JP6455214B2 - Power storage device protection method and power storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for protecting a power storage device and a power storage device.

  Conventionally, as a power storage device, for example, a power storage device including a housing that stores a power storage cell and a columnar electrode terminal protruding from the housing is known (see Patent Document 1). Usually, when storing a power storage device, a cap having a recess capable of accommodating the electrode terminal is put on the electrode terminal in order to protect the electrode terminal.

JP2013-243083A

  However, since the sizes of the electrode terminal and the concave portion of the cap vary, there is a problem that the cap easily falls off the electrode terminal when the size of the electrode terminal does not match the size of the concave portion of the cap.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can prevent the cap from falling off the electrode terminal and protect the power storage device even when the sizes of the recesses of the electrode terminal and the cap vary. It is an object to provide a method for protecting a power storage device and a power storage device to which the protection method is applied.

  The present inventors have found that the above problem can be solved by sealing a gap generated between the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal and the inner peripheral surface of the cap using a cylindrical elastic spacer.

  That is, the present invention is a method for protecting a power storage device that protects a columnar electrode terminal protruding from a housing of the power storage device, and includes a cap having a recess that can accommodate the electrode terminal, and a cylindrical elastic spacer. A step of covering the electrode terminal with a cylindrical elastic spacer so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal, and a step of covering the electrode terminal on which the elastic spacer is mounted with a concave portion of the cap. Provide protection methods.

  According to the present invention, the elastic spacer is interposed between the electrode terminal and the cap, and the gap generated between the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal and the inner peripheral surface of the cap is sealed. Even when there is variation in the size of the cap, the cap is prevented from falling off the electrode terminal.

  The present invention also includes a housing for storing the storage cell, a columnar electrode terminal protruding from the housing, a cylindrical elastic spacer provided on the electrode terminal so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal, and an elastic spacer. And a cap that covers the electrode terminal provided with a power storage device.

  According to the present invention, even when there are variations in the sizes of the electrode terminal and the recess of the cap, the cap can be prevented from falling off the electrode terminal, and the power storage device protection method can protect the power storage device, and A power storage device to which the protection method is applied can be provided.

1A to 1C are perspective views for sequentially explaining a method for protecting a power storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the electrode terminal of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method for protecting a power storage device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, a power storage device protection method according to an embodiment of the present invention and a power storage device to which the protection method is applied will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A power storage device 10 to which the power storage device protection method according to the present embodiment is applied includes a housing 3 that houses a power storage cell 8 and a pair of columnar members that protrude from the housing 3, as shown in FIG. The electrode terminal 5 is provided. Examples of such a power storage device 10 include a secondary battery and an electric double layer capacitor. An example of the secondary battery is a lithium ion secondary battery.

  Although not shown, the storage cell 8 includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode (a pair of electrodes), a separator sandwiched between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolytic solution. The positive electrode and the negative electrode are each electrically connected to the electrode terminal 5.

  The electrode terminal 5 has a cylindrical shape. The outer diameter of the electrode terminal 5 can be, for example, 8 to 15 mm, and more specifically 11 mm. The axial length of the electrode terminal 5 can be, for example, 5 mm to 15 mm, and more specifically 10 mm.

  Subsequently, a cylindrical elastic spacer 1 shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the elastic spacer 1 is set so as to be able to be in close contact with the outer periphery of the electrode terminal 5 in the circumferential direction. The axial length of the elastic spacer 1 is not particularly limited as long as it is 5 mm or more, but is 50% or more of the axial length of the electrode terminal 5 and preferably 100% or less.

  The thickness of the elastic spacer 1 can be adjusted according to the size of the gap generated between the electrode terminal 5 and the cap 7. The thickness of the elastic spacer 1 may be, for example, 0.1 to 2 mm, and more specifically 1 mm.

  The material of the elastic spacer 1 may be any material as long as it has elasticity, for example, rubber. When the elastic spacer 1 is rubber, the friction generated on the surface where the elastic spacer 1 and the cap 7 are in contact can be further increased, and the effect of preventing the cap 7 from falling off is further improved. The rubber is not particularly limited, but may be styrene butadiene rubber, silicone rubber or the like.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1B, the elastic spacer 1 is placed on the electrode terminals 5 so as to surround the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective electrode terminals 5.
Subsequently, a cap 7 shown in FIG. The cap 7 has a cylindrical recess 7a. The inner diameter of the recess 7 a is larger than the outer diameter of the electrode terminal 5. In addition, the axial length of the recess 7a is preferably 50% or more of the axial length of the electrode terminal 5, and preferably 80% or more. The cap 7 can be made of an insulating material such as plastic.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 1C, a cap 7 is put on the electrode terminal 5 on which the elastic spacer 1 is mounted. Thereby, protection of the electrode terminal 5 is completed.

  FIG. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of the vicinity of the electrode terminal 5 in a protected state. The outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal 5 is covered with the elastic spacer 1, and the electrode terminal 5 to which the elastic spacer 1 is attached is accommodated in the recess 7 a of the cap 7. That is, the elastic spacer 1 is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal 5 and the inner surface of the cap 7.

  The power storage device to which the power storage device protection method according to the present embodiment is applied has the following effects. There are many individual differences in the outer diameter of the electrode terminal 5 and the inner diameter of the concave portion 7a of the cap 7, and depending on the combination of these, a gap is generated between the inner surface of the cap and the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal. There are cases where the electrode terminals are exposed unintentionally. However, according to this embodiment, the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the cap 7 is reduced by the elastic spacer 1, so that the cap 7 is prevented from falling off. Since the elastic spacer 1 has elasticity, the cap can be inserted even if the outer diameter of the elastic spacer 1 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cap 7.

  Next, another method for protecting the power storage device according to the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, as described above, the power storage device 10, the cap 7, and a plurality of types of elastic spacers 1 having the same inner diameter but different thickness are prepared (S1). Next, the cap 7 is put on the electrode terminal 5 (S2), the power storage device 10 is turned upside down or tilted by 90 degrees or more (S3), and it is confirmed whether the cap 7 is removed (S4). When the cap 7 is removed, the thinnest elastic spacer 1 among the prepared elastic spacers 1 is attached to the electrode terminal 5, and the electrode terminal 5 to which the elastic spacer 1 is attached is put on the cap 7 again (S5), The power storage device 10 is turned upside down or tilted by 90 degrees or more (S6), and it is confirmed that the cap 7 is not removed (S7). When the cap 7 is removed, the elastic spacer 1 previously attached is removed from the electrode terminal 5, and then the thicker elastic spacer 1 is attached to the electrode terminal 5, and the electrode terminal 5 to which the elastic spacer 1 is attached is capped. 7 (S8), return to S6 and S7, and check whether the cap 7 is removed.
If the cap 7 is not removed in S4 and S7, the protection method is terminated (S9). In S8, the thickness may be increased by attaching another spacer on top of the previously mounted spacer without removing the previously mounted spacer.
In this embodiment, after attaching the elastic spacer and the cap, confirm the ease of removal of the cap, and if the cap seems to come off, replace the cap with a thicker elastic spacer, or overlap the elastic spacer, and remove the cap. Can be more reliably suppressed. In addition, since the spacer having the optimum thickness is attached, it is difficult to hinder the ability to attach the cap.

As mentioned above, although this invention was concretely demonstrated based on the embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.
For example, the shape of the electrode terminal is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be other shapes such as a prismatic shape. Further, the shape of the cylinder of the elastic spacer can be appropriately modified into a square cylinder or the like in accordance with the shape of the electrode terminal. In the above description, both electrodes are the target, but only one pair of electrode terminals may be protected by the above method.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Elastic spacer, 3 ... Housing | casing, 5 ... Electrode terminal, 7 ... Cap, 7a ... Recessed part, 8 ... Power storage cell, 10 ... Power storage apparatus.

Claims (2)

A method for protecting a power storage device that protects a columnar electrode terminal protruding from a housing of a power storage device,
Preparing a cap having a recess capable of accommodating the electrode, and a cylindrical elastic spacer;
Covering the electrode terminal with the cylindrical elastic spacer so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the electrode;
And a step of covering the electrode terminal on which the elastic spacer is mounted with a concave portion of the cap. A housing for storing a storage cell;
Columnar electrode terminals protruding from the housing;
A cylindrical elastic spacer provided on the electrode terminal so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the electrode terminal,
And an insulating cap that covers the electrode terminal provided with the elastic spacer.

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