JP6696398B2 - In-vehicle battery module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted battery module equipped with a plurality of columnar batteries and mounted in a vehicle.

  BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a battery module equipped with a plurality of columnar batteries and mounted in a vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery module including a plurality of columnar batteries. In Patent Document 1, a pair of side plates are arranged on both sides of the columnar battery in the axial direction, and the columnar battery is sandwiched between the pair of side plates. A bus bar that electrically connects a plurality of columnar batteries is embedded in the side plate. Further, a cover member that covers the side plate is arranged on the opposite side of the columnar battery with the side plate interposed therebetween, and a flow path through which a fluid flows is formed between the side plate and the side plate.

JP, 2010-113999, A

  As described above, the conventional battery module disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like has a structure for holding a columnar battery. However, in the conventional battery module, the structure for maintaining the performance of the battery module has not been sufficiently considered even when a part of the member holding the columnar battery is damaged or deteriorated.

  For example, in the battery module of Patent Document 1, the columnar battery is sandwiched between a pair of side plates, but if any one of the side plates is damaged or bent, the columnar battery will move in the axial direction. , Electrical connection cannot be guaranteed. In other words, in the conventional battery module, even if one component is damaged, the electrical performance is impaired, and there is a problem that the reliability of the battery module is poor. In particular, such a problem is likely to occur in a vehicle-mounted battery module that receives various vibrations as the vehicle travels.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an on-vehicle battery module that can further improve reliability.

  The on-vehicle battery module of the present invention includes a plurality of columnar batteries having electrodes at least at one end in the axial direction, a battery holder for standing and holding the plurality of columnar batteries in a state where the electrodes are exposed to the outside, and the columnar batteries A smoke exhaust cover configured to form a smoke exhaust space in which gas discharged from the one axial direction flows between the battery holder, and a smoke exhaust cover having a hermetically sealed peripheral edge, and a smoke exhaust cover within the smoke exhaust space. One end side bus bar that is arranged and contacts the plurality of electrodes to electrically connect the plurality of columnar batteries, the smoke exhaust cover extending in the longitudinal direction of the smoke exhaust cover, and the one end side A plurality of supporting protrusions protruding toward the bus bar and supporting the one end side bus bar, wherein a plurality of supporting protrusions are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and two supporting protrusions adjacent in the longitudinal direction. Between the one end side bus bar and one or more recesses projecting to the opposite side.

  According to the present invention, since the one end side bus bar is supported by the supporting convex portion, the one end side bus bar is effectively prevented from being bent, and thus the axial displacement of the columnar battery is effectively prevented, and the electrical connection of the columnar battery is secured. It Further, since the concave portion is provided between the two adjacent supporting convex portions, the section coefficient of the smoke exhaust cover is improved, and the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover is effectively prevented. As a result, according to the present invention, the electrical connection of the columnar battery is more reliably ensured, and the external leakage of gas due to the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover is prevented. Will be improved.

It is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle-mounted battery module which is an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing in a YZ plane of a battery module. It is sectional drawing in the XZ plane of a battery module. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence of a cell. It is a top view of the conductive plate of a negative electrode bus bar. It is a perspective view of a smoke exhaust cover. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship between the smoke exhaust cover and the conductive plate of the negative electrode bus bar.

  Hereinafter, a battery module 10 which is an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a battery module 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery module 10 on the YZ plane, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the battery module 10 on the XZ plane. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the battery module 10 will be referred to as the “X direction”, the axial direction of the unit cell 12 will be referred to as the “Z direction”, and the directions orthogonal to the X direction and the Z direction will be referred to as the “Y direction”. In addition, in FIG. 2, some members such as the protective case 16 are omitted for ease of viewing.

  The battery module 10 includes a plurality of columnar cells 12. The unit cell 12 is a chargeable / dischargeable secondary battery, and is, for example, a nickel hydride battery, a lithium ion battery, or the like housed in a cylindrical case. A negative electrode and a positive electrode, which are electrodes of the unit cell 12, are provided at both axial ends of the unit cell 12. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, the unit cell 12 is held in a posture in which the negative electrode faces downward, and the negative electrode side end corresponds to the “axial end” in claim 1 of the present application.

  The battery module 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 has 60 unit cells 12, and the 60 unit cells 12 are arranged in an array of 4 rows and 15 columns. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of 60 unit cells 12. The 60 unit cells 12 arranged in 4 rows and 15 columns are divided into 3 battery groups 11 in the longitudinal direction (column direction, X direction). The chain double-dashed line in FIG. 4 indicates the boundary line of the battery group 11. One battery group 11 is composed of fifteen unit cells 12, and fifteen unit cells 12 belonging to the same battery group 11 are connected in parallel by a positive electrode bus bar 23 and a negative electrode bus bar 25 described later. The battery group 11 in which 15 unit cells 12 are connected in parallel is connected in series to another battery group 11 or an external output terminal by an inter-group bus bar 26 described later.

  A discharge valve (not shown) that allows the release of gas generated in the unit cell 12 is provided on the end surface of the unit cell 12 on the negative electrode side. The structure of the discharge valve is not particularly limited as long as it can be opened when the internal pressure of the unit cell 12 rises. The discharge valve can be configured, for example, by locally thinning the outer case of the unit cell 12. When gas is generated inside the unit cell 12 due to overcharge, overdischarge, short circuit, etc., and the internal pressure of the unit cell 12 rises, the discharge valve (thin-walled portion) is broken, and the gas becomes the unit cell 12. Is released to the outside.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each unit cell 12 is held upright with the positive electrode and the negative electrode aligned in the same direction. In the present embodiment, the unit cell 12 is held in a standing posture with the end face having the negative electrode facing downward (on the side of the smoke exhaust cover 20). The lower end portion of each unit cell 12 is housed in a housing hole 15 provided in the battery holder 14, and is held in the battery holder 14. The battery holder 14 has a substantially plate shape, and the accommodation holes 15 are two-dimensionally arranged in the plate plane. In this embodiment, the accommodation holes 15 are arranged in an array of 4 rows and 15 columns, and the accommodation holes 15 in the adjacent columns are arranged with a half pitch shift.

  Each accommodation hole 15 has a round hole shape that fits with the columnar shape of the unit cell 12. The unit cell 12 is inserted into the round hole and fixed by the adhesive 52 (see FIG. 2). The length of the accommodating hole 15 in the Z direction is sufficiently long so that the held cell 12 does not wobble. The accommodation hole 15 penetrates the battery holder 14 in the plate thickness direction, and the lower end of the unit cell 12, and thus the negative electrode, is exposed downward. The battery holder 14 is made of a high heat transfer material such as aluminum in order to evenly disperse the generated heat and reduce the temperature variation among the unit cells 12.

  The periphery of the plurality of unit cells 12 held by the battery holder 14 is covered with a protective case 16. The protective case 16 is made of a resin having an insulating property, and has a substantially box shape with a completely opened bottom. The lower end of the protective case 16 is fixed to the peripheral edge of the battery holder 14. This fixing mode is not particularly limited as long as the protective case 16 can move together with the battery holder 14 when the battery module 10 receives vibration or the like. Therefore, the protective case 16 is fixed to the battery holder 14 by, for example, fitting, screwing, welding or the like. As will be described later, the positive electrode bus bar 23 is integrated with the protective case 16. Therefore, it can be said that the positive electrode bus bar 23 is fixed to the battery holder 14 via the protective case 16.

  The protective case 16 has a ceiling plate 30 (see FIG. 2) that is provided near the upper end of the protective case 16 and presses the positive electrode side end surface of the unit cell 12 toward the negative electrode side. The ceiling plate 30 is provided with a holding opening 32 having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of each of the arrayed unit cells 12. While the positive electrode of the unit cell 12 is exposed to the outside through the holding opening 32, the end surface of the unit cell 12 is pressed toward the negative side by the peripheral edge of the holding opening 32. The positive electrode bus bar 23 is fixed to the upper surface of the ceiling plate 30. Further, various wirings (for example, voltage detection wirings and temperature detection wirings) are arranged above the protective case 16, and these wirings are covered with an insulating cover 18.

  An inlet opening 34 (see FIG. 2) and an outlet opening 36 (see FIG. 2) are formed on the peripheral surface of the protective case 16. The inlet opening 34 is an opening for allowing the cooling air for cooling the unit cells 12 to flow into the inside of the battery module 10. The outlet opening 36 is an opening for discharging the cooling air flowing into the battery module 10 to the outside. The outlet opening 36 is provided on the side wall opposite to the inlet opening 34 with the plurality of unit cells 12 interposed therebetween. Each of the inlet opening 34 and the outlet opening 36 is a plurality of slit holes provided in the side wall of the protective case 16. The slit holes are elongated in the height direction (Z direction) and are provided in plural at intervals in the longitudinal direction (X direction).

  A negative electrode bus bar 25 and a positive electrode bus bar 23 that electrically connect the positive electrodes or the negative electrodes of the unit cells 12 are provided on both axial sides of the unit cells 12. In the present embodiment, the negative electrode bus bar 25 is arranged below the battery holder 14, and the negative electrode bus bar 25 corresponds to the “one end side bus bar” in claim 1 of the present application. However, the configurations of the positive electrode bus bar 23 and the negative electrode bus bar 25 are almost the same. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration of the negative electrode bus bar 25 will be mainly described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the conductive plate 24 of the negative electrode bus bar 25.

  The negative electrode bus bar 25 is configured by integrating the same number of conductive plates 24 as the battery groups 11 (four in this embodiment) with the resin material 43. The four conductive plates 24 are integrated with the resin 43 (see FIG. 2) while maintaining insulation while being spaced apart from each other. The periphery of the negative electrode bus bar 25 is sandwiched and held between the smoke exhaust cover 20 and the battery holder 14.

  Each conductive plate 24 electrically connects the negative electrodes of the 15 unit cells 12 forming one battery group 11 to each other. The conductive plate 24 is a flat plate member made of a conductive material such as copper. The conductive plate 24 is provided with through openings 40 corresponding to the individual cells 12 arranged. One through opening 40 is provided for each unit cell 12, and the lower end surface of the corresponding unit cell 12 is exposed to the smoke exhaust space 28. The through opening 40 has a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the unit cell 12. The exhaust valve provided in the unit cell 12 is exposed to the smoke exhaust space 28 through the through opening 40. The gas released from the unit cell 12 passes through the through opening 40 and reaches the smoke exhaust space 28.

  Further, the end surface of the unit cell 12 on the negative electrode side is supported by the peripheral edge of the through opening 40 (more accurately, the resin 43 covering the peripheral edge). In other words, each cell 12 is axially sandwiched between the ceiling plate 30 of the protective case 16 and the negative electrode bus bar 25. However, the size of the unit cell 12 has a small tolerance. In order to absorb this tolerance and reliably sandwich the cell 12 between the ceiling plate 30 and the negative electrode bus bar 25, in the present embodiment, the elastic member 68 is provided between the negative electrode side end surface of the single cell 12 and the negative electrode bus bar 25. Are arranged. The elastic member 68 has an appropriate elasticity and is appropriately deformed so as to absorb the variation in the axial height of the unit cell 12. Although the elastic member 68 is arranged on the negative electrode side in the present embodiment, the elastic member 68 may be arranged on the positive electrode side, that is, between the end face on the positive electrode side of the unit cell 12 and the ceiling plate 30. .. Further, when the axial tolerance of the unit cell 12 is small, the elastic member 68 may be omitted.

  A connection piece 42, which is a part of the conductive plate 24, is located in the through opening 40. The connection piece 42 is in the shape of a leaf spring having appropriate elasticity, and is inclined so as to approach the negative electrode of the unit cell 12 as it approaches the tip. Then, the tips of all the connection pieces 42 come into contact with the negative electrodes of the corresponding unit cells 12 to electrically connect the negative electrodes of the 15 unit cells 12 to each other.

  A positive electrode bus bar 23 having a conductive plate having the same shape as the conductive plate 24 is arranged above the unit cell 12. The negative electrode bus bar 25 constitutes one part by itself, but the positive electrode bus bar 23 is incorporated in the protective case 16 and integrated with the protective case 16. The conductive plate of the positive electrode bus bar 23 also electrically connects the positive electrodes of the 15 unit cells 12 forming one battery group 11 to each other. The negative electrode bus bar 25 and the positive electrode bus bar 23 connect 15 unit cells 12 forming one battery group 11 in parallel.

  The four battery groups 11 are connected in series by the inter-group bus bar 26. Specifically, the inter-group bus bar 26 electrically connects the conductive plate of the positive electrode bus bar 23 connected to one battery group 11 and the conductive plate 24 of the negative electrode bus bar 25 connected to another adjacent battery group 11. Connect to each other. The inter-group bus bar 26 is a substantially flat plate-shaped member made of a conductive material such as copper, and is arranged outside the protective case 16 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The inter-group bus bar 26 has the upper end connected to the conductive plate of the positive electrode bus bar 23 of one battery group 11 and the lower end connected to the conductive plate 24 of the negative electrode bus bar 25 of the adjacent battery group 11 in the Z direction. It has a substantially parallelogram shape that advances in the X direction as it goes to.

  A smoke exhaust cover 20 is arranged below the battery holder 14. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the smoke exhaust cover 20. The smoke exhaust cover 20 is made of metal such as aluminum and is formed by press working or the like. At least the surface of the smoke exhaust cover 20 facing the negative electrode bus bar 25 is subjected to an insulation treatment. The form of the insulation treatment is not particularly limited, but for example, a treatment method such as cationic coating of an insulating paint can be adopted.

  The smoke exhaust cover 20 has a substantially boat shape with its peripheral edge rising upward. The peripheral edge of the smoke exhaust cover 20 is hermetically sealed to the peripheral edge of a negative electrode bus bar 25 described later, and forms a hermetically sealed smoke exhaust space 28 with the battery holder 14. The closed space functions as a space for installing a negative electrode bus bar 25 described later and also as a space in which gas discharged from the unit cell 12 flows. The gas discharged from the unit cell 12 to the smoke exhaust space 28 includes exhaust holes 54 formed near both longitudinal ends of the negative electrode bus bar 25 and an exhaust passage 56 formed near both longitudinal ends of the battery holder 14 (see FIG. 1 (see FIG. 3), and is discharged to the outside of the battery module 10 and guided to an appropriate position by a duct or the like. In addition, in the present embodiment, the peripheral edge of the smoke exhaust cover 20 is directly adhered to the peripheral edge of the negative electrode bus bar 25. A seal member made of rubber or the like may be interposed between the two.

  The smoke exhaust cover 20 is also fixed to the battery holder 14 like the protective case 16. This fixing mode is also not particularly limited as long as the smoke exhaust cover 20 can move together with the battery holder 14 when the battery module 10 receives vibration or the like. In the present embodiment, the smoke exhaust cover 20 is screwed and fastened to the battery holder 14 via the fastening holes 20a provided in the periphery of the smoke exhaust cover 20. However, the smoke exhaust cover 20 may be fixed to the battery holder 14 by other fixing means, for example, fitting or welding, instead of screwing. Since the periphery of the negative electrode bus bar 25 is sandwiched between the smoke exhaust cover 20 and the battery holder 14, it can be said that the negative electrode bus bar 25 is fixed to the battery holder 14 via the smoke exhaust cover 20.

  Further, as is clear from FIGS. 2, 3, 6 and the like, a plurality of types of unevenness 58, 60, 62 are provided on the bottom surface of the smoke exhaust cover 20. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the unevenness of the smoke exhaust cover 20 and the conductive plate 24 of the negative electrode bus bar 25. A supporting projection 58 is provided at the center of the smoke exhaust cover 20 in the Y direction. The supporting convex portion 58 is a convex portion that projects toward the negative electrode bus bar 25 and supports the negative electrode bus bar 25. The supporting projection 58 extends linearly in the longitudinal direction, and the upper end thereof contacts the bottom surface of the negative electrode bus bar 25. In addition, the black hatching portion in FIG. 7 indicates the contact portion between the supporting convex portion 58 and the negative electrode bus bar 25.

  As is clear from FIG. 7 and the like, one supporting projection 58 has substantially the same length as one conductive plate 24, and the supporting projection 58 is provided between the conductive plates 24. 58 does not exist. In other words, a slight gap is formed between the two supporting protrusions 58 that are adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, a recess 60 protruding downward (on the side opposite to the negative electrode bus bar 25) is provided in this gap. The recess 60 has a substantially circular shape when viewed from above. Here, since each of the plurality of supporting projections 58 is located at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of battery groups 11, the recess 60 is located between the battery groups 11 that are adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction. The recess 60 is provided to improve the strength of the smoke exhaust cover 20, which will be described later in detail.

  Furthermore, reinforcing protrusions 62 are provided on both sides of the supporting protrusion 58 in the width direction. Each reinforcing protrusion 62 is a linear protrusion extending continuously in the longitudinal direction. However, the height of the reinforcing protrusion 62 is lower than that of the supporting protrusion 58, and the reinforcing protrusion 62 does not contact the negative electrode bus bar 25.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the smoke exhaust cover 20 is provided with the plurality of irregularities 58, 60, 62, but the reason for providing the irregularities 58, 60, 62 will be described. When the smoke exhaust cover 20 is not provided with the supporting protrusions 58, only the peripheral edge of the negative electrode bus bar 25 supporting the unit cell 12 is supported by the peripheral edge of the smoke exhaust cover 20. If the adhesive 52 for fixing the unit cell 12 to the accommodation hole 15 of the battery holder 14 is functioning properly, there is no problem even with such a configuration. However, if the adhesive agent 52 that fixes the unit cell 12 mechanically deteriorates due to vibration accompanying the running of the vehicle or chemically deteriorates over time, the unit cell 12 may be peeled from the accommodation hole 15. .. Then, when the unit cell 12 is separated from the accommodation hole 15, the load of the unit cell 12 is applied to the negative electrode bus bar 25. In this case, the negative electrode bus bar 25 may be bent or damaged by the load of the unit cell 12. When the negative electrode bus bar 25 is bent or damaged, the unit cell 12 drops into the smoke exhaust space 28, and the electrical connection with the positive electrode bus bar 23 is lost. In other words, if the supporting protrusions 58 are not provided, there is a risk that the unit cell 12 will not function properly if only one member, which is the adhesive 52 that fixes the unit cell 12 to the accommodation hole 15, is damaged.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the support convex portion 58 that supports the negative electrode bus bar 25 from the lower side (the smoke exhaust cover side) is provided in the smoke exhaust space 28. By providing the supporting protrusions 58, even if the adhesive 52 is damaged and the unit cell 12 is separated from the accommodation hole 15, the unit cell 12 can be prevented from falling off. That is, even if the unit cell 12 is separated from the accommodation hole 15 and the load is applied to the negative electrode bus bar 25, the negative electrode bus bar 25 is supported by the supporting protrusions 58. Therefore, the bending of the negative electrode bus bar 25 is effectively prevented. As a result, the unit cell 12 can continue to be held between the negative electrode bus bar 25 and the ceiling plate 30 of the protective case 16. Then, by maintaining this state, the connection state between the positive electrode bus bar 23 and the negative electrode bus bar 25 of the unit cell 12 can be maintained, and as a result, the performance of the battery module 10 can be appropriately maintained. As described above, in the present embodiment, the performance of the battery module 10 can be maintained even if some of the components (the adhesive 52) are damaged, so that the reliability of the battery module 10 can be further improved.

  By the way, the smoke exhaust cover 20 is fixed to the battery holder 14 as described above. Further, the protective case 16 in which the positive electrode bus bar 23 is integrated is also fixed to the battery holder 14. Therefore, even when the battery module 10 is subjected to vibration, the negative electrode bus bar 25 and the protective case 16 (positive electrode bus bar 23) can move together with the battery holder 14. As a result, even when the battery module 10 is vibrated, the negative electrode bus bar 25 and the positive electrode bus bar 23 move in the same phase. As a result, the load on the current-carrying portions (tips of the connection pieces 42) of the negative electrode bus bar 25 and the positive electrode bus bar 23 during vibration can be effectively reduced, and the deterioration of the positive electrode / negative electrode bus bars 23, 25 can be effectively prevented.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) supporting projections 58 are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction. The reason for having such a configuration is that the flow of gas released from the unit cell 12 is not hindered. That is, when the supporting convex portion 58 is a single convex portion extending continuously in the longitudinal direction, the smoke exhaust space 28 is divided into two in the width direction. The gas discharged from the unit cell 12 flows into the smoke exhaust space 28, but the gas has a very high temperature and high pressure. Therefore, when the smoke exhaust space 28 is divided into two spaces, the gas of high temperature and high pressure flows into the relatively small divided space, and the pressure of the divided space rapidly rises. As a result, the smoke exhaust cover 20 forming the divided space may be deformed, and the airtight seal provided on the peripheral edge of the smoke exhaust cover 20 may be damaged, which may lead to external leakage of gas.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of supporting projections 58 are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the smoke exhaust space 28 is not divided. Therefore, even if gas is released into the smoke exhaust space 28, it is possible to suppress a rapid pressure increase in the smoke exhaust space 28. However, in this case, a portion without the supporting convex portion 58 is generated in the longitudinal direction. When a flat surface is formed at a portion where the supporting convex portion 58 is not formed, the section modulus of the portion is reduced and the portion is easily deformed. As described above, the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover 20 causes damage to the airtight seal at the periphery of the smoke exhaust cover 20 and causes gas to leak to the outside.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a recess 60 that protrudes downward is provided between the supporting protrusions 58 that are adjacent in the longitudinal direction. By providing such a recess 60, it is possible to improve the section modulus of the portion as compared with the case where the portion is a flat surface, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover 20 and the damage of the airtight seal.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to prevent the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover 20 more reliably, the reinforcing protrusions 62 are also provided on both sides of the supporting protrusion 58 in the width direction. By providing such reinforcing protrusions 62, the section modulus can be further improved, and the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover 20 can be prevented more reliably. In addition, as described above, since the reinforcing convex portion 62 does not contact the negative electrode bus bar 25, the gas flow is allowed. Therefore, by providing the reinforcing protrusions 62, it is possible to more reliably prevent the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover 20 and the external leakage of gas, while suppressing a rapid increase in the internal pressure of the smoke exhaust space 28.

  It should be noted that the configurations described so far are all examples, and the smoke exhaust cover 20 has a plurality of supporting projections 58 that support the bus bar and that are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and two adjacent supporting projections. Other configurations may be appropriately changed as long as the concave portions 60 projecting to the opposite side of the bus bar are provided between the convex portions 58. For example, the directions of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the unit cell 12 may be changed, the positive electrode bus bar and the smoke exhaust cover 20 are arranged below the battery holder 14, and the supporting projection 58 is configured to support the positive electrode bus bar. Good. That is, the “one end side bus bar” in claim 1 of the present application is not limited to the negative electrode bus bar 25 and may be the positive electrode bus bar 23. Further, the “one end side bus bar” supported by the supporting convex portion 58 may be one that electrically connects the plurality of unit cells 12 and may be one that connects the plurality of unit cells 12 in series.

  In any case, by supporting the bus bar on which the unit cells 12 are mounted by the supporting projections 58 provided on the smoke exhaust cover 20, the unit cells 12 can be effectively prevented from falling off. Further, by providing the concave portion 60 between the two adjacent supporting convex portions 58, the deformation of the smoke exhaust cover 20 can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the unit cell 12 from falling out and leak gas, and further improve the reliability of the battery module 10.

10 battery modules, 11 battery groups, 12 cells, 14 battery holders, 15 housing holes, 16 protective cases, 18 insulating covers, 20 smoke exhaust covers, 23 positive electrode bus bars, 24 conductive plates, 25 negative electrode bus bars, 26 inter-group bus bars, 28 smoke exhaust space, 30 ceiling plate, 32 holding opening, 34 inlet opening, 36 outlet opening, 40 through opening, 42 connecting piece, 43 resin material, 52 adhesive, 54 exhaust hole, 56 exhaust passage, 58 supporting convex portion , 60 concave portions, 62 reinforcing convex portions, 68 elastic members.

Claims (1)

A plurality of columnar batteries having electrodes at least on one end in the axial direction,
A battery holder that holds the plurality of columnar batteries upright while the electrodes are exposed to the outside,
A smoke exhaust cover that forms a smoke exhaust space in which gas discharged from the one end in the axial direction of the columnar battery flows between the battery holder and the smoke exhaust cover, the periphery of which is hermetically sealed,
One end side bus bar arranged in the smoke exhaust space and electrically connecting the plurality of columnar batteries by contacting the plurality of electrodes.
Equipped with
The smoke exhaust cover is
A plurality of supporting projections that extend in the longitudinal direction of the smoke exhaust cover and project toward the one end side bus bar to support the one end side bus bar, the supporting projections being arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction. When,
One or more recesses projecting to the opposite side of the one end side bus bar between the two supporting projections adjacent in the longitudinal direction;
An in-vehicle battery module comprising: