Protection device used in battery pack, battery pack and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11056748-B2
Application number	US-201716474828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2017
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A battery pack comprises a plurality of batteries. The protection device is disposed between two adjacent batteries and comprises: a first connecting assembly, a second connecting assembly and a conductive connecting assembly. The protection device has a normal state and an alarm state. When the protection device is in the normal state, the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly are spaced apart, and the overload protection circuit is open. When the protection device is in the alarm state, the first connecting assembly is electrically connected with the housing of the first battery, the second connecting assembly is electrically connected with the housing of the second battery, at least one of the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly moves to be electrically connected with each other, and the overload protection circuit is closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery pack comprising a plurality of batteries, and a protecting device being disposed between two adjacent batteries and comprising:
a first connecting assembly, electrically connected with a housing of a first battery of the two adjacent batteries, wherein the housing of the first battery has a same polarity as one electrode of the first battery;
a second connecting assembly, electrically connected with a housing of a second battery of the two adjacent batteries, and the second connecting assembly being opposite to the first connecting assembly, wherein the housing of the second battery has a same polarity as one electrode of the second battery and has a same polarity as the housing of the first battery; and
a conductive connecting assembly, electrically connected with terminals of the first battery and the second battery, and selectively and electrically connected with the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly, respectively, to form an overload protection circuit,
wherein the protection device comprises a normal state and an alarm state,
when the protection device is in the normal state, the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly are spaced apart, and the overload protection circuit is open; and
when the protection device is in the alarm state, at least one of the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly moves to be electrically connected with each other and the overload protection circuit is closed to form a short circuit among the first and second connecting assemblies, the conductive connecting assembly and one of the two adjacent batteries and to cause a main loop current of the battery pack to be cut off.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive connecting assembly comprises:
a connecting piece, having a weakened area which is fused when the protection device is in the alarm state.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein the weakened area has a plurality of through holes spaced apart from one another.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein a thickness of the weakened area on the connecting piece is less than a thickness of the remaining positions on the connecting piece.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4 , wherein the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly each comprise:
a mounting base, provided with a mounting hole; and
a contact unit, received in the mounting hole of the mounting base,
the contact unit of the first connecting assembly is configured to be in contact with the contact unit of the second connecting assembly.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5 , wherein the contact units of the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly each comprise:
an elastic member, fitting in the mounting hole of the mounting base, wherein a through hole is defined in the elastic member; and
a contact portion, movably disposed in the through hole of the elastic member, and comprising a first end facing the battery opposite to the contact portion and a second end facing away from the battery opposite to the contact portion.

7. The battery pack according to claim 6 , wherein
when the protection device is in the normal state, the first ends of the contact portions of both the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly extend from the mounting hole of the mounting base, and the second end of the contact portion of the first connecting assembly is spaced apart from the second end of the contact portion of the second connecting assembly; and
when the protection device is in the alarm state, the contact portion of the first connecting assembly and the contact portion of the second connecting assembly move toward each other until the second end of the contact portion of the first connecting assembly is in contact with the second end of the contact portion of the second connecting assembly to close the overload protection circuit.

8. The battery pack according to claim 5 , wherein the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly each further comprise: a temperature relay, connected with the contact unit.

9. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein a thickness of the weakened area on the connecting piece is less than a thickness of the remaining positions on the connecting piece.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly each comprise:
a mounting base, provided with a mounting hole; and
a contact unit, received in the mounting hole of the mounting base,
the contact unit of the first connecting assembly is configured to be in contact with the contact unit of the second connecting assembly.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein the contact units of the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly each comprise:
an elastic member, fitting in the mounting hole of the mounting base, wherein a through hole is defined in the elastic member; and
a contact portion, movably disposed in the through hole of the elastic member, and comprising a first end facing the battery opposite to the contact portion and a second end facing away from the battery opposite to the contact portion.

12. The battery pack according to claim 11 , wherein
when the protection device is in the normal state, the first ends of the contact portions of both the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly extend from the mounting hole of the mounting base, and the second end of the contact portion of the first connecting assembly is spaced apart from the second end of the contact portion of the second connecting assembly; and
when the protection device is in the alarm state, the contact portion of the first connecting assembly and the contact portion of the second connecting assembly move toward each other until the second end of the contact portion of the first connecting assembly is in contact with the second end of the contact portion of the second connecting assembly to close the overload protection circuit.

13. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein the first connecting assembly and the second connecting assembly each further comprise: a temperature relay, connected with the contact unit.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13 , wherein the mounting base comprises a mounting groove, being communicated with the mounting hole, and the temperature relay is received in the mounting groove.

15. The battery pack according to claim 13 , wherein the temperature relay is a memory alloy elastic piece or a bi-metal elastic piece.

16. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein
the mounting base of the first connecting assembly comprises a plurality of assembly holes spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the mounting base;
the mounting base of the second connecting assembly comprises a plurality of assembly holes spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the mounting base; and
the plurality of assembly holes on the first connecting assembly and the plurality of assembly holes on the second connecting assembly are in one-to-one correspondence.

17. The battery pack according to claim 16 , wherein the protection device comprises a plurality of connecting members, each respectively passing through and fitting in one assembly hole of the first connecting assembly and one assembly hole of the second connecting assembly corresponding to the assembly hole of the first connecting assembly.

Assignees

• Byd Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhu Jianhua
• Lai Qing
• Tong Zhiwei
• Zhu Yan

Classifications

• H01M50/574

  Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current · CPC title

• H01M50/209 Primary

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/578

  in response to pressure · CPC title

• H01M50/581

  in response to temperature · CPC title

• H01M2200/103

  Fuse · CPC title