Spacer and battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11145940-B2
Application number	US-201716336125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

A spacer is used with a unit cell that has a cell body including a power-generating element and formed to have a flat shape and an electrode tab extending out from the cell body. The first spacer has a protrusion, a recess, and an opening. The protrusion has a protruding shape and is inserted into a hole or notch provided on the electrode tab to guide the electrode tab. The first recess has a recessed shape, and is separated from the electrode tab around the base of the protrusion. The first opening allows a portion of the first recess to communicate with a side surface of the spacer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack comprising:
a unit cell that has a cell body including a power-generating element and being formed to have a flat shape, and an electrode tab extending out from the cell body, the electrode tab having a distal end portion that is bent, the electrode tab further having a hole or a notch that is formed on the electrode tab, the hole or notch being formed in an elongated shape and extending from a proximal end portion of the cell body to the distal end portion of the electrode tab;
a spacer that includes
a protrusion having a protruding shape protruding in a stacking direction of the unit cell that is inserted into the hole or notch of the electrode tab to guide the electrode tab,
a recess having a recessed shape so as to be separated from the electrode tab around the base of the protrusion,
an abutting portion that contacts the electrode tab when the protrusion is inserted into the hole or notch; and
an opening that allows a portion of the recess to communicate with the hole or notch when the protrusion is inserted into the hole or notch; and

a bus bar that electrically interconnects the electrode tab to an electrode of a different unit cell.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
the abutting portion protrudes in a same direction as the protrusion and is configured to abut the unit cell.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein
the abutting portion abuts one end portion of the electrode tab, a central portion of the electrode tab, and another end portion of the electrode tab in a width direction of the electrode tab.

4. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein
at least a portion of the abutting portion has an annular shape.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor
• Envision Aesc Japan Ltd

Inventors

• Nakamoto Masahiro
• Yanagihara Yasuhiro

Classifications

• H01M10/482 Primary

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M50/509

  characterised by the type of connection, e.g. mixed connections · CPC title

• H01M50/593

  Spacers; Insulating plates · CPC title

• H01M50/588

  outside the batteries, e.g. incorrect connections of terminals or busbars · CPC title

• H01M50/291

  characterised by their shape · CPC title