Method and apparatus for mounting, cooling, connecting and protecting batteries

Abstract

A system and method mounts batteries in a substrate or insert to a substrate, electrically connects them via a set of conductors, and cools them using air, or cooling tubes having a flow of air or coolant running in opposite directions past each of the batteries.

1 . A battery mounting system, comprising: 
 a plurality of substrates, each comprising a plurality of mounts, at least some of each of the plurality of mounts being aligned over at least one hole through said substrate;    a plurality of batteries, each having at least two terminals inserted into the mounts of at least two of the plurality of substrates; and    a plurality of conductors coupling a terminal of each battery in a set of a plurality of batteries in the plurality of batteries to a terminal of each of the other batteries in the set; and    wherein the substrate is rigid enough to allow a force applied perpendicularly to a surface of the substrate not facing the batteries to be distributed across at least some of the plurality of batteries, or other structures in contact with the substrate.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein each of the mounts comprises a set of at least one narrow portion of the substrate that contacts and holds one of the plurality of batteries.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the mount comprises a pilot hole and a plurality of petals extending from the pilot hole.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 2  wherein the mount is milled into the substrate.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1  additionally comprising at last one cooling tube running adjacent to the plurality of batteries.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein: 
 the cooling tube runs adjacent to each of the plurality of batteries at least twice;    the cooling tube has a flow of a coolant; and the flow of the coolant near each battery occurs in a different direction in at least two of the at least two runs of the cooling tube near each battery.    
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is shaped to substantially fit at least two dimensions of a space available for the batteries.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein: 
 the plurality of conductors each have a plurality of holes; and    for at least some of the plurality of conductors, inserted into each of the plurality of holes is at least one bracket, each bracket electrically connected to the conductor and protruding from said hole in the conductor and through one of the holes in the substrate so as to come into electrical contact with one of the terminals of at least one of the plurality of batteries;    whereby the plurality of brackets electrically interconnects the conductor with the terminals of the at least some of the plurality of batteries.    
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one bracket is physically attached to one of the terminals of each of at least some of the plurality of batteries.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the terminals of the batteries have a polarity, and at least one conductor is electrically connected to different polarities of different of the at least some of the plurality of batteries.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one hole in the substrate has a diameter not larger than a diameter of a positive one of the at least two terminals of the plurality of batteries.  
   
   
       12 . A method of containing a plurality of batteries, comprising: 
 mounting the plurality of batteries into mounts in a first substrate, each of at least some of the mounts being located over at least one hole through the substrate, the substrate capable of distributing across at least some of the plurality of batteries a force applied perpendicularly to a surface of the substrate opposite to that facing the plurality of batteries is mounted;    running a cooling tube near each of the plurality of batteries at least one time;    pressing mounts of a second substrate over the batteries, each of the mounts being located over at least one hole through the substrate;    contacting each of a plurality of conductors to one of the terminals of each of at least some of the batteries via the holes in the substrates.    
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the contacting step employs, for at least one of the plurality of conductors, a bracket extending through at least one hole in the conductor and at least one hole in the substrate.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the contacting step comprises welding.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 each battery terminal has a polarity; and    at least one conductor is contacted with opposite polarity terminals of each of at least two different batteries in the plurality of batteries.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein at least one conductor is contacted with terminals of at least two batteries having a first polarity, and terminals of at least two different batteries having a second polarity different from the first polarity.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 the running the cooling tube step comprises running the cooling tube past each of the batteries in the plurality at least twice;    the cooling tube has a flow of a coolant; and    the flow of the coolant past each battery is in at least two different directions.    
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 12 , additionally comprising milling the mounts into the substrate.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the milling step comprises milling a plurality of petals extending from a pilot hole drilled at least part way through the substrate.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 12 , additionally comprising shaping the substrate to substantially conform to at least two dimensions of a space available for batteries.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 12 , additionally comprising: 
 adding the plurality of batteries, first and second substrate, cooling tube and plurality of conductors, to a housing; and    electrically connecting to a plurality of batteries in an adjacent housing, via a solid conductor having a non-round cross section, the plurality of batteries added to the housing.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one hole through the substrate is not larger than a diameter of a positive terminal of the plurality of batteries.