JP7388306B2 - battery system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a battery system.

Conventionally, as a battery system equipped with a plurality of batteries, Patent Document 1 discloses that a pair of end plates are provided at both ends in the stacking direction of a battery stack formed by stacking batteries, and a restraining plate is connected to the pair of end plates. A configuration is disclosed in which the battery stack is restrained by the following methods. The restraint plate has a main body that covers the side surface of the battery stack, a bent piece fixed to the end plate, and a claw-shaped connecting part that protrudes from the main body to the lower surface of the battery stack. . A cooling plate is provided on the bottom side of the battery stack as a temperature control member for adjusting the temperature of the battery, and the cooling plate is supported by a connecting bar connected to the connecting part of the restraining plate. .

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-012441

However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the connection part that supports the cooling plate and the main body part of the restraint plate are formed as one part, and the connection part is located at a predetermined position with respect to the main body part of the restraint plate. It is provided. As a result, it is not easy to change the mounting position of the connecting bars that support the cooling plate or the number of connecting bars used. Therefore, it may be difficult to suppress deformation of the temperature control member due to its own weight or the like. When the temperature control member is deformed, variations occur in the heat transfer characteristics between the temperature control member and the battery, resulting in a decrease in thermal efficiency in temperature control of the battery. As a result, it is difficult to downsize and simplify the temperature control mechanism, and there is room for improvement in reducing manufacturing costs.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and aims to provide a battery system that can reduce manufacturing costs by equalizing heat transfer characteristics between a temperature control member and a battery stack. It is something.

One embodiment of the present invention includes a battery stack formed by stacking a plurality of batteries;
a restraint plate that restrains the battery stack in the stacking direction;
a temperature control member that is thermally connected to the battery stack and controls the temperature of the battery;
a support body that supports the temperature control member in a state where the temperature control member is pressed against the battery stack via a fastening member welded to the restraint plate;
The battery system includes:

In the battery system described above, the support body that supports the temperature control member for temperature control of the battery is provided via a fastening member welded to the restraining plate. Therefore, the fastening member is a separate component from the restraining plate, and the mounting position of the fastening member can be changed more easily than when both are made of one part. By adjusting the mounting position of the fastening member and the number of supports used, taking into consideration the weight of the temperature control member, deformation of the temperature control member is suppressed, and the transmission between the temperature control member and the battery is improved. It is possible to equalize thermal characteristics. As a result, the thermal efficiency in heating and cooling the battery is improved, so the mechanism for temperature regulation of the battery can be downsized and simplified, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

As described above, according to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a battery system that can equalize the heat transfer characteristics between the temperature control member and the battery stack and reduce manufacturing costs.

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the battery system in Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view of the battery system in Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a process of assembling a temperature control member in Embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a process of assembling a temperature control member in modification 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to the line III-III in FIG. 3 in modification 2; FIG. 4 is a sectional view corresponding to the line III-III in FIG. 3 in Embodiment 2;

The fastening member may include a bolt and a nut, and one of the bolt and the nut may be welded to the restraining plate. In this case, the support body can be attached to the restraining plate via the fastening member with a simple configuration. Among these, it is preferable that the bolt is welded to the restraint plate. If a nut as a fastening member is welded to a restraint plate, if the bolt is screwed deeply into the nut, the tip of the bolt may interfere with the restraint plate. When the bolt is welded to the restraint plate, there is no possibility that the bolt tip will interfere with the restraint plate when tightening the bolt. Therefore, there is no need to consider the length of the bolt when tightening, and the workability of assembly is good.

The support body may be joined to the temperature control member. In this case, when attaching the temperature control member, positioning between the support body and the temperature control member is not necessary, and the assembling workability is improved.

Preferably, an elastic member that can be elastically deformed is interposed between the support body and the restraint plate. In this case, it becomes easier to press the temperature control member held by the support against the battery stack, so that the temperature control effect of the battery by the temperature control member can be improved.

It is preferable that a plurality of the supports are provided at predetermined intervals in the stacking direction of the batteries in the battery stack. In this case, since the temperature control member can be pressed against the battery stack evenly in the stacking direction of the battery stack, the temperature control effect of the battery by the temperature control member can be further improved.

(Embodiment 1)
An embodiment of the above battery system will be described using FIGS. 1 to 4.
The battery system 1 of this embodiment includes a battery stack 10, a restraint plate 20, a temperature control member 30, and a support 40.
The battery stack 10 is constructed by stacking a plurality of batteries 10a.
The restraint plate 20 restrains the battery stack 10 in the stacking direction Y.
The temperature control member 30 is thermally connected to the battery stack and controls the temperature of the battery 10a.
The support body 40 supports the temperature control member 30 in a state where the temperature control member 30 is pressed against the battery stack 10 via a fastening member 45 welded to the restraint plate 20 .

Hereinafter, the battery system 1 of this embodiment will be explained in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of batteries 10a are provided and stacked in the Y direction. Although the number of batteries 10a is not particularly limited, the first embodiment includes 14 batteries 10a. The type of battery 10a is not limited, and may be a rechargeable secondary battery. A battery stack 10 is formed by stacking the plurality of batteries 10a. In the first embodiment, the terminal 11a is provided on the upper surface 11 of the battery 10a, and the lower surface 12 of the battery 10a is flat. In the battery stack 10, the batteries 10a are stacked with the same shape so that the terminals 11a are located on the same side. Note that a spacer (not shown) may be interposed between adjacent batteries 10a in the battery stack 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of end plates 15 are provided at both ends of the battery stack 10 in the stacking direction Y, respectively. In the first embodiment, the outer shape of the end plate 15 is slightly larger than the battery 10a in plan view. The end plate 15 can be made of metal with high rigidity.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the restraining plates 20 are connected to end plates 15 located at both ends of the battery stack 10, and the battery stack 10 is held between the end plates 15. The restraint plate 20 is made of a long metal plate. In the first embodiment, the restraining plates 20 are attached to two locations each on the upper surface and the lower surface of the end plate 15 in the height direction Z, and a total of four restraining plates 20 are provided. The restraint plate 20 is fastened to the end plate 15 with bolts 21. The battery stack 10 is held between the pair of end plates 15 via the restraint plate 20 and restrained in the stacking direction Y, thereby maintaining the stacked state and suppressing expansion of the batteries 10a in the stacking direction Y. has been done.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a temperature control member 30 is provided below Z2 of the battery stack 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature control member 30 includes a flow path 31 through which a heat medium can flow. Although not shown, the temperature control member 30 is provided with a heat medium introduction part for introducing the heat medium into the temperature control member 30 and a heat medium derivation part for leading out the heat medium from the temperature control member 30. ing. In the first embodiment, the temperature control member 30 extends in the stacking direction Y along the lower surface 12 of the battery stack 10 between the pair of restraining plates 20 located below Z2 of the battery stack 10. .

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a thermally conductive material 35 is interposed between the temperature control member 30 and the battery stack 10. The thermally conductive material 35 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and is in close contact with both the temperature control member 30 and the battery stack 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support body 40 is attached to the restraint plate 20 via a fastening member 45. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the support body 40 is not directly fixed to the housing 2 of the battery system 1, and the support body 40 and the housing 2 are in a spaced apart state.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of restraint plates 20 provided below Z2 of the battery stack 10 are attached so as to be connected in the width direction X. The support body 40 is made of a metal plate material, has fastening parts 41 fastened to the restraint plate 20 at both ends in the width direction X, and has a support part 42 that supports the temperature control member 30 on the center side in the width direction have Between the fastening part 41 and the support part 42, there is a step part 43 that positions the support part 42 below the fastening part 41 at a position Z2. The fastening portion 41 is formed with a through hole 41a through which a bolt serving as a fastening member 45 (described later) is inserted. The number of supports 40 to be provided is not limited, and may be the number required to support the temperature control member 30 and press the temperature control member 30 onto the battery 10a. When a plurality of supports 40 are provided, it is preferable that the pressing force of the temperature control member 30 on the battery 10a be uniform. In the first embodiment, four supports 40 are provided, and the four supports 40 are provided at equal intervals in the stacking direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 3, a fastening member 45 is welded to the restraining plate 20 located below Z2 of the battery stack 10 on the lower side, that is, on the side opposite to the battery stack 10. Although the structure of the fastening member 45 is not limited, in this embodiment, the fastening member 45 is made of a bolt 451, and the upper end 45a of the bolt 451 in the axial direction is joined to the lower surface of the restraining plate 20. The support body 40 is attached to the restraining plate 20 by screwing the nut 452 into the bolt 451 with the bolt 451 inserted into the through hole 41a of the support body 40. The welding position of the bolt 451 is not limited and can be set as appropriate depending on the number of supports 40 to be attached. Note that in the first embodiment, the bolt 451 has a shape that does not have a head at the upper end. In the first embodiment, one through hole 41a is provided in each of the fastening parts 41 of the support body 40, and both ends of the support body 40 in the width direction X are fastened with one fastening part 41. However, the fastening portions 41 of the support body 40 may each have two or more through holes 41a, and the support body 40 may be attached using the fastening members 45 accordingly.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the first embodiment, an elastic member 50 is interposed between the support body 40 and the temperature control member 30. The material of the elastic member 50 is not particularly limited, and is made of a material having a predetermined elasticity. The size of the elastic member 50 is also not particularly limited, but in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the size of the elastic member 50 in the width direction The size is the same as that of the support 40.

Next, a method for assembling the temperature control member 30 in the first embodiment will be explained.
First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the restraint plate 20 is first attached to the battery stack 10 to restrain the battery stack 10 in the stacking direction Y, and then the lower surface 12 of the battery stack 10 faces upward. Flip it upside down. Then, a bolt 451 as a fastening member 45 is prepared, and the upper end 45a of the bolt 451 is welded to a predetermined position on the restraining plate 20 on the lower surface 12 side of the battery stack 10. The welding position can be appropriately set in consideration of the shapes and sizes of the support body 40, restraint plate 20, temperature control member 30, and battery stack 10 to be attached. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a welded portion 45b is formed between the bolt 451 and the restraint plate 20 to join them together.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the thermally conductive material 35, the temperature control member 30, and the elastic member 50 are arranged in this order on the lower surface 12 of the battery stack 10, and the fastening portion 41 of the support body 40 is formed. A bolt 451 welded to the restraint plate 20 is inserted into the through hole 41a. Note that the elastic member 50 is arranged at a position facing the support part 42 of the support body 40.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, nuts 452 are attached to bolts 451 welded to the restraint plate 20 to fasten the support body 40 to the restraint plate 20. Thereby, the temperature control member 30 is supported in a state where the support part 42 of the support body 40 presses the thermally conductive material 35, the temperature control member 30, and the elastic member 50 against the lower surface 12 of the battery stack 10.

Next, the effects of the battery system of the first embodiment will be explained.
In the battery system 1 of the first embodiment, the support body 40 that supports the temperature control member 30 for temperature control of the battery 10a is provided via a fastening member 45 welded to the restraint plate 20. Therefore, the fastening member 45 is a separate part from the restraining plate 20, and it is easier to change the mounting position of the fastening member 45 and the number of supports 40 used than when both are made of one part. It has become. As a result, by adjusting the mounting position of the fastening member 45 and the number of supports 40 to be used in consideration of the own weight of the temperature control member 30, deformation of the temperature control member 30 is suppressed, and the temperature control member 30 and the battery are 10a can be equalized in heat transfer characteristics. As a result, the thermal efficiency in heating and cooling the battery 10a is improved, so the mechanism for temperature regulation of the battery 10a can be downsized and simplified, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, the support body 40 that supports the temperature control member 30 is fixed to the restraining plate 20 and is not directly fixed to the housing 2. As a result, for example, when the battery system 1 is mounted on a vehicle, even if an external force such as pushing up the battery system 1 from the bottom of the vehicle is applied to the housing 2, the support body 40, the temperature control member 30, and the battery 10a It is possible to make it difficult for external force to be transmitted to the battery 10a, and it is possible to suppress damage to the battery 10a.

In addition, in the case where an elastic member is interposed between the temperature control member 30 and the bottom of the casing 2 and pressed against the battery stack 10 by the elastic force of the elastic member, the bottom of the casing 2 If the surface accuracy is low due to deformation or unevenness, variations will occur in the pressing force of the temperature control member 30 against the battery stack 10. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, the elastic member 50 is provided between the temperature control member 30 and the support body 40 fixed to the restraint plate 20, so that the surface accuracy of the bottom of the housing 2 is Even if it is low, it is possible to reduce variations in the pressing force of the temperature control member 30 against the battery stack 10 without being affected by it. This makes it possible to equalize the heat transfer characteristics between the temperature control member 30 and the battery stack 10, and improves the thermal efficiency when heating and cooling the battery 10a. It can be downsized and simplified, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Further, in the first embodiment, bolts 451 as fastening members 45 are welded to the restraining plate 20. Thereby, the support body 40 can be attached to the restraining plate 20 via the fastening member 45 with a simple configuration. Furthermore, when the nut 452 is welded to the restraint plate 20 as the fastening member 45, if the bolt 451 is deeply screwed in when fastening the bolt 451 to the nut 452, the tip of the bolt 451 will interfere with the restraint plate 20. However, since the bolt 451 is welded to the restraining plate 20 as in the first embodiment, there is no possibility that the tip of the bolt 451 will interfere with the restraining plate 20 when the bolt 451 is fastened. Therefore, there is no need to consider the length of the bolt 451 when tightening, and the workability of assembly is good.

Further, in the first embodiment, a plurality of supports 40 are provided at predetermined intervals in the stacking direction Y of the batteries 10a in the battery stack 10. This allows the temperature control member 30 to be evenly pressed against the battery stack 10 in the stacking direction Y of the battery stack 10, thereby further equalizing the heat transfer characteristics between the temperature control member 30 and the batteries 10a. can be achieved.

In Embodiment 1, a bolt 451 without a head is used as the fastening member 45, but instead of this, a bolt having a head 453 is used as the fastening member 45, as in Modified Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 451 may be used to weld the upper surface of the head 453 to the restraining plate 20. As this bolt 451, for example, a weld bolt can be adopted. In this case, since the area of the welded portion 45b can be made larger, the welding strength of the fastening member 45 can be improved.

In the first embodiment, four long plate-shaped restraining plates 20 are used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the second modification shown in FIG. Two restraining plates 20 may be used to cover both sides of the battery stack 10. In this case as well, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be achieved. In the case of the second modification, the support body 40 does not necessarily have to be fixed at the lower side Y2 of the battery stack 10, but the fastening portion 41 of the support body 40 can be wrapped around the side wall portion 22 of the U-shaped restraint plate 20. It may also be fixed to the side wall portion 22.

As described above, according to the above aspect, when assembling the temperature control member 30 to the battery stack 10, the mounting position of the support body 40 for supporting the temperature control member 30 can be easily changed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. System 1 can be provided.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment described above, the support body 40 and the temperature control member 30 are separate bodies, but instead, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the support body 40 is joined to the temperature control member 30. It has a joint portion 44 . In the second embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment, the support body 40 has a plate shape and includes a joint portion 44 and a fastening portion 41. As shown in FIG. The joint portion 44 is joined to the edge of the temperature control member 30 in the width direction X. Although the method of joining the joint portion 44 is not particularly limited, in the second embodiment, it is welded to the temperature control member 30. The fastening portion 41 further protrudes from the joint portion 44 in the width direction X and is fastened to the restraining plate 20.

In addition, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. An elastic member 55 is provided between the fastening portion 41 of the body 40 and the restraining plate 20.

According to the battery system 1 of the second embodiment, the support body 40 is joined to the temperature control member 30 and is integrated therewith. This eliminates the need for positioning the support body 40 and the temperature control member 30 when installing the temperature control member 30, and reduces the number of parts when assembling the temperature control member 30, which improves assembly work efficiency. further improve

Further, in the second embodiment, an elastic member 55 that can be elastically deformed is interposed between the support body 40 and the restraining plate 20. This makes it easier to press the temperature control member 30 supported by the support body 40 against the battery stack 10, so that the temperature control effect of the temperature control member 30 on the battery 10a can be improved. Note that the second embodiment also provides the same effects as the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be applied to various embodiments without departing from the gist thereof.

1 Battery system 10 Battery laminate 10a Battery 15 End plate 20 Restraint plate 30 Temperature control member 35 Thermal conductive material 40 Support body 45 Fastening member 45a Upper end 45b Welded part 451 Bolt 452 Nut 50 Elastic member 55 Elastic member

Claims (6)

A battery stack formed by stacking a plurality of batteries,
a restraint plate that restrains the battery stack in the stacking direction;
a temperature control member that is thermally connected to the battery stack and controls the temperature of the battery;
a support body that supports the temperature control member in a state where the temperature control member is pressed against the battery stack via a fastening member welded to the restraint plate;
A battery system equipped with The battery system according to claim 1, wherein the fastening member includes a bolt and a nut, and one of the bolt and the nut is welded to the restraint plate. 3. The battery system of claim 2, wherein the bolt is welded to the restraining plate. The battery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support body is joined to the temperature control member. The battery system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an elastic member that is elastically deformable is interposed between the support body and the restraint plate. The battery system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of the supports are provided at predetermined intervals in the stacking direction of the batteries in the battery stack.

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