FR2959605A1 - ELECTRIC ENERGY ACCUMULATOR BLOCK - Google Patents

Abstract

An accumulator block comprising: an accumulator assembly (8) comprising stacked electrical energy storage elements (9), on one side of which are arranged electrical connection means (15) of these elements, these electrical connection means having terminal terminals electrical connection (23) of the accumulator assembly; a housing (2) defining a receiving chamber (7) of said accumulator assembly (8) and comprising a main housing (3) and a secondary housing having peripheral assembly edges (5, 6) and being provided with connecting means (55, 58) in assembled position, the stack of accumulator elements being engaged in said main casing (3) and bearing against at least one wall of the latter, said secondary casing (4) being located on the side of the means an electrical connection means (15), and electrical connection members (29) which are connected to the connection terminals (22, 23) of said accumulator assembly, which extend into said receiving chamber (7) and which pass through the wall of the secondary casing (4), the electrical connection members being provided with holding means (35, 48) coupled to the edges of the through passages of the wall of the secondary casing.

Description

LD-RI GRB 10-0574EN P10-2448 Electric energy accumulator block Société par Actions Simplifiée: MICHELIN TECHNOLOGY COMPANY And Société anonyme: Michelin Research and Technology S.A. Inventors: Electric energy storage block

The present invention relates to the field of batteries and more particularly the field of batteries for an electric or hybrid motor vehicle. "Electric vehicle" means a vehicle as defined in the United Nations Regulation No. 100 on the Approval of Battery Electric Vehicles.

Patent application WO 2007/046587 discloses a battery which comprises an outer casing constituted by a parallelepiped body of housing open on one side, which has lower tabs for attachment to a mounting surface, and a fixed front support plate on the open side of the case body. The battery comprises accumulator assemblies of electrical energy carried by rigid frames, which are plugged by an edge into openings in the front support plate, so that the accumulator assemblies are suspended, independently, from the mounting plate. support and remote from each other. Bus bars are attached to the support board. A printed circuit board is installed inside the case. External connection wires pass through a front portion of the housing body. Such a structure requires the realization of a housing body and a support plate robust, bulky and complex shapes to be able to carry the accumulator assemblies and the complex set of electrical connections. In addition, multiple complex and meticulous mounting operations on the support plate are necessary. The present invention relates to an accumulator block which does not have the above disadvantages. According to one embodiment, there is provided an accumulator block which comprises an accumulator assembly installed in a housing.

The accumulator assembly comprises stacked electric energy storage elements, on one side of which are arranged electrical connection means of these elements, these electrical connection means having electrical connection terminals of the accumulator assembly. The housing defines a receiving chamber of said accumulator assembly and comprises a main housing and a secondary housing having peripheral assembly edges and being provided with connecting means in assembled position. The stack of accumulator elements is engaged in said main casing and bears against at least one wall of the latter, said secondary casing being located on the side of the electrical connection means of said accumulator assembly. The accumulator block further comprises electrical connection members which are connected to the connection terminals of said accumulator assembly, which extend into said receiving chamber and which pass through passages of the wall of the secondary casing, the electrical connection members being provided with holding means coupled to the edges of the through passages of the wall of the secondary housing. Thus, it is possible to make a compact electrical energy accumulator assembly, independently of the housing, to produce a simple housing, adapted to the shape of the accumulator assembly, and to make, through the wall of the housing, connections simple electric. The resulting accumulator block can therefore be compact, easily electrically isolable and sealed, and thus be suitable for a motor vehicle. The accumulator assembly may be at least partially wedged in the housing by direct support and / or by means of wedging means interposed between them. Thus, the accumulator assembly can be held in the housing, without attachment to the latter. The accumulator elements may comprise stacked plates and, on one side of these stacked plates, electrodes integrated in said electrical connection means.

The electrical connection members may be placed, relative to the stack of accumulator elements, on the same side as said electrical connection means. One of said electrical connection members can be connected to the negative terminal (-) of the battery via an electrical protection fuse of the accumulator assembly, installed in said housing. Sealing means may be provided between the peripheral coupling edges of the main housing and the secondary housing and sealing means may be provided between the electrical connection members and the edges of said through passages of the secondary housing. At least one of the electrical connection members may comprise a base fixed on the edge of the corresponding through passage of the secondary casing. This base may be provided with at least one electrical contact means connected to at least one of the terminals of the electrical connection means of the accumulator assembly and may be adapted to be coupled to a contact means of a pluggable external member. .

The pluggable outer member can be connected to an external electrical cable. The plug-in external member may comprise a printed circuit board. At least one of said electrical connection members may comprise an electric cable passing through a corresponding passage of the secondary housing and connected in the housing to at least one of the terminals of the electrical connection means of the accumulator assembly. At least one of said electrical connection members may comprise, in the housing, a flexible portion. The connecting means of the secondary casing and the main casing may comprise outer tabs arranged in the extension of the peripheral edge of one and protruding outer bosses arranged on the other, these bosses being able to penetrate into holes of the tongues. when the main housing and the housing secondary housing are assembled. Said outer tongues and said outer bosses can extend, in assembled position, inside recessed areas. The housing may be of parallelepipedal general shape, the secondary housing may have external hollow forms for receiving the parts of the electrical connection members outside the housing.

Accumulator blocks will now be described by way of nonlimiting examples, illustrated in the drawing in which: - Figure 1 shows an external perspective view of an accumulator block; - Figure 2 shows a section of the accumulator block of Figure 1, passing between its electrical connection stacks; - Figure 3 shows a top view of the accumulator block of Figure 1; FIG. 4 represents a perspective view, in a first orientation, of the accumulator block of FIG. 1, its secondary casing being removed; FIG. 5 represents a perspective view, in a second orientation, of the accumulator block of FIG. 1, its secondary casing being removed; - Figure 6 shows an external perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the accumulator block of Figure 1; and FIG. 7 represents a perspective view of the accumulator block of FIG. 6, its secondary casing being removed. An accumulator block 1, shown in Figures 1 to 5, comprises an outer casing 2, thin-walled, for example a plastic material, which comprises a main casing 3 and a secondary casing 4. As illustrated in particular in Figures 1 to 3, the main housing 3 is of parallelepipedal shape, is placed horizontally, and is open on one side 3a. The main casing 3 has a rectangular assembly edge 5 coupled to a rectangular assembly edge 6 of the secondary casing 4. When these assembly edges 5 and 6 are coupled, the casing 2 delimits a receiving chamber 7 of a accumulator assembly 8.

As illustrated in particular in Figure 2, an accumulator assembly 8 comprises a plurality of electrical energy storage elements 9 placed one above the other. Each accumulator element 9 comprises a rectangular plate 10 comprising an encapsulation envelope in which are arranged an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte (not shown). The electrolyte may be, for example, an aprotic electrolyte in the case of a lithium-ion type accumulator or a membrane polymer separator in the case of a lithium-ion polymer storage cell.

As illustrated in particular in FIGS. 2 and 5, from one side of its plate 10, each accumulator element 9 comprises electrodes 11 and 12 spaced along this side and passing through a sealed closure zone of reduced thickness of its encapsulation envelope.

The rectangular plates 10 of the storage elements 9 are arranged one above the other and constitute a stack 13, which can be strapped. This stack 13 is substantially of parallelepipedal shape and the electrodes 11 and 12 of the storage elements 9 extend on a vertical vertical side 13a of the stack 13. The stack 13 of plates 10 of the accumulator assembly 9 is engaged in the main casing 3 so that the electrodes 11 and 12 are on the side of its opening 3a, that is to say on the side of the secondary casing 4.

More precisely, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the lower face 13d of the stack 13 bears against the horizontal bottom wall 3d of the main casing 3. The rear vertical side 13e of the stack 13, opposite its front side 13a , is at a short distance from or in contact with the vertical bottom 3e of the main casing 3. The upper side 13f of the stack 13 is at a distance from the horizontal top wall 3f of the main casing 3, shims 10a, for example in a foam of plastic material, being interposed between them. Moreover, the vertical sides of the stack 13, perpendicular to its front side 13a, are at short distances from or in contact with the vertical side walls 3b and 3c of the main casing 3. Thus, the accumulator assembly 9 is wedged in. the main housing 3. As illustrated in particular in Figures 4 and 5, the accumulator assembly 8 further comprises two electrical connection stacks 14 and 15 which are placed on the front side 13a of the stack 13 of plates 10 and in which the electrodes 11 and 12 of the accumulator elements 9 are integrated. Like the electrodes 11 and 12, the electrical connection stacks 14 and 15 are spaced along the front side 13a of the stack 13 and are on the side of the secondary casing 4. connection stacks 14 or 15 comprise pluralities of spacers 16 and 17 placed between the electrodes 11 and 12 of the storage elements 9. FIG. 2 illustrates more precisely the stack of elec trodes 12 and spacers 17.

The spacers 16 and 17 are suitably selected from electrically conductive or non-electrically conductive materials and are conveniently arranged with respect to the electrodes 11 and 12 of the accumulator elements 9 so as to constitute an electrical assembly of the accumulator elements 9, in parallel or in series. In the case of a parallel connection, the connection stacks 14 and 15 respectively contain the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes of the accumulator elements 9 and the spacers 16 and 17 arranged respectively between them are made of an electrically conductive material. In the case of a series connection, the connection stack 14 alternately contains the positive and negative electrodes of the stacked storage elements 9 and the electrical connection stack 15 alternately contains the negative and positive electrodes of the stacked storage elements 6. In addition, in the connection stacks 14 and 15, on the one hand the spacers 16 and 17 are alternately made of an electrically conductive material and a non-electrically conductive material and on the other hand the spacers 16 and 16 17 placed between the electrodes of two adjacent storage elements 9 are one conductive and the other non-conductive. In order to maintain firmly in contact on the one hand the electrodes 11 and the spacers 16 stacked and secondly the electrodes 12 and spacers 17 stacked, as schematically illustrated in particular in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the connection stacks 14 and furthermore comprise lower and upper pairs of insulating end plates 18 and 19, and are traversed by pluralities of insulated holding rods 20 and 21 which cooperate with these end plates 18 and 19, only the heads of these tie rods being represented. In view of an electrical connection of the accumulator assembly 8, a lower spacer 16a (FIGS. 4 and 5) of the connection stack 14 is extended to form a tab 22, making a fold, and then extending towards the front relative to the side 13a of the stack 13, constituting for example a negative electrical terminal of the accumulator assembly. On the other hand, an upper spacer 17a (FIGS. 2 and 4) of the connection stack 15 is extended, forward and then downwards, so as to form a tab 23 constituting a positive electrical terminal 23 of the accumulator assembly 9. Referring in particular to Figures 1 and 3, it can be seen that the secondary housing 4 comprises a bottom 4e opposite and parallel to the bottom 3 of the main housing 3 and has, seen from the outside, a recessed lateral shape 25 located on one side and defining a vertical wall 4a perpendicular to the bottom 4e, as well as hollow top forms 26 and 27, spaced horizontally from the bottom 4e, opening laterally and defining aligned horizontal walls 4b and 4c offset to the low.

In order to connect the positive and negative terminals 22 and 23 of the accumulator assembly 5 to the outside of the casing 2, as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the accumulator block 1 is also equipped with two connection members. 28 and 29.

In a general manner, the electrical connection members 28 and 29 extend in the secondary casing 4, in front of the electrical connection stacks 14 and 15, and then pass through through passages of the horizontal walls 4b and 4c set back from the secondary casing. 4, then extend outside the casing 1.

The electrical connection members 28 and 29 have equivalent structures. For example, as more specifically illustrated in FIG. 2, the electrical connection member 29 comprises a push-pull connector 33 in vertical translation, which comprises a base 35 which passes through a through passage 31. of the recessed horizontal wall 4c of the secondary casing 4 and which is fixed on the edge of this passage. For this, the base 35 has a shoulder 35a resting on the outer face of the edge of the through passage 31 and a nut 37 is screwed onto the base 35 and is supported on the inner face of the edge of the through passage 31, with possibly interposition of a seal. The base 35 of the connector 33 carries an electrical contact pad 39 whose end located inside the secondary housing 4 is connected to the positive terminal 23 of the accumulator assembly 8 by a conductive tab 43, formed for example by a flexible braid electrically conductive and sheathed. The ends of this braid are for example bolted to the positive terminal 23 and the electrical contact pad 39. As illustrated schematically in Figures 4 and 5, the electrical connection member 28 also comprises a connector 32 whose base 34 is fixed in a through passage 30 of the wall 4b recessed secondary housing 4. This time, the electrical contact pad 38 of the base 34 is connected to the negative terminal 22 of the accumulator assembly 8 via a fuse 40 (shown schematically) placed between the connection stack 14 and the connector 32. For this purpose, the contact pad 38 is connected to an electrical terminal of the fuse 40 by a conductive tab 41, formed for example by a braid flexible conductor of electricity and sheathed, while the other electrical terminal of the fuse 40 is connected to the negative terminal 22 of the accumulator assembly 8 by a folded conductive tab 42. The push-pull connectors 32 and 3 3 further comprise plug-in external members 44 and 45, L-shaped, on the one hand mounted at the end of external electrical cables 46 and 47 and secondly respectively vertically plug-in in the bases 34 and 35, in order to connecting the contact pads 38 and 39 of the bases 34 and 35 and the external electrical cables 46 and 47 and coming into contact when the pluggable members 44 and 45 are coupled in the bases 34 and 35. As can be seen in particular in the figures 1 and 3, the recessed outer portions of the secondary casing 4 are such that, when the plug members 44 and 45 are coupled in the bases 34 and 35, the external electrical cables 46 and 47 are aligned parallel to the wall 4e of the secondary casing 4 and extend into the recessed portions 26 and 27 of the secondary casing 4, opposite each other and protrude laterally with respect to the secondary casing 4. In addition, the pluggable members 44 and 4 5 and the outer electrical cables 46 and 47 are below or at the maximum level of the plane of the upper face 3f of the main casing 3 and do not protrude laterally with respect to the wall 4e of the secondary casing 4. As illustrated in particular in FIGS. 1 and 2, the accumulator block 1 further comprises, as another electrical connection member of the accumulator assembly 8, a 48 multi-pin electrical connector which is mounted vertically, from the inside of the secondary casing 4, in a passage 49 arranged in the vertical wall 4a of the secondary casing 4, with the interposition of a seal. The electrical connector 48 is carried by a folded flexible inner lug 50 (FIG. 2) carried by the stack 15 and is fixed on the edge of the passage 49 by screws 51 screwed on the outside of the secondary casing 4.

On the multi-pin connector 48 is inserted a printed circuit board 52 (shown schematically), parallel to the wall 4e and placed in the recessed lateral outer portion 25 of the secondary casing 4. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the pins of the multi-pin connector 48 are connected to at least some of conductive spacers 16 and 17 by electrical son 48a. These electrical wires may be soldered to the pins of the connector 48 and may carry plugs engaged in holes 48b of the spacers. The printed circuit board 52 may carry suitable electronic components for measuring voltages in the stacks 14 and 15. For an external connection, electrical wires 53 may be connected to the printed circuit board 52, for example by a pluggable member 53a. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the secondary casing 4 is furthermore equipped with a perforated cover 54, covering the printed circuit board 52. In addition, the secondary casing 4 has, in its wall 4e, a trapdoor 54a located in front of the inner part of the electrical connection member 29.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the edge 6 of the secondary housing 4 has a peripheral slot into which the edge 5 of the main casing 3, this slot being determined by an inner skirt 6a entering the edge 5 of the main casing 3 and a flange outer 6b shorter than the skirt 6a.

As illustrated in particular in Figures 1 and 3, the outer portion of the edge 6 of the secondary casing 4 is extended, below the lower wall 3d and above the upper wall 3f of the main casing 3 by two pairs of tongues. fixing 55, spaced plates, which extend in recessed portions 56 of these walls and which have orifices 57. In these recessed portions 56, the walls 3d and 3f of the main casing 3 have protruding bosses 58 which, when the secondary casing 4 is coupled to the main casing 3, are engaged in the orifices 57 of the fixing tabs 55. A seal may be interposed between the edge 5 of the main casing 3 and the edge 6 of the secondary casing 4. A its periphery, the main casing 3 has two grooves 59 in which are placed two gripping straps 60. Furthermore, horizontal locking means of the accumulator assembly 8 in the housing 2, placed between its sides s and the vertical walls of the main casing 3 and / or the secondary housing 4, could be provided. To mount the battery pack 1, proceed as follows.

The accumulator assembly 8 is made, it is provided with the tab 50 and the multi-pin connector 48 and the wires connecting the spacers 16 and 17 are connected to this connector 48. The bases 34 and 35 of the electrical connection members 28 are fixed to 29 to the secondary casing 4. The inner parts of the electrical connection members 28 and 29 are mounted between the accumulator assembly 8 and the secondary casing 4. The multi-pin connector 48 is fixed to the secondary casing 4. After this, the stack is engaged. 13 of plates 10 in the main housing 3 and the main housing 3 and the secondary housing are coupled by engaging the fastening tabs 55 of the secondary housing with the protruding bosses 58 of the main housing 3. It follows from the foregoing that the accumulator assembly 8 constitutes a unitary structure which is not fixed to the housing 2. The housing 2 has in fact shapes which are adapted to the shape of the accumulator assembly 8. Only the flexible leg e 50 carrying the multi-pin connector 48 connects the accumulator assembly 8 to the secondary casing 4 of the casing 2. It also results from the foregoing that the recessed outer forms 25, 26, 27 of the secondary casing 4 (FIGS. 1 and 3), receiving respectively the printed circuit board 52 and the pluggable members 44 and 45 and the cables 46 and 47 of the electrical connection members 28 and 29, are such that the accumulator block 1 can be placed in a suitable compartment of a battery box. (Not shown), by vertical displacement, so that the four side faces 3b, 3c, 3e and 4e of the housing 2 can be wedged in this compartment. After which, the cables 46 and 47 can be installed by plugging the pluggable members 44 and 45 into the sockets 34 and 35 for electrical connection of the negative and positive terminals 22 and 23 of the accumulator assembly 8 and a electrical connection of the electrical wires 53 connected to the printed circuit board 52, to other accumulator blocks and / or to electrical or electronic devices of the battery box. Then, a secondary housing of the trunk can cover the compartment, coming a short distance above the housing 2 of the accumulator block 1. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, we will now describe an accumulator block 101 which comprises, so equivalent to the accumulator block 1, a housing 102 comprising a main housing 103 and a hollow secondary housing 104, coupled, and an accumulator assembly 108 enclosed in the housing 102, equivalent to the accumulator assembly 8. The accumulator block 101 differs from the block accumulator 1 in that the end faces of the connection stacks 114 and 115 of its accumulator assembly 108, equivalent to the connection stacks 14 and 15, come to a short distance from or in abutment with the wall 104e of the secondary casing 104, equivalent to the 4th wall. The accumulator block 101 is also different from the accumulator block 1 in that the part of its electrical connection member 134 located inside the casing 102 and connected to the positive terminal of the accumulator assembly 108, equivalent to the connection member 29 of the previous example, is placed between the connection stacks 114 and 115. In addition, its multi-pin connector 148 and the printed circuit board 152, equivalent to the connector 48 and the card 52 of the previous example, are placed laterally with respect to the connection stack 115. The accumulator block 101 is also different from the accumulator block 1 in that its electrical connection member 133 connected to the negative terminal of the accumulator assembly 108 comprises an electric cable 146 which horizontally passes through a passage of the wall of the secondary casing 104 and is directly connected, in the housing 102, to a terminal of a fuse 140, the other of which e terminal is connected to the negative terminal of the accumulator assembly 108. The electrical cable 146 and the fuse 140 are placed laterally to the stack 114. Around the electrical cable 146 is installed a gland 146a, including a gasket. sealing, engaged with the edge of the corresponding passage of the secondary casing 104.

Apart from the above differences, the accumulator block 101 has the same general structure and the same advantages as described above for the accumulator block 1. For other advantages, the accumulator units 1 and 101 described are compact and the housings 2 and 102 are of simple and light structure. Thanks to prefabrication of the accumulator assemblies 8 and 108 and to the external electrical connection means of simple structure, they can be assembled and disassembled without difficulty. The present invention is not limited to the examples described above. Many other embodiments are possible, without departing from the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims (15)

REVENDICATIONS1. An accumulator block comprising: an accumulator assembly (8) comprising stacked electrical energy storage elements (9), on one side of which electrical connection means (14, 15) of these elements are arranged, these electrical connection means having electrical connection terminals (22, 23) of the accumulator assembly; a housing (2) defining a receiving chamber (7) of said accumulator assembly (8) and comprising a main housing (3) and a secondary housing having peripheral assembly edges (5, 6) and being provided with connecting means (55, 58) in assembled position, the stack of accumulator elements being engaged in said main casing (3) and bearing against at least one wall of the latter, said secondary casing (4) being located on the side of the means an electrical connection (14, 15) of said accumulator assembly, and electrical connection members (28, 29) which are connected to the connection terminals (22, 23) of said accumulator assembly, which extend into said receiving chamber (7); ) and which pass through passages of the wall of the secondary casing (4), the electrical connection members being provided with holding means (34, 35, 48) coupled to the edges of the through passages of the wall of the secondary casing. 2. The accumulator block according to claim 1, wherein the accumulator assembly (8) is at least partially wedged in the housing by direct support and / or by means of wedging means interposed between them. 3. Storage block according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the storage elements comprise stacked plates (10) and, on one side of these stacked plates, electrodes integrated in said electrical connection means (14, 15). ). 4. Storage block according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical connection members (28, 29) are placed, with respect to the stack of accumulator elements, on the same side as said electrical connection means (14). , 15). 5. Battery pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one of said electrical connection members is connected to the negative terminal (-) of the battery via a fuse (40) installed in said housing . 6. Accumulator block according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a sealing means between the peripheral coupling edges of the main casing and the secondary casing. 7, accumulator block according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a sealing means between the electrical connection members and the edges of said through passages of the secondary casing 8. Accumulator block according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the electrical connection members comprises a base (34) fixed on the edge of the corresponding through passage of the secondary casing, this base being provided with least one electrical contact means connected to at least one of the terminals of the electrical connection means of the accumulator assembly and being able to be coupled with a contact means of a pluggable outer member (44). The accumulator block of claim 8, wherein the pluggable outer member is connected to an outer electrical cable (46). The accumulator block of claim 8, wherein the pluggable outer member comprises a printed circuit board (52). 11. Storage block according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of said electrical connection members comprises an electric cable (146) passing through a corresponding passage of the secondary housing (4) and connected in the housing to at least one of the terminals of the electrical connection means (14) of the accumulator assembly (8). An accumulator block according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of said electrical connection members comprises, in the housing, a flexible or flexible portion (50). 13. Storage block according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting means of the secondary housing and the main housing comprise outer tabs (55) arranged in the extension of the peripheral edge of one and protruding outer bosses. (58) arranged on the other, these bosses being adapted to penetrate into holes (57) of the tongues when the main housing (3) and the secondary housing (4) of the housing are assembled. The accumulator block of claim 10, wherein said outer tabs and said outer bosses extend, in the assembled position, into recessed areas (56). 15. Accumulator block according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is of generally parallelepipedal shape and wherein the secondary housing has recessed outer forms (25, 26, 27) for receiving the parts of the connecting members. electrical (28, 29) external to the housing.