Disclosed in the present disclosure are a welding-free connector electrically connected to a battery cell, and a lithium ion battery comprising the connector. The connector comprises current collector bars, the current collector bars being clamped with a connecting plate; the connecting plate comprises a back plate and clamping posts fixedly provided at one side of the back plate at intervals, and grooves for clamping with the current collector bars are formed between adjacent clamping posts; a thermal decomposition material layer is coated on the periphery of the clamping posts or the inner side walls of the grooves, and the thermal decomposition material layer is formed by compounding a thermosensitive resin and a modified material; and the back plate and the clamping posts are both made of a high-thermal-conductivity insulating material.

A cell holder for holding cylindrical battery cells in a battery module for forming a high-voltage battery, for example a traction battery for a vehicle, includes a positioning element that is configured to position a busbar for contacting battery cells held in the cell holder.

Provided is a battery module. The battery module includes: a plurality of battery cells each including an electrode terminal; and a bus bar connected to the electrode terminals of the battery cells neighboring each other to electrically connect the battery cells, the bus bar including a first bus bar and a second bus bar that are superposed on each other and include different metals, each of the first and second bus bars making conductive contact with the electrode terminals. Therefore, the thermal and electrical characteristics of the bus bar electrically connecting the neighboring battery cells to each other may be improved while improving weldability between the bus bar and electrode terminals.

A cell contacting system for an electrochemical device is provided, which includes a plurality of cell groups having one or more electrochemical cells, each having a first and a second cell terminal. The first cell terminals follow each other along the longitudinal direction in a first cell terminal region of the electrochemical device and the second cell terminals follow each other along the longitudinal direction in a second cell terminal region of the electrochemical device. The cell contacting system includes at least one cell connector extending obliquely to the longitudinal direction and configured for electrically conductively connecting cell terminals of a first cell group in the first cell terminal region to cell terminals of a second cell group in the second cell terminal region, which cell contacting system reliably enables a relative movement between the cell terminals to be electrically connected to each other.

A battery module includes a cell unit, including a plurality of battery cells disposed on both surfaces of a unit plate, and a case accommodating the cell unit and provided with a cooling device on at least one surface of the case. The unit plate includes a plurality of receiving spaces formed by a plate portion, having a flat surface, and a side portion protruding upwardly and downwardly of the plate portion from both sides of the plate portion. The plurality of battery cells are received in each of the receiving spaces.

An energy storage apparatus includes an energy storage device and an outer case. The outer case includes: an outer case body; and a lid body having a plurality of fixing portions, and fixed to the outer case body by the plurality of fixing portions. The plurality of fixing portions and the plurality of fixing portions are arranged at different positions in an arrangement direction of the outer case body and the lid body, and have the same rigidity.

A busbar module includes: busbars that are fixed to battery cells of a battery module; a plate-like flexible circuit body that includes conductors corresponding to the busbars; and a case that accommodates the circuit body and the busbars, in which the circuit body includes a trunk portion and a branch portion connected to the busbar, the branch portion includes a base layer, a metal foil that is the connection conductor, and a coating layer that covers the base layer and the metal foil, the branch portion has a facing portion faces a first surface of the busbar, the metal foil is connected to a connection target at a portion that is more adjacent to a distal end than the facing portion is, and the first surface has a groove-shaped recess provided at a portion facing the metal foil.

A busbar module includes: busbars that are fixed to battery cells of a battery module; a plate-like flexible circuit body that includes conductors corresponding to the busbars; and a case that accommodates the circuit body and the busbars, in which the circuit body includes a trunk portion and a branch portion connected to the busbar, the branch portion includes a base layer, a metal foil that is the connection conductor, and a coating layer that covers the base layer and the metal foil, the branch portion has a facing portion faces a first surface of the busbar, the metal foil is connected to a connection target at a portion that is more adjacent to a distal end than the facing portion is, and the first surface has a groove-shaped recess provided at a portion facing the metal foil.

An embodiment is directed to a contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds between battery cells in a battery module, including at least one primary conductive layer, and a set of bonding connectors that are configured to provide direct electrical bonds between the contact plate and terminals of a group of battery cells, the set of bonding connectors being configured to connect the group of battery cells in parallel with each other, wherein at least one bonding connector in the set of bonding connectors is configured with a higher fuse rating than each other bonding connector in the set of bonding connectors so as to contain arcs among the set of bonding connectors to the at least one bonding connector.

An embodiment is directed to a contact plate configured to establish electrical bonds between battery cells in a battery module, including at least one primary conductive layer, and a set of bonding connectors that are configured to provide direct electrical bonds between the contact plate and terminals of a group of battery cells, the set of bonding connectors being configured to connect the group of battery cells in parallel with each other, wherein at least one bonding connector in the set of bonding connectors is configured with a higher fuse rating than each other bonding connector in the set of bonding connectors so as to contain arcs among the set of bonding connectors to the at least one bonding connector.