Battery pack and device case

Abstract

To reduce the size of a battery pack on which an apparatus case is mounted.SOLUTION: A battery pack (100) includes a battery case (10) that houses a battery (60), and an equipment case (40) that is attached to an upper portion of the battery case (10) and houses electrical equipment (70), wherein the equipment case (40) includes a case main body (20) and a cover (30), the case main body (20) is provided with a connector (50) connected to the electrical equipment (70) on a rear wall (23), and a height of a front wall (22) facing the rear wall (23) is lower than a height of the rear wall (23).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack to which a device case for accommodating an electric device is attached, and to the structure of the device case. [Background technology]

[0002] In many cases, accessories for the battery of an electric vehicle are housed inside the battery pack. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery pack that houses a junction box inside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-190644 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Recently, large-capacity batteries are becoming necessary to extend the driving range of electric vehicles. To accommodate this, battery accessories are sometimes installed in an equipment case above the battery case to increase the battery storage volume. In this case, there is a need to reduce the size of the equipment case to avoid interference between the battery pack and the vehicle body, etc.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to reduce the size of a battery pack having an equipment case attached to the top. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The battery pack of the present disclosure is a battery pack comprising a battery case that houses a battery inside, and an equipment case that is attached to the top of the battery case and houses electrical equipment for the battery, wherein the equipment case comprises a case main body that houses the lower part of the electrical equipment, and a cover that is connected to the upper end of the case main body and covers the upper part of the electrical equipment, and wherein the case main body has a connector on a first wall that is connected to the electrical equipment, and the height of a second wall of the case main body that faces the first wall is lower than the height of the first wall.

[0007] Device cases are manufactured using methods such as die casting and sheet metal pressing, which require draft angles. Because of this, the higher the first and second walls of the device case are, the longer they protrude outward. Therefore, by lowering the height of the second wall, where no connectors are provided, the outward protrusion of the second wall can be shortened, allowing for a more compact device case. This allows for a smaller battery pack, minimizing interference with the body, etc.

[0008] In the battery pack of the present disclosure, the fastening surface between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover may be inclined relative to the bottom surface of the case body so as to become lower from the first wall toward the second wall.

[0009] This allows the case body, which includes the first wall and the second wall that are different in height, and the cover to be easily sealed and fastened together.

[0010] In the battery pack of the present disclosure, the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover may be fastened by a first fastening member that penetrates the fastening surface, and a first seal line may be provided on the inner circumference of the first fastening member to seal between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover, and the case body may be fastened to the ceiling plate of the battery case by a second fastening member, and a second seal line may be provided on the outer circumference of the second fastening member to seal between the bottom surface of the case body and the ceiling plate of the battery case.

[0011] In this way, providing the first seal line only on the inside of the first fastening member makes it easier to assemble the cover and improves the maintainability of the device case. Also, providing the second seal line on the outer periphery of the second fastening member prevents water from entering the battery case even when the device case is attached to the top of the battery case.

[0012] The equipment case of the present disclosure is an equipment case for accommodating an electrical device, and comprises a case body for accommodating a lower part of the electrical device, and a cover connected to the upper end of the case body and covering the upper part of the electrical device, characterized in that the case body has a connector on a first wall that is connected to the electrical device, and the height of a second wall of the case body that faces the first wall is lower than the height of the first wall.

[0013] By reducing the height of the second wall where no connector is provided in this way, the outward protrusion length of the second wall can be shortened, and the size of the device case can be reduced.

[0014] In the equipment case of the present disclosure, the fastening surface between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover is inclined relative to the bottom surface of the case body so as to become lower from the first wall toward the second wall, and the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover are fastened together with a fastening member that penetrates the fastening surface, and a seal line that seals between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover may be provided on the inner circumference of the fastening member.

[0015] This allows the cover to be easily sealed and fastened to the case body, which includes the first and second walls of different heights. Also, by providing a seal line only on the inside of the fastening member, assembly of the cover is made easier, improving the maintainability of the equipment case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The present disclosure enables the miniaturization of a battery pack to which an equipment case is attached on top. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the battery pack according to the embodiment, taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a battery pack according to another embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a comparative battery pack. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] A battery pack 100 according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack 100 includes a battery case 10 and an equipment case 40. FR, UP, and RH in each drawing refer to the front, upper, and right sides of the battery pack 100, respectively. The opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH refer to the rear, lower, and left sides. Hereinafter, when the terms front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-to-down are used in the description, they refer to the front-to-rear direction of the battery pack 100, the left-to-right direction, and the up-to-down direction, unless otherwise specified. The battery pack 100 is mounted on a vehicle so that the front, upper, and right sides correspond to the front, upper, and right sides of the vehicle.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the battery case 10 is composed of a lower case 11 and an upper cover 12. The lower case 11 is a rectangular open box-shaped member with an open top. A plurality of cross members 14 extending in the left-right direction are provided on a bottom plate 13 of the lower case 11. A plurality of batteries 60 are housed inside the lower case 11. The upper cover 12 is a ceiling plate that covers the open top of the lower case 11. Electrical equipment 70 for the batteries is mounted on the top surface of the upper cover 12.

[0020] The electrical device 70 includes a junction box 71 and an ECU 72. The junction box 71 is fixed to the top surface of the upper cover 12. The ECU 72 is mounted on the junction box 71.

[0021] The device case 40 is composed of a case body 20 and a cover 30. The case body 20 houses the lower part of the electrical device 70. As shown in FIG. 2, the case body 20 is a rectangular open box-shaped member that includes a bottom plate 21, a front wall 22, a rear wall 23, and left and right side walls 27L and 27R, and is open at the top. A rectangular opening 21A through which the junction box 71 passes is provided in the center of the bottom plate 21. Here, the rear wall 23 constitutes a first wall, and the front wall 22 constitutes a second wall.

[0022] A connector base 29 is attached to the outer surface of the rear wall 23. A connector 50, which is connected to the junction box 71, is attached to the connector base 29. The height of the upper end of the front wall 22 is lower than the height of the upper end of the rear wall 23. The upper ends of the left and right side walls 27L, 27R are inclined relative to the bottom surface 21B of the bottom plate 21 so as to decrease in height from the rear wall 23 toward the front wall 22. The front wall 22 is provided with a front flange 24 that protrudes diagonally downward toward the front. The rear wall 23 is provided with a rear flange 25 that protrudes diagonally upward toward the rear. As shown in FIG. 1 , side flanges 28 are provided at the upper ends of the left and right side walls 27L, 27R. The upper surfaces of the front flange 24, the rear flange 25, and the left and right side flanges 28 form a fastening surface 26 for fastening to the cover 30 of the case body 20.

[0023] The case body 20 is made of die-cast aluminum, and the front wall 22, rear wall 23, and left and right side walls 27L, 27R have drafts that slope outward at the top ends.

[0024] The cover 30 comprises a main body 31, a front flange 32, a rear flange 33, and left and right side flanges 34. The main body 31 is a folded plate member shaped like a rectangular open box with an open bottom. The undersides of the front flange 32, the rear flange 33, and the left and right side flanges 34 are inclined surfaces that slope downward from the rear flange 33 toward the front flange 32. These inclined surfaces form a fastening surface 35 between the cover 30 and the case main body 20. The cover 30 is made of a sheet metal brace, and the wall surfaces of the main body 31 have a draft angle that slopes the lower end outward.

[0025] The front flange 32, rear flange 33, and left and right side flanges 34 of the cover 30 are fastened to the front flange 24, rear flange 25, and left and right side flanges 28 of the case body 20 by bolts 38 that pass through the fastening surfaces 26, 35. The bolts 38 constitute first fastening members. A first seal line 39 that seals between the fastening surfaces 26 of the case body 20 and the fastening surfaces 35 of the cover 30 is provided on the inner periphery of the bolts 38. The first seal line 39 may be made of, for example, an adhesive, a sealant, a rubber packing, an O-ring, or the like.

[0026] The bottom plate 21 of the case body 20 is fastened to the upper cover 12 of the battery case 10 by bolts 17 and nuts 18. The bolts 17 pass through the upper cover 12 and the bottom plate 21 to fasten the bottom plate 21 to the upper cover 12. The bolts 17 and nuts 18 form a second fastening member. A second seal line 19 that seals the gap between the bottom surface 21B of the case body 20 and the upper cover 12 is provided on the outer periphery of the bolts 17 and nuts 18. Like the first seal line 39, the second seal line 19 may be made of an adhesive, a sealer, or the like, or may be made of a rubber packing, an O-ring, or the like.

[0027] In the battery pack 100 configured as described above, by reducing the height of the front wall 22 where the connector 50 is not provided, the outward protrusion length of the sloped front wall 22 can be shortened, thereby enabling the size of the device case 40. This allows the battery pack 100 to be made smaller, and interference with the body, etc. can be reduced.

[0028] In battery pack 100, the upper surface of front flange 24, the upper surface of rear flange 25, and the upper surfaces of left and right side flanges 28 of case body 20 form fastening surfaces 26 that are inclined downward from rear flange 25 to front flange 24. In addition, the lower surface of front flange 32, the lower surface of rear flange 33, and the lower surfaces of left and right side flanges 34 of cover 30 form fastening surfaces 35 that are inclined downward from rear flange 33 to front flange 32. These fastening surfaces 26, 35 are fastened together with bolts 38, so that the case body 20 and cover 30, which include front wall 22 and rear wall 23 that are of different heights, can be easily fastened together.

[0029] Furthermore, in the battery pack 100, a first seal line 39 that seals between the fastening surface 26 of the case body 20 and the fastening surface 35 of the cover 30 is provided only on the inner periphery of the bolt 38. This makes it easier to assemble the cover 30 and improves the maintainability of the device case 40. In addition, a second seal line 19 that seals between the bottom surface 21B of the case body 20 and the upper cover 12 is provided on the outer periphery of the bolt 17 and the nut 18. This makes it possible to prevent water from entering the inside of the battery case 10 even when the device case 40 is attached to the top of the battery case 10.

[0030] Next, a comparative battery pack 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The same parts as those in the battery pack 100 of the embodiment previously described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 will be given the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 4, the device case 240 of the battery pack 200 is composed of a case body 220 and a cover 230. The height of the front wall 222 of the case body 220 is the same as the height of the rear wall 223 to which the connector 50 is attached, and the upper ends of the left and right side walls 227L, 227R are not inclined with respect to the bottom surface 21B of the bottom plate 21 but are parallel to the bottom surface 21B of the bottom plate 21. The upper surface of the front flange 224, the upper surface of the rear flange 225, and the upper surfaces of the left and right side flanges 228 form a fastening surface 226 that is parallel to the bottom surface 21B of the bottom plate 21. The lower surface of the front flange 232, the lower surface of the rear flange 233, and the lower surfaces of the left and right side flanges 234 of the cover 230 form a fastening surface 235 that is parallel to the bottom surface 21B of the bottom plate 21.

[0032] In this way, in the battery pack 200, the height of the front wall 222 of the case body 220 is the same as the height of the rear wall 223, and the fastening surfaces 226, 235 of the case body 220 and the cover 230 are not inclined but are parallel to the bottom surface 21B of the bottom plate 21.

[0033] Therefore, in the battery pack 200 , the portion F in FIG. 4 protrudes upward and forward compared to the battery pack 100 , and the device case 240 is larger than the device case 40 of the battery pack 100 .

[0034] 1 and 2, in the battery pack 100, the height of the front wall 22 of the case body 20 is lower than the rear wall 23 to which the connector 50 is attached, and the fastening surfaces 26, 35 of the case body 20 and the cover 30 are inclined downward toward the front. Therefore, the amount by which the front portion of the device case 40 protrudes upward and forward is smaller than the amount by which the device case 240 of the battery pack 200 protrudes. As a result, the device case 40 of the battery pack 100 is smaller than the device case 240 of the battery pack 200, and the battery pack 100 is smaller overall than the battery pack 100. Therefore, the battery pack 100 can reduce interference with the body and the like compared to the battery pack 200.

[0035] Next, a battery pack 110 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. The battery pack 110 differs from the battery pack 100 previously described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 in that it includes a cover 130 instead of the cover 30. The other configuration is the same as the battery pack 100 previously described. Note that the same parts as those in the battery pack 100 are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0036] 3, the front portion 131A of the main body 131 of the cover 130 is configured as an inclined surface that follows the lines connecting the corners of the junction box 71 and the ECU 72. Therefore, the height of the front portion 131A is lower than the front portion of the cover 30 of the battery pack 100. Other than this, the configuration is the same as that of the cover 30 described above.

[0037] In battery pack 110, front portion 131A of cover 130 is lower than the front portion of cover 30, so the amount by which the front portion protrudes upward and forward is smaller than in battery pack 100. This allows device case 140 to be made smaller, which in turn allows battery pack 110 to be made smaller and interference with the body, etc. to be further reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 battery case, 11 lower case, 12 upper cover, 13 bottom plate, 14 cross member, 17, 38 bolt, 18 nut, 19 second seal line, 20, 220 case body, 21 bottom plate, 21A opening, 21B bottom surface, 22, 222 front wall, 23, 223 rear wall, 24, 32, 224, 232 front flange, 25, 33, 225, 233 rear flange, 26, 35, 226, 235 fastening surface, 27L, 27R, 227L, 227R side wall, 28, 34, 228, 234 side flange, 29 connector base, 30, 130, 230 cover, 31, 131 body, 39 first seal line, 40, 140, 240 equipment case, 50 connector, 60 Battery, 70 Electrical equipment, 71 Junction box, 72 ECU, 100, 110, 200 Battery pack, 131A Front section.

Claims

1. a battery case that houses a battery therein; a device case attached to an upper portion of the battery case and accommodating an electrical device for the battery, The device case includes: a case body that houses a lower part of the electrical device; and a cover that is connected to an upper end of the case body and covers an upper part of the electrical device, The case body includes: a connector connected to the electrical device is provided on the first wall; a height of a second wall of the case body facing the first wall is lower than a height of the first wall; A battery pack characterized by:

2. 2. The battery pack according to claim 1, a fastening surface between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover is inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the case body so as to become lower from the first wall toward the second wall; A battery pack characterized by:

3. 3. The battery pack according to claim 2, the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover are fastened together by a first fastening member that penetrates the fastening surface, and a first seal line that seals between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover is provided on an inner periphery of the first fastening member; the case body is fastened to the ceiling plate of the battery case by a second fastening member, and a second seal line is provided on the outer periphery of the second fastening member to seal between the bottom surface of the case body and the ceiling plate of the battery case; A battery pack characterized by:

4. An equipment case for accommodating an electrical device, a case body that accommodates a lower portion of the electrical device; a cover connected to the upper end of the case body to cover an upper portion of the electrical device, a connector connected to the electrical device is provided on a first wall of the case body; a height of a second wall of the case body facing the first wall is lower than a height of the first wall; An equipment case comprising:

5. The device case according to claim 4, a fastening surface between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover is inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the case body so as to become lower from the first wall toward the second wall; the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover are fastened together by a fastening member that penetrates the fastening surface, a seal line is provided on the inner periphery of the fastening member to seal between the upper end of the case body and the lower end of the cover; An equipment case comprising:

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