Energy storage with guide rod

Abstract

Energy storage device consisting of a plurality of storage cells arranged one behind the other, at the first end of which the positive pole is led out and at the other end of which the negative pole is led out, whereby a series connection of the storage cells is brought about, wherein each of the storage cells has a through opening between the positive pole and the negative pole, through which a guide rod extends, which fixes the storage cells arranged one behind the other in this position, characterized in that each of the storage cells has a diagnostic circuit with at least one electrical connection and in that the guide rod is provided with at least one electrical conductor which is electrically connected to the electrical connection and makes the electrical connection of the diagnostic circuit electrically accessible from outside the energy storage device.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an energy storage device comprising a plurality of storage cells arranged one behind the other, at the first end of which the positive pole is led out and at the other end of which the negative pole is led out, whereby a series connection of the storage cells is brought about, according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] In today's energy storage systems with storage cells in the form of double-layer capacitors, these are often welded together or held in complex holders or housings. This is associated with high manufacturing costs, and a defined position of the storage cells is not guaranteed.

[0003] DE 35 20 855 C1 describes a galvanic cell with press contact, which consists of electrode plates arranged alternately with the interposition of a separator and in which the pole bolts serve to press together and contact the stack of plates.

[0004] From US 3 094 438 A a galvanic cell is known which consists of a plurality of electrode plates, each having a circular opening.

[0005] For improved mechanical fixing of an accumulator formed from layered subcells, DE 101 51 099 A1 proposes to fix the stack formed from subcells by means of a mechanical tie rod.

[0006] US 4 833 459 A teaches a circuit arrangement for monitoring the individual cells of a battery consisting of a plurality of cells.

[0007] Another possibility for designing a battery with stacked battery cells is known from US 2005 / 0 123 828 A1.

[0008] The object of the invention is to reduce the costs for producing an energy storage device from storage cells, such as in particular double-layer capacitor cells.

[0009] This object is achieved by an energy storage device having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] A key aspect of the invention is to design the storage cells so that they have a through-opening between their positive and negative poles. A guide rod extends through this opening, fixing the storage cells arranged one behind the other in this position. This allows a mechanically reliably fixed series connection of the storage cells to be achieved in a simple and cost-effective manner. If the storage cells are double-layer capacitors, it is particularly advantageous that the missing volume of the through-opening or "tunnel" hardly leads to a reduction in the capacitance of the double-layer capacitor. The through-opening is preferably located in the middle of the storage cell (when considering the cross-section of the storage cell). In this area, only small areas of the double layer of the double-layer capacitor can be wound up anyway.

[0011] According to the invention, each of the storage cells has a diagnostic circuit with at least one electrical connection. The guide rod is preferably provided with at least one electrical conductor that is electrically connected to the electrical connection and makes the electrical connection of the diagnostic circuit electrically accessible from outside the energy storage device. This provides a technically elegant way of shielding the entire diagnostic electronics and its wiring against negative external influences, both mechanically and electrically.

[0012] In a first embodiment, the electrical contact between the diagnostic circuit terminal and the electrical conductor is established by a spring contact body. This allows the storage cells to be easily arranged on the guide rod and the electrical connections to be established. This solution also allows for easy disassembly of individual storage cells, especially if they are to be replaced during repairs or if the energy storage device is to be disassembled for later recycling.

[0013] In a second embodiment, the electrical contact between the diagnostic circuit terminal and the electrical conductor is established by a bonding wire. Likewise, the electrical contact between the diagnostic circuit terminal and the electrical conductor can be established by a soldered or welded connection. These embodiments also allow for very reliable contacts, which is particularly important for vehicles exposed to severe vibrations.

[0014] In a further embodiment of the invention, each of the storage cells is positively connected to the guide rod in its intended position, preferably by a mechanical snap-in connection or a screw connection for each individual cell. This ensures that the position of the storage cells is maintained even in the event of severe vibrations during operation of the motor vehicle.

[0015] In a further embodiment of the invention, the guide rod comprises a plurality of conductors, each of the electrical conductors being arranged on the guide rod in such a way that it establishes an electrical connection with a predetermined diagnostic circuit of the plurality of diagnostic circuits. In another embodiment of the invention, the guide rod is at least partially electrically conductive and, in addition to its mechanical function, forms at least one electrical bus line via which the terminals of the diagnostic circuits are electrically contacted. These measures according to the invention enable reliable communication connections between the vehicle electronics and the diagnostic circuits on the memory cells, largely shielded from negative environmental influences.

[0016] In a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the guide rod has an electrical bridging element per storage cell, which, with a corresponding contact, can short-circuit a storage cell for equilibration or heating.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the guide rod has a thread in front of the first storage cell and behind the last storage cell, onto which at least one nut is screwed, which fixes the storage cells in position relative to each other and relative to the guide rod. This enables a technically simple yet reliable series connection of the storage cells to form an energy storage device.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the storage cells has a protruding seal in the area of ​​the positive and / or negative pole. This seal surrounds the voltage pole and hermetically seals the contact area between the voltage poles of two storage cells arranged one behind the other on the guide rod. This effectively prevents corrosion and contamination in the area of ​​the voltage poles, thus permanently increasing the reliability of the energy storage device.

[0019] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the storage cells are double-layer capacitors. The invention can also be used to form energy storage devices consisting of several lithium-ion cells or NiMH cells connected in series.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the storage cells are double-layer capacitors, through whose metal layer a short-circuit current is conducted entirely or partially to heat the storage cells. The short-circuit current is preferably supplied and / or discharged via the guide rod. Furthermore, the short-circuit current is preferably conducted to the storage cells when electrical current is generated during vehicle deceleration (regeneration).

[0021] It may then even be possible to have an energy surplus that can no longer be stored, particularly in the energy storage device according to the invention, which can be used, particularly at low outside temperatures, to heat the storage cells and thus to increase their storage capacity.

Claims

[1] Energy storage device consisting of several storage cells arranged one behind the other, at the first end of which the positive pole is led out and at the other end of which the negative pole is led out, whereby a series connection of the storage cells is brought about, wherein each of the storage cells has a through opening between the positive pole and the negative pole, through which a guide rod extends, which fixes the storage cells arranged one behind the other in this position, characterized by that each of the storage cells has a diagnostic circuit with at least one electrical connection and that the guide rod is provided with at least one electrical conductor which is electrically connected to the electrical connection and makes the electrical connection of the diagnostic circuit electrically accessible from outside the energy storage device. [2] Energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized bythat the electrical contact between the terminal of the diagnostic circuit and the electrical conductor is established by a spring contact body. [3] Energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized by that the electrical contact between the terminal of the diagnostic circuit and the electrical conductor is established by a bonding wire. [4] Energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized by that the electrical contact between the terminal of the diagnostic circuit and the electrical conductor is established by a soldered or welded connection. [5] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that each of the storage cells is positively connected to the guide rod in its intended position, this preferably being a mechanical snap-in connection or an individual cell screw connection. [6] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the guide rod has a plurality of conductors and each of the electrical conductors is arranged on the guide rod such that it establishes an electrical connection with a predetermined diagnostic circuit of the plurality of diagnostic circuits. [7] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the guide rod is at least partially electrically conductive and, in addition to its mechanical function, forms at least one electrical bus line via which the connections of the diagnostic circuits are electrically contacted. [8] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the guide rod has a thread in front of the first storage cell and behind the last storage cell, onto which at least one nut is screwed, which fixes the storage cells in their position relative to one another and relative to the guide rod. [9] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that each of the storage cells has a projecting seal in the area of ​​the positive and / or negative pole, which surrounds the voltage pole and hermetically seals the contact area between the voltage poles of two storage cells located one behind the other on the guide rod. [10] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the storage cells are double-layer capacitors, lithium-ion cells or Ni-MH cells. [11] Energy storage device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the storage cells are double-layer capacitors, over whose metal layer a short-circuit current is conducted in whole or in part for heating or equilibrating the storage cells, and which is supplied and / or discharged via the guide rod.