JP5318436B2 - Battery tray - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery tray capable of housing various kinds of batteries with different thicknesses in a set of tray. <P>SOLUTION: The battery tray has a first inclined surface 4 and a second inclined surface 5 disposed opposite to each other; the distance between the first and the second inclined surfaces 4, 5 broadens as it comes closer to an opening 11; a pair of the first inclined surfaces 4 is disposed in one direction of two opposing directions thereof at the bottom of the housing 2, and a pair of the second inclined surfaces 5 is disposed in another direction; the second inclined surface 5 stands closer to an upright side, compared with the first inclined surface 4 and is inclined, leaving the battery 3 as it is brought closer to the center of the battery 3 in the width direction while the battery 3 is housed; and furthermore, the second inclined surface 5 has a side for regulating the movement of the battery 3 in the width direction, and has the sides 16, 17 for regulating its rotational movement in the opposing corners to the opening 11. The side for regulating the movement of the battery 3 in the width direction intersects at an obtuse angle, with the sides 16, 17 that regulate its rotational movement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery tray for storing batteries, for example, in a battery manufacturing process, and to a battery tray capable of storing various types of batteries with different thicknesses in one tray.

  In the battery manufacturing process, there is a process of proceeding with the battery stored in the tray. A tray is also used for delivery and storage between manufacturing processes. Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose battery trays that can reduce the weight while ensuring the necessary strength.

  Further, in the battery formation (charging) step, charging is performed in a state where a large number of batteries are stored in a tray and the electrodes are pressed against the upper and lower terminals of the battery. In this case, it is necessary to ensure the positional accuracy between the upper and lower terminals of the battery and the electrode and to perform reliable charging.

  FIG. 17A shows a plan view of an example of a conventional battery tray. This figure shows an example of a tray for a rectangular battery. A large number of battery storage portions 101 are provided in a rectangular battery tray 100. FIG. 17B shows an enlarged view of one battery storage unit 101. This figure shows a state in which the rectangular battery 102 (shaded portion) is stored.

Both ends 103 of the battery storage unit 101 are narrowed, and both ends of the rectangular battery 101 are engaged with this part. Thus, the square battery 102 can be stably placed on the battery storage unit 101. Therefore, in the chemical conversion step, the accuracy of the positional relationship between the upper and lower terminals of the rectangular battery 101 and the upper and lower electrodes for charging is ensured, and charging can be completed reliably.
JP 2000-53182 A JP 2002-362666 A

  However, the battery tray 100 as shown in FIG. 17 is designed such that the width of the both end portions 103 of the battery storage portion 101 matches the thickness of the rectangular battery 102 as described above. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare a dedicated tray for each rectangular battery having a different thickness. In this case, a mold for forming the tray is also dedicated for each tray, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost.

  Further, in the manufacturing process, it is necessary to switch the corresponding tray according to the thickness of the rectangular battery, which is disadvantageous in terms of production efficiency. Furthermore, in the chemical conversion process, the gap between the tray and the battery is small, so that the battery is difficult to dissipate heat.

  In addition, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, no special proposal has been made regarding a structure that can accommodate various types of batteries.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a battery tray that can stably store various types of batteries having different thicknesses in one tray.

To achieve the above object, the battery tray of the present invention is a battery tray for accommodating a battery, comprising an opening, and a housing portion provided on the inner side of the opening, a bottom portion of the accommodating portion, The first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are opposed to each other, and the distance between the opposed first inclined surface and the second inclined surface is increased in the thickness direction of the battery toward the opening. Among the diagonal directions at the bottom of the storage unit, a pair of first inclined surfaces are arranged in one diagonal direction, and a pair of second inclined surfaces are arranged in the other diagonal direction, and the battery is stored. In the state, the second inclined surface is inclined away from the battery toward the center in the width direction of the battery, and when the storage state of the battery is viewed from the side facing the opening, restricting the movement in the width direction of the battery on the inner peripheral surface of the opening There is that regulating surface, the diagonal positions of the pair of the inner circumferential surface of the opening, there is regulating surface for regulating the rotation movement in the first direction of the battery, a regulating surface for regulating the movement in the width direction And a regulating surface that regulates rotational movement in the first direction intersects at an obtuse angle, and the first inclined surface is in the first direction when the storage state of the battery is viewed from the side facing the opening. The rotational movement of the battery in the second direction opposite to the above is restricted.

  According to the present invention, various types of batteries having different thicknesses can be stably stored in one tray.

  The battery tray according to the present invention can store batteries of different thicknesses, and each battery keeps upright in a state of rotating according to the increase in thickness and changing the height of the mounting position. Can do. At this time, since the gap between the battery bottom and the second inclined surface can be reduced at the end in the width direction of the battery, the battery can be prevented from rattling and the battery can be held stably.

  In the battery tray of the present invention, the second inclined surface comes into contact with the bottom of each battery in a dotted manner at the end in the width direction of each battery when the batteries having different thicknesses are accommodated. It is preferable to form in. According to this configuration, the number of battery support points increases, and the battery can be held more stably.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said battery tray is what combined the 1st tray which formed the said 1st inclined surface and the 2nd inclined surface, and the 2nd tray which formed the said opening. According to this configuration, the structure of the mold when the tray is resin-molded is simplified.

  The second tray is preferably exchangeable. According to this configuration, the range of the thickness of the battery that can be stored can be widened by exchanging the second tray with one having a different opening shape while sharing the first tray.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the internal peripheral surface of the said opening and the internal peripheral surface of the said accommodating part exist on the same surface. According to this configuration, the integral molding of the tray is facilitated.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said opening forms the some opening row | line | column and each said opening row | line | column is arrange | positioned in parallel.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the opening has a tapered surface on the side opposite to the storage portion. According to this configuration, the battery can be easily stored.

  Further, it is preferable that a through hole is formed in the inner part of the storage part, and the battery stored in the storage part can be sandwiched between the electrode that has passed through the through hole and the electrode on the opening side. According to this structure, while being able to use a battery tray at a chemical conversion process, the heat dissipation effect can be exhibited at a chemical conversion process. That is, the battery tray of the present invention, which is the premise of this configuration, is not configured to restrain the movement of the battery by bringing the tray and the battery into contact with each other in a planar shape, and therefore has good heat dissipation.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a lower tray among upper and lower battery trays according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a side view. The lower tray 1 is provided with a large number of battery storage portions 2, and each battery storage portion 2 can store one square battery.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the battery housing part 2. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. In FIG. 1, the battery housing portion 2 is arranged to be inclined, but in FIG. 2, it is illustrated vertically for easy understanding. Moreover, the square battery 3 at the time of accommodation is shown by a two-dot chain line.

  In FIG. 2A, a first inclined surface 4, a second inclined surface 5, and a through hole 6 are provided at the bottom of the battery storage unit 2. Among the diagonal directions at the bottom of the battery storage unit 2, a pair of first inclined surfaces 4 are provided in one diagonal direction (arrow a direction), and a pair of first inclined surfaces 4 in the other diagonal direction (arrow b direction). Two inclined surfaces 5 are provided. The first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5 are opposed to each other.

  The through hole 6 is formed so as to penetrate the bottom of the lower tray 1. In the chemical conversion step, the rectangular battery 3 can be charged by passing an electrode through the through-hole 6 and pressing this electrode and another electrode lowered from the upper side against the upper and lower terminal portions of the rectangular battery 3. Details of the charging will be specifically described later.

  FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA passing through both the pair of first inclined surfaces 4 in order to explain the shape of the pair of first inclined surfaces 4. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the first inclined surfaces 4 are illustrated to face each other, the first inclined surfaces 4 are spaced from each other as they move toward the surface of the lower tray 1. Is formed to spread.

  When the prismatic battery 3 is accommodated, the ridge line at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3 comes into contact with both of the at least one pair of first inclined surfaces 4. As a result, the position of the rectangular battery 3 in the height direction (arrow d direction) is determined.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the storage unit 2. FIG. 3A shows a state where the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5 are opposed to each other. FIG.3 (b) is the perspective view which looked at the 2nd inclined surface 5 from the angle different from Fig.3 (a).

  The first inclined surface 4 is inclined in the height direction (arrow d direction) of the rectangular battery 3, but is not inclined in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the rectangular battery 3. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the second inclined surface 5 is inclined in both the height direction (arrow d direction) and the width direction (arrow c direction) of the prismatic battery 3. doing. More specifically, as can be seen from the illustrations of FIGS. 2A, 3 </ b> A, and 3 </ b> B, in the storage state of the prismatic battery 3, the second inclined surface 5 has a width of the prismatic battery 3. As it goes to the center in the direction (arrow c direction), it inclines away from the prismatic battery 3.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing the upper tray. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a side view. The upper tray 10 is formed by forming a large number of openings 11 in a flat plate member. When the lower tray 1 of FIG. 1 and the upper tray 10 of FIG. 4 are combined, one opening 11 corresponds to one battery storage portion 2 of the lower tray 1.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the upper tray 10 and the lower tray 1 are combined. FIG. 5A is a plan view, and FIG. 5B is a side view. As shown in FIG. 5B, there is an upper tray 10 on the upper side of the lower tray 1, and in the illustration of FIG. 5A, on the back side (lower side) of the opening 11 of the upper tray 10, There will be two.

  In the present embodiment, the battery tray is divided into an upper tray 10 and a lower tray 1. According to such a configuration, the structure of the mold when resin molding is simplified. The upper and lower trays can be positioned by fitting positioning pins and positioning holes. When resin molding is performed, the positioning pin and the positioning hole may be integrally molded.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view of a state in which the prismatic battery 3 is stored in a state where the lower tray 1 and the upper tray 10 are combined. 4 and 5, the opening 11 is inclined, but is shown vertically in FIG. 6 for easy understanding. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG.

  Although the battery tray according to the present embodiment can store prismatic batteries having different thicknesses, FIG. 6 stores the rectangular battery 3 having the thinnest thickness (for example, 4 mm thick) among the prismatic batteries that can be stored. Corresponds to the case.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the opening 11 is formed so as to penetrate the upper tray 10 in the thickness direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the portions surrounded by the pair of vertical surfaces 12 and 13, the horizontal surfaces 14 and 15, and the inclined surfaces 16 and 17 form the opening 11, and the opening 11 has a polygonal shape. Is formed. The inclined surfaces 16 and 17 are disposed at a pair of diagonal positions of the opening 11, that is, at a pair of diagonal positions of the stored battery 3. The angle between the horizontal plane 14 and the inclined surface 16 and the angle between the horizontal plane 15 and the inclined surface 17 are obtuse angles. Specifically, these angles are preferably obtuse angles of 100 degrees or more and 150 degrees or less, respectively.

Although details will be described later, the horizontal planes 14 and 15 are regulating surfaces that regulate movement in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the battery, and the inclined surfaces 16 and 17 are two directions (arrow e and f directions) of the battery. It is a regulation surface which regulates the rotational movement of 1 direction (arrow f direction) among the rotational movements.

  When the prismatic battery 3 is stored in the battery storage portion 2, the prismatic battery 3 is inserted into the battery storage portion 2 from the upper side of the opening 11 through the opening 11. In order to facilitate this insertion, a tapered surface 18 is provided above the opening 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the position of the rectangular battery 3 is regulated by the horizontal surfaces 14 and 15 and the inclined surfaces 16 and 17. For this reason, the tapered surface 18 is preferably provided on at least each of these surfaces.

  As shown in part A of FIG. 6, the position of one end of the prismatic battery 3 is regulated by both the horizontal surface 14 and the inclined surface 16 of the opening 11. The state in which the position of the end portion of the prismatic battery 3 is regulated by the inclined surface 16 is shown in part C of FIG. As shown in part B of FIG. 6, the position of the other end of the prismatic battery 3 is regulated by both the horizontal surface 15 and the inclined surface 17 of the opening 11. A state in which the position of the end portion of the prismatic battery 3 is regulated by the inclined surface 17 is shown in a D portion of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the prismatic battery 3 is placed on the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5. In this state, the two ridge lines at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3 are in linear contact with the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5. As a result, the position of the prismatic battery 3 in the height direction (arrow d direction) is fixed, and the bottom of the prismatic battery 3 is at a height h1 from the bottom of the tray 1.

  When the prismatic battery 3 is placed on the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5, it is unstable to maintain an upright state. As described above, the prismatic battery 3 is in the opening 11, and the prismatic battery 3 is restricted from moving in the arrow g direction by the inclined surface 16, and is restricted from moving in the arrow h direction by the inclined surface 17 (FIG. 6). 7). As a result, the prismatic battery 3 can be kept upright without falling down.

  8A is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. Since the first inclined surface 4 is not inclined in the width direction of the rectangular battery 3 (the direction of the arrow c in FIG. 6), the cross-sectional shape of the first inclined surface 4 in FIGS. 7 (a) and 8 (a) is The same. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the second inclined surface 5 is inclined so as to move away from the prismatic battery 3 toward the center in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the prismatic battery 3.

  Therefore, when the cross-sectional shape of the second inclined surface 5 in FIG. 7A is compared with the cross-sectional shape of the second inclined surface 5 in FIG. 8A, the prismatic battery 3 in the cross-sectional shape in FIG. The distance between the side surface and the second inclined surface 5 is larger than the distance between the side surface of the rectangular battery 3 and the second inclined surface 5 in the cross-sectional shape of FIG. This is the same in comparison between the cross-sectional shape of the second inclined surface 5 in FIG. 7B and the cross-sectional shape of the second inclined surface 5 in FIG.

  As described above, the distance between the side surface of the prismatic battery 3 and the second inclined surface 5 increases toward the center in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the prismatic battery 3. This is to prevent the rectangular battery from becoming unstable in the state of rotating when the battery is stored. Details of this will be described later.

  Next, the battery chemical conversion step will be described. FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing a state before charging, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a state during charging. Each sectional view corresponds to the sectional view of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9A, in the chemical conversion step, there are an upper electrode 20 and a lower electrode 21 above and below the prismatic battery 3, respectively.

  At the time of charging, the upper electrode 20 descends and moves so as to approach the positive electrode terminal 22 of the rectangular battery 3. The lower electrode 21 ascends, passes through the through hole 6, and moves so as to approach the negative electrode terminal 23 of the prismatic battery 3. In the state of FIG. 9B, the upper and lower electrodes 20 and 21 are in contact with the positive terminal 22 and the negative terminal 23, respectively.

  The lower electrode 21 presses the prismatic battery 3 upward, and the prismatic battery 3 is raised by this pressing. In this state, the prismatic battery 3 is charged, and after charging, the upper and lower electrodes 20, 21 move in the opposite direction to the above and separate from the prismatic battery 3.

  Next, storage of rectangular batteries having different thicknesses will be described. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a state in which a prismatic battery 3a having a thickness larger than that of the prismatic battery 3 of FIG. 6 is accommodated. If the thickness of the rectangular battery 3 in FIG. 6 is 4 mm, the thickness of the rectangular battery 3a in FIG. 10 is, for example, 6 mm. The widths of the prismatic battery 3 and the prismatic battery 3a are the same.

  11A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 10, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. Comparing FIG. 7A and FIG. 11A, the cross-sectional shape of the tray 1 is the same, but the positional relationship between the rectangular battery and the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5 is different. The same applies to the comparison between FIG. 7B and FIG. 11B.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5 form a substantially V-shaped cross-sectional shape. For this reason, the bottom surface of the rectangular battery 3a whose thickness is larger than that of the rectangular battery 3 is at a position of a height h2 higher than the height h1 of FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b).

  As shown in part A of FIG. 10, the position of one end of the prismatic battery 3 a is regulated by both the horizontal surface 14 and the inclined surface 16 of the opening 11. A state in which the position of the end portion of the prismatic battery 3a is regulated by the inclined surface 16 is shown in a portion C of FIG. As shown in part B of FIG. 10, the position of the other end of the prismatic battery 3 a is regulated by both the horizontal surface 15 and the inclined surface 17 of the opening 11. A state in which the position of the end portion of the prismatic battery 3a is regulated by the inclined surface 17 is shown in a D portion of FIG.

  These states are the same as those of the rectangular battery 3 described with reference to FIGS. However, the prismatic battery 3a is in a position rotated from the position shown in FIG. This will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the position of the prismatic battery 3a is regulated by the inclined surfaces 16 and 17, respectively, at a pair of diagonal positions. For this reason, the both ends of the rectangular battery 3a cannot rotate in the direction of the arrow f along the inclined surfaces 16 and 17. This is because the distance between the inclined surface 16 and the inclined surface 17 at the diagonal position of the opening 7 is smaller than the width of the rectangular battery 3a.

  However, the position opposite to the inclined surfaces 16 and 17 of the both ends of the prismatic battery 3a is not restricted by the opening 11. Further, as described above, the position of the rectangular battery 3a is restricted by the horizontal plane 14 and the horizontal plane 15 in the width direction (arrow c direction), but the shape of each end is a curved surface. For this reason, it is possible for the square battery 3a to rotate in the direction of the arrow e while the both ends of the square battery 3a move along the horizontal planes 14 and 115.

  Here, it is assumed that the ridgeline at the bottom of the rectangular battery 3a is placed in a state in which the ridgeline is in linear contact with the first inclined surface 4. In this state, when the prismatic battery 3a is rotated so as to be twisted in the direction of the arrow e, the ridge line at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a moves away from the first inclined surface 4. As a result, two ridge lines at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a are in contact with each of the pair of first inclined surfaces 4, so that one point is provided for each of the two first inclined surfaces 4, totaling two points. It will change to the state of touching.

  That is, since the thickness of the rectangular battery 3a is larger than that of the rectangular battery 3, the side surface of the rectangular battery 3 and the vertical surfaces 12 and 13 of the opening 11 cannot be maintained in parallel as shown in FIG. However, as shown in FIG. 10, in the state of rotating in the direction of arrow e by an angle θ1 and the contact state on the first inclined surface 4 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a changed from line contact to point contact, A stable state without falling down can be maintained. The angle θ1 is a rotation angle of the center line in the width direction of the rectangular battery 3a.

  Here, in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the inclined surface 4 a indicated by a two-dot chain line is provided with an inclined surface having the same shape as the first inclined surface 4 on the side facing the first inclined surface 4. This is an imaginary inclined surface. In the state in which the prismatic battery 3a is rotated by the angle θ1, in FIG. 11A, a part of the ridge line 30 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a is in contact with the first inclined surface 4 in a dotted manner. . Similarly, in FIG. 11B, a part of the ridgeline 31 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a is in contact with the first inclined surface 4 in a dot shape.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 11A, the ridge line 32 at the bottom of the rectangular battery 3a on the side opposite to the ridge line 30 is indicated by a two-dot chain line when the rectangular battery 3a is rotated by an angle θ1 (FIG. 10). It moves so that it may move away from the inclined surface 4a. Similarly, in FIG. 11B, the ridge line 33 at the bottom of the rectangular battery 3a on the side opposite to the ridge line 31 is inclined as indicated by a two-dot chain line when the rectangular battery 3a is rotated by an angle θ1 (FIG. 10). It will move away from the surface 4a.

  In this state, the rotation of the prismatic battery 3a in the direction of the arrow e (FIG. 10) is such that part of the ridge lines 30 and 31 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a is in contact with the first inclined surface 4 in a dotted manner. Regulated by The rotation in the direction of arrow f (FIG. 10) is regulated by the inclined surfaces 16 and 17 of the upper tray. Therefore, the prismatic battery 3a is held in the storage portion 2 while being kept upright.

  Here, when the inclined surface facing the first inclined surface 4 is not the second inclined surface 5 but the inclined surface 4a indicated by the two-dot chain line, the rotation of the angle battery 1a of FIG. In FIG. 11B, a gap is formed between the ridge line 32 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a and the inclined surface 4a. In FIG. 11B, a gap is formed between the ridge line 33 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a and the inclined surface 4a. Become. If there is such a gap, there is room for the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a to be displaced toward the inclined surface 4a, and there is a possibility that the prismatic battery 3a is tilted and rattled.

  The second inclined surface 5 of the present embodiment is an inclined surface that is closer to the upright surface than the first inclined surface 4. That is, the second inclined surface 5 is formed so as to be in contact with or as close as possible to the ridgeline at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a in a state where the prismatic battery 3a is rotated by an angle θ1. This prevents rattling of the prismatic battery 3a due to displacement of the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a.

  More specifically, when the second inclined surface 5 is formed so that the second inclined surface 5 comes into contact with the ridge line at the bottom of the rectangular battery 3a in a state where the rectangular battery 3a rotates by an angle θ1, the rectangular battery 3a At the end in the width direction (the portion intersecting with the line BB in FIG. 10), the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a has one point on each of the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5 as shown in FIG. , It is in contact with a total of two points. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), at the end of the rectangular battery 3a in the width direction (the portion intersecting with the EE line in FIG. 10), the bottom of the rectangular battery 3a has the first inclined surface 4 and the first Two points are in contact with the inclined surface 5 at a total of two points. Accordingly, the bottom of the rectangular battery 3a is supported at a total of four points, and the support is stable as compared with the case where only the pair of first inclined surfaces 4 are supported at a total of two points.

  12A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. Comparing FIG. 8A and FIG. 12A, the cross-sectional shape of the tray 1 is the same, but the positional relationship between the rectangular battery and the first inclined surface 4 and the second inclined surface 5 is different. The same applies to the comparison between FIG. 8B and FIG. In FIG. 12A, for comparison, the cross-sectional shape of the prismatic battery 3a at the portion intersecting with the BB line in FIG. 10 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Similarly, in FIG. 12B, the cross-sectional shape of the prismatic battery 3a at the portion intersecting with the EE line in FIG. 10 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  In FIG. 12A, there is a gap between the ridge line 34 at the bottom of the rectangular battery 3 a and the first inclined surface 4. In FIG. 12B, there is a gap between the first inclined surface 4 and the ridge line 35 at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the state in which the square battery 3a is rotationally moved by the angle θ1 is directed toward the center in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the square battery 3a at the position of the first inclined surface 4. Accordingly, the side surface of the prismatic battery 3a is inclined so as to be separated from the vertical surfaces 12 and 13.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the state in which the prismatic battery 3a is rotated and moved by the angle θ1 is that the side surface of the prismatic battery 3a is in the width direction (arrow c) at the position of the second inclined surface 5. It is inclined so as to approach the vertical planes 12 and 13 toward the center in the direction).

  On the other hand, in FIG. 12A, there is a gap between the ridge line 36 at the bottom of the rectangular battery 3 a and the second inclined surface 5. In FIG. 12B, there is a gap between the ridgeline 37 at the bottom of the square battery 3 a and the second inclined surface 5. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, the second inclined surface 5 is inclined so as to move away from the square battery 3 a as it goes toward the center in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the square battery 3 a. Because. Therefore, in a state where the prismatic battery 3a is rotated by the angle θ1, the second inclined surface 5 is tilted so as not to contact the bottom of the prismatic battery 3 except for both ends in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the prismatic battery 3a. Will be. That is, the second inclined surface 5 is inclined so as not to prevent the square battery 3a from being rotated by the angle θ1. Thus, even when prismatic batteries having different thicknesses are mounted, the prismatic battery bottom and the second inclined surface 5 can always be in contact with each other at both ends in the width direction (arrow c direction) of the prismatic battery. Become.

  Hereinafter, although there is a part overlapping with the above description, the positional relationship between the prismatic battery and the second inclined surface 5 when the thickness of the prismatic battery is changed will be summarized below. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between three types of prismatic batteries having different thicknesses (for example, thicknesses of 4 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm) and the second inclined surface 5. This figure is a sectional view of the tray 1 at the end in the width direction of the rectangular battery, and corresponds to the sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. The following description is the same even in the case of the cross-sectional view taken along the EE line in FIG.

  Also in this figure, for the convenience of explanation, an imaginary inclined surface 4a is shown as in FIG. The inclined surface 4 a is an inclined surface when an inclined surface having the same shape as the first inclined surface 4 is provided on the side facing the first inclined surface 4.

  The rectangular battery 3 stands upright from the bottom of the tray 1 at a height h1. When the prismatic battery 3a thicker than the prismatic battery 3 is mounted, the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a moves to the position of the height h2 higher than the height h1, and as shown in FIG. 10, the prismatic battery 3a rotates and moves at an angle θ1. Will be in a state of In this state, the ridge line at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a moves away from the inclined surface 4a, but is in contact with the second inclined surface 5.

  Accordingly, the bottom of the square battery 3a is supported at two points as shown in FIG. 13, and the other end is similarly supported at two points, and is supported at a total of four points. That is, the prismatic battery 3a stably maintains an upright state in a state in which the prismatic battery 3a is rotationally moved by the angle θ1 with respect to the prismatic battery 3.

  When the prismatic battery 3b thicker than the prismatic battery 3a is mounted, the bottom of the prismatic battery 3b moves to a height h3 higher than the height h2. In this case, the prismatic battery 3b is in a state of being rotated and moved at an angle θ2 larger than the angle θ1 shown in FIG. In this state, the ridge line at the bottom of the prismatic battery 3a moves away from the inclined surface 4a, but is in contact with the second inclined surface 5.

  As a result, the bottom of the rectangular battery 3b is supported at two points as shown in FIG. 13, and the other end is similarly supported at two points, and is supported at a total of four points. That is, the prismatic battery 3b stably maintains an upright state in a state in which it is rotationally moved by the angle θ2 with respect to the prismatic battery 3.

  As described above, when the thickness of the prismatic battery increases, the ridge line at the bottom of the prismatic battery is away from the inclined surface 4a but is in contact with the second inclined surface 5. This makes the inclination of the second inclined surface 5 closer to an upright state than the first inclined surface 4 (4a) so as to follow the displacement of the ridgeline at the bottom of the prismatic battery as the thickness of the prismatic battery increases. It is because it forms in.

  On the other hand, as described above, in the state where the prismatic battery is rotated, in the width direction of the prismatic battery, the second inclined surface 5 does not contact the bottom of the prismatic battery except for both ends in the width direction of the prismatic battery 3a. Inclined. That is, the second inclined surface 5 does not hinder the square battery from being rotated and moved in portions other than both ends of the square battery.

  That is, according to the battery tray according to the present embodiment, various types of batteries having different thicknesses can be stored, and each time the thickness of the stored battery increases, the stored battery corresponds to the increase in thickness. A stable upright state can be maintained in a state of rotational movement.

  As described above, it has been described that the battery tray according to the present embodiment can accommodate various types of prismatic batteries having different thicknesses. As described above, when a prismatic battery with an increased thickness is accommodated, the rotation angle of the prismatic battery increases in accordance with the increase in thickness.

  However, the central part of the rectangular battery with which the upper and lower electrodes 20, 21 (FIG. 9) abut is in the vicinity of the rotation axis. For this reason, even if a rotation angle increases, the area of the contact part of the upper-and-lower electrodes 20 and 21 in a center part and each terminal of a square battery is the same, or hardly changes. Therefore, even if it rotates, the contact area between the upper and lower electrodes 20 and 21 and the terminals of the prismatic battery is secured, and reliable charging can be performed in the chemical conversion step.

  In addition, the battery tray according to the present embodiment can accommodate rectangular batteries having different thicknesses, but the thickness range is limited by the shape of the opening of the upper tray. A plurality of types of upper trays having different opening shapes may be prepared in order to cope with a wider range of prismatic battery thicknesses. In this way, the thickness range of the prismatic battery that can be accommodated can be widened by simply replacing the upper tray while sharing the lower tray.

  Similarly, in order to accommodate a wide range of square battery width dimensions, the use of an upper tray having a different opening shape in the width direction makes it possible to widen the range of width of the prismatic battery that can be accommodated. Furthermore, an upper tray corresponding to thickness and width may be used in combination.

  In addition, although the battery tray which concerns on this Embodiment demonstrated in the example from which the rotation angle of the square battery 3 becomes zero when the square battery 3 was accommodated as shown in FIG. 6, it is not restricted to this. It may be determined as appropriate.

  Moreover, although the battery tray which concerns on this Embodiment was demonstrated in the example used in a chemical conversion process, the use is not restricted to this. For example, it can be used as a carrier for transporting a battery between manufacturing processes, or it can be used for storing a battery. Moreover, it is good also as a shape which accommodates one to several according to a process.

  In addition, the tray of the present invention has a larger opening than the conventional tray, so that the amount of resin required for making the tray can be reduced, and the cost and weight can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2)
The second and third embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the lower tray 40 among the upper and lower battery trays according to the second embodiment. Since the shape of the side surface is the same as that of FIG. In FIG. 1, the battery storage unit 2 is disposed to be inclined with respect to the outer peripheral side of the lower tray 1. The battery storage portions 2 are arranged in rows in the direction of the inclination, and the rows are parallel to each other.

  On the other hand, the configuration of FIG. 14 is the same as that of FIG. 1 in that the rows of the battery storage units 41 arranged in a row are parallel to each other, but each row is located on the outer peripheral side of the lower tray 40. Are also arranged in parallel.

  FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an upper tray 42 corresponding to the lower tray 40 of FIG. The shape of the side surface is the same as that in FIG. The upper tray 42 is the same as the upper tray 10 in FIG. 4 except for the arrangement of the openings. The opening 43 in FIG. 15 is arranged so as to correspond to the battery storage portion 41 when the upper tray 42 is placed on the lower tray 40 in FIG. 14. That is, each row of the openings 43 is arranged to be parallel to the outer peripheral side of the upper tray 42.

  In the present embodiment, the number of batteries stored per unit area is smaller than in the tray of the first embodiment, but the arrangement of the battery storage portion 41 and the opening 43 is simplified. For this reason, setting of equipment for installing the tray, equipment for putting in and out the battery in the tray, and the like may be facilitated.

(Embodiment 3)
The trays of the first and second embodiments are separated into an upper tray and a lower tray, while the tray of the third embodiment is an integrated upper and lower tray. 16A is a plan view showing the opening 50, FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. 16A, and FIG. 16C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG. is there.

  7A and 7B, when the upper and lower trays are formed integrally, it is difficult to extract the mold in the storage unit 2 from the storage unit 2. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 16B, the inner peripheral surface of the opening 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion 51 are on the same plane. Similarly, also in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 16C, the inner peripheral surface of the opening 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion 51 are on the same plane. With this configuration, it is easy to extract the mold from the storage portion 51, and a tray in which the upper and lower trays are integrated can be easily formed.

  This embodiment is easy to mold and is effective when the width of the battery to be stored is limited.

  The battery tray described in each of the above embodiments is not limited to a battery having a shape used in a small portable device such as a notebook computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, or a game machine. It can be used in the same manner even for large batteries used as power sources for golf carts, electric carts, security systems, power storage systems, and the like.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since various types of batteries having different thicknesses can be stably stored in one tray, the battery tray according to the present invention is a tray for charging, for example, in a chemical conversion process, It is useful as a tray when delivering between processes, or as a tray for storing batteries.

(A) The figure is a top view which shows the lower tray which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, (b) The figure is a side view. (A) A figure is an enlarged plan view of the battery accommodating part which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, (b) A figure is sectional drawing in the AA line of (a) figure. It is a principal part perspective view of the accommodating part 2 which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, (a) A perspective view which shows the state with which the 1st inclined surface 4 and the 2nd inclined surface 5 are facing, (b) The figure is the perspective view which looked at the 2nd inclined surface 5 from the angle different from (a) figure. (A) The figure is a top view which shows the upper tray which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, (b) The figure is a side view. (A) The figure is a top view of the state which combined the upper tray and lower tray which concern on one embodiment of this invention, (b) A figure is a side view of (a) figure. The top view of the state which accommodated the square battery 3 in the state which combined the lower tray 1 and the upper tray 10 which concern on one embodiment of this invention. (A) The figure is sectional drawing in the BB line of FIG. 6, (b) The figure is sectional drawing in the EE line of FIG. (A) The figure is sectional drawing in CC line of FIG. 6, (b) The figure is sectional drawing in the DD line of FIG. (A) The figure is sectional drawing which shows the state before the charge in the chemical conversion process which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, (b) The figure is sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of charge. The top view of the state which accommodated the square battery 3a in the state which combined the lower tray 1 and the upper tray 10 which concern on one embodiment of this invention. (A) The figure is sectional drawing in the BB line of FIG. 10, (b) The figure is sectional drawing in the EE line of FIG. (A) The figure is sectional drawing in CC line of FIG. 10, (b) The figure is sectional drawing in the DD line of FIG. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the positional relationship of the square battery from which thickness differs, and a 2nd inclined surface. 4 is a plan view showing a lower tray among upper and lower battery trays according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an upper tray 42 corresponding to the lower tray 40 according to the second embodiment. (A) The figure is a top view which shows the opening part which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, (b) A figure is sectional drawing in the FF line of (a) figure, (c) A figure is in the GG line of (a) figure Sectional drawing. (A) The figure is a top view of an example of the conventional battery tray, (b) The figure is an enlarged view of one battery storage part 101.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,40 Lower tray 2,41,51 Storage part 3,3a, 3b Rectangular battery 4 1st inclined surface 5 2nd inclined surface 6 Through-hole 10,42 Upper tray 11,43,50 Opening 12,13 Vertical surface 14, 15 Horizontal surface 16, 17 Inclined surface 20 Upper electrode 21 Lower electrode

Claims (9)

A battery tray for storing batteries,
With an opening, and a housing portion provided on the inner side of the opening,
A first inclined surface and a second inclined surface are opposed to the bottom of the storage portion,
An interval between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface facing each other extends in the thickness direction of the battery as it goes to the opening,
Among the diagonal directions at the bottom of the storage portion, a pair of first inclined surfaces are arranged in one diagonal direction, and a pair of second inclined surfaces are arranged in the other diagonal direction,
In the storage state of the battery, the second inclined surface is inclined to move away from the battery toward the center in the width direction of the battery,
When the housing state of the battery as viewed from the side facing the opening, there is regulating surface for regulating the movement in the width direction of the battery on the inner peripheral surface of said opening, a pair of the inner circumferential surface of the opening There is a regulating surface that regulates rotational movement of the battery in the first direction at a diagonal position,
The regulation surface that regulates the movement in the width direction and the regulation surface that regulates the rotational movement in the first direction intersect at an obtuse angle,
The first inclined surface restricts rotational movement of the battery in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the storage state of the battery is viewed from a side facing the opening. Battery tray.   The said 2nd inclined surface is formed so that it may contact | connect with the bottom part of each said battery at the edge part of the width direction of each said battery, when the said battery of different thickness is accommodated. The battery tray as described.   The battery tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the battery tray is a combination of the first tray having the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface and the second tray having the opening. .   The battery tray according to claim 3, wherein the second tray is replaceable.   The battery tray according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the opening and an inner peripheral surface of the storage portion are on the same plane.   The battery tray according to claim 1, wherein the opening forms a plurality of opening rows, and the opening rows are arranged in parallel.   The battery tray according to claim 1, wherein the opening has a tapered surface on the side opposite to the storage portion.   The through hole is formed in the back part of the said accommodating part, The battery accommodated in the said accommodating part can be pinched | interposed by the electrode which let the said through hole pass, and the electrode of the said opening side. The battery tray according to any one of the above.   The battery tray according to claim 1, wherein the second inclined surface is a curved surface.

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