Battery pack

• US 7,597,994 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Tadashi, Inaba, Koichi, Toriyama, Koici, Hamao, Naohiro, Kozu, Katsumi, Mori, Iichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Rhee; Jane
• Application Number:
  US10/494,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20050164080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,500 Days
• Field of Search: 429/121, 429/163, 429/162, 429/167, 429/175, 429/177, 429/176, 429/7, 429/152
• US Class Current: 429/121
• 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 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/103 prismatic or rectangular H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• 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 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• 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 50/30 Arrangements for facilitating escape of gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/566 by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/572 Means for preventing undesired use or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An outer case (10, 20, 35, 40) for housing a rechargeable battery (1, 31, 41) and a battery circuit therein is composed of an upper case (7, 21, 42) and a lower case (8, 22, 43), each being formed as a half-shell body. The respective bottom faces of the upper case (7, 21, 42) and the lower case (8, 22, 43) are formed of film members (7b, 8b, 32, 34, 42b, 43b), and are integrally formed with resin moldings (7a, 8a, 33, 42c, 43c) forming circumferential side faces.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

a flat and approximately prismatic outer case including a pair of divided-shell bodies, an arbitrary range of at least one principal outer face of at least one of the divided-shell bodies being formed of a plastic film member, and a remaining portion of each of said divided-shell bodies being formed of a resin molding, said plastic film member being integrated with at least one said resin molding such that said resin molding, integral with said plastic film member, together comprise a same respective one of said divided-shell bodies, said at least one resin molding including a frame structure defining an oven region bounded peripherally by said frame structure, said open region being closed exclusively by the plastic film member;

at least one rechargeable battery being housed in a planar manner within said outer case; and

an externally accessible connection terminal connected to the rechargeable battery, the external connection terminal being accessibly exposed at a portion of said case where the resin molding is formed.

3. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein a circumferential edge of the film member is formed by insert molding into the resin molding.

4. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein

the resin molding includes a filler resin molding which is formed on the film member so as to fill a gap formed between the rechargeable batteries arranged adjacent to each other when the plurality of rechargeable batteries are arranged.

5. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein

the film member is formed as a composite film obtained by bonding a hard film on its outer face.

6. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein

an adhesive layer is formed on the inner face of the film member.

7. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein

the film member is a reinforced plastic film having a core material in a resin.

8. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein

a gas vent port is formed in the resin molding of the outer case.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a battery circuit is configured with a circuit board, and the circuit board is provided on a shorter side face of the rechargeable battery.

12. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein

a battery circuit is configured with the circuit board, and the circuit board is provided for the outer case.

14. The battery pack according to any one of claims 12 and 13, wherein

the external connection terminal is formed on the circuit board and the external connection terminal is externally exposed through an opening formed through the side circumferential surface of the outer case.

16. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein:

said plastic film member of said at least one of the half-shell bodies is arranged orthogonally to a thickness direction of said resin molding;

said resin molding has a maximum thickness extending between two planes; and

said plastic film member of said at least one of the half-shell bodies has an outer face which is flush with a one of said two planes.

18. The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 and 2 wherein a thickness of the plastic film member is 50 μ

m or more, yet less than 220 μ

m.

2. A battery pack, comprising:

an outer case being formed as two approximately prismatic half-shell bodies, the half-shell bodies being provided so as to face each other at respective openings thereof to be bonded together, an arbitrary range of a portion corresponding to an outer face of at least one of the half-shell bodies of the outer case being formed of a plastic film member, and a remaining portion of said at least one of the half-shell bodies being formed of a resin molding, said plastic film member of said at least one of the half-shell bodies being integrally formed with said resin molding of said at least one of the half-shell bodies such that said resin molding, integral with said plastic film member, together comprise a same respective one of said half-shell bodies, said plastic film member of said at least one of the half-shell bodies being arranged orthogonally to a thickness direction of said resin molding, said resin molding having a maximum thickness extending between two planes, said plastic film member of said at least one of the half-shell bodies having an outer face which is flush with a one of said two planes;

at least one rechargeable battery and a battery circuit housed within the outer case formed when said half-shell bodies are bonded together; and

an externally accessible connection terminal being accessible via an arbitrary side circumferential surface.

10. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the battery circuit is configured with a circuit board, and the circuit board is provided on a shorter side face of the rechargeable battery.

11. The battery pack according to any one of claims 9 and 10, wherein

the external connection terminal is formed on the circuit board and the external connection terminal is externally exposed through an opening formed through the side circumferential surface of the outer case.

13. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein

the battery circuit is configured with the circuit board, and the circuit board is provided for the outer case.

17. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein:

said resin molding includes a frame structure defining an open region bounded peripherally by said frame structure; and

said open region is closed exclusively by the plastic film member.

15. A battery pack, comprising:

a rechargeable battery unit comprised of at least one rechargeable battery, said rechargeable battery unit having a length and a width arranged along a battery plane and which is bounded by an outer perimeter, a respective dimension of each of said length and said width being relatively larger that a thickness of the rechargeable battery unit extending crosswise to said battery plane;

an outer case in which said rechargeable battery unit is received in a planar manner, said outer case including a resin molding comprised of resin molding segments which are collectively arranged in a circumferentially divided manner about said outer perimeter, said outer case further including at least one plastic film member being integrated with said resin molding to overlay at least a portion of said rechargeable battery unit extending along the length and width of said rechargeable battery unit inward of said outer perimeter thereof; and

an externally accessible connection terminal connected to the rechargeable battery, the external connection terminal being accessibly exposed at a portion of said case where the resin molding is formed.