JP4224673B2 - Assembled battery - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an assembled battery in which modules surrounded by a frame are arranged and fixed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Many general assembled batteries contain a plurality of batteries in a single assembled battery frame. However, in such an assembled battery, an assembled battery frame must be produced by resin molding or the like for each number of batteries to be combined, and an assembled battery in which an arbitrary number of batteries are combined according to the demands of the consumer is supplied. It is not easy.
[0003]
Therefore, a proposal has been made that each battery is surrounded by a frame made of resin or the like to form a module, and a plurality of modules are arranged and fixed to produce an assembled battery in which an arbitrary number of batteries are combined. It has been made conventionally.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the assembled battery, since the terminals of each battery constituting the assembled battery are connected with a connecting rod or the like, there is a demand for protecting the connecting portion by covering the upper part. However, if the assembled battery frame accommodates a plurality of batteries together, the upper end opening can be covered with a cover after completion of the connection work, but in the case of an assembled battery in which any number of modules are arranged The module itself has not yet been connected to the battery, so it is not possible to cover this connection part, and if it is made into an assembled battery and the upper part of each module is covered individually, the work becomes troublesome. was there.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in order to cope with such a situation. By sequentially engaging and sliding the lid cover on the lid cover engaging portion provided at the upper end portion of each frame body, the upper portion of all the modules is placed. It aims at providing the assembled battery which can be covered collectively.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention of claim 1 arranges the module surrounding the periphery of the battery having terminals on the upper surface in the frame 1 or more in the longitudinal direction, sandwiching and fixing each frame from the front and rear sides of the modules by the sandwiching means In addition, in the assembled battery in which the terminals of each battery are connected , lid cover locking portions are provided on the left and right of the upper end of each frame, and side edges in the left and right direction are provided on the upper ends of these frames. A lid cover that is slidable in the front-rear direction by being engaged with the lid cover latching portion is arranged.
[0007]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lid cover is inserted between the module disposed at the end of the assembled battery and the lid cover engaging portions provided at the front and rear of the upper end portion of the frame body, and the side edge portions of these lids are covered with the lid. The upper part of the assembled battery can be covered with the lid cover by being engaged with the cover locking portion and sliding.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0009]
1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the assembled battery, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and FIG. Is a perspective view showing the configuration of the resin frame, and FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view showing the configuration of the side plate.
[0010]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an assembled battery in which seven non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 are combined will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, each non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is not shown inside a casing-like battery container 1a made of a stainless steel plate having a narrow front and rear width compared to the vertical depth and the horizontal length. Two long cylindrical winding type power generation elements are stored side by side, and the upper end opening of the battery container 1a is closed with a rectangular lid plate 1b made of stainless steel plate. From both left and right end portions, a positive electrode terminal 1c and a negative electrode terminal 1d project upward. In addition, the battery container 1a of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is provided with a safety valve 1e on the right side surface. The safety valve 1e is formed by attaching a metal film having a thickness of about 50 μm to a hole opened on the side surface of the battery container 1a made of stainless steel plate, and this metal film when the inside of the battery becomes an abnormally high pressure. Is intended to prevent the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 from being ruptured by breaking and degassing. However, if such a thin metal foil is exposed at the safety valve 1e, the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 may become unusable because it is easily damaged simply by hitting a pointed object from the outside. The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is actually covered with a thick tube-shaped heat shrink resin (not shown) from above and thermally shrunk to cover the periphery. Since the heat shrink resin is made of an extremely thin resin film, if the internal pressure of the battery becomes high and the safety valve 1e is opened, the resin film is also broken by this pressure, so that the operation of the safety valve 1e may be hindered. Absent.
[0011]
As shown in FIG. 1, each of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 is a module having both front and rear sides sandwiched between a pair of resin frames 2 and 2. The module is a structural unit of an assembled battery including one non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 and a pair of resin frames 2 and 2 surrounding the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1, and the assembled battery shown in FIG. Seven pieces are arranged side by side and sandwiched by side plates 3 and 3 from both sides. Therefore, since the number of the modules that are sandwiched side by side can be freely changed, an assembled battery including any number of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 can be manufactured.
[0012]
Each of the resin frames 2 is a frame formed by molding a polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin. As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of resin frames 2 are formed with a concave battery housing portion 2a into which the front half of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 of FIG. The frame having the same shape as this and having the same shape rotated halfway so that the front-rear direction is reversed and arranged on the rear side in FIG. Then, the rear half of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 of FIG. 2 is fitted into the battery housing portion 2a of the other resin frame 2, and the end surfaces of the pair of resin frames 2 and 2 are overlapped. It becomes a module. When assembling such a module, actually, a buffer material (not shown) is pasted particularly near the bottom surface of the battery housing portion 2a of each resin frame 2, and the battery container 1a of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is attached. To fill in the gaps between them. Therefore, when the resin frames 2 and 2 that form a pair of modules are sandwiched from both sides in the front-rear direction, the battery housing portions 2a and 2a of these resin frames 2 and 2 and the battery container 1a of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 and Since the buffer material is pressed between the two, the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 can be stored without rattling, and the non-aqueous electrolyte battery 1 can be stored even when subjected to impact or vibration from the outside. The impact directly applied to the electrolyte secondary battery 1 can be mitigated.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 3, each resin frame 2 has an end face on the front side, that is, an outer end face facing the outside opposite to the inner nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 sandwiched between the battery housing portions 2a when a module is formed. In addition, a window portion 2b having an opening in most of the portion excluding the peripheral portion is formed. Further, since the window portion 2b is opened as it is to the front side of the left and right side surfaces, the upper and lower portions of the resin frame 2 are a pair of shielding plates that are elongated vertically on the rear side of the left and right side surfaces. They are connected only through the parts 2c and 2c. As a result, when the resin frames 2 and 2 are paired to form a module with the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 sandwiched therebetween, the shielding plate portions 2c and 2c of both the resin frames 2 and 2 are adjacent to each other without a gap in the center. Thus, the central portions of the left and right side surfaces of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 are blocked. In addition, since these shielding plate portions 2c and 2c are arranged slightly outside on the left and right sides of the inner side surface of the battery housing portion 2a, they are not immediately before the left and right side surfaces of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1, but are slightly spaced. Will be placed open. Therefore, in the further right direction of the safety valve 1e formed on the right side surface of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1, the shielding plate portions 2c and 2c adjacent on the right side of the paired resin frames 2 and 2 have a gap. Therefore, even when the safety valve 1e is opened and the electrolyte is ejected together with the high-pressure gas when the battery is abnormal, it is prevented from being scattered by the shielding plates 2c and 2c and scattered in a wide area. Will be able to.
[0014]
As for each said resin frame 2, the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 2d is formed in the four corner parts of an outer side end surface, respectively. In the case of FIG. 3, each concavo-convex portion 2 d has two oval convex portions protruding on a vertical flat surface located in front of the battery housing portion 2 a slightly in the case of FIG. 3. Two oval recesses are drilled in. The left and right concavo-convex portions 2d are formed so that the positions of the convex portions and the concave portions are reversed. Therefore, when the modules are arranged in the front-rear direction, the outer end surface of the front resin frame 2 of the rear module and the outer end surface of the rear resin frame 2 of the module adjacent to the front side are overlapped back to back. The convex part of each concavo-convex part 2d of one resin frame 2 fits into the concave part of each concavo-convex part 2d of the other resin frame 2, and these adjacent modules are sandwiched from the front-rear direction, so that the vertical direction and the horizontal direction It is possible to prevent the positions of each other from shifting. Moreover, at the time of an assembly, these uneven | corrugated | grooved parts 2d fit together and it becomes possible to position the arranged module now. Further, between the adjacent modules, each one of the resin frames 2 is brought into close contact with each other by these concave and convex portions 2d, so that a gap is generated between the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 and 1 of these modules. Accordingly, between adjacent modules, the cooling air in the left-right direction can flow between the side surfaces of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 and 1 through the windows 2b and 2b of the resin frames 2 and 2 back to back. The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 can be reliably cooled. In addition, when a gap is provided between the widest side surfaces of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 and 1 as described above, an abnormality detection sensor that detects the swelling of the side surface of the battery container 1a due to the pressure increase inside the battery. Can be attached, and the safety of the assembled battery can be improved.
[0015]
In addition, the resin frames 2 and 2 to be paired are configured in a substantially symmetrical shape in order to use the same parts by half rotation as described above. However, since only the concave and convex portion 2d is formed so that the positions of the convex portion and the concave portion are different on the left and right, it is not an accurate left-right symmetrical shape.
[0016]
Each of the resin frames 2 has two through holes 2e formed below the uneven portions 2d and 2d on the left and right sides of the lower portion and near the central portion on the left and right above the window portion 2b. These through holes 2e are round holes for allowing the through bolts 4 shown in FIG. 1 to pass therethrough, and when the modules are arranged, the through bolts 4 are not exposed except at both ends of the assembled battery. The periphery of the resin frame 2 is covered with a resin material by the width in the front-rear direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower two through holes 2e and 2e are formed as holes penetrating the frame-like portion below the battery housing portion 2a, and the upper two through holes 2e and 2e are A cylindrical shape is formed on the cross-shaped portion above the battery housing portion 2a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, seven modules are arranged in the front and rear direction, and the four through bolts 4 are passed through the through holes 2e of the resin frames 2 to be bolt holes 3d of the side plates 3 and 3 disposed at both ends. By screwing nuts to both ends of each through-bolt 4 via the screw, the pair of resin frames 2 and 2 of these seven modules can be clamped and fixed, whereby seven non-water The electrolyte secondary battery 1 is reliably supported. In each module, since the through bolts 4 made of stainless steel are not exposed by being covered with the pair of resin frames 2 and 2, reliable insulation can be maintained, and the through bolts 4 can be maintained. Each of the resin frames 2 can be securely clamped when nuts are screwed to both ends.
[0017]
Each of the resin frames 2 has wiring engaging portions 2f and 2f projecting inwardly between two through holes 2e and 2e formed on a cross-shaped portion above the battery housing portion 2a. Has been. The terminals 1c and 1d of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 of each module are connected to the terminals 1c and 1d of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 of the adjacent module by a connection rod (not shown) arranged at the upper part of the resin frame 2. Connected in series. Further, these terminals 1c and 1d are connected to a wiring to a management device for monitoring charge / discharge voltage and the like. The wiring locking portions 2f and 2f of each resin frame 2 are for locking the wiring when the wiring is pulled out to the front of the assembled battery through the upper part of each resin frame 2, whereby the wiring is assembled. It is possible to prevent the battery from spreading out above and to the side of the battery and obstructing handling.
[0018]
Each of the resin frames 2 has lid cover locking portions 2g and 2g projecting upward from both end portions of the cross-shaped portion above the battery housing portion 2a. The lid cover engaging portions 2g and 2g are horizontally flat lid cover support portions arranged sufficiently above the cross-shaped portion, and bend in a hook shape and project further above the lid cover support portions. It consists of a slide guide part. When such lid cover engaging portions 2g, 2g are formed on the resin frames 2 of the seven modules of the assembled battery, the side edges in the left-right direction of the flat lid cover 5 as shown in FIG. Can be engaged and slid in the front-rear direction. That is, for example, the left and right side edge portions of the front end of the lid cover 5 are first placed on the lid cover locking portions 2g and 2g on the lid cover support portions on the uppermost side of the resin frame 2 at the rearmost side of the assembled battery. The left and right side edge portions are sequentially engaged with the lid cover engaging portions 2g and 2g of the resin frame 2 on the front side while the lid cover 5 is slid to the front side while being inserted between the slide guide portions. By combining them, the upper part of the assembled battery can be covered. However, before attaching the lid cover 5, the operation of connecting the connecting rod or connecting the wiring between the terminals 1 c and 1 d of each nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is completed. Moreover, if the wiring of these terminals 1c and 1d is locked to the wiring locking portions 2f and 2f of the respective resin frames 2 as described above, the mounting work of the lid cover 5 is obstructed. It doesn't happen either. The lid cover 5 has a rectangular plate shape made of resin, but is provided with cutouts at two corners located at opposite ends of the diagonal line, from which the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1, 1 terminals 1c and 1d are exposed. The terminals 1c and 1d of the seven non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 are connected in series by connecting rods in the adjacent ones other than those exposed at the notch portion of the lid cover 5, so that these exposures are made. The pair of terminals 1c and 1d to be the positive and negative terminals of the assembled battery. In the present embodiment, since an assembled battery in which an odd number of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 are combined is described, the positive and negative terminals of the assembled battery are arranged at both ends on a diagonal line. In the case of the assembled battery in which the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is combined, it is disposed at both ends of either the left or right side.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, the side plates 3 and 3 are made of a stainless steel plate having the same size as the outer end surface of the resin frame 2, and are arranged at both ends in the front-rear direction in which seven modules are arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, each side plate 3 is made of a convex-shaped stainless steel plate with a flat surface arranged vertically, but the lower end side is bent to project horizontally to the opposite side of the module, thereby reinforcing the reinforcing portion 3a. Forming. Further, at both ends between the main body of the side plate 3 and the reinforcing portion 3a, ribs 3b and 3b, in which a stainless steel plate is formed into a substantially right-angled isosceles triangle shape and two orthogonal sides are welded, are joined. Further, the side plate 3 forms a grip portion 3c by bending the upper end side of the convex-shaped main body and projecting it horizontally on the side opposite to the module. Thus, each side plate 3 is not a simple flat stainless steel plate, but bends the upper and lower ends to form the reinforcing portion 3a and the grip portion 3c, and ribs 3b and 3b are provided between the main body and the reinforcing portion 3a. Since they are joined, seven modules of the heavy non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 can be sandwiched with sufficient strength from both sides. Further, the reinforcing portion 3a of each side plate 3 enhances stability when the assembled battery is installed, and as shown in FIG. 1, it is easy to install and fix with bolts and nuts by providing a U-shaped notch. Will be able to.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4, the side plates 3 and 3 disposed at the front and rear ends of the seven modules have the bolt holes 3d at four positions on both sides of the lower end of the convex body and the vicinity of the center of the upper end. And through the bolt holes 3d, the four through bolts 4 are passed through the through holes 2e of the resin frames 2 of the seven modules, and as shown in FIG. By screwing nuts to both ends, the seven nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1 are sandwiched and fixed between the resin frames 2 and 2 of each pair. At this time, the main body of each side plate 3 faces the outer end surface of the resin frame 2 at the outermost end, but in reality, the tip of the convex portion of the concave and convex portion 2d comes into contact with the opening edge portion of the through hole 2e. There is a slight gap between them. For this reason, in the through-bolt 4, a not-shown washer serving as a spacer is fitted in advance to the module side through which the bolt holes 3d of both side plates 3 and 3 are passed, and the opening of the through-hole 2e of the resin frame 2 at the end is opened. The gap between the edges is eliminated. Accordingly, in the absence of this washer, if a nut is screwed onto both ends of the through bolt 4, the vicinity of the bolt hole 3d of the side plates 3 and 3 is bent toward the opening edge of the through hole 2e of the resin frame 2 at the end. In this way, it is possible to prevent the resin frame 2 from being pinched and stabilized. Each through-bolt 4 has a bolt head at one end, or has a nut screwed into this end in advance and fixed by welding or the like. It is also possible to screw only the other end.
[0021]
Each of the side plates 3 is provided with a pair of claw portions 3e and 3e projecting toward the sandwiching module at the upper ends of both ends of the main body. These claw portions 3e, 3e are obtained by bending a plate piece protruding left and right from the main body of the side plate 3 toward the rear or the front, and the left and right sides of the upper end portion of the resin frame 2 at the extreme end are sandwiched between the left and right sides. It is designed to be sandwiched from both sides. The resin frames 2 and 2 that form a pair of modules are securely engaged without shifting in the vertical and horizontal directions by fitting the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 into the battery housing portion 2a. , 2 are securely engaged with each other without shifting in the vertical and horizontal directions by fitting the convex portion into the concave portion by the concave and convex portion 2d. However, in the absence of the claw portions 3e, 3e, the side plate 3 and the resin frame 2 simply overlap each other, and the engagement becomes unstable. However, since each side plate 3 is provided with claw portions 3e, 3e, the claw portions 3e, 3e can be surely engaged by sandwiching at least the endmost resin frame 2 from the left and right sides. In addition, the assembled battery can be held and fixed stably. In addition, in the present embodiment, since groove-like depressions are formed on both side surfaces of the resin frame 2 sandwiched by the claw portions 3e, 3e, it can be reliably engaged in the vertical direction. .
[0022]
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, at least one of the side plates 3 is provided with an oblong wiring hole 3f in the lower center of the main body, and on the end surface opposite to the module of the main body. A management device (not shown) is attached, and a side plate cover 6 shown in FIG. 1 is attached. The wiring holes 3f are connected to the terminals 1c and 1d of the seven non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1, and the wirings locked to the wiring locking portions 2f of the resin frames 2 are connected to the outermost resin frame 2. It is a hole that is drawn out from the module side of the main body of the side plate 3 to the opposite side of the module through the outside of the upper cross-shaped part, and thereby, between the management device and the terminals 1c and 1d of each non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 You will be able to connect between them. Accordingly, it is not necessary to arrange the assembled battery management device at the upper end where the connection with the terminals 1c, 1d of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 is performed, and the space is provided by attaching to the side plate 3 at either end in the front-rear direction. Efficiency can be increased. The side plate cover 6 is for protecting the management device and is screwed to the side plate 3. The management device may be attached to both side plates 3, 3, but if attached to one side, the wiring hole 3 f may be formed only in this one side plate 3. However, since these side plates 3 and 3 can be made to be a common part by making them symmetrical, the wiring hole 3f is formed in both side plates 3 even when the management device is attached only to one side plate 3. It may be formed.
[0023]
The side plates 3 and 3 are provided with an insulating coating on the surface of a stainless steel plate. Accordingly, by surrounding the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 together with the insulating resin frame 2, the insulation property of the entire assembled battery can be enhanced. In addition, since the material itself is made of a stainless steel plate, it has sufficient rigidity, and also has high corrosion resistance against the electrolytic solution, moisture salt, etc., and the safety of the assembled battery can be improved.
[0024]
With the above configuration, according to the present embodiment, the lid cover engaging portions 2g and 2g are formed at the upper end portions of the resin frames 2 and 2 that are paired with each module. By engaging and sliding, the upper side of the assembled battery can be easily covered. Therefore, even if it is an assembled battery which combined the arbitrary number of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries 1, the cover cover 5 which covers the connection part of the terminals 1c and 1d only by preparing the cover cover 5 from which the length of the front-back direction differs. Can be easily attached.
[0025]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the through bolt 4 is used to clamp and fix is shown. However, if a plurality of modules arranged in the front-rear direction are clamped and fixed from both front and rear sides, such a bolt-shaped one is used. Not limited to this, a pinching / fixing means having an arbitrary configuration can be used. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where several modules were clamped and fixed by the side plates 3 and 3 arrange | positioned at both front and back ends was shown, depending on the structure of the clamping and fixing means, such side plates 3 and 3 are not used. Nipping and fixing can also be performed.
[0026]
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where it was set as a module by pinching the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 with a pair of resin frames 2 and 2 was shown, for example, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is used for a single container-shaped resin frame. 1 can be fitted and stored from above to form a module, and any structure may be used as long as it surrounds the periphery of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1. Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although the case where the resin-made resin frames were used was shown, the material of this frame is not limited.
[0027]
Moreover, in the said embodiment, the case where the assembled battery was comprised by arranging two or more modules which enclosed the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 in the frame was shown, However, if the number of this module is at least one, this invention It can be implemented. Furthermore, in the said embodiment, although shown about the assembled battery which combined the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1, it can implement similarly to the assembled battery using another kind of battery.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the assembled battery of the present invention, the upper part of the assembled battery can be covered by sliding one lid cover by the lid cover engaging portion provided in each frame. Even in an assembled battery in which different numbers of modules are combined, it is possible to easily protect the terminal connection portion of each battery simply by preparing lid covers having different lengths.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an assembled battery.
FIG. 2, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is a perspective view showing a configuration of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a resin frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are a front view and a side view showing a configuration of a side plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 2 Resin frame 2g Lid cover latching part 3 Side plate 4 Through bolt 5 Lid cover

Claims (1)

Sorting module that surrounds the batteries with terminals on the upper surface in the frame 1 or more in the longitudinal direction, with sandwiching a respective frame from both the front and rear fixing of the modules by the sandwiching means, the terminals of each battery In the battery pack connected to
Lid cover locking portions are provided on the left and right of the upper end of each frame body, and the side edges in the left and right direction are engaged with these lid cover locking portions on the upper end portions of these frame bodies in the front-rear direction. A battery pack comprising a lid cover that is slidable.

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