Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack in which a seal part can be easily opened at the time of a maintenance.SOLUTION: A battery pack 1 comprises: a lower case 100; an upper case 200; and a seal part member 300. The lower case 100 includes: a lower case main body 110; and a lower flange 120. The upper case 200 includes: an upper case main body 210; and an upper flange 220. The seal part member 300 seals between the lower flange 120 and the upper flange 220. The upper flange 220 includes: an overlapping part 221 that is overlapped with the lower flange 120 in a vertical direction; and a projection part 226 that is connected to the overlapping part 221 and is projected to the side outer from the lower flange 120. In the overlapping part 221, an upper bead 225 having a shape extended to an orthogonal direction orthogonal to both of the vertical direction and a direction where the upper flange 220 is expanded from the upper case main body 210.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery pack. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, battery packs mounted on vehicles and the like are known. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5977374 discloses a battery case including a lower case and an upper case. Flanges are formed on the outer edge of the lower case and the outer edge of the upper case. The flanges face each other with a gap therebetween, and a sealant is provided between the flanges. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5977374 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the battery case described in Japanese Patent No. 5977374, for example, when smoke is emitted from the secondary battery, there is a concern that the seal material will soften, causing communication between the inside and outside of the battery case.

[0005] In view of this, it is conceivable to provide fastening points on each flange and fasten the fastening points with fastening members.

[0006] However, with such a structure, it is not possible to access the portion of the seal material that is located inside the fastening portion, making it difficult to open the seal portion during maintenance.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a battery pack in which a seal portion can be easily opened for maintenance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A battery pack according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a secondary battery, a lower case having an upwardly opening shape, an upper case having a shape that closes the opening of the lower case and that houses the secondary battery together with the lower case, and a seal member that seals between the lower case and the upper case, wherein the lower case has a lower case main body that receives the secondary battery from below, and a lower flange that protrudes outward from an edge of the lower case main body, and the upper case has an upper case main body that houses the secondary battery together with the lower case main body, and a seal member that seals between the lower case and the upper case. The upper case has an upper flange that protrudes outward from the edge of the case and faces the lower flange in the vertical direction, and the sealing member seals between the lower flange and the upper flange, and the upper flange has an overlapping portion that overlaps with the lower flange in the vertical direction and a protruding portion that is connected to the overlapping portion and protrudes outward beyond the lower flange, and an upper bead is formed in the overlapping portion having a shape that extends in a perpendicular direction that is perpendicular to both the vertical direction and the direction in which the upper flange protrudes from the upper case main body. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a battery pack in which the seal portion can be easily opened for maintenance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper flange and a lower flange in the battery pack shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the upper flange and the lower flange. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the upper flange and the lower flange. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a side view of the upper flange and the lower flange. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIGS. 3 and 4. [Figure 7] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic state in which a part of an upper flange is turned up. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view that shows a schematic configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper flange and a lower flange in the battery pack shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the upper flange and the lower flange. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the upper flange and the lower flange. FIG. 5 is a side view of the upper flange and the lower flange. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIGS. 3 and 4. This battery pack 1 is mounted, for example, in a vehicle. The battery pack 1 may be mounted in any position on the vehicle.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the battery pack 1 includes at least one secondary battery 10, a lower case 100, an upper case 200, and a seal member 300. The battery pack 1 includes at least one secondary battery 10, a lower case 100, an upper case 200, and a seal member 300.

[0014] In this embodiment, the battery pack 1 includes a plurality of secondary batteries 10. The number of the secondary batteries 10 is not particularly limited. The secondary batteries 10 are arranged to face each other. Each secondary battery 10 may be, for example, a lithium ion battery.

[0015] The lower case 100 has a shape that opens upward. The lower case 100 is made of metal. The lower case 100 has a lower case body 110 and a lower flange 120.

[0016] The lower case body 110 has a shape that receives the secondary battery 10 from below. The lower case body 110 has a rectangular bottom wall that supports the secondary battery 10, and a lower peripheral wall that stands from the edge of the bottom wall and surrounds the secondary battery 10.

[0017] The lower flange 120 has a shape that protrudes outward from the edge (the upper end of the lower peripheral wall) of the lower case body 110. The lower flange 120 will be described in detail later.

[0018] The upper case 200 has a shape that closes the opening of the lower case 100, and accommodates the secondary battery 10 together with the lower case 100. The upper case 200 is made of metal. The upper case 200 has an upper case body 210 and an upper flange 220.

[0019] The upper case body 210, together with the lower case body 110, houses the secondary battery 10. The upper case body 210 has a rectangular top wall disposed above the secondary battery 10, and an upper peripheral wall extending downward from the edge of the top wall to surround the secondary battery 10.

[0020] The upper flange 220 projects outward from the edge (the lower end of the upper peripheral wall) of the upper case main body 210, and faces the lower flange 120 in the vertical direction. The upper flange 220 will be described in detail later.

[0021] The seal member 300 provides a seal between the lower case 100 and the upper case 200. More specifically, the seal member 300 provides a seal between the lower flange 120 and the upper flange 120.

[0022] Here, the lower flange 120 and the upper flange 220 will be described.

[0023] The lower flange 120 has a shape that is connected in an annular shape. The lower flange 120 has a receiving portion 122 and a lower protruding portion 124.

[0024] The receiving portion 122 is a portion that receives the seal member 300. The receiving portion 122 may be formed flat.

[0025] The lower protruding portion 124 protrudes outward from the receiving portion 122. As shown in Fig. 6, the lower protruding portion 124 is located above the receiving portion 122. In other words, a step is formed between the receiving portion 122 and the lower protruding portion 124.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 4, the lower protruding portion 124 is formed with an insertion hole 124h for inserting a fastening member such as a bolt, and a lower bead 125 having a shape extending parallel to the direction in which the lower flange 120 protrudes from the lower case body 110 (a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the lower flange 120). The lower protruding portion 124 is formed with a pair of lower beads 125 at positions sandwiching the insertion hole 124h. As shown in Fig. 5, the lower bead 125 is curved so as to be convex downward.

[0027] The upper flange 220 has an annular shape. The upper flange 220 has an overlapping portion 221 and a protruding portion 226.

[0028] The overlapping portion 221 is a portion that overlaps with the lower flange 120 in the up-down direction. The overlapping portion 221 has a pressing portion 222 and an upper protruding portion 224.

[0029] The pressing portion 222 is a portion that presses the seal member 300 toward the receiving portion 122. The pressing portion 222 may be formed flat. The pressing portion 222 is spaced upward from the receiving portion 122. The seal member 300 is provided between the pressing portion 222 and the receiving portion 122.

[0030] The upper overhanging portion 224 overhangs outward (to the left in FIG. 6) from the pressing portion 222. The upper overhanging portion 224 is in contact with the lower overhanging portion 124. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper overhanging portion 224 is located lower than the pressing portion 222. That is, a step is formed between the pressing portion 222 and the upper overhanging portion 224. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper overhanging portion 224 is formed with an insertion hole 224h for inserting a fastening member. The upper overhanging portion 224 and the lower overhanging portion 124 are fastened by a fastening member inserted into each of the insertion holes 124h, 224h.

[0031] An upper bead 225 is formed in the overlapping portion 221. The upper bead 225 has a shape extending in an orthogonal direction (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 6) that is orthogonal to both the up-down direction and the direction in which the upper flange 220 protrudes from the upper case main body 210. The upper bead 225 is formed at the boundary between the pressing portion 222 and the upper protruding portion 224.

[0032] The protruding portion 226 is connected to the overlapping portion 221. As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the protruding portion 226 protrudes outward beyond the lower flange 120.

[0033] Next, the maintenance work of the battery pack 1 (the work of removing the upper case 200) will be described. During maintenance of the battery pack 1, after removing the fastening member fastening the lower overhanging portion 124 and the upper overhanging portion 224 together, the portion of the upper flange 220 outside the upper bead 225 (the pressing portion 222 and the protruding portion 226) is turned up against the lower flange 120 to the open position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 7) while holding the protruding portion 226 with a tool or the like. This exposes the seal member 300. By opening the seal member 300 by cutting or the like, it becomes possible to remove the upper case 200 from the lower case 100.

[0034] As described above, in the battery pack 1 of this embodiment, the upper flange 220 has the protruding portion 226, and the upper bead 225 is formed at the overlapping portion 221 of the upper flange 220, so that the sealing member 300 can be exposed by turning up the portion of the upper flange 220 that is outside the upper bead 225 relative to the lower flange 120. Therefore, during maintenance of the battery pack 1, maintenance can be easily performed (the upper case 200 can be removed) by opening the sealing member 300 exposed by the above-mentioned operation.

[0035] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments described above are examples of the following aspects.

[0036] The battery pack in the above embodiment includes a secondary battery, a lower case having an upwardly opening shape, an upper case having a shape that closes the opening of the lower case and that houses the secondary battery together with the lower case, and a seal member that seals between the lower case and the upper case, the lower case having a lower case body that receives the secondary battery from below, and a lower flange that protrudes outward from an edge of the lower case body, the upper case having an upper case body that houses the secondary battery together with the lower case body, and a seal member that seals between the lower case and the upper case. The upper case has an upper flange which protrudes outward from an edge of the upper case and faces the lower flange in the vertical direction, the sealing member seals between the lower flange and the upper flange, the upper flange has an overlapping portion which overlaps with the lower flange in the vertical direction and a protruding portion which is connected to the overlapping portion and protrudes outward beyond the lower flange, and an upper bead is formed in the overlapping portion having a shape extending in a perpendicular direction which is perpendicular to both the vertical direction and the direction in which the upper flange protrudes from the upper case main body.

[0037] In this battery pack, the upper flange has a protruding portion, and an upper bead is formed at the overlapping portion of the upper flange, so that the sealing member can be exposed by lifting up the portion of the upper flange outside the upper bead relative to the lower flange while gripping the protruding portion with a tool, etc. Therefore, when performing maintenance on the battery pack, maintenance can be easily performed by opening the sealing member exposed by the above-mentioned operation.

[0038] Furthermore, it is preferable that the lower flange has a receiving portion that receives the sealing member and a lower protrusion portion that protrudes outward from the receiving portion, the overlapping portion has a pressing portion that presses the sealing member toward the receiving portion and an upper protrusion portion that protrudes outward from the pressing portion and contacts the lower protrusion portion, and the upper bead is formed at the boundary between the pressing portion and the upper protrusion portion.

[0039] In this embodiment, it is possible to fasten the lower overhang portion and the upper overhang portion.

[0040] It is also preferable that a lower bead is formed on the lower protruding portion and has a shape extending parallel to a direction in which the lower flange protrudes from the lower case body.

[0041] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments above, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 battery pack, 10 secondary battery, 100 lower case, 110 lower case body, 120 lower flange, 122 receiving portion, 124 lower protrusion, 125 lower bead, 200 upper case, 210 upper case body, 220 upper flange, 221 overlapping portion, 222 pressing portion, 224 upper protrusion, 225 upper bead, 226 protruding portion, 300 sealing member.

Claims

1. A secondary battery; A lower case having an upwardly opening shape; an upper case having a shape that closes an opening of the lower case and that houses the secondary battery together with the lower case; a seal member that seals between the lower case and the upper case, The lower case is a lower case body that receives the secondary battery from below; a lower flange extending outward from an edge of the lower case body, The upper case includes: an upper case body that accommodates the secondary battery together with the lower case body; an upper flange that protrudes outward from an edge of the upper case body and faces the lower flange in a vertical direction; The seal member seals between the lower flange and the upper flange, The lower flange is a receiving portion for receiving the seal member; A lower protruding portion protruding outward from the receiving portion, The upper flange is an overlapping portion that overlaps with the lower flange in a vertical direction; a protruding portion connected to the overlapping portion and protruding outward beyond the lower flange, an upper bead is formed in the overlapping portion and has a shape extending in a direction perpendicular to both a vertical direction and a direction in which the upper flange protrudes from the upper case body; The overlapping portion is a pressing portion that presses the seal member toward the receiving portion; An upper protruding portion protruding outward from the pressing portion, The lower overhanging portion and the upper overhanging portion have an insertion hole for inserting a fastening member therethrough, a pair of lower beads are formed on the lower protruding portion at positions sandwiching the insertion hole in the perpendicular direction, each of the pair of lower beads extends in a direction parallel to a direction in which the lower protruding portion protrudes from the receiving portion and has a shape that is curved so as to be convex downward;

2. The lower protrusion is located above the receiving portion, The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the upper protruding portion is located below the pressing portion.

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