JP7089680B2 - Charging / discharging device connection mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connection mechanism of a charging / discharging device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a connection mechanism for electrically connecting a secondary battery and a charging / discharging device.

In recent years, secondary batteries such as lithium ion secondary batteries have been preferably used as so-called portable power sources for personal computers and mobile terminals and power sources for driving vehicles. Examples of such a secondary battery include an all-solid-state battery that uses a solid electrolyte, a polymer battery that uses a polymer electrolyte, and the like. The all-solid-state battery or polymer battery has, for example, a cell body in which an electrode body and an electrolyte are housed in an exterior body (for example, a laminated film), and a plate-shaped electrode terminal projecting to the outside of the cell body. Can be built.

In the manufacture of the above-mentioned secondary battery, a charge / discharge process for charging / discharging the constructed secondary battery is provided for quality inspection and performance assurance. From the viewpoint of work efficiency, equipment cost, and the like, this charging / discharging step is usually carried out simultaneously for the plurality of secondary batteries in a state where a plurality of secondary batteries are connected to one charging / discharging device. In such a charge / discharge step, a connection mechanism for connecting one charge / discharge device and a plurality of secondary batteries is used.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a charging / discharging device including a plurality of clip-type connection terminals. This clip-type connection terminal is pressed against the electrode terminal of the secondary battery by an elastic force such as a leaf spring to establish an electrical connection. Then, in Patent Document 1, one charge / discharge device and a plurality of secondary batteries are connected by connecting each of the clip-type connection terminals connected to the secondary battery to a charge / discharge power source (charge / discharge device). ing.

Further, Patent Document 2 includes a chuck portion (connection terminal) for fixing (chucking) the electrode terminal of the secondary battery and two types of guide portions for aligning the secondary battery and the chuck portion. The mechanism is disclosed. This facilitates the connection between the connection terminal and the electrode terminal and reduces the work load. Further, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, a split roller holding member driven by a driving means such as an air cylinder is used as a mechanism for opening and closing the chuck portion.

Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a terminal mechanism (connection mechanism) for charging / discharging by a 4-terminal network method. The connection mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a structure in which each charge / discharge terminal (connection terminal) of the voltage terminal and the current terminal is connected to the electrode terminal of the secondary battery by the pressing operation of the pressing member. As a result, the electrode terminal of the secondary battery and the connection terminal of the charging / discharging device can be reliably connected.

By the way, a protective film such as an oxide film (for example, aluminum oxide) or an insulating film is usually formed on the surface of the electrode terminal of the secondary battery. If the electrode terminal with the protective film formed is connected to the connection terminal, the protective film may increase the contact resistance and make it impossible to carry out an appropriate charge / discharge process. In order to prevent an increase in contact resistance due to this protective film, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 4, the protective film on the surface of the electrode terminal is removed by sliding the connection terminal in contact with the electrode terminal.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-58135 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-3959 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-42904 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-245403

In recent years, a technique capable of more easily preventing an increase in contact resistance due to the above-mentioned protective film has been desired. For example, in the technique of Patent Document 4, since a drive means for sliding the connection terminal is separately required, it may cause an increase in equipment cost due to an increase in the number of parts of the connection mechanism.
Further, it is considered that if the connection terminal is pressed against the electrode terminal with a strong pressure, the protective film on the surface of the electrode terminal can be broken and an appropriate connection can be established between the connection terminal and the electrode terminal. Therefore, even when a mechanism (driving means or the like) for pressing the connection terminal against the electrode terminal is provided as in Patent Documents 2 and 3, it is possible to prevent an increase in contact resistance due to the protective film. However, even if these techniques are adopted, a mechanism for pressing the connection terminal against the electrode terminal is required separately, so that an increase in equipment cost due to an increase in the number of parts is unavoidable.

The present invention has been created to solve such a problem, the purpose of which is to be appropriate between the electrode terminal and the connection terminal of the secondary battery without using a complicated mechanism that can increase the equipment cost. It is to provide a connection mechanism of a charging / discharging device capable of constructing a flexible connection and preventing an increase in contact resistance due to a protective film.

In order to realize the above object, the present invention provides a connection mechanism (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “connection mechanism”) for a charging / discharging device having the following configuration.

The charging / discharging device connection mechanism disclosed herein electrically connects a secondary battery having a plate-shaped electrode terminal projecting to the outside of the cell body and the charging / discharging device. This connection mechanism has a plurality of restraint plates arranged so as to form an opening for accommodating the secondary battery, and restrains the cell body of the secondary battery by bringing each of the plurality of restraint plates close to each other. The restraint portion is arranged so as to face the restraint portion, and the support member electrically connected to the charging / discharging device, the driving means for moving the support member and the restraint portion close to each other, and the support member are supported. It is composed of a pair of conductive plates, and is provided with a connection terminal connected to an electrode terminal of a secondary battery constrained by a restraint portion. Each of the pair of conductive plates constituting the connection terminal has an extending portion extending from the support member toward the restraining portion and an electrode of the secondary battery from the lower end of the extending portion so as to face the upper surface of the restraining plate. A pressure receiving portion extending toward the terminal, a descending inclined portion extending from the tip of the pressure receiving portion toward the cell body at a predetermined inclination angle, and being accommodated inside the opening when the support member and the restraint portion are close to each other. The ascending portion extends from the tip of the descending inclined portion toward the support member at a predetermined inclination angle and is accommodated inside the opening when the support member and the restraint portion are close to each other, and along the side surface of the electrode terminal. It is provided with a contact portion extending from the tip of the ascending inclined portion toward the support member. Then, in the connection mechanism disclosed here, a pair of fixing members extending toward the upwardly inclined portions of the pair of conductive plates are attached to the support member.

In the connection mechanism having the above configuration, when the support member and the restraint portion are brought close to each other, the contact portion between the pressure receiving portion of the connection terminal and the restraint plate is used as a power point, and the contact portion between the fixing member and the ascending inclined portion is used as a fulcrum. The principle of is generated, and the contact portion of the connection terminal is pressed against the side surface of the electrode terminal. Therefore, according to the connection mechanism disclosed here, the power of the drive means for bringing the support member and the restraint portion close to each other can be converted into the pressure for connecting the connection terminal and the electrode terminal, so that the drive means and the like are not added. It is possible to prevent an increase in contact resistance due to the protective film.

It is a side view which shows typically the connection mechanism of the charge / discharge apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view schematically showing the state which the connection terminal in the connection mechanism of the charge / discharge device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is in contact with a restraint plate. It is a side view schematically showing the state which the connection terminal and the electrode terminal are connected in the connection mechanism of the charge / discharge device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Matters other than those specifically mentioned in the present invention and necessary for carrying out the present invention can be grasped as design matters by those skilled in the art based on the prior art in the art. The present invention can be carried out based on the contents disclosed in the present specification and the common general technical knowledge in the art. Further, the dimensional relations (length, width, thickness, etc.) in the drawings do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensional relations.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a connection mechanism of the charging / discharging device according to the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a state in which the connection terminal in the connection mechanism of the charging / discharging device according to the present embodiment is in contact with the restraint plate, and FIG. 3 is a side view in which the connection terminal and the electrode terminal are connected. It is a side view which shows the state schematically.

1. 1. Secondary battery First, the secondary battery 100 to be connected will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the secondary battery 100 includes a cell body 110 and an electrode terminal 120. The cell body 110 is configured by accommodating the electrode body and the power generation element of the electrolyte inside the exterior body. As the power generation element (electrode body, electrolyte, etc.) inside the cell body 110, those that can be used in a conventional general secondary battery can be used without particular limitation, and the present invention is not limited, so detailed description thereof is omitted. do. Further, for the exterior body accommodating the power generation element, for example, a laminated film or the like is used. Further, the electrode terminal 120 is electrically connected to the electrode body inside the cell body 110, and a part thereof protrudes to the outside of the cell body 110. For the electrode terminal 120, a conductive metal plate-shaped member (for example, an aluminum plate, a copper plate, etc.) can be used.

In this specification, the direction along the direction in which the electrode terminal 120 protrudes is referred to as "height direction Y". The side in which the support member 20 is arranged in the height direction Y is referred to as "upper", and the side in which the cell body 110 is arranged is referred to as "lower". Further, the direction in which the plurality of secondary batteries 100 are arranged is referred to as "width direction X". However, these directions are defined for convenience of explanation, and are not intended to limit the installation direction of the connection mechanism 1.

2. 2. Connection mechanism The connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment is used to electrically connect the secondary battery 100 and the charging / discharging device (not shown). Although FIG. 1 shows three secondary batteries 100 as connection targets, the number of secondary batteries to which the connection mechanism disclosed here can be connected is not particularly limited. The connection mechanism 1 includes a restraint portion 10, a support member 20, a driving means (not shown), a connection terminal 30, and a fixing member 40. Hereinafter, each member will be described.

(1) Restraint portion The restraint portion 10 includes a plurality of restraint plates 12. Each restraint plate 12 is arranged along the width direction X with a predetermined interval. An opening 16 for accommodating the secondary battery 100 is formed between the facing restraint plates 12. For each restraint plate 12, an insulating resin material having a predetermined strength and capable of preventing conduction between the secondary batteries 100 is preferably used. Examples of such a resin material include polyphenylene ether (PPE) and polyoxymethylene (POM). Although not shown, the restraint portion 10 in the present embodiment includes a restraint means for moving each restraint plate 12 along the width direction X. When the restraining means brings each of the plurality of restraining plates 12 close to each other, the cell body 110 of the secondary battery 100 housed inside the opening 16 is restrained.

(2) Support member The support member 20 is arranged so as to face the restraint portion 10 in the height direction Y. Specifically, the support member 20 is arranged above the height direction Y so as to face the upper surface 14 of each of the plurality of arranged restraint plates 12. Further, one end of the support member 20 extends to a charging / discharging device (not shown) and is electrically connected to the charging / discharging device. For the support member 20, a metal material having predetermined strength and conductivity (for example, aluminum, copper, etc.) can be used.

(3) Drive Means Although not shown, the drive means is attached to the support member 20 in the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment. This driving means moves the support member 20 up and down along the height direction Y to bring the support member 20 and the restraint portion 10 close to each other and apart from each other. The driving means may be such that the support member 20 and the restraining portion 10 can be brought close to each other and separated from each other, and the detailed structure is not particularly limited. As an example of such a driving means, a conventionally known actuator such as an air cylinder or a motor can be used. Further, a lever or the like may be attached to the support member 20 as a driving means, and the support member 20 may be manually moved up and down.

(4) Connection terminal The connection terminal 30 is a conductive member supported by the support member 20. By connecting the connection terminal 30 to each of the electrode terminals 120 of the plurality of secondary batteries 100, the charging / discharging device and the secondary battery 100 are electrically connected via the support member 20. Further, in the present embodiment, when the secondary battery 100 is restrained by the restraint portion 10, the connection terminal 30 (specifically, in FIG. 2) is above the electrode terminal 120 of each of the restrained secondary batteries 100. The mounting position of each member in the width direction X is adjusted so that the terminal insertion port 31) is arranged. Thereby, when the support member 20 is lowered, the connection terminal 30 can be connected to the electrode terminal 120.

The connection terminal 30 in the present embodiment is composed of a pair of conductive plates 32 facing each other in the width direction X. For the pair of conductive plates 32, a metal plate having a predetermined elastic limit and conductivity (for example, an aluminum plate, a copper plate, etc.) can be used. Further, the thickness of the conductive plate 32 is preferably 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm from the viewpoint of causing suitable elastic deformation in order to appropriately generate pressure P ₂ (see FIG. 3) according to the principle of leverage described later. , 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm is more preferable.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, each of the pair of conductive plates 32 constituting the connection terminal 30 is bent and molded. The bent conductive plate 32 is formed with an extending portion 35, a pressure receiving portion 36, a descending inclined portion 37, an ascending inclined portion 38, and a contact portion 39. Hereinafter, each portion formed on the conductive plate 32 of the connection terminal 30 will be described.

First, the extending portion 35 is a portion attached to the support member 20 (see FIG. 1). The extending portion 35 is formed so as to extend from the support member 20 toward the restraining portion 10. In other words, the extending portion 35 is a plate-shaped member extending downward from above in the height direction Y. From the viewpoint of appropriately generating the pressure P2 (see _FIG . 3) according to the lever principle described later, it is preferable that the extending portion 35 is close to perpendicular to the upper surface of the restraint plate 12.

The pressure receiving portion 36 is a plate-shaped portion extending from the lower end of the extending portion 35 toward the electrode terminal 120 of the secondary battery 100 so as to face the upper surface 14 of the restraint plate 12. In other words, the pressure receiving portion 36 extends in the width direction X so that the pair of conductive plates 32 approach each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure receiving portion 36 of the connection terminal 30 comes into contact with the upper surface 14 of the restraint plate 12 when the support member 20 and the restraint portion 10 are brought close to each other.

Next, the connection terminal 30 in the present embodiment is formed with a downwardly inclined portion 37 extending from the tip of the pressure receiving portion 36 toward the cell body 110 (that is, below the height direction Y) at a predetermined inclination angle θ1. There is. The downward inclined portion 37 is accommodated in the opening 16 between the restraint plates 12 when the support member 20 and the restraint portion 10 are brought close to each other. From the viewpoint of appropriately generating the pressure P2 (see _FIG . 3) according to the lever principle described later, the inclination angle θ1 of the downward inclined portion 37 is preferably 50 ° to 85 °, more preferably 60 ° to 75 °. preferable.

The ascending inclined portion 38 is formed so as to extend from the tip of the descending inclined portion 37 toward the support member 20 (that is, above the height direction Y) at a predetermined inclination angle θ2. Similar to the downhill inclined portion 37, the uphill inclined portion 38 is also accommodated in the opening 16 when the support member 20 and the restraining portion 10 are brought close to each other. From the viewpoint of appropriately generating the pressure P2 (see _FIG . 3) according to the principle of leverage, the inclination angle θ2 of the ascending inclined portion 38 is preferably 45 ° to 85 °, more preferably 55 ° to 75 °.

A contact portion 39 is formed on the conductive plate 32 of the connection terminal 30 in the present embodiment. The contact portion 39 further extends from the tip of the ascending inclined portion 38 toward the support member 20 (above the height direction Y) along the side surface of the electrode terminal 120 of the secondary battery 100. The pair of conductive plates 32 constituting the connection terminal 30 face each other in the contact portion 39 at a predetermined interval, and the terminal insertion port 31 is formed between the facing contact portions 39.

(5) Fixing member As shown in FIG. 1, in the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment, a pair of fixing members 40 are attached to the support member 20 in addition to the connection terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 2, each fixing member 40 extends downward in the height direction Y toward the ascending inclined portion 38 of the conductive plate 32. When the support member 20 and the restraint portion 10 are brought close to each other, the dimensions of each member are set so that the tip 42 of the fixing member 40 comes into contact with the ascending inclined portion 38 of the conductive plate 32. Further, as will be described in detail later, in the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment, a roller is attached to the tip 42 of the fixing member 40 in order to suppress damage to the conductive plate 32.

3. 3. Terminal connection According to the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment, the connection terminal 30 and the electrode terminal 120 are connected with a strong pressure even though a complicated mechanism such as a driving means is not attached to each of the connection terminals 30. be able to. Therefore, an appropriate connection can be constructed between the electrode terminal 120 and the connection terminal 30 without increasing the equipment cost, and an increase in contact resistance due to the protective film can be prevented. Hereinafter, a procedure for connecting the connection terminal 30 and the electrode terminal 120 in the present embodiment will be described.

First, in the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment, the secondary battery 100 is housed inside the opening 16 of the restraint portion 10, and the restraint plates 12 are brought close to each other. As a result, the cell body 110 of the secondary battery 100 is restrained, and the electrode terminal 120 is arranged below the connection terminal 30. Next, the support member 20 is lowered by the driving means, and the restraint portion 10 and the support member 20 are brought close to each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the pressure receiving portion 36 of each connection terminal 30 comes into contact with the upper surface 14 of the restraint plate 12, and the down slope portion 37 and the up slope portion 38 are placed in the opening 16 of the restraint portion 10. Be housed. Further, the tip 42 of the fixing member 40 comes into contact with the ascending inclined portion 38, and the electrode terminal 120 of the secondary battery 100 is inserted into the terminal insertion port 31 of the connection terminal 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment, the support member 20 is lowered even after the pressure receiving portion 36 of the connection terminal 30 comes into contact with the upper surface 14 of the restraint plate 12. As _a result, the pressure P1 along the height direction Y is applied from the restraint plate 12 to the pressure receiving portion 36, and the tip 42 of the fixing member 40 moves so as to go down the ascending inclined portion 38 (see arrow M). Then, the principle of leverage with the contact portion between the pressure receiving portion 36 on which the pressure P ₁ is applied and the restraint plate 12 as the force point and the tip 42 of the fixing member 40 as the fulcrum works, and the contact portion 39 moves toward the electrode terminal 120. As described above, each conductive plate 32 is elastically deformed. As a result, the terminal insertion port 31 (see FIG. 2) is closed, and the electrode terminal 120 is sandwiched between the contact portions 39.

At this time, the pressure P ₂ applied from the contact portion 39 to the electrode terminal 120 is such that the pressure P ₁ in the height direction Y generated by the driving means is converted toward the width direction X by the principle of the lever. The pressure is sufficient to break the protective film on the surface of the electrode terminal 120. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, an appropriate connection can be constructed between the electrode terminal 120 and the connection terminal 30, and an increase in contact resistance due to the protective film can be prevented. Then, in the present embodiment, an appropriate pressure P2 according to the above _- mentioned lever principle can be applied to the electrode terminal 120 only by changing the shape of the connection terminal 30 and attaching the fixing member 40. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the equipment cost can be significantly reduced as compared with the connection mechanism in which the drive means (air cylinder or the like) is individually provided for each of the plurality of connection terminals.

Further, the connection mechanism 1 according to the present embodiment adjusts the distance between the contact portion (force point) between the pressure receiving portion 36 and the restraint plate 12 and the tip 42 (fulcrum) of the fixing member 40, thereby adjusting the electrode terminal 120 ( _The magnitude of the pressure P2 applied to the point of action) can be easily controlled. Therefore, it also has the effect of facilitating flexible device design in consideration of various conditions such as battery dimensions, electrode terminal materials, and types of protective film.

The connection mechanism 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the above-described embodiment is not limited to the present invention, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above embodiment, a roller is attached to the tip 42 of the fixing member 40. This makes it possible to prevent the conductive plate 32 from being damaged by the fixing member 40. However, from the viewpoint of causing the above-mentioned lever principle and applying an appropriate pressure P ₂ to the electrode terminals, the roller may not be attached to the tip of the fixing member. Further, even when the roller is not attached, damage to the conductive plate can be suppressed by forming a curved surface by performing R processing on the tip of the fixing member. Further, in order to suppress damage to the conductive plate, it is also possible to adopt a means of applying a surface treatment to improve the scratch resistance and reduce friction on the surface of the ascending inclined portion 38.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the support member 20 is attached to the support member 20 and the support member 20 is moved up and down to move the support member 20 closer to and further from the restraint portion 10. However, the object to which the drive means is attached is not limited to the support member. That is, the drive means may be attached to the restraint portion side so that the restraint portion and the support member are brought close to or separated from each other, or the drive means may be attached to both the restraint portion and the support member.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the conductive plate 32 is bent to form an extending portion 35, a pressure receiving portion 36, a downwardly inclined portion 37, an ascending inclined portion 38, and a contact portion 39. There is. However, the means for forming the conductive plate in the connection mechanism disclosed herein is not limited to bending molding. For example, a plurality of metal plates may be welded to form a conductive plate having an extending portion, a pressure receiving portion, a descending inclined portion, an ascending inclined portion, and a contact portion. However, considering the ease of molding, elastic strength, and the like, it is preferable to perform bending molding as in the above-described embodiment.

Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications and modifications of the specific examples exemplified above.

1 Connection mechanism (of charge / discharge device) 10 Restraint part 12 Restraint plate 14 Top surface of restraint plate 16 Opening 20 Support member 30 Connection terminal 31 Terminal insertion port 32 Conductive plate 35 Extension part 36 Pressure receiving part 37 Downward slope 38 Uphill slope Part 39 Contact part 40 Fixing member 42 Tip of fixing member 100 Secondary battery 110 Cell body 120 Electrode terminal X Width direction Y Height direction

Claims (1)

It is a connection mechanism of a charging / discharging device that electrically connects a secondary battery having a plate-shaped electrode terminal protruding to the outside of the cell body and a charging / discharging device.
It has a plurality of restraint plates arranged so as to form an opening for accommodating the secondary battery, and restrains the cell body of the secondary battery by bringing each of the plurality of restraint plates close to each other. Department and
A support member that is arranged so as to face the restraint portion and is electrically connected to the charge / discharge device.
A driving means for bringing the support member and the restraint portion close to each other and separated from each other.
It is composed of a pair of conductive plates supported by the support member, and includes a connection terminal connected to the electrode terminal of the secondary battery restrained by the restraint portion.
Each of the pair of conductive plates constituting the connection terminal is
An extending portion extending from the support member toward the restraining portion,
A pressure receiving portion extending from the lower end of the extending portion toward the electrode terminal of the secondary battery so as to face the upper surface of the restraining plate.
A downwardly inclined portion that extends from the tip of the pressure receiving portion toward the cell body at a predetermined inclination angle and is accommodated inside the opening when the support member and the restraining portion are close to each other.
An ascending inclined portion extending from the tip of the descending inclined portion toward the support member at a predetermined inclination angle and being accommodated inside the opening when the support member and the restraint portion are close to each other.
A contact portion extending from the tip of the ascending inclined portion toward the support member is provided along the side surface of the electrode terminal.
A connection mechanism for a charging / discharging device, in which a pair of fixing members extending toward the upwardly inclined portion of each of the pair of conductive plates are attached to the support member.

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