JP2019102222A - Battery pack and housing body - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a signal line provided to a secondary battery and a connector of the signal line from being damaged.SOLUTION: A battery pack 100 includes: a battery cell 102; a housing body 104; an electric wire 106; a signal line 108; a first connector 110; a second connector 112; and a connector housing part 114. The battery cell 102 is housed in the housing body 104. One end of the electric wire 106 is led out to an external part of the housing body 104, and a current output from the battery cell 102 or the current input into the battery cell 102 flows. One end of the signal line 108 is led out to the external part of the housing body 104, and a signal indicating a state of the battery pack 100 flows. The second connector 112 is provided to one end of the electric wire 106. The connector housing part 114 is provided onto one end of the signal line 108. The connector housing part 114 is provided to an external surface of the housing body 104, and at least one part of the second connector 112 is housed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage battery.

  Storage batteries are used to supply power to various electrical devices. In some storage batteries, battery cells are accommodated inside the housing, and a power line for supplying power to the outside is drawn from the battery cells to the outside of the housing. A connector is provided at the tip of the power line. Also, this power line and connector can be used to charge the storage battery (to supply power to the storage battery).

  When the storage battery is not connected to the charging device or the electric device, it is preferable to fix the connector of the power line in some way. This is because if the connector of the power line can move freely, the connector or the power line itself may be damaged.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes that a vehicle having a storage battery is provided with a bobbin, and a charging cable (power line) drawn from the storage battery is wound and accommodated on the bobbin.

Moreover, patent document 2 is disclosing the charger of a secondary battery. The cord power line of the charger has a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector at its tip. When the USB connector is connected to an external power supply, power is supplied to the secondary battery. The charger is provided with a storage unit for storing the USB connector and the cord.

JP 2011-130526 A JP, 2008-067435, A

  In general, a charging device for charging a storage battery receives a signal indicating the state of the storage battery (for example, the temperature of the storage battery, the voltage of each battery cell, and the like) from the storage battery, and uses the received signal for charge control. One end of a signal line for receiving this signal is electrically connected to the battery cell, and the other end is drawn out of the casing, similarly to, for example, a power line.

  Depending on the device electrically connected to the storage battery, only the power line may be connected when discharging the storage battery, and the signal line may not be used. Therefore, while power is supplied to the electric device, the signal line and the connector provided on the signal line can be in a movable state. In this case, the connector or the signal line may be damaged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to prevent damage to signal lines and connectors of signal lines provided in a storage battery.

  The battery pack according to the present invention includes 1) a battery cell, 2) a container in which the battery cell is housed, and 3) one end of the battery is drawn to the outside of the container, and the current output from the battery cell Or a power line through which a current input to the battery cell flows, a signal line through which 4) one end is drawn out of the housing, and a signal indicating a state of the battery pack flows, and 5) the power line A first connector provided at one end, 6) a second connector provided at the one end of the signal line, and 7) an outer surface of the container, at least a part of the second connector being accommodated And a connector housing portion.

  The container of the present invention is a container that the battery pack of the present invention has.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique which prevents the failure | damage of the signal wire provided in the storage battery and the component provided in the signal wire is provided.

1 is a perspective view showing an example of a battery pack according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the state in which the 2nd connector was accommodated in the connector accommodating part. It is AB sectional drawing of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the connector seat which has a slope in the bottom. It is a figure which illustrates a laminate type battery cell. It is a figure which illustrates the battery pack by which the connector accommodating part was provided in the part which does not overlap with a battery main body in XY planar view.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be appropriately omitted. Further, unless otherwise described, each block in the block diagram represents not a hardware unit configuration but a function unit configuration.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the battery pack 100 according to the first embodiment. The battery pack 100 includes a battery cell 102, a housing 104, a power line 106, a signal line 108, a first connector 110, a second connector 112, and a connector housing portion 114.

  The battery cell 102 is a cell of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. In addition, one battery cell 102 may be accommodated in the housing body 104, and a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells 102 may be accommodated.

  The housing body 104 accommodates the battery cell 102. The container 104 is also referred to as a case, a housing, or the like, and is formed using, for example, a hard resin or metal. In FIG. 1, the containing body 104 has a shape in which each side and a vertex of a rectangular parallelepiped are chamfered. However, the shape of the housing body 104 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. For example, the housing body 104 may be a rectangular parallelepiped in which at least one side or a vertex is not chamfered, various polyhedrons other than a rectangular parallelepiped, or those in which each side or vertex of a polyhedron is chamfered. Each surface of the housing body 104 does not have to be a flat surface, and may be a curved surface.

  For example, the container 104 is configured to be disassembled into two or more parts. For example, the container 104 has a structure that can be disassembled up and down. In this case, one or more battery cells 102 are accommodated in the container 104 in a state of being disassembled up and down, and then the battery pack 100 is assembled by combining (for example, fitting) the upper portion and the lower portion of the container 104. It is formed.

  However, the container 104 may be configured so as not to be disassembled or difficult to disassemble. In this case, for example, the housing body 104 is divided into two parts of an upper part and a lower part at the manufacturing stage of the battery pack 100. Then, after the battery cell 102 is accommodated, the upper portion and the lower portion of the container 104 are joined by a method such as fitting, adhesion, or welding.

  The power line 106 is a line for exchanging power between the battery cell 102 and an external device. One end (hereinafter, first end) of the power line 106 is drawn out of the housing 104. A first connector 110 is provided at a first end of the power line 106. The other end (hereinafter, the second end) of the power line 106 is directly or indirectly connected to the electrode of the battery cell 102 (not shown). When the second end of the power line 106 is indirectly connected to the electrode of the battery cell 102, for example, the second end of the power line 106 is connected to the protective circuit board to which the electrode of the battery cell 102 is connected. In this way, current flows between the second end of the power line 106 and the battery cell 102 through the protection circuit board.

  The first connector 110 is connected to a charging device for charging the battery cell 102 (not shown). In this case, the current output from the charging device is supplied to the battery cell 102 through the power line 106. In addition, the first connector 110 is connected to an electrical device that uses the battery cell 102 as a power supply (not shown). In this case, the current output from the battery cell 102 is provided to the electric device through the power line 106. The electric device can be any device driven by receiving power from a battery. For example, the electric device is a flying object such as a bicycle with a motor or a drone.

  The signal line 108 is a line for outputting a signal indicating the state of the battery pack 100 to the charging device. One end (hereinafter, first end) of the signal line 108 is drawn to the outside of the container 104. The other end (hereinafter, the second end) of the signal line 108 is connected to an electrical component provided inside the container 104 (not shown).

  Various things can be adopted as the above-mentioned electric parts. For example, the electrical component is a sensor (for example, a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like) for detecting the state of the battery pack 100. In this case, the charging device described above receives a signal representing the detection result of the sensor via the signal line 108. By doing this, the charging device obtains information used for charging the battery cell 102, such as the temperature inside the housing body 104 and the cell voltage of the battery cell 102.

  Besides, for example, the electric component is an electronic circuit (for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit)) which manages the state of the battery pack 100. In this case, the charging device receives, via the signal line 108, a signal representing information managed by the electronic circuit (for example, a history of changes in the temperature inside the housing 104 or the voltage of the battery cell 102 over time). Do.

  The connector housing portion 114 is provided on the outer surface of the housing body 104. The connector accommodating portion 114 accommodates the second connector 112 by accommodating at least a portion of the second connector 112 (for example, at least a portion in the height direction and at least a portion in the direction in which the signal line 108 extends). It is fixed to the outer surface of the containing body 104. FIG. 2 is a view exemplifying a state in which the second connector 112 is accommodated in the connector accommodation portion 114. As shown in FIG.

  Note that the housing 104 may be provided with a housing portion for housing the first connector 110. However, since the power line 106 is used both during charging and discharging of the battery cell 102, it is considered that the frequency of use of the housing portion is low, such as when not being used and not connected to a load. . Therefore, the housing 104 may not be provided with a housing portion for housing the first connector 110. Here, by not providing the accommodating portion for accommodating the first connector 110 in the accommodating body 104, the yield of the accommodating body 104 can be improved, and the manufacturing cost of the accommodating body 104 can be reduced. There is an advantage that the degree of freedom in the layout of the part 114 is increased. Note that the size of the second connector 112 can be smaller than that of the first connector 110 because the thickness of the signal line 108 can be thinner than that of the power line 106. Therefore, it can be said that the influence of providing the connector accommodating portion 114 on the yield of the accommodating body 104, the manufacturing cost of the accommodating body 104, and the like is smaller than the influence of the accommodating portion of the first connector 110 on them.

  In FIG. 1, the container 104 is provided with one opening. The opening penetrates the housing 104 in the thickness direction (X direction in FIG. 1) of the surface of the housing 104 in which the opening is provided. And both the power line 106 and the signal line 108 are drawn out from this opening. However, the opening from which the power line 106 is drawn and the opening from which the signal line 108 is drawn may be different from each other. In this case, the different openings may be provided on the same surface of the container 104 or may be provided on different surfaces.

<Operation and effect>
While the battery cell 102 is being charged, the second connector 112 of the signal line 108 is connected to a charging device or the like. On the other hand, while the power output from the battery cell 102 is supplied to an external electric device (such as a bicycle with a motor or a drone described above), the second connector 112 of the signal line 108 needs to be connected to the electric device Absent. In the latter case, for example, the battery pack 100 is installed at the periphery or inside of the electric device described above, and in a state where at least a part of the second connector 112 is not accommodated in the connector accommodation portion 114, the signal lines 108 It becomes possible to move around and inside the electric equipment of When the signal line 108 is in a movable state, for example, the signal line 108 may be broken or the second connector 112 may be broken.

  Therefore, in the battery pack 100 of the present embodiment, at least a part of the second connector 112 can be accommodated in the connector accommodating portion 114 by providing the connector accommodating portion 114 on the outer surface of the accommodating body 104. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the above-mentioned inconvenience caused by the movement of the second connector 112 and the signal line 108. That is, the probability that the signal line 108 is broken or the second connector 112 is broken can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, the battery pack 100 will be described in more detail.

<About the shape of connector housing part 114>
The connector housing portion 114 can have any shape capable of housing at least a part of the second connector 112. For example, the connector housing portion 114 is a recess provided in a part of the housing body 104. The concave portion referred to here means that at least a part of the bottom surface of the connector accommodating portion 114 is at least a part of the upper surface of the container 104 in the XZ plan view of FIG. 1 (in the thickness direction of the container 104 (Z direction)) Also means to be located below. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AB of FIG. In FIG. 3, the bottom surface 116 of the connector housing portion 114 is located below the upper surface (second surface 122 described later) of the housing 104. In addition, in FIG. 3, only the periphery of the connector accommodating part 114 is shown in figure. Further, the inside of the housing body 104 (for example, the battery cell 102), the inside of the second connector 112, and the like are omitted.

  For example, the connector housing portion 114 is formed by projecting the upper surface of the housing body 104 inward when viewed from the inside of the housing body 104 (see FIG. 3). Besides, for example, the connector housing portion 114 is formed by cutting out the upper surface of the housing body 104 which is thickened to some extent. However, in terms of the manufacturing cost of the container 104, it is preferable to form the connector housing portion 114 by the former method. In addition, the formation method of the connector accommodating part 114 is not limited to the method mentioned above.

  When the connector housing portion 114 is formed as a recess, it is preferable that the depth (thickness) of the connector housing portion 114 be larger than the height of the second connector 112 when housed in the connector housing portion 114. For example, in FIG. 3, the depth d 1 of the connector accommodating portion 114 is larger than the height d 2 of the second connector 112. By doing this, it is possible to lower the probability that the second connector 112 housed in the connector housing portion 114 will come into contact with other objects in the vicinity and break or the like.

  The connector housing 114 is configured to limit the movement of the second connector 112. For example, the connector housing portion 114 sandwiches the second connector 112 or the signal line 108. Besides, for example, the connector accommodating portion 114 is configured to engage with the second connector 112. In addition, various techniques can be used for the technique of forming the accommodating part of a connector so that the movement of the connector accommodated may be restrict | limited.

  The shape of the second connector 112 is not limited to the recess. For example, the connector housing portion 114 may be a convex portion which is convex than the upper surface of the housing body 104 in the thickness direction of the housing body 104 (the Z direction in FIG. 1). For example, the convex portion is configured to sandwich at least a part of the second connector 112 or the like.

<About the position of connector housing portion 114>
The connector housing portion 114 can be provided at any position on the outer surface of the housing body 104. For example, the connector housing portion 114 is preferably provided on another outer surface (hereinafter, second surface) of the housing 104 substantially orthogonal to the outer surface (hereinafter, first surface) of the housing 104 from which the signal line 108 is drawn. . For example, in FIG. 1, the first surface 120 from which the connector accommodation portion 114 is drawn is substantially orthogonal to the second surface 122 where the connector accommodation portion 114 is provided.

  Under the present circumstances, it is preferable that the connector accommodating part 114 is provided in the position close | similar to the 1st surface 120 among the 2nd surfaces 122. As shown in FIG. For example, the distance between the first surface 120 and the connector housing portion 114 is shorter than the distance between the outer surface of the housing body 104 facing the first surface 120 and the connector housing portion 114. In addition, for example, the connector accommodating portion 114 is provided in a region closest to the first surface 120 when the second surface 122 is equally divided in the longitudinal direction (X direction in FIG. 1) of the container 104.

  Furthermore, the bottom surface 116 of the connector housing portion 114 preferably intersects with the first surface 120 described above. In this case, one side of the bottom surface 116 is on the first surface 120. For example, in FIG. 1, the bottom surface 116 intersects the first surface 120 at the boundary side 124. In other words, the boundary side 124 which is one side of the bottom surface 116 is on the first surface 120.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the bottom surface 116 have a slope which descends toward the boundary side 124. FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the connector housing portion 114 having a slope on the bottom surface 116. In FIG. 4, the bottom surface 116 is lowered toward the boundary side 124.

  The slope formed by the bottom surface 116 may be flat or curved. Further, the width of the slope formed by the bottom surface 116 (the size of the bottom surface 116 in the direction perpendicular to the tilt direction) may or may not be constant along the tilt direction. In the latter case, for example, the bottom surface 116 is formed as a substantially V-shaped surface at least a part of which sinks in the direction of inclination. It is preferable that the substantially V-shaped bottom surface 116 be line symmetrical with respect to the inclination direction of the bottom surface 116 (the apex of the substantially V shape is at the center).

  For example, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the XY plane (hereinafter referred to as an XY plan view), the connector housing portion 114 preferably has a shape substantially similar to the second connector 112 and the first end of the signal line 108 It is. In this case, for example, a portion substantially similar to the first end of the signal line 108 is connected to the first surface 120. A portion substantially similar to the first end of the signal line 108 is, for example, a portion where the bottom surface 116 is formed in a substantially V-shape as described above. That is, when the signal line 108 is accommodated in a part of the connector accommodation portion 114, the connector accommodation portion 114 intersects the first surface 120 at a portion where the signal line 108 is accommodated.

  When the bottom surface 116 is inclined as described above, when a liquid such as rain enters the connector housing portion 114, the liquid flows on the inclination of the bottom surface 116 and is discharged from the boundary side 124. That is, the liquid is less likely to stay in the connector housing portion 114. As described above, by making the liquid difficult to stay in the inside of the connector housing portion 114, it is possible to prevent the second connector 112 from being flooded in the inside of the connector housing portion 114.

  Here, when the connector housing portion 114 is realized as a recess, the internal space of the housing body 104 is narrowed by providing the connector housing portion 114. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the connector housing portion 114 at a position where there is little or no influence due to the narrowing of the internal space of the housing body 104. Hereinafter, a specific example of such a configuration will be described.

  There are various types of battery cells such as cylindrical, square, and laminate types, but since there is a terminal portion for connecting to the outside, the size of the space between the terminal portion and the container is determined by the battery body and the container It is larger than the space between FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a laminate type battery cell 102. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the battery cell 102 has a structure in which the battery body 130 is sealed by a sealing material 132. Here, the battery main body refers to a portion in which a positive electrode sheet and a negative electrode sheet in which an active material is formed on a current collector is laminated or wound via a separator, and a current collection in which an active material is not formed. It does not include the part of the current collection tab which is partially pulled out of the positive electrode sheet or the negative electrode sheet.

  The shape of the battery cell 102 is, for example, a flat shape. The flat shape referred to here is the side of the surface of the battery cell 102 (the surface of the battery cell 102 when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the XY plane (hereinafter referred to as the XY plane)) viewed in plan from the upper surface and the lower surface. It means that the length is larger than the thickness of the battery cell 102 (the size of the battery body 130 in the Z direction).

  Although the shape of the battery main body 130 is illustrated as a rectangular solid in FIG. 5, the shape of the battery main body 130 is not limited to the rectangular solid. For example, the shapes of the upper surface and the lower surface of the battery main body 130 can be any shape (for example, an elliptical shape or the like). Further, the size of the upper surface and the lower surface of the battery cell 102 may not be the same.

  The sealing material 132 is a member for sealing the battery body 130. For example, the sealing material 132 is a laminated film made of aluminum. In this case, the battery body 130 is sealed by heat sealing or the like by the sealing material 132. For example, the battery body 130 is sealed between two films constituting the sealing material 132, or a single film is folded and sealed between them. The laminate film has an outer shape larger than the battery main body so as to protrude outside the battery main body 130 over the entire periphery of the battery main body 130 in plan view, and heat welding or the like near the outer peripheral end of the laminate film Is sealed by heat welding or the like. Hereinafter, the portion larger than the battery main body 130 in this manner is called the peripheral portion (reference numeral 134) of the sealing material 132. In other words, the peripheral portion 134 is a portion of the sealing material 132 located around the side surface of the battery body 130. In addition, the peripheral portion 134 is a portion where the film constituting the sealing material 132 is opposed without the battery main body 130 interposed.

  The battery cell 102 has an extraction electrode (or a terminal) 136. The extraction electrode 136 is connected to the battery body 130 and is drawn out of the sealing material 132.

  In FIG. 5, the thickness of battery cell 102 in the portion overlapping with battery body 130 in the XY plan view is thicker than the thickness of battery cell 102 in the portion not overlapping with battery body 130 in the XY plan view. Therefore, when the battery cell 102 is housed in the housing body 104, there is a margin in the internal space of the housing body 104 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of a portion not overlapping the battery main body 130 in the XY plan view.

  Therefore, it is preferable that the connector housing portion 114 be provided in a space having such a margin. In other words, the connector housing portion 114 is preferably provided at a position not overlapping the battery body 130 in the XY plan view. For example, the connector housing portion 114 is provided at a position overlapping with the lead electrode 136 and the peripheral portion 134 in the XY plan view. In this way, even if the internal space of the housing body 104 is narrowed by providing the connector housing portion 114 as a recess, the influence can be reduced or the influence can be eliminated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the battery pack 100 in which the connector housing portion 114 is provided in a portion not overlapping the battery body 130 in the XY plan view. FIG. 6A shows the battery pack 100 cut in the XZ plane passing through the connector housing portion 114. FIG. 6B shows a state in which the battery pack 100 of FIG. 6A is viewed in the XZ plane.

  In FIG. 6, a battery pack 100 accommodates a battery pack in which six battery cells 102 are stacked. The connector housing portion 114 is provided at a position overlapping with the electrode of the battery cell 102 in the XY plan view. More specifically, the connector housing portion 114 is provided on the top of the lead-out electrode 136 of the battery cell 102 located at the top. By doing this, the connector accommodating portion 114 is provided at a place where there is a space in the internal space of the accommodating body 104.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various configurations other than the above can also be adopted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 battery pack 102 battery cell 104 accommodation body 106 power wire 108 signal wire 110 1st connector 112 2nd connector 114 connector accommodating part 116 bottom 120 1st surface 122 2nd surface 124 boundary side 130 battery main body 132 sealing material 134 peripheral part 136 Extraction electrode

Claims (10)

A battery pack,
Battery cell,
A container in which the battery cell is accommodated;
A power line of which one end is drawn to the outside of the housing and in which the current output from the battery cell or the current input to the battery cell flows;
A signal line, one end of which is drawn out of the container and through which a signal indicating the state of the battery pack flows;
A first connector provided at the one end of the power line;
A second connector provided at the one end of the signal line;
A connector accommodating portion provided on an outer surface of the accommodating body and accommodating at least a part of the second connector.   The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the connector accommodation portion is a recess.   The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein a depth of the connector accommodating portion is higher than a height of the second connector.   The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the connector accommodation portion is provided at a position not overlapping the battery body of the battery cell in a plan view.   The battery pack according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the connector housing portion is provided at a position overlapping the electrode of the battery cell in a plan view.   The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second connector is connected to a charging device for charging the battery cell and is not connected to an electrical device to which power is supplied from the battery cell. The signal line is drawn from the first surface of the container,
The battery pack according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connector housing portion is provided on a second surface of the housing substantially orthogonal to the first surface.   The distance between the first surface and the connector housing portion is shorter than the distance between the third surface of the housing facing the first surface and the connector housing portion. Battery pack. The second surface is an upper surface of the container,
One side of the bottom surface of the connector housing portion is on the first surface,
The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein a bottom surface of the connector housing portion has a slope which is lowered toward the one side.   The container which the battery pack in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 9 has.

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