Battery pack and method of manufacturing battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack that enables a reduction in the number of components, and a method of manufacturing the battery pack.SOLUTION: A battery pack comprises a battery cell, and a case that has a bottom plate joined to the battery cell by an adhesive. The bottom plate has a deformable part provided in a part except an adhesive application area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack and a method for manufacturing the battery pack. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack having at least one elastic element disposed at the bottom of the housing so as to bring a heat exchanger into contact with the battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2016-535423 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide an elastic element separately, which increases the number of parts.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a battery pack and a method for manufacturing the battery pack that can reduce the number of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery pack according to the present disclosure comprises a battery cell and a case having a bottom plate to which the battery cell is joined with an adhesive, the bottom plate having a deformable portion in a portion other than the adhesive application area.

[0007] A manufacturing method for a battery pack according to the present disclosure includes the steps of applying adhesive to a bottom plate having a deformable portion in a portion other than a predetermined adhesive application area, placing a battery cell on the bottom plate with the adhesive applied, and joining the battery cell and the bottom plate by pressing a jig from below the bottom plate to spread the adhesive between the battery cell and the bottom plate. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the battery pack of the present disclosure, since the bottom plate itself is provided with a deformable portion, it is not necessary to provide a separate elastic element, and the number of parts can be reduced. Also, according to the manufacturing method of the battery pack of the present disclosure, the adhesive between the battery cell and the bottom plate can be spread evenly and applied thinly, which reduces costs and improves the cooling effect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a battery cell joining step in the manufacturing method of the battery pack according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a battery cell joining step in the manufacturing method of the battery pack according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A battery pack and a method for manufacturing the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0011] (Battery pack) The configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The battery pack according to the embodiment is an in-vehicle battery pack mounted on, for example, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle).

[0012] The battery pack 1 according to the embodiment includes a battery cell 2, a case 5, and a cooler 6.

[0013] The battery cell 2 is a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery. This battery cell 2 has two terminals 3, 4. One of the terminals 3, 4 is a positive terminal, and the other is a negative terminal. Note that, instead of the battery cell 2, the battery pack 1 may have a battery module in which the battery cells 2 are connected in series or in parallel.

[0014] The case 5 comprises a bottom plate (lower case) 51, an upper plate (upper cover) 52, and side members 53. The bottom plate 51 is made of a thin metal plate. The battery cells 2 are bonded to the upper surface of the bottom plate 51 with an adhesive 7. Furthermore, the cooler 6 is bonded to the lower surface of the bottom plate 51 with an adhesive 8. Furthermore, these adhesives 7, 8 are thermally conductive adhesives. In this way, by using a thermally conductive adhesive as the adhesives 7, 8, it is possible to improve the heat dissipation effect.

[0015] The bottom plate 51 has a deformable portion 511 in a portion other than the predetermined application areas of the adhesives 7 and 8 (hereinafter referred to as "adhesive application areas") The deformable portion 511 has a wavy cross section.

[0016] In this way, by providing the bottom plate 51 with the deformable portion 511, the rigidity of the bottom plate 51, which is made of a thin plate with low rigidity, is further reduced. This makes it easier for the bottom plate 51 to deform when the adhesive 7 is spread by the battery cells 2 in the battery cell joining step of the battery pack manufacturing method described below, and makes it easier for the upper surface of the bottom plate 51 to conform to the lower surface of the battery cells 2. As a result, the thickness of the adhesive 7 can be made uniform and the adhesive 7 can be applied thinly.

[0017] The upper plate 52 is made of a thin metal plate. A fastening member 54 for fixing the side member 53 to the bottom plate 51 is provided inside the side member 53.

[0018] The cooler 6 is a member for dissipating heat generated from the battery cells 2 to the outside. The cooler 6 is formed in a plate shape, and is joined to the lower surface of the bottom plate 51 via an adhesive 8.

[0019] (Battery pack manufacturing method) A manufacturing method of a battery pack according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The manufacturing method of a battery pack according to the embodiment includes an adhesive application step, a battery cell mounting step, a battery cell joining step, and a cooler joining step.

[0020] (Adhesive application step) 2, in the adhesive application step, adhesive 7 is applied onto bottom plate 51. As described above, bottom plate 51 has wavy deformable portion 511 in a portion other than the predetermined adhesive application area.

[0021] (Battery cell placement step) In the battery cell placing step, the battery cell 2 is placed on the bottom plate 51 to which the adhesive 7 has been applied in the adhesive application step.

[0022] (Battery cell bonding step) In the battery cell joining step, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a crushing jig 9 is pressed from below the bottom plate 51 to spread (crush) the adhesive 7 between the battery cell 2 and the bottom plate 51, thereby joining the battery cell 2 and the bottom plate 51.

[0023] Here, the bottom plate of the battery pack case is generally a thin plate with low rigidity, making it difficult to ensure the flatness of the bottom plate. Therefore, when joining battery cells to a flat bottom plate, the adhesive thickness on the bonding surface between the battery cell and the bottom plate may be uneven or may be applied too thickly, which may result in a decrease in cooling performance.

[0024] On the other hand, the bottom plate 51 according to the embodiment has deformable portions 511 in areas other than the adhesive application area. Therefore, when the adhesive 7 is spread by the battery cells 2 in the battery cell joining step, the bottom plate 51 is more likely to deform, and the upper surface of the bottom plate 51 is more likely to conform to the lower surface of the battery cells 2. As a result, the thickness of the adhesive 7 can be made uniform, and the adhesive 7 can be applied thinly.

[0025] (Cooler bonding step) In the cooler bonding step, the cooler 6 coated with the adhesive 8 is bonded to the bottom of the bottom plate 51 .

[0026] According to the battery pack of the embodiment described above, the bottom plate 51 itself is provided with the deformable portion 511, eliminating the need to provide a separate elastic element and reducing the number of parts. Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the battery pack of the embodiment, the adhesive 7 between the battery cell 2 and the bottom plate 51 can be spread evenly and applied thinly, thereby reducing costs and improving the cooling effect. Furthermore, according to the battery pack and the manufacturing method of the battery pack of the embodiment, the adhesives 7 and 8 are thermally conductive adhesives, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect.

[0027] Furthermore, in the battery pack and the manufacturing method of the battery pack according to the embodiment, the bottom plate 51 is provided with a deformable portion 511, thereby further reducing the rigidity of the bottom plate 51 made of a thin plate. This makes it possible to uniformly crush the adhesive 7 in contact with the flat surface (adhesive application area) of the bottom plate 51 by applying a load from below the bottom plate 51 using the crushing jig 9 during manufacturing (assembly) of the battery pack 1. As a result, the adhesive 7 can be applied thinly as described above, and the cooling performance can be improved by the reduced thermal resistance while reducing the cost and mass.

[0028] Furthermore, in the battery pack and the manufacturing method of the battery pack according to the embodiment, distortion occurring during manufacturing (assembly) of the battery pack 1 can be absorbed by the wavy deformable portion 511, thereby improving the flatness of the bottom plate 51. The adhesive 7 can be applied thinly, reducing the cost and mass, while improving the cooling performance by reducing the thermal resistance.

[0029] Further advantages and modifications may readily occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Battery pack 2 Battery Cells 3,4 Terminal 5 Cases 51 Bottom plate (lower case) 511 Transformable part 52 Upper plate (upper cover) 53 Side member 54 Fastening members 6 Cooler 7,8 Adhesive 9 Crushing jig

Claims

1. A battery cell; a case having a bottom plate to which the battery cell is bonded by an adhesive; Equipped with The bottom plate has a deformable portion in a portion other than the adhesive application area. Battery pack.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is a thermally conductive adhesive.

3. Applying adhesive to a bottom plate having a deformable portion in a portion other than a predetermined adhesive application area; placing a battery cell on the bottom plate coated with the adhesive; joining the battery cell and the bottom plate while spreading the adhesive between the battery cell and the bottom plate by pressing a jig from below the bottom plate; A method for manufacturing a battery pack comprising:

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