Battery assembly, unit cell and cut-off device

• US 9,413,044 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruddock, Ula C
• Assistant Examiner(s): VAN OUDENAREN, MATTHEW W
• Application Number:
  US13/641,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20130323548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/103 Fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In an aspect, a battery assembly is adapted to accommodate a plurality of unit cells, the battery assembly has: a unit cell wiring configured to provide at least one connection for the unit cells; a cut-off device having a fuse circuit and a heater circuit, the fuse circuit configured to disconnect the connection by heat produced in the heater circuit; and a power supply wiring configured to supply the heater circuit of the cut-off device with an electric power.

Claims

1. A battery assembly, comprising:

a unit cell wiring configured to provide at least one connection;

a plurality of unit cells configured to be coupled by the at least one connection provided by the unit cell wiring, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells comprises;

a cut-off device configured to decouple an associated unit cell from the unit cell wiring, the cut-off device comprising;

a fuse circuit coupled in series with an associated unit cell body and comprising a meltable element, and

a heater circuit electrically isolated from the associated unit cell body and configured to produce heat in response to an applied electric power, the heater circuit positioned such that the produced heat melts the meltable element; and

a power supply wiring coupled to each heater circuit and configured to supply each heater circuit with the electric power.

2. The battery assembly of claim 1, further comprising a power supply configured to be coupled to the power supply wiring, the power supply configured to supply each heater circuit with the electric power via the power supply wiring.

3. The battery assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one connection comprises at least one of a parallel connection and a series connection.

4. A unit cell, comprising:

a unit cell body configured to provide a first electric power; and

a cut-off device comprising;

a fuse circuit coupled in series with the unit cell body and comprising a meltable element, and

a heater circuit electrically isolated from the associated unit cell body and configured to produce heat in response to an applied second electric power, the heater circuit positioned such that the produced heat melts the meltable element.

5. The unit cell of claim 4, wherein the cut-off device is positioned at a first location where a local temperature of the unit cell body in use is expected to rise higher than a second location of the unit cell body.

6. The unit cell of claim 4, wherein the cut-off device is positioned at a location where a local temperature of the unit cell body in use is expected to rise the highest in the unit cell body.

7. A cut-off device, comprising:

a fuse circuit coupled to a unit cell body;

a heater circuit electrically isolated from the unit cell body and configured to produce heat; and

an insulator, wherein;

the fuse circuit is configured to be decoupled from the unit cell body by the heat produced in the heater circuit,

the fuse circuit includes a meltable part,

the heater circuit includes a heating part, the heating part being configured to produce the heat, wherein the heater circuit is positioned such that the produced heat melts the meltable element, and

the insulator is disposed at least between the meltable part and the heating part.

8. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the meltable part comprises a material having a melting point lower than a heat-resistant temperature of the insulator.

9. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the meltable part comprises a low-temperature solder material.

10. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the heating part comprises at least one of a wire and a paste.

11. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the heating part of the heater circuit comprises a material selected from a group comprised of carbon, silver, ferrum-chrome-aluminum alloy, nickel-chromium alloy, nickel-chrome-ferrum alloy, platinum, and ruthenium oxide.

12. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the insulator comprises heat conductive material.

13. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the insulator comprises polyimide.

14. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the insulator comprises a substrate.

15. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the insulator comprises a film.

16. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the insulator comprises a tube that is configured to surround the meltable part of the fuse circuit.

17. The cut-off device of claim 7, further comprising a protection layer positioned over at least the meltable part of the fuse circuit.

18. The cut-off device of claim 7, wherein the fuse circuit comprises a first fuse circuit terminal and a second fuse circuit terminal, and the heater circuit comprises a first heater circuit terminal and a second heater circuit terminal.

19. A method to decouple a plurality of unit cells from a battery assembly, the method comprising:

attaching at least one cut-off device to at least one of the plurality of unit cells, the cut-off device comprising;

a fuse circuit coupled in series with an associated unit cell body and comprising a meltable element, and

a heater circuit electrically isolated from the associated unit cell body and configured to produce heat in response to an applied electric power, the heater circuit positioned such that the produced heat melts the meltable element; and

supplying the heater circuit with the electric power to decouple the fuse circuit by the heat produced in the heater circuit, wherein supplying the heater circuit with the electric power is performed in response to the battery assembly being discarded.

20. A battery assembly, comprising:

a unit cell wiring configured to provide at least one connection;

a plurality of unit cells configured to be coupled by the at least one connection provided by the unit cell wiring, wherein each of the plurality of unit cells comprises;

an associated unit cell body, and

a cut-off device comprising;

a fuse circuit and a heater circuit, wherein the fuse circuit is configured to disable the at least one connection by heat produced in the heater circuit in response to an electrical power supplied to the heater circuit, and

an insulator comprising at least one of;

a tube that is configured to surround a meltable element of the fuse circuit, and

a protection layer positioned over at least a meltable element of the fuse circuit,

wherein the cut-off device is positioned where a local temperature of the associated unit cell body is expected to rise higher than a second location of the associated unit cell body; and

a power supply wiring coupled to each heater circuit and configured to supply each heater circuit with the electric power in response to the battery assembly being disassembled and sicarded.