Method of manufacturing power storage device and power storage device

Abstract

To provide a method of manufacturing a power storage device capable of excellently cooling a battery module or the like inside the power storage device by a cooler.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a power storage device (1) according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a power storage device including a frame (side 4c) that houses an electric device including a battery module (2), and a cooler (3) fixed to the frame (side 4c), the method including: The method includes a step of disposing a heat insulating member (5) made of an aluminum alloy between a frame (side 4c) made of an aluminum alloy and a cooling unit (3) made of an aluminum alloy so as not to overlap with an electric device when viewed from a vertical direction of the power storage device (1), and a step of joining the frame (side 4c) and the cooling unit (3) via the heat insulating member (5), and the frame (side 4c), the heat insulating member (5), and the cooling unit (3) are joined by friction-stir welding.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing method for a power storage device and a power storage device, for example, to a manufacturing method for a power storage device having a frame that houses battery modules and a cooler fixed to the frame, and to a power storage device. [Background technology]

[0002] The power storage device is equipped with a cooler for cooling the battery modules, for example. For example, the power storage device of Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which the cooler is joined to the lower end of a frame that houses the battery modules. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2023 / 0100022 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present applicant has found the following problem: In the electricity storage device of Patent Document 1, the cooler is directly joined to the frame, so the cold heat of the cooler escapes into the frame, and for example, there are cases where the cooler cannot effectively cool the battery modules inside the electricity storage device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides a manufacturing method for an electricity storage device and an electricity storage device that can effectively cool battery modules and the like inside the electricity storage device with a cooler. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method for manufacturing an electricity storage device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing an electricity storage device having a frame that houses an electrical device including a battery module and a cooler fixed to the frame, the method comprising: a step of arranging a heat insulating member made of an aluminum alloy between the frame made of an aluminum alloy and the cooler made of an aluminum alloy so as not to overlap with the electrical equipment when viewed from above and below the power storage device; joining the frame and the cooler via the heat insulating member; Equipped with The frame, the heat insulating member, and the cooler are joined by friction stir welding.

[0007] An energy storage device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an energy storage device including a frame that houses an electrical device including a battery module, and a cooler fixed to the frame, A heat insulating member is disposed between the frame and the cooler so as not to overlap the electrical equipment when viewed from above and below the power storage device.

[0008] In the above-described electricity storage device, the frame is made of an aluminum alloy, The heat insulating member preferably has a thermal conductivity lower than that of the aluminum alloy forming the frame.

[0009] In the above-described electricity storage device, the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating member is preferably lower than the thermal conductivity of the A6061 aluminum alloy.

[0010] In the above-described energy storage device, the frame includes a frame portion having an open upper and lower sides, the cooler covers the lower opening of the frame; It is preferable that the cooler and the frame form a case that houses the electrical device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a manufacturing method for an electricity storage device and an electricity storage device that can effectively cool battery modules and the like inside the electricity storage device with a cooler. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded view showing a simplified view of an electricity storage device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between a frame of a case, a heat insulating member, and a cooler in the electricity storage device according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the negative Z-axis side end of the frame and the peripheral edge of the cooler are joined via the heat insulating member in the electricity storage device of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between a frame of a case and a cooler in an electricity storage device of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Specific embodiments to which the present disclosure is applied will be described in detail below 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 as appropriate for clarity of explanation.

[0014] First, the configuration of the electricity storage device of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing a simplified version of the electricity storage device of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between a case frame, a heat insulating member, and a cooler in the electricity storage device of this embodiment. Note that Fig. 1 omits the heat insulating member because it shows the electricity storage device in a simplified form.

[0015] For clarity, the following description will be given using a three-dimensional (XYZ) coordinate system, where, for example, the positive X-axis side is the front side of the power storage device, the negative X-axis side is the rear side of the power storage device, the positive Y-axis side is the left side of the power storage device, the negative Y-axis side is the right side of the power storage device, the positive Z-axis side is the top side of the power storage device, and the negative Z-axis side is the bottom side of the power storage device.

[0016] The power storage device 1 is suitable as a power storage device to be mounted on, for example, a vehicle, a power storage system, etc. The power storage device 1 includes, for example, a battery module 2, a cooler 3, a case 4, and a heat insulating member 5, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 .

[0017] The battery module 2 is formed by electrically connecting battery cells stacked in the Y-axis direction, for example. The battery modules 2 are arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. The battery modules 2 are not limited to lithium-ion batteries, and may be nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, all-solid-state batteries, or the like.

[0018] 1 and 2, the cooler 3 has a generally flat plate shape and is configured so that a flow passage for circulating a refrigerant (e.g., coolant liquid) is formed inside the cooler 3. The cooler 3 can be formed, for example, by butting two plates together and joining them. The cooler 3 can be formed, for example, from an A3003 aluminum alloy.

[0019] 1, the case 4 includes an upper case 4a and a lower case 4b. The upper case 4a covers an opening on the positive side of the Z axis of the lower case 4b. The lower case 4b includes a frame 4c and a cooler 3, for example.

[0020] 1, the frame 4c has a frame portion capable of accommodating the battery module 2 and can be made of an aluminum alloy such as an A6061 aluminum alloy. In this case, the frame 4c may be a hollow rectangular extrusion or die-cast product as shown in FIG.

[0021] This contributes to reducing the weight of the energy storage device 1. The peripheral edge of the upper case 4a is fixed to the end of the frame 4c on the +Z axis side. The cooler 3 covers the opening on the -Z axis side of the frame 4c. The battery module 2 is housed inside this case 4.

[0022] 2, the heat insulating member 5 is disposed between the negative end of the Z-axis of the frame 4c and the peripheral edge of the cooler 3. In other words, the heat insulating member 5 is disposed so as not to overlap with the battery module 2 when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The heat insulating member 5 can be formed of, for example, an aluminum alloy such as A380 aluminum alloy, which has a lower thermal conductivity than the aluminum alloy that forms the case 4.

[0023] The negative Z-axis side end of the frame 4c is joined to the peripheral edge of the cooler 3 via this heat insulating member 5. This prevents the cold heat of the cooler 3 from escaping to the frame 4c, allowing the cooler 3 to cool the battery module 2 well.

[0024] Next, a flow of manufacturing the energy storage device 1 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the negative Z-axis side end of the frame and the peripheral edge of the cooler are joined via a heat insulating member in the energy storage device of this embodiment. First, as shown in Fig. 3, the heat insulating member 5 is placed between the negative Z-axis side end of the frame 4c and the peripheral edge of the cooler 3.

[0025] Next, as shown in Figure 3, while rotating the tool 6, the probe 6a of the tool 6 is inserted into the frame 4c, the heat insulating member 5, and the peripheral edge of the cooler 3, and the end of the frame 4c on the Z-axis negative side and the peripheral edge of the cooler 3 are friction-stir-welded via the heat insulating member 5.

[0026] Next, the battery module 2 is housed in the lower case 4b formed by the frame 4c and the cooler 3, and the open portion on the Z-axis + side of the lower case 4b is covered with the upper case 4a, thereby completing the manufacture of the electricity storage device 1.

[0027] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the frame of the case and the cooler in a comparative example of an electric storage device. The comparative example of the electric storage device is configured such that frame 14c forming case 14 is made of A6061 aluminum alloy, cooler 13 is made of A3003 aluminum alloy, and interposition member 15 is made of A6061 aluminum alloy, and the negative end of frame 14c on the Z axis and the peripheral edge of cooler 13 are joined via interposition member 15.

[0028] At this time, the thickness of the interposed member 15 in the Z-axis direction was set to 10 mm, and the interposed member 15 was formed integrally with the frame 14c. The contact area between the frame 14c (i.e., the interposed member 15) and the cooler 13 was set to 1 m 2 The temperature of the frame 14c was set to 30°C, and the temperature of the cooler 13 was set to 10°C. In this case, the amount of heat transferred from the cooler 13 to the frame 14c was 3.6 × 10 5 It was W.

[0029] On the other hand, the energy storage device 1 of the embodiment is configured such that the frame 4c forming the case 4 is made of A6061 aluminum alloy, the cooler 3 is made of A3003 aluminum alloy, and the heat insulating member 5 is made of A380 aluminum alloy, and the end of the frame 4c on the negative side of the Z axis and the peripheral edge of the cooler 3 are joined via the heat insulating member 5.

[0030] At this time, the thickness of the heat insulating member 5 in the Z-axis direction was set to 10 mm. The contact area between the cooler 3 and the heat insulating member 5 was set to 1 m 2 The temperature of the frame 4c was set to 30°C, and the temperature of the cooler 3 was set to 10°C. In this case, the amount of heat transferred from the cooler 3 to the frame 4c was 1.92 × 10 5 It was W.

[0031] As described above, in the manufacturing method of the energy storage device 1 and the energy storage device 1 of the present embodiment, the heat insulating member 5 is disposed between the frame 4c and the cooler 3 so as not to overlap with the battery modules 2 when viewed in the Z-axis direction. In other words, unlike a typical energy storage device, the cold heat of the cooler is not transferred to the battery modules via the frame to cool the battery modules. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cold heat of the cooler 3 from escaping to the frame 4c, and the battery modules 2 can be effectively cooled by the cooler 3.

[0032] Moreover, in the manufacturing method for the energy storage device 1 and the energy storage device 1 of the present embodiment, when the frame 4c, the heat insulating member 5, and the cooler 3 are friction stir welded together, they can be joined at once, improving productivity. Also, compared to when the frame 4c, the heat insulating member 5, and the cooler 3 are joined by a general welding method, airtightness of the joints can be ensured.

[0033] In this embodiment, the frame 4c, the cooler 3, and the insulating member 5 are made of an aluminum alloy, but the material of each member is not limited as long as the thermal conductivity of the insulating member 5 is low relative to the thermal conductivity of the frame 4c.

[0034] Although the frame 4c in this embodiment has an open Z-axis minus side, it may be covered with a bottom. The frame 4c may have a frame portion reinforced with a reinforcement member or the like.

[0035] Furthermore, the placement of the heat insulating member 5 is not limited, as long as the heat insulating member 5 is placed between the frame 4c and the cooler 3 so as not to overlap with the electrical equipment including the battery module 2 when viewed from the Z-axis direction.

[0036] In addition, in this embodiment, the battery module 2 is cooled by the cooler 3, but the object to be cooled by the cooler 3 may be, for example, a control device that controls the battery module 2, which is a typical example of an electrical device.

[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] 1. Energy storage device 2 Battery Module 3 Cooler 4 case, 4a upper case, 4b lower case, 4c frame 5. Heat insulating materials 6 Tools, 6a Probes 13 Cooler 14 case, 14c frame 15 Intervening member

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electricity storage device having a frame that houses an electrical device including a battery module and a cooler fixed to the frame, comprising: a step of arranging a heat insulating member made of an aluminum alloy between the frame made of an aluminum alloy and the cooler made of an aluminum alloy so as not to overlap with the electrical equipment when viewed from above and below the power storage device; joining the frame and the cooler via the heat insulating member; Equipped with The method for manufacturing an electricity storage device includes joining the frame, the heat insulating member, and the cooler by friction stir welding.

2. An electricity storage device having a frame that houses an electrical device including a battery module, and a cooler fixed to the frame, The power storage device, wherein a heat insulating member is disposed between the frame and the cooler so as not to overlap with the electrical equipment when viewed from above and below the power storage device.

3. the frame is made of an aluminum alloy; The power storage device according to claim 2 , wherein the heat insulating member has a thermal conductivity lower than that of an aluminum alloy forming the frame.

4. The power storage device according to claim 3 , wherein the thermal conductivity of the heat insulating member is lower than the thermal conductivity of A6061 aluminum alloy.

5. the frame includes a frame portion having an open upper and lower side; the cooler covers the lower opening of the frame; The power storage device according to claim 2 , wherein the cooler and the frame form a case that houses the electrical device.

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