Description:Complete Specification:
The following specification describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:

Reference:
The present invention relates to an improvement in or modification of the application for main invention described in the patent application 202241037773 filed on 30 June 2022.

Field of the invention:
[0001] The present invention relates to a support member, battery pack with the support member and method of assembling the support member.

Background of the invention:
[0002] A patent literature US2018212214 discloses battery module, power tool, and electronic apparatus. A battery module includes a plurality of flat or square type batteries that each have a positive terminal and a negative terminal; a holder that has an opening, and retains the batteries in such a manner that the positive terminal and the negative terminal are positioned toward the opening, and that the principal surfaces of the batteries face each other; a cover that is disposed over the opening; a circuit board that is disposed over the cover; and a plurality of connection members that are disposed between the cover and the circuit board to electrically connect the positive terminal and negative terminal. Some of the connection members retain a peripheral portion of the circuit board.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings:
[0003] An embodiment of the disclosure is described with reference to the following accompanying drawing,
[0004] Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a support member for a pouch cell based battery pack, according to an embodiment of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention, and
[0005] Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the support member, according to an embodiment of the present invention, and
[0006] Fig. 3 illustrates a method for assembling the support member to the enclosure, according to the present invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments:
[0007] Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a support member for a pouch cell based battery pack, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The support member 110 comprises a surface to support plurality of the pouch cells 104 and located at a base of an enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the support member 110 comprises at least one feature selected from a group comprising, a first feature, a second feature and a third feature. The first feature comprises a plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110. The plurality of projection 120 positions the plurality of pouch cells 104 within the enclosure 102. The second feature comprises a plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface separated by partitions 114. The plurality of primary grooves 112 are provided between the two opposite ends across the surface. The partitions 114 comprises free end to seat the plurality of pouch cells 104. The third feature comprises a secondary groove 118 on a free end of each of the partition 114. In other words, the free end protrudes inside the enclosure 102 upon assembly. The secondary groove 118 is aligned between every pair of opposite projections 120, i.e. one projection 120 at one end and one projection 120 at other end. The surface of the support member 110 faces towards the inside of the enclosure 102 and is the part on which the first feature, the second feature and the third feature are provisioned. The support member 110, characterized in that, provided in a two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with a second piece 108 holding a sealing member 202 (shown in Fig. 2). The pouch cells 104 also comprises prismatic cells and other similar type of cells. In other words, the first piece 106 and the second piece 108 are fixed to each other.

[0008] In accordance to an embodiment of the present invention, the support member 110 is provided with the first feature, or the second feature or the third feature or combination of the at least two of the first feature, the second feature and the third feature. Specifically, in an embodiment the support member 110 comprises the surface to support plurality of the pouch cells 104 and located at the base of the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the support member 110 comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110. Optionally, the support member 110 is provided with the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface and separated by partitions 114 or/and the secondary groove 118 on the free end of each of the partition 114. The support member 110, characterized in that, provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with the second piece 108 holding the sealing member 202.

[0009] In another embodiment, the support member 110 comprises the surface to support plurality of the pouch cells 104 and located at the base of the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the support member 110 comprises the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface and separated by partitions 114. Optionally, the support member 110 comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110 and/or the secondary groove 118 on the free end of each of the partition 114. The support member 110, characterized in that, provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with the second piece 108 which holds the sealing member 202.

[0010] In yet another embodiment, the support member 110 comprises the surface to support plurality of the pouch cells 104 and located at the base of the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the support member 110 comprises the secondary groove 118 on the free end of each of the partition 114. Optionally, the support member 110 comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110 and/or the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface and separated by partitions 114. The support member 110, characterized in that, provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with the second piece 108 holding the sealing member 202.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support member 110 comprises plurality of partitions 114 separating plurality of primary grooves 112. The plurality of primary grooves 112 accommodates an extended foil 122 of each of the plurality of pouch cells 104. The primary grooves 112 comprises slits 204 (shown in Fig. 2) to allow visual inspection of state of foils 122 during assembly process. Further, each of the partitions 114 comprises, secondary grooves 118 aligned and extended between every pair of the opposite projections 120.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the support member 110 is also referred to as a back panel of the enclosure 102.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery pack 100 is provided. The battery pack 100 comprises the enclosure 102 and plurality of pouch cells 104 stacked inside the enclosure 102. The battery pack 100 also comprises the holder member (not shown) to hold tabs/terminals of plurality of pouch cells 104 inside the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the battery pack 100 comprises the support member 110 to support plurality of pouch cells 104 at the base of the enclosure 102. The plurality of pouch cells 104 are held between the holder member and the support member 110. The support member 110 comprises at least one feature selected from a group comprising, the first feature, the second feature and the third feature. The first feature comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110. The plurality of projection 120 positions the plurality of pouch cells 104 within the enclosure 102. The second feature comprises the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface separated by partitions 114. The third feature comprises the secondary groove 118 on the free end of each of the partition 114. The battery pack 100, characterized in that, the support member 110 provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates/fixed with the second piece 108 holding the sealing member 202.

[0014] In the battery pack 100, the first piece 106 is assembled with a tail end of the stack of the pouch cells 104 before positioning into the enclosure 102, referred to as first assembly, and the second piece 108 is assembled with the first piece 106 of the first assembly, after the first assembly is positioned inside the enclosure 102. In the support member 110, the plurality of primary grooves 112 accommodates foils 122 of the pouch cells 104. The plurality of primary grooves 112 comprises slits 204 to allow visual inspection of state of foils 122 during assembly process. The tail end corresponds to the end which comprises the extended foil 122 of the pouch cells 104.

[0015] According to the present invention, the battery pack 100 is provided with either the first feature or the second feature or the third feature or combination of at least two of the first feature, the second feature and the third feature. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery pack 100 comprises the enclosure 102 and plurality of pouch cells 104 stacked inside the enclosure 102. The battery pack 100 also comprises the holder member to hold tabs/terminals of plurality of pouch cells 104 inside the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the battery pack 100 comprises the support member 110 to support plurality of pouch cells 104 at the base of the enclosure 102. The plurality of pouch cells 104 are held between the holder member and the support member 110. The support member 110 comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110. Optionally, the support member 110 comprises the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface separated by partitions 114 and/or the secondary groove 118 on the free end of each of the partition 114. The battery pack 100, characterized in that, the support member 110 provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with the second piece 108 holding the sealing member 202.

[0016] In another embodiment, the battery pack 100 comprises the enclosure 102 and plurality of pouch cells 104 stacked inside the enclosure 102. The battery pack 100 also comprises the holder member to hold tabs/terminals of plurality of pouch cells 104 inside the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the battery pack 100 comprises the support member 110 to support plurality of pouch cells 104 at the base of the enclosure 102. The plurality of pouch cells 104 are held between the holder member and the support member 110. The support member 110 comprises the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface separated by partitions 114. Optionally, the battery pack 100 comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110 and/or the secondary groove 118 on the free end of each of the partition 114. The battery pack 100, characterized in that, the support member 110 provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with the second piece 108 holding the sealing member 202.

[0017] In yet another embodiment, the battery pack 100 comprises the enclosure 102 and plurality of pouch cells 104 stacked inside the enclosure 102. The battery pack 100 also comprises the holder member to hold tabs/terminals of plurality of pouch cells 104 inside the enclosure 102 of the battery pack 100, the battery pack 100 comprises the support member 110 to support plurality of pouch cells 104 at the base of the enclosure 102. The plurality of pouch cells 104 are held between the holder member and the support member 110. The support member 110 comprises the secondary groove 118 in the free end of each of the partition 114. Optionally, the support member 110 comprises the plurality of projection 120 provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to the surface of the support member 110 and/or the plurality of primary groove 112 on the surface separated by partitions 114. The battery pack 100, characterized in that, the support member 110 provided in the two-piece structure. The plurality of projections 120, the plurality of primary grooves 112, the partitions 114 and the secondary grooves 118 are part of the first piece 106, and the first piece 106 mates with the second piece 108 holding the sealing member 202.

[0018] The battery pack 100 also comprises a cover (not shown) which is positioned over the holder member. The cover comprises Battery Management System (BMS) controller in connection with the components and circuits provided on the Printed Circuit Board mounted over the holder member. The cover of the battery pack 100 is not shown for the simplicity of understanding and the same must not be understood in limiting manner.

[0019] In Fig. 1, a perspective view 124 of the support member 110 is shown. The support member 110 is shown in assembled state where the first piece 106 and the second piece 108 are assembled with each other. The plurality of projections 120 on two ends of the support member 110. The dampener 116 is provided on secondary grooves 118 along the length of the secondary grooves 118. The primary groove 112 is adapted to receive the extended foils 122 of the pouch cells 104. The support member 110 is screwed to the enclosure 102.

[0020] Fig. 2 illustrates a top view and an exploded view of the support member, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The top view 200 and the exploded view 210 are shown for clear depiction of the respective features. Such as the dampener 116 is shown fixed to the secondary grooves 118, and the primary grooves 112 are provided in between the dampeners 116. The slits 204 is provided in the primary grooves 112. The exploded view 210 shows the first piece 106 and the second piece 108 away from each other. The sealing member 202 which is similar to a gasket is shown fixed to the second piece 108. The second piece 108 is assembled with the first piece 106 of the support panel 110 by poka-yoke feature.

[0021] Fig. 3 illustrates a method for assembling the support member to the enclosure, according to the present invention. The method comprises plurality of steps of which a step 302 comprises holding together the stack of predetermined number of pouch cells 104. The pouch cells 104 are held together by a machine in assembly line. A step 304 comprises preparing a first assembly by fixing the first piece 106 of the support member 110 to the tail end of the stack of pouch cells 104. The tail end corresponds to the end where the extended foils 122 of the pouch cells 104 are present. A step 3036 comprises positioning the first assembly inside and the enclosure 102. A step 308 comprises fixing the second piece 108 of the support member 110 to the first piece 106 and assembling with the enclosure 102.

[0022] According to the method, the step 306, i.e. positioning the first assembly inside the enclosure 102 is done by any one of moving the enclosure 102 over the first assembly while the first assembly is stationary, and inserting the first assembly inside the enclosure 102 while the enclosure 102 is stationary.

[0023] According to the method, a step 310 comprises visually inspecting insertion of foils 122 of the pouch cells 104 in respective primary grooves 112. The inspection is done through slits 204 provided in each of the primary grooves 112. The step 310 of visual inspection is performed before fixing the second piece 108 with the first piece 106.

[0024] According to the present invention, a modular design for support member 110 (or back panel) assembly onto battery pack 100 is provided. The present invention provides a modular design of the support member 110 which is compatible for different form factor of pouch cells 104 and sealing member variants 202 to cater multiple Ingress Protection (IP) and degassing requirements of battery pack 100. The support member 110 solves the bending issue/blind assembly of extended foil 122 of the pouch cells 104. The support member 110 is made up of material such as but not limited to PA6-GF30 FR. The support member 110 assembly enables the alignment check of foils 122 of the pouch cell 104. Thus, the bending of foil 122 of the pouch cells 104 after blind assembly is eliminated, and thus there is no restriction to gas venting from the pouch cells 104. The support member 110 offers reduced complexity for over molding process compared to single piece support member 110. The support member 110, eliminated assembly concerns of bending of foil 122 of pouch cell 104 and implemented verification of foil 122 straightness after assembly.

[0025] It should be understood that embodiments explained in the description above are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of this invention. Many such embodiments and other modifications and changes in the embodiment explained in the description are envisaged. The scope of the invention is only limited by the scope of the claims.
, Claims:We claim:
1. A support member (110) for a pouch cell (104) based battery pack (100), said support member (110) comprises a surface to support plurality of said pouch cells (104) and located at a base of an enclosure (102) of said battery pack (100), said support member (110) comprises at least one of,
a plurality of projection (120) provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to said surface, and
a plurality of primary grooves (112) on said surface separated by partitions (114), and
a secondary groove (118) formed in a free end of said partitions (114), characterized in that,
said support member (110) is provided in a two-piece structure, wherein said plurality of projections (120), said plurality of primary grooves (112), said partitions (114) and said secondary grooves (118) are part of a first piece (106), said first piece (106) mates with a second piece (108) which holds a sealing member (202).

2. The support member (110) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of primary grooves (112) accommodates foils (122) of said pouch cells (104).

3. The support member (110) as claimed in claim 2, wherein said primary grooves (112) comprises slits (204) to allow visual inspection of state of foils (122) during assembly process.

4. A battery pack (100), said battery pack (100) comprises:
an enclosure (102);
a plurality of pouch cells (104) stacked inside said enclosure (102), and
a holder member to hold said plurality of pouch cells (104) within said enclosure (102);
a support member (110) to support plurality of pouch cells (104) at a base of said enclosure (102), said plurality of pouch cells (104) are held between said holder member and said support member (110), said support member (110) comprises at least one of,
a plurality of projection (120) provided on two opposite ends of and perpendicular to said surface, and
a plurality of primary grooves (112) on said surface separated by partitions (114), and
a secondary groove (118) formed in free end of said partitions (114), characterized in that,
said support member (110) is provided in a two-piece structure, wherein said plurality of projections (120), said plurality of primary grooves (112), said partitions (114) and said secondary grooves (118) are part of a first piece (106), said first piece (106) mates with a second piece (108) holding a sealing member (202).

5. The battery pack (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first piece (106) is assembled with a tail end of said stack of said pouch cells (104) before positioning into said enclosure (102), referred to as first assembly, and a second piece (108) is assembled with said first piece (106) of said first assembly, after said first assembly (106) is positioned inside said enclosure (102).

6. The battery pack (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said plurality of primary grooves (112) accommodates foils (122) of said pouch cells (104).

7. The battery pack (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said plurality of primary grooves (112) comprises slits (204) to allow visual inspection of state of foils (122) during assembly process.

8. A method for assembling a support member (110), said method comprising the steps of:
holding a stack of predetermined number of pouch cells (104);
preparing a first assembly by fixing a first piece (106) of said support member (110) to a tail end of said stack of pouch cells (104);
positioning said first assembly inside and an enclosure (102), and
fixing a second piece (108) of said support member (110) to said first piece (106) and assembling with said enclosure (102).

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said step of positioning said first assembly inside said enclosure (102) is done by any one of moving said enclosure (102) over said first assembly while said first assembly is stationary, and inserting said first assembly inside said enclosure (102) while said enclosure (102) is stationary.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, comprises visually inspecting insertion of foils (122) of said pouch cells (104) in respective primary grooves (112), wherein said inspection is done through slits (204) provided in each of said primary grooves (112), and said inspection is performed before fixing said second piece (108) with said first piece (106).