Power storage device and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide a power storage device in which a connector of a wire harness extended from a battery module and an opening provided in a lid can be easily fitted.SOLUTION: A power storage device includes a battery module, and a housing having a housing part for housing the battery module and a lid part for covering the housing part, wherein flange parts projecting outward at peripheral edges of the housing part and the lid part are fastened to each other. The connector provided at the leading end portion of the wire harness extending from the battery module is fitted into the opening portion provided in the side surface of the lid portion from the inside, the rotation shaft extending along the longitudinal direction of the flange portion of the lid portion and the protruding portion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid portion are provided at the lower end portion of the connector, and the inner end of the flange portion of the lid portion and the protruding portion of the connector are in contact with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, there is known an electricity storage device that can be installed outdoors, such as in a house, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. In such an electricity storage device, a battery module is housed in a housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-132006 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The inventors have developed an energy storage device in which a housing is formed by fastening a housing that houses a battery module to a lid that covers the housing. When fastening the lid to the housing that houses the battery module, the tip end of the wire harness extending from the battery module, i.e., the connector, is fitted from the inside into an opening provided in the lid, but alignment has been difficult.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides an electricity storage device in which a connector of a wire harness extending from a battery module can be easily fitted into an opening provided in a lid portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A power storage device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A battery module; a housing having a housing portion that houses the battery module and a lid portion that covers the housing portion; An electric storage device in which flange portions that protrude outward from peripheral edges of the storage portion and the lid portion are fastened to each other, a connector provided at a tip end of a wire harness extending from the battery module is fitted from the inside into an opening provided in a side surface of the lid, a rotation axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the flange portion of the lid portion and a protrusion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid portion are provided at a lower end of the connector; The inner end of the flange portion of the lid abuts against the protrusion of the connector.

[0007] In the power storage device according to the present disclosure, a connector provided at the distal end of a wire harness is provided at its lower end with a rotation axis extending along the longitudinal direction of a flange portion of the lid and a protrusion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid, and the inner end of the flange portion of the lid abuts against the protrusion of the connector. In this power storage device, when fastening the lid to a housing containing a battery module during manufacturing, the protrusion provided at the lower end of the connector of the wire harness abuts against the flange portion of the lid, causing the connector to tilt around the rotation axis provided at the lower end of the connector and fit from the inside into an opening provided in a side surface of the lid. This configuration allows the connector of the wire harness extending from the battery module to be easily fitted into the opening provided in the lid.

[0008] The flange portion of the accommodating portion and the protrusion portion of the connector do not need to abut against each other. A support portion for rotatably supporting the rotation shaft of the connector may be provided so as to protrude from the inner surface of the accommodating portion.

[0009] A method for manufacturing an electricity storage device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A method for manufacturing an electric storage device, in which a housing portion that houses a battery module and a lid portion that covers the housing portion are fastened to each other at flange portions that protrude outward from peripheral edges of the housing portion and the lid portion, a lower end of a connector provided at a tip end of the wire harness extended from the battery module, the lower end of the connector having a rotation shaft extending along a longitudinal direction of the flange portion of the lid portion and a protrusion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid portion; When the inner end of the flange portion of the lid portion comes into contact with the protrusion portion of the connector, the connector tilts around the rotation axis and the connector fits from the inside into an opening provided on the side of the lid portion.

[0010] In the manufacturing method for an energy storage device according to the present disclosure, a connector provided at the tip of a wire harness extending from a battery module is provided at its lower end with a rotation axis extending along the longitudinal direction of a flange portion of a lid and a protrusion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid, and when the inner end of the flange portion of the lid abuts against the protrusion of the connector, the connector tilts around the rotation axis and fits from the inside into an opening provided in a side surface of the lid. This configuration allows the connector of the wire harness extending from the battery module to be easily fitted into the opening provided in the lid. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present disclosure makes it possible to provide an electricity storage device in which the connector of the wire harness extending from the battery module can be easily fitted into the opening provided in the lid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an electricity storage device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method for manufacturing an electricity storage device according to a comparative example. [Figure 5] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the connector support portion 50. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the following description and drawings have been simplified appropriately for clarity of explanation.

[0014] (First embodiment) <Configuration of the power storage device> First, the configuration of the power storage device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the power storage device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 1.

[0015] Naturally, the right-handed XYZ Cartesian coordinate system shown in Figures 1 and 2 is for the convenience of explaining the positional relationship of the components. In Figures 1 and 2, the positive direction of the Z axis is normally the vertically upward direction, and the XY plane is the horizontal plane, which is common between the drawings.

[0016] The power storage device according to this embodiment is a power storage device that can be installed outdoors, for example, in a house. As shown in Fig. 1, the power storage device includes a housing 10, cell stacks CS1 to CS4, a control unit CU, a connector 40, and a connector support 50, and as shown in Fig. 2, a lid 20 and a sealing member 30. Here, the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and the control unit CU constitute a battery module. The housing 10 and the lid 20 constitute a housing that houses the battery module. The power storage device according to this embodiment is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. In FIG. 1, the lid portion 20 and the seal member 30 are omitted.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the accommodating section 10 accommodates the battery modules (cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and control unit CU). From the viewpoint of durability, the accommodating section 10 is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy. Here, the accommodating section 10 includes an accommodating main body section 11 and a flange section 12. The accommodating main body section 11 is a lidless box-shaped member that accommodates the battery modules (cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and control unit CU). The flange section 12 is provided so as to protrude outward from the entire periphery of the accommodating main body section 11.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 have a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole and are arranged side by side in order in the positive direction of the X-axis. Each of the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 has a configuration in which a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped prismatic cells are stacked (not shown). Although not particularly limited, in the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the prismatic cells are stacked in their thickness direction (the Y-axis direction). Naturally, the number of cell stacks accommodated in the accommodating section 10 is not limited to four, but may be determined as appropriate.

[0019] The control unit CU is electrically connected to each of the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and controls the cell stacks CS1 to CS4. For example, the control unit CU controls the charge and discharge current while monitoring the charge voltage of the cell stacks CS1 to CS4. 1 is disposed adjacent to the cell stack CS1 on the negative side of the X-axis in the housing section 10, but there are no particular limitations on where the control unit CU is disposed in the housing section 10. The control unit CU may also include a junction box, other electronic devices, etc.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the lid portion 20 covers the storage portion 10, which houses the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and the control unit CU. From the viewpoint of durability, the lid portion 20 is also made of a metal material, for example, an aluminum alloy. Here, the lid portion 20 includes a lid main body portion 21 and a flange portion 22. The lid main body portion 21 covers the storage main body portion 11, which houses the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and the control unit CU. The flange portion 22 is provided so as to protrude outward along the entire periphery of the lid main body portion 21. The flange portion 12 of the storage portion 10 and the flange portion 22 of the lid portion 20 are disposed opposite each other with a seal member 30 interposed therebetween and are fastened together by a fastening member (not shown).

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the sealing member 30 is sandwiched between the flange 12 of the housing 10 and the flange 22 of the lid 20. This configuration ensures waterproofing of the inside of the housing formed by the housing 10 and the lid 20. The sealing member 30 is an annular member provided along the entire flange 12 of the housing 10 shown in Fig. 1. The sealing member 30 is made of a resin material such as an elastomer containing synthetic rubber.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2, the connector 40 is provided at the tip of a wire harness WH that extends from the battery module (cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and control unit CU). In Fig. 2, the wire harness WH is drawn out from the control unit CU, but this is not particularly limited.

[0023] Here, Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of region III in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 also shows the movement of connector 40 when assembling the electricity storage device. 2 and 3, in the completed power storage device, connector 40 is fitted from the inside into opening 23 provided on the side of lid portion 20, i.e., lid main body portion 21. Connector 40 is connected to, for example, another connector (not shown). In order to ensure that the inside of the housing is waterproof, a sealing member (not shown) may be provided between the connector 40 and the side surface of the lid main body 21.

[0024] 2 and 3, a rotation shaft 41 that tilts the connector 40 is fixed to the lower end of the connector 40, and a protrusion 42 that protrudes toward the flange 22 of the lid 20 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotation shaft 41 of the connector 40 extends along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the flange 22 of the lid 20. As shown on the right side of FIG. 3, the inner end of the flange 22 of the lid 20 and the protrusion 42 of the connector 40 abut against each other. On the other hand, the flange 12 of the accommodating section 10 and the protrusion 42 of the connector 40 do not abut against each other.

[0025] In addition, the flange portion 12 of the accommodating portion 10 and the protrusion portion 42 of the connector 40 may be in contact with each other, for example, the protrusion portion 42 of the connector 40 may be sandwiched between the flange portion 12 of the accommodating portion 10 and the flange portion 22 of the lid portion 20.

[0026] 1, the connector support parts 50 are a pair of support members that rotatably support both ends of the rotation shaft 41 of the connector 40. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connector support parts 50 are provided to protrude from the inner surface of the accommodating part 10, i.e., the accommodating main body part 11. More specifically, the connector support parts 50 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are provided to protrude linearly upward (in the Z-axis direction) from the bottom surface of the accommodating main body part 11, and the rotation shaft 41 of the connector 40 is supported at the upper end parts of the connector support parts 50.

[0027] The connector support portion 50 is, for example, a pair of brackets fixed to the inner surface of the accommodating body portion 11, and is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy. The connector support portion 50 may also be made of resin.

[0028] <Method of manufacturing an electricity storage device> Here, a method for manufacturing (assembling) the electricity storage device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as shown in Fig. 1, the battery module (cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and control unit CU) is accommodated in the accommodation portion 10. At this time, as shown on the left side of Fig. 3, the connector 40 provided at the tip of the wire harness WH extending from the battery module is attached to the connector support portion 50 fixed to the accommodation main body portion 11.

[0029] Next, as shown on the left side of FIG. 3, a seal member 30 is installed on the flange portion 12 of the housing portion 10 that houses the cell stacks CS1 to CS4 and the control unit CU. Finally, as shown on the right side of Figures 2 and 3, the storage section 10 is covered with the lid section 20, and the flange section 12 of the storage section 10 and the flange section 22 of the lid section 20 are fastened together via a sealing member 30 using a fastening member (not shown).

[0030] At this time, as shown in Figure 3, the inner end of the flange portion 22 of the lid portion 20 abuts against the protrusion portion 42 of the connector 40, the connector 40 tilts counterclockwise in Figure 3 around the rotation axis 41, and the connector 40 fits into the opening 23 provided on the side of the lid portion 20 from the inside. With this configuration, when fastening the lid portion 20 to the housing portion 10, the connector 40 of the wire harness WH extending from the battery module can be easily fitted into the opening 23 of the lid portion 20.

[0031] 3, the inner end of flange 22 of lid 20 comes into contact with protrusion 42 of connector 40, so that connector 40 is maintained in the position shown on the left side of Fig. 3. Therefore, a stopper is provided on connector support 50, for example, to prevent connector 40 from tilting clockwise from the position shown on the left side of Fig. 3.

[0032] Here, Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing method of an electricity storage device according to a comparative example. Fig. 4 is a drawing corresponding to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 4, in the electricity storage device according to the comparative example, connector 40 does not include rotating shaft 41 and protrusion 42, and is not provided with connector support portion 50. As shown on the left side of Fig. 4, in the manufacturing method of the electricity storage device according to the comparative example, connector 40 is previously fitted into opening 23 of lid portion 20 before fastening lid portion 20 to housing portion 10.

[0033] Therefore, in the method for manufacturing the electricity storage device according to the comparative example, it is necessary to elongate the wire harness WH. In contrast, in the method for manufacturing the electricity storage device according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 3, it is not necessary to elongate the wire harness WH as in the comparative example shown in FIG.

[0034] When manufacturing the energy storage device according to this embodiment, the positive direction of the Z axis in Figures 1 to 3 corresponds to the vertically upward direction. On the other hand, when installing the energy storage device according to this embodiment outdoors, i.e., when using the energy storage device, the negative direction of the X axis in Figures 1 to 3 corresponds to the vertically upward direction.

[0035] <Modifications of the sealing member 30> Next, a modified example of the connector support part 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the connector support part 50. Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3.

[0036] The connector support portion 50 shown in Fig. 3 is provided so as to linearly protrude upward (in the Z-axis direction) from the bottom surface of the accommodating main body 11. In contrast, the connector support portion 50 according to the modified example shown in Fig. 5 protrudes inward (in the positive X-axis direction) from the side surface of the accommodating main body 11 and further extends upward (in the Z-axis direction). In other words, the connector support portion 50 according to the modified example shown in Fig. 5 has an L-shape when viewed from the negative Y-axis direction. In this way, the connector support portion 50 may be fixed to the side surface of the accommodating body portion 11.

[0037] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Storage section 11. Storage body 12 Flange 20 Lid 21 Lid body part 22 Flange 23 Opening 30 Sealing material 40 connectors 41 Rotation axis 42 Protrusion 50 Connector support CS1~CS4 Cell Stack CU Control Unit WH Wire Harness

Claims

1. A battery module; a housing having a housing portion that houses the battery module and a lid portion that covers the housing portion; An electric storage device in which flange portions that protrude outward from peripheral edges of the storage portion and the lid portion are fastened to each other, a connector provided at a tip end of a wire harness extending from the battery module is fitted from the inside into an opening provided in a side surface of the lid, a rotation axis extending along the longitudinal direction of the flange portion of the lid portion and a protrusion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid portion are provided at a lower end of the connector; an inner end of the flange portion of the lid portion and the protrusion portion of the connector abut against each other; Energy storage device.

2. The flange portion of the accommodating portion and the protrusion portion of the connector are not in contact with each other. The power storage device according to claim 1 .

3. a support portion for rotatably supporting the rotation shaft of the connector is provided protruding from an inner surface of the accommodating portion; The power storage device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A method for manufacturing an electric storage device, in which a housing portion that houses a battery module and a lid portion that covers the housing portion are fastened to each other at flange portions that protrude outward from peripheral edges of the housing portion and the lid portion, a lower end of a connector provided at a tip end of the wire harness extended from the battery module, the lower end of the connector having a rotation shaft extending along a longitudinal direction of the flange portion of the lid portion and a protrusion protruding toward the flange portion of the lid portion; When the inner end of the flange portion of the lid portion and the protrusion portion of the connector come into contact with each other, the connector tilts around the rotation axis, and the connector fits from the inside into an opening provided in a side surface of the lid portion. A method for manufacturing an electricity storage device.

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