Battery module

Abstract

To provide a battery module that can improve the efficiency of assembling the case to a plate material.SOLUTION: A battery module 1 includes a case 4 that houses a wiring material connected to a plurality of battery cells 2 arranged side by side, and a plate member 3 that is arranged at the end of the plurality of battery cells and supports the case, and a lock hole 32 and a guide hole 33 are provided side by side on a side 31 of the plate member facing the case, and the case has a main body 40 that houses the wiring material, and an engaging protrusion 42 and a guide protrusion 43 that protrude from the main body, the engaging protrusion is inserted into the lock hole and engages with the plate member, and the guide protrusion is inserted into the guide hole and guides the engaging protrusion to the lock hole and is longer than the engaging protrusion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery module. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are modules having multiple batteries. Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply device comprising a battery assembly and a pair of bus bar modules attached to both sides of the battery assembly. This bus bar module includes multiple bus bars that connect the multiple batteries in series, voltage detection terminals connected to each bus bar, a pair of power supply terminals, and a case that houses these. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-093218 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When fixing a case to a plate member that is arranged at the end of a plurality of battery cells, it is desirable to be able to efficiently assemble the case to the plate member.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a battery module that can improve the efficiency of the work of assembling a case to a plate member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery module of the present invention comprises a case that houses wiring material connected to a plurality of battery cells arranged side by side, and a plate member that is arranged at the end of the plurality of battery cells and supports the case, wherein a lock hole and a guide hole are provided side by side on the side of the plate member facing the case, and the case has a main body that houses the wiring material, and an engaging protrusion and a guide protrusion that protrude from the main body, wherein the engaging protrusion is inserted into the lock hole and engages with the plate member, and the guide protrusion is inserted into the guide hole and guides the engaging protrusion to the lock hole, and is longer than the engaging protrusion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In a battery module according to the present invention, a lock hole and a guide hole are provided side by side on the side of the plate member facing the case, and the case has a main body that houses wiring material and an engagement protrusion and a guide protrusion that protrude from the main body. The engagement protrusion is inserted into the lock hole to engage with the plate member, and the guide protrusion is inserted into the guide hole to guide the engagement protrusion into the lock hole and is longer than the engagement protrusion. The battery module according to the present invention has the effect of facilitating insertion of the guide protrusion into the guide hole, thereby streamlining the process of assembling the case to the plate member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a battery module and a battery pack according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery module according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the case according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the case according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the case according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a battery module according to the embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a side view of the battery module according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a guide protrusion according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] An embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. The embodiment relates to a battery module. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a battery module and a battery pack according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery module according to an embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a case according to an embodiment, FIG. 4 is a side view of the case according to an embodiment, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the case according to an embodiment, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a battery module according to an embodiment, FIG. 7 is a side view of a battery module according to an embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a guide protrusion according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a VV cross section of FIG. 4.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, a battery module 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of battery cells 2, a plate member 3, a case 4, a plurality of bus bars 5, and wiring material 6. The battery module 1 of this embodiment is a component of a battery pack 100. The battery pack 100 may include a plurality of battery modules 1. The battery pack 100 is mounted as a power source in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, for example.

[0012] The multiple battery cells 2 are arranged along a first direction X. Each battery cell 2 has side surfaces 21 along the vertical direction Z. FIG. 1 shows one of a pair of side surfaces 21 of each battery cell 2. Each battery cell 2 has electrodes arranged on the side surfaces 21. In each battery cell 2, a positive electrode is arranged on one of the two side surfaces 21, and a negative electrode is arranged on the other side surface 21.

[0013] The plate members 3 are plate-shaped members arranged at the ends of the multiple battery cells 2. The plate members 3 in this embodiment are members called end plates and are molded from, for example, synthetic resin. The plate members 3 are arranged at both ends of the multiple battery cells 2 so as to sandwich and hold the aligned battery cells 2. The battery module 1 in this embodiment has at least two plate members 3a, 3b. One plate member 3a is arranged at one end in the first direction X, and the other plate member 3b is arranged at the other end in the first direction X. The plate member 3 has a side surface 31 along the vertical direction Z. The side surface 31 is aligned with the side surface 21 of the battery cell 2 in the first direction X. FIG. 1 shows one of the pair of side surfaces 31 of the plate member 3.

[0014] The bus bar 5 is a conductor formed from a conductive metal plate and is fixed to the electrodes of the battery cells 2. The bus bar 5 connects, for example, two adjacent battery cells 2 in series. In this case, the bus bar 5 connects the positive electrode of one battery cell 2 to the negative electrode of another battery cell 2.

[0015] The wiring material 6 is connected to the multiple bus bars 5. The wiring material 6 is, for example, a flat wiring material such as a flexible printed circuit board. When the wiring material 6 is a flexible printed circuit board, the wiring material 6 has a base film, a cover lay, and a conductive layer. The base film and cover lay are flexible insulating resin layers. The conductive layer is sandwiched between the base film and the cover lay for protection. The conductive layer is, for example, a conductive metal foil, and has multiple circuit patterns connected to the bus bars 5. The wiring material 6 is, for example, connected to a monitoring device that monitors the battery module 1. The monitoring device is a device that monitors the voltage and temperature of the battery cells 2.

[0016] The case 4 accommodates the wiring material 6 and the bus bar 5. The case 4 is molded from, for example, an insulating synthetic resin. The case 4 of this embodiment is assembled to and supported by the plate members 3. One end 4a of the case 4 is supported by one plate member 3a. The other end 4b of the case 4 is supported by another plate member 3b. Note that when another plate member 3 is disposed between the two plate members 3a and 3b, the middle portion of the case 4 may be assembled to and supported by the other plate member 3.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the plate member 3 has a lock hole 32 and a guide hole 33. An engagement protrusion 42 of the case 4 is inserted into the lock hole 32. A guide protrusion 43 of the case 4 is inserted into the guide hole 33. The lock hole 32 and the guide hole 33 open to the side surface 31 of the plate member 3 and extend in the second direction Y. The second direction Y is the width direction of the plate member 3 and is perpendicular to both the first direction X and the up-down direction Z. The cross-sectional shape of the lock hole 32 and the guide hole 33 in a plane perpendicular to the second direction Y is, for example, circular.

[0018] The lock hole 32 and the guide hole 33 are aligned in the vertical direction Z. The lock hole 32 is located on the upper side Z1 of the guide hole 33. The lock hole 32 and the guide hole 33 are provided on each of a pair of side surfaces 31 of the plate member 3. In other words, the plate member 3 is configured so that the case 4 can be attached to each of the two side surfaces 31.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3 , the case 4 has a main body 40, an engaging protrusion 42, and a guide protrusion 43. In this embodiment, the main body 40, the engaging protrusion 42, and the guide protrusion 43 are integrally molded. The main body 40 has a wiring passage 41 that accommodates the wiring material 6, and a plurality of holding portions 44 that accommodate the busbar 5. The wiring passage 41 has a groove shape and extends along the first direction X. The plurality of holding portions 44 are adjacent to the wiring passage 41 in the vertical direction Z and are aligned along the first direction X. The case 4 is assembled to the plate member 3 so that the wiring passage 41 is located on the lower side Z2 of the holding portions 44.

[0020] The main body 40 has an opposing surface 40a. The opposing surface 40a is the surface that faces the battery cell 2 and the plate member 3. In other words, the opposing surface 40a is the surface that faces the opposite side to the wiring material 6 housed in the wiring path 41.

[0021] The engagement protrusion 42 and the guide protrusion 43 are disposed on each of the two ends 4a, 4b of the case 4. The engagement protrusion 42 and the guide protrusion 43 protrude from the opposing surface 40a in the second direction Y. The engagement protrusion 42 and the guide protrusion 43 are aligned in the up-down direction Z. The engagement protrusion 42 is disposed on the upper side Z1 of the guide protrusion 43 in the up-down direction Z.

[0022] The engagement protrusion 42 has a cylindrical shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the engagement protrusion 42 has a slit 42s that divides the engagement protrusion 42 into a first arm 42a and a second arm 42b. The slit 42s extends from the tip of the engagement protrusion 42 along the axial direction of the engagement protrusion 42. The cross-sectional shapes of the first arm 42a and the second arm 42b are approximately semicircular. The tip of the first arm 42a is provided with a claw 42c that is engaged with the plate member 3. The claw 42c protrudes outward and has an engagement surface facing the main body 40. The engagement protrusion 42 with the slit 42s can be inserted into the lock hole 32 while flexibly deforming the first arm 42a.

[0023] The guide protrusion 43 has a plate shape. As shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the guide protrusion 43 on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the guide protrusion 43 is a flat shape with the first direction X as the longitudinal direction. The cross-sectional shape of the guide protrusion 43 illustrated in FIG. 5 is substantially rectangular. More specifically, arc-shaped chamfered portions 43c are formed at the corners of the guide protrusion 43. The guide protrusion 43 has a flat surface 43a facing the engagement protrusion 42. The flat surface 43a is a surface facing the upper side Z1 in the vertical direction Z and is, for example, perpendicular to the vertical direction Z.

[0024] 4, in the case 4 of this embodiment, the guide protrusions 43 are longer than the engagement protrusions 42. That is, the length L2 of the guide protrusions 43 is longer than the length L1 of the engagement protrusions 42. The length L1 is the length from the opposing surface 40a to the tip 42t of the engagement protrusion 42. The length L2 is the length from the opposing surface 40a to the tip 43t of the guide protrusion 43.

[0025] The tip 43t of the guide protrusion 43 is located farther from the main body 40 than the tip 42t of the engagement protrusion 42. In other words, when viewed from the vertical direction Z, the tip 43t of the guide protrusion 43 protrudes beyond the tip 42t of the engagement protrusion 42. This improves the workability of assembling the case 4 to the plate member 3, as will be described below.

[0026] 6 and 7 show the case 4 when assembly to the plate member 3 begins. The assembly work of the case 4 to the plate member 3 is performed by, for example, a worker 200. The plate member 3 is installed so that the side surface 31 is aligned with the vertical direction Z. The worker 200 holds the case 4 so that the guide protrusions 43 and the engagement protrusions 42 face the plate member 3. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the engagement protrusions 42 of the case 4 are positioned on the upper side Z1 relative to the guide protrusions 43.

[0027] The worker 200 tilts the opposing surface 40a of the case 4 with respect to the vertical direction Z. The tilt direction of the opposing surface 40a with respect to the vertical direction Z is a direction in which the opposing surface 40a moves away from the side surface 31 as it moves from the guide protrusion 43 to the engagement protrusion 42. In other words, the case 4 is held with the opposing surface 40a facing diagonally upward.

[0028] The worker 200 inserts the guide protrusions 43 into the guide holes 33 of the plate member 3. Of the two guide protrusions 43 on the case 4, one guide protrusion 43 is inserted into the guide hole 33 of the plate member 3a, and the other guide protrusion 43 is inserted into the guide hole 33 of the plate member 3b. As a result, the case 4 extends in the arrangement direction of the battery cells 2 from the plate member 3a at one end to the plate member 3b at the other end. Figures 6 and 7 show the state in which the tip of the guide protrusion 43 is inserted into the guide hole 33. In the case 4 of this embodiment, the guide protrusions 43 are longer than the engagement protrusions 42. Therefore, the line of sight of the eye 210 of the worker 200 when looking at the guide protrusions 43 is less likely to be obstructed by the engagement protrusions 42.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 7, the worker 200 can easily insert the guide protrusion 43 into the guide hole 33 while visually checking the tip of the guide protrusion 43 with the eye 210. Furthermore, the guide protrusion 43 has a flat surface 43a, which allows the guide protrusion 43 to be smoothly inserted into the guide hole 33. The flat surface 43a of the guide protrusion 43 faces the eye 210 of the worker 200. Therefore, when viewed from the worker 200, it is easy to align the tip of the guide protrusion 43 with the opening of the guide hole 33, making the insertion work easier.

[0030] While inserting one guide protrusion 43 into one guide hole 33, the worker 200 can insert the other guide protrusion 43 into another guide hole 33. Because the guide protrusions 43 have a sufficient length, the tip of one guide protrusion 43 can be supported by the guide hole 33. Therefore, in a long battery module 1 having multiple rows of battery cells 2, two guide protrusions 43 can be easily inserted into the guide holes 33.

[0031] Once the two guide protrusions 43 are inserted into the guide holes 33, the worker 200 inserts the guide protrusions 43 into the guide holes 33 toward the back. This guides the engagement protrusions 42 into the lock holes 32, as indicated by the arrow AR1 in FIG. 7 . In the battery module 1 of this embodiment, the orientation of the case 4 is controlled by inserting the guide protrusions 43 into the guide holes 33. More specifically, the guide protrusions 43 change the orientation of the case 4 so that the inclination angle θ of the opposing surface 40a decreases as the guide protrusions 43 are inserted further into the guide holes 33. This automatically aligns the engagement protrusions 42 with the lock holes 32, improving the workability of the assembly process. When the engagement protrusions 42 are inserted into the lock holes 32, the claws 42c of the engagement protrusions 42 are locked by the lock holes 32. This secures the case 4 to the plate member 3. The case 4 is positioned with the opposing surface 40a facing the side surface 31 of the plate member 3 and the side surface 21 of the battery cell 2.

[0032] The guide protrusion 43 may have a tapered shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the guide protrusion 43 may have a tapered portion 43d and a base end portion 43e. The tapered portion 43d is provided at the tip of the guide protrusion 43. The tapered portion 43d has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area decreases toward the tip of the guide protrusion 43. The tapered portion 43d shown in FIG. 8 is configured so that the width Wd in the first direction X becomes narrower toward the tip of the tapered portion 43d. The tapered portion 43d may be configured so that the thickness becomes thinner toward the tip of the tapered portion 43d.

[0033] Guide protrusion 43 having tapered portion 43d facilitates the insertion of guide protrusion 43 into guide hole 33. When tapered portion 43d is entirely housed inside guide hole 33, portion 43e on the base end side of tapered portion 43d enters guide hole 33. By inserting base end side portion 43e into guide hole 33, the gap between guide protrusion 43 and guide hole 33 becomes smaller, and the posture of case 4 becomes stable.

[0034] For example, the tapered portion 43d may be disposed closer to the tip than the engaging protrusion 42. In other words, the tapered portion 43d may be provided at a portion farther from the main body 40 than the tip 42t of the engaging protrusion 42. Such a configuration makes it easy to insert the guide protrusion 43 into the guide hole 33, and ensures the guide function of guiding the engaging protrusion 42 into the lock hole 32.

[0035] Note that, when the guide protrusion 43 is provided with the tapered portion 43d, the range of the tapered portion 43d is not limited to the range illustrated in Fig. 8. For example, the tapered portion 43d may be disposed so that a portion of the tapered portion 43d overlaps with the engaging protrusion 42 when viewed from the up-down direction Z. For example, the entire guide protrusion 43 may be formed as the tapered portion 43d.

[0036] As described above, the battery module 1 of this embodiment has a case 4 that houses wiring material 6, and a plate member 3. The wiring material 6 is connected to a plurality of battery cells 2 that are arranged side by side. The plate member 3 is arranged at the ends of the plurality of battery cells 2 and supports the case 4. A lock hole 32 and a guide hole 33 are provided side by side on a side surface 31 of the plate member 3 that faces the case 4.

[0037] The case 4 has a main body 40 that houses the wiring material 6, and an engagement protrusion 42 and a guide protrusion 43 that protrude from the main body 40. The engagement protrusion 42 is inserted into the lock hole 32 and engages with the plate member 3. The guide protrusion 43 is inserted into the guide hole 33 and guides the engagement protrusion 42 into the lock hole 32. The guide protrusion 43 is longer than the engagement protrusion 42. According to the battery module 1 of this embodiment, the guide protrusion 43 can be easily inserted into the guide hole 33, improving the workability of assembling the case 4 to the plate member 3.

[0038] The shape of the tip of the guide protrusion 43 may be tapered so that it becomes thinner as it gets farther away from the main body 40. In this case, the guide protrusion 43 can be inserted into the guide hole 33 even more easily.

[0039] In this embodiment, the lock holes 32 and guide holes 33 are provided on a side surface 31 of the plate member 3 that extends in the vertical direction Z, and are aligned in the vertical direction Z. The lock holes 32 are located on the upper side Z1 of the guide holes 33. The case 4 is positioned opposite the side surface 21 of the battery cell 2 in the vertical direction Z. With this configuration, when assembling the case 4 to the plate member 3, the worker 200 can easily visually check the tip ends of the guide protrusions 43 from above.

[0040] The guide protrusion 43 in this embodiment has a shape that has a flat surface 43a that faces the engagement protrusion 42. This makes it easy for the worker 200 to insert the guide protrusion 43 into the guide hole 33 while visually checking the guide protrusion 43 from above.

[0041] The shapes of the engagement protrusion 42 and the guide protrusion 43 are not limited to the shapes exemplified in the embodiment. For example, the shape of the guide protrusion 43 may be a semicircular shape having a chord corresponding to the plane 43a. Furthermore, the shapes of the lock hole 32 and the guide hole 33 are not limited to the shapes exemplified in the embodiment.

[0042] The contents disclosed in the above embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1: Battery module 2: Battery cell 3,3a,3b: Plate member 4: Case, 4a, 4b: Ends 5: Bus bar 6: Routing material 21: Side 31: Side, 32: Lock hole, 33: Guide hole 40: Main body, 40a: Opposing surface, 41: Wiring path 42: engagement protrusion, 42a: first arm, 42b: second arm, 42c: claw 42s:Slit 43: guide protrusion, 43a: flat surface, 43d: tapered portion 44: Holding part 100: Battery pack 200: Worker, 210: Eye X: First direction, Y: Second direction, Z: Vertical direction, Z1: Upper side θ: Tilt angle

Claims

1. a case that houses wiring materials connected to a plurality of battery cells that are arranged side by side; a plate member disposed at an end of the plurality of battery cells and supporting the case; Equipped with a lock hole and a guide hole are provided side by side on a side surface of the plate member facing the case, The case has a main body that accommodates the wiring material, and an engagement protrusion and a guide protrusion that protrude from the main body, the engaging protrusion is inserted into the lock hole and engages with the plate member; The guide protrusion is inserted into the guide hole to guide the engaging protrusion into the lock hole, and is longer than the engaging protrusion. A battery module characterized by:

2. The tip of the guide protrusion has a tapered shape that becomes thinner as it gets farther away from the main body. The battery module according to claim 1 .

3. the lock hole and the guide hole are provided on the side surface of the plate member that extends in the up-down direction, and are aligned in the up-down direction; The lock hole is located above the guide hole, The case is disposed opposite the upper and lower side surfaces of the battery cell. The battery module according to claim 1 .

4. The guide protrusion has a shape having a flat surface facing the engagement protrusion. The battery module according to claim 3 .

Images