Method for manufacturing a battery pack

• US 7,927,386 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Yasuhiro, Mizuta, Masahiro, Ishimaru, Takeshi, Toriyama, Koichi, Mori, Iichiro, Kataoka, Satoshi, Osawa, Yoshiki, Chikada, Tatsuhisa, Kozu, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Alejandro; Raymond
• Application Number:
  US12/286,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20090038145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 296/231, 296/232, 296/234, 429/96, 429/100, 429/180, 429/178, 429/185, 429/181, 264/104, 264/176.1, 264/177.16, 264/272.21
• US Class Current: 29/623.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/3425 in the form of rupturable membranes or weakened parts, e.g. pierced with the aid of a sharp member
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/593 Spacers; Insulating plates
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4911 including sealing

Abstract

A rechargeable battery (2) and a circuit substrate (3) are connected by lead plates (4, 5) and united by a primary mold (11) that is formed by filling resin therebetween, after which a secondary mold (12) is formed on the outer face by filling resin at necessary locations and a winding sheet (13) is wound around the periphery, thereby forming a battery pack.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a battery pack, comprising:

providing a rechargeable battery having a sealing plate on a sealing plate side and a bottom face;

connecting a circuit substrate having an external terminal to the rechargeable battery by a connecting member;

said circuit substrate having a first substrate side surface on which said external terminal is disposed and having a second substrate side surface opposite said first substrate side surface;

arranging the circuit substrate such that said second substrate side surface of the circuit substrate faces the sealing plate of the rechargeable battery and defines a gap therebetween thereby forming an object to be resin packed;

placing the object to be resin packed inside a die such that the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate are in predetermined positions;

filling the gap between the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate with resin thereby forming an intermediate product by integrally uniting the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate; and

forming an outer covering such that at least the external terminal of the intermediate product is exposed to the outside.

2. The method for manufacturing a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein:

the outer covering provided to the intermediate product includes an upper mold covering the first circuit substrate surface and the sealing plate of the rechargeable battery while exposing at least a terminal surface of the external terminal to the outside wherein the upper mold includes an outer upper mold surface and an aperture aligned with and exposing the terminal surface and said terminal surface is disposed not extending beyond said outer upper mold surface;

a lower mold formed on the bottom face of the rechargeable battery having a predetermined height; and

a connecting mold part that couples the upper mold and the lower mold along the shorter sides of the rechargeable battery, the molds being formed by a secondary molding process, and a sheet is wound around to cover the side faces of the rechargeable battery, part of the side faces of the upper mold and the lower mold, and the connecting mold part.

3. The method for manufacturing a battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the rechargeable battery is formed to have an oval cross section, and the connecting mold part is molded to conform to part of a rectangle that surrounds circular arcs at both ends of the oval cross section.

8. The method for manufacturing a battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sealing plate of the rechargeable battery is provided with an undercut portion that protrudes toward the circuit substrate, so that resin filled in the gap between the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate firmly engages with the rechargeable battery with the resin being filled in a recess of the undercut portion to directly contact an entire surface of the undercut portion.

9. The method for manufacturing a battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the outer covering is formed by sheathing the intermediate product with a tube-shaped member or a bottomed tube-shaped member having a predetermined height, and resin filling in an open end on one or both of the first substrate side surface of the circuit substrate and the bottom face of the rechargeable battery such that predetermined parts including the external terminal are exposed to the outside.

10. The method for manufacturing a battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the outer covering is formed of resin such as to cover an entire surface of the intermediate product except for predetermined parts including the external terminal.

11. The method for manufacturing a battery pack according to any one of claim 1 to 7, wherein parts of the dies used for the primary and secondary molding that make contact with exposed active parts of the object to be resin packed or the intermediate product are provided with an insulation coating.

4. A method for manufacturing a battery pack comprising:

providing a flat prismatic rechargeable battery having a sealing plate on a sealing plate side and a bottom face;

connecting a circuit substrate having an external terminal to the flat prismatic rechargeable battery on the sealing plate side thereof by a connecting member;

said circuit substrate having a first substrate side surface on which said external terminal is disposed and having a second substrate side surface opposite said first substrate side surface;

arranging the circuit substrate so that the said second substrate side surface of the circuit substrate faces the sealing plate of the rechargeable battery and defines a gap therebetween thereby forming an object to be resin packed;

placing the object to be resin packed inside a die such that a bias is applied thereto so that either one of the sealing plate side and the bottom face of the rechargeable battery abuts on a first wall of the die that defines position of the battery;

arranging the circuit substrate by vacuum suction on a second wall of the die that defines a position of the substrate and is parallel to the first wall that defines the position of the battery;

filling the gap between the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate with resin to form an intermediate product by integrally uniting the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate; and

forming an outer covering such that at least the external terminal of the intermediate product is exposed to the outside.

5. A method for manufacturing a battery pack comprising:

providing a flat prismatic rechargeable battery having a sealing plate on a sealing plate side and a bottom face;

connecting a circuit substrate having an external terminal to the flat prismatic rechargeable battery on the sealing plate side thereof by a connecting member;

said circuit substrate having a first substrate side surface on which said external terminal is disposed and having a second substrate side surface opposite said first substrate side surface;

arranging the circuit substrate so that the second substrate side of the circuit substrate faces the sealing plate of the rechargeable battery and defines with a gap therebetween thereby forming an object to be resin packed;

placing the object to be resin packed inside a die such that a bias is applied thereto so that either one of the sealing plate and the bottom face of the rechargeable battery abuts on a first wall of the die that defines the position of the battery;

arranging the circuit substrate such that a bias is applied so that both ends of the circuit substrate abut on a second wall of the die that defines the position of the substrate and is parallel to the first wall that defines the position of the battery;

filling the gap between the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate with resin to form an intermediate product by integrally uniting the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate; and

forming an outer covering such that at least the external terminal of the intermediate product is exposed to the outside.

6. A method for manufacturing a battery pack comprising:

providing a flat prismatic rechargeable battery having a sealing plate on a sealing plate side and a bottom face;

connecting a circuit substrate having an external terminal to the flat prismatic rechargeable battery on the sealing plate side thereof by a connecting member;

said circuit substrate having a first substrate side surface on which said external terminal is disposed and having a second substrate side surface opposite said first substrate side surface;

arranging the circuit substrate so that the second substrate side of the circuit substrate faces the sealing plate of the rechargeable battery and defines a gap therebetween thereby forming an object to be resin packed;

placing the object to be resin packed inside a die such that a bias is applied so that either one of the sealing plate side and the bottom face of the rechargeable battery abuts on a wall of the die that defines the position of the battery;

arranging the circuit substrate such that one edge of the circuit substrate fits in a groove that defines a position of the substrate and is formed parallel to the wall that defines the position of the battery;

filling a gap between the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate with resin to form an intermediate product by integrally uniting the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate; and

forming an outer covering such that at least the external terminal of the intermediate product is exposed to the outside.

7. A method for manufacturing a battery pack comprising:

providing a flat prismatic rechargeable battery having a sealing plate on a sealing plate side and a bottom face;

arranging a circuit substrate having an external terminal on a sealing plate side of the flat prismatic rechargeable battery to define a gap therebetween;

said circuit substrate having a first substrate side surface on which said external terminal is disposed and having a second substrate side surface opposite said first substrate side surface;

connecting the circuit substrate to the rechargeable battery by a resilient connecting member that biases the circuit substrate in a direction away from the rechargeable battery to form an object to be resin packed;

placing the object to be resin packed inside a die against the biasing force of the connecting member, the die having an inner space that restricts a dimension from the bottom face of the rechargeable battery to the first substrate side surface of the circuit substrate where the external terminal is formed;

filling a gap between the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate with resin for forming an intermediate product by integrally uniting the rechargeable battery and the circuit substrate; and

forming an outer covering such that at least the external terminal of the intermediate product are exposed to the outside.