WO2014162963A1

WO2014162963A1 - Battery module

Info

Publication number: WO2014162963A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/058762
Authority: WO
Inventors: 禎広小宮
Original assignee: Ｎｅｃエナジーデバイス株式会社
Priority date: 2013-04-03
Filing date: 2014-03-27
Publication date: 2014-10-09

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a pack that is less susceptible to the negative effects of an external impact. [Solution] Provided is a battery pack having a battery housing that houses at least a battery element and a connector. The battery housing is provided with an opening from which the connector is exposed. A protrusion is provided to a part of the battery housing in order to prevent the battery pack from moving in the insertion direction of the connector.

Description

Battery module

The present invention relates to a battery pack incorporating a secondary battery, and an electric vehicle equipped with the battery pack.

A battery pack incorporating a secondary battery is used as a power source used for vehicles including electric cars, electric motorcycles, electrically assisted bicycles, etc., and power sources used in houses and buildings. Among these batteries, a lithium ion secondary battery, which is relatively light in weight and has a high energy density, is often used as a battery pack for vehicles such as an electric motorcycle and an electric power assisted bicycle. The lightweight secondary battery pack is attached to a part of the frame of the vehicle, and the connector fixed on the battery pack side is connected to the connector fixed on the vehicle side. Connection is made. Patent Document 1 describes a battery pack attached to a frame portion of an electric bicycle.

JP 2012-212589 A

Although the weight reduction of the battery pack mounted in vehicles, such as an electrically assisted bicycle etc. and an electric motorcycle, is advancing, but the weight becomes very large compared with the small battery pack for portable devices.
The battery pack for vehicles receives the vibration which is continuously received while the vehicle is traveling, and may be subjected to the impact due to the overturn which may occur regardless of the traveling or the stop. When the battery pack is attached to a frame or the like of a vehicle such as an electrically assisted bicycle or an electric motorcycle, the connector fixed on the battery pack side is inserted into the connector fixed on the vehicle side.

Therefore, the weight of the battery pack is also supported by the connecting portion between the connectors, the fixing portion of the connector on the battery pack side, or the fixing portion of the connector on the vehicle side. As a result, when vibration or impact is applied, there is a risk that the fixed portion of the connector, the connection portion of the connector, or the connector itself may be damaged.

In order to prevent these breakages, it is conceivable to increase the strength of the portion where the connector of the container portion around the battery pack is arranged or to arrange the shock absorber around the connector. However, since the shape of the connector varies depending on the design and specifications of the vehicle, changing the shape of the container each time will not only burden the design and manufacture, but also increase the cost and increase the weight of the vehicle. Unfavorable.
Therefore, in the present invention, when fixing a battery pack incorporating a secondary battery to a vehicle, the stress applied to the mounting portion of the connector and the connecting portion between the connectors is reduced by a simple method, and the durability against external impact is To provide a high battery pack and a vehicle.

The present invention is a battery pack provided with a battery container that accommodates at least a battery element and a connector, wherein the battery container includes an opening through which the connector is exposed, and the insertion direction of the connector in a part of the battery container On the other hand, the problem can be solved by providing a battery pack provided with a protrusion that suppresses movement of the battery pack.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the load applied to the connector of the battery pack mounted on the vehicle and the fixed portion of the connector, and to reduce the impact from the outside. In addition, even when the type of connector changes, the load applied to the connector can be reduced without changing the design of the battery container, and the degree of freedom in arranging the battery pack on the vehicle can be increased.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example in which the battery pack of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically showing an example of the battery pack of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an example of the battery pack of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an external appearance perspective view schematically showing another example of the battery pack of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing another example of the battery pack of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing another example of the battery pack of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view when the battery pack of the present invention is disposed in a vehicle.
Here, the battery pack 1 is disposed between the seat tube 120 located between the saddle 110 and the pedal 150 and the rear wheel 170. The battery pack 1 has a connector 3a fixed downward with respect to the battery container 2, and is lowered along the seat tube from the saddle 110 side of the vehicle to connect with the connector fixed upward to the vehicle, The connection portion 300 is formed. Furthermore, the battery pack 1 is fixed by a lock member 130 or the like so that the connector is not detached.

In FIG. 1, the battery pack is disposed to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction along the sheet tube 120, but may be disposed in the vertical direction or in the horizontal direction. Also, the battery pack placement location is not limited to between the seat tube and the rear wheel, and can be changed as appropriate, and may be placed along a frame other than the seat tube, or always placed in the direction along the frame. It does not have to be.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically showing an example of the battery pack of the present invention. 2A is an external perspective view seen from the side where the connector 3a is disposed, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion where the connector 3a of FIG. 2A is disposed. The battery pack 1 has a structure in which a secondary battery, a protective circuit board, a connector 3 and the like are accommodated in a resin battery case 2 and, in this case, the cover 2a of the battery case and the body 2b of the battery case are fitted. The battery case 2 is formed by combining them. In order to improve the workability when disposing the battery pack in the vehicle, a grip portion which can carry the battery pack may be provided in part of the battery container, and in FIG. 2A, it is opposite to one side where the connector is disposed. A grip is provided on one side located on the side.

The connector 3a faces the opening 4 provided on one surface of the battery case and is accommodated inside the battery case, and is arranged to be connectable with a connector arranged on the vehicle side. A protrusion 5 is provided outside the battery case and around the opening 4. The protrusion 5 is in contact with a part of the vehicle and serves as a part for supporting the battery pack 1. The battery pack is supported in a state in which the movement of the connector in the insertion direction is suppressed by the projection, so that loads such as vibration or impact are concentrated on the fixing portion between the connector and the battery container or the connector connection portion. You can prevent it.

In particular, when the connector 3a fixed to the battery pack 1 is inserted into a connector (not shown) on the vehicle side, the battery pack is supported only near the connector before attaching the lock member. Therefore, the stress applied to the connector connection portion 300 and the stress applied to the portion where the connector is attached to the battery pack are supported by supporting the battery pack with the protrusion 5 in contact with the vehicle side and suppressing the movement of the connector in the insertion direction. Can be significantly reduced.

On the other hand, since most of the load when the battery pack is inserted is received by the projecting portion, the thickness of the projecting portion 5 is preferably 0.5 mm or more, more preferably 1 mm or more. Although the thickness of the projection varies depending on the specification of the connector, it is necessary to make the thickness smaller than the thickness which does not disturb the electrical connection of the connector.
In addition, a waterproof member having a rigidity lower than that of the protrusion may be arranged around the opening 4 (not shown) around the opening 4 in consideration of waterproofness. The waterproof member may be disposed between the opening and the projection, or may be disposed so as to surround the opening and the projection. The protruding portion 5 may have any rigidity as long as the movement of the connector in the insertion direction can be suppressed. For example, the protruding portion 5 may be made of resin, metal, or a combination with other materials including these. The protrusion may be formed at the same time as molding the battery case, or another member may be attached.

In addition, the projection 5 in FIG. 2 is formed on the outer surface of the battery capacity surface in which the opening is formed, thereby providing the simplest structure for preventing the breakage of the connector without complicating the structure of the battery container. If the movement in the insertion direction of the connector can be suppressed, the position of the protrusion does not necessarily have to be the surface in which the opening is formed. For example, a central portion of the battery case may be provided with a portion for suppressing movement of the battery case in the insertion direction, or a portion for locking the battery case to the vehicle in a direction opposite to the insertion direction of the battery case It is also good.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an example of the battery pack of the present invention. FIG. 3A schematically shows an exploded perspective view in which the cover portion 2a of the battery container of the battery pack of FIG. 2A is removed and the connector portion is disassembled, and FIG. 3B shows the portion where the connector is disposed in FIG. It is an exploded perspective view which expanded.
The body portion 2b of the battery container accommodates the secondary battery 6, the substrate holder 7 accommodating the circuit board, and the connector 3a, which are electrically connected by lead wires or the like. Here, a plurality of lithium ion secondary batteries are stacked, and two assembled batteries in which the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are drawn from the same end face are accommodated, and the two secondary batteries are drawn out the electrode terminals of the positive electrode and the negative electrode The faces are arranged to face each other and connected in series. An input / output terminal and a sense line are drawn out from the assembled batteries connected in series, and these wires are connected to the connector via a printed circuit board on which a protective circuit and the like are arranged.
A partition wall is provided between the secondary battery 6, the substrate holder 7 and the connector 3a, leaving a path for arranging a lead wire, thereby enhancing the strength of the battery container 2. The printed circuit board may be accommodated in a holder 7 made of synthetic resin, and the electronic parts on the substrate may be covered with a resin or the like to provide waterproofing.

The connector 3a can be attached to the connector insertion portion 30a of the connector attachment plate 30, and can be fixed by inserting a screw or the like into through holes provided in each of the connector and the connector attachment plate 30. The connector mounting plate 30 is attached by inserting both ends of the connector mounting plate into

grooves

20a and 20b formed inside the body 2b of the battery container and on both sides of the opening, and the connector is exposed from the opening 4 By so doing, the main body of the connector can be disposed in the connector housing portion 200.

The

grooves

20a and 20b are formed such that the bottoms of the grooves face each other, and the

grooves

20a and 20b can also be formed on the lid 2a of the battery container. In that case, when the lid is closed, the connector attachment plate holds the groove portion of the lid portion 2a of the battery container in the same manner. The groove does not necessarily have to be provided so as to surround the entire periphery of the opening, but may be provided in a part of the periphery of the opening so as not to drop the connector mounting plate.
In consideration of the stability when arranging the connector mounting plate, it is preferable to form a groove on at least a pair of inner surfaces of the opposed inner surfaces of the battery container 2 and arrange so that the bottoms of the grooves face each other. The length of the groove is preferably 50% or more of the length in the groove direction of the inner surface in which the groove is disposed.

The connector mounting plate 30 preferably has a thickness that just fits without moving in the groove spacing of the groove 20a and inside the groove of the groove 20b. The longitudinal dimension of the connector mounting plate is smaller than the distance between the bottom of the groove receiving one longitudinal end of the mounting plate and the bottom of the groove receiving the other longitudinal end. Similarly, the lateral dimension of the connector mounting plate is smaller than the distance between the bottom of the groove receiving one lateral end of the mounting plate and the bottom of the groove receiving the other lateral end. . As a result, the connector mounting plate can be moved along the groove in the longitudinal and lateral directions (XY direction in the figure). Therefore, when attaching the battery pack to the vehicle, even if the positions of the connectors are slightly deviated due to variations in the mounting position in production, the connectors can be reliably slid to the positions where the connectors on the battery pack can be connected. It can be connected.

In the connector itself, a through hole is provided in a part of the connector, and it is known that the connector can be moved by the size difference from the diameter of the screw inserted into the through hole. As the size of the battery pack increases, the movable range due to the dimensional difference in screw diameter is often insufficient, and the configuration of the present invention is extremely effective. While the vehicle is traveling, it receives continuous vibration, but the connector on the battery pack side can slide sufficiently in the XY direction according to the vibration, thereby reducing stress on the connector connection. can do.

On the other hand, since the thickness of the connector mounting plate is made approximately equal to the distance between the grooves in the groove, the sliding direction of the connector is substantially restricted within the XY plane, and the insertion direction (Z direction in the figure) It is designed to prevent movement or twisting to occur. Therefore, even when connecting with the connector on the vehicle side, the connector can move only in the XY plane to realize stable connection between the connectors.
Also, by providing a part on the outer surface of the battery container to be in contact with the vehicle and suppressing movement in the insertion direction of the connector, the connector attachment plate is grooved even when a large load is applied in the insertion direction of the connector. It is possible to reduce the load applied to the part inserted in the Therefore, even if the connector mounting plate is not fixed to the battery container side with screws or the like and the connector mounting plate is fitted into the groove, the connector mounting plate can be prevented from falling off due to vibration.

Here, even when another connector is used instead of the connector 3a, the external dimensions of the connector mounting plate can be maintained as it is, and the configuration can be coped with by merely changing the shape of the connector insertion portion. Therefore, it becomes possible to cope with different connectors much more simply than changing the shape on the battery container side.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view schematically showing a battery pack when a connector different from that of FIG. 2 is used. FIG. 4A is an external perspective view seen from the side where the connector 3b is disposed, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion where the connector is disposed in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A shows an exploded perspective view of the battery container of FIG. 4A from which the cover 2a of the battery container is removed and the connector portion is disassembled. FIG. 5B is an enlarged perspective view of the portion where the connector is disposed in FIG. FIG.

The difference from FIGS. 2 and 3 is that a connector 3 b having a flange 31 is used instead of the connector 3 a and the connector mounting plate 30, and the other points are the same as in FIGS. 2 and 3. Therefore, the detailed description about the same part is omitted.
The connector 3 b is provided with a flange 31 which can be inserted around the connector and along the gap between the

grooves

20 a and 20 b. Although the flanges shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B are formed so as to project a part of the connector, they may have other members attached thereto, and, like FIGS. 2 and 3, this connector may be used. You may attach to the connector attachment plate which can be penetrated.

The external shape (dimensions in the X and Y directions in the figure) of the flange 31 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is substantially the same as the connector mounting plate 30 in FIGS. 2 and 3. Therefore, the connector 3 b can slide along the groove along the XY direction, and the connector can be reliably connected in the same manner as the connector 3 b attached to the connector attachment plate 30. Moreover, even if vibration is continuously received while the vehicle is traveling, it is possible to reduce the stress applied to the battery pack, the portion where the connector is attached to the vehicle side, and the connection portion of the connector. On the other hand, since the thickness of the flange is substantially equal to the distance between the grooves of the groove portion, movement in the insertion direction is hardly caused even when connecting with the connector on the vehicle side, and stable connection of the connector can be realized.

As another method of movably supporting the connector in the XY direction, as shown in FIG. 6, when attaching the connector to the battery pack with a screw, the diameter of the hole through which the screw is inserted is It is conceivable to make it larger. Even in this case, it is preferable to provide the protruding portion 5 outside the battery container and at all or part of the periphery of the opening 4.
The screw may be attached to the seat surface by applying a load to the extent that the connector can move, or by providing a space between the connector and the seat surface. In this embodiment, the number of screws and the mounting space are increased and the mounting ease is reduced, as compared with the case where the groove is used to movably support in the XY direction, but concentration of extreme load on the connector is reduced. Can be avoided.

In FIG. 6, a screw hole 201 is provided in a part of the connector accommodating portion 200 for attaching the connector mounting plate 30 b, and the screw hole is provided on the top of the projection 202. The connector mounting plate 30b is provided with notches 30c on both sides of the connector insertion portion, and the size of the notch is made larger than the external shape of the projection 202 of the screw hole inserted into the cutout 30c. ing. Thus, the connector mounting plate can be displaced relative to the battery case by the size of the outer shape of the protrusion and the size of the notch. Although the connector itself can be provided with a through hole in a part of the connector and the connector can be moved by the size difference with the diameter of a screw or the like inserted through the through hole, the connector attachment by this configuration If the plate itself is also movable, even if the battery pack is enlarged, the movable range is expanded and stable connector connection is possible.

The battery pack of the present invention can provide an assembled battery and a battery pack that are highly resistant to vibration and shock.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... battery pack, 2 ... battery container, 2a ... lid part of battery container, 2b ... body part, 20a, 20b ... groove part, 200 ... connector accommodating part, 3a, 3b ... Connector, 30 ... Connector mounting plate, 30a ... Connector insertion part, 30b ... Connector mounting plate, 30c ... Notched part, 31 ... Flange, 4 ... Opening part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Projection part, 6 ... Secondary battery, 7 ... Substrate holder, 100 ... Vehicle, 110 ... Saddle, 120 ... Seat tube, 130 ... Lock member, 150 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Claims

A battery pack comprising a battery container containing at least a battery element and a connector, the battery pack comprising:
The battery case includes an opening through which the connector is exposed.
A battery pack characterized in that a part of the battery case is provided with a protrusion that suppresses movement of the battery pack in the insertion direction of the connector.
The battery container has a groove for holding the connector or a connector mounting plate to which the connector is attached,
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the connector or the connector mounting plate is movable along the groove.
The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is disposed around the opening in a surface on which the opening is formed.
A battery pack comprising a battery container containing at least a battery element and a connector, the battery pack comprising:
The battery case includes an opening through which the connector is exposed.
A battery pack characterized in that a part of the battery case is provided with a protrusion that suppresses movement of the battery pack in the insertion direction of the connector.
A vehicle comprising: a connector on the vehicle side connected to the connector of the battery pack;
A vehicle characterized in that the connector on the battery pack side and the connector on the vehicle side are electrically connected in a state in which the movement of the connectors in the insertion direction is restricted.
The battery container has a groove for holding the connector or a connector mounting plate to which the connector is attached,
5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the connector or the connector mounting plate is movable along the groove.
The vehicle according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the protrusion is disposed around the opening in a surface in which the opening is formed.