Battery pack

• US 20050031945A1
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Energy Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Morita, Hideyo, Mizuta, Katsuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,678,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/158
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/505 comprising a single busbar
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/512 Connection only in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/516 by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/529 Intercell connections through partitions, e.g. in a battery casing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/588 outside the batteries, e.g. incorrect connections of terminals or busbars
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/593 Spacers; Insulating plates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The battery pack is provided with a battery block, a case, and a circuit board. The battery block has a plurality of batteries lined up in a horizontal row with the same orientation, and lead plates connect to terminals of those batteries to form a parallel unit. A plurality of parallel units are stacked in the vertical direction with different orientation, and battery terminals are connected by lead plates in the vertical direction to connect parallel units in series. Lead plates have projections which protrude horizontally beyond the confines of the battery block and connect with the circuit board, and the battery block and circuit board are connected as a unit.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising a battery block which is a plurality of batteries oriented perpendicular to a specified surface of a case and arranged vertically and horizontally in mutual proximity, the case which houses the battery block, and a circuit board which is connected with the batteries;

wherein the battery block has a plurality of batteries lined up in a horizontal row with the same orientation, lead plates are connected to the terminals of batteries lined up with the same orientation to connect them in parallel and form parallel units, and a plurality of parallel units are stacked vertically to make battery orientation different in the vertical direction;

the lead plates, which connect a plurality of batteries of a parallel unit in parallel, also connect terminals of batteries of parallel units that are adjacent in the vertical direction to connect a plurality of parallel units in series in the vertical direction;

the lead plates have projections which protrude horizontally from the confines of the battery block, and the projections connect with the circuit board;

the circuit board is disposed opposite a side of the battery block in an orientation that allows connection with the projections of a plurality of lead plates; and

lead plate projections connect with the circuit board to join the battery block and circuit board as a single unit.

2. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of batteries that form the battery block are disposed in a fashion that puts battery end planes in a single plane at both ends, and terminal surfaces of adjacent batteries are connected by planar lead plates.

3. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein one parallel unit is the plurality of batteries lined up in one horizontal row.

4. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein one parallel unit is the plurality of batteries lined up in a plurality of horizontal rows.

5. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein the number of batteries lined up horizontally is from 2 to 20, and the number of batteries stacked vertically is from 2 to 30.

6. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein the case houses a battery pack core, which is the battery block and the circuit board joined as a single unit.

7. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein a connector is provided on a circuit board holder side of the battery pack.

8. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein the lead plates are provided with horseshoe shaped slits in battery terminal connecting regions, and battery terminals are spot welded inside the horseshoe shaped slits.

9. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein the width of lead plate battery terminal connecting regions is approximately equal to the vertical width of two rows of adjacently stacked parallel units.

10. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein the circuit board is provided with voltage detection circuitry to detect parallel unit voltage.

11. A battery pack as recited in claim 1 wherein spacers are disposed in the horizontal direction between adjacent parallel units, alignment plates are disposed in the vertical direction, and spacers and alignment plates are joined and fixed together.

12. A battery pack as recited in claim 11 wherein spacers are insulating material that are sandwiched between parallel units, and spacers insulate the batteries of adjacently disposed parallel units.

13. A battery pack as recited in claim 12 wherein a spacer made of insulating material is a rectangular plastic board which is plastic formed in a planar geometry.

14. A battery pack as recited in claim 11 wherein the overall length of a spacer, which is a rectangular plastic board, is somewhat longer than the overall length of a parallel unit, and both spacer end regions that extend beyond the parallel units are joined with alignment plates.

15. A battery pack as recited in claim 11 wherein spacers and alignment plates are provided with coupling slits in their mutual connecting regions, and spacers and alignment plates are joined via these coupling slits.

16. A battery pack as recited in claim 11 wherein spacers and alignment plates are joined by a configuration with one inserted through the other.

17. A battery pack as recited in claim 11 wherein the battery block has retaining plates disposed at both end planes in the vertical direction.

18. A battery pack as recited in claim 17 wherein the battery block has retaining plates disposed at both end planes and a plurality of intervening spacers disposed in between, which are joined together by two alignment plates.