# US 2013/0157084 A1 · Battery pack of compact structure

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- Number: US 2013/0157084 A1
- Document ID: US20130157084A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/699,470
- Filed: 2011-05-21
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2010-05-28
- Assignees: LG Chem, Ltd.
- Inventors: Seung Hyun Bang; Young Sun Park; Chun Yeon Kim; Ho Sang Kwon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157084A1

## CPC

- H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)}
- H01M 10/4257: {Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries}
- H01M 50/105: Pouches or flexible bags
- H01M 50/211: adapted for pouch cells
- H01M 50/227: Organic material
- H01M 50/24: adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion (thermal insulation H01M10/658)
- H01M 50/247: specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
- H01M 50/291: characterised by their shape
- H01M 50/293: characterised by the material
- H01M 50/296: characterised by terminals of battery packs (terminals of batteries H01M50/543)
- H01M 50/30: Arrangements for facilitating escape of gases
- H01M 50/503: characterised by the shape of the interconnectors
- H01M 50/522: Inorganic material
- H01M 50/55: on the same side of the cell
- H01M 50/557: Plate-shaped terminals
- H01M 50/562: characterised by the material
- H01M 50/566: by welding, soldering or brazing
- H01M 50/572: Means for preventing undesired use or discharge
- H01M 50/44: Fibrous material
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- 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

## Abstract

Disclosed herein is a battery pack including a battery cell array including two or more battery cells, each of which has an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure disposed in a battery case together with an electrolyte in a sealed state, arranged in the lateral direction, a protection circuit module (PCM) connected to the upper end of the battery cell array to control the operation of the battery pack, a pack case in which the battery cell array and the protection circuit module are disposed, and a spacer mounted between the pack case and the battery cell array to provide a space accommodating the increase in thickness of the battery cell array during charge and discharge of the battery pack.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A battery pack comprising:
(a) a battery cell array comprising two or more battery cells, each of which has an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure disposed in a battery case together with an electrolyte in a sealed state, arranged in a lateral direction;
(b) a protection circuit module (PCM) connected to an upper end of the battery cell array to control an operation of the battery pack;
(c) a pack case in which the battery cell array and the protection circuit module are disposed; and
(d) a spacer mounted between the pack case and the battery cell array to provide a space accommodating the increase in thickness of the battery cell array during charge and discharge of the battery pack.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer has a thickness equivalent to 5 to 10% of a thickness of the battery cell array.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the pack case is formed of a plastic material, and the spacer is formed of a sheet member or a plastic material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the sheet member is formed of a Nomex material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided at a top and/or bottom thereof with an adhesive, by which the spacer is positioned on an outer side of the battery cell array.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is mounted to tops and bottoms of the battery cells at two or more edges thereof in a state in which the spacer has a predetermined width.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The battery pack according to claim 6, wherein the spacer has a width equivalent to 5 to 20% of a width of each of the battery cells.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is a strip member.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is configured to have a lattice structure in which the spacer is simultaneously mounted to the battery cells in a state in which the tops or bottoms of the battery cells are exposed.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the protection circuit module comprises connection terminals connected to electrode terminals of the battery cells by resistance welding, metal plates to electrically connect the battery cells to each other, and a protection circuit to control the operation of the battery pack.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein the metal plates to electrically connect the battery cells to each other are formed at a top of the protection circuit module.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The battery pack according to claim 10, wherein electrical connection regions between cathode terminals of the battery cells and the protection circuit module are configured to have a structure in which conductive plates attached to tops of the respective connection terminals of the protection circuit module are welded so that the conductive plates surround the respective cathode terminals of the battery cells.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein each of the conductive plates comprises a first connection part attached to the top of a corresponding one of the connection terminals of the protection circuit module and a second connection part attached to a top of the cathode terminal of a corresponding one of the battery cells.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein each of the conductive plates is a nickel plate, and each of the cathode terminals of the battery cells is an aluminum terminal.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the pack case comprises a lower case at which the battery cell array and the protection circuit module are disposed and an upper case to cover the lower case so that the battery cell array and the protection circuit module are fixed in place.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The battery pack according to claim 15, wherein
the lower case is partitioned into a battery cell mounting part, at which the battery cells are disposed, and a protection circuit module mounting part, at which the protection circuit module is disposed, and
a partition wall is formed at an interface between the battery cell mounting part and the protection circuit module mounting part, and openings, through which electrode terminals of the battery cells are exposed toward the protection circuit module, are formed at portions of the partition wall corresponding to electrical connection regions between the electrode terminals of the battery cells and the protection circuit module.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The battery pack according to claim 16, wherein the protection circuit module mounting part comprises support parts to support the electrical connection regions between the electrode terminals of the battery cells and the protection circuit module.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the battery cell array comprises three battery cells.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein each of the battery cells is a pouch-shaped secondary battery.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an external input and output terminal, which inputs electric current to the battery pack, outputs electric current from the battery pack, and transmits and receives information to and from the battery pack, are mounted at a front of the protection circuit module in a depressed form.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

A laptop computer comprising a battery pack according to claim 1 as a power source.