JPS6157654B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a method for connecting cells in a storage battery, in which connecting bodies for adjacent cells are respectively located on both sides of a through hole provided in a battery case partition, and a connecting body is provided in one connecting body. The protrusion passes through the partition wall through-hole and faces the other connecting body, and this opposing portion has an area to be connected by melting, and is melted by an arc generated between itself, and then It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to obtain a highly reliable inter-cell connection structure with good workability by pressurizing and connecting these parts.

Traditionally, this type of cell-to-cell connection method involves inserting protrusions provided on the connection bodies of adjacent cells into the partition wall through-holes, abutting them, and applying current while applying pressure, which causes the abutted portions to melt due to resistance heat generation. or by passing a protrusion provided on one cell connection body through the partition wall through-hole and the through-hole provided on the other connection body, and crimping the tip of the protrusion to the periphery of the connection body through-hole. etc. were taken.

However, the former method is electric resistance welding that uses Joule heat, and since this Joule heat is generated within the partition wall through-holes, the partition wall through-holes are damaged by heating, worsening the airtightness of the connection area, and the partition wall The disadvantage was that the mechanical strength of the through-hole portion deteriorated. On the other hand, while the latter method does not damage the partition wall perforations,
Since it is fixed by caulking, it requires skill during the caulking process and has the disadvantage that the work is complicated.

The present invention is a manufacturing method capable of eliminating such conventional drawbacks and providing an intercell connection structure with good workability and excellent reliability, and examples thereof will be described below.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an electric layer, 2 is its partition wall,
A through hole 3 is provided for connection between cells. 4,5
is an inter-cell connector provided between two adjacent cells 6 via a partition wall, and its width is larger than the diameter of the through hole 3 of the partition wall. One connecting body 4 is provided with a projection 7 having a smaller diameter than the through hole 3 in the partition wall, and the tip of this projection 7 passes through the through hole 3 in the partition wall and contacts the other connecting body 5 without touching it. They are facing each other. 5a is a protrusion that restricts the position of the connecting body 5 so that it does not come into contact with the protrusion 7. 9,10
is a pressurizing jig for pressing the connecting bodies 4 and 5 against the partition wall, and also serves as a current-carrying terminal for arc generation.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a ring-shaped protrusion that is concentric with the protrusion 7 and the protrusion provided on the other connecting body 5 facing the protrusion 7, has a larger diameter than the through hole 3, and is formed on one side facing the partition wall 2. has been done.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an inert gas ejection pipe provided on one of the pressurizing jig 10, which protects the arc melting part by surrounding it with active gas.

A power supply device is connected to the pressing jigs 9 and 10 to generate an arc between the projections 7 of the connecting bodies 4 and 5 and their opposing parts, and the power supply is 50 to 300 A.
It can apply a current of 50 to 200 V, generate an arc length of 500 to 1000 m/sec, and also has a high frequency generator.

In the state shown in FIG.
When the connecting bodies 4 and 5 are brought into close contact with the partition wall 2 by applying light pressure in the direction, and the protrusion 7 is opposed to the connecting body 5 without touching it, and the power supply device is turned on, the gap between the protrusion 7 and the connecting body 5 is A DC voltage with a superimposed high frequency is applied to generate an arc between the protrusion 7 and the connecting body 5, and the tip of the protrusion 7 and a part of the connecting body 5 facing it are melted by the arc heat. .

The welding conditions for commonly used automotive batteries with a capacity of 40 to 200 AH are as follows: Diameter of the through hole in the partition wall: 8 to 20 mm Thickness of the partition wall around the hole: 1 to 3 mm Pressure time of the pressure jig: 4 to 6 seconds High frequency Application time: 0.05 to 0.2 seconds Melting current: DC 50 to 300 A Melting voltage: 50 to 200 V Melting time: 0.2 to 0.8 seconds Arc length: 500 to 1000 m・sec The tip of the protrusion 7 of the connecting body 4 and one side of the connecting body 5 were melted. Immediately after, as shown in FIG.
When 10 is pressed even more strongly in the direction of the arrow, the protrusion 7 of the connecting body 4 is pressed by the jig and deforms, and comes into close contact with the molten part of the other connecting body 5, solidifying in a fused state. Ru.

In this case, the protrusion 5a is in contact with the partition wall 2 so that the movement of the connecting body 5 by the pressure jig is not large, and this pressing force is applied to the melted part of the opposing surface of the connecting body 5 between the tip of the protrusion 7 and the connecting body 5. Since it is softened by keeping it at a high temperature, relatively little amount is required, and 40 to 110 kg/cm ² is sufficient.

Figures 2 and 3 show the state of the intercell connection during welding, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, and Figure 4 is an enlarged view of section A in Figure 3. In Figure 3, the arrow indicates the arc. It shows movement.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the protrusion 7 melted by an arc and the connecting body 5 are pressed against each other by a pressure jig and fused together.

In this way, the present invention generates an arc between the protrusion that penetrates the partition wall through-hole provided in one connection body and the other connection body itself that is opposite to this, melts this part, and pressurizes it. Because it fuses together,
5000~10000A like conventional electric resistance welding
Welding can be performed with an extremely small current of 50 to 300 A without the need for large currents such as However, due to the high temperature of the arc heat, it melts quickly, so the welding time can be shortened. Further, since the melting protrusion and the connecting body are welded outside the partition wall through-hole, there can be almost no thermal influence on the partition wall. Of course, the part of the other connecting body facing the protrusion can be welded not only as a flat surface but also as a recess.

Furthermore, since the required current is smaller than electric resistance welding, the power supply can be made smaller, and unlike plasma arc welding, there is no need to provide a special electrode for arc generation, and the protrusion and connecting body itself can generate the arc. It can be an electrode. Therefore,
There are advantages in that work can be easily automated and the mechanism as an inter-cell connection device can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the cell-to-cell connection method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view during welding, Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of section A in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is after welding is completed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an inter-cell connection section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1 Connecting bodies of adjacent cells are located on both sides of a through hole provided in a battery case partition wall, and one connecting body is connected to the other connecting body through the through hole of the partition wall. Protrusions that face each other without being in contact with each other are provided, and the connecting bodies of the adjacent cells are brought into close contact with the battery case partition wall using a pair of pressurizing jigs connected to an arc generating power supply device, so that the protrusions that face each other without touching each other are The connecting body itself is used as an arc generating electrode to generate an arc between them to melt the opposing parts, and then both the connecting bodies are pressurized by the pair of pressure jigs to deform and fuse the molten parts. A method of connecting cells between storage batteries. 2. The inter-cell connection method for a storage battery according to claim 1, wherein the other connecting body portion facing the protrusion is a flat surface or a recessed portion.