Method for manufacturing power storage device

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing a power storage device that allows sealing and fastening in two directions.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a power storage device 1 includes a preparation step of preparing a lower case 200, an upper cover 300, and a seal member 400, and a fastening step of fastening the upper cover to the lower case. The lower case 200 has a lower flange 220 and a lower standing wall 230. The upper cover 300 has an upper flange 320 and an upper standing wall 330. The seal member 400 has a first seal portion 410 and a second seal portion 420. The fastening step includes an operation of provisionally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange with a first fastening member B1, an operation of fully fastening the upper standing wall to the lower standing wall with a second fastening member B2, an operation of loosening the provisional fastening of the upper flange to the lower flange, and an operation of fully fastening the upper flange to the lower flange after the upper flange moves toward the lower standing wall.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing an electricity storage device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-75329 discloses an electricity storage device including a tray, a cover, and a gasket provided between a tray flange and a cover flange. The gasket has a positioning portion that is inserted into a positioning hole provided in the tray flange. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-75329 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an energy storage device such as that described in JP 2019-75329 A, the position of the fastening holes is determined when the sealing member is compressed, so if the sealing direction and fastening direction are each in two directions (for example, horizontal and vertical), it is not possible to align the fastening holes.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for manufacturing an electricity storage device that allows sealing and fastening in two directions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A manufacturing method for an energy storage device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a preparation step of preparing a lower case capable of accommodating energy storage cells, an upper cover covering the energy storage cells, and a seal member disposed between the lower case and the upper cover, and a fastening step of fastening the upper cover to the lower case, wherein the lower case prepared in the preparation step has a lower flange extending horizontally and a lower upright wall standing vertically from the lower flange, the upper cover prepared in the preparation step has an upper flange fastened to the lower flange and an upper upright wall standing vertically from the upper flange and fastened to the lower upright wall, and the seal member prepared in the preparation step is the upper flange has a first seal portion disposed between the lower upright wall and the upper upright wall, and a second seal portion disposed between the lower upright wall and the upper upright wall and having a compressive elastic modulus greater than that of the first seal portion, and the fastening process includes an operation of provisionally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange via the first seal portion with a first fastening member, an operation of finally fastening the upper upright wall to the lower upright wall via the second seal portion with a second fastening member, an operation of loosening the provisional fastening of the upper flange to the lower flange so that the upper flange moves toward the lower upright wall, and an operation of finally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange after the upper flange has moved toward the lower upright wall. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for an electricity storage device that allows sealing and fastening in two directions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic view of a portion of a power storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an upper flange is placed on a lower case via a seal member; FIG. [Diagram 3]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state after a temporary fastening operation. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic state after a second main fastening operation. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic state after a loosening operation. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example of the second main fastening operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic diagram of a portion of an electricity storage device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electricity storage device 1 is mounted, for example, on the bottom of a vehicle (not shown).

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the energy storage device 1 includes at least one energy storage cell 100, a lower case 200, an upper cover 300, a seal member 400, a first fastening member B1, and a second fastening member B2.

[0012] An example of the power storage cell 100 is a lithium ion battery. The power storage cell 100 may be an all-solid-state battery that uses a solid electrolyte.

[0013] The lower case 200 houses the energy storage cells 100. The lower case 200 is made of, for example, metal. The lower case 200 has a case body 210 that opens upward, a lower flange 220, and a lower standing wall 230.

[0014] The lower flange 220 protrudes outward from the upper end of the case body 210. The lower flange 220 extends horizontally. The lower flange 220 is formed in an annular shape. The lower flange 220 is formed with a first mounting hole h22 for mounting the first fastening member B1.

[0015] The lower upright wall 230 stands vertically from the inner end of the lower flange 220. The lower upright wall 230 is formed in an annular shape. The lower upright wall 230 is formed with a second mounting hole h23 for mounting the second fastening member B2.

[0016] The upper cover 300 covers the energy storage cells 100. The upper cover 300 is open downward. The upper cover 300 accommodates the energy storage cells 100 together with the lower case 200. The upper cover 300 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin. The upper cover 300 has a top wall 310 arranged above the energy storage cells 100, an upper flange 320, and an upper standing wall 330.

[0017] The upper flange 320 is a portion that is fastened to the lower flange 220. The upper flange 320 extends horizontally. The upper flange 320 is formed with a first insertion hole h32 (see FIG. 2) for inserting the first fastening member B1 therethrough.

[0018] The upper standing wall 330 stands vertically from the upper flange 320. The upper standing wall 330 connects the top wall 310 and the upper flange 320. That is, the upper end of the upper standing wall 330 is connected to the outer edge of the top wall 310, and the lower end of the upper standing wall 330 is connected to the inner end of the upper flange 320. The upper standing wall 330 is a portion that is fastened to the lower standing wall 230. The lower standing wall 230 is formed with a second insertion hole h33 (see FIG. 2) for inserting the second fastening member B2.

[0019] The seal member 400 is disposed between the lower case 200 and the upper cover 300. The seal member 400 has a first seal portion 410 and a second seal portion 420.

[0020] The first seal portion 410 is disposed between the lower flange 220 and the upper flange 320. The first seal portion 410 is made of, for example, a sponge.

[0021] The second seal portion 420 is disposed between the lower upright wall 230 and the upper upright wall 330. The second seal portion 420 has a compressive elastic modulus greater than the compressive elastic modulus of the first seal portion 410. The second seal portion 420 is made of, for example, rubber.

[0022] Next, a method for manufacturing the electricity storage device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 to Fig. 5. This manufacturing method includes a preparation step and a fastening step.

[0023] In the preparation step, the lower case 200, the upper cover 300, and the seal member 400 are prepared.

[0024] In the fastening step, the upper cover 300 is fastened to the lower case 200. Specifically, the fastening step includes a placement operation, a provisional fastening operation, a second final fastening operation, a loosening operation, and a first final fastening operation.

[0025] In the placing operation, the seal member 400 and the upper cover 300 are placed on the lower case 200 so that the lower flange 220 and the upper flange 320 face each other via the first seal portion 410, and the lower standing wall 230 and the upper standing wall 330 face each other via the second seal portion 420. Fig. 2 shows the state after the placing operation.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the central axis P32 of the first insertion hole h32 is horizontally offset from the central axis P22 of the first mounting hole h22, and the central axis P33 of the second insertion hole h33 is vertically offset from the central axis P23 of the second mounting hole h23.

[0027] In the provisional fastening operation, the upper flange 320 is provisionally fastened to the lower flange 220 by the first fastening member B1 via the first seal portion 410. This operation compresses the first seal portion 410. Fig. 3 shows the state after the provisional fastening operation. As shown in Fig. 3, after the provisional fastening operation, the central axis P33 of the second insertion hole h33 substantially coincides with the central axis P23 of the second mounting hole h23.

[0028] In the second final fastening operation, the upper upright wall 330 is final fastened to the lower upright wall 230 by the second fastening member B2 via the second seal portion 420. This operation compresses the second seal portion 420. Figure 4 shows the state after the second final fastening operation.

[0029] Here, since a relatively large frictional force is generated between each of the flanges 220, 320 and the first seal portion 410, the positions of the first seal portion 410 and the upper flange 320 relative to the lower flange 220 in the horizontal direction do not change substantially during the second final fastening operation. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, after the second final fastening operation, the portion 332 of the upper upright wall 330 below the second fastening member B2 gradually inclines toward the lower upright wall 230 as it moves upward.

[0030] In the loosening operation, the provisional fastening of the upper flange 320 to the lower flange 220 is loosened so that the upper flange 320 moves toward the lower upright wall 230. Specifically, in this operation, the first fastening member B1 is loosened. FIG. 5 shows the state after the loosening operation. As shown in FIG. 5, by loosening the first fastening member B1, the frictional force generated between each flange 220, 320 and the first seal portion 410 is reduced, so that the upper flange 320 moves toward the lower upright wall 230. As a result, the central axis P32 of the first insertion hole h32 substantially coincides with the central axis P22 of the first mounting hole h22.

[0031] In the first final fastening operation, after the loosening operation, that is, after the upper flange 320 moves toward the lower upright wall 230, the upper flange 320 is final fastened to the lower flange 220 by the first fastening member B1. Fig. 1 shows the state after the first final fastening operation.

[0032] As described above, in the manufacturing method of the energy storage device 1 of the present embodiment, in the fastening step, by performing a loosening operation after the second final fastening operation, the frictional force generated between each of the flanges 220, 320 and the first seal portion 410 becomes smaller, so that the upper flange 320 moves toward the lower standing wall 230. This makes it possible to final fasten the upper flange 320 to the lower flange 220.

[0033] 6, before the second final fastening operation, a positioning pin P may first be inserted through the second insertion hole h33 and the second mounting hole h23, and then the upper upright wall 330 may be fastened to the lower upright wall 230 by the second fastening member B2. Similarly, before the first final fastening operation, a positioning pin (not shown) may first be inserted through the first insertion hole h32 and the first mounting hole h22, and then the upper flange 320 may be fastened to the lower flange 220 by the first fastening member B1.

[0034] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0035] [Aspect 1] a preparation step of preparing a lower case capable of accommodating a storage cell, an upper cover that covers the storage cell, and a seal member that is disposed between the lower case and the upper cover; a fastening step of fastening the upper cover to the lower case, The lower case prepared in the preparing step has a lower flange extending horizontally and a lower upright wall upright vertically from the lower flange, the upper cover prepared in the preparing step includes an upper flange to be fastened to the lower flange, and an upper upright wall standing vertically from the upper flange and fastened to the lower upright wall, the seal member prepared in the preparation step includes a first seal portion disposed between the lower flange and the upper flange, and a second seal portion disposed between the lower upright wall and the upper upright wall and having a compressive elastic modulus greater than a compressive elastic modulus of the first seal portion; The fastening step includes: an operation of provisionally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange via the first seal portion with a first fastening member; an operation of final fastening the upper upright wall to the lower upright wall via the second seal portion by a second fastening member; an operation of loosening a temporary fastening of the upper flange to the lower flange so that the upper flange moves toward the lower upright wall; and finally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange after the upper flange has moved toward the lower upright wall.

[0036] In the manufacturing method of the electric storage device, in the fastening step, after the upper upright wall is finally fastened to the lower upright wall by the second fastening member, the temporary fastening of the upper flange to the lower flange is loosened, so that the frictional force generated between each flange and the first seal portion is reduced, and the upper flange moves toward the lower upright wall, making it possible to finally fasten the upper flange to the lower flange.

[0037] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Energy storage device, 100 Energy storage cell, 200 Lower case, 210 Case body, 220 Lower flange, 230 Lower standing wall, 300 Upper cover, 310 Top wall, 320 Upper flange, 330 Upper standing wall, 400 Seal member, 410 First seal portion, 420 Second seal portion, B1 First fastening member, B2 Second fastening member.

Claims

[Claim 1] a preparation step of preparing a lower case capable of accommodating a storage cell, an upper cover that covers the storage cell, and a seal member that is disposed between the lower case and the upper cover; a fastening step of fastening the upper cover to the lower case, The lower case prepared in the preparing step has a lower flange extending horizontally and a lower upright wall upright vertically from the lower flange, the upper cover prepared in the preparing step includes an upper flange to be fastened to the lower flange, and an upper upright wall standing vertically from the upper flange and fastened to the lower upright wall, the seal member prepared in the preparation step includes a first seal portion disposed between the lower flange and the upper flange, and a second seal portion disposed between the lower upright wall and the upper upright wall, the second seal portion having a compressive elastic modulus greater than a compressive elastic modulus of the first seal portion, The fastening step includes: an operation of provisionally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange via the first seal portion with a first fastening member; an operation of fully fastening the upper upright wall to the lower upright wall via the second seal portion by a second fastening member; an operation of loosening a temporary fastening of the upper flange to the lower flange so that the upper flange moves toward the lower upright wall; and finally fastening the upper flange to the lower flange after the upper flange has moved toward the lower upright wall.

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