JP5453912B2 - Battery connection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection structure between batteries using a bus bar for connecting a plurality of batteries. In particular, it is suitable for connection between batteries mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, connection between batteries is performed by connecting terminals of batteries with a bus bar and fastening them with bolts or nuts. As such a battery connection structure, for example, in a battery holder that accommodates a plurality of batteries in series, a bus bar for connecting the batteries and a voltage detection terminal for detecting the voltage of the battery are integrally inserted with resin. There is what made cowling and safety compatible by molding (Patent Document 1). In this connection structure, the battery terminal and the bus bar are fastened by bolts.

JP-A-11-120986

  However, in the battery connection structure described above, it is necessary to fasten the battery terminal and the bus bar with bolts, nuts, and the like, and the fastening work is complicated and takes time, so that the work efficiency is poor. .

  Particularly, in a vehicle-mounted battery mounted on a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle, it is necessary to connect a large number of battery cells in series, so that the work man-hour for fastening the bus bar to the battery terminal with a bolt or nut is great. As a result, the above-mentioned problem becomes conspicuous, and there is also a problem that the assembly equipment for connecting the battery is increased in size.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery connection structure that can simplify the connection work between the batteries and reduce the number of work steps.

The present invention made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems is a connection structure for electrically connecting adjacent batteries using a bus bar, wherein the bus bar is a plate-like member and folded at both ends and overlapped. The folded portion has a hole for inserting a battery terminal, and accommodates a coil spring and a voltage detection terminal for detecting the voltage of the battery so that the terminal contacts. The coil spring is housed in the folded portion in an annular shape so that the inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the terminal .

  In this battery connection structure, adjacent batteries are electrically connected by a plate-like bus bar. The bus bar to which the battery is connected has a hole for inserting the battery terminal, and a folded portion in which a coil spring and a voltage detection terminal for detecting the voltage of the battery are housed. Is provided. For this reason, when the battery terminal is inserted into the hole formed in the folded portion, the battery terminal comes into contact with the coil spring. Thereby, the terminal of the battery is electrically connected to the bus bar and the voltage detection terminal via the coil spring.

Thus, according to this battery connection structure, the batteries can be connected by a simple operation of simply inserting the battery terminals into the holes formed in the folded portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a fastening operation using bolts or nuts as in the prior art. Thereby, the battery connection work is greatly simplified, and the number of work steps can be greatly reduced.
As a result, even when a large number of battery cells need to be connected like a vehicle-mounted battery, the connection work can be performed very efficiently and the equipment for performing the work can be enlarged. Absent.

In this battery connection structure, as the number of battery cells increases, the number of connection points between the battery terminals and the coil springs increases. Therefore, after connecting (connecting) the bus bar and the battery terminals, the battery terminals are connected by vibration or the like. It becomes difficult to come off.
In addition, since the battery connection structure is constituted by sheet metal press parts and coil springs, it can be realized at low cost.

In the battery connection structure described above , it is preferable that the coil spring is accommodated in the folded portion in a state where the coil spring is in an annular shape so that the inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the terminal.

  With such a structure, when the battery terminal is inserted into the hole of the folded portion of the bus bar, the battery terminal and the coil spring can be more reliably brought into contact with each other. Moreover, both can be line-contacted in countless places. For this reason, even if a foreign object enters the connecting portion, electricity is not completely cut off. Therefore, the reliability of electrical connection can be improved.

  Further, in the battery connection structure according to the present invention, the terminal of the battery is formed with a small-diameter portion whose diameter is smaller than other portions, and the terminal and the coil spring are formed in the small-diameter portion. It is desirable to be in contact.

  With such a structure, when the battery terminal is inserted into the folded portion, in other words, when the bus bar and the battery terminal are connected, the coil spring enters the small diameter portion of the terminal. It becomes. As a result, after connecting (connecting) the bus bar and the battery terminal, the battery terminal cannot be detached due to vibration or the like. Thereby, the reliability of electrical connection can be further improved.

  According to the battery connection structure of the present invention, as described above, the connection work between the batteries can be simplified and the number of work steps can be reduced.

It is a perspective view of the bus bar which makes the principal part of the connection structure of the battery which concerns on this Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a bus bar. It is a side view of the plate-shaped member which comprises a bus bar. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure which produces a bus-bar. It is a figure which shows the state just before connecting a battery. It is a figure which shows the state (connection structure) which connected the battery with the bus-bar. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure of one-touch connection of many batteries. It is a figure which shows the state after one-touch connection of many batteries.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a battery connection structure of the present invention is embodied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Accordingly, the bus bar that forms the main part of the battery connection structure will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bus bar forming the main part of the battery connection structure according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the bus bar. FIG. 3 is a side view of a plate-like member constituting the bus bar. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for manufacturing a bus bar.

  The battery connection structure according to the present embodiment connects adjacent battery cells in series. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bus bar 10 that is the main part of the connection structure is formed with folded portions 12 a and 12 b in which both end portions of the conductive plate-like member 11 are folded back and overlapped. Convex portions 13 are formed in the folded portions 12 a and 12 b, respectively, and a through hole 14 is provided in the approximate center of the convex portion 13. In the present embodiment, the convex portion 13 is formed on both surfaces (front and back surfaces) of the folded portions 12a and 12b.

  A coil spring 15 is accommodated in the folded portions 12a and 12b in contact with the plate member 11. The coil spring 15 is formed in an annular shape by winding it obliquely using a conductive wire (see FIG. 4). The inner diameter of the annular coil spring 15 is smaller than the diameters of the terminals 20a and 21b.

  In addition, the voltage detection terminal 16 is accommodated in the folded portion 12a in contact with the plate member 11. More specifically, it is sandwiched between the plate-like member 11 and the coil spring 15 and accommodated in the folded portion 12a. This voltage detection terminal 16 is for detecting the voltage of the connected battery. The voltage detection terminal 16 is connected to a voltage detection circuit (not shown) via a wiring 17. The voltage detection terminal 16 is a flat terminal in which a through hole 18 is formed at substantially the center of a substantially rectangular flat plate (see FIG. 4).

  Here, the manufacturing procedure of the above-described bus bar 10 will be described. First, the convex part 13 and the through-hole 14 are formed in the both ends of the substantially rectangular plate-shaped member 11 by press work as shown in FIG. More specifically, the convex portions 13 and the through holes 14 are formed at a total of four locations, two at each end and a total of both ends. The convex portions 13 and the through holes 14 formed at the respective end portions are provided at positions that match when both ends of the plate-like member 11 are folded back. That is, the convex portion 13 and the through hole 14 formed at each end portion are provided at a line-symmetrical position with the folding line 19 (see FIG. 4) as the axis of symmetry.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3, on the surface 11 a of the plate-like member 11 on which the convex portion 13 and the through-hole 14 are formed by pressing so that the convex portion 13 is not formed, more precisely, the convex portion 13. Coil springs 15 and 15 and a voltage detection terminal 16 are disposed in a recess formed on the opposite side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the center of the through hole 14 formed inside the left end portion in FIG. 4, the center of the through hole 18 of the voltage detection terminal 16, and the annular coil spring 15. The voltage detection terminal 16 and the coil spring 15 are disposed in the concave portion on the opposite side of the convex portion 13 of the plate-like member 11 in a state where the centers substantially coincide. Similarly, in the state where the center of the through hole 14 formed inside the right end portion in FIG. 4 and the center of the annular coil spring 15 substantially coincide with each other, the coil spring 15 is connected to the convex portion 13 of the plate-like member 11. Place in the opposite recess.

  When the arrangement of the coil springs 15 and 15 and the voltage detection terminal 16 on the surface 11a side of the plate-like member 11 is finished, both end portions are folded back to form folded portions 12a and 12b. That is, the plate-like member 11 is folded at the folding line 19 so that the surfaces 11a come into contact with each other and the surface 11b on which the convex portion 13 is formed is on the outside. By this folding, the coil springs 15 and 15 and the voltage detection terminal 16 are accommodated in the folded portions 12a and 12b. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the voltage detection terminal 16 and the coil spring 15 are accommodated in the folded portion 12a on the left side in FIG. 2, and the coil spring 15 is accommodated in the folded portion 12b on the right side in FIG. In this way, the bus bar 10 shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured.

Subsequently, a battery connection operation using the bus bar having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state immediately before the battery is connected. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state (connection structure) in which batteries are connected by a bus bar.
The batteries 20 and 21 connected by the bus bar 10 are long cylindrical batteries. These batteries 20 and 21 have a cylindrical battery case, a positive electrode terminal located on one end side of the battery case, and a negative electrode terminal located on the other end side. And the winding body formed by winding a strip | belt-shaped positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator, and electrolyte solution are accommodated in the inside of a battery case. FIG. 5 shows only the terminals 20a and 21b on one side of the batteries 20 and 21. The terminal 20a is a positive terminal and the terminal 21b is a negative terminal. The terminals 20a and 21b are formed with small diameter portions 20c and 21c having a smaller diameter than other portions.

  When connecting such a battery 20 and the battery 21, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are disposed above the folded portions 12a and 12b of the bus bar 10. More specifically, the positive terminal 20a of the battery 20 is disposed above the folded portion 12a, and the negative terminal 21b of the battery 21 is disposed above the folded portion 12b. Then, the batteries 20 and 21 are moved to the bus bar 10 side from the state, and the terminals 20a and 21b are inserted into the through holes 14 and 14 formed in the folded portions 12a and 12b of the bus bar 10, respectively.

  Here, when the terminal 20 a is inserted into the folded portion 12 a, the terminal 20 a is inserted into the inside of the coil spring 15 and the through hole 18 of the voltage detection terminal 16. Thereby, the coil spring 15 and the voltage detection terminal 16 are disposed on the outer periphery of the terminal 20a. Similarly, when the terminal 21b is inserted into the folded portion 12b, the terminal 21b is inserted inside the coil spring 15. Thereby, the coil spring 15 is arrange | positioned on the outer periphery of the terminal 21b.

  When the terminals 20a and 21b are inserted into the folded portions 12a and 12b, the coil springs 15 and 15 are deformed, and finally, as shown in FIG. 6, the small diameter portions 20c and 21c of the terminals 20a and 21b are formed. The coil springs 15 and 15 are in the state of being caught (bite in). Thereby, the insertion of the terminals 20a and 21b into the folded portions 12a and 12b is completed. Thus, the battery connection structure according to this embodiment is completed.

  In the battery connection structure shown in FIG. 6, the terminals 20 a and 21 b of the batteries 20 and 21 are electrically connected to the bus bar 10 and the voltage detection terminal 16 via the coil springs 15 and 15. That is, in the folded portion 12 a, the terminal 20 a of the battery 20 is in contact with the inner peripheral side of the coil spring 15, and the outer peripheral side of the coil spring 15 is in contact with the bus bar 10. The voltage detection terminal 16 contacts both the outer peripheral side of the coil spring 15 and the bus bar 10. On the other hand, in the folded portion 12 b, the terminal 21 b of the battery 21 contacts the inner peripheral side of the coil spring 15, and the outer peripheral side of the coil spring 15 contacts the bus bar 10. Thereby, in this connection structure, current flows from the positive terminal 20a of the battery 20 to the negative terminal 21b of the battery 21 via the coil spring 15 in the folded portion 12a, the bus bar 10, and the coil spring 15 in the folded portion 12b. . The voltage of the battery 20 can be detected via the voltage detection terminal 16.

  According to this battery connection structure, the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are simply inserted into the through holes 14 and 14 formed in the folded portions 12a and 12b of the bus bar 10, respectively. Adjacent batteries 20 and 21 can be connected in series. Therefore, when connecting between batteries, the fastening work by a bolt, a nut, etc. is unnecessary like the former. Thereby, the battery connection work is greatly simplified, and the number of work steps can be greatly reduced.

  The battery connection structure includes a plate-like member 11 that is a sheet metal press part, coil springs 15 and 15, and a voltage detection terminal 16. That is, as compared with the conventional connection structure capable of detecting the battery voltage, since a new pressing process for the plate-like member 11 and the annular coil springs 15 and 15 are added, it can be realized at a low cost.

  Further, the coil spring 15 has an annular shape so that the inner diameter of the coil spring 15 is smaller than the diameter of the terminals 20a and 21b, and the small diameter portions 20c and 21c are formed on the terminals 20a and 21b. Therefore, when the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are inserted into the folded portions 12a and 12b and the bus bar 10 and the terminals 20a and 21b are connected, the coil springs 15 and 15 are the small diameter portions of the terminals 20a and 21b. 20c and 21c are entered (bited). As a result, after the bus bar 10 and the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are connected (coupled), the terminals 20a and 21b cannot be detached due to vibration or the like. Further, the terminals 20a and 21b and the coil springs 15 and 15 can be more reliably brought into contact with each other, and both can be brought into line contact at innumerable locations. For this reason, even if a foreign object enters the connecting portion, electricity is not completely cut off. Therefore, the reliability of electrical connection is very high.

  Next, a case where a large number of batteries are connected by one-touch using the above-described battery connection structure will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, a case where six batteries are connected together will be described. In addition, FIG. 7 is a figure for demonstrating the procedure of carrying out the one-touch connection of six batteries. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state after six batteries are connected by one touch.

  In addition to the bus bar 10, a resin frame 25 as shown in FIG. The resin frame 25 has substantially rectangular through holes 26, through which the terminals 20a, 21b of the batteries 20, 21, the terminals 30a, 31b of the batteries 30, 31 and the terminals 40a, 41b of the batteries 40, 41 pass. 26 and 26 are formed. Then, around each through hole 26, four L-shaped guide members 27 for guiding the bus bar 10 are erected at the four corners. Further, two holding claws 28 for holding the bus bar 10 are provided facing each other. The holding claw 28 is configured to hold a portion (near the center in the longitudinal direction) that is not the folded portion of the bus bar 10.

  When the six batteries 20, 21, 30, 31, 40, and 41 are connected by one-touch using the resin frame 25, first, three bus bars 10, 10, and 10 are attached to the resin frame 25. . Specifically, each bus bar 10 is arranged inside the guide member 27 so as to close the through hole 26, and the holding claws 28, 28 are hooked around the center in the longitudinal direction. Thereby, each bus bar 10 is held and fixed in the guide member 27. Note that the wirings 17, 17, 17 provided on the bus bars 10, 10, 10 are connected to a connector 29 connected to the voltage detection circuit (see FIG. 8).

When the mounting of the bus bars 10, 10, 10 to the resin frame 25 is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the six batteries 20, 21, 30, 31, 40, 41 are arranged in a state aligned at predetermined positions. . And, as shown in FIG. 8, the resin frame 25 to which the bus bars 10, 10, 10 are attached has terminals 20a, 21b, terminals 30a, 31b, terminals in the folded portions 12a, 12b of the bus bars 10, 10, 10. It pushes in from above so that each of 40a and 41b may be inserted. Thus, the battery 20 and the battery 21, the battery 30 and the battery 31, and the battery 40 and the battery 41 are connected in series by the bus bars 10, 10, and 10, respectively. Thus, by using the resin frame 25, a large number of batteries can be connected with one touch.
As described above, by adopting the battery connection structure according to the present embodiment, even when it is necessary to connect a large number of battery cells such as a vehicle-mounted battery, the connection work is performed very efficiently. In addition, the equipment for performing the work does not increase in size.

  As described above, according to the battery connection structure according to the present embodiment, the through holes 14 and 14 for inserting the terminals 20a and 21b into the bus bar 10 connecting the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are described. Are formed, and folded portions 12a and 12b in which the coil springs 15 and 15 and the voltage detection terminal 16 are accommodated are provided. Accordingly, when the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are inserted into the folded portions 12a and 12b, the terminals 20a and 21b come into contact with the coil springs 15 and 15, respectively. As a result, the terminals 20 a and 21 b are electrically connected to the bus bar 10 and the voltage detection terminal 16 via the coil springs 15 and 15.

  As described above, according to the battery connection structure, the batteries can be connected by a simple operation of simply inserting the terminals 20a and 21b into the folded portions 12a and 12b. The work man-hours can be greatly reduced. Therefore, even when it is necessary to connect many battery cells, such as a vehicle-mounted battery, the connection work can be performed very efficiently, and the equipment for performing the work does not increase in size. . In addition, since the battery connection structure is constituted by sheet metal press parts and coil springs, it can be realized at low cost.

  Furthermore, in the battery connection structure according to the present embodiment, the coil spring 15 is formed in an annular shape so that the inner diameter of the coil spring 15 is smaller than the diameter of the terminals 20a and 21b, and the small diameter portions 20c and 21c are provided on the terminals 20a and 21b. Is formed. Therefore, when the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are inserted into the folded portions 12a and 12b and the bus bar 10 and the battery terminals 20a and 21b are connected, the coil springs 15 and 15 are connected to the terminals 20a and 21b. The small diameter portions 20c and 21c are entered (bited). As a result, after the bus bar 10 and the terminals 20a and 21b of the batteries 20 and 21 are connected (coupled), the terminals 20a and 21b cannot be detached due to vibration or the like. Further, the terminals 20a and 21b and the coil springs 15 and 15 can be more reliably brought into contact with each other, and both can be brought into line contact at innumerable locations. For this reason, even if a foreign object enters the connecting portion, electricity is not completely cut off. Therefore, the reliability of electrical connection is very high.

  It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the through holes 14 and 14 are provided to insert the terminals 20a and 21b in the folded portions 12a and 12b, but one side of the through hole 14 (the side where the terminals are inserted later). : The lower side in FIG. 5 may be closed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the convex portions 13 are formed on both sides of the folded portions 12a and 12b. However, the convex portions 13 may be formed only on one side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied when connecting adjacent batteries in a direct state is illustrated. However, the present invention can be applied to a case where the batteries are connected in parallel in addition to the case where the batteries are connected in series. Can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bus bar 11 Plate-shaped member 12a, 12b Folding part 13 Convex part 14 Through-hole 15 Coil spring 16 Voltage detection terminal 20 Battery 20a Terminal (positive electrode terminal)
20c Small diameter part 21 Battery 21b Terminal (negative electrode terminal)
21c Small diameter part 25 Resin frame 27 Guide member 28 Holding claw

Claims (2)

In a connection structure for electrically connecting adjacent batteries using a bus bar,
The bus bar is a plate-shaped member and has folded portions that are folded at both ends and overlapped,
A hole for inserting a battery terminal is formed in the folded portion, and when the terminal is inserted into the folded portion through the hole, the coil spring and the voltage of the battery are brought into contact with the terminal. A voltage detection terminal for detection is contained ,
The coil spring is housed in the folded portion in an annular shape so that the inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the terminal;
A battery connection structure. In the battery connection structure according to claim 1 ,
A battery connection structure characterized in that a small-diameter portion having a smaller diameter than other portions is formed on the terminal of the battery, and the terminal and the coil spring are in contact with each other at the small-diameter portion. .

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