Patent ID: 8257860

Claim:
A battery module, comprising: a plurality of unit batteries; a pair of end plates located at outermost sides of the plurality of unit batteries; and four connecting rods disposed in respective pairs at first and second edges of at least one of the end plates, the first and second edges being opposite edges, a third edge of the at least one end plate extending between the first and second edges of the at least one end plate, wherein: the first and second edges of the at least one end plate each have two fixing members protruding therefrom, two of the connecting rods being coupled to two respective fixing members of the first edge, and two of the connecting rods being coupled to two respective fixing members of the second edge, the connecting rods fix the pair of end plates to the plurality of unit batteries, the connecting rods are spaced apart at different intervals along the first and second edges of the at least one end plate, two of the connecting rods installed along the first edge of the at least one end plate being spaced closer to one another than are two of the connecting rods installed along the second edge of the at least one end plate, and each unit battery includes projecting electrode terminals, the electrode terminals projecting towards the first edges and away from the second edges, the electrode terminals being disposed along the first edge closer to the third edge than the connecting rods installed along the first edge, such that the electrode terminals project towards the first edge of the at least one end plate in a position between the third edge and the connecting rods installed along the first edge.