JP7049874B2 - How to assemble a power storage device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a method of assembling a power storage device.

Conventionally, there is a power storage device described in Patent Document 1 below. The power storage device described in Patent Document 1 includes an electrode connector for connecting a plurality of power storage elements in series. The electrode connector is composed of a clip and a slide frame. In this electrode connector, after sandwiching the electrode terminal of one of the two adjacent storage elements with a clip and the electrode terminal of the other storage element, a square annular slide frame is pushed into the clip to form a clip. By restricting the misalignment, the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements are sandwiched and brought into contact with each other.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-118625

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for assembling a power storage device that can be easily assembled.

A method for assembling a power storage device that solves the above problems is to provide a plate-shaped electrode terminal extending in the vertical direction on one side surface in the left-right direction of a power storage element that is flat in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of power storage elements are electrode. A power storage device in which the terminals are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction with the terminals facing in the same direction on the left and right, and the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements adjacent to each other in the front and back are sandwiched by a sandwiching member made of a single member. In the assembly method of the above, the sandwiching member has a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the vertical direction formed in an Ω shape, and the sandwiching member is slid in the vertical direction with respect to the electrode terminals to sandwich both electrode terminals. Therefore, the electrode terminals of the two adjacent storage elements are held in contact with each other by the elastic force of the sandwiching member .

According to this configuration, it is only necessary to secure a space for arranging the sandwiching member around the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements, so that a space for arranging the two members of the clip and the slide frame is required. Compared with the conventional power storage device, the space to be secured can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the power storage device.
Further, the sandwiching member can be easily assembled to the electrode terminal of the power storage element.

In the above power storage device, the sandwiching member is preferably made of a material having a higher rigidity than the electrode terminal of the power storage element.
According to this configuration, the elastic force of the sandwiching member can be increased, so that the state in which the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements are in contact with each other can be more reliably maintained.

In the above power storage device, the sandwiching member is preferably made of a material having lower conductivity than the electrode terminals of the power storage element.
According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid unintended energization through the sandwiching member.

A method for assembling a power storage device that solves the above problems is to provide a plate-shaped electrode terminal extending in the vertical direction on one side surface in the left-right direction of a power storage element that is flat in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of power storage elements are electrodes. While the terminals are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction with the terminals facing in the same direction on the left and right, the storage of one of the two adjacent storage elements is between the electrode terminals of the two storage elements adjacent to each other in the front and back. The first side wall portion arranged along the electrode terminal of the element, the second side wall portion arranged along the electrode terminal of the other storage element of the two adjacent storage elements, the first side wall portion and the first side wall portion. A conductive member having a connecting portion for connecting the two side wall portions is arranged, and the electrode terminal of one of the power storage elements and the first side wall portion of the conductive member are sandwiched by the first sandwiching member made of a single member. On the other hand, it is a method of assembling a power storage device in which the electrode terminal of the other power storage element and the second side wall portion of the conductive member are sandwiched by the second sandwiching member made of a single member. The second sandwiching member has an Ω-shaped cross section orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member are slid vertically with respect to the electrode terminal and the conductive member to cope with the problem. By sandwiching the electrode terminal and the side wall portion of the conductive member, the electrode terminals of the two adjacent storage elements are in contact with the conductive member due to the elastic force of the first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member. It is characterized by being retained.

According to this configuration, since the conductive member is arranged in the dead space existing between the electrode terminals of the two adjacent power storage elements, it is necessary to secure an extra space for arranging the conductive member. There is no. As a result, since it is only necessary to secure a space for arranging the sandwiching member around the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements, a space for arranging the two members of the clip and the slide frame is required. Compared with the conventional power storage device, the space to be secured can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the power storage device.
Further, the first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member can be easily assembled to the electrode terminal and the conductive member of the power storage element.

According to this configuration, the electrode terminals of the two adjacent storage elements can be arranged apart from each other by the conductive member, so that the electrode terminals are bent in order to bring them into contact with each other. There is no need to do such things. Therefore, it is possible to easily connect the electrode terminals of the two adjacent storage elements.

According to this configuration, the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements can be more reliably brought into contact with the conductive member by the first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member, and as a result, the two storage elements can be brought into contact with each other. It is possible to more reliably hold the state in which each electrode terminal is connected.

According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a sandwiching member capable of sandwiching the electrode terminal of the power storage element and the conductive member with a simple structure.

In the above power storage device, the sandwiching member is preferably made of a material having a higher rigidity than the electrode terminal of the power storage element.
According to this configuration, the elastic force of the sandwiching member can be increased, so that the state in which the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements are in contact with each other can be more reliably maintained.

In the above power storage device, the sandwiching member is preferably made of a material having lower conductivity than the electrode terminals of the power storage element.
According to this configuration, it is possible to avoid unintended energization through the sandwiching member.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a method for assembling a power storage device that can be easily assembled .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of a part of the power storage device of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of a part of the power storage element of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the conductive member of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the assembly process of the power storage device of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the assembly process of the power storage device of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the assembly process of the power storage device of the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a partial perspective structure of the power storage device of the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the power storage device will be described with reference to the drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals as possible in the drawings, and duplicate description is omitted.
<First Embodiment>
First, the power storage device 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a perspective structure of the right half of the power storage device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment includes two power storage elements 20 and 21 adjacent to each other and a connecting member 30 for connecting them in series.

As shown in FIG. 2, the power storage elements 20 and 21 are so-called laminated storage batteries in which positive electrodes and negative electrodes are alternately stacked via a separator and sealed by laminating. As the power storage elements 20 and 21, for example, a laminated lithium ion battery can be used. The power storage elements 20 and 21 are formed flat in the direction indicated by the arrow Y. The cross-sectional shapes of the power storage elements 20 and 21 orthogonal to the Y-axis direction are substantially rectangular. The power storage elements 20 and 21 are arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the Y-axis direction corresponds to a predetermined direction.

In the following, the longitudinal direction of the power storage elements 20 and 21 will be referred to as "X-axis direction", the lateral direction of the power storage elements 20 and 21 will be referred to as "Z-axis direction", and one of the power storage elements 20 will be referred to as "first". It is also referred to as "storage element 20", and the other storage element 21 is also referred to as "second storage element 21".
An electrode terminal 200 is provided on one side surface of the first power storage element 20 in the X-axis direction. The electrode terminal 200 is either a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal. An electrode terminal (not shown) is provided on the other side surface of the first power storage element 20 on the side opposite to the side surface on which the electrode terminal 200 is provided. The electrode terminal provided on the other side surface of the first power storage element 20 is either a positive electrode terminal or a negative electrode terminal.

An electrode terminal 210 is provided on one side surface of the second power storage element 21 in the X-axis direction so as to face the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 in the Y-axis direction. The electrode of the electrode terminal 210 is set to an electrode different from the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20. An electrode terminal (not shown) is provided on the other side surface of the second power storage element 21 opposite to the side surface on which the electrode terminal 210 is provided. The electrode of the electrode terminal provided on the other side surface of the second power storage element 21 is the same electrode as the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20.

The connecting member 30 is composed of a conductive member 31 and a sandwiching member 32.
The conductive member 31 is arranged in a gap between the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the two adjacent power storage elements 20 and 21, respectively. The conductive member 31 is made of a conductive metal material or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the conductive member 31 is made of a thin plate-shaped member that has been bent so that the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the Z-axis direction is concave. The conductive member 31 is a first side wall portion 310 and a second side wall portion 311 arranged so as to face each other with a predetermined gap in the Y-axis direction, and each of the first side wall portion 310 and the second side wall portion 311. It has a connecting portion 312 provided so as to connect one end portion. A terminal connecting portion 313 is formed at one end of the connecting portion 312 in the Z-axis direction so as to project in the X-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31 is arranged along the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20. The second side wall portion 311 of the conductive member 31 is arranged along the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21.
The sandwiching member 32 is composed of a single member having a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the Z-axis direction formed in a substantially Ω shape. The sandwiching member 32 is made of a material having higher rigidity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 and lower conductivity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21, for example, stainless steel. ..

The sandwiching member 32 includes a pair of first sandwiching members 320 that sandwich the electrode terminal 200 of the first storage element 20 and the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31, and the electrode terminal 210 and the conductive member 31 of the second storage element 21. It is composed of a pair of second sandwiching members 321 that sandwich the second side wall portion 311 of the above.

The first sandwiching member 320 is elastically deformed in the opening direction by inserting the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31 into the opening portion thereof. The elastic force of the first sandwiching member 320 generated by this causes the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31 to be sandwiched. The first sandwiching member 320 can be slidably moved with respect to the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the second side wall portion 311 of the conductive member 31. By such a first sandwiching member 320, the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31 are held in contact with each other.

Similarly, the second sandwiching member 321 holds the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21 and the second side wall portion 311 of the conductive member 31 in contact with each other. The second sandwiching member 321 can also be slidably moved with respect to the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21 and the second side wall portion 311 of the conductive member 31.

By such a connecting member 30, the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21 are held in a state of being electrically connected via the conductive member 31. That is, the first power storage element 20 and the second power storage element 21 are electrically connected in series. Further, in the power storage device 10, if a voltage sensor is electrically connected between the electrode terminal on the other side surface of the first power storage element 20 and the terminal connection portion 313 (not shown), the voltage between the terminals of the first power storage element 20 is detected. can do. Further, if a voltage sensor is electrically connected between the electrode terminal on the other side surface of the second power storage element 21 and the terminal connection portion 313 (not shown), the voltage between the terminals of the second power storage element 21 can be detected.

In the power storage device 10, a plurality of power storage elements 20 and 21 are alternately stacked and arranged in the Y-axis direction, and the electrode terminals of the power storage elements 20 and 21 are connected by a connecting member 30 to form an arbitrary number. It is also possible to connect the power storage elements 20 and 21 in series.
Next, a method of manufacturing the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment will be described.

When manufacturing the power storage device 10, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the power storage elements 20 and 21 are arranged so as to face each other, and then the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21 are arranged. The conductive member 31 is inserted into the gap between the two. After that, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31 are sandwiched by the first sandwiching member 320, and the second power storage element 21 The second side wall portion 311 of the electrode terminal 210 and the conductive member 31 is sandwiched by the second sandwiching member 321. As a result, the production of the power storage device 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

According to the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment described above, the actions and effects shown in the following (1) to (7) can be obtained.
(1) Since the conductive member 31 is arranged in the dead space existing between the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the two adjacent energy storage elements 20 and 21, a space for arranging the conductive member 31 is provided. There is no need to secure extra. As a result, since it is only necessary to secure a space for arranging the sandwiching member 32 around the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the two power storage elements 20 and 21, respectively, the two members of the clip and the slide frame are arranged. Compared with the conventional power storage device that requires the space for the storage, the space to be secured can be reduced. Therefore, the power storage device 10 can be miniaturized. Further, since the conductive member 31 and the sandwiching member 32 can be easily attached to and removed from the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21, the number of the power storage elements 20 and 21 is increased when the power storage device 10 is assembled. It can be easily changed. That is, it is easy to change the specifications of the power storage device 10.

(2) The conductive member 31 has a first side wall portion 310 arranged along the electrode terminal 200 of the first power storage element 20 and a second side wall portion arranged along the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21. It has a 311 and a connecting portion 312 connecting the first side wall portion 310 and the second side wall portion 311. As a result, the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 can be arranged apart from each other. Therefore, in order to bring the electrode terminals 200 and 210 into contact with each other, the electrode terminals 200 and 210 are bent. There is no need to cut or cut. Therefore, it is possible to easily connect the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the two adjacent storage elements 20 and 21 respectively.

(3) The power storage device 10 has, as the sandwiching member 32, the first sandwiching member 320 that sandwiches the electrode terminal 200 of the first storage element 20 and the first side wall portion 310 of the conductive member 31, and the electrode terminal of the second storage element 21. It has 210 and a second sandwiching member 321 that sandwiches the second side wall portion 311 of the conductive member 31. As a result, the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 can be more reliably brought into contact with the conductive member 31 by the first sandwiching member 320 and the second sandwiching member 321. As a result, the state in which the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 are connected can be more reliably maintained.

(4) The sandwiching member 32 is formed of a single member that sandwiches the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 and the conductive member 31 by elastic force. Thereby, the sandwiching member 32 capable of sandwiching the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 and the conductive member 31 can be realized with a simple structure.

(5) The sandwiching member 32 is made of a material having a higher rigidity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21. As a result, the elastic force of the sandwiching member 32 can be increased, so that the state in which the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 are in contact with each other can be more reliably maintained.

(6) The sandwiching member 32 is made of a material having lower conductivity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21. This makes it possible to avoid unintended energization via the sandwiching member 32.
(7) The sandwiching member 32 can be slidably moved with respect to the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 and the conductive member 31. As a result, the sandwiching member 32 can be easily assembled to the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, the power storage device 10 of the second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the differences from the power storage device 10 of the first embodiment will be mainly described.
As shown in FIG. 7, the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment is different from the power storage device 10 of the first embodiment in that it does not have the conductive member 31. Further, in the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment, the sandwiching member 32 sandwiches the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21, respectively.

Specifically, the sandwiching member 32 is elastically deformed in the opening direction by inserting the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 into the opening portion thereof. The electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 are sandwiched by the elastic force of the sandwiching member 32, so that the electrode terminals 200 of the first power storage element 20 and the electrode terminals 210 of the second power storage element 21 are electrically connected. It is held connected to. That is, the first power storage element 20 and the second power storage element 21 are electrically connected in series.

As in the first embodiment, the sandwiching member 32 has higher rigidity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21, and has lower conductivity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21. It is made of a material that has, for example, stainless steel. Further, the sandwiching member 32 can be slidably moved with respect to the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21.

According to the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment described above, the actions and effects shown in the following (8) to (11) can be obtained.
(8) According to the power storage device 10 of the present embodiment, it is only necessary to secure a space for arranging the sandwiching member 32 around the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21, respectively, and thus the clip and slide. Compared with the conventional power storage device that requires a space for arranging the two members of the frame, the space to be secured can be reduced. Therefore, the power storage device 10 can be miniaturized.

(9) The sandwiching member 32 is made of a material having a higher rigidity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21. As a result, the elastic force of the sandwiching member 32 can be increased, so that the state in which the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21 are in contact with each other can be more reliably maintained.

(10) The sandwiching member 32 is made of a material having lower conductivity than the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21. This makes it possible to avoid unintended energization via the sandwiching member 32.
(11) The sandwiching member 32 can be slidably moved with respect to the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21. As a result, the sandwiching member 32 can be easily assembled to the electrode terminals 200 and 210 of the power storage elements 20 and 21.

<Other embodiments>
The above embodiment can also be carried out in the following embodiments.
-The number of the power storage elements 20 and 21 of the first embodiment can be changed as appropriate. Further, the numbers of the conductive member 31 and the sandwiching member 32 may be changed according to the change in the number of the storage elements 20 and 21. Similarly, the numbers of the power storage elements 20 and 21 and the sandwiching member 32 of the second embodiment may be appropriately changed.

The shapes of the conductive member 31 and the sandwiching member 32 of the first embodiment may be appropriately changed. Similarly, the shape of the sandwiching member 32 of the second embodiment may be appropriately changed.
In the power storage device 10 of the first embodiment, the electrode terminal 210 of the second power storage element 21 may have the same electrode as the electrode terminal 210 of the first power storage element 20. That is, the connecting member 30 may be used to electrically connect the first power storage element 20 and the second power storage element 21 in parallel. Similarly, the sandwiching member 32 of the second embodiment may be used to electrically connect the first power storage element 20 and the second power storage element 21 in parallel.

-The present disclosure is not limited to the above specific examples. Specific examples described above with appropriate design changes by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present disclosure as long as they have the characteristics of the present disclosure. Each element included in each of the above-mentioned specific examples, and their arrangement, conditions, shape, and the like are not limited to those exemplified, and can be appropriately changed. The combinations of the elements included in each of the above-mentioned specific examples can be appropriately changed as long as there is no technical contradiction.

10: Power storage device 20, 21: Power storage element 31: Conductive member 32: Sandwiching member 200, 210: Electrode terminal 310: First side wall portion 311: Second side wall portion 312: Connecting portion 320: First sandwiching member 321: First 2 sandwiching member

Claims (2)

A plate-shaped electrode terminal extending in the vertical direction is provided on one side surface of the power storage element flat in the front-rear direction in the left-right direction.
A plurality of the power storage elements are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction with the electrode terminals oriented in the same direction on the left and right.
It is a method of assembling a power storage device in which the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are sandwiched by a sandwiching member made of a single member.
The sandwiching member has an Ω-shaped cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the vertical direction.
By sliding the sandwiching member in the vertical direction with respect to the electrode terminals and sandwiching the electrode terminals, the electrode terminals of the two adjacent energy storage elements are respectively attached to each other by the elastic force of the sandwiching member. A method of assembling a power storage device, which is characterized in that it is held in contact with each other. A plate-shaped electrode terminal extending in the vertical direction is provided on one side surface of the power storage element flat in the front-rear direction in the left-right direction.
While the plurality of power storage elements are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction with the electrode terminals oriented in the same direction on the left and right, while the storage elements are arranged side by side.
Next to the first side wall portion arranged along the electrode terminal of one of the two adjacent power storage elements between the electrode terminals of the two power storage elements adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction. Conductivity having a second side wall portion arranged along the electrode terminal of the other power storage element of the two matching storage elements, and a connecting portion connecting the first side wall portion and the second side wall portion. The members are arranged,
While the electrode terminal of the one storage element and the first side wall portion of the conductive member are sandwiched by the first sandwiching member made of a single member, the electrode terminal of the other storage element and the conductivity. A method of assembling a power storage device in which the second side wall portion of the sex member is sandwiched by a second sandwiching member made of a single member.
The first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member have an Ω-shaped cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the vertical direction.
By sliding the first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member in the vertical direction with respect to the electrode terminal and the conductive member to sandwich the corresponding electrode terminal and the side wall portion of the conductive member. The electrode terminal of each of the two adjacent storage elements is held in contact with the conductive member by the elastic force of the first sandwiching member and the second sandwiching member. Assembly method.

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