Bus bar holding member and battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947912-B2
Application number	US-201414478310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A bus bar holding member comprises a plurality of bus bars arranged to connect terminals of respective batteries in each battery array group in parallel, and a resin support member comprising a resin stacking section which is stacked on a surface of the plurality of bus bars and a resin intervening section which intervenes between the plurality of bus bars to electrically insulate the plurality of bus bars from each other. The bus bar comprises a base plate on which the resin stacking section is stacked, and a jagged edge formed along an edge of the base plate. The jagged edge is formed in a wavy shape crossing a reference line, which is a straight line along an array direction of the batteries in each battery array group between an adjacent pair of the battery array groups.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bus bar holding member configured to connect terminals of respective batteries included in a battery unit in parallel and in series, wherein the battery unit comprises a plurality of battery array groups, each including a plurality of batteries arrayed in an array direction, the bus bar holding member comprising:
a plurality of bus bars arranged to connect the terminals of the batteries in each battery array group in parallel; and
a resin support member including a resin stacking section which is stacked on at least one surface of the plurality of bus bars, and a resin intervening section which intervenes between the plurality of bus bars to electrically insulate the plurality of bus bars from each other, wherein
each of the plurality of bus bars comprises
a base plate on which the resin stacking section is stacked, and
a jagged edge formed along an edge of the base plate that is located between adjacent pairs of the plurality of bus bars, the jagged edge is formed in a wavy shape crossing a reference line, which is a straight line along the array direction between an adjacent pair of the battery array groups, wherein

each jagged edge of the plurality of bus bars mates with each jagged edge respectively located along the edge of the base plate that is located between the adjacent pairs across a predetermined distance,
each jagged edge of the plurality of bus bars is embedded within the resin support member,
the resin intervening section is located between each jagged edge of the plurality of bus bars to completely embed each jagged edge, and
the resin support member embeds the plurality of bus bars.

2. The bus bar holding member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the jagged edge has a plurality of protruded areas which are arranged in the array direction to cross the reference line.

3. The bus bar holding member according to claim 1 ,
wherein two adjacent bus bars respectively have jagged edges formed in an identical wavy shape and arranged to face each other across a predetermined distance, and
the resin intervening section intervenes between the jagged edges.

4. The bus bar holding member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the resin stacking section has a resin opening formed to make part of the bus bar exposed outside.

5. The bus bar holding member according to claim 4 ,
wherein the bus bar has a terminal opening, which is formed within the resin opening to have a smaller area than area of the resin opening, and an electrical connection provided in an opening periphery of the terminal opening to be connected with a terminal of the battery.

6. A battery pack using the bus bar holding member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the battery is a cylindrical battery and has electrodes provided on respective ends of the battery, and
a pair of bus bar holding members are arranged in parallel to each other to be respectively connected with a terminal on one end of the battery and with a terminal on the other end of the battery.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
the jagged edge separates the adjacent pairs of the plurality of bus bars.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
each jagged edge of the plurality of bus bars interlocks with each jagged edge respectively located along the edge of the base plate that is located between the adjacent pairs across a predetermined distance.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
the resin intervening section is located between, and connects, each of the plurality of bus bars.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of bus bars includes terminal openings and at least one gap that separates each of the plurality of bus bars,
each jagged edge of the plurality of bus bars extends between the terminal openings and along the at least one gap without intersecting the terminal openings.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein
the plurality of bus bars each have opposing peripheral edges, and
each jagged edge of the plurality of bus bars intersects the opposing peripheral edges of the plurality of bus bars and connects the opposing peripheral edges.

Assignees

• Toyoda Gosei Kk
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakamura Yoshiki
• Tatsumi Yoshiaki
• Kameda Yoshiaki
• Fujiwara Nobuyoshi
• Kimura Kenji

Classifications

• H01M50/227 Primary

  Organic material · CPC title

• H01M50/522

  Inorganic material · CPC title

• H01M50/507 Primary

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

• H01M50/509

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

• H01M50/213

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