Battery module, battery system and electric vehicle

• US 9,024,572 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Energy (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishihara, Yoshitomo, Kishimoto, Keiji, Ohkura, Kazumi, Taguchi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): PELTON, NATHANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US13/262,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20120019061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/112, 320/116, 324/433
• US Class Current: 320/107
• 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 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/284 with incorporated circuit boards, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/503 characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/505 comprising a single busbar
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/522 Inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery block composed of a plurality of battery cells and a voltage detecting circuit (state detecting circuit) for detecting a voltage between terminals of each battery cell are included, and a flexible printed circuit board, in which a voltage detecting line for electrically connecting a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal of the battery cell and the voltage detecting circuit (state detecting circuit) is integrated with a substrate made or a flexible material, is provided.

Claims

1. A battery module comprising:

a battery block composed of a plurality of battery cells; and

a voltage detecting circuit for detecting a voltage between terminals of each of said battery cells, wherein

a flexible printed circuit board, in which a voltage detecting line for electrically connecting a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal of each of said battery cells and said voltage detecting circuit is integrated with a substrate made of a flexible material, is attached to said battery block,

said battery block includes said plurality of battery cells that are stacked, a first terminal row in which one of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of each of the battery cells is arranged in a direction in which said battery cells are stacked is constituted, and a second terminal row in which the other terminal of each of the battery cells is arranged in the direction in which said battery cells are stacked is constituted, and

said flexible printed circuit board is composed of a first flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of voltage detecting lines each connecting the terminal constituting said first terminal row and said voltage detecting circuit, and a second flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of voltage detecting lines each connecting the terminal constituting said second terminal row and said voltage detecting circuit, wherein

said first flexible printed circuit board is arranged along said first terminal row, and said second flexible printed circuit board is arranged along said second terminal row.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the terminal of each of said plurality of battery cells is arranged on a first surface of said battery block, said voltage detecting circuit is arranged on a second surface that is different from said first surface of said battery block, and said flexible printed circuit board is arranged to extend from said first surface to said second surface of the battery block.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, comprising a frame that fixes said plurality of battery cells, and a circuit accommodating housing that accommodates said voltage detecting circuit, wherein said circuit accommodating housing is attached to said frame.

4. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second terminal rows includes the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal that are alternatively arranged, a wiring member formed by coupling a bus bar made of a metal part to each of said first and second flexible printed circuit boards in order to connect the positive electrode terminal or the negative electrode terminal of said battery cell and said voltage detecting circuit is provided, the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal that are adjacent to each other in said first and second terminal rows are connected to each other by said bus bar, and the voltage detecting lines of said first and second flexible printed circuit boards each connect said bus bar and said voltage detecting circuit.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein

said bus bar includes:

a coupling portion that couples the adjacent positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal in said first and second terminal rows to each other; and

a linking portion provided to overlap said first or second flexible printed circuit board, and connected to said voltage detecting line of said first or second flexible printed circuit board, and

one or a plurality of cutouts are formed in said linking portion.

6. The battery module according to claim 4, wherein

said bus bar includes:

a coupling portion that couples the adjacent positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal in said first and second terminal rows to each other; and

a linking portion provided to overlap said first or second flexible printed circuit board, and connected to said voltage detecting line of said first or second flexible printed circuit board, and

one or a plurality of openings are formed in said linking portion.

7. A battery system comprising a plurality of battery modules, wherein

each of said plurality of battery modules includes:

a battery block composed of a plurality of battery cells;

a voltage detecting circuit for detecting a voltage between terminals of each of said battery cells; and

a flexible printed circuit board, and

said flexible printed circuit board has a configuration in which a voltage detecting line for electrically connecting a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal of each of said battery cells and said voltage detecting circuit is integrated with a substrate made of a flexible material,

said battery block includes said plurality of battery cells that are stacked, a first terminal row in which one of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of each of the battery cells is arranged in a direction in which said battery cells are stacked is constituted, and a second terminal row in which the other terminal of each of the battery cells is arranged in the direction in which said battery cells are stacked is constituted, and

said flexible printed circuit board is composed of a first flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of voltage detecting lines each connecting the terminal constituting said first terminal row and said voltage detecting circuit, and a second flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of voltage detecting lines each connecting the terminal constituting said second terminal row and said voltage detecting circuit, wherein

said first flexible printed circuit board is arranged along said first terminal row, and said second flexible printed circuit board is arranged along said second terminal row.

8. The battery system according to claim 7, wherein

said plurality of battery modules include a plurality of first battery modules that form a first module row along the direction in which said plurality of battery cells are stacked, and a plurality of second battery modules that form a second module row along the direction in which said plurality of battery cells are stacked, and said first and second module rows are arranged in parallel with each other,

a positive electrode terminal having a highest potential and a negative electrode terminal having a lowest potential in each first battery module are positioned at one end and the other end, respectively, of a terminal row of said first and second terminal rows that is closer to said second module row, and

a positive electrode terminal having a highest potential and a negative electrode terminal having a lowest potential in each second battery module are positioned at one end and the other end, respectively, of a terminal row of said first and second terminal rows that is closer to said first module row.

9. The battery system according to claim 7, further comprising:

a controller that manages states of said battery modules; and

a communication line for performing communication between at least one battery module and said controller, wherein

said communication line is connected to the voltage detecting circuit of said at least one battery module.

10. The battery system according to claim 9, wherein

said plurality of battery modules include a plurality of first battery modules that form a first module row along the direction in which said plurality of battery cells are stacked, and a plurality of second battery modules that form a second module row along the direction in which said plurality of battery cells are stacked, and said first and second module rows are arranged in parallel with each other,

said communication line includes a first communication line connected to said voltage detecting circuit of at least one first battery module, and a second communication line connected to said voltage detecting circuit of at least one second battery module,

said first communication line is arranged along a terminal row of said first and second terminal rows, which is closer to said second module row, of the at least one first battery module, and

said second communication line is arranged along a terminal row of said first and second terminal rows, which is closer to said first module row, of the at least one second battery module.

11. An electric vehicle comprising:

a battery system including a plurality of battery modules;

a motor driven by electric power supplied from said plurality of battery modules of said battery system; and

drive wheels rotated by a torque of said motor, wherein

each of said plurality of battery modules includes;

a battery block composed of a plurality of battery cells;

a voltage detecting circuit for detecting a voltage between terminals of each of said battery cells; and

a flexible printed circuit board, and

said flexible printed circuit board has a configuration in which a voltage detecting line for electrically connecting a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal of each of said battery cells and said voltage detecting circuit is integrated with a substrate made of a flexible material,

said battery block includes said plurality of battery cells that are stacked, a first terminal row in which one of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal of each of the battery cells is arranged in a direction in which said battery cells are stacked is constituted, and a second terminal row in which the other terminal of each of the battery cells is arranged in the direction in which said battery cells are stacked is constituted, and

said flexible printed circuit board is composed of a first flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of voltage detecting lines each connecting the terminal constituting said first terminal row and said voltage detecting circuit, and a second flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of voltage detecting lines each connecting the terminal constituting said second terminal row and said voltage detecting circuit, wherein

said first flexible printed circuit board is arranged along said first terminal row, and said second flexible printed circuit board is arranged along said second terminal row.