Battery package

Abstract

To provide a battery package capable of improving any battery hold down, proper flow of cooling air, and preventing water ingress.SOLUTION: A battery package 1 has: a battery stack 3 with multiple batteries 8 stacked; a lowercase 4 positioned below the battery stack 3; and an upper cover 5 covering an upper part of the battery stack 3. The upper cover 5 has: a pressing part 18 pressing an upper face of the battery stack 3; and a roof part 20 disposed above the pressing part 18. The roof part 20 has multiple plate-shaped parts 20 which are arranged with gaps therebetween and partially overlap when viewed vertically, and are inclined in the same direction. The multiple plate-shaped parts 20 each include: a first plate-shaped part 21; and a second plate-shaped part 22 disposed on the lower side of the first plate-shaped part 21. A lower portion of an inclination in the first plate-shaped part 21 overlaps with an upper part of an inclination of the second plate-shaped part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to battery packages. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, battery packages in which multiple batteries are stacked and housed in a case have been known. The battery carrier described in Patent Document 1 is one example. The battery carrier in this document is covered with a cover. In the technology in this document, a recess is provided in the cover. The recess in the cover serves to hold down the batteries and to allow an appropriate flow of cooling air. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-101297 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional technology described above, water may accumulate in the recesses of the cover due to rainfall, condensation, etc. If water accumulates in the recesses, there is a possibility that the water may splash onto nearby connectors when the battery carrier vibrates. There is also a possibility that water may enter the carrier through the cooling air inlet and outlet.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery package that holds the battery down, allows an appropriate flow of cooling air, and prevents the ingress of water. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A battery package in one embodiment of the disclosed technology is a battery package having a battery stack comprising a plurality of stacked batteries, a lower case located below the battery stack, and an upper cover covering the top of the battery stack, wherein the upper cover has a pressing portion that presses down on the top surface of the battery stack and a roof portion located above the pressing portion, wherein the roof portion has a plurality of plate-shaped portions inclined in the same direction that are arranged with gaps between them while partially overlapping when viewed in the vertical direction, wherein the plurality of plate-shaped portions include a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion located below the first plate-shaped portion, and wherein a lower portion of the slope of the first plate-shaped portion overlaps with an upper portion of the slope of the second plate-shaped portion.

[0007] In the battery package of the above embodiment, the battery stack is pressed toward the lower case by the pressing portion. This stabilizes the position of the battery stack. The gaps between the plate-like portions in the roof function as passages for cooling air to cool the battery stack. Due to the overlapping state of the first plate-like portion and the second plate-like portion below it, the opening on the inner side of the gap between the plate-like portions is higher than the opening on the outer side. This makes it difficult for water to enter from the outside to the inside through the gap between the plate-like portions.

[0008] In the battery package of the above aspect, it is preferable that the stacking direction of the battery stack is parallel to the direction of the slope contour lines of the multiple plate-like portions, so that the cooling performance of the batteries due to the gaps between the plate-like portions is approximately uniform for all batteries in the battery stack.

[0009] In the above aspect, it is further preferable that the battery stack includes a first battery stack and a second battery stack whose stacking directions are parallel, the roof portion includes a first roof portion above the first battery stack and a second roof portion above the second battery stack, and the upper cover has a shape that is highest at the butt position of the first roof portion and the second roof portion and becomes lower as it moves away from the butt position. By making the overall shape of the roof portion like this umbrella shape, there are no places where water can accumulate on the roof portion.

[0010] In any of the above aspects, it is further preferable that connecting portions are provided discretely in the gaps between the plurality of plate-like portions, thereby increasing the rigidity of the upper cover as a whole.

[0011] In any of the above aspects, it is preferable that the battery pack further includes a visor protruding outward from an upper end of the lower case on a side parallel to the stacking direction of the battery stack, and a connector disposed below the visor for connecting the battery stack to an external circuit, the visor preventing water from getting on the connector.

[0012] In any of the above embodiments, it is preferable that an air passage is provided between the lower surface of the battery stack and the lower case. In this configuration, the air passage between the battery stack and the lower case becomes part of the passage for cooling air that cools the battery stack. This provides good cooling performance for the batteries. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the disclosed technology, a battery package is provided which holds the battery down, allows for an appropriate flow of cooling air, and prevents the ingress of water. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery package of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery package with the upper cover removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery package of the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the upper cover. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of cooling air within the battery package. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] This embodiment embodies the disclosed technology as the battery package 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. The battery package 1 houses a battery stack 3 in a container 2. The battery stack 3 is formed by stacking a plurality of batteries. In this embodiment, two sets of battery stacks 3 are housed in the battery package 1. The stacking directions of the two sets of battery stacks 3 are parallel. The container 2 is composed of a lower case 4 and an upper cover 5. The lower case 4 is a member located below the battery stack 3. The upper cover 5 is a member that covers the upper part of the battery stack 3.

[0016] A connector 6 is attached to the lower case 4. The connector 6 is a member for connecting the battery stack 3 and an external circuit. An actual through-hole is opened at the location where the connector 6 is attached in the lower case 4 in the figure. The connector 6 is attached to the lower case 4 in a manner that closes the through-hole. In FIGS. 1 and 3, a mounting stay 7 is attached to the lower case 4. The mounting stay 7 is an accessory for attaching the battery package 1 to a vehicle or other battery-mounted equipment.

[0017] The internal structure of the battery package 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the battery package 1 perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery stack 3. In FIG. 4, a battery cell 8 that constitutes the battery stack 3 appears. The battery cell 8 has a flat plate rectangular shape. The shape of the battery cell 8 appearing in FIG. 4 is the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to its thickness direction.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the lower case 4 has an outer wall 9, an outer wall 10, and a middle wall 11. All of these are wall-like parts parallel to the stacking direction of the battery stack 3. The outer walls 9 and 10 constitute a part of the outer diameter of the battery package 1. The middle wall 11 is located inside the battery package 1. The middle wall 11 is a part that partitions between the two sets of battery stacks 3. One battery stack 3 (the first battery stack) is housed between the outer wall 9 and the middle wall 11, and the other battery stack 3 (the second battery stack) is housed between the outer wall 10 and the middle wall 11.

[0019] The outer wall 9 and the outer wall 10 each have an overhanging portion 12. The overhanging portion 12 is a portion provided at the upper end of the outer wall 9 and the outer wall 10 so as to protrude outward. The upper ends of the outer walls 9 and the outer wall 10 are sides that are parallel to the stacking direction of the battery stack 3 at the upper end of the outer shape of the lower case 4. The connector 6 described above is attached to the outer wall 9. The connector 6 is disposed below the overhanging portion 12 on the outer wall 9.

[0020] The lower case 4 has a lower surface 13. The lower surface 13 is the bottom portion of the lower case 4. A downward protrusion 14 is formed on the lower surface 13. A groove 15 is formed on the upward surface of the lower surface 13 at the location of the protrusion 14. The groove 15 forms a gap between the lower surfaces of the battery cells 8 and the lower case 4. For the entire battery package 1, the groove 15 is provided over the entire stacking direction of the battery stack 3. The groove 15 is an air passage between the lower surface of the battery stack 3 and the lower case 4.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, an opening 17 is formed in a wall portion 16 of the lower case 4. The wall portion 16 is a wall-like portion at an end of the lower case 4 in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the battery stack 3. The opening 17 is formed in a lower portion of the wall portion 16. The opening 17 is connected to the groove 15 described above. Cooling air can be sent into the groove 15 from the outside of the battery package 1 through the opening 17.

[0022] The upper cover 5 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper cover 5 has a pressing portion 18, a support portion 19, and a roof portion 20. The pressing portion 18 is a portion that presses down the upper surface of the battery stack 3. The support portion 19 is a portion that sits on the middle wall 11. Both the pressing portion 18 and the support portion 19 are columnar portions in the vertical direction or plate-like portions parallel to the stacking direction of the battery stack 3. However, even if the pressing portion 18 is plate-like, it does not mean that it is continuous from end to end in the stacking direction without any gaps. Depending on the position in the stacking direction, there are some places where the pressing portion 18 does not exist. The same may be true for the support portion 19.

[0023] The roof portion 20 is a portion above the pressing portion 18 and the supporting portion 19. The roof portion 20 is composed of multiple plate-like portions 21-24. An upper space 31 is formed in an area below the roof portion 20 and above the battery stack 3. The upper space 31 is an air passage between the pressing portion 18 and the supporting portion 19.

[0024] Focusing on either the left or right side in Fig. 4, the plate-shaped portions 21-24 are arranged with gaps between them and inclined in the same direction while partially overlapping when viewed in the up-down direction. Lines C shown in Fig. 2 correspond to the contour lines of the inclined plate-shaped portions. The contour lines C of the inclination of the plate-shaped portions are parallel to the stacking direction of the battery stack 3. It is not necessary that the contour lines C are actually drawn on the upper cover 5.

[0025] The plate-shaped portion 21 and the plate-shaped portion 22 of the upper cover 5 are shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the plate-shaped portion 21 and the plate-shaped portion 22 are arranged parallel to each other and inclined slightly upward to the right with respect to the horizontal line H. The plate-shaped portion 21 and the plate-shaped portion 22 overlap in the up-down direction within a range of a section L in the left-right direction in Fig. 5. In the region extending to the right of the overlap section L, only the upper plate-shaped portion 21 exists. In the region extending to the left of the overlap section L, only the lower plate-shaped portion 22 exists. In other words, in the overlap section L, the lower portion of the upper plate-shaped portion 21 and the upper portion of the lower plate-shaped portion 22 overlap with each other.

[0026] There is a gap 25 between the plate-shaped portion 21 and the plate-shaped portion 22. The gap 25 functions as an air passage between the inside and the outside of the battery package 1. The gap 25 is also inclined together with the plate-shaped portion 21 and the plate-shaped portion 22. An opening 26 on the lower side of the inclined gap 25 is an opening facing the outside of the battery package 1. An opening 27 on the upper side of the inclined gap 25 is an opening facing the inside of the battery package 1. In terms of the relationship between the plate-shaped portion 21 and the plate-shaped portion 22, the plate-shaped portion 21 is the first plate-shaped portion and the plate-shaped portion 22 is the second plate-shaped portion. The same applies to the relationship between the plate-shaped portion 22 and the plate-shaped portion 23 and the relationship between the plate-shaped portion 23 and the plate-shaped portion 24.

[0027] Returning to Fig. 4, the uppermost plate-like portion 21 is joined onto the support portion 19. The plate-like portions 22 and 23 are joined onto the pressing portion 18. The lowermost plate-like portion 24 is located on the overhanging portion 12. The upper cover 5 is formed by integrating these members together with the end wall 32 in Fig. 2.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 4, the roof portion 20 has an umbrella-like shape that is symmetrical on the whole. The right half is called the first roof portion 28, and the left half is called the second roof portion 29. The first roof portion 28 is located above the battery stack 3 (first battery stack) on the right side in Fig. 4. The second roof portion 29 is located above the battery stack 3 (second battery stack) on the left side. The first roof portion 28 and the second roof portion 29 each have the above-mentioned structure, but the inclination directions are opposite. The roof portion 20 as a whole has a shape that is highest at the butt position of the first roof portion 28 and the second roof portion 29, and becomes lower as it moves away from the butt position.

[0029] Returning to Fig. 2, connecting portions 30 are provided discretely between the plate-like portions of the upper cover 5. This increases the rigidity of the upper cover 5 as a whole.

[0030] In the battery package 1 configured as described above, the pressing portion 18 of the upper cover 5 presses the battery stack 3 from above toward the lower case 4. This stabilizes the position of the battery stack 3 within the battery package 1. The battery package 1 further has two advantages: good cooling of the battery stack 3 and reduced risk of water entering the battery package 1.

[0031] The cooling performance will now be described. The interior of the battery package 1 contains spaces that can serve as flow paths for cooling air. These are the grooves 15, the upper space 31, and the gaps 25 described above. Furthermore, the gaps between the battery cells 8 in the battery stack 3 can also serve as flow paths for cooling air. This is because the battery cells 8 are not in full contact with each other. For this reason, by sending air through the openings 17, cooling air can be generated inside the battery package 1.

[0032] As shown by the arrows F in FIG. 6, the cooling air flows through the grooves 15, upper space 31, and gaps 25 in this order within the battery package 1. Between the grooves 15 and the upper space 31, as described above, the cooling air passes through the gaps between the battery cells 8. This flow of cooling air F has a high cooling efficiency for the battery stack 3. The reason for this is the gaps 25. As described above, the gaps 25 are gaps between the plate-shaped parts. Therefore, the gaps 25 exist over almost the entire stacking direction of the battery stack 3, except for the parts where the connecting parts 30 are provided. Therefore, the flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the gaps 25 in the upper cover 5 as a whole is quite wide. This results in low exhaust resistance and high cooling efficiency.

[0033] In addition, the portion of the path of the cooling air F that passes through the battery stack 3 is a nearly vertical straight line, so the distance is not large. This also contributes to high cooling efficiency. Furthermore, each battery cell 8 included in the battery stack 3 is cooled almost evenly. This is because there is no particular difference in the way the cooling air F flows in any one battery cell 8. This is because the stacking direction of the battery stack 3 and the direction of the contour line C of the inclination of the plate-shaped portion are parallel. Also, gaps 25 are provided over almost the entire stacking direction of the battery stack 3 except for the connecting portions 30.

[0034] Water intrusion will now be described. Liquid water may be present around the battery package 1 in use. This is due to factors such as rainfall and condensation. However, in the battery package 1, even if water is present around the container 2, the water is unlikely to intrude into the battery package 1. This is because the roof portion 20 of the upper cover 5 is configured in an umbrella shape with inclined plate-like portions. Due to this shape, the roof portion 20 has an upwardly convex portion, but does not have a valley-like portion where the lower sides of the inclined plate-like portions butt up against each other. Therefore, there is no place where water can accumulate on the roof portion 20.

[0035] In the upper cover 5, water is also less likely to penetrate from the outside to the inside through the gaps 25 between the plate-like portions. This is because the gaps 25 are also inclined, and the outward openings 26 of the gaps 25 correspond to their lower ends. For this reason, even if water penetrates into the gaps 25 from the outward openings 26, the water must climb against gravity toward the inward openings 27 in order to penetrate into the inside of the battery package 1.

[0036] Furthermore, as described above, cooling air F flows through gap 25. The direction of cooling air F flowing through gap 25 is a direction that pushes back water that tries to enter. Therefore, even if water enters gap 25 from outward opening 26, the water is blown outward by cooling air F and does not reach inward opening 27. Due to these factors, outside water is less likely to enter battery package 1.

[0037] As described above, even if water is present on the upper cover 5 of the battery package 1, the water quickly falls downward and rarely penetrates into the interior through the gap 25. When water falls downward, the eaves 12 prevents the water from getting onto the connector 6. In this way, the battery package 1 of this embodiment has high resistance to water intrusion.

[0038] As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, the upper cover 5 is provided with the pressing portion 18 and the roof portion 20. The roof portion 20 is configured by arranging a plurality of inclined plate-like portions with gaps between them. This realizes a battery package 1 that holds down the battery stack 3, allows the cooling air F to flow appropriately, and prevents water from entering.

[0039] The present embodiment and examples are merely illustrative and do not limit the disclosed technology in any way. Therefore, the disclosed technology can be naturally improved and modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technology. For example, the number of plate-like parts on one side of the roof part 20 (first roof part 28, second roof part 29) is arbitrary as long as it is two or more. The example shown in FIG. 2 is an example of three plates, and the example shown in FIG. 4 is an example of four plates. Five or more plates may be used. A gap 25 may also be provided between the lowest plate-like part and the lower case 4.

[0040] It may be one that houses only one battery stack 3. In that case, the roof part is not umbrella-shaped, but has a shape on only one side (first roof part 28 or second roof part 29). The flow direction of the cooling air F may be reversed, so long as it is only for the function of cooling the battery stack 3. In other words, the cooling air F may be generated by sucking air instead of blowing it from the opening 17.

[0041] [Preliminary Claim 1] The battery package according to claim 4, a visor portion that protrudes outward from a side that is parallel to a stacking direction of the battery stack at an upper end of the lower case; a battery package having a connector disposed below the eaves portion and connecting the battery stack to an external circuit;

[0042] [Preliminary Claim 2] A battery package according to any one of claims 4, 5 and sub-claim 1, A battery package having an air passage between a lower surface of the battery stack and the lower case. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Battery package 20 Roof section 2 container 21 plate-shaped part 3 Battery stack 22 Plate-shaped portion 4 Lower case 23 Plate-shaped part 5 Upper cover 24 Plate-shaped portion 6 Connector 25 Gap 8 Battery cell 26 Opening 12 Eaves 27 Opening 13 Underside 28 First roof section 14 Convex portion 29 Second roof portion 15 groove 30 connection part 17 Opening 31 Upper space 18 Pressing part

Claims

1. A battery package including a battery stack in which a plurality of batteries are stacked, a lower case located below the battery stack, and an upper cover covering an upper portion of the battery stack, the upper cover comprising: A pressing portion that presses an upper surface of the battery stack; A roof portion disposed above the pressing portion, the roof portion has a plurality of plate-like portions inclined in the same direction, the plate-like portions being arranged with gaps between them while partially overlapping each other when viewed in the up-down direction, The plurality of plate-shaped portions include a first plate-shaped portion and a second plate-shaped portion disposed below the first plate-shaped portion, A battery package in which a lower portion of the first plate-shaped portion and an upper portion of the second plate-shaped portion overlap with each other.

2. 2. The battery package of claim 1, A battery package in which a stacking direction of the battery stack and a direction of the slope contour lines of the plurality of plate-shaped portions are parallel to each other.

3. 3. The battery package of claim 2, The battery stack includes a first battery stack and a second battery stack whose stacking directions are parallel to each other, the roof portion includes a first roof portion above the first battery stack and a second roof portion above the second battery stack, The upper cover has a shape that is highest at a butting position between the first roof portion and the second roof portion and becomes lower as it moves away from the butting position.

4. A battery package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A battery package in which connecting portions are provided discretely in the gaps between the plurality of plate-shaped portions.

5. A battery package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a visor portion that protrudes outward from a side that is parallel to a stacking direction of the battery stack at an upper end of the lower case; a battery package having a connector disposed below the eaves portion and connecting the battery stack to an external circuit;

6. A battery package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A battery package having an air passage between a lower surface of the battery stack and the lower case.

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