JP5008360B2 - Power supply - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus in which a large number of batteries are housed in a holder, and more particularly to a power supply apparatus suitable for supplying power to a motor that drives a vehicle.

In order to increase the output voltage, the power supply device for vehicles increases the output voltage by connecting a large number of batteries in series. As a power supply device including a large number of batteries, a device for arranging each battery in a holder case has been developed. (See Patent Documents 1 and 2)
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-313018 JP 2002-134078 A

  The power supply apparatus of patent document 1 is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. In this power supply device, a large number of prismatic batteries are connected to each other by a case 82. The battery cell 81 of the square battery is provided with a leg 83 protruding from both sides of the lower part. The case 82 includes a lower case 82A and an upper case 82B that is connected to the lower case 82A and accommodates the battery cell 81 therein. The lower case 82 </ b> A is provided with a pair of rails 84 that are hooked so as not to come off the legs 83 of the battery cells 81 on both sides. A large number of battery cells 81 are stacked on each other, and the legs 83 are connected to the rails 84 of the lower case 82A so as not to come out of the lower case 82A. Since the battery cell 81 in this state can move along the rail 84, the battery cells 81 to be stacked are sandwiched by the restraining plates 85 from both ends. The restraining plates 85 at both ends are connected by a restraining rod 86 to sandwich the battery cell 81. In this state, the upper case 82B is connected to the lower case 82A, and a large number of battery cells 81 are fixed and stored in the case 82.

  The power supply device having this structure can be connected so that the battery cells of the rectangular battery are stacked in a lower case so as not to come off. However, the power supply device with this structure cannot fix the stacked battery cells in place in the lower case. For this reason, it is necessary to clamp and fix the both ends of the laminated battery cells with a restraining plate. The restraint plates are connected at two places on the top and bottom, and four places in total with restraint rods. In this structure, each battery is put in the rail of the lower case in order and stacked, and then a restraint plate is disposed at both ends of the stacked battery cells, and further, four places of the restraint plate are connected by restraint rods. It takes time to assemble. Further, in the power supply device with this structure, the dimensional error of each battery cell deviates the thickness of the stacked battery cells. For this reason, the structure in which a large number of battery cells are stacked has a drawback that a dimensional error increases. Furthermore, this power supply device also has a drawback that it takes time to repair. This is because a specific battery cell cannot be detached alone. Furthermore, it is difficult for the power supply device with this structure to effectively prevent induction of thermal runaway of the battery. This is because a battery that is overheated due to thermal runaway heats the adjacent battery and induces thermal runaway.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the power supply device of Patent Literature 2 includes a battery holder 92 that stores square batteries side by side. The battery holder 92 includes a box-shaped holder case 92A that opens upward, and a lid holder 92B that closes the opening of the holder case 92A. The holder case 92 </ b> A is partitioned into a plurality of storage portions 94 by providing a partition 93 inside. The battery cells 91 are placed in the respective storage portions 94 and arranged at fixed positions. Further, the upper opening of the holder case 92A that houses the battery cell 91 is closed by the lid holder 92B.

  In the power supply device having this structure, the battery cell can be placed in a fixed position by being put in the battery holder. Moreover, it can assemble, eliminating the dimensional error of a battery cell. However, in the power supply device with this structure, stress acts on the electrode of the battery cell and adversely affects the battery characteristics. When an excessive stress is applied to the electrode, there is a detrimental effect on the external stress due to vibration and temperature change. This is because the battery cell is placed in the storage portion of the upper opening and closed with the lid holder, and the outer case of the battery cell is sandwiched in the vertical direction. When the outer case is sandwiched between the upper and lower parts and subjected to vibration in a state where stress is applied to the electrodes, the adverse effect of the battery due to the stress is further accelerated. Moreover, it is difficult to cool the battery cell accommodated in the battery holder in the power supply device having this structure. For this reason, there exists a fault which cannot cool many battery cells uniformly and efficiently.

The present invention has been developed for the purpose of solving this drawback. An important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device in which excessive stress does not act on the electrode of the battery cell, the battery characteristics are hardly deteriorated by external stress due to vibration or temperature change, and the battery life can be extended. is there.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device that can be mass-produced efficiently and inexpensively while being arranged at a fixed position in an ideal state of a large number of battery cells.
Furthermore, another important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device that can effectively prevent the thermal runaway of the battery and improve the safety.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device that can reduce the dimensional error of the outer shape by using battery cells having dimensional errors.

The power supply device of the present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-described object.
The power supply apparatus includes a plurality of battery cells 1 each having a square shape, a battery holder block 2 having a plurality of cell slots 4 into which the respective battery cells 1 are inserted, and cell slots 4 of the holder block 2. And a closing plate 3 that closes the opening. The holder block 2 is provided with an electrode-side opening 6 for exposing the electrode terminal 16 of the battery cell 1 to the outside in one of the cell slots 4, and an insertion-side opening for inserting the battery cell 1 in the other of the cell slots 4. Part 7 is provided. Further, the battery cell 1 has a retaining protrusion 17 on both sides that prevents the battery cell 1 from being removed from the opening 6 on the electrode side in a state of being inserted into the cell slot 4. The cell slot 4 of the holder block 2 is provided with a locking recess 8 that guides the retaining protrusion 17 and prevents the battery cell 1 from coming out of the opening 6 on the electrode side. In the state where the battery cell 1 is inserted into the cell slot 4, the power supply device closes the opening 7 on the insertion side of the holder block 2 with the closing plate 3, and stores the battery cell 1 in the cell slot 4 of the holder block 2. Fixed in place.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the locking recess 8 provided in the cell slot 4 has a tapered shape that expands toward the opening 7 on the insertion side, and the retaining protrusion 17 is fitted in the tapered shape. It can be.

  The power supply device of the present invention can be provided with the retaining protrusion 17 of the battery cell 1 at the bottom of the battery cell 1 and the locking recess 8 of the cell slot 4 at the opening 7 on the insertion side.

  The power supply device of the present invention is provided with a holding convex portion 9 that protrudes toward the central portion of the surface of the battery cell 1 on the opposing inner surface of the cell slot 4 and holds the battery cell 1, and the holding convex portion 9 is a battery. The central portion of the cell 1 can be sandwiched from both sides and held in the cell slot 4.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the battery cell 1 is a thin rectangular battery having a width wider than the thickness, and the holder block 2 is parallel to the cell slot 4 having a slit-like cross-sectional shape into which the thin rectangular battery can be inserted. Can be arranged side by side.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the battery cell 1 is a lithium ion secondary battery, and the intermediate wall 5 located between the cell slots 4 and the block main body 2A outside the cell slot 4 are integrally formed of plastic. Thus, the holder block 2 and the closing plate 3 can be made of metal.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, excessive stress does not act on the electrode of the battery cell. This is because the power supply device of the present invention fixes a plurality of battery cells in place with a unique structure of the holder block and the closing plate. The holder block has a cell slot into which the battery cell is inserted. Further, one of the cell slots has an electrode-side opening that exposes the electrode terminal of the battery cell to the outside, and the other has an insertion into which the battery cell is inserted. A side opening is provided. Further, the battery cell is provided with a protruding protrusion on both sides that prevents the battery cell from coming out of the opening on the electrode side, and the battery slot is guided from the opening on the electrode side by guiding the protruding protrusion to the cell slot. A locking recess is provided to prevent it from coming off. In the power supply device with this structure, the battery cell is not sandwiched from above and below and fixed in place as in the prior art. The battery cell is set on the holder block so that it does not come out from the opening on the electrode side, guiding the retaining protrusions provided on both sides to the locking recesses in the cell slot, so that it does not come out from the opening on the insertion side The opening on the insertion side of the cell slot is closed with a closing plate. In this state, the battery cell set in the cell slot of the holder block is arranged at a fixed position with the locking protrusions on both sides locked to the locking recesses of the cell slot of the holder block. Battery cells that are fixed to the cell slot via the retaining protrusions on both sides do not need to be fixed in place by sandwiching the outer case up and down, and excessive stress acts by sandwiching the outer case up and down Does not act on the electrode. For this reason, the characteristic that the battery characteristic is hardly deteriorated by external stress due to vibration or temperature change and the battery life can be extended is realized.

In addition, the power supply device of the present invention is characterized in that a large number of battery cells can be efficiently and inexpensively produced while being arranged at a fixed position in an ideal state. This is because the power supply apparatus of the present invention inserts a large number of battery cells into the cell slot of the holder block from the opening on the insertion side and closes the opening on the insertion side with a closing plate.
In addition, the power supply device of the present invention also realizes a feature that can reduce the dimensional error of the outer shape while using the battery cell having the dimensional error. This is because the outer dimension is specified by the outer shape of the holder block. The dimensional error of the battery cell is absorbed when inserted into the cell slot of the holder block.

  In the power supply device according to claim 2 of the present invention, the locking recess provided in the cell slot has a tapered shape that is expanded toward the opening on the insertion side, and the retaining protrusion is fitted here. And This power supply device can fix the battery cell so that it does not come out into the cell slot by bringing the retaining protrusion into contact with the tapered locking recess. In particular, when the battery cell is about to be pulled out of the opening on the electrode side due to vibration or the like, the tapered locking recess reduces the impact force and reduces the damage caused by the impact.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery cell retaining protrusion at the bottom of the battery cell, and a locking recess for the cell slot at the insertion opening. This structure is characterized in that the stress acting on the electrode plate of the battery cell can be minimized. This is because the battery cell is prevented from pulling out of the cell slot by pulling at the bottom. In the battery cell in which a tensile force acts on the bottom of the outer case, the stress that compresses the electrode plate housed in the outer case does not act. For this reason, the stress which presses an electrode plate does not act, and the stress of an electrode plate can be made the smallest.

  Furthermore, in the power supply device according to claim 4 of the present invention, a holding convex portion that protrudes toward the central portion of the surface of the battery cell and holds the battery cell is provided on the opposing inner surface of the cell slot. The center of the battery cell is sandwiched from both sides and held in the cell slot. This structure is characterized in that the battery cell can be firmly held in the cell slot while the battery cell is smoothly inserted into the cell slot. In particular, there is a feature that a battery cell having a dimensional error can be smoothly inserted into a cell slot having a dimensional error. This is because the entire inner surface of the cell slot is not brought into close contact with the surface of the battery cell, but the holding convex portion is brought into local contact with the central portion of the battery cell and the battery cell is inserted into the cell slot. The central part of the battery cell pressed by the holding convex part is easily deformed. For this reason, the dimensional error between the cell slot and the battery cell is absorbed by the deformation of the central portion of the battery cell, and the battery cell having the dimensional error can be smoothly inserted into the cell slot. Further, this power supply device has a feature that the battery cell inserted into the cell slot is sandwiched between the holding projections from both sides, so that the battery cell can be effectively prevented from expanding due to an increase in the internal pressure of the battery. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply device according to the present invention, wherein the battery cell is a thin square battery having a width wider than the thickness, and the holder block has a slit-like cross-sectional shape into which the thin square battery can be inserted. Slots are provided in parallel. This power supply apparatus can store a large number of battery cells in a holder block by arranging them without waste.

  Furthermore, in the power supply device according to claim 6 of the present invention, the battery cell is a lithium ion secondary battery and is placed in a fixed position by being inserted into the cell slot of the holder block, and the holder block is located between the cell slots. The intermediate wall and the block main body outside the cell slot are integrally formed of plastic. This power supply device has a feature that a holder block capable of arranging and fixing a large number of battery cells in a fixed position can be easily and easily mass-produced at a low cost. In addition, this power supply device also realizes a feature that in each cell slot, safety can be improved by effectively preventing induction of thermal runaway of a battery cell that is a lithium ion secondary battery. This is because the intermediate wall provided between the cell slots blocks thermal runaway between adjacent battery cells. In particular, this holder block has the intermediate wall integrally formed of plastic, so if any of the battery temperatures becomes abnormally high, the heat of the battery that has reached a high temperature is conducted while being dispersed by the intermediate wall. There is also an effect of making the temperature uniform. Furthermore, since this power supply device uses the closing plate made of metal, it has the feature that it can conduct the heat of the battery efficiently and can effectively dissipate heat. Therefore, each battery cell can be effectively cooled via the closing plate.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below exemplify a power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the power supply device as follows.

  Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  4 to 9 includes a plurality of battery cells 1, a battery holder block 2 having a plurality of cell slots 4 into which the respective battery cells 1 are inserted, and a cell slot of the holder block 2. 4 and a closing plate 3 that closes the opening.

  The battery cell 1 is a lithium ion secondary battery, and is a thin prismatic battery that is wider than the thickness. However, the battery cell is not necessarily a lithium ion secondary battery, and may be any secondary battery such as a nickel-hydrogen battery or a nickel cadmium battery. Further, the battery cell is not necessarily required to be a thin prismatic battery. Although not shown, the battery cell can be a prismatic battery having a rectangular horizontal cross-sectional view. The internal structure of the battery cell 1 is shown in FIG. The battery cell 1 is sealed by putting an electrode set 12 and an electrolytic solution in an outer case 11. In the electrode set 12, positive and negative electrode plates 13 are laminated via a separator 14. The electrode set 12 has a lead lead 15 connected to each of the positive electrode plate 13A and the negative electrode plate 13B. The lead 15 is connected to a positive terminal 16 </ b> A and a negative terminal 16 </ b> B fixed to the top plate of the outer case 11. In the battery cell 1, the positive electrode terminal 16A and the negative electrode terminal 16B are connected to the positive electrode plate 13A and the negative electrode plate 13B through the lead lead 15. The battery cell 1 having this structure is charged and discharged with a large current, and the temperature in the vicinity of the lead 15 is increased. This is because a large current flows through the lead 15. Therefore, the cooling structure of the battery cell 1 can effectively cool the vicinity of the lead 15 and uniformly and efficiently cool the entire battery cell 1.

  The holder block 2 is formed entirely of plastic. The holder block 2 is provided with a slit-shaped cell slot 4 having a cross-sectional shape into which a thin prismatic battery can be inserted in parallel. The cell slot 4 has an inner shape whose inner surface is in contact with the outer surface of the battery cell 1. In the illustrated holder block 2, an intermediate wall 5 having a predetermined thickness is provided between the cell slots 4, and a large number of cell slots 4 are arranged in parallel. In this holder block 2, the intermediate wall 5 and the block main body 2A outside the cell slot 4 are integrally formed of an insulating plastic. The holder block 2 made of an insulating plastic can insulate adjacent battery cells 1 with an intermediate wall 5 and can be placed at a fixed position. However, the holder block can also be manufactured by casting a metal such as aluminum. The holder block can also be aluminum die cast. Since the holder block made of metal such as aluminum is excellent in heat conduction, the temperature of each battery cell can be made uniform. The conductive holder block inserts a battery cell having a structure in which the outer case is not connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal, or a battery cell having the outer case as an insulating material such as plastic, or the battery cell and the holder. The battery cell is inserted into the cell slot with an insulating material interposed between the block and the block.

  The holder block 2 is open at both ends. The holder block 2 shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9 has an electrode-side opening 6 above one of the cell slots 4 in the figure. The electrode-side opening 6 exposes the electrode terminal 16 of the battery cell 1 to the outside. In addition, an opening 7 on the insertion side is provided on the other side of the cell slot 4 in the drawing. The battery cell 1 is inserted into the cell slot 4 from the opening 7 on the insertion side.

  The battery cell 1 inserted into the cell slot 4 is provided with a retaining protrusion 17 on both sides that prevents the battery cell 1 from being removed from the electrode-side opening 6 in the state of being inserted into the cell slot 4. The cell slot 4 of the holder block 2 is provided with a locking recess 8 that guides the retaining protrusion 17 and prevents the battery cell 1 from coming out of the opening 6 on the electrode side. In the holder block 2 shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the locking recess 8 provided in the cell slot 4 is tapered so as to expand toward the opening 7 on the insertion side. Further, the retaining protrusion 17 of the battery cell 1 has a shape that is fitted into the locking recess 8. Further, the power supply device shown in the figure has a retaining projection 17 provided at the bottom of the battery cell 1 and a locking recess 8 provided in the opening 7 on the insertion side of the cell slot 4.

  Further, the holder block 2 of FIGS. 4 to 7 is provided with a holding convex portion 9 that protrudes toward the center of the surface of the battery cell 1 and holds the battery cell 1 on the opposing inner surface of the cell slot 4. The holder block 2 in FIGS. 4 to 6 is provided with holding convex portions 9 in the direction from the electrode-side opening 6 to the insertion-side opening 7, in the vertical direction in the drawing. In the cell slot 4, the protruding surface of the holding projection 9 is brought into contact with the surface of the battery cell 1. Therefore, the interval between the protruding surfaces of the holding projections 9 provided on the opposing surface of the cell slot 4 is equal to the thickness of the battery cell 1.

  The holder block 2 is provided with cooling ducts 10 for the battery cells 1 on both sides of the holding projection 9. The cooling duct 10 cools the battery cell 1 by being supplied with cooling air. The holder block 2 provided with the holding projection 9 on the inner surface of the cell slot 4 can be formed as a cooling duct 10 by providing a gap that does not contact the battery cell 1 on both sides of the holding projection 9. Therefore, the holder block 2 provided with the holding projections 9 in the cell slot 4 can cool the battery cell 1 effectively in addition to smoothly inserting the battery cell 1 into the cell slot 4. The cooling duct 10 is provided in the vicinity of the lead 15 of the battery cell 1. The holder block 2 can effectively cool the vicinity of the lead 15 of the battery cell 1 and cool the entire battery cell 1 uniformly and efficiently.

  The closing plate 3 is fixed to the lower surface of the holder block 2 and closes the opening 7 on the insertion side of the cell slot 4. The closing plate 3 has a plate shape with a predetermined thickness as a whole, and its outer shape is equal to the outer shape of the holder block 2. The closing plate 3 can be screwed and fixed to the holder block 2 or can be connected and fixed by a locking structure. The battery cell 1 inserted into the cell slot 4 of the holder block 2 is fixed to the cell slot 4 with the insertion-side opening 7 closed by the closing plate 3.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the conventional power supply device. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connection structure of the lower case and battery cell of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the other conventional power supply device. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning one Example of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a partial cross section perspective view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a top view of the power supply device shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the power supply device shown in FIG. 7 taken along line AA. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the power supply device illustrated in FIG. 7. It is a partial cross section perspective view of a battery cell.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery cell 2 ... Holder block 2A ... Block main body 3 ... Closure plate 4 ... Cell slot 5 ... Intermediate wall 6 ... Electrode side opening 7 ... Insertion side opening 8 ... Locking recessed part 9 ... Holding convex part 10 ... Cooling duct 11 ... Exterior case 12 ... Electrode set 13 ... Electrode plate 13A ... Positive electrode plate
13B ... Negative electrode plate 14 ... Separator 15 ... Lead lead 16 ... Electrode terminal 16A ... Positive electrode terminal
16B ... Negative electrode terminal 17 ... Protruding protrusion 81 ... Battery cell 82 ... Case 82A ... Lower case
82B ... Upper case 83 ... Foot part 84 ... Rail 85 ... Restraint plate 86 ... Restraint rod 91 ... Battery cell 92 ... Battery holder 92A ... Holder case
92B ... Lid holder 93 ... Partition 94 ... Storage room

Claims (6)

A plurality of battery cells (1) having a rectangular shape, a battery holder block (2) having a plurality of cell slots (4) into which each battery cell (1) is inserted, and the holder block (2 A closing plate (3) for closing the opening of the cell slot (4) of
The holder block (2) has an electrode side opening (6) that exposes the electrode terminal (16) of the battery cell (1) to one side of the cell slot (4), and the other side of the cell slot (4). Has an opening (7) on the insertion side for inserting the battery cell (1),
Furthermore, the battery cell (1) has retaining protrusions (17) on both sides for preventing the battery cell (1) from being removed from the electrode side opening (6) in a state of being inserted into the cell slot (4), and the holder block (2 ) Cell slot (4) is provided with a locking recess (8) that guides the retaining protrusion (17) and prevents the battery cell (1) from coming out of the electrode-side opening (6). And
With the battery cell (1) inserted into the cell slot (4), the opening (7) on the insertion side of the holder block (2) is closed with the closing plate (3) to hold the battery cell (1) in the holder. A power supply device housed in the cell slot (4) of the block (2) and fixed in place.   The locking recess (8) provided in the cell slot (4) has a tapered shape that expands toward the opening (7) on the insertion side, and the retaining protrusion (17) has a shape that is fitted here. The power supply device according to claim 1.   The retaining projection (17) of the battery cell (1) is provided at the bottom of the battery cell (1), and the locking recess (8) of the cell slot (4) is provided at the opening (7) on the insertion side. The power supply device according to claim 1.   On the opposing inner surface of the cell slot (4), a holding projection (9) is provided that protrudes toward the center of the surface of the battery cell (1) and holds the battery cell (1). 9. The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein 9) sandwiches the central portion of the battery cell (1) from both sides and holds it in the cell slot (4).   The battery cell (1) is a thin prismatic battery that is wider than the thickness, and the holder block (2) has a parallel cell slot (4) with a slit-like cross-sectional shape into which the thin prismatic battery can be inserted. The power supply device according to claim 1 provided side by side. The battery cell (1) is a lithium ion secondary battery, and the holder block (2) has an intermediate wall (5) located between the cell slots (4) and a block body (2A) outside the cell slot (4). The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the closing plate (3) is made of metal.

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