# US 10,312,492 B2 · Series-coupling component for battery pack and battery pack > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,312,492 B2 - Document ID: US10312492B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/556,296 - Filed: 2016-02-23 - Published: 2018-02-15 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-09 - Assignees: Fdk Corporation - Applicants: Fdk Corporation - Inventors: Makoto Sakaguchi; Takashi Hirabayashi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10312492B2 ## CPC - H01M 50/50: Current conducting connections for cells or batteries - H01M 50/213: adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence) - H01M 50/291: characterised by their shape - H01M 50/503: characterised by the shape of the interconnectors - H01M 50/51: Connection only in series - H01M 50/574: Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A series-coupling component for a battery pack includes a circular plate-shaped bulkhead portion, a cylinder portion taking the bulkhead portion as a top surface and opening downward, an upper end side of the unit battery being inserted into the cylinder portion, and a wall surface portion erected upwardly along a peripheral edge of the bulkhead portion to hold a lower end side of the unit battery, separated by a cutout portion from an upper end of a cylindrical side surface up to a top surface of the bulkhead portion at a part of the cylindrical side surface that opens at the upper side taking the bulkhead portion as a bottom, the bulkhead portion has a hole that communicates in an up and down direction and a groove that has a rectangular cross-section on a top surface and opens at peripheral edges of the hole and the bulkhead portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A series-coupling component for a battery pack, in a battery pack taking a cylindrical battery as a unit battery, the cylindrical battery including one convex electrode terminal at an upper end surface and another electrode terminal at a lower end surface, the coupling component being for holding two of the unit batteries coupled in series via a tab formed by folding a strip-shaped metal plate in a state where the two of the unit batteries are coaxially disposed, the coupling component being constituted of an integrated molded article made of resin, the coupling component comprising: a circular plate-shaped bulkhead portion; a cylinder portion taking the bulkhead portion as a top surface and opening downward, an upper end side of the unit battery being inserted into the cylinder portion; and a wall surface portion erected upwardly along a peripheral edge of the bulkhead portion to hold a lower end side of the unit battery, the wall surface portion being separated by a cutout portion from an upper end of a cylindrical side surface up to a top surface of the bulkhead portion at a part of the cylindrical side surface that opens at the upper side taking the bulkhead portion as a bottom, the bulkhead portion including a hole that communicates in an up and down direction at a center, and a groove having a rectangular cross-section on a top surface, the convex electrode terminal being inserted into the hole, the tab being housed in the groove, the groove extending in a radial direction of the circular plate-shaped bulkhead portion to open at peripheral edges of the hole and the bulkhead portion, the cutout portion being formed in a region that opens the groove at the peripheral edge of the bulkhead portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The series-coupling component for a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein a width of the cutout portion in a circumferential direction of the bulkhead portion is wider than a width of the groove. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The series-coupling component for a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the groove crosses the bulkhead portion in a diameter direction to open at both ends of the diameter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The series-coupling component for a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the cylinder portion has an inner diameter smaller than an outer periphery of the unit battery, and the upper end side of the unit battery is pressed into an inside of the cylinder portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4) A battery pack integrally formed in a manner that a plurality of unit batteries coupled one another is covered with a heat shrinkable tube, wherein the unit battery is a cylindrical battery including one convex electrode terminal at an upper end surface and another electrode terminal at a lower end surface, the plurality of unit batteries includes two unit batteries coaxially disposed in an up and down direction via the series-coupling component according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and coupled in series via a tab, in the two unit batteries, the lower unit battery has an upper end side inserted into the cylinder portion of the series-coupling component, the convex electrode terminal is inserted into the hole, and the upper unit battery has a lower end side held by the wall surface portion, the tab formed by folding a strip-shaped metal plate is disposed along the groove, and the tab has a lower surface mounted on an upper surface of the convex electrode terminal exposed at the upper side via the hole, and an upper surface mounted on an electrode terminal on a lower end surface of the upper unit battery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the unit battery includes a battery can that doubles as a current collector of one electrode, the tab projects outwardly from the peripheral edge of the bulkhead portion, the projecting region bending along a side surface of the cylinder portion, a safety circuit is coupled to between both positive and negative electrodes of the unit battery where the tab is mounted on an electrode terminal of an electrode different from an electrode of the battery can, among the two unit batteries, one lead terminal guided from the safety circuit is soldered to the projecting region of the tab, and the safety circuit and the plurality of unit batteries are covered with the heat shrinkable tube.