Battery pack

• US 20060127754A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Eto, Toyohiko, Hamada, Shinji
• Application Number:
  US11/299,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20060127754A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/158
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/509 characterised by the type of connection, e.g. mixed connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/516 by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/522 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/529 Intercell connections through partitions, e.g. in a battery casing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence

Abstract

A battery pack in which adjoining battery modules are electrically connected is provided with higher reliability of connection and at lower cost than before. A battery pack comprises a plurality of battery modules each including a plurality of sealed batteries. Of the battery modules, a first connecting cell of a first battery module and a second connecting cell of a second battery module are disposed each other in adjoining relation. An external positive terminal of the first connecting cell, serving as a positive electrode, and a second side surface of the second connecting cell, serving as a negative electrode, are electrically connected with each other by a connecting member having extended parts and a plate-like part.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules each including one or more cells,

wherein the plurality of battery modules includes a first and second battery modules arranged in adjoining relation,

the cell(s) of the first battery module include a first connecting cell connected with the second battery module and the cell(s) of the second battery module include a second connecting cell connected with the first connecting cell of the first battery module, the first and second connecting cells being arranged in adjoining relation, and

the first connecting cell includes a positive electrode area serving as a positive electrode and the second connecting cell includes a negative electrode area serving as a negative electrode, and the positive electrode area and the negative electrode area are electrically connected with each other by a connecting member integrally including a positive electrode weld part welded to the positive electrode area and a negative electrode weld part welded to the negative electrode area.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein

each cell is of a rectangular parallelepiped shape,

each battery module includes a plurality of the cells which are electrically connected in series and in line,

the battery modules are arranged in parallel with each other,

the first connecting cell is a cell having the highest potential of the cells of the first battery module,

the second connecting cell is a cell having the lowest potential of the cells of the second battery module,

the positive electrode area is positioned within an external positive terminal formed on a first case wall of the first connecting cell, the first case wall forming an end of the first battery module in a direction of arrangement of the cells in line,

the negative electrode area is positioned within a second case wall of the second connecting cell, the second case wall forming an end of the second battery module in a direction of arrangement of the cells in line, and

the first case wall of the first connecting cell and the second case wall of the second connecting cell are arranged in the same imaginary plane.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein

the connecting member includes a variation-absorbing part formed between the positive electrode weld part and the negative electrode weld part, the variation-absorbing part including a structure for absorbing variations in connection distance between the positive electrode area and the negative electrode area to maintain connection therebetween.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein

the connecting member is made of a metal plate, and

the variation-absorbing part is a variation-absorbing bent part made of the metal plate partly bent into a U-shape or wavy shape.

5. The battery pack according to claim 2,

the connecting member includes a variation-absorbing part formed between the positive electrode weld part and the negative electrode weld part, the variation-absorbing part including a structure for absorbing variations in connection distance between the positive electrode area and the negative electrode area to maintain connection therebetween.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5,

the connecting member is made of a metal plate, and

the variation-absorbing part is a variation-absorbing bent part made of the metal plate partly bent into a U-shape or wavy shape.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein

all the battery modules of the battery pack are electrically connected with one another by the connecting members.