Battery pack

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery pack that can suppress the relative movement of the battery module relative to the storage case when an external force is applied to the storage case containing the battery module. [Solution] The battery module 80 has a plurality of battery cells, a plurality of insulating members 84 located between adjacent battery cells, and a pair of end plates that sandwich the battery cells and insulating members in the stacking direction, and a storage case 24 that can house the battery module and has support parts 40, 42 that support the housed battery module, wherein the storage case has pressing parts 60, 65, 70 that face the battery module from the opposite side of the support parts, and at least one of the end plates and insulating members has a contact part 86 that can contact the pressing part from the support part side and is elastically deformable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a battery pack having a battery module including a plurality of battery cells stacked in a predetermined direction and a pair of end plates, and a battery case for housing the battery module. An opening is formed in the upper surface of the battery case. The battery module in a state where a compressive force in the predetermined direction is applied is housed in the battery case through this opening. Further, when the compressive force disappears after housing, since the dimension of the battery module in the predetermined direction increases, the pair of end plates of the battery module are respectively pressed against two locations on the inner surface of the battery case. Therefore, the battery module is constrained by the battery case.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The battery pack of Patent Document 1 above can be mounted on a vehicle, for example. When a collision occurs in this vehicle, there is a risk that the battery module moves toward the opening side in the battery case due to the impact force caused by the collision.

[0005] In consideration of the above fact, an object of the present invention is to obtain a battery pack capable of suppressing relative movement of a battery module with respect to a storage case when an external force is applied to the storage case for housing the battery module.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The battery pack of the first embodiment comprises a battery module having a plurality of battery cells stacked in a predetermined stacking direction, a plurality of insulating members located between adjacent battery cells, and a pair of end plates that sandwich the battery cells and the insulating members in the stacking direction, and a storage case capable of housing the battery module and having a support portion for supporting the housed battery module, wherein the storage case has a pressing portion facing the battery module from the opposite side of the support portion, and at least one of the end plates and the insulating members has a contact portion that can contact the pressing portion from the support portion side and is elastically deformable.

[0007] In the first embodiment of the battery pack, when the battery module is placed in the storage case, the support portion of the storage case supports the battery module. Furthermore, an elastically deformable contact portion provided on at least one of the end plate and insulating member contacts a pressing portion on the opposite side of the support portion of the storage case that faces the battery module, from the support portion side. Therefore, in the first embodiment of the battery pack, when an external force is applied to the storage case containing the battery module, the relative movement of the battery module to the storage case can be suppressed by the support portion and pressing portion of the storage case, as well as the contact portion of at least one of the end plate and insulating member.

[0008] In the second embodiment of the battery pack, the storage case has an opening, and the retaining portion is located on the opening side of the support portion.

[0009] In the battery pack of the second embodiment, when an external force is applied to the storage case housing the battery module, the movement of the battery module toward the opening side of the storage case can be suppressed by the support portion and the pressing portion of the storage case, as well as the contact portion of at least one of the end plate and the insulating member.

[0010] In the third embodiment of the battery pack, when the direction in which the support portion and the battery module face each other and the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction are defined as the orthogonal direction in the first or second embodiment, the pressing portion has a first pressing portion and a second pressing portion that is separated from the first pressing portion in the direction perpendicular to the pressing portion, and the contact portion has a first contact portion that can contact the first pressing portion and a second contact portion that is separated from the first contact portion in the direction perpendicular to the pressing portion and that can contact the second pressing portion.

[0011] The battery pack of the third embodiment makes it easier to suppress the relative movement of the battery module relative to the storage case when an external force is applied to the storage case that houses the battery module.

[0012] In the fourth embodiment of the battery pack, in the third embodiment, the orthogonal distance between a part of the first contact portion and a part of the second contact portion when in a free state is greater than the orthogonal distance between a part of the first pressing portion and a part of the second pressing portion.

[0013] In the fourth embodiment of the battery pack, when the battery module is placed in the storage case, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are elastically deformed by the first and second pressing portions, and when the battery module is supported by the support portion of the storage case, the first contact portion comes into contact with the first pressing portion and the second contact portion comes into contact with the second pressing portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, the battery pack according to the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to suppress the relative movement of the battery module to the storage case when an external force is applied to the storage case that houses the battery module. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view of the battery pack according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of the lower case of the battery case. [Figure 3]It is a cross-sectional view taken along the 3-3 arrow line in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the left and right pressing portions and the left and right contact portions when the lower part of the battery module is inserted into the lower case. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4 when the battery module moves a minute distance from the position in FIG. 4 to the first support portion side of the lower case. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4 when the battery module moves a minute distance from the position in FIG. 5 to the first support portion side of the lower case. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4 when the battery module is supported by the first support portion of the lower case.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, the battery pack according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The arrows UP, FR, and LH in each figure indicate the upper side in the vehicle up-down direction, the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction (stacking direction), and the left side in the vehicle left-right direction (orthogonal direction), respectively.

[0017] The battery pack 20 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle (electric vehicle). The vehicle of the present embodiment is a battery electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle).

[0018] The battery pack 20 of the present embodiment has a battery case 22 and two battery modules 80. The power of the battery pack 20 (battery cell 83) is supplied to, for example, an electric motor (not shown) that applies driving force to the drive wheels of the vehicle.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the battery case 22 has a lower case (storage case) 24 and an upper case 77.

[0020] The lower case 24 is an integrally molded product made of aluminum die-casting. The lower case 24, which is a hollow body, has a bottom plate portion 26 and a peripheral wall portion 50. The planar shape of the bottom plate portion 26 is a rectangle that is longer in the front-back direction than in the left-right direction. The lower end portion of the peripheral wall portion 50 is connected to the outer peripheral edge portion of the bottom plate portion 26.

[0021] The lower end portion of a partition wall 28 is connected to the central portion of the bottom plate portion 26 in the left-right direction. The front end of the partition wall 28 is connected to a front wall portion 52 that constitutes the front portion of the peripheral wall portion 50, and the rear end of the partition wall 28 is connected to a rear wall portion 54 that constitutes the rear portion of the peripheral wall portion 50. The internal space of the lower case 24 is partitioned into a first storage space 30 and a second storage space 31 by the partition wall 28. A first opening (opening) 32 corresponding to the first storage space 30 and a second opening (opening) 33 corresponding to the second storage space 31 are formed at the upper end portion of the lower case 24.

[0022] The bottom surface of the first storage space 30 is a first bottom surface (bottom surface) 35, which is part of the bottom plate portion 26, and the bottom surface of the second storage space 31 is a second bottom surface (bottom surface) 36, which is part of the bottom plate portion 26. Furthermore, a first recessed groove (recessed groove) 37 is formed in the center of the first bottom surface 35 in the width direction (left-right direction) along its entire length in the front-rear direction. A second recessed groove (recessed groove) 38 is formed in the center of the second bottom surface 36 in the width direction along its entire length in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, a pair of first support parts (support parts) 40 are provided on the left and right of the first bottom surface 35, and a pair of second support parts (support parts) 42 are provided on the left and right of the second bottom surface 36. The first support parts 40 and the second support parts 42 are part of the lower case. The pair of first support parts 40 are located on both sides of the first recessed groove 37, and the pair of second support parts 42 are located on both sides of the second recessed groove 38. Each first support portion 40 and each second support portion 42 are rectangular prismatic members extending along the front-rear direction and are both elastic. Each first support portion 40 and each second support portion 42 are made of, for example, sponge. The first support portion 40 is provided along the entire length of the first bottom surface 35 in the front-rear direction, and the second support portion 42 is provided along the entire length of the second bottom surface 36 in the front-rear direction. The bottom surface of the first support portion 40 is fixed to the first bottom surface 35 in an airtight manner, and the bottom surface of the second support portion 42 is fixed to the second bottom surface 36 in an airtight manner. Furthermore, the front end surfaces of the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 42 are fixed to the inner surface of the front wall portion 52 in an airtight manner, and the rear end surfaces of the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 42 are fixed to the inner surface of the rear wall portion 54 in an airtight manner.

[0023] A retaining portion (first retaining portion) 60 is provided at the upper end of the right side wall portion 56, which constitutes the right side of the peripheral wall portion 50. As shown in Figure 3, the cross-sectional shape of the retaining portion 60 is a roughly trapezoidal shape that is asymmetrical. The left end surface of the retaining portion 60 is an inclined surface 61 that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, and the lower surface of the retaining portion 60 is a retaining surface 62 that is a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. Furthermore, a linear connecting edge portion 63 extending along the front-rear direction is formed between the lower end of the inclined surface 61 and the left end of the retaining surface 62.

[0024] A retaining portion (second retaining portion) 65 is provided at the upper end of the left side wall portion 58, which constitutes the left side of the peripheral wall portion 50. As shown in Figure 3, the cross-sectional shape of the retaining portion 65 is a roughly trapezoidal shape, symmetrical to the retaining portion 60. The right end surface of the retaining portion 65 is an inclined surface 66 that slopes with respect to the vertical direction, and the lower surface of the retaining portion 65 is a retaining surface 67 consisting of a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. Furthermore, a linear connecting edge portion 68 extending along the front-rear direction is formed between the lower end of the inclined surface 66 and the right end of the retaining surface 67.

[0025] A retaining portion (first retaining portion) (second retaining portion) 70 is provided at the upper end of the bulkhead 28. As shown in Figure 3, the cross-sectional shape of the retaining portion 70 is a roughly trapezoidal shape that is symmetrical. The left and right end faces of the retaining portion 70 are inclined surfaces 71 that are inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The lower surfaces of the retaining portion 70 located on both sides of the bulkhead 28 are retaining surfaces 72 that are planes perpendicular to the vertical direction. Furthermore, a linear connecting edge portion 73 extending along the front-rear direction is formed between the lower end of each inclined surface 71 and the retaining surface 72.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lateral distance between the connecting edge 63 of the retaining portion 60 and the right-side connecting edge 73 of the retaining portion 70, and the lateral distance between the connecting edge 68 of the retaining portion 65 and the left-side connecting edge 73 of the retaining portion 70 are both L1.

[0027] The planar shape of the plate-like upper case 77 (see Figure 1) is approximately rectangular, which is roughly the same as the upper end of the lower case 24.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, battery modules 80 are provided in the first storage space 30 and the second storage space 31 of the lower case 24, respectively.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, the battery module 80 comprises a battery stack 81 and a pair of end plates 90.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the battery stack 81, which extends in the front-to-back direction in a plan view, comprises multiple lithium-ion secondary battery cells 83 and multiple insulating members 84 located between adjacent battery cells 83. Note that, for convenience, only two battery cells 83 are depicted in Figure 1, but in reality, the battery stack 81 has more than two battery cells 83. Each battery cell 83 is rectangular in shape. The front shape of each battery cell 83 is a rectangle, with its left-to-right dimension greater than its top-to-bottom dimension.

[0031] Each resin insulating member 84 is an integrally molded product comprising a rectangular parallelepiped body portion 85, a pair of left and right lower end projections 85A, and a pair of left and right elastically deformable contact portions (first contact portion) (second contact portion) 86. The front shape of the body portion 85 is a rectangle in which the left-right dimension is larger than the up-down dimension. A pair of left and right contact portions 86 are connected to both the left and right ends of the upper end of each body portion 85. Each contact portion 86 has a base portion 87 that extends diagonally upward from the body portion 85 and then upward, and an upper portion 88 that extends upward from the base portion 87. The outer surface of the upper portion 88 is composed of an inclined pressing surface 89 that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The insulating member 84 in its free state is symmetrical.

[0032] Lower end projections 85A are provided at both the left and right ends of the lower surface of the main body 85. The front-to-rear dimensions of each lower end projection 85A are larger than those of the main body 85, with the front end of the lower end projection 85A located in front of the front surface of the main body 85 and the rear end of the lower end projection 85A located behind the rear surface of the main body 85. Furthermore, two ventilation grooves 85B are formed on both the front and rear surfaces of the main body 85 (see Figure 3). One end of each ventilation groove 85B opens at the lower edge of the main body 85, and the other end of each ventilation groove 85B opens at the side edge of the main body 85.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, the battery module 80 is equipped with a pair of front and rear end plates 90. The front end plate 90 is located directly in front of the foremost battery cell 83, and the rear end plate 90 is located directly behind the rearmost battery cell 83.

[0034] Each resin end plate 90 is a one-piece molded product comprising a rectangular parallelepiped body portion 91 and a pair of elastically deformable contact portions (first contact portion) (second contact portion) 92 on the left and right sides. The front shape of the body portion 91 is a rectangle in which the left-right dimension is larger than the up-down dimension. A pair of left and right contact portions 92 are connected to both the left and right ends of the upper end of each body portion 91. Each contact portion 92 has a base portion 93 that extends diagonally upward from the body portion 91 and then upward, and an upper portion 94 that extends upward from the base portion 93. The outer surface of the upper portion 94 is composed of an inclined pressing surface 95 that is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. The end plate 90 in its free state is symmetrical.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the lateral distance between the outer ends of the upper parts 88 of the left and right contact portions 86 of the free-state insulating member 84, and the lateral distance between the outer ends of the upper parts 94 of the left and right contact portions 92 of the free-state end plate 90, are both L2, which is greater than L1.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, one end of a pair of left and right ventilation ducts 75 is connected to the rear end wall of the lower case 24. The other end of the ventilation duct 75 is connected to a cooling fan (not shown) on the outside of the lower case 24.

[0037] The right-side battery module 80 is gripped by a gripping device (not shown) on the outside of the lower case 24. Specifically, the gripping device grips a pair of end plates 90 of the battery module 80 in the front-rear direction. As a result, the battery module 80 is slightly compressed in the front-rear direction by the gripping device. At this time, the front-rear dimension of the right-side battery module 80 is slightly smaller than the front-rear dimension of the first opening 32. Also, the left-right dimension of the battery module 80 is smaller than the first opening 32. Therefore, when the gripping device moves the right-side battery module 80 directly above the first opening 32 and then moves it downward, the portion of the right-side battery module 80 located below the upper end is stored in the first storage space 30 through the first opening 32.

[0038] As the gripping device moves further downward, as shown in Figure 4, the right contact portions 86 and 92 of each insulating member 84 and each end plate 90 are positioned directly above the inclined surface 61 of the pressing portion 60, and the left contact portions 86 and 92 of each insulating member 84 and each end plate 90 are positioned directly above the right inclined surface 71 of the pressing portion 70.

[0039] As the gripping device moves further downward, the bases 87 and 93 of the right contact portions 86 and 92 of each insulating member 84 and each end plate 90 come into contact with the inclined surface 61 of the pressing portion 60, and the bases 87 and 93 of the left contact portions 86 and 92 come into contact with the right inclined surface 71 of the pressing portion 70. As a result, the left and right contact portions 86 and 92 elastically deform in a direction that brings them closer together.

[0040] As the gripping device moves further downward from this state, as shown in Figure 5, the outer surfaces of the bases 87 and 93 of the right contact portions 86 and 92 of each insulating member 84 and each end plate 90 come into contact with the connecting edge 63, and the outer surfaces of the bases 87 and 93 of the left contact portions 86 and 92 come into contact with the connecting edge 73. As a result, the left and right contact portions 86 and 92 undergo further elastic deformation in a direction that brings them closer together.

[0041] As the gripping device moves further downward, as shown in Figure 6, the inclined pressing surfaces 89 and 95 of the upper parts 88 and 94 of the right contact portions 86 and 92 of each insulating member 84 and each end plate 90 come into contact with the connecting edge portion 63 of the pressing portion 60, and the inclined pressing surfaces 89 and 95 of the upper parts 88 and 94 of the left contact portions 86 and 92 come into contact with the connecting edge portion 73. As a result, the left and right contact portions 86 and 92 undergo further elastic deformation in a direction that brings them closer together.

[0042] As the gripping device moves further downward, the upper parts 88 and 94 of the right contact portions 86 and 92 of each insulating member 84 and each end plate 90 move below the connecting edge portion 63 of the pressing portion 60, as shown in Figures 3 and 7, and the upper parts 88 and 94 of the left contact portions 86 and 92 move below the connecting edge portion 73 of the pressing portion 70. At this time, the lower end projection 85A of each insulating member 84 makes airtight contact with the lower end projection 85A of the adjacent insulating member 84 in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the bottom of the linear projection member formed by the multiple lower end projections 85A on the left and right sides comes into contact with the support surface 41 of the pair of first support portions 40 and elastically deforms the first support portions 40 to compress them. As a result, the lower end projections 85A of the battery module 80 and the support surface 41 of each first support portion 40 make airtight contact. Furthermore, at this time, the left and right contact parts 86 and 92 elastically return to their initial shape, the upper surfaces 88 and 94 of the right contact parts 86 and 92 come into contact with the pressing surface 62 of the pressing part 60, and the upper surfaces 88 and 94 of the left contact parts 86 and 92 come into contact with the right pressing surface 72 of the pressing part 70. At this time, the left and right contact parts 86 and 92 undergo slight elastic deformation.

[0043] After this, when the gripping device is separated from the right-side battery module 80 and moved above the lower case 24, the compressive force applied to the battery module 80 by the gripping device disappears, causing the front end plate 90 to press against the front wall portion 52 of the lower case 24, and the rear end plate 90 to press against the rear wall portion 55 of the lower case 24. That is, a reaction force in the front-rear direction is exerted on the battery module 80 from the front wall portion 52 and the rear wall portion 55, so that the battery module 80 is compressed in the front-rear direction. As a result, both the front and rear surfaces of the main body portion 85 of each insulating member 84 come into contact with the front or rear surface of the battery cell 83 or the front or rear surface of the main body portion 91 of the end plate 90, so that a passage is formed between the ventilation groove 85B of each main body portion 85 and the battery cell 83 or end plate 90 adjacent to the main body portion 85, allowing air to flow.

[0044] Although a detailed explanation is omitted, the left battery module 80 is also gripped by the gripping device and stored in the second storage space 31 through the second opening 33 in the same manner as the right battery module 80. When the left battery module 80 is stored in the second storage space 31, the bottom of the linear projection member formed by the multiple lower end projections 85A on the left and right sides of the battery module 80 contacts the support surface 43 of the pair of second support parts 42 and elastically deforms the second support parts 42 to compress them. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the upper surfaces of the upper parts 88 and 94 of the right contact parts 86 and 92 contact the left pressing surface 72 of the pressing part 70, and the upper surfaces of the upper parts 88 and 94 of the left contact parts 86 and 92 contact the pressing surface 67 of the pressing part 65. At this time, the left and right contact parts 86 and 92 undergo slight elastic deformation. Furthermore, the front end plate 90 of the left battery module 80 is pressed against the front wall portion 52 of the lower case 24, and the rear end plate 90 is pressed against the rear wall portion 55 of the lower case 24. In addition, a passage is formed between the ventilation groove 85B of each main body portion 85 and the battery cell 83 or end plate 90 adjacent to the main body portion 85, allowing air to flow.

[0045] Furthermore, the terminals (not shown) of adjacent battery cells 83 are electrically connected to each other by busbars (not shown).

[0046] Next, the upper case 77 is placed over the top surface of the lower case 24, and the upper case 77 and lower case 24 are fixed together to complete the battery case 22. In other words, the battery pack 20 is completed at the same time as the battery case 22 is completed. Furthermore, the battery case 22 of the completed battery pack 20 is fixed to the vehicle body.

[0047] (Mechanism of action and effect) Next, the operation and effects of the embodiment will be described.

[0048] As described above, in the battery pack 20 of this embodiment, each end plate 90 of each battery module 80 is pressed against the front wall 52 and rear wall 54 of the lower case 24. That is, the lower case 24 supports each battery module 80 by utilizing the force generated between the battery module 80 and the inner surface of the peripheral wall 50. However, if a large vertical impact load is applied to the battery case 22, for example, in the event of a collision with a vehicle, the force generated between the battery module 80 and the inner surface of the peripheral wall 50 alone may not be sufficient to maintain the vertical position of the battery module 80 relative to the lower case 24. In such a state, for example, the vertical positions of each battery cell 83 may shift relative to each other, which may cause the connection between the terminals of adjacent battery cells 83 and the busbar to become unstable.

[0049] In the battery pack 20 of this embodiment, when the battery modules 80 are stored in the first storage space 30 and the second storage space 31 of the lower case 24, the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 42 provided on the lower case 24 support the bottom of each battery module 80. Furthermore, elastically deformable contact portions 86 and 92 provided on the insulating member 84 and the end plate 90 contact the pressing portions 60, 65, and 70 facing the insulating member 84 and the end plate 90 from the side of the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 42, respectively. As a result, the battery pack 20 can suppress relative vertical movement of the battery modules 80 with respect to the lower case 24 (battery case 22) when an external force is applied to the lower case 24 (battery case 22) that houses the battery modules 80. Therefore, there is little risk of the vertical positions of each battery cell 83 shifting relative to each other.

[0050] Therefore, even if a large vertical impact load is applied to the battery case 22, there is little risk that each battery module 80 will move toward the corresponding first opening 32 or second opening 33, or pass through the corresponding first opening 32 or second opening 33 upwards.

[0051] Furthermore, the battery cells 83 and insulating members 84 located in the central part of the battery module 80 in the front-to-back direction are less susceptible to the reaction forces generated by the front wall portion 52 and the rear wall portion 55. Therefore, if each insulating member 84 located in the central part does not have a contact portion 86, the risk of these battery cells 83 and insulating members 84 moving toward the first opening 32 side or the second opening 33 side is greater than the risk of the battery cells 83 and insulating members 84 located at the ends in the front-to-back direction moving toward the first opening 32 side or the second opening 33 side. However, in this embodiment, each insulating member 84 located in the central part has a contact portion 86, so such problems are less likely to occur. Note that each insulating member 84 located in the central part includes multiple (for example, 3 to 5) insulating members 84.

[0052] Furthermore, when each battery module 80 is stored in the first storage space 30 and the second storage space 31 of the lower case 24, the contact portion 86 of each insulating member 84 and the contact portion 92 of each end plate 90 are elastically deformed by the corresponding pressing portions 60, 65, and 70, and when each contact portion 86 and 92 moves below the pressing surfaces 62, 67, and 72 of the corresponding pressing portions 60, 65, and 70, each contact portion 86 and 92 automatically makes contact with the corresponding pressing surfaces 62, 67, and 72 from below. Therefore, the process of storing each battery module 80 in the first storage space 30 and the second storage space 31 is easy.

[0053] Furthermore, when the battery module 80 is supported by the first support portion 40 and the second support portion 42 of the lower case 24, the cooling air generated by the cooling fan and flowing into the first groove 37 and the second groove 38 via the left and right ventilation ducts 75 is prevented from leaking upward from between the lower end of the battery module 80 and the first bottom surface 35, and between the lower end of the battery module 80 and the second bottom surface 36 by the first support portion 40, the second support portion 42, and the lower end projection 85A. As a result, the cooling air flowing into the first groove 37 and the second groove 38 flows into the lateral space of the battery module 80 through the passage (ventilation groove 85B) formed between the main body portion 85 and the adjacent battery cell 83 or end plate 90, and is discharged to the outside of the battery case 22 through the minute gap between the upper end of the lower case 24 and the upper case 77. As a result, each battery cell 83 can be effectively cooled by the cooling air generated by the cooling fan.

[0054] Although the battery packs according to the embodiments have been described above, these can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0055] For example, the end plate 90 may be provided with a contact portion 92, while the contact portion 86 may be omitted from the insulating member 84.

[0056] While the insulating member 84 is provided with a contact portion 86, the end plate 90 may be omitted from the contact portion 92.

[0057] Only some of the insulating members 84 and end plates 90 provided on a single battery module 80 may be equipped with contact portions 86 and 92.

[0058] Only some of the insulating members 84 and end plates 90 provided on a single battery module 80 may have left-side contact portions 86 and 92, while at least the remaining portions of each insulating member 84 and end plate 90 may have right-side contact portions 86 and 92.

[0059] The stacking direction of the battery cells 83 and insulating members 84 in the battery case 22 (the extension direction of the battery module 80) may be different from the front-to-back direction.

[0060] The vehicle may be an electric vehicle that is different from an electric vehicle and is equipped with an electric motor that utilizes power from a battery pack. For example, the vehicle may be a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0061] 20 battery packs 24 Lower Cases (Storage Cases) 32 First opening (opening) 33. Second opening (opening) 35 1st bottom surface (bottom surface) 36 2nd bottom surface (bottom surface) 37. First groove (groove) 38. Second groove (groove) 40 First support part (support part) 42 Second support part (support part) 60 Pressing part (first pressing part) 65. Pressing part (second pressing part) 70 Pressing part (First pressing part) (Second pressing part) 80 Battery Modules 83 battery cells 84 Insulating material 86 Contact part (1st contact part) (2nd contact part) 90 End Plate 92 Contact part (1st contact part) (2nd contact part)

Claims

1. A battery module having a plurality of battery cells stacked in a predetermined stacking direction, a plurality of insulating members located between adjacent battery cells, and a pair of end plates that sandwich the battery cells and the insulating members in the stacking direction, A storage case capable of housing the aforementioned battery module and having a support portion for supporting the housed battery module, Equipped with, The storage case includes a retaining portion that faces the battery module from the opposite side of the support portion, A battery pack in which at least one of the end plate and the insulating member has a contact portion that can contact the pressing portion from the support portion side and is elastically deformable.

2. The aforementioned storage case has an opening, The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the retaining portion is located on the opening side of the support portion.

3. When the direction in which the support portion and the battery module face each other and the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction are defined as the orthogonal direction, The pressing portion comprises a first pressing portion and a second pressing portion that is separated from the first pressing portion in the direction perpendicular to the first pressing portion. The battery pack according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the contact portion comprises a first contact portion that can contact the first pressing portion, and a second contact portion that is separated from the first contact portion in a direction perpendicular to the first contact portion and can contact the second pressing portion.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the orthogonal distance between a part of the first contact portion and a part of the second contact portion when in a free state is greater than the orthogonal distance between a part of the first pressing portion and a part of the second pressing portion.

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