JP6197350B2 - Assembled battery, and assembled battery manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an assembled battery in which a plurality of power storage elements are housed in an exterior body, and more particularly to an assembled battery in which a plurality of power storage elements that are constrained and integrated are housed in the exterior body.

  Conventionally, an assembled battery including a plurality of power storage elements (unit cells) is known. The assembled battery can generate a high voltage by connecting a plurality of power storage elements in series by a bus bar (wiring board), for example. Patent Document 1 discloses an assembled battery in which power storage elements are electrically connected by a bus bar.

  Specifically, a cap having a groove and a protrusion that fits into the groove is placed on each of the power storage elements, and the protrusion of the cap of one power storage element is fitted into the groove of the cap of another adjacent power storage element. This prevents misalignment between the power storage elements. Also, corresponding grooves and protrusions are provided on the inner wall surface of the exterior body that houses the electricity storage element assembled by fitting the grooves and protrusions, and the grooves and protrusions of the caps that are covered with the electricity storage elements By fitting the grooves and protrusions of the exterior body, positional displacement between the exterior body and the power storage element is prevented.

JP 2011-134554 A

  However, in the assembled battery described in Patent Document 1, the protrusions and grooves of adjacent power storage elements must be fitted together, and the gaps (plays) between the protrusions and the grooves are integrated by the number of combined power storage elements. As a result, the assembled power storage element as a whole is in a backlash state. Moreover, even if such assembled power storage elements are fitted to the grooves or protrusions of the exterior body, it is considered that the positional relationship of each electrical storage element with respect to the exterior body is not determined.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can provide a battery assembly that can stabilize the positional relationship between a plurality of power storage elements and an exterior body that houses these power storage elements, and can be easily assembled. An object of the present invention is to provide an assembled battery manufacturing method.

  In order to achieve the above object, an assembled battery according to the present invention includes a plurality of power storage elements, an exterior body having a bottom wall and a side wall that houses the plurality of power storage elements, and an inner wall surface of the side wall. A guide member to be provided, a plurality of the electricity storage elements are sandwiched and restrained integrally, a restraint member having a groove portion that fits with the guide member, and the restraint members are connected in a bridging manner to restrain the plurality of electricity storage elements. And a bridging member.

  According to this, a plurality of power storage elements integrated with the restraining member and the bridging member (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “power storage element assembly”) are connected to the guide member and the restraining member provided on the exterior body. It is accommodated in the exterior body in a state in which the provided groove is fitted. Therefore, the positional relationship in the horizontal direction of each power storage element with respect to the exterior body (direction perpendicular to the side wall of the exterior body) is stabilized. Therefore, it is possible to ensure high stability against external vibration and impact.

The guide member extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall, the restraining member has a fixed portion, and the guide member is fitted to the groove portion at an end portion on the bottom wall side, You may fix to the said to-be-fixed part in the edge part on the opposite side to a wall side.

  According to this, by fixing the power storage element assembly to the exterior body also at the end opposite to the end on the bottom wall side, the horizontal positional relationship of each power storage element is further stabilized.

  The assembled battery further includes a fixing member, and the guide member has a fixing hole on an end surface opposite to the bottom wall side, and at least a tip of the fixing member passes through the fixed portion and is fixed. It may be inserted into the service hole.

  According to this, the positional relationship in the vertical direction (direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction) of each power storage element with respect to the exterior body is stabilized. In addition, by providing a fixing hole on the end surface opposite to the bottom wall side of the guide member, after inserting the electric storage element assembly into the exterior body, the tip of the fixing member is fixed to the fixed portion from the opening of the exterior body And can be inserted into the fixing holes. Therefore, the assembly process of the assembled battery is simplified. When fixing the storage element assembly to the exterior body on the bottom wall side of the exterior body, after inserting the electrical storage element assembly into the exterior body, move the fixing member toward the direction opposite to the insertion direction of the electrical storage element assembly. It is necessary to penetrate the bottom wall of the exterior body. Or after inserting an electrical storage element assembly in an exterior body, it is necessary to make an exterior body turn upside down and to let a fixing member penetrate the bottom wall of an exterior body. Therefore, when the storage element assembly is fixed to the exterior body on the bottom wall side of the exterior body, the assembly process of the assembled battery is complicated. By providing the fixing hole on the end surface of the guide member opposite to the bottom wall side, the insertion direction of the storage element assembly and the insertion direction of the fixing member are the same. Therefore, the assembly process of the assembled battery is simplified.

  Further, the guide member may have a tapered shape whose width gradually increases as it goes downward.

  According to this, the storage element assembly can be easily inserted into the exterior body, and the electrical storage element assembly can be easily aligned with the exterior body. In addition, in the state where the storage element assembly is accommodated in the exterior body, the lower portion of the guide member and the groove portion are fitted with no gap or with a slight gap, so that the alignment can be performed accurately. The power storage device assembly is stably arranged in the horizontal direction with respect to the exterior body. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an assembled battery having high stability especially against horizontal vibration and shock.

  The restraining member includes a lower flange projecting on the opposite side to the power storage element on the bottom wall side, and an upper flange projecting on the opposite side to the power storage element on the side opposite to the bottom wall side. The groove portion may be provided on the flange, and the fixed portion may be provided on the upper flange.

  According to this, it is possible to reduce the weight while securing the mechanical strength of the restraining member by the flanges provided above and below. Further, the groove portion and the fixed portion can be easily formed on the restraining member.

  Furthermore, you may provide the elastic member attached to the part contact | abutted with the said guide member of the said groove part.

  According to this, even when the dimensional accuracy of the guide member is not high, the elastic member can absorb the dimensional error. In addition, since vibration and impact applied to the exterior body are transmitted to the power storage element assembly via the elastic member, the elastic member can reduce vibration and impact.

  In order to achieve the above object, a method for manufacturing an assembled battery according to the present invention includes arranging a plurality of power storage elements side by side, sandwiching the plurality of power storage elements with a restraining member, and bridging the restraining member with a bridging member. Connecting and restraining the plurality of power storage elements, fitting a groove provided in the restraint member to a guide member provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the exterior body, and housing the restrained storage element in the exterior body It is characterized by doing.

  According to this, the electrical storage element assembly is accommodated in the exterior body in a state where the guide member provided in the exterior body and the groove portion provided in the restraining member are fitted. Therefore, the horizontal positional relationship of each power storage element with respect to the exterior body is stabilized. Therefore, the assembly process of the assembled battery is simplified.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an assembled battery in which the positional relationship between the plurality of power storage elements and the exterior body is stable and easy to assemble.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an assembled battery. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the assembled state of the assembled battery with a part of the exterior body omitted. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the assembled battery in a state where a part of the outer package is omitted. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing an assembled state of the assembled battery according to another aspect with a part of the outer package omitted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a groove portion to which an elastic member is attached.

  Next, embodiments of an assembled battery and an assembled battery manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is only what showed an example of the assembled battery which concerns on this invention, and an assembled battery manufacturing method. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the wording of the claims with reference to the following embodiments, and is not limited to the following embodiments. Therefore, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept of the present invention are not necessarily required to achieve the object of the present invention. It will be described as constituting a preferred form.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an assembled battery.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the assembled state of the assembled battery with a part of the exterior body omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the assembled battery in a state where a part of the outer package is omitted.

  As shown in these drawings, the assembled battery 100 includes a plurality of power storage elements 101 arranged side by side, a container-shaped exterior body 102 that houses the power storage elements 101, a guide member 103, and a restraining member 141. And a bridging member 142.

  The power storage element 101 is an element that can be charged and discharged, and includes a housing 111, an electrode terminal 112, and a safety valve 114.

  The casing 111 is a member that houses a power generation element (electrode body), an electrolytic solution, and the like in a sealed state, and is a member that bears the mechanical strength of the power storage element 101.

  The electrode terminal 112 is a member disposed on one surface of the housing 111 and is a member that conducts electricity between the outside and the inside of the housing 111. In the case of the present embodiment, power storage element 101 includes a positive electrode protruding in the same direction and two electrode terminals 112 corresponding to the negative electrode, respectively.

  The power storage elements 101 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction in the figure so that the long side surfaces of the casing 111 face each other, and the positive electrode terminal 112 of one power storage element 101 of the adjacent power storage elements 101 and the other The negative electrode terminal 112 of the power storage element 101 is disposed adjacent to the negative electrode terminal 112. In addition, the power storage element 101 is electrically connected in series by connecting the positive electrode terminal 112 and the negative electrode terminal 112 adjacent to each other to the bus bar 113. Some of the power storage elements 101 may be connected in parallel.

  An insulating plate-like buffer member may be disposed at a position between the power storage elements 101.

  The exterior body 102 includes a bottom wall 129 and a side wall 128, and is a box-shaped member that houses the power storage element 101, the restraining member 141, and the bridging member 142. In the case of the present embodiment, a guide member 103 is integrally provided on the inner wall surface of the side wall 128 of the exterior body 102. The exterior body 102 arranges the power storage element 101 at a predetermined position, protects the power storage element 101 from an impact or the like, and prevents the power storage element 101 from inadvertently contacting a metal member or the like. The assembled battery 100 includes a lid 122 that closes the opening of the exterior body 102. The exterior body 102 and the lid body 122 are made of an insulating material such as a resin.

  The guide member 103 is provided on the inner wall surface 128 of the exterior body 102. In the case of the present embodiment, the guide member 103 is a rail-like member that extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall 129. In the case of the present embodiment, the guide member 103 is formed integrally with the exterior body 102. Further, the guide member 103 has a tapered shape whose width gradually increases toward the bottom wall 129. A plurality of guide members 103 (two in the case of the present embodiment) are arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction on the inner wall surfaces (wall surfaces arranged on the YZ plane in the figure) of the opposite side walls 128 of the exterior body 102. It is provided in a protruding state in the X-axis direction. By providing the guide member 103 on the inner wall surface of the opposing side wall 128, the power storage element assembly 104 (see FIG. 2) can be stably inserted into the exterior body 102. In particular, by providing a plurality of guide members 103 on the inner wall surface of one side wall 128, the power storage element assembly 104 can be inserted in a more stable state by the exterior body 102.

  The restraining member 141 is a member that is disposed at both ends in the arrangement direction of the power storage elements 101 (X-axis direction in the drawing) and sandwiches the plurality of power storage elements 101 so as to be integrally restrained, and is provided with a groove 143.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the restraining member 141 is a plate-like member, and on the bottom wall 129 side of the restraining member 141, the side opposite to the restraining power storage element 101 (the side opposite to the power storage element side in the X-axis direction). The upper flange 145 that protrudes in the opposite direction (the same direction as the lower flange 144) from the power storage element 101 is integrally provided on the side opposite to the bottom wall 129 of the restraining member 141. ing. By providing the restraining member 141 with the lower flange 144 and the upper flange 145, it is possible to improve the mechanical strength while suppressing an increase in the weight of the restraining member 141. Specifically, the restraining member 141 is formed together with the lower flange 144 and the upper flange 145 by bending a metal plate material. The restraining member 141 may include a lower flange 144, an upper flange 145, and a lateral flange (not shown) that connects the upper and lower flanges by drawing a metal plate.

  In addition, the material which comprises the restraint member 141 may not only be a metal but resin. The forming method of the restraining member 141 is not limited to the bending process or the drawing process, and any processing method can be adopted.

  The groove portion 143 is a portion that fits with the guide member 103. The groove portion 143 has a shape that is slidably fitted to the guide member 103, and the lower end portion in the Z-axis direction is in an open state. The groove portion 143 may be a groove-like portion provided in the restraining member 141 and extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing).

  In the case of the present embodiment, the groove portion 143 is provided in the plate-like lower flange 144, and not only the lower end portion in the Z-axis direction but also the upper end portion is open. In addition, since the thickness of the lower flange 144 in which the groove part 143 is provided is thin, the length in the vertical direction of the groove part 143 is slight, but this part is also the groove part 143.

Further, the width of the groove portion 143 (interval in the Y-axis direction in the drawing) matches or substantially matches the width of the lower end portion of the guide member 103 (length in the Y-axis direction in the drawing). Accordingly, the lower end portion of the guide member 103 and the groove portion 143 are fitted tightly by inserting the power storage element assembly 104 into the exterior body 102 while the groove portion 143 is fitted to the guide member 103, so that the interior of the exterior body 102 is fitted. This makes it possible to stabilize the position of the storage element assembly 104 on the other side.

  The bridging member 142 is a member that generates a restraining force that constrains the plurality of power storage elements 101 integrally by connecting the restraining members 141 arranged outside the both ends of the power storage elements 101 arranged in the X-axis direction in a cross-linked manner. It is. In the present embodiment, the bridging members 142 are rod-shaped members that are disposed on both sides of the power storage element 101 in the Y-axis direction and extend in the X-axis direction, and are disposed at the four corners of the restraining member 141, respectively. . The length of the bridging member 142 is set slightly shorter than the entire length of the power storage elements 101 and the like arranged in the X-axis direction, and the end of the bridging member 142 and the restraining member 141 are fastened with screws or the like. As a result, a restraining force that restrains the plurality of power storage elements 101 is generated.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the assembled battery 100 includes a fixing member 152, and the guide member 103 has a fixing hole 151 on an end surface opposite to the bottom wall 129 side. In the case of the present embodiment, the fixing hole 151 is a screw hole that opens to the upper end surface of the guide member 103, and the fixing member 152 can be screwed into the fixing hole 151. The upper flange 144 is provided with a fixed portion 153 through which the fixing member 152 is pierced. When the guide member 103 is a soft member such as resin, the fixing hole 151 may be a hard nut hole (a hole such as a so-called insert nut embedded in the guide member 103).

  The fixing member 152 is not limited to a member that fixes the restraining member 141 and the guide member 103 by screwing, but may be a rivet that fastens the restraining member 141 and the guide member 103 by caulking. Further, the fixed portion 153 may have a groove shape with a part cut away.

  In the present embodiment, the assembled battery 100 includes a lid body 122 and an external electrode 161.

  The external electrode 161 is a conductive member that is electrically connected to the electrode terminal 112 and disposed on the lid body 122. The external electrode 161 is externally connected to charge the power storage element 101 and supply power from the power storage element 101. This is a member for electrically connecting the device and the assembled battery 100.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the assembled battery will be described.

  A plurality of power storage elements 101 are arranged in layers in the thickness direction of the power storage element 101 so that the long side surfaces of the rectangular power storage elements 101 face each other (arrangement step). Here, a resin plate-like buffer member for insulation and buffering may be sandwiched between adjacent power storage elements 101.

  Next, the restraining members 141 are arranged at both ends of the storage element 101 in the arrangement direction to sandwich the entire storage element 101, and the restraining member 141 is connected in a bridging manner by the bridging member 142 so that the interval between the two restraining members 141 is slightly increased. It shortens and restrains the whole electrical storage element 101 (restraint process). Thus, the power storage element assembly 104 is formed (see FIG. 2). Before and after the restraining step, the power storage elements 101 may be connected to each other by the bus bar 113, or an electrical device such as a relay, a shunt resistor, or a control board may be connected to the power storage element 101. By making these connections before being accommodated in the exterior body 102, the bus bar 113 and the like can be easily attached.

  Next, an opening end portion of a groove portion 143 provided in the restraining member 141 is provided at the upper end portion of the rail-like guide member 103 provided on the inner wall surface of the container-like exterior body 102 and extending in the vertical direction. (Positioning process). In the case of the present embodiment, the guide member 103 is provided on the inner wall surface of the two opposing side walls 128 of the exterior body 102, and the two restraining members attached to the outer sides of both ends of the power storage element 101. The groove portions 143 provided in the lower flange 144 projecting outward from 141 and the upper end portion of the guide member 103 are matched with each other in a fitted state. By doing so, the horizontal positional relationship between the exterior body 102 and the power storage element assembly 104 is stabilized, and the power storage element assembly 104 can be easily inserted into the exterior body 102. Furthermore, the guide member 103 has a tapered shape that expands downward from the upper end portion, and the shape of the upper end portion of the guide member 103 is set smaller than the shape of the opening end portion of the groove portion 143. For this reason, it is possible to easily align the upper end portion of the guide member 103 and the opening end portion of the groove portion 143.

Next, the storage element assembly 104 is inserted and accommodated inside the exterior body 102 while sliding the groove 143 with respect to the guide member 103 in a state where the respective guide members 103 and the groove 143 are fitted. (Containment process). When the power storage element assembly 104 is completely inserted into the exterior body 102, the lower end portion of the guide member 103 and the groove portion 143 are fitted with no gap in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing), and the power storage element assembly with respect to the exterior body 102 The backlash of 104 in the Y-axis direction can be suppressed. Further, the distance in the X-axis direction between the guide members 103 provided on the inner wall surfaces of the side walls 128 of the two facing exterior bodies 102 and the X-axis of the groove portion 143 disposed at both ends of the storage element assembly 104 are also shown. By making the interval in the direction the same or substantially the same, rattling of the power storage element assembly 104 with respect to the exterior body 102 in the X-axis direction can also be suppressed.

  Next, the fixing member 152 is on an axis (Z axis in the figure) extending upward from a position where the lower end portion of the guide member 103 and the groove portion 143 are fitted between the upper end portion of the restraining member 141 and the upper end portion of the guide member 103. Is fixedly connected (fixing step). In the case of the present embodiment, in a state where the storage element assembly 104 is accommodated in the exterior body 102, the fixing hole 151 provided on the upper surface of the guide member 103 and the upper flange 145 of the upper end portion of the restraining member 141 are provided. The fixing member 153 overlaps and the fixing member 152 pierced by the fixing portion 153 is screwed into the fixing hole 151, so that the restraining member 141 and the guide member 103 are connected to the upper end of the power storage element assembly 104. The power storage element assembly 104 is fixed inside the exterior body 102 in the accommodated state.

  Finally, the lid body 122 is attached to the exterior body 102, and the production of the assembled battery 100 is completed.

  By manufacturing the assembled battery 100 as described above, the storage element assembly with respect to the exterior body 102 in the horizontal direction can be obtained simply by inserting the pre-assembled storage element assembly 104 into the container-like exterior body 102 having an open top. The position 104 is stabilized. Further, by fixing the restraining member 141 and the guide member 103 by the fixing member 152, the power storage element assembly 104 and the exterior body 102 are fixed, and the position of the power storage element assembly 104 with respect to the exterior body 102 in the vertical direction is stable. To do. Thereby, the assembled battery 100 resistant to vibration and impact can be provided.

  Further, since the power storage element assembly 104 can be assembled in advance during the assembly, the connection between the power storage elements 101 can be easily performed outside the exterior body 102. In addition, fixing of the power storage element assembly 104 to the exterior body 102 by the fixing member 152 can be easily performed in the direction in which the power storage element assembly 104 is inserted.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, another embodiment realized by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification and excluding some of the components may be used as an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the present invention includes modifications obtained by making various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention, that is, the meaning described in the claims. It is.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the positions, sizes, and shapes of the plurality of guide members 103 may be different from each other, or the number provided on the inner wall surface of the opposite side wall 128 of the exterior body 102 may be different. Absent. Accordingly, the guide member 103 can teach the direction in which the power storage element assembly 104 is inserted into the exterior body 102. When the guide member 103 is inserted in the wrong direction, the position, size, shape, and number of the guide members 103 that cannot be physically inserted can be prevented from occurring.

  Further, the restraining member 141 may be a thick plate-like member, and the groove portion 143 extending in the vertical direction and having the open lower end may be provided. In this case, the upper end portion of the groove portion 143 may be closed, and the closed portion may be fixed to the upper end portion of the guide member 103 using the fixing member 152.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, you may provide the elastic member 146 attached to the part contact | abutted with the guide member 144 of the groove part 143. As shown in FIG. The elastic member 146 can absorb errors in the dimensions of the guide member 103 and the groove 143. Further, it is possible to mitigate good vibration and impact on the elastic member 146.

  The present invention can be used, for example, as an assembled battery for power supply mounted on a transportation device for transporting a person or an object.

100 assembled battery 101 power storage element 102 exterior body 103 guide member 104 power storage element assembly 111 casing 112 electrode terminal 113 bus bar 114 safety valve 122 lid body 141 restraining member 142 bridging member 143 groove portion 144 lower flange 145 upper flange 151 fixing hole 152 fixing Member 153 Fixed portion 161 External electrode

Claims (8)

A plurality of power storage elements;
An exterior body having a bottom wall and a side wall that accommodates the plurality of power storage elements;
A guide member provided on the inner wall surface of the side wall;
A constraining member that includes a plurality of power storage elements sandwiched and constrained integrally, and has a groove that fits into the guide member;
A bridging member that connects the constraining member in a bridging manner and constrains the plurality of power storage elements,
The constraining members are arranged at both ends in the direction of arrangement of the plurality of power storage elements,
The guide member is disposed on the side wall facing the restraining member in the arrangement direction ,
The restraining member further has a fixed portion,
The assembled battery is fixed to the fixed portion . The guide member extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall ;
2. The assembled battery according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is fitted to the groove portion at an end portion on the bottom wall side and is fixed to the fixed portion at an end portion opposite to the bottom wall side. A plurality of power storage elements;
An exterior body having a bottom wall and a side wall that accommodates the plurality of power storage elements;
A guide member provided on the inner wall surface of the side wall;
A constraining member that includes a plurality of power storage elements sandwiched and constrained integrally, and has a groove that fits into the guide member;
A bridging member that connects the constraining member in a bridging manner and constrains the plurality of power storage elements,
The guide member extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall;
The restraining member further has a fixed portion,
The assembled battery is fixed to the fixed portion at the end opposite to the bottom wall side . further,
A fixing member,
The guide member extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall, and has a fixing hole on an end surface opposite to the bottom wall side,
The assembled battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein at least a tip of the fixing member passes through the fixed portion and is inserted into the fixing hole. The restraining member is
On the bottom wall side, a lower flange that protrudes on the opposite side of the electricity storage element,
An upper flange protruding on the opposite side to the electricity storage element is provided on the opposite side to the bottom wall side,
The groove is provided in the lower flange;
The assembled battery according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fixed portion is provided on the upper flange. The group according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the guide member has a tapered shape that extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall and gradually increases in width toward the bottom wall. battery. further,
The assembled battery of any one of Claims 1-6 provided with the elastic member attached to the part contact | abutted with the said guide member of the said groove part. A plurality of power storage elements are arranged side by side,
Disposing a restraining member at both ends in the direction of arrangement of the plurality of power storage elements, sandwiching the plurality of power storage elements with the restraining member;
Restraining the plurality of power storage elements by connecting the restraining member in a bridging manner with a bridging member,
A guide member provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the exterior body is disposed so that the side wall faces the restraining member in the alignment direction, and a groove provided in the restraining member is fitted into the guide member. , Storing the storage element in a restrained state in the exterior body ,
An assembled battery manufacturing method for fixing the restraining member to the guide member .

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