Power source apparatus equipped with a service plug and vehicle carrying that power source apparatus

• US 9,130,220 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Wataru, Nakamura, Shinsuke, Wakabayashi, Akinobu, Ohmura, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Leong, Jonathan G
• Application Number:
  US13/331,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20120164489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 429/121
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/658 by thermal insulation or shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple 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 50/51 Connection only in series
• 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: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A power source apparatus provided with battery blocks (2) that have a plurality of battery cells (1) connected together, an outer case (3) that houses the battery blocks and/or electrical components connected to the battery blocks, a socket (4) connected in series with the battery blocks and disposed on the outer case, and a service plug (5) that connects with the socket in a removable manner. The service plug connects with the socket to connect the service plug in series with the batteries via the socket. The outer case is provided with a socket and service plug thermal isolation region (8) sectioned-off by a heat-shielding plate (7), and the socket and service plug are disposed in the thermal isolation region.

Claims

1. A power source apparatus comprising:

a plurality of battery blocks that each have a plurality of battery cells connected together;

an outer case that houses the battery blocks and/or electrical components connected to the battery blocks;

a socket connected electrically in series with the battery blocks and disposed at the outer case;

a heat-shielding plate disposed between the socket and the outer case; and

a service plug that connects with the socket in a removable manner,

the service plug being connected electrically in series with the battery cells via the socket when the service plug connects with the socket;

wherein the outer case is provided with a socket and service plug thermal isolation region sectioned-off by the heat-shielding plate, and the socket and service plug are disposed in the thermal isolation region, and

wherein the service plug is configured to be apart from and electrically insulated from the heat-shielding plate when the service plug is attached to the socket to electrically connect with the battery cells.

2. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the heat-shielding plate is disposed in an opening in the outer case, and the heat-shielding plate establishes the thermal isolation region, and the socket is attached in the thermal isolation region.

3. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 1 wherein the heat-shielding plate is made of metal.

4. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the heat-shielding plate is formed of a non-magnetic material.

5. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the heat-shielding plate that forms the thermal isolation region has feed-through holes to run lead-wires, the lead-wires are passed through the feed-through holes, and the feed-through holes are sealed so as to be closed in an air-tight and insulating manner.

6. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 5, wherein perimeter side-walls are established along insides of the feed-through holes.

7. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 5, wherein the thermal isolation region is formed by the heat-shielding plate which is divided into a plurality of pieces, and the feed-through holes are established on boundaries of the plurality of heat-shielding plate pieces.

8. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 1, wherein the outer case, with the socket attached, houses an output cut-off connected in series with the battery blocks, a current detection section for detecting battery cell current, and/or a circuit board carrying electronic circuitry connected to the battery cells.

9. A vehicle with the power source apparatus as cited in claim 1 installed on-board.

11. The power source apparatus as cited in claim 2, wherein the socket is configured to be disposed inside an opening of the outer case and extend over a surface of the outer case around the opening.

10. A power source apparatus comprising:

a plurality of battery blocks, each of the battery blocks including a plurality of battery cells connected together;

an outer case housing the battery blocks and/or electrical components connected to the battery blocks;

a socket including socket-side terminals and an insulating case for housing the socket-side terminals, the insulating case being disposed at the outer case;

a service plug including plug-side terminals and a plastic plug-body for housing the plug-side terminals,

wherein the plastic plug-body is attached to the insulating case of the socket in a removable manner, and the plug-side terminals are connected with the socket-side terminals when the plastic plug-body is attached to the insulating case; and

a heat-shielding plate disposed between the outer case and the insulating case of the socket, wherein the heat-shielding plate is isolated from the socket-side terminals via the insulating case of the socket.