JP2015191729A - Battery holder for battery module and manufacturing method therefor and battery module - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a battery holder for battery module capable of reducing the manufacturing cost of a battery module, while enhancing the degree of freedom in the selection of the number of holdable battery cells.SOLUTION: A battery holder 12 for battery module includes a plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b formed by laminating a plurality of holder plates 24a, 24b, 44a, 44b formed by punching a metal plate, and having only two or three battery insertion holes 22, 42, and is formed by coupling the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b integrally.

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery holder for a battery module, a manufacturing method thereof, and a battery module.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a battery holder made of metal or resin and having a plurality of battery insertion holes, a battery cell inserted into the battery insertion hole, and a resin that is filled and solidified between the battery insertion hole and the battery cell. A battery holding structure is described.

JP 2013-8655 A

  When forming a battery module including a large number of battery cells, each set of battery cells is held in a plurality of holder elements with a minimum unit of several tens of battery cells in order to save space during transportation. It is conceivable to form one battery holder by combining a plurality of holder elements. However, when the number of battery cells in each set is large, the manufacturing equipment for the holder element and the mold for manufacturing may increase, and the manufacturing cost may increase. It is also desirable to increase the degree of freedom in selecting the number of battery cells held in the battery module. Patent Document 1 does not disclose means for solving such a problem.

  The objective of this invention is providing the battery holder for battery modules which can reduce the manufacturing cost of a battery module, and can raise the freedom degree of selection of the number of battery cells which can be hold | maintained, its manufacturing method, and a battery module. .

  The battery holder for a battery module according to the present invention is formed by laminating a plurality of holder plates formed by punching a metal plate, and only two or only three are provided and battery cells are inserted. And a plurality of holder elements having battery insertion holes, and the plurality of holder elements are integrally connected.

  In the battery holder for a battery module according to the present invention, preferably, at least a part of the plurality of battery insertion holes are arranged side by side on a plurality of lines in a state where the plurality of holder elements are integrally connected. .

  In the battery holder for a battery module according to the present invention, preferably, the plurality of holder elements are connected to each other in a state where a gap is provided in at least a part between the plurality of holder elements.

  In the battery holder for a battery module according to the present invention, preferably, the connection forming portion includes a concave portion or a convex portion formed on at least a part of the plurality of holder plates, and the adjacent holder elements are The protrusion is engaged with and connected to the recess.

  The battery module according to the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells held in battery insertion holes of the plurality of holder elements, and the plurality of battery cells includes a plurality of battery cells each having a predetermined number of battery cells. The battery cells of each set are aligned so that the positive electrode side is the same side in the length direction of the battery cells, the battery cells of each set are connected in parallel, and the plurality of sets of battery cells are connected in series by a bus bar .

  The manufacturing method of the battery holder for 1st battery modules which concerns on this invention is a manufacturing method of the battery holder for battery modules which concerns on this invention, Comprising: A some holder element has a 1st shape holder plate and a 2nd shape. The first shape holder plate is formed of a first plate member having a predetermined shape, the second shape holder plate is formed of a second plate member having the same shape as the first plate member, and the first plate member The first intermediate material is formed by punching and removing a portion, and a plurality of punches are moved to a plurality of moving positions including a punching space of the first portion, so that the number of punch elements in the first intermediate material is smaller than the number of punches Forming a first shape holder plate, and forming a second intermediate material by punching and removing the second portion at a position different from the first portion in the second plate material, and punching the second portion Space Moving the plurality of punch-free multiple moving position, and a step of forming a second shape holder plate to form a small hole elements than the punch number punched into the second intermediate material.

  The manufacturing method of the 2nd battery holder for battery modules which concerns on this invention is a manufacturing method of the battery holder for battery modules which concerns on this invention, Comprising: A some holder element has a 1st-shaped holder board and a 2nd-shaped holder plate. The first shape holder plate is formed of a first plate member having a predetermined shape, the second shape holder plate is formed of a second plate member having the same shape as the first plate member, and the first plate member The first intermediate material is formed by punching and removing a portion, and a plurality of punches are moved to a plurality of moving positions including a punching space of the first portion, so that the number of punch elements in the first intermediate material is smaller than the number of punches Forming a first-shaped holder plate and moving a plurality of punches to a plurality of movement positions in the second plate member to form the same number of punch elements as the number of punches on the second plate member. Second And a step of forming a Jo holder plate.

  According to the battery holder for a battery module, the manufacturing method thereof, and the battery module according to the present invention, the manufacturing cost of the battery module can be reduced, and the degree of freedom in selecting the number of battery cells that can be held by the battery holder can be increased.

It is a perspective view which shows the battery module containing the battery holder for battery modules in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which took out the battery holder from FIG. 1 and was seen from the top. It is a perspective view which isolate | separates and shows the 1st holder element and 2nd holder element which form the battery holder of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of connection forming portions are coupled to each other in adjacent holder elements immediately before forming the battery holder of FIG. 2. It is the schematic which shows the process (a) which manufactures the 1st holder element of FIG. 2, and the process (b) which manufactures a 2nd holder element. In the battery module of FIG. 1, it is the perspective view (a) which shows the electrical connection structure of a some battery cell, and the figure (b) which shows typically the connection structure of (a). FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a connection portion between a positive electrode terminal, a negative electrode terminal, and a battery in another example of a connection structure of a plurality of battery cells in FIG. 6. It is the schematic which shows another example (a) of the process of manufacturing the 1st holder element of FIG. 2, and another example (b) of the process of manufacturing a 2nd holder element. It is the schematic which shows the 2nd example (a) of another example of the process of manufacturing the 2nd holder element of FIG. 2, and the process (b) of manufacturing the 2nd holder element of another shape from (a). It is the figure which looked at the other example of the battery holder for battery modules in embodiment of this invention from the top. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of another example of a holder element. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of another example of a holder element. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of the connection part of two holder elements with (a) before connection, and (b) after connection. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd example of another example of the connection part of two holder elements.

  Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this description, specific shapes, numbers, and directions are examples for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and can be appropriately changed according to specifications. In the following description, similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals in all drawings. In the following, when a plurality of embodiments or modifications are included, those characteristic portions may be appropriately combined.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a battery module 10 including a battery holder for battery modules (hereinafter referred to as “battery holder”) in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a view of the battery holder 12 taken out from FIG. 1 and viewed from above. FIG. 3 shows the first holder elements 20a and 20b and the second holder elements 40a and 40b that form the battery holder 12 of FIG. It is a perspective view which isolate | separates and shows. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of the connection forming portions 21 and 41 are coupled to each other in the adjacent holder elements 20a and 20b immediately before the battery holder 12 of FIG. 2 is formed.

  The battery module 10 is formed including a battery holder 12 and a plurality of battery cells 14 held by the battery holder 12. The battery module 10 is used as a power source having a predetermined voltage. For example, the battery module 10 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and used to drive an electric motor included in the vehicle. The electric motor may be a travel motor that drives the vehicle.

  The battery cell 14 is a cylindrical secondary battery that can be charged and discharged, and a lithium ion battery is used. In addition to this, a nickel metal hydride battery or an alkaline battery may be used.

  The battery holder 12 is formed by integrally connecting a plurality of holder elements 20 a, 20 b, 40 a, 40 b with respective connection forming portions 21, 41. The plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b include a plurality of first holder elements 20a, 20b and a plurality of second holder elements 40a, 40b. The plurality of first holder elements 20a and 20b include a first holder element 20a on the left side in FIG. 2 and a first holder element 20b on the right side in FIG. The plurality of second holder elements 40a and 40b include the second holder element 40a on the left side in FIG. 2 and the second holder element 40b on the right side in FIG. Hereinafter, the first holder element 20a and the second holder element 40a may be described as a representative of the first holder element 20a, 20b and the second holder element 40a, 40b.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the height direction H, the length direction L, and the width direction W are shown as three axial directions orthogonal to each other. The height direction H is the vertical direction or the vertical direction when the battery module 10 is installed on a horizontal plane, and is the length direction of the battery cell 14. The length direction L and the width direction W are directions orthogonal to each other on a horizontal plane. Here, the longer dimension of the battery module 10 is defined as the length direction L, and the shorter dimension is defined as the width direction W.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first holder element 20 a has only two battery insertion holes 22 into which the battery cells 14 are inserted, and a plurality of connection forming portions 21. The first holder elements 20a and 20b are a plurality of first holder plates formed in a predetermined shape by punching a first plate member 23 (FIG. 5) formed of a metal plate as in the manufacturing method described later. It is formed by stacking 24a and 24b and integrally joining them.

  The plurality of first holder plates 24a have substantially the same shape as each other, and have two circular first hole elements 25 arranged in a direction inclined with respect to the length direction L and the width direction W. The plurality of first holder plates 24a include a portion of the first holder plate 24a having a protruding portion 26 projecting along the length direction L at one end portion in the length direction L at one end portion in the width direction W, and one end in the width direction W. And the remaining first holder plate 24a having a second protrusion 27 (FIG. 3) protruding along the length direction L at the other end in the length direction L. The remaining first holder plate 24a also has third protrusions 28 provided at a plurality of locations on the other end in the width direction W.

  In the first holder element 20a, a plurality of first holder plates 24a having protrusions 26 and a plurality of first holder plates 24a having protrusions 27, 28 are alternately stacked and overlapped protrusions 26, 27. , 28 are integrally formed by caulking in the height direction H. A plurality of first holder plates 24a may be integrally coupled by caulking portions other than the protrusions 26, 27, and 28 of the first holder element 20a in the height direction H with a caulking jig (not shown).

  In the first holder plate 24a adjacent to the height direction H, the protrusions 26, 27, and 28 that overlap each other are caulked in the axial direction by the caulking jig, so that each of the protrusions 26, 27, and 28 is on one surface. You may include the formed recessed part and the convex part formed in the other surface. The connection forming portion 21 includes a convex portion provided at one end of the overlapping protrusions 26, 27, and 28 and a concave portion provided at the other end of at least some of the first holder plates 24a. Including. In this case, the protrusions and recesses of the overlapping protrusions 26, 27, and 28 may be engaged. The connection forming portions 21 are formed at two or more positions separated in the height direction H on both sides in the length direction L of the width direction W one end portion of the first holder element 20a and the width direction W other end portion. .

  The two or more connection forming portions 21 separated in the height direction H are used to connect with one connection formation portion 41 of the second holder elements 40a and 40b described later. In this case, the first holder elements 20a and 20b and the second holder elements 40a and 40b may be swingably connected by engaging the concave portions and the convex portions of the adjacent connection forming portions 21 and 41 with each other. In the first holder elements 20a and 20b, the plurality of first hole elements 25 are connected in the axial direction, that is, the height direction H, so that only two battery insertion holes 22 into which the battery cells 14 are inserted are formed. The The connecting forming portions 21 and 41 do not include the concave and convex portions on both side surfaces in the height direction H, and the two holder elements 20a and 40a One connection forming portion 41 may be pushed in between and connected.

  The first holder element 20b that forms the right side of FIG. 2 is opposite to the first holder element 20a that forms the left side of FIG. It has become. As the first holder plates 24a and 24b forming the left and right first holder elements 20a and 20b, holder plates having the same shape with the front and back reversed may be used.

  The second holder elements 40 a and 40 b have only three battery insertion holes 42 into which the battery cells 14 are inserted, and a plurality of connection forming portions 41. The second holder elements 40a, 40b are a plurality of second holder plates formed in a predetermined shape by punching a second plate member 43 (FIG. 5) formed of a metal plate as in the manufacturing method described later. It is formed by stacking 44a and 44b and connecting them together.

  The plurality of second holder plates 44a have substantially the same shape as each other, and include three circular second hole elements 45 arranged at positions that become the apexes of a triangle. The plurality of second holder plates 44a includes a part of the second holder plate 44a having a protrusion 46 protruding along the length direction L at one end portion in the length direction L at one end portion in the width direction W, and one end in the width direction W. And the remaining second holder plate 44a having a second protrusion 47 protruding along the length direction L at the other end in the length direction L.

  A part of the second holder plate 44a forming the second holder element 40a on the left side in FIG. 2 is formed so that the bottom of the recess is shallow on the outer surface between the two second hole elements 45 at the other end in the width direction W. It has the collar part 48 provided in. A part of the second holder plate 44b forming the second holder element 40b on the right side of FIG. 2 has a third protrusion 49 provided at the other end in the width direction W so as to protrude in the width direction.

  In the second holder element 40a on the left side of FIG. 2, the two battery insertion holes 42 are disposed near the center in the width direction W of the battery holder 12, whereas in the second holder element 40b on the right side of FIG. The two battery insertion holes 42 are arranged outside in the width direction W.

  The second holder element 40a is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of second holder plates 44a having protrusions 46 and a plurality of second holder plates 44a having protrusions 47, and overlapping the protrusions 46, 47, 49. And the flange portion 48 is integrally formed by caulking in the height direction H. A plurality of second holder plates 44a may be integrally coupled by caulking a part of the second holder element 40a in the height direction H with a caulking jig (not shown).

  In the second holder plate 44a adjacent in the height direction H, the protrusions 46, 47, 49 and the flange part 48 that overlap each other are caulked in the axial direction by a caulking jig, whereby each of the protrusions 46, 47, 49, and The collar portion 48 may include a concave portion formed on one surface and a convex portion formed on the other surface. The connecting forming portion 41 includes a convex portion provided at one end of the overlapping protrusions 46, 47, and 49 and a concave portion provided at the other end of at least some of the second holder plates 44a of the plurality of second holder plates 44a. Including. The connection forming portions 41 are formed at two or more positions separated in the height direction H on both sides in the length direction L of the width direction W one end portion of the second holder element 40a and the width direction W other end portion. The The two or more connection forming portions 41 separated in the height direction H are used to connect the first holder elements 20a and 20b with the one connection forming portion 21 interposed therebetween. In this case, the concave portion and the convex portion of the adjacent connecting forming portion 41 may be engaged. In the second holder element 40a, the plurality of second hole elements 45 are connected in the height direction H, whereby the battery insertion hole 42 is formed.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a step (a) of manufacturing the first holder element 20a of FIG. 2 and a step (b) of manufacturing the second holder element 40a. The first holder plate 24a forming the first holder element 20a and the second holder plate 44a forming the second holder element 40a are formed by the first plate member 23 and the second plate member 43, respectively. The 1st board | plate material 23 and the 2nd board | plate material 43 have the mutually same shape, for example, are formed in a predetermined shape by giving a punching process to the metal plate of steel or aluminum. The 1st board | plate material 23 and the 2nd board | plate material 43 have the same shape as the external shape when the 1st holder board 24a and the 2nd holder board 44a are faced | matched and couple | bonded like the part shown with sand in FIG.

  As shown to Fig.5 (a), when forming the 1st shape 1st holder plate 24a, the press work apparatus 60 is used. The press working apparatus 60 includes a belt 61 that conveys the first plate member 23, a punching portion 62 (a2 in FIG. 5) that can be moved up and down, and a plurality (five in FIG. 5) punching punches 63. The press working apparatus 60 also has a punching portion 64 (b2 in FIG. 5) that can be moved up and down. The belt 61 is also used for conveying a second plate member 43 described later.

  The first plate member 23 is conveyed by the belt 61 to the positions a1 to a4 along the horizontal direction. The arrows in FIG. 5 indicate the conveying direction of the first plate member 23 on the belt 61. In the position a2 in FIG. 5, in the first plate member 23, the first portion corresponding to the second holder plate 44a (the hatched portion of (a2)) is punched and removed by the punching portion 62, and the first intermediate material 29 is formed. The Thereafter, at the position a3, the plurality of punching punches 63 are moved from the upper side to the lower side at a plurality of (five in FIG. 5) moving positions including the punching space of the first portion (portion indicated by a broken line at a3). As a result, two first hole elements 25 smaller than the number of punches are formed in the first intermediate material 29, and the first holder plate 24a is formed. Then, after the punching punch 63 is raised, the first holder plate 24a is conveyed to a subsequent process (a4).

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when the second shaped second holder plate 44a is formed, the second plate member 43 is conveyed by the belt 61 to the positions b1 to b4 along the horizontal direction. In the position of b2 in FIG. 5, the second plate member 43 is at a position different from the first portion (shaded portion of (a2)), and the second portion corresponding to the first holder plate 24a (shaded portion of (b2)). Is punched and removed by the punching portion 64, and the second intermediate material 50 is formed. Thereafter, at the position b3, the plurality of punching punches 63 are moved downward from the upper side to a plurality of (five in FIG. 5) moving positions including the punching space of the second portion (portion indicated by a broken line at b3). As a result, three second hole elements 45 smaller than the number of punches are formed in the second intermediate material 50, and the second holder plate 44a is formed. Then, after the punching punch 63 is raised, the second holder plate 44a is conveyed to a subsequent process (b4).

  Also in the case of manufacturing the first holder plate 24b and the second holder plate 44b on the right side of FIG. 2, the punching punch is moved after removing the different positions of the plate material having the same shape as in FIG. Stamping to form fewer hole elements. Further, in the first holder plates 24a and 24b and the second holder plates 44a and 44b, the holders are formed so that the positions of the protrusions 26, 27, 28, 46, 47, 49 or the flanges 48 are different after the hole element is formed. The plate may be processed.

  By manufacturing by such a manufacturing method, the 1st holder plate 24a and the 2nd holder plate 44a of a different shape can be formed from the board | plate materials 23 and 43 of the same shape. Moreover, since the 1st holder board 24a and the 2nd holder board 44a can be formed, changing the punching removal part to remove with the one press processing apparatus 60, manufacturing cost can be reduced. Moreover, when the 1st holder plate 24a and the 2nd holder plate 44a are each formed with an exclusive press processing apparatus, the cost reduction of a press processing apparatus can be aimed at by using a common structure as a punching process part.

  Next, the first holder plates 24a and 24b are laminated and integrally formed to form the first holder elements 20a and 20b, and the second holder plates 44a and 44b are laminated and integrally formed to form the second holder element. 40a and 40b are formed. Thereafter, the battery holder 12 is formed by connecting the first holder elements 20a, 20b and the second holder elements 40a, 40b. In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the first holder element 20a and the second holder element 40a adjacent to each other in the width direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 3) are 2 at one end in the width direction of the first holder element 20a. The two connecting forming portions 21 are connected so as to sandwich one connecting forming portion (not shown in FIG. 3) of the second holder element 40a. The first holder element 20b and the second holder element 40b on the right side of FIG. 2 are similarly connected. With the above configuration, four width direction coupling bodies 70a and 70b (FIG. 4) having five battery insertion holes 22 and 42 are formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, in the two width direction coupling bodies 70a and 70b, the second holder elements 40a and 40b are formed by the two connection forming portions 21 on one side in the length direction of the first holder elements 20a and 20b. It connects so that one formation part for connection may be pinched | interposed. As a result, the plurality of width direction coupling bodies 70 a and 70 b are pivotably coupled by the coupling formation portion 21. Next, in the adjacent width direction coupling bodies 70a and 70b, one coupling formation portion of the second holder elements 40a and 40b is formed by the two coupling formation portions 21 on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the first holder elements 20a and 20b. The battery holder 12 is formed by being connected to each other so as not to be swingable. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, parallel plane portions P and Q are formed on both side surfaces of the battery holder 12 in the width direction.

  In this case, in the battery holder 12, the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b are provided with a small gap of, for example, about 0.1 mm in at least a part between the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b. .

  In the state in which the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, and 40b are integrally connected in this way, the battery holder 12 has a plurality of battery insertion holes 22 and 42 in a plurality of rows (four rows in the illustrated example). Arranged side by side. More specifically, the battery insertion holes 22 and 42 are arranged in a staggered manner in parallel with each other in the width direction W. One end in the height direction H of the battery cell 14 is inserted into the battery insertion holes 22 and 42, and a molten resin (not shown) is filled between the side surface of the battery cell 14 and the battery insertion holes 22 and 42 and solidified. Thereby, the battery module 10 is formed by joining the battery cells 14 to the battery holder 12 in a staggered arrangement. The outer shape of the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b has a curved shape so as to follow the shape of the battery insertion holes 22, 42 between the battery insertion holes 22, 42 arranged in a staggered manner. Note that the plurality of battery insertion holes 22 and 42 are not limited to the staggered arrangement, but may be aligned in a straight line in each of the length direction L and the width direction W. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which a part of several battery insertion holes 22 and 42 do not align on the straight line with respect to the remaining battery insertion holes 22 and 42. FIG.

  In the illustrated example, the battery holder 12 is formed by joining the four width direction coupling bodies 70a and 70b and has 20 battery insertion holes 22 and 42. Any number of one to three, five or more arbitrary width direction connectors may be included. Moreover, a battery module may be formed by only the upper or lower holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b in FIG. In this case, in the battery module 10, the number of holder elements to be coupled may be arbitrarily changed.

  In the battery module 10, the battery cells 14 are divided into a plurality of sets of battery cells 14 that are electrically connected in parallel with each other, and each set of battery cells 14 is electrically connected in series. The electrodes may be connected by a conductor. 6 is a perspective view (a) showing a connection structure of a plurality of battery cells 14 in the battery module 10 of FIG. 1, and a diagram (b) schematically showing the connection structure of (a). In (b), the positive electrode and the negative electrode are indicated by + and − on both sides of the battery cell 14.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of battery cells 14 includes a plurality of battery cells 14 with a predetermined number of two battery cells 14 as one set. In each set of battery cells 14, the positive electrode 15 and the negative electrode 16 arranged at both upper and lower ends are connected by an electrode connecting portion 17. Thereby, the battery cells 14 are connected in parallel. The electrode connecting portion 17 is formed of a conductive metal. In this case, the plurality of battery cells 14 are aligned so that the positive electrode side end portions are on the same side in the height direction H in each set. On the other hand, in the adjacent battery cells 14, the positive electrode side end and the negative electrode side end are arranged adjacent to each other. Adjacent electrode connection portions 17 are alternately connected by bus bars 18 in the order from the negative electrode side to the positive electrode side on one side and the other side in the height direction H. Thus, the plurality of battery cells 14 are connected in series with each other. A positive electrode terminal 19 a is connected to one positive electrode 15 or positive electrode end electrode connection portion 17 of the set located at the most positive electrode end of the battery module 10. A negative electrode terminal 19 b is connected to one negative electrode 16 or the electrode connection portion 17 at the negative electrode end of the set located at the most negative electrode end of the battery module 10. The positive electrode terminal 19 a and the negative electrode terminal 19 b are disposed on the upper side of the battery module 10.

  As a result, the length of the bus bar 18 connecting the battery cells 14 can be shortened, and boosting by series connection in the battery module 10 and increase in electric energy by parallel connection can be achieved. Moreover, since the positive electrode terminal 19a and the negative electrode terminal 19b can be arrange | positioned only at the upper side which is the height direction one side of the battery module 10, the connection structure of each terminal 19a, 19b and the freedom degree of design of its periphery part are provided. Can be high. Each terminal 19a, 19b may be disposed only on the lower side of the battery module.

  On the other hand, unlike the case of FIG. 6, as the battery module of the comparative example, a configuration in which the positive electrodes of all the battery cells are arranged on one side in the height direction is also conceivable. In this case, when two battery cells are connected in series, it is necessary to arrange the bus bar from the upper end to the lower end of the battery module, and the bus bar may be long and may have a complicated shape. According to the configuration of FIG. 6, such inconvenience can be prevented.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a connection portion between the positive electrode terminal 19 a and the negative electrode terminal 19 b and the battery cell 14 in another example of the connection structure of the plurality of battery cells in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 7, three battery cells 14 are made into one set, each set of battery cells 14 is connected in parallel by an electrode connection portion 17, and a plurality of sets of battery cells 14 are connected in series by a bus bar 18.

  A positive electrode terminal 19 a is connected to the electrode connection portion 17 at the positive electrode end of the battery module 10, and a negative electrode terminal 19 b is connected to the electrode connection portion 17 at the negative electrode end of the battery module 10. In the case of such a connection structure, the same effect as that of the configuration of FIG. 6 can be obtained. The number of battery cells 14 in each set is not limited to two or three, and any number can be adopted. All the battery cells 14 forming the battery module 10 may be connected in parallel or in series.

  According to the above configuration, the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b forming the battery holder 12 have a small structure having only two or three battery insertion holes 22, 42. Each holder element 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b is formed by a laminated structure of holder plates. For this reason, in the battery module 10, even when the number of mounted batteries increases, the manufacturing equipment for the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, and 40b and the mold for manufacturing can be downsized, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, since the number of battery cells 14 that can be held by the battery holder 12 can be easily changed by changing the combination of the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, and 40b, the number of battery cells 14 that can be held by the battery holder 12 The degree of freedom of selection can be increased. For this reason, an appropriate battery module 10 can be easily realized according to the required voltage or power. For example, when forming a battery holder that holds four battery cells 14, a battery holder is formed by connecting two first holder elements 20a and 20b (for example, the first holder element 20a on the right side of FIG. 2). When the five battery cells 14 are held, the battery holder is formed by only one width direction coupling body 70a, 70b. When holding the six battery cells 14, the battery holder is formed by connecting the two second holder elements 40a and 40b with the forming part for connection. In this way, by changing the combination of the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, and 40b and the number of combinations, a battery holder that can hold any number of battery cells 14 of four or more, both in even and odd numbers. Can be formed.

  Moreover, since the whole battery module can be easily changed into a complicated shape by changing the coupling state of the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b, there is a narrow dead space around the planned arrangement space of the battery module 10 In addition, the battery module can be easily changed to a shape in which a part of the battery module is disposed in the dead space. For this reason, it is possible to effectively use the arrangement space. In addition, when evaluating the battery cell 14 held in one battery holder 12 for compliance with laws and regulations or for product testing, a large-scale device is not required, and the cost for evaluation is reduced. it can.

  Further, the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b are connected to each other with a gap provided at least in a part between the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b. For this reason, the heat transfer between the plurality of holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b can be reduced by the gap. For this reason, even if the battery cell 14 held by one holder element 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b abnormally generates heat, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of all the parts of the battery module 10 quickly. Further, even when the battery module 10 is mounted on the vehicle and an excessive load is applied to some of the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b due to the collision of the vehicle, between the adjacent holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b. Due to the presence of the gap, some of the holder elements 20a, 20b, 40a, 40b can be greatly deformed. For this reason, since the deformation | transformation of the remaining holder elements can be suppressed, it can suppress that many parts of the battery module 10 deform | transform greatly.

  The battery module 10 including the battery holder 12 may be formed by housing the battery holder 12 and the battery cell 14 in a case (not shown). In this case, the battery module 10 is supplied with cooling air from the outside through the air circulation hole formed at the bottom of the case, for example, and is discharged from another air circulation hole formed at the bottom. May be configured. In this case, since the battery holder 12 provided on the upper side of the case can be cooled by the cooling air, the temperature rise of the battery cell 14 can be suppressed.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another example (a) of the process of manufacturing the first holder element 20a of FIG. 2 and another example (b) of the process of manufacturing the second holder element 40a. In the first holder plate 24a and the second holder plate 44a shown in the sand of FIG. 2, a part of the first holder plate 24a has the same outer shape as a part of the second holder plate 44a, and the second holder plate 44a includes the shape of the first holder plate 24a. In this case, the first holder plate 24a and the second holder plate 44a are respectively formed from the first plate member 23a and the second plate member 43a having substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the second holder plate 24a by the manufacturing method described below. it can.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the first holder plate 24a is formed, the first plate member 23a is moved to the positions a1 to a4 along the horizontal direction by the belt 61 of the press working device 60. Be transported. In the position a2 in FIG. 8, in the first plate member 23a, the first portion corresponding to a part of the second holder plate 44a (the hatched portion of (a2)) is punched and removed by the punching portion 62a, and the first intermediate material 29a is removed. Is formed. Thereafter, the punching punches 63 are moved downward from the upper side to a plurality of (three in FIG. 8) moving positions including the punching space of the first portion (the portion indicated by the broken line portion of a3) at the position a3. . Thereby, the two first hole elements 25 are formed in the first intermediate material 29a, and the first holder plate 24a is formed. Then, after the punching punch 63 is raised, the first holder plate 24a is conveyed to a subsequent process (a4).

  As shown in FIG. 8B, when the second holder plate 44a is formed, the second plate member 43a having the same shape as the first plate member 23a is conveyed by the belt 61 from the position b1 to b3. In the position of b2 in FIG. 8, the punching punch 63 is moved downward from the upper side to the three movement positions of the second plate member 43a, and three second hole elements 45 having the same number as the number of punches are formed in the second plate member 43a. Thus, the second holder plate 44a is formed. Then, after the punching punch 63 is raised, the second holder plate 44a is conveyed to a subsequent process (b3). The manufacturing method of the first holder plate 24b and the second holder plate 44b on the right side of FIG. 2 is the same.

  Also in the case of the above manufacturing method, the first holder plate 24a and the second holder plate 44a can be formed by one press working device 60. Further, when the first holder plate 24a and the second holder plate 44a are formed by dedicated press processing devices, the cost of the press processing device can be reduced.

  9 includes a second example (a) of another example of the process of manufacturing the second holder element 40a of FIG. 2, and a process (b) of manufacturing the second holder element 40b having a shape different from that of (a). FIG. When the second holder plates 44a and 44b forming the second holder elements 40a and 40b in FIG. 2 have the same outer shape portion, the first plate material 51 having the same shape and the second shape are formed by the manufacturing method described below. Two different shaped second holder plates 44 a and 44 b can be formed from the two plate materials 52. In the case of this example, the second holder plate 44a is a first shape holder plate, and the second holder plate 44b is a second shape holder plate.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, when forming the first-shaped second holder plate 44a, the first plate material 51 is transported by the belt 61 to the positions a1 to a4 in FIG. . In a2 of FIG. 9, in the first plate member 51, the first portion corresponding to a part of the second holder plate 44b (the hatched portion of (a2)) is punched and removed by the punching portion 64a to form the first intermediate material 54. Is done. Thereafter, the plurality of punching punches 63 are moved from the upper side to the plurality of (four in FIG. 9) moving positions including the punching space (the broken line part of a3) of the first portion, and the number of punching punches is smaller than the number of punching punches 3 Two first hole elements 45 are formed in the first intermediate material 54, and the second holder plate 44a is formed (a3, a4).

  As shown in FIG. 9B, when the second shaped second holder plate 44b is formed, the second plate 52 having the same shape as the first plate 51 is moved by the belt 61 to the positions b1 to b4 in FIG. Be transported. In b2 of FIG. 9, in the second plate member 52, the second portion (shaded portion of (b2)) at a position different from the first portion (shaded portion of (a2)) is punched and removed by the punching portion 64b. A material 55 is formed. Thereafter, the plurality of punching punches 63 are moved downward from the upper side to a plurality of (four in FIG. 9) moving positions including the punching space of the second portion (portions indicated by broken lines in b3), and the second intermediate material 55 is moved downward. Three second hole elements 45 smaller than the number of punches are formed, and the second holder plate 44b is formed (b3, b4). Other configurations and operations are the same as those in FIGS. 1 to 5.

  FIG. 10 is a top view of a first example of another example of the battery holder 12 in the embodiment of the present invention. The battery holder 12 of this example is formed by connecting a plurality of holder elements 80, 40a, 40b, and 40c having three battery insertion holes. The plurality of holder elements 80, 40a, 40b, and 40c include a first holder element 80 and second holder elements 40a, 40b, and 40c. The basic shapes of the second holder elements 40a, 40b, and 40c are the same as those of the second holder elements 40a and 40b in FIG. The 2nd holder element 40c is formed so that arrangement | positioning is possible in the center part of the battery holder 12. FIG.

  The first holder element 80 is formed in a substantially L shape, and has battery insertion holes 81 arranged at three positions along the L shape. Similarly to the second holder elements 40a, 40b, and 40c, the first holder element 80 is formed by stacking a plurality of first holder plates 82 formed in a predetermined shape by punching a metal plate. It is formed by bonding. The 1st holder element 80 has the formation part for a connection for connecting with the 2nd holder element 40a, 40b, 40c. The second holder element 40c at the center also has a connection forming portion 56 for connecting to the surrounding first holder element 80 and the second holder elements 40a, 40b. Thus, the battery holder 12 can also be formed by connecting only the plurality of holder elements 80, 40a, 40b, and 40c having the three battery insertion holes 81. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in FIGS. 1 to 5.

  11 and 12 show a first example and a second example of another example of the holder elements 90a and 90b. The battery holder may be formed by using another example of holder elements 90a and 90b shown in FIGS. In the example of FIG. 11, battery insertion holes 91 are formed at three positions on the straight line of the holder element 90a. In the example of FIG. 12, battery insertion holes 92 are formed at three positions along the V shape of the holder element 90b.

  In the configuration of FIG. 10, a plurality of holder elements 80, 40a, 40b, and 40c having three battery insertion holes 81 and 42 are connected to form the battery holder 12, but only two battery insertion holes are provided. A plurality of holder elements may be connected to form a battery holder. In this case, when the battery holder includes two holder elements having different shapes, two holder plates having different shapes may be formed from two plate materials having the same shape, similarly to the manufacturing method shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the connecting portion of the two holder elements 20a and 40a before connection (a) and after connection (b). As in the example of FIG. 13, some of the connection forming portions 41 formed on the holder elements 20 a and 40 a may be configured not to have convex portions on both surfaces. In this case, one holder element 40a of the two holder elements 20a and 40a includes a connection forming portion 41 having a circular through hole 41a. The two holder elements 20a and 40a are connected to each other in a state in which a convex portion 21a formed by caulking is fitted into the through-hole 41a to prevent the holder plates 24a and 44a from being separated in the surface direction. The Other configurations and operations are the same as those in FIGS. 1 to 7.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of another example of the connecting portion between the two holder elements 20a and 40a. As shown in the example of FIG. 14, a circular through hole 41a is formed in one holder element 40a of the two holder elements 20a and 40a, and both sides of the holder plate 24a forming the other holder element 20a are straightened by caulking. The concave portion 21b and the convex portion 21c having a V-shaped cross section may be formed respectively. In this case, the two holder elements 20a and 40a are connected in a state in which the protrusion 21c is fitted into the through hole 41a to prevent separation of the holder plates 24a and 44a in the surface direction. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in FIGS. 1 to 7.

  As mentioned above, although the form for implementing this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to such embodiment at all, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can implement with a various form. Of course. For example, although the battery holder 12 that holds the cylindrical battery has been described above, the battery holder may be formed to hold a square battery.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Battery module, 12 Battery holder (battery holder for battery modules), 14 Battery cell, 15 Positive electrode, 16 Negative electrode, 17 Electrode connection part, 18 Bus bar, 19a Positive terminal, 19b Negative terminal, 20a, 20b First holder element, 21 Connection forming portion, 21a convex portion, 21b concave portion, 21c convex portion, 22 battery insertion hole, 23, 23a first plate member, 24a, 24b first holder plate, 25 first hole element, 26 protrusion portion, 27 second protrusion Part 28 28 third projection 29 29a first intermediate material 40a 40b 40c second holder element 41 connection forming part 41a through hole 42 battery insertion hole 43 43a second plate 44a 44b 2nd holder plate, 45 2nd hole element, 46 protrusion, 47 2nd protrusion, 48 collar, 49 3rd protrusion, 50 2nd intermediate material, 51 1st Plate material, 52 Second plate material, 54 First intermediate material, 55 Second intermediate material, 56 Connection forming portion, 60 press working device, 61 belt, 62, 62a punching portion, 63 punching punch, 64, 64a, 64b punching portion 70a, 70b Width direction coupling body, 80 1st holder element, 81 Battery insertion hole, 82 1st holder plate, 83 Connection formation part, 90a, 90b Holder element, 91, 92 Battery insertion hole.

Claims (3)

A plurality of holder elements formed by stacking a plurality of holder plates formed by punching a metal plate, and having only two or only three battery insertion holes into which battery cells are inserted With
A battery holder for a battery module, which is formed by integrally connecting the plurality of holder elements. A battery holder for a battery module according to claim 1,
A plurality of battery cells held in the battery insertion holes of the plurality of holder elements,
The plurality of battery cells includes a plurality of sets of battery cells, each having a predetermined number of battery cells, and the positive side of each set of battery cells is aligned to be the same side in the length direction of the battery cells. A battery module in which a set of battery cells are connected in parallel, and a plurality of sets of battery cells are connected in series by a bus bar. It is a manufacturing method of the battery holder for battery modules according to claim 1,
The plurality of holder elements include a first shape holder plate and a second shape holder plate,
The first shape holder plate is formed of a first plate material having a predetermined shape, and the second shape holder plate is formed of a second plate material having the same shape as the first plate material,
A first intermediate material is formed by punching and removing the first portion of the first plate material, and a plurality of punches are moved to a plurality of moving positions including the punching space of the first portion, so that the first intermediate material is punched. Forming fewer hole elements to form a first shaped holder plate;
In the second plate material, a second intermediate material is formed by punching and removing a second portion at a position different from the first portion, and a plurality of punches are moved to a plurality of moving positions including a punching space of the second portion. And forming a second shape holder plate by forming a hole element in the second intermediate material that is smaller than the number of punches, and manufacturing the battery holder for the battery module.

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