JP7201648B2 - SECONDARY BATTERY AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SECONDARY BATTERY - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a secondary battery and a method for manufacturing a secondary battery.

Currently, secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries are used in vehicles such as hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and electric vehicles that use electric power as driving force. A secondary battery includes a plurality of secondary battery cells arranged side by side in a container. Adjacent secondary battery cells are electrically connected via a conductive connector.

Japanese Patent No. 4504600

Some secondary batteries employ a structure in which a connector is attached to a through hole provided in a partition wall of a battery case. In this configuration, when the pair of connecting bodies are attached to the partition wall of the battery case, the pair of connecting bodies are arranged on both sides of the partition wall so as to face each other, and the projections of the connecting bodies are in contact with each other in the through holes of the partition wall. These connections can be welded by passing an electric current through. However, in this method, when attaching a plurality of pairs of connecting bodies to the partition wall, it is necessary to sequentially weld the plurality of pairs of connecting bodies arranged in the plurality of through holes of the partition wall for each pair of connecting bodies. Therefore, there is a problem that the working efficiency of the welding process is low.

In this regard, Patent Literature 1 discloses a secondary battery that includes a connector that connects adjacent secondary battery cells. However, since this secondary battery does not employ a configuration in which a connector is attached to a through hole provided in the partition wall of the battery case, the above-described problem cannot be solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a secondary battery and a method for manufacturing the secondary battery that can improve the working efficiency of the welding process of the secondary battery. aim.

A secondary battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of secondary battery cells,
a partition having two holes positioned between adjacent first secondary battery cells and second secondary battery cells;
two connectors each having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell;
and one connecting body having two protrusions connected to the second secondary battery cell,
Each projecting portion of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell corresponds to the two projecting portions of one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell in each hole of the partition wall. Connect electrically.

Each projecting portion of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell and the projecting portion of one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell are welded.

A secondary battery according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of secondary battery cells,
a partition having three holes positioned between adjacent first secondary battery cells and second secondary battery cells;
a first connection body having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell;
a second connecting body having two protrusions connected to the first secondary battery cell;
a third connecting body having two protrusions connected to the second secondary battery cell;
A fourth connecting body having one protrusion connected to the second secondary battery cell,
the first connector is electrically connected to the third connector in the hole of the partition;
Each protrusion of the second connector is electrically connected to each protrusion of the third connector and the fourth connector in the hole of the partition wall.

The protrusion of the first connection and the protrusion of the third connection are welded together, and the two protrusions of the second connection, the protrusion of the third connection and the protrusion of the fourth connection are welded together. The protrusion is welded.

A method for manufacturing a secondary battery including a plurality of secondary battery cells according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes:
arranging two connectors each having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell on one side of the partition wall having two holes;
disposing, on the other side of the partition wall, one connecting body having two protrusions connected to a second secondary battery cell arranged next to the first secondary battery cell;
Each protrusion of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell is within each hole of the partition wall, and out of the two protrusions of one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell A step of connecting the electrodes to two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell in contact with the opposing protrusions of the
A current is input from the electrode to one of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell, and flows through one of the two connecting bodies and one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell. By outputting the current obtained from the other of the two connection bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell to the electrode, the two connection bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell and the second two connection bodies Welding one connector connected to the secondary battery cell.

A method for manufacturing a secondary battery comprising a plurality of secondary battery cells according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes:
A first connecting body having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell on one side of the partition having three holes, and two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell arranging a second connecting body having a protrusion;
A third connecting body having two protrusions connected to a second secondary battery cell arranged adjacent to the first secondary battery cell on the other side of the partition wall; and a second secondary battery. arranging a fourth connector having one protrusion connected to the cell;
The projection of the first connection connects to the opposite projection of the two projections of the third connection in the aperture of the partition, and the two projections of the second connection each connecting the first electrode to the first connector in a state in which the opposing protrusion of the two protrusions of the third connector and the protrusion of the fourth connector are in contact with each other in the hole of the partition wall; and connecting the second electrode to the fourth connector;
A current is input from the first electrode to the first connection body, and the current that flows through the first connection body, the second connection body, and the third connection body is transferred from the fourth connection body to the second electrode. and welding the first connection body and the third connection body and welding the second connection body and the third connection body and the fourth connection body by outputting.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION By this invention, the manufacturing method of the secondary battery which can improve the working efficiency of the welding process of a secondary battery and a secondary battery can be provided.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a battery case accommodating a plurality of secondary battery cells according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of the partition wall of the container according to the first embodiment along the II cross-sectional line of FIG. 1; It is a figure which shows the plane and side of the connection body which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the plane and side of the connection body which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a welding process of a connection body included in the secondary battery according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a part of the partition wall of the container 1 according to the second embodiment along the II cross-sectional line of FIG. 1; It is a figure which shows the plane and side of the connection body which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a welding process of a connection body included in the secondary battery according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

<First embodiment>
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a container 1 for a secondary battery according to one embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of secondary battery cells (not shown) are accommodated in the container 1 so as to be adjacent to each other. A plurality of partition walls 50 are provided between adjacent secondary battery cells. In order to simplify the explanation, the battery case 1 shown in FIG. 1 accommodates six secondary battery cells, but a battery case 1 capable of accommodating any number of secondary battery cells may be used. can be done.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view along the II cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, showing a part of the partition wall 50 of the container 1 according to the first embodiment. Partition 50 has two holes 12 and 13 . Two connectors 10 and 20 are arranged on one side of the partition wall 50 . One connector 30 is arranged on the other side of the partition wall 50 . 2 shows a part of the partition wall 50 of the battery case 1, that is, the upper part, the central part, the lower part, etc. of the partition wall 50. can be arranged at a plurality of locations on the partition wall 50.

Connectors 10 and 20 are conductive members that are connected to the side surfaces of the first secondary battery cell (not shown). Each of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 has one projecting portion, and the surface opposite to the surface having the projecting portion is connected to the terminal provided on the side surface of the first secondary battery cell.

The connector 30 is a conductive member connected to the side surface of a second secondary battery cell (not shown) arranged next to the first secondary battery cell. The connection body 30 has two protrusions, and the surface opposite to the surface having the protrusions is connected to the terminal provided on the side surface of the second secondary battery cell.

Projections of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 and two projections of the connecting body 30 are inserted into the holes 12 and 13 of the partition 50, and these projections face each other in the holes of the partition 50. It is positioned in contact with the protrusion. As a result, the protrusions of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 and the two protrusions of the connecting body 30 can be electrically connected.

3A and 3B are plan and side views of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Connectors 10 and 20 have protrusions in their central portions. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the upper surfaces of the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 are stepped, but in other examples, the upper surfaces of the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 may be flat.

4A and 4B are plan and side views of the connector 30 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The connector 30 has two projections on the same longitudinal axis. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the protrusion of the connection body 30 has a flat shape, but in another example, the upper surface of the protrusion of the connection body 30 may have a stepped shape.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a welding process of the connecting bodies 10, 20, 30, which is one process of the manufacturing method of the secondary battery according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In the welding process of the connecting bodies 10, 20, 30, first, the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 10, 20 are connected to the second secondary battery cells in the holes 12, 13 of the partition wall 50. The electrode 60 is connected to the connecting bodies 10 and 20 while being in contact with the opposing protrusion of the two protrusions of . The electrode 60 includes an electrode 61 that inputs current to the connector 10 and an electrode 62 that receives current from the connector 20 . On the other hand, the connector 30 is supported by the insulator 70 .

Next, a current is input from the electrode 61 to the connector 10 . The current input to the connection body 10 flows through the protrusion of the connection body 10 to the protrusion of the connection body 30 that is in contact with the protrusion. After that, the current passes through the connection body 30, is input to the projection of the connection body 20 that is in contact with the other projection of the connection body 30, and passes through the connection body 20. and output to the electrode 62 .

In this way, when the current flows through the protrusions of the connectors 10, 20, and 30, the protrusions of the connectors 10, 20, and 30 generate heat and melt. When the current from the electrode 61 to the connection body 10 is stopped, the projections of the connection bodies 10, 20 and 30 are cooled, and the projections of the connection bodies 10 and 20 and the projection of the connection body 30 opposite to the projections are cooled. is welded.

In the above-described first embodiment, on one side of the partition wall 50, the connecting bodies 10 and 20 each having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell are arranged. Also, on the other side of the partition wall 50, the connection body 30 having two projecting portions, which is connected to the second secondary battery cell, is arranged. Next, the electrodes 60 are connected to the connecting bodies 10 and 20 in a state in which the protruding parts of the connecting bodies 10 and 20 are in contact with the facing protruding parts of the connecting body 30 in the holes 12 and 13 of the partition wall 50 . By inputting a current from the electrode 60 to the connection body 10 and outputting the current flowing through the connection body 10 and the connection body 30 from the connection body 20, the connection bodies 10 and 20 and the connection body 30 are welded. do.

As a result, the three connecting bodies 10, 20, 30 can be welded substantially simultaneously by a single energization, so that the working efficiency of the welding process for the connecting bodies 10, 20, 30 can be improved.

Moreover, it is preferable that the resistance values of the protrusions of the three connectors 10, 20, and 30 are the same. As a result, currents with the same voltage flow in series through the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 10, 20, 30, so that welding of the same quality can be achieved at these projecting portions.

Furthermore, the terminals provided on the side surfaces of the secondary battery cells are connected to the three connectors 10 , 20 , 30 . Therefore, the current path between adjacent secondary battery cells can be shortened, and the energy loss in the current path can be reduced.

<Second embodiment>
In a second embodiment, four connectors are welded simultaneously. FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken along the II section line of FIG. 1 and shows a part of the partition wall 51 of the container 1 according to the second embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements as in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Partition 51 has three holes 12 , 13 , 14 . Two connectors 10 and 21 are arranged on one side of the partition wall 51 . Two connectors 31 and 41 are arranged on the other side of the partition wall 51 . The connectors 10, 21, 31 and 41 respectively correspond to a first connector, a second connector, a third connector and a fourth connector. 6 shows a part of the partition wall 51 of the battery case 1, that is, the upper part and the lower part of the partition wall 51. It can be arranged at a plurality of locations on the partition wall 51 .

The connector 21 is a conductive member connected to the side surface of the first secondary battery cell. The connection body 21 has two protrusions, and the surface opposite to the surface having the protrusions is connected to the terminal provided on the side surface of the first secondary battery cell.

The connector 31 is a conductive member connected to the side surface of the second secondary battery cell arranged next to the first secondary battery cell. The connection body 31 has two protrusions, and the surface opposite to the surface having the protrusions is connected to the terminal provided on the side surface of the second secondary battery cell.

The connector 41 is a conductive member connected to the side surface of the second secondary battery cell. The connection body 41 has one projecting portion, and the surface opposite to the surface having the projecting portion is connected to the terminal provided on the side surface of the second secondary battery cell. The connection body 41 has the same shape as the connection body 10 .

The projecting portions of the connecting bodies 10 and 21, the two projecting portions of the connecting body 31, and the projecting portion of the connecting body 41 are inserted into the holes 12, 13, and 14 of the partition wall 51, and these projecting portions Within each hole of the partition wall 51, it is arranged so as to contact an opposing projection. As a result, the projecting portion of the connecting body 10 and the projecting portion of the connecting body 31 can be electrically connected, and the projecting portion of the connecting body 21 and the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 31 and 41 can be electrically connected. Become.

7A and 7B are plan and side views of connecting bodies 21 and 31 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The connecting bodies 21, 31 have two projections on the same longitudinal axis. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the upper surfaces of the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 21 and 31 are stepped, but in other examples, the upper surfaces of the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 21 and 31 may be flat.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a welding process for connecting bodies 10, 21, 31, and 41, which is one process of the method for manufacturing a secondary battery according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In the welding process of the connecting bodies 10 , 21 , 31 and 41 , first, the projecting portion of the connecting body 10 is connected to the opposing projecting portion of the two projecting portions of the third connecting body 31 in the hole of the partition wall 51 . In addition, in a state in which the two protrusions of the connection body 21 are in contact with the opposing protrusions of the two protrusions of the connection body 31 and the protrusion of the connection body 41 in the hole of the partition wall 51, the connection is established. An electrode 80 is connected to the body 10 and an electrode 90 is connected to the connector 41 .

The electrode 80 is an electrode for inputting current to the connector 10 . The electrode 80 has an insulating portion 81 , and the insulating portion 81 is in contact with the connector 21 . Electrode 80 corresponds to the first electrode. The electrode 90 is an electrode to which current is input from the connector 41 . The electrode 90 has an insulating portion 91 , and the insulating portion 91 is in contact with the connector 31 . Electrode 90 corresponds to a second electrode.

Next, a current is input from the electrode 80 to the connector 10 . The current input to the connection body 10 flows through the protrusion of the connection body 10 to the protrusion of the connection body 31 that is in contact with the protrusion. After that, the current passes through the connecting body 31 and then flows through the other projecting part of the connecting body 31 to the projecting part of the connecting body 21 that is in contact with the projecting part. After passing through the connector 21 , the current is input to the protrusion of the connector 41 that is in contact with the other protrusion of the connector 21 and passes through the connector 41 . and output to the electrode 90.

In this way, when the current flows through the protrusions of the connectors 10, 21, 31, and 41, the protrusions of the connectors 10, 21, 31, and 41 generate heat and melt. When the current from the electrode 80 to the connection body 10 is stopped, the projections of the connection bodies 10, 21, 31, 41 are cooled, and the projections of the connection bodies 10, 21 and the connection bodies 31, 31 facing the projections are cooled. 41 protrusions are welded.

In the above-described second embodiment, on one side of the partition wall 51, the first connection body 10 having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell and the first connector 10 connected to the first secondary battery cell A second connecting body 21 having two protrusions to be connected is arranged. Further, on the other side of the partition wall 51, a third connector 31 having two protrusions connected to the second secondary battery cell and one protrusion connected to the second secondary battery cell A fourth connector 41 having a portion is arranged.

Then, the projection of the first connection body 10 connects to the opposite projection of the two projections of the third connection body 31 in the hole 12 of the partition wall 51, and the second connection body 21 are in contact with the opposing protrusion of the two protrusions of the third connector 31 and the protrusion of the fourth connector 41 in the holes 13 and 14 of the partition wall 51. , the first electrode 80 is connected to the first connector 10 and the second electrode 90 is connected to the fourth connector 41 .

Then, a current is input from the first electrode 80 to the first connection body 10, and the current flowing through the first connection body 10, the second connection body 21 and the third connection body 31 is transferred to the fourth connection body. By outputting from the body 41 to the second electrode 90, the first connection body 10 and the third connection body 31 are welded, and the second connection body 21, the third connection body 31 and the fourth connection are connected. body 41 is welded.

As a result, the four connecting bodies 10, 21, 31, 41 can be welded substantially simultaneously by a single energization, so that the working efficiency of the welding process for the connecting bodies 10, 21, 31, 41 can be improved. can.

Moreover, it is preferable that the resistance values of the protrusions of the four connectors 10, 21, 31, and 41 are the same. As a result, currents with the same voltage flow in series through the projecting portions of the connecting bodies 10, 21, 31, and 41, so that welding of the same quality can be achieved at these projecting portions.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, since the electrode 80 outputs current and the electrode 90 inputs current, the structure of the electrodes 80 and 90 can be simplified.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, since four connectors 10, 21, 31, 41 are employed, it is possible to increase the efficiency of conduction between adjacent secondary battery cells.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Battery Cases 12, 13, 14 Holes 10, 20, 30 Connectors 21, 31, 41 Connectors 50, 51 Partitions 60, 61, 62 Electrodes 80, 90 Electrodes 70 Insulators 81, 91 Insulators

Claims (6)

A secondary battery comprising a plurality of secondary battery cells,
a partition having two holes positioned between adjacent first secondary battery cells and second secondary battery cells;
two connecting bodies each having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell;
and one connecting body having two protrusions connected to the second secondary battery cell,
Each projecting portion of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell is provided in each hole of the partition wall by the one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell. A secondary battery, characterized in that it is electrically connected to two protrusions. A secondary battery comprising a plurality of secondary battery cells,
a partition having three holes positioned between adjacent first secondary battery cells and second secondary battery cells;
a first connection body having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell;
a second connector having two protrusions connected to the first secondary battery cell;
a third connecting body having two protrusions connected to the second secondary battery cell;
A fourth connecting body having one protrusion connected to the second secondary battery cell,
the first connection body is electrically connected to the third connection body in the hole of the partition wall;
Each protrusion of the second connection body is electrically connected to each protrusion of the third connection body and the fourth connection body in the hole of the partition wall. battery. wherein each projecting portion of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell and the projecting portion of the one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell are welded together; Item 1. The secondary battery according to item 1. the projecting portion of the first connection and the projecting portion of the third connection are welded;
3. The secondary battery according to claim 2, wherein the two projections of the second connection body are welded to the projections of the third connection body and the projections of the fourth connection body. A method for manufacturing a secondary battery comprising a plurality of secondary battery cells,
arranging two connectors each having one protrusion connected to the first secondary battery cell on one side of the partition wall having two holes;
disposing, on the other side of the partition wall, one connecting body having two protrusions connected to a second secondary battery cell arranged next to the first secondary battery cell;
Each projecting part of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell is located in each hole of the partition wall, 2 of the one connecting body connected to the second secondary battery cell A step of connecting electrodes to the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell while being in contact with the opposing protrusions out of the two protrusions;
A current is input from the electrode to one of the two connection bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell, and the one connected to one of the two connection bodies and the second secondary battery cell. The current flowing through the two connecting bodies is output to the electrode from the other of the two connecting bodies connected to the first secondary battery cell, thereby connecting to the first secondary battery cell A method of manufacturing a secondary battery, comprising welding the two connectors and the one connector connected to the second secondary battery cell. A method for manufacturing a secondary battery comprising a plurality of secondary battery cells,
2, a first connection body having one protrusion connected to a first secondary battery cell on one side of a partition wall having three holes; placing a second connecting body having two protrusions;
A third connecting body having two protrusions connected to a second secondary battery cell arranged next to the first secondary battery cell on the other side of the partition wall; arranging a fourth connecting body having one protrusion connected to the secondary battery cell;
The projection of the first connection connects to the opposite projection of the two projections of the third connection in the hole of the partition, and the two projections of the second connection In a state in which the protrusions are in contact with the opposing protrusion of the two protrusions of the third connection body and the protrusion of the fourth connection body in the hole of the partition wall, the first connection is established. connecting a first electrode to the body and connecting a second electrode to the fourth connector;
A current is input from the first electrode to the first connection body, and the current flowing through the first connection body, the second connection body and the third connection body is transferred to the fourth connection body. to the second electrode to weld the first connection body and the third connection body, and the second connection body and the third connection body and the fourth connection body A method of manufacturing a secondary battery, comprising the steps of welding and

Images