Method for transporting battery modules

Abstract

This invention provides a method for conveying a battery module, which reduces the space required to hold the battery module during conveying. The method involves holding and conveying a battery module comprising multiple battery cells, a pair of end plates, and a pair of side plates via a conveying unit. At least one of the end plates and side plates has a through hole and a transverse hole intersecting the through hole. A positioning pin, disposed on the conveying unit and used for positioning the battery module by fixing components, is inserted from above into the through hole, and an anti-retraction component of the positioning pin is embedded in the transverse hole, thereby holding the battery module via the conveying unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for transporting a battery module. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a tubular elastomer disposed on a conveying arm is inserted into a cylindrical portion of a conveying object component and the elastomer is expanded, thereby holding and conveying the conveying object component by the frictional force generated between the cylindrical portion and the elastomer.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-067534 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to hold and transport heavy components such as battery modules by means of friction, multiple cylindrical portions for inserting the elastomer are required, which in turn increases the space required to hold the battery module.

[0005] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a method for transporting a battery module, which can reduce the space used to hold the battery module when transporting the battery module.

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues and achieve the objectives, the present invention relates to a method for conveying a battery module. This method uses a conveying unit to hold and convey a battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells stacked in a first direction; a pair of end plates respectively configured to clamp the plurality of battery cells from both sides of the first direction; and a pair of side plates respectively configured to clamp the plurality of battery cells from both sides of a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. At least one of the end plates and the side plates is provided with a through hole extending in a third direction orthogonal to both the first and second directions, and a transverse hole communicating with the through hole. A positioning pin, disposed in the conveying unit and used for positioning the battery module in a battery module fixing component, is inserted from above into the through hole, and an anti-retraction component disposed in the positioning pin is embedded in the transverse hole, thereby holding the battery module by the conveying unit.

[0007] Therefore, the battery module conveying method of the present invention can reduce the space required to hold the battery module when conveying the battery module.

[0008] Furthermore, in the above, the locating pin may be configured to rotate about the axial center of the locating pin, and the anti-retraction member may be configured to move between a position protruding from the side of the locating pin and a position accommodated inside the locating pin.

[0009] This allows for easy insertion and removal of the positioning pin relative to the through hole, improving the operability of loading and unloading the delivery unit relative to the battery module.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] The battery module transport method of the present invention has the effect of reducing the space required to hold the battery module during transport. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the battery module and delivery unit involved in the implementation method.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the battery module involved in the implementation method.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing the schematic structure of the end plate involved in the implementation method.

[0015] Figure 4 It means cutting along the thickness direction. Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the width end of the end plate shown.

[0016] Figure 5 This diagram shows the state where a delivery unit is installed on the battery module. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The following describes embodiments of the battery module delivery method according to the present invention. However, these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the battery module 1 and the delivery unit 6 involved in the embodiment. Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the schematic structure of the battery module 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 3 This is a perspective view showing the schematic structure of the end plate 3 involved in the embodiment.

[0019] The battery module 1 according to the embodiment includes a plurality of battery cells 2, a pair of end plates 3A and 3B, and a pair of side plates 4A and 4B. The plurality of battery cells 2 are stacked in a stacking direction which is a first direction. The pair of end plates 3A and 3B are respectively arranged to clamp the plurality of battery cells 2 from both sides in the stacking direction. The pair of side plates 4A and 4B extend along the stacking direction and are respectively arranged to clamp the entire plurality of battery cells 2 from both sides in a second direction orthogonal to the stacking direction (first direction), i.e., the width direction. In the following description, the pair of end plates 3A and 3B will be referred to simply as end plates 3 unless otherwise specified.

[0020] At both ends of end plate 3A in the width direction, a plurality of through holes 31A are provided in the height direction, a third direction orthogonal to the stacking direction and the width direction, extending from the upper surface 30aA to a lower surface (not shown). Similarly, at both ends of end plate 3B in the width direction, a plurality of through holes 31B are provided in the height direction, extending from the upper surface 30aB to a lower surface (not shown). As will be described later, the through holes 31A and 31B are used for inserting positioning pins 5A and 5B to position the battery module 1 in the battery module fixing component and for inserting fastening bolts to fix the battery module 1 in the battery module fixing component. Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the embodiment, the number of through holes 31A and 31B respectively provided in a pair of end plates 3A and 3B is not limited to the following. Figure 2 Two as shown. Furthermore, on the outer side surface 30bA of the end plate 3A in the stacking direction, a plurality of through holes 31A and a plurality of transverse holes 32A that intersect and communicate in the stacking direction (thickness direction of the end plate 3A) are provided. Furthermore, on the outer side surface 30bB of the end plate 3B in the stacking direction, a plurality of through holes 31B and a plurality of transverse holes 32B that intersect and communicate in the stacking direction (thickness direction of the end plate 3B) are provided.

[0021] The conveying unit 6 includes a plate 61, a hook portion 62, multiple positioning pins 5A and 5B, and multiple pin rotation mechanisms 7A and 7B. The plate 61 is a long, flat plate-shaped component in the stacking direction of the battery module 1. The hook portion 62 is an inverted U-shaped component, mounted approximately at the center of the upper surface 61a of the plate 61. Multiple positioning pins 5A are provided at one end of the plate 61 in the stacking direction. Multiple positioning pins 5A and 5B are provided at the other end of the plate 61 in the stacking direction. The rear ends of the multiple positioning pins 5A and 5B penetrate the plate 61. Multiple pin rotation mechanisms 7A and 7B are mounted at the rear ends of the multiple positioning pins 5A and 5B protruding from the plate 61. The multiple pin rotation mechanisms 7A and 7B have a center of rotation coaxial with the axis of the multiple positioning pins 5A and 5B. The multiple pin rotation mechanisms 7A and 7B can, for example, be rotated by an operator at the rotation center, causing each of the multiple positioning pins 5A and 5B to rotate about its axis center. Furthermore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the multiple locating pins 5A and 5B will be referred to simply as locating pin 5. And unless otherwise specified, the multiple pin rotation mechanisms 7A and 7B will be referred to simply as pin rotation mechanism 7.

[0022] Multiple locating pins 5A and 5B are inserted into through holes 31A and 31B provided in multiple end plates 3A and 3B. Each locating pin 5A and 5B includes: pin bodies 51A and 51B, having a hollow interior extending along the axial direction; and anti-retraction members 52A and 52B, provided on the circumferential surface of the pin bodies 51A and 51B. The anti-retraction members 52A and 52B are plate-shaped components with a long side, a short side, and a bevel, and have the short side on the side opposite to the front ends 51aA and 51aB in the axial direction of the pin bodies 51A and 51B. The anti-retraction members 52A and 52B are movable between a position protruding from the side (outside) of the pin bodies 51A and 51B and a position received within the hollow interior of the pin bodies 51A and 51B. Furthermore, the anti-reverse components 52A and 52B exert force on the sides (outside) of the pin body portions 51A and 51B by force applied from force-applying components such as springs.

[0023] Next, the method for conveying the battery module 1 using the conveying unit 6 will be described. Figure 4 It means cutting along the thickness direction. Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of section X at the width end of end plate 3 shown. Figure 5 This diagram shows the state in which the delivery unit 6 is installed on the battery module 1.

[0024] First, the orientation of the positioning pin 5 is adjusted by the pin rotation mechanism 7 so that the anti-retraction part 52 of the positioning pin 5 is embedded in the transverse hole 32 of the end plate 3. Then, as... Figure 4 As shown in (a), from above the end plate 3 (battery module 1), the positioning pin 5 is inserted from the front end 51a into the through hole 31 of the end plate 3. At this time, when the positioning pin 5 is inserted into the through hole 31, the inclined edge of the anti-retraction member 52 contacts the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 31, thereby pressing the anti-retraction member 52 against the applied force. The anti-retraction member 52 is accommodated inside the hollow interior of the pin body portion 51. Then, as... Figure 4 As shown in (b), if the locating pin 5 is inserted into the through hole 31 until the anti-retraction member 52 is positioned opposite the transverse hole 32, the anti-retraction member 52 protrudes to the side (outside) of the pin body 51 and embeds itself into the transverse hole 32 by the applied force. Thus, as... Figure 5 As shown, a conveying unit 6 is installed on the battery module 1. Then, by hooking a crane hook onto the hook portion 62 of the conveying unit 6 to lift the conveying unit 6, the upper end face 52a of the short side constituting the anti-retraction member 52 can be engaged with the upper side face 32a of the transverse hole 32, thereby holding and conveying the battery module 1.

[0025] And, at this time, such as Figure 4As shown in (b), the length of the positioning pin 5 is longer than the length of the through hole 31 (the height of the end plate 3), so the front end 51a of the positioning pin 5 protrudes from the lower surface of the end plate 3. Therefore, after the battery module 1 is delivered to the battery module mounting component provided on the vehicle, the battery module 1 can be positioned by inserting the front end 51a of the positioning pin 5 into the fastening hole provided on the battery module mounting component.

[0026] When disassembling the delivery unit 6 from the battery module 1, firstly, as... Figure 4 As shown in (c), the anti-retraction member 52 is pressed against the applied force through the transverse hole 32 by fingers or the like, and is accommodated inside the hollow interior of the pin body 51. Then, with the anti-retraction member 52 accommodated inside the hollow interior of the pin body 51, the positioning pin 5 (pin body 51) is rotated by the pin rotation mechanism 7 by a predetermined angle around the axis center, causing the anti-retraction member 52 to retract from the position opposite to the transverse hole 32. Thus, by lifting the conveying unit 6, the positioning pin 5 can be pulled out from the through hole 31 with the anti-retraction member 52 accommodated inside the hollow interior of the pin body 51.

[0027] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 conveying method according to the embodiment, it is sufficient to provide a through hole in the height direction and a transverse hole communicating with the through hole on at least one of the pair of end plates 3A, 3B and the pair of side plates 4A, 4B. Then, it is sufficient to provide a positioning pin 5 on the conveying unit 6 corresponding to each through hole.

[0028] In the battery module 1 conveying method described above, the space required to hold the battery module 1 using the positioning pin 5 of the conveying unit 6 can be reduced when conveying the battery module 1. Furthermore, by reducing the space required to hold the battery module 1, the storage efficiency when storing the battery module 1 equipped with the conveying unit 6 in a storage box for conveying can be improved, and the storage box can be miniaturized or the capacity of the battery module 1 can be increased.

[0029] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 conveying method according to the embodiment, the positioning pin 5 is configured to rotate about its axial center, and the anti-retraction member 52 is configured to move between a position protruding from the side of the positioning pin 5 and a position accommodated inside the positioning pin 5. Therefore, in the battery module 1 conveying method according to the embodiment, the positioning pin 5 can be easily inserted and removed from the through hole 31, improving the operability of loading and unloading the conveying unit 6 relative to the battery module 1.

[0030] Symbol Explanation

[0031] 1-Battery module, 2-Battery unit, 3, 3A, 3B-End plate, 4A, 4B-Side plate, 5, 5A, 5B-Positioning pin, 6-Conveying unit, 7, 7A, 7B-Pin rotation mechanism, 30aA, 30aB, 61a-Upper surface, 30bA, 30bB-Side side, 31, 31A, 31B-Through hole, 32, 32A, 32B-Horizontal hole, 32a-Upper side, 51, 51A, 51B-Pin body, 51a, 51aA, 51aB-Front end, 52, 52A, 52B-Anti-retraction component, 52a-Upper end face, 61-Plate, 62-Hook part.

Claims

1. A method for conveying a battery module, comprising holding and conveying the battery module by a conveying unit, the battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cells stacked in a first direction; a pair of end plates respectively configured to clamp the plurality of battery cells from both sides of the first direction; and a pair of side plates respectively configured to clamp the plurality of battery cells from both sides of the second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the method for conveying the battery module being characterized in that... At least one of the pair of end plates and the pair of side plates is provided with a through hole extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction, and a transverse hole communicating with the through hole in a manner intersecting the through hole. A positioning pin, which is provided in the conveying unit and is used to position the battery module in the battery module fixing component, is inserted into the through hole from above the battery module, and an anti-retraction component provided in the positioning pin is embedded in the transverse hole, thereby holding the battery module by the conveying unit.

2. The method for conveying a battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locating pin is configured to rotate about the center of its axis. The anti-retraction component is configured to move between a position protruding from the side of the locating pin and a position accommodated inside the locating pin.

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