JP6977660B2 - Secondary battery module - Google Patents

Description

The present application relates to a secondary battery module.

Lithium-ion secondary batteries are manufactured by restraining a large number of batteries and charging and discharging them at the same time. In recent years, the number of batteries with a laminated exterior has increased due to the demand for cost reduction and the like, and the laminated exterior batteries generally have a plate-shaped electrode terminal. Therefore, in order to charge / discharge such a secondary battery, a method of grasping the electrode terminal with a terminal such as an alligator clip and performing charging / discharging is adopted.

For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a chuck mechanism in which each electrode terminal of a battery is sandwiched between clip-shaped charge / discharge terminals (chuck portions) to charge / discharge.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-102883 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-3959

As shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when a charge / discharge terminal for sandwiching an electrode terminal of a battery is provided, a complicated mechanism is required to open / close the charge / discharge terminal (chuck portion). In addition, the thickness of the secondary battery is not always uniform and has tolerances, and since the battery expands and contracts during charging and discharging, the center of the charging / discharging terminal (chuck center) sandwiched with respect to the electrode terminal does not match. Then, an excessive force acts on the electrode terminals, and the electrode terminals may be damaged.

Therefore, it is an object of the present application to provide a secondary battery module that can be appropriately charged and discharged with a simple mechanism.

As a result of diligent studies, the present inventors have found that the above problem can be solved by connecting the electrode terminal or one connected to the electrode terminal so as to press the charge / discharge terminal.

That is, the present application presents the present invention as one aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems.
It is a secondary battery module in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are stacked, and includes a plate member inserted between the plurality of secondary battery cells, and the plate member includes a non-connecting portion made of a non-conductive member. If it is either a thing or one provided with a connecting portion and a non-connecting portion made of a conductive material, and the plate member is provided with a non-connecting portion, the electrode terminal of the secondary battery cell is When the battery cell can be connected so as to be pressed against the charging / discharging terminal of the charging / discharging device for charging / discharging the secondary battery cell, and the plate member includes a connecting portion and a non-connecting portion, the electrode terminal of the secondary battery cell is provided. Discloses a secondary battery module that is in contact with a connection and is connectable so that the connection is pressed against a charge / discharge terminal.

The secondary battery module preferably has the following form. That is, it is a secondary battery module in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are stacked, and includes a plate member inserted between the plurality of secondary battery cells, and the plate member is a connection portion from a conductive member. A non-connecting portion made of a non-conductive member, the connecting portion comprises a first surface having an uneven shape formed on one surface of a plurality of secondary battery cells in the stacking direction, and a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. The non-connecting portion has a convex portion protruding to the other side in the stacking direction and a flat portion abutting on the electrode surface of the secondary battery cell. Has a second surface formed flat on the other surface in the stacking direction, and the first surface of the connection portion is in contact with the electrode terminal of the secondary battery cell arranged on one side in the stacking direction adjacent to the plate member. A charging / discharging device in which the second surface of the convex portion abuts on the electrode terminal of the secondary battery cell which is in contact and is arranged on the other side in the stacking direction adjacent to the plate member, and the third surface charges / discharges the secondary battery cell. It is a secondary battery module that can be connected so that it can be pressed against the charge / discharge terminal of.

According to the secondary battery module disclosed in the present application, it is possible to appropriately charge and discharge with a simple mechanism.

(A) and (b) show the state before and after the connection between the secondary battery module 100 and the charging / discharging device 1, (a) is a state before being connected, and (b) is a state after being connected. Is shown. (C) is an enlarged view of the portion shown by C1 in (a). It is a schematic diagram of a secondary battery cell 10. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view. It is a schematic diagram of a plate member 20. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a plan view. It is a schematic diagram of the end plate member 50. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a plan view. It is a schematic diagram of the end plate member 60. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a plan view. It is a schematic diagram of a restraint jig 70. (A) is a front view and (b) is a side view. (C) is a front view when a bolt is used for the fixing member 80, and (d) is a side view thereof. (A) and (b) are schematic views of the secondary battery module 100, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a side view. (C) is an enlarged view of the portion shown by C2 in (b). It is a figure which showed the state which the secondary battery module 100 and the charge / discharge device 1 are connected, (a) is a state before being connected, (b) is a state after being connected. It is a figure explaining the spring mechanism of the connection part 30, (a) is the form which provided the spring between the first surface 30a and the non-connection part 40, and (b) is the first surface 30a and the third surface. It is a form in which 30b is connected by a spring-shaped connecting portion. It is a figure explaining the mode in which a charge / discharge device and a secondary battery cell are directly connected.

The present application is a secondary battery module in which a plurality of secondary battery cells are stacked, and includes a plate member inserted between the plurality of secondary battery cells, and the plate member is a non-connected member made of a non-conductive member. If the plate member is provided with a non-connecting portion, or is provided with a connecting portion and a non-connecting portion made of a conductive material, the secondary battery cell is provided with a non-connecting portion. The electrode terminal can be connected so as to be pressed against the charging / discharging terminal of the charging / discharging device that charges / discharges the secondary battery cell, and when the plate member includes a connecting portion and a non-connecting portion, the secondary battery cell is provided. Discloses a secondary battery module in which the electrode terminals of the above are in contact with a connection portion, and the connection portion can be connected so as to be pressed against a charge / discharge terminal. As described above, one of the features of the secondary battery module disclosed in the present application is that the secondary battery module can be connected to the electrode terminal or one connected to the electrode terminal so that the charge / discharge terminal is pressed against the electrode terminal. .. This makes it possible to provide a secondary battery module that can be appropriately charged and discharged with a simple mechanism. Here, "pressed" simply means pressing the charge / discharge terminal against the electrode terminal or the like, and excludes a form in which the electrode terminal or the like is sandwiched between the charge / discharge terminal such as an alligator clip.
Hereinafter, a specific form of the secondary battery module of the present application will be described.

One form of the secondary battery module disclosed in the present application is not a mechanism in which an electrode terminal of a secondary battery cell is sandwiched between charge / discharge terminals to perform charge / discharge, but is between a plurality of stacked secondary battery cells. A mechanism is adopted in which a predetermined plate member is inserted, the secondary battery cell is sandwiched between the plate members, and the secondary battery cell is connected to the charging / discharging device via the plate member. Here, "connection" means a so-called electrical connection, and refers to a state in which an electric current can flow between two or more substances.
Hereinafter, the secondary battery module 100, which is an embodiment of one embodiment, will be described.

1. 1. Secondary battery module 100
The secondary battery module 100 can charge / discharge by connecting the charge / discharge terminal 2 of the charge / discharge device 1 and each of the secondary battery cells 10 via the plate member 20. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show the state before and after lowering the charge / discharge device 1 arranged in the upper part and connecting to a secondary battery module 100, and FIG. 1 (a) is connected. Before, FIG. 1 (b) shows the state after being connected. FIG. 1 (c) is an enlarged view of the portion shown by C1 in FIG. 1 (a), and each configuration is shown separately for the sake of clarity.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the secondary battery module 100 includes a plurality of secondary battery cells 10 and a plate member 20 inserted between the plurality of secondary battery cells 10, respectively. It is equipped with. Further, the secondary battery module has end plate members 50 and 60 arranged at both ends of the secondary battery cell 10, and further sandwiched between two restraint jigs 70 to form a laminated structure. Further, by fixing the two restraint jigs 70 with the fixing member 80, a compressive force is generated from both sides in the stacking direction toward the inside. As a result, the electrode terminal 11 of the secondary battery cell 10 comes into contact with the connection portion 30 of the plate member 20, and these are connected.
Although FIGS. 1 (a) to 1 (c) show a form in which the number of plate members 20 is a plurality, when the number of secondary battery cells is two, one plate member may be used.

1.1. Secondary battery cell 10
The secondary battery cell 10 is not particularly limited as long as it includes a pair of plate-shaped electrode terminals 11 (positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal) and a plate-shaped secondary battery main body 12, and a known secondary battery cell can be used. Can be used. For example, a lithium ion secondary battery can be mentioned. Here, it is preferable that the secondary battery cell 10 is laminated and packaged. The material of the electrode terminal 11 is not particularly limited, but copper or aluminum is preferable. More preferably, aluminum is used from the viewpoint of cost reduction, weight reduction, and corrosion resistance. However, the surface of aluminum or the like is easily oxidized, and the surface is easily covered with an oxide film. In the secondary battery module 100, in order to secure the connection with the electrode terminal 11, the oxide film of the electrode terminal 11 can be removed by sandwiching the secondary battery 10 between the plate members 20 as described later.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the secondary battery cell 10. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view.

1.2. Plate member 20
The plate member 20 is a plate-shaped member and has a connecting portion 30 and a non-connecting portion 40. The connecting portion 30 has a function of connecting the electrode terminal 11 and the charging / discharging terminal 2, and the non-connecting portion 40 functions as a fire spread prevention plate.
FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the plate member 20. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a plan view. Here, in the front view and the rear view, the front side of the paper surface is the stacking direction. In the side view and the plan view, the left-right direction of the paper surface is the stacking direction.

1.2.1. Connection part 30
As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 30 is provided on the upper portion of the non-connecting portion 40, and is formed on one surface of the secondary battery cells 10 in the stacking direction (to the right of the paper surface in FIG. 3B). It has a first surface 30a having an uneven shape and a third surface 30b formed in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction (on the paper surface in FIG. 3B). The connecting portion 30 is made of a conductive member. The conductive member can be appropriately selected from known materials, and examples thereof include metal materials such as copper.

The first surface 30a abuts on the electrode terminal 11 of the secondary battery cell 10 arranged on one side in the adjacent stacking direction due to the compressive force generated by the fixing member 80, and the electrode terminal 11 and the first surface 30a are brought into contact with each other. Connects. Further, the first surface 30a has an uneven shape, which makes it possible to remove the oxide film of the electrode terminal 11. When the oxide film of the electrode terminal 11 is removed, the electrode terminal 11 and the first surface 30a can be appropriately connected. Here, in FIG. 3B, the first surface 30a having a triangular concavo-convex structure is shown, but the concavo-convex structure is not limited to this. For example, an uneven structure having a polygonal shape of a quadrangle or more may be used.

The third surface 30b is formed in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction, and can be connected to the charge / discharge terminal 2 of the charge / discharge device 1 arranged at the upper portion. Since the third surface 30b shown in FIG. 3B is a flat surface, the shape of the charge / discharge terminal 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 is not a shape for sandwiching and connecting the third surface 30b, but a first. A shape is adopted in which the three surfaces 30b are in contact with each other (pressed against each other) and connected.

In this way, the electrode terminal 11 and the first surface 30a come into contact with each other during charging / discharging, and the charging / discharging terminal 2 and the third surface come into contact with each other, so that the electrode terminal 11 and the charging / discharging terminal 2 come into contact with each other via the connection portion 30. Is connected, and the secondary battery cell 10 can be charged and discharged.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9, a spring mechanism may be provided in the connection portion 30. FIG. 9A shows a form in which a spring is provided between the first surface 30a and the non-connecting portion 40, and FIG. 9B shows a spring-shaped connecting portion between the first surface 30a and the third surface 30b. It is a connected form. By providing the spring mechanism in the connection portion 30 in this way, even if there is a tolerance or variation in the thickness of the secondary battery cell 10, the first surface 30a and the electrode terminal 11 can be appropriately connected.

1.2.2. Non-connecting part 40
The non-connecting portion 40 has a convex portion 41 protruding toward the other side in the stacking direction (left side of the paper surface in FIG. 3B) and a flat portion 42 abutting on the electrode surface of the adjacent secondary battery cell 10. ing. The non-connecting portion 40 is made of a non-conductive member. The non-conductive member can be appropriately selected from known materials, and examples thereof include non-conductive resins.

The convex portion 41 has a second surface 41a formed flat on the other surface in the stacking direction (leftward on the paper surface in FIG. 3B). The second surface 41a abuts on the electrode terminal 11 of the secondary battery cell 10 arranged on the other side in the adjacent stacking direction due to the compressive force generated by the fixing member 80. As a result, the electrode terminal 11 is pressed against the first surface 30a of the connection portion 30, and the oxide film of the electrode terminal 11 can be removed. At this time, since the second surface 41a is a flat surface, the electrode terminal 11 can be pressed by the surface, and excessive force can be suppressed from being applied to the electrode terminal 11. Further, by adjusting the length of the convex portion 41 in the stacking direction, an excessive load on the electrode terminals can be adjusted.

The flat portion 42 is a plate-shaped member connected to the convex portion 41 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction (up and down on the paper surface in FIG. 3B), and is an adjacent secondary member due to the compressive force generated by the fixing member 80. It comes into contact with the electrode surface of the battery cell 10. The non-connecting portion 40 is preferably made of a heat-resistant non-conductive member. As a result, the flat portion 42 functions as a fire spread prevention plate, and when the secondary battery cell 10 or the like has a thermal runaway due to a manufacturing defect, heat transfer to the adjacent secondary battery cell 10 can be suppressed.
Here, the "electrode surface" means a surface formed in the stacking direction of the secondary battery cell body 12.

1.3. End plate member 50
The end plate member 50 has a shape in which the connection portion 30 is removed from the plate member 20. That is, the end plate member 50 has a convex portion 51 and a flat portion 52. FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the end plate member 50. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a plan view.
Here, the materials, actions, functions, etc. of the convex portion 51 and the flat portion 52 of the end plate member 50 are the same as the materials, actions, functions, etc. of the convex portion 41 and the flat portion 42 of the plate member 20. The explanation is omitted.

1.4. End plate member 60
The end plate member 60 has a shape obtained by removing the convex portion 41 from the plate member 20. That is, the end plate member 60 has a connecting portion 61 and a flat portion 62. FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the end plate member 60. (A) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view, and (d) is a plan view.
Here, the materials, actions, functions, etc. of the connecting portion 61 and the flat portion 62 of the end plate member 60 are the same as the materials, actions, functions, etc. of the connecting portion 30 and the flat portion 42 of the plate member 20. The explanation is omitted.

1.5. Restraint jig 70
The restraint jig 70 is a plate-shaped member, and is arranged further outside the end plate members 50 and 60, respectively. Then, these restraint jigs 70 are fixed by using the fixing member 80 so as to generate a compressive force inward from both sides in the stacking direction to form a laminated structure. A known restraining jig 70 can be used. Known fixing members 80 can also be used, and examples thereof include bands, wires, bolts, nuts, and the like.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the restraint jig 70. (A) is a front view and (b) is a side view. (C) is a front view when a bolt is used for the fixing member 80, and (d) is a side view thereof. The broken line shows how the fixing member 80 penetrates.

2. 2. Charging / Discharging Mechanism of the Secondary Battery Module 100 The configuration of the secondary battery module 100 has been described above. Next, the charging / discharging mechanism of the secondary battery module 100 will be described.
7 (a) and 7 (b) are schematic views of the secondary battery module 100, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a side view. FIG. 7 (c) is an enlarged view of the portion shown by C2 in FIG. 7 (b). Here, in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the left-right direction of the paper surface is the stacking direction, the right side of the paper surface is one side of the stacking direction, and the left side of the paper surface is the other side of the stacking direction.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the secondary battery module 100 has a plurality of secondary battery cells 10 and a plate member 20 inserted between the plurality of secondary battery cells 10, respectively. Further, the end plate members 50 and 60 are arranged at the ends on both sides thereof, respectively. Then, these are further sandwiched between two restraint jigs 70, and the restraint jig 70 is fixed by a fixing member 80 (not shown in FIG. 7) so as to generate a compressive force inward from both sides in the stacking direction, and the whole is laminated. It has a structure.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the first surface 30a of the plate member 20 arranged on the left side of the paper surface abuts on the electrode terminal 11 due to the generation of compressive forces inward from both sides in the stacking direction. Further, the second surface 41a of the plate member 20 arranged on the right side of the paper surface in FIG. 7C abuts on the electrode terminal 11. That is, one secondary battery cell 10 is sandwiched between adjacent plate members 20. As a result, the electrode terminal 11 and the first surface 30a are strongly pressed by the convex portion 41, the oxide film or the like formed on the surface of the electrode terminal 11 is removed, and the electrode terminal 11 and the first surface 30a are appropriately displaced. Be connected. The secondary battery cell 10 at the end has a structure of being sandwiched between the end plate member 50 and the plate member 20, the end plate member 60 and the plate member 20, respectively, and these are also appropriately connected by the same mechanism as described above. Will be done.

Then, in this state, the charge / discharge terminal 2 and the third surface 30b are connected by abutting the charge / discharge terminal 2 against the third surface 30b. That is, the electrode terminal 11 of the secondary battery cell 10 and the charge / discharge terminal 2 of the charge / discharge device 1 are connected via the connection portion 30 of the plate member 20. Then, the charging / discharging device can be activated and charging / discharging of the secondary battery cell can be started.
FIG. 8 shows how the secondary battery module 100 and the charging / discharging device 1 are connected. (A) shows the state before the connection, and (b) shows the state after the connection. The portion shown by the broken line of the charge / discharge terminal 2 of the charge / discharge device 1 is a portion arranged inside the charge / discharge device 1.

Conventionally, as a method for removing an oxide film, as disclosed in JP-A-2006-284362, JP-A-2006-208235, JP-A-2006-3338, etc., the electrode terminals are basically filled. A method of strongly pressing the discharge terminal is adopted. Here, in the case of a mechanism in which the electrode terminal is sandwiched between the charging / discharging terminals and charging / discharging is performed as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order to strongly press the electrode terminal against the charging / discharging terminal, the charging / discharging terminal is used. It is necessary to devise such as increasing the size. On the other hand, the charging / discharging device 100 can secure the connection by removing the oxide film of the electrode terminal by simply sandwiching the secondary battery cell 10 by using the plate member 20 as described above. That is, it is possible to secure a connection with a simple structure without using a complicated mechanism. Further, as described above, by appropriately setting the connecting portion 30 and the non-connecting portion 40 of the plate member 20, it is possible to form a structure in which an excessive load is not applied to the electrode terminals 11.
Therefore, according to the secondary battery module 100, charging and discharging can be appropriately performed with a simple structure.

The charging / discharging device 1 applicable to the secondary battery module 100 is not particularly limited as long as the charging / discharging terminal 2 having a shape of being abutted against and connected to the third surface 30b of the connecting portion 30 is adopted. As shown in FIG. 8, the portion of the charge / discharge terminal 2 in contact with the third surface 30b can have an uneven shape. Further, the charging / discharging device 1 and the charging / discharging terminal 2 can be connected by an elastic member such as a spring so that an excessive load is not applied when the surface 30b comes into contact with the third surface.

3. 3. A form in which the charge / discharge device and the secondary battery cell are directly connected So far, the secondary battery module 100 that connects the charge / discharge device 1 and the secondary battery cell 10 via the plate member 20 has been described. The secondary battery module 200 in the form of being directly connected without using the plate member 20 will also be described. As shown in FIG. 10, in the secondary battery module 200, the electrode terminal 111 of the secondary battery cell 110 is bent by 90 °, and a flat surface is formed in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction as in the third surface. Form. Therefore, the plate member 120 that sandwiches the secondary battery cell 110 is not provided with a connecting portion and a convex portion, and is composed of only a flat portion that functions only as a fire spread prevention plate. Then, the charging / discharging device and the secondary battery cell are directly connected by abutting the charging / discharging terminal of the charging / discharging device against the bent electrode terminal 111.

4. Charging / Discharging System As another aspect, the present application discloses a charging / discharging system including a secondary battery module and a charging / discharging device. Since the configurations of the secondary battery module and the charging / discharging device are the same as those described above, the description thereof will be omitted here.

1 Charging / discharging device 2 Charging / discharging terminal 10, 110 Secondary battery cell 20, 120 Plate member 30 Connection part 30a First surface 30b Third surface 40 Non-connection part 41 Convex part 41a Second surface 42 Flat part 50 End plate member 60 End plate member 70 Restraint jig 80 Fixing member 100, 200 Secondary battery module

Claims (1)

A secondary battery module in which multiple secondary battery cells are stacked.
A plate member to be inserted between the plurality of the secondary battery cells is provided.
The secondary battery cell comprises a secondary battery body and a pair of electrode terminals arranged so as to project in the same direction from one side surface of the secondary battery body.
Said plate member e Bei unconnected portion consisting of the connecting portion and the non-conductive member made of conductive material,
The electrode terminal before Symbol secondary battery cell is in contact with the connecting portion, the connecting portion is connectable to be pressed against the charging and discharging terminal of the rechargeable device,
Secondary battery module.

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