JP4848702B2 - Assembled battery - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembled battery.

A flat thin battery (hereinafter, referred to as a flat thin battery) in which a power generation element constituted by laminating positive and negative electrode plates is sealed with an exterior material such as a laminate film, and a plate-like electrode terminal is led out from the exterior material. “Flat battery” is known. In recent years, a plurality of such flat batteries are stacked and each flat battery is electrically connected in series and / or in parallel to form a high output and high capacity assembled battery (patent). Reference 1 and 2).
JP 2000-195480 A JP 2001-256934 A

  When such an assembled battery is mounted on a vehicle, for example, it is required to make the entire assembled battery compact by reducing the distance between the flat batteries as much as possible. There is a demand for a structure that is hardly affected. When vibration is input to the assembled battery, there is a possibility that stress concentrates on a portion where the electrode terminals are joined to each other.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an assembled battery that is less susceptible to vibration input and can be made compact.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 is to stack a plurality of flat type batteries in which a power generating element is sealed with an exterior material and plate-like electrode terminals are led out from the exterior material. An assembled battery formed by electrically connecting the electrode terminals of each flat battery,
The battery pack includes an electrically insulating insulating plate having a plate shape that sandwiches the electrode terminal from both sides of the electrode terminal along a direction in which the plurality of flat batteries are stacked.

  By sandwiching the electrode terminal with the insulating plate, when the vibration is input, the vibration of the electrode terminal is suppressed, and the durability of the electrode terminal and, consequently, the durability of the assembled battery are improved. Furthermore, since the electrode terminals are sandwiched between insulating plates having electrical insulation properties, even if the distance between the flat batteries is reduced, short-circuiting between the electrode terminals can be prevented, and the entire assembled battery can be made compact. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to provide an assembled battery that is hardly affected by vibration input and can be made compact.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an assembled battery 50 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembled battery 50 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cell unit 60 with the insulating covers 91 and 92 removed from the cell unit main body 80, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the cell unit 60 viewed from a direction different from FIG. 6, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the cell unit main body 80 when the cell unit 60 is viewed from the bottom side.

  1 is referred to as the longitudinal direction of the assembled battery 50, the cell unit 60, the case 70, and the like, and the Y-axis direction is referred to as the short direction. Further, in FIG. 1, a surface located on the front side in the longitudinal direction is a front surface, and a surface located on the far side in the longitudinal direction is a back surface. In the following description, the flat battery is simply referred to as “battery”.

  With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a battery unit 50 includes a cell unit 60 including a plurality of (eight in the illustrated example) batteries 100 (generic name for 101 to 108) housed in a case 70. The assembled battery 50 is mounted on a vehicle that generates vibrations transmitted to the cell unit 60, such as an automobile or a train. Although not shown in the drawings, an in-vehicle battery corresponding to a desired current, voltage, and capacity can be formed by stacking an arbitrary number of assembled batteries 50 and connecting the assembled batteries 50 in series and parallel. When connecting the assembled batteries 50 in series-parallel, an appropriate connection member such as a bus bar is used. The assembled battery 50 is air-cooled, and the plurality of assembled batteries 50 are stacked with a space in between by interposing a collar. The space is used as a cooling air passage through which cooling air for cooling each of the assembled batteries 50 flows. By cooling each assembled battery 50 by flowing cooling air, it is possible to reduce battery temperature and suppress deterioration of characteristics such as charging efficiency.

  The case 70 includes a lower case 71 having a box shape in which an opening 71a is formed, and an upper case 72 forming a lid for closing the opening 71a. The edge 72a of the upper case 72 is wound around the edge 71c of the peripheral wall 71b of the lower case 71 by caulking (see the partially enlarged view of FIG. 1). The lower case 71 and the upper case 72 are formed from a relatively thin steel plate or aluminum plate, and are given a predetermined shape by pressing.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 9, the cell unit 60 includes a cell unit main body 80 formed by stacking eight batteries 100 and connecting the batteries 100 in series, a front surface of the cell unit main body 80, and Insulating covers 91 and 92 detachably attached to the back surface.

  The cell unit body 80 further includes a spacer 110 (corresponding to an insulating plate) for sandwiching a tab 100t (corresponding to an electrode terminal), positive and negative output terminals 140 and 150 (corresponding to an assembled battery output terminal), Is included. Here, the tab 100t is a general term for the plus-side tab 100p and the minus-side tab 100m. The positive side tab 100p is a generic name of the positive side tabs 101p, 102p, 103p, 104p, 105p, 106p, 107p, and 108p of each of the batteries 101 to 108, and the negative side tab 100m is the negative side tab 101m of each of the batteries 101 to 108. 102m, 103m, 104m, 105m, 106m, 107m, and 108m are generic terms. The spacer 110 is a general term for the spacers 121 to 138.

The insulating covers 91 and 92 are used to cover the front side and the back side of the cell unit main body 80. At the center positions of the insulating covers 91 and 92, insertion ports 91a and 92a into which connectors 170 described later are inserted are formed (see FIG. 23). Connector 170 is connected to a voltage detector 160 (see FIGS. 6, 7, and 9) for detecting the voltage of battery 100.
The voltage is detected for charge / discharge management of the assembled battery 50. Guide plates 91b and 92b for guiding insertion and removal of the connector 170 are provided inside the insulating covers 91 and 92, and the insulating covers 91 and 92 are engaged with the spacer 110 and the output terminals 140 and 150 on the periphery. And a plurality of snap fit claws 91c and 92c for fixing (see FIGS. 6 to 8).

  Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the positive and negative output terminals 140 and 150 are led out from the case 70 through notches 71 d and 71 e formed in a part of the peripheral wall 71 b of the lower case 71. The insertion ports 91a and 92a of the insulating covers 91 and 92 are also exposed to the outside of the case 70 through a notch 71f formed in a part of the peripheral wall 71b. In order to insert through-bolts (not shown) at the four corners of the case 70, bolt holes 73 are formed at the four corners of the lower case 71 and the upper case 72, and the bolts are formed at two locations on each spacer 110. A hole 111 is formed. Reference numeral 93 in FIG. 2 indicates a sleeve inserted into the bolt hole 111 of the spacer 110, and reference numeral 94 indicates a cushioning material provided between the cell unit 60 and the upper case 72.

  The case 70 fixes the position of the spacer 110 and houses a plurality of batteries 100. The position of the spacer 110 with respect to the case 70 is fixed by inserting a bolt through the bolt hole 73 of the lower case 71 and the upper case 72 and the sleeve 93 inserted into the bolt hole 111 of the spacer 110. Since the spacer 110 holds the tab 100t, the position of the plurality of batteries 100 with respect to the case 70 is determined as a result of fixing the position of the spacer 110.

  10 is a perspective view showing the three subassemblies 81, 82, and 83 constituting the cell unit main body 80 with the front side facing forward, and FIG. 11 shows the subassemblies 81, 82, and 83 with the rear side facing forward. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the subassemblies 81, 82, 83 as seen from the bottom side.

  With reference to FIGS. 10 to 12, the cell unit main body 80 is assembled from the first to third subassemblies 81, 82 and 83. In FIG. 10, the first subassembly 81 shown at the top is configured by stacking three batteries 101, 102, 103 and connecting these batteries 101, 102, 103 in series. The second subassembly 82 shown in the middle is configured by stacking two batteries 104 and 105 and connecting these batteries 104 and 105 in series. The third subassembly 83 shown at the bottom is configured by stacking three batteries 106, 107, 108 and connecting these batteries 106, 107, 108 in series. A minus-side output terminal 150 is assembled to the first subassembly 81, and a plus-side output terminal 140 is assembled to the third subassembly 83. The first subassembly 81 and the second subassembly 82 are electrically connected by joining the tabs 103p and 104m facing the outside of the spacer 110 on the back side. Similarly, the second subassembly 82 and the third subassembly 83 are electrically connected by joining the tabs 105p and 106m facing the outside of the spacer 110 on the back side. Further, double-sided tape is used between the battery 103 of the first subassembly 81 and the battery 104 of the second subassembly 82 and between the battery 105 of the second subassembly 82 and the battery 106 of the third subassembly 83. It is glued.

  13 is an exploded perspective view showing the cell unit body 80 with the front side facing forward, FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the cell unit body 80 with the back side facing forward, and FIG. 15 is a battery in the cell unit body 80. It is a conceptual diagram with which it uses for description of the lamination state of 100 and the spacer 110. FIG. In FIG. 15, the right side is the front side and the left side is the back side.

With reference to FIGS. 13 to 15, the cell unit main body 80 includes eight batteries 101 to 108, eighteen spacers 121 to 138, and two output terminals 140 and 150.
Nineteen spacers 121 to 138 are arranged on the front side and nine on the back side.
For convenience of explanation, the eight batteries 101 to 108 are referred to as first battery 101 to eighth battery 108 in order from top to bottom along the battery stacking direction (vertical direction in FIG. 15). The nine spacers 121 to 129 on the front side are referred to as a first spacer 121 to a ninth spacer 129 in order from top to bottom along the battery stacking direction. Similarly, the nine spacers 130 to 138 on the back side are referred to as a tenth spacer 130 to an eighteenth spacer 138.

  The first to eighteenth spacers 121 to 138 are arranged so as to sandwich the tab 100t from both sides of the tab 100t along the battery stacking direction. The plus-side output terminal 140 includes a plate-like bus bar 141 that is superimposed on the plus-side tab 108p of the eighth battery 108, and a resin cover 142 that covers an electrode provided at the end of the bus bar 141. The minus-side output terminal 150 includes a plate-like bus bar 151 that is superimposed on the minus-side tab 101 m of the first battery 101, and a resin cover 152 that covers an electrode provided at the end of the bus bar 151. The bus bars 141 and 151 are made of a copper plate. The plus-side output terminal 140 has the electrode and the resin cover 142 located at the right end when viewed from the front side of the left and right ends of the bus bar 141. On the contrary, in the minus side output terminal 150, the electrode and the resin cover 152 are located at the left end portion of the bus bar 151. Of the both surfaces of the tab 100t, the spacer 110, etc. along the battery stacking direction, the upper surface in FIG. 15 is the front surface, and the lower surface is the back surface. Each bus bar 141, 151 is formed with a pair of through holes 143, 153 penetrating from the front surface to the back surface along the stacking direction.

  FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the electrical connection state of the battery 100 in the cell unit main body 80, and FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an example of the battery 100 (first battery 101) included in the cell unit main body 80. is there. In FIG. 16, the right side is the front side and the left side is the back side.

  Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, battery 100 is, for example, a flat lithium ion secondary battery, and a laminated power generation element (not shown) in which a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator are sequentially laminated is a laminate film. It is sealed with an exterior material 100a. In the battery 100, one end is electrically connected to the power generation element, and a tab-like tab 100t is led out from the exterior material 100a. The tab 100t extends on both sides (front side and back side) of the battery 100 in the longitudinal direction. In the battery 100 including the stacked power generation element, it is necessary to apply pressure to the power generation element and hold it in order to maintain the battery performance by keeping the distance between the electrode plates uniform. For this reason, each battery 100 is accommodated in the case 70 so that the power generation element is pressed down.

  In FIG. 17, reference numeral 161 indicates a terminal plate (corresponding to a voltage detection terminal plate) that is overlapped and joined to the minus-side tab 100 m, and reference numeral 162 indicates a pair of through holes formed in the terminal plate 161. . The tab 100m is formed with a pair of through holes 109 that communicate with the through holes 162 of the terminal plate 161 (see FIG. 24B). Some have a through-hole 109 formed in the plus-side tab 100p. Specifically, the positive side tabs 102p, 103p, 105p, 106p, 108p of the second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth batteries 102, 103, 105, 106, 108 are shown in FIG. (See FIG. 14). The through holes 109 and 162 penetrate from the front surface to the back surface along the stacking direction.

  18A is a perspective view showing an example of spacers 110 (fourth, sixth, twelfth, fourteenth, and sixteenth spacers 124, 126, 132, 134, 136) included in the cell unit main body 80. FIG. 18B is a perspective view showing the spacer 110 with the front and back reversed, FIG. 18C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 18C-18C in FIG. 18A, and FIGS. FIGS. 20A and 20B are perspective views for explaining a state in which the minus side tab 101m and the minus side output terminal 150 of the battery 101 are overlapped and sandwiched by the pair of spacers 121 and 122, and FIGS. 19 (A) is a perspective view for explaining a state in which the plus-side tab 102p of the battery 102 stacked on the lower side in FIG. 19 (A) is further sandwiched, and FIGS. , 132, multiple Tab 101p, is a perspective view for illustrating a state of sandwiching superposed to 102m.

Referring to FIG. 18, the spacer 110 has a plate shape that sandwiches the tab 100 t from both sides of the tab 100 t along the direction in which the plurality of batteries 100 are stacked, and has electrical insulation.
The material of the spacer 110 is not limited as long as it has electrical insulation and has sufficient strength to sandwich the tab 100t. For example, an electrically insulating resin material can be used. Bolt holes 111 for inserting a sleeve 93 (see FIG. 2) are formed at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the spacer 110 from the front surface to the back surface. By holding the tab 100t by the spacer 110, when vibration is input to the assembled battery 50, vibration of the tab 100t is suppressed, and stress is not concentrated on the tab 100t. For this reason, durability of the tab 100t, and by extension, durability of the assembled battery 50 can be improved. Furthermore, since the tabs 100t are sandwiched by the spacers 110 having electrical insulation properties, even if the distance between the batteries 100, that is, the distance between the tabs 100t is reduced, a short circuit between the tabs 100t can be prevented. For this reason, the battery pack 50 as a whole can be made compact by reducing the distance between the batteries as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to provide the assembled battery 50 that can improve the vibration resistance strength and is less affected by vibration input and can be made compact. Further, in the cell unit main body 80, since the spacers 110 are present at both ends along the battery stacking direction, the exposure of the tab 100t can be reduced, and the cell unit main body 80 can be easily handled when assembling the assembled battery 50 or the like. Become. The insulating covers 91 and 92 are also formed from the same material as the spacer 110.

  The spacer 110 is formed with an opening window 112 penetrating from the front surface to the back surface along the stacking direction. In the illustrated example, rectangular opening windows 112 are formed at two locations equally spaced on the left and right sides from the longitudinal center of the spacer 110. A part of the clamped tab 100t faces the opening window 112 (see FIGS. 19B and 21C).

  The spacer 110 is further provided with a pin 113 (corresponding to a protruding portion) on one surface of both surfaces along the stacking direction, and a recess on the back surface which is the other surface of both surfaces along the stacking direction. 114 is provided, and the pin 113 and the recess 114 are arranged on the same line along the stacking direction (see FIG. 18C). In the illustrated example, a pair of pins 113 and a pair of recesses 114 are provided closer to the center of the spacer 110 in the longitudinal direction than the opening window 112. The pin 113 is also referred to as emboss.

  One spacer of the pair of spacers that sandwich the tab is shared with one of the pair of spacers that sandwich the other tab. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the negative tab 101m of the first battery 101 is sandwiched between a pair of first and second spacers 121 and 122, and the positive tab 102p of the second battery 102 is paired. 2 and the third spacers 122 and 123. In this example, the second spacer 122 is used to sandwich the minus side tab 101m, and at the same time, is used to sandwich the plus side tab 102p. Thus, by sharing the spacer 122 and the like, the distance between the upper tab 101m and the lower tab 102p can be reduced. Therefore, the battery pack 50 as a whole can be made compact by reducing the distance between the batteries 100 as much as possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the lower spacer 122 has an engagement hole 115 penetrating from the front surface to the back surface, and the rear surface of the upper spacer 121 has a snap fit claw 116. Is formed to protrude. The snap fit claw 116 is inserted into the engagement hole 115 of the spacer 122 arranged on the back surface side and engages with the spacer 122. That is, the spacers 110 are connected by fitting. Therefore, the spacers 110 can be easily and quickly connected, and the operation of holding the tab 100t can be easily and quickly performed.

  Referring to FIG. 19 to FIG. 21, the pair of spacers that sandwich the tab 100t has a locking means 117 that passes through the tab 100t along the stacking direction and locks the tab 100t. . Specifically, referring to FIG. 19, the locking means 117 includes a tab 101 m in which a through-hole 109 penetrating in the stacking direction is formed, and one spacer 122 out of a pair of spacers 121 and 122. A pin 113 inserted into the through hole 109 and a recess 114 into which the tip of the pin 113 inserted in the other spacer 121 of the pair of spacers 121 and 122 is inserted. Have. With this locking means 117, when vibration is input to the assembled battery 50, the positions of the spacers 121 and 122 with respect to the tab 101m are not displaced, and a short circuit between the tabs due to the displacement can be prevented.

  Here, the spacer 110 is provided with a pin 113 on the front surface and a recess 114 on the back surface, and the pin 113 and the recess 114 are arranged on the same line along the stacking direction (see FIG. 18C). . When the tab 100t in which the through-hole 109 is formed is sandwiched by the spacer 110 having such a configuration, the locking unit 117 is configured as described above, and when vibration is input to the assembled battery 50, the spacer 110 with respect to the tab 100t. Therefore, the short-circuit between the tabs 100t due to the shift can be prevented. Further, when assembling the assembled battery 50 by stacking a plurality of batteries 100, the tip of the pin 113 of the lower spacer 110 is fitted into the concave portion 114 of the upper spacer 110, whereby the spacer 110 with respect to the tab 100t is fitted. Positioning and positioning of the batteries 100 can be performed simultaneously. Thus, when the pin 113 and the recessed part 114 exhibit a positioning function, workability | operativity at the time of assembling the assembled battery 50 can be improved.

  Since each of the bus bars 141, 151, the terminal plate 161, and the tab 100t has two through holes 143, 153, 162, and 109, the rotation is prevented by inserting the pin 113. Further, it is preferable that one of the pair of through holes 143, 153, 162, and 109 is formed as a round hole and the other is formed as an elliptical hole. This is because the pin 113 can be easily inserted.

  Referring to FIG. 19, the tab 101m and the bus bar 151 of the negative output terminal 150 are overlapped by a pair of spacers 121 and 122 having an opening window portion 112 penetrating along the stacking direction, and one tab 101m is formed. And a part of the bus bar 151 face the opening window 112 and sandwich it. The output terminal 150 is electrically connected to the first battery 101 by joining the tab 101m facing the opening window 112 and the bus bar 151. When welding the tab 101m and the bus bar 151, the tabs 121m and the bus bar 151 are held in an overlapping state by using the spacers 121 and 122 as jigs, and the welding head is easily attached to the opening window 112. Can be positioned. Therefore, welding can be performed through the opening window 112, and welding workability can be improved. The pin 113 of the second spacer 122 is inserted into the bus bar 151, the minus-side tab 101 m of the first battery 101 and the through holes 153, 109, 162 of the terminal plate 161 and fits into the recess 114 of the first spacer 121. The negative tab 101m and the terminal plate 161 of the first battery 101 are positioned. The periphery of the tab 101m and the bus bar 151 is insulated by the spacers 121 and 122 except for the part facing the opening window 112 and the part forming the voltage detection unit 160.

  Referring to FIG. 20, a pair of spacers 122 and 123 hold the tab 102 p with a part of the tab 102 p facing the outside of the spacers 122 and 123. The pin 113 of the third spacer 123 is inserted into the through hole 109 of the second battery 102 and is fitted into the recess 114 of the second spacer 122, so that the plus-side tab 102p of the second battery 102 is positioned. The plus side tab 102p facing the outside of the spacers 122 and 123 is joined to the minus side tab 103m facing the outside of the spacers 123 and 124, and the second battery 102 and the third battery 103 are electrically connected. (See FIG. 15).

  Referring to FIG. 21, a plurality of tabs 101p and 102m are overlapped and a part of each tab 101p and 102m is opened by a pair of spacers 131 and 132 each having an opening window portion 112 penetrating along the stacking direction. Clamp it facing the window 112. A plurality of batteries 101 and 102 are electrically connected by joining the tabs 101p and 102m facing the opening window 112 by, for example, ultrasonic welding. When the tabs 101p and 102m are welded together, the tabs 101p and 102m are held in an overlapping state by using the spacers 131 and 132 as a jig, and the welding head of the welding apparatus is attached to the opening window 112. Easy positioning. Therefore, also in this case, welding can be performed through the opening window 112, and welding workability can be improved. The pin 113 of the twelfth spacer 132 is inserted into the negative tab 102m of the second battery 102 and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal plate 161, and is fitted into the recess 114 of the eleventh spacer 131, so that the second battery 102 The minus side tab 102m and the terminal board 161 are positioned. The tabs 101p and 102m are insulated from each other by spacers 131 and 132, except for the portion facing the opening window 112 and the portion forming the voltage detector 160.

  In the cell unit main body 80 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the plurality of stacked batteries 100 are connected in series by electrically connecting tabs 100p, 100m having different electrical polarities. The plus-side output terminal 140 and the minus-side output terminal 150 are electrically connected to the eighth and first batteries 108 and 101 located at both ends along the stacking direction. The cell unit main body 80 is manufactured by combining the joints shown in FIGS. Since the welding workability of the joining shown in FIGS. 19 to 21 is improved, the welding workability when manufacturing the cell unit main body 80 can be improved as a result.

  22A is a perspective view showing the voltage detection unit 160 on the front surface side of the cell unit main body 80, and FIG. 22B is a state in which the connector 170 is inserted into the insulating cover 91 attached to the front surface of the cell unit main body 80. 23A is a perspective view showing a state in which the connector 170 is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 22B, FIG. 23B is a perspective view showing the insulating cover 91, and FIG. ) Is a perspective view showing the connector 170, FIG. 24A is a plan view showing the main part of the battery 100 in which the terminal plate 161 is overlapped and joined to the minus side tab 100m, and FIG. 24B is FIG. FIG. 24A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 24B-24B in FIG. 24A and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tab 100m and the terminal plate 161 are joined by punch caulking. FIG. How to do 25A is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the spacer 110 having the recess 119 into which the convex part 163 formed on the surface of the terminal plate 161 is fitted by punch caulking. FIG. ) Is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tab 100m and the terminal plate 161 are joined by a rivet 165. FIG.

  Referring to FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 22A, spacer 110 has a notch 118 for exposing a part of the peripheral edge of nipped tab 100t, and tab 100t is notched 118. The part exposed from is used as a voltage detection unit 160 for detecting the voltage of the battery 100. Since the tab 100t itself is used as the voltage detection unit 160, space can be saved and the configuration for detecting the voltage can be simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated terminal for voltage detection is provided apart from the tab 100t. This also facilitates assembly of the assembled battery 50.

  Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, connector 170 having connection terminal 171 (see FIG. 24C) connectable to voltage detection unit 160 is connected to voltage detection unit 160 from insertion port 91a of insulating cover 91. Removably attached. The connector 170 is connected to the voltage detector 180 via the lead wire 172. The work of electrically connecting the voltage detector 160 to the voltage detector 180 can be completed simply by inserting the connector 170. Then, the operating state of each battery 100 is checked by monitoring the voltage detected by the voltage detector 160.

  A plurality of voltage detection units 160 are arranged on the same line along the battery stacking direction, and the connector 170 has a plurality of connection terminals 171 that are arranged to match the respective positions of the voltage detection unit 160. Four voltage detectors 160 are arranged on the front side and four are arranged on the back side. By matching the relative positional relationship between the plurality of voltage detection units 160 and the plurality of connection terminals 171, the plurality of voltage detection units 160 can be collectively connected by simply inserting one connector 170. The work of electrically connecting to the detector 180 can be completed, and workability can be improved. Here, the dimension (cell height) in the thickness direction of the battery 100 in the portion where the power generation element exists varies somewhat for each battery 100. In the present embodiment, only the tab 100t is sandwiched by the spacer 110 which is a rigid body, and the plurality of voltage detection units 160 are configured by the tab 100t exposed from the notch 118. For this reason, the interval between the plurality of voltage detectors 160 is determined by the height dimension of the spacers 110 to be stacked. That is, the interval between the plurality of voltage detection units 160 can be kept constant without being affected by the variation in cell height, and the positional relationship between the plurality of voltage detection units 160 does not vary. The plurality of connection terminals 171 of the connector 170 does not vary in the positional relationship. For this reason, when matching the relative positional relationship between the plurality of voltage detection units 160 and the plurality of connection terminals 171, it is necessary to perform a complicated operation of adjusting the height position of each voltage detection unit 160. There is no. Therefore, the configuration of the voltage detection unit 160 is simplified, and the plurality of voltage detection units 160 and the plurality of connection terminals 171 can be easily connected together, and the insertion workability of the connector 170 is improved. Can be improved.

  When the thickness of the tab 100t is relatively large, the tab 100t forming the voltage detection unit 160 is not deformed when the connector 170 is inserted or removed. However, when the thickness of the tab 100t is relatively thin, the tab 100t forming the voltage detection unit 160 may be deformed when the connector 170 is inserted or removed. Therefore, in order to prevent deformation of the tab 100t, the voltage detection unit 160 includes a terminal plate 161 that is overlapped and joined to the tab 100t. Terminal plate 161 is formed of a metal plate having a plate thickness larger than the plate thickness of tab 100t. A recess (not shown) for receiving the terminal plate 161 is formed on the back surface of the spacer 110. By providing the terminal plate 161, the strength of the voltage detection unit 160 can be increased as compared with the case where only the tab 100t is provided, and deformation of the voltage detection unit 160 due to insertion / removal of the connector 170 can be prevented. Further, since the terminal plate 161 is directly joined on the tab 100t, space can be saved compared to the case where the terminal plate 161 is provided apart from the tab 100t.

  The terminal plate 161 is also formed with a through hole 162 through which the pin 113 of the spacer 110 is inserted. By receiving a load applied to the terminal plate 161 by the pin 113 inserted into the through hole 162, it is possible to reduce the load applied to the tab 100t, the power generation element, and the like when the connector 170 is inserted and removed.

  Note that the terminal plate 161 is not required when the thickness of the tab 100t is relatively large and deformation due to insertion / removal of the connector 170 does not occur.

  Referring to FIG. 21A, a tab 101p that is sandwiched and overlapped with a tab 102m provided with a terminal plate 161 has a notch 100b for receiving the terminal plate 161. Since the tab 101p does not overlap the terminal board 161, there is no gap between the tab 102m and the tab 101p. Accordingly, the tabs 102m and 101p can be held in close contact with each other, and electrical connection can be improved.

  The tabs 100t are joined by ultrasonic welding. That is, the tabs 102m and 101p facing the opening window 112 of the spacer 110 (see FIG. 21) are joined by ultrasonic welding. Further, the tab 101m facing the opening window 112 and the bus bar 151 (see FIG. 19) of the output terminal 150 are also joined by ultrasonic welding. The tabs 102p and 103m and 106P and 107m facing the outside of the spacer 110 are joined to each other by ultrasonic welding on the outside of the spacer 110 (see FIGS. 20 and 22A).

  The present invention does not exclude joining the tab 100t and the terminal plate 161 by ultrasonic welding. However, when the tab 100t and the terminal plate 161 are joined by ultrasonic welding and then the tabs 100t are joined by ultrasonic welding, vibrations accompanying welding are applied to the joint portion between the tab 100t and the terminal plate 161, and the tab 100t. There is a possibility that peeling occurs at a joint portion between the terminal plate 161 and the terminal plate 161 and the joint strength is lowered. Therefore, when the tabs 100t are joined to each other by ultrasonic welding, it is preferable to join the tab 100t and the terminal plate 161 by at least one of the punch caulking and the rivet 165. Even if the tabs 100t are joined to each other by ultrasonic welding at a position close to the joining portion between the tab 100t and the terminal plate 161, the joining strength between the tab 100t and the terminal plate 161 can be maintained, and the desired quality can be achieved. This is because it can be easily maintained. Further, when the connector 170 is inserted and removed, a thrust force is applied to the terminal plate 161 due to friction and hooking between the connection terminal 171 and the terminal plate 161 of the connector 170. By receiving this thrust force by the shear strength by the punch caulking or the rivet 165, it is possible to prevent the peeling between the tab 100t and the terminal board 161 from occurring.

  With reference to FIG. 24, in this embodiment, the tab 100m and the terminal board 161 are joined by punch caulking. Due to punch caulking, convex portions 163 are formed on the surface of the terminal plate 161, and depressions are formed on the back surface side of the terminal plate 161 and the tab 100m (see FIGS. 24B and 24C). The connector 170 includes a connection terminal 171 having elasticity, and is inserted into the terminal plate 161 and the tab 100m. The insertion position of the connector 170 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. When punch caulking is performed, the tab 100m and the terminal board 161 are concavo-convexly fitted, and the surface along the concavo-convex direction is orthogonal to the direction of the thrust force generated when the connector 170 is inserted and removed. Thereby, it is possible to resist the thrust force, and it is possible to prevent the peeling between the tab 100 m and the terminal plate 161 from being peeled off.

  Referring to FIG. 25A, the spacer 110 has a recess 119 into which a convex portion 163 formed on the surface of the terminal plate 161 is fitted by punch caulking. When the tab 100m is clamped, the recess 119 of the spacer 110 and the projection 163 on the surface of the terminal board 161 are fitted. When vibration is input to the terminal board 161 via the connector 170, the vibration can be suppressed by the spacer 110, and input of vibration to the tab 100m can be prevented. Therefore, stress is not concentrated on a portion where the tabs are joined to each other, and the durability of the tab 100t can be improved and the reliability of the assembled battery 50 can be improved. In addition, since the thrust force applied to the terminal board 161 is received by the spacer 110, the thrust force input to the tab 100m is reduced, and the durability of the tab 100m can also be improved from this point. Note that reference numeral 113 in FIG. 25A denotes a pin provided on the surface of the spacer 110. As described above, the pin 113 of the lower spacer 110 is inserted through the through holes 109 and 162 formed in the tab 100 m and the terminal plate 161 and fits into the recess 114 of the upper spacer 110.

  FIG. 25B shows a state in which the tab 100m and the terminal plate 161 are joined by the rivet 165. FIG. The head 165a of the rivet 165 protrudes from both sides of the front surface and the back surface of the terminal board 161 to form a convex shape. Similarly, when joining with the rivet 165, the spacer 110 is a recess into which the rivet head 165 a protruding from the front surface and the back surface of the terminal plate 161 is fitted in order to prevent vibration and thrust force input to the tab 100 m. It is preferable to have 119.

  With reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 again, the stacked state of the battery 100 and the spacer 110 in the cell unit body 80, the shape of the tab 100t, and the electrical connection state of the battery 100 will be further described. In FIG. 16, the spacer 110 is indicated by a broken line.

  First, the shape of the tab 100t will be described with reference to FIG. The tab 100t has various shapes. The shape of the tab 100t is determined in consideration of facilitating joining of the tab 100t in the subassemblies 81, 82, 83 and facilitating joining of the tab 100t between the subassemblies 81, 82, 83. . The second battery 102 and the fifth battery 105 are simply arranged with their directions reversed while maintaining the front and back of the battery, and the same battery is used. Similarly, the same battery is used for the third battery 103 and the sixth battery 106, and the same battery is used for the fourth battery 104 and the seventh battery 107. Therefore, the cell unit main body 80 includes eight batteries 101 to 108, but five types of batteries having different tabs 100t are used. By reducing the types of the battery 100, the cost required for manufacturing the battery 100 can be reduced.

  The shape of the tab 100 t is roughly classified into a type in which a part extends in the longitudinal direction and faces the outside of the spacer 110 and a type that is covered by the spacer 110. The former type includes the positive tab 102p of the second battery 102, the positive and negative tabs 103p and 103m of the third battery 103, the negative tab 104m of the fourth battery 104, and the positive tab of the fifth battery 105. 105p, positive and negative tabs 106p and 106m of the sixth battery 106, and negative tab 107m of the seventh battery 107 are included. Tabs other than these, that is, the positive and negative tabs 101p and 101m of the first battery 101, the negative tab 102m of the second battery 102, the positive tab 104p of the fourth battery 104, and the negative side of the fifth battery 105 The tab 105m, the positive tab 107p of the seventh battery 107, and the positive and negative tabs 108p and 108m of the eighth battery 108 are included in the latter type.

  A terminal plate 161 is overlapped and joined to the minus side tab 100 m of each battery 100. The plus-side tabs 101p, 104p, and 107p that are overlapped and held on the minus-side tab 100m provided with the terminal plate 161 have a notch 100b for receiving the terminal plate 161 (see also FIG. 17).

Next, the electrical connection state of the battery 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 16, the tabs 100t that are electrically connected are connected by a two-dot chain connection line.
The “black squares” attached adjacent to the connecting lines are joined by ultrasonic welding of the tabs 100t facing the opening window 112 of the spacer 110 in each of the first to third subassemblies 81, 82, 83. It shows that The “black circle” attached adjacent to the connection line joins the tabs 100t facing the outside of the spacer 110 by ultrasonic welding on the outside of the spacer 110 in the first and third subassemblies 81 and 83. It is shown that. The “white circle” attached adjacent to the connection line faces the outside of the spacer 110 when the subassemblies 81, 82, 82, and 83 are connected to each other after the subassemblies 81, 82, 83 are assembled. The tabs 100t are joined to each other by ultrasonic welding on the outside of the spacer 110.

  When the first subassembly 81 is assembled, the plus side tab 101p of the first battery 101 and the minus side tab 102m of the second battery 102 are joined at the opening window 112, and the plus side tab 102p and the second tab 102p of the second battery 102 are joined. The minus side tab 103 m of the three batteries 103 is joined outside the spacer 110. The minus tab 101m of the first battery 101 and the bus bar 151 of the minus output terminal 150 are also joined at the opening window 112 (see FIG. 19).

  When the second subassembly 82 is assembled, the plus-side tab 104p of the fourth battery 104 and the minus-side tab 105m of the fifth battery 105 are joined at the opening window 112.

  When assembling the third sub-assembly 83, the plus-side tab 107p of the seventh battery 107 and the minus-side tab 108m of the eighth battery 108 are joined at the opening window 112, and the plus-side tab 106p and the sixth tab 106p of the sixth battery 106 are joined. The negative tab 107m of the seven battery 107 is joined outside the spacer 110. The plus-side tab 108 p of the eighth battery 108 and the bus bar 141 of the plus-side output terminal 140 are joined at the opening window 112.

  When the first subassembly 81 and the second subassembly 82 are connected after assembling the subassemblies 81, 82, 83, the plus side tab 103p of the third battery 103 and the minus side tab 104m of the fourth battery 104 are connected. Are joined outside the spacer 110. When connecting the second subassembly 82 and the third subassembly 83, the plus side tab 105 p of the fifth battery 105 and the minus side tab 106 m of the sixth battery 106 are joined outside the spacer 110. Thereby, the stacked eight batteries 101 to 108 are connected in series by electrically connecting the tabs 100p and 100m having different electrical polarities, and the plus side output terminal 140 and the minus side output terminal 150 are connected. Are electrically connected to the eighth and first batteries 108 and 101 located at both ends along the stacking direction.

  On the front side, the terminal plates 161 on the minus side tabs 101m, 103m, 105m, and 107m of the first, third, fifth, and seventh batteries 101, 103, 105, and 107 are on the same line along the battery stacking direction. The four voltage detectors 160 are arranged on the back side, and on the back side, the negative side tabs 102m, 104m, 106m, 108m of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth batteries 102, 104, 106, 108 are provided. The terminal board 161 arranges four voltage detectors 160 on the same line along the battery stacking direction. For example, the voltage of the first battery 101 can be determined by measuring the voltage between the first voltage detection unit 160 from the top on the front side and the first voltage detection unit 160 from the top on the back side. Moreover, the voltage of the 2nd battery 102 is known by measuring the voltage between the 1st voltage detection part 160 from the top in the back side, and the 2nd voltage detection part 160 from the top in the front side. Similarly, the voltages of the third to eighth batteries 103 to 108 are known.

Next, a stacked state of the battery 100 and the spacer 110 in the cell unit main body 80 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 15, a member protruding from the front surface of the spacer 110 indicates a pin 113, and a member protruding from the back surface indicates a snap fit claw 116.
A description will be given separately for the front side and the back side.

  First, on the front side, the first and second spacers 121 and 122 sandwich the minus tab 101m of the first battery 101 and the bus bar 151 of the minus output terminal 150 in an overlapping manner. The second and third spacers 122 and 123 sandwich the plus-side tab 102p of the second battery 102. The third and fourth spacers 123 and 124 sandwich the minus side tab 103 m of the third battery 103. The fifth and sixth spacers 125 and 126 sandwich and hold the plus side tab 104p of the fourth battery 104 and the minus side tab 105m of the fifth battery 105 in an overlapping manner. The sixth and seventh spacers 126 and 127 sandwich the plus-side tab 106p of the sixth battery 106. The seventh and eighth spacers 127 and 128 sandwich the minus side tab 107 m of the seventh battery 107. The eighth and ninth spacers 128 and 129 sandwich and hold the plus-side tab 108p of the eighth battery 108 and the bus bar 141 of the plus-side output terminal 140 in an overlapping manner.

  On the back side, the tenth spacer 130 is stacked on the eleventh spacer 131. The eleventh and twelfth spacers 131 and 132 hold the plus side tab 101p of the first battery 101 and the minus side tab 102m of the second battery 102 in an overlapping manner. The twelfth and thirteenth spacers 132 and 133 sandwich the plus-side tab 103p of the third battery 103. The thirteenth and fourteenth spacers 133, 134 sandwich the minus side tab 104 m of the fourth battery 104. The fourteenth and fifteenth spacers 134 and 135 sandwich the plus-side tab 105 p of the fifth battery 105. The fifteenth and sixteenth spacers 135 and 136 sandwich the negative tab 106 m of the sixth battery 106. The seventeenth and eighteenth spacers 137 and 138 sandwich the plus side tab 107p of the seventh battery 107 and the minus side tab 108m of the eighth battery 108 in an overlapping manner.

The spacer 110 also has various shapes, but there is also a spacer 110 that is arranged on the front side and the back side by reversing the direction while maintaining the front and back of the spacer. The same spacers are included in the nine spacers 121 to 129 on the front side, and the same spacers are included in the nine spacers 130 to 138 on the rear side. The cell unit main body 80 includes 18 spacers 121 to 138, but 8 types of spacers having different shapes are used. When the types of the first spacer 121 to the eighteenth spacer 138 are indicated by using symbols # 8 to # 15,
Back side Front side 10th spacer 130: # 9 1st spacer 121: # 9
11th spacer 131: # 12 2nd spacer 122: # 13
12th spacer 132: # 11 3rd spacer 123: # 10
13th spacer 133: # 10 4th spacer 124: # 11
Fourteenth spacer 134: # 11 Fifth spacer 125: # 12
15th spacer 135: # 10 6th spacer 126: # 11
Sixteenth spacer 136: # 11 Seventh spacer 127: # 10
Seventeenth spacer 137: # 15 Eighth spacer 128: # 9
Eighteenth spacer 138: # 14 Ninth spacer 129: # 8
It is as follows.

  Next, an assembly procedure of the assembled battery 50 in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIGS. 26 to 31 are diagrams for explaining the assembly procedure of the first subassembly 81, FIGS. 32 and 33 are diagrams for explaining the assembly procedure of the second subassembly 82, and FIGS. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an assembly procedure of the 3 sub-assembly 83; In these drawings, the positions where ultrasonic welding is performed are hatched.

(Assembly of the first subassembly 81)
As shown in FIG. 26, on the front side, the minus tab 101m of the first battery 101 and the bus bar 151 of the minus output terminal 150 are overlapped by the first and second spacers 121 and 122, and the minus tab is A part of 101 m and a part of the negative output terminal 150 are sandwiched by facing the opening window 112. The pin 113 of the second spacer 122 is inserted into the recess 114 of the first spacer 121 through the bus bar 151, the negative tab 101 m and the through holes 153, 109, 162 of the terminal plate 161. As shown in FIG. 27, the minus side tab 101m and the bus bar 151 facing the opening window 112 are joined by ultrasonic welding. As a result, the negative output terminal 150 is electrically connected to the first battery 101.

  As shown in FIG. 28, the tenth spacer 130 is stacked on the eleventh spacer 131 on the back side. The plus side tab 101p of the first battery 101 and the minus side tab 102m of the second battery 102 are overlapped by the eleventh and twelfth spacers 131 and 132, and a part of each of the tabs 101p and 102m is opened window 112. And pinch it. The pin 113 of the twelfth spacer 132 is inserted into the recess 102 of the eleventh spacer 131 through the tab 102 m and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal plate 161. Since the tab 101p does not overlap with the terminal board 161, the tabs 101p and 102m are closely attached to each other. The first battery 101 and the second battery 102 are bonded with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 29, the plus-side tab 101p and the minus-side tab 102m facing the opening window 112 are joined by ultrasonic welding. Thereby, the 1st battery 101 and the 2nd battery 102 are connected in series. In addition, on the front side, the second and third spacers 122 and 123 sandwich the plus-side tab 102p of the second battery 102 with a part of the tab 102p facing the outside of the spacers 122 and 123 (see FIG. 28, see FIG. 29). The pin 113 of the third spacer 123 is inserted through the through hole 109 of the plus side tab 102p and is fitted into the recess 114 of the second spacer 122.

  As shown in FIG. 30, on the front side, the third and fourth spacers 123 and 124 allow the minus side tab 103m of the third battery 103 to face a part of the tab 103m to the outside of the spacers 123 and 124. Hold it. The pin 113 of the fourth spacer 124 is inserted through the through-holes 109 and 162 of the tab 103 m and the terminal plate 161 and is fitted into the recess 114 of the third spacer 123. The second battery 102 and the third battery 103 are bonded with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 31, the plus side tab 102p of the second battery 102 and the minus side tab 103m of the third battery 103 facing the outside of the spacers 121 to 124 are joined by ultrasonic welding outside the spacers 121 to 124. To do. Thereby, the 2nd battery 102 and the 3rd battery 103 are connected in series. Further, on the back side, the twelfth and thirteenth spacers 132 and 133 sandwich the plus side tab 103p of the third battery 103 with a part of the tab 103p facing the outside of the spacers 132 and 133 (see FIG. 30, see FIG. The pin 113 of the thirteenth spacer 133 is inserted through the through hole 109 of the plus side tab 103p and fits into the recess 114 of the twelfth spacer 132.

  Thus, the assembly of the first subassembly 81 is completed.

(Assembly of second subassembly 82)
As shown in FIG. 32, on the front side, the plus side tab 104p of the fourth battery 104 and the minus side tab 105m of the fifth battery 105 are overlapped by the fifth and sixth spacers 125 and 126, and each tab is A part of 104p and 105m faces the opening window 112 and is sandwiched. The pin 113 of the sixth spacer 126 is inserted into the recess 105 of the fifth spacer 125 through the tab 105 m and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal plate 161. Since the tab 104p does not overlap the terminal board 161, the tabs 104p and 105m are held in close contact with each other. The fourth battery 104 and the fifth battery 105 are bonded with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 33, the plus side tab 104p and the minus side tab 105m facing the opening window 112 are joined by ultrasonic welding. As a result, the fourth battery 104 and the fifth battery 105 are connected in series. On the back side, the plus-side tab 105p of the fifth battery 105 is sandwiched by the fourteenth and fifteenth spacers 134 and 135 with a part of the tab 105p facing the outside of the spacers 134 and 135 (see FIG. 32, see FIG. 33).
The pin 113 of the fourteenth spacer 134 is inserted through the through holes 109 and 162 of the tab 104 m and the terminal board 161.

  Thus, the assembly of the second subassembly 82 is completed.

(Assembly of the third subassembly 83)
As shown in FIG. 34, on the front side, the plus and minus tabs 108p of the eighth battery 108 and the bus bar 141 of the plus side output terminal 140 are overlapped by the eighth and ninth spacers 128 and 129, and the tab 108p A part and a part of the plus side output terminal 140 are sandwiched by facing the opening window 112. The pin 113 of the ninth spacer 129 is inserted through the through holes 143 and 109 of the bus bar 141 and the tab 108 p and is fitted into the recess 114 of the eighth spacer 128. As shown in FIG. 35, the plus side tab 108p and the bus bar 141 facing the opening window 112 are joined by ultrasonic welding. Thereby, the plus side output terminal 140 is electrically connected to the eighth battery 108.

  As shown in FIG. 36, on the back side, the plus side tab 107p of the seventh battery 107 and the minus side tab 108m of the eighth battery 108 are overlapped by the seventeenth and eighteenth spacers 137 and 138, and each tab is A part of 107p and 108m faces the opening window 112 and is clamped. The pin 113 of the eighteenth spacer 138 is inserted into the recess 108 of the seventeenth spacer 137 through the tab 108 m and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal board 161. Since the tab 107p does not overlap the terminal board 161, the tabs 107p and 108m are held in close contact with each other. The seventh battery 107 and the eighth battery 108 are bonded with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 37, the plus side tab 107p and the minus side tab 108m facing the opening window 112 are joined by ultrasonic welding. As a result, the seventh battery 107 and the eighth battery 108 are connected in series. On the front side, the seventh and eighth spacers 127 and 128 sandwich the minus tab 107m of the seventh battery 107 with a part of the tab 107m facing the outside of the spacers 127 and 128 (see FIG. 36, FIG. 37). The pin 113 of the eighth spacer 128 passes through the through holes 109 and 162 of the tab 107 m and the terminal plate 161 and fits into the recess 114 of the seventh spacer 127.

  As shown in FIG. 38, the sixteenth spacer 136 is stacked on the seventeenth spacer 137 on the back side. The pin 113 of the seventeenth spacer 137 is fitted into the recess 114 of the sixteenth spacer 136. On the sixteenth spacer 136, the minus side tab 106 m of the sixth battery 106 is placed with a part of the tab 106 m facing the outside of the spacer 136. The pins 113 of the sixteenth spacer 136 are inserted through the tabs 106 m and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal board 161. The sixth battery 106 and the seventh battery 107 are bonded with a double-sided tape. As shown in FIG. 39, on the front side, the plus side tab 106 p of the sixth battery 106 is placed on the seventh spacer 127 with a part of the tab 106 p facing the outside of the spacer 127. The pin 113 of the seventh spacer 127 is inserted through the through hole 109 of the tab 106p. Then, the plus-side tab 106p and the minus-side tab 107m facing the outside of the spacers 127 and 128 are joined by ultrasonic welding outside the spacers 127 and 128. As a result, the sixth battery 106 and the seventh battery 107 are connected in series.

  Thus, the assembly of the third subassembly 83 is completed.

(Connection between subassemblies 81 and 82, 82 and 83)
When connecting the first subassembly 81 and the second subassembly 82, referring to FIGS. 10 to 12 and 15, the pin 113 of the fifth spacer 125 is connected to the fourth spacer 124 on the front side. Fit into the recess 114. On the back side, the pin 113 of the fourteenth spacer 134 is inserted into the negative tab 104m of the fourth battery 104 and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal board 161, and then fitted into the recess 114 of the thirteenth spacer 133. . Accordingly, the first subassembly 81 and the second subassembly 82 are positioned and connected. Then, on the back side, the plus side tab 103p of the third battery 103 and the minus side tab 104m of the fourth battery 104 are joined to each other outside the spacers 130 to 135 by ultrasonic welding. As a result, the first subassembly 81 and the second subassembly 82 are connected in series.

  When the second subassembly 82 and the third subassembly 83 are connected, the pin 113 of the seventh spacer 127 is inserted through the through hole 109 of the positive tab 106p of the sixth battery 106 on the front side. Then, it fits into the recess 114 of the sixth spacer 126. On the back side, the pin 113 of the sixteenth spacer 136 is inserted through the negative side tab 106m of the sixth battery 106 and the through holes 109 and 162 of the terminal board 161, and then fitted into the recess 114 of the fifteenth spacer 135. . Accordingly, the second subassembly 82 and the third subassembly 83 are positioned and connected. Then, on the back side, the plus side tab 105p of the fifth battery 105 and the minus side tab 106m of the sixth battery 106 are joined outside the spacers 130 to 138 by ultrasonic welding. Thus, the first to third subassemblies 81, 82, 83 are connected in series.

  Thus, the connection between the subassemblies 81 and 82 and 82 and 83 is completed, and the cell unit main body 80 shown in FIG. 9 is obtained.

  The joints between the tabs 100t and the joints between the tabs 100t and the bus bars 141 and 151 are divided into a plurality of positions in the short direction of the battery 100 (longitudinal direction of the spacer 110). For this reason, when joining a specific joint by ultrasonic welding, the welding head of the welding apparatus is positioned at the specific joint without opening another battery along the stacking direction and temporarily retracting it, A pair of tabs 100t or the like can be sandwiched. Therefore, the joining operation can be performed while the batteries 100 are stacked, and the welding operation is facilitated. Further, the degree of freedom in selecting the welding head shape is increased, and automation of the welding operation is facilitated. Furthermore, there is no possibility that extra stress is applied to the joined tabs 100t, and the desired quality can be maintained.

(Assembly of cell unit 60, etc.)
Next, insulating covers 91 and 92 are assembled to the front and back surfaces of the cell unit main body 80 (see FIGS. 6 and 23A), and the cell unit 60 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cell unit 60 is accommodated in the lower case 71, and the sleeve 93 is inserted into the bolt hole 111 of the spacer 110. A buffer material 94 is provided on the cell unit 60, and the opening 71 a of the lower case 71 is closed by the upper case 72. When the edge 72a of the upper case 72 is wound around the edge 71c of the peripheral wall 71b of the lower case 71 by caulking, the assembly of the assembled battery 50 shown in FIG. 1 is completed. The connector 170 is inserted from the insertion ports 91a and 92a.

  By inserting a bolt through the bolt hole 73 of the case 70 and the sleeve 93, the position of the spacer 110 with respect to the case 70 is fixed, and as a result, the position of the plurality of batteries 100 with respect to the case 70 is determined.

(Modification)
Although embodiment which joined tab 100t by ultrasonic welding was shown, joining of tab 100t is not limited to ultrasonic welding.

(Second Embodiment)
40 is a cross-sectional view showing the assembled battery 210 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 41 is a perspective view showing the battery 220, and FIG. 42 is a state in which the tabs 222 and 224 are sandwiched by the spacer 230. It is a top view which shows the principal part.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the configuration of the spacer 230 and the form of joining the tabs 222 and 224 are modified.

  Similar to the first embodiment, the assembled battery 210 according to the second embodiment is a battery 220 in which the power generation element is sealed with an exterior material and tab-shaped tabs 222 and 224 are led out from the exterior material. Are stacked, and the tabs 222 and 224 of each battery 220 are electrically connected to each other. The assembled battery 210 also includes a plate-like electrically insulating spacer 230 that sandwiches the tabs from both sides of the tabs 222 and 224 along the battery stacking direction (vertical direction in FIG. 40). The plurality of batteries 220 are housed in the case 240 so that the power generation element is pressed down.

  The battery 220 is a battery formed in a flat shape as shown in FIG. A laminated power generation element (not shown) in which a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator are sequentially laminated is included in the flat main body 226. The battery 220 is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery. In the assembled battery 210, the plurality of batteries 220 are stacked in the same direction as the stacking direction of the power generation elements included.

  The battery 220 includes a plus-side tab 222 and a minus-side tab 224 that extend from the flat-type main body 226 that contains the power generation element. The minus side tab 224 is formed of a copper thin plate. The plus side tab 222 is formed of an aluminum thin plate. The plurality of batteries 220 are stacked such that the plus-side tabs 222 and the minus-side tabs 224 alternate along the stacking direction, that is, the tabs have different electrical polarities.

  The batteries 220 are fixed to each other by attaching a double-sided tape or an adhesive to the flat type main body 226. The pair of spacers 230 sandwich the stacked plus-side tab 222 and minus-side tab 224 as a set. Thereby, the some battery 220 is connected in series. The battery 220 in the uppermost layer has a minus-side tab 224 connected to the minus-side output terminal 252, and the battery 220 in the lowermost layer has a plus-side tab 222 connected to the plus-side output terminal 250.

  The spacer 230 according to the second embodiment includes an insulating layer 234 having electrical insulation and a heat sink layer 232 having higher heat dissipation than the insulating layer 234. As shown in FIG. 40, the spacer 230 in the illustrated example has a three-layer structure in which an insulating layer 234 having insulating properties is sandwiched by heat sink layers 232 having heat releasing properties. When the tabs 222 and 224 are sandwiched by the pair of spacers 230 having the three-layer structure, the heat sink layer 232 comes into contact with both the tabs 222 and 224 that are overlapped.

  The insulating layer 234 can be formed of an appropriate material as long as the insulating property can be imparted to the spacer 230. The heat sink layer 232 can be formed from an appropriate material as long as the heat dissipation property is higher than that of the insulating layer 234. By forming the heat sink layer 232 from a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the formation material of the insulating layer 234, higher heat dissipation than the insulating layer 234 can be imparted to the heat sink layer 232. Since the insulating property of the spacer 230 is secured by the insulating layer 234, not only an electrically insulating material but also a conductive material can be selected as a material for forming the heat sink layer 232, and heat dissipation can be improved. From the viewpoint of enhancing, a material for forming the heat sink layer 232 may be selected. Specifically, a material having excellent heat dissipation such as aluminum is used for the heat sink layer 232. For the insulating layer 234, an insulating material such as ceramic or resin is used. When a conductive material is selected as a material for forming the heat sink layer 232, the insulating layer 234 must be disposed along the surface direction of the tabs 222 and 224 in order to provide the spacer 230 with electrical insulation. Needless to say.

  The thickness of the insulating layer 234 is preferably as thin as possible within a range in which electrical insulation can be ensured. This is because heat dissipation by the heat sink layer 232 can be enhanced within a limited thickness dimension of the spacer 230.

  As shown in FIG. 42, the spacer 230 has a width substantially equal to that of the battery 220 and is arranged over the entire width of the tabs 222 and 224.

  As shown in FIG. 40, the pair of spacers 230 sandwich the two plus-side tabs 222 and minus-side tabs 224 that overlap each other, and together with the plus-side tabs 222 and minus-side tabs 224 in the stacking direction. Are arranged along. Since the two plus-side tabs 222 and minus-side tabs 224 are set as one set, each spacer 230 has a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of two of the batteries 220 and is arranged in two layers. The spacers 230 are arranged so as to be shifted by one step on each tab side (left and right sides in the figure) of the battery 220. Thus, except for the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer battery 220 located at both ends along the stacking direction, each battery 220 includes a plus side tab 222 of another battery 220 in which the minus side tab 224 is stacked one step above. And the plus side tab 222 is brought into contact with the minus side tab 224 of the other battery 220 stacked one step below. As a result, a plurality of batteries 220 are connected in series. As described above, the minus tab 224 of the uppermost battery 220 is connected to the minus output terminal 252, and the plus tab 222 of the lowermost battery 220 is connected to the plus output terminal 250. A plurality of batteries 220 may be connected in series so that the positive output terminal 250 is connected to the uppermost battery 220 and the negative output terminal 252 is connected to the lowermost battery 220.

  Case 240 encloses battery 220 and spacer 230. The case 240 is provided with holes through which the plus-side output terminal 250 and the minus-side output terminal 252 extending from the stacked batteries 220 are drawn. The battery 220 and the spacer 230 are stably fixed and protected in the case 240.

(Assembly procedure)
Next, an assembly procedure of the assembled battery 210 in this embodiment will be described.

  43 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the batteries are stacked, FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view in which the batteries are stacked, and FIG. 45 is a cross-sectional view in which the stacked tabs 222 and 224 are joined together by TIG welding. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 43, first, the plus side output terminal 250 is attached to the plus side tab 222 of the battery 220 of the lowermost layer by ultrasonic welding or the like. In this state, the lowermost battery 220 is supported by the support 236. Here, the support 236 is made of an insulating material, and is attached to the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 with a high friction sheet, a double-sided tape, or an adhesive.

  Subsequently, a spacer 230 ′ is attached to the plus side tab 222 of the battery 220 of the lowermost layer. The spacer 230 ′ used here has a thickness equivalent to one battery in order to adjust the thickness of the entire assembled battery 210. A two-layer structure is formed due to the thickness. However, the spacer 230 ′ has the insulating layer 234 and the heat sink layer 232 in the same manner as that having the thickness of the two batteries described above.

  Then, the next battery 220 is stacked. A double-sided tape or an adhesive is disposed between the batteries 220 and fixed to each other. A spacer 230 is attached to the plus side tab 222 of the stacked battery 220. At the time of attachment, the spacer 230 is pressed against the minus side tab 224 of the battery 220 of the lowermost layer while deforming the plus side tab 222 extending straight. Since the plus side tab 222 is made of aluminum, it is easier to bend than the minus side tab 224. Since the plus-side tab 222 is deformed, there is a difference in length between the minus-side tab 224 of the battery 220 on the bottom layer and the plus-side tab 222 of the battery 220 on the first layer in contact therewith when they are overlapped. Arise.

  Subsequently, the battery 220 is similarly laminated. Then, this time, the spacer 230 is arranged on the left side in the drawing, and the two plus side tabs 222 and the minus side tab 224 in the stacking direction are brought into contact with each other.

  As described above, when the lamination is repeated and the minus output terminal 252 is joined to the minus tab 224 of the battery 220 of the uppermost layer, a laminate as shown in FIG. 44 is formed.

  Here, the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 that are overlapped have different lengths, and the end surfaces of the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 are not aligned. Unevenness of the end surfaces of the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 hinders their joining. Therefore, the end surfaces of the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 that are overlaid are aligned using a cutting machine or the like.

  The end surfaces of the aligned tabs 222 and 224 are joined by TIG welding using a TIG welding apparatus 260 as shown in FIG. The TIG welding apparatus 260 has a tungsten electrode that is resistant to heat, and is welded by flowing an inert gas around it. At the time of welding, the spacer 230 is held from above and below by a jig 261 that also serves as a heat sink. The jig 261 maintains the stability during welding and diffuses heat generated during welding.

  The electrical connection between the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224 is ensured by TIG welding. When all the TIG welding is finished and the laminate is put in the case 240, the assembled battery 210 as shown in FIG. 40 is completed.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the tabs 222 and 224 are sandwiched by the spacers 230, thereby improving the vibration resistance strength and affecting the vibration input. Thus, it is possible to provide the assembled battery 210 that is not easily affected and can be made compact. In this assembled battery 210, two plus side tabs 222 and minus side tabs 224 are sandwiched by a spacer 230 as a set. Since the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 are grouped together, they can be joined in the same posture. Therefore, work is easy and stable joining can be performed.

  As a method of connecting the tabs, there is a method of sandwiching the overlapped tabs between the horn and the anvil and connecting them by ultrasonic welding. When connecting the tabs by ultrasonic welding, a space for inserting a horn or anvil must be secured above and below the tabs. For this reason, when the shape of the tabs of the stacked batteries is the same, the connection site that has already been connected is expanded to secure a space, and thus a peeling force is applied to the connection site. When closing the expanded connection part to the original state, extra force is applied to the battery and the tab. Therefore, the connection site and the battery may be damaged, and stable quality may not be obtained. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the tabs 222 and 224 of the stacked battery 220 have the same shape, but the plurality of tabs 222 and 224 sandwiched by the pair of spacers 230 are spacers. Joined at the end facing the outside of 230. Since the end portions of the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224 are joined by TIG welding or the like, it is not necessary to secure a space for inserting a horn or the like during welding. Therefore, since it is not necessary to expand or close the connection part that has already been connected, damage to the joint part or the battery 220 can be avoided, and a stable quality joint can be obtained.

  Since the ends of the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 are joined, it is sufficient that the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 are slightly protruded from the spacer 230. Therefore, the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 can be made shorter than before, and the assembled battery 210 can be downsized.

  Since the plus-side tab 222 and the minus-side tab 224 are supported by the spacer 230, even if the number of the stacked layers of the batteries 220 is large, the batteries 220 can be connected together after they are all stacked. There is no limit to the number of layers, and the layers can be stacked.

  Furthermore, a spacer 230 including a heat sink layer 232 having heat dissipation properties is disposed above and below the superimposed plus side tab 222 and minus side tab 224. Therefore, even if heat is generated when the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224 are joined by welding or the like, the heat is radiated by the spacer 230. Therefore, almost no heat is transferred to the battery 220. As a result, the battery 220 can be prevented from being damaged by the heat at the time of joining.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although joining of the battery 220 is performed by TIG welding, it is not limited to this.

  FIG. 46 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the overlapped tabs 222 and 224 are connected to each other by laser welding, and FIG. 47 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the overlapped tabs 222 and 224 are connected to each other by friction stir welding.

  As shown in FIG. 46, the overlapped tabs 222 and 224 may be connected to each other by laser welding using a laser welding apparatus 262.

  The laser welding device 262 condenses the laser oscillated by an oscillator on the end portions of the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224 that are overlapped by a lens. As a result, the end portions of the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224 are melted and joined.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 47, the tabs 222 and 224 that are overlapped may be connected by friction stir welding. In this case, the rotating friction stir tool 264 is inserted into the end surfaces of the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224, and the materials themselves of the plus side tab 222 and the minus side tab 224 are agitated and joined.

  Unlike welding in which a material is melted, since the material is joined without melting, the mechanical strength of the joint can be increased. It is also advantageous in that the deformation and warpage of the material after joining are extremely small.

(Modification)
Although the embodiment in which the spacer 230 is formed in a three-layer structure of the heat sink layer 232 -the insulating layer 234 -the heat sink layer 232 is shown, the present invention is not limited to this layer structure. For example, the spacer may be formed in a two-layer structure including one heat sink layer 232 and one insulating layer 234. When the tabs 222 and 224 are sandwiched between a pair of two-layer type spacers, the heat sink layer 232 of one spacer may be brought into contact with one of the tabs 222 and 224 that are overlapped. Even with this configuration, the battery 220 can be prevented from being damaged by heat when the tabs 222 and 224 are joined together by welding or the like.

  A spacer having the insulating layer 234 and the heat sink layer 232 may be applied to the spacer 110 described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, instead of the form in which the tabs 100p, 100m facing the opening window 122 are joined by ultrasonic welding, a plurality of tabs 100p, 100m sandwiched by a pair of spacers as in the second embodiment, You may make it join in the edge part which faced the outer side of the spacer.

(Third embodiment)
In addition to the function of the spacer 230 in the second embodiment, a positioning function for stacking the battery 220 on the spacer can be added as in the first embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, a spacer having a positioning function will be described.

  48 is a diagram showing a state in which batteries are stacked in the third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 49 is a sectional view taken along line 49-49 in FIG. 48, and FIG. 50 is an assembled battery according to the third embodiment. FIG. In addition, the same reference number is attached | subjected to the structure similar to 2nd Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 48 and 49, the spacer 270 of the third embodiment is formed in a three-layer structure in which an insulating layer 274 having insulating properties is sandwiched by heat sink layers 272 having heat releasing properties. Here, the uppermost heat sink layer 272 is provided with a convex portion 271 (corresponding to a protruding portion). The lowermost heat sink layer 272 is provided with a recess 273. The convex portion 271 and the concave portion 273 have substantially the same diameter and depth, and are provided at corresponding positions on the front and back of the heat sink layer 272.

  Therefore, when the spacers 270 are stacked with the tabs 222 and 224 of the battery 220 sandwiched therebetween, the spacers 270 are engaged with each other as shown in FIG. Here, holes 223 and 225 into which the protrusions 271 of the spacer 270 can be inserted are formed in advance in the tabs 222 and 224 of the battery 220, respectively. Similarly to the first embodiment, the locking means 117 is configured by the tabs 222 and 224 in which the hole portions 223 and 225 are formed, the convex portion 271, and the concave portion 273.

  When the spacers 270 are fitted to each other while the electrode tabs 222 and 224 of the battery 220 are passed through the convex portion 271 of the spacer 270, a laminate as shown in FIG. 50 is obtained. In the obtained laminate, the end surfaces of the tabs 222 and 224 are aligned by a cutting machine or the like, as in the second embodiment. The aligned end faces are joined by welding. And a laminated body is arrange | positioned in the case 240, and an assembled battery is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 50, the spacer 270a stacked in the lowermost layer is formed with only a convex portion that fits into the concave portion 273 of the spacer 270 on the upper layer, and no concave portion is formed. In addition, the spacer 270b stacked on the uppermost layer is formed with only a concave portion into which the convex portion 271 of the spacer 270 one layer below is fitted, and no convex portion is formed. Thereby, the excess convex part 271 and the recessed part 273 do not remain in the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the convex portion 271 and the concave portion 273 are provided in the spacer 270. The convex portion 271 of the spacer 270 is fitted to the concave portion 273 in a state where the electrode tabs 222 and 224 of the battery 220 are passed. Therefore, not only the positions of the spacers 270 are determined, but also the electrode tabs 222 and 224 are positioned. That is, the battery 220 is also positioned. Thus, the positioning at the time of stacking is facilitated by the fitting of the convex portions 271 and the concave portions 273 between the spacers 270.

It is a perspective view which shows the assembled battery which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembled battery shown in FIG. 1 upside down and further disassembled. It is a top view which shows the cell unit accommodated in a case. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the cell unit which removed the insulating cover from the cell unit main body. It is a perspective view which shows the cell unit seeing from a different direction from FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the cell unit seeing from the bottom face side. It is a perspective view which shows a cell unit main body. It is a perspective view which shows three subassemblies which comprise a cell unit main body with the front side facing forward. It is a perspective view which shows the subassembly with the back side facing forward. It is a perspective view which shows the subassembly seen from the bottom face side. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a cell unit main body toward the front side. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a cell unit main body by making the back side into the front. It is a conceptual diagram with which it uses for description of the lamination | stacking state of the flat battery and insulation board in a cell unit main body. It is a conceptual diagram with which it uses for description of the electrical connection state of the flat battery in a cell unit main body. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the flat battery contained in a cell unit main body. 18A is a perspective view showing an example of an insulating plate included in the cell unit body, FIG. 18B is a perspective view showing the insulating plate upside down, and FIG. 18C is FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the 18C-18C line of (A). 19A and 19B are perspective views for explaining a state in which one electrode terminal and the assembled battery output terminal are overlapped and sandwiched by a pair of insulating plates. 20A and 20B are perspective views for explaining a state in which the electrode terminals of the flat battery stacked on the lower side in FIG. 19A are further sandwiched. 21A, 21B, and 21C are perspective views for explaining a state in which a plurality of electrode terminals are overlapped and sandwiched by a pair of insulating plates. 22A is a perspective view showing a voltage detection unit on the front side of the cell unit body, and FIG. 22B is a perspective view showing a state where a connector is inserted into an insulating cover attached to the front side of the cell unit body. is there. 23A is a perspective view showing a state where the connector is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 22B, FIG. 23B is a perspective view showing an insulating cover, and FIG. 23C is a perspective view showing the connector. FIG. 24A is a plan view showing the main part of the flat battery in which the voltage detection terminal plate is joined to the electrode terminal, and FIG. 24B is along the line 24B-24B in FIG. FIG. 24C is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the electrode terminal and the voltage detection terminal plate are joined by punching, and FIG. 24C is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the connector is inserted into the voltage detection unit. FIG. 25A is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the insulating plate having a recess into which the convex portion formed on the surface of the voltage detection terminal plate is fitted by punching, and FIG. 25B shows the electrode terminal and the voltage. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which joined the detection terminal board with the rivet. It is a figure where it uses for description of the assembly procedure of a 1st subassembly. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the assembly procedure of a 2nd subassembly. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the assembly procedure of a 3rd subassembly. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is a figure following FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the assembled battery which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a flat type battery. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the state which clamped electrode terminals with the insulating board. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that a flat battery is piled up. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the flat battery was completed. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the electrode terminals overlapped are joined by TIG welding. It is a figure which shows a mode that the electrode terminals overlapped are connected by laser welding. It is a figure which shows a mode that the electrode terminals overlapped are connected by friction stir welding. It is a figure which shows a mode that a flat battery is laminated | stacked in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the 49-49 line | wire of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the assembled battery of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

50 battery packs,
60 cell units,
70 cases,
80 cell unit body,
81, 82, 83 first, second and third subassemblies,
91, 92 insulation cover,
91a, 92a outlet,
100 battery (flat battery),
100a exterior material,
100b cutout,
100p plus side tab,
100m minus side tab,
100t tab (electrode terminal),
101-108 first to eighth batteries,
109 through-hole,
110 spacer (insulating plate),
112 opening window,
113 pin (protruding part),
114 recess,
115 engagement hole,
116 snap fit,
117 locking means,
118 Notch,
119 recess,
121-138 first to eighteenth spacers,
140 Positive output terminal (battery battery output terminal),
150 Negative output terminal (battery battery output terminal),
141, 151 Busbar,
142, 152 resin cover,
143, 153 through-hole,
160 voltage detector,
161 terminal board (voltage detection terminal board),
162 through-holes,
163 convex part,
165 rivets,
165a rivet head,
170 connector,
171 connection terminal,
180 voltage detector,
210 battery pack,
220 battery (flat battery),
222 Positive tab (electrode terminal),
223, 225 holes,
224 Minus side tab (electrode terminal),
226 flat body,
230, 270 spacer (insulating plate),
232, 272 heat sink layer,
234, 274 insulating layer,
236 support,
240 cases,
250 Plus output terminal (battery battery output terminal),
252 Negative output terminal (battery battery output terminal),
260 TIG welding equipment,
262 laser welding equipment,
H.264 friction stir tool,
271 Convex part (protruding part),
273 recess.

Claims (20)

A plurality of flat batteries are formed by sealing a power generation element with an exterior material and leading out plate-like electrode terminals to the outside from the exterior material, and the electrode terminals of each flat battery are electrically connected to each other. An assembled battery comprising:
An assembled battery comprising an electrically insulating insulating plate having a plate shape sandwiching the electrode terminals from both sides of the electrode terminals along a direction in which the plurality of flat batteries are stacked.   One insulating plate of the pair of insulating plates that sandwich the electrode terminal is shared with one insulating plate of the pair of insulating plates that sandwich the other electrode terminal. The assembled battery according to claim 1.   The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein the insulating plates are connected by fitting.   The pair of insulating plates that sandwich the electrode terminal includes a locking means for locking the electrode terminal through the electrode terminal along the stacking direction. The assembled battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The locking means is a protruding portion that is provided on one insulating plate of the insulating plate that is paired with an electrode terminal in which a through-hole penetrating along the stacking direction is formed, and is inserted into the through-hole. And a recess provided in the other insulating plate of the pair of insulating plates, into which a tip of the projecting portion inserted through the through hole is fitted. The assembled battery described in 1. The insulating plate is provided with the protruding portion on one surface of both surfaces along the laminating direction, and provided with the concave portion on the other surface of both surfaces along the laminating direction,
The assembled battery according to claim 5, wherein the protruding portion and the recess are arranged on the same line along the stacking direction. The insulating plate has a notch for exposing a part of the periphery of the sandwiched electrode terminal,
The group according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a portion where the electrode terminal is exposed from the notch is used as a voltage detection unit for detecting a voltage of the flat battery. battery.   The assembled battery according to claim 7, wherein a connector having a connection terminal connectable to the voltage detection unit is detachably attached to the voltage detection unit. A plurality of the voltage detection units are arranged on the same line along the stacking direction,
The assembled battery according to claim 8, wherein the connector includes a plurality of the connection terminals that are arranged to match each position of the voltage detection unit.   The assembled battery according to claim 7, wherein the voltage detection unit includes a voltage detection terminal plate that is overlapped and joined to the electrode terminal.   The electrode terminal sandwiched and held on the electrode terminal provided with the voltage detection terminal plate has a notch for receiving the voltage detection terminal plate. Battery pack.   The electrode terminals are joined by ultrasonic welding, and the electrode terminal and the voltage detection terminal plate are joined by at least one of punch caulking and rivets. An assembled battery according to any one of the above. The electrode terminal and the voltage detection terminal plate are joined by at least one of punch caulking and rivets,
The insulating plate has a convex portion formed on the surface of the voltage detection terminal plate by punching or a recess into which a head of a rivet protruding from the surface of the voltage detection terminal plate is fitted. The assembled battery according to any one of claims 10 to 12. A plurality of the electrode terminals are overlapped by a pair of insulating plates provided with an opening window portion penetrating along the stacking direction, and a part of each electrode terminal is faced to the opening window portion and sandwiched therebetween,
The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of flat batteries are electrically connected by joining the electrode terminals facing the opening window. A pair of the insulating plates sandwich the electrode terminal with a part of the electrode terminal facing the outside of the insulating plate,
15. The plurality of flat batteries are electrically connected by joining the electrode terminals facing the outside of the insulating plate to each other. Battery pack. It further has a plate-like assembled battery output terminal,
The electrode terminal and the assembled battery output terminal are overlapped by a pair of the insulating plates having an opening window portion penetrating along the stacking direction, and a part of the electrode terminal and one of the assembled battery output terminal And facing the opening window,
The assembled battery output terminal is electrically connected to a flat battery by joining the electrode terminal facing the opening window and the assembled battery output terminal. Item 16. The assembled battery according to any one of Items 15. A plurality of stacked flat batteries are connected in series by electrically connecting the electrode terminals having different electrical polarities,
The assembled battery output terminal according to claim 16, wherein the positive assembled battery output terminal and the negative assembled battery output terminal are electrically connected to flat batteries positioned at both ends along the stacking direction. battery.   The said insulating board has the insulating layer which has electrical insulation, and the heat sink layer whose heat dissipation is higher than the said insulating layer, The claim 1, the claim 4, the claim 5, The claim The assembled battery according to any one of 6.   The plurality of electrode terminals sandwiched by a pair of the insulating plates are electrically connected by being joined at an end facing the outside of the insulating plate. The assembled battery according to 18.   The assembled battery according to any one of claims 1 to 19, further comprising a case in which the position of the insulating plate is fixed and the plurality of flat batteries are accommodated.

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