A battery module includes a first battery cell and a second battery cell respectively having a positive electrode lead and a negative electrode lead and connected to each other in series; and a short circuit inducing member having one longitudinal side interposed between the negative electrode lead of the first battery cell and the positive electrode lead of the second battery cell and the other longitudinal side located between the positive electrode lead of the first battery cell and the negative electrode lead of the second battery cell. When a potential difference between the negative electrode lead of the first battery cell and the positive electrode lead of the second battery cell increases over a reference value, the other longitudinal side of the short circuit inducing member makes flexural deformation toward the negative electrode lead of the second battery cell to come into contact with the negative electrode lead.

The breaker 1 is provided with a fixed contact 21, a movable piece 4 having an elastic portion 43 and a movable contact 41, a thermally-actuated element 5 deforming with a change in the temperature so as to shift the movable piece 4 from a conduction state to a cut-off state, a case main body 7 housing the movable piece 4 and the thermally-actuated element 5, a lid member 8 attached to the case main body 7, and a plate-shaped cover piece 9 embedded in the lid member 8. The case main body 7 is provided with a first fixing surface 75 fixed to the lid member 8, and the lid member 8 is provided with a second fixing surface 85 fixed to the case main body 7. The second fixing surface 85 is provided with a protruding portion 86 protruding toward the first fixing surface 75, and the protruding portion 86 and the cover piece 9 are overlapped with each other in the plan view as viewed in the thickness direction of the cover piece 9.

A secondary battery and a method for interrupting current of the secondary battery according to the present invention includes a bimetal applied to the secondary battery. Thus, when an internal temperature of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined temperature, current may be interrupted even before an internal pressure of the secondary battery reaches a predetermined pressure to effectively interrupt the current in case of emergency, thereby preventing the secondary battery from being exploded or fired.

A battery module has a plurality of battery cells each including a cell case and a battery element contained in the cell case. The battery module includes a lead to electrically connect a terminal of each of the battery cells to a current collector and a heat shutoff mechanism to break electrical connection between the terminal and the current collector by heat from the cell case when the cell case reaches a predetermined temperature or higher.

A battery module blocks current when the temperature rises, a battery pack includes the battery module, and a vehicle includes the battery pack. The battery module includes a bus bar having an approximately thin plate shape compared to a length and a width and having linear grooves provided in a left surface and a right surface along a longitudinal direction, respectively; and battery cells respectively located on the left surface and the right surface of the bus bar, physically contacting with their respective electrode leads inserted into the grooves, and electrically connected to each other with the bus bar interposed therebetween, and wherein sizes of the grooves increase in a thickness direction at a certain temperature or higher to release a physical contact between the electrode leads and the bus bar such that an electrical connection between the battery cells is released.

A solid state battery (10) including a stack of cells (22), each cell comprising a positive electrode (12), a negative electrode (14) and a solid electrolyte (16) disposed between the positive electrode (12) and the negative electrode (14), wherein a current collector (18) is disposed between the negative electrode (14) of a first cell (20A) and the positive electrode (12) of a second cell (20B), the second cell (20B) being adjacent to the first cell (20A), the solid state battery (10) comprising an ionic conductor (26) having two configurations, a normal configuration wherein the ionic conductor (26) is not in contact with the current collector (18) and a short-circuit configuration wherein the ionic conductor (26) is in contact with the current collector (18), the negative electrode (14) of the first cell (20A) and the positive electrode (12) of the second cell (20B) and wherein the ionic conductor (26) has an ionic conductivity which smaller than an electronic conductivity of the current collector (18).

A breaker 1 includes a fixed piece 2 having a fixed contact 21, a movable piece 4 including a movable contact 41 and having the movable contact 41 so as to be pressed against and in contact with the fixed contact 21, a thermally actuated element 5 shifting the movable piece 4 from a conductive state to a cut-off state in accordance with a temperature change, and a case 7 accommodating the fixed piece 2, the movable piece 4, and the thermally actuated element 5. The case 7 includes a case main body 71 accommodating the movable piece 4 and the thermally actuated element 5, a lid member 81 covering a housing concave portion 73 of the case main body 71, and a metal plate 9 embedded in the lid member 81. Heat capacity of the metal plate 9 is larger than heat capacity of the fixed piece 2.

An electrochemical energy storage module and a vehicle having an energy storage module of this type. At least one energy storage cell and at least one bridging device are electrically connected in parallel. The bridging device has a first current conductor having at least one bridging point, which has a bridging point cross-section, and a second current conductor, which is spaced apart from the first current conductor by a gap. The bridging device also has a bridging switch for establishing a first partial electrical connection between the first current conductor and the second current conductor and has a bridging material arranged in the region of the bridging point.

An electrical bypass device has two electrical conductors electrically insulated from one another and arranged such that two surface regions of the conductors are spaced apart from one another by a gap. Above the surface regions is a bypass element having at least one electrically conductive layer in the form of or connected to a mechanical energy store. The mechanical energy store is transferable by thermal triggering from a first mechanical state to a stable second mechanical state in which the electrically conductive layer of the bypass element makes electrical contact with the surface regions and shorts the two electrical conductors. Above the surface regions is a reactive element where an exothermic reaction can be triggered, resulting in the mechanical energy store transferring to the stable second mechanical state.

A breaker has a movable piece which has an elastic part elastically deformable and a moving contact in one end portion of the elastic part, and which presses the moving contact against the fixed contact so that the moving contact contacts with the fixed contact; a thermally-actuated element deforming with a change in the temperature to actuate the movable piece so that the moving contact is separated from the fixed contact; a case housing the movable piece and the thermally-actuated element; and a terminal piece to be connected to an external circuit. The case has a side wall extending along a longitudinal direction of the elastic part. The terminal piece has a protruding portion which protrudes from the side wall toward the outside of the case. The side wall is provided, in its neighboring portion of the protruding portion, with a concave portion which dents inwardly of the case.