JP2014229725A - Power storage unit and power storage device used thereon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power storage unit capable of adjusting the pressure of a power storage device while preventing increase of the number of component parts.SOLUTION: The power storage unit includes at least: a power storage device; an outer case with an opening, which stores a power storage device along with electrolyte; plural power storage devices which have an opening shielding member which shields at least a part of the opening of the outer case; a holder that supports the plural power storage devices; and a plate-like connection member that electrically connects the plural power storage devices to each other. The opening shielding member of the power storage devices which are supported by the holder is movable of moving outward from the inside of the outer case. With this arrangement, in the power storage unit, the connection member can be easily mounted to the holder and thus the productivity is increased. When the connection member is connected to the power storage device, positional displacement of the connection member; and accordingly connection failure are prevented and thus the reliability of the connection is increased.

Description

  The present invention relates to a power storage unit used for various electronic devices, a vehicle-mounted power storage device, and the like, and a power storage device used therefor.

  Up to now, power storage units that can be charged and discharged have been used as main power sources, auxiliary power sources, standby power sources, and the like of electronic devices.

  FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery module in which a plurality of cells are electrically connected as an example of a conventional power storage unit.

  A conventional battery module includes a plurality of cells 107, a pressing plate fixing device 102, a pressing plate 103, a discharge portion 104, a protection circuit 105, a cover 106, a module fixing portion 109, a pressing plate 111, The detection unit 112 is configured.

  The plurality of cells 107 are arranged in a state where each cell 107 has an explosion-proof valve 108 and a gap 101 is provided between the cells 107. The plurality of cells 107 are sandwiched and fixed between the pressing plates 103 and 111 provided in the fixing unit 102 between the pressing plates. The plurality of cells 107 supply power to the external circuit through the electrode terminals 110.

  The discharge unit 104 is provided integrally with the push plate 111 and forms a space in which gas is discharged from the explosion-proof valve 108. The discharge unit 104 has a function of suppressing the released gas from contacting the protection circuit 105 and the like.

  The detection unit 112 includes a sensor that detects the gas released to the emission unit 104.

  With this configuration, the conventional power storage unit can check the gas generation status of the cell 107 without visual inspection or the like while suppressing gas leakage.

  As prior art document information relating to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2009-43592 A

  Certainly, with the configuration of the conventional power storage unit (battery module), gas generation in the cell 107 can be detected while suppressing gas leakage.

  However, the explosion-proof mechanism provided in the power storage unit in this way is configured with consideration given to preventing the electrolytic solution (not shown) inside the power storage device from scattering to other components, etc. The structure of the unit tends to be complicated, such as an increase in the number of parts, and this has led to factors that increase manufacturing costs.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a power storage unit that can perform explosion-proofing of a power storage device while suppressing an increase in the number of parts.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electricity storage unit of the present invention includes an electricity storage element, an exterior case containing the electricity storage element together with an electrolyte and having an opening, and at least a part of the opening of the exterior case sealed A plurality of power storage devices each having a sealing member, a holder that supports the plurality of power storage devices, and a plate-like connection member that electrically connects the power storage devices, and the power storage device supported by the holder The sealing member is capable of moving from the inside to the outside of the exterior case.

  With this configuration, when the pressure in the power storage device rises, the power storage unit of the present invention moves the sealing member that originally sealed the opening of the outer case in a direction from the inside toward the outside. By doing so, the capacity | capacitance inside an electrical storage apparatus can be increased and it can suppress that an internal pressure increases. Thereby, the electrical storage unit of this invention can perform explosion-proof of an electrical storage apparatus.

The perspective view which opened the unit case of the electrical storage unit in the Example of this invention, and also showed the structure inside a unit case. The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled and showed the electrical storage apparatus, the upper and lower holder, and a connection member which are used for the electrical storage unit in the Example of this invention. (A) The cross-sectional schematic which extracted and showed the electrical storage apparatus and connection member before the sealing member used for the electrical storage unit in the Example of this invention moved, (b) The sealing member used for the electrical storage unit Sectional schematic diagram partially showing the power storage device and the connection member after moving The perspective view which extracted and showed some holders used for the electrical storage unit in the Example of this invention Schematic cross-sectional view excerpted from a holder and a part of a power storage device used in a power storage unit in an embodiment of the present invention The perspective view which extracted and showed the structure of the conventional electrical storage unit partially

  Hereinafter, examples of the present invention and inventions according to all claims will be described with reference to the drawings, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following contents.

(Example)
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a unit cover 10 is removed from an electricity storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the power storage device 1, the holders 2, 3 and the connection members 4a, 4b used in the power storage unit of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power storage unit of the present invention includes a plurality of columnar power storage devices 1 arranged in the vicinity of upper and lower ends of the power storage devices 1 arranged side by side. The holder 2 and the holder 3 housed and supported inside, the support members 4a and 4b electrically supported by the power storage devices 1 and fixed to the holders 2 and 3 and fixed to the holders 2 and 3; The wiring connection portion 5 electrically connected to the connection members 4a and 4b, the wiring connection portion 5 having one end electrically connected to the connection members 4a and 4b, and the wiring 6 and the other end electrically connected to each other. A control board 7, a pair of external connection terminals 8 connected to the connection member 4b, a pedestal 9 attached to the holder 3, the power storage device 1, the holders 2, 3, the connection members 4a, 4b, the wiring connection portion 5, Wiring 6, Your substrate 7, the external connection terminal 8 (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as "power storage unit") is constructed from unit cover 10 which houses with pedestal 9.

  An electric double layer capacitor is used for the power storage device 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the power storage device 1 includes a capacitor element (not shown) that stores and feeds power, an exterior case 1a that accommodates the capacitor element, and a part from the opening of the exterior case 1a to the outside. The exposed current collecting terminal 1b and the sealing member 1c provided at the opening of the outer case 1a and provided between the outer peripheral surface of the current collecting terminal 1b and the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 1a are provided. The outer case 1a and the current collecting terminal 1b are made of a conductive material. The capacitor element has a positive electrode and a negative electrode. One of the pair of electrodes is electrically connected to the outer case 1a, and the other electrode is electrically connected to the current collecting terminal 1b. With this configuration, the power storage device 1 is configured to draw out the respective electrodes from opposite directions of the upper end side of the current collecting terminal 1b and the lower surface side (bottom surface side) of the exterior case 1a. A plurality of power storage devices 1 according to the present embodiment are used. For example, six power storage devices 1 are arranged in one row, and three rows are arranged in parallel.

  The holders 2 and 3 are provided on the upper side and the lower side in the height direction of the power storage device 1 with respect to the group of the plurality of power storage devices 1 arranged in parallel. 1 and 2, a holder 2 is provided on the upper side of the power storage device 1, and a holder 3 is provided on the lower side.

  In FIG. 2, the holders 2 and 3 of this embodiment are made of resin as an example. The holders 2 and 3 are configured by holes, and the support portions 2a and 3a for storing the plurality of power storage devices 1 in the holes, and the support holes 2e for inserting the support columns 11 connected to the holders 2 and 3; 3e. A plurality of accommodating portions 2a, 3a of the present embodiment are formed in accordance with the plurality of power storage devices 1, and are provided so that the holes of the accommodating portion 2a and the holes of the accommodating portion 3a face each other. The support column 11 is inserted into the support column holes 2 e and 3 e of the holders 2 and 3, and the support column 11 is supported by the holders 2 and 3, whereby the holders 2 and 3 support each other through the support column 11. Yes.

  The connection members 4 a and 4 b are made of metal and are respectively disposed on the upper surface of the holder 2 drawn from both ends of the power storage device 1 or the bottom surface of the holder 3. The connecting members 4a and 4b include a shaft portion 4e extending to one side, a tongue-shaped connection portion 4f extending from the shaft portion 4e, a pair of crank portions 4h respectively connected to both ends of the shaft portion 4e, It is comprised from the support parts 4c and 4d connected with the crank part 4h. And it is electrically connected with the electrical storage apparatus 1 in the connection part 4f. As an example, the connection member 4a of the present embodiment is connected in series with two adjacent power storage devices 1 in each row with respect to the power storage devices 1 arranged in parallel by 3 rows × 6 pieces / row, Three power storage devices 1 adjacent to each other are connected in parallel, and a total of six power storage devices 1 are electrically connected. Connection member 4b is connected to power storage devices 1 located at both ends of each row. The connection members 4a and 4b of the present embodiment are provided with a first support portion 4c and a second support portion 4d at both ends. These support portions 4c and 4d are configured to be supported by the first support means 2b and the second support means 2c provided on the side surface portions, like the holder 2 in FIG. Details of the support methods of the support portions 4c and 4d and the support means 2b and 2c will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wiring connection portion 5 is provided at a place where the support means 2 b is formed, and is connected to the connection members 4 a and 4 b electrically connected to the power storage device 1 and terminals provided at one end of the wiring 6 (not shown). ) And are electrically connected. As an example, the wiring connection portion 5 of the present embodiment fixes and connects the terminals of the wiring 6 and the connection members 4a and 4b by screwing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wiring 6 uses a copper wire having terminals at both ends as an example, and is connected to the connection members 4a and 4b at the wiring connection portion 5 at one end and to the control board 7 at the other end. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the control board 7 is electrically connected to the connection members 4 a and 4 b via the wiring 6. With this configuration, the control board 7 detects the charge / discharge states and voltage states of the plurality of power storage devices 1 and controls that the degree of deterioration of each power storage device 1 is biased. The control board 7 is attached to a board fixing portion 3j provided in the holder 3.

  The external connection terminal 8 is made of a conductive material and is provided in a pair of positive and negative. As shown in FIG. 1, the external connection terminal is electrically connected to the connection member 4 b on the flange portion 2 d provided on the holder 2. The external connection terminal 8 has a role of electrically connecting the power storage device 1 and an external device or an external circuit provided outside the power storage unit of the present embodiment via the connection members 4a and 4b.

  The pedestal 9 is made of a plate-shaped metal material. As shown in FIG. 1, the pedestal 9 fixes the power storage unit to the pedestal 9 by attaching the holder 3. At the time of fixing, as shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface of the connection member 4a provided on the holder 3 side comes into contact with the pedestal 9, so that the thermal conductivity between the connection member 4a and the pedestal 9 is excellent. The power storage unit is fixed to the pedestal 9 with an insulating sheet (not shown) interposed. At this time, a base fixing portion 3f provided on the holder 3 and having a protrusion protruding toward the base 9 is inserted into an attachment hole (not shown), and the base fixing portion 3d of the holder 3 and the base 9 are screwed. It is fixed by.

  The unit cover 10 is made of resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, an upper surface portion having end sides in four directions, a side surface portion extending from the end side portions of the upper surface portion, and formed in four directions, and a lower end of the side surface portion. Has an opening located on the surface. The unit cover 10 accommodates the power storage unit into the unit cover 10 through the opening and is attached to the base 9. At the time of this attachment, the side part formed in the above four directions has four corners in the opening of the unit cover 10, and each of the four corners is formed with a recess, and the end of the recess on the opening side has a flange. A pedestal fixing portion 10b is provided, and the pedestal fixing portion 10b and the mounting hole 9a of the pedestal 9 are fixed by screws. Further, the unit cover 10 of the present embodiment is provided with a terminal insertion hole 10a which is a through hole for inserting the pair of external connection terminals 8 on the upper surface portion. The external connection terminal 8 is inserted into the terminal insertion hole 10a, and one end thereof is exposed from the inside of the unit cover 10 to the outside.

  The power storage unit of the present embodiment is composed of the above components.

  3 (a) and 3 (b) show partially extracted states in which the power storage device 1 used in the power storage unit of this embodiment and the connection member 4a (4b) are connected before and after the sealing member 1c moves. FIG.

  In the power storage unit of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the sealing member 1 c of the power storage device 1 supported by the holders 2 and 3 can move from the inside to the outside of the exterior case. It is characterized by being.

  With this configuration, the volume in the outer case 1a of the power storage device 1 is increased by the space in which the sealing member 1c is moved, and the internal pressure can be suppressed.

  The sealing member 1c used in the power storage unit of the present embodiment is located at the opening of the outer case 1a and is formed from the outer surface side toward the inner surface side in the side surface of the outer case 1a in a normal time when the generation of gas is small. By fixing the sealing member 1c and the sealing of the opening of the outer case 1a by compressing the sealing member 1c together with the current collecting terminal 1b inserted by applying stress to the outer peripheral side surface of the sealing member 1c by the horizontal drawing processed portion 1d. Stop has been done.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the power storage unit of the present embodiment having the sealing member 1c that moves due to the increase in internal pressure is high in the portion housed inside the exterior case 1a of the sealing member 1c that moves within the exterior case 1a. It is preferable that the length t2 (or thickness) be larger than the difference t1 between the height of the upper end surface of the sealing member 1c and the height of the upper end of the current collecting terminal. At this time, the height t2 is the distance between the lower end of the portion accommodated in the exterior case 1a and the open end of the exterior case 1a in the outer peripheral surface compressed by the exterior case 1a of the sealing member 1c.

  With this configuration, the sealing member 1c that has moved in the exterior case 1a due to the above-mentioned pressure rise can be pushed by the upper end surface at the same time while pushing the connection portion 4f of the connection member 4a (4b) while being pushed by the internal pressure rise. As a result, by providing a weak portion with weak mechanical strength at a location where the connection portion 4f and the current collecting terminal 1b are connected or a part of the connection portion 4f, the weak portion is broken by receiving stress from the sealing member 1c. The power storage device 1 can be electrically insulated from the connection members 4a and 4b. This electrical insulation can mechanically stop charging / discharging the power storage device that has become abnormal due to an increase in internal pressure. In particular, when a part of the outer peripheral surface of the sealing member 1c is limitedly compressed to seal the opening of the outer case 1a like the horizontal drawing portion 1d, among the compressed outer peripheral surface, It is preferable that the difference t3 between the height of the position of the lower end of the portion accommodated in the outer case 1a and the height of the position where the compression means such as the lateral drawing portion is formed is larger than the above t1. Thereby, the sealing member 1c can be moved in the outer case 1a while maintaining the sealing property of the opening of the outer case 1a.

  At this time, a plurality of connection portions 4f provided on the connection members 4a and 4b are provided from one shaft portion 4e, and one connection portion 4f can be connected to one electrode of one power storage device 1. preferable. And as for the several electrical storage apparatus 1 used for the electrical storage unit of a present Example, it is preferable that at least one part electrical storage apparatus 1 is connected in parallel like FIGS. With this configuration, even if the power storage device 1 that is insulated from the connection members 4a and 4b is generated by the stress from the sealing member 1c among the plurality of power storage devices 1, charging and discharging is stopped as a whole power storage unit at that time. Can be prevented. Further, since the shaft portion 4e of the connection members 4a and 4b has higher rigidity than the connection portion 4f and is supported by the holders 2 and 3, the shape change such that one connection portion 4f is pushed by the sealing member 1c and bent. When this occurs, the influence of the shape change can be suppressed from being applied as stress to the other connecting portion 4f.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the area of the portion facing the connection portion 4f on the upper end surface of the sealing member 1c that applies stress to the connection portion 4f is smaller than the area of the exterior case opening. With this configuration, since the stress can be applied by pressing the connection portion 4f with a stress larger than the stress applied to the sealing member due to the pressure in the exterior case 1a, the power storage device 1 whose internal pressure has been increased can be electrically disconnected more efficiently. it can. As an example of a specific shape, a columnar, block, or frustum-shaped protrusion having a cross-sectional area smaller than the area of the opening surface of the exterior case 1a is provided on the upper surface of the sealing member 1c, and the upper end surface of this protrusion is the sealing member 1c. For example, the top end surface is configured.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a part of the holder 3 used in the power storage unit of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a partial view of the holders 2 and 3 and the power storage device 1 used in the power storage unit. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the power storage unit of the present embodiment has a tongue-like elastic portion 3 k formed by providing a notch in a part of the inner surface of each accommodating portion 3 a of the holder 3. With this configuration, the holder 3 of this embodiment can support the power storage device 1 by applying stress to the elastic portion 3k on the outer surface of the power storage device 1.

  Further, like the holder 3 in FIG. 4, the holders 2 and 3 of the present embodiment are configured such that the inner surfaces of the accommodating portions 2 a and 3 a that are through holes do not face the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the power storage device 1. Has been. With this configuration, it is possible to increase the pressure adjustment reliability for the power storage unit that adjusts the pressure in the power storage device 1 by moving the sealing member 1c. With this configuration, the inner surfaces of the accommodating portions 2a and 3a of the holders 2 and 3 are configured to face only the side surfaces of the outer case 1a of the power storage device 1, and the outer case 1a is opened from the opening of the outer case 1a. The sealing member 1c that moves toward the side can be moved more smoothly, and the moved sealing member 1c can be easily exposed from the opening ends of the housing portions 2a and 3a to the outside of the holders 2 and 3. Become. This configuration is particularly effective in the configuration of the power storage device in which the sealing member 1c directly contacts the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 1a. Incidentally, in order to obtain the above-described effect, it is only necessary that the opening of at least one of the housings 2 a and 3 a of the holders 2 and 3 of the present embodiment is opposed to only the side surface of the power storage device 1. This is because a wall surface facing the upper end surface of the sealing member 1c of the power storage device is formed in the opening farther from the other accommodating portion of the two openings of the one accommodating portion, and the sealing member 1c is used for pressure adjustment. If the other housing part is configured to face only the side surface of the power storage device 1 even if it comes into contact with the wall surface and cannot move in the housing part when it tries to move, the exterior is used instead of the sealing member 1c. This is because the case 1a moves in the other housing portion and the exterior case 1a itself can push the connection portions 4f of the connection members 4a and 4b connected to the exterior case 1a.

  The power storage device used in the power storage unit of the present invention is not limited to a capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor, and may be a battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, or a lead storage battery. The shape of the outer case 1a is not limited to a cylindrical shape as in this embodiment, and may be a square shape. The sealing structure of the exterior case opening is not limited to the configuration sealed with only the current collecting terminal and the sealing member as in this embodiment, and a hard lid is separately prepared, and the through-hole is provided in the lid. And a sealing member that closes the through hole may have the configuration of the present invention. In addition, the power storage device of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the positive and negative electrodes are respectively drawn from the upside down direction, and accordingly the connection members 4a and 4b are arranged up and down, but is not limited thereto, The positive and negative electrodes of the power storage device 1 may both be drawn out from the same direction, and the connection members may be arranged on one side.

  The power storage unit of the present invention can perform pressure adjustment while suppressing an increase in the number of parts. As a result, it is expected to be used in in-vehicle or electronic devices where high reliability is required.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power storage device 1a Exterior case 1b Current collecting terminal 1c Sealing member 1d Horizontal drawing part 2, 3 Holder 2a, 3a Housing part 2b, 2c Support means 2d Gutter part 2e, 3e Post hole 3d, 3f, 10b Base fixing part 3j Substrate Fixed part 3k Elastic part 4a, 4b Connection member 4c, 4d Support part 4e Shaft part 4f Connection part 4g External connection part 4h Crank part 5 Wiring connection part 6 Wiring 7 Control board 8 External connection terminal 9 Base 9a Mounting hole 10 Unit cover 10a Terminal insertion hole 11 Prop

Claims (10)

A plurality of power storage devices having a power storage element, an exterior case having an opening that accommodates the power storage element together with an electrolyte, and a sealing member that seals at least a part of the opening of the exterior case;
A holder for supporting the plurality of power storage devices,
And at least a plate-like connection member that electrically connects the power storage devices,
The power storage unit in which the sealing member of the power storage device supported by the holder is movable from the inside to the outside of the exterior case. The holder has a plurality of accommodating portions having holes, the plurality of power storage devices are accommodated in the holes of the accommodating portions, and the inner wall of the accommodating portions has flexibility so that the power storage device The power storage unit according to claim 1, further comprising a claw portion that presses the side surface. The holder has a plurality of accommodating portions having holes, and the plurality of power storage devices are accommodated in the holes of the accommodating portions, and at least one of the openings of the holes of the accommodating portions has an inner surface that is the power accumulating portion. The power storage unit according to claim 1, which faces only the side surface of the device. The power storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the power storage device supported by the holder is capable of moving within the holder when a predetermined stress is applied to the external case of the power storage device. The sealing member seals the opening of the exterior case in a compressed state,
The difference between the height of the lower end of the portion accommodated in the exterior case on the compressed surface of the sealing member and the height of the open end of the exterior case is the height of the outer end of the external terminal and the seal The power storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the power storage unit is smaller than a difference in height between upper ends of the members. Of the upper end surface of the sealing member, at least a part thereof faces the connecting member,
2. The power storage unit according to claim 1, wherein an area of a surface of the upper end surface of the sealing member facing the connection member is smaller than an area of the opening of the exterior case. The power storage unit according to claim 1, wherein the connection member is a shaft portion and a tongue piece portion formed to extend from the shaft portion. The power storage unit according to claim 7, wherein a rigidity of the shaft portion is higher than a rigidity of the tongue piece portion. The power storage unit according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of connection portions that are the tongue pieces are provided, and one of the plurality of power storage devices is connected to one connection portion among the plurality of connection portions. A storage element;
An outer case that houses the electricity storage element together with an electrolyte and has an opening;
At least a sealing member that seals at least a part of the opening of the exterior case is provided,
In the opening of the outer case, the sealing member is capable of moving from the inside of the outer case toward the outside.

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