WO2017169443A1

WO2017169443A1 - Battery pack

Info

Publication number: WO2017169443A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/007509
Authority: WO
Inventors: 拓井上; 加藤　崇行; 浩生植田
Original assignee: 株式会社豊田自動織機
Priority date: 2016-03-29
Filing date: 2017-02-27
Publication date: 2017-10-05
Also published as: JP2017182998A

Abstract

A housing for this battery pack is provided with: a body which houses a battery module, which has an opening formed in one surface thereof, and which has an end surface annularly extending so as to surround the opening; a lid which is provided so as to cover one surface of the body and which covers the opening; and a sealing member which is provided between the end surface and the lid and which seals between the body and the lid. The end surface has a width defined between the inner side and the outer side of the body. The sealing member is disposed in a first region on the outer side in the width direction of the end surface. The lid includes: a first plate part having a first peripheral section which presses the sealing member; and a second plate part which is provided in a central section of the first plate part excluding the first peripheral section and which has a second peripheral section in contact with a second region on the inner side in the width direction of the end surface.

Description

Battery pack

The present invention relates to a battery pack.

Conventionally, a battery pack used as a battery of a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a forklift is known. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules and a housing that houses these battery modules. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, the housing has a seal structure including a seal member and a spacer that defines a compression amount of the seal member.

JP 2004-286215 A

In assembling the casing, it is necessary to separately arrange the seal member and the spacer, and the assembling work is complicated.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack in which a housing can be easily assembled.

A battery pack according to one embodiment of the present invention is a battery pack in which a battery module is accommodated in a box-shaped housing. The housing accommodates the battery module, and an opening is provided on one surface, and surrounds the opening. A body portion having an end surface extending in a ring shape, a cover portion provided so as to cover one surface of the body portion, facing the end surface of the body portion and closing the opening, and provided between the end surface and the lid portion. And a sealing member that seals between the main body part and the lid part by being pressed by the lid part, and the end surface of the main body part has a width from the inner side to the outer side of the main body part. The sealing member is disposed in the first region on the outer side in the width direction of the end surface, and the lid portion covers the one surface of the main body portion and has a first peripheral portion that presses the sealing member. A first plate disposed on the main body side of the first plate portion and the first plate portion; Together provided in a central portion excluding the first peripheral portion of a second plate portion having a second peripheral portion contacting the second region of the inner side in the width direction of the end surface.

In the battery pack according to one aspect, in the lid portion, the second plate portion is provided in the central portion excluding the first peripheral portion of the first plate portion, and thus is slightly smaller than the first plate portion. A seal member is disposed in the first region on the outer side in the width direction on the end surface of the housing. The first peripheral portion of the first plate portion contacts the seal member, and the second peripheral portion of the second plate portion contacts the second region on the inner side in the width direction of the end surface. The distance between the first plate portion and the end surface is defined by the thickness of the second plate portion, and the seal member is compressed by the first peripheral edge portion of the first plate portion. That is, the amount by which the first peripheral edge compresses the seal member is defined by the thickness of the second plate part. As described above, the second plate portion has a role equivalent to that of the spacer. When assembling the main body portion and the lid portion, the second plate portion is installed in accordance with the second region of the end face, and the first plate portion is pressed against the seal member, whereby the sealing by the seal member is performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately arrange the spacers, and the housing can be easily assembled. In addition, the sealing member fits within the thickness range while maintaining the thickness of the lid according to the predetermined strength. Therefore, the battery pack can be reduced in size.

In some embodiments, the first plate portion and the second plate portion are separate plate members. According to this structure, the cover part mentioned above can be formed easily.

In some embodiments, the second plate portion is formed of a plurality of plate-like members. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily adjust the compression amount of the seal member by changing the number of plate-like members.

In some aspects, the lid portion further includes a fitting portion that is provided in a central portion excluding the second peripheral edge portion of the second plate portion and is fitted into the opening of the main body portion. According to this configuration, a step is formed between the second plate portion and the insertion portion, so that the lid portion and the main body portion can be easily positioned.

In some embodiments, the battery module or a part different from the battery module housed in the housing is fixed to one surface of the lid portion facing the inside of the main body portion. According to this configuration, the battery module or another component can be easily assembled in the housing.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily assemble the casing in manufacturing the battery pack.

It is a perspective view which shows the battery pack which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is the perspective view which shows the cover part of the battery pack of FIG. 1, (b) is the figure which looked at the cover part from the back surface side, (c) is the side view of a cover part. It is sectional drawing which shows the battery pack of FIG. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state before assembling the cover part and main-body part of the battery pack of FIG. 1, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state which assembled the lid part and main-body part of the battery pack of FIG. . It is sectional drawing of the housing | casing of the battery pack which concerns on a 1st modification. It is sectional drawing of the housing | casing of the battery pack which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is sectional drawing which shows the battery pack which concerns on a 3rd modification.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The configuration of the battery pack 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The battery pack 100 is used as a battery of a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a forklift. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack 100 includes one or a plurality of battery modules M and a box-shaped housing H that houses the battery modules M.

The housing H of the battery pack 100 is composed of a main body portion 10 and a lid portion 20 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. The main body 10 includes a base plate 11 and side plates 12 provided on each of the four sides of the base plate 11, and an opening 13 is formed on a surface facing the base plate 11. Each of the base plate 11 and the side plate 12 is a rectangular flat plate member. The main body 10 is formed, for example, by welding the side plate 12 to the edge of the base plate 11. The lid portion 20 is fixed to the end surface 12 a on the side of the opening 13 in the side plate 12 by a fixing member such as a bolt, for example, and closes the opening 13. As a material for forming the main body 10 and the lid 20, for example, a metal material such as iron or aluminum can be used.

The end surface 12a of the main body 10 has a first region 12a1 and a second region 12a2 of the second plate portion (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The first region 12a1 is an outer annular region in the width direction of the end surface 12a, and the second region 12a2 is an inner annular region in the width direction of the end surface 12a. Here, the width direction refers to a direction from the inner side to the outer side of the main body 10.

The seal member 30 has an annular shape as a whole and has a rectangular cross section. The seal member 30 is disposed between the main body portion 10 and the lid portion 20, and is fixed to the end surface 12a of the side plate 12 with an adhesive or the like. The seal member 30 has elasticity, and is sealed between the main body 10 and the lid 20 by being pressed by the lid 20. The seal member 30 is made of a resin material such as EPDM, for example. The thickness t30 of the seal member 30 can be determined based on the hardness of the material, the reaction force against the compression amount, or the like.

Subsequently, the shape of the lid 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, in the present embodiment, the lid portion 20 includes a first plate portion 21 and a second plate portion 22. Each of the first plate portion 21 and the second plate portion 22 is a rectangular flat plate member. The first plate portion 21 and the second plate portion 22 are joined in a state of being overlapped so that the centers thereof coincide and the sides are substantially parallel. The second plate portion 22 is disposed on the main body portion 10 side of the first plate portion 21. A step 23 equal to the thickness of the second plate portion 22 is formed between the first plate portion 21 and the second plate portion 22. In addition, the cover part 20 may be formed from the single flat plate member instead of a separate flat plate member.

The dimensions in the X direction and the Y direction of the first plate part 21 are the same as the dimensions in the X direction and the Y direction of the main body part 10 in FIG. The dimensions of the second plate part 22 in the X direction and the Y direction are smaller than the dimensions of the first plate part 21 in the X direction and the Y plane direction and larger than the dimension of the opening 13 of the main body part 10. In other words, the second plate portion 22 is slightly smaller than the first plate portion 21. The 1st board part 21 has the 1st peripheral part 21a which presses the sealing member 30 in the part except the center part to which the 2nd board part 22 was joined. The second plate portion 22 has a second peripheral edge portion 22 a that abuts against the end surface 12 a of the main body portion 10 on one surface facing the opening 13 of the main body portion 10.

The thickness t21 of the first plate portion 21 and the thickness t22 of the second plate portion 22 are, for example, half the thickness of the base plate 11, respectively, and the base is in a state where the first plate portion 21 and the second plate portion 22 are joined. It can be formed to have the same thickness as the plate 11. However, the thickness t21 of the first plate portion 21 and the thickness t21 of the second plate portion 22 can be arbitrarily changed within a range having sufficient strength as a lid portion. Further, the thickness t21 of the first plate portion 21 and the thickness t22 of the second plate portion 22 may be different.

The lid portion 20 is produced, for example, by joining the first plate portion 21 and the second plate portion 22 together by welding. Moreover, the 1st board part 21 and the 2nd board part 22 may be integrally joined by fastening members, such as a volt | bolt. When assembling the main body portion 10 and the lid portion 20, the second plate portion 22 is installed in alignment with the second region 12a2 of the end surface 12a, and the main body portion 10 is pressed against the seal member 30 in the main body. The lid portion 20 is fixed to the portion 10. For example, a fastening member such as a bolt is used to fix the lid 20.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the battery pack 100 in a state where the main body 10 and the lid 20 are assembled. As shown in FIG. 3, the seal member 30 is disposed in the first region 12 a 1 of the end surface 12 a of the main body 10. When the main body portion 10 and the lid portion 20 are assembled, the first peripheral edge portion 21a of the first plate portion 21 comes into contact with the seal member 30, and the second region 12a2 of the end surface 12a is in contact with the second plate portion 22 of the second plate portion 22. 2 peripheral edge part 22a contact | abuts.

A step 23 is formed between the first peripheral edge 21a and the second peripheral edge 22a. The distance between the first plate portion 21 and the end surface 12a is defined by the thickness t22 of the second plate portion 22. That is, the thickness t22 of the second plate portion 22 defines the amount by which the first peripheral edge portion 21a compresses the seal member 30. Thus, since the 2nd board part 22 has a role equivalent to a spacer, it is not necessary to arrange | position a spacer separately and the assembly of the housing | casing H can be performed easily.

4A, the thickness t30 of the seal member 30 is the thickness of the second plate portion 22 in order to properly seal the space between the main body portion 10 and the lid portion 20 with the seal member 30. It is larger than t22. In the state in which the main body 10 and the lid 20 are assembled, as shown in FIG. 4B, the thickness t30 of the seal member 30 is increased by the first plate 21 to the thickness t22 of the second plate 22. Compressed. Thus, since the sealing member 30 is within the thickness range of the lid portion 20, the battery pack 100 can be reduced in size while maintaining the thickness of the lid portion 20 according to a predetermined strength.

Next, a battery pack 200 according to a first modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the housing H of the battery pack 200. The battery pack 200 is different from the battery pack 100 in that a lid portion 220 having a second plate portion 22 formed of a plurality of plate members is provided in place of the lid portion 20. Similarly to the lid part 20, the lid part 220 can be manufactured by welding and joining together at least one of the first plate part 21 and the second plate part 22 on the first plate part 21 side. Moreover, you may join integrally by fastening members, such as a volt | bolt.

The second plate portion 22 of the lid portion 220 is formed of a plurality of (for example, two) plate-like members. By configuring the second plate portion 22 in this manner, the thickness t22 of the second plate portion 22 can be changed by changing the number of plate-like members in the second plate portion 22. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the compression amount of the seal member 30. Other functions and effects of the lid portion 220 are the same as those of the lid portion 20, and thus description thereof is omitted.

Subsequently, a battery pack 300 according to a second modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the housing H of the battery pack 300. The battery pack 300 is different from the battery pack 100 in that a lid 320 having a fitting portion 24 is provided instead of the lid 20.

The lid portion 320 further includes a fitting portion 24 in addition to the first plate portion 21 and the second plate portion 22. The fitting part 24 is provided in the central part excluding the second peripheral edge part 22 a of the second plate part 22, and a step 25 is formed between the fitting part 24 and the second plate part 22. The size of the fitting portion 24 is slightly smaller than the size of the opening 13. The fitting part 24 can be formed from a plate-shaped member, for example. In addition, the insertion part 24 may be formed from a some rod-shaped member. Since the other structure of the cover part 320 is the same as that of the cover part 20, the description is abbreviate | omitted. The lid part 320 can be produced by welding the first plate part 21, the second plate part 22, and the fitting part 24 and integrally joining them. Moreover, you may join integrally by fastening members, such as a volt | bolt.

In the lid part 320, the insertion part 24 is provided in the central part excluding the second peripheral edge part 22 a of the second plate part 22, and a step 25 is formed between the insertion part 24 and the second plate part 22. With these configurations, when the main body portion 10 and the lid portion 320 are assembled, the insertion portion 24 is inserted into the opening. Thereby, positioning of the main-body part 10 and the cover part 320 can be performed easily. The other functions and effects of the lid part 320 are the same as the functions and effects of the lid part 20, and thus description thereof is omitted.

Next, a battery pack 400 according to a third modification of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the battery pack 400. The battery pack 400 is different from the battery pack 100 in that a part of the battery modules MA housed in the housing H is fixed. The battery module MA is fixed to one surface of the second plate portion 22 facing the inside of the main body portion 10. In addition to the battery module M, other components may be fixed to the second plate portion 22. For fixing the battery module M or other components, for example, a fastening member such as a bolt can be used. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily assemble a battery module or another component inside the housing H.

Although various embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be employed. For example, the fitting portion 24 may be further formed on the second plate portion 22 of the lid portion 220. Further, the battery module M or other components may be fixed to the second plate portion 22 of the lid portion 220. Further, the battery module M or other components may be fixed to the fitting portion 24 of the lid portion 320. The cross-sectional shape of the seal member 30 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a circle. The end surface 12a of the main body 10 may be a flange portion that protrudes to the outside or inside of the housing H.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main-body part 12a End surface 12a1 1st area | region 12a2 2nd area | region 13 Opening 20 Lid part 21 1st board part 21a 1st peripheral part 22 2nd board part 22a 2nd

peripheral part

23,25 Level difference 24 Insertion part 30 Sealing member 100, 200,300 Battery pack 220,320 Lid H Case M Battery module

Claims

A battery pack in which a battery module is housed in a box-shaped housing,
The housing is
A main body having an end surface that accommodates the battery module and that is provided with an opening on one surface and extends annularly so as to surround the opening;
A lid that is provided so as to cover the one surface of the main body, and that covers the opening facing the end surface of the main body;
A seal member provided between the end surface and the lid portion, extending annularly along the end surface, and sealed between the main body portion and the lid portion by being pressed by the lid portion; ,
The end surface of the main body portion has a width from the inner side to the outer side of the main body portion, and the seal member is disposed in a first region on the outer side in the width direction of the end surface,
The lid is
A first plate portion covering the one surface of the main body and having a first peripheral edge for pressing the seal member;
It arrange | positions at the said main-body part side of the said 1st board part, and it contact | abuts to the 2nd area | region of the inner side in the width direction of the said end surface while being provided in the center part except the said 1st peripheral part. And a second plate portion having a second peripheral edge portion.
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first plate portion and the second plate portion are separate plate-like members.
The battery pack according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second plate portion is formed of a plurality of plate-like members.
4. The lid according to claim 1, further comprising a fitting portion that is provided at a central portion of the second plate portion excluding the second peripheral edge portion and is fitted into the opening of the main body portion. The battery pack according to item.
The battery module or a part different from the battery module housed in the housing is fixed to one surface of the lid portion facing the inside of the main body portion. The battery pack according to any one of the above.