JP5256821B2 - Connection structure between batteries - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to an inter-battery connection structure for electrically connecting different polarities of a plurality of parallel batteries.

  In recent years, portable and cordless electronic devices such as AV devices or personal computers and portable communication devices have been rapidly promoted, and the power source for driving these electronic devices is highly reliable and easy to maintain. Therefore, nickel cadmium storage batteries, nickel metal hydride storage batteries, lithium ion secondary batteries, and the like are widely used in various applications. On the other hand, for applications such as emergency power supplies for backup in the event of a power failure due to disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, the use as a power source that can connect batteries and increase battery capacity and discharge large currents is expanded. Similarly, it is suitable for further high-current discharge as a power source for railways such as emergency power for unmanned communication base stations, power for raising and lowering pantographs for trains, or backup power for lighting lighting used when train power is stopped. There is a desire to develop a configuration.

As shown in FIG. 4, the power source as described above generally forms a battery pack by connecting different polarities of a plurality of cylindrical batteries 41 to each other. The batteries are arranged in a line along the radial direction, and the batteries are electrically connected in series with a connection plate 47. One end of the connecting plate 47 is spot welded to the side wall of the battery case 42, and the other end is a substantially L-shaped shape in which a stat bolt 43 is welded to the sealing body 46 of the cylindrical battery 41 and is connected using a nut. A structure has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3257408

  However, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the adjacent cylindrical batteries 41 are connected to each other by welding and the stat bolt 43 via the connection plate 47, so the relative position accuracy of the adjacent cylindrical batteries 41 is high. This is necessary, and there is no degree of freedom in positioning of the relative position of the cylindrical battery 41, and position adjustment is difficult. Further, when the cylindrical battery 41 is worn or deteriorated during maintenance, the direction in which the cylindrical battery 41 is pulled out is restricted, and the degree of difficulty in replacement is high and the running cost is greatly increased.

  Further, if an attempt is made to reduce the electrical resistance of the connection plate 47 to produce a high-power battery connection structure, the connection plate 47 needs to be widened or thickened, and the side wall and sealing of the battery case 42 must be increased. When welding the body 46 with the connecting plate 47, it is difficult to increase the width beyond the diameter of the sealing body 46. Moreover, increasing the thickness of the connection plate 47 makes it difficult to follow the shape and position of the battery case 42 and the sealing body 46. Further, the specific resistance of the connection plate 47 is lowered, and the weldability to the battery case 42 and the sealing body 46 is deteriorated, the connection resistance is increased due to peeling of the welded portion, the battery case 42 and the sealing body 46 are deformed, and excessive. There has been a problem that defects such as generation of perforations in the battery case 42 and the sealing body 46 due to welding with energy and inability to secure welding strength are likely to occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, can absorb variations in the relative positions of adjacent cylindrical batteries, and has a degree of freedom in positioning the relative positions of cylindrical batteries, so that position adjustment can be performed. In addition, if the cylindrical battery is consumed or deteriorated during maintenance, it is possible to replace only the cylindrical battery that needs to be replaced, and the running cost can be greatly reduced. In addition, it has excellent reliability that does not cause defects such as destruction of internal parts of the cylindrical battery, perforation or deformation of the battery case or sealing body due to deterioration of weldability or heat generation due to excessive current application It aims at providing the connection structure between batteries.

In order to achieve the above object, the inter-battery connection structure of the present invention comprises a plurality of batteries in which at least a side wall of the battery case is used as one electrode and a sealing body that seals the opening side of the battery case is used as the other electrode. In the inter-battery connection structure in which different polarities of two adjacent batteries are connected side by side so that the axial directions of these batteries are parallel, the directions of the electrodes of the plurality of batteries are the same direction. A connection plate bracket connected to the battery case at the battery case welded portion along the shape of the outer surface of the side wall of the battery case, a connection plate connected to the connection plate bracket and the connection plate welded portion, and a sealing body And a terminal plate connected at the terminal welded portion, the connecting plate extends along the side wall of the battery case upward in the axial direction of the battery beyond the height of the battery, and the terminal plate extends in the axial direction of the battery. Extend along the connecting plate upward Ri, a connecting through-hole in the upper end portion of the terminal plate and the connecting plate, a terminal plate and the connection plate are fastened screwed with bolts and nuts, that electrically connects the connection state different poles of the battery It is a feature.

  According to the present invention, a degree of freedom arises in positioning of the relative positions of adjacent cylindrical batteries, the position adjustment becomes easy, and it is possible to replace only a cylindrical battery that needs to be replaced at the time of maintenance, greatly increasing the running cost. Can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to provide a highly reliable inter-battery connection structure that can suppress a decrease in welding strength, an increase in electrical resistance, breakage due to heat generated during welding of battery internal parts, and perforation or deformation of the battery case. .

  In the first invention of the present invention, a plurality of batteries each having at least a side wall of the battery case as one electrode and a sealing body that seals the opening side of the battery case as the other electrode are arranged. In an inter-battery connection structure in which different polarities of two adjacent batteries are connected side by side so that the directions are parallel to each other, the electrodes of the plurality of batteries are arranged in the same direction, and the sealing body A terminal plate having a terminal welded portion connected to the terminal plate, a connecting plate connected to the terminal plate, and the connecting plate connected to the connecting plate welded portion, the battery case welded portion along the shape of the outer surface of the battery case side wall. By connecting the battery's different poles in an electrically connected state with the connected connecting plate bracket, there is a degree of freedom in positioning the relative positions of adjacent cylindrical batteries, making it easy to adjust the position and replacing them during maintenance. Necessary cylinder The possible running cost is possible to replace only the battery can be greatly reduced.

  In the second invention of the present invention, the thickness of the battery case welded portion of the connection plate bracket is configured to be equal to or less than the thickness of the side wall of the battery case, so that the welding is performed from the thin plate side to the thick plate side. Deterioration of weldability and heat generation due to application of an excessive current can suppress the destruction of internal parts of the cylindrical battery and the perforation and deformation of the battery case and the sealing body.

  In the third invention of the present invention, the thickness of the connection plate is made larger than the thickness of the connection plate welded portion of the connection bracket, thereby reducing the electrical resistance of the connection plate and greatly reducing the invalid welding current that does not contribute to welding. This makes it possible to achieve stable and high-quality welding.

  In the fourth invention of the present invention, the through hole for connection is provided in at least one of the terminal plate or the connection plate, and the other connected phase is provided with the screw hole, thereby positioning the relative position of the adjacent cylindrical batteries. Since the degree of freedom is generated and the positional deviation is absorbed, the assemblability is excellent.

  In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the terminal plate and the connection plate are provided with through holes for connection, and are screwed and fastened with bolts and nuts, so that they can be repeatedly removed. Among them, only the cylindrical battery that needs to be replaced can be replaced, providing excellent maintainability.

In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the nut is welded to one of the terminal plate and the connecting plate, so that the nut is fixed by welding. Therefore, it is excellent in assemblability and productivity can be improved.

  In the seventh aspect of the present invention, the terminal welded portion of the sealing body and the terminal plate, the connection plate welded portion of the connection plate and the connection plate bracket, and the battery case welded portion of the battery case and the connection plate bracket are fixed by resistance welding. By doing so, it is possible to connect to a substantially flat surface without projections and flanges effective for electrical connection, and the electrical resistance of the connection plate can be reduced.

  In the eighth aspect of the present invention, by providing a projection for welding at each welded portion of the terminal plate and the connecting plate, the electric resistance of the welding current is increased during welding, and the ability of the welded portion to be melted is improved and stable. High quality welding is possible.

  In the ninth aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of welding projections are provided and a slit portion is provided between the welding projections, it is possible to greatly reduce the invalid welding current that does not contribute to welding. Can be welded.

  In the tenth aspect of the present invention, the terminal plate, the connection plate, and the connection plate bracket are formed of iron, iron alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, or copper, thereby reducing the electrical resistance of the connection plate. It is possible to provide a battery-to-battery connection that can handle high output.

  In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the terminal plate, the connection plate, and the connection plate bracket are nickel-plated on iron, iron alloy or copper, so that the weldability with the battery case and the sealing body is excellent. It is possible to suppress a decrease in electrical resistance and an increase in electrical resistance.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Cylindrical batteries include lithium primary batteries, lithium ion secondary batteries, alkaline storage batteries, and the like, which are given to explain the present invention in detail as one embodiment of a battery connection structure. Not specific. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the inter-battery connection structure of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a connection state of a connection plate and a connection plate bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the connection board bracket which shows this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, two cylindrical batteries 1 and a connection plate 5, a connection plate bracket 10, and a terminal plate 21 of the present invention that electrically connect the cylindrical batteries 1 are configured. The connecting plate 5 has a connecting through hole 6, and is connected to the connecting through hole 25 provided in the terminal plate 21 by screwing and fastening with a nut 31 through a bolt 30. Positions where the relative positions of the adjacent cylindrical batteries 1 are freed by screwing and fastening the connecting through holes 6 of the connecting plate 5 and the connecting through holes 25 of the terminal plate 21 with bolts 30 and nuts 31. Adjustment becomes easy, and it is possible to replace only the cylindrical battery 1 that needs to be replaced at the time of maintenance, and the running cost can be greatly reduced.

  The nut 31 may be welded to the terminal plate 21, and the assembly workability is further improved, and the nut 31 may be welded to the connection plate 5 side. Further, the connecting through hole 25 having the terminal plate 21 may be provided with a screw hole, or the connecting operation can be further improved by screwing and fastening the connecting through hole 6 of the connecting plate 5 with the bolt 30. The

  A terminal welded portion 24 is provided on the terminal plate 21 and is resistance-welded to the outer surface of the sealing body 2 of the cylindrical battery 1. The terminal welded portion 24 is provided with a projection 23 for welding projecting on the side to be welded, and a slit portion 22 is provided in the middle of the plurality of welded projections 23 so that resistance welding that can secure welding strength can be performed. It has become.

The connection plate bracket 10 has a connection plate welded portion 12 and a battery case welded portion 11, is connected to the connection plate welded portion 12 and the connection plate 5, and is welded to the side wall of the battery case 2 of the cylindrical battery 1. Part 10 is connected. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the connection plate welded portion 12 of the connection plate bracket 10 is provided with a plurality of slits 16 and a plurality of welding projections 15 projecting on the side to be welded across the slit portion 16. Further, the battery case welded portion 11 is also provided with a projection 13 for welding projecting on the side to be welded with the slit portion 14, so that resistance welding that can ensure welding strength can be performed. In addition, the slit part 16 provided in the connection plate welding part 12 does not need to reach the end surface of the connection plate welding part 12.

  Since the thickness of the battery case welded portion 11 of the connecting plate bracket 10 is equal to or less than the thickness of the side wall of the battery case 3, the battery on the thick plate side from the battery case welded portion 11 on the thin plate side. It becomes welding to the side wall of the case 3, which can significantly reduce the invalid current that does not contribute to the welding, deteriorates the weldability, destroys the internal parts of the cylindrical battery 1 due to the heat generated by welding, or perforates the battery case 3 It is possible to achieve stable and good quality welding that can suppress the occurrence of slag. Furthermore, since a thin plate is used, the followability is high, and the connection can be made in close contact along the shape of the outer surface of the side wall of the battery case 3, so that an inter-battery connection structure that can reduce electric resistance is obtained.

  Further, the connection plate 5 is configured to be thicker than the thickness of the connection plate bracket 10, that is, the specific thickness is low because it is configured to be thicker than the thickness of the side wall of the battery case 3, and is suitable for large current discharge. Using the inter-battery connection structure of the present invention, stable and high-quality welding is possible, the welding strength is reduced due to peeling of the welded portion, the electrical resistance is increased, the internal parts of the battery are broken due to heat generation, and the battery case 3 can be suppressed, and the specific resistance of the connection plate 5 is low, so that a higher-power inter-battery connection structure is obtained.

  Moreover, the material of the connection board 5, the connection bracket 10, and the terminal board 21 is preferably nickel, iron, copper, an iron alloy, or a nickel alloy. When copper, iron, or an iron alloy is used, corrosion resistance and weldability can be improved by applying nickel plating after processing. A plurality of these materials may be used. For example, iron that has been subjected to nickel plating may be used for the connection plate bracket 10, and nickel, copper, or the like that can reduce the electrical resistance by the connection plate 5 may be used. The combination of these materials can be suitably selected in consideration of the weldability of resistance welding, electrical resistance, workability, and cost.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the battery case welded portion 11 connected to the side wall of the battery case 3 and a cross-shaped shape sandwiching a welding projection 15 provided with a plurality of slit portions 16 provided in the connecting plate welded portion 12 are formed. It is the composition which is. When the connection plate 5 and the connection plate bracket 10 are subjected to series resistance welding, the way of applying the welding electrode is not restricted and the degree of freedom is increased, and the rigidity of the connection plate bracket 10 can be improved, so that workability is improved.

  Next, the inter-battery connection structure according to Example 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, a nickel-plated connecting plate 5 having a thickness of 0.5 mm and nickel-plated on the back surface of the welded plate 12 of the connecting plate bracket 10 made of nickel-plated and having a thickness of 0.2 mm. The welding electrode was applied in the state where the slit portion 16 was straddled in the vicinity of the welding projection 15 of the connecting plate welded portion 12, and the connecting plate 5 was resistance-welded to the connecting plate bracket 10.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the battery case welded portions 11 provided at both ends of the connecting plate bracket 10 having a curved shape along the side wall of the battery case 3 of the cylindrical battery 1 have a diameter of 60 mm. A connecting electrode bracket 10 is applied to the outer surface of the side wall of the cylindrical battery 1 having a side wall thickness of 0.3 mm, with the welding electrode straddling the slit portion 14 in the vicinity of the welding projection 13 of the battery case welding portion 11. Was resistance welded to the cylindrical battery 1.

  Further, the terminal plate welded portion 24 of the terminal plate 21 is applied to the outer surface of the sealing body 2 of the cylindrical battery 1 so that the connecting through hole 6 of the connecting plate 5 and the connecting through hole 25 of the terminal plate 21 are matched. A welding electrode was applied in the state of straddling the slit portion 22 in the vicinity of the welding projection 23 of the plate welding portion 24, and the terminal plate 21 was resistance welded to the sealing plate 2. Next, the terminal plate 9 and the connection plate 2 were connected using bolts 30 and nuts 31. Thus, the inter-battery connection structure shown in FIG. 1 was produced. This inter-battery connection structure was referred to as Example 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a connection structure between batteries manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 using the connection plate bracket 10 in which the slit portions 16 are formed in a cross shape is referred to as Example 2.

(Comparative Example 1)
A battery of a cylindrical battery 41 having a diameter of 60 mm as shown in FIG. 4 is produced by using a nickel-plated 0.4 mm-thick iron as the prior art connection plate 47 having a substantially L-shape shown in FIG. The side wall of the case 42 was connected using series resistance welding. Further, after the stat bolt 43 is welded to the sealing body 46 of the cylindrical battery 41 so that the thread portion stands vertically, the stat bolt 43 is attached to the sealing body 46 of the cylindrical battery 41 in the connecting through hole provided at the tip of the connection plate 47. A stat bolt 43 connected by welding was inserted and connected using a nut. The inter-battery connection structure thus fabricated was referred to as Comparative Example 1.

  Next, using the inter-battery connection structure of Example 1, Example 2, and Comparative Example 1, a measurement result of measuring the resistance value by connecting the terminal of the resistance meter to the sealing body of the cylindrical battery and the bottom center of the battery case is shown. (Table 1).

  As can be seen from (Table 1), the inter-battery connection structures of Example 1 and Example 2 have lower resistance values than Comparative Example 1. Further, since the difference in resistance value between Example 1 and Example 2 was small, it was found that the difference in resistance value due to the difference in the shape of the slit portion 16 was small. A large difference in resistance value is considered to be a difference in specific resistance of the connection plate. Since the connection plate 5 of Example 1 and Example 2 is thicker than the thickness of the connection plate 47 of Comparative Example 1, the resistance value is low. Was greatly involved with the low.

  When series resistance welding is performed, if the welding electrode is applied to the thin plate and welding is performed on the thick plate, the reactive current that does not contribute to the welding that flows to the welding electrode is greatly increased. In the first and second embodiments, the plate thickness is reduced from the connecting plate welded portion 12 of the connecting plate bracket 10 having a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.1 mm. Welding is performed on the connection plate 5 having a thickness of 5 mm, and further, welding is performed from the battery case welding portion 11 of the connection plate bracket 10 having a thickness of 0.2 mm to the side wall of the battery case 3 having a thickness of 0.3 mm. In addition, by connecting from the thin plate side to the thick plate side, the battery-to-battery connection structure can perform stable welding with significantly reduced reactive current that does not contribute to welding.

In the case of the comparative example 1, it is welding from the connection plate 47 having a plate thickness of 0.4 mm to the side wall of the battery case 42 having a plate thickness of 0.3 mm, and welding from the thick side to the thin side, Unstable resistance welding with many reactive currents that do not contribute to welding, and reactive current that does not contribute to welding that flows to the side where the welding electrode is applied. It has become.

  As described above, according to the inter-battery connection structure of the present invention, the connection plate bracket 10 has an increase in electrical resistance due to peeling of the welded portion, deformation of the battery case, poor hole formation in the battery case 3 due to welding with excessive energy, and cylindrical. This is a high-power battery-to-battery connection structure in which the internal parts of the battery 1 are less likely to be destroyed by heat generated by welding and have a reduced electrical resistance that enables stable connection.

  In the inter-battery connection structure according to the present invention, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the battery case welded portion of the connection plate bracket for reducing electric resistance, and the internal parts of the cylindrical battery are adversely affected by heat generation due to resistance welding. In addition, it is useful as a backup power source for lighting in the event of a power failure that requires a highly reliable configuration suitable for further large current discharge.

Schematic which shows the battery connection structure which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the connection state of the connection board and connection board bracket which concern on one embodiment of this invention Schematic diagram of a connection bracket according to another embodiment of the present invention Schematic showing the inter-battery connection structure of the prior art Perspective view of connecting plate according to the prior art

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylindrical battery 2 Sealing body 3 Battery case 5 Connection plate 6 Connection through-hole 10 Connection plate bracket 11 Battery case welding part 12 Connection plate welding part 13 Welding projection 14 Slit part 15 Welding projection 16 Slit part 21 Terminal board 22 Slit portion 23 Projection for welding 24 Terminal welded portion 25 Through hole for connection 30 Bolt 31 Nut

Claims (10)

Arranging a plurality of batteries each having at least a side wall of the battery case as one electrode and a sealing body sealing the opening side of the battery case as the other electrode, and juxtaposing the batteries in parallel with each other in the axial direction In the inter-battery connection structure that connects different polarities of two adjacent batteries, the plurality of battery electrodes are arranged in the same direction.
A connection plate bracket connected to the battery case at a battery case weld along the shape of the outer surface of the side wall of the battery case;
A connection plate connected to the connection plate bracket and a connection plate weld,
Comprising a terminal plate connected to the sealing body by a terminal weld,
The connection plate extends along the side wall of the battery case and exceeds the height of the battery in the upper axial direction of the battery,
The terminal plate extends along the connection plate in the upper axial direction of the battery,
Provided with through holes for connection at the upper ends of the terminal plate and the connection plate, the terminal plate and the connection plate are screwed and tightened with bolts and nuts,
An inter-battery connection structure, wherein different polarities of the battery are electrically connected to each other. 2. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the battery case welded portion of the connection plate bracket is equal to or less than the thickness of the side wall of the battery case. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the connection plate is greater than the thickness of the connection plate welded portion of the connection plate bracket. Inter-battery connecting structure according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the connecting through-hole of the terminal plate or connection plate is characterized in that it comprises a threaded hole. 2. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein a nut is welded to one of the terminal plate or the connection plate in an arrangement in which the connecting through holes of the terminal plate and the connection plate are matched. Each of the sealing body and the terminal welded portion of the terminal plate, the connecting plate welded portion of the connecting plate and the connecting plate bracket, and the battery case welded portion of the battery case and the connecting plate bracket are fixed by resistance welding. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 1. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 6 , wherein a welding projection is provided at each welded portion of the terminal plate and the connection plate. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 7 , wherein a plurality of the welding projections are provided, and a slit portion is provided between the welding projections.   2. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the terminal plate, the connection plate, and the connection plate bracket are formed of iron, iron alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, or copper. 10. The inter-battery connection structure according to claim 9 , wherein the terminal plate, the connection plate, and the connection plate bracket are nickel-plated on iron, iron alloy, or copper.

Images