Battery assembly and holder

• US 10,644,278 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okura, Toshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruddock, Ula C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parsons, Thomas H.
• Application Number:
  US14/951,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20160149174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/54 Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/289 characterised by spacing elements or positioning means within frames, racks or packs spacing elements inside cells other than separators, membranes or diaphragms H01M50/471
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/84 Recycling of batteries or fuel cells

Abstract

An battery assembly includes: a holder having a front surface and a back surface and having a plurality of holding holes, which are cylindrical holes penetrating through between the front surface and the back surfaces; and a cylindrical battery extending in an axis direction and having an outside diameter smaller than an inside diameter of the holding hole, wherein: the holder is configured such that at least part of the battery is accommodated in the holding hole; the battery assembly includes an adhesive provided between an outer peripheral surface of the part of the battery and an inner peripheral surface of the holder so as to fix the battery to the holder; and the holder has grooves each of which is opened on the front surface or the back surface of the holder, each of the grooves making adjacent holding holes among the plurality of holding holes with each other.

Claims

1. A battery assembly comprising:

a holder having a front surface and a back surface and having a plurality of holding holes, which are cylindrical holes penetrating through between the front surface and the back surface; and

a cylindrical battery extending in an axis direction and having an outside diameter smaller than a minimum inside diameter of the holding hole, wherein;

at least part of the battery is accommodated in the holding hole, and the battery extends out from the front surface of the holder,

each holding hole of the plurality of holding holes has a first inside diameter at a first end of the holding hole located at the front surface and a second inside diameter at a second end of the holding hole located at the back surface, and the holding hole tapers from the first inside diameter to the second inside diameter, wherein the second inside diameter is the minimum inside diameter;

an adhesive is provided between an outer peripheral surface of the part of the battery and an inner peripheral surface of the holding hole so as to fix the battery to the holder; and

the holder has grooves each of which is opened on the back surface of the holder, each of the grooves making adjacent holding holes among the plurality of holding holes communicate with each other,

wherein the cylindrical battery is accommodated in the holder such that a terminal of the battery that is accommodated in the holding hole protrudes past a bottom surface of the grooves as viewed in a side view.

2. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein

the grooves which are opened on the back surface of the holder extend to an outer peripheral side surface of the holder from an outer-peripheral-side holes among the holding holes which are placed adjacent to the outer peripheral side surface of the holder.

3. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein:

the grooves are configured to extend in a radial direction of the holding hole;

the grooves extend from each of the holding holes formed in the holder; and

when a plurality of the grooves extending from the holding hole in its radial direction is viewed in a plan view from a back-surface side of the holder on which the grooves are opened, an angle formed between any two adjacent grooves is 180°

or less.

4. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein

a depth of the grooves is half of a dimension between the front surface and the back surface in the holder.

5. The battery assembly according to claim 4, wherein

the adhesive is provided between a bottom face of one of the grooves and an opposite surface of a surface on which the groove is opened.

6. A holder comprising:

a front surface and a back surface;

a plurality of holding holes, which are cylindrical holes penetrating through between the front surface and the back surface;

each holding hole of the plurality of holding holes has a first inside diameter at a first end of the holding hole located at the front surface and a second inside diameter at a second end of the holding hole located at the back surface, and the holding hole tapers from the first inside diameter to the second inside diameter;

at least part of a cylindrical battery is able to be accommodated in the holding hole, and the battery extends out from the front surface of the holder; and

the holder has grooves each of which is opened on the back surface, each of the grooves making adjacent holding holes among the plurality of holding holes communicate with each other,

wherein all of the plurality of holding holes that are adjacent to each other are communicated with each other via the grooves.

7. The holder according to claim 6, wherein

the grooves which are opened on the back surface of the holder extend to an outer peripheral side surface of the holder from an outer-peripheral-side holes among the holding holes which are placed adjacent to the outer peripheral side surface of the holder.

8. The holder according to claim 6, wherein

the grooves are configured to extend in a radial direction of the holding hole;

the grooves extend from each of the holding holes formed in the holder; and

when a plurality of the grooves extending from the holding hole in its radial direction is viewed in a plan view from a back-surface side of the holder on which the grooves are opened, an angle formed between any two adjacent grooves is 180°

or less.