JP2005353324A - Control valve type lead-acid battery - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control valve type lead-acid battery, having high voltage such as nominal voltage of 24V or higher, preventing the generation of problems caused by electrical leakage, requiring no extra space, and having high durability and high reliability. <P>SOLUTION: The control valve type lead-acid battery is equipped with a monoblock battery container 1, a middle cover 2, and a upper cover 9, a plurality of cells, individually having a control valve are arranged in two lines of right and left and electrically connected into a U shape, evacuation of each left side cell is gathered in a left chamber 10, the evacuation of each right side cell is gathered in a right chamber 10', and evacuation is conducted as a lump from gas introduction passages 7, 7' in the vicinity of a boundary between the left chamber 10 and the right chamber 10' through a filter 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a control valve type lead acid battery, and more particularly to a structure of a high voltage control valve type lead acid battery comprising a large number of cells.

  The electric system of an automobile is generally a 12V system, and a large vehicle has a 24V system. A lead storage battery used as a power source necessary for this is a monoblock type 12V battery in which 6 cells are connected in series. One or two are connected in series. By the way, in recent years, power consumption tends to increase due to the response to the environment surrounding automobiles and diversified electrical components. In consideration of this trend, considering the weight of the harness that distributes the power to be used and the efficiency of the electrical components, the storage battery, which is the power source, is set to a high voltage and is configured with a single monoblock battery case from the viewpoint of handling. It is hoped that. Specifically, studies have been made to increase the voltage of 6-cell 12V batteries by increasing the number of cells, such as 18-cell 36-V, 20-cell 40-V, and 24-cell 48-V.

  As an example, when an 18-cell 36V battery is configured with a single monoblock battery case, it is possible to reduce the number of parts by increasing the area of one electrode plate as much as possible and accumulating cells parallel to the electrode plate surface. And it is advantageous in terms of maintaining the pressing force on the electrode plate surface, which is indispensable for a control valve type lead-acid battery. In addition, from the point of battery shape or positive / negative terminal maintenance, the cells are arranged in two rows on the left and right, the positive terminal (or negative terminal) at one end of the left row, and the negative terminal at one end of the right row (Or a positive electrode terminal) is preferably provided, and the cell at the other end of the left column is connected to the cell at the other end of the right column, and the cells are preferably connected so as to be folded back in a U shape.

  In a lead storage battery using a monoblock battery case in which the cells are arranged in two rows and connected so as to be folded back into a U shape, a space is provided between the lid body and the upper lid, and each space has a space from each cell. There is a concentrated exhaust structure that collects exhaust. Such a structure is used in a liquid lead-acid battery because of the reversible structure in which the electrolyte overflowing into the space returns to the original cell. Since the above-described reversible structure is not provided by providing the valve, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, hydrogen gas and acid mist released under limited conditions are smoothly discharged, and accompanying this, Even if the electrolyte overflows, it is used to prevent it from leaking outside.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-40124

  The battery disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a control valve type lead-acid battery for a small 6-cell 12V-type motorcycle with a limited amount of electrolyte, and is applicable to high voltage of 18-cell 36V-type or higher. Nothing has been raised about what to do. That is, in a control valve type lead-acid battery, if a centralized exhaust structure is adopted, when there is an overflow of electrolyte solution through the control valve during charging with a large current, a liquid junction occurs due to a voltage difference between cells, If an electrical short circuit occurs and hydrogen gas is generated at the same time, the battery may be damaged. Moreover, even when there is no overflow of the electrolytic solution, the insulation resistance of the inner lid surface may be lowered when used for a long time due to the generation of acid mist. Patent Document 1 does not show how to deal with this because the battery is a 6-cell 12V system, but in an 18-cell 36V system or higher battery, By providing a positive terminal (or negative terminal) at one end of the left row and a negative terminal (or positive terminal) at one end of the right row, the voltage difference between the terminals becomes high, and the above-mentioned problem becomes significant. Conceivable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, has a high voltage, for example, a nominal voltage of 24 V or higher, prevents the occurrence of problems due to liquid junctions, does not require extra space, and is durable and reliable. An object of the present invention is to provide a control valve type lead-acid battery.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a monoblock battery case having an inner lid and an upper lid, and a plurality of cells having individual control valves are arranged in two rows, the left row and the right row. And is stored in a U-shape electrically connected in series, exhaust from each cell in the left column is collected in the left chamber, and exhaust from each cell in the right column is collected in the right chamber, A left ventricle and a right ventricle are formed between the inner lid and the upper lid, and the left ventricle and the right ventricle communicate with a gas discharge path formed near the boundary between the left ventricle and the right ventricle by a gas introduction path from each chamber. Thus, the control valve type lead storage battery is characterized in that exhaust from each cell is exhausted collectively through a filter from each gas introduction path.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the control valve type lead-acid battery according to the first aspect, the left ventricle, the right ventricle, and the gas discharge passage are formed by thermal bonding of the inner lid and the upper lid.

  Further, in claim 3, positive and negative terminals are provided on one end side of each of the left column cell and the right column cell, and a gas introduction path is provided on each other end side of each column, 2. The control valve type lead-acid battery according to claim 1, wherein exhaust from each cell is exhausted collectively through a filter from each gas introduction path.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the cells in the left column and the right column are the control valve type lead-acid batteries according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein at least 12 cells are connected in series.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to solve the problems such as the liquid junction in the battery and the damage of the battery caused by this, and the high voltage connected in series so that a large number of cells are folded in a U shape. A monoblock control valve type lead acid battery can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, a high-voltage monoblock control valve type lead-acid battery having excellent mechanical strength can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the terminal portion of the battery can be kept clean.

  According to the invention of claim 4, any one of the effects of claims 1 to 3 can be effectively exhibited.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a monoblock control valve type lead-acid battery for an automobile according to the present invention, excluding an upper lid, and FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c) are respectively AA and FIG. Sectional views in the state where the upper lid is arranged on the inner lid, both of BB and CC, (d) is the short side in the state where the upper lid is arranged on the inner lid in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a monoblock control valve lead-acid battery for an automobile according to another embodiment of the present invention, with the upper cover removed. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show a conventional typical monoblock type control valve type lead acid battery for a high voltage automobile.

  In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, a conventional typical high-voltage control valve type lead-acid battery for an automobile will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). FIG. 4A is a plan view seen from above the inner lid excluding the upper lid, and FIG. 4B is a plan view before attaching the terminals, excluding the inner lid. From these figures, there are 18 cell chambers, and the electrode plate group inserted into these cell chambers is U-shaped from the positive terminal pole terminal 4a to the negative terminal pole 4'a. It turns out that it is connected in series through the part 5 turned up. Here, for the sake of brevity, individual positive plates and negative plates are omitted, and only the straps of the electrode plate group are shown. In FIG. 4, 1 is a battery case, and 2 is an inner lid, both of which are molded from a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene resin and are firmly integrated by thermal welding. 3 is a valve seat portion for fitting a cap-type control valve formed on the inner lid. The valve seat portion 3 is an acid-resistant non-combustible material on which a breathable filter is fitted. However, the illustration is omitted. 4b and 4'b are stud-type positive and negative terminals integrally formed with the inner lid 2, and holes 4c for inserting the positive and negative terminal poles 4a and 4'a into one end and welding them. 4'c is provided, and connecting portions 4d and 4'd for connecting to the external harness are provided on the other end side. The connecting portions 4d and 4'd are made of a copper alloy, screwed to a stainless steel seat provided on the positive and negative terminals 4b and 4'b, and entirely cast and cast with a lead alloy. The positive and negative terminals 4b and 4'b are formed in an oval shape because the holes 4c and 4'c are provided on one end side and the connecting portions 4d and 4'd are provided on the other end side. The terminal poles 4a and 4'a are provided at positions separated from the strap connecting the electrode plate group shown in FIG. 4 (b), and the valve seat portion 3 is shown in FIG. 4 (a). Since the positive and negative terminals 4b and 4'b need to be provided at positions that are not too close to the inter-connection portion, the positive and negative terminals 4b and 4'b have an oblique shape as shown in the figure, but are not limited to such a shape. In addition, 5 shows the site | part which folds back and connects the cell of the left column side, and the cell of the right column side in the U-shape, The terminals of different polarity of each cell are connected by resistance welding including this site | part 5. Further, although the dimensions are not shown in the figure, the external dimensions are compatible with 55D26, which is a typical model of a 12V automobile battery.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of the upper surface of the inner lid 2 excluding the upper lid in one embodiment of the present invention. The inner lid 2 is bonded, preferably thermally welded, so that the bottom surface of the inner lid 2 is completely airtight with a battery case having an electrode plate group having the same configuration as in FIG. 4B. There are 18 valve seats 3 shown in FIG. 1 corresponding to 18 cells constituting the battery. Two ribs 6 and 6 ′ are wound around the outer periphery of the inner lid 2 so as to avoid the positive and negative terminals 4 b and 4 b ′, and the inner rib 6 is an intermediate point (turning point) between the cells connected in series. An encircling rib 61 is formed inwardly in the vicinity of the upper side of the encircling member to enclose the filter 8 forming a part of the collective exhaust mechanism 7, and a central rib 62 is formed so as to partition the left row cell and the right row cell. Formed and united with the inner rib 6 between the positive and negative terminals. The outer rib 6 ′ is routed along the outer periphery of the inner lid 2.

  2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, the upper lid 9 and the inner lid 2 are bonded so as to be kept airtight by the ribs. , Preferably heat-welded. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C, the control valve 31 is mounted on the valve seat portion 3. 1 and 2, the gas discharged from the left row cell and the right row cell is divided between the inner lid 2 and the upper lid 9 by the central rib 62 and the surrounding rib 61, respectively. 10 and right chamber 10 '. Therefore, the possibility of a liquid junction due to overflow of the electrolyte from the control valve 31 is completely eliminated even between the cells at both ends having the largest potential difference connected to the positive and negative terminals 4b and 4b ′.

  Gases containing hydrogen that are sometimes discharged at the end of charging are collected in the left chamber 10 from each cell in the left column, and in the right chamber 10 'from each cell in the right column, and the cells in the left column and the right column To the collective exhaust mechanism 7 provided in the vicinity of the connection point (near the boundary between the left chamber 10 and the right chamber 10 '). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a) and 2 (c), the left chamber 10 and the right chamber 10 ′ are partitioned by the surrounding rib 61 in this portion, and the gas introduction paths 71 and 71 ′ are below the surrounding rib 61. It is provided in a tunnel shape. In such a tunnel, when the inner lid is injection-molded, a core corresponding to the tunnel part is attached to the cavity side of the molding die, and the injected resin is solidified and at the same time, the core is moved horizontally, Can be created by opening the mold. The gas collected through this tunnel passes through the filter 8, passes through the gas discharge path 11 formed by the surrounding rib 61, and passes through the gas discharge port 12 that opens to the side surface of the inner lid 2 shown in FIG. To be discharged.

  Since the gas discharge path 11 is farthest from the positive and negative terminals 4b and 4b ′ and near the intermediate potential between the positive and negative electrodes, the potential difference between the cells in the left column and the right column at the same position. However, it does not cause a liquid junction in the vicinity due to long-term use, and does not cause contamination of the positive and negative terminals 4b and 4b 'caused by overflow of the electrolyte.

  As shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 1, the middle lid 2 and the upper lid 9 are hermetically bonded by a single central rib 62 to separate the gas into the left chamber 10 and the right chamber 10 ′, and at the same time the battery. The overall strength is structurally maintained. The central rib may be a plurality of parallel ribs, for example, two ribs. In this way, even with a lightweight inner lid or upper lid, the strength of the entire battery can be structurally maintained, and at the same time, electrical insulation between the left ventricle and the right ventricle can be further ensured.

  FIG. 3 shows an example in which a plurality of branch ribs 63 and 64 are provided from the rib 6 toward the left ventricle and the right ventricle. As a result, a large number of heat-welded portions can be taken, and the strength of the entire battery can be further structurally maintained even when the weight of the inner lid and the upper lid is reduced. At the same time, the problem due to the leakage of the electrolyte between the control valves of each cell can be solved. Instead of the branch ribs 63 and 64, welding points for joining the inner lid and the upper lid may be dotted in places in the left ventricle and the right ventricle, particularly directly above the partition between the cells.

  A U-shaped array has been widely used for batteries with a nominal voltage of 12V, but the present invention has at least 12 cells connected in series, such as batteries with 18 cells and a nominal voltage of 36V. This is particularly effective in a battery in which the liquid junction is a problem.

  According to the present invention, the safety and reliability of a high-voltage control valve type lead-acid battery that is considered to be widely used in the future can be improved, and thus the industrial applicability is great.

The top view except the upper cover of the monoblock type control valve type lead acid battery for motor vehicles based on this invention. (A) is a sectional view in a state where the upper lid is arranged on the inner lid of the AA portion of FIG. 1, and (b) is a sectional view in a state where the upper lid is arranged on the inner lid of the BB portion of FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view in a state where the upper lid is disposed on the inner lid of the CC section of FIG. 1, and FIG. Side view. The top view except the upper cover of the monoblock type control valve type lead acid battery for motor vehicles concerning other embodiments of the present invention. The top view of the conventional monoblock type control valve type lead acid battery for motor vehicles.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery case 2 Inner lid 3 Valve seat part 31 Control valve 6 Inner rib 61 Enclosure rib 62 Central rib 63, 64 Branch rib 7 Collective exhaust mechanism 71, 71 'Gas introduction path 8 Filter 9 Upper cover 10 Left chamber 10' Right chamber 11 Gas exhaust passage 12 Gas exhaust port

Claims (4)

In a monoblock battery case equipped with an inner lid and an upper lid, a plurality of cells having individual control valves are arranged in two rows, the left row and the right row, and are electrically connected in series in a U shape and stored. The left chamber and the right chamber are placed between the middle lid and the upper lid so that the exhaust from each cell in the left column is collected in the left chamber and the exhaust from each cell in the right column is collected in the right chamber. The left and right chambers are communicated with gas discharge passages formed near the boundary between the left and right chambers by gas introduction passages from the respective chambers, and from each gas introduction passage through a filter from each cell. A control valve type lead-acid battery characterized by having a structure in which exhaust gas is exhausted at once. The control valve type lead-acid battery according to claim 1, wherein the left ventricle, the right ventricle, and the gas discharge passage are formed by thermal bonding between the inner lid and the upper lid. Positive and negative terminals are provided on one end side of each of the left column cell and the right column cell, and a gas introduction path is provided on each other end side of each column. 2. The control valve type lead-acid battery according to claim 1, wherein the control valve type lead-acid battery is introduced into the gas discharge passage and exhausted in a lump. The control valve type lead-acid battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cells in the left column and the right column are formed by connecting at least 12 cells in series.

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