Battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947911-B2
Application number	US-201214234722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2012
Priority date	Jul 28, 2011
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A battery pack includes a battery assembly having a plurality of battery cells, a busbar module that includes a plurality of conductors and an insulating member which holds the conductors, a battery control unit provided at an end portion of the battery assembly in an arrangement direction of the battery cells, and an extraction conductor that connects a total electrode terminal connected to the battery assembly to a main circuit terminal of the battery control unit. The extraction conductor has a water escape portion which is located below an imaginary line connecting the total electrode terminal to the main circuit terminal, and an upper end of the water escape portion is formed at a location that is lower than a lower end of the main circuit terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack comprising:
a battery assembly that includes a plurality of battery cells which are arranged while positive electrodes and negative electrodes of the battery cells are alternately adjoined each other;
a busbar module that includes a plurality of conductors and an insulating member which holds the conductors, each of the conductors interconnecting the positive electrode and the negative electrode of each of the adjoining battery cells in the battery assembly;
a battery control unit provided at an end portion of the battery assembly in a direction in which the battery cells are arranged;
an extraction conductor that connects a total electrode terminal connected to a total positive electrode or a total negative electrode of the battery assembly to a main circuit terminal of the battery control unit;
wherein the extraction conductor comprises a straight conductor portion and a water escape portion, and the straight conductor portion comprises a first hole for which the electrode terminal is inserted and a second hole for which the main circuit terminal is engaged, the first hole and the second hole are provided on opposite ends of the straight conductor portion;
the water escape portion of the extraction conductor protrudes from a bottom edge of the straight conductor portion, wherein an upper end of the water escape portion is formed at a location that is lower than a lower end of the main circuit terminal, thereby allowing fluid to escape from the main circuit terminal;
wherein the extraction conductor has a first cutout portion and a second cutout portion, the second cutout portion being an extension of the first cutout portion that extends into the water escape portion, and the first cutout portion and the second cutout portion are located between the first hole and the second hole;
wherein the second cutout portion that extends into the water escape portion forms the water escape portion into a U shape;
wherein a bottom of the second cutout portion is formed at a position lower than the lower end of the main circuit terminal; and
wherein the first cutout portion and the second cutout portion are located entirely between the first hole and the second hole.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the total electrode terminal and the main circuit terminal are formed respectively on a side surface of the battery assembly and a side surface of the battery control unit on the same side.

3. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein both ends of the extraction conductor are fastened respectively to the total electrode terminal and the main circuit terminal with a bolt or a nut.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the extraction conductor is contained in a resin case, and an opening is formed in a bottom surface of the case.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4 , wherein the case has a rib to be held in the first cutout portion.

6. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the extraction conductor has a hole for inserting the total positive electrode or the total negative electrode.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the main circuit terminal is provided on the battery control unit directly.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the total electrode terminal and the main circuit terminal are separate from each other in the direction in which the battery cells are arranged; and
wherein the first cutout portion is located between the total electrode terminal and the main circuit terminal in the direction in which the battery cells are arranged.

9. The battery pack according to claim 4 , wherein the case comprises an outer wall surrounding an outer circumference of the extraction conductor, and
a plurality of claws are provided on an inner surface side of the outer wall to hold the extraction conductor so that the extraction conductor is mounted on the case.

10. The battery pack according to claim 4 wherein the battery control unit is provided on an end face of the battery assembly, the end face extending perpendicularly with respect to the direction in which the battery cells are arranged.

11. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the water escape portion includes an opening which communicates with an inner portion of the extraction conductor and an outer surface of the extraction conductor.

Assignees

• Furuya Yoshinobu
• Ogasawara Shigeyuki
• Inoue Hideki
• Nagata Shuichi
• SYOJI Takao
• Yazaki Corp
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Furuya Yoshinobu
• Ogasawara Shigeyuki
• Inoue Hideki
• Nagata Shuichi
• SYOJI Takao

Classifications

• H01M10/482 Primary

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/425 Primary

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title

• H01M50/51

  Connection only in series · CPC title

• H01M50/507

  comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules · CPC title