BATTERY PACK

• US 20100247990A1
• Filed: 06/02/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirakawa, Yasushi, Takezawa, Hideharu, Ugaji, Masaya, Yamamoto, Taisuke
• Application Number:
  US12/677,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20100247990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/94
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/134 Electrodes based on metals, Si or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/139 Processes of manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/103 prismatic or rectangular H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/105 Pouches or flexible bags
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/107 having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/119 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/121 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/124 having a layered structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/129 with two or more layers of only organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• 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 50/291 characterised by their shape
• 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

Abstract

A battery pack 1 of the present invention includes: a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries 10 electrically connected together in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel combination; a tray 11; and a housing 12. The lithium ion secondary batteries 10 each include an electrode assembly containing an alloy-based negative electrode active material serving as a negative electrode active material, and each have a sealed surface 10a. The lithium ion secondary battery 10 is mounted on the tray. The housing 12 accommodates the tray 11 with the lithium ion secondary battery 10 mounted thereon. Even if high-temperature contents are produced in the interior of the lithium ion secondary battery 10 in the event of internal short circuiting or overcharging, this configuration prevents the high-temperature contents from leaking out of the batter pack 1, and thus improves the safety of the battery pack 1.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries electrically connected together in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel combination;

a tray; and

a housing,

said lithium ion secondary batteries each including an electrode assembly containing an alloy-based negative electrode active material serving as a negative electrode active material, and each having a sealed surface,

said tray including a battery-mounting portion and a side wall, said battery-mounting portion having said lithium ion secondary battery mounted thereon, and said side wall being formed so as to stand perpendicular to said battery-mounting portion from the edge of said battery-mounting portion and having a height larger than the thickness of said lithium ion secondary battery, and

said housing accommodating said tray with said plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries mounted thereon.

2. The battery pack in accordance with claim 1, wherein said lithium ion secondary battery is arranged so as to face a peripheral portion of said housing.

3. The battery pack in accordance with claim 1, wherein said electrode assembly is a wound electrode assembly having a winding axis, and said sealed surface of said lithium ion secondary battery and said winding axis of said wound electrode assembly are orthogonal to each other.

4. The battery pack in accordance with claim 2, wherein said housing is provided with a gas discharge means at said peripheral portion thereof in a vicinity of said sealed surface of said lithium ion secondary battery.

5. The battery pack in accordance with claim 1, wherein the number of said lithium ion secondary batteries is equal to the number of said trays, and said lithium ion secondary batteries are mounted one by one on said trays.

6. The battery pack in accordance with claim 5, wherein a partition member is provided between one of said trays and another one of said trays adjacent thereto.

7. The battery pack in accordance with claim 1, wherein said alloy-based negative electrode active material is at least one selected from the group consisting of an alloy-based negative electrode active material comprising silicon and an alloy-based negative electrode active material comprising tin.

8. The battery pack in accordance with claim 7, wherein said alloy-based negative electrode active material comprising silicon is at least one selected from the group consisting of silicon, a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, a silicon-containing alloy, and a silicon compound.

9. The battery pack in accordance with claim 7, wherein said alloy-based negative electrode active material comprising tin is at least one selected from the group consisting of tin, a tin oxide, a tin-containing alloy, and a tin compound.