Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack in which the stiffness of a case can be increased.SOLUTION: A battery pack 1 is disposed under a floor panel of a vehicle, and is attached to a vehicle body. The battery pack 1 is equipped with a battery module 2, and a case 5 housing the battery module 2. The case 5 has a projecting portion 55 that is provided on an outside surface 53 of a side wall 51 and projects outside the case 5. The projecting portion 55 has a case fixing portion 56 fixed to a vehicle body, and a clamped portion 57 sandwiched in a vertical direction by a jig when attaching the battery pack 1 to the vehicle body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery pack to be mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into secondary batteries that contribute to energy efficiency has been conducted in order to ensure that more people have access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and advanced energy.

[0003] As vehicle drive sources are increasingly being electrified, vehicles are being equipped with batteries that supply power to motors, etc. The batteries are mounted below the floor panels of the vehicles as battery packs housed in a case (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-125430 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2021-140931 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As batteries become more powerful, battery packs are becoming larger and heavier. When attaching a battery pack to a vehicle body using a jig, it is necessary to ensure that the case has sufficient rigidity to prevent deformation due to its own weight.

[0006] The present invention provides a battery pack capable of improving the rigidity of the case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to A battery pack disposed under a floor panel of a vehicle and attached to a vehicle body, A battery; a case having a peripheral side wall and housing the battery; Equipped with the case has a protrusion provided on an outer surface of the side wall and protruding outward from the case, The protrusion is A case fixing portion fixed to the vehicle body; a clamped portion that is clamped from above and below by a jig when the battery pack is attached to the vehicle body; Have death, The case fixing portion and the clamped portion are disposed adjacent to each other along a direction in which the outer surface of the side wall extends, and are integrally provided as parts constituting the protrusion. . Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the rigidity of the case can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the battery pack 1 with the cover 6 removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is an enlarged view of a protrusion 55 (first protrusion 55A) provided on the front side of a right wall 51c of the case 5. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified example in which the upper surface 57a of the clamped portion 57 has an inclined surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the battery pack of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are to be viewed in the direction of the reference symbols. In order to simplify and clarify the description in this specification, the front / rear, left / right, and up / down directions are described according to the direction as seen by the driver of the vehicle, and in the drawings, the front of the vehicle is indicated as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left as L, the right as R, the upside as U, and the downside as D. The left / right direction is also referred to as the vehicle width direction.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a battery pack 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of battery modules 2 (eight in this embodiment), a battery ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 3, a junction board 4, a case 5 that houses these, and a cover 6 that covers the case 5 from above. Although not shown in the figures, the battery pack 1 is mounted on an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle, and supplies power to an electric motor as a drive source. The battery pack 1 is disposed below a floor panel of the vehicle and attached to the vehicle body. Note that in Fig. 2, the electrode terminals of the plurality of battery modules 2, the battery ECU 3, and the electrical wiring (e.g., wiring via a bus bar) of the junction board 4 are not shown.

[0012] The battery modules 2 are configured by stacking a plurality of battery cells, and are arranged in the case 5 so that the stacking direction (longitudinal direction) is the vehicle width direction. Four battery modules 2 are arranged forward of the center in the front-rear direction of the case 5, and four are arranged on the rear side. More specifically, two battery modules 2 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction on the left side of the front side of the case 5, and two battery modules 2 are similarly arranged side by side in the front-rear direction on the right side. Furthermore, two battery modules 2 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction on the left side of the case 5, and two battery modules 2 are similarly arranged side by side in the front-rear direction on the right side.

[0013] The battery ECU 3 controls charging and discharging of the battery module 2, and includes a processor, a memory, an interface, etc. The battery ECU 3 is disposed above the two battery modules disposed on the front and right side inside the case 5 via a bracket 8.

[0014] The junction board 4 electrically connects the battery module 2 to an external device (not shown) and includes wiring components through which charging power and discharging power of the battery module 2 flows. The junction board 4 is disposed in the center of the front side inside the case 5.

[0015] The case 5 is configured to be substantially square in top view. The case 5 has a bottom wall 50 on which the battery module 2 is placed, and side walls 51 provided on the periphery of the bottom wall 50. The side walls 51 include a front wall 51a, a rear wall 51b, a right wall 51c, and a left wall 51d.

[0016] The cover 6 is configured to be approximately square in top view, and has approximately the same size as the case 5. The cover 6 is attached from above to the side wall 51 of the case 5 via a seal member 7 (see Figs. 5 to 8).

[0017] Regarding the attachment of the cover 6 to the case 5, the upper surface 52 of the side wall 51 of the case 5 and the lower surface 62 of the peripheral portion 61 of the cover 6 (see Figs. 5 to 8) are provided with fastening portions 30 for fastening the cover 6 to the case 5. A plurality of fastening portions 30 are provided. Each fastening portion 30 has a hole through which a fastening member B1 such as a bolt can be inserted. For example, the hole of the fastening portion 30 of the case 5 is a bolt hole. The upper surface 52 of the side wall 51 and the lower surface 62 of the cover 6 are opposed to each other, and as shown in Fig. 7, the fastening member B1 is inserted from above into the hole of the fastening portion 30 to fasten the cover 6 to the case 5. In the following, the upper surface 52 of the side wall 51 and the lower surface 62 of the cover 6 are also referred to as the mating surface 52 of the side wall 51 of the case 5 and the mating surface 62 of the cover 6, respectively.

[0018] 1 to 4, an outer surface 53 of the side wall 51 of the case 5 is provided with a case fixing portion 56 that is fixed to a vehicle body. A plurality of case fixing portions 56 (four in this embodiment) are provided along the periphery of the case 5. In detail, the four case fixing portions 56 are provided on the front side of the right wall 51c, the rear side of the right wall 51c, the front side of the left wall 51d, and the rear side of the left wall 51d, respectively.

[0019] 1 and 8, a cover fixing portion 66 is provided on the mating surface 62 of the cover 6, which is fixed to the vehicle body together with the case fixing portion 56. The cover fixing portion 66 is provided in correspondence with the position where the case fixing portion 56 is provided, and a plurality of the cover fixing portions 66 (four in this embodiment) are provided along the peripheral portion 61 of the cover 6.

[0020] The case fixing portion 56 and the cover fixing portion 66 have holes through which a fastening member B2 such as a bolt can be inserted. The fastening member B2 is inserted from below into the holes of the case fixing portion 56 and the cover fixing portion 66. At this time, the fastening member B2 passes through the cover fixing portion 66 and extends to a vehicle body (not shown) disposed above the cover fixing portion 66. The battery pack 1 is attached to the vehicle body by the fastening member B2 that passes through the case fixing portion 56 and the cover fixing portion 66 and extends upward.

[0021] The case 5 is provided with positioning holes 11 at a central position in the front-rear direction and on both sides in the vehicle width direction. When attaching the battery pack 1 to the vehicle body, for example, a pin or the like provided on the vehicle body is inserted into the positioning hole 11 to position the battery pack 1, and then the battery pack 1 is attached to the case fixing part 56 and the cover fixing part 66 by fastening members B2.

[0022] 1 to 4, case 5 has a protruding portion 55 provided on outer surface 53 of side wall 51 and protruding outward from case 5. Protruding portion 55 has case fixing portion 56 and clamped portion 57 described above.

[0023] Clamped portion 57 is a portion that is clamped from above and below by a jig (not shown) when battery pack 1 is attached to the vehicle body. As shown in Fig. 4, clamped portion 57 has upper surface 57a and lower surface 57b. When battery pack 1 is attached to the vehicle body from below, clamped portion 57 is held by clamping upper surface 57a and lower surface 57b of clamped portion 57 with a jig, and battery pack 1 is supported.

[0024] Case fixing portion 56 and clamped portion 57 are disposed adjacent to each other along the direction in which outer surface 53 of side wall 51 extends, and are provided integrally as a part that constitutes protruding portion 55. Case fixing portion 56 is a high-rigidity portion, and clamped portion 57 is provided on protruding portion 55 together with case fixing portion 56, thereby sharing the high rigidity of case fixing portion 56. Therefore, when battery pack 1 is attached to the vehicle body using a jig, the rigidity of case 5 can be sufficiently ensured so that it does not deform under its own weight. As a result, battery pack 1 can be stably supported when clamped portion 57 is held by a jig.

[0025] In top view, clamped portion 57 is larger than case fixing portion 56. Therefore, by increasing the area of ​​protruding portion 55 that is occupied by clamped portion 57, clamped portion 57 can be securely held by a jig.

[0026] A plurality of protrusions 55 (four in this embodiment) are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the protrusions 55 include a first protrusion 55A and a second protrusion 55B provided on the right wall 51c of the case 5 on the front and rear sides of the center of the case 5, and a third protrusion 55C and a fourth protrusion 55D provided on the left wall 51d of the case 5 on the front and rear sides of the center of the case 5. In this manner, the clamped portions 57 of the protrusions 55 are arranged in a well-balanced manner in the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction of the battery pack 1. Therefore, when the battery pack 1 is attached to the vehicle body, the battery pack 1 can be supported more stably by a jig.

[0027] 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along line AA and line BB in FIG. 4, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, an outer edge 62a of the mating surface 62 of the cover 6 is located outside the mating surface 52 of the case 5. As shown in FIG. 6, at the position where the clamped portion 57 is provided, an upper surface 57a of the clamped portion 57 is lower than the mating surface 52 of the case 5, and a step portion 58 is provided between the upper surface 57a of the clamped portion 57 and the mating surface 52 of the case 5. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent liquid (e.g., salt water) flowing from the upper surface of the cover 6 from penetrating between the mating surface 52 of the case 5 and the mating surface 62 of the cover 6.

[0028] Moreover, the mating surface 62 of the cover 6 is formed flat in the horizontal direction up to the outer edge 62a. In other words, no step is formed in the portion of the mating surface 62 of the cover 6 that is located outside the mating surface 52 of the case 5. With this configuration, liquid is less likely to be retained in the portion of the mating surface 62 of the cover 6 that is located outside the mating surface 52 of the case 5. This makes it possible to further prevent liquid (e.g., salt water) flowing from the upper surface of the cover 6 from penetrating between the mating surface 52 of the case 5 and the mating surface 62 of the cover 6.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 8, the mating surfaces 52, 62 of the case 5 and the cover 6 abut against each other at the case fixing portion 56 and the cover fixing portion 66. Similarly, as shown in Fig. 7, the mating surfaces 52, 62 of the case 5 and the cover 6 abut against each other at the fastening portion 30. That is, the case 5 and the cover 6 are firmly fastened to each other at the case fixing portion 56, the cover fixing portion 66, and the fastening portion 30.

[0030] 5 and 6, mating surfaces 52, 62 of the case 5 and the cover 6 are provided with a gap in areas other than the case fixing portion 56, the cover fixing portion 66, and the fastening portion 30. The gap is a very small gap of, for example, 1 mm or less.

[0031] Even when the mating surfaces 52, 62 abut against each other, a small amount of liquid can penetrate between the mating surfaces 52, 62. Comparing a case where the mating surfaces 52, 62 abut against a case where the mating surfaces 52, 62 are provided with a gap, when the mating surfaces 52, 62 abut against each other, corrosion of the mating surfaces 52, 62 is more likely to progress when liquid penetrates between the mating surfaces 52, 62. Therefore, by providing a gap between the mating surfaces 52, 62, the progress of corrosion of the mating surfaces 52, 62 can be suppressed.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, the positions of the outer edges of the first protrusion 55A and the second protrusion 55B provided on the right side in the vehicle width direction are substantially the same in the vehicle width direction. Similarly, the positions of the outer edges of the third protrusion 55C and the fourth protrusion 55D provided on the left side in the vehicle width direction are substantially the same in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, when an impact is input from the vehicle width direction, the impact can be received in a balanced manner by the protrusions 55 provided separately in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the battery module 2 arranged inside the battery pack 1 can be protected.

[0033] Furthermore, a plurality of protrusions 59 are provided on the rear wall 51b of the case 5. In this embodiment, two protrusions 59 are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, when an impact is applied from the rear of the vehicle, the impact can be received in a balanced manner by the protrusions 59 provided separately on both sides in the vehicle width direction. The protrusions 59 may be provided on the front wall 51a of the case 5, or may be provided on both the front wall 51a and the rear wall 51b of the case 5.

[0034] (Modification) 9, the upper surface 57a of the clamped portion 57 may have an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the outside of the case 5. With this configuration, liquid that has flowed from the upper surface of the cover 6 to the upper surface 57a of the clamped portion 57 can be prevented from accumulating on the upper surface 57a. This configuration is particularly effective in preventing liquid from penetrating between the mating surface 52 of the case 5 and the mating surface 62 of the cover 6 when the height of the step portion 58 cannot be sufficiently ensured. Note that the inclined surface of the upper surface 57a of the clamped portion 57 is preferably inclined to such an extent that it does not prevent the clamped portion 57 from being sandwiched by a jig.

[0035] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the components in the above embodiment may be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention.

[0036] This specification describes at least the following items. In parentheses, components corresponding to the above-described embodiment are shown as examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0037] (1) A battery pack (battery pack 1) that is disposed under a floor panel of a vehicle and attached to a vehicle body, A battery (battery module 2); A case (case 5) having a side wall (side wall 51) on the periphery and housing the battery; Equipped with The case has a protrusion (protrusion 55) provided on an outer surface (outer surface 53) of the side wall and protruding outward from the case, The protrusion is A case fixing portion (case fixing portion 56) that is fixed to the vehicle body; a clamped portion (clamped portion 57) that is clamped from above and below by a jig when the battery pack is attached to the vehicle body; having Battery pack.

[0038] According to (1), the clamped portion is provided on the protruding portion together with the case fixing portion, and shares the high rigidity of the case fixing portion, so that the rigidity of the case can be sufficiently secured so that the battery pack does not deform under its own weight when the battery pack is attached to the vehicle body using a jig, thereby improving the rigidity of the case.

[0039] (2) A battery pack according to (1), Further, a cover (cover 6) is provided to cover the case from above, The side wall and the cover of the case each have mating surfaces (mating surfaces 52, 62) that face each other via a seal member (seal member 7), The cover has a cover fixing portion (cover fixing portion 66) that is provided on the mating surface and is fixed to the vehicle body together with the case fixing portion. Battery pack.

[0040] According to (2), the case and the cover can be fixed to the vehicle body at the case fixing portion and the cover fixing portion.

[0041] (3) A battery pack according to (2), An outer edge (outer edge 62a) of the mating surface of the cover is located outside the mating surface of the case, The upper surface (upper surface 57a) of the clamped portion is lower than the mating surface of the case, and a step (step portion 58) is provided between the upper surface of the clamped portion and the mating surface of the case. Battery pack.

[0042] According to (3), since the outer edge of the mating surface of the cover is positioned outboard of the mating surface of the case, it is possible to prevent liquid flowing from the top surface of the cover from penetrating between the mating surfaces.

[0043] (4) A battery pack according to (3), The mating surface of the cover is formed horizontally flat up to the outer edge. Battery pack.

[0044] According to (4), liquid is less likely to be retained in the portion of the mating surface of the cover that is located outside the mating surface of the case, and liquid that has flowed down from the top surface of the cover can be prevented from seeping in between the mating surfaces.

[0045] (5) A battery pack according to any one of (2) to (4), A fastening portion (fastening portion 30) for fastening the cover to the case is provided on the mating surfaces of the case and the cover, The mating surfaces of the case and the cover are the case fixing portion, the cover fixing portion, and the fastening portion abut against each other, A gap is provided in a portion other than the case fixing portion, the cover fixing portion, and the fastening portion. Battery pack.

[0046] According to (5), by providing a gap in part of the mating surfaces of the case and the cover, the progression of corrosion of the mating surfaces can be suppressed.

[0047] (6) A battery pack according to any one of (1) to (5), The upper surface of the clamped portion has an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the outside of the case. Battery pack.

[0048] According to (6), liquid that has flowed onto the upper surface of the clamped portion can be easily drained.

[0049] (7) A battery pack according to any one of (1) to (6), The protrusions are provided on both sides in a vehicle width direction, The protrusion is A first protrusion (first protrusion 55A) and a second protrusion (second protrusion 55B) are provided on the side wall of the case on one side (right side) in the vehicle width direction and are provided forward and rearward of a center of the case in the front-rear direction; A third protrusion (third protrusion 55C) and a fourth protrusion (fourth protrusion 55D) are provided on the side wall of the case on the other side (left side) in the vehicle width direction and are provided forward and rearward of the center of the case in the front-rear direction; Including, Battery pack.

[0050] According to (7), since the first to fourth protrusions are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction and on the front and rear sides in the front-rear direction, the clamped portions of the protrusions are arranged in a well-balanced manner on the case, and thus the battery pack can be more stably supported by a jig when mounting the battery pack on the vehicle body.

[0051] (8) A battery pack according to (7), The positions of outer edges of the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion are substantially the same in the vehicle width direction, The positions of outer edges of the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion are substantially the same in the vehicle width direction, Battery pack.

[0052] According to (8), when an impact is applied from the vehicle width direction, the impact can be received in a balanced manner by each protrusion.

[0053] (9) A battery pack according to any one of (1) to (8), A plurality of protrusions (protrusions 59) are provided on at least one of the front side and the rear side of the side wall of the case, The plurality of protrusions are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction. Battery pack.

[0054] According to (9), when an impact is applied from the front-rear direction, the impact can be received in a balanced manner by the protrusions provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction.

[0055] (10) A battery pack according to any one of (1) to (9), When viewed from above, the clamped portion is larger than the case fixing portion. Battery pack.

[0056] According to (10), a sufficient area for the jig to clamp can be secured. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Battery pack 2 Battery Module (Battery) 30 Fastening part 5 Cases 51 Side wall 52 Mating surface 53 External surface 55 Protrusion 55A 1st protrusion 55B 2nd protrusion 55C 3rd protrusion 55D 4th protrusion 56 Case fixing part 57 Clamped part 57a Upper surface of clamped part 58 Step 59 Protrusion 6 Cover 62 Mating surface 62a Outer edge 66 Cover fixing part 7 Sealing material

Claims

1. A battery pack disposed under a floor panel of a vehicle and attached to a vehicle body, A battery; a case having a peripheral side wall for housing the battery; Equipped with the case has a protrusion provided on an outer surface of the side wall and protruding outwardly from the case, The protrusion is A case fixing portion fixed to the vehicle body; a clamped portion that is clamped from above and below by a jig when the battery pack is attached to the vehicle body; having The case fixing portion and the clamped portion are disposed adjacent to each other along a direction in which the outer surface of the side wall extends, and are integrally provided as parts constituting the protrusion. Battery pack.

2. 2. The battery pack according to claim 1, A cover is further provided to cover the case from above, the side wall and the cover of the case each have a mating surface that faces each other via a seal member, The cover has a cover fixing portion provided on the mating surface and fixed to the vehicle body together with the case fixing portion. Battery pack.

3. 3. The battery pack according to claim 2, an outer edge of the mating surface of the cover is located outside the mating surface of the case; an upper surface of the clamped portion is lower than the mating surface of the case, and a step is provided between the upper surface of the clamped portion and the mating surface of the case. Battery pack.

4. 4. The battery pack according to claim 3, The mating surface of the cover is formed horizontally flat up to the outer edge. Battery pack.

5. 5. The battery pack according to claim 2, a fastening portion for fastening the cover to the case is provided on the mating surfaces of the case and the cover, The mating surfaces of the case and the cover are the case fixing portion, the cover fixing portion, and the fastening portion abut against each other, A gap is provided in a portion other than the case fixing portion, the cover fixing portion, and the fastening portion. Battery pack.

6. 5. The battery pack according to claim 1, The upper surface of the clamped portion has an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the outside of the case. Battery pack.

7. 5. The battery pack according to claim 1, The protrusions are provided on both sides in a vehicle width direction, The protrusion is a first protrusion and a second protrusion provided on the side wall of the case on one side in the vehicle width direction and provided forward and rearward of a center of the case in the front-rear direction; a third protrusion and a fourth protrusion provided on the side wall of the case on the other side in the vehicle width direction and provided forward and rearward of a center of the case in the front-rear direction; Including, Battery pack.

8. 8. The battery pack according to claim 7, The positions of outer edges of the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion are substantially the same in the vehicle width direction, The positions of outer edges of the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion are substantially the same in the vehicle width direction, Battery pack.

9. 5. The battery pack according to claim 1, A plurality of protrusions are provided on at least one of the front side and the rear side of the side wall of the case, The plurality of protrusions are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction. Battery pack.

10. 5. The battery pack according to claim 1, When viewed from above, the clamped portion is larger than the case fixing portion. Battery pack.

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