Inspection jig, method for inspecting containerized battery, and method for manufacturing containerized battery

Abstract

The present invention provides an inspection jig enabling easy inspection of the positions of busbar leading-end parts for external connection of a containerized battery, a method for inspecting a containerized battery, and a method for manufacturing a containerized battery. This inspection jig 100 is for inspecting the positions of leading-end parts 4a, 4b of a busbar 4 in a containerized battery 1000, the inspection jig 100 comprising: a first positioning part 101 provided with a floor contact part 101a to be brought into contact with floor 10 of the containerized battery 1000; a second positioning part 102 provided with a stud first contact part 102a and a stud second contact part 102b; and a position inspection part 103 for enabling inspection of whether or not the heights from the floor 10, the positions in a left-right direction, and the positions in a front-rear direction of the leading-end parts 4a, 4b of the busbar 4 are within appropriate ranges during an inspection in which the floor contact part 101a is brought into contact with the floor 10 while the stud first contact part 102a and the stud second contact part 102b are brought into contact with a stud 17.

Description

Inspection jig, inspection method for container-type battery, and manufacturing method for container-type battery

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection jig, an inspection method for a container-type battery, and a manufacturing method for a container-type battery.

[0002] A container-type battery is known in which a plurality of module batteries obtained by modularizing single cells are arranged side by side and housed in a container. Patent Document 1 describes a container-type storage battery including a container provided with corner fittings, a pedestal provided with pedestal columns, and a plurality of module batteries mounted on the pedestal.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a power storage device in which a module battery of a sodium-sulfur battery is housed in a sealed container. The power storage device includes a module battery, a bus bar outside the module battery, an intake pipe, an exhaust pipe, a blower, an external temperature sensor, accessory equipment, a controller, a battery pedestal, and a sealed container.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-87553 International Publication No. 2013 / 111426

[0005] In a container-type battery, a bus bar for external connection for connecting an external device such as an electric system or a control unit of another container-type battery to the container-type battery is provided inside the container. In order to improve the connection reliability with an external device and reduce the burden of connection work, it is desirable that the tip of the bus bar for external connection is appropriately arranged at a predetermined position.

[0006] However, the tip of the bus bar for external connection may be installed deep inside the container where it is difficult to directly confirm. Therefore, it may be difficult to inspect whether the tip of the bus bar for external connection is appropriately arranged at a proper position in advance.

[0007] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an inspection jig, an inspection method for a container-type battery, and a manufacturing method for a container-type battery that can easily inspect the position of the tip of the bus bar for external connection of the container-type battery.

[0008] The inventors have diligently studied to solve the above problems and have created the present invention as illustrated below. [Aspect 1] In one embodiment, the present invention is an inspection jig for inspecting the position of the tip of a busbar in a container-type battery comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a battery chamber facing the rear wall, a control chamber facing the front wall, and a storage chamber for housing a busbar, wherein the battery chamber houses a plurality of module batteries connected to each other, the control chamber is adjacent to the battery chamber and has a control unit capable of controlling the plurality of module batteries, the storage chamber is adjacent to the control chamber and houses a busbar extending from the control unit, the busbar has a tip facing the front wall, the front wall has an opening for the control unit and an opening for the storage chamber, and the inspection jig is located in the gap between the front wall and the control unit The inspection jig is insertable into the storage chamber and comprises: a first positioning section extending vertically and having a floor contact section for contacting the floor surface of the container-type battery; a second positioning section extending in the front-rear direction and having a first vertical frame contact section that can contact the first surface of the vertical frame of the opening for the control room, and a second vertical frame contact section that can contact the second surface perpendicular to the first surface of the vertical frame; and a position inspection section that allows inspection of whether the height from the floor surface, the position in the left-right direction, and the position in the front-rear direction of the tip of the busbar are within an appropriate range when the floor contact section is in contact with the floor surface and the first vertical frame contact section and the second vertical frame contact section are in contact with the vertical frame. [Aspect 2] In one embodiment, the present invention is an inspection jig according to aspect 1, comprising: an extension portion that extends vertically with a certain gap in the left-right direction between it and a first positioning portion and has a tip portion at a first height from the floor surface during inspection; and a wing portion that rises from the extension portion via a bent portion toward the front wall surface of a container-type battery.[Aspect 3] In one embodiment, the present invention is an inspection jig according to aspect 1, comprising: a first position inspection section that extends vertically with a certain gap in the left-right direction between it and a first positioning section and has a first tip portion at a first height from the floor surface during inspection; and a first wing portion that rises from the first extension section via a first bend portion toward the front wall surface of a container-type battery; and a second position inspection section that extends vertically with a certain gap in the left-right direction between it and the first extension section and has a second tip portion at a first height from the floor surface during inspection; and a second wing portion that rises from the second extension section via a second bend portion toward the front wall surface of a container-type battery. [Aspect 4] In one embodiment, the present invention is a container-type battery comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a battery chamber facing the rear wall, a control chamber facing the front wall, and a storage chamber for housing a busbar, wherein the position of the tip of a busbar in the container-type battery is inspected using an inspection jig, the battery chamber houses a plurality of module batteries connected to each other, the control chamber is adjacent to the battery chamber and has a control unit capable of controlling the plurality of module batteries, the storage chamber is adjacent to the control chamber and houses a busbar extending from the control unit, the busbar has a tip facing the front wall, the front wall has an opening for the control unit and an opening for the storage chamber, and the inspection of the position of the tip of the busbar using an inspection jig is an inspection method for a container-type battery comprising inserting the inspection jig into the storage chamber through a gap between the front wall and the control unit and inspecting the position of the tip of the busbar and the inspection jig from outside the storage chamber. [Aspect 5] In one embodiment of the present invention, the inspection jig comprises: a first positioning section extending in the vertical direction, which includes a floor contact section for contacting the floor surface of the container-type battery; a second positioning section extending in the front-rear direction, which includes a first vertical frame contact section that can contact the first surface of the vertical frame of the opening for the control room, and a second vertical frame contact section that can contact the second surface perpendicular to the first surface of the vertical frame; and a position inspection section that allows inspection of whether the height from the floor surface, the position in the left-right direction, and the position in the front-rear direction of the tip of the busbar are within an appropriate range during inspection when the floor contact section is in contact with the floor surface and the first vertical frame contact section and the second vertical frame contact section are in contact with the vertical frame.[Aspect 6] In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for inspecting a container-type battery according to aspect 4 or 5, which includes adjusting the height of the control unit by placing a spacer between the support column and the control unit when the tip of the busbar is lower than the appropriate range, in which case the control unit is fixed on a support column placed on the floor surface of the container-type battery. [Aspect 7] In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for inspecting a container-type battery according to any one of aspects 4 to 6, which includes adjusting the control unit by moving it in the left-right and / or front-back directions within the control room so that it is within the appropriate range when the position of the tip of the busbar is not within the appropriate range. [Aspect 8] In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for manufacturing a container-type battery comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a battery chamber facing the rear wall, a control chamber facing the front wall, and a storage chamber adjacent to the control chamber for housing a busbar, wherein a plurality of module batteries are housed in the battery chamber, the plurality of module batteries are electrically connected to each other, a busbar extending from the control chamber is housed in the storage chamber, a control unit capable of controlling the plurality of module batteries is arranged in the control chamber, an inspection jig is inserted into the storage chamber through a gap between the front wall and the control unit, the inspection jig is brought into contact with the floor of the container-type battery and the vertical frame of the opening for the control chamber provided in the front wall, and an inspection is performed from outside the storage chamber to determine whether the height from the floor, the position in the left-right direction, and the position in the front-back direction of the tip of the busbar are within an appropriate range. [Aspect 9] In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for manufacturing a container-type battery according to aspect 8, wherein the control unit is fixed on a support column placed on the floor surface of the container-type battery, and when the tip of the busbar is in a position lower than the appropriate range, a spacer is placed between the support column and the control unit to adjust the height of the control unit. [Aspect 10] In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for manufacturing a container-type battery according to aspect 8 or 9, wherein when the position of the tip of the busbar in the left-right direction and / or the front-back direction is not within the appropriate range, the control unit is moved in the left-right direction and / or the front-back direction within the control room to adjust it so that it is within the appropriate range.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an inspection jig capable of easily inspecting the position of the tip of a busbar for external connection of a container-type battery, a method for inspecting a container-type battery, and a method for manufacturing a container-type battery can be provided.

[0010] This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship of each component when a container-type battery according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from above. This is a schematic diagram showing a container-type battery according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the left wall. This is a schematic diagram showing a container-type battery according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front wall. This is a plan view showing an example of a spacer used for adjusting the position of the control unit. This is a schematic diagram showing an inspection jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the inspection jig and the tip of the busbar when an inspection is performed using the inspection jig, as viewed from the front wall. This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the inspection jig and the tip of the busbar when an inspection is performed using the inspection jig, as viewed from the front wall. This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the inspection jig and the tip of the busbar when the tip of the busbar is not in the appropriate position.

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of devices and methods for realizing the technical concept of this invention, and the technical concept of this invention is not limited to the structure, arrangement, etc., of the components described below.

[0012] (Container-type battery) Figures 1 to 3 show an example of a container-type battery 1000 suitable for inspection using the inspection jig 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the container-type battery 1000 comprises a container 1, a module battery 2 housed inside the container 1, a control unit 3 for controlling the operation of the module battery 2, and a busbar 4 for connecting the module battery 2 to an external device outside the container-type battery 1000. The container 1 comprises a front wall surface 11, a rear wall surface 12 facing the front wall surface 11, and a right wall surface 13 and a left wall surface 14 facing each other between the front wall surface 11 and the rear wall surface 12.

[0013] The container-type battery 1000 comprises a battery compartment 20 facing the rear wall 12 of the container 1, a control compartment 30 facing the front wall 11 of the container 1, and a storage compartment 40 for housing the busbar 4. Partition walls 50 are positioned between the battery compartment 20 and the control compartment 30 and between the battery compartment 20 and the storage compartment 40.

[0014] In this specification, for the sake of explanation, the front wall surface 11 facing the control unit 3 is defined as the front side, and the rear wall surface 12 facing the battery compartment 20 is defined as the rear side, defining the front, rear, left, and right directions. However, this is merely an example, and the front, rear, left, and right directions are not limited to the names of the components. For example, in actual use, the rear wall surface 12 facing the battery compartment 20 may be called the "front," the front wall surface 11 facing the control unit 3 may be called the "rear," and the left wall surface 14 may be called the "right wall."

[0015] As shown in Figure 3, the front wall 11 of container 1 has an opening 15 for a control room 30 and an opening 19 for a storage room 40. A pair of openable and closable doors 16 are attached to the opening 15 for the control room 30. For illustrative purposes, the door on the right side of the page is omitted in Figure 3. Workers can directly access the control room 30 from the outside of container 1 by opening and closing the doors 16. The doors 16 are attached to the vertical frames 17 and 18 of the opening 15 for the control room 30 provided by container 1, respectively.

[0016] The opening 19 for the storage compartment 40 is closed by a cover 34 when not in use. When in use, the cover 34 is removed from the opening 19, and the busbar 4 for external connection and the busbar (not shown) of an external device are connected through the opening 19. In the example shown in Figure 3, there are openings 19 and covers 34 in two locations, at the top and bottom of the storage compartment 40.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the container 1 is provided with a door 22 that can be opened and closed over almost the entire left wall surface 14. By opening and closing the door 22, workers can directly access the battery compartment 20 from the outside of the container 1. The number of doors 22 is not particularly limited.

[0018] The battery compartment 20 houses multiple module batteries 2 that are connected to each other. In the example shown in Figure 2, a total of six module batteries 2 are housed, but the number of module batteries 2 is not particularly limited. Suitable module batteries 2 are those in which multiple single cells are connected in series and parallel and housed in a container that can be housed in the container 1. For example, in this embodiment, a sodium-sulfur battery is suitable for use as the module battery 2, in which sodium-sulfur batteries are wired in series and parallel and housed in a housing container together with a heater, heat insulating material, etc.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the module batteries 2 are connected in series via a busbar 21 for battery connection. One end 21a of the busbar 21 extends from the battery chamber 20 into the control chamber 30 and is connected via the control unit 3 to an external connection busbar 4 located in the upper part of the storage chamber 40. The other end 21c of the busbar 21 extends from the battery chamber 20 into the control chamber 30 and is connected via the control unit 3 to an external connection busbar 4 located in the lower part of the storage chamber 40. The upper and lower module batteries 2 are connected via a busbar 21b for battery connection.

[0020] The control room 30 is adjacent to the battery room 20 and has a control unit 3 capable of controlling multiple module batteries 2. The control unit 3 is equipped with a control panel that controls various operations such as charging and discharging of the module batteries 2 and exhaust equipment installed inside the container-type battery 1000. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 3 is typically mounted on a frame 31. The control unit 3 is fixed via the frame 31 to a support column 32 placed on the floor surface 10 of the container 1 using fasteners 33 such as bolts. The support column 32 is made of, for example, an H-beam.

[0021] If, as a result of inspecting the busbar 4 for external connection using the inspection jig 100 described later, the busbar 4 is found to be in a position lower than the appropriate range, it is preferable to adjust the height of the control unit 3 by placing a plate-shaped spacer 35 having a recess as shown in Figure 4 between the support column 32 and the control unit 3. The busbar 4 stored in the storage chamber 40 is connected to the control unit 3. Therefore, by adjusting the height of the control unit 3 from the floor surface 10 using the spacer 35, it is possible to adjust the height of the busbar 4 connected to the control unit 3 from the floor surface 10 to an appropriate height. The spacer 35 can be placed by loosening the fastener 33 that fastens the support column 32 and the control unit 3 and inserting it between the upper part of the support column 32 and the frame 31 of the control unit 3.

[0022] The storage chamber 40 is adjacent to the control chamber 30 and houses the busbar 4 for external connections that extends from the control unit 3. The busbar 4 is located in the upper and lower parts of the storage chamber 40, respectively. In one embodiment, the upper and lower busbars 4 in the storage chamber 40 can be connected to the control unit (not shown) of another container-type battery. In another embodiment, the lower busbar 4 in the storage chamber 40 may be connected to a power converter (not shown). The busbar 4 has two adjacent ends 4a and 4b facing the front wall surface 11.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the storage compartment 40 is surrounded by the front wall 11 of the container 1, the right wall 13, the partition wall 50, and the wall of the control unit 3. The tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 stored in the storage compartment 40 are in a position that makes it difficult for workers to directly move them after checking their position. According to the inspection jig 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, the inspection jig 100 is inserted into the storage compartment 40 through a gap G (see Figure 1) in the front wall 11 between the storage compartment 40 and the control unit 3 (see Figure 3). The positions of the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 and the inspection jig 100 can be easily checked from outside the storage compartment 40 by observing them through the opening 19 provided in the front wall 11 and the gap G, thereby confirming whether the positions of the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 are appropriate. By pre-checking whether the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 are in the correct position, the reliability of the connection with external devices can be improved, and the workload of connection work due to misalignment of the busbar 4 can be reduced.

[0024] (Inspection Jig) As shown in Figure 5, the inspection jig 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first positioning section 101 extending in the vertical direction Y-Y', a second positioning section 102 provided at the end of the first positioning section 101 and extending in the front-rear direction Z-Z', and a position inspection section 103 continuous with the first positioning section 101, which allows inspection of whether the height of the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 from the floor surface 10, the position in the left-right direction X-X', and the position in the front-rear direction Z-Z' are within an appropriate range. The inspection jig 100 is made of, for example, plastic.

[0025] The first positioning unit 101 includes a floor contact portion 101a for contacting the floor surface 10 of the container-type battery 1000 provided at its end, a vertical extension portion 101b extending vertically in the direction Y-Y' from the floor contact portion 101a, and a horizontal extension portion 101c that is continuous with the vertical extension portion 101b and extends horizontally in the direction X-X' perpendicular to the extension direction of the vertical extension portion 101b. During inspection, the position of the inspection jig 100 in the vertical direction Y-Y' is determined when the floor contact portion 101a contacts the floor surface 10 of the container 1.

[0026] The second positioning portion 102 includes a first vertical frame contact portion 102a that can contact the first surface 17a of the vertical frame 17 of the opening 15 for the control room 30, and a second vertical frame contact portion 102b that can contact the second surface 17b of the vertical frame 17 which is perpendicular to the first surface 17a. The second vertical frame contact portion 102b is defined on a cubic columnar portion 102c that protrudes from one end of the lateral extension portion 101c of the first vertical frame contact portion 102a. The first vertical frame contact portion 102a is defined on the surface facing the second vertical frame contact portion 102b of a plate-shaped front end portion 102d that protrudes further forward than the columnar portion 102c at one end of the lateral extension portion 101c. During inspection, the position of the inspection jig 100 in the front-rear direction Z-Z' is determined by the contact of the first vertical frame contact portion 102a and the second vertical frame contact portion 102b with the prismatic vertical frame 17.

[0027] The position inspection unit 103 is a part that allows inspection to determine whether the height of the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 from the floor 10, the position in the left-right direction X-X', and the position in the front-back direction Z-Z' are within the appropriate range when the floor contact portion 101a is in contact with the floor 10 and the first vertical frame contact portion 102a and the second vertical frame contact portion 102b are in contact with the vertical frame 17. The position inspection unit 103 comprises a first position inspection unit 103a and a second position inspection unit 103b.

[0028] The first position inspection unit 103a extends vertically in the Y-Y' direction with a constant gap P1 in the left-right direction X-X' between it and the first positioning unit 101, and includes an extension unit (first extension unit 105a) having a first tip portion 104a at a first height h (see Figure 6) from the floor surface 10 during inspection, and a wing portion (first wing portion 107a) that rises from the first extension unit 105a via a bent portion (first bent portion 106a) toward the front wall surface 11 of the container 1. The second position inspection section 103b extends vertically in the Y-Y' direction with a constant gap P2 in the left-right direction X-X' between it and the first extension section 105a, and includes a second extension section 105b having a second tip section 104b at a first height h from the floor surface 10 during inspection, and a second wing section 107b that rises from the second extension section 105b via a second bend section 106b toward the front wall surface 11 of the container 1.

[0029] (Inspection Method) An inspection method using the inspection jig 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes inspecting the positions of the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 in a container-type battery 1000 shown in Figure 1, which comprises a front wall surface 11, a rear wall surface 12, a battery chamber 20 facing the rear wall surface 12, a control chamber 30 facing the front wall surface 11, and a storage chamber 40 for housing the busbar 4, using the inspection jig 100. In this inspection, as shown in Figure 3, the inspection jig 100 is inserted into the storage chamber 40 through a gap G between the front wall surface 11 and the control unit 3, and the positions of the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 and the inspection jig 100 are inspected from outside the storage chamber 40.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, there is a gap G of about 8 to 12 cm behind the vertical frame 17 of the control room 30. The position inspection unit 103 is inserted into the storage room 40 through this gap G, holding the second positioning unit 102, and the inspection jig 100 is positioned at the inspection location by arranging it so that the floor contact portion 101a (see Figure 6) of the inspection jig 100 contacts the floor surface 10, as shown in Figure 3. At this time, the first vertical frame contact portion 102a and the second vertical frame contact portion 102b contact the first surface 17a and the second surface 17b of the vertical frame 17, respectively.

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the inspection jig 100 and the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 when the inspection jig 100 is observed from the front wall surface 11 side during inspection. When the inspection jig 100 is placed in the inspection position, the appropriate range of positions in which the tip portions 4a and 4b should be placed is inside the gap P1 or P2, that is, between the longitudinal extension portion 101b and the first extension portion 105a, or between the first extension portion 105a and the second extension portion 105b, and is a region higher than the height h of the end of the first tip portion 104a or the second tip portion 104b. In other words, if the position of the tip portion 4a of the busbar 4 is appropriate, the tip portion 4a is placed in the gap P1 between the longitudinal extension portion 101b of the first positioning portion 101 and the first extension portion 105a of the first position inspection portion 103a. If the position of the tip 4b of the busbar 4 is appropriate, the tip 4b is positioned within the gap P2 between the first extension 105a of the first position inspection unit 103a and the second extension 105b of the second position inspection unit 103b. This inspection allows confirmation of whether the height of the tips 4a and 4b from the floor surface 10 and their positions in the left-right direction X-X' are within the appropriate range.

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the inspection jig 100 and the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 when the inspection jig 100 is observed from the control room 30 side. When the inspection jig 100 is positioned in the correct inspection position, the appropriate range of positions for the tip portions 4a and 4b is inside the first wing portion 107a and the second wing portion 107b as seen from the control room 30 side. Therefore, if the position of the tip portion 4a of the busbar 4 is appropriate, the positions of the tip portions 4a and 4b will be positioned so that they fit within the outer shape of the first wing portion 107a. This inspection allows confirmation of whether the height (vertical direction Y-Y') and the position (front-rear direction Z-Z') of the tip portions 4a and 4b from the floor surface 10 are within the appropriate range.

[0033] If the inspection reveals that the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 are lower than the appropriate range, that is, if the height of the ends of the tips 4a and 4b in the vertical direction Y-Y' is lower than the height h of the first tip 104a and the second tip 104b, it is preferable to place a spacer 35 between the support column 32 and the control unit 3 to raise the height of the control unit 3 in the control room 30 compared to before the inspection.

[0034] Inspection results may show that the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 are shifted in the left-right direction X-X' beyond the proper range. For example, in Figure 6, if the tips 4a and 4b are shifted in the left-right direction X-X' from the gaps P1 and P2 and do not fit within the gaps P1 and P2, it is preferable for the worker to move the control unit 3 in the left-right direction X-X' to adjust the position of the control unit 3 in the control room 30 so that the tips 4a and 4b fit within the proper range.

[0035] If the inspection reveals that the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 are shifted in the forward-backward direction Z-Z' beyond the appropriate range, for example, as shown in Figure 8, if the distance between the ends of the tips 4a and 4b and the front wall surface 11 is too close and the very front portions of the tips 4a and 4b in the forward-backward direction Z-Z' are not contained within the first wing portion 107a and the second wing portion 107b, it is preferable for the operator to move the control unit 3 in the forward-backward direction Z-Z' to adjust the position of the control unit 3 within the control room 30 so that the tips 4a and 4b are contained within the appropriate range.

[0036] As described above, according to the inspection jig 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, by inserting the inspection jig 100 into the storage chamber 40 through the gap G between the front wall surface 11 and the control unit 3, it becomes possible to easily inspect with a single inspection jig 100 whether the positions of the front-to-back, left-to-right, and height directions of the tip portions 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 for external connection of the container-type battery 1000 are appropriate. As a result, the reliability of the connection between the container-type battery 1000 and other container-type batteries 1000 or external devices to which it is connected can be improved, and the burden of alignment during connection work can be reduced.

[0037] (Method for Manufacturing a Container-Type Battery) A container-type battery 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured, for example, by following the procedure below. First, a container 1 is prepared, which comprises a front wall 11, a rear wall 12, a battery chamber 20 facing the rear wall 12, a control chamber 30 facing the front wall 11, and a storage chamber 40 adjacent to the control chamber 30 for housing a busbar 4. Multiple module batteries 2 are housed in the battery chamber 20 of this container 1, and the multiple module batteries 2 are electrically connected to each other by a busbar 21 for battery connection and connected to a control unit 3 in the control chamber 30. A busbar 4 extending from the control chamber 30 is housed in the storage chamber 40, and a control unit 3 capable of controlling the multiple module batteries 2 is placed in the control chamber 30. Subsequently, the inspection jig 100 is inserted into the storage chamber 40 through the gap G between the front wall 11 and the control unit 3. The inspection jig 100 is brought into contact with the floor surface 10 of the container-type battery 1000 and the vertical frame 17 of the opening 15 for the control chamber 30 provided in the front wall 11. From outside the storage chamber 40, the height of the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 from the floor surface 10, the position in the left-right direction X-X', and the position in the front-back direction Z-Z' are inspected to determine if they are within the appropriate range. If the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 are not within the appropriate range during the inspection, the position of the control unit 3 is adjusted within the control chamber 30 to adjust the position of the tips 4a and 4b. After the inspection is complete, the container-type battery 1000 is transported to a predetermined location. After transport, at the installation location, it is connected to an electrical system or an external device such as the control unit 3 of another container-type battery 1000.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described by the embodiments described above, the descriptions and drawings that constitute part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the invention. This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and its components can be combined and modified to embody it without departing from its spirit.

[0039] For example, the above description shows an example of inspection using a container-type battery 1000 in which a door 22 for inserting and removing the module battery 2 is provided on the left wall surface 14. However, even in the case of a container-type battery in which the position of the door 22 is reversed in the left-right direction from that of the container-type battery 1000, that is, a container-type battery in which the door is installed on the right wall surface 13, an inspection substantially equivalent to this inspection method can be performed by using an inspection jig in which the configuration of the inspection jig 100 is reversed in the left-right direction.

[0040] Furthermore, the above description illustrates a method for inspecting the positions of the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 located at the bottom of the storage compartment 40. However, the inspection of the positions of the tips 4a and 4b of the busbar 4 located at the top of the storage compartment 40 can also be performed in substantially the same manner as the above inspection method by bringing the floor contact portion 101a of the inspection jig 100 into contact with the ceiling of the container 1.

[0041] 1: Container 2: Module battery 3: Control unit 4: Busbar 4a: Tip 4b: Tip 10: Floor 11: Front wall 12: Rear wall 13: Right wall 14: Left wall 15: Opening 16: Door 17, 18: Vertical frame 17a: First surface 17b: Second surface 19: Opening 20: Battery compartment 21: Busbar 22: Door 30: Control room 31: Stand 32: Support column 33: Fastener 34: Cover 35: Spacer 40: Storage compartment 50: Partition wall 100: Inspection jig 101: First positioning part 101a: Floor contact part 101b: Vertical extension part 101c: Horizontal extension part 102: Second positioning part 102a: First contact part of vertical frame 102b: Second contact part of vertical frame 102c: Columnar part 102d: Front end part 103: Position inspection part 103a: First position inspection part 103b: Second position inspection part 104a: First tip part 104b: Second tip part 105a: First extension part 105b: Second extension part 106a: First bending part 106b: Second bending part 107a: First wing part 107b: Second wing part 1000: Container-type battery

Claims

1. An inspection jig for inspecting the position of the tip of a busbar in a container-type battery comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a battery chamber facing the rear wall, a control chamber facing the front wall, and a storage chamber for housing a busbar, wherein the battery chamber houses a plurality of module batteries connected to each other, the control chamber is adjacent to the battery chamber and has a control unit capable of controlling the plurality of module batteries, the storage chamber is adjacent to the control chamber and houses the busbar extending from the control unit, the busbar has a tip facing the front wall, the front wall has an opening for the control unit and an opening for the storage chamber, the inspection jig is insertable into the storage chamber through a gap between the front wall and the control unit, and the inspection jig comprises a first positioning portion extending vertically and having a floor contact portion for contacting the floor surface of the container-type battery, An inspection jig comprising: a second positioning section extending in the front-rear direction, comprising a first vertical frame contact section that can contact a first surface of the vertical frame of the opening for the control room, and a second vertical frame contact section that can contact a second surface perpendicular to the first surface of the vertical frame; and a position inspection section for inspecting whether the height from the floor surface, the position in the left-right direction, and the position in the front-rear direction of the tip of the busbar are within an appropriate range during inspection when the floor contact section is in contact with the floor surface and the first vertical frame contact section and the second vertical frame contact section are in contact with the vertical frame.

2. The inspection jig according to claim 1, wherein the position inspection unit extends vertically with a certain gap in the left-right direction between it and the first positioning unit, and has an extension unit having its tip at a first height from the floor surface during the inspection, and a wing unit that rises from the extension unit via a bent unit toward the front wall surface of the container-type battery.

3. The inspection jig according to claim 1, comprising: a first position inspection unit that extends vertically with a certain gap in the left-right direction between it and the first positioning unit and has a first tip portion at a first height from the floor surface during inspection, and a first wing portion that rises from the first extension unit via a first bend portion toward the front wall surface of the container-type battery; and a second position inspection unit that extends vertically with a certain gap in the left-right direction between it and the first extension unit and has a second tip portion at a first height from the floor surface during inspection, and a second wing portion that rises from the second extension unit via a second bend portion toward the front wall surface of the container-type battery.

4. A method for inspecting a container-type battery comprising a front wall, a rear wall, a battery chamber facing the rear wall, a control chamber facing the front wall, and a storage chamber for housing a busbar, wherein the battery chamber houses a plurality of module batteries connected to each other, the control chamber is adjacent to the battery chamber and has a control unit capable of controlling the plurality of module batteries, the storage chamber is adjacent to the control chamber and houses the busbar extending from the control unit, the busbar has a tip facing the front wall, the front wall has an opening for the control chamber and an opening for the storage chamber, and the inspection of the position of the tip of the busbar using an inspection jig includes inserting the inspection jig into the storage chamber through a gap between the front wall and the control unit, and inspecting the position of the tip of the busbar and the inspection jig from outside the storage chamber.

5. The inspection jig comprises: a first positioning section extending in the vertical direction, having a floor contact section for contacting the floor surface of the container-type battery; a second positioning section extending in the front-rear direction, having a first vertical frame contact section that can contact the first surface of the vertical frame of the opening for the control room, and a second vertical frame contact section that can contact the second surface of the vertical frame perpendicular to the first surface; and a position inspection section for inspecting whether the height from the floor surface, the position in the left-right direction, and the position in the front-rear direction of the tip of the busbar are within an appropriate range during inspection when the floor contact section is in contact with the floor surface and the first vertical frame contact section and the second vertical frame contact section are in contact with the vertical frame.

6. The method for inspecting a container-type battery according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control unit is fixed on a support column placed on the floor surface of the container-type battery, and when the tip of the busbar is lower than the appropriate range, a spacer is placed between the support column and the control unit to adjust the height of the control unit.

7. A method for inspecting a container-type battery according to claim 4 or 5, comprising moving the control unit in the left-right and / or front-back directions within the control chamber to adjust the position of the tip of the busbar so that it is within the appropriate range when the position of the tip of the busbar is not within the appropriate range.

8. A method for manufacturing a container-type battery comprising: a front wall, a rear wall, a battery chamber facing the rear wall, a control chamber facing the front wall, and a storage chamber adjacent to the control chamber for housing a busbar; housing a plurality of module batteries in the battery chamber of the container-type battery; electrically connecting the plurality of module batteries to each other; housing a busbar extending from the control chamber in the storage chamber; arranging a control unit capable of controlling the plurality of module batteries in the control chamber; inserting an inspection jig into the storage chamber through a gap between the front wall and the control unit; bringing the inspection jig into contact with the floor of the container-type battery and the vertical frame of the opening for the control chamber provided in the front wall, and inspecting from outside the storage chamber whether the height from the floor, the position in the left-right direction, and the position in the front-back direction of the tip of the busbar are within an appropriate range.

9. The method for manufacturing a container-type battery according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is fixed on a support column placed on the floor surface of the container-type battery, and when the tip of the busbar is lower than the appropriate range, a spacer is placed between the support column and the control unit to adjust the height of the control unit.

10. A method for manufacturing a container-type battery according to claim 8 or 9, comprising moving the control unit in the control chamber in the left-right direction and / or the front-back direction when the position of the tip of the busbar is not within the appropriate range, so that it is within the appropriate range.

Images