JP5548576B2 - Battery pack - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack that accommodates a battery stack configured by connecting a plurality of battery modules including sealed secondary batteries, and more particularly to a battery pack supported by a moving body such as a vehicle.

  As is well known, an electric motor or a hybrid vehicle uses an electric motor as a power source or an auxiliary power source. As a power source of this electric motor, a battery stack in which a plurality of battery modules are connected in series is often used in a state of being housed in a battery pack.

  Here, the battery pack usually has an exterior cover that protects the battery stack accommodated therein or constitutes an air cooling chamber used for air cooling of the battery stack. And when such a battery pack is arrange | positioned in vehicle interiors, such as a motor vehicle, it is arrange | positioned on the floor of a vehicle interior in the state which covered the battery stack with the exterior cover.

  On the other hand, in a vehicle such as a truck where the passenger compartment space is limited, it has also been proposed to dispose the battery pack outside the vehicle. 1. In the battery pack mounting structure described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 11, the battery pack 1 is placed on a battery storage shelf 2 connected to a vehicle frame 4 on the outer side of the vehicle via a bracket 3. At the same time, the mounted battery pack 1 is covered with an upper cover 6 attached to the battery storage shelf 2. The battery pack 1 is supplied with the air-cooling air sucked from the opening 12 of the upper cover 6 through the intake port 11 of the intake duct 5, so that the battery stack accommodated in the battery pack 1 is supplied. Cooling is performed. A lower shelf 7 covered with a side plate 8 is provided below the battery housing shelf 2, and an inverter 14, a control circuit box 15, and a radiator 13, which are peripheral devices as a power supply device, are provided on the lower shelf 7. Is housed. Thus, in this mounting structure, the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery storage shelf 2 and is cantilevered on the vehicle frame 4 on the vehicle outer side together with the upper cover 6 and the like.

JP 2008-80930 A

  By the way, since the battery pack 1 described in Patent Document 1 requires a battery storage shelf 2 and a bracket 3 for supporting the battery storage shelf 2 in order to be mounted on a vehicle, the battery pack 1 itself and its supporting structure and protection structure are provided. Inevitably, the number of parts and the weight of the power supply device as a whole increase. Further, since the battery pack 1 itself is a heavy object having a plurality of battery modules, the battery housing shelf 2 and the bracket 3 that cantileverly support the battery pack 1 also require a sturdy structure to ensure rigidity. However, this also contributes to an increase in weight as a power supply device. In this way, when trying to mount a battery pack on a vehicle with a cantilever support, although there are many problems such as securing the rigidity accompanying the increase in weight as well as the number of parts, there are still effective solutions. Not found.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is a simple structure that does not cause an unnecessary increase in weight, even when mounted on a vehicle by cantilever support or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack capable of ensuring a necessary and sufficient rigidity.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a battery pack mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group for supplying electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case. The housing case is connected to each other with the openings facing each other and fixed to at least one of the first and second cases and the first and second cases each having a box shape. A support member that directly supports the housing case on the vehicle body or the chassis of the vehicle, and the first and second cases are arranged from the opening to the outer periphery so as to face each other during the connection. An annular flange extending along the flange is provided, and the first and second cases are connected by connecting the flanges, and the first and second cases have a long side surface and a short side surface. The support member is a pair of brackets fixed to each short side surface of either the first case or the second case and cantileverly supporting the housing case on the vehicle body or the chassis. In addition, the pair of brackets includes a flange that is in surface contact with a back surface of a connecting surface of a flange that extends to a portion corresponding to each side surface to which the bracket of the first and second cases is fixed. And the flange of the bracket is fastened together with the flanges of the cases when the first and second cases are connected .

  According to such a configuration, since the shell-like (box-shaped) housing case that houses the secondary battery group is directly supported by the support member on the vehicle body or the chassis, the structure for supporting the secondary battery group is as follows: As in the prior art, a shelf for mounting the secondary battery group and a cover for covering the shelf become unnecessary. Further, such a housing case is a structure having a so-called monocoque structure that has a rigidity capable of supporting the secondary battery group by connecting (fastening) the first case and the second case. It also becomes. As is well known, the monocoque structure provides stress resistance to the outer plate that makes up the housing, so the skeleton of the structure can be omitted, making it lighter than other structures to ensure rigidity. To become simplified. That is, according to this housing case, compared to the case where the secondary battery is supported by the shelf as in the prior art, a skeleton that secures the rigidity of the shelf and a cover that covers the shelf are not required. As a battery pack to support, the structure can be reduced in weight and simplified.

  Moreover, even when mounted on the vehicle body or the chassis in any manner such as cantilever support, mounting in a state where high rigidity is maintained is possible. As long as the structure of the housing case itself satisfies the above-described conditions, the support mode of the case to the vehicle body or chassis is not limited to cantilever support, and for example, the first case or the second case. The case may be a flat support through these cases, or both cases.

According to the above configuration, since the first case and the second case are provided with flanges, the flanges improve the rigidity of the first case and the second case. Further, since the first case and the second case are connected via the flange, the connection area between the first case and the second case is increased, and as a result, the first case and the second case are expanded. The bond strength between the case and the case can be increased. That is, the rigidity of the housing case after connection can be further improved.

Further, according to the above configuration, since the flange of the bracket is fastened together with the flange provided on each short side surface of either the first or second case, the rigidity of the housing case is further improved. Become.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the first case, there in lower case to be vertically below when the accommodating case is cantilevered on the vehicle body or chassis The secondary battery group is mounted and fixed on the lower case, and the pair of brackets are fixed to each short side surface of the lower case.

  According to such a configuration, since the bracket is coupled to the cantilevered lower case, which is the first case on which the secondary battery is placed, the secondary case can be used even when the second case is not connected. The operability related to the attachment of the battery pack is such that the lower case on which the battery is placed can be attached to the vehicle body or the chassis, or only the second case can be removed from the housing case attached to the vehicle body or the chassis. improves.

In addition, since the secondary battery is placed, supporting the lower case, which is the heavy side, stabilizes the state of attachment of the housing case to the vehicle body or chassis.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the battery pack according to the second aspect , the lower case has a depth with respect to a vertical direction when the housing case is cantilevered by the vehicle body or the chassis. It is shallower on the side away from the vehicle body or the chassis than the opposite side, and the flange of the lower case extends along the outer periphery of the upper side inclined to the side away from the vehicle body or the chassis of the lower case. The gist.

  According to such a configuration, since the upper side of the lower case is inclined, the length of the flange is increased, and the length of the flange of the second case connected thereto is also increased. As a result, the area of the connecting surface of each flange of the lower case (first case) and the second case is increased, so that the coupling force between both flanges is increased, and the rigidity of the housing case can be further increased.

  Further, since the first case has a lower side surface on the outer side of the vehicle, the height of the side surface is reduced. Therefore, when performing maintenance work on the battery pack, the battery pack remains attached to the vehicle. By removing the case 2, the work on the secondary battery or the like can be easily performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the battery pack according to the third aspect , the bracket includes a flange that is in surface contact with a flange that is inclined toward the side away from the vehicle body or the chassis of the lower case, and the lower case. The gist is that it is formed in a tapered shape whose height continuously decreases in a direction away from the vehicle body or the chassis, corresponding to the shape of the short side surface.

  According to such a configuration, by making the shape of the bracket correspond to the shape of the short side surface of the lower case whose depth becomes shallower in the direction away from the vehicle body or the chassis, the shape of the bracket can ensure as high rigidity as possible. Will be able to.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the battery pack according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, an output power of the secondary battery group is cut off in one side surface of the housing case. The gist of the invention is that a through-hole through which a service plug to be attached to the circuit breaker is provided.

A conventional secondary battery is provided with a service plug that is attached during normal use, but is disconnected during operation to cut off its output power by removing it to ensure safety.
According to such a configuration, this battery pack can be provided with a service plug that can be operated from outside the housing case. For example, the safety of the work can be improved by cutting off the output power of the secondary battery by removing the service plug before the work. Thereby, the workability as a battery pack, the improvement of safety, etc. can be achieved.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 6 is a battery mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group for supplying electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case. The storage case is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case, and the first case and the second case, which are box-shaped and connected with the openings facing each other. And a supporting member that directly supports the housing case on the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle, and a cut-off for shutting off output power of the secondary battery group in the housing case on one side surface of the housing case vessel to which the service plug to be mounted is provided with a through hole is penetrated, having a plug cover to seal the through hole while covering the loaded service plug, the plug cover, before In a state where the service plug is not properly attached to the circuit breaker, and summarized in that is formed in a shape attachment to the housing case by interference by the service plug is disabled.

  Usually, when the service plug is not correctly attached to the battery pack, the battery pack may not operate normally, or the service plug may come off during traveling and cause inconvenience.

  According to such a configuration, if the service plug is not correctly attached, the plug cover cannot be attached. Therefore, when the plug cover is attached, it is confirmed whether or not the service plug is correctly attached. Thus, the reliability and safety of the work for the battery pack are further improved.

  Also, by covering the service plug with a plug cover, the service plug can be protected from dirt and unnecessary operations. Furthermore, since the service plug can be operated only by removing the plug cover without opening the storage case, the secondary battery is isolated and stored in the storage case prior to maintenance work on the storage case. In this state, the service plug can be operated. This also improves the operability, workability, safety, etc. as a battery pack.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 7 is a battery mounted on a vehicle in a state in which a secondary battery group for supplying electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case. The storage case is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case, and the first case and the second case, which are box-shaped and connected with the openings facing each other. And a supporting member that directly supports the housing case on the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle, and a cut-off for shutting off output power of the secondary battery group in the housing case on one side surface of the housing case vessels which service plug mounted is provided with a through-hole is penetrated into the through hole, the second casing comprising an upper casing relative to the first case is b Akesu, the service plug It is summarized as that the portion projecting in the outside of the case is formed with a size that can not pass through.

  According to such a configuration, the second case corresponding to the lid in the housing case in a state in which the service plug is not operated, that is, a so-called attached state, for example, in a state in which power is output from the battery pack Since the through hole interferes with the service plug, it cannot be removed from the housing case. That is, when the service plug is attached, it is possible to prevent the housing case from being opened. As a result, the second case can be removed only when the safety of work or the like is enhanced by an operation such as removing the service plug, so that the reliability and safety of the work for the battery pack is further improved. become.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 8 is a battery mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group for supplying electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case. The storage case is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case, and the first case and the second case, which are box-shaped and connected with the openings facing each other. And a supporting member for directly supporting the housing case on the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle, and on one side surface of the second case positioned vertically above the first case, An air inlet for sucking in air for cooling the secondary battery group housed in the housing case is provided, and a flange extending from the second case is disposed at least below the air inlet. portion And summarized in that the tip portion is bent downward in the vertical direction in a manner to cover the tip of the flange extending from the first case.

According to such a configuration, the flange of the second case that extends from the flange of the first case indicates that splashes, dust, and the like scattered from below toward the intake port reach the intake port. Can be further prevented. Further, since the tip of the flange of the second case is bent downward, water and dust on the upper side can be easily discharged. As a result, water and dust mixed in the air sucked from the intake port can be reduced.

  According to the battery pack of the present invention, even when mounted on a vehicle by cantilever support or the like, a battery capable of ensuring necessary and sufficient rigidity with a simple structure that does not cause an unnecessary increase in weight. You will be able to offer packs.

The perspective view which shows the installation aspect about one Embodiment which actualized the battery pack of this invention. The perspective view which shows the decomposition | disassembly structure of the battery pack. The perspective view which shows the structure of the lower case which comprises the battery pack. The perspective view which shows the structure of the upper case which comprises the battery pack. Sectional drawing which shows the partial cross section structure of the battery pack. The perspective view which shows the structure of the tray which comprises the battery pack. The perspective view which shows the structure of the plug cover provided in the upper case. The perspective view which shows the aspect of the service plug which penetrates the same upper case. It is a figure which shows the service plug covered with the plug cover, Comprising: (a) is a front view of the plug cover attached to the upper case, (b) shows the horizontal sectional structure in the 9b-9b line of (a). Sectional drawing, (c) is a sectional view showing a vertical sectional structure taken along line 9c-9c in (a). The schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the release position and fixed position of the plug cover and service plug. The perspective view which shows the decomposition | disassembly structure about the form which actualized the conventional battery pack and its support structure.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying a battery pack according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The battery pack 100 of the present embodiment is used as a power unit that is a power source that supplies power to an electric motor serving as a power source or an auxiliary power source for a truck as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack 100 is a horizontally long box whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction on a vehicle frame Fr which is a part of the chassis of the truck in a manner extending left and right with respect to the side surface of the vehicle body of the truck. It is installed as a shape device. The battery pack 100 includes a housing case 101 that includes a lower case 110 as a first case and an upper case 120 as a second case as its exterior. That is, the housing case 101 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, a so-called horizontally long box shape having no opening, and has a frame side surface that is a side surface facing the vehicle frame Fr as one side surface thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, a housing case 101 composed of a lower case 110 and an upper case 120 houses therein a battery stack 200 as a secondary battery group composed of a plurality of battery modules 210 as secondary batteries. It is a container to do. The housing case 101 is configured by superposing an upper case 120 (upper side in FIG. 2) on an upper side of the lower case 110 (lower side in FIG. 2). Since the lower case 110 has no upper surface, the lower case 110 is formed in a horizontally long box shape that opens to the top, while the upper case 120 does not have a lower surface and is formed in a horizontally long box shape that opens to the bottom. From this, by combining the lower opening of the upper case 120 with the upper opening of the lower case 110, as the housing case 101,
It is configured in a horizontally long box shape without an opening. In the present embodiment, the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 each have a monocoque structure, and the outer plates of the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 have a function as a rigid body against stress. The housing case 101 configured by combining the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 in this way is rigid enough to hold the battery stack 200 housed in the housing case 101 when it receives vibration during traveling from the vehicle frame Fr. And a monocoque structure.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lower case 110 is formed in a horizontally long box shape having high rigidity and having an opening at the top by processing a metal material. As the metal material, a metal plate having a thickness of 1.2 mm is used. However, a metal material having a thickness other than 1.2 mm may be used as long as rigidity can be ensured. Moreover, it is preferable that the lower case 110 is integrally formed. As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign matters (rain water and dust) from entering from the outside, and more advantageous in terms of cost than bending. The lower case 110 is a side surface corresponding to the frame-side side surface of the housing case 101 and is a rear side surface 110c as a long side surface, and from the lower end of the rear side surface 110c to the vehicle frame Fr in the outward direction of the chassis (direction away from the chassis). A bottom surface 110a extending horizontally and a front side surface 110b as a long side surface extending upward from the tip of the bottom surface 110a are provided. In addition, the height with respect to the vertical direction of the front side surface 110b in the vertical direction is set lower than the height with respect to the vertical direction of the rear side surface 110c.

  The lower case 110 includes a first side surface 110d or a second side surface 110e as short side surfaces at both ends in the longitudinal direction. That is, the first side surface 110d and the second side surface 110e are respectively provided in portions surrounded by the longitudinal end portion of the rear side surface 110c, the longitudinal end portion of the bottom surface 110a, and the longitudinal end portion of the front side surface 110b. . Therefore, the first side surface 110d and the second side surface 110e are connected to the rear side surface 110c, the bottom surface 110a, and the front side surface 110b, respectively. In the present embodiment, the first side surface 110d is in the longitudinal direction of the lower case 110 and is provided on the left side in FIGS. 2 and 3, while the second side surface 110e is in the longitudinal direction of the lower case 110. 2 and 3 are provided on the right side. By the way, since the height of the front side surface 110b with respect to the vertical direction in the vertical direction is lower than the height of the rear side surface 110c, the first side surface 110d and the second side surface 110e have their planar shapes in the vertical direction in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the side connected to the rear side surface 110c is high and the side connected to the front side surface 110b is low. In other words, the first side surface 110d and the second side surface 110e are formed in a shape that tapers in a direction that is horizontally separated from the vehicle frame Fr and that protrudes outward in the vehicle. As a result, the lower case 110 is formed in a box shape with the opening facing upward and in the opposite direction to the vehicle frame Fr.

The connecting portion between the bottom surface 110a and the rear side surface 110c is formed, for example, in a cross-sectional arc shape having the bottom surface 110a and the rear side surface 110c as a continuous plane so that the rigidity of the bottom surface 110a and the rear side surface 110c can be increased. In addition, although a connection portion between the bottom surface 110a and the front side surface 110b is not illustrated, for example, in order to increase the rigidity of the bottom surface 110a and the front side surface 110b, for example, in a cross-sectional arc shape with the bottom surface 110a and the front side surface 110b as continuous plane Is formed. Furthermore, the connection portion between the bottom surface 110a and the first side surface 110d, and the connection portion between the bottom surface 110a and the second side surface 110e are also designed to increase the rigidity of the bottom surface 110a, the first side surface 110d, and the second side surface 110e, respectively. For example, each of the adjacent surfaces is formed in a cross-sectional arc shape having a continuous plane. In addition, the connection portions of the first side surface 110d, the second side surface 110e, and the front side surface 110b are also adjacent, for example, so that the rigidity of the front side surface 110b, the first side surface 110d, and the second side surface 110e is increased. It is formed in the cross-sectional arc shape which makes this surface a continuous plane. Further, the connection portions of the first side surface 110d, the second side surface 110e, and the rear side surface 110c are also adjacent, for example, so that the rigidity of the rear side surface 110c, the first side surface 110d, and the second side surface 110e can be increased. It is formed in the cross-sectional arc shape which makes this surface a continuous plane. Thereby, the lower case 110 comes to have high rigidity,
It is formed to have a stress skin structure, that is, a monocoque structure. In addition, since the radius of the arc which each connection part has can be defined separately, respectively, it may differ, respectively, and two or more may be the same.

  The lower case 110 includes a device area 100a that forms a storage space in which a management device 300 for controlling and managing the state of the battery stack 200 is stored, and a battery area that forms a storage space in which the battery stack 200 is stored. 100b. Further, three exhaust ports 113 are formed on the battery area 100b side and above the rear side surface 110c to discharge air used for cooling the battery stack 200 to the outside of the battery pack 100.

  On the entire circumference of the opening formed in the upper portion of the lower case 110, an annular flange portion 115 extending outward from each side surface of the lower case 110 is extended from the opening along the outer periphery. A plurality of attachment holes 114 for attaching the upper case 120 to the lower case 110 using bolts and nuts are formed in the flange portion 115. The flange portion 115 is formed to extend from the front end of the front side surface 110b so as to be bent toward the outer side of the lower case 110, and is extended to be bent from the front end of the rear side surface 110c to the outer side of the lower case 110. And a rear flange 115c. The flange portion 115 extends from the tip of the first side surface 110d so as to be bent toward the outer side of the lower case 110, and the flange portion 115 is bent from the tip of the second side surface 110e toward the outer side of the lower case 110. And a right flange 115e formed to extend. Thus, the front flange 115b improves the rigidity of the front side face 110b, the rear flange 115c improves the rigidity of the rear side face 110c, the left flange 115d improves the rigidity of the first side face 110d, and the right flange 115e improves the rigidity of the second side face 110e. Therefore, the lower case 110 has a monocoque structure having higher rigidity.

  In addition, since each flange 115b-115e was extended and formed so that the front-end | tip of each side surface 110b-110e might be bent in the outer side direction of the lower case 110, a clearance gap is formed between each flange 115b-115e. For this reason, in the gaps formed between the flanges 115b to 115e, the connection member 117 that connects the two adjacent flanges is welded to the lower surface that is the surface that does not face the upper case 120 in the flanges 115b to 115e. Is fixedly arranged. In addition, since the upper surface of the connecting member 117 has a step corresponding to the plate thickness of the flange between the flanges 115b to 115e, the upper surface of the connecting member 117 is between the flanges 115b to 115e. The elastic members 118 for sealing the gaps generated in are respectively disposed.

  Three pins 116 protrude upward from the flange portion 115. The pin 116 prevents the upper case 120 placed on the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110 formed obliquely from slipping down. That is, the upper case 120 is provided with pin holes through which the pins 116 can be inserted at positions corresponding to the pins 116, so that when the upper case 120 is placed on the lower case 110, each pin 116 is placed in the upper case 120. Are to be locked.

In the lower case 110, a plurality of screws 119 projecting outward are provided on the first side surface 110d and the second side surface 110e, respectively, and the lower case 110 is a carrier serving as a support member in a manner fastened to the screw 119. Brackets 111 and 112 are coupled. These carrier brackets 111 and 112 form a pair, and a pair of the lower case 110, that is, the housing case 101 is attached to the vehicle frame Fr so as to be cantilevered. The pair of carrier brackets 111 and 112 are formed in a shape having rigidity capable of supporting the housing case 101 on the vehicle frame Fr from a metal material. Here, the cantilever support refers to a mode in which only one side surface of the support member (carrier brackets 111 and 112) is connected to and supported by the vehicle frame Fr. As the metal material, a metal plate having a plate thickness of 2.0 mm is used, but a metal material having a plate thickness other than 2.0 mm may be used as long as rigidity can be ensured.

  The carrier bracket 111 is provided with a joining surface 111a that is in surface contact with the first side surface 110d. The bonding surface 111a has a bonding surface 111a similar to the first side surface 110d so that the first surface 110d can come into surface contact. That is, the joint surface 111a is formed in a shape that tapers in a direction that horizontally protrudes outward from the vehicle, which is a side that is horizontally separated from the vehicle frame Fr. Further, the carrier bracket 111 is formed so as to be bent from the upper end of the joint surface 111a to the left, which is a direction away from the first side surface 110d, so as to come into surface contact with the back surface (lower surface) of the left flange 115d. An upper flange 111b is provided. Furthermore, the carrier bracket 111 is provided with a lower flange 111c that extends from the lower end of the joint surface 111a so as to be bent in the left direction, which is also a direction away from the first side surface 110d. Further, the carrier bracket 111 is bent in the left direction, which is a direction away from the first side surface 110d, from the tip of the joint surface 111a on the vehicle frame Fr side in order to fasten the carrier bracket 111 to the vehicle frame Fr. A formed frame connecting portion 111d is provided. The frame connecting portion 111d is provided at the distal end portion of the joint surface 111a that extends to the vehicle frame Fr side with respect to the rear flange 115c in order to contact the vehicle frame Fr. The frame connecting portion 111d is joined to the end of the joint surface 111a on the vehicle frame Fr side, the end of the upper flange 111b on the side of the vehicle frame Fr, and the end of the lower flange 111c on the side of the vehicle frame Fr. In this state, it is arranged in a flange shape with respect to the joint surface 111a. That is, the carrier bracket 111 has rigidity capable of supporting the housing case 101 on the vehicle frame Fr by the upper flange 111b, the lower flange 111c, and the frame connecting portion 111d provided so as to surround the joint surface 111a. It has become. The carrier bracket 111 supports the housing case 101 coupled to the carrier bracket 111 on the vehicle frame Fr by coupling the frame connecting portion 111d to the vehicle frame Fr with a bolt or the like.

  In addition, the carrier bracket 112 is provided with a joint surface 112a that is in surface contact with the second side surface 110e, like the joint surface 111a of the carrier bracket 111. Further, the carrier bracket 112 is formed so as to be bent from the upper end of the joint surface 112a to the right, which is a direction away from the second side surface 110e, so as to come into surface contact with the back surface (lower surface) of the right flange 115e. An upper flange 112b is provided. Since the structure of the carrier bracket 112 is a mirror image of the carrier bracket 111, the detailed description of the structure of the carrier bracket 112 is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper case 120 is formed in a horizontally long box shape having high rigidity and having an opening in the lower part by pressing a metal plate as a metal material. As the metal material, a metal plate with a plate thickness of 1.6 mm is used, but a metal material with a plate thickness other than 1.6 mm may be used as long as rigidity can be ensured. Also, the upper case 120 is preferably integrally formed, like the lower case 110. Thereby, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from the outside, and it is more advantageous in terms of cost than bending. The upper case 120 is a surface corresponding to the frame side surface of the housing case 101 and is a rear side surface 120c as a long side surface, and the vehicle frame Fr from the upper side of the rear side surface 120c toward the vehicle frame Fr (a direction away from the vehicle table). A top surface 120a that extends horizontally and a front side surface 120b as a long side surface that extends downward from the tip of the top surface 120a. When the upper case 120 is combined with the lower case 110, the height of the front side surface 120b with respect to the vertical direction in order to prevent the top surface 120a from contacting the battery stack 200 mounted on the lower case 110, The height of the rear side surface 120c is set higher. That is, when the upper case 120 is combined with the lower case 110, the front side surface 120b of the upper case 120 having a high height is combined with the front side surface 110b of the lower case 110 having a low height, and the rear side surface 120c of the upper case 120 having a low height. Are combined with the rear side surface 110c of the lower case 110 having a high height. As a result, the top surface 120a of the upper case 120 and the bottom surface 110a of the lower case 110 are opposed to each other with a predetermined interval, so that the battery stack 200 is disposed between the top surface 120a and the bottom surface 110a. Space is secured.

  The upper case 120 is provided with a first side surface 120d or a second side surface 120e as short side surfaces at both ends in the longitudinal direction. That is, the first side surface 120d and the second side surface 120e are provided at portions surrounded by the longitudinal end portion of the rear side surface 120c, the longitudinal end portion of the top surface 120a, and the longitudinal end portion of the front side surface 120b, respectively. It is done. Thus, the first side surface 120d and the second side surface 120e are connected to the rear side surface 120c, the top surface 120a, and the front side surface 120b, respectively. In the present embodiment, the first side surface 120d is in the longitudinal direction of the upper case 120 and is provided on the left side in FIGS. 2 and 4, while the second side surface 120e is in the longitudinal direction of the upper case 120. 2 and 4 are provided on the right side. By the way, since the height of the front side surface 120b with respect to the vertical direction in the vertical direction is higher than the height of the rear side surface 120c, the first side surface 120d and the second side surface 120e have their planar shapes rearward with respect to the vertical direction. The side connected to the side surface 120c is formed in a shape that is low in the vertical direction, and the side connected to the front side surface 120b is formed in a shape that is high in the vertical direction. In other words, the first side surface 120d and the second side surface 120e are formed in a shape that tapers in a direction that is separated from the vehicle frame Fr and that protrudes horizontally to the vehicle outer side. Thus, the upper case 120 is formed in a box shape having an opening directed downward and in the direction of the vehicle frame Fr.

  The connecting portion between the top surface 120a and the rear side surface 120c is formed in, for example, a cross-sectional arc shape having the top surface 120a and the rear side surface 120c as a continuous plane so that the rigidity of the top surface 120a and the rear side surface 120c can be increased. . In addition, the connecting portion between the top surface 120a and the front side surface 120b has, for example, a cross-sectional arc shape in which the top surface 120a and the front side surface 120b are continuous planes so that the rigidity of the top surface 120a and the front side surface 120b can be increased. Is formed. Furthermore, the connecting portion between the top surface 120a and the first side surface 120d and the connecting portion between the top surface 120a and the second side surface 120e also have rigidity of the top surface 120a, the first side surface 120d, and the second side surface 120e, respectively. For example, it is formed in a cross-sectional arc shape in which each adjacent surface is a continuous plane. In addition, the connection portions of the first side surface 120d, the second side surface 120e, and the front side surface 120b are also adjacent to each other so that the rigidity of the front side surface 120b, the first side surface 120d, and the second side surface 120e can be increased. It is formed in the cross-sectional arc shape which makes this surface a continuous plane. Further, the connection portions of the first side surface 120d, the second side surface 120e, and the rear side surface 120c are also adjacent to each other so that the rigidity of the rear side surface 120c, the first side surface 120d, and the second side surface 120e is increased. It is formed in the cross-sectional arc shape which makes this surface a continuous plane. Accordingly, the upper case 120 has high rigidity and is formed to have a stress skin structure, that is, a monocoque structure. In addition, since the radius of the arc which each connection part has can each be determined separately, 2 or more may be the same, respectively.

  Further, the front side surface 120b of the upper case 120 is provided with two air inlets 121 and 122 for taking in air used for cooling the battery stack 200 from the outside of the battery pack 100, and penetrates the service plug 128. A through hole 125A is provided.

An annular flange portion 124 facing the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110 extends along the outer periphery from the entire periphery of the opening provided in the lower portion of the upper case 120. A mounting hole 123 through which a bolt can be passed is formed at each position corresponding to each mounting hole 114. The flange portion 124 extends from the front end of the front side surface 120b so as to be bent toward the outer side of the upper case 120, and extends from the front end of the rear side surface 120c to be bent toward the outer side of the upper case 120. And a rear flange 124c formed. Further, the flange portion 124 is bent so as to be bent from the tip of the first side surface 120d toward the outer side of the upper case 120, and is bent from the tip of the second side surface 120e to the outer side of the upper case 120. And a right flange 124e formed so as to extend. Accordingly, the front flange 124b improves the rigidity of the front side surface 120b, the rear flange 124c improves the rigidity of the rear side surface 120c, the left flange 124d improves the rigidity of the first side surface 120d, and the right flange 124e improves the rigidity of the second side surface 120e. Therefore, the upper case 120 has a monocoque structure having higher rigidity.

  Since the upper case 120 is press-molded, the flanges 124b to 124e are also formed to extend outward from the tips of the surfaces 120b to 120e by press molding. That is, each flange 124b-124e is mutually continued with each adjacent flange 124b-124e. Further, the flange portion 124 of the upper case 120 is extended in the outer peripheral direction from the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110 to be overlapped, and the tip thereof is further bent downward so as to cover the flange portion 115. doing. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 as a cross-sectional view of the battery pack 100, the front flange 124b extends outward from the front flange 115b of the lower case 110, and the extended tip portion 124p extends from the front flange 115b. Curved downward to cover. Accordingly, when the flange portion 124 of the upper case 120 is overlapped with the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110, it is possible to prevent moisture, dust, and the like scattered from below the storage case 101 from reaching the upper case 120 side. become.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 face each other and overlap each other through a gasket or the like (not shown) so that the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 The flange portion 124 overlaps with the gasket or the like. Further, since the mounting hole 114 of the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110 and the mounting hole 123 of the flange portion 124 of the upper case 120 are aligned with each other, the flange portion is formed by overlapping the cases. A fastening mounting hole 123 </ b> A that penetrates both 115 and the flange portion 124 is formed. Therefore, the bolt 123B inserted through the fastening mounting hole 123A can be fastened with the nut 123N. In this way, the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 are connected by fastening, thereby forming a housing case 101 having a monocoque structure that is a box-like shape having no opening and is a so-called shell-like housing. Further, in the left flange 115d of the lower case 110, the left flange 124d of the upper case 120 is superimposed on the front surface (upper side), and the upper flange 111b of the carrier bracket 111 is superimposed on the rear surface (lower side). Accordingly, these three flanges, that is, the left flange 115d, the left flange 124d, and the upper flange 111b are fastened together by the bolt and the nut. Further, in the right flange 115e of the lower case 110, the right flange 124e of the upper case 120 is overlapped on the front side (upper side), and the upper flange 112b of the carrier bracket 112 is overlapped on the back side (lower side). Accordingly, these three flanges, that is, the right flange 115e, the right flange 124e, and the upper flange 112b are fastened together by the bolt and the nut.

External force from the vehicle is easily transmitted to the carrier brackets 111 and 112 supported by the vehicle frame Fr. On the other hand, the carrier brackets 111 and 112 are connected to the upper case 120 and the lower case 110, respectively.
The external force applied to 112 is not limited to the specific portion of the battery pack 1 but can be dispersed throughout the battery pack 1 to maintain the strength of the entire battery pack.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the battery stack 200 includes a plurality of the battery modules 210 described above. Since each battery module 210 is a sealed secondary battery, the power generation element is accommodated in a module container constituted by a rectangular box. The battery modules 210 constitute one battery stack 200 by being arranged with a predetermined gap. More specifically, end plates 221 or 222 are disposed at both ends of the battery stack 200, respectively. Two end plates 221 and 222 are paired. Therefore, the end plates 221 and 222 are fixed to the restraining rods 223 provided in pairs on the upper side (upper case 120 side) and the lower side (lower case 110 side) extending in the arrangement direction of the battery modules 210, respectively. A pair of brackets 224 are provided so as to protrude upward and downward, respectively. Each of the end plates 221 and 222 holds the battery modules 210 arranged and arranged between the end plates 221 and 222, whereby the battery stack 200 is configured. The battery stack 200 configured as described above is accommodated in the battery area 100b when the battery pack 100 is assembled.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery pack 100 includes a frame 130 that fixes the battery stack 200 as a structure housed in the lower case 110 and the upper case 120, and a tray that is disposed below the battery stack 200. 140 and a duct 150 for sucking air for cooling the battery stack 200 by air.

  Among these, the frame 130 is accommodated in the lower case 110 as a member for fixing the battery stack 200 to the lower case 110. The frame 130 is provided with a device installation section where the management device 300 is installed on the left side in the longitudinal direction and a battery stack installation section where the battery stack 200 is installed on the right side in the longitudinal direction. In such a frame 130, a first frame member 131 disposed on the front side which is the front side surface 110b side of the lower case 110 and a second frame member 132 disposed on the rear side which is the rear side surface 110c side of the lower case 110 are connecting members. 133 connected to each other. The first frame member 131 is formed in a trapezoidal cross section in the longitudinal direction, while the second frame member 132 is formed in a shape in which the cross section in the longitudinal direction is bent upward at the rear side. In addition, a tray accommodating portion 134 for accommodating the tray 140 is formed by the two frame members 131 and 132 and the connecting member 133 in the battery stack installation portion which is the right portion of the frame 130. In other words, the tray accommodating portion 134 is formed so as to sandwich the tray 140 between the two frame members 131 and 132 and to place a part of the left side of the tray 140 on top of the connecting member 133. In the battery stack installation portion, a plurality of bolts 135 for fixing the battery stack 200 are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the upper surfaces of the frame members 131 and 132. The frame member 131 of the frame 130 is provided with a circuit breaker into which the service plug 128 is inserted, a support portion 136 that supports the duct 150 and the like on the front side in a direction away from the vehicle frame Fr.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the tray 140 accommodated in the tray accommodating portion 134 of the frame 130 has air from the duct 150 at the left end as one end on the device installation portion side of the frame 130 in the longitudinal direction of the tray 140. Is provided with a supply duct 141. Further, the tray 140 has a supply chamber 142 that supplies air supplied through the supply duct 141 to the lower side of the battery stack 200 on the right side in the longitudinal direction, which is a side away from the device installation portion with respect to the supply duct 141. Have. That is, in the tray 140 configured as described above, in a state where the battery pack 100 is assembled, a portion where the supply duct 141 is formed is accommodated on the device area 100a side, and the supply chamber 142 is included in the battery area 100b. Is housed in.

  The supply duct 141 constitutes a cylindrical guide passage that is formed so as to expand from an inlet on the device installation section side to which air is supplied to the supply chamber 142 toward the supply chamber 142 that is an outlet for supplying air. In the supply duct 141, a plurality of partitions 143 for extending cooling air supplied to the inlets in the width direction, which is a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the supply chamber 142, are long in the cylinder. It is formed extending in the direction. That is, the supply duct 141 is provided with three partitions 143 extending in the longitudinal direction from the entrance to the exit, and the three partitions 143 form four divided passages 144 in the supply duct 141. As described above, each of the divided passages 144 is formed in the tray 140 from the front direction to the rear direction with respect to the width direction. The size of each divided passage 144 is the same as the amount of air supplied from each divided passage 144 to the supply chamber 142 in consideration of air resistance that varies depending on the distance from the inlet to the supply chamber 142 that is the outlet. The air volume is adjusted so that That is, each partition 143 is disposed in the supply duct 141 so that the size of each division passage 144 is appropriate.

  The supply chamber 142 is appropriately provided with fins 145 for guiding the cooling air supplied from the respective divided passages 144 in the longitudinal direction, and a check valve (not shown) is provided on the left side in the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface of the supply chamber 142. A water drain hole 146 is provided. A plurality of fins 145 extending in the longitudinal direction so as to sandwich the drain hole 146 in the front and rear in the width direction are provided with a predetermined gap 147 between the adjacent fins 145. The gap 147 is for allowing water to flow across the fins 145 and into the drain hole 146, whereby the water that has been sucked into the cooling air and dropped into the tray 140 is dropped into the gap 147. Or the like, and can flow into the drain hole 146. In the present embodiment, when the tray 140 is incorporated in the housing case 101, the height on the left side in the longitudinal direction that is the device installation portion side with respect to the vertical direction is relatively lower than the height on the right side in the longitudinal direction. The water that has fallen on the tray 140 flows into the drain hole 146.

As shown in FIG. 2, the duct 150 has a horizontally long cylindrical shape that extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle frame Fr. The duct 150 is fixed to the front side in a direction away from the vehicle frame Fr with respect to the frame 130 via the support portion 136 and the like, so that the battery stack 200 fixed to the frame 130 and the front side surface 120b of the upper case 120 are fixed. It is arranged between and. The duct 150 has two duct intake ports 151 and 152 corresponding to the intake ports 121 and 122 of the upper case 120 on the side surface facing the front side surface 120 b of the upper case 120. In the duct 150, an air guide portion 150b provided on the right side in the longitudinal direction is disposed in the battery area 100b, while a fan mounting portion 150a on the left side in the longitudinal direction is disposed in the device area 100a. A cooling fan Fa for forcibly circulating the air for cooling the battery stack 200 into the battery area 100b is attached to the fan mounting portion 150a. Inside the cooling fan Fa, when the battery pack 100 is assembled, an air flow path that connects the fan mounting portion 150a and the inlet of the supply duct 141 of the tray 140 is formed. The cooling fan Fa forcibly sends air from the fan mounting portion 150a to the supply duct 141 of the tray 140 by rotating a rotary blade provided in the middle of the air flow path. Further, the air guide portion 150b is formed with a U-turn air flow path for guiding the outside air taken in through the duct intake ports 151 and 152 to the fan mounting portion 150a when the cooling fan Fa is driven. . The air flow path guides the outside air taken in through the duct intake ports 151 and 152 to one end in the right direction, which is opposite to the fan mounting portion 150a with respect to the longitudinal direction, and then the direction of the fan mounting portion 150a. It is formed in a U-turn shape that makes a U-turn leftward and guides to the fan mounting portion 150a. In the present embodiment, the outside air is taken in via the air flow path, so that dust and moisture contained in the outside air are removed while the outside air passes through the air flow path. And the air taken in from such a duct 150 is sent out to the supply duct 141 of the said tray 140 via the cooling fan Fa.

  In the battery pack 100 configured as described above, when the cooling fan Fa is driven in a state where the battery pack 100 is assembled, the air outside the battery pack 100 causes the intake ports 121 and 121 of the upper case 120, the duct 150, the cooling The air is taken into the supply chamber 142 through the fan Fa and the supply duct 141 of the tray 140 in this order. Then, the air taken into the supply chamber 142 is guided from the lower side to the upper side of the battery module 210 through the gap between the battery modules 210, and at this time, the battery module 210 is cooled. Thereafter, the air guided above the battery module 210 is discharged to the outside of the battery pack 100 through the exhaust port 113 of the lower case 110.

Next, the structure centering on the service plug 128 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the front side surface 120b of the upper case 120 is provided with a through hole 125A for allowing the service plug 128 to pass therethrough. By the way, this through-hole 125A is normally covered with a plug cover 125 fastened to the front side surface 120b with a plurality of screws 126, as shown in FIG. The plug cover 125 includes a contact portion 125 a disposed around the plug cover 125 and a dome-shaped plug housing portion 125 b disposed in the center portion of the plug cover 125. The abutting portion 125a is formed so as to abut on the front side surface 120b of the upper case 120 via a packing or the like (not shown), and is screwed to the front side surface 120b with a plurality of screws 126 so as to be brought into contact with the front side surface 120b. Adhering to each other, water and dust can be prevented from entering the upper case 120 through the through hole 125A. The plug accommodating portion 125 b is formed in a dome shape that swells in a direction protruding from the front side surface 120 b of the upper case 120.

  As shown in FIG. 8, behind the plug cover 125, the screw hole 127 in which the screw 126 is screwed and the circuit breaker 137 fixed to the support portion 136 of the frame 130 are inserted and fixed. A service plug 128 is disposed through the through hole 125A. That is, the service plug 128 is housed in the plug housing portion 125 b of the plug cover 125 at a portion protruding from the front side surface 120 b. The service plug 128 closes the circuit of the circuit breaker 137 by being inserted into the circuit breaker 137 and enables output of power from the battery stack 200, while opening the circuit of the circuit breaker 137 by being extracted from the circuit breaker 137. The output power from the battery stack 200 is cut off. The service plug 128 is provided with a plug base portion 128b that can be inserted into and removed from the circuit breaker 137, and a plug operation unit 128a for performing insertion / removal operation and fixing / release operation of the service plug 128 to / from the circuit breaker 137. When the service plug 128 is inserted into the circuit breaker 137, the plug base portion 128 b is disposed inside the upper case 120, while the plug operation portion 128 a is disposed outside the upper case 120. That is, the plug operation part 128 a is accommodated in the plug accommodation part 125 b of the plug cover 125.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the plug cover 125 is fastened to the front side surface 120b of the upper case 120 with screws 126, as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, the plug cover 125 The service plug 128 is accommodated inside the plug accommodating portion 125b. At this time, as described above, the plug operation portion 128 a of the service plug 128 is disposed outside the front side surface 120 b of the upper case 120, and the plug base portion 128 b is disposed inside the front side surface 120 b of the upper case 120. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal length L2 of the plug operation portion 128a of the service plug 128 is longer than the longitudinal length L1 of the through hole 125A, while the longitudinal length of the plug base portion 128b is longer. The length is short. In addition, the height of the plug operation portion 128a and the plug base portion 128b is lower (the length is shorter) than the height (length) of the through hole 125A in the vertical direction (short direction) when placed in the vertical direction. However, the length of the plug operation unit 128a may be long. Accordingly, the plug base portion 128b can be inserted into and removed from the circuit breaker 137 through the through hole 125A, while the plug operation portion 128a cannot be inserted through the through hole 125A. Therefore, in a state where the service plug 128 is inserted and supported by the circuit breaker 137, the front side surface 120b provided with the through hole 125A is sandwiched between the circuit breaker 137 and the plug operation part 128a of the service plug 128. For this reason, the upper case 120 is prevented from being pulled out to the circuit breaker 137 side or the plug operation unit 128a side. As a result, the upper case 120 cannot be removed from the lower case 110 unless the service plug 128 is removed from the circuit breaker 137.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the service plug 128 is connected to the circuit breaker 137 between a release position before the plug operation unit 128 a is correctly attached to the circuit breaker 137 and a fixed position fixed to the circuit breaker 137. On the other hand, it moves horizontally (in the horizontal direction along the front side surface 120b). The release position is a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 10, and the fixed position is a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The fixed position is a position where the service plug 128 is arranged for normal use of the battery pack 100, and is a position where the service plug 128 is correctly attached to the circuit breaker 137. The release position is a temporary position during the operation of removing the service plug 128 from the circuit breaker 137 for maintenance of the battery pack 100 or arranging the service plug 128 on the circuit breaker 137 after maintenance of the battery pack 100 or the like. Is the ideal position. Therefore, although the service plug 128 is inserted into the circuit breaker 137 at the release position, the use of the battery pack 100 in this state may cause inconvenience unlike the position for normal use of the battery pack 100. .

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the service plug 128 is in the release position, the plug operation unit 128a is formed and arranged so that the plug operation unit 128a interferes with the contact portion 125a of the plug cover 125. That is, when the service plug 128 is in the release position where it is not properly attached to the circuit breaker, the plug cover 125 cannot be attached to the housing case 101 due to interference by the service plug 128. For this reason, the possibility that the plug cover 125 is fastened to the upper case 120 in a state where the service plug 128 is not properly attached to the circuit breaker is prevented.

As described above, according to the battery pack of this embodiment, the effects listed below can be obtained.
(1) Since the shell-shaped (box-shaped) housing case 101 that houses the battery stack 200 is directly supported by the carrier brackets 111 and 112 on the vehicle frame Fr, the structure for supporting the battery stack 200 is conventional. In addition, a shelf for placing the battery stack 200 and a cover for covering the shelf become unnecessary. The storage case 101 is also a structure having rigidity that can support the battery stack 200 by connecting (fastening) the lower case 110 and the upper case 120, that is, a structure having a so-called monocoque structure. As is well known, the monocoque structure provides stress resistance to the outer plate that makes up the housing, so the skeleton of the structure can be omitted, making it lighter than other structures to ensure rigidity. To become simplified. That is, according to the storage case 101, a frame for ensuring the rigidity of the shelf, a cover for covering the shelf, and the like are not required as compared with the case where the battery stack 200 is supported by the shelf as in the conventional case. As a battery pack 100 for supporting the battery pack, the structure can be reduced in weight and simplified.

(2) Since the flange portions 115 and 124 are provided in the lower case 110 and the upper case 120, the rigidity of the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 is improved by the flange portions 115 and 124. Further, since the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 are connected via the flange portions 115 and 124, the connection area between the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 is widened, and as a result, between the lower case 110 and the upper case 120. The bond strength of can be increased. That is, the rigidity of the housing case 101 after connection can be further improved.

  (3) The upper flange 111b of the carrier bracket 111 is fastened to the left flange 115d provided on the first side surface 110d of the lower case 110, and the carrier bracket is attached to the right flange 115e provided on the second side surface 110e of the lower case 110. The upper flange 112b of 112 is fastened together. As a result, the rigidity of the housing case 101 is further improved.

  (4) The carrier brackets 111 and 112 are coupled to the lower case 110 that is cantilevered on which the battery stack 200 is placed. For this reason, even when the upper case 120 is not connected, the lower case 110 on which the battery stack 200 is placed is attached to the vehicle frame Fr, or only the upper case 120 is removed from the housing case 101 attached to the vehicle frame Fr. It can be removed. Thereby, workability related to the attachment of the battery pack 100 is improved.

Further, since the battery stack 200 is placed, supporting the lower case 110 which is a heavy side also stabilizes the state of attachment of the housing case 101 to the vehicle frame Fr.
(5) Since the upper side of the lower case 110 is inclined, the length (peripheral length) of the flange portion 115 is increased, and the length (peripheral length) of the flange portion 124 of the upper case 120 joined thereto is also increased. As a result, the area of the connecting surfaces of the flange portions 115 and 124 of the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 increases, so that the coupling force between the flange portions 115 and 124 increases and the rigidity of the housing case 101 can be further increased. .

  Further, since the height of the side surface of the lower case 110 that is separated from the vehicle frame Fr, that is, the side that is separated from the outside of the vehicle, is low, the battery pack 100 can be removed when performing maintenance or the like on the battery pack 100. Even if it is still attached to the vehicle, the work on the battery stack 200 and the like can be easily performed by removing the upper case 120.

  (6) By making the shape of each joint surface 111a, 112a of each carrier bracket 111, 112 correspond to the shape of the first and second side surfaces 110d, 110e of the lower case 110 whose depth decreases in the direction away from the vehicle frame Fr. Thus, the carrier brackets 111 and 112 can be shaped to ensure as high rigidity as possible.

  (7) A conventional secondary battery (battery pack) is provided with a service plug that is attached during normal use, but is disconnected during operation to cut off its output power to ensure safety.

  Therefore, a service plug 128 that can be operated from outside the housing case 101 is also provided in the battery pack 100. Accordingly, for example, the safety of the work can be improved by cutting off the output power of the battery stack 200 by performing an operation of removing the service plug 128 before the work. Further, by covering the service plug 128 with the plug cover 125, the service plug 128 can be protected from dirt and unnecessary operations. Furthermore, since the service plug 128 can be operated only by removing the plug cover 125 without opening the housing case 101, the battery stack 200 is placed in the housing case 101 prior to maintenance or the like for the housing case 101. The service plug 128 can be operated in the state of being isolated and stored. Thereby, the operability, workability, safety, etc. as the battery pack 100 can be improved.

  (8) If the service plug 128 is not correctly attached to the battery pack 100, the battery pack 100 may not operate normally, or the service plug 128 may come off during traveling and cause inconvenience.

  Therefore, when the service plug 128 is not correctly installed, the plug cover 125 cannot be installed. Therefore, when the plug cover 125 is installed, it is confirmed whether or not the service plug 128 is installed correctly. As a result, the certainty and safety of the work for the battery pack 100 are further improved.

  (9) The upper case 120 corresponding to the lid in the housing case 101 in a state where the service plug 128 is not operated, that is, in a so-called attached state, for example, in a state where electric power is output from the battery pack 100 Since 125A interferes with the service plug 128, it cannot be removed from the housing case 101. That is, when the service plug 128 is attached, it is possible to prevent the housing case 101 from being opened. As a result, the upper case 120 can be removed only in a state where the safety of work or the like is enhanced by an operation such as removal of the service plug 128, and thus the reliability and safety of the work for the battery pack 100 is further improved. It becomes like this.

  (10) The upper case 120 extended from the flange portion 115 of the lower case 110 that splashes, dust, and the like scattered from below toward the duct intake ports 151 and 152 reach the duct intake ports 151 and 152. This can be further prevented by the flange portion 124. Further, since the front end portion 124p of the flange portion 124 of the upper case 120 is bent downward, water and dust on the upper side can be easily discharged. As a result, water and dust mixed in the air sucked from the duct intake ports 151 and 152 can be reduced.

  (11) By providing the tray 140, the cooling air is supplied to the battery stack 200 without contacting the bottom surface 110a of the lower case 110. Therefore, the temperature of the cooling air varies depending on the temperature of the lower case 110. It will be suppressed. In particular, in the battery pack 100 arranged outside the vehicle, the temperature of the lower case 110 may rise due to radiant heat from the road surface, the vehicle body, or the like. Therefore, the cooling air is heated by the lower case 110 by interposing the tray 140. Thus, the cooling performance for the battery stack 200 can be maintained high.

  In addition, since the tray 140 has a higher degree of freedom of formation than the lower case 110, which is an outer plate that handles stress, the shape of draining moisture accumulated in the tray 140, the formation of a flow path for flowing cooling air, etc. It becomes easy.

  (12) Since the air supplied to the tray 140 distributes the supply chamber 142 of the tray 140 according to the partition 143, the cooling air can be appropriately distributed to the battery stack 200. By appropriately distributing the air cooling air, the battery stack 200 is cooled as uniformly as possible, so that the reliability and performance of the battery pack 100 can be maintained high.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented with the following aspects.
In the above embodiment, the case where the shapes of the joint surfaces 111a and 112a of the carrier brackets 111 and 112 are the same as the shape of the first side surface 110d or the second side surface 110e of the corresponding lower case 110 is illustrated. However, the shape of the carrier bracket is not limited to this, and the shape of the carrier bracket can be any shape as long as the housing case can be supported via the flange.

  -In above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the height of the rear side surface 110c of the lower case 110 was higher than the height of the front side surface 110b was illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the height of the rear side surface of the lower case may be the same as the height of the front side surface, or the height of the rear side surface of the lower case may be higher than the height of the front side surface. Further, the height of the rear side surface and the front side surface of the upper case may be changed according to the shape of the lower case. Thereby, the improvement of the design freedom of the storage case comprised combining a lower case and an upper case comes to be aimed at.

  -In above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the battery pack 100 was mounted in the vehicle frame Fr outside a vehicle was illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the battery pack may be mounted on a vehicle body other than the vehicle frame, or may be disposed not only outside the vehicle but also inside the vehicle interior. This also improves the availability of the battery pack.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the battery pack 100 is cantilevered is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the battery pack may be supported by hanging through the lower case 110, the upper case 120, or both cases, or may be supported by a plane. In any case, the monocoque housing case can be mounted in a state where high rigidity is maintained, regardless of the manner in which the case is mounted on the vehicle body or chassis. As a result, the availability of the battery pack is improved.

  In the above embodiment, the battery pack 100 is exemplified for supplying power to the electric motor of the truck. However, the battery pack 100 is not limited to this, and the battery pack is an electric device or electronic device other than the electric motor and is mounted on the vehicle. It is also possible to supply power to the device being used. Thereby, the availability of a battery pack comes to improve.

  In the above embodiment, the storage case 101 has a rectangular parallelepiped, horizontally long box shape. However, the storage case is not limited thereto, and the storage case can accommodate a battery stack, an air cooling device, and a management device. The shape may be elliptical on the side, cylindrical or polygonal. Thereby, the improvement of the design freedom of a battery pack comes to be aimed at.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the lower case 110 and the upper case 120 are connected and the carrier brackets 111 and 112 are connected to each other by fastening with screws such as bolts is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the connection between the lower case and the upper case and the connection of the carrier bracket to the lower case are not limited to fastening with screws, and the connection method is not particularly limited as long as the respective members can be connected. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Battery pack, 101 ... Housing case, 110 ... Lower case, 110a ... Bottom surface, 110b ... Front side surface, 110c ... Rear side surface, 110d ... First side surface, 110e ... Second side surface, 111 ... Carrier bracket, 111a ... Joining surface, 111b ... Upper flange, 111c ... Lower flange, 111d ... Frame connecting part, 112 ... Carrier bracket, 112a ... Joint surface, 112b ... Upper flange, 113 ... Exhaust port, 114 ... Mounting hole, 115 ... Flange part, 115b ... Front flange 115c ... rear flange, 115d ... left flange, 115e ... right flange, 116 ... pin, 117 ... connecting member, 118 ... elastic member, 119 ... screw, 120 ... upper case, 120a ... top surface, 120b ... front side surface, 120c ... rear side surface, 120d ... first side surface, 120e ... second side surface, 121, 1 2 ... Intake port, 123 ... Mounting hole, 123A ... Fastening mounting hole, 123B ... Bolt, 123N ... Nut, 124 ... Flange, 124b ... Front flange, 124c ... Rear flange, 124d ... Left flange, 124e ... Right flange, 124p ... tip, 125 ... plug cover, 125a ... contact portion, 125A ... through hole, 125b ... plug housing, 126 ... screw, 127 ... screw hole, 128 ... service plug, 128a ... plug operation part, 128b ... plug Base part 130... Frame 131 131 First frame material 132 Second frame material 133 Connection member 134 Tray housing part 135 Bolt 136 Support part 137 Circuit breaker 140 Tray 141 ... Supply duct, 142 ... Supply chamber, 143 ... Partition, 144 ... Division passage, 145 ... Fin, 14 Dew hole, 147 ... Gap, 150 ... Duct, 150a ... Fan mounting part, 150b ... Air guide part, 151 ... Duct inlet, 152 ... Duct inlet, 200 ... Battery stack, 210 ... Battery module, 221 ... End Plate, 223 ... Restraint rod, 224 ... Bracket, 300 ... Management equipment, Fa ... Cooling fan, Fr ... Vehicle frame.

Claims (8)

A battery pack that is mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group that supplies electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case,
The storage case is connected to each other with the openings facing each other and is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case having a box shape and the first case and the second case. A support member that directly supports the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle ,
The first case and the second case are provided with annular flanges extending from the mutual openings along the outer periphery so as to face each other at the time of the connection. The first and second cases are connected,
The first and second cases are box-shaped cases having a long side surface and a short side surface,
The support member is a pair of brackets fixed to each short side surface of either the first case or the second case to support the housing case in a cantilever manner on the vehicle body or the chassis.
The pair of brackets are provided with flanges that are in surface contact with the back surfaces of the connecting surfaces of the flanges that extend to portions corresponding to the side surfaces to which the brackets of the first and second cases are fixed. The battery pack is characterized in that the flange of the bracket is fastened together with the flanges of the cases when the first and second cases are connected . The first case is a lower case that is vertically downward when the housing case is cantilevered by the vehicle body or the chassis, and the secondary battery group is placed and fixed on the lower case, a pair of brackets, battery pack according to claim 1 which is fixed to the short side surface of the lower case. In the lower case, the depth with respect to the vertical direction when the housing case is cantilevered by the vehicle body or the chassis is shallower on the side away from the vehicle body or the chassis than on the side facing the vehicle body or the chassis,
The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein a flange of the lower case is extended along an outer periphery of an upper side inclined to a side away from a vehicle body or a chassis of the lower case. The bracket includes a flange that is in surface contact with a flange that is inclined toward the side away from the vehicle body or the chassis of the lower case, and has a height in a direction away from the vehicle body or the chassis corresponding to the shape of the short side surface of the lower case. The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein the battery pack is formed in a tapered shape with a continuously decreasing height. Wherein the one side of the housing case, the through-holes is that of claim 1-4 which is provided to the service plug is attached to the circuit breaker to shut off the output power of the secondary battery pack in the housing case is penetrated The battery pack according to any one of the above. A battery pack that is mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group that supplies electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case,
The storage case is connected to each other with the openings facing each other and is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case having a box shape and the first case and the second case. A support member that directly supports the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle,
A through hole through which a service plug attached to a circuit breaker that cuts off the output power of the secondary battery group is provided in one side surface of the storage case,
A plug cover for sealing the through hole in a state of covering the installed service plug;
The plug cover is formed in a shape that cannot be attached to the housing case due to interference by the service plug when the service plug is not correctly attached to the circuit breaker.
A battery pack characterized by that . A battery pack that is mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group that supplies electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case,
The storage case is connected to each other with the openings facing each other and is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case having a box shape and the first case and the second case. A support member that directly supports the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle,
A through hole through which a service plug attached to a circuit breaker that cuts off the output power of the secondary battery group is provided in one side surface of the storage case,
The through hole in the second case the upper case for the first case is b Akesu, portion projecting outside of the case of the service plug is formed with a size that can not pass through A battery pack characterized by that. A battery pack that is mounted on a vehicle in a state where a secondary battery group that supplies electric power to an electric motor mounted on the vehicle is housed and fixed in a housing case,
The storage case is connected to each other with the openings facing each other and is fixed to at least one of the first case and the second case having a box shape and the first case and the second case. A support member that directly supports the vehicle body or chassis of the vehicle,
One side surface of the second case positioned vertically above the first case is provided with an intake port for sucking air for cooling the secondary battery group accommodated in the accommodation case. And
The flange extended from the second case is such that at least a portion disposed below the intake port covers the tip of the flange extended from the first case, and the tip thereof is vertically downward. Bent
A battery pack characterized by that .

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