JP2013218790A - Gas exhaust pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas exhaust pipe which inhibits dimensional changes of an area between cells and a gas exhaust pipe thereby preventing gas leakage and enables easy manufacturing and attachment.SOLUTION: A gas exhaust pipe 7 is attached to a battery pack 1 where substantially planar electric cells 2, 2 are disposed in a lamination manner and exhausts a gas occurring from the cells. The gas exhaust pipe 7 includes: a pipe body 71 made of a synthetic resin; a metal plate 73; and seal bodies 711. In the pipe body 71, through holes, which correspond to gas exhaust ports 21, 21 of the electric cells, are consecutively provided. The seal bodies 711 are provided on a pipe body outer peripheral surface so as to enclose the respective through holes. The metal plate 73 is formed so as to have a length corresponding to an entire length of the pipe body. Through holes, which respectively correspond to the through holes consecutively provided in the pipe body, are consecutively provided in the metal plate. The metal plate 73 is provided being inserted into the pipe body 71. The metal plate 73 is attached to the battery pack 1 thereby causing the seal bodies 711 to be held between the metal plate 73 and the electric cells 2.

Description

The present invention relates to a gas exhaust pipe provided in an assembled battery. In particular, the present invention relates to a gas exhaust pipe provided in an assembled battery in which substantially flat unit cells are stacked.

In an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like, an assembled battery (battery module) in which secondary batteries are assembled as a power source is used. In the process of charging or discharging, if the battery overheats or the temperature difference between the batteries increases, the performance of the battery may deteriorate or the battery may be damaged. Usually, these assembled batteries are stored in the battery case. Then, the assembled battery is cooled by sending cooling air into the battery case.

In these batteries, when the battery is overcharged or the temperature of the battery becomes high, gas may be generated inside the battery. In order to discharge the generated gas to the outside, the assembled battery may be provided with a gas discharge pipe (gas discharge device). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a gas discharge device including a main body part for guiding gas to the outside, a projecting part that connects between the main body part and the unit cell, and an elastic contact member formed at the tip of the projecting part. Is disclosed.

JP 2011-54409 A

In such a gas discharge device, if the gas leaks, there is a risk of adversely affecting the surrounding battery and the like, so it is necessary to prevent the gas from leaking. A stretchable close contact member for preventing leakage is provided.

However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the technique of providing a stretchable close contact member at a connection portion with a battery has a problem that the shape of the portion is likely to be complicated and difficult to manufacture.

In addition, there is a problem that the assembly process of the assembled battery becomes complicated if the unit cell and the gas discharge pipe are individually connected while ensuring the sealing performance. It is desired.

Furthermore, the inventors have examined gas leakage and found that when the temperature around the gas discharge pipe becomes high, gas tends to leak near the connection between the gas discharge pipe and the unit cell. Further, the inventors have further studied that when the temperature rises due to the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the battery and the gas discharge pipe, the dimensions between the battery and the gas discharge pipe change, and the gas I found out that leaks are likely to occur.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gas exhaust pipe that is easy to manufacture and attach, while preventing a gas leak by suppressing a dimensional change between the battery and the gas exhaust pipe.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventor provided the metal plate in an inserted state in the tube body of the gas exhaust pipe, and sandwiched and fixed the sealing material provided between the gas exhaust pipe and the battery by the metal plate, the above problem As a result, the present invention has been completed.

The present invention relates to an assembled battery in which substantially flat unit cells are stacked, and is a gas exhaust pipe that exhausts gas generated from the unit cells. The gas exhaust pipe includes a synthetic resin tube and a metal plate. And a through hole corresponding to the gas discharge port of each unit cell, and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe body is sealed so as to surround each of the through holes. The metal plate is formed to have a length corresponding to the entire length of the tube body, and the metal plate is provided with through holes corresponding to each of the through holes provided continuously to the tube body. Is a gas exhaust pipe that is inserted through the inside of the tube body, and in which the seal body is sandwiched between the metal plate and the unit cell by attaching the metal plate to the assembled battery (first invention). .

In the present invention, it is preferable that the seal body is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tube body (second invention). Furthermore, in this invention, it is preferable that a metal plate is fixed to an assembled battery by the both ends of a tubular body (3rd invention). Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the metal plate is not fixed to the assembled battery at the intermediate portion of the tubular body (fourth invention).

According to the gas discharge pipe (first invention) of the present invention, it is possible to prevent gas leakage by suppressing the dimensional change between the battery and the gas discharge pipe. Moreover, since the gas exhaust pipe of the present invention has a simple configuration, it is easy to manufacture and attach.

Further, in the case of the second to fourth inventions, the attachment of the gas discharge pipe is particularly simplified.

It is a perspective view which shows the gas exhaust pipe and assembled battery of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view which shows the assembly | attachment of a gas exhaust pipe and an assembled battery. It is a perspective view which shows the gas exhaust pipe of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the lower surface side of the gas exhaust pipe of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded view which shows the structure of the gas exhaust pipe of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of the tubular body of the gas exhaust pipe of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the shape of the metal plate of the gas exhaust pipe of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the seal structure between a gas exhaust pipe and an assembled battery. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the gas exhaust pipe of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of a metal plate used for the gas exhaust pipe of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a gas discharge pipe of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a gas discharge pipe attached to a battery pack for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle as an example. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gas discharge pipe and the assembled battery according to the first embodiment of the present invention are assembled. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the assembly of the gas exhaust pipe and the assembled battery. In these drawings, the detailed configuration of the battery such as terminals, gas discharge valves (discharge ports), bus bars, and the like provided in the unit cells is simplified. In addition, this invention is not limited to the separate embodiment shown below, The form can also be changed and implemented.

In the assembled battery structure (hereinafter also referred to as an assembled battery or a battery module) 1, the flat unit cells 2 and 2 constituting the assembled battery are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance so that the wide surfaces of the unit cells face each other. They are arranged in a stacked state with a gap therebetween. The single cells 2 and 2 are electrically connected in series or in parallel by the bus bars 3 and 3 to constitute a battery pack. In the present embodiment, the unit cell constituting the battery module is a lithium ion battery, and the unit cell 2 has a flat plate shape (flat rectangular parallelepiped shape). Terminals are provided on the side surfaces (surfaces adjacent to a wide flat surface) of each battery.

Spacer members 5 and 5 are sandwiched between the unit cells 2 and 2 adjacent to each other. The spacer member 5 is formed in a corrugated plate shape, for example. A predetermined interval is maintained between the single cells 2 and 2 by the spacer member. The spacer member 5 and the single cell 2 form a cooling air passage.

Although illustration is omitted, on the upstream side and downstream side of the assembled battery 1, a blower fan and other ventilation path members (such as a duct) are provided so that the cooling air is sent to the cooling air passage between the cells. Thus, a battery cooling system is configured as a whole. Then, the single cells 2 and 2 arranged in a stacked manner are cooled by cooling air supplied to the side surfaces of the respective cells.

The assembled battery is provided with a holding member so that the laminated structure of the unit cells 2 and 2 and the spacer members 5 and 5 is maintained. In the present embodiment, as the holding member, a pair of end plates 4 and 4 are provided so as to face the wide surfaces of the unit cells at both ends in the stacking direction of the assembled battery. Frame members 6 and 6 having a frame shape are provided on the upper and lower edges of the end plates 4 and 4 so as to fasten the assembled battery in the stacking direction, and the battery stack structure is maintained. The holding member is not limited to the end plate and the frame member, and other structural members may be used, or other structural members may be used in combination.

Each of the cells 2 and 2 constituting the assembled battery 1 is provided with a gas discharge port 21. When gas is generated inside the battery and the inside of the battery becomes high pressure, the gas inside the battery is released from the gas discharge port 21. It is preferable that a valve body is appropriately provided at the gas discharge port.

The gas discharge port 21 is provided on the side surface of the unit cell 2. In a state where the unit cells are stacked to form the assembled battery 1, the gas discharge ports 21 and 21 are provided on one side surface of the assembled battery 1 so as to be aligned in a line. Further, the gas discharge ports 21 and 21 are arranged on substantially the same plane.

The gas discharge pipe 7 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is attached to the assembled battery 1 so as to cover a portion where the gas discharge ports 21 and 21 are arranged. In this embodiment, the gas exhaust pipe 7 is attached to the assembled battery 1 by fixing members (fixed bands) 8 and 8 at both ends of the pipe. Moreover, in this embodiment, there is no fixing member in the intermediate part (part between the both ends of a pipe | tube) of the gas exhaust pipe 7, and the intermediate part of a pipe | tube is not directly fixed to an assembled battery.

3 and 4 show the shape of the gas discharge pipe 7. The gas discharge pipe 7 is a hollow pipe formed substantially in a straight line. The gas discharge pipe 7 has a length corresponding to one side of the assembled battery so as to cover the gas discharge ports 21 and 21 connected to the assembled battery 1. At both ends of the gas exhaust pipe 7, connection parts 721 for connecting to other gas exhaust pipes and gas passage members are provided.
A series of gas discharge paths are formed by connecting the gas discharge pipe and the gas passage member.

The gas discharge pipe has a substantially D-shaped cross section. That is, a part of the gas discharge pipe 7 is formed in a planar shape. A plurality of through holes 7a and 7a are provided in the portion where the gas discharge pipe 7 is made flat so as to communicate the inside and the outside of the pipe. The through hole 7a is provided at a position corresponding to each of the gas discharge ports 21 and 21 of the unit cell.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a portion where the gas discharge pipe 7 is attached to the assembled battery. When gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 21 of the battery, the gas is provided in the gas discharge pipe 7. The gas is introduced into the gas discharge pipe 7 through the through-hole 7a and discharged from a series of gas discharge paths.

The gas discharge pipe 7 of this embodiment includes a pipe body 71, a metal plate 73, and end pipes 72 and 72. As shown in FIG. 5, a metal plate 73 is inserted into the tube body 71, and end pipes 72, 72 are attached to both ends thereof to constitute the gas discharge pipe 7. In FIG. 5, the direction in which each member is inserted and the direction of attachment are indicated by white arrows.

The pipe body 71 is a member that constitutes a main portion of the gas discharge pipe 7 and is formed as a hollow pipe having a substantially D-shaped cross section by rubber in this embodiment. FIG. 6 shows the shape of the tubular body 71 in a four-view view. The pipe body 71 is provided with a plurality of through holes (through holes provided at positions corresponding to the gas discharge ports 21 and 21) that the gas discharge pipe 7 should have. The tube may be made of a synthetic resin, but is preferably made of a thermosetting resin, particularly rubber. In this embodiment, the pipe body 71 is formed of ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM).

The metal plate 73 is a member that is inserted into the tube 71 so as to penetrate the tube 71 to a length corresponding to the entire length of the tube 71 and is provided inside the tube. The shape of the metal plate 73 is shown in FIG. The main body portion 731 of the metal plate 73 is formed in a planar shape, and the main body portion 731 is provided with a plurality of through holes that the gas exhaust pipe 7 should have. That is, the metal plate 73 is inserted into the tube body 71 and assembled so that the two through-holes coincide with each other, thereby forming the gas discharge pipe 7 having a plurality of through-holes 7a and 7a.

In a state where the gas exhaust pipe 7 is assembled, the main body portion 731 of the metal plate 73 and the planar portion of the pipe body 71 provided with the through hole are in close contact with each other.

As in the present embodiment, the metal plate 73 may be one in which both sides of the main body portion 731 are bent into a rim to provide the reinforcing portion 732 and the rigidity of the main body portion 731 is increased. Moreover, you may provide suitably the attaching part 733 for attaching to the pipe body 71 or the end pipe 72 in the both ends of the metal plate 73 like this embodiment.

Although the material which comprises the metal plate 73 will not be specifically limited if it is a metal material, For example, an aluminum plate, an iron plate, etc. can be illustrated. As a metal material constituting the metal plate 73, it is preferable to select a material having a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than the resin material constituting the tubular body 71.

The end pipes 72 and 72 are attached to both ends of the tubular body 71 while holding attachment portions 733 provided at both ends of the metal plate 73. The end pipe 72 is provided with a connection portion 721 for connecting to another gas discharge pipe or the like. In the present embodiment, when the gas discharge pipe 7 is attached to the assembled battery by the fixing member (fixing band) 8, the end of the metal plate 73 is attached to the assembled battery via the end pipe 72. In the present invention, the end pipes 72, 72 are not essential, and the end pipes may be omitted when the functions of connection, fixation, and end sealability can be achieved by other members.

The gas discharge pipe 7 further includes a seal body 711 for sealing between the pipe body 71 and the unit cell 2. In the present embodiment, the seal body 711 is integrally formed with the tube body. The seal body may be manufactured separately from the tube body and attached to the outer peripheral surface of the tube body.

The seal body 711 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the gas discharge pipe 7 so as to surround each of the through holes provided in the pipe body 71, and a ring-shaped seal body is continuously provided. When the gas discharge pipe 7 is assembled to the assembled battery 1, the sealing body 711 is sandwiched between the surface of each single battery 2 and the pipe body 71, and the gas discharge port 21 of the single battery is in a sealed state. It communicates with the inside of the gas discharge pipe 7.

The specific shape of the seal body 711 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the outer seal body having a semicircular cross section and the inner seal body having a lip cross section are used in combination, but the seal body is in another form, such as providing a separate cross section seal body alone. It may be. If the seal body 711 is formed separately from the tube body 71, the degree of freedom of the form of the seal body (for example, an O-ring) can be increased. On the other hand, when the seal body 711 is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tube body 71 as in the present embodiment, the assembly becomes very simple, which is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of increasing manufacturing efficiency.

The gas exhaust pipe 7 of the present invention can be manufactured using a known manufacturing method. For example, the pipe body 71 can be manufactured by rubber injection molding, and the end pipe 72 can also be manufactured by synthetic resin injection molding. The metal plate 73 can be manufactured by bending and pressing a metal material. When the tube 71 and the seal body are manufactured separately, the synthetic resin is extruded into a hollow tube having a predetermined cross section, cut into a predetermined length, and a through hole is provided at a predetermined position. The tube body 71 can also be manufactured.

The obtained metal plate 73 is inserted into the pipe body 71, and the end pipes 72, 72 are inserted and fixed at both ends of the pipe body 71 with the end pipes 72, 72 attached to both ends of the metal plate 73. Then, the gas discharge pipe 7 is obtained. If necessary, it is preferable to use an adhesive or the like to ensure the fixing / sealing between these parts.

The operation and effect of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 shows the structure around the gas discharge port 21 when the gas discharge pipe 7 of the present invention is attached to the assembled battery. In addition, in FIG. 8, the gas exhaust pipe 7 is made into the half section, and the cross-section part is hatched.

According to the gas exhaust pipe 7 of the present invention, when the gas exhaust pipe 7 is attached to the assembled battery, the metal plate 73 is fixed to the assembled battery (and the unit cell). Then, the metal plate 73 inserted into the tube body 71 holds the seal body 711 in a compressed state between the metal plate and the surface of the unit cell, and attaches the gas discharge tube to the assembled battery in a sealed state. Can do.

The metal plate 73 is made of a metal material, has high rigidity, and is difficult to be thermally deformed. The metal plate 73 is formed of a material having a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the tube body 71, and a dimensional change due to a temperature change is small. Therefore, when the assembled battery becomes high temperature or when high-temperature gas is introduced into the gas discharge pipe, the dimensional change of the metal plate 73 is suppressed, and various dimensions between the battery and the gas discharge pipe change. Difficult to leak gas. Therefore, according to the present invention, gas leakage from between the battery and the gas exhaust pipe can be effectively suppressed.

Further, since the inserted metal plate 73 has relatively high rigidity, even if the synthetic resin tube 71 is deformed by the gas pressure of the gas introduced into the gas exhaust pipe, the metal plate 73 is a single cell. The predetermined dimensional relationship between the two can be maintained, and gas leakage hardly occurs. Since the gas pressure and gas temperature when gas is released from the battery tends to decrease as the internal volume of the tube body 71 increases, it is preferable to ensure the volume of the tube body 71 as large as possible.

Moreover, since the gas exhaust pipe of the present invention sandwiches the seal body using the metal plate inserted into the pipe body, a plurality of seal bodies can be attached together. More specifically, in the gas exhaust pipe 7 of the above-described embodiment, the gas exhaust pipe 7 has a plurality of gas exhaust ports 21 provided in each unit cell only by fixing both ends of the gas exhaust pipe 7 with the fixing members 8, 8. 21 can be connected to the gas discharge pipe 7 in a sealed state. Therefore, the gas exhaust pipe of the present invention can be easily attached to the assembled battery. Moreover, the gas discharge pipe of the present invention is easy to manufacture.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications. Although other embodiments of the present invention will be described below, in the following description, portions different from the above embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same portions will be simplified or omitted. Further, the embodiments described below can be implemented by combining some of them or replacing some of them.

In the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the gas discharge pipe 7 (or the metal plate 73) is fixed to the assembled battery by the fixing members 8 and 8 provided at both ends of the gas discharge pipe 7 has been described. A fixing member for fixing the gas discharge pipe may be provided at other locations. In addition, when the fixing members 8 and 8 are provided at both ends of the gas discharge pipe as in the first embodiment, it is convenient to position the connection portions 721 provided at both ends of the discharge pipe at predetermined positions. Particularly preferred. In addition, it is particularly preferable to prevent the metal plate from being fixed to the assembled battery at the intermediate portion of the tube body 71 because the assembling work becomes very simple.

The specific form of the pipe body 71 constituting the gas discharge pipe 7 is such that the portion of the pipe body located between the metal plate 73 and the single cell 2 (the portion where the pipe body 71 faces the single cell 2) is planar. As long as it is formed, it is not particularly limited. The cross-sectional shape of the tubular body 71 may be D-shaped or rectangular.

Moreover, although the connection part 721 for connecting with another gas exhaust pipe etc. may be provided in the both ends of the gas exhaust pipe 7 like 1st Embodiment, one end is closed. May be.

In the description of the above embodiment, the example in which the through holes 7a are provided in a line in the gas discharge pipe 7 is shown. However, the arrangement of the through holes is not limited to a single line, and the gas in the assembled battery What is necessary is just to arrange | position suitably according to arrangement | positioning of a discharge port. For example, when the gas discharge ports are arranged in a staggered pattern in the assembled battery 1, the width of the planar portion of the gas discharge pipe 7 may be widened and the through holes 7a may be arranged in a staggered pattern.

In the first embodiment, the pipe body 71 of the gas discharge pipe 7 is integrally formed in a tubular shape, but the pipe body may be configured by assembling a plurality of members. FIG. 9 shows such an embodiment as a second embodiment. The gas discharge pipe 9 according to the present embodiment includes a tubular first member 911, a metal plate 93, and a tubular second member 912.

The tubular body first member 911 and the tubular body second member 912 are both formed of synthetic resin, and both are combined to form a tubular body. The tube first member 911 is a flat plate-like perforated member, and is provided with a through hole and a seal body corresponding to the gas discharge ports 21 and 21 connected to the assembled battery.

The tubular body second member 912 is a member constituting the remaining portion of the tubular body, and is formed in an elongated open box shape (the lower surface side in FIG. 9 is open) provided with connection portions at both ends. Yes. The tubular body second member 912 is provided with a flange along the open edge.

In the present embodiment, the metal plate 93 is formed in a perforated flat plate shape having a through hole corresponding to the through hole provided in the tubular body first member. The metal plate 93 is sandwiched between the tube first member 911 and the tube second member 912 and assembled to the gas exhaust pipe 9, so that the metal plate is inserted into the tube body.

The gas discharge pipe 9 is attached to the assembled battery 1 by a frame-shaped fixing member 88. When the fixing member 88 is attached to the assembled battery, the tube first member 911, the metal plate 93, and the tube second member 912 are sandwiched and fixed between the battery and the fixing member 88. And the sealing body provided in the tube 1st member is pinched | interposed between the battery surface and the metal plate 93 by the metal plate 93, and the circumference | surroundings of the gas exhaust port 21 are made | formed.

Even in such an embodiment, due to the presence of the metal plate 93 inserted and arranged inside the tube body, the manufacture and attachment of the gas discharge pipe 9 can be simplified while efficiently and reliably sealing a plurality of seal portions. it can.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the metal plate. The metal plate 75 can be used for the gas exhaust pipe of the present invention, similarly to the metal plate 73 shown in FIGS. The metal plate 75 of this embodiment further includes shielding plates 751 and 751. The shielding plates 751 and 751 are provided so as to cover each of the through holes provided continuously to the metal plate 75 with a predetermined gap.

When the shielding plate 751 is provided so as to cover the through hole of the metal plate, the gas is diffused by the shielding plate even when a high-temperature gas is ejected from the unit cell. Further, the heat of the high temperature gas can be removed by the shielding plate or the metal plate, and the temperature of the gas can be lowered. Therefore, by providing the shielding plate, it is possible to prevent a problem that the high temperature gas is directly blown onto the synthetic resin pipe body 71 and the pipe body is damaged. The shielding plate 751 is preferably integrally formed with the metal plate 75 as in the present embodiment, but may be formed and attached as a separate member. Even when provided as a separate member, the shielding plate is preferably formed of a metal material.

Examples of the substantially flat unit cell constituting the assembled battery include a primary battery, a secondary battery (such as a lithium ion battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, and a nickel cadmium battery), a double electric capacitor, and the like.

The purpose and application for which the assembled battery is used are not limited to automobiles. For example, a secondary battery is used for the purpose of leveling the generated power in a wind power generator or a solar battery power generator. The gas exhaust pipe of the present invention can be used for assembled batteries used in a wide range of applications.

The gas discharge pipe of the present invention can be used for a large capacity assembled battery used in an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a power generation device, and the like, and can discharge gas released from the assembled battery. The utility value of is high.

1 assembled battery 2 single cell 21 gas exhaust port 3 bus bar 4 end plate 5 spacer member 6 frame member 7 gas exhaust pipe 71 tube 711 seal body 72 end pipe 73 metal plates 8 and 88 fixing member 9 gas exhaust pipe 911 tube first 1 member 912 Tube second member 93 Metal plate 75 Metal plate 752 Shield plate

Claims (4)

In an assembled battery in which substantially flat unit cells are stacked, a gas discharge pipe for discharging gas generated from the unit cells,
The gas discharge pipe has a tube made of synthetic resin, a metal plate and a seal body,
In the tube, through holes corresponding to the gas discharge ports of each unit cell are connected,
A seal body is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tube so as to surround each of the through holes,
The metal plate is formed to a length corresponding to the entire length of the tubular body, and the metal plate is provided with through holes corresponding to each of the through holes provided continuously to the tubular body,
The metal plate is inserted through the tube body,
A gas exhaust pipe in which a sealing body is sandwiched between a metal plate and a single cell by attaching the metal plate to the assembled battery. The gas discharge pipe according to claim 1, wherein the seal body is integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe body. The gas discharge pipe according to claim 2, wherein the metal plate is fixed to the assembled battery at both ends of the pipe body. The gas discharge pipe according to claim 3, wherein the metal plate is not fixed to the assembled battery at an intermediate portion of the pipe body.

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