Battery pack

Abstract

To provide a battery pack with a simplified manufacturing process and reduced manufacturing costs.SOLUTION: A battery pack includes a stack including a plurality of battery cells, a case member that houses the stack, an electrical component electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells, and an electrical component storage box that houses the electrical component, and a concave-convex engagement portion is formed between the case member and the electrical component storage box, and the electrical component storage box is fixed to the case member at least in part by the concave-convex engagement portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present technology relates to battery packs. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 09-240288 (Patent Document 1) shows a structure in which a box for accommodating electrical components is fixed to a case using bolts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-240288 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the use of bolts as a fastening mechanism can increase the number of components. Furthermore, a bolt fastening mechanism requires a bolt tightening process. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in conventional battery packs from the viewpoints of simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0005] An object of the present technology is to provide a battery pack that simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present technology provides the following battery pack.

[0007] [1] A battery pack includes a stack including a plurality of battery cells, a case member for housing the stack, an electrical component electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells, and an electrical component storage box for housing the electrical component, wherein a concave-convex engagement portion is formed between the case member and the electrical component storage box, and the electrical component storage box is fixed to the case member. , concave The case member is configured by a protruding engagement portion. a bottom surface facing the electrical component storage box, the electrical component storage box having a lower surface facing the bottom surface of the case member; a concave-convex engagement portion formed between the bottom surface of the case member and the lower surface of the electrical component storage box; the concave-convex engagement portion including a convex portion and a concave portion, the convex portion being provided on one of the bottom surface and the lower surface, and the concave portion being provided on the other of the bottom surface and the lower surface; and the convex portion and the concave portion engaging with each other at the concave-convex engagement portion, thereby fixing the electrical component storage box to the case member without using bolts.Battery pack.

[0009] [2] The concave-convex engagement portion includes a convex portion provided on the bottom surface of the case member and a concave portion provided on the lower surface of the electrical component storage box. [1] The battery pack according to claim 1.

[0010] [3] The concave-convex engaging portion is provided directly below or in the vicinity of the electrical component. [1] or [2] The battery pack according to claim 1.

[0011] [4] The concave-convex engagement portion is provided directly below or in the vicinity of the relay component among the electrical components. [3] The battery pack according to claim 1.

[0012] [5] The bottom surface of the case member includes a first bottom surface portion extending along a first plane and a second bottom surface portion extending along a second plane that obliquely intersects with the first plane, the laminated body being provided on the first bottom surface portion, and the electrical component storage box being provided on the second bottom surface portion. [1] or [2] The battery pack according to claim 1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present technology, at least a part of the fixing of the electrical component storage box to the case member is configured by the concave-convex engaging portion, so that the electrical component storage box can be fixed by other fixing means such as bolts. Fixation This makes it possible to omit the above steps, thereby providing a battery pack with simplified manufacturing processes and reduced manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a battery cell. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a battery cell and a case member that houses the battery cell. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an external view of the battery pack. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the periphery of an electrical component unit in the battery pack. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fixing structure of an electrical component storage box according to a reference example. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing a fixing structure for an electrical component storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram (part 2) showing the fixing structure of the electrical component storage box according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a fixing structure of an electrical component storage box according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described. Note that the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference characters, and description thereof may not be repeated.

[0016] In the embodiments described below, when numbers, amounts, etc. are mentioned, the scope of the present technology is not necessarily limited to those numbers, amounts, etc., unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, in the following embodiments, each component is not necessarily essential to the present technology, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the present technology is not necessarily limited to those that achieve all of the effects and advantages mentioned in the present embodiments.

[0017] In this specification, the terms "comprise," "include," and "have" are open-ended. That is, when a certain feature is included, other features may or may not be included.

[0018] Furthermore, when geometric terms and terms expressing positional and directional relationships are used in this specification, such as "parallel," "orthogonal," "45° diagonal," "coaxial," and "along," these terms allow for manufacturing errors and slight variations. When terms expressing relative positional relationships, such as "upper side" and "lower side," are used in this specification, these terms are used to indicate relative positional relationships in a single state, and the relative positional relationships can be reversed or rotated to any angle depending on the installation direction of each mechanism (for example, by turning the entire mechanism upside down).

[0019] In this specification, the term "battery" is not limited to lithium-ion batteries, but may include other batteries such as nickel-metal hydride batteries and sodium-ion batteries. In this specification, the term "electrode" may collectively refer to a positive electrode and a negative electrode.

[0020] In this specification, "battery cells" are not necessarily limited to prismatic ones, but may also include cells of other shapes, such as cylindrical, pouch, and blade types. Furthermore, "battery cells" can be installed in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). However, the use of "battery cells" is not limited to in-vehicle use.

[0021] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery cell 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the battery cell 100 has a rectangular shape. The battery cell 100 has an electrode terminal 110, a housing 120, and a gas release valve 130.

[0022] The electrode terminal 110 is formed on the housing 120. The electrode terminal 110 has a positive electrode terminal 111 and a negative electrode terminal 112 that are aligned along an X-axis direction (second direction) that is perpendicular to a Y-axis direction (first direction). The positive electrode terminal 111 and the negative electrode terminal 112 are spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction.

[0023] The housing 120 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and forms the exterior of the battery cell 100. The housing 120 includes a case body 120A that houses an electrode assembly and an electrolyte (not shown), and a sealing plate 120B that seals the opening of the case body 120A. The sealing plate 120B is joined to the case body 120A by welding.

[0024] The housing 120 has an upper surface 121, a lower surface 122, a first side surface 123, a second side surface 124, and two third side surfaces 125.

[0025] The upper surface 121 is a plane perpendicular to the Z-axis direction (third direction) that is perpendicular to the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction. The electrode terminals 110 are disposed on the upper surface 121. The lower surface 122 faces the upper surface 121 along the Z-axis direction.

[0026] Each of the first side surface 123 and the second side surface 124 is made of a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. Each of the first side surface 123 and the second side surface 124 has the largest area among the multiple side surfaces of the housing 120. Each of the first side surface 123 and the second side surface 124 has a rectangular shape when viewed in the Y-axis direction. Each of the first side surface 123 and the second side surface 124 has a rectangular shape when viewed in the Y-axis direction, with the X-axis direction being the longitudinal direction and the Z-axis direction being the lateral direction.

[0027] The multiple battery cells 100 are stacked such that the first side surfaces 123 and the second side surfaces 124 of the battery cells 100 adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction face each other. As a result, the positive electrode terminals 111 and the negative electrode terminals 112 are arranged alternately in the Y-axis direction in which the multiple battery cells 100 are stacked.

[0028] The gas release valve 130 is provided on the top surface 121. When the temperature of the battery cell 100 rises (thermal runaway) and the internal pressure of the housing 120 exceeds a predetermined value due to gas generated inside the housing 120, the gas release valve 130 releases the gas to the outside of the housing 120.

[0029] 2 is a perspective view showing a case member 200 that houses the battery cells 100. For convenience of illustration, the lid portion of the case member 200, which will be described later, is not shown in FIG.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the case member 200 includes an internal space 210, a cooling plate 220, side surfaces 230 and 240, and a flange portion 250.

[0031] A stack (battery assembly) of multiple battery cells 100 stacked in the Y-axis direction is housed in the internal space 210. The battery assembly is arranged in three rows in the X-axis direction. The cooling plate 220 and the side surface portion 230 define the internal space 210.

[0032] The cooling plate 220 constitutes at least a part of the bottom surface 260 of the case member 200. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the bottom surface 260 includes a first bottom surface portion 261 extending in the direction of the XY plane (first plane) and a second bottom surface portion 262 extending in the direction of a plane (second plane) that intersects obliquely with the XY plane, and the cooling plate 220 constitutes the first bottom surface portion 261. The stack of battery cells 100 is placed on the cooling plate 220. A refrigerant is supplied into the cooling plate 220. The refrigerant may be water, but is not limited to this.

[0033] The side surface portions 230 extend in a direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction. The side surface portions 240 extend in a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction. The side surface portions 230 are located on both sides of the stack of battery cells 100 (including separators) in the Y-axis direction, and extend in a direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, directly supporting the stack of battery cells 100 (cell-to-pack structure). The stack of battery cells 100 abuts against the side surface portions 230.

[0034] However, the case member 200 is not limited to one in which the side surface portion 230 directly supports a stack of battery cells 100, but may also house a battery module including a plurality of battery cells 100 (cell-module-pack structure).

[0035] The flange portion 250 is formed at the upper end of the side surface portions 230, 240, i.e., at the end opposite to the cooling plate 220. The flange portion 250 is spaced apart from the cooling plate 220 along the Z-axis direction and is formed parallel to the cooling plate 220. The flange portion 250 protrudes from the side surface portions 230, 240 in the same direction as the cooling plate 220.

[0036] Fig. 3 is an external view of the battery pack. As shown in Fig. 3, a lid member 270 is attached to the flange portion 250 to seal the internal space 210 of the case member 200. The battery pack further includes a connector 300. The connector 300 forms part of a power supply path to the battery cells 100 and electrical components housed in the case member 200. The connector 300 is connected to external wiring.

[0037] 4 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the electrical component unit 400 housed in the case member 200. As shown in Fig. 4, a connector 300 is provided on the side surface portion 230 of the case member 200. The connector 300 constitutes a power supply port for the battery cells 100 and electrical component unit 400 housed in the case member 200.

[0038] The housing 410 (electrical component storage box) of the electrical component unit 400 houses electrical components including a main relay 420, a shunt resistor 430, a cement resistor 440, a bus bar 450, and a current sensor 460. The housing 410 may also house other electrical components not shown in FIG. 4, such as a fuse and a precharge relay.

[0039] The electrical components housed in housing 410 include first electrical components (e.g., main relay 420, current sensor 460, etc.) that are relatively tall in the Z-axis direction, and second electrical components (e.g., shunt resistor 430, cement resistor 440, bus bar 450) that are relatively short in the Z-axis direction. By arranging the second electrical components, which are shorter in height, closer to side surface portion 230 than the first electrical components, which are taller, it is possible to effectively utilize internal space 210 of case member 200 located on second bottom surface portion 262.

[0040] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a fixing structure of housing 410 according to a reference example. In the reference example shown in Fig. 5, bolt fixing portions 260B are provided on bottom surface 260A of case member 200. Housing 410 is fixed to case member 200 by fastening housing 410 to bolt fixing portions 260B.

[0041] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing a fixing structure of housing 410 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6 and 7, in the fixing structure according to this embodiment, convex portion 262A is provided on bottom surface 260 of case member 200, and concave portion 411 is provided on the lower surface of housing 410 opposite bottom surface 260.

[0042] 6, when the housing 410 is pressed toward the bottom surface 260 of the case member 200 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6, the convex portion 262A of the case member 200 and the concave portion 411 of the housing 410 engage with each other, as shown in FIG. 7. This causes the housing 410 to be fixed to the case member 200. do.

[0043] When the bolt fastening structure shown in Fig. 5 is adopted, the bolts used as fixing means can increase the number of parts. Also, the bolt fastening structure shown in Fig. 5 requires a bolt tightening process.

[0044] In contrast to this, in the fixing structure according to the present embodiment, fixing of the housing 410 to the case member 200 is at least partially achieved by a concave-convex engagement portion formed between the bottom surface 260 of the case member 200 and the lower surface of the housing 410. Conclusion This makes it possible to omit the above, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the battery pack and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0045] Also, by omitting bolt fastening, there is no need to use metal parts such as screws, and it is possible to prevent metal parts from falling into case member 200 when attaching or detaching housing 410. Furthermore, since housing 410 can be attached or detached without using a bolt fastening tool, replacement and maintenance of electrical component unit 400 can be easily performed.

[0046] 6 and 7, by providing a protrusion 262A on the bottom surface 260 side of the case member 200, it is possible to improve the rigidity of the bottom surface 260 of the case member 200. However, the form of the concave-convex engagement portion is not limited to that shown in Fig. 6 and 7. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, a protrusion 412 may be provided on the housing 410 side of the electrical component unit 400, and a recess 262B may be provided on the bottom surface 260 side of the case member 200.

[0047] Furthermore, the shapes of the convex portions 262A, 412 and the concave portions 411, 262B are not limited to those shown in Figures 6 to 8. The convex portions 262A, 412 and the concave portions 411, 262B may be formed in a strip shape or an island shape when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 260.

[0048] The positions at which convex portions 262A and 412 and concave portions 411 and 262B are provided can also be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, convex portion 262A and concave portion 411 may be engaged by pushing in housing 410, or other modes, such as a mode in which convex portion 262A and concave portion 411 are engaged by sliding housing 410, may also be used.

[0049] As an example, the concave-convex engaging portion is provided immediately below or in the vicinity of electrical components such as the main relay 420, the shunt resistor 430, the cement resistor 440, the bus bar 450, and the current sensor 460, and as a more specific example, the concave-convex engaging portion is provided immediately below or in the vicinity of the main relay 420 (relay component) which has a relatively large height in the Z-axis direction. However, the scope of the present technology is not limited to this.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a structure in which a concave-convex engagement portion is formed between the bottom surface 260 of the case member 200 and the underside of the housing 410 has been exemplified, but the position in which the concave-convex engagement portion is formed is not limited to this, and for example, a concave-convex engagement portion may be formed between the side portions 230, 240 of the case member 200 and the side surface of the housing 410.

[0051] Furthermore, in the example shown in this embodiment, the stack of battery cells 100 is provided on a first bottom surface portion 261 extending in the direction of the XY plane, and the electrical component unit 400 is provided on a second bottom surface portion 262 extending in the direction of a plane that intersects obliquely with the XY plane, but the scope of the present technology is not limited to this.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present technology have been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present technology is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100 battery cell, 110 electrode terminal, 111 positive electrode terminal, 112 negative electrode terminal, 120 housing, 120A case body, 120B sealing plate, 121 upper surface, 122 lower surface, 123 first side surface, 124 second side surface, 125 third side surface, 130 gas exhaust valve, 200 case member, 210 internal space, 220 cooling plate, 230, 240 side portion, 250 flange portion, 260, 260A bottom surface, 260B bolt fixing portion, 261 first bottom surface portion, 262 second bottom surface portion, 262A convex portion, 262B concave portion, 270 cover member, 300 connector, 400 electrical component unit, 410 housing, 411 concave portion, 412 convex portion, 420 main relay, 430 Shunt resistors, 440 cement resistors, 450 bus bars, 460 current sensors.

Claims

1. a stack including a plurality of battery cells; a case member that houses the laminate; an electrical component electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of battery cells; an electrical component storage box for storing the electrical components, A concave-convex engagement portion is formed between the case member and the electrical component storage box, The electrical component storage box is fixed to the case member by the concave-convex engaging portion, the case member has a bottom surface facing the electrical component storage box, the electrical component storage box has a lower surface facing the bottom surface of the case member, the concave-convex engagement portion is formed between the bottom surface of the case member and the lower surface of the electrical component storage box, The concave-convex engagement portion includes a convex portion and a concave portion, the convex portion being provided on one of the bottom surface and the lower surface, and the concave portion being provided on the other of the bottom surface and the lower surface, and the convex portion and the concave portion engaging with each other at the concave-convex engagement portion, thereby fixing the electrical component storage box to the case member without using bolts.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the concave-convex engaging portion includes a convex portion provided on the bottom surface of the case member and a concave portion provided on the lower surface of the electrical component storage box.

3. 3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the concave-convex engaging portion is provided directly below or in the vicinity of the electrical component.

4. The battery pack according to claim 3 , wherein the concave-convex engaging portion is provided immediately below or in the vicinity of a relay component among the electrical components.

5. the bottom surface of the case member includes a first bottom surface portion extending along a first plane and a second bottom surface portion extending along a second plane that obliquely intersects with the first plane, 3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the stacked body is provided on the first bottom surface portion, and the electrical component storage box is provided on the second bottom surface portion.

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