Battery pack and rechargeable vacuum cleaner

• US 20030134189A1
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanda, Motoya, Iwasaki, Hideo, Hisano, Katsumi, Kanai, Hideyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,014,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/156
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/643 Cylindrical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6561 Gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• 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 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/44 of tubular or cup-shaped cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The invention provides a battery pack comprising an outer case, and a plurality of cylindrical lithium ion secondary batteries accommodated in the outer case in vertical N rows and lateral M rows (N rows≦M rows), with a gap between the secondary batteries, wherein the outer case has a draft port opened in a first wall facing an outer circumferential surface of the secondary batteries in the first vertical row, and an exhaust port opened in a second wall positioned at the opposite side of the first wall, in each secondary battery in the first vertical row and the second vertical row, a part of the outer circumferential surface, which is at a shorter distance from the first wall than any other parts, faces the draft port of the outer case.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising an outer case, and a plurality of cylindrical lithium ion secondary batteries accommodated in the outer case in vertical N rows and lateral M rows (N rows≦

M rows), with a gap between the secondary batteries,

wherein the outer case has a draft port opened in a first wall facing an outer circumferential surface of the secondary batteries in the first vertical row, and an exhaust port opened in a second wall positioned at the opposite side of the first wall,

in each secondary battery in the first vertical row and the second vertical row, a part of the outer circumferential surface, which is at a shorter distance from the first wall than any other parts, faces the draft port of the outer case.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, satisfying the following formulas (1) and (2):

0.1≦

G1≦

5 

 

(1) 0.5G1≦

G2≦

G1 

 

(2)

where G1 is a gap (mm) between secondary batteries in the vertical first row, and G2 is a gap (mm) between secondary batteries in the vertical first row and secondary batteries in the vertical second row.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, satisfying the following formula (3):

0.2G1≦

G3*≦

0.8G1 

 

(3)

where G3* is a gap (mm) between a secondary battery positioned at an end of the secondary batteries in the vertical second row and a secondary battery positioned adjacent to the secondary battery.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein each secondary battery in the vertical first row has a temperature distribution in which a temperature difference ranges from 2°

K. to 10°

K.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a total area of the draft ports is in a range of 10% to 80% of an area of the first wall, and a total area of the exhaust ports is in a range of 10% to 80% of an area of the second wall.

6. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a heat equalizing plate comprising ventilation ports is interposed between the secondary batteries in the vertical first row and the secondary batteries in the vertical second row.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an inside of the first wall of the outer case is a corrugated surface, and each secondary battery in the vertical first row is accommodated in a recess in the corrugated surface.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an inside of the first wall and an inside of the second wall of the outer case are respectively corrugated surfaces, and each secondary battery in the vertical first row is accommodated in a recess of the corrugated surface of the first wall, and each secondary battery in the vertical N-th row is accommodated in a recess of the corrugated surface of the second wall.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the shorter distance of each secondary battery in the vertical first row is in a range of 0 mm to 5 mm.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the outer case is covered with a shock absorbing material.

11. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal direction of the secondary batteries is parallel to a gravitational direction or orthogonal to the gravitational direction.

12. A battery pack comprising an outer case, and a battery set that includes cylindrical lithium ion secondary batteries as unit cells and is accommodated in the outer case,

wherein the unit cells are accommodated in the outer case with a longitudinal direction being parallel to a gravitational direction, in vertical N rows and lateral M rows (N rows≦

M rows), with a gap between the unit cells,

the outer case has a draft port opened in a first wall facing an outer circumferential surface of the unit cells in the first vertical row, and an exhaust port opened in a second wall positioned at the opposite side of the first wall,

in the unit cells in the first vertical row and the second vertical row, a part of the outer circumferential surface, which is at a shorter distance from the first wall than any other parts, faces the draft port of the outer case.

13. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein a recess for accommodating a lower end portion of the unit cells is formed in an inside of a bottom of the outer case.

14. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein a first recess in which an upper end portion of the unit cells is accommodated is formed in an inside of a top of the outer case, a second recess in which a lower end portion of the unit cells is accommodated is formed in an inside of a bottom of the outer case, and the first recess and second recess satisfy the following formula (4).

d<

D 

 

(4)

where d is a depth (mm) of the first recess and D is a depth (mm) of the second recess.

15. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein a lowest portion of the first wall has no draft ports and has a height that is 25% or less of a height of the outer case.

16. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein ventilation port is formed in at least one of a top and a bottom of the outer case.

17. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein the first wall and the second wall of the outer case, a third wall facing the outer circumferential surface of the unit cells in the vertical first row to vertical N-th row, and a fourth wall positioned at the opposite side of the third wall are formed of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, magnesium alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, iron, iron alloy, and stainless steel.

18. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein a size of the battery set is selected from the following group consisting of (A) to (C):

(A) a width in the longitudinal direction of the battery set is in a range of 135 mm to 250 mm, a width in the lateral direction of the battery set is in a range of 33 mm to 50 mm, and a height of the battery set is in a range of 65 mm to 130 mm;

(B) a width in the longitudinal direction of the battery set is in a range of 175 mm to 350 mm, a width in the lateral direction of the battery set is in a range of 33 mm to 50 mm, and a height of the battery set is in a range of 65 mm to 130 mm;

(C) a width in the longitudinal direction of the battery set is in a range of 600 mm to 700 mm, a width in the lateral direction of the battery set is in a range of 280 mm to 400 mm, and a height of the battery set is in a range of 700 mm to 800 mm.

19. A rechargeable vacuum cleaner comprising a battery pack including an outer case, and a plurality of cylindrical lithium ion secondary batteries accommodated in the outer case in vertical N rows and lateral M rows (N rows≦

M rows), with a gap between the secondary batteries,

wherein the outer case has a draft port opened in a first wall facing an outer circumferential surface of the secondary batteries in the first vertical row, and an exhaust port opened in a second wall positioned at the opposite side of the first wall,

in each secondary battery in the first vertical row and the second vertical row, a part of the outer circumferential surface, which is at a shorter distance from the first wall than any other parts, faces the draft port of the outer case.

20. The rechargeable vacuum cleaner of claim 19, wherein the battery pack is provided in an intake route or an exhaust route of a motor.