery alone may be serviceable, and may be provided in a separate compartment as a ‘line replaceable unit’. To implement this configuration consideration may need to be given to regulatory expectations that deal with battery system tests as a discrete item (i.e., not installed in the vehicle). Since the pack may not completed until it is mated with the vehicle, there may be some assessment of how best to demonstrate its integrity both during development and for regulatory purposes.

[041 ] Structural members are part of the body-in-white - they will be more effective there both in contributing stiffness and crashworthiness. In view of the embodiments and benefits discussed herein, the specific energy density of the system may be significantly higher. Further, eliminating the bolted interface of the battery to the car (or, at least, augmenting it with a bonded interface) will increase the structural significance of the baseplate - although this may be at the cost of potential battery serviceability [042] The extra efficiency created by relocating the structure in this manner gives the opportunity for more cell volume to be installed, or the same cell volume in a smaller footprint. Another benefit is that in the event of a thermal incident, the cells will vent away from the occupant cell, since the cells are hanging down and their conventional ‘top’ faces the battery undertray. In addition, the cooling plates will form an additional layer of shielding between the battery and the occupant compartment.

[043] Whilst it is often said that the battery enclosure is part of the vehicle chassis, the reality is that it is an inefficient augmentation of the vehicle underbody - limited bolted attachment points weakly-coupling the battery torsional stiffness with the vehicle’s torsional stiffness. In some embodiments discussed herein, the cells would be most efficiently enclosed by the integrated structure of the vehicle underbody.

[044] Figs. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating battery configurations according to some embodiments. FIG. 4A illustrates a system for disposing cells 400. In this configuration, the battery of an electric vehicle may be maintainable and accessible for service. The system may comprise outer sill 406, battery cells 402, cooling system 408, and inner sill 410. Outer sill 406 may be configured to be crushed before a structure of inner sill 410 and/or battery cells 402 is plastically deformed or otherwise structurally comprised. For example, during a vehicle collision, outer sill 406 may absorb an impact caused by an object or other vehicle colliding with a vehicle comprising system 400. For example, outer sill 406 may be formed from a honeycomb structure or a member configured to absorb energy from an impact through plastic or elastic deformation. [045] Battery cells 402 may be one cell or several individual cells collocated.

Battery cells 402 may be disposed against a cooling system 408. Cooling system 408 may contain fluid, gel, or otherwise be configured to drain heat from battery cells 402. Cooling system 408 may comprise or be connected to a baseplate such that battery cells 402 alone or with cooling system 408 may be moved in and out of a vehicle. In some embodiments, cooling system 408 may be disposed on undertray 412. Undertray 412 may be a structural component. Undertray 412 may be bonded to an underbody of the vehicle. For example, undertray 412 may be adhesively sealed to the underbody. Undertray 412 may be welded to the underbody. The underbody may comprise sheet metal and/or one or more frames or members of the vehicle. [046] In some embodiments, undertray 412 may be comprise or be connected to environmental seal 414. Environmental seal 414 may be configured to contain fluids or other discharge from battery cells 402 and/or cooling system 408.

[047] In some embodiments, inner sills 410 may be disposed on both sides of battery cells 402. Inner sills 410 may be configured to allow outer sill 406 to be crushed against it. Inner sill 410 may provide vertical support from undertray 412 to resist forces against the top of outer sill 406. Inner sill 410 may extend across an enclosure of a vehicle, such as a hood (a.k.a., bonnet), passenger compartment, underneath a passenger seat, underneath a console, or a trunk (a.k.a., boot). Inner sill 410 may be a part of or connected to a chassis or frame of a vehicle. For example, outer sill 406 may comprise a surface used as a floor 404. Floor 404 may be used as part of an interior of a vehicle to support passenger weight, luggage, or similar. In some embodiments, inner sill 410 may be made from a relatively stronger material such as steel whereas outer sill 406 may be made from a relatively weaker material such as aluminum.

[048] FIG. 4B illustrates a system for disposing cells 450. In this configuration, the battery of an electric vehicle may be maintainable and accessible for service. Similar indicators such as 404, 406, 408, 410, are similar in FIG. 4B as the descriptions provided above with reference to FIG. 4A. Differences are discussed below with reference to FIG. 4B.

[049] System 450 may include battery cells 452 that are hanging, for example, from cooling system 408 and/or a baseplate. As shown, cooling system 408 may be above battery cells 452. The weight of cooling system 408 and battery cells 452 may be supported by one or more beams or supports (not shown) of the cooling system 408 being attached to tray 454. Battery cells 452 may be disposed between inner sills 410.

In some embodiments, an environmental seal may encapsulate cooling system 408 and battery cells 452 (not shown). In some embodiments, the environmental seal, the baseplate, and/or cooling system 408 may be moved as a unit.

[050] In some embodiments, a gap may be disposed under battery cells 452 for any discharge and/or release from battery cells 452 and/or cooling system 408.

[051] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an integrated battery configuration according to an embodiment. In some cases, the battery 504 is assembled onto a baseplate with no side walls. In some cases, gaps may be across the cell array laterally and/or longitudinally. A shield (not shown) may cap this structure. The shield may be non-structural. The shield may be made of plastic or similar. The shield may be an environmental shield configured to contain one or more fluids from battery cells and/or a cooling system. [052] The vehicle may incorporate a sill inner structure 502 (e.g., such as the inner sill 410 of FIGS. 4A & 4B). Inner sill structure 502 may comprise longitudinal and lateral structure to prevent impact to one or more battery cells (e.g., battery cells 402 or 452 of FIGS. 4A & 4B). Inner still structure 502 may be configured to be disposed over battery 504. Inner still structure 502 may be configured to mate against a baseplate of battery 504. Although shown as a single structure, inner still structure 502 may comprise one or more individual members that are bolted, welded, or otherwise connected. At assembly, the arrangement is brought into the floor of the vehicle and bolted and bonded to the vehicle underside. The battery management unit (BMU) and battery disconnect unit (BDU) may be contained in a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) 506, and thus serviceable. LRU 506 may be removable without adjusting the position of battery 504 and/or inner sill structure 502 in the vehicle. In some cases, the configuration of Fig. 5 may enable the battery and vehicle to be more mass-efficient, with higher energy density.

[053] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an integrated battery configuration according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Blocks of battery cells 602 may be assembled to a cooling system 604. Cooling system 604 may surround battery cells 602. Cooling systems 604 may comprise supports, baseplates, or members that, at assembly, may be mounted into the vehicle underbody. In some embodiments, battery cells may be upright (e.g., FIG. 4A) or hanging down (e.g., FIG. 4B). As discussed above, supports, members, or baseplates, may support the weight of the battery cells in upright or hanging down configurations.

[054] Cooling system 604 may surround a battery cell 602. The busbar 606 and/or cooling system 602 may be interconnected to link to busbars or cooling systems of different battery cells 602. The busbar 606 and/or cooling system 602 may be below the battery cells 602. The undertray 610 may be bolted and/or permanently bonded to the vehicle underbody. The vehicle may incorporate an inner sill structure (e.g., an ‘anvil’ inner sill). [055] Battery cells 602 may be operatively connected to a battery management unit (BMU) and a battery disconnect unit (BDU). At least one of the BMU and BDU may be contained in a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) 612. LRU 612 may be removable and accessible separate from battery cells 602 and/or configured to allow service. In these embodiments and throughout the present disclosure, the battery and vehicle may be more mass-efficient, with higher energy density. The system may also be appreciably safer, since the battery cells 602 vent downwards, away from the occupants.

[056] While the present disclosure has been described in connection with a plurality of exemplary aspects, as illustrated in the various figures and discussed above, it is understood that other similar aspects can be used or modifications and additions can be made to the described aspects for performing the same function of the present disclosure without deviating therefrom. For example, in various aspects of the disclosure, methods and compositions were described according to aspects of the presently disclosed subject matter. In particular, aspects of the present disclosure have been described as relating to systems and methods for disposing cells. Additionally, other equivalent methods or composition to these described aspects are also contemplated by the teachings herein. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be limited to any single aspect, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.