JP7613005B2 - Power storage device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electricity storage device.

Conventionally, in an energy storage device, an exhaust member (upper plate) is attached to a plurality of energy storage elements (secondary batteries) arranged in a specific direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The exhaust member is a member that forms a flow path for gas released from the gas exhaust valve (vent) of each energy storage element, and gas and electrolyte are exhausted from the tip of the exhaust member.

JP 2011-108653 A

In recent years, it has been considered to form exhaust components from multiple components. In this case, if there are gaps in the assembly between the multiple components, hot gas may leak out from the gaps and have a detrimental effect on other components.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an electricity storage device that can suppress gas leakage from the assembly parts of multiple components.

In order to achieve the above object, a power storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of power storage elements, each having a gas exhaust valve, arranged with the gas exhaust valves facing the same direction, and an exhaust section disposed on the plurality of power storage elements and forming an exhaust path for gas exhausted from the gas exhaust valve, the exhaust section having a plurality of holes communicating with the gas exhaust valves of the plurality of power storage elements, the exhaust section being divided in the arrangement direction of the plurality of power storage elements and comprising a first division and a second division adjacent to the first division, at least one of the first division and the second division having two or more holes among the plurality of holes, and one end of the first division having an overlap section that protrudes toward the second division and overlaps the other end of the second division in a plan view.

According to this, in the adjacent portions of the first and second divisions that form the exhaust section, the overlap portion provided at one end of the first division overlaps with the other end of the second division in a plan view. This overlap portion makes it possible to narrow the gap between the adjacent portions of the first and second divisions, thereby suppressing gas leakage from the adjacent portions.

The exhaust section may also have a cover member that forms an exhaust path together with the first and second divisional bodies and covers the upper part of the exhaust path, the first divisional body having a first bottom with an overlapping portion and a pair of first divisional wall portions erected from both ends of the first bottom, the second divisional body having a second bottom adjacent to the first bottom and a second divisional wall portion erected from both ends of the second bottom, and the cover member may have a cover portion that covers the first and second divisional bodies and a pair of second wall portions erected from both ends of the cover portion and overlapping the first and second divisional wall portions.

As a result, the gap between the adjacent parts of the first and second partition walls is covered by the second wall of the lid member. In this way, the overlap portion and the lid member can narrow the gap between the adjacent parts of the first and second partitions, further suppressing gas leakage from the adjacent parts.

In addition, a first flange protruding toward the energy storage element may be formed at one end of the first bottom, and a second flange protruding toward the energy storage element and facing the first flange may be formed at the other end of the second bottom.

With this, a first flange is formed at one end of the first bottom, and a second flange is formed at the other end of the second bottom, facing the first flange, so that the first and second flanges overlap each other, narrowing the gap in the assembly area.

It is assumed here that the first and second segments may be misaligned in the arrangement direction (vertical direction) of the energy storage element and the exhaust section due to their respective tolerances. In this embodiment, a first flange is formed at one end of the first bottom, and a second flange facing the first flange is formed at the other end of the second bottom. Therefore, even if the first and second segments are misaligned in the vertical direction, the opposing relationship between the first and second flanges can be maintained, and the gap in the assembly portion can be narrowed. This makes it possible to suppress gas leakage even if the first and second segments are misaligned in the vertical direction.

The tip of the overlapping portion may also be spaced apart from the other end of the second segment.

It is assumed that the first and second divisions may be misaligned in the protruding direction of the overlap portion (longitudinal direction of the exhaust portion) due to their respective tolerances. In this embodiment, the tip of the overlap portion is spaced apart from the other end of the second division, and this space can absorb misalignment caused by the tolerances. This allows the first and second divisions to be positioned accurately in the longitudinal direction.

The first division may be disposed closer to the exhaust port in the exhaust path than the second division, and the overlap portion may be disposed higher than the other end of the second division.

Here, when the heated gas is discharged from the exhaust path, it may ignite when it comes into contact with a large amount of air (oxygen) at the exhaust port of the exhaust path. For example, when gas is discharged from a storage element close to the exhaust port, most of it heads toward the exhaust port. If the gas discharged from the exhaust port ignites, the fire may engulf the entire storage device and invade the storage element side through the exhaust path from the boundary between the first and second divisional bodies. If the first divisional body having an overlapping portion is disposed on the exhaust port side as in this embodiment, and the overlapping portion is disposed above the other end of the second divisional body, the overlapping portion can block the fire from invading the storage element side. In other words, even if the gas ignites, it is possible to prevent the normal storage element from catching fire.

The electricity storage device of the present invention can suppress gas leakage from the assembly points of multiple components.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a power storage device according to a first embodiment; 1 is a side view showing the appearance of an electricity storage device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of an electricity storage device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating components of the electricity storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an exhaust portion and a bus bar frame according to the first embodiment. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an exhaust unit and an exterior body lid according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a first split body that is a part of the exhaust portion according to the first embodiment, and members surrounding the first split body. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a first division body and a second division body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a first division body and a second division body according to the first embodiment. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic positional relationship between a plurality of positioning protrusions and an energy storage element according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a positioning protrusion according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing each first interference portion and its surrounding members according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an engagement relationship between a first engagement portion and a second engagement portion according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic diagram of a first division body and a second division body according to the embodiment; 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in the middle of assembling the cover member and the exhaust member according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a sealing material according to the first embodiment. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sealing material according to a second embodiment; FIG. 13 is a bottom view showing a state in which the sealing material according to the second embodiment is assembled to the first division body and the second division body. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a sealing material according to a third embodiment and its surrounding members. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a first interference portion according to embodiment 4. FIG.

The following describes an energy storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention (including its modified examples) with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement positions, and connection forms shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Also, the dimensions in each figure are not strictly shown.

In the following description and drawings, the longitudinal direction of the energy storage device, the arrangement direction of a pair of electrode terminals (positive and negative) in one energy storage element, and the opposing direction of the short side surfaces of the container of the energy storage element are defined as the X-axis direction. The width direction of the energy storage device, the arrangement direction of the multiple energy storage elements, and the opposing direction of the long side surfaces of the container of the energy storage element are defined as the Y-axis direction. The height direction of the energy storage device, the arrangement direction of the exterior body support and the exterior body lid of the energy storage unit, the arrangement direction of the energy storage element and the bus bar, the arrangement direction of the container body and the lid of the energy storage element, or the up-down direction are defined as the Z-axis direction. These X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions intersect with each other (orthogonal in this embodiment). Note that, depending on the mode of use, it is possible that the Z-axis direction is not the up-down direction, but for convenience of explanation, the following description will be given assuming that the Z-axis direction is the up-down direction.

In the following description, for example, the positive X-axis direction refers to the direction of the X-axis arrow, and the negative X-axis direction refers to the opposite direction to the positive X-axis direction. The same applies to the Y-axis and Z-axis directions. In this embodiment, the positive Y-axis direction is backward, and the negative Y-axis direction is forward. In the following, the Y-axis direction may be referred to as the first direction, and the X-axis direction may be referred to as the second direction. Furthermore, expressions indicating relative directions or attitudes, such as parallel and perpendicular, may also include cases where the directions or attitudes are not strictly those. For example, two directions being perpendicular to each other not only means that the two directions are completely perpendicular to each other, but also means that the directions are substantially perpendicular to each other, that is, there is a difference of, for example, about a few percent.

(Embodiment 1)
[1. Electricity storage device]
The configuration of the energy storage device 1 in the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 1A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the energy storage device 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 1B is a side view showing the appearance of the energy storage device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 1B (a) shows an overall side view of the energy storage device, and Fig. 1B (b) is an enlarged side view of a portion surrounded by a dashed line in Fig. 1B (a). Fig. 1C is a front view showing the appearance of the energy storage device according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing each component when the energy storage unit 10 according to the first embodiment is disassembled.

The power storage device 1 is a device that can charge electricity from an external source and discharge electricity to the outside, and in this embodiment, has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, the power storage device 1 is used for power storage or power source applications. Specifically, the power storage device 1 is used as a stationary battery for use in, for example, household or industrial power storage facilities. The power storage device 1 can also be used as a battery for driving or starting the engine of a moving object such as an automobile, motorcycle, watercraft, ship, snowmobile, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, or railcar for an electric railway. Examples of the above-mentioned automobiles include electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and gasoline-powered automobiles. Examples of the above-mentioned railcars for an electric railway include electric trains, monorails, and linear motor cars.

1A, 1B, 1C, and 2, the energy storage device 1 includes an energy storage unit 10 and a substrate unit 20 attached to the energy storage unit 10. The energy storage unit 10 is a battery module (battery assembly) having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, the energy storage unit 10 includes a plurality of energy storage elements 11, a bus bar frame 12, an exhaust section 50, a plurality of bus bars 13, and an exterior body 18 including an exterior body main body 14, an exterior body support 15, and an exterior body cover 17 that accommodates these. The energy storage unit 10 also includes a cable 30 and a detection line 13a that form part of the main circuit wiring. The energy storage unit 10 may also include restraining members (end plates, side plates, etc.) that restrain the plurality of energy storage elements 11.

The storage element 11 is a secondary battery (single cell) capable of charging and discharging electricity, and more specifically, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery. The storage element 11 includes a three-component positive electrode active material mainly composed of Li, Ni, Co, and Mn in the positive electrode, and includes graphite as an active material in the negative electrode. The active material of the positive electrode may be LiMn ₂ O ₄ , LiFePO ₄ , LiCO ₂ , LiNiO ₂ , etc., and is not particularly limited. The active material of the negative electrode may be a carbon-based material (soft carbon, hard carbon, etc.), Si and its oxide (SiO, etc.), a tin alloy-based negative electrode, etc., and is not particularly limited. The energy density of the storage element 11 is 120 Wh/kg or more. The energy storage element 11 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape (angle), and in this embodiment, 16 energy storage elements 11 are arranged in the Y-axis direction. The shape, arrangement position, number, etc. of the energy storage element 11 are not particularly limited. The energy storage element 11 is not limited to a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and may be a secondary battery other than a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, or may be a capacitor. The energy storage element 11 may not be a secondary battery, but may be a primary battery that can use stored electricity without the user having to charge it. Furthermore, the energy storage element 11 may be a battery using a solid electrolyte. The energy storage element 11 may be a laminate type energy storage element.

Specifically, the energy storage element 11 includes a metal container 11a, and the upper wall 11d of the container 11a is provided with a positive terminal 11b and a negative terminal 11c, which are metal electrode terminals. That is, the positive terminal 11b and the negative terminal 11c are provided on the upper surface of the main body. A gas exhaust valve 111 (see FIG. 5, etc.) that exhausts gas and releases pressure when the pressure in the container 11a rises is provided between the positive terminal 11b and the negative terminal 11c on the upper wall 11d of the container 11a. The energy storage element 11 has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape whose thickness (dimension in the Y-axis direction) is smaller than its width (dimension in the X-axis direction), and the upper wall 11d has a rectangular shape when viewed from above (viewed in the Z-axis direction). The energy storage element 11 also has a long side parallel to the XZ plane and a short side parallel to the YZ plane, and the long sides of the multiple energy storage elements 11 are arranged so as to face each other. The multiple storage elements 11 are arranged with their gas exhaust valves 111 facing the same direction (positive Z-axis direction). A heat insulating flat spacer 11e is arranged between adjacent storage elements 11. The upper wall 11d of the container 11a may be provided with an injection section for injecting an electrolyte. Inside the container 11a, electrodes (also called storage elements or power generation elements) and current collectors (positive and negative current collectors) are arranged, and an electrolyte (non-aqueous electrolyte) is sealed in, but a detailed description will be omitted.

Here, the positive electrode terminal 11b and the negative electrode terminal 11c are arranged to protrude upward (in the positive direction of the Z axis) from the upper wall portion 11d of the container 11a. The outermost positive electrode terminal 11b and the negative electrode terminal 11c of the multiple storage elements 11 are connected to the cable 30, so that the storage device 1 can charge electricity from the outside and discharge electricity to the outside.

The cable 30 is an electric wire (also called a power cable, power cable, power line, power line, or main circuit cable) through which current (also called charge/discharge current or main current) flows for charging and discharging the energy storage device 1 (energy storage elements 11), and has a positive power cable 31 on the positive side and a negative power cable 32 on the negative side. In other words, the positive power cable 31 of the cable 30 is connected to the positive terminal 11b of the energy storage element 11 at the end in the positive direction of the Y axis among the multiple energy storage elements 11, and the negative power cable 32 of the cable 30 is connected to the negative terminal 11c of the energy storage element 11 at the end in the negative direction of the Y axis.

The busbar frame 12 is a flat rectangular member that can electrically insulate the busbars 13 from other members and can regulate the position of the busbars 13. The busbar frame 12 is formed of an insulating member such as polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), or polyethylene (PE). Specifically, the busbar frame 12 is placed above the multiple energy storage elements 11 and positioned relative to the multiple energy storage elements 11. In addition, multiple busbars 13 are placed and positioned on the busbar frame 12. As a result, each busbar 13 is positioned relative to the multiple energy storage elements 11 and joined to the positive terminals 11b and negative terminals 11c of the multiple energy storage elements 11. The busbar frame 12 will be described in detail later.

The exhaust section 50 is disposed on the bus bar frame 12 and constitutes an exhaust path 59 (see FIG. 5, etc.) for the gas exhausted from the gas exhaust valve 111 of each storage element 11. One end of the exhaust section 50 in the positive Y-axis direction is an exhaust port 51 through which gas is exhausted, and protrudes from one end of the exterior body 18 in the positive Y-axis direction.

Each bus bar 13 is a rectangular plate-like member arranged on the multiple storage elements 11 (on the bus bar frame 12) and electrically connects the electrode terminals of the multiple storage elements 11. The bus bar 13 is formed of a metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, nickel material, etc. In this embodiment, the bus bar 13 connects the positive terminal 11b and the negative terminal 11c of the adjacent storage elements 11 to connect the 16 storage elements 11 in series. The multiple bus bars 13 are divided into a first bus bar group arranged along the Y axis direction on the positive side of the X axis (one side) and a second bus bar group arranged along the Y axis direction on the negative side of the X axis (the other side). Note that the connection of the storage elements 11 is not limited to the above, and any combination of series connection and parallel connection may be used.

A detection line 13a is connected to the bus bar 13 or the electrode terminal of the storage element 11. The connection structure is not shown. The detection line 13a is a cable for detecting the state of each storage element 11. The detection line 13a is an electric wire (also called a communication cable, control cable, communication line, or control line) for measuring the voltage or temperature of the storage element 11, or for balancing the voltage between the storage elements 11. A thermistor (not shown) for measuring the temperature of the storage element 11 is disposed on the bus bar 13 or the electrode terminal of the storage element 11, but the description is omitted. A connector 13b is connected to the end of the detection line 13a in the negative Y-axis direction. The connector 13b is a connector that is connected to the board of the board unit 20 described later. In other words, the detection line 13a transmits information such as the voltage and temperature of the storage element 11 to the board of the board unit 20 via the connector 13b. The detection line 13a also has the function of discharging the storage element 11 with a higher voltage by controlling the board, thereby balancing the voltage between the storage elements 11.

The exterior body 18 is a rectangular (box-shaped) housing (module case) that constitutes the exterior body of the energy storage unit 10. In other words, the exterior body 18 is disposed outside the energy storage elements 11, etc., and fixes the energy storage elements 11, etc. in a predetermined position to protect them from impacts, etc. Here, the exterior body 18 has an exterior body main body 14 that constitutes the main body of the exterior body 18, an exterior body support 15 that supports the exterior body main body 14, and an exterior body lid 17 that constitutes the lid (outer lid) of the exterior body 18.

The exterior body 14 is a bottomed rectangular box-shaped housing with an opening on the top surface. The exterior body 14 is made of an insulating material such as PC, PP, or PE. The exterior body 14 houses multiple energy storage elements 11, an exhaust section 50, a bus bar frame 12, and the like.

In addition, a plurality of partition wall portions 142 that support the energy storage elements 11 are provided on the bottom wall inside the exterior body 14. The energy storage elements 11 are inserted and arranged between adjacent partition wall portions 142. This allows the energy storage elements 11 to be positioned at a predetermined interval. Note that other configurations may be used to support and position the energy storage elements 11 on the exterior body 14. The exterior body 14 also has side openings 143 on its side. These side openings 143 connect the space between the adjacent energy storage elements 11 to the space outside the energy storage device 1, contributing to cooling the energy storage device 1 including the energy storage elements 11. A cutout portion 141 is formed at the end of the exterior body 14 on the positive Y-axis direction, at the center of the upper part thereof, through which the exhaust port 51 of the exhaust unit 50 penetrates. The cutout portion 141 is a rectangular cutout that is open at the top.

The exterior body support 15 and the exterior body lid 17 are exterior members that protect (reinforce) the exterior body main body 14. The exterior body support 15 and the exterior body lid 17 are formed from metal members such as stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron, plated steel sheet, etc. The exterior body support 15 and the exterior body lid 17 may be formed from members of the same material or from members of different materials.

The exterior body support 15 is a member that supports the exterior body main body 14 from below (negative Z-axis direction) and has a bottom 15a, a board unit mounting portion 16, connection portions 15b and 15c, and a fixing portion 15d. The bottom portion 15a is a flat, rectangular portion that constitutes the bottom of the energy storage device 1 and is parallel to the XY plane and extends in the Y-axis direction, and is disposed below the exterior body main body 14.

The connection portion 15b is a flat, rectangular portion erected in the Z-axis positive direction from the end of the bottom portion 15a in the Y-axis negative direction toward the exterior body cover 17, and further has a fastening portion protruding in the Y-axis negative direction from the end of the bottom portion 15a in the Z-axis positive direction. The connection portion 15b is connected to the exterior body cover 17 at the fastening portion. The connection portion 15b forms a part of the front side surface of the storage unit 10. The board unit mounting portion 16 forms a part of the front side surface of the storage unit 10. The connection portion 15c is a flat, rectangular portion erected in the Z-axis positive direction from the end of the bottom portion 15a in the Y-axis positive direction toward the exterior body cover 17, and further has a fastening portion protruding in the Y-axis positive direction. The connection portion 15c is connected to the exterior body cover 17 at the fastening portion. The connection portion 15c also forms a part of the rear side surface of the storage unit 10. The fixing portion 15d is a flat rectangular portion erected in the negative Z-axis direction from the end of the bottom portion 15a in the negative Y-axis direction, and is a fastening portion that is fixed to a structure such as a shelf (not shown). The fixing portion 15d is located in the center of the bottom portion 15a in the X-axis direction. In this embodiment, the fixing portion 15d is fixed to the shelf using screws, but any fixing method may be used as long as the fixing and release can be performed freely.

The exterior body cover 17 is a member that covers the upper part of the multiple storage elements 11. Specifically, the exterior body cover 17 is a member that is arranged to cover the opening of the exterior body main body 14, and has a top plate portion 17a and connection portions 17b and 17c. The top plate portion 17a is a flat and rectangular portion that is parallel to the XY plane and extends in the Y-axis direction, constituting the upper surface portion of the storage device 1, and is arranged above the exterior body main body 14. The connection portion 17b is arranged at the end of the top plate portion 17a in the negative Y-axis direction, is bent toward the exterior body support 15, and further has a fastening portion that protrudes in the negative Y-axis direction, and is connected to the connection portion 15b of the exterior body support 15. The connection portion 17c has a flat and rectangular portion that stands in the negative Z-axis direction from the end of the top plate portion 17a in the positive Y-axis direction, and a fastening portion that further protrudes in the positive Y-axis direction. The connection portion 17c is connected to the connection portion 15c of the exterior body support 15 at the fastening portion. The connection portion 17c also forms part of the rear side surface of the storage unit 10. In this manner, the exterior body support 15 and the exterior body lid 17 are configured to be fixed by connecting the connection portions 15b and 15c to the connection portions 17b and 17c by screws or the like at each fastening portion while sandwiching the exterior body main body 14 from above and below. As a result, each member (bus bar frame 12, multiple energy storage elements 11, and exhaust section 50) housed in the exterior body main body 14 is sandwiched in the above-below direction by the exterior body support 15 and the exterior body lid 17. Therefore, the exterior body lid 17 covers the upper part of the exhaust section 50.

In addition, an opening 171 (see FIG. 4) through which the exhaust port 51 of the exhaust unit 50 penetrates is formed in the center of the upper end (the end on the positive Z-axis direction side) of the connection portion 17c of the exterior body cover 17. The opening 171 has a shape in a plan view that corresponds to the external shape of the exhaust unit 50. In this embodiment, the opening 171 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The exhaust port 51 of the exhaust unit 50 protrudes from the exterior body 18 by penetrating the opening 171 and the cutout portion 141 of the exterior body main body 14.

The bus bar frame 12 is provided with electrically conductive components such as the electrode terminals (positive terminal 11b and negative terminal 11c) of the energy storage element 11, the bus bar 13, and the detection wire 13a. For this reason, an insulating plate may be provided on the back surface (lower surface) of the top plate portion 17a of the exterior body cover 17 to ensure electrical insulation with the exterior body cover 17, which is a metal component. The insulating plate may be screwed or attached to the top plate portion 17a.

The board unit 20 shown in FIG. 1A is a device capable of monitoring the state of the energy storage element 11 of the energy storage unit 10 and controlling the energy storage element 11. In this embodiment, the board unit 20 is a flat rectangular member attached to the longitudinal end of the energy storage unit 10, that is, to the side surface of the energy storage unit 10 in the negative Y-axis direction. Specifically, the board unit 20 is rotatably attached to the board unit attachment portion 16 (see FIG. 2) provided on the front surface of the exterior body support 15 of the exterior body 18 of the energy storage unit 10. The board unit attachment portion 16 is a part of the connection portion 15b. More specifically, a downward U-shaped holding portion is provided below the board unit attachment portion 16, and the rotation axis of the board unit 20 is accommodated in the holding portion.

As shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C, the board unit 20 includes cable guides 21 and 22 and a communication cable connector 23. The communication cable connector 23 is composed of an input connector and an output connector. The cable guides 21 and 22 each have a pair of guide walls. The communication cable is not shown. The communication cable is a cable for communication between the storage devices 1 that connects the multiple storage devices 1. One of the communication cables connected to the terminal storage device 1 among the mutually connected storage devices 1 is connected to the control device of the entire storage device group. Here, since the communication cable connected to the storage device 1 is arranged vertically or horizontally on the front surface of the storage device 1, there is a problem that the cable itself is prone to movement and is troublesome to handle. In this embodiment, the board unit 20 has cable guides 21 and 22, and the communication cable is housed in a pair of guide walls, so that the movement of the communication cable is suppressed and handling is made easy. The connection between the multiple storage devices 1 by the communication cable can be vertical or horizontal. The cable guide 21 has a guide wall extending in the Z-axis direction, and can accommodate and secure a vertical communication cable. The cable guide 22 has a guide wall extending in the X-axis direction, and can accommodate and secure a horizontal communication cable. As a result, the connection between the power storage devices 1 via the communication cables can be made in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[2 Busbar frame]
Next, the bus bar frame 12 will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the exhaust unit 50 and the bus bar frame 12 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the exhaust unit 50 and the bus bar frame 12 as viewed from above.

As shown in FIG. 3, the busbar frame 12 is a frame-shaped member that is disposed on the multiple energy storage elements 11 and holds the multiple busbars 13. Specifically, the busbar frame 12 has a first holding portion 71, a second holding portion 72, and a connecting portion 73. Here, of the multiple detection lines 13a, the multiple detection lines 13a held by the first holding portion 71 are referred to as first detection lines. Also, of the multiple detection lines 13a, the multiple detection lines 13a held by the second holding portion 72 are referred to as second detection lines.

The first holding portion 71 is a portion on the X-axis positive side (one side) of the bus bar frame 12, and holds the first bus bar group, the positive power cable 31, and the multiple first detection lines. The multiple first detection lines are connected to the electrode terminals (positive terminal 11b or negative terminal 11c) in the X-axis positive direction of each storage element 11, or to the bus bars 13 included in the first bus bar group.

The first holding portion 71 is disposed in the positive direction of the X-axis from the gas exhaust valve 111 of each storage element 11. The first holding portion 71 has a first outer wall portion 711 that surrounds the outer periphery of the first holding portion 71.

The first outer wall portion 711 is a rectangular frame wall in the Y-axis direction, and houses the first busbar group, the positive power cable 31, and the first detection lines. A pair of first notches 711a and 711b are formed at the end of the first outer wall portion 711 in the negative Y-axis direction. The first notch 711a of the pair of first notches 711a and 711b is arranged so that the positive power cable 31 and the first detection lines pass through it. The other first notch 711b is arranged so that the negative power cable 32 passes through it.

Within the first outer wall portion 711, the end region in the negative X-axis direction is a first cable path portion 715 that penetrates along the Y-axis direction. The first cable path portion 715 is disposed between the gas exhaust valve 111 of each storage element 11 and each bus bar 13 included in the first bus bar group. In this way, the first cable path portion 715 is disposed inward in the X-axis direction from the first bus bar group within the bus bar frame 12.

The positive power cable 31 and the multiple first detection lines are arranged in the first cable path section 715. The first cable path section 715 forms a wiring path for the positive power cable 31 and the multiple first detection lines. The multiple first detection lines and the positive power cable 31 are arranged in the first cable path section 715, so that they are arranged between the first holding section 71 and the second holding section 72, i.e., avoiding being located on the connecting section 73.

The second holding portion 72 is a portion of the busbar frame 12 on the negative X-axis side (the other side). The second holding portion 72 holds the second busbar group and the electrode terminals (positive electrode terminal 11b or negative electrode terminal 11c) on the negative X-axis side of each storage element 11, or a plurality of second detection lines connected to the busbars 13 included in the second busbar group.

The second holding portion 72 is disposed in the negative X-axis direction relative to the gas exhaust valve 111 of each storage element 11. The second holding portion 72 has a second outer wall portion 721 that surrounds the outer periphery of the second holding portion 72.

The second outer wall portion 721 is a frame wall that is long in the Y-axis direction and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and houses a second bus bar group and multiple second detection lines inside. A second notch 721a is formed at the end of the second outer wall portion 721 in the negative Y-axis direction. The multiple second detection lines are arranged to pass through the second notch 721a.

The end region in the positive X-axis direction within the second outer wall portion 721 is a second cable path portion 725 that penetrates along the Y-axis direction. The second cable path portion 725 is disposed between the gas exhaust valve 111 of each energy storage element 11 and each bus bar 13 included in the second bus bar group. In this way, the second cable path portion 725 is disposed inward in the X-axis direction from the second bus bar group within the bus bar frame 12.

A plurality of second detection lines are arranged in the second cable path section 725. The plurality of second detection lines are arranged in the second cable path section 725, so that they are arranged between the first holding section 71 and the second holding section 72, i.e., avoiding being located on the connecting section 73.

3, the connecting portion 73 is a portion that connects the first holding portion 71 and the second holding portion 72. Specifically, the connecting portion 73 has a plurality of beam portions 731 that extend in the X-axis direction and have one end connected to the first holding portion 71 and the other end connected to the second holding portion 72. The plurality of beam portions 731 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the Y-axis direction. An exhaust portion 50 is arranged on the plurality of beam portions 731. Among the plurality of beam portions 731, the beam portion 731 at the end in the negative Y-axis direction is arranged outside the storage element 11 at the end in the negative Y-axis direction. In addition, the beam portion 731 at the end in the positive Y-axis direction is arranged outside the storage element 11 at the end in the positive Y-axis direction. The other beam portions 731 are arranged between a pair of adjacent storage elements 11. In this way, the plurality of beam portions 731 are arranged in a position that is retreated from the gas exhaust valve 111 of each storage element 11. In other words, the gas exhaust valve 111 of each energy storage element 11 is exposed between the multiple beam portions 731 when viewed from above.

The portion of the first outer wall portion 711 facing the connecting portion 73 and the portion of the second outer wall portion 721 facing the connecting portion 73 are a pair of third wall portions 716 facing each other. Each third wall portion 716 is a flat, rectangular portion parallel to the YZ plane and extending in the Y-axis direction. Between the pair of third wall portions 716, the exhaust portion 50 is stored on the multiple beam portions 731. A plurality of pairs of recesses are formed on the upper edge portions of the pair of third wall portions 716 to position the exhaust portion 50. In this embodiment, two pairs of recesses are provided. The first set of recesses is a pair of first recesses 717 arranged in the Y-axis plus direction from the center of the bus bar frame 12 in the Y-axis direction. The pair of first recesses 717 are each formed in a rectangular shape with an open upper portion when viewed in the X-axis direction, and are arranged at the same position in the Y-axis direction. The second set of recesses is a pair of second recesses 727 arranged in the Y-axis minus direction from the center of the bus bar frame 12 in the Y-axis direction. The pair of second recesses 727 are each formed in a rectangular shape that is open at the top when viewed in the X-axis direction, and are arranged at the same position in the Y-axis direction. In this manner, the bus bar frame 12 that houses the exhaust section 50 in the connecting section 73 is an example of a frame member.

[3 Exhaust section]
3 to 5, the exhaust unit 50 has an exhaust member 60, a cover member 65, and a plurality of seal members 95. The exhaust member 60 and the cover member 65 form an exhaust path 59.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the schematic configuration of the exhaust section 50 and the exterior body cover 17 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the exhaust section 50 and the exterior body cover 17 as viewed from below. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the exhaust section 50 and its periphery, taken along a plane perpendicular to the Y-axis, of the energy storage device 1 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1. Specifically, the cross-sectional view shows the first divided body 66, which is part of the exhaust section 50, and its surrounding members.

[3-1 Exhaust components]
The exhaust member 60 is disposed directly above the gas exhaust valve 111 of each energy storage element 11 in a state where the exhaust member 60 is housed in the bus bar frame 12 as a whole. The exhaust member 60 includes a bottom 61 and a pair of first wall portions 62. The bottom 61 is a rectangular portion parallel to the XY plane and extending in the Y-axis direction. The pair of first wall portions 62 are portions erected from both ends of the bottom 61 in the X-axis direction. The length of the exhaust member 60 in the Y-axis direction corresponds to the overall length of the exterior body main body 14 in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the exhaust member 60 can be entirely housed within the exterior body main body 14. The exhaust member 60 is divided into two at a middle position in the Y-axis direction. One of the two is a first divided body 66, and the other is a second divided body 67. The first divided body 66 and the second divided body 67 have approximately the same length in the Y-axis direction. The first divided body 66 is disposed in the Y-axis plus direction from the second divided body 67. In other words, the first divided body 66 is disposed on the exhaust port 51 side of the exhaust path 59 .

The exhaust member 60 consisting of the first division 66 and the second division 67 is made of a highly heat-resistant resin because it serves as an exhaust path for high-temperature gas discharged from the energy storage element 11. In this embodiment, the first division 66 and the second division 67 are made of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a resin material with high heat resistance. Here, the bus bar frame 12 does not need to have heat resistance, and is made of PP, a normal resin material with lower heat resistance than the exhaust member 60. When the bus bar frame 12 and the first division 66 and the second division 67 are integrally molded from a single resin, the entire body may be molded from a resin with high heat resistance. However, in this embodiment, only the first division 66 and the second division 67, which are separate from the bus bar frame 12, need to be made from a resin with high heat resistance, so the amount of resin used can be reduced.

The exhaust member 60 is a long member that extends in the Y-axis direction, which is the arrangement direction of the energy storage elements 11. In this embodiment, since PPS, which is a heat-resistant resin, has poorer moldability than ordinary resin materials such as PP, the exhaust member 60 is formed as a member divided in the Y-axis direction rather than as a one-piece molded product, in order to make it easier to mold.

[3-1-1 First split body]
6 and 7 are perspective views showing the schematic configuration of a first divided body 66 and a second divided body 67 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the divided body 67 as viewed from above, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the first divided body 66 and the second divided body 67 as viewed from below.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the first divided body 66 is formed in a U-shape with an open upper portion when viewed in the Y-axis direction, and is a long member in the Y-axis direction. The first divided body 66 has a first bottom 661 and a pair of first divided wall portions 662. The first bottom 661 is a rectangular portion that is parallel to the XY plane and extends in the Y-axis direction, and forms part of the bottom 61.

A pair of first dividing wall portions 662 are erected on the upper surface of both ends of the first bottom portion 661 in the X-axis direction. A pair of first grooves 663 extending along the Y-axis direction are formed on the upper surface of the first bottom portion 661 near each of the first dividing wall portions 662. Each second wall portion 652 of the cover member 65 is disposed within each first groove 663.

In the center of the first bottom 661 in the X-axis direction, a plurality of first holes 664 (eight in this embodiment) are formed to expose the gas exhaust valves 111 of each storage element 11. The first holes 664 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the Y-axis direction. The first holes 664 are through holes formed in a circular shape when viewed from above. The first holes 664 may have any shape when viewed from above, and other shapes when viewed from above include an elliptical shape, an oval shape, a polygonal shape, etc.

The outer bottom surface of the first bottom 661 is provided with a plurality of annular convex portions 665 surrounding each of the first holes 664. The annular convex portions 665 are convex streaks formed continuously in a planar ring shape, and are arranged concentrically with the first holes 664. The planar shape of the annular convex portion 665 may be any shape as long as it is a continuous ring shape, and other planar shapes include an elliptical ring shape, an oblong ring shape, a polygonal ring shape, and the like. The annular convex portion 665 has a tapered cross-sectional shape when cut on a plane perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the annular convex portion (see FIG. 5). The annular convex portion 665 has a uniform cross-sectional shape over the entire circumference. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the annular convex portion 665 is illustrated as being tapered as a whole, but only the tip portion may be tapered. In this embodiment, the tip portion of the annular convex portion 665 is formed on a flat surface, but may be formed in an angular shape. Additionally, a flange portion 669 that forms the first hole portion 664 is provided continuously in the circumferential direction inside the annular protrusion portion 665. The flange portion 669 is an annular portion that protrudes inward from the annular protrusion portion 665 in the planar direction of the XY plane. Compared to the case where the flange portion 669 is not present, the inner diameter of the first hole portion 664 is smaller.

In addition, a number of positioning protrusions 666 that protrude downward are formed on the outer bottom surface of the first bottom portion 661. The positioning protrusions 666 are abutted against one of the energy storage elements 11 to determine the relative positioning of the energy storage element 11 and the first divided body 66.

The multiple positioning protrusions 666 protrude from any position in the Y-axis direction of the first divided body 66 toward any one of the multiple storage elements 11. Specifically, the multiple positioning protrusions 666 are arranged near the fourth first hole portion 664 from one end of the first divided body 66 in the negative Y-axis direction. In other words, the multiple positioning protrusions 666 abut against the fourth storage element 11 from one end of the first divided body 66 in the negative Y-axis direction. In this way, the multiple positioning protrusions 666 are arranged only in the center of the first divided body 66 in the Y-axis direction. Here, the center of the first divided body 66 is a region that includes the center position in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, the region of the first divided body 66 that overlaps with the fourth and fifth storage elements 11 from the end of the eight storage elements 11 corresponding to the first divided body 66 in a top view is defined as the center of the first divided body 66.

Figure 8 is a plan view showing a schematic positional relationship between the multiple positioning protrusions 666 and the energy storage element 11 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, in this embodiment, four positioning protrusions 666 are provided on the first division body 66. The four positioning protrusions 666 are classified into a pair of first positioning protrusions 666a that abut against the fourth energy storage element 11 from the positive direction of the Y axis, and a pair of second positioning protrusions 666b that abut against the fourth energy storage element 11 from the negative direction of the Y axis.

The pair of first positioning protrusions 666a are arranged at a predetermined interval in the X-axis direction. The pair of second positioning protrusions 666b are disposed at positions corresponding to the pair of first positioning protrusions 666a in the X-axis direction.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the positioning protrusion 666 according to the embodiment. Figure 9 shows the state in which the first divided body 66 is in the middle of being assembled to the energy storage element 11. Also, Figure 9 shows one of the pair of first positioning protrusions 666a and one of the pair of second positioning protrusions 666b, but the other of the pair of first positioning protrusions 666a and the other of the pair of second positioning protrusions 666b are similar, so a description of these will be omitted.

The first positioning protrusion 666a and the second positioning protrusion 666b are a pair of positioning protrusions 666 arranged at positions sandwiching the energy storage element 11 in the Y-axis direction. The first positioning protrusion 666a protrudes downward from the outer bottom surface of the first bottom portion 661. The first positioning protrusion 666a is a substantially rectangular protrusion, and the corner 666c of its tip facing the energy storage element 11 is chamfered.

One of the second positioning protrusions 666b protrudes downward from the outer bottom surface of the first bottom portion 661. One of the second positioning protrusions 666b is a substantially rectangular protrusion, and the corner 666d at its tip on the side of the energy storage element 11 is chamfered.

That is, the distance between the first positioning protrusion 666a and the second positioning protrusion 666b is gradually narrowed upward by the corners 666c and 666d. Therefore, when the first divided body 66 is assembled to the energy storage element 11, the upper part of the energy storage element 11 is guided by the corners 666c and 666d and fits into a predetermined position, and abuts against each positioning protrusion 666. After positioning, as shown in FIG. 8, all the positioning protrusions 666 are in abutment against the energy storage element 11. Specifically, the energy storage element 11 is sandwiched between a pair of first positioning protrusions 666a and a pair of second positioning protrusions 666b. Therefore, the positional deviation between the first divided body 66 and the energy storage element 11 in the Y-axis direction and the rotational deviation around the Z-axis are restricted, and the first divided body 66 can be accurately aligned with one energy storage element 11.

The first divided body 66 is positioned in the X-axis direction by being placed between a pair of third wall portions 716 of the busbar frame 12. Furthermore, the first divided body 66 is placed on the energy storage element 11, so that it is positioned in the Z-axis direction.

Here, the energy storage element 11 has a flat shape in which the thickness (dimension in the Y-axis direction) is smaller than the width (dimension in the X-axis direction). Therefore, in the upper wall portion 11d of the energy storage element 11, the distance from the gas exhaust valve 111 to the edge of the upper wall portion 11d is smaller in the thickness direction of the energy storage element 11 than in the width direction, and the difference is also large. In other words, the space around the gas exhaust valve 111 is narrow in the thickness direction and wide in the width direction. Therefore, when other components are arranged around the gas exhaust valve 111, the component arrangement area is relatively narrow on the side of the gas exhaust valve 111 in the Y-axis direction (arrangement direction of the energy storage element 11) and relatively wide on the side in the X-axis direction. Examples of components to be arranged around the gas exhaust valve 111 include the annular protrusion 665 of the first divided body 66 and the seal material 95.

The area for arranging components is narrow to the side of the gas exhaust valve 111 in the Y-axis direction, so misalignment must be suppressed in order to arrange other components in this area. In this embodiment, the first positioning protrusions 666a, 666b of the first divided body 66 are positioned by directly contacting the long side surface of the energy storage element 11 from the Y-axis direction without using any other components. This makes it possible to easily and accurately align the annular protrusion 665 of the first divided body 66 with the gas exhaust valve 111.

At least one of the first positioning projections 666 may be in contact with any of the storage elements 11, and may be in contact with the storage element 11 at the end in the arrangement direction, for example. In this embodiment, the multiple storage elements 11 are arranged at predetermined positions in the exterior body 14, so that when the first divided body 66 is positioned on the storage element 11 at the end, it is arranged so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with the other storage elements 11. In this case, it is preferable to abut against the long side of the storage element 11 as in this embodiment, but the method of abutment is not limited to this. For example, it may be a positioning projection that protrudes so as to face the upper wall portion 11d of the storage element 11. In addition, it is preferable that the first positioning projection 666 abuts against another long side, rather than the outermost long side, of the multiple storage elements 11 arranged. As will be described in more detail later, there are first holes 664 on both sides of the positioning protrusion 666 in the Y-axis direction, which makes it possible to shorten the distance from the positioning protrusion 666 to the furthest first hole 664 as much as possible, thereby preventing an increase in tolerance.

The position of the positioning protrusion 666 in the first divided body 66 can be arranged at a position corresponding to any storage element 11. As an example, as described above, it is arranged at a position where it abuts against the storage element 11 at the very end in the arrangement direction, but it may be arranged at a position where it abuts against the second storage element 11 from the end of the arrangement. Here, if the center of the first hole portion 664 (664a) corresponding to the storage element 11 to which the positioning protrusion 666 is abutted is set as the reference position, as shown in FIG. 8, the actual dimension of the distance from the reference position to the center of each first hole portion 664 varies more from the design value as it moves away from the reference position. In other words, the tolerance of the distance to the center of the first hole portion 664 increases as it moves away from the reference position (tolerance t1<t2<t3<t4 in FIG. 8). Therefore, when the reference position is set to the first hole portion 664 at the very end of the first divided body 66, the tolerance of the distance from the reference position to the first hole portion 664 at the opposite end is maximum. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the positioning protrusion 666 is set in the center of the first divided body 66, the tolerance of the dimension (distance) from the reference position to the farthest first hole portion 664 is about half that when the reference position is set at the end, which is preferable because it allows for accurate positioning without widening the tolerance. Also, in the Y-axis direction, the space in which the annular protrusion 665 sits is narrower than in the X-axis direction. In other words, more accuracy is required in the Y-axis direction than in the X-axis direction, but as described above, it is preferable that the positioning protrusion 666 increases the installation accuracy of the first divided body 66 in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the pair of first partition walls 662 are portions erected from the upper surface of both ends of the first bottom 661 in the X-axis direction, and form part of the first wall 62. The pair of first partition walls 662 are erected from the first bottom 661 in a state of inclination in the Z-axis direction so that the distance between them increases as they move upward (see Fig. 5). Each first partition wall 662 is a long plate-like rectangular portion along the Y-axis direction. At a predetermined position in the Y-axis direction in each first partition wall 662, a first interference portion 668 that is convex and protrudes outward is formed. Each first interference portion 668 is located at the upper end of each first partition wall 662, approximately in the center of each first partition wall 662 in the Y-axis direction.

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing each first interference portion 668 and its surrounding members according to embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 10, each first interference portion 668 is housed in a pair of first recesses 717 of the bus bar frame 12. As a result, each first interference portion 668 is disposed on the boundary between each third wall portion 716 of the bus bar frame 12 and each first dividing wall portion 662.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, a first engagement portion 68 is formed at one end of the first divided body 66 in the negative Y-axis direction, which engages with the other end of the second divided body 67 in the positive Y-axis direction. The first engagement portion 68 has an overlap portion 681 and a first flange portion 682.

The overlapping portion 681 is a portion that overlaps with the other end of the second divided body 67 when viewed in the Z-axis direction (plan view). Specifically, the overlapping portion 681 protrudes in the negative Y-axis direction from one end of the first bottom portion 661 of the first divided body 66. In other words, the overlapping portion 681 protrudes from one end of the first bottom portion 661 toward the second divided body 67. The overlapping portion 681 is a flat, rectangular portion that is parallel to the XY plane and extends in the Y-axis direction.

The first flange 682 protrudes downward from one end of the first bottom 661 of the first division 66. In other words, the first flange 682 protrudes toward the energy storage element 11. The first flange 682 is a flat, rectangular portion that is parallel to the XZ plane and extends in the Z-axis direction. The engagement relationship between the first engagement portion 68 and the second division 67 will be described later.

[3-1-2 Second split body]
Next, the second divided body 67 will be described. The second divided body 67 has basically the same structure as the first divided body 66. First, the respective parts of the second divided body 67 and the respective parts of the first divided body 66 are compared. The corresponding relationship between the first and second divided bodies 66 and 67 will be described below, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. After that, the differences from the first divided body 66 will be described in detail.

6 and 7, the second divided body 67 is formed in a U-shape with an open upper portion when viewed in the Y-axis direction, and is a long member in the Y-axis direction. The second divided body 67 has a second bottom 671 corresponding to the first bottom 661, and a pair of second divided wall portions 672 corresponding to each first divided wall portion 662. The second bottom portion 671 has a pair of second grooves 673 corresponding to each first groove 663, a plurality of second hole portions 674 corresponding to each first hole portion 664, a plurality of annular convex portions 675 corresponding to each annular convex portion 665, and a plurality of positioning protrusions 676 corresponding to each positioning protrusion 666. The plurality of positioning protrusions 676 are arranged in the vicinity of the fourth first hole portion 664 from the other end portion of the second divided body 67 in the Y-axis positive direction.

The pair of second partition wall portions 672 are provided with a plurality of second interference portions 678 corresponding to each of the first interference portions 668. Each of the second interference portions 678 is housed in a pair of second recesses 727 of the bus bar frame 12. Because of this correspondence, each portion of the second partition 67 achieves the same effect as the corresponding portion of the first partition 66.

Next, the portions of the second divided body 67 that are different from the first divided body 66 will be described in detail. In the second divided body 67, a terminal wall portion 677 for blocking the exhaust path 59 is formed at one end in the negative Y-axis direction, continuing from the second bottom portion 671 and the pair of second divided walls 672. The terminal wall portion 677 is a flat, rectangular portion parallel to the XZ plane. This terminal wall portion 677 prevents gas flowing through the exhaust path 59 from leaking out from the end of the storage device 1 in the negative Y-axis direction.

In addition, a second engagement portion 69 that engages with the first engagement portion 68 of the first division body 66 is formed at the other end of the second division body 67 in the positive Y-axis direction.

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the engagement relationship between the first engagement portion 68 and the second engagement portion 69 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 11, the second engagement portion 69 has a storage recess 691 and a second flange portion 692.

The accommodation recess 691 is a portion that accommodates the overlap portion 681. Specifically, the accommodation recess 691 is formed on the upper surface of the other end of the second bottom portion 671. The accommodation recess 691 is formed in a shape that can accommodate the overlap portion 681 when viewed in the Z-axis direction. For example, the accommodation recess 691 is a recess that is recessed in the negative Z-axis direction with an end in the positive Y-axis direction open, and has a bottom at the bottom. When the overlap portion 681 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 691, the overlap portion 681 overlaps the other end of the second divided body 67 in a plan view (Z-axis view). As a result, the gap at the adjacent portions of the first divided body 66 and the second divided body 67 becomes a curved space in a cross-sectional view, making it difficult for gas to pass through, and gas leakage from the adjacent portions is suppressed.

In addition, the tip of the overlap portion 681 accommodated in the accommodation recess 691 is arranged with a gap S1 in the Y-axis direction from the wall surface of the accommodation recess 691. For example, due to the variation in the dimensional tolerances of the first division body 66 and the second division body 67 in the longitudinal direction, there is a risk that the tip of the overlap portion 681 in the Y-axis direction and the wall surface of the end of the accommodation recess 691 in the Y-axis direction may interfere with each other. If interference occurs, it will lead to assembly failure of the storage device 1. In this embodiment, even if the first division body 66 and the second division body 67 are combined with members having the maximum values within the dimensional tolerances, the tip of the overlap portion 681 is configured to have a gap S1 from the other end of the second division body 67. This gap S1 can absorb the dimensional variation between the first division body 66 and the second division body 67, and can suppress the occurrence of assembly failure. In addition, even when the first division 66 and the second division 67 are assembled using members each having a minimum value within the dimensional tolerance, in this embodiment, the overlap portion 681 is configured to cover the upper part of the other end of the second division 67. This suppresses gas leakage from the adjacent parts of the first division 66 and the second division 67. In addition, when the first division 66 and the second division 67 are manufactured with high dimensional accuracy and the tip of the overlap portion 681 is brought into contact with the other end of the second division 67, the gap S1 is eliminated, which is preferable and suppresses gas leakage. In addition, FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which the bottom surface of the overlap portion 681 is separated from the bottom of the accommodation recess 691 in the Z-axis direction, but the bottom surface of the overlap portion 681 may abut against the bottom of the accommodation recess 691. In this case, gas leakage can be further suppressed.

The second flange 692 protrudes downward from the other end of the second bottom 671 of the second divided body 67. In other words, the second flange 692 protrudes toward the energy storage element 11. The second flange 692 is a flat, rectangular portion parallel to the XZ plane and extending in the Z-axis direction. The second flange 692 faces the first flange 682 with a gap S2 in the Y-axis direction. Here, if the gap S2 is smaller than the gap S1, the second flange 692 and the first flange 682 may come into contact with each other before the maximum amount of dimensional variation within the tolerance that the gap S1 can absorb is satisfied, and the desired effect of absorbing dimensional variation may not be obtained. For this reason, the gap S2 between the second flange 692 and the first flange 682 is set to be equal to or larger than the gap S1.

It is also assumed that the first division 66 and the second division 67 may be misaligned in the arrangement direction (Z-axis direction) of the energy storage element 11 and the exhaust section 50 due to their respective tolerances. In this embodiment, a first flange 682 is formed at one end of the first bottom 661, and a second flange 692 facing the first flange 682 in the Y-axis direction is formed at the other end of the second bottom 671. Therefore, even if the first division 66 and the second division 67 are misaligned in the Z-axis direction, the opposing relationship between the first flange 682 and the second flange 692 can be maintained, and the gap between the adjacent parts of the first division 66 and the second division 67 can be narrowed. As a result, gas leakage can be suppressed even if the first division 66 and the second division 67 are misaligned in the Z-axis direction.

Furthermore, by providing a first flange 682 on the first division 66 and a second flange 692 on the second division 67, a creeping distance is ensured between the energy storage element 11 and the end of the second wall 652 of the lid member 65, which is a metal member, at the boundary between the first division 66 and the second division 67. In addition, by providing a third flange 683 at the end of the second division 67 on the positive Y-axis side (exhaust port 51 side), a creeping distance is ensured between the energy storage element 11 and the end of the second wall 652 of the lid member 65, which is a metal member, at the exhaust port 51 side end of the first division 66.

Here, a case where the gas exhaust valve 111 of the storage element 11 is activated will be described. When the gas exhaust valve 111 is activated and the high-temperature gas is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust path 59, the gas may come into contact with air (oxygen) at the exhaust port of the exhaust path 59 and ignite. Here, the storage element 11 on the first division 66 side of the exhaust member 60 and close to the exhaust port 51 is likely to come into contact with air (oxygen) and may ignite. Conversely, since the end of the exhaust path 59 on the positive side of the Y axis is blocked, the storage element 11 on the second division 67 side is unlikely to come into contact with air (oxygen) and is unlikely to ignite. In addition, the temperature of the gas from the storage element 11 on the second division 67 side decreases as it passes through the exhaust path 59 toward the exhaust port 51, and the possibility of ignition decreases. There are gaps S1 and S2 at the boundary between the first division 66 and the second division 67 in the middle of the exhaust path 59, but these gaps S1 and S2 are small compared to the exhaust port 51, and the gas is prevented from coming into contact with air (oxygen). When gas is discharged from the electric storage element 11 close to the exhaust port 51 on the first division 66 side, most of the gas flows toward the exhaust port 51. When the gas discharged from the exhaust port 51 ignites, the fire may flow around to the electric storage device 1 side and enter the exhaust path 59 from the boundary portion (gaps S1, S2) between the first division 66 and the second division 67, and reach the gas exhaust valve 111 of the other normal electric storage element 11. The other electric storage element 11 on the first division 66 side is exposed to high temperatures due to the electric storage element 11 whose gas exhaust valve 111 has been activated, so the fire may spread. In this embodiment, the overlap portion 681 of the first division 66 is extended toward the opposite side to the exhaust port 51 (negative direction of the Y axis), and the overlap portion 681 is disposed above the other end of the second division 67, so that the fire that has entered from the boundary portion can be deflected to the second division 67 side (positive direction of the Y axis) that is relatively unaffected by heat. The fire that is received by the second divided body 67 weakens, preventing the fire from spreading.

[3-1-3 Installation locations of the first interference portion and the second interference portion]
Next, a description will be given of the locations of the first interference portions 668 of the first division body 66 and the second interference portions 678 of the second division body 67. Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a schematic view of the first division body 66 and the second division body 67 according to the embodiment.

12, in the first divided body 66, a pair of first interference parts 668 are arranged at positions that are not point symmetrical with respect to the center G1 of the first divided body 66 in a plan view. Specifically, the pair of first interference parts 668 are installed at positions shifted from the center G1 by a first distance L1 in the positive Y-axis direction. Therefore, when the first divided body 66 is rotated 180 degrees around the Z-axis with the center G1 as the reference, the pair of first interference parts 668 are arranged at positions shifted from the center G1 by the first distance L1 in the negative Y-axis direction (dashed line portion in the first divided body 66 in FIG. 12). Each first recess 717 of the busbar frame 12 has the function of positioning the first divided body 66 before rotation. Therefore, if each first interference part 668 of the first divided body 66 after rotation is accommodated in each first recess 717, the first divided body 66 will be shifted in position by about twice the first distance L1 in the Y-axis direction. This allows the assembly worker to know at a glance that the first divided body 66 is misaligned. Even if an operator misses it, the misalignment can be detected because the relevant process cannot be assembled.

Similarly, in the second divided body 67, a pair of second interference parts 678 are arranged at positions that are not point symmetrical with respect to the center G2 of the second divided body 67 in a plan view. Furthermore, the pair of second interference parts 678 have a different positional relationship in a plan view from the pair of first interference parts 668 of the first divided body 66. Specifically, each second interference part 678 is disposed at a position shifted from the center G2 by a second distance L2 in the positive Y-axis direction. Here, the second distance L2 is different from the first distance L1, so that each first interference part 668 and each second interference part 678 have a different positional relationship in a plan view. Each first interference part 668 and each second interference part 678 are shifted in position by a distance L10 in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the second distance L2 is smaller than the first distance L1, but the second distance L2 may be larger than the first distance L1.

For example, when the second divided body 67 is rotated 180 degrees around the Z axis with the center G2 as a reference, the pair of second interference parts 678 are positioned at a position shifted from the center G2 in the negative Y-axis direction by the second distance L2 (dashed line part of the second divided body 67 in FIG. 12). Each second recess 727 of the busbar frame 12 has the function of positioning the second divided body 67 before rotation. Therefore, if each second interference part 678 of the second divided body 67 after rotation is accommodated in each second recess 727, the second divided body 67 will be shifted in position in the Y-axis direction by about twice the second distance L2. This allows the worker to know at a glance that the second divided body 67 is mispositioned. Even if the worker misses it, the misalignment can be detected because the assembly process cannot be performed.

Also, assume that the second divided body 67 before rotation is erroneously placed at the placement location of the first divided body 66. Specifically, this is the case where each second interference portion 678 of the second divided body 67 before rotation is to be accommodated in each first recess 717 for the first divided body 66 of the bus bar frame 12. In this case, the second divided body 67 is misaligned in the Y-axis direction from the correct position of the first divided body 66 by about a distance L10. Even if the second divided body 67 after rotation is misaligned at the placement location of the first divided body 66, the second divided body 67 is also misaligned in the Y-axis direction from the correct position of the first divided body 66. In either case, the worker can at a glance know that the second divided body 67 is misaligned. Even if the worker misses it, the misalignment can be detected because the assembly of the process cannot be performed. This is also the case when the first divided body 66 is misaligned at the installation location of the second divided body 67.

[3-2 Lid member]
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the cover member 65 is disposed above the exhaust member 60, closes the open portion of the exhaust member 60, and covers the upper part of the exhaust path 59. Specifically, the cover member 65 is made of metal and has higher heat dissipation properties than the exhaust member 60. The cover member 65 is formed in a U-shape with an open lower side when viewed in the Y-axis direction, and is a member that is long in the Y-axis direction. The cover member 65 is housed in the exhaust member 60 that is composed of a first divided body 66 and a second divided body 67. The length of the cover member 65 in the Y-axis direction is longer than the overall length of the exhaust member 60 in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the other end of the cover member 65 in the Y-axis positive direction can be protruded from the exhaust member 60.

The other end of the lid member 65 in the positive Y-axis direction is open at the bottom and at the tip while protruding from the exhaust member 60. On the other hand, the front wall 659 in the negative Y-axis direction of the lid member 65 is closed. This front wall 659 is a flat, rectangular portion parallel to the XZ plane, and covers the end wall 677 of the second divided body 67 from the outside. In other words, the front wall 659 of the lid member 65 and the end wall 677 of the second divided body 67 prevent gas from being discharged from one end in the Y-axis direction. The lid member 65, when housed in the exhaust member 60, constitutes a gas exhaust path 59 together with the exhaust member 60. Gas is discharged from the open portion at the other end of the lid member 65 described above. In other words, the other end of the lid member 65 is the exhaust port 51 through which gas is discharged. As a result, the exhaust port 51 is U-shaped when viewed in the gas traveling direction (Y-axis direction). Specifically, the exhaust port 51 is U-shaped with the open portion facing downward. As described above, the exhaust port 51 in the lid member 65 protrudes from the exterior body 18 by penetrating the opening 171 and the notch 141 in the exterior body main body 14.

The lid member 65 also includes a lid portion 651 and a pair of second wall portions 652, which together form a U-shaped external shape when viewed in the Y-axis direction. The lid portion 651 is a plate portion that is open downward. The lid portion 651 is attached to the top plate portion 17a of the exterior body lid 17, and the lid member 65 and the exterior body lid 17 are integrated.

The pair of second wall portions 652 extend downward from both ends of the cover portion 651 in the X-axis direction. Specifically, each second wall portion 652 is a plate-like rectangular portion that is parallel to the YZ plane and extends in the Y-axis direction.

Each second wall portion 652 is accommodated so as to be adjacent to a pair of first wall portions 62 of the exhaust member 60 on the inside in the X-axis direction. Specifically, each second wall portion 652 is adjacent to each of a pair of first divided wall portions 662 of the first divided body 66 and a pair of second divided wall portions 672 of the second divided body 67. In this state, the tip portion of each second wall portion 652 is accommodated in each first groove 663 of the first divided body 66 and each second groove 673 of the second divided body 67, and abuts against the bottom surface of each groove portion. Therefore, the sealing property between each second wall portion 652 and the exhaust member 60 can be increased compared to the case where the lower end of each second wall portion 652 abuts against a flat surface. Each second wall portion 652 overlaps with the portion where the first divided wall portion 662 of the first divided body 66 and the second divided wall portion 672 of the second divided body 67 are adjacent to each other so as to cover the gap of this portion from the inside. This allows each second wall portion 652 to prevent gas leakage from the gap.

In this state, the lid portion 651 of the lid member 65 is disposed above the pair of first wall portions 62 of the exhaust member 60. Therefore, the lid portion 651 of the lid member 65 is pressed downward by the top plate portion 17a of the exterior cover 17. This pressing force presses the pair of first wall portions 62 of the lid member 65 against the bottom surfaces of the first grooves 663 and the second grooves 673, so that a higher level of sealing can be achieved. Furthermore, when gas is discharged from the gas discharge valve 111 of the energy storage element 11, the lid member 65 may float because the lid member 65 receives the gas. Since the lid member 65 is subjected to a downward pressing force from the exterior cover 17, it is possible to suppress the lid member 65 from floating due to the discharge of gas.

In addition, a downward pressing force is applied to the exhaust member 60 from the pair of first wall portions 62 of the cover member 65, so that the exhaust member 60 presses the multiple energy storage elements 11 downward. This ensures that each sealant 95 interposed between the exhaust member 60 and the energy storage elements 11 is compressed, providing greater adhesion. This pressing force also supports the multiple energy storage elements 11 in the vertical direction.

[3-2-1 Assembling the cover member and the exhaust member]
Next, a description will be given of the assembly of the cover member 65 and the exhaust member 60. Here, the first divided body 66, which is a part of the exhaust member 60, and the cover member 65 are illustrated, but the same applies to the second divided body 67.

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in the middle of assembling the cover member 65 and the exhaust member 60 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, (a) of Figure 13 shows the case where the cover member 65 is placed in the correct position, and (b) of Figure 13 shows the case where the cover member 65 is placed in an incorrect position.

As shown in FIG. 13(a), when the lid member 65 is positioned in the correct position during assembly, each second wall portion 652 of the lid member 65 is inserted between a pair of first divided wall portions 662 and does not interfere with each first interference portion 668. In other words, the lid member 65 is smoothly positioned in the correct position and assembled to the first divided body 66 without being hindered from being inserted (see FIG. 10).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the lid member 65 is lowered while being shifted from the correct position in the X-axis direction during assembly, one of the second wall portions 652 interferes with one of the first interference portions 668 from a direction (Z-axis direction) intersecting the protruding direction (X-axis direction) of the first interference portion 668. When the lid member 65 is shifted in the opposite direction to FIG. 13B, the other second wall portion 652 interferes with the other first interference portion 668. In other words, when the lid member 65 is to be placed in an irregular position during assembly, the first interference portion 668 interferes with the second wall portion 652 and prevents its insertion. As a result, the lid member 65 floats significantly from the correct position (see the dashed line portion in FIG. 13B). In this state, the worker can immediately recognize the incorrect insertion of the lid member 65, and the assembly work can be redone. Even if the worker misses it, the incorrect insertion can be detected because the assembly of the process cannot be performed.

In particular, in this embodiment, each first interference portion 668 is accommodated in each first recess 717 of the bus bar frame 12. In this state, each first interference portion 668 is disposed at the boundary (gap) between the first wall portion 62 and the third wall portion 716. In other words, even if the cover member 65 is misaligned and the second wall portion 652 attempts to enter the boundary (gap) between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716, the second wall portion 652 abuts against the first interference portion 668 and cannot enter the boundary between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second wall portion 652 from being erroneously inserted into the boundary between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716.

The energy storage element 11 is present below the boundary between the first dividing wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716. Therefore, if the second wall portion 652 of the metal cover member 65 is erroneously inserted into this boundary, it may come into contact with the energy storage element 11 and cause a short circuit. However, in this embodiment, the second wall portion 652 is not erroneously inserted into the boundary, so the occurrence of a short circuit can be suppressed.

Here, if the lid member 65 is integrated with the exterior body lid 17 from the time of assembly, the exterior body lid 17 covers the lid member 65 during assembly, so the lid member 65 cannot be seen by the worker. For this reason, the lid member 65 is easily mispositioned. Assuming that the first interference portion 668 and the second interference portion 678 are not provided, if the second wall portion 652 of the lid member 65 is inserted between the first wall portion 62 and the third wall portion 716 due to mispositioning, the above-mentioned floating does not occur. Even if there is a floating, it is difficult to find the floating from the outside because the exterior body lid 17 covers the lid member 65. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the exterior body lid 17 together with the lid member 65 is largely floating from the correct position, so the worker can recognize the incorrect insertion of the lid member 65 at a glance.

In this embodiment, the presence of the front wall 659 of the cover member 65 and the end wall 677 of the second divided body 67 makes it difficult for incorrect insertion to occur. However, even in this case, partial incorrect insertion can occur near the exhaust port 51, for example, when the exterior body cover 17 is assembled while tilted relative to the Y axis.

[3-3 Sealing material]
Next, the sealing material 95 will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, the sealing material 95 is disposed between the energy storage elements 11 and the exhaust member 60, and is a member for maintaining airtightness between the energy storage elements 11 and the exhaust member 60. One sealing material 95 is provided for each energy storage element 11. That is, 16 sealing materials 95 are provided in the energy storage device 1 as a whole (see Fig. 3). All of the sealing materials 95 have the same shape, so one sealing material 95 will be described here.

Figure 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the sealing material 95 and its surrounding members according to the first embodiment. Specifically, (a) of Figure 14 is a plan view of the sealing material 95, and (b) of Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing material 95 installed on the energy storage element 11. (b) of Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of a cut surface including line XIVb-XIVb in (a) of Figure 14. (a) of Figure 14 shows the positional relationship with each part of the first divided body 66, with the first hole portion 664 indicated by a dashed line and the annular protrusion portion 665 indicated by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 14, the sealing material 95 is a plate-shaped member. Specifically, the sealing material 95 is a plate body that is elongated in the Y-axis direction and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The sealing material 95 is placed on the upper wall portion 11d of the container 11a in the energy storage element 11. Here, a restricting recess 112 is formed on the upper surface of the upper wall portion 11d. The restricting recess 112 is a portion that is recessed below the peripheral portion of the upper wall portion 11d. When the sealing material 95 is placed in the restricting recess 112, both ends of the sealing material 95 in the Y-axis direction abut against the inner side surface of the restricting recess 112, and the movement and rotation in the Y-axis direction are restricted. In other words, the restricting recess 112 is a restricting portion that restricts the movement of the sealing material 95. Note that the restricting portion may be any type as long as it restricts the movement of the sealing material 95. For example, a positive or negative electrode gasket provided on the upper wall portion 11d of the energy storage element 11 may be abutted against the sealing material 95 to serve as the restricting portion. In the case of a gasket, it may be abutted against the sealing material 95 from the X-axis direction. Also, an insulating sealing material (tube) attached to the container 11a of the energy storage element 11 may be abutted against the sealing material 95 to serve as the restricting portion. Furthermore, a dedicated member for restricting the sealing material 95 may be provided on the upper wall portion 11d and used as the restricting portion.

In addition, a through hole 96 is formed in the center of the sealing material 95, which communicates with each hole (first hole 664, second hole 674) of the exhaust member 60. The through hole 96 has a shape based on a circle, and a pair of protruding pieces 97 that face each other in the Y axis direction are formed in the center of the X axis direction on its inner periphery. The pair of protruding pieces 97 protrude toward the center of the through hole 96, and their tip surfaces are convexly curved surfaces. Therefore, the planar shape of the through hole 96 is such that the first width W1 in the Y axis direction (first direction) is different from the second width W2 in the X axis direction (second direction).

Since a pair of protruding pieces 97 are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the through-hole portion 96 in this way, the width in the Y-axis direction passing through the center of the through-hole portion 96 in a plan view varies because the position of the protruding pieces 97 changes when the sealing material 95 is rotated. In this embodiment, the correct posture of the sealing material 95 is one in which the arrangement direction of the multiple storage elements 11 is parallel to the width direction at the first width W1. In other words, when the width of the through-hole portion 96 is measured based on the arrangement direction and the measurement result is the first width W1, it can be determined that the sealing material 95 is arranged in the correct posture.

For example, assume that the sealing material 95 is misaligned from the correct position, and the arrangement direction of the energy storage elements 11 is parallel to the width direction at the second width W2. In this case, if the width of the through-hole portion 96 is measured based on the arrangement direction, the measurement result is the second width W2, so it can be determined that the sealing material 95 is arranged in an irregular position. In other words, by measuring the width of the through-hole portion 96 in the arrangement direction, it can be determined whether the sealing material 95 is present and whether it is arranged in a correct position. Methods for measuring the width of the through-hole portion 96 include, for example, a measurement method using a laser range finder and a measurement method using an image measuring device.

The shape of the through hole portion 96 may be any shape as long as the first width W1 and the second width W2 are different. Other shapes of the through hole portion 96 in a plan view include a polygonal shape, an elliptical shape, and an oval shape. As long as the first width W1 and the second width W2 are different, the number of protruding pieces 97 may be one or three or more.

The seal material 95 is more flexible than the exhaust member 60. That is, the seal material 95 has the property of being softer and more easily deformed than the exhaust member 60. Specifically, the seal material 95 may have a lower hardness or a lower Young's modulus than the exhaust member 60. In this embodiment, the seal material 95 is formed of heat-resistant rubber. In this way, since the seal material 95 is more flexible than the exhaust member 60, the tip of the annular convex portion 665 of the exhaust member 60 adheres to the seal material 95 in a state in which the seal material 95 is deformed (see FIG. 5). When in close contact, the annular convex portion 665 continuously surrounds the first hole portion 664 and the through hole portion 96 over the entire circumference, so that the sealability between the exhaust member 60 and the seal material 95 can be ensured.

[4. Description of Effects]
As described above, in the energy storage device 1 according to this embodiment, in the adjacent portion of the first division 66 and the second division 67 that form the exhaust section 50, the overlap portion 681 provided at one end of the first division 66 overlaps, in a plan view, with the other end of the second division 67. This overlap portion 681 can narrow the gap between the adjacent portions of the first division 66 and the second division 67, thereby suppressing gas leakage from the adjacent portions.

In addition, the gap between the adjacent parts of the first partition wall 662 and the second partition wall 672 is covered by the second wall 652 of the lid member 65. In this way, the overlap portion 681 and the lid member 65 can narrow the gap between the adjacent parts of the first partition 66 and the second partition 67, thereby further suppressing gas leakage from the adjacent parts.

In addition, a first flange 682 is formed at one end of the first bottom 661, and a second flange 692 facing the first flange 682 is formed at the other end of the second bottom 671, so that the first flange 682 and the second flange 692 overlap each other, thereby narrowing the gap in the assembly area.

Here, it is assumed that the first division 66 and the second division 67 may be misaligned in the Z-axis direction due to their respective tolerances. In this embodiment, a first flange 682 is formed at one end of the first bottom 661, and a second flange 692 facing the first flange 682 is formed at the other end of the second bottom 671. Therefore, even if the first division 66 and the second division 67 are misaligned in the Z-axis direction, the opposing relationship between the first flange 682 and the second flange 692 can be maintained, and the gap in the assembly portion can be narrowed. As a result, gas leakage can be suppressed even if the first division 66 and the second division 67 are misaligned in the Z-axis direction.

In addition, the tip of the overlap portion 681 is disposed with a distance S1 from the other end of the second divided body 67, so that this distance S1 can absorb positional deviations caused by tolerances. This allows the first divided body 66 and the second divided body 67 to be positioned accurately in the longitudinal direction.

In addition, since the first divided body 66 having the overlap portion 681 is disposed on the exhaust port 51 side, and the overlap portion 681 is disposed higher than the other end of the second divided body 67, the overlap portion 681 can block fire that penetrates into the storage element 11. In other words, even if the gas should ignite, it is possible to prevent the normal storage element 11 from catching fire.

In addition, since the tip of the annular protrusion 665 abuts against the sealing material 95 over the entire circumference while surrounding the first hole portion 664 and the through hole portion 96, the annular protrusion 665 adheres closely to the sealing material 95 while the sealing material 95 is deformed. This improves the airtightness between the exhaust member 60 and the sealing material 95. Here, since the tip of the annular protrusion 665 provided on the exhaust member 60 presses against the highly flexible sealing material 95, it can bite into the sealing material 95 with a smaller force than when pressing the entire surface of the sealing material 95. In other words, even if the structure for pressing the sealing material 95 is simplified, high airtightness can be maintained.

In addition, because the cross-sectional shape of the tip of the annular protrusion 665 is tapered, it easily bites into the sealing material 95 when pressed. Therefore, a high level of sealing can be maintained with less force.

In addition, a protruding piece 97 is provided on the inner peripheral edge of the through-hole portion 96. If the sealing material 95 is deviated from the correct position, for example, if the arrangement direction is parallel to the width direction at the second width W2, the width of the through-hole portion 96 based on the arrangement direction (second width W2) will be different from the width in the correct position (first width W1). In other words, by measuring the width of the through-hole portion 96 based on the arrangement direction, it is possible to determine whether the sealing material 95 is arranged in the correct position. This makes it possible to detect incorrect placement of the sealing material 95 during manufacturing. If incorrect placement of the sealing material 95 can be detected, it is possible to suppress a decrease in sealing performance caused by the incorrect placement.

In addition, since the energy storage element 11 is provided with a restricting recess 112 (restricting portion) that restricts the position of the sealing material 95, the restricting recess 112 can suppress misalignment of the sealing material 95. Therefore, misalignment between the sealing material 95 and the annular protrusion 665 is also suppressed, and the sealing performance can be more reliably achieved.

For example, when gas is discharged from the gas exhaust valve 111 of one storage element 11, the gas is discharged to the exhaust path 59 via the through hole portion 96 and the first hole portion 664. At this time, if the heated gas from the exhaust path 59 reaches another normal storage element 11, it will adversely affect the normal storage element 11, which is undesirable. In this embodiment, a flange portion 669 is provided inside the annular convex portion 665, and this flange portion 669 acts as a barrier to prevent gas from flowing back from the exhaust path 59 to the storage element 11.

In addition, the first divided body 66 constituting the exhaust member 60 is provided with a positioning protrusion 666 that directly contacts the energy storage element 11, so the relative positions of the exhaust member 60 and the energy storage element 11 are determined only between these two. In other words, no other components are involved, and the accumulation of tolerances is minimal between only the components. This reduces dimensional variation when assembling the exhaust member 60 and the energy storage element 11, and suppresses misalignment between each first hole portion 664 and each gas exhaust valve 111. The same is true for the second divided body 67.

In addition, because the pair of positioning protrusions 666 sandwich the storage element 11 in the arrangement direction (Y-axis direction) of the multiple storage elements 11, the storage element 11 and the first divided body 66 can be reliably positioned in the arrangement direction. In addition, because the first divided body 66 is positioned in two places relative to the storage element 11, rotation of the first divided body 66 relative to the storage element 11 is also restricted. As a result, the stability of the alignment between the first divided body 66, which is part of the exhaust member 60, and the storage element 11 can be improved. The same is true for the second divided body 67.

In addition, since the opposing corners 666c of each of the pair of positioning protrusions 666 are chamfered, the corners 666c of the pair of positioning protrusions 666 function as guides that guide the energy storage element 11. This allows the energy storage element 11 to be smoothly inserted between the pair of positioning protrusions 666. The same is true for the second divided body 67.

In addition, a pair of positioning protrusions 666 are arranged in a direction (X-axis direction) that intersects with the arrangement direction of the multiple storage elements 11, so that the first division 66 is positioned in two places relative to the storage elements 11. This makes it possible to restrict rotation of the first division 66 relative to the storage elements 11, and further improves the stability of the alignment between the first division 66, which is part of the exhaust member, and the storage elements 11. The same is true for the second division 67.

In addition, since the positioning protrusion 666 is disposed only in the center of the first divided body 66, the positioning protrusion 666 abuts against and positions the centrally disposed storage element 11 among the multiple storage elements 11. In other words, the accumulation of tolerances in the first divided body 66 can be suppressed. Therefore, the first divided body 66, which is part of the exhaust member 60, and the storage element 11 can be more accurately aligned. The same is true for the second divided body 67.

In addition, the first interference portion 668 does not interfere with the second wall portion 652 when the cover member 65 covers the exhaust path 59 in the correct position. Therefore, the insertion of the cover member 65 into the correct position is not hindered, and the cover member 65 can be smoothly placed in the correct position. On the other hand, the first interference portion 668 interferes with the second wall portion 652 in a direction intersecting the protruding direction of the first interference portion 668 (Z-axis direction) when the cover member 65 covers the exhaust path 59 in an incorrect position. Therefore, when the second wall portion 652 of the cover member 65 is to be placed in an incorrect position during assembly, the first interference portion 668 interferes with the second wall portion 652 and hinders its insertion. As a result, the cover member 65 floats more than when it is placed in the correct position, so the worker can immediately recognize the incorrect insertion of the cover member 65. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cover member 65 from being installed in an incorrect position.

In addition, since the first interference portion 668 is formed on each of the first divided wall portions 662, which are part of the pair of first wall portions 62, the pair of first interference portions 668 can prevent the lid member 65 from being inserted incorrectly. Therefore, the lid member 65 can be more reliably prevented from being installed in an incorrect position.

In addition, the first interference portion 668 of each of the first divided wall portions 662, which are part of the pair of first wall portions 62, is arranged in a position that is not point-symmetrical with respect to the center G1 of the first divided body 66 in a plan view. Therefore, when a worker rotates the first divided body 66 180 degrees during assembly and places it in the bus bar frame 12, the first divided body 66 will be displaced from its correct position starting from the pair of first interference portions 668. This allows the worker to easily recognize the incorrect placement of the first divided body 66.

In addition, because the exterior body lid 17 covers the lid member 65, if the lid member 65 is lifted by the first interference portion 668, the exterior body lid 17 will also be lifted. Therefore, by recognizing that the exterior body lid 17 has lifted, the worker can grasp the incorrect positioning of the lid member 65. In other words, even in an energy storage device 1 having an exterior body lid 17 that covers the lid member 65, it is possible to prevent the lid member 65 from being mispositioned.

In addition, the first interference portion 668 of the first division 66 and the second interference portion 678 of the second division 67 are in different positional relationships in a plan view. For this reason, if an operator mistakenly places the second interference portion 678 of the second division 67 in the first recess 717 for the first division in the busbar frame 12 during assembly, for example, the second division 67 will be misaligned from the correct position for the first division. This is also the case when the first interference portion 668 of the first division 66 is placed in the second recess 727 for the second division. This allows the operator to easily recognize that the first division 66 and the second division 67 have been placed in the wrong position.

The bus bar frame 12 that houses the exhaust member 60 is provided with a pair of third wall portions 716, and a first recess 717 that houses the first interference portion 668 is formed in each of the third wall portions 716. When the first interference portion 668 is housed in the first recess 717, the first interference portion 668 is disposed at the boundary (gap) between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716. In other words, even if the cover member 65 is misaligned and the second wall portion 652 attempts to enter the boundary (gap) between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716, the second wall portion 652 abuts against the first interference portion 668, and therefore cannot enter the boundary between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second wall portion 652 from being erroneously inserted into the boundary between the first partition wall portion 662 and the third wall portion 716.

(Embodiment 2)
In the above-mentioned first embodiment, a case has been exemplified in which a plurality of sealing materials 95 are provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each energy storage element 11. However, one sealing material may correspond to a plurality of energy storage elements 11. In this second embodiment, a case has been exemplified in which one sealing material 95A corresponds to eight energy storage elements 11. In the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted.

One storage battery device 1 is provided with two sealing materials 95A of the same type. One of the two sealing materials 95A corresponds to the first division 66, and the other corresponds to the second division 67.

Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sealing material 95A according to embodiment 2. Specifically, (a) of Figure 15 is a plan view of the sealing material 95A, and (b) of Figure 15 is a side view of the sealing material 95A.

As shown in FIG. 15, the sealing material 95A is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate that is long in the Y-axis direction. The sealing material 95A has a plurality of sealing portions 951a corresponding to each storage element 11, and a plurality of joint portions 952a that connect each sealing portion 951a.

The sealing portion 951a is a portion that is placed on the upper wall portion 11d of each storage element 11. The sealing portion 951a is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view that is elongated in the Y-axis direction. The sealing portion 951a also has a through-hole portion 96a formed in the center of the sealing portion 951a that communicates with each hole portion (first hole portion 664, second hole portion 674) of the exhaust member 60. The through-hole portion 96a has a shape based on a circle, and one protruding piece 97a that protrudes in the Y-axis direction is formed on its inner periphery. Each protruding piece 97a protrudes toward the center of the sealing material 95A in the Y-axis direction. The effect of the protruding piece 97a is the same as the effect of the protruding piece 97 in embodiment 1. Note that the protruding direction of each protruding piece 97a is reversed at the center in the Y-axis direction. Each protruding piece 97a on the positive side of the Y axis direction from the center protrudes toward the negative side of the Y axis, and each protruding piece 97a on the negative side of the Y axis direction from the center protrudes toward the positive side of the Y axis. Therefore, even if the seal material 95A is rotated 180 degrees, the position of each protruding piece 97a will be the same as the position before rotation. This prevents misassembly even if the seal material 95A is rotated 180 degrees and placed, and makes the placement work of the seal material easier. In addition, a pair of seal parts 951a located at both ends of the seal material 95A are formed with protrusions 959a that protrude in the X axis direction at the inner periphery of the through hole part 96a. The protrusions 959a are smaller in size than the protruding pieces 97a. In one of the pair of seal parts 951a, a protrusion 959a is provided at the end of the through hole part 96a in the negative direction of the X axis, and in the other seal part 951a, a protrusion 959a is provided at the end of the through hole part 96a in the positive direction of the X axis. In this way, the pair of protrusions 959a are arranged in a different positional relationship from each other in a plan view. When the sealing material 95A is arranged correctly on the multiple energy storage elements 11, the pair of protrusions 959a are in the above-mentioned positional relationship. Conversely, when the sealing material 95A is arranged upside down on the multiple energy storage elements 11, the protrusion 959a of one sealing portion 951a is arranged at the end of the through-hole portion 96a in the positive direction of the X-axis, and the protrusion 959a of the other sealing portion 951a is arranged at the end of the through-hole portion 96a in the negative direction of the X-axis. In other words, the positional relationship of the pair of protrusions 959a is different from the normal case. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine whether the sealing material 95A is arranged correctly by a measurement method using image measurement or by visual inspection.

The joint portion 952a is disposed between adjacent seal portions 951a and connects these seal portions 951a. A step portion 953a extending along the X-axis direction is formed on the lower surface of the joint portion 952a. That is, when viewed from the bottom side, the joint portion 952a is formed so that the area between the adjacent seal portions 951 is recessed in a step shape with respect to the lower surface of the seal portion 951. As a result, the thickness of the joint portion 952a is thinner than the thickness of the seal portion 951a. Therefore, the joint portion 952a is more easily bent than the seal portion 951a. In addition, the length of the joint portion 952a in the Y-axis direction is set to be longer than the interval between adjacent storage elements 11. Therefore, after assembly, the joint portion 952a is bent to become arch-shaped. The stepped shape and length of the joint portion 952a can avoid the surrounding wall that forms the restricting recess 112 in the energy storage element 11 and absorb the variation in the spacing between the energy storage elements 11. This makes it possible to easily install each seal portion 951a on each energy storage element 11.

The step portion 953a accommodates the step formed by the restricting recesses 112 (see FIG. 14) of the adjacent energy storage elements 11. In other words, by arranging the seal material 95A so that each joint portion 952a overcomes each step, it is possible to prevent each seal portion 951a from floating away from the energy storage element 11 due to the step, and the airtightness can be stabilized.

Both ends of each joint portion 952a in the X-axis direction are notched to avoid interference with other members. Here, of the multiple joint portions 952a, three (three pairs) of joint portions 952a in the center in the Y-axis direction are notched longer in the X-axis direction than the other joint portions 952a. This is to accommodate the positioning protrusions 666, 676 of the exhaust member 60. The reason for providing three pairs is that one seal material 95A can be used to assemble both the first division 66 and the second division 67. These three pairs of notches are referred to as assembly notches 954a.

Figure 16 is a bottom view showing the state in which the sealing material 95A according to the second embodiment is assembled to the first division 66 and the second division 67. As shown in Figure 16, in the sealing material 95A assembled to the first division 66, the positioning projections 666 of the first division 66 are accommodated in two pairs of assembly notches 954a in the negative Y-axis direction out of the three pairs of assembly notches 954a. In addition, in the sealing material 95A assembled to the second division 67, the positioning projections 676 of the second division 67 are accommodated in two pairs of assembly notches 954a in the positive Y-axis direction out of the three pairs of assembly notches 954a. In this way, one sealing material 95A is shared by the first division 66 and the second division 67.

In addition, taking the above explanations into consideration, the sealing material 95A has a rotationally symmetric shape when viewed from above in the Z-axis direction, and can be placed without considering the direction of rotation (180 degrees). In addition, the protrusions 959a make it easy to determine whether the placement is correct or not when it is upside down. In this way, the energy storage device 1 can be easily assembled.

As described above, according to this embodiment, adjacent seal parts 951a are connected by joint parts 952a, so that multiple seal parts 951a are integrated by joint parts 952a. Therefore, compared to the case where one seal material is installed for one through hole part 96a, it is possible to reduce the installation man-hours. In addition, joint parts 952a that are thinner than seal parts 951a are provided between adjacent seal parts 951. Here, due to dimensional variations of each member, positional deviations may occur between each hole part of the exhaust member 60 and each through hole part 96a of the seal material 95A, but the thinned joint parts 952a can absorb the positional deviations. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in sealing performance caused by positional deviations. In addition, the number of connections by which adjacent seal parts 951a are connected by joint parts 952a may be any number.

(Embodiment 3)
In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, an example was given of a case where the annular protrusions 665 and 675 are provided on the exhaust member 60. In this embodiment 3, an example is given of a case where the annular protrusions are provided on the sealing material. Note that in the embodiment 3, the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted.

Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the sealing material 95B and its surrounding members according to embodiment 3. Specifically, Figure 17 corresponds to Figure 5.

As shown in FIG. 17, the outer bottom surface of the first bottom portion 661b of the first divided body 66b is formed flat. On the other hand, an annular convex portion 955b that protrudes toward the first divided body 66b is formed on the upper surface of the sealing material 95B. The annular convex portion 955b has a tip portion that abuts against the outer bottom surface of the first bottom portion 661b while surrounding the first hole portion 664 and the through hole portion 96. When abutting, the annular convex portion 955b is compressed in the Z-axis direction, but when unloaded, its length in the Z-axis direction is longer than that in the state shown in FIG. 17.

In this way, the annular protrusion 955b abuts against the first divided body 66b over the entire circumference with its tip surrounding the first hole portion 664 and the through hole portion 96, so that the annular protrusion 955b itself is in a deformed state and adheres closely to the first divided body 66b. This can improve the airtightness between the first divided body 66b and the sealing material 95B. Here, the tip of the annular protrusion 955b provided on the sealing material 95B is compressed by abutting against the first divided body 66b, so the contact area can be made smaller than when the entire sealing material is compressed, and as a result, the annular protrusion 955b can be deformed with a small force. In other words, even if the structure for pressing the sealing material 95B is simplified, high airtightness can be maintained.

(Embodiment 4)
In the fourth embodiment, another example of the arrangement of the first interference portion will be described. Here, the first interference portion will be described as an example, but the second interference portion is similar. In the fourth embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted.

Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the first interference portion according to embodiment 4. Specifically, (a) of Figure 18 shows modified example 1 according to embodiment 4, (b) of Figure 18 shows modified example 2 according to embodiment 4, (c) of Figure 18 shows modified example 3 according to embodiment 4, and (d) of Figure 18 shows modified example 4 according to embodiment 4.

In the above embodiment 1, the first interference portion 668 is provided at the upper end of the first divided wall portion 662 of the first divided body 66. However, the location of the first interference portion may be any location within the first divided wall portion 662c as long as it blocks the movement of the lid member 65 placed in an irregular position. For example, in the first modified example, as shown in FIG. 18(a), the first interference portion 668c is provided at the lower end of the first divided wall portion 662c of the first divided body 66c. When the lid member 65 is placed in a regular position, it fits between the pair of first divided wall portions 662c without interfering with the first interference portion 668c (solid line portion in FIG. 18(a)). On the other hand, when the lid member 65 is placed in an irregular position, the second wall portion 652 of the lid member 65 interferes with the first interference portion 668c in the Z-axis direction, so that further movement of the lid member 65 is prevented and the lid member 65 floats (dashed line portion in FIG. 18(a)). This allows the lid member 65 to float higher than when it is placed in the correct position, allowing the operator to immediately detect that the lid member 65 has been inserted incorrectly.

In the above embodiment 1, a pair of second walls 652 of the cover member 65 are arranged inside a pair of first partition walls 662 of the first partition 66. However, the pair of second walls 652d may be arranged outside the pair of first partition walls 662. For example, in the second modification, the pair of second walls 652d of the cover member 65d are arranged outside the pair of first partition walls 662 of the first partition 66 as a normal position (solid line in (b) of FIG. 18). In this state, the pair of second walls 652d do not interfere with the first interference portion 668. On the other hand, if the cover member 65d is to be arranged in an abnormal position, the second walls 652d of the cover member 65d interfere with the first interference portion 668 in the Z-axis direction, so that further movement of the cover member 65d is prevented, and the cover member 65d is floated (dashed line in (b) of FIG. 18). This allows the lid member 65d to float higher than when it is placed in the correct position, allowing the operator to immediately detect that the lid member 65d has been inserted incorrectly.

In the above embodiment 1, the first interference portion 668 is provided on the first partition wall portion 662 of the first partition 66. However, the first interference portion may be provided on any surface as long as it blocks the movement of the cover member 65 that is placed in an irregular position. For example, in modification 3, as shown in FIG. 18(c), the first interference portion 668e is provided on the pair of second walls 652e of the cover member 65e. Specifically, the first interference portion 668e is the outer surface of the pair of second walls 652e, and protrudes outward from the lower end portion. On the other hand, the first interference portion is not provided on the first partition wall portion 662e of the first partition 66e.

When the lid member 65e is placed in the correct position, it is contained between the pair of first divided wall portions 662e (solid line portion in FIG. 18(c)). In this state, the pair of first divided wall portions 662e do not interfere with the first interference portion 668e. On the other hand, when the lid member 65e is placed in an incorrect position, the first interference portion 668e of the lid member 65e interferes with the first divided wall portion 662e in the Z-axis direction. This prevents the lid member 65e from moving any further, causing the lid member 65e to float (dashed line portion in FIG. 18(c)). As a result, the lid member 65e floats more than when it is placed in the correct position, allowing the operator to immediately recognize the incorrect insertion of the lid member 65e.

In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the case where the first interference portion 668 is provided in the exhaust path 59 has been exemplified. However, if the first interference portion blocks the movement of a cover member that is placed in an irregular position, the first interference portion may be provided near the exhaust path. For example, in the modified example 4, as shown in FIG. 18(d), the first interference portion 668f is provided on the bus bar frame 12f. Specifically, each first interference portion 668f protrudes from the upper end of each third wall portion 716f of the bus bar frame 12f toward the exhaust path 59. Also, in the modified example 4, the first division body 66f does not have a first interference portion.

When the lid member 65 is placed in the correct position, it is contained between the pair of first partition walls 662f (solid line in FIG. 18(d)). In this state, the pair of first partition walls 662f do not interfere with the first interference portion 668f. On the other hand, when the lid member 65 is placed in an incorrect position, the second wall portion 652 of the lid member 65 interferes with the first interference portion 668f in the Z-axis direction. This prevents the lid member 65 from moving any further, causing the lid member 65 to float (dashed line in FIG. 18(d)). As a result, the lid member 65 floats more than when it is placed in the correct position, allowing the operator to immediately recognize that the lid member 65 has been inserted incorrectly.

(others)
Although the energy storage device 1 according to each embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to each embodiment. In other words, each embodiment disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

For example, in the first embodiment, the exhaust member 60 and the bus bar frame 12 are separate members. However, the bus bar frame and the exhaust member may be integrally molded. In this case, the bus bar frame may be called the exhaust member. The bus bar frame may be divided according to the type of the exhaust member.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the exhaust member 60 is divided into two parts, but the number of parts may be three or more. In this case, the two adjacent parts correspond to the first and second parts.

In addition, the end wall 677 of the second divided body 67 or the front wall 659 of the lid member 65 may be omitted. The front wall may be formed by bending one end of the lid, and there may be a gap between the front wall and the second wall. In these cases, incorrect insertion may occur, and the interference portion is effective in preventing incorrect insertion.

In addition, in the first embodiment, an example is given of a case in which four positioning protrusions 666 that abut against one storage element 11 are provided on the first divided body 66, but the number of positioning protrusions that abut against one storage element 11 may be other than four. In addition, the multiple positioning protrusions may be provided so as to abut against fewer than all of the storage elements 11 corresponding to the first divided body 66.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the exhaust section 50 includes the exhaust member 60, the cover member 65, and the sealant 95, but depending on the performance of the energy storage element 11, the usage environment of the energy storage device 1, and the tolerance for gas exhaust, the exhaust section 50 may not include the cover member 65 or the sealant 95. In addition, the exhaust member 60 and the cover member 65 may be formed integrally.

The configuration disclosed in this specification is suitable for an energy storage device 1 that uses a high-energy density energy storage element 11, as in the embodiment.

In addition, configurations constructed by arbitrarily combining the components of the above-described embodiments and their variations are also included within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to energy storage devices equipped with energy storage elements such as lithium-ion secondary batteries.

1 Energy storage device 10 Energy storage unit 11 Energy storage element 11a Container 11b Positive electrode terminal 11c Negative electrode terminal 11d Upper wall portion 11e Spacer 12, 12f Bus bar frame 13 Bus bar 13a Detection line 13b Connector 14 Exterior body main body 15 Exterior body support 15a Bottom portion 15b, 15c, 17b, 17c Connection portion 15d Fixing portion 16 Board unit mounting portion 17 Exterior body cover 17a Top plate portion 18 Exterior body 20 Board unit 21, 22 Cable guide 23 Communication cable connector 30 Cable 31 Positive electrode power cable 32 Negative electrode power cable 50 Exhaust portion 51 Exhaust port 59 Exhaust path 60 Exhaust member 61 Bottom portion 62 First wall portion 65, 65d, 65e Cover member 66, 66b, 66c, 66e First divided body 67 Second divided body 68 First engagement portion 69 Second engagement portion 71 First holding portion 72 Second holding portion 73 Connecting portion 95, 95A, 95B Sealing material 96, 96a Through hole portion 97, 97a Projecting piece 111 Gas exhaust valve 112 Restriction recess 141 Notch portion 142 Partition wall portion 143 Side opening portion 171 Opening 651 Cover portion 652, 652d, 652e Second wall portion 659 Front wall portion 661, 661b First bottom portion 662, 662c, 662e, 662f First divided wall portion 663 First groove 664 First hole portion (hole portion)
665, 675, 955b Annular convex portion 666, 676 Positioning protrusion 666a First positioning protrusion 666b Second positioning protrusion 666c, 666d Corner portion 668, 668c, 668e, 668f First interference portion (interference portion)
669 Flange portion 671 Second bottom portion 672 Second divided wall portion 673 Second groove 674 Second hole portion (hole portion)
677 End wall portion 678 Second interference portion (interference portion)
681 overlapping portion 682 first flange portion 691 accommodation recess 692 second flange portion 711 first outer wall portion 711a, 711b first notch 715 first cable path portion 716, 716f third wall portion 717 first recess 721 second outer wall portion 721a second notch 725 second cable path portion 727 second recess 731 beam portion 951a seal portion 952a joint portion 953a step portion 954a assembly notch 959a projection G1 center G2 center L1 first distance L10 distance L2 second distance S1 spacing S2 spacing W1 first width W2 second width

Claims (5)

A plurality of electric storage elements each having a gas exhaust valve, the gas exhaust valves being arranged in such a manner that they face in the same direction;
an exhaust section that is disposed above the plurality of electric storage elements and forms an exhaust path for the gas exhausted from the gas exhaust valve;
the exhaust section has a plurality of holes communicating with the gas exhaust valves of the plurality of electric storage elements,
the exhaust section is divided in an arrangement direction of the plurality of electric storage elements and includes a first division body and a second division body adjacent to the first division body,
At least one of the first division body and the second division body has two or more holes among the plurality of holes,
an overlap portion protruding toward the second division body at one end of the first division body and overlapping with the other end of the second division body in a plan view ;
the exhaust section forms an exhaust path together with the first divided body and the second divided body and includes a cover member that covers an upper portion of the exhaust path,
The first partition has a first bottom having the overlap portion, and a pair of first partition walls extending from both ends of the first bottom,
The second division body has a second bottom portion adjacent to the first bottom portion and second division wall portions standing on both end portions of the second bottom portion,
The cover member has a cover portion that covers the first divided body and the second divided body, and a pair of second wall portions that stand upright from both ends of the cover portion and overlap the first divided wall portion and the second divided wall portion.
Energy storage device. a first flange portion is formed at one end of the first bottom portion and protrudes toward the energy storage element;
The energy storage device according to claim 1 , wherein a second flange portion is formed at the other end of the second bottom portion, the second flange portion protruding toward the energy storage element and facing the first flange portion. A plurality of electric storage elements each having a gas exhaust valve, the gas exhaust valves being arranged in such a manner that they face in the same direction;
an exhaust section that is disposed above the plurality of electric storage elements and forms an exhaust path for the gas exhausted from the gas exhaust valve;
the exhaust section has a plurality of holes communicating with the gas exhaust valves of the plurality of electric storage elements,
the exhaust section is divided in an arrangement direction of the plurality of electric storage elements and includes a first division body and a second division body adjacent to the first division body,
At least one of the first division body and the second division body has two or more holes among the plurality of holes,
an overlap portion protruding toward the second division body at one end of the first division body and overlapping with the other end of the second division body in a plan view;
The tip end of the overlap portion is spaced apart from the other end of the second division body.
Energy storage device. A plurality of electric storage elements each having a gas exhaust valve, the gas exhaust valves being arranged in such a manner that they face in the same direction;
an exhaust section that is disposed above the plurality of electric storage elements and forms an exhaust path for the gas exhausted from the gas exhaust valve;
the exhaust section has a plurality of holes communicating with the gas exhaust valves of the plurality of electric storage elements,
the exhaust section is divided in an arrangement direction of the plurality of electric storage elements and includes a first division body and a second division body adjacent to the first division body,
At least one of the first division body and the second division body has two or more holes among the plurality of holes,
an overlap portion protruding toward the second division body at one end of the first division body and overlapping with the other end of the second division body in a plan view;
the first division body is disposed closer to an exhaust port in the exhaust path than the second division body,
The overlap portion is disposed above the other end of the second division body.
Energy storage device. A plurality of electric storage elements each having a gas exhaust valve, the gas exhaust valves being arranged in such a manner that they face in the same direction;
an exhaust section that is disposed above the plurality of electric storage elements and forms an exhaust path for the gas exhausted from the gas exhaust valve;
the exhaust section has a plurality of holes communicating with the gas exhaust valves of the plurality of electric storage elements,
the exhaust section is divided in an arrangement direction of the plurality of electric storage elements and includes a first division body and a second division body adjacent to the first division body,
At least one of the first division body and the second division body has two or more holes among the plurality of holes,
an overlap portion protruding toward the second division body at one end of the first division body and overlapping with the other end of the second division body in a plan view;
The overlap portion has a flat plate shape and is exposed to the exhaust path.
Energy storage device.

Images