JP4787509B2 - Electrical device assembly - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical device assembly composed of a plurality of film-covered electrical devices, and more particularly to a structure for connecting the electrical device assembly to a predetermined circuit or electrode terminal.

  As a kind of electric device, a film-covered electric device in which a chargeable / dischargeable electric device element is covered with a film is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a film-clad battery in which a power generation element is covered with a laminate film. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a film-clad battery having the following basic structure. In the film-clad battery disclosed in Patent Document 1, a power generation element composed of a positive electrode side active electrode, a negative electrode side active electrode, and an electrolytic solution is formed by stacking a metal film such as aluminum and a heat-fusible resin film. It is covered with two laminate films. The four opposing sides of the two laminate films covering the power generation element are hermetically sealed by heat sealing. Further, a film-like positive electrode terminal is drawn out from one short side of the heat-bonded laminate film, and a film-like negative electrode terminal is drawn out from the other short side.

The film-clad battery having the basic structure as described above has attracted attention as a power source of an electric motor that is a drive source of an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “electric vehicle etc.”). Specifically, a battery pack formed by housing a plurality of film-clad batteries in a case in a stacked state is expected as a power source for the electric motor. Here, the battery pack or the battery is provided with a connection member (generally referred to as “terminal” or “battery post”) for ensuring electrical connection with an external electric circuit. A number of structures have been developed for the connection structure between a battery pack or a terminal provided in the battery and an electric circuit that receives power from the battery pack or the like. For example, in Patent Document 2, a battery-side terminal formed by bending a conductive metal plate to a battery post raised from the upper surface of a battery is fixed, and the battery-side terminal is attached to a harness-side terminal attached to the tip of the harness. The connection structure which overlap | superposed and was fixed with the volt | bolt and the nut is disclosed. In addition to the connection structure disclosed in Patent Document 2, a terminal in which a screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface is placed on the battery, and a nut in which this terminal and a terminal attached to the end of the cable are screwed to the terminal is used. The connection structure to be fixed is widely used.
JP 2001-76691 A JP 2002-141054 A

  In conventional battery packs and batteries, connecting members such as terminals and battery posts are rigidly fixed to the battery pack and the battery casing and case. Therefore, if excessive stress acts on the joint between the terminal or battery post and the electrode terminal connected to them due to vibration or other factors, the terminal or terminal may be damaged or the joint may become unstable. was there.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem by holding a conductive member for extracting electric energy from an electric device assembly by an elastic body.

  In the electric device assembly of the present invention, two or more film-covered electric devices in which chargeable / dischargeable electric device elements are covered with a film are covered with a cover, and the conductive member electrically connected to the film-covered electric device is An electrical device assembly that is led out to the outside through the cover, comprising: an opening formed on a surface of the cover; an elastic insulator disposed inside the opening; and the elastic insulator. A connection piece that is provided in an exposed portion of the conductive member that penetrates and is led out to the outside of the cover, faces the surface of the elastic insulator, a through hole formed in the connection piece, and faces the connection piece A housing space formed on the surface of the elastic insulator and communicating with the through hole; and a nut disposed in the housing space; and the bolt inserted into the through hole By screwing in Tsu bets and characterized by a terminal pledged between the connecting piece and the elastic insulator surface of the can be sandwiched between the connecting piece and the nut.

  The connection piece may be formed by bending a part of the conductive member that penetrates the elastic insulator and is exposed to the outside of the cover. Further, the two or more film-clad electrical devices can be housed and integrated in a desired case.

  In the electrical device assembly of the present invention, since the conductive member is held by the elastic insulator, vibrations and stress applied to the aggregate itself and the conductive member are absorbed by the elastic insulator.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the electrical device assembly of the present invention will be described. The electric device assembly of the present example is a battery pack in which a battery pack in which a plurality of film-clad batteries, which are a kind of film-clad electric devices, are stacked in the thickness direction is covered with a cover.

  First, the basic structure of the film-clad battery constituting the electric pack of this example is shown in FIG. A film-clad battery 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a positive electrode side active electrode, a negative electrode side active electrode, and a power generation element 11 having an electrolyte solution that are surrounded by two laminated films 12 from above and below in the thickness direction. The output voltage is about 3.6 [V]. The laminate film 12 is a film in which a metal film such as aluminum and a heat-sealable resin film are overlapped, and the four opposing sides of the two upper and lower laminate films 12 surrounding the power generation element 11 are It is hermetically sealed by heat sealing.

  Here, the power generation element of the film-clad battery includes a laminated type composed of a positive electrode side active electrode and a negative electrode side active electrode laminated via a separator, and a strip-like positive electrode side active electrode and a negative electrode side active electrode via a separator. After winding this, there is a wound type in which the positive electrode side active electrode and the negative electrode side active electrode are alternately stacked by compressing in a flat shape, and the film outer battery constituting the electric pack of this example The power generation element may be either the above-described stacked type or wound type. Furthermore, a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate used in a general lithium ion secondary battery can be used for the positive electrode side active electrode and the negative electrode side active electrode. That is, a positive electrode plate in which a positive electrode active material such as lithium-manganese composite oxide and lithium cobaltate is applied on both surfaces of an aluminum foil, and a negative electrode in which a carbon material capable of doping and undoping lithium is applied on both surfaces of a copper foil The power generation element can be obtained by making the plate face each other via a separator and impregnating the plate with an electrolytic solution containing a lithium salt. However, the power generation element only needs to include a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte, and any power generation element used in a normal battery can be applied as it is or with an appropriate design change.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, a positive electrode terminal 13 electrically connected to the positive electrode side active electrode is drawn out from one short side of the film-clad battery 10, and the negative electrode side active electrode is drawn out from the other short side. The electrode terminal 14 for negative electrodes electrically connected to is pulled out. The materials for the positive electrode terminal 13 and the negative electrode 14 are selected in consideration of their electrical characteristics. In this example, aluminum is used for the positive electrode terminal 13 and copper or nickel is used for the negative electrode terminal 14. It was.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the battery pack 20 of this example. In the battery pack 20 of this example, 96 film-clad batteries 10 shown in FIG. 1 are stacked in the thickness direction to constitute an assembled battery 21. Further, the assembled battery 21 is housed in a frame-shaped module case 22 and also has a positive electrode terminal 13 (see FIG. 1) and a negative electrode terminal 14 (see FIG. 1) of the film-clad battery 10 adjacent in the stacking direction. Are connected in series via a bus bar 26 passed between the upper side 23 and the lower side 25 of the module case 22. In addition, the film-clad battery 10 at one end in the stacking direction is electrically connected to the positive terminal 28 provided at one corner of the module case 22 via the cable 27, and the film-clad battery 10 at the other end in the stacking direction is connected via the cable 30. The electrode is connected to the negative terminal 31 provided at the other corner of the module case 22. That is, the output voltage of the battery pack 20 (the assembled battery 21) of this example is about 350 [V] (3.6 × 96≈350).

  On the module case 22, a cover member 32 made of an insulating material (resin in this example) is covered. The lid member 32 includes a flange portion 33 screwed to the upper side portion 23 of the module case 22, and a ceiling surface 35 formed one step higher than the flange portion 33. An exhaust port 36 is formed. Further, the ceiling surface 35 is inclined so as to gradually approach the assembled battery 21 from the side where the exhaust port 36 is formed toward the opposite side.

  In FIG. 2, illustration of some film-clad batteries 10 is omitted for the sake of convenience, but actually 96 film-clad batteries 10 are stacked as described above. But the number of the film-clad batteries 10 which comprise the assembled battery 21 is not limited to 96 pieces, It can increase / decrease suitably according to the desired output voltage.

  The assembled battery 21 having the above structure is covered with a lower cover 40 and an upper cover 41. Specifically, the assembled battery 21 is placed on a substantially rectangular lower cover 40 having a recess 42 formed in the center via a frame 43 made of an insulating material (resin in this example). An upper cover 41 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is covered from above the battery 21. Here, in addition to the concave portion 42 being formed in the lower cover 40, the frame 43 is interposed between the lower cover 40 and the assembled battery 21, whereby the assembled battery 21 and the lower cover 40 are interposed. A slender space is formed along the longitudinal direction of the lower cover 40. When the lower cover 40 and the frame body 43 are overlapped, an inflow port 45 communicating with the space is formed in one of the longitudinal directions, and external air can flow into the space from the inflow port 45. The outside air that has flowed into the space passes through gaps between the film-clad batteries 10 constituting the assembled battery 21, reaches the upper surface of the assembled battery 21, and is discharged from the exhaust port 36 described above.

  On the other hand, the upper surface 46 of the upper cover 41 is formed with round holes 47 a and 47 b and a rectangular hole 48 that communicates with the exhaust port 36 when the battery pack 21 is covered. In the round hole 47a, a holding member 50a formed of an elastic insulator (in this example, rubber, but may be resin or the like) is fitted, and penetrates the holding member 50a to one end of the metal plate 51a. Is led out of the upper cover 41. In addition, a holding member 50b formed of an elastic insulator (in this example, rubber but may be resin or the like) is fitted into the round hole 47b, and passes through the holding member 50b to penetrate the metal plate 51b. One end is led out of the upper cover 41. Furthermore, the other end of the metal plate 51 a is connected to the positive terminal 28 of the assembled battery 21, and the other end of the metal plate 51 b is connected to the negative terminal 31. More specifically, the holding members 50a and 50b have a substantially cylindrical appearance, and a groove 53 along the circumferential direction is formed at the center in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the holding members 50 a and 50 b are fixed to the upper cover 41 by fitting the edges of the round holes 47 a and 47 b into the groove 53. The upper portions of the metal plates 51a and 51b are led out of the upper cover 41 through slits 55 penetrating the holding members 50a and 50b in the longitudinal direction. Further, the upper portions of the metal plates 51a and 51b that pass through the holding members 50a and 50b and are led out from the upper cover 41 are bent by approximately 90 degrees so as to be parallel to the upper surfaces 56 of the holding members 50a and 50b. In the center of the connection piece 57, a through hole 60 into which the shaft portion of the bolt 58 can be inserted is formed.

  Further, a concave accommodating space 61 is formed in the vicinity of the slit 55 of each holding member 50 a, 50 b, and a nut 62 is accommodated in the accommodating space 61. Further, a vertical hole 63 that receives the shaft portion of the bolt 58 screwed into the nut 62 is formed immediately below the accommodation space 61 in parallel with the slit 55. Note that the diameter of the vertical hole 63 is smaller than the outer diameter of the nut 62, and the nut 62 does not fall into the vertical hole 63 even when the screw 58 is released from the nut 62.

  According to the battery pack 20 of the present example having the above-described structure, a substantially U-shaped plate shape as shown in FIG. 3 is formed in the gap 64 between the connection piece 57 and the upper surface 56 of the holding members 50a and 50b. After inserting the terminal 70, the bolt 58 inserted through the through hole 60 and screwed into the nut 62 is tightened to a predetermined position, whereby the connecting piece 57 and the plate-like shape are interposed between the head of the bolt 58 and the nut 62. The terminal 70 can be clamped. It is obvious that the plate-like terminal 70 can be positioned by placing the inner surface of the plate-like terminal 70 on the shaft portion of the bolt 58. It is also possible to screw the bolt 58 to the nut 62 to some extent, insert the plate-like terminal 70 into the gap 64, and then tighten the bolt 58 to a predetermined position. Further, when the plate terminal 70 is inserted into the gap 64 before the bolt 58 is screwed onto the nut 62, an annular plate terminal or the like can be used. In short, the shape of the plate terminal 70 is such that it can be inserted into the gap 64 and is clamped between the connection piece 57 and the nut 62 when the bolt 58 screwed into the nut 62 is tightened. Any shape may be used as long as it is present.

  As described so far, in the battery pack 20 of this example, the metal plates 51a and 51b as the conductive members are held by the holding members 50a and 50b having elasticity. Accordingly, vibration applied to the battery pack 20 and stress applied to the joint between the metal plates 51a and 51b and the plate-like terminal 70 are absorbed by the holding members 50a and 50b. As a result, damage to the metal plates 51a and 51b and the plate-like terminal 70 due to vibration, external force, and the like, and deterioration of the joined state are avoided as much as possible.

  Referring to FIG. 2, several members that are not attached to the lower end of the metal plate 51a are attached to the lower end of the metal plate 51b. For example, the member indicated by reference numeral 80 in the drawing is a fuse. The member denoted by reference numeral 81 is a fuse box in which the fuse 80 is set, and the member denoted by reference numeral 82 is for connecting the fuse 80 and the metal plate 51b (negative electrode terminal 31). It is a conductive member. However, these members do not necessarily have to be attached to the metal plate 51b, and may be attached to the metal plate 51a, or may be omitted if unnecessary. That is, whether or not to provide the fuse 80, the fuse box 81, and the conductive member 82 and where to provide them are design matters.

  In FIG. 3, the plate-like terminal 70 is illustrated in a direction different from the direction in which the plate-like terminal 70 is inserted into the gap 64. The reason why the plate-like terminal 70 is shown in the orientation as shown in FIG. 3 is to clarify the shape of the plate-like terminal 70. The actual plate-like terminal 70 is inserted into the gap 64 in a direction parallel to the upper surface 56 of the holding members 50a and 50b.

  Further, depending on the environment in which the battery pack 20 is mounted, it may be difficult to completely suppress the vibration of the electric pack 20. In this case, it is desirable to remove the natural frequency of the holding members 50 a and 50 b from the resonance frequency range with the frequency of the battery pack 20.

  Further, when the film-clad battery 10 is accommodated in the module case 22 to form the assembled battery 21, each film-clad battery 10 can be individually accommodated in the cell case and then accommodated in the module case 22. FIG. 4 shows an example of the cell case. A cell case 90 shown in FIG. 4 includes a case main body 91 and a holding body 92. The case main body 91 has a frame-shaped bottom plate 93 and a side wall 94 raised from the periphery of the bottom plate 93. The case main body 91 has a shape and dimensions capable of accommodating the film-clad battery 10 shown in FIG. Have. On the other hand, the holding body 92 is a frame-like body having a size that can be fitted inside the side wall 94 of the case main body 91, and covers the film outer battery 10 accommodated in the case main body 91, thereby covering the film exterior. The peripheral edge of the battery 10 is sandwiched between the bottom plate 93 of the main body case 91.

  Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that seven through holes 95 are formed in the bottom plate 93 of the case body 91. The through hole 95 is a hole for allowing a common rod (not shown) to pass through the plurality of stacked cell cases 90. Specifically, a plurality of cell cases 90 in which the film-clad battery 10 is housed are stacked, and the rods are passed through the through holes 95 of the respective cell cases 90 that are in communication, whereby the plurality of cell cases 90 are skewed into the rods. Can be held.

  So far, the embodiment of the electric device assembly of the present invention has been described taking the case where the film-covered electric device is a film-covered battery as an example. However, the film-clad electrical device constituting the electrical device assembly of the present invention is not limited to a film-clad battery. For example, a film-clad electrical device in which a device element such as a capacitor element typified by a capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor or an electrolytic capacitor is sealed with a film for packaging is also included.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of a film-clad battery. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of a battery pack. It is an expanded sectional view of the holding member shown in FIG. 2 and its vicinity. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a cell case.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Film exterior battery 20 Battery pack 21 Assembly battery 22 Module case 26 Bus bar 27 Cable 28 Positive terminal 30 Cable 31 Negative terminal 32 Cover member 40 Lower cover 41 Upper cover 47 Round hole 50a, 50b Holding member 51a, 51b Metal plate 53 Groove 55 Slit 56 Upper surface 57 Connection piece 58 Bolt 60 Through-hole 61 Accommodating space 62 Nut 63 Vertical hole 64 Gap 70 Plate terminal 90 Cell case

Claims (3)

Two or more film-clad electrical devices in which chargeable / dischargeable electrical device elements are coated with a film are covered with a cover, and a conductive member that is in electrical communication with the film-clad electrical device penetrates the cover and is outside the cover. An electrical device assembly derived from
An opening formed in the surface of the cover;
An elastic insulator disposed inside the opening;
A connection piece that is provided on the conductive member that penetrates the elastic insulator and is led out of the cover, and that opposes the surface of the elastic insulator;
A through hole formed in the connection piece;
An accommodation space formed on the surface of the elastic insulator facing the connection piece and communicating with the through hole;
A nut arranged in the housing space,
By screwing a bolt inserted into the through hole into the nut, a terminal inserted between the connection piece and the surface of the elastic insulator can be sandwiched between the nut and the connection piece. Electrical device assembly.   The electrical device assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connection piece is formed by bending a part of the conductive member that passes through the elastic insulator and is led out of the cover.   The electrical device assembly according to claim 1, wherein the two or more film-clad electrical devices are housed in a case and integrated.

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