JP2004214012A - Battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery pack in which the batteries can be stored in good balance in forward and backward direction by providing a stopper so that the batteries may be inserted and mounted from the forward and backward direction alternately for each step on each shelf plate of the rack. <P>SOLUTION: This is a battery pack in which the batteries 1, of which a positive electrode terminal 1a is provided on one end face and a negative electrode terminal 1b is provided on another end face, is respectively mounted on the shelf plates 6 which are arranged in plural steps in vertical direction between the side boards 2, 3 on both right and left sides of the rack, and of which the both-side end parts are fixed and supported by these side boards 2, 3. Stoppers 6a, 6b which prevent movement of the batteries 1 to further inner depth in the direction of the batteries mounted on each shelf plate 6 are provided at the end part in either forward or backward direction alternately reversing at the adjoining steps in vertical direction of each shelf plate 6 of each step of the rack. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an assembled battery in which a plurality of batteries are housed in a rack and modularized.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Since a large battery has a large charge / discharge current, it is more advantageous to provide a positive terminal on one end surface and a negative terminal on the other end surface. Because each end face has only one terminal of either polarity, this terminal can easily increase the cross-sectional area of the wiring material connected to the external circuit or the terminal of another battery, and the positive and negative terminals This is because the battery is separated at both end surfaces of the battery, so that insulation measures are also easy.
[0003]
An example of such a large battery is shown in FIG. The battery 1 has six positive electrode terminals 1a protruding from one end surface (a surface facing downward left in the drawing) and six negative electrode terminals 1b (not shown in FIG. 4) protruding from the other end surface. . If a plurality of such positive electrode terminals 1a and negative electrode terminals 1b are provided, a large current for charging and discharging can be dispersed to the plurality of terminals, so that the current distribution in the wiring material inside and outside the battery 1 can be uniform. And a voltage drop and heat generation due to local concentration of current can be reduced. In particular, when the wiring material is in the form of a plate, if only one terminal is used, current concentrates around the terminal. However, by connecting to a plurality of terminals, the current is distributed over the entire surface of the plate. Will be able to do that. In addition, when a plurality of terminals are provided, the distance from the electrodes of the internal power generation element to the external wiring material via these terminals is shortened, so that not only the resistance during this period is reduced, The heat radiation efficiency can be improved.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since large batteries generally have a positive terminal and a negative terminal on one end face, a rack for storing such batteries in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction has a shelf board in every stage. A stopper is provided in the upper rear part, and a battery is inserted from the front and placed on the shelf board of each stage. However, since such racks are often installed against a wall or the like, the balance in the left-right direction is considered, but the balance in the front-rear direction is not considered, or the rack is designed to tilt slightly backward. Was often done. For this reason, the battery 1 having the positive electrode terminal 1a and the negative electrode terminal 1b protruding from both end surfaces as shown in FIG. 4 is placed in a place where a space is opened behind the rack for wiring these terminals 1a and 1b. When the rack is installed and placed on a shelf board from the front and stored, there is a problem that the rack is likely to be distorted or twisted in the front-rear direction. Further, in the case of a rack in which the balance in the front-rear direction is also taken into consideration, reinforcement is performed by using C-channel materials at the four corners or by doubling the side plates, so that wasteful space around the stored batteries 1 increases. In addition, there is a problem that the volume efficiency of the installation space is deteriorated.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in order to cope with such a situation, and by providing a stopper on each shelf of a rack so that batteries can be inserted and placed from an alternate front-back direction for each stage, and this is achieved. It is an object of the present invention to provide an assembled battery in which a rack can store batteries in a well-balanced manner in the front-rear direction.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The battery pack according to claim 1 is disposed between the left and right side plates of the rack over a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, and has a positive electrode on one end surface on a shelf plate having both side ends fixed to and supported by these side plates. In a battery pack in which terminals are provided and batteries each having a negative electrode terminal provided on the other end face, the front and rear are alternately reversed in vertically adjacent stages on the shelf of each stage of the rack. A stopper is provided at one end in either the front or rear direction to prevent the battery mounted on the shelf from moving further in the direction.
[0007]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a stopper is provided at the rear end on any one of the shelves, the stopper is provided at the front end on the vertically adjacent shelves. The batteries are inserted from the front on the shelf, the batteries are inserted from the back on the vertically adjacent shelf, and the batteries are placed alternately from front to back for each stage. Will do. Therefore, since the front and rear of the rack are configured substantially symmetrically, the balance in the front and rear direction is improved, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of distortion, twist, and the like. Moreover, if these batteries are housed closely, the overall strength can be improved without hardening the rack itself. Note that the heat radiation of the battery housed closely may be efficiently performed, for example, from the terminal to the outside.
[0008]
In the battery pack according to claim 2, the front and rear are alternately reversed in the vertically adjacent stages of the shelf plate, and the end in either of the front and rear directions is bent upward to form a stopper on the shelf plate. At the same time, the end opposite to this direction is bent downward to form a stopper on the lower shelf of the shelf.
[0009]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is not necessary to separately provide a stopper on a side plate or the like by using a shelf plate in which front and rear ends are bent upside down to form a stopper. In addition, since the shelves bent in a substantially Z-shape are fixed between the side plates, the rack can be reinforced without causing waste in the installation space, and distortion and twisting can be suppressed. Further, since such a bent structure increases the strength as compared with a simple flat plate, it is possible to suppress deformation of the shelf when a heavy battery is placed.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled battery, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rack used for the assembled battery, and FIG. It is a perspective view of an assembled battery which shows the assembly process which accommodates.
[0012]
In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a battery module in which ten batteries 1 shown in FIG. Each battery 1 has six positive electrode terminals 1a on one end face and six negative electrode terminals 1b on the other end face. As shown in FIG. 1, these ten batteries 1 are stored in a rack in two rows in the horizontal direction and five rows in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the rack is provided with a ceiling plate 4 and a bottom plate 5 at upper and lower ends between side plates 2 and 3 erected on both sides in the left-right direction. The four shelf boards 6 are arranged between the upper and lower sides of the bottom board 5. The side plates 2 and 3, the ceiling plate 4 and the bottom plate 5 are made of a metal rectangular flat plate, and each shelf plate 6 is also formed by bending a metal rectangular flat plate. The ceiling plate 4, the bottom plate 5, and the four shelves 6 are fixed to the inner side surfaces of the side plates 2, 3 by welding at both ends.
[0013]
Each of the above-mentioned shelf boards 6 is formed by bending both front and rear edges of a rectangular horizontal main body vertically in directions opposite to each other in the vertical direction to form a Z-shape, and bending the bent portions of these both edges into an upward stopper 6a and a downward stopper. 6b. The four shelves 6 are arranged at equal intervals between the ceiling plate 4 and the bottom plate 5 with the plate surface of the main body part being horizontal, and the uppermost first stage is placed on these shelves 6. The shelf of each stage up to the fourth stage is formed. In the present embodiment, the fifth shelf is formed on the bottom plate 5. However, if there is no problem in the installation of the rack, the fifth shelf plate 6 is replaced with the fifth shelf plate 6. It is also possible to use.
[0014]
The first and third shelves 6 of the above-mentioned stages are provided with an upward stopper 6a at the rear edge (in the obliquely upward direction in the figure), and have a downward edge at the front edge. The stopper 6b is arranged. In the second and fourth shelf boards 6, an upward stopper 6a is disposed at a front edge and a downward stopper 6b is disposed at a rear edge. The upward stopper 6a on each shelf 6 functions as a stopper for a shelf formed on the shelf 6, and the downward stopper 6b serves as a shelf on the shelf 6 one stage below the shelf 6. Or if the shelf plate 6 is the fourth stage, it functions as a stopper for the fifth stage shelf on the bottom plate 5. Therefore, the stopper of the shelf formed on the first shelf 6 at the top is handled by the upward stopper 6a at the rear end of the shelf 6, and is formed on the shelf 6 at the second stage. The upward stopper 6a at the front end of the shelf 6 and the downward stopper 6b at the front end of the first stage shelf 6 are in charge of the shelves. The same applies to the third and subsequent stages, and the downward stopper 6b at the rear end of the fourth stage shelf plate 6 is in charge of the shelf stopper on the bottom plate 5 serving as the fifth stage.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 3, two batteries 1 are stored in each of the shelves of the rack having the above configuration from the front-back direction. That is, the batteries 1 are inserted and placed from the front on the first and third shelf plates 6 and the fifth bottom plate 5, and the second and fourth stages are placed. The battery 1 is inserted from behind and placed on the shelf plate 6. The upper and lower corners of the end faces of the batteries 1 abut against the upward stoppers 6a and the downward stoppers 6b on the shelf 6 on the far side in the insertion direction, and are prevented from moving further. It will be placed at a predetermined position. Therefore, the rack is configured to be substantially symmetrical in the front and rear, and the batteries 1 are stored from both sides even during assembly, so that the balance in the front and rear direction is improved, and the side plates 2 and 3 and the ceiling plate 4 In addition, it is possible to prevent the front and rear distortions and twists from occurring in this rack in which the bottom plate 5 is formed of a simple flat plate. In addition, for example, in order to connect the batteries 1 in series in the column direction, as shown in FIG. 1, the first, third, and fifth batteries 1 have a positive terminal 1a on the front end face. If the second stage and fourth stage batteries 1 are protruded and the negative electrode terminal 1b is projected from the front end face, an operator who inserts these batteries 1 into the shelves of each stage and places them can be used. Since it is sufficient to always insert the battery 1 with the end face on the side where the positive electrode terminal 1a protrudes toward the operator himself, it is possible to prevent a mistake in the wrong orientation of the battery 1 to be stored. become.
[0016]
Moreover, in the present embodiment, the strength of the rack can be increased by fixing the Z-shaped shelf plate 6 having both end edges bent between the side plates 2 and 3, and distortion and twisting can be prevented. Since the upward stopper 6a and the downward stopper 6b of the edge of the shelf 6 are along the corners of the end face of the battery 1, no wasteful space is generated. Further, in this embodiment, since the rectangular box-shaped batteries 1 are stored in close proximity to each shelf of the rack with almost no gap, the batteries 1 themselves prevent a change in the shape of the shelf from the inside, so that the rack 1 Can be further improved.
[0017]
Each battery 1 inserted from the front-rear direction as described above can be dropped in the direction opposite to the insertion when the rack is inclined in the front-rear direction, for example. Therefore, in the present embodiment, after the battery 1 is stored, the holding plate 7 is fitted to the front and rear end surfaces of each shelf on the side where the battery 1 is inserted, and is fixed by welding. The holding plate 7 is formed by bending the left and right edges of a rectangular metal flat plate whose front and back faces in the front and rear direction, and fits into the front and rear ends of each shelf. In addition, these holding plates 7 are stamped with terminal portions protruding from the end face of the battery 1 and safety valve portions whose description is omitted. Then, as in the case of inserting the battery 1, the holding plates 7 are fitted and fixed from the front to the first stage, the third stage, and the fifth stage, respectively. The holding plate 7 is fitted into and fixed to the fourth shelf from behind. When such a holding plate 7 is fixed to the rack, it is possible not only to prevent the battery 1 from falling off from each shelf, but also to further improve the strength of the rack. Become.
[0018]
In the above-described embodiment, the stopper including the upward stopper 6a and the downward stopper 6b obtained by bending the edge of the shelf 6 is shown. However, the stopper is not necessarily required to be a part of the shelf 6, and the configuration of this stopper is not limited. Optional. For example, a stopper of another component can be attached to the back of the alternate shelf for each stage. Further, it is not necessary to provide such alternate stoppers on the shelves of all the stages.
[0019]
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the rack is constituted by the side plates 2 and 3, the ceiling plate 4, the bottom plate 5 and the four shelves 6 has been described, but at least the side plates 2 and 3 and the plurality of shelves 6 The present invention can be applied to any rack provided that it includes (including the bottom plate 5). Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where two rows of five-stage batteries 1 are stored in the rack has been described. However, the number of rows may be any number as long as it is two or more, and the number of rows is not limited. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the side plate 2 and the shelf plate 6 of the rack are formed of a metal plate is shown, but a resin plate or the like may be used.
[0020]
The battery 1 may be, for example, a battery obtained by combining a plurality of batteries, and the type and configuration of the battery are not limited. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the battery 1 provided with six positive electrode terminals 1a and six negative electrode terminals 1b is shown, but one or more positive electrode terminals 1a are provided on one end face, and one The present invention can be similarly implemented as long as the battery is provided with two or more negative electrode terminals 1b. Further, a plurality of batteries 1 may be stored in each shelf.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the battery pack of the present invention, the batteries are inserted and placed alternately from the front-back direction for each stage on the shelf board of each stage, It is possible to improve the directional balance and prevent the occurrence of distortion, twist, and the like.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1, showing one embodiment of the present invention, is a perspective view of an assembled battery.
FIG. 2, showing one embodiment of the present invention, is a perspective view of a rack used for an assembled battery.
FIG. 3, showing one embodiment of the present invention, is a perspective view of an assembled battery showing an assembling step of storing batteries in each shelf of a rack.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery provided with six positive terminals on one end surface and six negative terminals on the other end surface.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery 1a Positive electrode terminal 1b Negative electrode terminal 2 Side plate 3 Side plate 5 Bottom plate 6 Shelf plate 6a Upward stopper 6b Downward stopper

Claims (2)

A positive electrode terminal is provided on one end surface and the other end surface is provided on a shelf plate which is arranged between the left and right side plates on both left and right sides over a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, and which is supported by fixing both side ends to these side plates. In the assembled battery in which batteries each provided with a negative electrode terminal are mounted,
On the shelf adjacent to each other in the vertical direction on the shelf of each stage of the rack, the front and rear are alternately reversed. A battery that is provided with a stopper for preventing movement of the battery pack. At the step adjacent to the shelf board in the up-down direction, the front and the back are alternately reversed. The end in either one of the front and rear directions is bent upward to form a stopper on the shelf board, and the direction opposite to this direction. 2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the battery pack is bent downward to form a stopper on a lower shelf board of the shelf board. 3.

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