JP2013235727A - Battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent unsteadiness in a lamination direction of a battery cell and in a direction orthogonal to the direction with certainty, by a simple structure.SOLUTION: A pair of end plates 13A and 13B are overlapped with both ends in a lamination direction of a plurality of battery cells 11, and both end parts of a restraining member 14 are fastened to side walls 13a of the pair of end plates 13A and 13B by means of bolts 15. At this time, because an end part of the restraining member 14 and at least one of the side walls 13a of the end plates 13A and 13B, that contact with each other, have first inclined planes 13c and 14c inclined in the fastening direction, a load F1 moving in a direction that the pair of restraining members 14 approach each other by the fastening force of the bolt 15 is converted into a load F2 moving in a direction that the pair of end plates 13A and 13B approach each other by the first inclined planes 13c and 14c, and thereby, the plurality of battery cells 11 are sandwiched between the pair of end plates 13A and 13B to prevent unsteadiness in the lamination direction, and the vibration resistance of the battery module M can be enhanced.

Description

  The present invention provides a plurality of battery cells to be stacked, a pair of end plates stacked at both ends in the stacking direction of the battery cells, a pair of side walls of one end plate, and a pair of side walls of the other end plate A battery module comprising: a plurality of restraining members that are connected to each other to face the side surfaces of the battery cell; and a fastening member that fastens the both ends of the restraining member to the side wall in a fastening direction that intersects the stacking direction. About.

  A plurality of separators (holders) are stacked so as to be fitted to each other, battery cells are stored in storage spaces formed between two adjacent separators, and the separators and battery cells are stacked at both ends in the stacking direction. Patent Document 1 below discloses a battery pack in which a pair of stacked end plates are fixed to a vehicle body to integrate a separator, battery cells, and end plates.

JP 2008-166191 A

  By the way, what was described in the said patent document 1 is because only a pair of end plates are each fixed to the vehicle body, and the load which fastens the laminated | stacked several separator and several battery cell in a lamination direction does not act. In addition to the possibility of play in the stacking direction between the separator and the battery cell, the battery cell is only housed in a housing space formed between two adjacent separators, so the battery There was a possibility that the cell would rattle in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  In addition, it is also known to prevent backlash in the stacking direction of the holder and the battery cell by tightening a pair of end plates in a direction approaching each other with a bolt or the like. Even if the backlash in the stacking direction is prevented, it is difficult to reliably prevent backlash in the up-down direction and the left-right direction of the battery cell.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reliably prevent backlash in the stacking direction of the battery cells and the direction orthogonal thereto with a simple structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of main surfaces, a pair of side surfaces orthogonal to the pair of main surfaces, the pair of main surfaces, and the pair of side surfaces are provided. A plurality of battery cells having a top surface and a bottom surface orthogonal to each other and stacked with the main surfaces facing each other; a pair of end plates stacked at both ends in the stacking direction of the battery cells; A plurality of restraining members having opposite ends connected to the pair of side walls of the end plate and the pair of side walls of the other end plate and facing the side surfaces of the battery cell; A fastening member that fastens in a fastening direction that intersects with at least one of an end portion of the restraining member that abuts each other and the side wall of the end plate A first inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the fastening direction, and a load that moves the pair of restraining members toward each other by the fastening member, and the pair of end plates are mutually connected by the first inclined surface. A battery module is proposed which is characterized in that it is converted into a load that moves in an approaching direction.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the structure of claim 1, the restraining member includes a bolt hole that is long in the stacking direction, and the fastening member is a bolt that penetrates the bolt hole. A featured battery module is proposed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, the restraining member includes a corner between the side surface and the top surface of the battery cell, and the battery cell. A second inclined surface that directly or indirectly abuts against a corner portion between the side surface and the bottom surface of the battery, and a load that moves the pair of restraining members toward each other by the fastening member. A battery module is proposed that converts the corner portion into a load that presses the corner portion in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect, the plurality of battery cells are stacked with a holder interposed therebetween, and between the second inclined surface and a corner of the battery cell. A battery module is proposed in which the holder is interposed.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth aspect, the side walls of the one end plate are inclined in such a way that the distance between the side plates decreases toward the holder adjacent thereto. And a side wall of the other end plate is provided with a pair of fourth inclined surfaces that are inclined so as to increase a distance from each other toward the holder adjacent thereto, and the holder includes the one end plate. A pair of fourth inclined surfaces that incline so that the distance between them increases toward each other, and a pair of third inclined surfaces that incline so that the distance between them decreases toward the other end plate, The third inclined surface of the holder abuts on the fourth inclined surface of the other holder or the fourth inclined surface of the other end plate, and the fourth inclined surface of one of the holders Battery module characterized in that it abuts against the third inclined surface of the third inclined surface or the one end plate of the holder is suggested.

  The side plate 14 of the embodiment corresponds to the restraining member of the present invention, and the bolt 15 of the embodiment corresponds to the fastening member of the present invention.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, the pair of end plates are superposed on both ends of the stacked battery cells in the stacking direction, and the pair of side walls of the one end plate and the pair of side walls of the other end plate are connected to the plurality of end plates. In order to connect with the restraining member, both ends of the restraining member are fastened with the fastening member to the side wall of the end plate in the fastening direction intersecting the stacking direction. At this time, since at least one of the end portion of the restraining member that abuts against each other and the side wall of the end plate includes a first inclined surface that slopes with respect to the fastening direction, the fastening member causes the pair of restraining members to approach each other. By converting the moving load into a load that moves in a direction in which the pair of end plates approach each other by the first inclined surface, a plurality of battery cells are sandwiched between the pair of end plates, and play in the stacking direction is generated. And the vibration resistance of the battery module can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the restraining member has a bolt hole that is long in the stacking direction, when the bolt as the fastening member passes through the bolt hole and is screwed into the side wall of the end plate, the pair of end plates is The bolts can be screwed onto the side walls of the end plate without hindrance even if they move in directions approaching each other.

  According to the configuration of claim 3, the restraining member includes the second inclined surface that directly or indirectly contacts the corner portion between the side surface and the top surface of the battery cell and the corner portion between the side surface and the bottom surface of the battery cell. Therefore, the load that moves in the direction in which the pair of restraining members approach each other by the fastening member is converted into a load that presses the corner of the battery cell in the direction orthogonal to the stacking direction, and the battery cell is orthogonal to the stacking direction. It is possible to prevent rattling in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of battery cells are stacked with the holder interposed therebetween, and the holder is interposed between the second inclined surface of the restraining member and the corner of the battery cell. Even in the case where a holder sandwiched between them is provided, both the holder and the battery cell can be prevented from rattling in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the side wall of one end plate is provided with a pair of third inclined surfaces that are inclined so as to narrow the mutual distance toward the adjacent holder, and the side wall of the other end plate is adjacent. A pair of fourth inclined surfaces that incline so that a mutual interval widens toward the holder, and the holder has a pair of fourth inclined surfaces that incline so that the mutual interval widens toward one end plate; A pair of third inclined surfaces that are inclined toward the other end plate so as to be spaced apart from each other; the third inclined surface of one holder is the fourth inclined surface of the other holder or the second inclined surface of the other end plate; The four inclined surfaces of one holder abut the third inclined surface of the other holder or the third inclined surface of one end plate, so that each holder is in contact with the other end plate. By tightening the lateral direction in order from the side, the holder and the battery cells rattling of the lateral direction can be prevented more reliably.

The perspective view of a battery module. (First embodiment) The exploded perspective view of a battery module. (First embodiment) FIG. 3 is a three-direction arrow view of FIG. 1. (First embodiment) Action explanatory drawing corresponding to FIG. First embodiment) FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. (First embodiment) The figure corresponding to the principal part of FIG. (Second and third embodiments)

First embodiment

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery module M used as a power supply device for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle includes a predetermined number (12 in the embodiment) of battery cells 11 stacked in the stacking direction. . Each battery cell 11 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a pair of main surfaces 11a, 11a facing each other, a pair of side surfaces 11b, 11b facing each other orthogonal to the main surfaces 11a, 11a, and a main surface 11a. , 11a and side surfaces 11b, 11b, and a top surface 11c and a bottom surface 11d that are opposed to each other perpendicularly, and positive and negative electrodes 11e, 11e are provided on the top surface 11c.

  In this specification, the direction connecting the top surface 11c and the bottom surface 11d of the battery cell 11 perpendicular to the stacking direction is defined as the vertical direction, and the pair of side surfaces 11b, 11b of the battery cell 11 is defined orthogonally to the stacking direction. The connecting direction is defined as the left-right direction.

  The main surfaces 11a of the twelve battery cells 11 and eleven square plate-shaped holders 12 made of synthetic resin are alternately stacked, and the two battery cells 11 and 11 at both ends in the stacking direction are stacked. A pair of metal end plates 13A and 13B are superimposed on the outer surface. In this state, the side plates 14, 14 made of a pair of metal plates are mounted along the pair of side surfaces 11 b of the battery cells 11, and the two end portions of the pair of side plates 14, 14 are respectively attached to the two side plates 11, 14. The battery cells 11..., The holders 12..., The end plates 13 A and 13 B and the side plates 14 and 14 are assembled together by fastening them to the side walls 13 a of the pair of end plates 13 A and 13 B with bolts 15 and 15.

  Each end plate 13A, 13B is provided with a pair of left and right side walls 13a, 13a. Each side wall 13a is inclined inward in the left-right direction from the fastening surface 13b extending in the stacking direction and the up-down direction, and the outer end in the stacking direction of the fastening surface 13b. And a first inclined surface 13c. Each fastening surface 13b is formed with a pair of upper and lower screw holes 13d, 13d. The shape of the pair of end plates 13A and 13B is slightly different, and one end plate 13A approaches the end of the left and right fastening walls 13b and 13b in the stacking direction toward the battery cells 11. The third inclined surfaces 13e and 13e (see FIG. 3) that are inclined in the direction are formed, and the other end plate 13B is directed to the battery cells 11 at the inner end in the stacking direction of the left and right fastening walls 13b and 13b. Fourth inclined surfaces 13f and 13f (see FIG. 3) inclined in directions away from each other are formed.

  The pair of side plates 14 and 14 are members having the same shape, and a plurality of lightening holes 14b are formed in a slit shape extending in the vertical direction in the flat main body portion 14a. First inclined surfaces 14c and 14c extending in parallel with the first inclined surfaces 13c and 13c of the end plates 13A and 13B are formed at both ends in the stacking direction of the main body portion 14a. Bolt holes 14d and 14d through which the two bolts 15 and 15 pass are formed in the main body portion 14a adjacent to the first inclined surfaces 14c and 14c so as to be elongated in the stacking direction. A pair of upper and lower second inclined surfaces 14e and 14e that are inclined inward in the left-right direction are formed on the upper edge and the lower edge of the main body portion 14a.

  The holder 12 includes four battery cell support portions 12b protruding from the four corners of the corrugated body portion 12a, and these battery cell support portions 12a are engaged with the four corners of the battery cell 11, The battery cell 11 is supported inside the holder 12. Each battery cell support portion 12b of the holder 12 is formed with a second inclined surface 12c (see FIG. 5) that is inclined in parallel with the second inclined surface 14e of the side plate 14 and can contact the second inclined surface 14e. Is done.

  Further, the battery cell support portion 12b is formed with a fourth inclined surface 12e (see FIG. 3) parallel to the third inclined surface 13e of the end plate 13A at the end on the one end plate 13A side, A fourth inclined surface 12e (see FIG. 3) parallel to the third inclined surface 13d of the end plate 13B is formed at the end on the end plate 13B side.

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in a state where twelve battery cells 11... And eleven holders 12... Are alternately arranged between a pair of end plates 13A and 13B, The plates 14 and 14 are applied, and a total of eight bolts 15 penetrating through the bolt holes 14d are screwed into the screw holes 13d of the fastening surfaces 13b of the side walls 13a of the end plates 13A and 13B.

  When the bolts 15 are tightened, the pair of side plates 14 and 14 move toward each other, and the first inclined surfaces 14c of the side plates 14 and 14 eventually become the first inclined surfaces of the pair of end plates 13A and 13B. Abut against 13c. Since the first inclined surfaces 14c of the side plates 14 and 14 and the first inclined surfaces 13c of the end plates 13A and 13B are inclined with respect to the stacking direction and the left and right direction, the bolts 15 are fastened in the left and right direction. The load F1 is converted into a tightening load F2 in a direction perpendicular to the first inclined surfaces 14c, 13c, and the pair of end plates 13A, 13B approach each other by a component force in the stacking direction of the tightening load F2. The battery cells 11 and the holders 12 are sandwiched between the pair of end plates 13A and 13B to prevent play in the stacking direction.

  At this time, the pair of end plates 13A and 13B move together with the bolts 15 in a direction approaching each other, but the bolt holes 14d of the side plates 14 and 14 through which the bolts 15 pass are long holes in the stacking direction. Therefore, the movement of the end plates 13A and 13B can be absorbed to prevent the side plates 14 and 14 from being bent and deformed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the pair of side plates 14 and 14 move in a direction in which they approach each other, the second inclined surfaces 14e formed on the upper and lower edges of the side plates 14 and 14 are connected to the battery cell support portion 12b of the holder 12. Are in contact with the second inclined surfaces 12c formed at the four corners. Since these second inclined surfaces 14e ..., 12c ... are inclined with respect to the left-right direction and the up-down direction, the fastening load F1 in the left-right direction by the bolts 15 ... is applied to these second inclined surfaces 14e ..., 12c ... It is converted into a tightening load F3 in an orthogonal direction, and by this tightening load F3, the battery cell support portions 12b of the holders 12 are urged in a direction approaching each other and compressed so that the vertical interval and the horizontal interval are narrowed. The Thereby, the holders 12 and the battery cells 11 supported in the holders 12 can be tightened to prevent vertical and horizontal play.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the pair of end plates 13A and 13B are urged toward each other by the tightening load F2, the other end plate is applied by the tightening load F4 which is a component in the stacking direction. The first holder 12 adjacent to 13B is pressed against 13B. As a result, the third inclined surfaces 12d and 12d of the battery cell support portions 12b and 12b of the holder 12 come into contact with the fourth inclined surfaces 13f and 13f of the other end plate 13B, and the reaction force F5 causes the left and right batteries of the holder 12 to The cell support portions 12b and 12b are tightened in a direction approaching each other.

  The pair of third inclined surfaces 12d, 12d of the second holder 12 from the other end plate 13B is pressed against the pair of fourth inclined surfaces 12e, 12e of the first holder 12, and the reaction force causes the second The pair of battery cell support portions 12b, 12b of the holder 12 are tightened in a direction approaching each other, and by this repetition, the pair of battery cell support portions 12b, 12b of all the holders 12 ... are tightened in a direction approaching each other. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the backlash in the left-right direction between the holders 12 and the battery cells 11 housed therein.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the side plates 14 and 14 are secured to the end plates 13A and 13B without tightening the pair of end plates 13A and 13B in a direction approaching each other using a special through bolt or the like. A pair of end plates 13A and 13B are tightened in a direction approaching each other using a fastening force of bolts 15 fixed to the battery 15 while reducing the number of parts and contributing to cost reduction, while the battery cells 11 and the holders 12. Thus, the vibration resistance of the battery module M can be improved.

  In addition, the battery cell support portions 12b at the four corners of the holder 12 are tightened inward by using the fastening force of the bolts 15 to prevent the battery cells 11 and the holder 12 from rattling in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The vibration resistance of the battery module M can be improved.

Second and third embodiments

  Next, second and third embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the first embodiment, the first inclined surfaces 13c and 13c of the end plates 13A and 13B and the first inclined surfaces 14c and 14c of the side plate 14 are brought into contact with each other, as shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the first inclined surfaces 14c and 14c of the side plate 14 are eliminated, and contact portions 14c 'and 14c' that are not inclined are provided instead. Further, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6B, the first inclined surfaces 13c and 13c of the end plates 13A and 13B are abolished, and non-inclined contact portions 13c 'and 13c' are provided instead. ing. That is, if the first inclined surfaces 13c, 13c, 14c, 14c are provided on at least one of the end plates 13A, 13B and the side plates 14, 14, the fastening force F1 in the left-right direction by the bolts 15 ... is tightened in the stacking direction F2. Can be converted to

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment, the second inclined surfaces 14e and 14e of the side plate 14 tighten the battery cell 11 via the holder 12, but the battery cell 11 is directly tightened by the second inclined surfaces 14e and 14e of the side plate 14. May be.

  Further, the restraining member of the present invention is not limited to a plate-like member such as the side plates 14 and 14 of the embodiment, and may be a rod-like member. The number of restraining members is not limited to one each on the left and right, and may be a plurality on the left and right.

11 Battery cell 11a Main surface 11b Side surface 11c Top surface 11d Bottom surface 12 Holder 12d Third inclined surface 12e Fourth inclined surface 13A End plate 13B End plate 13a Side wall 13c First inclined surface 13e Third inclined surface 13f Fourth inclined surface 14 Side Plate (restraint member)
14c 1st inclined surface 14d Bolt hole 14e 2nd inclined surface 15 Bolt (fastening member)

Claims (5)

A pair of main surfaces (11a), a pair of side surfaces (11b) orthogonal to the pair of main surfaces (11a), a top surface orthogonal to the pair of main surfaces (11a) and the pair of side surfaces (11b) ( 11c) and a plurality of battery cells (11) having a bottom surface (11d) and stacked with the main surfaces (11a) facing each other;
A pair of end plates (13A, 13B) superimposed on both ends of the battery cell (11) in the stacking direction;
Both end portions are connected to a pair of side walls (13a) of one end plate (13A) and a pair of side walls (13a) of the other end plate (13B), and the side surface (11b) of the battery cell (11). A plurality of restraining members (14) opposite to
A fastening member (15) for fastening both end portions of the restraining member (14) to the side wall (13a) in a fastening direction intersecting the stacking direction;
A battery module comprising:
At least one of the end portions of the restraining members (14) that contact each other and the side walls (13a) of the end plates (13A, 13B) has first inclined surfaces (13c, 14c) that are inclined with respect to the fastening direction. And the pair of end plates (13A, 13B) are loaded by the first inclined surfaces (13c, 14c) with a load that moves the pair of restraining members (14) toward each other by the fastening members (15). The battery module is converted to a load that moves in a direction approaching each other.   The said restraining member (14) is provided with the bolt hole (14d) long in a lamination direction, The said fastening member (15) is a volt | bolt (15) which penetrates the said bolt hole (14d), It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The battery module as described in.   The restraining member (14) includes a corner between the side surface (11b) and the top surface (11c) of the battery cell (11), and the side surface (11b) and the bottom surface (11d) of the battery cell (11). ) Including a second inclined surface (14e) that directly or indirectly abuts against the corner between the two, and a load that moves the pair of restraining members (14) toward each other by the fastening member (15), The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the battery module is converted into a load that presses the corner of the battery cell in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction.   The plurality of battery cells (11) are stacked with a holder (12) in between, and the holder (12) is interposed between the second inclined surface (14e) and a corner of the battery cell (11). The battery module according to claim 3, wherein: The side wall (13a) of the one end plate (13A) includes a pair of third inclined surfaces (13e) that are inclined toward the holder (12) adjacent to the end plate (13A), and the other end plate (13A). The side wall (13a) of the end plate (13B) includes a pair of fourth inclined surfaces (13f) that are inclined so as to increase the distance from each other toward the holder (12) adjacent thereto.
The holder (12) is provided with a pair of fourth inclined surfaces (12e) that are inclined so as to increase the mutual distance toward the one end plate (13A), and toward the other end plate (13B). And a pair of third inclined surfaces (12d) that are inclined so that the distance between them is reduced,
The third inclined surface (12d) of one holder (12) is the fourth inclined surface (12e) of the other holder (12) or the fourth inclined surface (13f) of the other end plate (13B). The fourth inclined surface (12e) of one holder (12) is in contact with the third inclined surface (12d) of the other holder (12) or the third inclined surface (13A) of the one end plate (13A). The battery module according to claim 4, wherein the battery module abuts on 13 e).

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