Secondary batteries

A separable battery module and control module structure in secondary batteries allows selective replacement, reducing costs and enabling capacity upgrades, addressing the high replacement costs of existing technologies.

JP2026091673APending Publication Date: 2026-06-04TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
Filing Date
2024-11-25
Publication Date
2026-06-04

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing secondary batteries require complete replacement when battery packs deteriorate or fail, leading to high replacement costs.

Method used

The secondary battery is structured with a separable battery module and control module, allowing only the battery module to be replaced, with electrical connections maintained through board-to-board connectors.

Benefits of technology

This design reduces replacement costs by enabling selective replacement of the battery module while retaining the control module, facilitating easy capacity upgrades and function expansions.

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Abstract

To provide a rechargeable battery that can reduce the cost of battery replacement. [Solution] A secondary battery comprising a battery module and a control module, wherein the battery module includes a battery cell, a lower housing for housing the battery cell, a first circuit board connected to the battery cell, and a first connection connector provided on the first circuit board, and the control module includes a second circuit board for controlling the battery cell, an upper housing for housing the second circuit board, and a second connection connector provided on the second circuit board, wherein when the lower housing and the upper housing are assembled, the first connection connector and the second connection connector are electrically connected, enabling the control module to control the battery module.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the structure of a secondary battery.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a secondary battery having a structure in which a battery pack composed of a plurality of battery cells is stored in a storage case, and the upper part of the storage case is covered with a case cover and sealed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the structure of the secondary battery described in Patent Document 1, when replacing the battery pack due to deterioration, failure, etc., it was necessary to replace the entire secondary battery. For this reason, there is a problem that the cost at the time of battery replacement is high.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a secondary battery capable of reducing the cost at the time of battery replacement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, one aspect of the disclosed technology is a secondary battery comprising a battery module and a control module, wherein the battery module comprises a battery cell, a lower housing for housing the battery cell, a first substrate connected to the battery cell, and a first connection connector provided on the first substrate, and the control module comprises a second substrate for controlling the battery cell, an upper housing for housing the second substrate, and a second connection connector provided on the second substrate, wherein when the lower housing and the upper housing are assembled, the first connection connector and the second connection connector are electrically connected, enabling the control module to control the battery module. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the secondary battery described above, by having a structure that allows the battery module and the control module to be separated, it is possible to replace only the battery module, thereby reducing the cost of battery replacement. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A perspective view illustrating the schematic structure of a secondary battery according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. <Embodiment> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a secondary battery 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The secondary battery 100 illustrated in Figure 1 includes a control module 200 and a battery module 300.

[0010] The battery module 300 comprises a lower housing 310, a lower housing fixing part 320, a battery module circuit board 340, a battery module connection connector 350, and a battery pack 360.

[0011] The lower housing 310 is a roughly box-shaped component formed from an insulating material such as resin, with one side (the upper side) open. This lower housing 310 is a battery case for inserting and housing the battery pack 360 through the opening. The lower housing 310 has a lower housing fixing part 320 which is assembled to the upper housing fixing part 220 of the upper housing 210 of the control module 200, which will be described later. In addition to the lower housing fixing part 320, the lower housing 310 is also subjected to various other shape processing, such as a handle for carrying, but these are not the main focus of this disclosed technology and are therefore not shown or described.

[0012] The battery pack 360 has a laminated structure in which multiple battery cells (such as lithium-ion battery cells) are stacked on top of each other. The multiple battery cells are electrically connected by busbars (not shown) and further connected to a battery module board 340 (first board). On the side of the battery module board 340 facing the control module 200, a battery module connection connector 350 (first connection connector) for supplying power to the battery pack 360 is provided. When the lower housing 310 and the upper housing 210 of the control module 200 are assembled, this battery module connection connector 350 electrically mates with the control module connection connector 250 of the control module 200, which will be described later. In other words, the battery module connection connector 350 is a board-to-board connector. This mating enables the exchange of power between the control module 200 and the battery module 300.

[0013] Note that the number of battery cells stacked as the battery pack 360 is not limited to the number shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, a flexible circuit board can be used for the battery module board 340.

[0014] The control module 200 comprises an upper housing 210, an upper housing fixing part 220, an external connector 230, a control module board 240, and a control module connection connector 250.

[0015] The upper housing 210 is a substantially flat member formed from an insulating material such as resin. This upper housing 210 is a case cover for sealing the opening surface of the lower housing 310 of the battery module 300. The upper housing 210 has an upper housing fixing part 220 which is assembled to the lower housing fixing part 320 of the lower housing 310 of the battery module 300. The upper housing 210 also has an external connector 230 for electrically connecting an external device (not shown) to the control module board 240. In addition to the upper housing fixing part 220 and the external connector 230, the upper housing 210 is also subjected to various other shape processing, such as a handle for carrying, but these are not the main focus of this disclosed technology and are therefore not shown or described.

[0016] The upper housing 210 is provided with a control module board 240 (second board) for controlling the battery module 300. A control module connection connector 250 (second connection connector) is provided on the side of the control module board 240 facing the battery module 300. This control module connection connector 250 electrically mates with the battery module connection connector 350 of the battery module 300 when the upper housing 210 and the lower housing 310 of the battery module 300 are assembled. In other words, the control module connection connector 250 is a board-to-board connector. This mating enables the exchange of power between the control module 200 and the battery module 300.

[0017] The upper and lower modules are fixed together by screwing the upper housing fixing portion 220 of the upper housing 210 and the lower housing fixing portion 320 of the lower housing 310 together. When fixing them together, it is desirable to insert a waterproof gasket or the like between the mating surfaces of the upper housing 210 and the lower housing 310. By assembling the upper housing 210 and the lower housing 310 in this way, a secondary battery 100 is formed in which the control module 200 and the battery module 300 are separated.

[0018] <Effects and Actions> As described above, the secondary battery 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure separately configures the battery module 300 and the control module 200, and has an arrangement in which the control board (control module board 240) and the connection flexible board (battery module board 340) are laminated. Further, connection connectors (control module connection connector 250 and battery module connection connector 350) are arranged on the lower surface of the control board and the upper surface of the connection flexible board.

[0019] With this structure of the secondary battery 100, when replacing the battery pack 360 due to deterioration, failure, etc., the upper control module 200 remains as it is, and only the lower battery module 300 needs to be replaced (minimization of the replacement unit). As a result, it is possible to perform repair work without replacing the entire secondary battery 100. Therefore, the cost borne by the user at the time of battery replacement can be reduced.

[0020] Also, in this structure of the secondary battery 100, by replacing the battery module 300 currently connected to the control module 200 with another battery module 300 having a larger battery capacity in the battery pack 360, it becomes possible to provide services that require more power. That is, the battery capacity can be easily changed, and the range of function changes (supported services) by software updates can be expanded.

Industrial Applicability

[0021] The present disclosure can be applied to secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0022] 100 Secondary battery 200 Control module 210 Upper housing 220 Upper housing fixing part 230 External connector 240 Control module board 250 Control module connection connector 300 Battery module 310 Lower enclosure 320 Lower housing fixing part 340 Battery Module Board 350 Battery Module Connection Connector 360 Battery Pack

Claims

1. It consists of a battery module and a control module. The aforementioned battery module is Battery cell and The lower housing houses the aforementioned battery cell, A first circuit board connected to the aforementioned battery cell, The first substrate includes a first connection connector, The control module is A second circuit board for controlling the aforementioned battery cell, The upper housing that houses the second circuit board, The second connection connector is provided on the second substrate, A secondary battery characterized in that when the lower housing and the upper housing are assembled, the first connection connector and the second connection connector are electrically connected, enabling the control module to control the battery module.

2. The secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the lower housing and the upper housing are assembled in such a way that only the battery module can be replaced.