Battery block and manufacturing method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9257684-B2
Application number	US-201314408452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2013
Priority date	Sep 4, 2012
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery block that serves as a member that contains a plurality of battery cells, wherein if abnormal heat generation occurs, the resulting heat is evenly, rapidly, and efficiently distributed throughout the entire block, and the portions in which the battery cells are accommodated have high dimensional precision. The present invention provides a battery block that contains the following: a metal case that contains a plurality of pipe-shaped members; and battery cells accommodated, respectively, in said plurality of pipe-shaped members. The pipe-shaped members are joined to each other, forming a single unit, and join parts that join adjacent pipe-shaped members to each other are at least 70% as long as the pipe-shaped members themselves.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery block comprising:
a metallic case including a plurality of pipe-shaped members; and
cells respectively accommodated in the plurality of pipe-shaped members,
wherein the pipe-shaped members are joined together to form a single unit, and a length of a joint between adjacent ones of the pipe-shaped members is 70% to 95% of an entire length of the pipe-shaped members.

2. The battery block according to claim 1 , wherein joining of the adjacent ones of the pipe-shaped members is metal joining.

3. The battery block according to claim 1 , wherein joining of the pipe-shaped members is welding.

4. The battery block according to claim 1 , wherein joining of the pipe-shaped members is laser welding.

5. The battery block according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pipe-shaped members is made of aluminum, copper, brass, or stainless steel.

6. The battery block according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pipe-shaped members is a circular pipe or a polygonal pipe.

7. A method for manufacturing a battery block comprising:
providing an assembly of a plurality of pipe-shaped members by holding together the pipe-shaped members while being in direct contact with each other; and
providing a metallic case by laser joining of contact surfaces of the pipe-shaped members such that a length of a joint between the pipe-shaped members is 70% to 95% of an entire length of the pipe-shaped members.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising accommodating a cell in a hollow space of each of the pipe-shaped members of the metallic case.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hamada Hideaki
• Ono Masahiro
• Tanaka Tomomi
• Takami Fuminori
• Nishikawa Yukio

Classifications

• H01M10/617 Primary

  for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature · CPC title

• H01M50/213

  adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/224 Primary

  Metals · CPC title

• H01M10/6555

  arranged between the cells · CPC title

• H01M10/643

  Cylindrical cells · CPC title