JP4868889B2 - Assembled battery - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembled battery in which a large number of batteries are housed in a battery box, and more particularly to an assembled battery that is optimal for a power supply device for a vehicle that supplies power to a motor that is mounted on the vehicle and runs the vehicle.

  An assembled battery for storing a large number of batteries in a battery box is mainly mounted on a vehicle. This assembled battery supplies electric power to a motor that drives the vehicle. Further, in this assembled battery, 5 to 6 nickel metal hydride batteries are connected in series to form a battery module, and a large number of battery modules are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows and stored in a battery box.

In the assembled battery having this structure, battery modules are connected in series to increase the output voltage. The battery module arranged at a fixed position of the battery box is arranged at a fixed position with a structure that can withstand vibration and impact. Moreover, since the output is increased, one battery module is considerably heavy. Therefore, the battery box needs to hold the heavy battery module firmly in place. In order to securely place a large number of battery modules in place, an assembled battery has been developed in which the battery modules are sandwiched by battery holders made of two sturdy plates (see Patent Document 1).
JP 200431248 A

  In the assembled battery described in Patent Document 1, the opposing surface of a plastic battery holder is formed into a shape along the battery module. That is, U-shaped grooves capable of guiding a plurality of rows of battery modules are provided in a plurality of rows, and the battery modules are guided in the grooves. Furthermore, the battery holder is housed in a metal outer case. Since the assembled battery having this structure includes a battery holder and an outer case made of a sturdy metal plate for housing the battery holder, the overall weight is considerably increased. For example, a battery module in which five 5.6 Ah nickel-metal hydride batteries are connected in a straight line to form a battery module, and the battery pack containing 50 battery modules has an extremely heavy weight of 40 kg excluding the battery. In addition, the battery holder formed into a complicated shape with a large plate shape has a very high manufacturing cost. Therefore, the assembled battery described in Patent Document 1 has a drawback that the manufacturing cost is high and heavy. It is extremely important that an assembled battery mounted on a vehicle can be mass-produced lightly and inexpensively while having a sturdy structure.

The present invention was developed for the purpose of realizing this, and the important object of the present invention is to greatly simplify the overall structure, reduce the cost of parts, and simplify the assembly. It is to provide an assembled battery that can be mass-produced at low cost.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide an assembled battery that can be lightened as a whole while securely storing a large number of batteries in place.

The assembled battery of the present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-described object.
The assembled battery includes a plurality of batteries 1 and a battery box 2 that fixes each battery 1 at a fixed position. The battery box 2 includes a cover plate 3 and a base plate 4 disposed above and below the battery 1 to be housed, a plurality of bolts 5 connecting the cover plate 3 and the base plate 4, and both ends of the bolt 5 being inserted through both ends. And a sandwiching bar 6 which is connected to the battery 1 and is disposed in a fixed position by sandwiching the battery 1 in the vertical direction. The battery box 2 stores the batteries 1 in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows between the cover plate 3 and the base plate 4, and sandwiches the batteries 1 arranged in a plurality of rows in each row by a pair of sandwiching bars 6. The battery 1 is disposed at a fixed position. The pair of sandwiching bars 6 are provided with a plurality of fitting recesses 7 that guide the battery 1 at the opposite edges that sandwich the battery 1 at the same pitch as the interval between the batteries 1. Further, the pair of sandwiching bars 6 are fixed in place through the bolts 5 by inserting the through holes 8 at both ends into the bolts 5. Further, the pair of sandwiching bars 6 are disposed at fixed positions by sandwiching at least both ends of the battery 1. In the battery box 2, a plurality of pairs of sandwiching bars 6 are inserted into bolts 5, and the batteries 1 are stacked in a plurality of stages with the plurality of pairs of sandwiching bars 6 and arranged in a fixed position.

  The pair of sandwiching bars 6 is provided with three to six fitting recesses 7 between the through holes 8 provided at both ends, and guides the battery 1 to each of the fitting recesses 7, thereby Three to six batteries 1 can be sandwiched between the landing bars 6 and arranged in a fixed position.

  The pair of sandwiching bars 6 have a plurality of fitting recesses 7 at opposing edges that sandwich the battery 1, and a surface opposite to the opposing edges can be made linear.

  The sandwiching bar 6 disposed between the batteries 1 is provided with a fitting recess 7 that guides the battery 1 on both the upper edge and the lower edge, and the sandwiching bar 6 that sandwiches the upper battery 1. The sandwiching bar 6 that sandwiches the lower battery 1 can be integrally formed.

  The assembled battery of the present invention can fix the lower end of the bolt 5 to the base plate 4. Furthermore, the assembled battery of the present invention is a battery module 10 in which a plurality of unit cells 11 are linearly connected in series with a battery 1 that is sandwiched between a pair of sandwiching bars 6 and arranged in a fixed position. The both ends of the battery module 10 can be clamped by the clamping bar 6 and can be arranged in a fixed position.

  The assembled battery of the present invention has the characteristics that the overall structure is extremely simplified, the cost of parts is reduced, the assembly is also simplified, and mass production is inexpensive. In particular, it has the feature that the whole can be lightened while securely storing a large number of batteries in place. The battery pack of the present invention includes a battery box that houses a plurality of batteries, an upper and lower cover plates and a base plate, a plurality of bolts that connect the cover plate and the base plate, and both ends of the bolts. A plurality of rows of batteries are clamped by a pair of clamping bars, and the clamping bars are inserted into bolts and fixed in place. This is because the battery is disposed between the base plate and the cover plate. In particular, the sandwiching bar has a simple structure in which a plurality of rows of batteries are sandwiched at the top and bottom, and the manufacturing cost can be remarkably reduced. The bolts that fix the clamping bar are used together with the bolts that connect the base plate and the cover plate, so there is no need to use a dedicated member to fix the clamping bar in place, and the overall structure is remarkably improved. Can be cheap.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the example shown below illustrates the assembled battery for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the assembled battery as follows.

  Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  1 to 3 show an assembled battery that is mounted on a hybrid car and supplies power to a motor for traveling. However, the present invention does not specify the use of the assembled battery as the power source of the hybrid car. This is because it can be used for an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle, and can also be used for a power source with higher power, for example, an uninterruptible power source.

  The assembled battery shown in the figure includes a plurality of batteries 1 and a battery box 2 that fixes each battery 1 in place. In this assembled battery, a plurality of unit cells 11 are linearly connected in series, and the battery 1 is housed in the battery box 2 as the battery module 10. The battery module 10 is obtained by linearly connecting five nickel-metal hydride batteries, which are cylindrical batteries, in series. The battery module 10 can connect four or less or six or more unit cells in a straight line in series. As the unit cell, any rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel cadmium battery can be used in place of the nickel metal hydride battery. Further, as the unit cell, a prismatic battery can be used instead of the cylindrical battery. The battery module 10 covers and insulates the boundary connecting the cells 11 in series and in a straight line with an insulating ring 12. The insulating ring 12 is formed by forming an insulating material such as plastic into a cylindrical shape and inserting an end portion of the unit cell 11.

  The battery box 2 includes a cover plate 3 and a base plate 4 disposed above and below the battery 1 to be housed, a plurality of bolts 5 connecting the cover plate 3 and the base plate 4, and both ends of the bolt 5 being inserted through both ends. And a sandwiching bar 6 which is connected to the battery 1 and is disposed in a fixed position by sandwiching the battery 1 in the vertical direction.

  The base plate 4 is a metal frame. The base plate 4 is provided with ridges 14 along both sides. The ridges 14 serve as reinforcing ribs for the base plate 4 and improve the bending strength of the base plate 4. Further, the battery 1 can be placed on the ridge 14, and the air duct 21 can be provided between the ridges 14 below the battery 1. The base plate 4 can adjust the vertical width of the air duct 21 by the height of the ridges 14.

  The base plate 4 in the figure is provided with two ridges 14 along both sides, and through holes (not shown) through which the bolts 5 are inserted into the inner ridges 14. The inner ridge 14 supports the insulating ring 12 of the battery module 10 via the sandwiching bar 6. In the illustrated battery module 10, five unit cells 11 are linearly connected. In this battery module 10, an insulating ring 12 at the boundary between the unit cells 11 at both ends and the inner unit cell 11 is supported by the ridges 14 via the sandwiching bars 6. In the battery module 10, three unit cells 11 are arranged between the inner ridges 14.

  The protrusion 14 has the pinching bar 6 mounted thereon with the top surface as a flat surface having a predetermined width. The sandwiching bar 6 is placed on the top surface of the ridge 14 with a flat contact surface with the ridge 14. The ridges 14 support the portion of the insulating ring 12 of the battery module 10 through the sandwiching bar 6. The protrusion 14 is provided with a through hole 8 through which the bolt 5 is inserted and connected. In the illustrated battery pack, four battery modules 10 are arranged in four rows with a pair of sandwiching bars 6 and sandwiched. Therefore, the through hole 8 is provided so as to be positioned between the four battery modules 10. The bolt 5 to be inserted into the through hole 8 has its head disposed in the ridge 14. The base plate 4 is provided with a ridge 14 and has a groove 15 on its back surface. The groove 15 has a flat bottom surface because the top surface of the ridge 14 is flat. In the base plate 4, the head of the bolt 5 is arranged in the groove 15, and the bolt 5 can be connected so that the bolt head does not protrude from the base plate 4. The base plate 4 can be connected so that the bolt 5 does not rotate, with the width of the ridge 14, in other words, the width of the groove 15, as the width that allows the hexagonal bolt head to enter without rotating. However, the bolt can be fixed as a stud bolt so as not to rotate by welding to the base plate. Furthermore, the bolt fixed by welding to the base plate can be fixed to the top surface of the ridge on the top surface of the base plate without providing a through hole. This base plate fixes the bolt in place without providing a through hole through which the bolt is inserted.

  The cover plate 3 is manufactured by molding plastic. However, the cover plate can also be made of a metal plate. This cover plate 3 is also provided with ridges 13 projecting to the lower surface along both sides, and an air duct 21 is provided between the ridges 13. The ridges 13 of the cover plate 3 are provided directly above the ridges 14 of the base plate 4. Further, the ridges 13 are located in the insulating ring 12 portion of the battery module 10 in the same manner as the ridges 14 of the base plate 4. Furthermore, the ridge 13 is provided with a through hole (not shown) through which the bolt 5 is inserted. The through hole is opened at a position where the upper end of the bolt 5 is inserted.

  The bolt 5 is a metal bolt. The bolt 5 has a lower end connected to the base plate 4 and is connected in a vertical posture. The upper end is inserted into the through hole of the cover plate 3, and a nut 16 is screwed into a portion protruding from the cover plate 3. The cover plate 3 is connected. Further, the bolt 5 also connects the sandwiching bar 6 to a fixed position. The assembled battery in FIG. 2 is an upper end portion of the bolt 5, and the bolt 5 adjacent to both sides is connected by a connecting bar 17 inside the cover plate 3. The connecting bar 17 is a metal plate provided with through holes (not shown) at both ends, and the upper ends of the bolts 5 are inserted into the through holes and the nuts 26 are tightened to connect the bolts 5. As described above, the structure in which the left and right bolts 5 are connected by the connecting bar 17 can make the upper part of the assembled battery sturdy by using the cover plate 3 made of plastic. However, the connecting plate can be omitted by making the cover plate a sturdy structure.

  The sandwiching bar 6 sandwiches the battery modules 10 arranged in parallel in a plurality of rows in the vertical direction and holds them in place. The pair of sandwiching bars 6 that sandwich the battery module 10 at the top and the bottom are provided with a plurality of fitting recesses 7 that guide the battery 1 at the opposite edges that sandwich the battery 1 at the same pitch as the interval between the batteries 1. Since the sandwiching bar 6 of FIGS. 4 to 6 sandwiches the four rows of battery modules 10 at the top and bottom, four fitting recesses 7 are provided on the opposing surface. The fitting recess 7 is semicircular because the cylindrical battery module 10 is fitted. Although not shown in the drawings, an assembled battery in which the battery module has a prismatic shape has a fitting recess in a shape in which the prismatic battery module is fitted. The pair of sandwiching bars 6 have the battery modules 10 fitted in the fitting recesses 7 and the tips of the protrusions between the fitting recesses 7 are brought into contact with each other in a state where the battery modules 10 are vertically clamped. . However, the clamping bar can also provide a gap in the protruding part between the fitting recesses in a state where the battery module is clamped.

  Furthermore, the battery pack shown in the figure sandwiches four battery modules 10 with a pair of sandwiching bars 6, but the sandwiching bar sandwiches two to three battery modules or five or more battery modules. You can also. The sandwiching bar 6 is provided with a fitting recess 7 on a facing surface for fitting the battery module 10 in a fixed position.

  The sandwiching bar 6 is manufactured by molding an insulating material such as plastic. The insulating material sandwiching bar 6 can be disposed in a fixed position by sandwiching the battery 1 in an insulated state. The sandwiching bar 6 shown in the figure is formed by forming a surface along the surface of the battery module 10 into a plate having a predetermined thickness and integrally forming ribs 6A on both sides thereof. The rib 6A is linear so that the opposite side to the clamping surface of the battery module 10 is flat. As for this clamping bar 6, rib 6A becomes a reinforcement rib. For this reason, it can be made into a light and tough structure as a product made of plastic.

  However, in the assembled battery of the present invention, the sandwiching bar can be made of metal such as aluminum. This is because the surface of the battery module is insulated and the insulating portion is sandwiched by the sandwiching bar. Alternatively, the sandwiching bar may be made of metal, and an insulating material may be provided on the sandwiching surface of the battery module for insulation treatment.

  In the state where the battery module 10 is clamped, the clamping bar 6 is inserted into the through holes 8 provided in the stacked portions 9 at both ends, and is fixed to the base plate 4 and the cover plate 3 via the bolts 5. In the assembled battery shown in FIG. 2, four battery modules 10 are connected in three stages to form one battery block 20, and four battery blocks 20 are arranged between the base plate 4 and the cover plate 3. . The assembled battery having this structure is laminated by inserting the sandwiching bar 6 of the adjacent battery block 20 into one bolt 5 disposed between the battery blocks 20. In other words, the sandwiching bars 6 of the two battery blocks 20 are fixed with one bolt 5. In this structure, the battery blocks 20 arranged adjacent to each other can be firmly connected by one bolt 5 while simplifying the entire structure.

  In order to insert and sandwich the sandwiching bar 6 of the adjacent battery block 20 into one bolt 5, the stacking part 9 of the sandwiching bar 6 is provided with a notch 19 on the upper or lower side, It is half the total height. In the sandwiching bar 6 shown in the drawing, the rightmost laminated portion 9 is provided with a notch 19 on the upper surface, and the leftmost laminated portion 9 is provided with a notched portion 19 on the lower surface. The sandwiching bar 6 having this structure can be connected by inserting the laminated part 9 of the adjacent sandwiching bar 6 into the notch part 19 and inserting the bolt 5 into the through hole 8 in the laminated state.

  In the battery blocks 20 arranged at both ends of the assembled battery, the stacked portion 9 of the adjacent sandwiching bar 6 is not fitted into the stacked portion 9, so that a gap is formed in the stacked portion 9. A cylindrical spacer 18 is disposed in the gap. The laminated part 9 is laminated via the spacer 18 put in the notch part 19. The bolt 5 is inserted into the through-hole 8 of the stacked portion 9 in the stacked state, and is also inserted into the spacer 18 to firmly clamp and fix the clamping bar 6.

  Furthermore, the assembled battery in the figure has end plates 22 fixed to both end faces of the battery module 10. The end plate 22 is formed of an insulating material such as plastic, and the bus bar 23 fixed to the electrode terminals 25 provided at both ends of the battery module 10 is disposed at a fixed position. The bus bar 23 is a metal plate that connects adjacent battery modules 10 in series. The end plate 22 is fixed to the battery module 10 by screwing the bus bar 23 and fixed to a fixed position of the battery box 2.

  Further, in the assembled battery of FIG. 1, the end surface of the battery box 2 is closed with a guide plate 24. The guide plate 24 shown in the figure has a shape in which both upper and lower ends are bent, and the end surface of the battery box 2 is closed at the main body portion, and the inner surfaces of the cover plate 3 and the base plate 4 are closed by the upper and lower bent portions 24A. is doing. The guide plate 24 forms an air duct 21 with the upper and lower bent portions 24 </ b> A, the cover plate 3, and the base plate 4.

The above assembled battery is assembled in the following steps.
(1) Fix the bolt 5 to the base plate 4 as shown in FIG. The bolt 5 is preferably fixed to the base plate 4 so as not to rotate by welding.
(2) The first through-hole 8 provided in the laminated portion 9 of the first sandwiching bar 6 is inserted into the bolt 5, and the first sandwiching bar 6 is formed on the convex strip 14 of the base plate 4. The sandwiching bars 6 are arranged in a line. In the battery pack shown in the figure, five bolts 5 are fixed to each protrusion 14, and therefore, four sandwiching bars 6 are arranged in a row between the bolts 5. In this state, the sandwiching bar 6 that supports the lowermost battery module 10 on the lower surface is set on the base plate 4. Since the base plate 4 has the bolts 5 fixed to the two rows of ridges 14, a first clamping bar 6 is disposed on each of the ridges 14, and the first clamping bars are arranged on both sides of the base plate 4. Set 6 in two rows.
(3) The battery module 10 is set in the fitting recess 7 of the two rows of sandwiching bars 6. In the battery module 10, the insulating ring 12 between the unit cells 11 is disposed on the sandwiching bar 6. In the battery module 10, the insulating rings 12 provided at both ends are arranged in the fitting recesses 7 of the first clamping bars 6 arranged in two rows. In this state, the first-stage battery module 10 at the lowest level is set.
(4) The second clamping bar 6 is set on the first-stage battery module 10. The second sandwiching bar 6 is set at a fixed position with the fitting recess 7 facing downward and the through-hole 8 of the laminated portion 9 inserted into the bolt 5. In this state, the first-stage battery module 10 is sandwiched between a pair of sandwiching bars 6 positioned above and below, that is, the first and second sandwiching bars 6.
(5) On the second sandwiching bar 6, the third sandwiching bar 6 that sandwiches the bottom of the second-stage battery module 10 is set. The third sandwiching bar 6 is stacked directly above the second sandwiching bar 6 by inserting the through holes 8 provided in the stacked portions 9 at both ends into the bolts 5. The sandwiching bar 6 is provided with a fitting recess 7 on the opposite surface to which the battery module 10 is sandwiched, but the opposite side is flat, so the second sandwiching bar 6 and the third sandwiching bar 6 6 makes the flat surfaces contact each other.
(6) Thereafter, in the same manner, the second-stage battery module 10, the fourth clamping bar 6, the fifth clamping bar 6, the third battery module 10, and the sixth clamping bar 6 are sequentially arranged. Laminate to.
(7) The through hole of the connecting bar 17 is inserted into the upper end of the bolt 5 arranged on both sides of the base plate 4, the nut 26 is screwed into the upper surface of the connecting bar 17, and the adjacent bolt 5 on both sides is connected to the connecting bar 17. Connect with Without this step, without connecting the connecting bar with the nut, the following cover plate 3 is set on the connecting bar 17, and the connecting bar 17 is connected by tightening the nut 16 from above the cover plate 3. You can also
(8) Insert the bolt 5 into the through hole of the cover plate 3, set the cover plate 3, and screw the nut 16 into the bolt 5 protruding upward from the cover plate 3. The assembled battery is assembled in this state.

It is a perspective view of the assembled battery concerning one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the cover plate of the assembled battery shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which assembles the assembled battery shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the connection state of an adjacent battery block. It is a perspective view which shows the connection state of an adjacent battery block. It is a perspective view which shows the state which connects a some battery module with a clamping bar.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 2 ... Battery box 3 ... Cover plate 4 ... Base plate 5 ... Bolt 6 ... Clamping bar 6A ... Rib 7 ... Insertion recessed part 8 ... Through-hole 9 ... Laminated part 10 ... Battery module 11 ... Unit cell 12 ... Insulation ring DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Projection 14 ... Projection 15 ... Groove 16 ... Nut 17 ... Connection bar 18 ... Spacer 19 ... Notch 20 ... Battery block 21 ... Air blow guide 22 ... End plate 23 ... Bus bar 24 ... Guide plate 24A ... Bending Part 25 ... Electrode terminal 26 ... Nut

Claims (6)

An assembled battery comprising a plurality of batteries (1) and a battery box (2) that fixes each battery (1) in place,
The battery box (2) includes a cover plate (3) and a base plate (4) disposed above and below the battery (1) to be stored, and a plurality of pieces connecting the cover plate (3) and the base plate (4). A bolt (5), and a clamp bar (6) that is inserted through and connected to both ends of the bolt (5), and sandwiches the battery (1) up and down and is placed in a fixed position,
Between the cover plate (3) and the base plate (4), the batteries (1) are stored in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, and the batteries (1) arranged in a plurality of rows in each step are paired with a pair of clamping bars. The battery (1) is disposed at a fixed position by being sandwiched at (6), and the pair of sandwiching bars (6) guides the battery (1) to the opposite edge where the battery (1) is sandwiched. A plurality of fitting recesses (7) are provided at the same pitch as the interval of the battery (1), and the pair of sandwiching bars (6) are inserted into the bolts (5) through the through holes (8) at both ends. (5), the pair of sandwiching bars (6) are arranged in a fixed position by sandwiching at least both ends of the battery (1). The pair of sandwiching bars (6) are inserted into the bolts (5), and the batteries (1) are stacked in a plurality of stages with a plurality of pairs of sandwiching bars (6) and arranged in a fixed position. Assembled battery.   The pair of sandwiching bars (6) are provided with three to six fitting recesses (7) between the through holes (8) provided at both ends, and a battery is provided in each of the fitting recesses (7). The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein a pair of sandwiching bars (6) guides (1) and sandwiches three to six batteries (1) and is disposed at a fixed position.   2. The pair of sandwiching bars (6) have a plurality of fitting recesses (7) at opposing edges for sandwiching the battery (1), and the surface opposite to the opposing edges is straight. Assembled battery.   The sandwiching bar (6) disposed between the batteries (1) is provided with a fitting recess (7) for guiding the battery (1) on both the upper edge and the lower edge. A sandwiching bar (6) disposed between the sandwiching bar (6) for sandwiching the upper battery (1) and the sandwiching bar (6) for sandwiching the lower battery (1). The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein the battery is integrally molded.   The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the bolt (5) is fixed to the base plate (4). A battery (1) sandwiched between a pair of sandwiching bars (6) and placed in a fixed position is sandwiched by a battery module (10) in which a plurality of unit cells (11) are linearly connected in series. The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein the landing bar (6) sandwiches both ends of the battery module (10) and is disposed at a fixed position.

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