Battery pack and portable electronic appliance

• US 6,696,197 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takami, Norio, Inagaki, Hiroki, Ishii, Haruchika, Kohno, Tatsuoki, Morita, Tomokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Bruce F.
• Application Number:
  US09/956,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20020061436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 429/120, 429/7, 429/99, 429/100, 429/152, 429/153, 429/158, 429/159, 429/162, 429/163, 361/679, 361/681, 361/683, 361/687, 361/688, 361/704, 361/705, 361/706, 361/709
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0431 Cells with wound or folded electrodes H01M10/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• 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 10/617 for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/623 Portable devices, e.g. mobile telephones, cameras or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6554 Rods or plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/667 the system being an electronic component, e.g. a CPU, an inverter or a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• 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 50/55 on the same side of the cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/557 Plate-shaped terminals
• 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

Disclosed is a battery pack, comprising a secondary battery unit including at least one secondary battery, the at least one secondary battery comprising an electrode group and an insulating case having the electrode group housed therein, and the battery pack further comprising a heat conductive sheet which is provided at at least a part of the surface of the secondary battery unit and has a heat conductivity higher than a heat conductivity of the case.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

a secondary battery unit including at least one secondary battery, the at least one secondary battery comprising an electrode group and an insulating case having the electrode group housed therein; and

a heat conductive sheet provided at at least a part of the surface of the secondary battery unit and having a heat conductivity higher than a heat conductivity of the case.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the heat conductivity of the heat conductive sheet at 25°

C. is at least 100 [W/mk], and the thickness of the heat conductive sheet meets formula (1) given below;

3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the heat conductivity of the heat conductive sheet at 25°

C. is at least 100 [W/mk], and the thickness of the heat conductive sheet meets formula (2) given below;

4. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the heat conductive sheet contains at least one kind of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper and carbon.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the case is formed essentially of a laminate film containing an aluminum layer having a thickness of 20 to 40 μ

m.

6. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein, the heat conductive sheet is arranged on at least a part of the surface of the secondary battery unit.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an electrolyte absorbing sheet is arranged between the secondary battery unit and the heat conductive sheet.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the secondary battery unit comprises a plurality of secondary batteries, and the heat conductive sheet is arranged to bridge the plural secondary batteries.

9. A portable electronic appliance using a secondary battery unit including at least one secondary battery, the at least one secondary battery comprising an electrode group and an insulating case having the electrode group housed therein, comprising:

a battery housing section in which a secondary battery unit is arranged; and

a heat conductive sheet arranged within the battery housing section and having a heat conductivity higher than a heat conductivity of the case.

10. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 9, wherein the heat conductive sheet contains at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper and carbon.

11. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of the heat conductive sheet falls within a range of between 0.01 mm and 3 mm.

12. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 9, further comprising an electrolyte absorbing sheet arranged within the battery housing section.

13. The portable electronic appliance according to claim 9, wherein the heat conductivity of the heat conductive sheet at 25°

C. is at least 100 [W/mk], and the thickness of the heat conductive sheet meets formula (1) given below;

14. A battery pack, comprising:

a heat conductive sheet;

a thermoplastic film arranged on the heat conductive sheet;

an electrode group arranged on the thermoplastic film; and

a film material thermally fused to the thermoplastic film in a manner to cover the electrode group so as to seal the electrode group.

15. The battery pack according to claim 14, wherein the heat conductive sheet contains at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper and carbon and has a thickness falling within a range of between 0.01 mm and 3 mm.

16. A battery pack, comprising:

a secondary battery unit including at least one secondary battery comprising an electrolyte; and

an electrolyte absorbing sheet arranged on at least a part of the surface of the secondary battery unit.

17. The battery pack according to claim 16, wherein the electrolyte absorbing sheet contains at least one material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide.