JP2005317323A - Connector and battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique realizing a connector having a simple structure, tightly connecting with battery terminals, and absorbing external force added to a battery. <P>SOLUTION: The connector 50 is formed by binding a pair of conductive members 60, 70 having two concave parts respectively. A hole at one side 82 in which a cathode terminal 14 is fitted is formed by the concave part at one side of one conductive member 60 and the concave part at one side of the other conductive member70; and a hole at the other side 80 in which an anode terminal 26 is fitted is formed by the concave part at another side of one conductive member 60 and the concave part at another side of the other conductive member 70. Slits 68a, 68b, 78a, 78b or the like are formed on the holes 80, 82 of the connector 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector for connecting battery terminals of two batteries so that energization is possible.

  There is a battery in which a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal protrude from a predetermined surface of the battery body, and an assembled battery in which a plurality of batteries of this type are connected in series is widespread. This type of assembled battery is used, for example, as an automobile battery. In order to configure the assembled battery, a connector that connects two adjacent batteries so as to be energized is used. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional connector. This connector includes a pair of conductor plates each having two recesses. In this connector, a positive terminal of one battery is fitted into a hole formed by one concave portion of one conductor plate and one concave portion of the other conductor plate, and the other concave portion and the other conductor of one conductor plate are inserted. A pair of conductor plates are coupled with screws in a state where the negative electrode terminal of the other battery is fitted in the hole formed by the other recess of the plate.

By the way, some assembled batteries are configured so that the outer surface of each battery can be opened as much as possible to efficiently dissipate heat from each battery. For example, the assembled battery disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured such that each battery is disposed so that a gap is provided between two adjacent batteries, and each battery can dissipate heat from the gap. Further, for example, there is a case in which a case for accommodating an assembled battery is set to a size that allows a gap between each battery, and each battery can radiate heat from the gap.
The assembled battery may be used in an environment where an external force acts on the battery group. For example, in the case of an assembled battery mounted on an automobile, vibration during traveling may act on the battery group. As described above, in the case of an assembled battery in which each battery is arranged so that the outer surface of the battery body is as open as possible, most of the external force that acts on each battery is the battery terminals (positive terminal and negative terminal). ) To the connector. If the connection portion between the battery terminal and the battery terminal is deformed by the force transmitted from the battery terminal to the connector, the electrical connection between the connector and the battery terminal is deteriorated. In order to avoid this, the joint portion of the connector with the battery terminal must have a certain width and thickness so as not to be deformed. In the connector of Patent Document 1 described above, each conductor plate is configured to have a large width and thickness over the entire region, so that the connecting portion with the battery terminal is not deformed even when a force is applied.
However, if the connector has a large width and thickness over the entire area like the connector disclosed in Patent Document 1, the force acting on the connector cannot be absorbed by the connector itself. For this reason, when an external force is applied to the battery, a large load is applied to the battery terminal of the battery, and for example, the insulating seal between the battery body and the battery terminal may be peeled off.

A connector that can solve the above-described problem is disclosed in Patent Document 2. The connector of Patent Document 2 includes a first conductive member in which a hole for receiving the positive terminal of one battery is formed, a second conductive member in which a hole for receiving the negative terminal of the other battery is formed, A conductive plate is connected between the first conductive member and the second conductive member. The first conductive member and the second conductive member have a somewhat large width and thickness, and can be firmly bonded to the battery terminal. On the other hand, the conductor plate is very thin and can be easily deformed when stress is applied. When this connector is used, the external force acting on the battery can be absorbed by the deformation of the conductor plate, and the two batteries are allowed to move relative to each other. If this connector is used, it can be strongly coupled to the battery terminal, and a large load can be prevented from acting on the battery terminal.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-317216 JP-A-10-125301

  The connector disclosed in Patent Document 2 has excellent connectivity with battery terminals and can absorb external force acting on the battery. However, in the connector of Patent Document 2, the first conductive member, the second conductive member, and the conductor plate are separate members, and it is necessary to manufacture the connector through steps of connecting each conductive member to both ends of the conductor plate. If the portion that is coupled to the positive electrode terminal, the portion that is coupled to the negative electrode terminal, and the deformable portion that is disposed between them are configured as separate members, it takes time to manufacture the connector. In the meantime, the connector of Patent Document 1 that has a simple configuration and can be easily manufactured cannot absorb external force acting on the battery.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and realizes a connector that has a simple configuration and can be firmly coupled to a battery terminal and can absorb external force acting on the battery. Provide technology that can

In this invention, the connector which connects the electrode terminals of two batteries so that electricity supply is possible is provided. This connector includes a conductive member that integrally extends from one battery to the other battery. One hole for receiving the electrode terminal of one battery is formed at one end of the conductive member, and the other hole for receiving the electrode terminal of the other battery is formed at the other end of the conductive member. Is formed. A small cross-sectional area is locally formed between one hole and the other hole.
When there is a first region, a second region adjacent to the first region on one hole side, and a third region adjacent to the first region on the other hole side between the one hole and the other hole If the cross-sectional area of the first region is smaller than both of the cross-sectional area of the second region and the cross-sectional area of the third region, In the example, the first region) is formed ".
The “cross-sectional area” means an area of a cross section perpendicular to the direction in which the connector extends between one hole and the other hole. This cross-sectional area means a cross-sectional area including all the parts constituting the connector. For example, when a pair of conductive members are provided with insertion holes such as bolts for connecting them, the cross-sectional area including the inserted bolts and the like is meant.
In addition, “extending integrally from one battery to the other battery” means that a part in which one hole is formed, a part in which the other hole is formed, and a part extending between them. It means that it is continuous by one material. The above-mentioned parts are separately formed and excluded. However, those in which a pair of conductive members each extending integrally from one battery to the other battery and having two recesses are combined are included in the technical idea of the present invention. In other words, the “conductive member extending integrally from one battery to the other battery” of the present invention is not limited to a single material formed integrally, but one of the conductive members. One hole is formed by one recess and one recess of the other conductive member, and the other hole is formed by the other recess of one conductive member and the other recess of the other conductive member. Is also included.

Since the above-described connector is locally provided with a small cross-sectional area, stress acting on the connector is concentrated on the small cross-sectional area. This connector can be configured to bend easily in a small cross-sectional area when stress is applied. If comprised in this way, the external force which acted on the battery can be absorbed. On the other hand, the portions other than the small cross-sectional area can be configured to have a somewhat large width and thickness. That is, the connecting portion of the connector with the battery terminal can be configured to have a large width and thickness. If comprised in this way, it can couple | bond with a battery terminal strongly.
Moreover, since the connector of this invention is integrally extended from one battery to the other battery, it can be comprised very simply.
According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a connector that has a simple configuration and can be firmly coupled to a battery terminal and can absorb an external force acting on the battery.

In the connector described above, one small cross-sectional area is formed on one hole side from an intermediate position between one hole and the other hole, and on the other hole side from an intermediate position between one hole and the other hole. The other small cross-sectional area region is preferably formed.
If it does in this way, it can also bend in one small cross-sectional area area | region, and can also bend in the other small cross-sectional area area | region. External force acting on the battery can be effectively absorbed by the two small cross-sectional area regions.

The above-described connector may have a small cross-sectional area formed by providing slits from both sides in the width direction.
Here, the “width direction” means a direction in which two holes formed in the connector extend (that is, a direction in which a battery terminal received by the connector protrudes from the battery body).
As in the present invention, when a pair of slits are provided on both sides in the width direction to form a small cross-sectional area region, stress acting in the width direction can be effectively absorbed. The two batteries connected by the connector can be allowed to move relative to each other in the direction in which the battery terminal protrudes.

The inner end of the slit may be formed to be rounded.
If it does in this way, stress will diffuse and act on the connector part which forms the inner side edge part of a slit. It is possible to prevent an extremely large stress from being concentrated on a part. Thereby, the durability of the connector can be improved.

The above-described connector may be configured by combining a pair of conductive members extending integrally from one battery to the other battery. In this case, each conductive member has one recess and the other recess. The one concave portion of the one conductive member and the one concave portion of the other conductive member form the one hole, and the other concave portion of the one conductive member and the other conductive member. The other hole is formed by the other recess.
Even in this case, a connector having a simple configuration can be realized.
In the connector described above, the positive electrode terminal is sandwiched between one recess of one conductive member and one recess of the other conductive member, and the other recess of one conductive member and the other of the other conductive member. It may be configured by bonding those conductive members in a state where the negative electrode terminal is sandwiched between the recesses. Conversely, a pair of conductive members may be combined, and then the positive terminal and the negative terminal may be received.

  The above-described connector may be configured by coupling a pair of conductive members by a coupling member such as a bolt. The connector described above may be configured by caulking and joining a pair of conductive members. In the latter case, the number of connector components can be reduced.

The conductive member described above may be configured by bending a single conductive material.
If it does in this way, the number of components of a connector can be reduced.

Further, the connector described above may be constituted by a single conductive member that is integrally formed.
In this case, a simpler configuration than a connector that couples a pair of conductive members can be realized.

The present invention also provides a novel assembled battery. In this assembled battery, each battery includes a battery main body having a front surface and a back surface, and a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal protruding from the battery main body. Further, in each battery, the distance from one end in the width direction to the positive terminal is different from the distance from the other end in the width direction to the negative terminal. And it arrange | positions so that the surface and surface of an adjacent battery may oppose, or a back surface and a back surface may oppose, and the positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal of an adjacent battery are connected by one of the connectors mentioned above.
In this assembled battery, the connector is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the direction in which the battery main bodies are arranged. If it does in this way, the length of a connector can be secured and the connector can absorb the external force which acts on a battery effectively.

(Embodiment 1) The battery described below is also a creation of the present invention. That is, the battery includes a battery body having a front surface and a back surface, and a positive terminal and a negative terminal protruding from the battery body. The distance from one end in the width direction to the positive terminal is different from the distance from the other end in the width direction to the negative terminal.
The above battery is described in another expression as follows. That is, in this battery, the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal protrude from the predetermined surface of the battery body. And the intermediate position of the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal, and the intermediate position of the battery main body predetermined surface in the direction where the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are located in a line are offset.
When the battery is used, it is possible to prevent a person who handles the battery from recognizing the positive terminal and the negative terminal in reverse.

Here, the main features of the techniques described in the following examples are described.
(Mode 2) The pair of conductive members have the same configuration. If it does in this way, the number of kinds of components of a connector can be reduced.
(Embodiment 3) Each conductive member has two slits formed on one concave side from both sides in the width direction, and two slits formed on the other concave side from both sides in the width direction. Is formed. In a state where the pair of conductive members are coupled, the slits of one conductive member and the slits of the other conductive member are adjacent to each other. As a result, four slits are formed in the connector.
(Mode 4) The battery body has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The front surface and the back surface described above are formed on the side surface of the battery body. When the surface of the battery body is viewed from the front, the positive terminal is located on the left hand and the negative terminal is located on the right hand. When the rear surface of the battery body is viewed from the front, the positive terminal is located on the right hand and the negative terminal is located on the left hand.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an assembled battery 2 according to an example. The assembled battery 2 is a battery mounted on an automobile. The assembled battery 2 includes batteries 10, 20, and 30 and connectors 50 and 52 that connect them in series.
First, the configuration of the battery 10 will be described in detail. The battery 10 includes a battery main body 12 and a positive electrode terminal 14 and a negative electrode terminal 16 that protrude from the upper surface 12 a of the battery main body 12. The battery body 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The positive terminal 14 and the negative terminal 16 are arranged at a distance. In the battery 12, an intermediate position P1 between the positive electrode terminal 14 and the negative electrode terminal 16 and an intermediate position P2 in the left-right direction (width direction) of the upper surface 12 of the battery body 12 are offset. In the present embodiment, the distance between the left end 12b of the battery body 12 and the positive terminal 14 is configured to be larger than the distance between the right end 12c of the battery body 12 and the negative terminal 16. By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent an error that a person who handles the battery 10 recognizes the positive terminal 14 and the negative terminal 16 in reverse. In this embodiment, the battery 10 is arranged so that the positive electrode terminal 14 is located on the left side and the negative electrode terminal 16 is located on the right side when the surface 12d of the battery body 12 is viewed from the front. In other words, when the back surface 12e of the battery body 12 is viewed from the front, the positive electrode terminal 14 is positioned on the right side and the negative electrode terminal 16 is positioned on the left side.

  FIG. 2 shows a view of the battery 10 and the battery 20 as viewed from the II direction in FIG. As well shown in FIG. 2, the lower portion of the positive electrode terminal 14 is covered with substantially cylindrical insulating portions 15a and 15b. An insulating part 15b is formed above the insulating part 15a. The insulating part 15b is larger than the insulating part 15a. As shown in FIG. 1, the negative electrode terminal 16 of the battery 10 is also covered with an insulating portion 17b (only the larger insulating portion 17b is visible in FIG. 1).

  The batteries 20 and 30 shown in FIG. 1 have the same configuration as the battery 10. That is, the battery 20 includes a battery main body 22 and a positive electrode terminal 24 and a negative electrode terminal 26 protruding from the battery main body 22. The battery 30 also has a battery body 32 and a positive terminal 34 and a negative terminal 36 that protrude from the battery body 32. And the battery 20 and the battery 30 are offset in the intermediate position of the positive / negative terminal and the intermediate position in the left-right direction of the battery body. The batteries 20 and 30 are arranged so that the positive terminals 24 and 34 are located on the left side and the negative terminals 26 and 36 are located on the right side when the surfaces 22d and 32d of the battery bodies 22 and 32 are viewed from the front. Yes.

  The battery 10 and the battery 20 are arranged so that the back surface 12e of the battery body 12 and the back surface 22e of the battery body 22 face each other. The battery 20 and the battery 30 are disposed such that the surface 22d of the battery body 22 and the surface 32d of the battery body 32 face each other. That is, the three batteries 10, 20, and 30 are arranged so that adjacent batteries are opposite to each other. The batteries 10, 20, 30 are arranged side by side so that the widths of the battery bodies 12, 22, 32 are aligned in the left-right direction.

The positive terminal 14 of the battery 10 and the negative terminal 26 of the battery 20 are connected by a connector 50 so as to be energized. In this embodiment, since the positive electrode terminal 14 of the battery 10 and the negative electrode terminal 26 of the battery 20 are shifted in the left-right direction, the connector 50 connecting the terminals 14 and 26 is arranged to extend obliquely. ing. Further, the positive electrode terminal 24 of the battery 20 and the negative electrode terminal 36 of the battery 30 are connected by a connector 52 so as to be energized. Since the positive electrode terminal 24 of the battery 20 and the negative electrode terminal 36 of the battery 30 are arranged so as to be shifted in the left-right direction, the connector 52 connecting the terminals 24 and 36 is arranged so as to extend obliquely. The assembled battery 2 is configured by connecting three identical batteries 10, 20, 30 in series by connectors 50, 52.
The negative terminal 16 of the battery 10 is connected to a negative cable (not shown), and the positive terminal 34 of the battery 30 is connected to a positive cable (not shown). By connecting the minus side cable and the plus side cable to the electric device of the automobile, electric power is supplied to the electric device.

Each of the batteries 10, 20, and 30 is arranged such that a gap d is provided between two adjacent batteries. By being arranged in this way, heat can be radiated from the large side surfaces (upper and lower battery side surfaces in FIG. 1) of each battery body 12, 22, 32.
The assembled battery 2 is housed in a battery case (not shown). The size of the internal space of the battery case is set so that it slightly remains in any of the upper, lower, left and right directions in FIG. 1 even when the batteries 10, 20, and 30 are accommodated. Thereby, heat can also be radiated from the lower side surface of the battery main body 12 in FIG. 1 and the upper side surface of the battery main body 32 in FIG. Also, heat can be radiated from the left and right side surfaces of the battery bodies 12, 22, and 32 in FIG.

Next, the configuration of the connector 50 will be described in detail. Since the connector 52 has the same configuration as the connector 50, a detailed description of the connector 52 is omitted. FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the connector 50 in an exploded state.
The connector 50 includes a pair of conductive members 60 and 70, a bolt 90, and a nut 92 (the bolt 90 and the nut 92 are not shown in FIG. 3, but are shown in FIG. 1). The conductive member 60 and the conductive member 70 have the same configuration, and the material thereof is aluminum.
The conductive member 60 includes a first region 62 in which a recess 62a is formed, a second region 64 in which a recess 64a is formed, and an intermediate region 66 thereof. The widths of the first region 62 and the second region 64 (the size in the direction perpendicular to the sheet of FIG. 3) are equal. The intermediate region 66 has the same width as the first region 62 and the second region 64 except for a region where slits 66a to 68d described later are formed and a region where the bolt insertion hole 66a is formed. FIG. 4 shows a front view of the conductive member 60. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the widths (sizes in the vertical direction in FIG. 4) of the regions 62, 64, and 66 are equal. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the thicknesses of the regions 62, 64, and 66 are substantially equal.
The first region 62 and the second region 64 are configured symmetrically. An insertion hole 66a into which the bolt 90 shown in FIG. 1 is inserted is formed in the intermediate region 66. FIG. 4 clearly shows that the insertion hole 66a is formed. In the intermediate region 66, two slits 68a, 68b, 68c, and 68d are provided on both sides in the width direction of the conductive member 60 (the vertical direction in FIG. 3 and the vertical direction in FIG. 4). When FIG. 4 is seen, the four slits 68a-68d can be visually recognized well. The slits 68a to 68d are provided at symmetrical positions in the vertical and horizontal directions. The slit 68a and the slit 68c are disposed close to the recess 62a, and are provided at the same position in the left-right direction of the conductive member 60. The slit 68b and the slit 68d are disposed close to the recess 64a, and are provided at the same position in the left-right direction of the conductive member 60.

  The conductive member 70 (see FIG. 3) has the same configuration as the conductive member 60. The conductive member 70 includes a first region 72 in which a recess 72 a is formed, a second region 74 in which a recess 74 a is formed, and an intermediate region 76 thereof. Bolt insertion holes 76 a are formed in the intermediate region 76. In the intermediate region 76, two slits 78a, 78b and the like are provided on both sides in the width direction of the conductive member 70 (in FIG. 3, the slit on the back side perpendicular to the paper surface cannot be seen).

  The connector 50 is configured by overlapping and coupling the conductive member 60 and the conductive member 70. In other words, the recesses 62a and the recesses 72a face each other and the recesses 64a and the recesses 74a face each other. In a state where the conductive member 60 and the conductive member 70 are coupled, the intermediate regions 66 and 76 are in close contact with each other. In addition, a hole 80 is formed by the recess 62a and the recess 72a, and a hole 82 is formed by the recess 64a and the recess 74a. As shown in FIG. 1, the negative terminal 26 of the battery 20 is fitted into the hole 80, and the positive terminal 14 of the battery 10 is fitted into the hole 82. Further, in a state where the conductive member 60 and the conductive member 70 are coupled, the slit 68a and the slit 78a are adjacent to form one slit, and the slit 68b and the slit 78b are adjacent to form one slit. Similarly, the slit 68c of the conductive member 60 and the slit on the left side of the conductive member 70 in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 are adjacent to form one slit. In addition, the slit 68d of the conductive member 60 and the slit on the right side of FIG. As a result, the connector 50 is formed with four slits. FIG. 1 clearly shows that one slit is formed by the slit 68a and the slit 78a, and one slit is formed by the slit 68b and the slit 78b.

  The connector 50 is coupled to the positive terminal 14 of the battery 10 and the negative terminal 26 of the battery 20 as follows. First, the conductive member 60, the conductive member 70, the bolt 90, and the nut 92 are prepared. Next, the negative electrode terminal 26 of the battery 20 is sandwiched between the concave portion 62a of the conductive member 60 and the concave portion 72a of the conductive member 70, and the positive terminal of the battery 10 is sandwiched between the concave portion 64a of the conductive member 60 and the concave portion 74a of the conductive member 70. 14, the two conductive members 60 and 70 are brought into close contact with each other. Then, the bolt 90 is inserted into the insertion hole 66 a of the conductive member 60 and the insertion hole 76 a of the conductive member 70, and the nut 92 is fitted into the bolt 90. As a result, the pair of conductive members 60 and 70 are coupled with the negative electrode terminal 26 fitted into the hole 80 and the positive electrode terminal 14 fitted into the hole 82. In addition, the bolt 90 and the nut 92 of the present embodiment are also made of aluminum.

As described above, the connector 50 is provided with four slits by the slits 68a to 68d, 78a, 78b and the like of the respective conductive members 60, 70. Because these slits are provided, the intermediate regions 66 and 76 (see FIG. 3) of the connector 50 have regions 100 and 102 (these symbols are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) having a locally small cross-sectional area. Is formed). That is, the cross-sectional area taken along the line S1-S1 in FIG. 4 is smaller than the left and right slit non-forming regions. Further, the cross-sectional area taken along the line S2-S2 is also smaller than that of the left and right slit non-forming regions.
When the slit forming regions 100 and 102 having a small cross-sectional area are locally provided, the stress acting on the connector 50 is concentrated on the slit forming regions 100 and 102. Similarly, the connector 52 is also provided with a slit forming region, and stress acting on the connector 52 is concentrated on the slit forming region. The connectors 50 and 52 can be easily bent in a slit forming region where stress is concentrated.

In this embodiment, since the connectors 50 and 52 are configured to bend easily, the external force acting on the batteries 10, 20 and 30 can be sucked by the connectors 50 and 52. Here, only the battery 10 and the battery 20 will be taken up (considering that the battery 30 does not exist), and the manner in which the connector 50 is deformed will be described. With reference to FIG. 5, the case where the external force acts on the battery 20 in the directions of D1 to D4 will be individually described. Here, it is assumed that the resultant force of the external force acting on the battery 10 and the external force acting on the battery 20 acts on the battery 20. That is, the external force acting on the battery 20 is a relative external force acting on the battery 10 and the battery 20. In FIG. 5, the bolt 90 and the nut 92 are not shown.
(1) When an external force in the direction of the arrow D1 acts on the battery 20, the connector 50 bends at the slit forming regions 100 and 102 as shown in FIG. Thereby, the battery 20 is allowed to move in the direction approaching the battery 10. At this time, when the reaction force from the connector 50 acts, the battery 20 also moves to the left.
(2) When an external force in the direction of arrow D2 acts on the battery 20, the connector 50 bends as shown in FIG. This allows the battery 20 to move in a direction away from the battery 10. The battery 20 moves slightly to the right as the connector 50 is deformed.
(3) When an external force in the direction of arrow D3 acts on the battery 20, the connector bends as shown in FIG. Thereby, the battery 20 is allowed to move leftward. At this time, the reaction force from the connector 50 acts on the battery 20 to move downward. The battery 20 moves in the same manner as when an external force in the direction of the arrow D1 is applied.
(4) When an external force in the direction of arrow D4 acts on the battery 20, the connector bends as shown in FIG. Thereby, the battery 20 is allowed to move in the right direction. At this time, when the reaction force from the connector 50 acts, the battery 20 moves upward. In this case, the battery 20 moves in the same manner as when an external force in the direction of the arrow D2 is applied.
Actually, the assembled battery 2 includes a battery 30, and the battery 30 is connected to the battery 20 by a connector 52 (see FIG. 1). Accordingly, since the external force acting on the battery 20 is absorbed by the connector 52, the typical deformation mode does not occur as illustrated in FIG. External force acting on each battery 10, 20, 30 is absorbed by both connectors 50, 52. The batteries 10, 20, and 30 are relatively moved in a more complicated manner than the case illustrated in FIG.

In addition, referring to FIG. 6, how the connector 50 is deformed when an external force in the height direction acts on the battery 20 will be described. Here, a case where an external force in the direction of arrow D5 in FIG. In this case, the slit forming regions 100 and 102 are deformed as shown in FIG. You can see how the slit shape is greatly deformed. As a result, the upward external force acting on the battery 20 is absorbed.
The connector 50 of this embodiment can be deformed only as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and can be bent (twisted) in other directions.

In the connector 50 of the present embodiment, the regions other than the slit forming regions 100 and 102 have a somewhat large width and thickness. For this reason, the connector 50 can be strongly coupled to the positive terminal 14 and the negative terminal 26. In addition, since the slit forming regions 100 and 102 having a locally reduced cross-sectional area are provided, the connector 50 can be easily bent and deformed. The connector 50 can absorb an external force acting on the batteries 10 and 20 by bending deformation. The connector 50 can effectively absorb an external force acting on the batteries 10 and 20 even though it has a very simple configuration. The connector 52 can act in the same manner as the connector 50 to obtain the same effect.
Since the assembled battery 2 of the present embodiment can absorb the external force applied to the battery groups 10, 20, 30 with the connectors 50, 52, it is necessary to apply a large load to each terminal 14, etc. of each battery 10, etc. Can be prevented.

Second Embodiment FIG. 7 shows a front view of a conductive member 160 of the second embodiment. In the conductive member 160, the ends (inner ends) of the slits 168a to 168d are rounded. When the conductive member 160 of the present embodiment is used, when stress is applied in the vicinity of the slits 168a to 168d of the conductive member 160, a portion where stress is excessively concentrated can be eliminated. The durability of the conductive member 160 (connector) can be improved as compared with the first embodiment.

(3rd Example) In 1st Example, a pair of electroconductive member 60,70 is couple | bonded using the volt | bolt 90 and the nut 92 (refer FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the coupling is performed by caulking a pair of conductive members without using bolts and nuts. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the conductive members 260 and 270 of the present embodiment are caulked. As shown in FIG. 8A, a pair of conductive members 260 and 270 provided with a curved portion at the center are used. The pair of conductive members 260, 270 are crimped in the direction of arrow D6 in a state where the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are sandwiched between the concave portions of the pair of conductive members 260, 270. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, the conductive members 260 and 270 are deformed and coupled. The connector 250 is configured by caulking and joining the pair of conductive members 260 and 270.
According to the present embodiment, since bolts and nuts are not necessary, the number of components of the connector 250 can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment.

(4th Example) Here, some connectors (conductive member) provided with the slit of the shape different from 1st Example are introduced.
(1) FIG. 9 (a) shows a connector in which large slits are provided at two locations above and below.
(2) FIG. 9B shows a connector in which small slits are provided at two locations above and below.
(3) FIG. 9C shows a connector in which one slit is provided at the upper left and one slit is provided at the lower right.
As shown in the present embodiment, the connector (conductive member) can be appropriately changed in the shape and position of the slit. Even if the shape and position of the slit are changed, the external force acting on the battery group can be absorbed by the connector.

(5th Example) In FIG. 10, the top view of the connector 350 of a present Example is shown. In this embodiment, the pair of conductive members 360 and 370 are configured by bending an integrally formed conductive material at a position indicated by reference numeral 300. In this way, the number of parts constituting the connector 350 can be reduced. In particular, when the pair of conductive members 360 and 370 are caulked and coupled as in the present embodiment, the connector can be configured with only one component.

(6th Example) In FIG. 11, the top view of the connector 450 of a present Example is shown. The connector 450 of the present embodiment is an integrally formed conductive member. The connector 450 has holes 490 and 492 at the left and right ends thereof. By fitting the positive terminal of one battery and the negative terminal of the other battery into the holes 490 and 492, both batteries can be connected. The connector 450 is formed with four slits 400a, 400b and the like. In FIG. 11, the slit in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface cannot be visually recognized, but the slit is provided at the same position as in the first embodiment.
If it is made like this Example, the process of couple | bonding an electroconductive member is unnecessary. A connector 450 having a simpler configuration is realized.

Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.
(1) In the above embodiment, the number of batteries constituting the assembled battery is three, but the number of batteries can be changed as appropriate.
(2) As a material constituting the conductive member (that is, a material constituting the connector), copper, stainless steel or the like can be used in addition to aluminum. Further, the conductive member may be formed by plating with various materials. Nickel or tin can be used as the plating material.
(3) The conductive member can be formed using various methods such as casting, forging, and pressing.
(4) The connector of the present embodiment may be used so as to connect the same electrode terminals of two adjacent batteries. In this case, two batteries are connected in parallel.

  Further, the technical elements described in the present specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology illustrated in the present specification or the drawings achieves a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical utility by achieving one of the objects.

It is a top view of the assembled battery which concerns on an Example. It is the figure seen in the II direction of FIG. It is an exploded top view of a connector. It is a side view of a conductive member (connector). It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that a connector deform | transforms in the direction where a battery is located in a line. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that a connector deform | transforms in the height direction of a battery. It is a side view of the electroconductive member (connector) of 2nd Example. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that a pair of electroconductive member is caulked and couple | bonded (3rd Example). It is the figure which showed some modifications of the shape of a slit (4th Example). It is a top view of the connector of 5th Example. It is a top view of the connector of 6th Example.

Explanation of symbols

2: assembled battery 10, 20, 30: battery 12: battery main body of battery 10 (12a: upper surface 12b: left end 12c: right end 12d: front surface 12e: back surface)
14: Positive terminal of battery 10 16: Negative terminal of battery 10 22: Battery body of battery 20 24: Positive terminal of battery 20 26: Negative terminal of battery 20 32: Battery body of battery 20 34: Positive terminal of battery 20 : Negative electrode terminal 50, 52 of battery 20: Connector 60, 70: Conductive members 62a, 64a, 72a, 74a: Recesses 68a-68d, 78a, 78b: Slit

Claims (9)

It is a connector that connects the electrode terminals of two batteries so that they can be energized,
A conductive member extending integrally from one battery to the other battery is provided, and one hole for receiving the electrode terminal of one battery is formed at one end of the conductive member, and the conductive member The other hole for receiving the electrode terminal of the other battery is formed at the other end of the member, and a small cross-sectional area is locally formed between the one hole and the other hole. Connector.   One small cross-sectional area is formed on the one hole side from an intermediate position between the one hole and the other hole, and the other hole side from an intermediate position between the one hole and the other hole. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the other small cross-sectional area is formed in the connector.   3. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a small cross-sectional area region is formed by providing slits from both sides in the width direction.   4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein an inner end portion of the slit is rounded. A pair of conductive members extending integrally from one battery to the other battery are combined,
Each conductive member has one recess and the other recess,
The one hole is formed by one recess of one conductive member and one recess of the other conductive member, and the other recess of one conductive member and the other recess of the other conductive member. The connector according to claim 1, wherein the other hole is formed by.   6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the pair of conductive members are caulked and joined.   5. The connector according to claim 1, wherein a conductive member is formed by bending one conductive material.   The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connector is formed of a single conductive member formed integrally. Each battery has a battery body having a front surface and a back surface, a positive terminal and a negative terminal protruding from the battery body, and the distance from one end in the width direction to the positive terminal and the other side in the width direction. The distance from the end of the negative electrode terminal is different,
It is arranged so that the front and back surfaces of adjacent batteries face each other, or the back and back sides face each other,
An assembled battery, wherein a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal of adjacent batteries are connected by the connector according to claim 1.

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