JPH11339761A - Set battery for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular set battery having excellent working safety, assembling workability, exchangeability of defective batteries, vibration- resistance, and a low resistance loss, and lessening a space required for each cylindrical battery. SOLUTION: Positive and negative electrode terminals 6, 10 provided at the center portions of both end walls of respective cylindrical cases 1 are screwed on both ends of connecting members 17 to be sequentially connected in series. That is, the positive and negative electrode terminals 6, 10 of the cylindrical batteries are formed into male screws or female screws, and the positive and negative electrode terminals 6, 10 of the adjacent two cylindrical batteries are screwed by the connecting member 17 of a bolt shape or a nut shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an assembled battery for a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional battery pack for an electric vehicle is manufactured by connecting a large number of cylindrical batteries in series by welding to produce a battery module for the purpose of reducing wiring resistance loss, and by combining the battery modules. I have.

[0003]

However, manufacturing a battery module by welding cylindrical batteries or further welding connection members welded to each cylindrical battery is not easy in terms of workability. However, I was worried about safety and reliability. Therefore, it is conceivable to arrange a large number of cylindrical batteries in series and mechanically bias them from both sides by means of elastic biasing means to complete the electrical series connection.However, in an electric vehicle, connection stability in a high vibration environment is considered. The issue is how to secure the quality.

[0004] Further, in an assembled battery for an electric vehicle using a large number of cylindrical batteries, it is necessary to reduce the space required for each cylindrical battery, and if one cylindrical battery becomes defective, the defective battery is removed. It is important that the battery can be easily replaced. However, in the conventional battery pack for a vehicle, further improvement is required in these points. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, has excellent work safety and assembly workability, can reduce the required space per cylindrical battery,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an assembled battery for a vehicle which is excellent in exchangeability of a defective battery, has low resistance loss, and is excellent in vibration resistance.

[0005]

According to the present invention, the positive and negative electrode terminals provided at the center of both end walls of the cylindrical case are screwed to both ends of the connecting member. And are serially connected in series. That is, the positive and negative electrode terminals of the cylindrical battery are male or female screws, and the positive and negative electrode terminals of two adjacent cylindrical batteries are screwed together with a bolt-like or nut-like connecting member. . Note that a female screw surface may be provided at one end of the connection member, and a male screw surface may be provided at the other end.

In this way, the work safety and the assembling work are excellent, the required space per cylindrical battery can be reduced, the exchangeability of defective batteries is excellent, the resistance loss is small, and the vibration resistance is excellent. An assembled battery for a vehicle can be realized. In the assembled battery for a vehicle according to claim 2,
The positive and negative electrode terminals provided at the center of both end walls of the cylindrical case are directly screwed and connected in series.

That is, the positive electrode terminal of the cylindrical battery is one of a male screw and a female screw, and the negative electrode terminal is the other of a male screw and a female screw. , The negative electrode terminal is directly screwed. In this way, the work safety and the assembling work are excellent, the required space per one cylindrical battery can be reduced, the replacement of defective batteries is excellent, the resistance loss is small, and the vehicle assembly excellent in vibration resistance is provided. A battery can be realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the battery assembly for a vehicle according to the first or second aspect, the positive and / or negative electrode terminals are recessed inward from both end faces of the case. Female screw surface. By doing so, the axial size of the battery module can be reduced. In particular, the female screw surface is provided so as to protrude into an air core at a radially central portion of an electrode assembly formed by winding positive and negative electrode plates with a separator interposed therebetween. By doing so, the axial dimension of the battery module can be further reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the positive and negative electrode terminals provided at the center of both end walls of the cylindrical case are press-fitted to both end portions of the connecting member and connected in series. Is done. In this way, the work safety and the assembling work are excellent, the required space per one cylindrical battery can be reduced, the replacement of defective batteries is excellent, the resistance loss is small, and the vehicle assembly excellent in vibration resistance is provided. A battery can be realized.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the assembled battery for a vehicle according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the positive and negative electrode terminals of each cylindrical battery are further communicated to form an air core of the cylindrical battery. The cooling fluid flows axially through the section, and further communicates with the cooling fluid passages of the cylindrical batteries connected in series to form a cooling fluid circuit. This makes it possible to realize an assembled battery having excellent cooling performance without increasing the size of the battery module.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the following examples.

[0012]

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an assembled battery for a vehicle according to the present invention.
This will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of one cylindrical battery of the assembled battery for a vehicle. An electrode assembly 5 formed by winding positive and negative electrode plates 2 and 3 with a separator 4 interposed therebetween is housed in a case 1 in the form of a metal cylindrical can. The negative electrode terminal 6 is fixed to the hole provided in the portion by welding.

The metal disk-shaped positive electrode cap 7 has its peripheral portion fixed to the opening of the case 1 by being clamped by a ring plate and rings 8 and 9 made of resin. The positive electrode terminal 10 is fixed to the hole provided in the portion by welding. A current collecting plate 11 is welded or formed integrally with the positive electrode terminal 10, and a positive electrode lead 12 extending from the positive electrode plate 2 is welded to the current collecting plate 11. A current collecting plate 13 in the form of a metal plate is welded to the inner surface of the bottom of the can of the negative electrode 1, and a negative electrode lead 14 extending from the negative electrode plate 3 is welded to the current collecting plate 13.

A feature of the cylindrical battery of this embodiment is that female screw holes 15 and 16 are formed in both electrode terminals 6 and 10 so as to be recessed inward in the axial direction. An example of assembling the assembled battery for a vehicle using the cylindrical battery having the above structure will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 17 denotes a copper connecting member having a male screw surface formed over the entire surface. Reference numeral 18 denotes a rubber ring fitted to the connecting member 17, but may be a washer or packing.

One end of the connection member 17 is screwed into the female screw hole 15 of the negative electrode terminal 6 of the upper cylindrical battery shown in FIG.
The female screw hole 16 of the positive electrode terminal 10 of the lower cylindrical battery shown in FIG. 2 is screwed to the other end of the connecting member 17 until the rubber ring 18 is sufficiently compressed. The spiral direction (lead angle) of the male screw surface at one end of the connection member 17 may be the same as the spiral direction (lead angle) of the male screw surface at the other end.
The reverse is also possible.

By doing so, the structure becomes complicated,
The pair of cylindrical batteries can be firmly and mechanically and electrically connected through the connecting member 17 without complicating the manufacturing process and further increasing the required space.
Further, the rubber ring 18 is omitted, and the above screwing is performed until the outer surface of the bottom of the can 1 of the upper cylindrical battery case 1 and the outer end surface of the positive electrode cap 7 of the lower cylindrical battery are in close contact. Is also good. In this case, when the upper cylindrical battery is screwed clockwise to one end (upper) of the connecting member 17 and tightened, the lower cylindrical battery is connected to the other end (lower) of the connecting member 17. Screw the type battery counterclockwise and tighten. This can further reduce the electric resistance loss and reduce the required space.

[0017]

Embodiment 2 Another embodiment of the assembled battery for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section of a connecting member of the assembled battery for a vehicle. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a connecting member 19 is used instead of the connecting member 17 and the rubber ring 18 in the first embodiment.

The connecting member 19 is made of a copper column 20.
And a copper flange plate 21 provided radially outward from the axial center of the cylindrical portion 20, and radially inward from the outer periphery of the flange plate 21 toward both axial sides with a predetermined distance from the flange plate 21. The contact portions 22 and 23 are made of copper and have a ring shape, and rubber rings 24 and 25 are fixed to both ends of the cylindrical portion 20.
In this embodiment, one rubber ring 2 of the connection member 19 is used.
4 is pressed into the female screw hole 15 of the negative electrode terminal 6 of the upper cylindrical battery shown in FIG. 2, and the other rubber ring 25 of the connecting member 19 is connected to the positive electrode of the lower cylindrical battery shown in FIG. Terminal 10
Into the female screw hole 16. The press-fitting is performed until the copper contact portion 22 contacts the bottom surface of the can 1 of the upper cylindrical battery case 1 and the copper contact portion 23 contacts the positive electrode cap 7 of the lower cylindrical battery. Thus, the two cylindrical batteries are mechanically and electrically coupled.

In this embodiment, the female screw hole 1 is used.
Needless to say, cylindrical holes may be employed instead of 5 and 16, and the rubber rings 24 and 25 may be omitted.
In this way, good electrical and mechanical connections can be detachably realized by a simple structure and an assembling process. Further, according to this embodiment, since the holes for press-fitting are provided in the hollow core of the electrode assembly 5, the cylindrical battery 1
The required space per unit can be prevented from increasing,
A high-density battery pack for vehicles can be realized,
In particular, the relative displacement in the radial direction of each cylindrical battery can be well controlled. You.

In this embodiment, both ends of the battery module formed by connecting a required number of cylindrical batteries in series can be prevented from being displaced in the axial direction by a regulating member in order to prevent the battery from being removed in the axial direction.

[0021]

Embodiment 3 Another embodiment of the assembled battery for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a vertical cross section of a cylindrical battery used in the assembled battery for a vehicle. In this embodiment, the shape of the two electrode terminals 6, 10 in the cylindrical battery of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is changed to a cylindrical shape, and a coolant is sealed between the two electrode terminals 6a, 10a and electrically insulated. The difference is that a rubber ring 30 is interposed.

More specifically, both electrode terminals 6a, 10a
Has a cylindrical shape with female screw holes 15a and 16a penetrating therethrough, and both female screw holes 15a and 16a communicate with each other through holes in the rubber ring 30. The rubber ring 30 is compressed in the axial direction by caulking and fixing the positive electrode cap 7, so that the electrically insulating coolant in the female screw holes 15a and 16a does not mix with the electrolyte in the case 1. I have.

Of course, if the two electrode terminals 6a and 10a do not contact each other, it is possible to use another known liquid sealing method such as an O-ring instead of the rubber ring 30. Is natural. In this way, the heat generated in the electrode assembly 5 is transferred to both electrode terminals 6a, 1a.
It can be transmitted to the end of the cylindrical battery through the cooling liquid in Oa.

(Modification) In this embodiment, if a through hole is provided in the positive electrode cap 77 shown in FIG. 2, the coolant can flow through the upper and lower cylindrical batteries shown in FIG. By indirectly cooling the liquid which has become the outside, an assembled battery having extremely excellent cooling capacity can be realized.

[0025]

Embodiment 4 Another embodiment of the assembled battery for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a vertical cross section of a cylindrical battery used in the assembled battery for a vehicle. The assembled battery of this embodiment has the same basic structure as that of the assembled battery shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and differs only in details. Therefore, only the differences will be described.

In this embodiment, the cylindrical case 1b is open at both ends, and both openings are sealed by caulking a metal cover plate 7b via an insulating separator 8b. A negative electrode terminal 6b and a positive electrode terminal 10b are individually welded to these cover plates 7b, respectively.
Female screw holes 15b and 16b are recessed in b and 10b.

The current collecting plate 13b formed integrally with the negative electrode terminal 6b is electrically insulated from the case 1b by an insulating separator 9b, and the current collecting plate 11b formed integrally with the positive electrode terminal 10b is an insulating separator. 9b electrically insulates the case 1b. Leads extending from both electrode plates of an electrode assembly (not shown) are welded to the current collector plates 11b and 13b.

The connecting member 17b has female screw holes 15b, 1
A male screw surface capable of being screwed into 6b is formed, and a flange portion 170 for reducing electric resistance is formed at a central portion in the axial direction. The flange 170 is in close contact with the end faces of both electrode terminals 6b, 10b to reduce the connection resistance. Even with this configuration, the same operation and effect as those of the vehicle assembled battery according to the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0029]

Embodiment 5 Another embodiment of the assembled battery for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a vertical cross section of a cylindrical battery used in the assembled battery for a vehicle. The assembled battery of this embodiment has the same basic structure as that of the assembled battery shown in FIG. 5 and differs only in details. Therefore, only the differences will be described.

In this embodiment, a positive electrode terminal 10c is employed in place of the positive electrode terminal 10b shown in FIG. 5, and the positive electrode terminal 10c is provided with a female screw hole 15 of the negative electrode terminal 6b.
It has a male screw part screwed into b. Reference numeral 7c denotes a lid plate having the same function as the lid plate 7b shown in the fifth embodiment. By doing so, the connecting member 17b can be omitted, the assembled battery can be configured more easily, and the electric resistance loss can be further reduced.

In this embodiment as well, it is clear that a through hole is provided in both electrode terminals 6b and 10c in the axial direction so that the coolant can be forcibly circulated by communicating as shown in the figure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a cylindrical battery used for an assembled battery for a vehicle according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an assembled battery for a vehicle using the cylindrical battery shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connection member used for a vehicle assembled battery according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cylindrical battery used in the assembled battery for a vehicle according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a cylindrical battery used for an assembled battery for a vehicle according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a cylindrical battery used for an assembled battery for a vehicle according to a fifth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a case, 5 is an electrode assembly, 6 is a negative electrode terminal,
10 is a positive electrode terminal, 15 and 16 are female screw holes, 17, 1
9 is a connecting member

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of cylindrical batteries having positive and negative electrode terminals each having a screw surface provided at the center of both end walls of the case, and positive and negative electrodes of a pair of cylindrical batteries having both end portions adjacent to each other. A connection member that is individually screwed into the electrode terminals of (a) and (b) to electrically and mechanically couple the pair of cylindrical batteries. 2. A battery comprising a plurality of cylindrical batteries provided with positive and negative electrode terminals each having a screw surface at the center of both end walls of the case, wherein the positive electrode terminals of one cylindrical battery are adjacent to each other. An assembled battery for vehicles, which is directly screwed to a negative electrode terminal of a cylindrical battery. 3. The vehicle battery according to claim 1, wherein said positive or negative electrode terminal has a female screw surface recessed from both end surfaces of said case. For assembled batteries. 4. A plurality of cylindrical batteries having positive and negative electrode terminals each having a screw surface provided at the center of both end walls of the case, and positive and negative electrodes of a pair of cylindrical batteries having both end portions adjacent to each other. And a connection member that is individually press-fitted into the electrode terminals and electrically and mechanically couples the pair of cylindrical batteries. 5. The assembled battery for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a coolant passage through which coolant flows through the positive and negative electrode terminals of each of the cylindrical batteries, An assembled battery for a vehicle, wherein the coolant passages of the respective cylindrical batteries are communicated.