JP2022187815A - Battery case and storage battery system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an improved battery case having a structure in which a plurality of cases are stacked.SOLUTION: A battery case includes a lower case 10 and an upper case 20. The upper case 20 is stacked on the lower case 10 such that the top plate 12 of the lower case 10 faces the bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20. The top plate 12 and the bottom plate 23 are provided with openings 12a, 23c to pass a cable therethrough, respectively. The openings 12a, 23c are waterproofed by: a projection 23d that is a cylindrical member located between the top plate 12 and the bottom plate 23 and surrounding the openings 12a, 23c as seen from a Z direction; and a cushion member 110 located between the tip of the projection 23d and the top plate 12. Thus, a module housed in the lower case 10 and a module housed in the upper case 20 can be connected directly inside while waterproofness is secured.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a battery case, and more particularly to a battery case having a structure in which a lower case and an upper case for accommodating various modules are stacked. The present invention also relates to a storage battery system using such a battery case.

As shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a storage battery system has a configuration in which various modules such as a battery module and a control box are housed in a battery case. However, since a large storage battery system includes many modules, if all the modules are housed in a single battery case, the overall weight becomes too heavy, making transportation and installation work difficult. Therefore, in a large storage battery system, a method of using a plurality of battery cases and stacking the plurality of battery cases for use is conceivable.

JP 2013-105723 A JP 2015-225703 A

However, when stacking a plurality of battery cases, how to connect the modules housed in the upper and lower battery cases becomes a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an improved battery case having a structure in which a plurality of cases are stacked, and a storage battery system using the same.

A battery case according to the present invention is a battery case for housing a battery module, comprising a lower case and an upper case, wherein the upper case is stacked on the lower case such that the top plate of the lower case faces the bottom plate of the upper case. The top plate and the bottom plate are provided with openings for passing cables. It is characterized in that waterproofing is provided by a cushion member positioned between the tip of the shaped member and the top plate or the bottom plate. Further, a storage battery system according to the present invention includes the battery case described above, a battery module housed in the lower case, and a control box housed in the upper case.

According to the present invention, since the top plate of the lower case and the bottom plate of the upper case are provided with openings for passing cables, the modules accommodated in the lower case and the modules accommodated in the upper case can be separated inside. Direct connection is possible. Moreover, since the opening is waterproofed by the tubular member and the cushion member, waterproofness is also ensured.

A battery case according to the present invention is a first molded product having a flat plate portion fixed to a bottom plate and positioned between a cushion member and the bottom plate, and a cylindrical projecting portion that overlaps the opening and is inserted into the cylindrical member. may further include According to this, since the opening is surrounded by the double cylindrical body, the waterproofness is further enhanced.

In the present invention, the cylindrical member may consist of a part of the bottom plate deformed toward the top plate around the opening, or it may consist of a second molded product fixed to the inner surface of the bottom plate. It doesn't matter if it's something. According to the former, the number of parts can be reduced, and according to the latter, complicated processing of the bottom plate of the upper case becomes unnecessary.

In the present invention, the battery modules accommodated in the lower case or upper case may be offset inside the lower case or upper case so that a space is formed at the position where the opening is provided. . This facilitates the work for connecting the cables.

As described above, according to the present invention, in a battery case having a structure in which a lower case and an upper case are stacked, and a storage battery system using the same, a module housed in the lower case and the upper case are provided while ensuring waterproofness. It is possible to directly connect the modules housed in the inside.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a storage battery system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the storage battery system 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the storage battery system 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the storage battery system 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective side view of the storage battery system 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a state before laminating the upper case 20 on the lower case 10. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a method of connecting the lower case 10 and the upper case 20 by the connecting member 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a method of connecting the lower case 10 and the upper case 20 by the connecting member 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a first example of the structure around the opening 12a. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a second example of the structure around the opening 12a. FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective front view seen from the Y direction for explaining a method of fixing the battery modules B1 and B2 to the lower case 10. FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective side view seen from the X direction for explaining a method of fixing the battery modules B1 and B2 to the lower case 10. FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 are schematic perspective views showing the appearance of a storage battery system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. 3 and 4 are schematic perspective views of the storage battery system 1, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective side view of the storage battery system 1. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a storage battery system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a battery case consisting of a lower case 10 and an upper case 20, battery modules B1 and B2 accommodated in the lower case 10, and an upper It has a battery module B3, a control box H and a converter circuit D housed in a case 20. FIG. The two battery modules B1 and B2 are housed in the lower case 10 because the battery modules B1 and B2 are heavy, and the upper case 20 houses the control box H and the converter circuit D. , the control box H and the converter circuit D generate a large amount of heat. The lower case 10 has fixing metal fittings 14 for fixing to the base. The upper case 20 is stacked on the lower case 10 and fixed to the lower case 10 using two connecting members 60 . As shown in FIG. 3, the battery modules B1 to B3 are accommodated offset in the X direction, thereby forming a space S inside the lower case 10 and the upper case 20. As shown in FIG. The space S is used as a work space, which will be described later, and is also used as a storage space for passing cables such as power lines and signal lines.

The lower case 10 includes a first housing 11 in the shape of a quadrangular prism having openings in the vertical direction (in the Z direction), a first top plate 12 that closes the upper opening of the first housing 11, and the first housing. and a first bottom plate 13 closing the lower opening of 11 . Similarly, the upper case 20 includes a second casing 21 in the shape of a square prism having openings in the upper and lower directions (in the Z direction), a second top plate 22 closing the upper opening of the second casing 21, and a second 2 and a second bottom plate 23 that closes the lower opening of the housing 21 . Each of the first housing 11 and the second housing 21 is a single rectangular plate-shaped member, for example, a member obtained by bending a pre-coated material called a color steel plate. are fixed together, and by seaming at the seaming portions 11a and 21a extending in the Z direction, the square columnar cylinder having upper and lower openings as a whole and having four faces in the inner cavity have a shape.

As described above, the battery case according to the present embodiment uses the first housing 11 and the second housing 21 formed by bending a single metal plate into a cylindrical shape. There is no seam other than the seams, and it is possible to obtain high waterproofness. Moreover, since a single metal plate is processed into a cylindrical shape, it is possible to obtain sufficient mechanical strength in the Z direction even when using a relatively thin metal plate. Here, the four surfaces of the first housing 11 and the second housing 21 are composed of the front surface and rear surface forming the XZ plane, and both side surfaces forming the YZ plane. The front and back surfaces forming the XZ plane are larger in area than both side surfaces forming the YZ plane. That is, the X direction is the long side, and the Y direction is the short side.

The three battery modules B1-B3 are connected to a converter circuit D via a control box H. The converter circuit D is a DCDC converter for keeping the DC voltage constant, and generates a large amount of heat by its operation. Heat generated by the converter circuit D is dissipated by a heat sink 41 provided on the rear surface of the upper case 20 . Further, inside the upper case 20, by covering the converter circuit D with the heat isolation wall 42, heat conduction to the battery module B3 and the control box H is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 5 , grommets 33 and 34 are provided on the rear surface of the second housing 21 that constitutes the upper case 20 for passing electric conduits 52 and 53 therethrough. In contrast, such a grommet 31 is not provided on the rear surface of the lower case 10 . Power lines and signal lines for connecting the converter circuit D and an external power conditioner are housed inside the electric conduits 52 and 53, respectively.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a state before laminating the upper case 20 on the lower case 10. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, connecting members 60 are fixed to both short sides extending in the Y direction of the first top plate 12 constituting the lower case 10 . The connecting member 60 is a metal component having an L-shaped XZ cross section, and as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, has a horizontal portion 61 having an XY plane and a vertical portion 62 having a YZ plane. . Here, the second bottom plate 23 includes a protruding portion 23a protruding in the Z direction from the short side extending in the Y direction toward the first top plate 12, and a tip of the protruding portion 23a folded back inward in the X direction. The upper case 20 is positioned by fitting the projecting portion 23a and the folded portion 23b inside the pair of connecting members 60. As shown in FIG. As a result, the horizontal portion 61 of the connecting member 60 is positioned between the first top plate 12 and the folded portion 23b, and the vertical portion 62 of the connecting member 60 overlaps the projecting portion 23a in the X direction. The first top plate 12 and the connecting member 60 are fixed to each other by connecting the first top plate 12 and the horizontal portion 61 with screws 64. 62 are connected by screws 63 to be fixed together. Also, the first top plate 12 and the horizontal portion 61 may be fixed by a waterproof double-sided tape 65 instead of or in addition to the screws 64 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the first top plate 12 forming the lower case 10 is provided with an opening 12a. The opening 12a is a hole for passing cables such as power lines and signal lines, and is provided at a position overlapping the space S. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a first example of the structure around the opening 12a.

In the first example shown in FIG. 9, an opening 23c is provided in the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20, and the periphery of the opening 23c is formed by drawing the second bottom plate 23 toward the lower case 10. A deformed tubular protrusion 24d is formed. The projecting portion 24d, which is a cylindrical member, is located between the first top plate 12 and the second bottom plate 23 and surrounds the openings 12a and 23c when viewed from the Z direction. Between the first top plate 12 and the second bottom plate 23, a molded product 100 is arranged at a position overlapping the openings 12a and 23c. The molded product 100 is made of resin, metal, or the like, and has a flat plate portion 101 adhered to the outer surface of the first top plate 12 using waterproof double-sided tape 103 or the like, and a cylindrical projecting portion 102 . The projecting portion 102 has a shape whose diameter decreases toward the tip, and is inserted into the cylindrical projecting portion 23d. A cushion member 110 is provided between the tip of the projecting portion 23d and the flat plate portion 101 of the molded product 100 to ensure waterproofness.

With this configuration, the cables 120 connected to the battery modules B1 and B2 in the lower case 10 can be pulled out into the upper case 20 through the openings 12a and 23c. That is, before stacking the lower case 10 and the upper case 20, the cable 120 in the lower case 10 is pulled out from the opening 12a, and the molded product 100 and the cushion member 110 are attached. The upper case 20 is stacked on the lower case 10 so that the plate 12 and the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20 face each other. As a result, the connector 130 provided at the tip of the cable 120 is exposed in the space S of the upper case 20, so that the connector 130 can be easily connected to the control box H by handling it. The diameter of the tip of the projecting portion 102 is preferably smaller than the diameter of the connector 130 so that the cable 120 does not fall into the lower case 10 .

Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the opening 23c is provided in the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20, and the drawn tubular projecting portion 24d is provided. A cushion member 110 is interposed therebetween. As a result, it is possible to ensure waterproofness while reducing the number of parts, and to directly connect the battery modules B1 and B2 housed in the lower case 10 and the control box H housed in the upper case 20 inside. . Moreover, since the opening 23c is provided in the space S, workability is also enhanced. Further, by changing the shape and size of the molded product 100 in accordance with the height of the projecting portion 23a in the Z direction, etc., it is possible to reliably perform waterproofing. In the example shown in FIG. 9, a protruding portion 24d formed by deforming the second bottom plate 23 toward the lower case 10 is used, and the tip of the protruding portion 23d is pressed against the cushion member 110 to ensure waterproofness. However, on the contrary, waterproofness can be ensured by using a tubular member obtained by deforming the first top plate 12 toward the upper case 20 and pressing the tip of the tubular member against the cushion member 110. I do not care.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a second example of the structure around the opening 12a.

In the second example shown in FIG. 10, a molded product 150 is added to the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20 instead of providing the tubular projecting portion 24d. The molded product 150 is made of resin, metal, or the like, and has a flat plate portion 151 adhered to the inner surface of the second bottom plate 23 using waterproof double-sided tape 153 or the like, and a projecting portion 152 forming a cylindrical member. Also, a molded product 140 is used instead of the molded product 100 . The molded product 140 is made of resin, metal, or the like, and has a flat plate portion 141 adhered to the outer surface of the first top plate 12 and a cylindrical projecting portion 142 . The protrusion 142 is inserted into the tubular protrusion 152 . A cushion member 110 is provided between the tip of the projecting portion 152 and the flat plate portion 141 of the molded product 140 to ensure waterproofness. The bottom portion of the tubular projecting portion 152 constitutes an accommodating portion for the connector 130, which prevents the cable 120 from falling into the lower case 10 and prevents the upper case 20 from being stacked on the lower case 10. Moreover, the cable 120 and the connector 130 do not get in the way.

With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the first example shown in FIG. 9 without drawing the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20 .

As described above, since the lower case 10 and the upper case 20 can be easily fixed using the connecting member 60, the lower case 10 housing the battery modules B1 and B2, the battery module B3, and the control box H And the upper case 20 accommodating the converter circuit D is prepared, and the storage battery system 1 can be installed by stacking both so that the cable 120 in the lower case 10 is exposed inside the upper case 20. - 特許庁Moreover, when the connecting member 60 is used to connect the lower case 10 and the upper case 20 , a space corresponding to the height of the vertical portion 62 is formed between the first top plate 12 and the second bottom plate 23 . Therefore, the heat mainly generated from the converter circuit D is less likely to be transferred to the lower case 10, and the air flows from the long side extending in the X direction, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation effect.

11 and 12 are diagrams for explaining a method of fixing the battery modules B1 and B2 to the lower case 10. FIG. 11 is a substantially see-through front view as seen from the Y direction, and FIG. 12 is a view as seen from the X direction. It is a substantially see-through side view.

As shown in FIG. 11 , fixed parts 71 and 72 made of metal or the like are fixed to the first bottom surface 13 constituting the lower case 10 . The fixed part 71 has an L-shaped structure in the XZ cross section and extends in the Y direction. One end (lower end) of the vertical portion extending in the Z direction when viewed from the Y direction is fixed to the first bottom surface 13, and the fixed component 71 extends in the X direction from the other end (upper end) of the vertical portion. The existing horizontal portions protrude toward the battery modules B1, B2. The fixed component 72 is a plate-like body extending in the Y direction and arranged in the space S. As shown in FIG. The fixed part 72 is fixed to the first bottom surface 13 on the XY plane.

On the other hand, fixing parts 81 and 82 made of metal or the like are fixed to the lower part of one YZ side surface S3 of the battery modules B1 and B2. The fixed part 81 is fixed to the lower part of the YZ side surface S3, has an L-shaped structure in the XZ cross section, and extends in the Y direction. The fixed part 81 is fixed to the YZ side surfaces S3 of the battery modules B1 and B2 on the YZ surface of the vertical portion extending in the Z direction, and extends from the end of the vertical portion toward the one side surface S1 of the first housing 11 in the X direction. The horizontal part protruding in the direction is fitted with the fixing part 71 . The fixed part 82 is fixed to the lower part of the other YZ side surface S4 of the battery modules B1 and B2, has an L-shaped XZ cross section, and extends in the Y direction. The fixed part 82 has its YZ surface fixed to the YZ side surface S4 of the battery modules B1 and B2, and its portion protruding in the X direction is screwed to the fixed part 72 to be fixed to the first bottom surface 13 . The fixing part 82 may be fixed directly to the fixing part 72 and the first bottom surface 13 by screwing the fixing part 82 to both the fixing part 72 and the first bottom surface 13 . By doing so, the fixing part 82 and the first bottom surface 13 may be indirectly fixed.

When the battery modules B1 and B2 are accommodated inside the lower case 10, one YZ side surface S3 of the battery modules B1 and B2 faces one YZ side surface S1 of the first housing 11, and the battery modules B1 and B2 face each other. After the other YZ side surface S4 of B2 is accommodated so as to face the other YZ side surface S2 of the first housing 11, the battery modules B1 and B2 are slid in the X direction. As a result, the horizontal part of the fixing part 81 is inserted between the first bottom surface 13 and the horizontal part of the fixing part 71 , and the L-shaped fixing part 81 fits into the L-shaped fixing part 71 . After that, the power tool 90 is put into the space S and the fixing parts 72 and 82 are screwed. Thereby, the battery modules B1 and B2 are securely fixed inside the lower case 10 . In this manner, one YZ side surface of the battery modules B1 and B2 is positioned by fitting the fixing parts 71 and 81 without screwing, and the other YZ side surface of the battery modules B1 and B2 is screwed. Therefore, the fixing of the battery modules B1 and B2 is completed by the operation from one side using the power tool 90 . Therefore, the distance W1 in the X direction between the YZ side S1 of the first housing 11 and the side S3 of the battery modules B1 and B2 is the X direction distance between the YZ side S2 of the first housing 11 and the side S4 of the battery modules B1 and B2. can be made sufficiently narrower than the distance W2 in , and miniaturization is achieved. The fixing of the battery module B3 to the upper case 20 can also be carried out in the same manner.

Thus, in this embodiment, it is possible to fix the battery modules B1 to B3 using the space S formed by offsetting the housing positions of the battery modules B1 to B3. Moreover, the battery modules B1 to B3 can be easily removed by unscrewing the fixing parts 72 and 82 during maintenance or replacement.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Needless to say, it is included within the scope.

For example, in the above embodiment, the lower case 10 accommodates the two battery modules B1 and B2, and the upper case 20 accommodates the battery module B3, the control box H, and the converter circuit D. The number and types of modules accommodated in 20 are not particularly limited. Moreover, although the two cases 10 and 20 are stacked in the above embodiment, the storage battery system may be configured by stacking three or more cases.

1 storage battery system 10 lower case 11 first housing 11a seam tightening portion 12 first top plate 12a opening 13 first bottom surface 14 fixing bracket 20 upper case 21 second housing 21a seam tightening portion 22 second top plate 23 second Bottom surface 23a Protruding portion 23b Folded portion 23c Opening 23d Protruding portions 33, 34 Grommet 41 Heat sink 42 Thermal separation walls 52, 53 Conduit 60 Connecting member 61 Horizontal portion 62 Vertical portions 63, 64 Screw 65 Waterproof double-sided tape 71, 72, 71 , 81 fixing part 90 power tool 100 molded product 101 flat plate portion 102 protruding portion 110 cushion member 120 cable 130 connector 140 molded product 141 flat plate portion 142 protruding portion 150 molded product 151 flat plate portion 152 protruding portion 153 waterproof double-sided tape B1 to B3 battery module D converter circuit H control box S space

In the first example shown in FIG. 9, an opening 23c is provided in the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20, and the periphery of the opening 23c is formed by drawing the second bottom plate 23 toward the lower case 10. A deformed tubular protrusion 23d is formed. The projecting portion 23d , which is a cylindrical member, is located between the first top plate 12 and the second bottom plate 23 and surrounds the openings 12a and 23c when viewed from the Z direction. Between the first top plate 12 and the second bottom plate 23, a molded product 100 is arranged at a position overlapping the openings 12a and 23c. The molded product 100 is made of resin, metal, or the like, and has a flat plate portion 101 adhered to the outer surface of the first top plate 12 using waterproof double-sided tape 103 or the like, and a cylindrical projecting portion 102 . The projecting portion 102 has a shape whose diameter decreases toward the tip, and is inserted into the cylindrical projecting portion 23d. A cushion member 110 is provided between the tip of the projecting portion 23d and the flat plate portion 101 of the molded product 100 to ensure waterproofness.

Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the opening 23c is provided in the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20, and the drawn cylindrical projecting portion 23d is provided. A cushion member 110 is interposed therebetween. As a result, it is possible to ensure waterproofness while reducing the number of parts, and to directly connect the battery modules B1 and B2 housed in the lower case 10 and the control box H housed in the upper case 20 inside. . Moreover, since the opening 23c is provided in the space S, workability is also enhanced. Further, by changing the shape and size of the molded product 100 in accordance with the height of the projecting portion 23a in the Z direction, etc., it is possible to reliably perform waterproofing. In the example shown in FIG. 9, a protruding portion 23d formed by deforming the second bottom plate 23 toward the lower case 10 is used, and the tip of the protruding portion 23d is pressed against the cushion member 110 to ensure waterproofness. However, on the contrary, waterproofness can be ensured by using a tubular member obtained by deforming the first top plate 12 toward the upper case 20 and pressing the tip of the tubular member against the cushion member 110. I do not care.

In the second example shown in FIG. 10, a molded product 150 is added to the second bottom plate 23 of the upper case 20 instead of providing the tubular projecting portion 23d . The molded product 150 is made of resin, metal, or the like, and has a flat plate portion 151 adhered to the inner surface of the second bottom plate 23 using waterproof double-sided tape 153 or the like, and a projecting portion 152 forming a cylindrical member. Also, a molded product 140 is used instead of the molded product 100 . The molded product 140 is made of resin, metal, or the like, and has a flat plate portion 141 adhered to the outer surface of the first top plate 12 and a cylindrical projecting portion 142 . The protrusion 142 is inserted into the tubular protrusion 152 . A cushion member 110 is provided between the tip of the projecting portion 152 and the flat plate portion 141 of the molded product 140 to ensure waterproofness. The bottom portion of the tubular projecting portion 152 constitutes an accommodating portion for the connector 130, which prevents the cable 120 from falling into the lower case 10 and prevents the upper case 20 from being stacked on the lower case 10. Moreover, the cable 120 and the connector 130 do not get in the way.

Claims (6)

A battery case for housing a battery module,
a lower case;
an upper case, and
The upper case is stacked on the lower case such that the top plate of the lower case and the bottom plate of the upper case face each other,
The top plate and the bottom plate are provided with an opening for passing a cable,
The opening is located between the top plate and the bottom plate, and is located between a tubular member surrounding the opening when viewed from the stacking direction, and between the tip of the tubular member and the top plate or the bottom plate. A battery case characterized by being waterproofed by a cushion member. A first molded product further comprising: a flat plate portion fixed to the bottom plate and positioned between the cushion member and the bottom plate; and a cylindrical projecting portion overlapping the opening and inserted into the cylindrical member. The battery case of claim 1, comprising: 3. The battery case according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical member is a part of the bottom plate deformed toward the top plate around the opening. 3. The battery case according to claim 1, wherein said tubular member comprises a second molded product fixed to the inner surface of said bottom plate. The battery modules accommodated in the lower case or the upper case are arranged offset inside the lower case or the upper case so that a space is formed at a position where the opening is provided. The battery case according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A storage battery system comprising the battery case according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a battery module housed in the lower case, and a control box housed in the upper case.

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