Battery Module

Abstract

To provide a battery module capable of improving the cooling efficiency of battery cells.SOLUTION: A battery module comprises: a housing that has an accommodation space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a laminate and accommodated; a plurality of partition plates that have a cooling flow channel penetrating in a crossing direction crossing an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells to circulate cooling medium; a first chamber that has an inlet port for the cooling medium; and a second chamber that has an outlet port for the cooling medium. The plurality of partition plates are provided on the housing so as to partition the accommodation space into spaces for the plurality of individual battery cells at such an interval that each of the plurality of battery cells is sandwiched in the arrangement direction. The first chamber is provided on the housing so as to be connected with the cooling flow channel at one end part in the crossing direction of the plurality of partition plates. The second chamber is provided on the housing so as to be connected with the cooling flow channel at the other end part in the crossing direction of the plurality of partition plates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a battery module has been proposed that includes a plurality of battery cells arranged adjacent to each other and a cooling mechanism for cooling the plurality of battery cells. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a battery module (battery assembly) that includes a plurality of battery cells that are stacked and a heat medium passage member that has an internal passage for circulating a heat medium for cooling the plurality of battery cells.

[0003] In the battery module described in Patent Document 1, the heat medium passage member is composed of a plurality of inter-cell sections interposed between adjacent battery cells in the stacking direction of the battery cells, and a plurality of connecting sections connecting adjacent inter-cell sections in the stacking direction of the battery cells. The internal passages of the heat medium passage member are formed in a serpentine shape along the exterior cases of the battery cells by alternately connecting the internal passages of the inter-cell sections and the internal passages of the connecting sections. The heat medium exchanges heat with the battery cells through the inter-cell sections while passing through the internal passages of the heat medium passage member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-145116 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the battery module described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the internal passage of the heat medium passage member is a series of circulation passages consisting of a forward passage that flows from one side to the other side in the stacking direction of the multiple battery cells and a return passage that flows from the other side to one side in the stacking direction. Therefore, when a refrigerant is circulated through the internal passage of the heat medium passage member to cool each of the multiple battery cells, the refrigerant travels back and forth through the series of circulation passages while sequentially exchanging heat with each of the multiple battery cells. In this case, the temperature of the refrigerant is higher on the downstream side of the series of circulation passages than on the upstream side, so a temperature difference occurs between the refrigerant that cools the battery cells on one side of the stacking direction among the multiple battery cells and the refrigerant that cools the battery cells on the other side. As a result, it becomes more difficult to cool the battery cells on the other side of the stacking direction compared to the battery cells on the one side, and there is a risk that the cooling efficiency of each battery cell will decrease.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a battery module that can improve the cooling efficiency of battery cells. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a housing having an accommodation space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a stacked manner and accommodated therein, a plurality of partition plates having a cooling flow path penetrating in a transverse direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells and allowing a refrigerant to flow, and provided in the housing so as to separate the accommodation space between each of the plurality of battery cells at intervals that sandwich each of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction, a first chamber having an inlet for the refrigerant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at one end of the plurality of partition plates in the transverse direction, and a second chamber having an outlet for the refrigerant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at the other end of the plurality of partition plates in the transverse direction.

[0008] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, each of the multiple partition plates has a stacked structure of a first plate-shaped member and a second plate-shaped member which are stacked on top of each other and have groove portions which serve as the cooling flow paths.

[0009] In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, in the above invention, the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member are laser welded to each other.

[0010] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member are connected via a hinge portion that bends so that the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member can be overlapped.

[0011] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the first plate-shaped member has an engaging portion at an end opposite the hinge portion, and the second plate-shaped member has an engaged portion at an end opposite the hinge portion that engages with the engaging portion.

[0012] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, each of the multiple partition plates has a blocking portion that blocks the space generated inside the hinge portion when the hinge portion is folded to overlap the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member.

[0013] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the multiple partition plates are integrally joined to the housing by insert molding, and the joints of the multiple partition plates to the housing have an uneven shape including concave portions that engage with convex portions of a mold for the insert molding.

[0014] In the battery module according to the present invention, in the above invention, the plurality of partition plates are integrally formed with the housing.

[0015] In addition, the battery module of the present invention, in the above invention, is characterized in that the first chamber is composed of a first frame body provided at one end of the housing in the intersecting direction and serving as an outer frame of the first chamber, and a first cover part attached to the first frame body so as to cover the inside of the first frame body and forming a space connecting the cooling flow paths of the multiple partition plates and the inlet, and the second chamber is composed of a second frame body provided at the other end of the housing in the intersecting direction and serving as an outer frame of the second chamber, and a second cover part attached to the second frame body so as to cover the inside of the second frame body and forming a space connecting the cooling flow paths of the multiple partition plates and the outlet.

[0016] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the inlet of the first chamber is located at one end side in the arrangement direction of the multiple battery cells, and the outlet of the second chamber is located at the other end side in the arrangement direction of the multiple battery cells.

[0017] In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, in the above invention, each of the plurality of partition plates has an elastic body that contacts the battery cells that face each other in the arrangement direction among the plurality of battery cells.

[0018] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, each of the multiple partition plates has a through hole that penetrates in the arrangement direction of the multiple battery cells, and the elastic body is provided in at least the through hole.

[0019] In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, in the above invention, a plurality of the elastic bodies are provided so as to sandwich the cooling flow passage from both sides in a direction transverse to the cooling flow passage.

[0020] In addition, in the battery module according to the present invention, in the above invention, the through hole is formed in a tapered shape that expands or contracts in the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells.

[0021] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the elastic body has thick portions provided in the through holes and thin portions provided on each outer surface of the multiple partition plates, alternately arranged along the intersecting direction of the multiple partition plates.

[0022] In addition, in the battery module of the present invention, in the above invention, the elastic body protrudes from the outer surfaces of each of the plurality of partition plates in one direction of the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells.

[0023] In addition, the battery module of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, it has a hard portion made of a material harder than the elastic body and interposed between each of the multiple partition plates and each lid portion of the multiple battery cells. Effect of the Invention

[0024] Advantageous Effects of Invention The battery module according to the present invention has the effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the battery cells. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view showing one configuration example of the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the battery module shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line AA. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a battery cell in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a top view showing one configuration example of the casing of the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the partition plate in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing one configuration example of a plate body of the partition plate according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one configuration example of the partition plate shown in FIG. 6 taken along the line BB. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one configuration example of the partition plate shown in FIG. 6 taken along line CC. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a stacking structure of partition plates in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration for closing off the space inside the hinge portion of the partition plate in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of joining the partition plate and the housing by insert molding in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the first chamber and the second chamber in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the flow of the refrigerant in the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a battery module according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a partition plate in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one configuration example of the partition plate shown in FIG. 16 taken along the line DD. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one configuration example of the partition plate shown in FIG. 16 taken along the line EE. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a stacking structure of partition plates in the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the battery module according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the dimensional relationship between elements, the ratio of elements, and the like may differ from the actual ones. The drawings may also include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios. In addition, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in each drawing.

[0027] (Embodiment 1) First, the configuration of the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the battery module shown in FIG. 2 along the line AA. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment includes a battery cell group 10, a housing 20 that houses the battery cell group 10, and a plurality of partition plates 30 that divide the housing space. The battery module 1 also includes a first chamber 40 having an inlet 43 for a coolant for cooling the battery cell group 10, a second chamber 50 having an outlet 53 for the coolant used to cool the battery cell group 10, and a hard portion 60 interposed between each of the plurality of partition plates 30 and each lid portion 16 of the battery cell group 10. The battery module 1 also includes end plates 26a, 26b and bands 27a to 27c for maintaining the battery cell group 10 in a constrained state within the housing space of the housing 20.

[0028] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the battery cell group 10 is composed of a plurality of battery cells 11 arranged in a stacked manner and housed in a housing 20. For example, the battery cell group 10 includes six battery cells 11. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a battery cell in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the battery cell 11 includes an outer case 12, a lid portion 16, and a pair of electrode terminals 17, 18. The outer case 12 is a bottomed box-shaped body having abdominal surface portions 13a, 13b, side surface portions 14a, 14b, and a bottom portion 15, and houses internal electrodes and the like (not shown) that constitute the battery cell 11. In this outer case 12, the abdominal surface portions 13a, 13b are end surface portions that face the thickness direction of the battery cell 11, and the side surface portions 14a, 14b are end surface portions that face the width direction of the battery cell 11. The areas of the abdominal surface portions 13a, 13b are larger than the side surface portions 14a, 14b and the bottom portion 15. Lid 16 is attached to the opening of exterior case 12 by welding or the like to close the opening. A pair of electrode terminals 17, 18 are provided on lid 16. For example, one of the pair of electrode terminals 17, 18 is a positive terminal and the other is a negative terminal.

[0029] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, such battery cells 11 are arranged so that abdominal surface portions 13a, 13b face each other in the thickness direction of the battery cells 11 and are housed in a plurality of units in the housing 20. That is, the stacked arrangement direction D1 of the plurality of battery cells 11 is the arrangement direction of the battery cell group 10 and is the same as the thickness direction of the battery cells 11. In addition, in the present embodiment 1, the width direction D2 of the battery module 1 is the same as the width direction of the battery cells 11 in a state where the battery cells 11 are housed in the housing 20. The height direction D3 of the battery module 1 is a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction D1 and the width direction D2 described above, and is the same as, for example, the height direction of the battery cells 11 in a state where the battery cells 11 are housed in the housing 20. The arrangement direction D1, the width direction D2, and the height direction D3 described above are the same for each component of the battery module 1.

[0030] The housing 20 houses a plurality of battery cells 11. FIG. 5 is a top view showing an example of the structure of the housing of the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In detail, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5, the housing 20 has a bottom 21 and a pair of side portions 22, 23, and is a bottomed U-shaped body that is open at the top in the height direction D3. Of the pair of side portions 22, 23, one side portion 22 is provided at one end of the bottom 21 in the width direction D2, and the other side portion 23 is provided at the other end of the bottom 21 in the width direction D2. In addition, a plurality of support portions 24 are provided at the bottom 21 at predetermined intervals in the arrangement direction D1 of the battery cells 11. Each of the plurality of support portions 24 supports the partition plate 30, and is formed in a plate shape extending from the bottom 21 upward in the height direction D3 from one side portion 22 to the other side portion 23.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 5, the housing 20 has an accommodation space 25 in which a plurality of battery cells 11 (see Figs. 1 to 3) are arranged in a stacked manner and accommodated. The accommodation space 25 of the housing 20 is an internal space formed by the bottom 21 and a pair of side portions 22, 23 of the housing 20. This accommodation space 25 is partitioned into individual battery cells 11 by a plurality of partition plates 30 respectively joined to the above-mentioned plurality of support portions 24. For example, in the first embodiment, the accommodation space 25 is partitioned into accommodation chambers 25-1 to 25-6 for individual battery cells 11 by seven partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 as shown in Fig. 5.

[0032] The housing 20 having the above-mentioned configuration is formed, for example, by injection molding of resin, so that the bottom 21, the pair of side portions 22, 23, and the multiple support portions 24 are integrated together. Examples of the resin material constituting the housing 20 include polypropylene.

[0033] In addition, when multiple battery cells 11 are housed in the housing 20 in the above-mentioned housing space 25 (see FIG. 5), a pair of end plates 26a, 26b and multiple (e.g., three) bands 27a to 27c are provided on the housing 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0034] One end plate 26a of the pair of end plates 26a, 26b is in contact with the partition plate 30-1 so as to be located at one end (negative end) of the arrangement direction D1 of the housing 20. The other end plate 26b is in contact with the partition plate 30-7 so as to be located at the other end (positive end) of the arrangement direction D1 of the housing 20. The lower bands 27a, 27b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction D2 of the housing 20 and are joined to the bottoms of the end plates 26a, 26b. These bands 27a, 27b may further be joined to the bottom 21 of the housing 20. The upper band 27c is arranged in the center of the width direction D2 of the housing 20 and is joined to the upper ends of the end plates 26a, 26b. In this manner, the end plates 26a, 26b joined to the bands 27a to 27c sandwich the housing 20 in the arrangement direction D1, thereby strengthening the strength of the housing 20 and maintaining a restraining load sufficient to restrain the multiple battery cells 11 within the storage space of the housing 20.

[0035] Examples of materials constituting the end plates 26a, 26b and the bands 27a to 27c as described above include hard resins such as polypropylene, and metals such as iron and aluminum. The end plates 26a, 26b may be joined to the housing 20 by a method such as welding, or may be integrally molded with the housing 20 by a method such as insert molding. The number of bands joined to the end plates 26a, 26b is not limited to the above-mentioned three (bands 27a to 27c), and may be one, or two or more.

[0036] The multiple partition plates 30 have the functions of dividing the storage space 25 of the housing 20 into individual battery cells 11, cooling each of the multiple battery cells 11 stored in the storage space 25, and constraining the multiple battery cells 11 within the storage space 25.

[0037] 1 to 3, the partition plates 30 are provided in the housing 20 so as to separate the storage space 25 (see FIG. 5) of the housing 20 into individual storage chambers 25-1 to 25-6 (see FIG. 5) for the individual battery cells 11 at intervals that sandwich each of the multiple battery cells 11 in the arrangement direction D1. In this case, the partition plates 30 are each joined to a multiple support portion 24 of the housing 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the partition plate 30-1 is joined to and supported by the support portion 24-1 of the housing 20. The partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 are supported by the support portions 24 of the housing 20 in this manner, and separate the storage space 25 into storage chambers 25-1 to 25-6 (see FIG. 5) for the individual battery cells 11 at the above-mentioned intervals in the arrangement direction D1 of the battery cells 11.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the partition plates 30 has a cooling flow path 32 through which a refrigerant for cooling each of the battery cells 11 flows. The cooling flow path 32 is an internal flow path that penetrates each of the partition plates 30 in an intersecting direction intersecting with the arrangement direction D1 of the battery cells 11. In the first embodiment, the intersecting direction in the cooling flow path 32 is the same as the width direction D2 of the housing 20 and the partition plate 30. Each of the partition plates 30 is in contact with the abdominal surface portion 13a of the battery cell 11 that faces the arrangement direction D1, as exemplified by the contact between the partition plate 30-2 and the battery cell 11-2 shown in FIG. 3. As a result, each of the partition plates 30 exchanges heat between the refrigerant in the cooling flow path 32 and the battery cell 11, thereby cooling each of the battery cells 11.

[0039] Each of the partition plates 30 has an elastic body 33 that contacts the battery cell 11 that faces the partition plate 30-2 in the arrangement direction D1. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30-2 contacts the abdominal surface portion 13b of the battery cell 11-1 that faces the partition plate 30-2 in the arrangement direction D1. Such an elastic body 33 deforms with the expansion or contraction of the battery cell 11 that faces the arrangement direction D1, absorbing the expansion or contraction of the battery cell 11 and applying an elastic force to the battery cell 11. As a result, each of the partition plates 30 restrains each of the multiple battery cells 11 within the storage space 25 of the housing 20. Each of the multiple partition plates 30 may exchange heat between the refrigerant in the cooling flow path 32 and the battery cell 11 via the elastic body 33, thereby cooling each of the multiple battery cells 11.

[0040] In the first embodiment, each of the seven partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 is collectively referred to as a partition plate 30. In other words, the partition plate 30 refers to each of the multiple partition plates provided in the housing 20 (each of the partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 in the first embodiment).

[0041] The first chamber 40 is an inlet side chamber that allows the coolant to flow into each cooling flow passage 32 (see FIG. 3) of the multiple partition plates 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first chamber 40 has an inlet 43 for the coolant, and is provided in the side portion 22, which is one end of the width direction D2 of the housing 20. Such a first chamber 40 forms a circulation space inside, which is connected to each cooling flow passage 32, at one end of the multiple partition plates 30 in the intersecting direction. The first chamber 40 communicates the inlet 43 with each cooling flow passage 32 through the circulation space. Here, the intersecting direction of the partition plate 30 is a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11, and is the same as the width direction D2 of the housing 20 and the partition plate 30 in the first embodiment. That is, the one end of the intersecting direction means the side portion 22, which is one end of the housing 20 in the width direction D2.

[0042] The second chamber 50 is an outlet side chamber that allows the coolant to flow out from each cooling flow passage 32 of the plurality of partition plates 30. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the second chamber 50 has an outlet port 53 for the coolant, and is provided in the side portion 23, which is the other end of the width direction D2 of the housing 20. Such a second chamber 50 forms a circulation space that communicates with each cooling flow passage 32 at the other end of the plurality of partition plates 30 in the intersecting direction. The second chamber 50 communicates each cooling flow passage 32 with the outlet port 53 through the circulation space. Here, since the intersecting direction is the same as the width direction D2 of the housing 20 and the partition plate 30 in this embodiment 1, the other end of the intersecting direction means the side portion 23, which is the other end of the width direction D2 of the housing 20.

[0043] The hard portion 60 is for preventing damage due to expansion of the battery cell 11. In detail, the hard portion 60 is made of a material harder than the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30, and is provided at the upper end of the partition plate 30 in the height direction D3 as shown in FIG. 3. Such a hard portion 60 is interposed between each of the multiple partition plates 30 and each lid portion 16 of the multiple battery cells 11 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. For example, the hard portion 60-1 is interposed between the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11 and the partition plate 30-2. In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment, six hard portions 60 are provided at the upper end of the partition plate 30 in the height direction D3 so as to be interposed between the partition plate 30 and the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11.

[0044] Here, the battery cell 11 may expand due to its state of charge, etc., and this expansion may cause the exterior case 12 (see FIG. 4) of the battery cell 11 to deform, causing stress to concentrate at the joint between the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11 and the exterior case 12, such as by welding, which may result in the joint between the lid portion 16 and the exterior case 12. By being interposed between the partition plate 30 and the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11 as described above, the hard portion 60 can press the joint between the lid portion 16 and the exterior case 12 of the battery cell 11. In this way, the hard portion 60 can suppress deformation of the joint between the lid portion 16 and the exterior case 12, preventing the joint from breaking.

[0045] Next, the partition plate 30 in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the partition plate in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a plate body of the partition plate in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the partition plate taken along line BB shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the partition plate taken along line CC shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Figs. 6 to 9, the partition plate 30 comprises a plate body 31 and an elastic body 33.

[0046] The plate body 31 is made of a resin such as polypropylene, and has a plurality of the above-mentioned cooling channels 32 (see FIG. 3) as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9. In detail, a plurality of the cooling channels 32 are provided inside the plate body 31 so as to penetrate in an intersecting direction intersecting with the arrangement direction D1 of the plurality of battery cells 11. Since the intersecting direction is the same as the width direction D2 of the partition plate 30, each of the plurality of (for example, seven) cooling channels 32 is an internal channel that penetrates the plate body 31 in the width direction D2 of the partition plate 30. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the plate body 31 is formed with through holes 34. The through holes 34 are holes that penetrate the plate body 31 in the thickness direction (arrangement direction D1) of the partition plate 30, and are formed in a matrix shape at predetermined intervals, for example. The above-mentioned cooling channels 32 are formed so as to extend in the width direction D2 while avoiding these through holes 34 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Also, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the lower end of the plate main body 31 in the height direction D3 is formed with a joint 35 for joining the partition plate 30 to the support portion 24 of the housing 20 (see Figure 3), and a recess 36 for engaging the partition plate 30 with a mold used for joining them.

[0047] The elastic bodies 33 are made of a resin that is softer and more elastic than the constituent resin of the plate main body 31, and a plurality of elastic bodies (six in the first embodiment) are provided on the plate main body 31 so as to extend in the width direction D2 of the partition plate 30, as shown in Fig. 6 for example. These multiple elastic bodies 33 protrude from each outer surface of the multiple partition plates 30 towards one side of the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11. Note that the resin that constitutes the elastic bodies 33 can be, for example, an olefin-based elastomer.

[0048] In detail, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the multiple elastic bodies 33 has a thick portion 33a and a thin portion 33b alternately arranged along the intersecting direction (width direction D2) of the partition plate 30. Here, the partition plate 30 has the above-mentioned through hole 34 (see FIG. 7) in the plate body 31, and the elastic body 33 is provided at least in the through hole 34. That is, the through hole 34 of the plate body 31 is formed to have a predetermined shape (rounded rectangle in FIG. 7) and a predetermined number (the same number as the thick portions 33a in FIG. 7) corresponding to each thick portion 33a of the multiple elastic bodies 33. Each thick portion 33a of the multiple elastic bodies 33 is provided in the through hole 34 of the plate body 31 as shown in FIG. 8. In the present embodiment 1, each of these thick portions 33a passes through the through hole 34 and protrudes from the outer surface of the plate body 31 to only one end side in the thickness direction (arrangement direction D1) of the partition plate 30. 9, each of the thin portions 33b of the elastic bodies 33 is provided on each outer surface of the partition plate 30. The outer surface of the plate body 31 on which each of the thin portions 33b is provided is the surface on the side from which each of the thick portions 33a protrudes.

[0049] 8, a plurality of elastic bodies 33 are provided so as to sandwich the cooling flow passage 32 from both sides in a direction crossing the cooling flow passage 32. In the first embodiment, the direction crossing the cooling flow passage 32 is the same as the height direction D3 of the partition plate 30. The plurality of elastic bodies 33 sandwich the cooling flow passage 32 from both sides in the height direction D3 by means of the thick portions 33a provided inside the through holes 34. From the viewpoint of increasing the bonding area between the plate main body 31 of the partition plate 30 and the elastic bodies and enhancing the bonding strength, the through holes 34 in which the elastic bodies 33 are provided are preferably formed in a tapered shape that expands or contracts in the thickness direction of the partition plate 30 (i.e., the arrangement direction D1 of the plurality of battery cells 11) as shown in FIG.

[0050] In the first embodiment, the partition plate 30 has a structure in which a pair of plate-like members are overlapped. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overlapping structure of the partition plate in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 10, the partition plate 30 has a structure in which a pair of a first plate-like member 31a and a second plate-like member 31b are overlapped.

[0051] In detail, as shown in FIG. 10, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are formed with grooves 32a and 32b that become the cooling flow passages 32 of the partition plate 30 when they are stacked together. Although not shown in FIG. 10, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are formed with through holes (hereinafter, referred to as divided through holes) that become the through holes 34 of the partition plate 30 when they are stacked together. A plurality of elastic members 33c having thick and thin portions alternately arranged along the width direction D2 of the first plate-shaped member 31a are provided on the outer surface of the first plate-shaped member 31a and in each divided through hole. An elastic member (not shown) corresponding to the thick portion of the elastic member 33c is provided in each divided through hole of the second plate-shaped member 31b. The elastic members 33c of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the elastic members of the second plate-shaped member 31b become the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30 when they are stacked together.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 10, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are connected via a hinge portion 31c. The hinge portion 31c is formed to connect one end of the first plate-shaped member 31a and one end of the second plate-shaped member, and is bent so that the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b can be overlapped. That is, the hinge portion 31c is bent so that the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b can be overlapped in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 10. Each end of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b on which the hinge portion 31c is provided corresponds to the upper end of the height direction D3 of the partition plate 30 formed by overlapping the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b. As shown in FIG. 10, the first plate-shaped member 31a has a fitting portion 38 at the end opposite to the hinge portion 31c. The second plate-like member 31b has a fitted portion 37 at an end opposite to the hinge portion 31c. The fitted portion 37 fits into a fitting portion 38 when the first plate-like member 31a and the second plate-like member 31b are overlapped. The fitted portion 37 and the fitting portion 38 may be formed in shapes that allow them to fit into each other, for example, one may be formed in a convex shape and the other in a concave shape.

[0053] The first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b including the hinge portion 31c described above can be integrally formed by two-color molding using, for example, the constituent resin of the first plate-shaped member 31a, the second plate-shaped member 31b, and the hinge portion 31c and the constituent resin of each elastic member (e.g., the elastic member 33c) of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b. The constituent resin of the first plate-shaped member 31a, the second plate-shaped member 31b, and the hinge portion 31c is the same as the constituent resin of the plate body 31 of the partition plate 30. The constituent resin of each elastic member of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b is the same as the constituent resin of the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 10, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are folded at the hinge portion 31c and overlapped with each other. At this time, the fitting portion 38 of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the fitted portion 37 of the second plate-shaped member 31b are fitted with each other. Also, the groove portion 32a of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the groove portion 32b of the second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other to form the cooling flow path 32 of the partition plate 30. The elastic member 33c of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the elastic member of the second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other to form the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30. The divided through-hole of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the divided through-hole of the second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other to form the through-hole 34 of the partition plate 30 (see FIG. 8). Furthermore, an end portion of the first plate-shaped member 31a and an end portion of the second plate-shaped member 31b overlap each other to form a joint portion 35 and a recess 36 of the partition plate 30. In this manner, the partition plate 30 having a structure in which the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other is produced.

[0055] The first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are fixed in an overlapping state by fitting the fitting portion 38 and the fitted portion 37. From the viewpoint of closing the gap between the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b (particularly the gap communicating with the cooling flow passage 32), the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are preferably laser welded to each other.

[0056] Here, in the partition plate 30 having the overlapping structure of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b, a space is generated inside the bent hinge portion 31c as shown in FIG. 10. This space may be connected to the cooling flow path 32 through the gap between the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b, so it is preferable to close it. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration for closing the space inside the hinge portion of the partition plate in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the partition plate 30 has a blocking portion 39 in the space 31d generated inside the bent hinge portion 31c. The blocking portion 39 blocks the space 31d generated inside the hinge portion 31c when the hinge portion 31c is folded to overlap the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b. This blocking portion 39 is formed, for example, by pouring a resin into the space 31d and hardening it. The resin constituting the blocking portion 39 may be, for example, the same as the resin constituting the plate body 31 of the partition plate 30 .

[0057] The partition plate 30 may be joined to the housing 20 by a method such as adhesion or fitting, but from the viewpoint of reducing the labor required for joining, it is preferable to join the partition plate 30 integrally with the housing 20 by insert molding. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of joining the partition plate and the housing by insert molding in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 described above, the partition plate 30 has a joint 35 and a recess 36 at the end (lower end in the height direction D3) opposite to the hinge portion 31c. When the partition plate 30 is joined integrally with the housing 20 by insert molding, the partition plate 30 is set in a mold 100 for insert molding as shown in FIG. 12. Next, the resin constituting the support portion 24 of the housing 20 is injected into the mold 100, so that the support portion 24 in a state of being joined integrally with the joint portion 35 of the partition plate 30 is molded. The above-mentioned blocking portion 39 is preferably formed by pouring a resin into the space 31d (see FIG. 11) inside the hinge portion 31c of the partition plate 30 during this insert molding and allowing it to harden.

[0058] In this case, it is preferable that the joint 35 of the partition plate 30 with respect to the housing 20 has an uneven shape including a recess 36 as shown in FIG. 12. The recess 36 is a portion that engages with a protrusion 101 of a mold 100 for insert molding. This uneven shape increases the joint area between the joint 35 of the partition plate 30 and the support portion 24 of the housing 20, so that the joint strength between the joint 35 and the support portion 24 can be increased. In addition, by engaging the recess 36 of the partition plate 30 with the protrusion 101 of the mold 100, the partition plate 30 can be set in a fixed state inside the mold 100. As a result, it is possible to prevent the partition plate 30 from being displaced or deformed due to the injection pressure of the constituent resin of the support portion 24, and the occurrence of a gap leading to the cooling flow path 32 in the overlapping structure of the partition plate 30.

[0059] Meanwhile, the partition plate 30 may be integrally molded with the housing 20 by a method other than the above-mentioned insert molding. Examples of the method for integrally molding the partition plate 30 with the housing 20 include two-color molding using a constituent resin of the housing 20 or the plate body 31 of the partition plate 30 and a constituent resin of the elastic body 33.

[0060] Next, the first chamber 40 and the second chamber 50 in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the first chamber and the second chamber in the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 13 shows an exploded view of each of the first chamber 40 and the second chamber 50.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 13, the first chamber 40 is composed of a first frame 41 which is an outer frame of the first chamber 40, and a first cover part 42 having the inlet 43 described above. The first frame 41 is provided on a side part 22 which is one end part of the housing 20 in the intersecting direction. Although not shown in FIG. 13, the openings of the cooling channels 32 of the partition plates 30 are exposed on the side part 22 of the housing 20, as with the other side part 23. The first frame 41 is attached to the outer surface of the side part 22 of the housing 20 so as to surround the openings of the cooling channels 32 exposed on the side part 22 on the inside. The first frame 41 may be integrally molded with the side part 22 when the housing 20 is molded.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 13, the first cover portion 42 has a frame portion 44, a refrigerant inlet 43, and a plurality of bosses 45. The inlet 43 extends in the thickness direction of the first cover portion 42 (width direction D2 in FIG. 13) and is provided at an opening of the first cover portion 42. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the inlet 43 is provided at a portion on the upper end side of the first cover portion 42 in the height direction D3. The frame portion 44 is formed in a shape similar to the outer shape of the first frame body 41 and is joined to the first frame body 41 by welding or the like. The plurality of bosses 45 are provided on the inner side of the frame portion 44 and are joined to the inner region of the first frame body 41 (specifically, the outer surface of the side portion 22 of the housing 20) by welding or the like. The first cover portion 42 is attached to the first frame body 41 so as to cover the inner side of the first frame body 41 by joining the first frame body 41 and the frame portion 44. As a result, the first cover part 42 forms a flow space between itself and the inner region of the first frame 41. This flow space is a space that communicates the cooling flow paths 32 of the plurality of partition plates 30 with the inlet 43. The strength of the first chamber 40 is also enhanced by joining the plurality of bosses 45 to the side part 22 of the housing 20. Examples of the strength of the first chamber 40 include the joining strength between the first frame 41 and the first cover part 42, the mechanical strength of the first cover part 42, etc.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 13, the second chamber 50 is composed of a second frame 51 which is an outer frame of the second chamber 50, and a second cover part 52 having the above-mentioned outlet port 53. The second frame 51 is provided on the side part 23 which is the other end part of the housing 20 in the intersecting direction. In detail, as shown in FIG. 13, the openings of the cooling channels 32 of the multiple partition plates 30 are exposed on the side part 23 of the housing 20. The second frame 51 is attached to the outer surface of the side part 23 of the housing 20 so as to surround the openings of the cooling channels 32 exposed on the side part 23 on the inside. The second frame 51 may be molded integrally with the side part 23 when the housing 20 is molded.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 13, the second cover portion 52 has a frame portion 54, a refrigerant outlet 53, and a plurality of bosses 55. The outlet 53 extends in the thickness direction of the second cover portion 52 (the width direction D2 in FIG. 13) and is provided at an opening of the second cover portion 52. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the outlet 53 is provided at a portion on the upper end side of the second cover portion 52 in the height direction D3. The frame portion 54 is formed in a shape similar to the outer shape of the second frame body 51 and is joined to the second frame body 51 by welding or the like. The plurality of bosses 55 are provided on the inner side of the frame portion 54 and are joined to the inner region of the second frame body 51 (specifically, the outer surface of the side portion 23 of the housing 20) by welding or the like. The second cover portion 52 is attached to the second frame body 51 so as to cover the inner side of the second frame body 51 by joining the second frame body 51 and the frame portion 54. As a result, the second cover part 52 forms a flow space between itself and the inner region of the second frame 51. This flow space is a space that communicates the cooling flow paths 32 of the partition plates 30 with the outlet port 53. The strength of the second chamber 50 is also enhanced by joining the bosses 55 to the side part 23 of the housing 20. Examples of the strength of the second chamber 50 include the joining strength between the second frame 51 and the second cover part 52, the mechanical strength of the second cover part 52, etc.

[0065] The first chamber 40 and the second chamber 50 are made of a resin such as polypropylene. As shown in Fig. 13, the inlet 43 of the first chamber 40 and the outlet 53 of the second chamber 50 are located at opposite poles to each other. For example, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the inlet 43 of the first chamber 40 is located at one end of the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11, and the outlet 53 of the second chamber 50 is located at the other end of the arrangement direction D1.

[0066] Next, the flow of the refrigerant in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of the refrigerant in the battery module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 shows a schematic top view of the battery module 1. For ease of explanation, the end plates 26a, 26b and bands 27a to 27c of the battery module 1 are omitted from the illustration. In Fig. 14, dashed arrows also show a schematic flow of the refrigerant 70.

[0067] In the battery module 1, a flow path is formed by each of the cooling flow paths 32 (see FIG. 3, etc.) of the above-mentioned plurality of (e.g., seven) partition plates 30-1 to 30-7, the first chamber 40, and the second chamber 50. The coolant 70 in the first embodiment flows inside the battery module 1 along this flow path.

[0068] 14, the coolant 70 flows from the inlet 43 into the flow space in the first chamber 40. The coolant 70 that has flowed in is stored in the flow space in the first chamber 40, and flows from the first chamber 40 into each of the cooling flow paths 32 of the partition plates 30-1 to 30-7. The coolant 70 then cools each of the multiple battery cells 11 while flowing through each of the cooling flow paths 32 of the partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 in one direction from the first chamber 40 to the second chamber 50 (the positive direction of the width direction D2 in FIG. 14).

[0069] For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the partition plate 30-1 has therein a plurality of cooling flow passages 32 (seven in the first embodiment) arranged in the height direction D3. The plate body of the partition plate 30-1 is in surface contact with the ventral surface portion of the battery cell 11-1 facing the arrangement direction D1. In such a partition plate 30-1, the coolant 70 exchanges heat with the battery cell 11-1 via the plate body of the partition plate 30-1 while flowing inside each cooling flow passage 32 in the one direction, thereby cooling the battery cell 11-1 over a wide range of its ventral surface portion. In the first embodiment, the coolant 70 also cools the battery cell 11 while flowing inside each cooling flow passage 32 in the one direction in the other partition plates 30-2 to 30-6, as in the case of the partition plate 30-1.

[0070] 3, the partition plate 30-2 has a plurality of cooling flow paths 32 therein, similar to the partition plate 30-1, and is in contact with the abdominal surface portion 13b of the battery cell 11-1 via the elastic body 33. In such a partition plate 30-2, the coolant 70 exchanges heat with the battery cell 11-1 via the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30-2 while flowing inside each cooling flow path 32 in the one direction, thereby being able to cool the battery cell 11-1. In the first embodiment, in the other partition plates 30-3 to 30-7 as well, similar to the case of the partition plate 30-2, the coolant 70 is able to cool the battery cell 11 via the elastic body 33 while flowing inside each cooling flow path 32 in the one direction.

[0071] 14, after cooling the battery cells 11 as described above, the refrigerant 70 flows out of the cooling flow paths 32 of the partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 into the flow space of the second chamber 50. The refrigerant 70 is then stored in the flow space within the second chamber 50, and flows out of the battery module 1 from the outlet 53.

[0072] Although not shown in particular, a supply pipe for supplying the refrigerant 70 to the battery module 1 is connected to the inlet 43 of the first chamber 40. A discharge pipe for discharging the refrigerant 70 from the battery module 1 is connected to the outlet 53 of the second chamber 50. The supply pipe is connected to equipment such as a pump or a tank, and sequentially supplies the refrigerant 70 at a low temperature suitable for cooling the battery cells 11 from the inlet 43 into the battery module 1. The discharge pipe is connected to equipment such as a tank, and sequentially discharges the refrigerant 70 after being used to cool the battery cells 11 from the outlet 53 to the outside of the battery module 1. Alternatively, these supply pipes and discharge pipes may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a predetermined cooling device (not shown) or the like. In this case, the refrigerant 70 after being used to cool the battery cells 11 may be sequentially collected from the outlet 53 through the discharge pipe, and the collected refrigerant 70 may be cooled by a cooling device, and then the refrigerant 70 may be sequentially supplied again from the supply pipe through the inlet 43 into the battery module 1.

[0073] The coolant 70 is not particularly limited as long as it is a fluid that can flow through each cooling flow passage 32 of the partition plate 30. For example, the coolant 70 may be a liquid such as cooling water, a gas such as cold air, or a mixed fluid of these liquids and gases.

[0074] As described above, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the partition plates 30 having the cooling flow paths 32 through which a refrigerant flows are provided in the housing 20 having the storage space 25 in which the plurality of battery cells 11 are arranged in a stacked manner, so as to separate the storage space 25 into the individual battery cells 11 at intervals that sandwich each battery cell 11 in the arrangement direction D1 of the plurality of battery cells 11. Also, the housing 20 is provided with a first chamber 40 having a refrigerant inlet 43 and a second chamber 50 having a refrigerant outlet 53, and for the cooling flow paths 32 that penetrate the partition plate 30 in an intersecting direction (e.g., width direction D2) that intersects with the arrangement direction D1, the first chamber 40 communicates with the cooling flow paths 32 at one end of the plurality of partition plates 30 in the intersecting direction, and the second chamber 50 communicates with the cooling flow paths 32 at the other end of the plurality of partition plates 30 in the intersecting direction.

[0075] With the above configuration, a refrigerant flow path can be formed in the battery module 1, which branches from the first chamber 40 on the entry side along the ventral surface of the battery cell 11 to each of the multiple partition plates 30 and merges with the second chamber 50 on the exit side. Therefore, for each of the multiple partition plates 30, the refrigerant flows from the first chamber 40 on the entry side into the cooling flow path 32, and while the refrigerant flows within the cooling flow path 32 in one direction from the first chamber 40 side to the second chamber 50 side, each of the multiple battery cells 11 is cooled from the ventral surface side of the battery cell 11 by heat exchange with the refrigerant, and the refrigerant used for this cooling process can flow out from the cooling flow path 32 to the second chamber 50 on the exit side. This increases the contact area between the battery cells 11 that exchange heat with the refrigerant in the cooling flow path 32 and the partition plate 30, and also reduces the temperature difference of the refrigerant between the multiple battery cells 11 in the storage space 25 when cooling the battery cells 11. As a result, each of the multiple battery cells 11 can be cooled efficiently and evenly, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the battery cells.

[0076] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the partition plate 30 has a structure in which a first plate-shaped member 31a and a second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other and have grooves 32a, 32b formed therein, which become the cooling flow passages 32. Therefore, the fine cooling flow passages 32 can be easily formed inside the partition plate 30.

[0077] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b constituting the partition plate 30 are joined to each other by laser welding. This makes it possible to prevent the cooling flow passage 32 of the partition plate 30 from expanding due to the pressure caused by the flow of the refrigerant. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of gaps in the overlapping structure of the cooling flow passage 32, thereby making it possible to prevent the refrigerant from leaking from the partition plate 30 through the gaps.

[0078] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b constituting the partition plate 30 are connected via the hinge portion 31c. Therefore, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b can be configured as a single component that can be overlapped by bending the hinge portion 31c, and as a result, the partition plate 30 can be easily assembled.

[0079] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a fitting portion 38 is provided at an end portion of the first plate member 31a opposite to the hinge portion 31c, and a fitted portion 37 is provided at an end portion of the second plate member 31b opposite to the hinge portion 31c, and when the first plate member 31a and the second plate member 31b are overlapped, the fitting portion 38 and the fitted portion 37 are fitted into each other. This makes it possible to easily maintain the overlapped state (overlapped structure) of the first plate member 31a and the second plate member 31b. As a result, it is possible to improve the workability when setting the partition plate 30 in a mold.

[0080] In addition, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when the hinge portion 31c is folded to overlap the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b, the space 31d generated inside the hinge portion 31c is closed by the closing portion 39. This makes it possible to reinforce the strength of the hinge portion 31c, which is thin and weak because it is bendable, and also makes it possible to prevent the refrigerant from leaking from the cooling flow path 32 through the space 31d.

[0081] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the partition plate 30 is integrally joined to the housing 20 by insert molding, and the joint portion 35 of the partition plate 30 with respect to the housing 20 is configured to have an uneven shape including a recess 36 that engages with a protrusion of the mold for the insert molding. This makes it possible to increase the joint area between the partition plate 30 and the housing 20, thereby increasing the joint strength between the partition plate 30 and the housing 20. In addition, the recess 36 of the partition plate 30 can be engaged with the protrusion of the mold to set the partition plate 30 in a fixed state within the mold, and as a result, it is possible to prevent the partition plate 30 from being displaced or deformed due to the injection pressure of the resin within the mold, and the occurrence of a gap that leads to the cooling flow path 32 in the overlapping structure of the partition plate 30.

[0082] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the partition plate 30 is integrally molded with the housing 20. This allows the partition plate 30 and the housing 20 to be joined seamlessly, which prevents refrigerant from leaking from the joint between the partition plate 30 and the housing 20. In addition, the partition plate 30 and the housing 20 can be easily integrated into one body, and the molding cost can be reduced, compared to when the partition plate 30 and the housing 20 are joined as separate parts.

[0083] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first chamber 40 is formed by the first frame 41 provided at one end of the housing 20 in the intersecting direction and the first cover part 42 attached to the first frame 41 so as to cover the inside of the first frame 41, and the second chamber 50 is formed by the second frame 51 provided at the other end of the housing 20 in the intersecting direction and the second cover part 52 attached to the second frame 51 so as to cover the inside of the second frame 51. Therefore, the inlet first chamber 40 having a flow space therein that communicates the cooling flow path 32 and the inlet 43, and the outlet second chamber 50 having a flow space therein that communicates the cooling flow path 32 and the outlet 53 can be easily formed and provided in the housing 20.

[0084] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the inlet 43 of the first chamber 40 is disposed at one end of the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11, and the outlet 53 of the second chamber 50 is disposed at the other end of the arrangement direction D1. This allows the length of the flow path of the refrigerant that branches from the inlet first chamber 40 to each of the multiple partition plates 30 and merges with the outlet second chamber 50 to be uniform between the partition plates 30. This allows the flow rate of the refrigerant that branches off from each of the multiple partition plates 30 to be uniform between the partition plates 30, which in turn reduces loss of refrigerant flow pressure and reduces variation in the cooling temperature of the battery cells 11 by the refrigerant.

[0085] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the partition plate 30 is provided with an elastic body 33 that comes into contact with the battery cells 11 that face the arrangement direction D1 among the multiple battery cells 11. This allows the elastic body 33 to deform in response to expansion or contraction that occurs in the battery cells 11 due to the charging state or the like, thereby absorbing the expansion or contraction of the battery cells 11 and applying elasticity to the battery cells 11 to restrain them in the storage space 25 of the housing 20.

[0086] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, through holes 34 that penetrate in the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11 are formed in the partition plates 30, and elastic bodies 33 are provided in at least the through holes 34. This makes it possible to increase the elasticity of the elastic bodies 33 according to the depth of the through holes 34, thereby ensuring the elasticity of the elastic bodies 33 required to absorb the expansion and contraction of the battery cells 11 and reducing the length of the protrusion of the elastic bodies 33 from the outer surface of the partition plates 30, thereby enabling the battery module 1 to be made more compact.

[0087] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of elastic bodies 33 are provided on the partition plate 30 so as to sandwich the cooling flow path 32 from both sides in a direction (e.g., height direction D3) transverse to the cooling flow path 32. Therefore, the gap between the cooling flow path 32 and the through hole 34 in the partition plate 30 can be blocked from the through hole 34 side by the elastic bodies 33, and as a result, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant from leaking from the cooling flow path 32 through the gap.

[0088] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the through holes 34 of the partition plates 30 are formed in a tapered shape that expands or contracts in the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11. This makes it possible to increase the contact area between the elastic body 33 and the through holes 34 compared to a case in which the through holes 34 are not formed in a tapered shape, thereby increasing the bonding strength of the elastic body 33 in the partition plates 30.

[0089] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30 is configured to have thick portions 33a provided in the through holes 34 and thin portions 33b provided on the outer surface of the partition plate 30, which are alternately arranged along the intersecting direction of the partition plate 30. This makes it possible to reduce deformation and stress caused by molding shrinkage of the elastic body 33 when the elastic body 33 is provided in the plate body 31 of the partition plate 30 by insert molding or the like, compared to a case where the elastic body 33 does not have the thin portions 33b. This makes it possible to reduce the stress applied from the elastic body 33 to the plate body 31 of the partition plate 30 when the elastic body 33 shrinks and deforms, thereby preventing deformation of the partition plate 30 caused by shrinkage deformation of the elastic body 33.

[0090] In the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the elastic body 33 is configured to protrude from the outer surface of the partition plate 30 toward one side of the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11. Therefore, the plate surface of the partition plate 30 opposite to the protruding side of the elastic body 33 (the outer surface of the plate body 31) can be brought into close contact with the abdominal surface of the battery cell 11 to be cooled. This can increase the thermal conductivity between the refrigerant in the cooling flow path 32 and the battery cell 11, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the battery cell 11. In addition, a one-sided cooling structure can be adopted in which, of both sides of the partition plate 30 in the thickness direction (arrangement direction D1), the plate surface on the protruding side of the elastic body 33 is set as a non-cooling surface (a surface that does not contribute to cooling the battery cell 11) and the plate surface opposite to the non-cooling surface is set as a cooling surface, and the battery cell 11 is cooled only by the cooling surface of the partition plate 30. This eliminates the need to make the elastic body 33 out of an elastic resin material with high thermal conductivity, and allows the elastic body 33 to be made out of a general-purpose resin, thereby increasing the freedom of selection of the resin that makes up the elastic body 33. Furthermore, there is no need to use a gap filler to reduce the thermal resistance between the partition plate 30 and the battery cell 11. This makes it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery module 1 and to increase the robustness of the design.

[0091] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a hard portion 60 made of a material harder than the elastic body 33 is interposed between the partition plate 30 and the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11. This allows the hard portion 60 to press the joint portion between the lid portion 16 of the exterior case 12 of the battery cell 11. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the joint portion between the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11 and the exterior case 12, and as a result, makes it possible to prevent breakage of the joint portion.

[0092] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the partition plates 30 are made of resin. This makes it possible to easily ensure insulation between the battery cells 11 and the partition plates 30, and eliminates the need for insulation processing that would be required if metal partition plates were used.

[0093] Furthermore, in the battery module 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the storage space 25 that stores the multiple battery cells 11 is partitioned into individual battery cells 11 by partition plates 30. Therefore, even if the partition plates 30 are damaged and the refrigerant leaks from the cooling flow paths 32, the leakage of the refrigerant can be contained within one section of the storage space 25 (the storage chamber for one battery cell 11). As a result, damage to the battery module 1, such as contamination or short-circuiting of the battery cells 11 caused by the refrigerant, can be minimized.

[0094] (Embodiment 2) Next, a battery module according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. Fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one configuration example of a battery module according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 15, a battery module 1A according to embodiment 2 includes partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 instead of the partition plates 30-1 to 30-7 of the battery module 1 according to embodiment 1 described above. The other configurations are the same as those of embodiment 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0095] 15, the multiple (e.g., seven) partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 have both the function of dividing the storage space of the housing 20 into individual battery cells 11 and the function of constraining the multiple battery cells 11 within the storage space, as in the above-described embodiment 1. In addition, these partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 have a double-sided cooling function of cooling each of the multiple battery cells 11 housed in the storage space of the housing 20 from both sides in the arrangement direction D1.

[0096] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, each of the partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 has a cooling flow path 32 similar to that of the first embodiment. Each of the partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 has an elastic body 33A protruding on both sides of the arrangement direction D1, instead of the elastic body 33 in the first embodiment. For example, the partition plate 30A-2 is in contact with the abdominal surface portion 13b of the battery cell 11-1 and the abdominal surface portion 13a of the battery cell 11-2, which face the arrangement direction D1, via the elastic body 33A. The partition plate 30A-2 exchanges heat between the refrigerant in the cooling flow path 32 and the battery cells 11-1 and 11-2 via the elastic body 33A, thereby cooling each of the battery cells 11-1 and 11-2. The remaining partition plates 30A-3 to 30A-6 also have the same double-sided cooling function for the battery cell 11. The partition plates 30A-1, 30A-7 are in contact with the battery cells 11 on only one side in the arrangement direction D1 via the elastic body 33A. Therefore, although the partition plates 30A-1, 30A-7 have the above-mentioned double-sided cooling function, they actually only cool the battery cells 11 on one side in the arrangement direction D1 via the elastic body 33A.

[0097] 15, the partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 sandwich each of the multiple battery cells 11 from both sides in the arrangement direction D1 via elastic bodies 33A. For example, the battery cell 11-1 is sandwiched from both sides in the arrangement direction D1 by the elastic body 33A of the partition plate 30A-1 and the elastic body 33A of the partition plate 30A-2. Such elastic bodies 33A deform in accordance with the expansion or contraction of each battery cell 11 facing each other on both sides in the arrangement direction D1, absorbing the expansion or contraction of each battery cell 11 and applying an elastic force to each battery cell 11. As a result, each of the partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 restrains each of the multiple battery cells 11 within the storage space of the housing 20.

[0098] In the second embodiment, each of the seven partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 is collectively referred to as partition plate 30A. That is, partition plate 30A refers to each of the multiple partition plates provided in the housing 20 (each of the partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7 in the second embodiment).

[0099] As shown in Fig. 15, the hard portion 60 is provided on both sides of the arrangement direction D1 of the partition plate 30A in the second embodiment. For example, the hard portions 60-2 and 60-3 are provided on both sides of the upper end portion in the height direction D3 of the partition plate 30A-2 in the arrangement direction D1. The hard portion 60 is provided on one side of the upper end portions in the height direction D3 of the partition plates 30A-1 and 30A-7 in the arrangement direction D1. That is, in each of the partition plates 30A-1 to 30A-7, the hard portion 60 is interposed between the partition plate 30A and the lid portion 16 of the battery cell 11. The function of such hard portion 60 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above.

[0100] Next, the partition plate 30A in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing one configuration example of the partition plate in the second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing one configuration example of the partition plate shown in Fig. 16 taken along line DD. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing one configuration example of the partition plate shown in Fig. 16 taken along line EE. As shown in Figs. 16 to 18, the partition plate 30A has an elastic body 33A instead of the elastic body 33 of the partition plate 30 in the first embodiment described above. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are given the same reference numerals.

[0101] The elastic body 33A is made of a resin that is softer and more elastic than the constituent resin of the plate main body 31, and a plurality of elastic bodies (six in the second embodiment) are provided on the plate main body 31 so as to extend in the width direction D2 of the partition plate 30A, as shown in Fig. 16, for example. These elastic bodies 33A protrude from each outer surface of the partition plates 30A on both sides in the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11. Note that examples of resins that make up the elastic body 33A include the same olefin-based elastomer as the elastic body 33 in the first embodiment described above, but from the viewpoint that heat exchange between the refrigerant in the cooling flow passage 32 and the battery cells occurs via the elastic body 33A, an elastic resin with higher thermal conductivity is preferable.

[0102] In detail, as shown in Fig. 16, each of the multiple elastic bodies 33A has multiple thick portions 33aa and thin portions 33b alternately arranged along the intersecting direction (width direction D2) of the partition plate 30A. As shown in Fig. 17, the thick portions 33aa are provided in the through holes 34 of the plate body 31 of the partition plate 30A, and protrude from the outer surface of the plate body 31 through the through holes 34 to both ends in the thickness direction (arrangement direction D1) of the partition plate 30A. As shown in Fig. 18, the thin portions 33b are provided on each outer surface of the partition plate 30A on both sides in the thickness direction. For example, the number of these thick portions 33aa and thin portions 33b is the same as that of the elastic bodies 33 in the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0103] 17, a plurality of elastic bodies 33A are provided so as to sandwich the cooling flow passage 32 from both sides in a direction transverse to the cooling flow passage 32 (for example, the height direction D3 of the partition plate 30). The plurality of elastic bodies 33A sandwich the cooling flow passage 32 from both sides in the height direction D3 by means of the respective thick portions 33aa provided inside the through hole 34.

[0104] In the second embodiment, the partition plate 30A has a structure in which a pair of plate-shaped members are overlapped. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overlapping structure of the partition plate in the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 19, the partition plate 30A has a structure in which a pair of a first plate-shaped member 31a and a second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped. In the second embodiment, the first plate-shaped member 31a has an elastic member 33d instead of the elastic member 33c in the first embodiment, and the second plate-shaped member 31b has an elastic member 33e instead of the elastic member in the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same components are given the same reference numerals.

[0105] The elastic members 33d and 33e become the elastic body 33A of the partition plate 30A by overlapping the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b. One elastic member 33d has thick and thin portions alternately arranged along the width direction D2 of the first plate-shaped member 31a, and is provided on the outer surface of the first plate-shaped member 31a and in each of the divided through holes. The other elastic member 33e has thick and thin portions alternately arranged along the width direction D2 of the second plate-shaped member 31b, and is provided on the outer surface of the second plate-shaped member 31b and in each of the divided through holes.

[0106] For example, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b in this embodiment 2 can be integrally formed by two-color molding using the constituent resin of the first plate-shaped member 31a, the second plate-shaped member 31b, and the hinge portion 31c and the constituent resin of the elastic members 33d and 33e.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 19, the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are folded at the hinge portion 31c and overlapped with each other. At this time, the fitting portion 38 and the fitted portion 37 are fitted with each other, as in the above-mentioned embodiment 1. The elastic member 33d of the first plate-shaped member 31a and the elastic member 33e of the second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other to form the elastic body 33A of the partition plate 30A. The cooling flow path 32, the through hole 34 (see FIG. 17), the joint portion 35, and the recessed portion 36 of the partition plate 30A are formed in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment. In this manner, the partition plate 30A having a structure in which the first plate-shaped member 31a and the second plate-shaped member 31b are overlapped with each other is produced.

[0108] Although not shown, the partition plate 30A in this embodiment 2 has a blocking portion that blocks the space inside the bent hinge portion 31c, similar to the above-mentioned embodiment 1. In addition, the fixing of the overlapping structure of the partition plate 30A and the joining (integration) of the partition plate 30A and the housing 20 by insert molding or the like are also similar to the embodiment 1.

[0109] In a battery module 1A (see FIG. 15) having the above-described partition plate 30A, the flow of the coolant for cooling the multiple battery cells 11 is the same as in embodiment 1, except that the partition plate having the cooling flow passage 32 is replaced from the partition plate 30 of embodiment 1 to the partition plate 30A of embodiment 2. The type of the coolant is also the same as in embodiment 1.

[0110] As described above, in the battery module 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the partition plates 30A that separate the storage space of the casing 20 into individual battery cells 11 at intervals that sandwich each battery cell 11 in the arrangement direction D1 of the multiple battery cells 11 have elastic bodies 33A that protrude on both sides of the arrangement direction D1, and the rest of the configuration is the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to enjoy the same effects as in the first embodiment described above, and the elastic bodies 33A can restrain each battery cell 11 within the storage space from both sides of the arrangement direction D1 and absorb the expansion and contraction of each battery cell 11.

[0111] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, seven battery cells are accommodated in the housing storage space, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of battery cells accommodated in the storage space is not limited to the above-mentioned seven, but may be two or more. Furthermore, the number of partition plates that divide the storage space is not limited to the above-mentioned seven, but may be any number necessary to divide the storage space according to the accommodated battery cells, and may be, for example, two or more.

[0112] In the above-described first and second embodiments, the lower end of the partition plate is joined to the support portion extending in the height direction from the bottom of the housing, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lower end of the partition plate may be directly joined to the bottom of the housing, or the partition plate itself may be molded integrally with the housing so as to extend from the bottom of the housing.

[0113] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the number of cooling channels and elastic bodies provided in the partition plate is seven, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the number of cooling channels and elastic bodies provided in the partition plate may be one, or two or more. Furthermore, the numbers of these may be the same or different.

[0114] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the cooling flow passage extending in the width direction of the partition plate is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cooling flow passage provided in the partition plate may be a flow passage extending in a direction across the battery cells from the first chamber on the inlet side to the second chamber on the outlet side, and the extension direction of the cooling flow passage may be inclined with respect to the width direction. In addition, the cooling flow passage is not limited to a straight flow passage, and may be a zigzag flow passage or a curved flow passage.

[0115] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the cooling flow paths are aligned at the center position of the partition plate in the thickness direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cooling flow paths may be biased so as to be closer to one end of both ends of the partition plate in the thickness direction. In particular, the cooling flow paths in the first embodiment may be biased so as to be closer to one side surface of the partition plate in the thickness direction (the plate surface on the side where the elastic body does not protrude). The cooling flow paths may be provided only on one side of the partition plate in the thickness direction.

[0116] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the elastic body (particularly the thick portion) is provided in the through hole formed in the plate body of the partition plate, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastic body may be attached to the outer surface of the plate body of the partition plate. In this case, the plate body does not need to have a through hole in which the elastic body is provided.

[0117] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the partition plate is provided with an elastic body having a structure in which thick and thin portions are arranged alternately, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastic body provided on the partition plate may be an elastic body of a constant thickness that is not divided into thick and thin portions. In addition, the elastic body may be one in which only the thick portions of the above-mentioned thick and thin portions are elastic.

[0118] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the partition plate is formed by overlapping the first and second plate-shaped members connected to each other via the hinge portion, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first and second plate-shaped members may be separate members that are not connected to each other via the hinge portion, and the partition plate may be formed by overlapping and joining (welding, etc.) the first and second plate-shaped members that are separate members. Alternatively, the above-mentioned partition plate is not limited to one having a structure in which a pair of plate-shaped members are overlapped, and may be formed by one plate-shaped member.

[0119] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the inlet for the refrigerant is provided at the upper end in the height direction of the first chamber, and the outlet for the refrigerant is provided at the upper end in the height direction of the second chamber, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, these inlet and outlet may be provided at desired locations (lower end or center, etc.) in the first chamber and the second chamber, respectively. Furthermore, the number of inlet and outlet provided in each of the first chamber and the second chamber is not limited to one as described above, and may be more than one.

[0120] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2, and also includes configurations in which the above-mentioned components are appropriately combined. In addition, other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, etc. made by those skilled in the art based on the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2 are all included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0121] 1. 1A battery module 10 battery cell group 11, 11-1, 11-2 Battery cell 12 Outer case 13a, 13b Ventral part 14a, 14b side part 15 Bottom 16 Lid 17, 18 Electrode terminal 20. Cabinet 21 Bottom 22, 23 Side 24, 24-1 Support part 25 Containment Space Containment rooms 25-1~25-6 26a, 26b End plates 27a, 27b, 27c bands 30, 30A, 30-1~30-7, 30A-1~30A-7 Partition plate 31 Board body 31a First plate-shaped member 31b Second plate-shaped member 31c Hinge part 31d space 32 Cooling Channel 32a, 32b Groove 33, 33A Elastic body 33a, 33aa Thick wall part 33b Thin wall part 33c, 33d, 33e Elastic member 34 Through hole 35 Joint 36 Recess 37 Engaged Part 38 Fitting part 39 Occlusion 40 First Chamber 41 First frame 42 First cover part 43 Inlet 44 Frame 45 Boss 50 Second Chamber 51 Second frame 52 Second cover part 53 Outlet 54 Frame 55 Boss 60, 60-1~60-3 Hard part 70 Refrigerants 100 Molds 101 Convex D1 Array direction D2 width direction D3 Height direction

Claims

1. a housing having a storage space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a stacked manner; a plurality of partition plates provided in the housing so as to have a cooling flow path penetrating in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells and through which a coolant flows, the partition plates being arranged at intervals that sandwich each of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction and partitioning the storage space for each of the plurality of battery cells; a first chamber having an inlet for the coolant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at one end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; a second chamber provided in the housing, the second chamber having an outlet for the coolant and communicating with the cooling flow path at the other end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; Equipped with Each of the plurality of partition plates has a stacked structure of a first plate-shaped member and a second plate-shaped member, each of which has a groove portion formed therein and serves as the cooling flow path, The first plate-like member and the second plate-like member are connected via a hinge portion that bends so that the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member can be overlapped with each other. A battery module comprising:

2. A housing having a storage space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a stacked configuration; a plurality of partition plates provided in the housing so as to have a cooling flow path penetrating in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells and through which a coolant flows, the partition plates being arranged at intervals that sandwich each of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction and partitioning the storage space for each of the plurality of battery cells; a first chamber having an inlet for the coolant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at one end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; a second chamber provided in the housing, the second chamber having an outlet for the coolant and communicating with the cooling flow path at the other end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; Equipped with the plurality of partition plates are integrally joined to the housing by insert molding, a joint portion of the partition plates with respect to the housing has an uneven shape including a concave portion that engages with a convex portion of a mold for the insert molding; A battery module comprising:

3. A housing having a storage space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a stacked configuration; a plurality of partition plates provided in the housing so as to have a cooling flow path penetrating in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells and through which a coolant flows, the partition plates being arranged at intervals that sandwich each of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction and partitioning the storage space for each of the plurality of battery cells; a first chamber having an inlet for the coolant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at one end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; a second chamber provided in the housing, the second chamber having an outlet for the coolant and communicating with the cooling flow path at the other end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; Equipped with The first chamber is a first frame provided at one end of the housing in the intersecting direction and serving as an outer frame of the first chamber; a first cover portion attached to the first frame so as to cover an inside of the first frame and forming a space that connects the cooling flow paths of the plurality of partition plates to the inlet; It is composed of The second chamber is a second frame provided at the other end of the housing in the intersecting direction and serving as an outer frame of the second chamber; a second cover portion attached to the second frame so as to cover an inside of the second frame and forming a space that connects the cooling flow paths of the plurality of partition plates to the outlet; It is composed of A battery module comprising:

4. A housing having a storage space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a stacked configuration; a plurality of partition plates provided in the housing so as to have a cooling flow path penetrating in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells and through which a coolant flows, the partition plates being arranged at intervals that sandwich each of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction and partitioning the storage space for each of the plurality of battery cells; a first chamber having an inlet for the coolant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at one end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; a second chamber provided in the housing, the second chamber having an outlet for the coolant and communicating with the cooling flow path at the other end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; Equipped with Each of the plurality of partition plates is an elastic body that comes into contact with battery cells that face each other in the arrangement direction among the plurality of battery cells; a through hole penetrating the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction; having The elastic body is provided at least in the through hole. A battery module comprising:

5. A housing having a storage space in which a plurality of battery cells are arranged in a stacked configuration; a plurality of partition plates provided in the housing so as to have a cooling flow path penetrating in a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells and through which a coolant flows, the partition plates being arranged at intervals that sandwich each of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction and partitioning the storage space for each of the plurality of battery cells; a first chamber having an inlet for the coolant and provided in the housing so as to communicate with the cooling flow path at one end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; a second chamber provided in the housing, the second chamber having an outlet for the coolant and communicating with the cooling flow path at the other end of the partition plates in the intersecting direction; a hard portion interposed between each of the plurality of partition plates and each of the lid portions of the plurality of battery cells; Equipped with each of the plurality of partition plates has an elastic body that contacts a battery cell among the plurality of battery cells that faces the battery cell in the arrangement direction; The hard portion is made of a material harder than the elastic body. A battery module comprising:

6. The first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member are laser welded to each other. The battery module according to claim 1 .

7. the first plate-like member has a fitting portion at an end portion opposite to the hinge portion, the second plate-like member has a fitted portion at an end opposite to the hinge portion, the fitted portion being fitted into the fitting portion; The battery module according to claim 1 or 6.

8. Each of the plurality of partition plates has a blocking portion that blocks a space generated inside the hinge portion when the hinge portion is folded to overlap the first plate-like member and the second plate-like member.

8. The battery module according to claim 1, 6 or 7.

9. The partition plates are integrally formed with the housing.

6. The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the first and second electrodes are electrically connected to each other.

10. the inlet of the first chamber is located on one end side in the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells, the outlet of the second chamber is located on the other end side in the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells, 10. The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are electrically connected to each other.

11. The elastic bodies are provided in a plurality to sandwich the cooling flow passage from both sides in a direction transverse to the cooling flow passage. The battery module according to claim 4 .

12. The through hole is formed in a tapered shape expanding or contracting in the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells. The battery module according to claim 4 or 11.

13. The elastic body is A thick portion provided in the through hole; A thin portion provided on each outer surface of the plurality of partition plates; The partition plates have the above-mentioned alternately arranged along the intersecting direction.

13. The battery module according to claim 4, 11 or 12.

14. the elastic body protrudes from each of the outer surfaces of the partition plates toward one direction in the arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells.

14. The battery module according to claim 4, 5, or 11 to 13.

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