JP2013110039A - Battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery pack capable of suppressing dimensions in a direction orthogonal to a terminal formation surface of a battery.SOLUTION: A bus bar 24 comprises: a first connection 241 connected to a positive electrode terminal 13b of a single cell 13; a second connection 242 connected to a negative electrode terminal 14 of a single battery 14; and a coupling part 243 which couples the first connection 241 and the second connection 242. The coupling part 243 is formed into a curved shape and arranged so as to enter between the single battery 13 and the single battery 14.

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembled battery configured by connecting a plurality of batteries.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an assembled battery in which batteries are arranged in parallel so that terminals are located on the same side orthogonal to the juxtaposition direction, and the terminals of the arranged batteries are electrically connected by a connecting member. In such an assembled battery, the connection member is composed of a pair of connection portions connected to each terminal and a curved connection portion connecting the pair of connection portions, and the curved connection portion is projected in a direction away from the battery. An assembled battery is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-125301

  However, in the above-described prior art assembled battery, the curved connecting portion of the connecting member protrudes in the direction away from the battery on the side where the terminals of the battery arranged in parallel are provided, so that it is orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery. There exists a problem that the dimension of an assembled battery will become large in a direction.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said point, and it aims at providing the assembled battery which can suppress the dimension of the direction orthogonal to the terminal formation surface of a battery.

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention described in claim 1,
A first battery (13) having a first terminal (13b);
A second battery (14) arranged in parallel to the first battery (13) and having a second terminal (14a);
A connection member (24) for electrically connecting the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a),
The first battery (13) is arranged such that the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) are disposed on the same side in the direction orthogonal to the battery juxtaposition direction in each battery (13, 14). ) And the second battery (14) are juxtaposed,
The connection member (24) includes a first connection portion (241) connected to the first terminal (13b), a second connection portion (242) connected to the second terminal (14a), and a first connection portion ( 241) and the second connecting portion (242), and a connecting portion (243),
The connecting portion (243) has a curved shape and is disposed between the first battery (13) and the second battery (14).

  According to this, the curved connection part (243) of the connection member (24) is disposed so as to enter between the first battery (13) and the second battery (14) arranged side by side. Therefore, the connecting portion (243) does not protrude in the direction away from the first battery (13) and the second battery (14). Thus, the dimension of the assembled battery in the direction orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery can be suppressed.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the first connection portion (241) and the second connection portion (242) are connected to the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) by welding or adhesion. It is characterized by being.

  According to this, the connection between the first connection part (241) and the first terminal (13b) of the connection member (24) and the second of the connection member (24) are compared with the case where the connection is made by screwing or the like, for example. The connection portion (242) and the second terminal (14a) can be connected relatively easily.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) protrude from the respective main body portions of the first battery (13) and the second battery (14). The first connection part (241) and the second connection part (242) are in contact with the respective front end surfaces (13b1, 14a1) of the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a). It is characterized by being connected by.

  According to this, the 1st connection part (241) of a connection member (24) is connected to the front end surface (13b1) of the protruding 1st terminal (13b), and the 2nd connection part (242) of a connection member (24). Is connected to the tip end surface (14a1) of the protruding second terminal (14a). Accordingly, when connecting the first connection portion (241) to the first terminal (13b) and connecting the second connection portion (242) to the second terminal (14a), each terminal tip surface (13b1, The degree of freedom in setting the positional relationship between both connection portions (241, 242) and both terminals (13b, 14a) in the extending direction of 14a1) is great. As a result, the distance between the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) varies, and the distance between the first connection portion (241) and the second connection portion (242) varies. Even so, the connection between the first connection portion (241) and the first terminal (13b) and the connection between the second connection portion (242) and the second terminal (14a) can be easily performed. .

  In the invention according to claim 4, the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) protrude from the respective main body portions of the first battery (13) and the second battery (14). The first connection part (241) and the second connection part (242) are connected in contact with the side surfaces (13b2, 14a2) of the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a). It is characterized by being.

  According to this, the first connecting portion (241) of the connecting member (24) is connected to the side surface (13b2) of the protruding first terminal (13b), and the second connecting portion (242) of the connecting member (24) is It is connected to the side surface (14a2) of the protruding second terminal (14a). Therefore, the protrusion amount of the 1st connection part (241) to the protrusion direction of the 1st terminal (13b) can be suppressed. Moreover, the protrusion amount of the 2nd connection part (242) to the protrusion direction of a 2nd terminal (14a) can be suppressed. Thus, the dimension of the assembled battery in the direction orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery can be reliably suppressed.

  In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first connection portion (241) and the second connection portion (242) are each formed with an opening (24a), and the first connection portion (241) and the second connection portion (242). The connection part (242) is characterized in that the peripheral part of each opening (24a) is connected in contact with the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a).

  According to this, the first connecting portion (241) and the first terminal (13b) are obtained by performing welding or adhesive coating along the inner periphery of the opening (24a) of each connecting portion (241, 242). And the connection between the second connection portion (242) and the second terminal (14a) can be more easily performed.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis attached | subjected to each said means is an example which shows a corresponding relationship with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

It is a front view which shows schematic structure of the assembled battery 1 in 1st Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which expanded a part of FIG. 3 further. It is a disassembled perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the assembled battery 1 and the smoke exhaust duct 6. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of the assembled battery 1. FIG. It is a top view of the state which removed the cover 60 about the battery pack provided with the assembled battery 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a battery pack with a cover 60 attached. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the welding process of the bus-bar 24 and the electrode terminals 13b and 14a. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the assembled battery in 2nd Embodiment. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the assembled battery in 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the welding process of the bus-bar and electrode terminal in a comparative example.

  A plurality of modes for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to the matters described in the preceding embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted. In the case where only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the other parts of the configuration are the same as those described previously. In addition to the combination of parts specifically described in each embodiment, the embodiments may be partially combined as long as the combination is not particularly troublesome.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an assembled battery 1 in a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view further enlarging a part of FIG.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of the assembled battery 1 and the smoke exhaust duct 6, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of the assembled battery 1. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the battery pack including the assembled battery 1 with the cover 60 removed, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the battery pack with the cover 60 attached.

  The battery pack shown in FIG. 8 is mounted on an idle stop vehicle having an idle stop function that stops the engine when the vehicle stops from the running state even when the ignition switch is on. The assembled battery in the battery pack is configured by connecting a plurality of unit cells made of secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries in series with a bus bar or the like, and is used as an auxiliary battery for a lead storage battery. The battery pack is disposed, for example, under the front seat in the vehicle interior.

  The battery pack may be used for, for example, a hybrid vehicle using a traveling drive source by combining an internal combustion engine and a motor driven by electric power charged in the battery, an electric vehicle using a motor as a traveling drive source, and the like. The secondary battery that constitutes the battery pack assembly is, for example, a nickel hydride secondary battery, a lithium ion battery, or an organic radical battery. The secondary battery is housed in a case and is placed under a car seat, between a rear seat and a trunk room. Can be arranged in a space between the driver seat and the passenger seat.

  The plurality of single cells constituting the assembled battery 1 of the present embodiment has an exterior case that constitutes an outer shell such as an aluminum can, for example, and includes a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal that protrude from one end surface of the rectangular parallelepiped outer case. Each has an electrode terminal. The assembled battery 1 includes a plurality of bus bars that connect the electrode terminals so that the plurality of unit cells are connected in series.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the assembled battery 1 includes five unit cells 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 as an example. Each of the five single cells 10 to 14 is housed in a predetermined position in the battery case 7, thereby constituting the assembled battery 1 together.

  The five single cells 10 to 14 constituting the assembled battery 1 include a plurality of first stacked battery groups 2 and second stacked battery groups 3 formed by stacking single cells in the thickness direction X of a rectangular parallelepiped outer case. Form. The first stacked battery group 2 is configured by stacking the cell 10, the cell 13 and the cell 14 in the thickness direction X with a predetermined interval. The second stacked battery group 3 is configured by stacking the unit cells 11 and the unit cells 12 in the thickness direction X with a predetermined interval.

  The negative electrode terminal 10a of the unit cell 10 is electrically connected to the bus bar 20, and further connected to the vehicle ground by connecting the bus bar 20 to the vehicle side by screwing or the like. The end portion of the bus bar 20 extends laterally from the lower part of the first stacked battery group 2, that is, has a shape extending laterally from the lower side surface of the assembled battery 1 </ b> C. The positive terminal 10 b of the unit cell 10 is connected to the negative terminal 11 a of the unit cell 11 by a bus bar 21. The positive terminal 11 b of the unit cell 11 is connected to the negative terminal 12 a of the unit cell 12 by the bus bar 22. The positive terminal 12 b of the unit cell 12 is connected to the negative terminal 13 a of the unit cell 13 by the bus bar 23.

  The positive terminal 13 b of the unit cell 13 is connected to the negative terminal 14 a of the unit cell 14 by the bus bar 24. The positive terminal 14 b of the unit cell 14 is electrically connected to the bus bar 25, and is further electrically connected to the power board 50 when the bus bar 25 is connected to the power board 50 by screwing or soldering.

  Thereby, all the single cells 10-14 of the assembled battery 1 are electrically connected in series via each bus bar so that an electric current may flow like a meander in front view, as shown with the broken line of FIG. As described above, the bus bars 20 to 25 are configured not to connect adjacent battery terminals in an oblique direction but to connect only in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  The bus bars 21 to 24 are connection members that connect the battery terminals of adjacent unit cells. The bus bars 21 and 23 that connect adjacent battery terminals in the horizontal direction in the figure and the bus bars 22 and 24 that connect adjacent battery terminals in the vertical direction in the figure are substantially different although the dimensions and the like of each part are slightly different. It has the same configuration. Therefore, the configuration of the bus bar, the connection form between the bus bar and the battery terminal, and the like will be described below using the bus bar 24.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the single cells 13 and 14 are accommodated in the battery case 7 and arranged side by side in the vertical direction in the figure. The unit cell 13 has a positive electrode terminal 13b that protrudes leftward from the main body. On the other hand, the unit cell 14 has a negative electrode terminal 14a protruding from the main body portion to the left in the figure. Here, the cell 13 corresponds to the first battery of the present invention, and the positive electrode terminal 13b corresponds to the first terminal. Further, the unit cell 14 corresponds to a second battery, and the negative electrode terminal 14a corresponds to a second terminal. The bus bar 24 corresponds to a connection member that electrically connects the first terminal and the second terminal.

  As shown also in FIG. 3, the bus bar 24 is formed by pressing a metal flat plate member, for example, to form a flat plate-like first connection portion 241, a flat plate-like second connection portion 242, and a first connection portion 241 and a second connection portion. A connecting portion 243 that connects the connecting portion 242 is integrally formed. As is apparent from the drawing, the connecting portion 243 has a curved shape (the cross section is U-shaped). The first connection part 241 and the second connection part 242 of the bus bar 24 are each provided with a rectangular opening 24a at a substantially central part thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a stepped portion 13 b 3 is formed in the vicinity of the tip of the substantially prismatic positive terminal 13 b that protrudes to the left of the cell 13. The distance between the front end surface 13b1 of the positive electrode terminal 13b and the step portion 13b3 in the protruding direction (the left-right direction in the drawing) is substantially equal to the thickness of the first connection portion 241 of the bus bar 24.

  A stepped portion 14a3 is also formed in the vicinity of the tip of the substantially prismatic negative electrode terminal 14a protruding to the left of the unit cell 14 in the figure. The distance in the protruding direction (left-right direction in the figure) between the tip end surface 14a1 of the negative electrode terminal 14a and the stepped portion 14a3 is substantially equal to the thickness of the second connection portion 242 of the bus bar 24.

  The two openings 24a of the bus bar 24 are formed corresponding to the shape on the tip side of the step portion 13b3 of the positive electrode terminal 13b and the shape on the tip side of the step portion 14a3 of the negative electrode terminal 14a. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface of the opening 24a of the first connection portion 241 is along the side surface 13b2 on the tip side of the step portion 13b3 of the positive electrode terminal 13b, and the inner peripheral surface of the opening 24a of the second connection portion 242 is negative. It is along the side surface 14a2 on the tip side of the step 14a3 of the terminal 14a.

  The edge portion along the inner periphery of the opening 24a of the first connection portion 241 is connected to the side surface 13b2 on the tip side of the step portion 13b3 of the positive electrode terminal 13b by, for example, laser welding. Moreover, the edge part along the inner periphery of the opening 24a of the 2nd connection part 242 is connected by the side surface 14a2 of the front end side rather than the step part 14a3 of the negative electrode terminal 14a, for example by laser welding. The connection between the connection portions 241 and 242 and the terminals 13b and 14a is not limited to laser welding, and may be made by arc welding or adhesion using a conductive adhesive or the like. Moreover, each connection part of a bus-bar and the electrode terminal of a single battery may be press-contacted, and each connection part may be adhere | attached on a single battery so that the said press-contact state may be maintained.

  In the unit cell 13 and the unit cell 14 arranged in parallel, the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a are disposed on the same side in the direction orthogonal to the cell juxtaposition direction.

  Further, by providing the curved connecting portion 243 on the bus bar 24, even if the interval between the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a varies for each assembled battery, the first connection portion 241 and the positive electrode terminal 13b And the connection between the second connection portion 242 and the negative electrode terminal 14a can be easily performed. Further, even when the relative positional relationship between the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a changes due to vibration or temperature change after the connection between the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a by the bus bar 24, this is absorbed. Thus, connection reliability can be ensured.

  The connecting portion 243 of the bus bar 24 is inserted in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the positive terminal 13b and the negative terminal 14a. That is, the connecting portion 243 of the bus bar 24 is disposed between the unit cell 13 and the unit cell 14.

  The insulating cover 8 that covers the unit cells 13 and 14 accommodated in the battery case 7 from the left in the figure has a recess 8c that receives the connecting portion 243 of the bus bar 24 that enters in the direction opposite to the protruding direction of the positive terminal 13b and the negative terminal 14a. Is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the insulating cover 8 and the battery case 7 on the right side of the drawing with respect to the recess 8c are formed so that a slight clearance is provided between the single cells 13 and 14.

  The configuration in which the clearance is provided between the unit cells is achieved by using the illustrated vertical dimension necessary for providing the recess 8c that receives the connecting portion 243 that enters between the unit cell 13 and the unit cell 14. Air can be circulated through the clearance provided between the battery case 7, the insulating cover 8, and the single cells 13 and 14, and heat dissipation from the single cells 13 and 14 can be improved.

  The bus bars 20 and 25 have the same configuration as that of the bus bars 21 to 24 except for the connecting portion on the side connected to the ground of the vehicle and the power board 50.

  A safety valve is provided in the outer case of each unit cell. Each safety valve is located between the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal, and is set to be broken when the internal pressure of the unit cell becomes an abnormal pressure. The safety valve is configured, for example, by sticking and closing a thin metal film in a hole opened in the end face of the outer case of the unit cell. In this case, when the internal pressure of the unit cell becomes an abnormal pressure, the metal film is broken, the hole of the outer case is opened, and the gas inside the unit cell is released to the outside of the outer case. As a result, the cell internal pressure is reduced, and the cell itself can be prevented from bursting.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the safety valve 10c, the safety valve 13c, and the safety valve 14c are arranged so as to be aligned in the thickness direction X, and the safety valve 11c and the safety valve 12c are arranged so as to be aligned in the thickness direction X, as viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the insulating cover 8 insulates the bus bars 20 to 25 and the outer case of the single cells 10 to 14 and covers at least the end surface portion of the outer case excluding the safety valves 10 c to 14 c and the electrode terminals. It is provided as follows. That is, when the insulating cover 8 is mounted so as to cover the end face of the outer case, the insulating cover 8 is formed with an opening larger than the safety valve at a corresponding position of each safety valve and corresponding to each electrode terminal. An opening larger than the electrode terminal is formed at the position. Therefore, each safety valve and each electrode terminal are inside the respective openings and are not covered with the insulating cover 8 when the insulating cover 8 is attached to the assembled battery 1 housed in the battery case 7 and integrated. Will be exposed.

  Furthermore, the insulating cover 8 is provided with recesses 8c for positioning each bus bar, as many as the number of bus bars required by the assembled battery 1. Each bus bar has an opening through which the electrode terminal of the unit cell is inserted. When each bus bar corresponding to each recess 8c of the insulating cover 8 is fitted, the electrode terminal to be connected is fitted into the opening of each bus bar, and the positional relationship between each single cell and the bus bar is appropriately determined. Since the position of each bus bar 20 is regulated by the positioning step of fitting each predetermined bus bar into each concave portion 8c of the insulating cover 8, the joining step such as welding between the bus bar and the electrode terminal to be connected can be performed quickly and accurately. This contributes to the performance and prevents the bus bar from touching the parts that should not be touched, thereby preventing an improper connection such as a short circuit or damage to the parts.

  When the step of connecting a plurality of electrode terminals to be connected by a plurality of bus bars is performed, each unit cell is first installed and accommodated at a predetermined position of the battery case 7. Next, the insulating cover 8 is attached to the battery case 7 in which the cells 10 to 14 are accommodated. At this time, the upper part and the lower part of the battery case 7 and the insulating cover 8 are fastened using two clips 33, and the left and right side parts are fastened using two clips 32. Next, predetermined corresponding bus bars are fitted into the six recesses 8c of the insulating cover 8 assembled integrally with the battery case 7 and the single cells 10 to 14, respectively. In this state, a corresponding predetermined electrode terminal is inserted through the opening of each bus bar. Furthermore, each bus bar and each electrode terminal are joined by welding such as laser welding or arc welding.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second stacked battery group 3 and the first stacked battery group 2 form a step space 4 due to the difference in the number of stacked layers. In this case, the step space 4 forms a step corresponding to the thickness dimension of about one unit cell. A control board 5 for detecting the state of the plurality of single cells 10 to 14 is arranged in the step space 4. In addition, the control board 5 is mounted on a boss standing on a battery case 7 that accommodates a single cell and is fixed with screws.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the power board 50 is connected to the terminal block 51 and is connected to the control board 5 and the vehicle via the wire harness 52. In this way, all the unit cells 10 to 14 constituting the assembled battery 1 are connected in series.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the assembled battery 1 includes a smoke exhaust duct 6 provided to expose all the safety valves 10 c to 14 c in the internal smoke exhaust passage 6 a. The smoke exhaust duct 6 is made of a heat-resistant material, and is made of, for example, polyphenylene sulfide resin (PPS), polyethylene resin (PE), various resins to which a flame retardant is added, or the like. The heat resistance of the smoke exhaust duct 6 is that the inside of the unit cell has an abnormally high pressure state, and even if the gas inside is blown out due to the break of the safety valve, the duct part does not melt and is not damaged. is there. Further, the battery case 7 and the insulating cover 8 have insulating properties, and are formed of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP resin), PP resin containing filler and talc, for example. Furthermore, it is preferable that the battery case 7 and the insulating cover 8 are formed of a heat-resistant resin like the smoke exhaust duct 6.

  The smoke exhaust duct 6 is a cylindrical body extending in the horizontal direction, and includes openings larger than the safety valves at positions corresponding to all the safety valves 10 c to 14 c when assembled to the insulating cover 8. When assembled to the insulating cover 8, the peripheral edge of the opening is in close contact with the outer case surface around the safety valves 10 c to 14 c with the packings 30 and 31 sandwiched therebetween. The peripheral surface portion of the opening, the packing 30, and the packing 31 contribute to securing the air density between the smoke exhausting duct 6 and the outer case. Further, the smoke exhaust duct 6 includes a lead-out duct portion 6b that communicates with the smoke exhaust passage 6a and forms an internal passage extending outward from the side portion. The lead-out duct portion 6b functions to discharge the gas ejected to the smoke exhaust passage 6a to the outside away from the assembled battery 1.

  Instead of providing the packings 30 and 31, a highly flexible resin such as an elastomer may be provided by a two-color molding or the like at a portion of the smoke exhaust duct 6 that presses the periphery of the safety valves 10c to 14c.

  The smoke exhaust duct 6 is provided with a voltage detection terminal 40. The voltage detection terminal 40 extends so as to protrude upward into the step space 4 and is connected to the control board 5 disposed in the step space 4 described above. A detection signal of a voltage detection sensor that measures a predetermined potential of the assembled battery 1 is output to the voltage detection terminal 40, and the detection signal is output to the control board 5.

  The smoke exhausting duct 6 includes claw portions 6c in which convex portions projecting outward are formed on each of an upper end portion and a lower end portion located near the center in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction). Further, the smoke exhaust duct 6 includes a claw portion 6d in which convex portions projecting outward are formed on each of an upper end portion and a lower end portion located on one side in the longitudinal direction (lateral direction). .

  On the other hand, the insulating cover 8 is provided with a U-shaped engagement piece 8a that forms a fitting hole at a position corresponding to each of the two claw portions 6c, and each of the two claw portions 6d A U-shaped engagement piece 8b for forming a fitting hole at a corresponding position is provided. When the smoke exhaust duct 6 is assembled to the insulating cover 8, the upper and lower two claw portions 6c engage with the inner wall surface of the corresponding engagement piece 8a, and the upper and lower two claw portions 6d correspond. Engages with the inner wall surface of the piece 8b. As a result, the moving direction of the smoke exhaust duct 6 is regulated, and the packings 30 and 31 are compressed so that the smoke exhaust duct 6 is pressed against the insulating cover 8, and the surfaces of the safety valves 10 c to 14 c and the smoke exhaust passage are compressed. Airtightness with 6a can be realized.

  As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the base 9 is fixed with main components constituting the battery pack such as the assembled battery 1, the power substrate 50, and the terminal block 51 on which the control board 5 is placed and fixed. Is supported from below. The base 9 has, for example, insulating properties, and is made of, for example, a synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP), a filler for improving strength, or PP containing talc. The base 9 includes a fixing portion for fixing to the vehicle side by bolting or the like, and an attachment portion for attaching a cover 60 that covers the assembled battery 1 and the like from above. In this way, the base 9 to which the main components are fixed is covered with the cover 60 and packed, so that the battery pack is mounted on the vehicle.

  The battery monitoring device is a battery ECU that monitors the state of the assembled battery 1 and is mounted on the control board 5. The battery monitoring device is connected to the assembled battery 1 via a plurality of detection lines extending from detection terminals installed at predetermined positions of the assembled battery 1 in order to detect information related to the state of the assembled battery 1. The detection line is, for example, a communication line for transmitting information such as the voltage and temperature of the assembled battery 1 to the battery monitoring device. The detection terminal is a voltage measurement element, a temperature sensor, or other various sensors that detect information related to the state of the assembled battery 1.

  The battery pack includes electronic components that perform charging, discharging, battery temperature monitoring, and the like of the plurality of single cells 10 to 14. For example, the electronic components include a DC / DC converter, an inverter, a power element mounted on the power board 50, various electronic components mounted on the control board 5, various electronic control devices, and the like. The battery pack is configured to be communicable with a battery monitoring device to which detection results from various sensors that monitor the state of the battery such as voltage and temperature are input, and to control power transmission / reception of the DC / DC converter. In addition, a control device that controls driving of a motor or the like of the blower and a wire harness that connects each device are included. Moreover, you may make it a battery pack include the air blower which provides ventilation and cools each cell.

  According to the assembled battery 1 having the above-described configuration, the bus bar 24 includes the first connection portion 241 connected to the positive electrode terminal 13b of the single cell 13, the second connection portion 242 connected to the negative electrode terminal 14a of the single cell 14, and the first The connecting portion 243 that connects the first connecting portion 241 and the second connecting portion 242 is formed, and the connecting portion 243 has a curved shape and is disposed so as to enter between the unit cell 13 and the unit cell 14. Has been.

  According to this configuration, the connecting portion 243 of the bus bar 24 does not protrude in the direction away from the unit cell 13 and the unit cell 14 (the direction in which the electrodes 13b and 14a project). Therefore, the dimension of the assembled battery 1 in the direction orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery can be suppressed.

  The first connecting portion 241 of the bus bar 24 is connected to the side surface 13b2 of the protruding positive electrode terminal 13b, and the second connecting portion 242 is connected to the side surface 14a2 of the protruding negative electrode terminal 14a. According to this, the 1st connection part 241 of the bus-bar 24 does not jump out in an electrode protrusion direction rather than the front-end | tip of the positive electrode terminal 13b. Further, the second connection portion 242 of the bus bar 24 does not protrude in the electrode protruding direction from the tip of the negative electrode terminal 14a. Therefore, the dimension of the assembled battery 1 in the direction orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery can be reliably suppressed.

  Moreover, the 1st connection part 241 and the 2nd connection part 242 of the bus-bar 24 are connected to the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a of a cell by welding or adhesion | attachment. According to this, for example, the connection between the first connection portion 241 of the bus bar 24, the unit cell 13 and the positive electrode terminal 13b, rather than the case where each connection unit of the bus bar is connected to the terminal of the unit cell by screwing or the like, and The connection between the second connection portion 242 of the bus bar 24 and the negative electrode terminal 14a of the unit cell 14 can be made relatively easily. In addition, it is possible to prevent an increase in contact resistance due to loosening of the screw, which is likely to occur when connected by screwing, and to suppress application of excessive stress to the terminal portion of the unit cell.

  The first connecting portion 241 and the second connecting portion 242 of the bus bar 24 are each formed with an opening 24a, and the peripheral edge of the opening 24a of the first connecting portion 241 is connected to the positive electrode terminal 13b, and the second connecting portion. The peripheral edge of the opening 24a of 242 is connected to the negative electrode terminal 14a. According to this, by performing welding processing or adhesive coating processing along the inner periphery of the opening 24a of each connection portion 241, 242, the connection between the first connection portion 241 and the positive electrode terminal 13b, and the second connection The part 242 and the negative electrode terminal 14a can be connected more easily.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the laser welding equipment 90 is moved to facilitate the welding of the second connection part 242 and the negative electrode terminal 14a and the welding of the first connection part 241 and the positive electrode terminal 13b. be able to. After welding the second connection part 242 and the negative electrode terminal 14a by irradiating the laser along the inner periphery (opening side) of the opening 24a of the second connection part 242, the inside of the opening 24a of the first connection part 241 Laser welding can be performed along the circumference (opening side) to weld the first connecting portion 241 and the positive electrode terminal 13b.

  When continuously welding the two connecting portions 241 and 242 and the electrodes, it is possible to easily perform the laser welding equipment 90 only by moving the laser welding equipment 90 in the horizontal direction shown in FIG. This is because the connecting portion 243 of the bus bar 24 enters between the single cells 13 and 14 and does not protrude upward in the figure, so that the laser welding equipment 90 does not interfere with the connecting portion 242.

  As in the comparative example shown in FIG. 12, when the connecting portion 943 of the bus bar 24 protrudes upward in the figure (the direction away from the unit cell, the protruding direction of the electrode terminal), the laser welding equipment 90 interferes with the connecting portion 943. End up. In order to prevent this, an operation for avoiding interference with the connecting portion 923 that also moves the laser welding equipment 90 in the vertical direction in the figure is necessary, and the processing time increases. According to the assembled battery 1 of the present embodiment, an increase in processing time can be suppressed.

  The effect demonstrated above can be acquired also between the single cells using the bus bars 21-23 which are substantially the same structures.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described based on FIG.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the connection structure of the connection portion of the bus bar to the electrode terminal. In addition, about the part similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the edge part along the inner periphery of the opening 24a of the first connection part 241 of the bus bar 24 is connected to the tip end face 13b1 of the protruding positive electrode terminal 13b by, for example, laser welding. Has been. Although not shown, the edge portion along the inner periphery of the opening 24a of the second connection portion 242 is connected to the protruding end surface 14a1 of the negative electrode terminal 14a by, for example, laser welding. The connection between the connection portions 241 and 242 and the terminals 13b and 14a is not limited to laser welding, and may be made by arc welding or adhesion using a conductive adhesive or the like.

  According to the assembled battery of this embodiment, the dimension of the assembled battery in the direction orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery can be reliably suppressed as in the first embodiment. In addition to this, when connecting the first connection portion 241 to the tip surface 13b1 of the positive electrode terminal 13b and connecting the second connection portion 242 to the tip surface 14a1 of the negative electrode terminal 14a, the electrode terminal tip surfaces 13b1, 14a1. It is possible to increase the degree of freedom in setting the relative positional relationship between the connection portions 241 and 242 and the electrode terminals 13b and 14a in the extending direction. Therefore, even if the interval between the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a varies or the interval between the first connection portion 241 and the second connection portion 242 of the bus bar 24 varies, the first connection portion 241 and the positive electrode The connection with the terminal 13b and the connection between the second connection portion 242 and the negative electrode terminal 14a can be easily performed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in the arrangement structure of the connecting portions of the bus bar between the single cells. In addition, about the part similar to 1st, 2nd embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the height dimension of the connecting portion 243A of the bus bar 24 in the illustrated left-right direction is relatively small. The connecting portion 243A is disposed only between the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a among the unit cells 13 and the unit cells 14 arranged in parallel.

  According to the assembled battery 1 of the present embodiment, the dimensions of the assembled battery 1 in the direction orthogonal to the terminal forming surface of the battery can be reliably suppressed as in the first embodiment. In addition to this, the size of the assembled battery 1 in the direction in which the cells are arranged side by side can also be suppressed. By these, the physique of the assembled battery 1 can be reduced extremely.

(Other embodiments)
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  In each said embodiment, although the 1st connection part 241 and the 2nd connection part 242 of the bus-bar 24 were connected to the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a by welding or adhesion | attachment, it is not limited to this. For example, the first connection part and the second connection part of the bus bar may be connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal by screwing.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a protruded from the main-body part of each battery, it is not limited to this. For example, the electrode terminal may be a planar electrode provided on one plane of the outer surface of a rectangular parallelepiped unit cell. That is, the electrode terminal of the unit cell may not protrude from the main body.

  In each of the above embodiments, the first connection portion 241 and the second connection portion 242 of the bus bar 24 are each formed with an opening 24a, and the first connection portion 241 and the second connection portion 242 are respectively opened. Although the peripheral part of 24a was connected to the positive electrode terminal 13b and the negative electrode terminal 14a, it is not limited to this. For example, an opening is not formed in the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and the outer peripheral edge portions of the first connection portion and the second connection portion and the tip surface or the side surface of the electrode terminal are connected by welding or adhesion. There may be.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, although the cell 10-14 was a storage battery (secondary battery), it is not limited to this, A primary battery may be sufficient.

1 battery pack 13 cell (first battery)
13b Positive terminal (first terminal)
13b1 Front end surface 13b2 Side surface 14 Single battery (second battery)
14a Positive terminal (second terminal)
14a1 front end surface 14a2 side surface 24 bus bar (connection member)
24a Opening 241 1st connection part 242 2nd connection part 243, 243A Connection part

Claims (5)

A first battery (13) having a first terminal (13b);
A second battery (14) juxtaposed to the first battery (13) and having a second terminal (14a);
A connection member (24) for electrically connecting the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a);
The first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) are arranged on the same side in a direction orthogonal to the juxtaposed direction in each battery (13, 14). 1 battery (13) and the second battery (14) are juxtaposed,
The connection member (24) includes a first connection portion (241) connected to the first terminal (13b), a second connection portion (242) connected to the second terminal (14a), and the first connection portion (241). A connecting portion (243) that connects the one connecting portion (241) and the second connecting portion (242);
The battery pack is characterized in that the connecting portion (243) has a curved shape, and a curved top portion is inserted between the first battery (13) and the second battery (14).   The first connection part (241) and the second connection part (242) are connected to the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) by welding or adhesion. The assembled battery according to claim 1. The first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) protrude from the respective main body portions of the first battery (13) and the second battery (14),
The first connection part (241) and the second connection part (242) are in contact with respective front end surfaces (13b1, 14a1) of the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a). The assembled battery according to claim 2, which is connected in a state. The first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a) protrude from the respective main body portions of the first battery (13) and the second battery (14),
The first connection part (241) and the second connection part (242) are in contact with the side surfaces (13b2, 14a2) of the first terminal (13b) and the second terminal (14a), respectively. The assembled battery according to claim 2, wherein the battery pack is connected. Each of the first connection part (241) and the second connection part (242) has an opening (24a),
As for the said 1st connection part (241) and the said 2nd connection part (242), the peripheral part of each opening (24a) contacted the said 1st terminal (13b) and the said 2nd terminal (14a). The assembled battery according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the assembled battery is connected in a state.

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