JP2008034318A - Power supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To couple battery modules and square batteries having dimensional errors simply, easily, and furthermore in an ideal state while absorbing the dimensional errors by bus-bars. <P>SOLUTION: In a power supply device, a plurality numbers of battery modules 11 having electrode terminals 12 at both ends are arranged in a parallel posture, and connected by coupling bus-bars 15 with the electrode terminals 12 of the neighboring battery modules 11. The electrode terminals 12 have protruding parts 13 protruded from electrode end faces 11A of the battery modules 11. The bus-bars 15 are made of elastic metal bands in which elastic metal plates are worked into a prescribed width and length, and elastic bent pieces 15B are installed at both ends of the main body parts 15A by bending both ends of these elastic metal bands. At the power supply device, the main body parts 15A of the bus-bars 15 are arranged and installed in a plane parallel with the electrode end faces 11A of the battery modules 11, and by elastically pressing the elastic bent pieces 15B of those both end parts to side faces of the electrode terminals 12 of the neighboring battery modules 11, the neighboring battery modules 11 are electrically connected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply device to which a large number of batteries are connected, and particularly to a power supply device that is optimal for supplying electric power to a motor that drives an automobile.

  An electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid car that is driven by both an internal combustion engine and a motor uses a power supply device in which a large number of batteries are connected as a power source for supplying electric power to the driving motor.

  A power supply device used for this type of application has a high output voltage in order to supply power to a high-power motor. For this reason, many batteries are connected in series. A power supply device mounted on a current hybrid car connects several hundred batteries in series to increase the output voltage to several hundred volts. As this power supply apparatus, a battery module in which 5 to 6 batteries are connected in series to form a battery module, and a large number of battery modules connected in series with a bus bar is used.

This power supply device is charged and discharged with a large current of 100 A or more. When accelerating a car, the motor is accelerated by discharging with a large current. Further, when decelerating or going down a hill, the regenerative brake is charged with a large current. The bus bar needs to connect battery modules in series so as to withstand a large current. In order to achieve this, a structure in which the bus bar is fixed to the electrode terminal of the battery module with a set screw has been developed. (See Patent Document 1)
JP 2006-147319 A

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply device described in Patent Document 1 has a large number of battery modules 91 arranged in parallel in a holder case 99, and bus bars 95 are attached to electrode terminals 92 at both ends of adjacent battery modules 91 with set screws 96. Secure with. With this structure, it is difficult to connect all the bus bars 95 to the electrode terminals 92 of the battery module 91 in an ideal state. This is because there is a dimensional error in the length of the battery module. In particular, since the battery module has a plurality of cylindrical batteries connected in a straight line, the dimensional error of each battery is accumulated, and there may be a considerable difference in length. When the bus bar is connected to battery modules having different lengths, the bus bar 95 is inclined with respect to the electrode terminal 92 as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, and the contact state between the bus bar 95 and the electrode terminal 92 is deteriorated. Further, if the set screw 96 is strongly tightened in this state, there is a problem that an excessive force acts on the bus bar 95 and the electrode terminal 92.

  Not only cylindrical batteries but also square batteries cannot have dimensional errors in the manufacturing process. For this reason, even in the structure in which the rectangular batteries are arranged side by side and the electrode terminals of the adjacent rectangular batteries are connected by the bus bar, the dimensional error of the battery deteriorates the connection state of the bus bar.

  Further, the structure in which the bus bars are connected with set screws has a drawback that it takes time to assemble because it is necessary to firmly fasten both ends of the bus bars with a predetermined tightening torque. If the tightening torque is unbalanced, both ends of all bus bars cannot be fixed in an ideal state. In addition, in a power supply device mounted on a vehicle, since there is always vibration, when the set screw is loosened by vibration, the connection state between the bus bar and the electrode terminal is remarkably deteriorated.

  The first object of the present invention is to eliminate this drawback, that is, to connect a battery module or a square battery having a dimensional error in an ideal state easily and easily while absorbing the dimensional error with a bus bar. It is to provide a power supply device.

  Furthermore, the output voltage of a power supply device in which a large number of batteries are connected in series with a bus bar is considerably high. Moreover, since adjacent batteries are connected in series, a potential difference is also generated between adjacent bus bars. For this reason, an extremely large current flows when the bus bar is short-circuited during an assembly process, a transport process, or maintenance. This not only reduces the safety of work, but also causes a large short current to flow through a specific battery, thereby significantly reducing the performance of the battery. In addition, when a short current is passed through a specific battery, the remaining capacity of each battery becomes unbalanced. When an unbalanced battery is connected in series and charged / discharged, a battery with a small remaining capacity becomes an overdischarged state, and the battery performance rapidly decreases.

  A second object of the present invention is to solve this problem, that is, to provide a power supply device that prevents a short circuit of a bus bar and improves the safety while preventing a decrease in battery performance.

  The power supply device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a plurality of battery modules 11 connected in a straight line in series with a plurality of unit cells 10 and provided with electrode terminals 12 at both ends, arranged side by side in a parallel posture. The bus bar 15 is connected to the electrode terminal 12 of the adjacent battery module 11, and the battery module 11 is connected by the bus bar 15. The electrode terminal 12 of the battery module 11 has a protruding portion 13 that protrudes from the electrode end surface 11 </ b> A of the battery module 11. The bus bar 15 is formed of an elastic metal band obtained by processing an elastic metal plate to a predetermined width and length, and both ends of the elastic metal band are bent, and elastic bent pieces 15B are provided at both ends of the main body portion 15A. It has a shape. In the power supply device, the main body 15A of the bus bar 15 is disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end surface 11A of the battery module 11, and the elastic bent pieces 15B at both ends thereof are disposed on the side surfaces of the electrode terminals 12 of the adjacent battery modules 11. The battery modules 11 that are adjacent to each other are electrically connected.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, a plurality of battery modules 11 are housed in a holder case 20 and arranged at a fixed position, and an insulating cap 17 that covers and insulates the outside of the bus bar 15 is connected to the holder case 20. be able to.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the electrode terminal 12 of the battery module 11 has the female screw hole 13b, the body portion 15A of the bus bar 15 has the through hole 15a, and the set screw 16 inserted through the through hole 15a is used as the female screw. The bus bar 15 can be fixed to the electrode terminal 12 by screwing into the hole 13b.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the electrode terminal 12 of the battery module 11 has a male screw 13c, the body portion 15A of the bus bar 15 has a through hole 15a, and the nut 18 is inserted into the male screw 13c inserted through the through hole 15a. The bus bar 15 can be fixed to the electrode terminal 12 by screwing.

  In the power supply device according to claim 5 of the present invention, a plurality of rectangular batteries 31 formed by projecting positive and negative electrode terminals 32 on one electrode end face 31A are arranged side by side with the electrode end face 31A positioned on the same plane, The bus bar 35 is connected to the electrode terminal 32 of the square battery 31 adjacent to the side, and the square battery 31 is connected by the bus bar 35. The bus bar 35 is formed of an elastic metal band obtained by processing an elastic metal plate to a predetermined width and length, and both ends of the elastic metal band are bent, and elastic bent pieces 35B are provided at both ends of the main body portion 35A. It has a shape. In the power supply device, the main body portion 35A of the bus bar 35 is disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end surface 31A of the rectangular battery 31, and the elastic bent pieces 35B at both ends thereof are the surfaces of the electrode terminals 32 of the adjacent rectangular batteries 31. The adjacent rectangular batteries 31 are electrically connected by being elastically pressed.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the rectangular battery 31 is formed in a rectangular column shape having the electrode end surface 31A as a rectangle, and the plate-like electrode terminals 32 are fixed to both ends of the rectangular electrode end surface 31A in a posture parallel to the long side of the rectangle. can do. The power supply device arranges the rectangular batteries 31 side by side with the long sides of the rectangles adjacent to each other, and the adjacent rectangular batteries 31 press the elastic bent pieces 35B of the bus bar 35 against the surface of the plate-like electrode terminals 32. Can be connected electrically.

  In the power supply device of claim 7 of the present invention, a plurality of prismatic batteries 51 formed by projecting positive and negative electrode terminals 52 on one electrode end face 51A are arranged side by side with the electrode end face 51A positioned on the same plane, The bus bar 55 is connected to the electrode terminal 52 of the square battery 51 adjacent to the side, and the square battery 51 is connected by the bus bar 55. The rectangular battery 51 has a quadrangular prism shape with the electrode end face 31A as a rectangle, and plate-like electrode terminals 52 are fixed to both ends of the rectangular electrode end face 51A in a posture parallel to the short side of the rectangle. This rectangular battery 51 is in a state in which the long sides of the rectangle are adjacent to each other, and is arranged side by side in a posture in which the plate-like electrode terminals 52 are positioned on the same plane. The bus bar 55 has a pair of elastic sandwiching pieces 55A and 55B by bending an elastic metal plate having a width capable of connecting the electrode terminals 52 of the adjacent rectangular batteries 51 in the middle. The electrode terminal 52 of the adjacent square battery 51 is clamped and electrically connected by 55B. Further, the power supply device covers the outside of the bus bar 55 with an insulating cap 57 formed by molding plastic. The insulating cap 57 has a locking portion 57 </ b> C that is locked to the rectangular battery 51. The locking portion 57 </ b> C is connected to the rectangular battery 51, and the outside of the bus bar 55 is insulated by the insulating cap 57.

  In the power supply device of the present invention, the rectangular batteries 51 arranged side by side have a locking recess 59 on the outer surface of the short piece side, and the insulating cap 57 has a locking hook 58 locked to the locking recess 59. The insulating cap 57 can be connected to the rectangular battery 51 by hooking the locking hook 58 to the locking recess 59 of the rectangular battery 51.

  The power supply device according to claims 1 and 5 of the present invention is characterized in that a battery module or a square battery having a dimensional error can be easily and easily electrically connected in an ideal state by absorbing the dimensional error with a bus bar. In particular, it is possible to connect a plurality of unit cells in a straight line to absorb a dimensional error in a battery module having a dimensional error in length or a square battery and to electrically connect a bus bar. This is because even if the position of the electrode terminal is shifted due to the dimensional error of the length of the battery module or the height of the square battery, the dimensional error can be absorbed by the bus bar made of an elastic metal band. In particular, the power supply device of the present invention manufactures a bus bar with an elastic metal band obtained by processing an elastic metal plate into a predetermined width and length, bends both ends of the elastic metal band, and elastically folds both ends of the main body. The bus bar has a curved piece, and the bus bar has a main body disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end face of the battery module or the square battery, and the elastic bent pieces at both ends thereof are adjacent to the square battery. Since the adjacent rectangular batteries are electrically connected to each other by elastically pressing the surface of the electrode terminals, the bus bar body made of an elastic metal band even if there is a dimensional error in the length of the battery module or the height of the rectangular battery And the elastic bent piece are elastically deformed to absorb the displacement and securely connect the electrode terminals.

  Furthermore, the power supply device according to claim 7 of the present invention can improve safety by preventing short circuit of the bus bar while absorbing the dimensional error of the battery. This is because the power supply device can absorb the dimensional error of the square battery and can be electrically connected because the bus bar has a unique structure. That is, the bus bar has a shape in which an elastic metal plate having a width capable of connecting electrode terminals of adjacent rectangular batteries is bent in the middle to have a pair of elastic clamping pieces, and the rectangular batteries adjacent to each other by the elastic clamping pieces of the bus bar. Therefore, the bus bar absorbs the dimensional error of the rectangular battery and is electrically connected. In addition, the power supply device covers the outside of the bus bar with a plastic insulating cap, and the insulating cap is provided with a locking portion that is locked to the rectangular battery, and the locking portion is connected to the rectangular battery. In addition, since the outside of the bus bar is insulated by the insulating cap, it is possible to prevent the bus bar from being short-circuited to improve safety, and to prevent a specific battery from being short-circuited and battery performance from being lowered.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below exemplify a power supply device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify the power supply device as follows.

  Further, in this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the scope of claims, numbers corresponding to the members shown in the examples are indicated in the “claims” and “means for solving problems” sections. It is added to the members. However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members in the embodiments.

  The power supply device shown in the perspective view of FIG. 3 supplies electric power to a motor that is mounted on the vehicle and drives the vehicle. In this power supply device, a plurality of battery modules 11 are housed in two upper and lower stages in a holder case 20. 4 and 5 show the battery module 11. In the battery module 11, a plurality of unit cells 10 are linearly connected in series and electrode terminals 12 are provided at both ends. The unit cell 10 is a cylindrical battery. However, a square battery can also be used for the unit cell. The unit cell 10 of a cylindrical battery is a nickel-hydrogen battery. The unit cell may be any rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery, instead of the nickel-hydrogen battery. Since the unit cell 10 is provided with positive and negative electrodes at both ends, the unit cell 10 is connected in series by linearly connecting them. The unit cells 10 arranged in a straight line are connected in a straight line in series via a connecting metal arranged at the boundary. The connecting metal is spot welded to the sealing plate of one unit cell 10 and the outer can of the other unit cell, and connects adjacent unit cells 10 in a straight line.

  The battery module 11 has electrode terminals 12 fixed to electrode end surfaces 11A at both ends. The electrode terminal 12 has a protruding portion 13 protruding from the electrode end surface 11A. The battery module 11 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is provided with a protruding portion 13 by spot welding the electrode terminal 12 at the end. The electrode terminal 12 has a protruding portion 13 fixed to a plate portion 14 spot-welded to the unit cell 10. The plate portion 14 and the protruding portion 13 are conductive metals, and a metal plating having a low electric resistance, for example, nickel plating, copper plating, silver plating, or the like is provided on the surface in a single layer or a stacked layer. The plate part 14 is connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the battery module 11.

  4 and 5 has a shape in which the opposing surface of the cylinder is processed into a flat surface. Further, the flat portion 13A of the protruding portion 13 is provided with a locking portion 13a that hooks the bus bar 15 and connects it to a fixed position. In the battery module 11 shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 13 is provided with a locking portion 13 a formed of a concave portion. This latching | locking part 13a guides the elastic bending piece 15B of the bus bar 15, and connects the bus bar 15 to a fixed position. Therefore, the protruding portion 13 is provided with a locking portion 13 a on a flat surface portion 13 </ b> A outside the adjacent battery modules 11 connected to each other by the bus bar 15.

  The plurality of battery modules 11 are arranged side by side in a parallel posture and disposed at a fixed position of the holder case 20. In the power supply device of FIG. 3, the battery modules 11 are arranged in parallel in two rows and ten rows and stored in the holder case 20. The upper and lower two-stage battery modules 11 are sandwiched from above and below by the holder case 20 divided into three parts, and are arranged at fixed positions in the holder case 20. The holder case 20 has an electrode window 20A that allows the protruding portion 13 of the electrode terminal 12 to protrude outward. The protruding portion 13 of the electrode terminal 12 protrudes from the electrode window 20 </ b> A to the outside of the holder case 20 and is connected by the bus bar 15.

  The bus bar 15 is made of an elastic metal band obtained by processing an elastic metal plate into a predetermined width and length. This elastic metal band is made of an elastic metal having a low electrical resistance, such as phosphor bronze. However, the elastic metal band can be made of spring steel because it can be made of a metal having a low electric resistance because the elastic metal band can be plated to reduce the electric resistance. This elastic metal band is provided with a single layer or a plurality of layers of nickel plating, silver plating, copper plating or the like on the surface to reduce electrical resistance. The plated layer on the surface prevents rust while reducing the electrical resistance of the elastic metal band.

  The bus bar 15 is bent at both ends of the elastic metal band, and is provided with elastic bent pieces 15B at both ends of the main body portion 15A. The elastic bent piece 15 </ b> B is provided with a ridge 15 b guided inside by a locking portion 13 a provided on the protruding portion 13 of the electrode terminal 12. The bus bar 15 is connected to the protruding portion 13 of the electrode terminal 12 by inserting the protrusion 15b of the elastic bent piece 15B into the recess that is the locking portion 13a. This connection structure can connect the bus bar 15 to the exact position of the protrusion 13. Furthermore, the bus bar 15 shown in the figure is such that the inner surface of the main body portion 15A of the bus bar 15 is the top surface 13B of the protruding portion 13 in a state in which the protruding line 15b of the elastic bent piece 15B is put into the recessed portion that is the locking portion 13a of the protruding portion 13. The protrusion 15b and the recessed part are provided in the position closely_contact | adhered to. The bus bar 15 can be electrically connected to the electrode terminal 12 over a wide area to reduce the contact resistance.

  Furthermore, the bus bar 15 in FIG. 5 is provided with a through hole 15 a of a set screw 16 to be screwed into the electrode terminal 12. The protruding portion 13 of the electrode terminal 12 is provided with a female screw hole 13b into which a set screw 16 is screwed. In this structure, the set screw 16 is inserted into the through hole 15a of the bus bar 15 and is screwed into the female screw hole 13b, so that the bus bar 15 can be firmly connected to the electrode terminal 12 with a small contact resistance.

  The above power supply device has a structure in which the bus bar 15 is fixed to the electrode terminal 12 by screwing the set screw 16 inserted into the through hole 15 a of the bus bar 15 into the female screw hole 13 b of the protruding portion 13. However, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the power supply device can fix the bus bar 15 by providing a male screw 13 c on the connection terminal 12 and screwing a nut 18 into the male screw 13 c. The connection terminal 12 is provided with a male screw 13c protruding in the axial direction from the top surface 13B of the protrusion 13. The bus bar 15 is mounted in a state in which the male screw 13c is guided into the through hole 15a provided in the main body portion 15A, that is, in a state in which the male screw 13c is inserted into the through hole 15a, and is connected to the protruding portion 13 of the adjacent battery module 11. Is done. In this state, the nut 18 is screwed into the male screw 13 c of the protruding portion 13 protruding from the through hole 15 a of the bus bar 15, and the bus bar 15 is fixed to the connection terminal 12.

  However, the bus bar is not necessarily connected to the electrode terminal with a set screw or a nut. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, the bus bar 15 has a main body 15 </ b> A disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end surface 11 </ b> A of the battery module 11, and elastic bent pieces 15 </ b> B at both ends thereof are adjacent to the battery module 11. The adjacent battery module 11 can be electrically connected by elastically pressing the side surface of the electrode terminal 12. The bus bar 15 shown in the drawing has both ends connected to the connection terminal 12 by elastically pressing the protruding portion 13 with the elastic bent piece 15B without opening a through hole in the main body portion 15A. Since the connecting terminal 12 shown in the drawing is connected to the bus bar 15 without screwing a set screw, the top surface 3B of the protruding portion 13 is planar. However, a connection terminal having a female screw hole on the top surface of the protrusion can also be used.

  The power supply device having the above structure is characterized in that even if there is a dimensional error in the length of the battery module 11 formed by connecting a large number of unit cells 10 in a straight line, the dimensional error is absorbed by the bus bar 15 and can be reliably electrically connected. There is. Even if there is an error in the length of the battery module 11 and the relative position of the two electrode terminals 12 connected to each other shifts, the bus bar 15 is elastically deformed, so that the elasticity provided at both ends of the main body portion 15A. This is because the bent piece 15B can be elastically pressed against the electrode terminal 12 for electrical connection.

  Further, the power supply device shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is insulated by covering the outside of the bus bar 15 with an insulating cap 17. The insulating cap 17 is formed by integrally molding a main body cover portion 17A that covers the outside of the bus bar 15 and a connecting portion 17B that is connected to both ends of the main body cover portion 17A using an insulating plastic. The main body cover portion 17 </ b> A has a predetermined width and length that can cover the bus bar 15. Further, the main body cover portion 17 </ b> A is provided with a holding recess 17 a that positions and holds the bus bar 15 on the inner surface facing the bus bar 15. The connecting portion 17B is provided with a locking hook 17b at the tip, and can be connected to the holder case 20 via the locking hook 17b with a locking structure. The insulating cap 17 is attached to the holder case 20 to cover and insulate the bus bar 15. The holder case 20 includes a locking opening 20 </ b> B that is a locking portion that locks and connects the connecting hook 17 b of the insulating cap 17. The illustrated locking opening 20 </ b> B is a rectangular opening window opened on the end surface of the holder case 20. The locking openings 20 </ b> B are located and opened on both sides of the battery module 1. That is, the holder case 20 is provided with alternately opening the locking openings 20B and the electrode windows 20A. In the holder case 20 shown in the figure, the opening width of the locking opening 20B opened between the adjacent battery modules 11 is widened so that the locking hooks 17b of the insulating cap 17 mounted adjacently can be inserted together. ing.

  The insulating cap 17 having the above structure guides the bus bar 15 to the holding recess 17a of the main body cover portion 17A, and inserts the tip ends of the connecting portions 17B at both ends into the locking openings 20B while holding the bus bar 15 in a fixed position. Then, the holder case 20 is mounted at a predetermined position. At this time, the connecting portion 17B is elastically deformed and guides the locking hook 17b at the tip to the locking opening 20B. The locking hook 17b is hooked on the opening edge of the locking opening 20B, and the insulating cap 17 is connected to the holder case 20 so as not to come off. The insulating cap 17 that does not come off prevents the bus bar 15 from coming off the electrode terminal 12. Therefore, the insulating cap 17 insulates the surface of the bus bar 15 and prevents the bus bar 15 from coming out of the electrode terminal 12. As shown in FIG. 10, the insulating cap 17 can be conveniently used by being attached to a bus bar 15 that is not connected with a set screw. However, the insulating cap 17 can be attached to the bus bar 15 connected by the set screw 16 as shown in FIG. As described above, the power supply device that covers and insulates the surface of the bus bar 15 with the insulating cap 17 improves the safety in the assembly process and the transport process, and a large short current flows in any of the battery modules. There is a feature that can effectively prevent the battery from deteriorating.

  In the power supply device of FIG. 12, square batteries 31 are connected in series by bus bars 35 instead of the battery modules. The prismatic battery 31 of this power supply device has positive and negative electrode terminals 32 protruding from one electrode end surface 31A, the upper surface in the figure. The electrode terminal 32 protrudes in a vertical posture with respect to the electrode end surface 31A. In this power supply device, a plurality of prismatic batteries 31 are connected side by side in a state where the electrode end surface 31A on the upper surface is positioned on the same plane, in other words, the upper and lower surfaces of the prismatic battery 31 are the same horizontal plane. Further, the rectangular batteries 31 arranged adjacent to each other are connected in series with the bus bar 35 by connecting the bus bar 35 to the electrode terminal 32.

  The prismatic battery 31 shown in the figure has a quadrangular prism shape in which the electrode end surface 31A on the upper surface is a rectangle, and plate-like electrode terminals 32 are provided so as to protrude upward at both ends of the electrode end surface 31A. In this rectangular battery 31, a plate-like electrode terminal 32 is fixed to an outer case in a posture parallel to the long side of the rectangle. The plurality of prismatic batteries 31 are arranged side by side in a state where the long sides of the rectangle are adjacent to each other, in other words, in a state of being stacked in the thickness direction.

  The bus bar 35 for connecting the rectangular battery 31 is made of an elastic metal band made of the same material as the bus bar for electrically connecting the battery module. This bus bar 35 is also provided with elastic bent pieces 35B at both ends of the main body portion 35A by bending both ends of the elastic metal band. As shown in FIG. 13, the elastic bent piece 35B is bent so that the inner angle (α) formed with the main body portion 35A is inclined to be smaller than the right angle, and the tip edge portion 35b is bent outward. ing. The bus bar 35 has a main body portion 35A disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end surface 31A of the rectangular battery 31, and elastically acts on the surface of the electrode terminal 32 of the adjacent rectangular battery 31 by elastic bent pieces 35B at both ends thereof. The adjacent square batteries 31 are electrically connected to each other.

  This power supply device can absorb the dimensional error of the prismatic battery 31, particularly the dimensional error of the rectangular battery 31 in the height direction, and can electrically connect the bus bar 35. Even if the electrode terminal 32 is displaced in the vertical direction due to the dimensional error of the height of the prismatic battery 31, the elastic folding provided at both ends of the main body portion 35A on the surface of the electrode terminal 32 protruding vertically from the electrode end surface 31A. This is because the bending piece 35B can be elastically pressed to be electrically connected. Also, a square battery whose electrode terminals are not exactly perpendicular to the electrode end face can be stably electrically connected by the bus bar. This is because even if the electrode terminal is slightly inclined from the vertical direction, the elastic bent piece of the bus bar can be elastically pressed against the surface of the electrode terminal to be electrically connected. Therefore, this power supply device absorbs the dimensional error of the square battery 31 and the inclination of the electrode terminal 32 with the bus bar 35, and can reliably and stably make an electrical connection.

  Further, in the power supply device shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the rectangular batteries 51 are arranged side by side in the same manner as the power supply device in FIG. The prismatic battery 51 has positive and negative electrode terminals 52 projecting perpendicularly to the electrode end face 51A on the upper surface. The prismatic battery 51 has a posture in which the plate-like electrode terminal 52 is parallel to the short side of the rectangular electrode end face 51A. It is fixed to. Therefore, the electrode terminals 52 of the adjacent rectangular batteries 51 are arranged linearly with respect to each other. The linear electrode terminals 52 are connected by a linear bus bar 55, and the outside of the bus bar 55 is covered with an insulating cap 57.

  The bus bar 55 is made of the same elastic metal plate as the elastic metal band for manufacturing the bus bar for connecting the battery module, but the shape is different. The bus bar 55 is formed by bending an elastic metal plate having a width capable of connecting the electrode terminals 52 of the adjacent rectangular batteries 51 in the middle to provide a pair of elastic sandwiching pieces 55A and 55B. The electrode terminal 52 of the adjacent square battery 51 is clamped and electrically connected by 55B. The pair of elastic clamping pieces 55A and 55B includes a first elastic clamping piece 55A and a second elastic clamping piece 55B.

  A cross-sectional view of the bus bar 55 is shown in FIG. The bus bar 55 in this figure brings the first elastic sandwiching piece 55 </ b> A into contact with the outside of the electrode terminal 52, and brings the second elastic sandwiching piece 55 </ b> B into contact with the inside of the electrode terminal 52. The first elastic sandwiching piece 55 </ b> A is provided with a ridge 55 a that is parallel to the outer surface of the electrode terminal 52 and that contacts the surface of the electrode terminal 52 on the inner surface. The bus bar 55 in the figure is provided with a ridge 55a extending in a direction parallel to the electrode end face 51A, that is, in a horizontal direction in the figure. Furthermore, the bus bar 15 of FIG. 16 is provided with a plurality of ridges 55a on the first elastic sandwiching piece 55A so as to be separated from each other in the vertical direction. The first elastic sandwiching piece 55 </ b> A is brought into contact with the electrode terminal 52 in a posture parallel to the surface of the electrode terminal 52 with each protrusion 55 a being in contact with the surface. The second elastic sandwiching piece 55 </ b> B is an elastic arm that is inclined with respect to the surface of the electrode terminal 52. When the electrode terminal 12 is inserted between the pair of elastic sandwiching pieces 55A and 55B, the elastic arm that is the second elastic sandwiching piece 55B is elastically deformed, and the first elastic sandwiching piece 55A and the second elastic sandwiching piece 55A are elastically deformed. The gap between the sandwiching pieces 55B is expanded, and the electrode terminal 52 is inserted here. In a state where the electrode terminal 52 is inserted between the first elastic sandwiching piece 55A and the second elastic sandwiching piece 55B, the elastic arm, which is the second elastic sandwiching piece 55B, makes the surface of the electrode terminal 52 elastic. The elastic arm which is the second elastic clamping piece 55B and the first elastic clamping piece 55A elastically clamp the electrode terminal 52, and the bus bar 55 is electrically connected to the electrode terminal 52. Is done.

  Furthermore, the bus bar 55 in FIG. 16 covers the outer surface and the upper surface of the first elastic sandwiching piece 55 </ b> A with an insulating cap 57. The insulating cap 57 includes a main body cover portion 57A that covers the outside of the first elastic sandwiching piece 55A, an upper surface cover portion 57B that covers the upper surface of the bus bar 55, and a locking portion 57C that is locked to the rectangular battery 51. Are integrally formed of an insulating plastic. The insulating cap 57 of FIG. 16 does not cover the elastic arm that is the second elastic clamping piece 55B. The insulating cap 57 having this structure does not hinder the elastic deformation of the elastic arm that is the second elastic clamping piece 55B. Therefore, the bus bar 55 can be smoothly connected to the electrode terminal 52 by freely elastically deforming the second elastic sandwiching piece 55B, which is an elastic arm. However, the insulating cap may have a shape that covers the second elastic sandwich piece as a shape that provides a gap between the insulating cap and the elastic arm of the second elastic sandwich piece.

  In the insulating cap 57 shown in the figure, the locking portion 57C is used as a locking hook 58. The locking hook 58 is placed in a locking recess 59 provided on the side surface of the prismatic battery 51, and has a protruding portion 58a hooked here. The locking hook 58 is elastically deformed and guides the convex portion 58 a at the tip to the locking concave portion 59 of the rectangular battery 31. The locking hook 58 is hooked on the locking recess 59, and the insulating cap 57 is connected to the rectangular battery 31 so as not to come off. The locking hook 58 that does not come off prevents the bus bar 55 from coming off from the electrode terminal 52. Therefore, the insulating cap 57 insulates the surface of the bus bar 55 and prevents the bus bar 55 from coming out of the electrode terminal 52.

  The power supply device having this structure can electrically connect the bus bar 55 by absorbing the dimensional error of the rectangular battery 51, particularly the dimensional error in the height direction. Even if the electrode terminal 52 is displaced in the vertical direction due to the dimensional error of the height of the rectangular battery 51, both surfaces of the electrode terminal 52 protruding vertically from the electrode end surface 51A are elastically supported by the pair of elastic sandwiching pieces 55A and 55B. This is because the bus bar 55 can be electrically connected to the electrode terminal 52 by sandwiching them. Further, since the surface of the bus bar 55 is covered and insulated by the insulating cap 57, the safety in the assembling process and the conveying process is improved, and a large short current flows through one of the rectangular batteries 51, and the battery deteriorates. There is a feature that can be effectively prevented.

It is a schematic block diagram of the conventional power supply device. It is an enlarged view which shows the connection structure of the bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning one Example of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connection structure of the battery module and bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connection structure of the battery module and bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the insulation cap to the bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connection structure of the battery module and bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. It is a disassembled side view which shows the connection structure of the bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the power supply device concerning the other Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which mounted | wore the bus bar of the power supply device shown in FIG. 14 with the insulation cap. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the insulation cap of the power supply device shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Unit cell 11 ... Battery module 11A ... Electrode end surface 12 ... Electrode terminal 13 ... Projection part 13A ... Plane part
13a ... Locking part
13B ... Top surface
13b ... Female screw hole
13c ... Male screw 14 ... Plate part 15 ... Bus bar 15A ... Main part
15a ... through hole
15B ... Elastic bent piece
15b ... Projection 16 ... Set screw 17 ... Insulation cap 17A ... Body cover
17a ... Holding recess
17B ... Connection part
17b ... Locking hook 18 ... Nut 20 ... Holder case 20A ... Electrode window
20B ... Locking opening 31 ... Square battery 31A ... Electrode end face 32 ... Electrode terminal 35 ... Bus bar 35A ... Body part
35B ... Elastic bent piece
35b ... Edge edge 51 ... Square battery 51A ... Electrode end face 52 ... Electrode terminal 55 ... Bus bar 55A ... Elastic clamping piece
55a ... ridge
55B ... Elastic clamping piece 57 ... Insulating cap 57A ... Body cover
57B ... Top cover
57C ... Locking portion 58 ... Locking hook 58a ... Projection 59 ... Locking recess 91 ... Battery module 92 ... Electrode terminal 95 ... Bus bar 96 ... Set screw 99 ... Holder case

Claims (8)

A plurality of battery modules (11), in which a plurality of unit cells (10) are linearly connected in series and electrode terminals (12) are provided at both ends, are arranged side by side in a parallel posture, and adjacent batteries A power supply device comprising a bus bar (15) connected to an electrode terminal (12) of a module (11), and a battery module (11) connected to the bus bar (15),
The electrode terminal (12) of the battery module (11) has a protruding portion (13) protruding from the electrode end surface (11A) of the battery module (11),
The bus bar (15) is formed of an elastic metal band obtained by processing an elastic metal plate into a predetermined width and length, and both ends of the elastic metal band are bent, and elastic bent pieces are formed at both ends of the main body (15A). (15B)
The bus bar (15) has the main body (15A) disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end surface (11A) of the battery module (11), and the elastic bent pieces (15B) at both ends thereof are adjacent to each other. A power supply device formed by elastically pressing the side surface of the electrode terminal (12) of the battery module (11) to electrically connect the adjacent battery modules (11).   A plurality of battery modules (11) are housed in a holder case (20) and placed at a fixed position, and the holder case (20) is insulated by covering the outside of the bus bar (15) with an insulation cap (17) The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein:   The electrode terminal (12) of the battery module (11) has a female screw hole (13b), the main body (15A) of the bus bar (15) has a through hole (15a), and is inserted into the through hole (15a). The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the set screw (16) is screwed into the female screw hole (13b) to fix the bus bar (15) to the electrode terminal (12).   The electrode terminal (12) of the battery module (11) has a male screw (13c), the main body (15A) of the bus bar (15) has a through hole (15a), and is inserted into the through hole (15a). The power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the nut (18) is screwed into the male screw (13c), and the bus bar (15) is fixed to the electrode terminal (12). A plurality of prismatic batteries (31) with positive and negative electrode terminals (32) protruding from one electrode end face (31A) are arranged side by side with the electrode end face (31A) positioned on the same plane, A power supply device in which a bus bar (35) is connected to an electrode terminal (32) of an adjacent square battery (31), and the square battery (31) is connected by the bus bar (35),
The bus bar (35) is formed of an elastic metal band obtained by processing an elastic metal plate to a predetermined width and length, and both ends of the elastic metal band are bent, and elastic bent pieces are formed at both ends of the main body (35A). (35B)
The bus bar (35) has the main body (35A) disposed in a plane parallel to the electrode end surface (31A) of the prismatic battery (31), and the elastic bent pieces (35B) at both ends thereof are adjacent to each other. A power supply device formed by elastically pressing the surface of the electrode terminal (32) of the prismatic battery (31) to electrically connect adjacent prismatic batteries (31).   The prismatic battery (31) has a rectangular column shape with the electrode end face (31A) as a rectangle, and plate electrode terminals (32) at both ends of the rectangular electrode end face (31A) in a posture parallel to the long side of the rectangle. The rectangular batteries (31) are arranged side by side with the long sides of the rectangles adjacent to each other, and the adjacent rectangular batteries (31) are arranged on the plate-like electrode terminals (32). The power supply device according to claim 5, wherein the elastic bent piece (35B) of the bus bar (35) is pressed and electrically connected to the surface. A plurality of prismatic batteries (51) with positive and negative electrode terminals (52) protruding on one electrode end face (51A) are arranged side by side with the electrode end face (51A) positioned on the same plane, A power supply device comprising a bus bar (55) connected to an electrode terminal (52) of an adjacent square battery (51), and a square battery (51) connected to the bus bar (55),
The prismatic battery (51) has a rectangular columnar shape with the electrode end face (51A) as a rectangle, and plate electrode terminals (52) at both ends of the rectangular electrode end face (51A) in a posture parallel to the short side of the rectangle. This rectangular battery (51) is in a state where the long sides of the rectangle are adjacent to each other, and is arranged side by side in a posture in which the plate-like electrode terminals (52) are positioned on the same plane,
The bus bar (55) has a pair of elastic sandwiching pieces (55A) and (55B) by bending an elastic metal plate having a width capable of connecting the electrode terminals (52) of the adjacent rectangular batteries (51) in the middle. The electrode terminal (52) of the adjacent square battery (51) is clamped and electrically connected by the elastic clamping pieces (55A) and (55B) of the bus bar (55),
The outside of the bus bar (55) is covered with an insulating cap (57) formed by molding plastic, and this insulating cap (57) has a locking portion (57C) locked to the rectangular battery (51). And a power supply device in which the engaging portion (57C) is connected to the rectangular battery (51) and the outside of the bus bar (55) is insulated by the insulating cap (57). The rectangular batteries (51) arranged side by side have a locking recess (59) on the outer surface on the short side, and the insulating cap (57) is locked to the locking recess (59). 58), and the latching hook (58) is hooked on the latching recess (59) of the prismatic battery (51) to connect the insulating cap (57) to the prismatic battery (51). Power supply.

Images