JP2011119075A - Inter-battery connecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inter-battery connecting device in which a voltage monitoring cable can be connected easily to a cell battery in an easily releasable state. <P>SOLUTION: The inter-battery connecting device is to connect the cell batteries 3 that have a cell body 4 and electrode terminals 5, 6 protruded from the cell body, and has conductive connecting terminals 8, 9 which are detachably connectable to the electrode terminals. These connecting terminals have voltage monitoring terminals 15 in which the voltage monitoring cables 17 in order to monitor the voltage of the cell batteries are detachably connectable. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for connecting batteries.

  In recent years, a thin plate battery called a laminate cell using a lithium ion battery or the like (herein referred to as a “cell battery”) has been developed. Since this type of cell battery is thinly formed, a relatively large capacity battery pack can be made compact by arranging a plurality of cells adjacent to each other in the thickness direction. In that case, the plurality of cell batteries of the battery pack are electrically connected to each other in series and / or in parallel.

  Further, a pair of voltage monitoring cables may be connected to the electrode terminals of each cell battery or a plurality of cell batteries by ultrasonic welding or the like. In this case, the voltage of the cell battery can be monitored using the potential difference between the pair of voltage monitoring cables.

  Conventionally, connection between cell batteries has been performed by welding electrode terminals of the cell batteries. For this reason, if a defect is found in a cell battery after connection, a plurality of connected cell batteries are discarded at a time, and the cost performance is very poor.

  Recently, it has been proposed to connect cell batteries by means other than welding. For example, in Patent Document 1, a separate part called a bus bar is used, and the cell terminals are connected by bending the electrode terminals of the cell battery and pressing them against the bus bar. According to this, it becomes possible to release the connection between the cell batteries as necessary.

JP 2007-265945 A

  However, when the voltage monitoring cable and the cell battery are connected by ultrasonic welding or the like, it is difficult or impossible to release the connection. This is one of the obstacles when trying to replace the cell battery alone. Therefore, if a problem is found in the cell battery after connection, a plurality of cell batteries in the battery pack are eventually discarded.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inter-battery connection device that can connect a voltage monitoring cable to a cell battery in a state where it can be easily released.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inter-battery connection device for connecting a cell battery having a cell main body and an electrode terminal protruding from the cell main body, the electroconductive material being detachably connectable to the electrode terminal. The battery connection device is characterized in that the connection terminal has a voltage monitoring terminal to which a voltage monitoring cable for monitoring the voltage of the cell battery can be detachably connected. It is done.

  The connection terminal includes an elastic contact piece, and the inter-battery connection device holds the connection terminal and makes the electrode terminal face the elastic contact piece, and at least the electrode terminal and the elastic contact piece. There may be further provided operating means for pressing and displacing one of the electrodes, thereby pressing the electrode terminal and the elastic contact piece together.

  The base has a receiving portion for receiving the electrode terminal, the operating means is a pressing clip inserted into the receiving portion, and the pressing clip is inserted into the receiving portion when the electrode terminal is inserted into the receiving portion. And the electrode terminal is pressed against the elastic contact piece, and the voltage monitoring terminal may be detachable from the outside of the base. .

  The operating means is a pressing clip attached to the base, and when the pressing clip is attached to the base, the elastic contact piece is pressed and displaced, whereby the elastic contact piece is moved to the electrode terminal. The base is mounted on a circuit board, and has a voltage monitoring pad that forms the voltage monitoring terminal on the circuit board, and the voltage monitoring pad and the connection terminal are the It may be connected by a voltage monitoring lead wire formed on the circuit board.

  The inter-battery connection device according to one aspect of the present invention can connect the voltage monitoring cable to the cell battery in an easily releasable state, which contributes to the replacement of only defective cell batteries.

The perspective view which shows the inter-battery connection apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention with a some cell battery in a partial decomposition state. The perspective view of an example of the cell battery which can be connected by the battery connection apparatus of FIG. The enlarged view of only the principal part of FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial plan sectional view showing a state before the battery connection of the inter-battery connection device of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a plan cross-sectional view of only a main part showing a state before battery connection of the inter-battery connection device of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view of only a main part showing a state after battery connection of the inter-battery connection device of FIG. 4. The perspective view of the 1st connection terminal contained in the battery connection apparatus of FIG. The perspective view of the 2nd connection terminal contained in the battery connection apparatus of FIG. The perspective view of the positive electrode cable which can be connected to the battery connection apparatus of FIG. The perspective view of the cable for voltage monitoring which can be connected to the battery connection apparatus of FIG. The external appearance perspective view which shows the use condition of the battery connection apparatus of FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a base and a pressing clip included in the inter-battery connection device of FIG. 8 in a transparent state. FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of FIG. 9. (A)-(d) is a perspective view for demonstrating various connection forms. The perspective view which shows the battery connection apparatus which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention with a some cell battery. The schematic diagram which shows the state of the internal mechanism in the to-be-connected state of the connection apparatus between batteries shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the state of the internal mechanism in the connection state of the connection apparatus between batteries shown in FIG. The perspective view seen from the lower side different from FIG. The perspective view which looked at the board | substrate contained in the battery connection apparatus shown in FIG. 12 from the downward side.

  Hereinafter, some modes for carrying out the present invention will be described using examples.

(First embodiment)
With reference to FIGS. 1-7, the battery connection apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the inter-battery connection device 1. In FIG. 1, a plurality of cell batteries, for example, eight laminated cells 3 are connected in series by an inter-battery connection main body 2. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the laminate cell 3 is a type in which a first electrode terminal (positive electrode) 5 and a second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 are extended from the cell body 4 in the same direction. belongs to.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the inter-battery connection main body 2 includes a plastic base 7, a first connection terminal 8, a second connection terminal 9, and a pressing clip 10. The base 7 has a housing portion 7a and slits 7b through which the first electrode terminal (positive electrode) 5 and the second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 of the laminate cell 3 can be inserted on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing portion 7a. It is formed with a pitch L1 equal to the arrangement pitch of the cells 3. Moreover, the 1st connection terminal 8 and the 2nd connection terminal 9 are being fixed to the rib 7c of the base 7 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6A shows the first connecting terminal 8. The connection terminal main body 12 has two elastic contact pieces 8a facing each other, a contact portion 13 on the distal end side, and a power supply terminal 14 and a voltage monitoring terminal 15 on the proximal end side. Both the power supply terminal 14 and the voltage monitoring terminal 15 have a pin shape, but the power supply terminal 14 is formed wider than the voltage monitoring terminal 15. The difference between the first connection terminal 8 and the second connection terminal 9 is whether or not there is a power supply terminal 14. That is, the first connection terminal 8 has a power supply terminal 14, and the second connection terminal 9 has only a voltage monitoring terminal 15. The first connecting terminal 8 is located only at both ends of the base 7, and the positive cable 16 and the negative cable 18 are connected as a power cable or an input / output cable. The second connecting terminal 9 is disposed with a space between both ends of the base 7 and is connected to a temperature monitoring cable 17.

  Each of the first connecting terminal 8, the second connecting terminal 9, and the pressing clip 10 is in contact with the electrode terminal to achieve electrical continuity. Therefore, the material is generally used as a spring steel material such as phosphor bronze. Apply the specified material. The pressing clip 10 includes two opposing pressing pieces 10a, a plastic knob portion 11 connecting between one end portions of the pressing piece 10a, and a cable insertion groove 10b through which the power cables 16, 18 are inserted. A voltage monitoring cable insertion groove 10c through which the voltage monitoring cable 17 is inserted is provided. The front ends of the pressing pieces 10a are spread away from each other.

Further, the arrangement pitch L1 of the laminate cells 3, the distance L2 between the contacts of the first connecting terminal 8 (or the second connecting terminal 9), the distance L4 between the two pressing pieces of the pressing clip 10, and the spreading width L3 of the tip Between the dimensions of each part,
L4 <L2 <L1 <L3
The relationship is established.

  Details of the positive cable 16 and the voltage monitoring cable 17 are shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, respectively. The positive cable 16 includes a conducting wire having a thickness capable of withstanding a large current and an output cable terminal 19. As the negative electrode cable 18, the same one as the positive electrode cable 16 can be used. As the conducting wire and the cable terminal 20 of the voltage monitoring cable 17, a wire thinner than that of the positive cable 16 and the negative cable 18 is used.

  Next, assembly and operation of the above-described inter-battery connection device 1 will be described.

  The electrode terminals of the laminate cells 3 arranged at the pitch L1 are inserted into the slits 7b provided in the base 7. At this time, the first connection terminal 8 or the second connection terminal 9 is mounted in the housing portion 7a of the base 7 in advance, but since there is a relationship of L2 <L1, the first of the laminate cells 3 Even if the electrode terminal (positive electrode) 5 and the second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 have low rigidity, there is no interference (the electrode terminal and the connection terminal do not contact each other), and the electrode terminal (positive electrode) 5 and the second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 can be easily inserted into the slit 7b. After that, when the pressing clip 10 is attached to the accommodating portion 7a, the first electrode terminal (positive electrode) 5 and the second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 are placed inside the pressing piece 10a of the pressing clip 10 because of the relationship L1> L4. The first connecting terminal 8 (second connecting terminal 9) located is shifted (displaced) toward the contact portion 13 of the first connecting terminal 8 (second connecting terminal 9). As a result, since there is a relationship of L4 <L2 <L1, the first electrode terminal (positive electrode) 5 and the second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 are connected to the first connection terminal 8 (or the second connection terminal 9). The contact portion 13 of the first connection terminal 8 (or the second connection terminal 9) is also displaced, and the contact portion 13 is maintained in a biased state.

  FIG. 8 shows the appearance of the eight laminated cells 3, FIG. 9 shows the base 7 and the pressing clip 10 in a perspective view, and FIG. 10 shows the perspective view from above. , Respectively. By the 2nd connection terminal 9 arranged in zigzag form, the 1st electrode terminal 5 and the 2nd electrode terminal 6 of the adjacent laminate cell 3 are electrically connected. As a result, in this embodiment, eight laminate cells 3 are connected in series.

  The first connection terminal 8 located at both ends is provided with a power supply terminal 14 to which a positive cable 16 and a negative cable 18 are connected. Moreover, since the voltage monitoring terminal 15 is provided in all the connection terminals 8 and 9, the voltage monitoring cable 17 can be connected easily and releasably. Therefore, by connecting the voltage monitoring cable 17 to the voltage monitoring terminal 15 and monitoring the potentials of the first and second electrode terminals 5 and 6 of all the laminate cells 3, the voltage of each laminate cell 3 is adjusted. It can be monitored constantly.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the knob 11 of the pressing clip 10 is formed with grooves in portions where the positive cable 16, the negative cable 18, and the voltage monitoring cable 17 are inserted. The cable can be attached and detached even when 10 is attached. In addition, the pressing clip 10 can be attached and detached while the cable is connected.

  Therefore, if the positive cable 16, the negative cable 18, and the voltage monitoring cable 17 are connected to the first and second connecting terminals 8 and 9, respectively, the first electrode terminal (positive electrode) of the adjacent laminate cell 3 is used. The operation of electrically connecting 5 and the second electrode terminal (negative electrode) 6 includes the construction of a system for monitoring the voltage.

  FIG. 11A shows a diagram in which the positive cable 16 and the voltage monitoring cable 17 are connected to the first connecting terminal 8 located at the end to which the positive cable 16 or the negative cable 18 is connected. . FIG. 11B shows a diagram in which only the other voltage monitoring cable 17 is connected. In some cases, the first connection terminal 8 shown in FIG. 11C is also applied to the second connection terminal 9 to which the positive cable 16 or the negative cable 18 is not connected, and the configuration as shown in FIG. To share parts.

  According to the inter-battery connection device described above, the potentials of the first and second electrode terminals 5 and 6 are supplied via the voltage monitoring terminal 15 provided integrally with the first and second connection terminals 8 and 9. As a result, the voltage of each laminate cell 3 can be known. Further, since the knob portion 11 of the pressing clip 10 has a shape through which the cables can be inserted, the cables can be attached and detached while the pressing clip 10 is attached, and the pressing clip can be attached while the cables are connected. 10 can be attached and detached.

(Second embodiment)
With reference to FIGS. 12-16, the battery connection apparatus which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention is demonstrated.

  In FIG. 12, the laminate cell 3 is the same type as the laminate cell handled in the first embodiment, and the electrode terminal A (positive electrode) 5 and the electrode terminal B (negative electrode) 6 are arranged in the same direction from the laminate cell body 4. It is of the extended type. Connection between the laminate cells 3 is achieved via the substrate 401, and as a result, for example, four laminate cells 3 are connected in series. In FIG. 12, a rectangular through hole 411 is formed in a substrate 401 at a position corresponding to the electrode terminal A (positive electrode) 5 and electrode terminal B (negative electrode) 6 of the laminate cell 3 (see FIG. 13).

  As shown in FIG. 13, the housing 403 of the connector 402 is embedded in the through hole 411. The connector 402 includes a housing 403 and a contact 404, and further includes a slider 406 that is used in combination.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a mounting portion 405 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 403 of the contact 404 and is solder-mounted on a land 412 (see FIG. 16) on the back surface of the substrate 401.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the contact 404 passes through the housing 403 and extends upward. In the center of the housing 403, a slit through which the electrode terminal A (positive electrode) 5 and the electrode terminal B (negative electrode) 6 can be inserted is provided. Further, there is a relationship of L42 <L41 between the distance L41 of both contacts 404 and the width L42 of the through hole of the slider 406.

  FIG. 15 is an external view of the present embodiment as viewed from the lower side of the substrate 401, and FIG. 16 is an external view of the circuit substrate 401 as viewed from the lower side. On the bottom surface of the circuit board 401, an output pad (positive electrode) 413, an output pad (negative electrode) 414, and a voltage monitoring pad 415 are patterned, and they are mutually connected so that the laminate cells 3 are connected in series. The output connection wiring 416 and the voltage monitoring lead wiring 417 are connected.

  When the slider 406 is not mounted, the distance between the contacts 404 is L41, and there is a gap between the contacts, so that the electrode terminal can be easily inserted. When the slider 406 is mounted after the electrode terminal is inserted, the distance between both contacts is reduced from L41 to L42, and both the contacts sandwich the electrode terminal and are energized.

  A desired connection is made on the substrate 401 by the laid wiring. The first and second electrode terminals 5, 5 are simply mounted by the voltage monitoring lead wire 417, the voltage monitoring pad 415, and the voltage monitoring cable 17 connected to the voltage monitoring pad 415. 6 can be monitored, and as a result, the voltage of each laminate cell 3 can be known. That is, the voltage of each cell can be constantly monitored. A system for constantly monitoring the voltage of each laminate cell 3 is constructed.

  In the above description, the present invention has been described using some specific embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. Yes.

  The present invention can be applied to a battery in which a plurality of cell batteries such as laminate cells are connected, and a battery module in which these cell batteries are accommodated in a case in a stacked state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Battery connection apparatus 2 Battery connection main body 3 Laminated cell 4 Cell main body 5 1st electrode terminal 6 2nd electrode terminal 7 Base 7a accommodating part 7b Slit 8 1st connection terminal 9 2nd connection terminal 8a, 9a Elastic contact piece 10 Press clip 10a Press piece 10b Cable insertion groove 11 Knob portion 12 Connecting terminal body 13 Contact portion 14 Power supply terminal 15 Voltage monitoring terminal 16 Positive cable 17 Voltage monitoring cable 18 Negative cable 19 Output cable terminal 20 Voltage Monitoring cable terminal 401 Circuit board 402 Connector 403 Housing 404 Contact 405 Mounting portion 406 Slider 411 Through hole 413 Output pad (positive electrode)
414 Output pad (negative electrode)
415 Voltage monitoring pad 416 Output connection wiring 417 Voltage monitoring lead wiring

Claims (4)

  An inter-battery connection device for connecting a cell battery having a cell main body and an electrode terminal protruding from the cell main body, comprising a conductive connection terminal detachably connectable to the electrode terminal, the connection The terminal has a voltage monitoring terminal to which a voltage monitoring cable for monitoring the voltage of the cell battery can be detachably connected.   The connection terminal includes an elastic contact piece, and the inter-battery connection device holds the connection terminal and makes the electrode terminal face the elastic contact piece, and at least the electrode terminal and the elastic contact piece. 2. The inter-battery connection device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that presses and displaces one of the electrode terminals and thereby press-contacts the electrode terminal and the elastic contact piece with each other.   The base has a receiving portion for receiving the electrode terminal, the operating means is a pressing clip inserted into the receiving portion, and the pressing clip is inserted into the receiving portion when the electrode terminal is inserted into the receiving portion. And the electrode terminal is pressed against the elastic contact piece, and the voltage monitoring terminal is detachable from the outside of the base. The inter-battery connection device according to claim 2, wherein the device is a battery connection device.   The operating means is a pressing clip attached to the base, and when the pressing clip is attached to the base, the elastic contact piece is pressed and displaced, whereby the elastic contact piece is moved to the electrode terminal. The base is mounted on a circuit board, and has a voltage monitoring pad that forms the voltage monitoring terminal on the circuit board, and the voltage monitoring pad and the connection terminal are the 3. The inter-battery connection device according to claim 2, wherein the inter-battery connection device is connected by a voltage monitoring lead wire formed on a circuit board.

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